The Books at the Judgment

 All who dwell on earth will worship [the beast], everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. (Revelation 13:8)

Salvation is secured for all who are written in the book of life.

The reason that being written in the book of life secures our salvation is that the book is called “the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.” The names in this book are not saved on the basis of their deeds. They are saved on the basis of Christ’s being slain.

But John says in Revelation 20:12, “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.” So, how then does the record of our lives contained in “the books” have a part in our judgment, if we are saved on the basis of Christ being slain?

The answer is that the books, which record our deeds, contain enough evidence of our belonging to Christ that they function as a public confirmation of our faith and our union with Christ.

Consider Revelation 21:27: “Nothing unclean will ever enter [the New Jerusalem], nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Here the result of being written in the “book of life” is not only not perishing, but also not practicing detestable, sinful behaviors.

For example, consider the thief on the cross. Jesus said that he would enter paradise (Luke 23:43). But what will judgment be like for him when the books are opened? More than 99.9% of his life will be sin.

His salvation will be secured by the blood of Christ. His name will be in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain.

Then God will open the books. First, he will use the lifelong record of sin to glorify his Son’s supreme sacrifice. And, second, God will read that last page, where the thief’s dramatic transformation on the cross is recorded. This work of God in his life, recorded in the books, about that last day will be the public confirmation of the thief’s faith and union with Christ. And Christ will be the basis of his salvation, not his works.

Therefore, when I say that what is written in the books is a public confirmation of our faith and of union with Christ, I do not mean that the record will contain more good works than bad works.

I mean that there will be recorded there the kind of life in Christ that shows the reality of faith — the reality of regeneration and union with Christ. That is how we enter each day as a Christian: confident that our condemnation is past (Romans 8:1), and that our name is in the book of life, and that the one who began a good work in us will bring it to completion at the day of Christ.

OUR MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY APRIL 05, 2022.

SUBJECT : OUR MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION.

Memory verse: "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation." (Second Corinthians 5 vs 18).

READ: Second Corinthians 5 vs 18 - 20 - 21:

5:18: Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;

5:19: that is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

5:20: Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, to be reconciled to God.

5:21: For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

INTIMATION:

The Amplified Version Bible rendering of our memory verse is, "But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him].”

The Amplified Bible further explained in verse 19 thus, "It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but canceling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor). 

The word “reconciliation” refers to a restoration in relationship. In this context, it is the reconciliation of man to God. This message of reconciliation has been entrusted to those who proclaim to the lost the means by which all men can be restored to a saving relationship with God. The opportunity of reconciliation to God is not in the power of the messenger, but in the power of the message he bears (Romans 1 bs 16). The messenger simply provides the opportunity for the hearers to respond to the gospel, and thus be reconciled to God.

God is present, and at work in Christ reconciling the whole world to Himself, canceling out their trespasses, not counting them anymore against them. For the believers in Christ, God has reconciled us to Himself by the mediation of Jesus Christ. All three members of the Trinity are involved in salvation. The Father loved us so much that He sent His Son to bridge the gap between us (John 3 vs 16). The Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit to fill our life with love and to enable us to live by His power (Acts 1 vs 8). 

In like manner, God has appointed those who believed and accepted Christ and what He wrought for us in redemption, as His representatives (ambassadors of Christ), and has commissioned us to do the same thing He is doing; reconciling the world to Christ. He has given us, through Christ, the ministry of reconciliation; not the ministry of condemnation which we have had before this time, but a ministry of reconciliation. He has also, given us the word (message) of reconciliation, to preach to the world as Christ's personal representatives in the world.

What then do we preach? And what are we to preach? In most of the preaching, we have reckoned unto men their trespasses. We have kept them "trespass-minded." We have kept them conscious of their weaknesses and failings, constantly preaching sin, and judgement to them. That is not wrong in itself, but God has not given us such ministry. He has instead given us the ministry of reconciliation; to preach Eternal life in Christ.

