Food For Thought For Our Palm Sunday Celebration!!!

John 12:13 (The masses on Palm Sunday)
So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

John 19:15 (Five days later)
They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”

Matthew 16:13-17 (Point of reference)
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

The irony of unbelief is that it is very much like Stockholm Syndrome, where the people who grumble and complain against the system are very much part of the system and the corrupt syndicates they are in cahoots with, because they each love themselves so much that any threat to their wellbeing is sufficient cause to viciously turn on anything even the truth and Almighty God, as these unbelievers must override even common sense in serving their own selfish interest, especially when under duress of their own wellbeing.

As we go through the Bible, we see God changing the names of people whom He influences… Old Testament Jacob is named Israel (Gen 32:28). Apostle Simon is named Peter (Mat 16:18), while Saul becomes Apostle Paul (Acts 13:9).

Let’s take a look at the meaning of these names-

Jacob: means “supplanter,” which can interpret as a person who seizes, circumvents, or usurps by way of deceit.
Israel: One who strives against God & the world and prevails. Meaning a believer whom God sanctifies in the world, like it were a furnace burning out the impurities in the believer, in perfecting the believer like silver or gold is purified in the furnace. So, when the believer comes out of that furnace, as in crosses the point of the grave, his/her soul reflects the nature of his maker perfectly whose image he/she was made in (Gen 1:26/Rom 8:29/Col 1:13-16).

Simon: means “reed.” i.e. a Reed that is easily swayed (1Jn 5:19) or blows in the direction of the wind. 
Peter: means a rock i.e., a life founded in Christ (Mat 7:24-27). 

Saul: Asked for (from Sheol [land of the dead]) (Jn 1:12-13/Luke 10:20/1Peter 1:17-19)
Paul: means small or humble. No longer boasting in himself as a pharisee but boasts in the Lord, in being made redundant (small) to the world.

2Cor 5:17 (For Your Reference)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

John 15:18-23 (Also For Your Reference)
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 

We therefore see- that in the context of 2Cor 5:17, the transforming/redeeming power of the Lord Jesus Christ, wherein a person no longer kisses the butt of the who’s who in this damn world to serve his own selfish interests but finds the strength to stand for the truth and stand up the world because this person has been called out of the darkness into the light of Christ (Jer 17:5-9). So, while the unbeliever wears the mark of the beast (666) on their right hand and forehead (Rev 13:16-17), as Satan gets these to do his wicked pleasure by lighting a fire under their butts, by way of loving themselves beyond everything else, even God and truth for that matter… the Christian on the contrary, wears the Law of God (Mat 22:36-40) on his/her forehead and right hand (meaning thinks and acts according to God’s glory and good pleasure) (Deut 6:8), because he/she loves God/truth beyond all things and in carrying his/her cross and following after the Lord Jesus (Mat 16:24), this true believer becomes a living sacrifice for God’s glory alone (1Pet 2:4-6). This after all is the defining factor of God’s Church/Israel aka Jesus’ sheep (Jn 17:21-23).


Mat 21:18-22 (such is Seasonal faith/fruit aka Lenten faith)
In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Unlike the world, that exploits its people and leads them to dead-ends repeatedly, while expecting the impossible out of them (Mat 23:4), so as to assert their tyrannical rule over these, by way of unholy fear, the One true Triune Lord our God Almighty, will part the Red Sea if He must, to make a way for His people, because our life, its sustenance, and our salvation is in Him (Jn 14:6) and that will be proven repeatedly as God so wills. The fig tree in the above verse shows us what is typical in a world where Christianity is atypical because the Christian who is acquainted with his Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ through scripture is fully equipped to act righteously for God’s glory and good pleasure alone.

Eph 2:8-10
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

So, coming back to Palm Sunday, we see Christianity has less to do with going with the flow of this damn frivolous world, like it were some fair-weather friendship with God. Rather true Biblical Christianity is about standing for what God loves and standing against what God hates, knowing there are none who stand with you, because in any case, that life you live as a believer, your only audience is God Himself. So, it follows… that in that stand you take, all you need on your side is Jesus.

This is the Christian life: a living sacrifice, wherein you carry your cross and follow the Lord Jesus Christ, the author and perfector of our faith (Heb 12:2) because Jesus is worthy (Rev 7:9-12), and the payoff is not where moth and vermin can destroy (Mat 6:19-21), nor is the happiness like that which defines self-indulgences, that suffer ludicrous aftermaths like: laughing till you cry, or like hangovers that follow stints of debauchery, or like any other justified withdrawal symptoms that come from living a satanically inspired lie, that says we are gods to ourselves, from the fall (Gen 3:4-5); and contrary to this spiritual crap of the world, the Christian life aka a religiosity based on truth… sees the light of day, not in the mire of this sick world but forever with the Lord, where real happiness has no assuaging factor.

1Chronicles 29:15
For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.

Psalm 84:10
For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Romans 8:18-20, 31
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
…
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

John 12:24-26
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honour him.

The above-mentioned verses sum up the Christian life in this world because in Christ we are not encouraged to allow the pursuits of this world to take over our lives (Psa 14:1) at cost of losing our souls (Mat 16:26). So, unlike the world who are held in the sway of the evil one (1Jn 5:19), our sight is fixed on that heavenly prize (Psalm 37:4/Phil 3:14) because that is where our happiness is without any wicked mitigating factor, and the glory all belongs to the One true Triune God Almighty alone, and we are so fortunate to taste that the Lord is good (Psa 34:8/Jn 10:14-15), and know Jesus Christ (aka God-the-Son Almighty in the flesh) as both our Lord and our Saviour (Psa 98:1Rev 5:5), having being counted not only among the called (Palm Sunday crowd) but also among His chosen (Mat 22:1-14/Lk 15:3-7/Jn 1:12-13 & 10:26).

