The book of Jude commentary

Jude is the brother of James who wrote the epistle that bears his name. Judas or Jude was Jesus’ half brother according to the flesh. Jude like James did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah until he rose from the dead (John 7:5; Acts 1:14; I Corinthians 15:7).

Jude begins his letter by stating, “those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ.”

The word called is from the Greek Kletos which means to call, invite, welcomed, appointed. Those who are the elect and chosen of God. The inward, effectual call that produces saving faith within the sinner.

The word sanctified in the Greek is the word Hagiazo which means to set apart and holy unto God. When God saves, he instantaneously sanctifies or set apart the believer and plants within him his Holy Spirit as the promise or guarantee of his current redemption spiritually and his physical redemption in the future (Ephesians 1:14; Philippians 1:6).

The word preserved is from the Greek word Tereo which simply means to keep an eye on, watch, and hence to guard, keep, obey.

Figuratively meaning to keep in safety, preserve, maintain.

The word kept is in the perfect tense, passive voice meaning that the act was performed at some time in the past with results continuing in the present. The subject is currently being acted upon – i.e. the believer. God’s preservation of his saints is an infinite provision.

This is clearly an address to Christians exclusively, not to unbelievers. The letter is actually an ardent rebuke against the worst of unbelievers; mainly false teachers.

Jude was initially going to write about our regular salvation but was compelled rather to encourage readers to contend earnestly (fight with vigor) for the faith was once delivered to them due to the infiltration of false teachers in the church (vs. 3-4).

Jude describes the false teachers in four rebukes:

First rebuke

a.       Ungodly men – vs. 4

b.      They pervert the grace of God into lewdness – vs. 4

c.       They deny the Lord Jesus Christ proving they are not born again – vs. 4

d.      They defile the flesh – vs. 8

e.      They reject authority – vs. 8

f.        Speak evil of dignitaries (may make reference to angels) – vs. 8

Because of them, many will be led astray, and doomed to hell like they are. Although they sit and eat with you does not mean they are with you at heart. These false teachers are out for gain; how they may take advantage of the gullible and unsuspecting (vs. 12).

Jude continues to describe these false teachers:

Second rebuke

a.       They have gone in the way of Cain meaning they are self righteous – vs. 11

b.      They have gone in the way of Balaam who was a prophet for hire and desired Israel’s enemy to

 to curse God’s people. They love money – vs. 11

c.       They have also followed the way of Korah who spoke against Moses’ leadership and was swallowed up by the earth – vs. 11

d.      These are spots in your love feasts. Eating with you with all pretense instead of being afraid knowing they’re hypocrites amongst the real Saints – vs. 12

e.      Clouds with no water – vs. 12

f.        Late Autumn trees with no fruit. Speaks of bareness and lifelessness – vs. 12

g.       Twice dead, plucked up by the roots. These apostates first of all have no good deeds which speaks of death. Also they have no root which speaks of a second and final death spiritually. There is no hope for them at all.

h.      Raging winds of the sea foaming up their own shame – vs. 13

i.         Wandering Stars – Ultimately they have no purpose for living – vs. 13

These vivid descriptions clearly teach us that these imposters are doomed for eternal damnation with NO hope of redemption ever!!

Jude said Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied their demise in a non biblical source. Jude was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so we can conclude that although Enoch’s prophecy doesn’t appear in the Canon, we know it to be true (vs. 14).

Again Jude pronounces more woe on these apostates:

Third rebuke

a.       Grumblers

b.      Complainers

c.       Walking after their own lusts

d.      Mouthing off big talk to soothe, and bewitching many so as to take advantage of them – vs. 16

Jude reminds his readers that the Apostles warned of this day (Read 2 Peter 2)

Jude gives his final imprecatory upon the enemies of the cross:

Fourth rebuke

a.       Sensual persons who cause divisions – vs. 19

b.      They are devoid of the Spirit of God proving they are not born again – vs. 19

We as believers must persist in prayer according to the will of God. Keep ourselves in God’s love, and look for the mercy of God unto eternal life, keeping our focus on the Lord’s salvation. It’s the only way we can have a ready defense against the enemies’ attacks (vs. 20-21).

We also must be on a rescue mission as well by saving some  from the corruption of these false teachers with love. We need to pull them aside and keep them separate from these defilers due to their immaturity in Christ. Their discernment skills are not exercised enough where they can stand on their own to defend themselves against the assaults of pervasive heretical doctrine that has drawn them into falsehood (vs. 22).

