Tag: death

ALL OR NOTHING

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ALL OR NOTHING

By Rick Mathes

Luke 9:23 (NASB77) 23 And He was saying to them all, ” If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Salvation is not free. It costs everything. We must exchange all we are for all His is. It is a total displacement of who we were for who His is. That’s Christianity, being Christ-like. Not religion.

If you sense in your heart a yearning for Jesus to be Lord, praise Him because you have been especially chosen to be His. No one comes to Him except the Father gives to Him. You are elect and like metal to a magnet, you can’t avoid coming to Him. You are not able to turn back for long for the urge to be His is too great to resist

If you confess Jesus as your Lord, you must submit to His Lordship in everything. This includes those times and places when no one is watching. Well, He’s all present so there isn’t anything you can get by Him. He sees it all. You are His slave and He owns you totally. So like boing water through coffee grounds you process your every move through Him.

We know the cross He carried for us but we usually don’t accept the cross we need to carry for Him. We have been charged with sinning and sentenced to die to self so that we might live to serve Him. It all begins at the foot of the cross when we collapse under the weight of our sinful life and repent of our sins at the feet of the Master.

We must be wholly His to be holy. You can’t be part saved either. You are or you aren’t. When you do, submission to His will naturally follows and He becomes the Hand and we become the glove. He goes about the Father’s business in our skin.

Michael Angelo was asked how he knew that David was I that discarded block of marble. He replied that he just kept chipping on that marble that which wasn’t him. So it is with us as our Lord chips away at our sins so that we might repent, say “Ouch!” and slowly return to our first nature which was to walk in the presence of God. It’s our second nature to sin but all that changes when you are brought to that moment of truth by the Holy Spirit where it is all or nothing.

 

CHRISTIANS

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CHRISTIANS

By Rick Mathes

Acts 11:26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it came about that for an entire year they met with the church, and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

Little did they know when the Church of Antioch first call the followers of the Way, Christians what they had started. There is no more highly honored near in any dictionary of any nation. We are followers of Christ and disciples of His Way. What a privilege: that He died for me!

But how can you identify a Christian? Are there any characteristics that separated ttthem from the rest?

I don’t know about you but when I’m with Christians I sense a sincere kindness I really can’t find anywhere else. Being kind and compassionate were the hallmark traits of that rag-tab early community of believers. They showed such patience with each other’s short-comings and growing pains. It was a true willingness of everyone’s part to be of one accord.

They had one God, one faith, one baptism and one desire to love each other with His agape love. It produced and unprecedented happiness that set them apart and was the envy of unbelievers. The early church didn’t explode in their mission outreach only, they imploded with worship. Unbelievers were beating the doors down to get some. Such was the condition of America has abandoned.

Charity is not the entitlement of government; it is the outpouring of Christian ministry. It is their eagerness that first established hospitals, orphanages and senior living accommodations. They did so with a humble loyalty to the principle of the gospel. St. Francis of Assisi said it so well, and I paraphrase, “All I want to do is go about the Lord’s business and not know it.”

It takes a courageous warrior for the Lord to defend His name in this sewer of unbelief, apostasy and apathy. We must return to the cross and ask for forgiveness, receive it and then become forgivers. This is all supernatural and in respect for His forgiveness from that bloody death stake on Calvary.

Do you have the strength and resolve to admit, submit, commit and transmit the gospel from the top of the mountain? Then be of service to the Commander-in-Chief and defend that Name of names, Jesus. Proudly declare to all who will hear that you are a Christian!

CHRISTIANITY

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CHRISTIANITY

By Rick Mathes

Acts 11:26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it came about that for an entire year they met with the church, and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

There is no higher rank, accomplishment or title that is greater than being a Christian. It hurts my heart deeply that it has been dragged through the mud and worse by the devil and his ministering demons in synagogues of Satan (carnal churches). It’s to the point that only 2% of professing Christians are really Biblical Christians that once populated that first church in Antioch. That means that the vast majority of religious counterfeits who call themselves Christians are going to a hotter place in hell. This begs the question; what is a Chritian and what is the vital doctrine of all Christians

A Christian is one who will not deviate from; 1) Bible only, 2) Jesus only, 3) Grace only, and 4) Faith only. That acronym TULIP (You can look it up.) and the gospel according to Jesus is Calvinism (All other faiths are bogus.).