Counterfeit gods & false religions

It is not a mere coincidence that spurious and counterfeit products come mostly from cultures and nations which are estranged from the truth about God revealed to mankind in the Lord Jesus Christ. For man makes only a reflection of what he himself is spiritually. Just as you are what you eat, if you eat healthy food, you are healthy… so also what you believe is who you are as a person, if what you sincerely believe in is authentic then the One true Triune God whose nature defines good morals will reflect in you as a person, for we human beings as believers are restored to reflect God’s very nature and character as our own (Ps 37:4), in which there is tremendous joy without any regret. The unbeliever, on the other hand, is a god to himself because his whole life revolves around what is best for himself, he is therefore a counterfeit god, and his law is all about putting himself first and loving the people around only as far as he has something to gain from it. So, whether this unbeliever is Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or false Christian all his religiosity revolves around satisfying his own craving for power, pleasure and pride. So, given that the very idea of the unbeliever being god is a lie, his means of serving himself is only accomplished through wickedness because the truth is, he is not god. So, while the One true Triune God is good in nature, accomplishing righteousness as He loves Himself and serves His own interest because He is God Almighty indeed. The unbeliever leaves nothing but regret and destruction in his wake, which inadvertently catches up with him in time as he loves himself and serves his own selfish interest because he is living a damn lie, living for himself like he is his own god.

Deut 6:5-8 (true religion)
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

Mat 22:36-40 (true region)
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Mat 28:18-20 (true religion)
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Rev 13:4-8 (counterfeit religion)
And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

If you were to look at the above verses, you will notice that the Law is bound to the right hand and forehead of the believer while counterfeit religion requires Satan’s image to be bound to the people’s right hand and forehead. In the account of the fall of Adam in Genesis 3:1-6, we see that Satan tempted Adam and Eve to follow after himself with self-righteousness. In this Adam and Eve were bastardised, forsaking God’s law, which is God’s very nature and character whose image we are made in; to receive a righteousness of our own. Herein mankind became a law to self, and did not see God eye to eye concerning righteousness and sin. However, He who created us also restored us back to His purpose for us (Rom 5:17), and mind you… not a soul who God planned to save before the very foundation of the world shall ever be lost (Eph 1:4/Jn 1:12-13).

Revelation 22:16 (Jesus is really God)
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

Psalm 37: 4
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Isaiah 14:12 (Satan is a damn counterfeit god)
“How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!

Like champagne is only champaign if is sourced and made exclusively in the Champagne region of France, while everything else is just sparkling white wine. So, also true religion is exclusively of the Lord Jesus Christ (Ps 3:8 & 62:1), wherein Almighty God turns us around from our ever-regretful sinful nature to the boundless joy of knowing and serving him, whose very nature is a joy to reflect on without any mitigating regret, for this is mankind’s very purpose, that we were made to reflect Jesus’ nature as our own (Rom 8:29).

1 Peter 5:8 (Counterfeit Power)
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Rev 5:1-5 (Real Power)
Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

If you know what it means to be someone’s righthand man, you know who wields all that person’s power. In the case of Almighty God, God-the-Son aka the Lord of lords Jesus Christ is God-the-Father’s right-hand man, and what is really so marvellous about the Lord Jesus, is that despite being the most powerful person in all eternity, He is good, which is not something Satan or his damn bastards will ever understand because their dominion is built and maintained on tyranny, and great is as far as they can get but for those who haven’t read the Bible as yet, here’s a spoiler alert… Satan’s power compared to God-the-Son is like a candle to the Sun, and I guess all those BDSM and death metal freaks love binding themselves in chains because their father Satan is in chains too, and these fools are sadly deceived to think that is cool. After all, they share in everything but truth and righteousness because all they get from their father is everything but the truth and righteousness.

Mat 6:2-4 (Selfless Godly Pleasure)
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Psalm 64:5 (Selfish Satanic Pleasure)
They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, “Who can see them?”

Psalm 101:5 (Selfish Satanic Pleasure)
Whoever slanders his neighbour secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.

Nothing is more intimate about a person’s character than the secrets he keeps. This is why Jesus teaches his sheep that everything we do in good or kind is to be kept secret, as this good pleasure, which is without regret is only between God and the genuine Christian. The unbeliever, on the other hand, his secrets range from everything like connivingly plotting a person’s downfall, to extra-marital affairs he has at the workplace to even incest which is why the Game of Thrones series is so popular among the unfaithful, for as self-serving bastards of Satan their pleasure which is soaking with regret is all about how they secretly exploit people around them to serve their own damn vested interests.

Genesis 3:9-12 (unbelievers aren’t men of their word)
But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”

Mat 26:63-66 (Jesus – a man of His Word)
But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”

Another interesting observation is that unlike the unbeliever who learns from his father Satan to blame others for his wrongs while taking to himself undue credit for what others have done… the true believer learns from Jesus to lay down his life for his friends (Jn 15:13) if it ever comes to that and give glory to the One true Triune God alone for all his accomplishments and blessings, which he enjoys day-to-day (Mat 5:45). For unlike the first Adam, who had no guts to stand up to the Devil when he was tempting Eve, and then blamed Eve for passing him the fruit of self-righteousness (Gen 3:12), the second Adam, who is God-the-Son in the flesh did not backout from His mission to save sinners even in the face of suffering to the point of certain death (Mat 26:63-66).

Col 2:20-23 (Showbiz false religosity)
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

Mat 5:34-37 (True Religion)
But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

Further, I would like to say that the evidence of God is so great, that the devil has fabricated thousands of lies to cover up the truth about God. Take for instance that there are over 4000 religions around the world, some are monolithic like Islam, while others are polytheistic like Hinduism, which has over 33 million gods, and though these gods are for real, in the sense they are demons and aliases, they don’t compare to the might of the Good Shepherd i.e. Lord Jesus Christ, and this is why Christianity is not just the best religion in the world, it is the only true religion which is of the One true Triune God in this world; and we know Christianity is true from the fact that people of various beliefs including atheists, leaves their countries to settle in developed nations whose culture has been shaped by the Gospel, because these heathen folk find the environment in Christian countries to be more comfortable and congenial than their own atmosphere back home.

John 13:34-35 (True Love Is Selfless)
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Mark 4:30-32 (Christianity Makes The World A Better Place To Live In)
And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

Jesus’s Strength Is Perfected In Our Weakness

Have you ever wondered what it is to prostrate before God? Yes, it is to submit to Him but there is so much more than just that. It is about putting God before everything, even yourself. It is to magnify Him, even if comes at the cost of lowering yourself. It is to say, that Lord you are my God, in the sense, you know Jesus reigns over all and you surrender to that irresistible grace, wherein your sinful rebellion waves that white flag of surrender, like a soldier in a war, for God has done more than destroyed sin in your life, He has also saved you. Unlike the unbeliever who is destroyed with his/her sin, only know Jesus as Lord (Phil 2:10-11) but never as a saviour as God did not choose to bestow His mercy on him/her, as He does so with the believer who knows Jesus as both Lord & Saviour, having been saved by His unmerited and unconditional love.