Others are so deep in the sins of the false teachers that they need to snatched from their hellish grip and doctrine with earnest and fear lest they become a hopelessly damned proselyte, sharing the fate of these irreligious leaders who inoculated them. Their soul is so contaminated that their outer garments if possible would be defiled by their evil speech and conduct. These individuals spiritual lives hang in the balance! They MUST receive the power of the true gospel so that they would be cleansed and saved (John 13:10;17:17) vs. 23. The alternative is hell.

Jude ends his letter with a doxology. He reminds the Saints of God that they will be brought before the Lord’s presence without fault. This speaks to the preservation of the Saints. True believers are forever protected from eventually falling away to the degree that we fall from God’s grace finally and perish without hope unlike the false teacher Jude describes.

Thank God for his magnificent grace vs. 25.

Comparing I John 1:8-10 with I John 3:6-9

The main issue in the aforementioned verses is sin. When we read these verses, it appears that the apostle John contradicts himself. Let’s examine them to find out what’s going on.

In I John 1:8-10 we read, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and cleanse to us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

Now, in I John 3:6-9 we read, “Whoever abides in Him does not sin (italics added). Whoever sins has neither seen Him or known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil.       

Whoever is born of God does not sin (italics added), for His seed remains in him, and he cannot sin (italics added) because he has been born of God.”

The first set of verses (I John 1:8-10) clearly tell us that we as believers do sin, and that’s why I John 2:1-2 says…“that if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation (or satisfaction) for our sins…

Jesus delivered us from the power and penalty of sin forever, but currently not it’s presence. Sin does continue to operate in our mortal flesh which has yet to experience it’s redemption. We’ll experience that when Jesus returns for his bride, the church and our bodies will be changed from mortal to immortal (I Corinthians 15:51-58; I Thessalonians 4:13-18).

But, in the second set of verses, we read that whoever abides in Him-that is in Christ does not sin. Which set of verses are true? Verse nine in particular by itself is implicit, meaning by it’s implication would purport one to believe that Christians do not and can not sin. That is not what the verse is saying at all. To define verse nine, we must connect it with verse seven which is an explicit verse – a verse that is very clear with no ambiguity. Verse nine of I John 3 is ambiguous when it stands alone.

Verse seven of I John 3 says, “ He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

The key word here is “practice”, from the Greek word prasso. To practice something requires continuous, habitual action. The apostle John is comparing those that are saved or righteous who practice righteousness verses those that are wicked  who practice wickedness. Verse nine does not mean that we do not sin; we do.  What it has  to mean is that believers do not practice sin as a way of life. They’re not engaged in sin as they were prior to their conversion, and they can not habitually sin, because God’s seed- the Holy Spirit remain (abides, dwells, lives) in them. The Spirit of the living God provides a checks and balance system within the believer to prevent him/her to engage in habitual sinful behavior; and when we sin we know we must confess our sins to the Lord (I John 1:9). That inward faculty will drive us to repentance continually and keep us pure.

These verses provide a litmus test for anyone to know whether they’re truly born again or not. Do you  endeavor to practice righteous living or unholy living? No one can have it both ways!

We must remember and accept that the fact that sin has no more dominion over us because we’re free from it (Romans 6:12). We’re no longer slaves to it.

                                                        

                                                        In conclusion

We must always remember to interpret implicit passages in light of the explicit ones. In this case, we interpret  I John 3:6a and vs. 9 (The implicit)  in light of I John 3:7 along with I John 1:8-10 (The explicit). When we do this, we do not run into error. This is proper hermeneutics.

A person who claims to know God and sins habitually is a liar. And as the scripture say the truth is not in them (I John 1:8); Explicitly speaking, that type of person is not saved.

A Living Sacrifice?

“I beseech you  therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you  present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.”

-          Romans 12:1

I’ve pondered that question lately, and wondered how I can be alive and sacrifice myself at the same time? Yet God commands us as believers to do it. I must be alive, and reckon myself as dead; seems impossible.

What does the scripture have to say about these seemingly mutually opposed ideas?

Jesus said this in Matthew 16:24-25, Then Jesus said to disciples,” if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

So, what do these verses mean?

The word cross in the Greek is the word Stauros; primarily means stake or pale. Metaphorically it means the believer’s identification with Christ in that we’re separating ourselves from the passions of the world to follow Jesus. The cross was literally an instrument of torture, humiliation and death. As believers we MUST sacrifice all for the Excellency that’s in Christ Jesus even if it costs our very lives. If one is only interested in his own ambitions and dreams, then he’s not living unto God, he’s living to fill his own belly which will lead to certain death. Jesus categorically said, “What will profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Obviously nothing (Matthew 16:26). The Christian life is one of self denial.

