It is not the bunny, it's the Lamb!

 One of the devastating effects of the fall of mankind is that we focus on the trivial and miss the major issue.  I have always thought that if we realized how important and crucial it is for each person to accept what Jesus has done for us, the message would be on the front page of every newspaper and email.

Unfortunately, just as Santa Claus and gifts get primary focus at Christmas, people try to emphasize colored eggs, pretty Easter outfits, and the infamous Easter bunny, rather than the awesome love of the Lamb of God who willingly suffered and shed His blood to save us.   

Guess we should not be surprised.  Several key passages in Scripture speak of the Satanic enemy as deceiving the nations of the world.  2 Corinthians 4:4 reveals that the god of this world has blinded the minds of men from seeing the light of the Gospel.  Likewise, 1 Peter 5 declares he is a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.  If he can decieve people into thinking life is about trivial things, or even become foolish enough to trust our human reasoning to conclude there is no God and no consequences for violating God's rules, he can claim one for which Jesus died out of His infinite love. 

However, God is not mocked.  He knows our frame, that we came from dust, so He has not left us helpless.  Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, Satan was defeated once and for all.  God's infinite love is so great that the very act of man (inspired by Satan) to kill His Son is the very act by which Jesus rightfully is able to rescue all men for God.  If God can turn the worst thing man has done into victory, then God can surely works all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)  He can overcome all the temptations and distractions that the enemy presents.  

Secondly, Jesus promised He would not leave us orphans, but would send the Comforter, the Paraclete (One who pleads for us), to guide us into all truth.  The Spirit bears witness to Jesus, brings things to our remembrance that Jesus taught, and opens our hearts to cry "Abba Father."  We are the most blessed (Psalm 21:6) who know the joy and strength of our relationship with God.  

Through the Word of God, the authority given to us in the name of Jesus, and the spiritual armor provided, we can resist the enemy who then has to flee.  "They overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death." Revelation 12:11  God invites us to embrace the Lamb, choose life in Him, and live according to the perfect law of liberty of His Word.  So please, ignore the bunny, focus on the Lamb.  Rejoice forevermore.

 

 

  

Punish Evil, Praise Good

"Punish evil and praise good" is a key God gives to those in authority (1 Peter 4:12), and is a strong guideline for how parents should bring up children "in the nurture and admonition" of the Lord.  Therefore it follows that God, who is a perfect father, would follow these principles in raising up His godly children.  However, it is also important to realize there is a source of all rebellion. 

Jesus called the devil a thief and a murderer, a liar and the father of all lies.  Both in Ezekiel and in Revelation he is declared the deceiver of the whole world.  In Ephesians 2 there is a description of mankind living in the lusts and desires of the flesh, that we are actually walking according "to the prince of the power of the air" and as a result were "by nature children of wrath."  Fallen human nature is not aware of how far he has fallen and how serious the consequences of our rebellion against God actually are.  We glibly say sin deserves death, but do we understand that what we deserved is the kind of suffering and death Jesus endured for us.  Because God is all just, it had to be paid, but because He is all merciful, He paid it for us.  Even the well-known John 3:16 points out that "whoever believes in Him should not perish."  Those who refuse to receive His free gift of salvation, or choose to reject His infinite love in dying for our sins, will perish. 

Our flesh is like the prodigal son that thinks he can live a wild, carefree, sinful life and have no consequences.  However, if instead of admitting his failure when destitute and hungry, what if this person decided to attack and try to overthrow his father to get what was not his.  Lucifer, or Satan, is described as created perfect in beauty (Ezekiel 28) but when iniquity entered his heart he arrogantly declared "I will be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14) and began a concerted campaign to overthrow the throne and plan of God.   

God ejected him from heaven, but in revenge and pride, he now does everything in his power to thwart the plan of God.   And the amazing part is that Satan thinks he is winning...when he entered Judas to betray Jesus, when he led the Pharisees and Pilate to condemn Him to death.  Obviously part of his long-range plan is to set up the antichrist and rule all nations on the earth.

