The Holiness of God

    In my last post, I ended with a quote from A.W. Pink. I want to state it again, only this time put it in words I use. He was a bit more brilliant minded than I am. Basically, I understood him to say, “so few people today are used to meditating on the attributes or perfections of God. Of those who occasionally read their Bibles, few are even aware of the awe-inspiring majesty of God. If they were, they would worship Him. Most believers assume that every knows God is wise, powerful and merciful, yet they never even come close to an adequate understanding of His being, His nature, or His attributes as revealed in the Word of God.”

                I was recently informed that to understand the vileness of sin and what salvation required, I must first have an understanding of who God is, what He is like. I didn’t understand why I was told that until I started to study the Attributes of God. Now I see why.
               
                Humanly speaking, God is past finding out. We will never fully understand Him, but by His grace, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, we can learn as much about Him as He is willing to reveal to us through the Scriptures. To study all His attributes will be a task I will perform throughout all eternity.

                I could spend a lifetime studying His omniscience, or the truth that He is all knowing, and never be able to understand His knowledge. Read all of Psalm 139 to get a glimpse of His knowledge concerning man.

Psalm 139:6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

                I could study His immutability, or the truth that He never changes. What God has spoken and what He has promised will come to pass. He changes not.

Malachi 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not: therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

                I could study the truth that He is an infinite God. He has no limits. Not even heaven and earth can contain Him.

1 Kings 8:27  But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house I have builded?

                Books have been written concerning the attribute of God’s Sovereignty. I have spent much time studying this truth. I have taught many Sunday School lessons on this subject and yet I will never be able to fully grasp it all.

Daniel 4:35  And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

                Our God is a solitary God. He is self-sufficient, self-sustaining, self-existent, long-suffering, good, merciful, loving…on and on we could go and never find end to the study of all God’s attributes. However, for the purpose of gaining a better understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ…our sin and salvation, I want to bring out only a few of God’s attributes that are dealing in the salvation of men.

                To understand our sin, we must understand that God is a Holy God. To understand our sin, we must understand that He is a Just God. To understand sin, we must understand God is a God of Wrath. To understand sin, our need of a Savior, what Christ accomplished on Calvary…to understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we must look into these attributes of God.

                Only when we understand these attributes will we be able to understand the vileness of our sin. Sin would not be what it is if God was not who He is. Because God is who He is, then sin is what it is…vile, loathsome, wicked, evil, an abomination before a Holy God.


                We will begin our look into the attributes of God with the attribute of His holiness. Our God is a Holy God. I know we say, “He is a Holy God,” but do we even understand what holiness is? The holiness of God is not often taught in churches today. Why is that? When was the last time you heard a sermon on or personally studied about God’s holiness? To my own shame, I have not studied the attribute of God’s holiness until now. God is a Holy God!  What does that mean?

                Holiness is the most difficult attribute to define because it deals with the essence of God’s character. Trying to define holiness is like trying to define God. It cannot be done completely. We can describe it and give examples of it from the pages of scripture, but  we cannot define it entirely. Holiness is what makes God who He is.

Exodus 15:11  Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

                The Bible says that God is “glorious in holiness.” Lets us first look at the word,“holiness.”  Our English word “holiness” is translated in this text from the Hebrew word, “Qodesh” which means set-apart, separated, sacred. A thing is holy if it is set apart for a special use. Other words used to describe holiness could be distinctive or different. Holiness is that characteristic of God that sets Him apart from all His creation.

                Consider this: The Seraphim, the holiest, most powerful of all of God’s creation…the ones that hover above the very throne of God, cannot look on the holiness of God.

Isaiah 6:2-3
2  Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

                Do you see that? They cover their faces, showing their inability to look on the holiness of God. They cover their feet showing that they are created beings and they fly crying, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” God transcends even them. God is separated from His creation. He is above His creation in every way.

                Notice something else. The Holiness of God is the only attribute of God that is mentioned in triplicate. Here is Isaiah 6 and again in Revelation 4 we see it being said of God that He is Holy, Holy, Holy. If the word of God proclaims Him holy once, then that’s enough to settle it. When He says it twice, he is placing emphasis on it. But when he says it three times, it is of supreme importance!

                Nowhere in the Bible does it say that God is “Love, Love, Love.” Neither does it say that he is “Merciful, Merciful, Merciful” or “Just, Just, Just.”  It says He is “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

                How many times I have sung the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” and never gave it much thought? The thought of His holiness is something we far often take too lightly. The reason why is because we don’t understand it and we don’t understand it because we have never dared to studied it. We are too comfortable with the modern teachings of God.

                Consider Exodus 33:18 when Moses desired to see the glory of God. What was God’s response to Moses’ request? 

