Watchman

Watchman
Sentinel

Friday, March 27, 2009

God's "Foolishness," My Wisdom- God's "Weakness," My Strength

"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14)
 
"The natural man" looks at the whole wisdom/foolishness thing with the attitude that he is the wise one; the other guy is the fool.  But the Bible says, "Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?  There is more hope for a fool than for him." 
 
"The things of the Spirit of God" is all the "God-Breathed" Word, the Bible------ all of it.  And, "the things of the Spirit" are only "spiritually discerned."  If I wish to understand the ways of God, I must be full of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, for from Him alone can I "receive the things of the Spirit of God."  There is nothing in the Bible which can be understood any other way.  This is the reason that "the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."  The fool is "wise in his own eyes," and his "wisdom" tells him that "the things of the Spirit," the Word of God, is just plain foolishness.  Beware--------the vast majority of what you read and hear in the media is from the fool, who is "wise in his own eyes."  
 
The Word of God warns us in many different ways to "lean not to your own understanding."  If there is any "leaning" to be done today, let it be on Jesus and His Words, the Breath of God.  Stay full of the Holy Spirit; pray much in your spirit in the Holy Spirit; lean on His Understanding, the Understanding which is found in Jesus Christ and His Law/Word.  Instead of embracing the foolishness of the "wisdom of men," you will then embrace "the foolishness of God"-------------------- Blessed "Foolishness!"
 
Father, in Jesus' Name, help me to give myself to "the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger then men."  Amen.
*************************************
See my political commentary at:    www.antipasprayerforce.blogspot.com
 
 
"Looking Unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make meals for under $10.
Posted by at

Thursday, March 26, 2009

The "Powerpoint" Of The Trinity

"For the word (Logos) of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
(1 Corinthians 1:18--NASB)
 
A friend of mine once asked a translator in Romania, "How do I know you're translating what I say?"  The Romanian said, "Well, if I like what you're saying, I will translate it.  If I don't, I'll say what I want to say."  Even though he was joking, this is exactly what is happening today in much of Christendom with the "word of the cross." 
 
In the last one hundred years of Church history, influential theologians did not like what the "God-Breathed" Word was saying, so they began to, "say what I want to say."  I experienced this for myself in seminary.  "I am the way, the truth and the life" no longer means, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."  It means, "I don't like such authoritarianism.  We are such a kind, understanding, open-minded, magnanimous people, we cannot have a religion like that.  We'll tell people, 'Well, that isn't what Jesus said; that's what John said Jesus said."  These fools are, "those who are perishing."
 
My "formative" years were shaped by a man who loved Jesus Christ with all his heart, who loved, preached, and taught exegetically the Word of God, and was the most effective soul winner I have ever known, for which I can only say, "Thank You, Lord Jesus!"  I saw the Word of God in our home.  By the time I got to the university and graduate school, the anti-Christ system was too late.  I had been ruined for them by the Blessed Trinity, Father, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit (whom my Dad often referred to as, His Blessed Majesty, the Holy Ghost), a strong Church example, and parents who were living examples of, "the word of the cross."
 
If you have no such heritage today, start one!  Someone once said, "A man with an argument is no match for a man with experience."  Our heritage is not argument.  We are "those who are being saved" by "the word of the cross."  This Word is "written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, of the heart."  No power in Hell or in the earth can take that from you.
 
Father, in Jesus' Name, thank You that I saw You more than "heard" You when I was growing up.  May others see just as much of You in me, as they hear of You from me.  Amen.   
*************************************
News You Won't Want to Miss:     www.antipasprayerforce.blogspot.com 
 
 
"Looking Unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make meals for under $10.
Posted by at

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

We Can Do This

"But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you."  (Luke 6:27, 28)
 
Jesus "did" our text from a cross-------------------------not from Heaven. "Father, forgive them," came from Jesus on a cross.  The unrepentant thief heard, "Today you will be with me in Paradise"------ from a cross.  This did not come from the relative security and safety of Lazarus' home.  It came from, "Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  Then the sun was darkened...."  
 
