Tag: death

BE READY

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BE READY

By Rick Mathes

When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him,

“Zaccheus hurry and come down for today I must stay at your house.”

Luke 19:5

There’s something special about friends having a dinner with friends. It just feels good to enjoy a good meal with good people. In most cultures, it is a special time that can go for hours. It isn’t fast-food firies, it is a golden moment that remains in your album of memories.

How startling can it be to have Jesus invite Himself to your home for quality time of fun, food and fellowship? Would you be ready to have Him as your house-guest? Something to think about isn’t it? So let’s think about it together.

There might be a spouse or child would object to this. It isn’t too difficult to d a quick inventory of the magazines, CDs, DVDs, favorite TV shows and internet history. These few areas might run a cold chill down your spine thinking Jesus would notice and comment to you His displeasure for the sin you are tolerating in your home under your nose.

So right now, do an inventory of the objectionable items in your household. It is good to do your dirty laundry and to begin a godly home because the Lord would like to be the centerpiece. The Holy Spirit will not live in an immoral garbage can.

What if your objectionable friends should drop by to visit when Jesus is your guest? What would He think about how they dress, what they smoke or drink and the language they use? Think about it.

We must be willing instruments of His. He is the one that orchestrates everything in our lives if we have exchanged all we are for all He is. The question remains; Are you ready for Jesus to move in with you and your family? Is there any reason you might have that this would not be a good idea? If you have a home prepared for your Savior, then invitge Him in right now\

Write this on the tablet of your heart:

I can permit Him in my household,

I will ask Him to live with us,

I must!

BE COMPLETE

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BE COMPLETE

By Rick Mathes

John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

I can’t help but think of the donkey that carried Jesus into Jerusalem. What was the donkey thinking? If it was me I would be astonished beyond belief that out of all the donkeys in Israel, God chose me! Seriously, I know from whence I come and I know the wretch I am. If you saw my heart as He see it, you would stop reading and trash this devotional. I might add, if I saw your heart I would run away from you as fast as I could. Let’s get this straight: He chose us. WE had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with it. You and I have been personally closer because of Him.

A pregnant young lady walked into one of my ministry meetings saying that she was going to have an abortion. This was her fourth pregnancy from a variety of men she met at parties. My wife and I persuaded her to keep the baby. In time she was arrested for shoplifting and sent to prison. We helped her out and when she delivered the child in prison, we took it and came home with a two day old baby. When she turned three years old we adopted her as our own. When I go home to Jesus, my children will have to prove in court they are mine while my adopted daughter will already have that record available to the judge. In other words, my adopted child has preference over everyone else. Praise the Lord He adopted us and our family has been made full.

We abide in Him. Apart from Him we wither and dry up without value except to tinder a fire. This means the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives in making us complete. Here we are shattered and scattered in sin but thank you Jesus for my conscience convicting me of sin. We are an empty earthen vessel that is filled to the brim with all our Lord has to offer. That sure is a miracle in our lives that only His unconditional love could provide.

Now you and I need to be sensible enough to reach out to all the Lord has to offer. We can’t be a partial Christian. We can’t be partially saved. It is not an option. We must be complete in Him, period.

Once we surrender all we are for all He is we become compete in Him. This is impossible unless we tap the fullness of faith to be possessed by Him. It is worded that we are His servant to sooth some sensibilities but the word is truly not servant it is slave. It is the opposite of what your flesh craves but with the help of the Helper we can be complete and experience a relationship that can only be understood by someone who has experience in it. Press ON!

ATTENTION SINNERS

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ATTENTION SINNERS

By Rick Mathes

1 Timothy 1:15 (NASB77) 15   It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.

Civilizations in every age back to Adam have demonstrated in every nation of people without change to ratchet up the decrees of their actions continue without change to where sin is normal and bad has been accepted as good. You need to search long and carefully to find a penitent when you are the chief and worst of sinners.

Some truths are never learned and yes, history repeats itself. For example, many professing Christians confess Jesus is Lord but don’t always confess Jesus as Lord. They have intellectual ascent but have not surrendered to lordship salvation. Justification without sanctification is a fraud or akin to talk without walk. You can’t be part pregnant. You can’t get part of you into heaven.

On and on, one after another are convinced by the devil an the Roman church (or do I repeat myself) that you can be saved from hell by your good works; that you can be self-righteous and stand in the presence of God. Hogwash! You cannot make yourself savable than you can breathe under water unaided by a respirator. You need your Savior, walk your talk, believe-obey and make Him your Lord: your Master. When you do, the Word will flow through your veins like fire and you will openly confess Christ to others.

I strongly suggest that you join a Bible believing church that confesses Bible only, Jesus only, Faith only, and Grace only. They will guide you in reading and studying God’s Word correctly. All other churches that the true church will have something to add to add like Pope, tongues, sacraments, confessionals, rosary, second baptism, Apocrypha, etc. These churches have a demon in the pulpit!

The true test of your commitment will be your desire to spend time with Jesus in prayer. He loves to hear your voice and learn about all those things that are a part of your life. He loves you dearly and if you put your hand in His, you will walk in His footsteps, on His path to be again in His will as it is on earth and in heaven. So listen up and pay attention, bone head!

AND THEN

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AND THEN

By Rick Mathes

2 Timothy 2:13 (NASB77) 13  If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.

What does a hopeless unbeliever expect will happen the moment after their last heartbeat? It musts be scary. How about expecting to fry in the flames of Purgatory for thousands of years like the Roman Catholics believe or soul-sleep nothingness of the Jehovah’s Witnesses? At least the Mormon men believe that they will become a god on their own planet! You can’t make this up. Thank you Jesus the God-breathed words of God assure us otherwise.