Exodus 33:20  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

                God is Holy in that He is set apart from His creation. None of His creation can so much as look upon His Holiness.   

               There is another quality or aspect of the Holiness of God. Holiness also means “morally excellent; pure.” God by His nature is morally pure. The Hebrew word "Qodesh" comes from the Hebrew root word "Qadash" which means proclaimed to be entirely pure. God is separated from sin. He cannot sin. Neither does he tempt men to sin as seen in James 1:13.

                God is so pure, He cannot tolerated sin in any form or fashion. That is the nature of holiness. God hates sin. Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things God hates. Many in our day do not believe that God hates. They have been taught for so long that God is a God of love. The problem is they have been given only one side of the coin. One cannot understand God’s love without understanding God’s holiness. Because God is holy, His love is a Holy love. Holy love hates sin.

                Let me give you an example. If we love God as we say we do, then we are to love what He loves and hate what He hates. If we say we love children, then we must hate abortion. If we say we love marriage, then we must hate adultery and divorce. Yet, how many professing Christians today are indifferent when it comes to abortion or divorce?Many have no problem telling or laughing at perverted jokes, watching movies which mock sin, and have no trouble taking the LORD's name in vain? The reason this can happen is because their profession is a false one, or they do not understand God's holiness.

                Consider His holiness!  Muse, meditate, think on Him and His holy nature.

1 John 1:5  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

              As I said earlier, we will never even come close to fully understanding God or the attribute of His holiness. That should not discourage us from seeking to learn as much about Him as it pleases Him to allow us to. 

             God's holiness should cause the lost sinner to tremble in fear. For the saved it should be a source of great thanksgiving.

Psalm 30:4   Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of   his holiness.

             Holiness is the greatest of the attributes of God. All His other attributes flow through His holiness. His holiness adorns all other attributes. God's justice is a holy justice. God's love is a holy love. His wisdom is a holy wisdom. The arm of His power is a "holy arm" (Psalm 98:1). His promise is a "holy promise" (Psalm 105:42). His very name, which signifies the combination of all His attributes is holy.

Psalm 103:1  Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Psalm 111:9  He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant forever; holy and reverend is his name.

             His name is holy. His works are holy (Psalm 145:17). His law is holy (Romans 7:12). Yes, His holiness is manifested in His law...the word of God.

Psalm 19:8-9
8  The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9  The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

               

                Our Holy God, who has manifested His holiness in His word, has magnified that word above even His name.

Psalm 138:2  I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

                God is Holy. He is set apart from His creation. He is high above and separated from everything He created. Before Genesis 1:1, He had no needs. He didn't need to create in order to be God. Creation did not complete God. He was complete and content in Himself. Creation did not add one thing to Him. He did not need the seraphim to fly around His throne crying "Holy, Holy, Holy." He did not need the companionship of man to sustain Himself. He needed nothing. He needed no one. He created simply because it pleased Him to do so. Had He not created one thing, He still would have been perfectly holy.

               Not only is he separate from His creation, He is absolutely, morally, perfect in His nature. He has no sin...not even the shadow of sin can be cast upon Him. He is light and His perfect holiness shines so bright it drives sin and the shadow of it from His very presence. 

              How does a God who is holy in His very nature deal with sin?  In my next post I want to write about God's holiness and man's exceeding sinfulness.

         

Preaching The Gospel

What is the gospel of Jesus Christ? In the 16th chapter of the book of Mark, prior to ascending to the Father, Jesus Christ told His disciples this…

Mark 16:15  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

We are to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to every creature, but do we really know what the gospel is?  Paul, the Apostle, once said…

Romans 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Paul said that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. It is the power of God, and yet the gospel, as it is currently taught in our day, seems almost powerless.  Why is that? Why do so many churches today have to build gymnasiums and have programs of all sorts to draw men into the church?  Why do so many pastors incorporate  business growth strategies as a means of growing their churches? What did Christ say in John 3 and John 12?

John 3:14  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up;

John 12:32  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

Has the gospel of Jesus Christ lost its power? I dare say, No it has not! If the gospel has not lost its power then what is being preached today is either not the gospel or it is a very watered down version. 

One may argue that we are living in the end times and we are experiencing the gleaning of the harvest. That may well be so, but does that account for the lack of power of the modern day gospel? 

I used to believe the reason the gospel didn't have much of an effect on people in the United States is because we have been so saturated with the gospel; everyone has heard it so much that they have become hardened to it. 

The problem is not that our country has  been bombarded with the gospel. The problem is that for many years, churches in our country have been spreading a weakened, watered down form of the gospel. Since the gospel apparently lacks the power to draw men unto salvation, then we have to have special programs and strategies to draw men unto Christ…at least that has been typical of American churches.