2 Cor 12:7-10
So, to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

John 4:21-24
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

From the above two verses, we understand that true worship is based on truth, it is about worshipping the One true Triune God who is revealed to us in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:18), and the God-the-Holy-Spirit (John 14:16-17, 26) through scripture (2Tim 3:16-17). So, going back to the account of the fall of Adam, where mankind became a law unto themselves (Gen 3:1-6), we understand that our weakness in the area of our will be done (like we are gods to ourselves), is where God’s strength is perfected in us. For in that weakness, we are given repentance unto salvation, giving up our godhead which we achieve through nothing more than deceit and wickedness, to receive the One true Triune God as our Lord.

2 Cor 7:10
For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Psalm 119:71-75
It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word. I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Now, before I come to the next point about Christian discipline, I would like to quote Charles Spurgeon…

“So, whatever has happened to you, see the hand of God in it. A dog, if it be struck with a stick, bites the stick. Well, that may be all that we can expect from a dog; but you who are no dog must look to the hand that holds the stick, and not to the instrument with which you are smitten, and then you dare not bite the blessed hand that only intends your good in striking you. See God’s hand, then, in all that happens to you, and that will help you on the way to a very blessed state of contentment.”
-C. H. Spurgeon

“God’s Sovereignty is the pillow upon which the believer rests his head at night.”
-C. H. Spurgeon

I am not perfected in discipline and neither do I believe that you should not take righteous action against those who cause harm to you, your family or your property. After all, if Satan will glorify God’s justice forever in hell, the unbeliever/non-Christian will also get their dues paid in full, with some foretaste of it while they live on the earth, thanks to people who will stand up for what is right and be conduits of delivering God’s justice unto these illegitimate children of God. For this reason, the state is also an institution of God (Isaiah 9:6), which dishes God’s justice on the deserving. However, with the apostate state trying to play God, suddenly the Biblical reference that an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind comes up when prosecuting criminals, while it is somehow ok to prosecute the innocent for the crimes of others, as these are two sides of the same coin.

Mat 5:38-39
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Rom 12:19
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

So, as much as you wouldn’t bite a rabid dog for biting you. We understand that the Biblical context of an eye for an eye and turn the other cheek, is not to give way for wickedness but to persevere in continually exercising the righteousness of God, which this damn world hates, and we are not to respond by resorting to their own wicked devices, in getting back at them. Instead, just as you would put down a rabid dog and not bite it for biting you, so also the wicked need to be put down for their crimes as defined by the judicial law in the Bible, which is given to the Christian State (not the Church).

Hebrews 12:3-8 (About being disciplined)
Consider him (Jesus) who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Coming back to the subject of discipline, in view of 2 Cor 7:10, Psalm 119:71-75, Psalm 23:4 and the Charles Spurgeon quotes cited above, we understand from the Biblical context of God’s sovereignty that these measures of discipline are all for our good (Rom 8:28), put in place by God, that even if it has to come by the hand of Satan himself, it is at Jesus behest (Mat 28:18-20/Job 1:12 & 2:3/Luke 12:31-33). This discipline keeps the God-fearing man or woman out of sin harm’s way and builds a hedge in securing the believer. even if it has to come at the cost of the Christian losing his/her life (Mark 9:42-50/Mat 10:28).

Mat 11:25-30
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Also, considering the verse above, we understand that just as a yoke placed on the neck of an animal, lowers the animal’s head as the animal labours for its master. So also, the believer is brought to prostrate before the Lord Jesus, in which he/she sums up the courage to do the will and good pleasure God (James 1:22-25) by the power in Christ working in the Christian. For as much as a person hates those who hate what he/she loves, and loves those who love whom he/she loves… these in whom the strength of God is perfected in their weakness, their prostration before the Lord, is their very strength in which they stand up to a godlessly-totalitarian and tyrannical world.

Jeremiah 17:5-8 Thus says the LORD:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

We therefore, see throughout scripture that spiritual prostration/obedience is a delightful thing, wherein the Christian who exercises his/her Christian faith even in the face of the world’s hostility, finds freedom. For the truth has set the Christian free (John 8:31-32), who once as an unbeliever, sucked up to tyrants to serve his/her own damn vested interest but in coming to faith in the Lord Jesus, the Christian finds his/her sustenance in yielding to Jesus and serving God’s interest over his/her own. Therefore, every circumstance the Lord decrees in the life of the believer, brings to mind the message of Jeremiah 30: 22, which says “And you will be My people, and I will be your God”. This inadvertently echoes the same message where God’s strength is perfected in the believer’s weakness, so as to repeatedly emphasise and reemphasise the truth/Gospel in the mind of the Christian.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Romans 8:1, 29-30
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
…
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

This spiritual prostration is thereby genuine and serves as evidence that the believer has transitioned from being a self-serving dastardly devious slave to sin to becoming a slave to righteousness in Christ (Psalm 37:4/2Cor 5:17), wherein the Christian finds his/her ultimate purpose, having been restored in Jesus, to reflect the very nature of God, which is His Law that we ought to live by, as our own nature (1Pet 2:4-8). This is where beauty is so deep that it springs forth from the soul (Mat 13:23) which has been regenerated by the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, unlike the superficial beauty of the people of the world that stays for a time, the beauty or handsomeness of the true Christian is eternal, carried beyond the grave and perfected in Christ (Phil 1:6) for the glory of the One true Triune God alone.

Living For God’s Glory

From The Westminster Larger Catechism
Q. 1. What is the chief and highest end of man?
A. Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.

From the fall account of Gen 3:1-6, we see Adam & Eve forsook the Law of God in eating the fruit of self-righteousness. In this mankind became each a law unto themselves because they were gods unto themselves serving their own chief end from the fall. The very life-giving breath which God breathed in Adam’s nostrils died, and the image of God, which mankind was made in, to reflect God’s very nature and character was broken.

Gen 2:7 (Creation Account)
Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person.