So many suffer alone in incurable defeat because they forget a very central reality of The Faith.  Everything Jesus taught and commanded He did, not in His power as God, but, "He was crucified in weakness...."  Jesus did not save us from Heaven.  As the hymn writer said, He came "out of the ivory palaces into a world of woe."  Jesus saved us from the grit of earth, as a part of sinful humanity, on a Roman cross, with the same pain, suffering, and rejection as the thieves--------------- "yet without sin."  The Bible says that Jesus "made Himself of no reputation," or, "stripped Himself," or, "emptied Himself."  The Greek phrase means that Jesus "abased, neutralized, made" Himself "of none affect," even though He is, "being in very nature God."  When Jesus "came" to earth, He came, "emptied."   
 
The Life of Jesus on the earth in human flesh reveals a challenging, yet liberating reality.  What Jesus did from the cross, His loving, His blessing, praying for His enemies, you and I can do today, in any situation, no matter how difficult.  We can do this.  Jesus fulfilled our text, as Hebrews says, "in the days of His flesh."  And now, because we are in Him and He in us, we can do likewise.  1 John 4:17 says, "Love has been perfected in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, so are we in this world." 
 
Father, in Jesus' Name, help me to live an "emptied" life, so that I may be full of You.   Amen.
**********************************
Don't miss the real news:    www.antipasprayerforce.blogspot.com
 
"Looking Unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make meals for under $10.
Posted by at

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The Law: "To Save," Not, "To Destroy"

"Then Jesus said to them, 'I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?'" (Lk.6:9)
 
For religious people, the purpose of the Law is "to do evil" and "to destroy."  For Jesus, the purpose of the Law is "to do good" and "to save life." 
 
Rushdoony uses a great phrase in writing of the Law, which, if you have never heard it, I want to introduce to you.  He refers to the Law as the "Law-Word."  To religionists of the first century, Jesus was a breaker of The Law, because they refused to see the Law as the "Law-Word" of God.  It was just a list of dos and don'ts to them.  Religious people distort the Law because they refuse to see Personhood in The Law, the One Whom the Bible declares to be, "The Word of God," Jesus. 
 
In the economy of the Blessed Trinity, the Law is the giver of Life, because in the Law is the revelation of Jesus Christ-- "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  Jesus is not the destroyer.  Jesus is The Savior.  The Law is destruction and "death" only to those who refuse Jesus Christ and His reign in their lives. 
 
Watch Jesus' Life in the Gospels and you see, "came to fulfill," at ever turn.  Even in the "hard" things, we see the, "good," and, "save," of God. 
 
Father, in Jesus' Name, always help me to see "good" and "save" in Your Law-Word.  Amen. 
******************************************
News, Commentary:    www.antipasprayerforce.blogspot.com
 
"Looking Unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make meals for under $10.
Posted by at

Monday, March 23, 2009

Some "Rules of Engagement"

"As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught...."  (Colossians 2:6, 7a)
 
There is much cynicism in America today concerning the Church and fundamental doctrines of the Faith.  So many blame the Church, hypocrites, antiquated language used in communicating the Gospel, cultural background, economic status, race, even unanswered prayer for reasons to give up on "the faith."  I see nowhere in Scripture to indicate that any of these will hold up in The Judgment.  Perhaps the best explanation is that they have never encountered Jesus Christ.  
 
Once people "meet" Jesus, surrender to Jesus, receive Jesus, are born of the Spirit, baptized in the Holy Spirit, they do not look for reasons to abandon "the faith."  They look for every "means of grace" to stay "in the faith."  For such people, our text gives such "means"--- (1). Be sure you have "received Christ Jesus the Lord;" (2). "Walk" ("live") in Christ Jesus; (3). Stay "rooted" in Christ Jesus; (4). Continue to be "built up" ("constructed, confirmed") in Christ Jesus; (5). Be "established ("make sure, firm up") in the faith" of Christ Jesus; and, (6). "as you have been taught," which is the basis for the rest.  Walk in these principles, and all the lies and seduction of this present age, all the disappointments, all the heartaches, all the hypocrites, will not be able to seduce us from Jesus Christ, His Words, His Church.
 
Father, in Jesus' Name, help me to look for every opportunity to receive, walk, be rooted, established, and taught.  Amen.
*****************************************
News, Commentary:    www.antipasprayerforce.blogspot.com
  
"Looking Unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make meals for under $10.
Posted by at
Newer Posts Older Posts Home
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Blog Archive