The problem in our churches is that we have not been preaching the same gospel that Christ and His disciples preached.

Lord willing, we will be looking in depth at the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some may think why do we need to look in depth at the gospel? We've been saved and we don't need to go back to the foundation, rather we need to build upon the foundation. Yes, we need to grow, but we must never get away from the gospel. How can we go into all the world and preach the gospel if we don't have an accurate understanding of what it is?

We must begin by understanding what the word "gospel" means. This may seem very basic, but we must have a solid understanding of  even the most base terms when it come to telling others of Christ. The word "gospel" is transliterated from the Greek word "euaggelion" (you-ang-ghel-ee-on) which means a good message.

The phrase "the gospel of Jesus Christ" in essence means "the good message of Jesus Christ." What has Jesus Christ done that is such good news? In a nutshell, the good news is this…

1 Timothy :15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

That does sound good, but why do sinners need to be saved? What is sin? What did Jesus Christ come to save sinners from? Again, this seems so basic, but can we explain this to the understanding of men? 

The English word "sin" is transliterated from the Greek word "hamartano" (ham-ar-tan-o) which means to miss the mark and so not to share in the prize; to offend; to trespass.

The idea is that of an archery contest. Whoever hits the bullseye with their arrow wins the prize. To sin means we have shot our arrow and it has missed the bullseye therefore we did not win the prize.  The truth is every single arrow that has ever been shot (by all men) toward the mark has missed every single time.

The Word of God tells us that every single one of us has sinned. 

Romans 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Ecclesiastes 7:20  For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

The  problem is not showing men they are sinners. The problem is getting them to understand what sin is. In speaking about America, missionary Paul Washer said, "We live in a culture that drinks in iniquity and sin like water." Men have become so desensitized  to sin, they do not understand how exceeding sinful sin is. For a man to understand sin, he must first be shown God. He must understand the attributes of God. He has to know that God is Holy, that God is Just, that God is Love and that He is Wrath. A man cannot understand sin apart from understanding God's attributes. 

Men today see God as "the man upstairs" or as their "co-pilot,"  or as someone you tip your hat to. There is no fear of God before their eyes (Romans 3:18). Men have been told time and time again by well-meaning, but misguided Christians that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives, but do they understand the attribute of God's love?

Many Christians today, when preaching the gospel, paint a picture that God is a sentimental,  feeble old man begging men to come to Him and accept the His dear Son. Today, many do not accurately portrait God the Father and Jesus Christ as they really are. One cannot understand sin until he knows the attributes of God…until he sees Him as He is (Holy, All knowing, All powerful, Sovereign, Just, Merciful, Kind).

Even we, who have been saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, cannot fully understand our salvation until we better know God. The more we learn of God, the greater we will understand exactly what Christ did for us at Calvary. When that happens it will change your life. 

For the next several posts, I invite you to come along with me on what I like to call "Mission Impossible." I am going to be studying a few of the attributes or characteristics of God. I want to get a more accurate picture of who God is.  

As we study, we will need the help of the Holy Spirit to open our understanding. May our God reveal as much about Himself to us ,through His Word, as it pleases Him to. In studying the attributes of God, I feel as though I am standing on a diving board over looking a huge body of water. As far as the eye can see I am surrounded by water. I look down into the water below and it is crystal clear, so clear I can see for miles below the surface of the water, yet once I dive in, I can never measure its depth. 

Romans 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

As in any study of God, we will never come close to fully understanding God. I do hope that this study will heighten our awareness of who He is  and will help us to better know Him. In doing so, we will be better able to preach the gospel to every creature, as we have been commissioned to do.

In this study we seek to be like Moses who said to God in Exodus 33:18 , "I beseech thee, shew me thy glory."

We are going to look at just a few of His attributes and better acquaint ourselves with them. It would take a million lifetimes to really grasp these truths of God's attributes, and even then we wouldn't even have begun to touch the hem of His garment. 

The reason I am studying about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Attributes of God is because I have 4 children at home and one on the way. As their father, I am responsible before God to use the Word of God to show them their sin and show them that their sin is against a Holy God. I must give them the true gospel and not the watered down version so prevalent in our day. To properly do that, I must show them through Scripture who God is…what His attributes are. Only then will they understand the exceeding sinfulness of their sin. 

After we have looked at the attributes of God, we will take an in-depth look  at the gospel and compare it with what is being preached in most churches today. You may be shocked to see the difference. I was. 