Rom 5:17
For if by the offense of the one, death reigned through the one, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

John 20 (Redemption Account)
20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be to you; just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

The above 3 pieces of scripture, cites the creation & redemption of God’s elect through His Son Jesus. Now, I would like to you understand, that just like how fallen mankind uses everything to serve their own motives… take the world’s counterfeit of the 10 Commandments for example. Originally in the 10 commandments, the first 4 commandments highlight mankind’s duty unto God while the next 6 commandments specify man’s duty unto His neighbour… but how the fallen world counterfeits this is by putting themselves first instead of God and then loving their neighbour from covetousness according to who serves their best interests… and the reason this is done from wickedness is because fallen man even though he acts like god, he is not truly God, & so the only way he establishes himself as god is by serving himself, as his own chief end through wickedness. The Triune God Almighty on the other hand is truly God, and so His very law or shall I say nature & character, which establishes His Godhead is righteous because He truly is God and that’s no lie. Hence, when a man is restored in Jesus to reflect God’s nature and character, he is a new creation in Christ (2Cor 5:17), who no longer enjoys sin as he get’s a taste of living for God’s glory, which hooks him into finding mankind’s original Godly purpose in being that radiant image of God’s nature and character.

Ephesians 2
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Col 3:17 
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

1Cor 10:31
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God.

The above 3 pieces of scripture highlights the change of nature that overtakes the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the victorious life, where the believer goes from sucking up to people in covetousness to serve his own vested interest from unbelief… to worshipping God in His righteousness and serving His interest for God’s glory. Also, I must say there is nothing more satisfying in life than living for the glory for God. Go take a look at the world, who is seeking in after themselves take to sexual immorality, debauchery and acting from covetousness; but do these poor fools find any satisfaction in seeking after themselves? No! For they have lost sight of the very purpose they were made for by God, & that is to live for God’s glory and reflect God’s very nature and character as their own.

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 84:10
For a day in Your courtyards is better than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than live in the tents of wickedness.

Mat 6
28 And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.

You know, looking at the above three pieces of scripture I would like to say there is nothing to stop you from getting what you want, when you want what God wants (Ps 37:4/Rom 8:1). For the Christian who lives for God’s glory is like the salt of the earth, that though we are few we influence the nature of things around us by reflecting God’s nature & character as our own, and we are so hooked by the power of God presented to us in the Gospel that though the world may slay us for making them feel insecure about the way they go about as gods serving their own chief end from wickedness and self-righteousness, the truth is that even if obedience unto God cost us our lives, it is worth it because the Jesus is worthy (Rev 7:10-14) of such true worship (Phil 1:21/John 4:23). So, this New Year 2021, I pray you may know the Lord God and live for His glory in blessed to become a new creation in Christ.

Separated From The World And United In Christ!

I have been moved to write on this because of the #BlackLivesMatter movement that has been wreaking havoc in the name of fighting racism. The truth is faith in Jesus is mankind’s only dividing line which really matters, because there is an earth and sky difference between those who truly believe in Jesus and those who don’t, and this is not because of any personal quality a believer may have but what makes a believer special is the Spirit of Jesus Christ who works in the believer (1John 4:4), and that is far greater than the spirit of Satan in whose sway the wicked people of the world are (1Jn 5:19). This sway is made evident in the degenerate actions of Black Lives Matter that’s all justified in the self-righteous fighting of systemic racism.

John 3
18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

1John 3
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

To give you some context for the 1John 3:10 verse mentioned above, I will need to take you back to Gen 3:1-6, to the account of the fall of man, where mankind was bastardized by Satan by being deceived into becoming a law to themselves. This happen by eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, in which Adam forsook God’s standard of righteousness only to receive his own righteousness, whereby mankind became gods to themselves, from here stems mankind’s self-serving nature because in becoming a law to ourselves, we also became counterfeit gods to ourselves. However, unlike God who exercises righteousness in serving His own interest because He truly is God. When we seek after ourselves, we do nothing but act and thinks deviously like Satan because the truth is, we are not truly God.

John 1
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Ephesians 2
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Romans 8
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

From the verses mentioned above, we see how God chooses a people for Himself from fallen mankind. From Col 1:16, we know everything in creation exist for the glory of God. Also, from Gen 1:26 we learn mankind was made for God’s glory. Yes, we were made in the image of God, to be a reflection of His nature and character but in the fall, we forsook His nature to receive a righteousness of self and in this we became children of Satan for whom the wrath of God is reserved. However, as much as God’s attribute of love is perfect, so is His justice. So, He sent us His only begotten Son, who added to Himself complete human form in womb of Mary but without Sin and offered Himself as a substitutionary sacrifice to atone for our sin, while at the same time crediting His righteousness to those whom He died to save from Sin. These are the elect, whom God adopted into His family, who are restored to God’s image by the atoning power of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 7
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

John 17
11 I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.

From Col 1:17 & Eph 4:16 we know in Christ all things hold together whether these are heavenly bodies like stars and galaxies or various members of His Church from every nation and tribe. This is made possible by God’s love availed in Jesus Christ. However, for those who are outside Christ, like Black Lives Matter, Antifa and the KKK, these are each a law to themselves, who do nothing but exercise their father’s Satan’s desire (John 8:44 & 10:10) is accomplishing what they have been deceived to believe is right.

Gen 3:15
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

John 15
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 

Looking at the above verse in the light of John 6:39-44 we understand that this division is something God has established between the believer and the unbeliever because when a person comes to faith, he or she is a new creation in Christ (2Cor 5:17). Jesus separates this person from his/her desire for sin as far as the east is from the west (Ps 103:12) and so when you no longer have the same interests and enjoyments, there is no longer any common ground for fellowship. Sometimes when I myself think back of all the things I used to enjoy and laugh at with my unbelieving friends, it makes my stomach churn today. In Salvation, God turns a person around from loving their sin to loving Him and like the two nations that struggled with each other in Rebbecca’s womb (Gen 25:23), is the struggle between the believer and unbeliever in this world. One is united by their saving love & fear of God while the other is united by the hatred for truth in general, & their every thought/action reveals they have no fear of God, as they can’t help but put away His wrath for a time God decrees (Rom 9:22).

2Cor 6
14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

2Cor 7:10
For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

We therefore see the real dividing line between mankind, is not based on sex, caste, skin colour or ethnicity, it is based on those who have accepted the truth about themselves as sinners before a righteous God and in doing so have received the truth about God by the redeeming power of Jesus Christ (2Cor 7:10), while the rest struggle with the truth about themselves in every area of life, and continually blaspheme God with the world’s trending lies which are circulated and recirculated from generation to generation (Ecc 1:9).