The first step we need to take is to admit our sins and the need of a Savior. This conviction can only come from the Holy Spirit. No sermon or ritual will produce a real conversion apart from the moving of the Holy Spirit. Only a heart-felt appeal to God will suffice. So put your face in the mud, the blood and the tears at the foot of the Cross and cry out, “Lord save me!”

The next step is to submit to His will. You start out as your hand doing your thing and then He covers it with His glove of protection. This is called justification. Sanctification is where you exchange places with Him. He becomes the hand and your skin becomes the glove that covers Him so that He can go about the Father’s work through you. At this point, the rest of your life is none of your business! God is going to do with you what He wants to, how He wants to, where He wants to, when He wants to, if He feels like it. (Read this again)

You need to commit all you are for all that He is. This is a covenant that is deeper than deep. Even you can’t break it; once saved always saved. I can’t take the blood of my father from my veins anymore than I can take the saving grace of my new Father from my soul.

The natural outcome of these steps to holiness is to transmit or communicate the good news to others. The Word will get into your veins like fire and you will not be able to shut up!

CHRIST’S LOVE

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CHRIST’S LOVE

By Rick Mathes

2 Corinthians 5:14 (NASB77) 14  For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;

How deep is your love? It depends on what kind of love you are talking about. Eros is the love hat is expressed and enjoyed though our five senses: see, hear, taste, smell and touch. This can include everything from the scent of flowers, to the thrill of sex, to the savory taste of a filet.

Another love is filial. This is the most familiar love of very solid friendship as we are expected to have with our best friends and closest neighbors.

Finally there is agape. This love was displayed in the Word of God such as: David-Johnathon, Paul-Timothy, or you and Jesus. It is a complete and total love worth dying for. This is most usual in a husband-wife or parent-child relationship.

Christ died for us because it was the wages of our sin. He dided that we might live: that’s agape love. Whoever would believe in His atonement would be saved by those who refused it would experience the second death. Since all have sinned this should be a matter for all to consider however Satan has his hooks in those who ae in the state of unbelief.

Christ’s love is the antidote of the sentence of death that is upon all me. We all fall short of the perfection God requires. Christ’s death proved His love for mankind and His resurrection proves His love for man. This second Adam was the love that overcame the raging hate and evil of hell.

It was expedient that this one would die to save the citizens of God’s new heaven and new earth. So Jesus died fo us ad now all of His will willingly and eagerly ie for Him. This is a relationship that none of Satan’s monarchs were capable of without the force of war

All of us elect now die for Him. We die to sin so that we may live in holiness. He left us His Holy Spirit to guide and encourage us to repent, believe and obey the Word of God: the essence of Jesus. What can exceed the love of Christ? God is the lover, Jesus is he loved and the Holy Spirit I the love that flows between them!

CHARISMATICS

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CHARISMATICS 1

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

Fifty years after Paul penned Second Corinthians, Clement continued this epistle because the next generation of the Church of Corinth was still abusing the sign gifts as they are today. I have a standing offer of $1,000 for anyone on this planet that can prove they have a sign gift.

Let me ask you Mr. Spirit Filled Christian, “Do you really have a closer walk with God than I do?” Is your walk with Him closer than Chrysostom, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon and a litany of other fellow believers who do not claim to have the sign gifts?”

I have personally witnessed Jim Baker’s staff provide rented wheel chairs to older people standing in line for the healing service to be later wheeled out on the stage and miraculously walking from the chair! This “show time” is the equivalent of Saturday Night Wrestling on TV.

Even the famous Kansas City Prophets claim that they are only 70% successful with prophesies which is laughable. Faith healer Oral Roberts claimed that 4% of those patients in his ministry hospital (do you see the humor) were cured by prayer. Doctors of any hospital will tell you that 4% of their patients have psychosomatic illnesses (in their head). I could write a book on all the bogus claims I have seen and heard in my lifetime alone.

Their false prophets and faith healers with anointed prayer cloths are a complete charade. I stop just short of claiming that they are all from hell. Even Kenneth Hagen, Ken Copeland and Benny Hinn have led souls to an awakening of their salvation. My assessment before you and God is that this whole industry of merchandising Christ is pure spiritual humbug. Stay tuned for “Charismatics 2” to soon follow!