It is proper to remind us of where we are coming from, but it is much more proper to recount to us what God has wrought for us in Christ Jesus, and where we, as believers in Christ and His work in redemption, are heading to. For believers in Christ, the remission of sin is a reality, God has blotted out our past records, and made them nonexistent. Where we are coming from has seized to exist in God's memory, haven given us His righteousness in Christ (vs 21). It was for this reason He commissioned us as Christ's ambassadors with the message of reconciliation. We have the word, and we have the message, It is therefore, ours to give to the world. 

As Christ's representatives, a new commandment has been given to us in John 13 vs 34 - 35; "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

That is the pivot on which the life of the "New Creation" man revolves. God, by His Nature, is love, and He showcased His love nature when He gave to the world His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as a propitiation for our sins (John 3 vs 16). He came and paid the debt we ought to have paid for our sins. and legally set us free from that debt.  When we were set free, He blotted out the records of our past, and made them nonexistent. He recreated us to be now in conformity to His love nature that was lacking before now, hence His pouring out His love out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5 vs 5). 

It is after the impartation of His 'Love Nature' in the new creation, that He gave us the new commandment. Out of love for one another, we are to joyfully and freely let others know about Jesus, and the immeasurable worth of what He wrought for us in redemption, that they may come to partake of it.

As ambassadors of Christ, reconciled to God, we have the privilege of encouraging others to be reconciled to God in accordance with the ministry given to us. As ambassadors of reconciliation, we have very important responsibility of delivering the message of entreating the world to be reconciled to God. We dare not take this responsibility lightly. The question then is, 'How well are you fulfilling your commission as Christ's ambassador?

Prayer: Abba Father, let the zeal of 'Your Commission' burn in me that I may be an ambassador of Christ worthy of my calling, and that I may obtain the crown of rejoicing, and righteousness, which the Lord will give to me at the day of His coming, in Jesus Name I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

.

God Strengthens Us Through Others

 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31–32)

What about the other ten apostles (not counting Judas)?

Satan was going to sift them too. Did Jesus pray for them?

Yes he did. But he did not ask the Father to guard their faith in the very same way he guarded Peter’s.

God broke the back of Peter’s pride and self-reliance that night in the agony of Satan’s sieve. But he did not let him go. He turned him around and forgave him and restored him and strengthened his faith. And now it was Peter’s mission to strengthen the other ten. “And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Jesus provided for the ten by providing for Peter. The strengthened becomes the strengthener.

There is a great lesson here for us. Sometimes God will deal with you directly, strengthening your faith alone in the wee hours of the morning when everyone else is asleep. But most of the time (we might say ten-elevenths of the time) God strengthens our faith through another person.

God sends us some Simon Peter who brings just the word of grace we need to keep on in the faith: some testimony about how “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

Eternal security is a community project. Whenever God encourages your heart with the promise that in Satan’s sifting your faith will not fail, then take that encouragement and double your joy by using it to strengthen your brothers and sisters — with the very strength with which you have been strengthened.

THERE IS GREAT POWER IN THE WORD OF GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY APRIL 04, 2022.

SUBJECT : THERE IS GREAT POWER IN THE WORD OF GOD!

Memory verse: "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4 vs 12.)

READ: Isaiah 55 vs 8 - 11:

55:8: "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. 

55:9: For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

55:10: "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

55:11: So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

INTIMATION:

The Word of God and God is One (John 1 vs 1). The Word is the revealed Will of God (Hebrews 10 vs 7). The written Word (Logos) is the message from the Lord, delivered with His authority and made effective by His power. The spoken Word (Rhema) is putting God into work with His power available to perform it. God is ever ready to perform His Word spoken in faith. The Bible states, “Then the LORD said to me, You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.” (Jeremiah 1 vs 12.)

The significance of Rhema (spoken Word), as distinct from Logos (written Word) is exemplified in the injunction in the Scripture, to take "the sword of the Spirit, which the Word of God (Ephesians 6 vs 17). Here the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual Scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular stuffing of the mind with Scriptures.

The word of God is living, life-changing, and dynamic as it works in us. It reveals who we are and what we are not. It penetrates the core of our moral and spiritual life. It discerns what is within us, both good and evil. The demands of God's Word require decisions. We must not only listen to the Word, we must also let it shape our lives.