Why be satisfied with goat-food… aka the Rapture!

Mat 24
3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
…
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

Among those who believe in the rapture, these see the rapture as either happening Pretribulation, Post-tribulation & Mid-tribulation, where the common ground among these is that all these believe that the tribulation occurs before the millennium of Christ rule, which is supposedly initiated by Jesus 2nd coming, where Jesus will come back with the saints who died, and rule the earth with all His saints (both those who died in Christ & those who are raptured). Coming to the pretribulation-rapture, it is of the disposition that Jesus will rapture the believers, so as to provide an escape hatch for the believers to escape the tribulation, while the post-tribulation-rapture believes that the believers will be raptured after the tribulation at the same time as His second coming. Then you have the mid-tribulation-rapture, where people supposedly believe that believers will be rapture in the midst of the tribulation. 

So, what’s the problem… you’re probably asking!

Mat 24
6 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

Mat 13
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

If you look at Mat 13:40-42, you will notice that the weeds in this parable are dealt with first and then if you care to notice what Mat 24:39 says, those who were “taken away” by the flood (the reprobate), is the context applied to the “taking away” of the one in the field and grinding the mill in Mat 24:40 & 41. So, from the purview of Mat 13:30 where the angels will first bundle the weeds/tares and cast them into the flames, after which they proceed to gather the wheat into the barn; we understand that the second coming of Jesus i.e. judgement day will happen at the end of Jesus’ thousand year reign, where the dead – both the just & the unjust will rise (Acts 24:15/Rev 20:11-15) and be reunited with their bodies, as judgement is pronounced on both the living and the dead (2Tim 4:1). Here the just who share in the first resurrection (have come to faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:33)), will receive glorified/unperishable bodies (1Cor 15:52), and the second death has no power over because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Rom 8:1). Also, these who are just are those whom the Lord Jesus Christ has saved by offering Himself as a substitutionary sacrifice for their sin (Rom 6:23-24) while at the same time working in them (Phil 1:6) to conform them to God’s own image/nature/character (Rom 8:29/Gen 1:26), which is mankind’s very purpose in the sight of God.  

Acts 24:15
…there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.

Rev 20
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Another thing which is seriously wrong with the premillennialist rapture idea, is the thought that the saints who are in their heavenly abode with Christ will come back to an earth stained with sin and rule for a thousand years with the Lord after the rapture. Now, if there is one rule about interpreting scripture it is that scripture should be interpreted in the light of scripture and not in the light of pleasing the flesh. So, in the light of Ecc 9:6, people beyond the grave are cut-off from the world never to get involved again with matters of the world ever again. Hence there is no question of the saints coming back to the earth to live among the reprobate. Somehow, I am beginning to see that the premillennialists of today are like the Jews of Jesus’ time, who were looking for a military ruler kind of Messiah who would help the Jews rid their land of the Romans. So too, the premillennialist sees the 2nd coming of Christ somewhat like an initiation of God’s military rule on the earth. It’s almost as though the premillennialist believes in the sovereignty of God only in the area of God’s Salvation, but not in their eschatology. In the light of scripture, we also understand that Jesus’ second coming is not about coming to keep a check on evil that’s getting out of hand in the world. On the contrary, we are to hasten His second coming by exercising righteousness in the world (2Pet 3:11-12) because the groom will only come for His bride/Church when she is ready, and the Almighty Holy Spirit is absolutely competent is making sure this happens. So, let us not look at wickedness in the world as an opportunity to throw caution to the wind to hasten His second coming, rather we are take the bull by the horns and live righteously like lambs unto God (John 10:16) and lions unto the world (Gen 49:9/Rev 5:5/Ps 84:10) in typifying the nature of Christ (Rom 8:29) that is prevalent in the living spirit God has blessed us with in Jesus Christ (1Cor2:14-16).

Isaiah 65
19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem
    and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
    and the cry of distress.
20 No more shall there be in it
    an infant who lives but a few days,
    or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for the young man shall die a hundred years old,
    and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 They shall build houses and inhabit them;
    they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
    or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
    so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
    the work of their hands.

Isaiah 11
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
    and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
9 They shall not hurt or destroy
    in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

Hebrews 8
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
    after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
    and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
    and they shall be my people.
11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
    and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
    from the least of them to the greatest.

Talking about what the work of the Holy Spirit on the earth to hasten the coming of the Lord. I would like to help you see the 3 pieces of scripture mentioned above in the light of God reconciling all creation to Himself through the redeeming sacrifice of His Son (Col 1:16-20). Also, in the above three pieces of scripture, we see how far we are from this state of peace because right now we are nothing more than human beings with appetites for sin, prevalent in us like animal instincts. So, you somehow notice that there is a restoration process in place for mankind by the redeeming power of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 5:17), when you compare Isaiah 65:20 mentioned above to Gen 6:3, where God limited the age of mankind to 120 year to restrain their sin after the fall from mankind in Adam.

Mat 24
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Rev 7
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
…
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 
…
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Gen 32
28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Mat 28
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Mat 22:44
“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
    under your feet.”’

Now as I move to debunk the premillennialist escapist view of the tribulation followed by their millennial view of Jesus’ reign. I would like to state that from Mat 22:44, we know that when Jesus rose from the dead and sat the right father, a position of absolute authority, we understand from scripture that He sits at the right hand of God-the-Father until His enemies are subdued under His feet. Also, from the Great Commission in Mat 28:18-20 we learn of Jesus’ authority on heaven, earth & the world below, as given in the present tense. He doesn’t speak of it sometime in the future, and from Psalm 119:71, 75 we know that God uses affliction to teach His children obedience. It’s called sanctification and our sanctification is what makes us Jesus’ Sheep/Israel, that by the power of Christ in us (1John 4:4) we strive against the world under the sway of Satan who in turn yields under duress to God, who is sovereign (Gen 32:28). So, if you look at Rev 7:14, you will notice that the saints across time came through the tribulation by the saving power of Jesus Christ. Meaning the very duration of the tribulation was the very period of Christ reign because God’s sovereignty is not conditional and even the tribulation serves his mighty purpose (Isaiah 14:27/Job 42:2).