I would like to close with a quote from A.W. Pink who had this to say concerning the attributes of God…

"So few today are accustomed to meditate upon the personal perfections of God. Comparatively few of those who occasionally read the Bible are aware of the awe-inspiring and worship-provoking grandeur of the Divine character. That God is great in wisdom, wondrous in power, yet full of mercy, is assumed by many to be almost common knowledge; but, to entertain anything approaching an adequate conception of His being, His nature, His attributes, as these are revealed in Holy Scripture, is something which very, very few people in these degenerate times have attained unto." ~A.W. Pink

May God be pleased, through the course of this study, to open the eyes of our understanding that we may see Him as He is. May we have a more accurate understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ and be ready, willing, and able to share it with whosoever the Lord brings across our path.

Our Inalienable Rights

Recently my family and I were invited to a friend's home where other families were also gathered in a time of fellowship.

 Immediately the ladies all separated to the kitchen where they enjoyed conversing over what I don't know. I could tell by the buzzing coming from there they were having a good time. 

The children all played together outside on this beautiful Texas winter day. The temperature was probably around 63 degrees. They were running and laughing and playing. 

I found myself gathered with the men. The conversation weaved its way through many topics, it seemed, but tended to stay focused on the current state of our nation. I was surrounded by some who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as well as some who do not. 

The strongest topic of conversation centered on what our current government is attempting to do concerning our Second Amendment right to bear arms. I sat quietly and listened to all that was said. Like a sponge, I took it all in, yet said nothing. It was a quiet evening for me in that I didn't say much. I wanted to process what I heard before speaking...so here I am at 3am writing.

The first thing I have to qualify is this...many of these men are men of God. They have spent years studying the Word of God and are knowledgable in it. So when I use Proverbs 29:11 keep that in mind.  I was not sitting in the presence of fools. With that being said...

Proverbs 29:11  A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

I am not saying that these men were fools and uttering all that was on their minds. What I am saying is I wanted to be wise and keep my mouth shut until I had time to think about what all was said and how I should answer. Had I just opened my mouth and began to speak on the subject it would have been foolish. Its funny how the mind works and it is several hours after a conversation I think to myself... "I wish I had said this or that." So it comes to me at 3am what I should have said.

My friends were gathered, conversing over our Second Amendment rights. I heard more than once that it was our God given, not government given, right to protect our property and families and our government cannot take that away. This was in response to our current administration's attempt to take away American's guns. Legislation is being submitted that will lead to this very event taking place. The whole thought is, if they take this right away, what will stop them from taking all our rights away and making us slaves?

I heard it said in the course of the conversation that the right to bear arms for the purpose of defending our property is an inalienable right given to us by God.  I thought to myself, "where in scripture does God give us the right to go to arms to defend our property?"

As soon as I thought it, as if they could read my mind, they spoke of the 10 Commandments...Thou Shalt Not Steal. They said that stealing is taking something that belongs to someone else and if someone else owns it, then God gave them the right to own it and defend it...at least that is what I remember them saying.

I have wondered what the conversations of households around our country was like just prior to the American Revolution in the late 1700s, or prior to the Civil War in the 1860s. After my visit I think I know.

I don't see how you can extract our God given right to defend our family and property from, "Thou shalt not steal," but the Lord did bring to mind two occasions where the Lord allowed His people to use weapons to defend themselves and their property.

Consider Genesis 14 when four kings of surrounding nations made war with the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah. In the process, Lot, the nephew of Abraham was captured and all that he had was taken spoil by the four kings. Notice what Abraham did. In verse 14, he armed his trained servants and the chased the four kings, caught up to them at night. Half of Abraham's men went one way and the other half went the other way. They attacked and destroyed the four kings and took back Lot and all his possessions as well as the possessions of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah.

We also have the account of the Jews in the book of Esther. The evil Haman had talked king Ahasuerus into signing a decree that all Jews throughout the kingdom be put to death. When queen Esther revealed to the king Haman's evil plan and the fact that she would have to be put to death because she was a Jew, the king immediately signed a new decree that allowed the Jews to arm themselves and fight for their lives which they did valiantly.

I do agree that God has allowed us the right to own property. I do see that we have been afforded the God-given right to protect it. I see in Genesis 14  and Esther 8 God that gave them the right to protect and defend their families.

What has taken me by surprise is the attitude with which many, even professing believers, have been railing on our government. And more than once I have heard the phrase, "from my cold, dead hands!" spoken in a most rebellious tone, concerning any attempt to take away their guns. People will quote Charlton Heston before they quote the Word of God.

Consider Romans 13 where Paul, under Holy Spirit inspiration, tells us we are to submit to the authority that God places over us, namely the government. If they decide to take our guns away are we free to rebel? In taking away our rights to own a gun, have they gone against the Scriptures or are they forcing us to violate the Scriptures?

Be very careful. The Bible says that rebellion is as witchcraft. My personal opinion is that because we are flesh, we tend to trust in the things of this earth and our own abilities when we should be only trusting God.