An even more vivid description of a living sacrifice is in Romans 6:11, “Likewise reckon yourselves to be dead unto sin (emphasis added), but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The apostle Paul is commanding us by the Holy Spirit to treat our bodies as dead to sin. Why? Because Jesus nailed our sins to the Cross when he died. The scriptures tell us that when He died, we died. Now wait a second! How could we die with Christ when weren't even born yet? Paul is obviously speaking in symbolic language, not literal. Our bodies idiomatically were crucified with our Lord when He died literally. This truth we must accept by faith although this glorious revelation transcends our minds.  Paul also declares in vs. 4, 8, 11 that since we’re crucified with Christ, we also will be raised with him in newness of life. This shows our identification with the one who lovingly sacrificed his life for us. A tremendous reality!

So, since our bodies have to be reckoned as dead to sin, meaning we MUST on purpose deny our sinful desires which produce death (i.e. dead works) we have the right, and ability to serve God as we sacrificially place ourselves on the Lord’s altar daily to serve him as we carry our cross with joy.

This behavior is a concerted attitude one must commit to in order to gain victory in Christ. We have to by faith live an “Everyday death sentence kind of life” Once this mindset is ours, we understand when I die daily to myself, Jesus by the Holy Spirit looms ever so brighter and larger in my life.  I’m now totally hidden, and Jesus Christ is magnified.

John the Baptist said it well, “He must increase, and I must decrease (John 3:30).”

Paul declared this in Galatians 2:20, “I’m crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

The apostle once again is declaring that he’s living in the power of Jesus Christ by faith. He doesn’t trust himself to do this alone for he (Paul) declared in Romans 7:18, “I know in my flesh; this body of sin, dwells no good thing.” That has to be every believer’s mantra. We can not trust ourselves to do what’s right so we must rely on the power source of another, namely the Spirit of the living God to help us through. In  Galatians 2:20 we see a perfect illustration of the wonderful duality of  the living sacrifice dynamic in demonstration. Paul first off identifies spiritually that he was crucified with his Lord. He also realizes he’s now alive in Christ.

He goes on to declare that the life he lives in his body (now dead to sin because of  Christ’s sacrifice  on the cross), he lives in full confidence, trust and reliance on Christ, because of Christ’s love and sacrifice for him.

If we as believers meditate on the Spirit filled words of Paul, we too can live a life of self sacrifice. Never has life had such meaning as it has in Jesus Christ; but ironically in order for anyone to live this life faithfully, they have to die everyday of their lives in order to execute it.

Simultaneously we have to die to ourselves, and live unto God. That’s the essence of a living sacrifice. Be willing to place yourself at God’s altar and leave yourself there. Allow your life to be a sweet smelling aroma that pleases God as you do what he commands (Hebrews 11:6).

This is a strange, but true saying, our continual death (to sin), and our life to Christ both are well pleasing to God. Again, we MUST believe we were crucified with our Lord by faith so that our body of sin is dead as well. And again we MUST believe we’re alive to God by faith. The body that we must suppress is the same instrument that we by faith present to God as a living sacrifice.

The dead body of sin is also alive so that we can continually offer it to God as a living sacrifice.

I hope the reality of this is clear.

Only the power of the living God can perform this.

Hebrews Chapter 9 - Commentary

Comparisons are made between the earthly tabernacle and the heavenly:

The High Priest had to offer blood sacrifices year by year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), first for his own sins and then for the people of Israel (cf. Leviticus 16:1-34). The High Priest had to take blood and sprinkle it on the Mercy Seat so that it was consecrated by the blood which was the sanctifying agent (vs. 1-7).

This religious ceremony was accepted by God according to Mosaic law, but it was never complete and sufficient to remove sins. It was merely symbolic of what Jesus would do when he offered up himself (vs. 9).

Jesus sacrifice of himself is the ultimate priestly act because it cleanses the soul forever from sin of the one who believes (vs. 10-15).

A couple of glorious things are revealed here:

#1. Jesus made a covenant with his people. In that covenant there’s an inheritance. In order for that testament to have any force , the testator has to die. Jesus sacrificial  death by his blood shed ratified that covenant.

    

       This new testament supercedes the blood covenant during Moses’ time (vs. 16-23)

#2. When Jesus entered into the heavenly Holy Holies, he deposited his own blood  on the heavenly mercy seat which cleansed men of sin forever. He did this once for all. When Jesus returns, we’ll know in real time that God the Father was satisfied with his High Priestly act. Right now, we embrace these truths by faith (vs. 24-28).