In Acts 20 vs 32, the Bible says, "And now I commend you to God, and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you the inheritance among all them that are sanctified." We are commended to God and the Word of His grace. This Word builds the Christ nature and the love nature of the Father into the individual. In other words, God is building Himself into us, making Himself a part of us as the Word dominates, rules and satisfies our spirit nature. Just as the Nature of God; immortal and all powerful, so is His Word; powerful and abides forever. God created all things by His Word, therefore, the creative ability and power is in the Word. 

We bring the power of God to bear in any circumstance or challenge of life when we bring the Word to bear in that circumstance or situation. Consequently, we become over-comers by the Word, as it is written, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony..." (Revelation 12 vs 11). When the Word is built up in you, the exploiting power of God is readily available to you, and you are an overcomer in any life's circumstances you face. This is because whatever you ask of the Lord is done for you: "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." (John 15 vs 7.)

The Bible, in Colossians 3 vs 16, says, "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom......" We can only dwell in Christ and Him in us through His Word. It is in the Word dwelling richly in us that we are enabled to do all things through Him that strengthens us (Philippians 4 vs 13). Jesus Christ says, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15 vs 5.)

This counsel of the apostle Paul to believers in Colosse is one of the most striking sentences in his epistle. It means giving the Word—the message of Christ—plenty of room in your life. It is not only committing the Word to memory, which is valuable, but letting that Word become an integral part of your being, that is letting the Word live in and rule you that you may lead a life of exceeding exploits. The Word dwelling in you is equivalent to Christ personally being in you. The glory of God becomes your inheritance when Christ dwells in you. (Colossians 1 vs 28.)

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of continual meditation in Your Word, and Your Word dwell richly in me, that I may lead a life of exploits via Your Word, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

How to Respond When You Falter

 

For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. (Romans 7:19)

Christians do not live only in defeat. But neither do we live only in perfect victory over sin. And in those times when we fail to triumph over sin, Romans 7:13–25 shows us the normal way a healthy Christian should respond.

We should say:

I love the law of God. (verse 22)I hate what I just did. (verse 15)Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (verse 24)Thanks be to God! The victory will come through Jesus Christ my Lord. (verse 25)

In other words, no Christian wants to live in defeat. No Christian settles for living in defeat. But if we are defeated for a time, we shouldn’t lie about it.

No hypocrisy. No posing. No boasted perfectionism. No churchy, pasted smiles or chipper superficiality.

And even more, God save us from blindness to our own failures and the consequent quickness to judge others.

God, help us to feel worse about our own shortfalls than the failure of others.

God, give us the honesty and candor and humility of the apostle Paul in this text! “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24–25).

GOD’S STANDARDS OF MORAL UPRIGHTNESS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY APRIL 03, 2022. 

SUBJECT : GOD’S STANDARDS OF MORAL UPRIGHTNESS! 

Memory verse: "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6 vs 8.)

READ: Psalm 15 vs 1 - 5:

15:1: LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

15:2:He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart;

15:3: He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbour, nor does he takes up a reproach against his friend;

15:4: In whose eyes a vile person is despised; but he honors those who fear the LORD; He who swears to his own hurt, and does not change;

15:5: He who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

INTIMATION:

God calls His people to be morally upright, and, in this passage we read today, He gives us eleven standards or principles to determine how we are doing; (1) to walk uprightly (righteous behavior of life), (2) to work righteousness (do that which is good in response to faith), (3) to speak the truth (do not lie or speak hypocritically), (4) not to backbite (do not speak behind the back of someone in order to destroy his or her reputation), (5) not to do evil, (6) not to take up a reproach against a friend (do not slander a friend). (7) to despise a vile person (to be disgusted with those who do wickedly), (8) to honor those you fear the Lord (align with those who do good).

