"For This Purpose The Son of God Was Manifested...."

"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."  (1 John 3:8)

Pop "Christianity" attributes so much and so many things to, "the works of the devil." If, however, you read our text in context, there is no doubt as to what is, "the works of the devil"----------- sin.  Our text is quite clear.  Jesus came to destroy sin.  Sin "entered" humanity when Satan lied to our ancestors, and our ancestors believed the lie.  "....sin is of the devil," and if it is, then I should hate it, avoid it "like the devil."  The history of nations, the history of you and me is the history of, "He who sins."

Why is it that if anyone talks of sin, preaches or teaches about sin, people get all depressed?  I think it's quite simple; we are all sinners.   Too many like to justify their sin, "Well, nobody's perfect," and other such rationalizations and excuses, which, by the way, is nonsense, since our Lord Jesus commanded us, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  If our text is true, "He who sins is of the devil," then it should be something I would take more seriously.  Perhaps holiness/ sanctification would be spoken of and taught more frequently.  "My little children," we read yesterday in 1 John 2, "I write to you, so that you may not sin."  This is our Lord Jesus Christ, the "God-Breathed" Word, speaking these words to us.  It is His Objective for us.  He knows what sin does, and His Word declares a wonderful promise and command to us, "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body....For sin shall not have dominion over you...."  Jesus suffered, was beaten, spit upon, "was wounded,..was bruised," so that you and I could be free from the awful destroyer of the human race, sin.

What a great and wonderful promise in today's text, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."  I am going to start taking a new "posture" towards sin.  "Isn't it a little late for that?" someone might say.  No, I say.  If sin cost Jesus so much, that which you and I will never be able to comprehend "throughout" eternity, then the Church needs to stop excusing ourselves, stop taking it so lightly.  I don't care if your tradition was measured sleeve and dress lengths, no smoking, drinking, "holier than thou."  Such people need to get over it.  If, "for this purpose," Jesus Christ came to the earth, "that He might destroy the works of the devil," then we need to start walking in His Victorious Destruction of sin.  If the Church, including Christian media, spent as much time on teaching people to claim and walk in the promise of sin's destruction as they do on healing and prosperity, we might have a different "church," perhaps a revival-transformation church. 

Sin was destroyed , "in His Cross," in Jesus' Blood, Death, Resurrection.  Now let us walk in the victory of sin's destruction!

Father, in Jesus' Name, I confess that I have taken sin too lightly over my life time.  Holy Spirit, I pray mercy and strength to change that.  Amen.
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Will be out of town from August 29 through September 2.  My laptop is in the shop, so I might be out of contact til September 3.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

"....I Write to You, So That...."

"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin.  And (even) if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."  (1 John 2:1)

".... that you may not sin," is the objective of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He died that, as Romans 6 declares, "....sin shall no longer have the dominion over you...," i.e., no longer rule us, no longer dictate our daily lives.  Yes, the Holy Spirit goes on to tell us, "And if any man sin...."  But no one should ever get it in "reverse."  Again, the objective is, "that you may not sin."  Why?

Well, there are various reasons I suppose which we could cite.  But the main reason is that is hurts us, even destroys us, others, and our relationship in the Living Triune God.  Our Heavenly Father wants what is best for you and me.  Holiness/sanctification is what is best for us.  It is perfect spiritual health.  Don't you want that for yourself?  Sin destroys relationships.  Sin destroys nations, "Righteousness exalts a nations, but sin is a disgrace to any people."  This is no less true of you and me.

There is no greater promise in Holy Writ than the promise later given to us in the chapter.  "Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning.  If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.  And this is the promise that He has promised us---- eternal life."  This, "eternal life," is Jesus Christ, He in me, and I in Him, washed in His Precious Blood.  Jesus is our "Sin-Destroyer."  Jesus is our, "Advocate with the Father."  When sin rears its ugly head in me, I have confidence, not in my attempt to make it right, but in my Advocate, Jesus.

I want to share one more thing I saw today in 1 John 2.  This is for the "politically-correct"-enslaved, egalitarians out there.  "Who is a liar(?)...he who denies that Jesus is the Christ".  He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.  Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also."  Selah.  

Father, in Jesus' Name, I pray with the psalmist, "Behold, I long for Your righteous; revive me in Your righteousness."  Amen.
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* You are welcome to join me any time in DC, September 17-21

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

"Whose Spirit Spoke From Your Mouth?"

"Who has helped you utter these words?  And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?...And these are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint the whisper we hear of Him!  Who then can understand the thunder of His power?"