Hebrews Chapter 8 - Commentary

This chapter primarily deals with the New/Everlasting covenant which was prophesied by Jeremiah 31:31-32.

Prior to that, the text deals with Jesus’ priesthood could not be of this world because of the Levitical priesthood was in force which offered gifts and sacrifices according to the law which were shadows of the things to come (vs 1-5).

Jesus’ priesthood was based on a better covenant based on better promises. This new covenant was ratified with the shedding of his own blood (Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20;I Corinthians 11:25).

The New Covenant provides complete access to God because of the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ.                                                                                                                     

Hebrews Chapter 7 - Commentary

Christ’s Priesthood is compared to High Priest and King Melchizedek in two ways:

It’s everlasting (vs.3)

It’s not Levitical (vs. 14)

The word declares (5 X’s) in Hebrews and once in the Psalm 110:4 that Christ’s Priesthood would be after the order of Melchizedek. Here are the scripture references: (Hebrews 5:6, 10; 6:20; 7:17, 21).

Christ’s priesthood is far better than the Levitical/Aaronic priesthood in that it draws us to God (vs.19). With a better priesthood comes a greater law. The word of the oath (vs. 28).

Jesus Christ priesthood is perpetual. That’s why he is like Melchizedek. The Father said that over and over to drive the point home. It’s important the reader get the point that Christ’s priestly office was not of this earth like the Levitical priesthood which was fading away, but that his priesthood was of a heavenly origin (vs. 16).

Hebrew Chapter 6 - Commentary

The writer stresses the Hebrews move on to maturity and not remain as babies in their understanding of spiritual truths (vs. 2-3).

For verses 4-6, please read the article entitled, “The eternality of our salvation” from the archives.

The writer commends the faithfulness of some of the Hebrews. Encourages them to continue in their diligence and not become sluggish, but imitate those who received the promises of God like Abraham (vs. 9-15).

The writer also informs us that God’s promises are sealed with an oath; these two things (God promises & oath) are unchangeable since that is also the nature of God’s character-his immutability. When God makes a decree, he seals that decree by the power and glory of his own name which is above every name (Philippians 2:9).

God makes his promises to us sure.

The ultimate promise of our hope is Jesus Christ who entered the Holy of holies on our behalf as our High Priest after the order of Melchizedek (vs. 16-20). 

Hebrews chapter 5 - A commentary

The writer discusses the following matters:

The High Priesthood:  This office was established in the O.T. by God through Aaron. He had to offer sacrifices for the people and himself constantly for sins (vs. 1-4).

The High Priesthood of Jesus Christ:  The marked difference between the Aaronic priesthood and that of Christ’s is that Jesus was the sacrifice himself for sin. He could not offer a sacrifice in his stead like the O.T. priests did for those were types of the perfect sacrifice that was made by Christ himself. Jesus agonized over the fact that he would be made sin on our behalf. He was not afraid to die, it was the manner in how he had to die that he was saddened over. Being made sin, God had to unleash his wrath on his Son and turn his back on him (Isaiah 53:1-5; II Corinthians 5:21).

Jesus learned obedience by the things he suffered (vs. 7-9):  Jesus being perfect did not learn obedience because he was unfamiliar with it. In his humanity it was essential he did all the Father commanded him so that he could fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15).

Christ in His humanness humbled himself so that he could learn obedience which is a dichotomy for he is the exact object of the believer’s obedience. Once again, Christ is displaying his supreme love for those whom he came to die for; identifying himself with sinners.

Immaturity of Hebrew believers:  The writer rebukes the Hebrews for not being more spiritually in-tuned to the things he’s relaying to them. They should have been further along in their understanding of Jesus’ priesthood and that of his predecessor Melchizedek along with the gospel in general (vs. 11-14).

Can The Devil Answer Prayer?

This seems like a rhetorical question, but I believe it’s one worth exploring. First of all, I do not believe the devil can even hear our prayers to God. Why? There are no scriptures I have found that would support this type of belief.

Some that espouse that the devil can answer prayer has as their premise those who are operating in disobedience; meaning that if someone is petitioning the Lord, and is in sin, the Lord will not hear them so the devil intercepts the request and provides an answer to their prayer. The person then believes the answer came from God when in actuality, it’s a counterfeit. This is a weak supposition of  Satan’s ability at the least, and heretical interpretation of scripture at the most.

There are those that are given the devil too much credit and power.

It is this writer’s one hundred percent persuasion that the devil can not answer prayer, because he is not in the “blessing business”, but in the “killing business”!

Scripture clearly bears this out.

                                        

                                                What is the devil’s Modus Operandi

The devil is a liar – Then the serpent (i.e. the devil) said, “You shall not surely die. For God knows in the day that you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:4).”