We tend to think that because we own a gun and we are efficiently trained in using it that no harm will come to our family. The question is not will they take away our rights to own guns...the question is are we trusting in a gun and in our abilities or are we trusting in the Lord our God?

Psalm 20:7   Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

Some trust in their weapons and some trust in their strength and ability to fight, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

The very next verse, Psalm 20:8, tells us that they who trust in anything other than the Lord are brought down and fallen, but those who trust in the Lord are risen and stand upright.

Proverbs 21:31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle; but safety is of the Lord.

Just as the salvation of our souls is of the Lord, so too is our safety. Should the government successfully take away our rights to own a gun, our safety is of the Lord.

Consider the earlier example of the Jews in the Persian Empire who found themselves facing certain death as a result of the decree signed by the king. In the Persian Empire, no doubt it was against the law for its citizens to own weapons. The king didn't want any uprisings or people under his control to form an army and come to overthrow the throne. The Jews had no recourse. They were going to be destroyed, yet God had a purpose for them...the Messiah must come through the Jews. God put it in the heart of the king, after being persuaded by queen Esther, to allow the Jews to assemble themselves together in various cities and arm themselves and defend themselves.

Consider our greatest example, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was and is 100% God and 100% man. Did He not have the same inalienable rights to life that we have? Did He not have the same God-given right to defend Himself that we have? Yet, when those who would crucify Him came for Him in the garden what did He do? His disciple, Peter, drew his sword and was prepared to use it...and tried to take a man's head off, missed and only took his ear off. What did our Lord say to him?

Matthew 26:52  Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

Again, we know that God had a purpose for Christ, for He was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. He must be crucified.

People can argue all day long that it is God who has given us our inalienable rights and the right to bear arms is one such right. If it is God who gives us our rights, then is God not able to take away those same rights? Can He not use our government to do so? Will we rebel against that which God has ordained?

Romans 13:1-2
1  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive unto themselves damnation.

We are to be subject to the government that God has placed over us, unless that government makes laws that would cause us to violate the Word of God. There is no government, but what God has ordained. That includes the Communistic governments as well as the Dictatorships we see around our world. If we resist their ordinances, we are resisting the ordinance of God and we will receive the consequence of disobeying the law. As a believer we will not lose our salvation, for that is impossible, but we will suffer the penalty of disobeying the law if we choose to do so.

Should they successfully be able to legally take away our right to bear arms, we are to give them our guns. Will God not protect His own?  By that I mean those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Who gives us our rights? God does. Who can take away our rights? God can.

Consider Job. Who gave Job his riches?  God did. Who took away Job's riches? God did. One could argue it was the Sabeans or the Chaldeans. One could argue it was Satan. Ultimately God allowed it to happen. He is Sovereign. What did Job say when all he had, including his children and health were gone?

Job 1:21   And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Rather than complain about our rights being taken away and railing against our government, we should be looking to the One who is really in control of us and we should humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways.

2 Chronicles 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and  pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Celebrating Christmas: Come out from among them.

Once again I find myself caught in the frenzy known as Christmas, whether I wanted to be or not. I have posted twice on the subject of Christmas. First, I posted on the true pagan roots of Christmas and why I don’t celebrate it. Then I posted on the Biblical date of Christ’s birth found in Luke chapters 1 and 2.  It was not December 25^th which is Saturnalia, the wicked celebration of the sun god Baal. 

In both of those posts, I left it up to the reader as to whether or not he or she should celebrate Christmas. I quoted Romans 14:5-10 as the grounds for the celebration of Christmas as long as they did it unto the Lord. 

I recently was challenged in my thinking by an individual who showed me a few verses in Deuteronomy. After meditating on them I have come to the belief that Christians should not celebrate Christmas; no matter the intent of their heart. Consider two examples.

First, consider Cain and Abel. Both were taught by their father, Adam what God required in the way of a sacrifice. In Genesis 4:2-5 we see that Cain sincerely offered a sacrifice unto the Lord of the fruit of the ground. However, it was rejected because it was not what God required.

Second, consider the intent of the heart of King Saul who sincerely wanted to sacrifice the best of the animals taken from the Amalekites. This can be found in 1 Samuel 15:1-24. God told Saul to destroy all the Amalekites including their animals. Saul, however, spared their king and the best of their animals. Saul tried to place the blame on the people of Israel for his disobedience, but ultimately he was in charge and should have lead them to obey the command of God.  What do we learn from this? 

1 Samuel 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” 

Because Saul rejected the command of the Lord, he was rejected from being king of Israel. 

God is more concerned with our obedience than the intent or sincerity of our hearts when, out of disobedience, we offer a sacrifice to Him. 