We need to be very, very careful when we, "utter these words".  Likewise, it is a good question to ask, "Who has helped," us utter them, "And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?"  I'm sure I have many "words" which should never have been uttered.  Words do indeed "matter."  How many words we have spoken over our life time we wish we could take back.  But, alas, it doesn't work that way.  The words were spoken, or written, and there is nothing we can do to change that.  We can ask for forgiveness from offended ones, and may receive it, but the words are not forgotten.  You know that, don't you.  We can do repentance and ask for forgiveness, and our Lord Jesus grants the forgiveness we so desperately need.  Also, the offended one may grant forgiveness, but those words, those hurtful words still linger in the memory, still fester deep within the offended one.

Job's "counselors" did nothing to help him, only that first week when they just sat with him, saying nothing.  Their words just got more hurtful to Job as they attempted desperately to "set him right."  Why do most people think anyway that in order to help someone we always have to be saying something?  Jesus speaks to us in His Words, of course.  But have you ever just "sat with" Jesus, saying nothing, asking nothing, doing nothing else but being with/in Him?  Contemplation and meditation can be scary words, involve the wrong "spirit."  They can also be from the Holy Spirit.  He will "speak" to our hearts things which we cannot hear any other way. 

It is so necessary, however, to always keep in mind that, "....these are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint the whisper we hear of Him!  Who then can understand the thunder of His power?"  Notice, "the outer fringe of His works;".., and, "faint the whisper we hear of Him!"  Job realized the reality of this in the midst of his suffering.  Maybe that is where we hear more than we imagine.  It is at once humbling and worship.  Humbling, in that we don't know, nor can we understand so much of what we tend to ask for, and worship, in that we know we have a relationship in the Living Triune God in Jesus Christ, in Him Who rules the Universe.  Our comprehension is, "but the outer fringe of His works," but His is, "His works."  Our hearing can be only, "faint the whisper we hear of Him!"  But in Jesus, that, "still small voice," serves/ministers to and in us His very life.  The last portion of our text is perhaps the most humbling, "Who then can understand the thunder of His power?"  Any takers?!?

Father, in Jesus' Name, O, such a wonderful, " faint the whisper."  Amen.
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* The Lord Jesus spoke a both encouraging and rebuking "word" to me this morning.  "When you go to Washington, DC, go expecting to make a difference."
* DC Mission Dates:  September 17-21.  If you wish to come down some time during those dates, let me know.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

"....But Abides Forever."

"Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.  As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever."  (Psalm 125:1, 2)

Well, here we are as we are every month on the 25th, Psalm 125.  The first time I saw, "Mount Zion," and, "the mountains surround Jerusalem," I realized how much our Lord must love mountains.  And when I saw the mountains in the Galilee, I thought, "Could this be just a 'small' reason our Lord Jesus loved to spend so much time in the Galilee?"  I also thought, "What must it have been like for those spies when they first saw the beauty of "The Land?"  And it is very beautiful. 

The historic reality is that the enemies of Jesus have tried to lay waste to Israel over the centuries, both the people and The Land.  There were times when it seemed as though they had succeeded.  But, "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever."  All through history, people have attacked and murdered the Jews, and have cut down the trees in Israel in the attempt to make Israel a virtual wasteland, thereby nullifying the promises of the Living Triune God.  Many Biblical passages refer to this war on God's People (which never forget includes you and me) and The Land.  All you need to do is watch, read, listen to news reports to see just how up-to-date is the conflict of the ages.

You and I, Israel, the Church, The Land, however, are just, "like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever."  I know at times and/or seasons it may not have seemed as such.  But regardless of, "what is seen," what may at times be, "unseen," is the reality that we, "cannot be moved," and will, "abide[] forever."  In you and me as Followers of Jesus, ones in whom Jesus Christ lives, is He Who Is referred to in Scripture as, "Our Rock."  Could we say that our DNA is Rockness?  In Jesus we are as "the energizer bunny," of which the commercial says, "just keeps going, and going, and going," and, "it's still going."  Remember those times when you may have thought, "It's over"?  Maybe it was a financial crises, a sickness, depression, or perhaps unsureness of salvation.  "Does God really care?  Does He really love me?"  Well, you are still here.  Jesus has sustained you to this moment.  Why believe any other statement than, "cannot be moved, but abides forever..., from this time forth and forever"? 

This day may be a "good day" or one of those "bad days."  It really does not matter.  The Word of God declares what at times may not personally seem to be the case, what certainly throughout history seemed to be untrue of Israel and the Church.  Yet, "His Truth abideth still," and always.  As we cling to Jesus, rely on Jesus, abide in Jesus, you and I and the world will never fail to see that we, "cannot be moved, but abide[] forever....The Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever,"------------ and ever, and ever, and ever.

Father, in Jesus' Name, thank You for Your, "forever."  Amen. 

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2