This was clearly a lie. God specifically commanded Adam not to eat from the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, yet the devil said to Eve that she wouldn’t die (Genesis 2:17).

Jesus said regarding the devil when speaking to the religious leaders, “You are of your father the devil, and the lust (desires) of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).

The devil is the tempter -  Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-10; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13)

We read in I Chronicles 21:1 that “Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.” Unfortunately, Satan prevailed against David in getting him to commit sin; David relished in the size of army instead in the power of God who provided the army. The result of David’s sin, seventy thousand Israelites were killed by an angel of the Lord (I Chronicles 21:14).

The devil is a devourer – “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8). 

Part of the devil’s plan is to rip God’s people to shreds; to kill, steal and destroy them (John 10:10).

The devil is a sinner – We generally do not regard our enemy as a sinner, but he is the first and chief sinner of all creation. Remember, a sinner is anyone that breaks God’s law which the devil was the first creature to ever to do so.  This is proven in scripture:

11 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 12 Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou wast in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, the topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was in thee; in the day that thou wast created they were prepared. 14 Thou wast the anointed cherub that covereth: and I set thee, so that thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till unrighteousness was found in thee. 16 By the abundance of thy traffic they filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore have I cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I have cast thee to the ground; I have laid thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18 By the multitude of thine iniquities, in the unrighteousness of thy traffic, thou hast profaned thy sanctuaries; therefore have I brought forth a fire from the midst of thee; it hath devoured thee, and I have turned thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19 All they that know thee among the peoples shall be astonished at thee: thou art become a terror, and thou shalt nevermore have any being.

Ezek 28:11-19 (ASV)

Here we get a glorious description of the devil prior to his fall. Because of sin he was cast out of heaven down to the earth. The reason for this fall is sin. Some believe this event took place prior to the creation of man.

In I  John 3:8 we read this: “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning (emphasis added). For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil.

                                         

                                      

                                                                    Conclusion

As the aforementioned accounts prove, the devil does/can not answer prayer. Even if it is some type of material benefit that appears to be a blessing, see if it comes with repercussions. What do I mean by that? Scripture tells us the blessing of the Lord makes rich and adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22).  If one is acquiring things by ill gotten gain, you will experience sorrow eventually, and rightfully so, because you sinned to get something you had no right to.

Imagine the tragedy of those in the body of Christ who live sinful lives and still receive what they perceive as blessings  from the Lord. They will  have no desire to live holy because good would come by being evil. Those type of acquisitions do not come from the devil; it’s a result of their own lustful desires at which point God can allow Satan to exploit them like he did with Judas Iscariot. This was a case where the devil was successful; he caused Judas to commit suicide; in essence the devil killed Judas which I mentioned earlier is part of his evil nature (Matthew 27:5;Luke 22:3).

As John 10:10 says, the thief only comes but to kill, steal and destroy. For that’s all he can do. Jesus came to provide the abundant life of blessing.

If God does not answer the prayers of the disobedient Christian, certainly the devil is not granted the power to circumvent God’s prevention and provide a “blessing” against God’s will. The devil is only interested in stacking up bodies in his killing fields. God is the only one who stacks up benefits for His people in His fields of blessing.

What about Horoscopes - Are they harmful?

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines horoscopes as: a forecast of a person’s future, typically including a delineation of character and circumstances based on the relative positions of the stars and planets at the time of that person’s birth.

A short forecast for people born under a particular sign as published in a newspaper or magazine.

Horoscope is a compound word. It comes from the Greek hōroskopos, from hōra which means time, and skopos which means observer. So it’s one that studies and gazes at the stars or an observer of times.

Generally people will pickup the morning paper and read what their “horoscope” says under their astrological sign to get some idea of how their day will go and what they believe is their future. Something as “innocent” as a horoscope reading is a clear violation of the word of God. Why?

It places faith in man’s corrupt wisdom instead of God’s infinite wisdom. It’s also divination; one is trying to determine the future based on the stars and planets position in the heavens. God has declared all of human history from beginning to end (Read the book of Revelation entirely).

Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

James 1:5 – If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God (emphasis added).

These two passages alone let us know that God is the object of all wisdom, and His word provides the direction for wisdom.

All accurate future and man’s destiny is contained within the pages of scripture. Consulting another source, whether it’s a psychic, a witch, a wizard, tarot card readers, or some modern day wanna-be prophet to divine one’s future is dangerous and MUST be avoided by all especially Christians at all costs (Leviticus 19:26,31; Deuteronomy 18:10-14; I Samuel 28:7-19).