Rev 20
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

1Cor 15
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the context of Rev 21:12 & Jn 3:3, we realize that the city God loves are a people who are born from above, those who are a new creation in Jesus Christ (2Cor 5:17). To conclude, the millennial reign of Christ is not a literal 1000 years but only symbolic of a very long time (Psalm 90:4 & 2Peter 3:8), and going by Isaiah 65:20-22, we know we are very far away from young people dying at 100 and people living as old as trees. So, there is still a lot of time for Judgement Day i.e. the Second Coming of Christ, where towards the end of the millennial rule of Christ, Satan will be released as mentioned in Rev 20:7-10 above, and you must note that Satan’s release doesn’t mark the end of Jesus’ reign. Rather, like Pharaoh in Rom 9:17 this fool is released to serve the purpose of the Almighty Triune God Himself and then after the Almighty Son deals Satan that final deadly blow, Jesus will make His glorious Second Coming to earth (Mat 26:64), where the reprobate will be sent packing first to hell before he brings Salvation to His people who have been waiting on Him (Heb 9:28). Then after destroying all creation with the consuming fire of His presence (Heb 12:29), Jesus will put a heaven and earth in place that is unstained with sin for His people to occupy and be righteous stewards over, for God’s own glory.   

Rev 21 (The New Heavens & The New Earth)
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Finding Peace In God!

Mat 11
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Have you ever been so spiritually tired that even though you are the most happening person in your friends’ circle, you cry when you are alone? You are all ok on the outside but you’re a mess on the inside and your smile does a good job of covering up for you. The truth is, you have no peace and that is only between you and God. You ought to know that humankind was made to glorify God and enjoy him forever. However, from the fall, humankind became a law unto ourselves (Gen 3:1-6), and in becoming a law unto ourselves, we became gods to ourselves and our chief-end was not living for God’s glory but living for our own glory, and this is why humankind has no peace, estranged from God.

Isaiah 9:6 (makes reference to Jesus as the Prince of Peace)
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Mat 10 (the yoke of Christ as mentioned in Mat 11:29 above)
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.

Mat 10 (The Context)
16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

If the above 3 pieces of scripture appear as a contradiction to you, allow me to explain these to you in the context/light of scripture. However, before I come to this, I would like to stress on the importance of doing what’s right, no matter how inconvenient or out of the way it is for us personally. The Bible says that God is looking for those who will worship him in spirit & truth (John 4:23-4), and the Bible also says that the kingdom of heaven is like a narrow gate and the way to God is narrow (Mat 7:13-14) because pleasing God is only possible in Jesus Christ. The truth however is, that there is peace in all that righteous striving because when you act according to the righteousness that is revealed in scripture, though the people of the world may hate you (Mat 5:11-12) for your righteous indignation against homosexuality, counterfeit religion, abortions and immorality, you will know the peace of God in your striving against the wickedness of the world.

Philippians 4
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Coming back to the seeming contradictions that exist in the Mat 10:34-36 & Isaiah 9:6, mentioned above. We must understand that true peace can only be found in the truth, and truth is what God thinks. Sweet lies may flatter the world, but they don’t really bring peace. Sweet lies only help people sweep their sin under the carpet instead of dealing with it head on by way of repentance unto Jesus and believing in His Gospel. So, if you are ok with wearing a smile on the outside while you have an emotional storm brewing on the inside, which you cannot do anything about, you can continue dealing with your life by way of sweet lies.

Ezek 36
27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. 30 I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations.

John 12
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

So, if I have to say so, peace is a byproduct of your stand for God and his righteous. If you look at the above verses, you may notice a striking similarity between Ezek 36:31 & John 12:25. If I am to explain this to you, I would reiterate the fact that we are all sinners from the fall of Adam, a law to ourselves, gods to ourselves. We each have gone our own way; our self-righteousness is devious and meets the means of serving ourselves by deeds that are nothing short of wicked. When this realization dawns on us, we understand that God is the real God and the chief-end of our being is to serve His purpose, because He truly is God, and this self-serving nature we have, does nothing but flies in the face of God. The peace we are therefore looking for, lies in finding our purpose in God, and that lies in reflecting the light of His nature (which is His Law), even in the midst of the darkness of this world (Luke 8:16-17), because we were after all made/restored in His image (Gen 1:26/Rom 8:29). So, we are to carry His nature in our hearts, so dearly that it is as good as having it written on our hearts (Jer 31:33), and in doing so wear this heart on our sleeve (Ps 119:102-103), in a world that wickedly tries to suppress the righteousness of God by supporting the likes of abortion as a woman’s right to murder, Islam as a religion of peace, homosexuality in marriage & every other form of immorality, which God hates.

Mat 28 (Great Commission)
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

John 3 (the word of God never returns void)
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 

1 Cor 6:2 (this is part of the great commission observing that teaching Jesus commandments)
Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?

There is peace in bearing witness to the righteousness of God in this dark world. The true Christian is like the salt of the earth (Mat 5:13), and though true Christians may be few, we are enough, just like the little salt that is enough to flavour a whole lot of food, and we find peace in it because the joy of the Lord is our strength. So, I call out to you, whoever you are, wherever you are, come out of the lies you are hiding behind, come into the light and the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32), you no longer have to pretend to be at peace or even pretend to be happy for that matter. The apostle Paul (2Cor 7:4), found joy sharing the Gospel in prison and that joy can be yours, all you need to do is seek the Lord your Maker in prayer, know Him in Jesus Christ (John 1:18) through the knowledge of scripture (66 books of the Bible), learn His nature and delight in it (Psalm 37:4) and that peace of God will fill up that emptiness in you, which nothing awesome enough but God can fill.

The Solution To A Corrupt World Of Familiar Euphemism!

The definition of EUPHEMISM according to the dictionary is: a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.

Psalm 14:1
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
    They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
    there is none who does good.

So, now let’s take a look at a couple of things this world has euphemized, in the doing their very best to escape the truth that is as clear as daylight before their very eyes.

Here are some classic examples of the world’s euphemism…

  1. Homosexuals with high suicide rates are called GAY, which at one time meant happy
  2. The religion of terror Islam is called the RELIGION OF PEACE
  3. Women who hate being women are called FEMINISTS
  4. The political left which stoops to every rotten scheme to sabotage the elections are called LIBERALS
  5. Violent black thugs who take the most black lives via black-on-black-crime, call themselves BLACK LIVES MATTER
  6. Preborn babies are called NOT HUMAN so people can have access to guilt free murder via abortion
  7. Tantric Yoga and the Kamasutra, which is nothing but Adultery/Fornication is called MEDITATION
  8. The RAINBOW, which represented God’s saving covenant with His people is now seen as a mnemonic for Gay Pride
  9. Fascist liberals who take to violence to silence the opposition, call themselves ANTIFA… short for Antifascist
  10. Instead of dealing with homosexuality as a serious sin and mental illness, it is accepted by pushing the so called GAY PRIDE agenda.