So what does that have to do with the celebration of Christmas?   

Deuteronomy 12:29-32 
29  When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; 
30  Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from  before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? Even so will I do likewise. 
31  Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. 
32  What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add to thereto, nor diminish from it. 

Jeremiah 10:1-6 
1  Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: 
2  Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 
3  For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 
4  They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 
5  They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. 
6  Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. 

God is crystal clear that He does not want His people to learn the customs of the pagans (heathen) nor does He want us to worship Him in the same way that pagans worship their gods. Their customs are an abomination to the Lord and He hates them. 

The customs of Christmas are pagan. It was the Catholic “church” that took those pagan celebrations and gave them a Christian name so the Christians and pagans could be united under the Roman Empire. 

Many Christians have said and will say, “But that is not what those Christmas customs mean to me!” “I am celebrating  it unto the Lord!” 

The LORD is more concerned with our obedience than He is with the sincerity of our hearts in our sacrifice of praise when we do it in disobedience to his Word.

For those who have children, imagine you tell one of them to go clean up his room and you will come check on him in 30 minutes to see if he has done what he was told to do. Thirty minutes later, you go into his room to find it a complete mess and your son is on the bed drawing a picture for you because he loves you. As you chasten your child, he says, "But why am I being chastened? ...I was making this drawing for you." Yes, he did a sacrifice of love in making a drawing for you, but he failed to do what he was told to do and there are consequences to disobedience. 

Celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the same day (December 25th) and in the same way that pagans celebrated their sun god Baal (almost 2000 years before Christ came) is an abomination unto Him. 

Some will say, "But that was in the Old Testament. That was for Israel back then and not for us today. We are not under the law, we are under grace. We can celebrate anything we want if we do it unto the Lord." 

We are under grace. We, who are saved, were saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ alone and nothing else. Does His grace abolish the law? Are we now free to live as we want and do what we want as long as we do it unto the Lord? Has God changed? Does He no longer require obedience in His people?

We don't obey His words as a means of salvation. Rather, we obey His words because we love Him and want to honor Him. Should Christians celebrate Christmas with the rest of the world or should we come out from among them and be separate?  Christians should come out from among the world and be set apart. 

America has spoken

I am not at all surprised by the choice our nation has made for President during this election. In essence, as a whole, our nation has spoken. Much like Israel did when they rejected Christ, the United States has said, "We will not have this man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14). As a nation, Israel didn't want Christ to reign over them and neither does the United States.

There is a remnant of Christians in America, but that is all it is, and a very small remnant at that. We who are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ would have Him reign over us and He does and shall, but as for the majority of our nation, they have turned every one to his own way.

Just as Israel in Isaiah 1, America is a sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil doers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger. They are gone away backward.

Though our nation is sinful and headed for certain judgment at the hand of God, we as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ need not fear. Our Sovereign God has raised up the very man He will use to accomplish His purpose for the United States of America.

I believe before God spoke one thing into existence, He laid out a plan for mankind and is carrying out that plan right now. The stage is set for the return of our Lord...our redemption draweth nigh.

Let us keep our eyes upon Him and not on the circumstances that surround us. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

So be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee (Deuteronomy 31:6).

NEVER ONCE

(by Matt Redman, Jason Ingram, Tim Wanstall)

Standing on this mountain top

Looking just how far we've come

Knowing that for every step

You were with us

Kneeling on this battleground

Seeing just how much You've done

Knowing every victory was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way

But, with joy our hearts can say

Yes, our hearts can say...

Never once did we ever walk alone

Never once did You leave us on our own

You are faithful

God, You are faithful

Scars and struggles on the way

But with joy our hearts can say...

Never once did we ever walk alone

Carried by Your constant grace

Held within Your perfect peace

Never once, no we never walk alone

Every step we are breathing in Your grace

Evermore we'll be breathing out Your praise

You are faithful

God, You are faithful.

America - A Nation Deceived

I am amazed at just how deceived our nation is. I would say a vast majority of Americans pin their hopes for a national economic recovery on one man…the President of the United States. In a month we will be voting for our next President. Will Obama win reelection or will Mitt Romney regain the White House for the Republicans?

Our nation is deceived in many ways. First we believe that one man or his political party (rather than the one true God) will save the United States from its economic woes.  Even many Christians think this way. I was asked to read two articles which encourage Christians to vote for Romney, without coming right out and saying it.

Neither man, nor political party over the other will save our nation.  We are under the judgment of God for our sins. A Romney presidency will not restore America. The only thing that will restore America is repentance and following the Lord Jesus Christ.