Astrology does not have influence on anyone’s life in that the alignment of the stars and planets will affect your life and destiny.

God created the stars for times and seasons (Genesis 1:14) not to be worshipped or determines one life today or for the future. These practices are demonic and are forbidden by the word of God. They’re practiced by those involved in the occult.

We’re to give glory to the one who created the heavenly bodies, not the bodies themselves (Psalm 8:3; Colossians 1:15-17; Revelation 4:11).

You can not drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you can not partake of the Lord’s table and the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to anger? Are we stronger than He?

                                                                                                                           ˗ I Corinthians 10:21-22

Where will you spend eternity?

Be honest with yourself my friend, do you ever wonder where you’ll end up when you die? If you haven’t thought about it, you should RIGHT NOW!! The bible tells us in Hebrews 9:27, “It is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment”. I know I’m not the first person that has preached the word of God to you; so what that means is God is trying to arrest your attention. If you’re not listening to his voice, you need to begin listening today!

Perhaps you’re the type of person that believes you’re  “good” in your owns eyes and you don’t need God. None of us are good (Psalm 14; Psalm 53). According to the bible it says, “he that trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he that walks wisely will be delivered”, Proverbs 28:26. Every word of God is true.

Another passage in the bible says this, “now or today is the day of salvation”. Another verse says, “if you hear the Lord’s voice, do not harden your heart” (2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 3:15).

You DO NOT have all the time in the world you think you have. Every time God’s word is rejected, you harden your heart against his grace and mercy; your chances for salvation in Jesus Christ grow slimmer everyday. Are you willing to take the chance and presume on God’s grace and say, I’ve got plenty of time for God and Jesus, I’ll get saved later!”  

Your later may be today, and right now! This could be your last night on earth!

The life you’re living now may be great for you, but I absolutely guarantee you, it will come to an end.

Where will you spend eternity? Jesus is coming back!

Have you seriously thought about that?

If you haven’t done so, repent of your sins today, and receive Jesus Christ today as your personal Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10). What in the world are you waiting for! If you don’t, you’ll spend an eternity in the Lake of Fire (i.e. Hell fire). That’s forever and ever!

Sin is a spiritual disease of the soul, and the only cure is confession of your sins and asking God the Father to forgive you of your sins through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  When we commit sin, we transgress God’s law.

You may be asking, what laws have I broken? We’ve all broken the ten commandments (Exodus 20). Have you ever told a lie, stolen, hated anyone (murder at heart), lusted after someone (adultery at heart), taken the Lord’s name in vain? The obvious answer to these questions is YES! So, by your own admission, you’re a lying, thieving, murderous, adulterous, blasphemer!  How do you look in God’s eyes now? If you’re honest, you should feel ashamed.

We know that all lawbreakers should be punished wouldn’t you agree? No earthly judge in his/her right mind would exonerate a convicted pedophile, rapist, or murderer would they? We all know they deserve to imprisoned or executed. We as humans all deserve damnation for the crimes we’ve committed against a Holy God. And because God is a just and perfect judge, he must punish sin!

The wonderful news is Jesus has provided eternal salvation to all those that believe in his accomplished work on the cross. Your sins through Christ will be cleansed forever and never counted against you again. Jesus took the punishment we deserved and bore our sins himself (Isaiah 53:4-5; I Peter 2:24-25). This act satisfied God the Father’s wrath against sin. There was a great exchange! God took our sins and nailed it to the cross, and in exchange He granted us his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).That is why we must believe on what he did or else we’re lost. Please keep in mind, your sins are only forgiven if you confess them to God! Jesus death on the cross and shed blood for sins only applies to those who believe!

Hopefully God the Father is drawing you to the Son through this note (John 6:44).

Ask the Lord to forgive you of your sins and believe on the blood sacrifice of Jesus on the cross! He is the only way to salvation friend (John 14:6). There is no other person that can save you (Acts 4:12).

Salvation is the greatest gift of all time. Nothing can exceed it (Ephesians 2:8,9)!

Where will you spend eternity? Jesus is coming back again (Revelation 19:6-11).

The Book Of Hebrews – Part 1

Chapter 1 – The writer declares Jesus greater than the angels (vs. 4). I n fact, He created them (vs.2). The Father declares Jesus the Son of God God himself affirming his deity (vs. 8-12). Verses are a direct quotation from Psalm 45:6,7.

The writer is clearly making the distinction between Jesus and the angels Vs. 13 is another O.T. reference to the Messiah (See Psalm 110:1).