When you have a look at the above, it is very clear the world loves to live in denial of the truth. There are all a bunch of wannabees who are wicked by nature but love to see themselves as upright, for such is the nature of self-righteousness passed down to them from Adam in the fall.

Isaiah 55:8-9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

We must remember that we live in God’s world and life is to be lived here on God’s terms but we are like animals who try to suppress the righteousness of God, that is so prevalent in God’s good and deserving justice aka karma, which kicks us back into our senses but because we love our sin so much, we call karma a bitch. After all, if we have the nicest words for our sinful actions, it logically follows that we will reserve the foulest of language for the righteous judgements of God.

Isaiah 5:20, 24
Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter.
…
Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw
    and as dry grass sinks down in the flames,
so their roots will decay
    and their flowers blow away like dust;
for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty
    and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.

So, if you are wondering, what’s the solution at the hand… it’s “Jesus Christ” but as much as a person cannot enter another person’s banquet unless he is invited. You cannot gatecrash faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, unless God-the-Father draws you unto His Son for salvation (Jn 6:44). When this happens, God will grant you repentance (Acts 11:18) so that you begin to die to that self-righteousness nature you received in the fall of Adam and receive in its stead the righteousness of God via faith in the Gospel of Jesus Almighty (John 12:24-26/Rom 5:17).

Matthew 15
16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

Ezekiel 36
26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

Talk about a change of heart… that is the blessing and promise God has in store for those whom He brings to faith. Our hearts once wallowed in the mire of sin but in the Lord Jesus Christ, we delight to do, although not perfectly, that which pleases God Almighty. This spiritual journey, is undertaken, by the believer/pilgrim, whom the sovereign Lord sanctifies in this world. For as such, this is the legacy of Israel (Gen 32:28), am talking of both the Church of the Old and New Testament, who rested their faith in the Messiah.

Matthew 11 (Jesus is calling you)
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Romans 3
3 What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? 4 May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written,
“That You may be justified in Your words,
And prevail when You are judged.”

Have you ever wondered; how hard it is to live in denial of the way things are? Have you ever wondered why the LGBT are three times more likely to commit suicide compared to non-LGBT folk? The truth is God designed marriage to be between the one man & one woman, and no matter how the world may try to comfort their peers with Satan’s lies, the truth does not change, and as I said earlier, in this world if we are to be satisfied with the lives we are living, then we are to live on God’s terms, and if we want to live otherwise. You can bet on your own life that you will never live a fulfilling life. So, remember there is no satisfaction in being a law to yourself (Prov 3:7), you are not God, so kick that self-serving nature of yours out of your heart and ask Jesus to teach you His law… i.e. first to love the Lord with all your heart and second to love your neighbour as yourself.

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.

So, it is time you changed your life’s goal from pleasing yourself, because the truth is you are not God, and so everything you do to serve and please yourself, is nothing short of the deviously wicked and sin but if you were to make the joy of the Lord your strength, and live according to His Law, there will be no limit to the joy you will have in life, because you were made in the image of God and so reflecting His nature is your life’s purpose. So, embrace it in the Lord Jesus, and your life’s pleasures will no longer drag you down into the mire because you will no longer delight in debauchery, sexual immorality, thievery, murder and covetousness but you will instead delight in what pleases God and there will be no stopping you from enjoying life to the fullest (Rom 8:1) and that to without regret and guilt.

Ephesians 2
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [h]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

I would just like to conclude by saying that we are not saved by obeying the law, we are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and this saving grace is made evident in the change of heart I indicated earlier, where a person begins to desire to do that which pleases God, while his/her old nature nauseates him/her spiritually because he/she is now a new creation in the Lord Jesus Christ. So finally, he/she is not saved by obeying the law but the Law of God is now his/her life’s standard because of the saving work of Jesus Christ in his/her life (Phil 1:6).

The Significance of Resurrection Sunday aka Easter Sunday

From the fall of Adam, what separates man from God is sin. Sin is the very nature of man from the fall, even if he does something good, it is only to help him put himself in a position to do something wicked ultimately. From the fall of Adam, man by nature is a sinner because he loves to sin, whether it is to entertain covetous thoughts of what belongs to his neighbour or to lust after a woman who is not his or to enjoy things he has stolen or may be bearing false witness to further his own interests.

Gen 3 (the account of the fall of Adam)
2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

If you read the account of the fall of Adam mentioned in the above verse, you will understand what is the root cause of sin. From the fall, man has forsaken God’s law and become a law to himself. It’s not like Adam did not know right from wrong before the fall, because Eve clearly tells Satan that God has told them not to eat from the tree but Satan has already fallen and wants some more company to join him where he is going. So, he tempts Eve to forsake God’s law and become a law to herself, so she’ll be like God having a righteousness of her own. However, the truth is there is no God apart from God and no true righteousness apart from God’s law, which is God’s own nature and character. So, as righteousness is the fruit of those who act according to the Law of God, sin the fruit of those who are a Law to themselves because fallen man is not God, and his every self-serving thought & action that tries to affirm he is god is nothing but sin.

Mat 26:28 (Jesus says)
for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

Heb 9:22
And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

If we look at all the instructions in the Old Testament that dealt with animal sacrifice, we see that the animal had to be without blemish. Now, when we read about the Jesus in the New Testament, we are told and He was tempted and yet remained without sin. Also consider this, that there is none worthy in the sight of God, not humans or angels but God Himself. So, it makes complete sense that Jesus had to be the Son of God incarnate to be that holy, unblemished & worthy lamb who was slain as he bore the sins of all of God’s people on the cross.