One thing I have noticed more than ever this election is how the American people have been deceived into believing that there are only two choices for President. It’s either Democrat or Republican.  There is absolutely no media coverage of any of the other political party candidates.  Americans do not get exposure to these other candidates because they are not millionaires, nor are they being backed by Super PACS or extraordinarily wealthy people.  People don’t know about these other candidates because they have become too dependent on the mainstream media to inform them. They will not take the time to search for themselves. They stay so busy it is easier to have others tell them who to vote for.

America has become such an entertainment and amusement based society that we don’t want to think for ourselves. The word “muse” means to think. Put an “a” in front of a word and it means the opposite. The opposite of thinking is being amused, or entertained.  Being amused does not require us to think. We want to take only mainstream media information and use it to make the “best possible choice” during this election.

I have had more than one person tell me, “I wish we had another option to vote for this year.” Well, we do. I often hear people say, “I consider myself a conservative, not necessarily a Republican.”  Since it is the Republican Party who leans more toward “conservative” values they feel the only choice they can make is for the Republican candidate.

How many conservative Americans have even heard of the Constitution party or their candidate for president, Virgil Goode?  I dare say, not many.

People have told me that a vote for a third party candidate is a vote for Obama. I beg to differ. A vote for a third party candidate is a vote for who I think would best lead our nation in the right direction. Obama has not led this nation in the right direction in the past 4 years. I do not believe that Romney will lead our nation in the right direction either.

People argue that the reason I will not vote for Romney is because he is a Mormon. Well, I didn’t vote for McCain or Obama in the last election and it wasn't because of their religious beliefs. I didn't vote Republican or Democrat last election because both party platforms  fail us. Romney’s religion has nothing to do with why I will not vote for him.

I have looked at Romney’s stand on several issues and while it is impossible to agree with a candidate on every issue, it is important to agree on at least a few.

Based on some simple research done online at http://2012.republican-candidates.org, I have looked at his views on issues that I believe have resulted in our nation being under the judgment of God.  Two of these issues I believe are moral issues. As the morality of a nation goes, so goes the nation. As morality declines, the nation will decline. First of all, how does Romney believe about abortion?  Romney previously supported a woman’s right to decide to terminate the life of her unborn child at any time for any reason, but he is now adamantly opposed to abortions, unless…

…unless it involves cases of rape, incest or if the mother’s life is in mortal danger.  The Republican candidate for president of the United States believes an abortion is justified if the unborn child, who through no fault of his own, was conceived as a result of rape or incest.  That child is now worthy of death.  If the mother’s life is in danger, I presume during the birthing process, the child can be terminated if it is the only thing that will keep the mother alive. And who will make that call?

Our nation is responsible for killing more Americans through abortion than all the wars our nation has fought in combined.  Will a vote for justifying any abortions please God?

The second issue facing our nation is the issue of “same-sex marriage.”  Though Romney states that marriage should be defined as a union between one man and one woman, he seeks to have equality between husband/wife couples and  sodomite and lesbian couples. Basically, in the eyes of the government there should be no difference between the two.  The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were judged because of the unchecked sin of sodomy.  Will a vote for condoning and giving equal rights to sodomite and lesbian couples please God?

A third issue, though not moral in nature, is important in my estimation. That issue is will our nation support Israel or not? Our current administration “supports” Israel as minimally as possible mainly in word, not in deed. Our current President seeks to pressure Israel to go back to its pre 1967 borders…if I’m not mistaken about the date. He wants Israel to give up part of its land.

Will a Romney Presidency be any different? In an article I read just this week in the Jerusalem Post, Romney stated that he is committed to seeing the creation of a democratic and prosperous independent Palestinian state living side by side with a secure Jewish state.  How is that going to be possible unless Israel gives up some of their land?  Is Romney for Israel?

A final issue of importance in my estimation is the issue of immigration. I think our current President would be happy if there were no borders at all. What about Romney? Romney believes if America is to be competitive on the global economic scale, we must loosen the laws of immigration so we can take advantage of highly skilled workers.  He wants it easy for “highly skilled” foreigners to obtain citizenship, as well as pardoning the millions of unskilled illegal workers who unlawfully came across our borders and allowing them to stay. 

I believe a Romney Presidency will in no way deter or slow God’s hand of judgment already on our nation.  I am amazed at the number of Christians who look at this election from a purely man centered point of view. Do Christians not believe in the sovereignty of God?  They say they do, but their actions and words would tend to lead one to believe otherwise. 

I read two articles in which prominent Christians are urging us not so prominent Christians to vote for Romney. Their arguments are as follows…

If a candidate who is elected to office (President Obama) does evil, then it is our duty to remove them from office during the next election…in order to do that we have to vote for the one candidate who has the best chance of defeating the incumbent…regardless of what that candidate believes.