Chapter 2 – The writer urges us to take heed to the things we’ve heard (the gospel) so that we do not drift away from them. If the O.T. children of Israel were punished for disobeying their gospel, how much more will we suffer if we disobey a greater gospel? (vs. 1-3)

Jesus was made (humanly) a little lower than the angels so that he could die for his people (Matthew 1:21) – (vs.9).

Jesus had to become flesh and blood like us – the seed of Abraham in order to die and destroy him who has the power of the death, the devil (vs. 14).

When He did this we were made free forever. Jesus incarnation displays his love in that he fully identified with us in humanity and weaknesses.

Chapter 3 – Jesus, greater than Moses

There is a comparison going on, the children of Israel who did not heed God’s word in Moses’ day died in unbelief in the wilderness. They did not enter into God’s rest; the promised land of Caanan. The writer quotes Psalm 95:7-11 twice in the chapter (vs. 7-10, 15).

The only one’s that will enter God’s rest are those that will remain faithful. True believer’s will do this. Vs. 12-14 are an admonition to believe the gospel so that sin does not get a hold of you to the degree that you’re blind to the truth.

Chapter 4 – Writer begins again stressing the importance of heeding the gospel so that we can enter into “THE REST OF GOD” (Vs. 4). Writer reiterates those in the O.T. did not enter the land of promise due to disobedience/unbelief (Vs. 3,7).

Verse 8 deals with only an earthly rest through Joshua – the promised land of Caanan, but it’s not the final rest that comes in accepting the gospel and having eternal rest.

God’s word is a double edged sword. It’s cuts into the inner man, to his thoughts and his heart. Our lives are never concealed from God’s holy word (vs. 13-14).

Jesus feels all that we do and are. He’s a loving, caring savior who always identifies with our weaknesses because he was tempted in everyway – not with every temptation without sin or even the capacity to sin (vs. 15).

Let us go to the Lord to find help when we need it (vs. 16).

Divorce and Remarriage

“For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence”, says the Lord of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit that you do not deal treacherously.” – Malachi 2:16.

              

It’s been said that the divorce rate among evangelicals is as high as the secular world. According to recent studies, this statement is false. Married couples that attend church regularly and practice their faith seriously, divorce rate is at 38 percent. Those who are nominal in their faith, and do not attend a worship service regularly and/or do not spend time in personal prayer or with their spouse, read their bibles consistently divorce rate is at a whopping 60 percent!

Since it’s so easy to divorce and remarry in our country, even some so called Christians do it on a regular basis.

But what does the bible have to say about these matters?

In Matthew 5:31-32 Jesus said, “Furthermore it has been said whosoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce. But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except for sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery (Italics added).

This truth is ignored by all in secular society, and the writer of this article would daresay by most in the evangelical community. Often times we read what the word says, and if it doesn’t fit within our theological construct, we ignore, or better yet disobey that particular command. When one is seeking a divorce, they’ll for anything to be discontented with about their spouse so that they can use those situations to break their covenant of marriage. So we have plenty in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ who are currently in adulterous, marital relationships.

Why is this the case?

Simply because if a man or woman divorces their spouse other than for fornication and marries another,  that person has committed adultery because your former spouse is still alive and you’re bound by that person in marriage as long as they live (Romans 7:2). In the eyes of the law your marriage is no longer legally binding, but in the eyes of the Lord it still is; So, what should one do?  Well obviously if the love between the two has grown cold, reconciliation is most likely impossible otherwise a divorce would not have occurred in the first place. The writer believes that for the sake of peace between two disgruntled people, divorce is a permitted, but not a God honoring choice since He hates divorce (I Corinthians 7:15).

It’s apparent that God meant for marriages to last unto death separated us. The two become one flesh (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5). He made that clear when he said in Matthew 19:6, “Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate.” (Italics added).

In the final analysis, God permits divorce in regards to infidelity; and even in that, divorce should be the last resort if all other options have been exhausted, and no reconciliation can be made. The writer realizes that that is not the route that most will take if they have been betrayed in their marriage. They’ll want a divorce and they have the biblical right to make that choice.

Those that fit this category who are Christians are allowed to remarry in the Lord; that is you MUST marry a believer (I Corinthians 7:39).

                                                A believing and non believing spouse

There are instances were you have people get married and they’re both unbelievers. However, over time one becomes born again after hearing the truth of the gospel and the other remains unsaved. What do we do in these instances? Fortunately, the bible provides the answers.

In I Corinthians 7:12-16 it reads, “If any brother has a wife who does not believe, if she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. But if the unbeliever departs, let them depart; brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?”

These are straight forward answers to these marriage dilemmas. I will try my best to provide sensible commentary on the aforementioned verses.