Others are (9) to swear to one’s own hurt (though it may be to his own detriment, he promises to do that which is right and fair to his neighbor), (10) do not put your money at usury (seeks to help his or her neighbor by lending money without interest, and thus does not take advantage of one’s neighbor when he or she has fallen into hard times). God is against charging interest or making a profit on loans to the needy among His people. Interest is permitted for business purposes, as long as it isn’t exorbitant (Proverbs 28 vs 8), and (11) do not take bribe (bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous). Being a dependable person, the one who lives according to the preceding principles will not be changed by the changing times. 

People have tried all kinds of ways to please God, but God has made His wishes clear. He wants His people to do what is just, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. We live among evil people whose standards and morals are eroding. Our standards for living should not come from our evil society but from God. Therefore, in your efforts to please God, examine these aforestated standards or principles on a regular basis. 

Words are powerful, and how you use them reflects on your relationship with God. Perhaps nothing do identify Christians as their ability to control their speech—speaking the truth, refusing to slander, and keeping oaths (promises). We may be tempted to believe that some lies are relatively harmless, even useful at times. But God does not overlook lies, flattery, deception, or boasting. Each of these sins originates from a bad attitude that is eventually expressed in our speech. The tongue can be our greatest enemy because, though small, it can do great damage (James 3 vs 5 - 6).

God greatly values honesty! Dishonesty comes easily, especially when complete truthfulness could cost us something, makes us uncomfortable, or put us in an unfavorable light. Dishonest communication hinders relationships. Without honesty, a relationship with God is impossible. If we lie to others, we will begin to deceive ourselves. God cannot hear us or speak to us if we are building a wall of self-deception.

Making up or spreading false reports is strictly forbidden by God. Gossip, slander and false witnessing would undermine families, strain neighborhood cooperation, and make chaos of the justice system. Destructive gossip causes problems everywhere and anytime. Even if you do not initiate a lie, you become responsible if you pass it along. Don’t circulate rumors; squelch them. 

In the heat of emotion or personal turmoil it is easy to make foolish promises to God. These promises may sound very spiritual when we make them, but they may produce only guilt and frustration when we are forced to fulfill them. Making spiritual “deals” only brings disappointment. God does not want promises for the future, but obedience for today.

Sinners cannot live in the presence of a holy God, for He is like a fire that devours evil. Only those who walk uprightly and speak what is right can live with God. We demonstrate our righteousness and uprightness by rejecting gain from extortion and bribes, refuse to listen to plots of wrong actions, and shut our eyes to evil. If we are fair and honest in our relationships, we will dwell with God, and He will supply our needs. 

God wants changed lives. He wants His people to be fair, just, merciful, and humble. God wants us to become living sacrifices (Romans 12 vs 1 - 2); not just doing religious deeds, but living rightly. it is impossible to follow God consistently without His transforming love in our hearts. As we grow in our relationship with our Redeemer, we develop a desire to live by His standards. The depth of our eternal relationship with Him can often be measured by the way we reflect His standards in our daily activities.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to follow after the standards or principles of life approved by You; that I will walk uprightly, work righteousness, speak the truth, not slander, backbite, nor do evil, show mercy, despise the wicked, align with those who do good, do justice at all cost, not take bribe, and be helpful to others, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Better Than Everest

 

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

If you live inside this massive promise, your life is more solid and stable than Mount Everest.

Nothing can blow you over when you are inside the walls of Romans 8:28. Outside Romans 8:28, all is confusion and anxiety and fear and uncertainty. Outside this promise of God’s all-encompassing future grace, there are straw houses of drugs and pornography and dozens of futile diversions. There are slat walls and tin roofs of fragile investment strategies and fleeting insurance coverage and trivial retirement plans. There are cardboard fortifications of deadbolt locks and alarm systems and antiballistic missiles. Outside are a thousand substitutes for Romans 8:28.

Once you walk through the door of love into the massive, unshakable structure of Romans 8:28, everything changes. There come into your life stability and depth and freedom. You simply can’t be blown over anymore. The confidence that a sovereign God governs for your good all the pain and all the pleasure that you will ever experience is an incomparable refuge and security and hope and power in your life.

When God’s people really live by the future grace of Romans 8:28 — from measles to the mortuary — they are the freest and strongest and most generous people in the world.

Their light shines and people give glory to their Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).