In this article, the writer tried to use the examples of Joseph in Egypt, Daniel in Babylon, and Esther in Persia as people who were asked to work for the good of others in the confines of often hostile government leadership. I was left with the impression that even though voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil, we have a responsibility to vote for the one (though evil) who won’t drag our nation down as far. Again they make it sound like there are only two choices for president. Notice that of the Biblical examples given, not one of them was given a choice or an option of what they would like to see happen. Joseph was not given an option of whether or not he wanted to be sold into slavery in Egypt. Daniel was not asked to vote whether or not he wanted to be taken captive to Babylon. Esther was not given a choice as to whether or not she wanted to me married to a pagan king. We have been blessed of God in this nation. We do have a choice and there are more than just two options for President of the United States.

In an article entitled, “Can Christians Ever Vote For Mormons?” the author states, “preserving the political process involves voting against someone as much as voting for someone.” I came away with the idea the author thinks our only hope for America is if Obama doesn’t get reelected and we have to vote for whoever has the best chance of beating him. Whatever happened to voting your conscience and letting God put in office whomsoever it pleased Him to?

Regardless of who we choose to vote for, God’s eternal decree will be accomplished.

Isaiah 46:9-11

9  Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me.

10  Declaring the end from the beginning , and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.

11  …yea I have spoken it, I will also bring it pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

From the beginning, God declared who would be elected President in 2012. His counsel will stand. He will do all His pleasure. He is Sovereign!

Daniel 2:21  And He changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

It is God who put our current President into office. It is God who will remove him when it pleases Him to do so. It is God who will raise up the next President, be it Obama, Romney, Goode or the man of His own choosing.

Daniel 4:17  “…that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will…”

Psalm 75:6-7

6  For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.

7  But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

God is Sovereign. According to Psalm 83:18, His name is Jehovah, not "Allah" and He is the Most High over all the earth. He will bring His own will to pass. He alone is Sovereign. That being true, where does that leave our responsibility? Though God is Sovereign and will accomplish His purpose, we still live on this earth and are responsible before Him to be good citizens of our country. Part of being a good citizen is knowing who we are electing to office and what he or she stands for. Then we are to vote. But when we do, don’t vote for the one who we think has the best “chance” of putting the more evil candidate out of office. Vote your conscience. Go to www.constitutionparty.com  and read their party platform. See where they stand on abortion, same sex marriage, immigration, and economic recovery. You may not agree with every stand they take, but you might be surprised just how much you do agree with.

On this earth, as long as there are sinful men, there will never be a perfect society. That is not the goal of the Constitution party. They are not seeking to create a utopean society or to usher in the millenneal reign of Christ. They simply seek to return our country to a stricter following of the U.S. Constitution which the Republican and Democratic parties have in many ways abandoned.

The reason I will not vote for the lesser of two evils is because I choose not to vote for evil.

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn."               Proverbs 29:2

This election, just as I did last election, I have prayed and will vote my conscience. I will vote for the man whom the Lord has impressed upon me to vote for and leave the results up to the Lord. Will you do the same? I hope so. Then you can walk away from the voting booth knowing you voted as the Lord led you no matter who it was you voted for.

A time of great rejoicing indeed!

Today is Monday, October 1 for most of the world. For the Jew today is Tishri 15 and marks a most wondrous occasion. On this day the Jewish people begin the last of the seven feasts or divine appointments given to them by God as seen in Leviticus 23. 

What is so wondrous about this day? I truly believe that it was on this day that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born into this world.

Today, my family celebrates the birth of Christ. If you wonder why I believe Christ was born on Tishri 15 you can read my earlier post from May 18, 2012. I believe if we dig a little, the date of Christ’s birth is given to us in the Scriptures.

  

During this feast, God commanded Israel in Leviticus 23:40 to “…rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.”  What could be a greater cause for rejoicing than to celebrate the birth of the long awaited Messiah? Only many Jews didn’t know and still don’t know, because their eyes have been blinded according to Romans 11.

Jesus Christ, God in flesh, was born of a virgin and dwelt among us.

Matthew 1:21-23

21  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins.

22  Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

23  Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us.

            God with us…

John 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

            The word “dwelt” is translated from the Greek word “skenoo” which means…

1) to fix one's tabernacle, have one's tabernacle, abide (or live) in a tabernacle (or tent), tabernacle

2) to dwell

I believe that on the Feast of Tabernacles, Christ was given a body (temporary dwelling place…earthly tabernacle) …

Hebrews 10:5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith,  Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared for me:

…and He tabernacled or dwelt among us.

With great joy, today we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Another reason to celebrate this Feast (divine appointment) of Tabernacles with great joy is in the future, according to Zechariah 14:16-19, during the millennial reign of Christ, we all will be observing this feast as Christ once again dwells with us on this earth.