James 1:16
Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

Mat 1:21
She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

If I were to describe the Gospel in a single sentence, it is this… that God’s law is perfect and so sin (transgressing His Law) had to justly dealt with, but God is also love by nature, perfect love, and so He sent His Son to take our place and be that unblemished sacrifice for the sins of all God’s people. The Bible says, the wages of sin is death and salvation is God saving us from Himself. The Good News is, the Son of God took upon Himself the complete nature of man by being born in the womb of the virgin. So Jesus was therefore the unblemished Lamb of God unstained by Adam’s disobedience aka original sin. This Jesus, took upon Himself, the sin of all God’s people and suffered death by crucifixion. So, His Resurrection i.e. His victory over death, is victory over sin for all who believe in Him.

1 Cor 15
51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 

Psalm 19:8
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

When you read the 1Cor 15:51-53 in the context of Ezek 37:9-14, we come to understand that it isn’t talking about the rapture but about the first resurrection i.e. people coming to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ aka being born from above (John 3:3). So as true believer, we are a new creation in Christ (2Cor 5:17), we now have an appreciation for God’s word, which we did not have before we were saved as indicated in 1Cor 15:52 & Psalm 19:8.

Mat 26:64
Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

If you care to read Mat 26:64 in the context of the chapter, you will be moved to tears. Here is Jesus being falsely tried on charges of blasphemy, and my Lord seals His own fate with the truth, before a syndicate of vipers who want to kill him (John 3:20). Any man would lie his way through, even Peter who said He would go to death with Jesus (Mat 26:36), failed to acknowledge he even knew the Lord in this dark fearsome trail (Luke 22:54-62), but my Lord was no coward. He spoke the truth about who He really is, before wicked people who were just looking for an opportunity to take His life, because the Light He is, pierced the darkness their hearts reveled in.

John 10:18
No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

Phil 2:8
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

My Lord could have called legions of angels and put an end to all mankind in an instant but as He said in John 4:34, His food is to the will of His Father. The Bible says in Phil 2:8, that Jesus was obedient to the point of death. In His death, my Lord bore the sins of all God’s people and suffered the deserving justice we deserved both hear on the earth and in hell where He went after He died. Being fully man, He died and being fully God He rose from the dead, victorious over sin for all who believe in Him. This is the significance of Resurrection Sunday, aka Easter. This is the new Sabbath, because like the Son of God rested on the 7th day after creation (Col 1:16), the Son of God rested on the 3rd day (1Cor 15:4), which is Sunday after accomplishing redemption for all God’s people.

Looking For A Fulfilling Life? Find It In Jesus!

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Neh 8:10
…for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

There are many who are looking for purpose in life, and they try to find meaning in the thing they desire but it only leaves them dry and bitter. Take the debauchers for example, whom God has handed over to their lust (Rom 1:24), after they have had their fill of sex, drugs and drunkenness, are they satisfied? No! They are left feeling even more bitter with even more resentment for the true Almighty Triune God. However, this is how the natural man has been from the fall of Adam, natural man is a lover of sin and he/she looks for life’s meaning in their love for sin. There is however no fulfillment in fornication, theft, murder, covetousness, avarice, bearing false witness, gossip and drunkenness but mankind from the fall of Adam tries to find fulfillment in these things, as though our life’s purpose was in these things. It is no wonder the Psalm 14:1 says… “the fool says in his heart, there is no God”!… because to go about our lives, like these things were our purpose, is to believe in our hearts that there is no God.

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Acts 2:38
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Thankfully, as you have read from the 2 pieces of scripture above, there is hope for us in Jesus Christ but if we are to seek him, we must deny ourselves and by denying ourselves I don’t mean giving up on life, like the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari sort. I mean that we turn from all those desires which are sin before the eyes of God, and wash ourselves by continually reading His word, and by this, I don’t mean reading the same chapters day after day but studying the Bible from cover to cover, till we know it like the back of our hand. Just like how you study to get employed and then you learn on the job as well, the same way you need to study and practice what’s taught in the Bible, that seriously. It’s after all God’s word, the very source of a fulfilling & meaningful life (John 4:13-14).

Gen 1:26
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 

Psalm 19:7-8
The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

Mat 28
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

From the three pieces of scripture mentioned above, what we ought to understand is, that mankind was made in the image of God and so the purpose of man is to reflect His image, which is the nature/character of God, that is His Law. God is Spirit (John 4:24) and His Law is spiritual (Rom 7:14) and true spirituality comes from meditating on His Law (Ps 1:2). The irony is that, though the Bible is out there for everyone to buy and read, no one really has the desire to do so, because they are all chasing after their sin, and so the world is filled with nothing but apathy about true spirituality. The world would rather go indulging in their sinful lust and call it spirituality, the Kamasutra & Tantric Yoga are fine example of such spirituality. So, though many may hate Salvation by predestination, the fact remains that by ourselves we have no desire for God, because all of mankind fell when Adam sinned against God. So, though the Gospel is preached to many, it is only those who are ordained to eternal life who believe (Acts 13:48), because Salvation doesn’t only encompass saving faith but everything from that desire, which draws people to Jesus (Jn 6:44), to that Godly sorrow which brings about repentance (2Cor 7:10), leading us to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 2:8-10).

Mat 11:28-30
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

John 3:8
The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

If you look closely at the two pieces of scripture mentioned above, you will notice that these show Biblical predestination is not to make people feel unwelcomed, it is just to help us understand God is sovereign in salvation (Rom 9:11:24). On the contrary, if you look at Mat 11:28-30 mentioned above, you can see Jesus calling those who are tired and fed up with the world’s wicked scheming, people who are nobody and crying out for hope. In His call, He is offering to take the penalty of your lawlessness/sinfulness upon Himself and in its place give you His nature, so that you may shine radiantly as an image of God – bearing God’s own nature, the very purpose for which mankind was made. Another thing you must remember, is that you must not let anyone discourage in your seeking the Lord, no matter how genuinely Christian that person may be. Take the account Isaac in Gen 27, he wanted to bless Esau but God predestined Jacob to inherit Isaac’s blessing (Gen 25:23), and that is how it happened.

John 6
33 For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.

Rom 5:17
For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

So, there you have it, if you’re looking for a fulfilling life, the solution is coming to faith in Jesus Christ. I am certainly not talking about being just another lukewarm nominal Christian. You need to be something like how Pastor Voddie Baucham describes himself… “a fire-breathing, TULIP believing, five-point Calvinist” because that is how people who find their life’s fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ really are. Their lives are more than just satisfied, they are filled with enough fiery zeal to stand up for God’s truth, even if it’s against the whole world because they have found life’s ultimate purpose in being a radiant image of God.