 

CAUSE OF PAIN

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CAUSE OF PAIN

By Rick Mathes

Romans 12:12 (NASB77) 12   rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,

Sin obviously is the culprit. The wages of sin is a “painful” death. It hurts you to hurt Jesus. When you offend God you have put your trust of protection into yourself which is the same as the flesh or in the devil. When your sin turns your back on Jesus, you become a Satanist because sin is proof that the devil is your lord. You are on a “highway to hell” and the only way to turn back is to stop your backsliding immediately.

The subtlety of sin can begin it’s poisonous attack with your tongue and the words that flow from that sewer you call your heart. The foulness of hat you say falls back on you in the form of resentments. You can even resent yourself and the verbal vomit that flows from the belly of the beast you have created and feed with pride.

It makes my eyes cross to try to make sense out of the dichotomy of comedy and tragedy those battles within your battered soul. That pride will put up all impenetrable wall, a Masada or impenitence. Bold faced, in your face, two-faced sin is the womb you were born in. From your first breath came forth a cry of anguish that represents the doubt and fear you wake up to every moment you torture yourself without our Lord’s love and forgiveness.

The mistreatment you receive from unbelievers begins with those closest to you, your family and friends. This element of environmental and societal cancer is unavoidable in its infancy but as you suffer the pain of your choices, you learn what can be done for pain avoidance. Your hard heart though hammers your self-gratification with glittering idols that pull your eyes, mind and heart outward instead of upward.

Forgetting Jesus and pretending to be His is an unforgivable hypocrisy that can only be remedied by a genuine born again experience? Satan however, will convince you that the pain is a small price to pay for the freedom of restraints!

CARNALITY

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CARNALITY

By Rick Mathes

Romans 6:23 (NASB77) 23  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A carnal Christian is one who claims allegiance to heaven but lives only for everything on earth. The temporal toys are worth more than the eternal blessings later. Carnal Christians are just demons with a mask on. The devil has learned that to beat the church to death you must o it from the inside with a pillow instead of outside with a sledge hammer

A church with no real spiritual leaders is defeated before it has ever begun You would shudder if I told you of the experiences I have had with demonic churches over the years. I was even paid to get a Bishop and two Priests a hooker for the week-end on time I now the darkside of Satan’s synagogue well because I worshipped there for 25 years. Then as a minister for over 25 years I saw from the inside that all I saw on the outside was just a prelude to an orchestration of demons behind protestant altars.

Evil associations and personal material gain are rampant to those that gather under the cross to achieve worldly success. Why even the prostitutes in South America gather to pray to the Virgin Mary for a profitable evening!

The shallowness of this tragedy is the lack of a solid gospel message. The carnal church is built around doing instead of done All these empty lives are reinforcing each other with trivial distractions, plays, music, videos and laser shows to attract those with no spiritual insight to return next Sunday for some more entertainment, with an offering of course.

Endless hours are spent on the business plan and the sermon soon becomes a brief after thought. There is no love of God but there is an all-encompassing love of the world to build bigger and better buildings: for denominations to outdo each other in worldly attractions instead of the exercise of spiritual gifts. If you call yourself a Christian and you love this world more than the next, the love of the Father is not in you. You are a carnal, demonic moron.

 

BY YOUR DEEDS

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BY YOUR DEEDS

By Rick Mathes

Acts 26:20 but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.

Pray this: “Father God, by your grace I have been saved; Brother Jesus, by your stripes I have been healed: Holy Spirit, you know the mind of the Father and the heart of the Son, What does God want me to do?”

For openers, it is an answer to prayer when the Holy Spirit convicts you of the sin you have been hiding in that dark closet in your soul. Our deepest desire should be to be wholly holy. Any compromise is spiritual prostitution. A little lie with the truth or a little truth in the lie is deceitful beyond compare: neither integrity nor character. In either case the simple law of non-contradiction occurs: A cannot be non A. Sin is spiritual cancer and it must be removed or you will die and eternal death while still on your feet.

The Lord sees us in ways our natural eyes are unable to. If you could see my heart as the Lord sees it, you would run from me and I would be terrified to see yours. We really are sin-machines and our deeds show it. It is only in His shed blood that we receive a full pardon. When Father God looks upon us all He sees is His Son interceding for us. We truly are forgiven and our sins forgotten.

This is how it works; 1) You approach the Cross and as Jesus for forgiveness, 2) He will extend His blessing, 3) You receive the forgiveness (no guilt) and 4) You become a forgiver. The tough one is to walk away from guilt and become a virgin all over again. Flush your toilet and move on.