Many people don't like to read Revelation because they don't want to think about the judgments of God. Clearly our finite limited minds do not understand the wisdom and judgments of God (Romans 11:33).  There is good reason why God says vengeance is mine.  He only can handle it and do it correctly.  However, from the eternal perspective of heaven (Revelation 19:2-3) the multitude cry out, "For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.'  Even the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fall down and worship God who sits on the throne, "Amen! Alleluia!" when His judgments are executed.  God righteously and in truth does judge Satan, the beast, the false prophet, and all those who choose to rebel against the love of God.  God punishes evil.  

What a glorious joy to see that God cleanses the earth of all that hinders love and truth.  He likewise opens the books of life and praises the good of all those who faithfully have received and obeyed the Lord Jesus.  The book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus that God has given to ensure faith and hope that His good will triumph over the enemy's evil.  God's perfect plan shows the nature and character of the Lord Jesus in establishing a perfect kingdom of love and the complete recovery of all Adam and Eve lost in the fall.  Praise God forever!  

Must Have a Word from God!

When all is said and done, more is said than done!  A man of God said this truth about prayer.  However, something very similar could accurately be said about hearing the voice of God.  Will all of you who heard from God today please stand up?

Hebrews 4:8 says, "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."  Obviously the first foundation principle of hearing from God is to know and believe that God wants to speaks to you.  In John 10 Jesus declares that He calls His sheep by name,  My sheep hear my voice,  He leads them in and out and they find green pasture.  Jesus showed this same principle when He told His disciples that they were not servants, but friends, "for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."  From the time God walked in the garden with Adam and Eve, His heart is to commune with those who love and follow Him. 

As Jesus was about to complete His ministry, He further promised to send the Holy Spirit who would guide you into all truth, "for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come."  (John 16:13)  In Romans 8, Paul likewise points out that those who are led by the Holy Spirit are sons of God.  The Lord will cause His glorious voice to be heard. (Isaiah 30;30)

Once we have settled the fact that God wants to speak to us, we have to want it enough to seek it.  Do you remember, in John 5, when Jesus asked the sick man by the pool of Siloam, "Do you want to be made well?" He waits to be gracious to us, for us to desire and seek His promises.  God states that when we seek Him with our whole heart, He will be found (Jeremiah 29).  We need the attitude "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul thirsts for You, O God." (Psalm 42).  So the second principle to hear God's voice is to desire it enough to seek it.  As long as we can live without hearing God's voice, we will.  The Amplified version makes this case even stronger in Psalm 53 "God looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any who understood and who sought (inquired after and desperately required) God"  When we understand that we must have a word from God, we will seek it until we obtain it.  

The third principle which opens our hearts to hear God's voice is the Word of God.  Jesus is the Word, the divine Logos, the complete expression of God and His nature.  However, the written Word of God is given as "precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little" (Isaiah 28) to reveal to us the knowledge of who He is.  On the other hand, faith comes by hearing, and hearing the "rhema" Word of God.  Rhema is the specific phrase or message that God wishes to communicate to us this moment. As we grow in the Word (Logos), our knowledge of Him and His truth sets us free, and causes us to be more open to the rhema Word that God gives for our edification, exhortation, and comfort. 

Many times the "rhema" word comes from letting the Holy Spirit highlight the written "Logos" Word of God.  However, this requires a heart that waits upon Him, allowing that still small voice to penetrate the thoughts and intents of the heart that fill our soulish minds.  The Holy Spirit is willing to speak and teach, more so that we are willing to listen and learn.  If we earnestly desire to hear His voice, if we truly must hear from God, we need a "Jacob wrestling with God" attitude that won't let go until we are blessed.  God honors those who wait upon Him. 

Finally, there is an amazing challenge in Psalm 35:27.  Those who love God's salvation and favor His righteous cause are told to say continually, "Let the Lord be magnified" who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.  If our whole Christian life can be accomplished without God's voice and intervention, then aren't we suggesting that God just as well retire, we don't need Him.  When our vision only goes as far as what "we" can do and does not depend upon or expect God to do "great things" for us, we are hardly living the faith-filled life that pleases God.  We "let" the Lord be magnified by hearing His voice and allowing Him to show us great and wonderful things.  Then as we obey He can confirm His Word and be glorified in and through us.  We must have a word form God in order to accomplish His plan for our lives.