Summing up the matter, the onus is on the believing spouse to be a witness to their unsaved partner so that they may hopefully one day turn to the Lord in true repentance and faith and be saved as they are. There are of course no guarantees because the unbelieving spouse may refuse the invitations to repent and may become so exacerbated by their spouse’s radical transformation lifestyle, their love turns cold due to the darkness in them vs. the light in their spouse and decide they want to dissolve the union. You have what I call a spiritual indifference or you become unequally yoked by default. God grants the divorce in such cases for the sake of peace he’s called us to (vs. 15).

The unfortunate result for the unbelieving spouse is that the sanctification they unknowingly enjoyed because of the saving grace that rested on and in the believer has been removed, and now they are in complete and total spiritual darkness; whereas the scenario for the believer is much better, they’re no longer bound to the union. They’re free to marry again, but only in the Lord (vs. 39). You must not be unequally yoked (II Corinthians 6:14-17).

On the flip side, there are occasions where a non believer wishes to remain with their mate because they loved them before they believed, and may even love them more because they’re saved and are endeavoring to please God by pursuing holy living although they have no desire to pursue God themselves. The unbeliever realizes that they’re blessed because of their spouse who loves God and faithfully serves Him; the peace of God is resting on that house for the sake of the believing spouse. The word of God tells us to stay with your spouse. What greater evangelistic prospect can you have than your own spouse who loves you and is willing to listen to you? Your chances are greater to lead them to eternal life in Christ because of the saturation of the grace of God that’s resting on your life. Pray that God the Father will draw them to the Son (John 6:44).

Concluding, God only grants divorce in two cases, infidelity, and abandonment by an unbelieving spouse. Notice God does not sanction the believer to abandon the unbelieving spouse. Their assignment is to pray, love, and evangelize their spouse so that they come out of darkness and be transformed into God’s marvelous light (II Peter 2:9).

Divorce for any other reason is not God honoring as hard as that may be to accept. However, I believe if someone (usually women) are in a physical abusive marital relationship, they need to separate from their husband for safety sake until he seeks professional help. The abused should also seek counseling to try to get to the root of the problem. Scripture tells us, “In a multitude of counselors there is safety and victory (Proverbs 11:14; 24:6). Once there is a consistent pattern of reformed behavior; he’s contrite for what he’s done, and he’s promised never to do it again, return to him. Seek biblical counsel together. The husband should remain in some sort of spiritual biblical counseling group where he’s held accountable to Godly men who can monitor his progress and spiritual growth, like Pastors or Elders in the Church. If he values his wife and family, he’ll be willing to get help. If he is unwilling to seek help and remains abusive in other ways, such as drinking, smoking, cursing, gambling, outbursts of anger, fighting, laziness, etc, do not return to him; that type of person is most unstable and unsafe to be around.

In cases like these, you need to pray and seek the Lord on how to proceed. If you divorce and marry again, you’ve caused your new spouse to commit adultery because your former spouse is still alive. You are now an adulteress in the eyes of the Lord. It let’s us know how strongly God despises divorce. Can/will God give grace to you in these instances? The writer believe He does if one truly repents and seeks forgiveness for violating the word of God. God knows the weakness of our flesh and it’s insatiable lust to gratify itself even at the expense of obeying His word. God also knows those who are seeking true love and happiness in a marital relationship and sometimes that doesn’t occur in an initial marriage due to ungodliness with both husband and wife, lack of patience or endurance, and immaturity. Definitely seek pre-marital counseling if you’re marrying for the first time. If you’re divorced, seek counseling also. Try to determine why the relationship failed. Do not be so quick get involved in another relationship, least of all marriage. Pray to the Lord on how you should proceed with your life. I believe it’s wise to have a cooling off period before engaging in another committed relationship. Commit your relationship to the Lord first; let Him become your first love above all else, and then you’ll be spiritually, and emotionally fortified to be involved in a romantic relationship with a believer so that your union will over time blossom into a life long love affair (Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 6:33).

Be truthful with yourself and the Lord. If you have truly repented of the sin of divorce and remarriage (exception clause-adultery), the writer believes you can have a fruitful second marriage even with the adultery stigma. The opposite of this is someone who’s callous regarding marriage and foolishly marries another because they’ve grown tired of their former spouse and divorces them for no legitimate reason at all (c.f. Matthew 19:3). That type of person is reckless and should be avoided until they get biblical counseling, changes their ways, and renews their mind (Romans 12:1-2). God knowing all things uses even sinful situations without condoning them to fulfill his divine plan in the lives of mankind in our relationships.