The vital life is exhibited by the works we produce. I know it’s by grace we are saved not by works but as James taught, if there aren’t any works there is good cause to question the health of this barren tree with no fruit. As the verse clearly teaches, we must repent, turn to God and prove that transaction by deeds. I wouldn’t trust it any other way.

God inhabits His praises like the fragrance of a rose. He also activates good works like a kaleidoscope of good deeds. I would rather see the sermon over hearing it, wouldn’t you? If you aren’t walking your talk, your talking is moot. It’s a waste of oxygen. The Comforter will bring you comfort in the highest degree.

The proof of repentance is a gift of the Holy Spirit. He is to infuse Christ and His efforts into you. You cannot do it without the Holy Spirit and it won’t get done without you. Your hands pick up the baton of continued blessing. Don’t drop it: press on!

 

BY THE CROSS

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BY THE CROSS

By Rick Mathes

Colossians 1:15 (NASB77) 15  And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation.

When I was a teenager run away I was always getting into fights and quite frankly losing most of them. Anyone who wanted to beat me up did. That’s why now I so thoroughly enjoy knocking Satan and/or his demons right on their butts. When I am hit with a big temptation I remember I love the Lord more than I love the sin and I whip it When I do I feel like King Kong. I put down the bottle and picked up the Bible. I put down the drugs and lifted up my cross. I threw donw my evil ways and lifted my holy hands to the King. I am redeemed!

The Cross put the fear of God into evil influences. The demons know that Jesus is Lord and they tremble and cringe in terror. The cross fends off the flaming arrows from the abyss and quenched the exploding darts that wee meant for me. Satan cannot make yuou sin and all you have to do is look to His Cross!

All the evil power of hell is nothing but an annoying itch on God’s butt. Satan is a fish-faced, thumb-sucking, bed-wetting gay punk in the Name of Jesus. I know that if you kill Goliath (your main sin) the Philistines (smaller sins) will scatter. God is still God and David’s faith can be yours because the real spirutal power belongs to God. The devil, his fallen angels and the lake of fire are all creations of Jesus and isn’t the Creator much greater than the created? Get some spirutal “T” will you?

The severest afflictions will have no power over you if you know that the Lord is testing your faith. Know that “it came to pass.” Just hold on , take the tsunami of grief and pain and the peace that follows will be worth it; like having a baby in your arms after the pain of delivery.

Lastly as you look around you can’t help but notice that worldly allurements are in sight in every direction. We are almost swallowed ina sea of sinful allurements of sex, drugs, rock-n-roll violence and every other perversion ever invented in the lowest levels of hell. All the satanic power in the world like a laser on you cannot make you sin. Think about this. Only you an walk to the Cross, give Jesus the finger and sin. Only you alone can do this or not. Make your choice.

BOTTOM LINE

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BOTTOM LINE

By Rick Mathes

Matthew 7:21 (NASB77) 21 ” Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.

The following is the bottom line of all I believe and all I have taught for over 30 years. Study it carefully and your life will never be the same.

There is no justification without regeneration. You must be born again and then after regeneration will be followed by reformation, revival and the revolution.

Faith without works is dead. There must always be a cause for every effect. The cause of all is faith and trust are the keys to heaven as doubt and fear is your “admit one” ticket to hell.

The proof of justification is perseverance. My birth father was killed in WWII. My mom remarried and I changed my name and life for my step-father. Although I was outwardly a different person, you could not take my father’s blood from my veins. You can’t take your Father’s Holy Spirit from your soul. Once saved, always saved.

Faith in a savior that isn’t Lord is a fraud. The NIV says, “If you confess Jesus IS Lord…” and the NAS says, “If you confess Jesus AS Lord….” Intellectual ascent must stand with obedience.

You must bear your cross if you are going to follow Christ. That could be the consequence of your sinning, it could be persecution from friends and relatives, but I believe it is you’re dying to sin and rising to holiness.

No one will even see the Lord without holiness. To be holy you must be wholly His. I’ve tried all my life and I can’t do it. There is always some small sin I am reluctant to let go of. I must depend totally on Jesus’ imputed righteousness on me. I become a mirror so that when Father God looks on me He sees Jesus.

This is the Gospel according to Jesus:

  • Total depravity
  • Unmerited salvation
  • Limited atonement
  • Irresistible grace
  • Perseverance of the saints

Everyone is Calvinist but some are not quite knowledgeable enough to recognize it. AMEN!