The blessed hope evangelists live for is drawing near when we will step into the presence of the Kind of this universe and our personal friend Jesus the Christ. It’s a sure bet because it’s the Word of God and He keeps His word. It would be contrary the very fiber of His being to be mistaken or unknowing or eternal things.

The Word of God washes and purifies the soul. Holiness is a rush if only for a moment so you can imagine how it will e in glory when we are wholly His!

What price would you put on comfort or contentment? I had the wife of a famous millionaire call me and ask what I need and she would write out a check for it. It ws the first time I realized that I didn’t need anything. Imagine that! Having a clear conscience and clean record is priceless; no amount of money can buy it. Our Lord promised our needs would be met and they are.

A hope of eternal life in heaven sustains a taste of heaven here on earth. Consider tht it all was created for our pleasure and we were created for His. He’s coming back and in fact very near at this moment. We are about to embark on an adventure beyond compare so fasten your seat belt and hold on!

How satisfied can one get, to know that now and forever He will never leave us nor forsake us? We will soon see Him as He really is and receive our reward: now that’s what I call total satisfaction no matter what I had to go through to get there. We surely will be blessed: that is, we will be happy beyond words or any joy we have ever experienced. It’s all about Him and His return that anchors us in the Faith.

 

AN ANGEL SPOKE

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AN ANGEL SPOKE

By Rick Mathes

Acts 6:15 (NASB77) 15  And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel.

Stephen was one of our first deacons. He was an honorable disciple of Christ that had no problem letting his fellow Jews know that their sins killed the long awaited Savior. The more popular he got the time of his execution drew closer. In those days the church was primitive and fresh from the personal fellowship of Jesus. Our Lord was very real to them and they expected He would return at any moment. So in the faith of certain martyrdom, this brave young man preached his own funeral sermon with vitality and truth. It was a model message for all the ministers to follow would admire and meditate on.

To keep listeners close attention, the speaker should be courteous and appropriate to the circumstances. Cracking jokes at a somber funeral would be quite out of place.

The audience deserves a certain respect for having went through all the inconveniences associated with them all assembling to be uplifted and edified by the message and music. In our economy, sad to say, most attend church with a “score card” they fill out to rate the service and decide if returning is worth all they went through to attend.

For a discerning member the sermon is the main focus of the whole worship service. It’s only logical to expect a clear brief and Christ-centered Word from the Lord.

We don’t go to church; we are church that takes time to assemble together in our chosen House of Worship. I’m burnt out on “Kentucky Fried Christianity” and I have a personal mission to point all who will listen to the early church that denounced sin and lifted up the Body of Christ in their pursuit of holiness.

All the onlookers needed to hear and see for a powerful sermon could be found in Stephen’s last words and actions. He preached that Jesus rose to glory with his last breath on holy ground and Oh, Lord I pray I go home the same way!

AKU AKU

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AKU, AKU (Freedom)

By Rick Mathes

Romans 8:1 (NASB77) 1  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Unbelievers are essentially doubting the Word of God and are calling Jesus a liar. Only He can set us free from the law of sin and death. We are saved from condemnation by His death and atonement on that horrid death-stake. We are set free!

In the deepest parts of African jungles, revivals will last for several days. The natives arrive 3 days early and leave 3 days late. Evangelists preach until they are exhausted and then another takes his place. Thousands cry out to the Lord for salvation and then return to their villages shouting in joy, “Aku-Aku!” (Freedom-freedom) They are set free! Free from what?

Most important we are accepted by the residents of heaven. Those of hell ae whipped into a frenzy of evil and plan their next attack of the beloved more intense than ever. This is all a permitted preparation to show Satan we can stand up to his worst and still inherit our rewards at the precious feet of our Lord Jesus. Jesus washed the feet of the least and we now worship the feet of Jesus the most!

Being sanctified in Jesus means we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and no one dare attempt to break the seal. The official sanction of god is upon His elect and the very gates of hell cannot prevail against His chosen from the beginning of time.

We are possessors of eternal life and are blessed with all spiritual blessings.

C.H. Spurgeon: “I like the only translation. There was a martyr once summoned before Bonner. After he expressed his faith in Christ, Bonner said, “You are a heretic and will be damned.” “No,” said he, quoting the old version, “There is therefore now no damnation to them that believe in Christ Jesus.”

 

MAN GOD

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MAN GOD

Romans 1:3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,

Jesus was born a descendent of David through His son Nathan to Mary, His mother. He Holy Spirit caused this hypostasis; a miracle to occur so that He wouldn’t be born of Joseph naturally whose linage from Solomon was cursed. A baby was born that was God incarnate. The angels exploded the heavens with joy and Satan’s swarms of death stinging demons went into a frenzy of venomous oaths to kill the King of Glory. They did kill him eventually only to have Him rise from the dead on the third say as He said He would. Death stung Jesus and died!

Jesus was a man’s man in any measure you may use. The perfect Man is not only worth emulating but also our God in the flesh is deserving of all our worship. Yes, He was born of a woman and was God clothed in the flesh blood. He grew in stature but also in wisdom from His text book mentor, Isaiah.

As many of us have, He would go hungry, homeless and suffer much discomfort and also walk and rest in such luxury as His close friend Lazarus would provide Him with. The women fussed over Him and His gang hung on His every word and eventually died with His name on their lips.

Even from the cross, He pulled back His heavenly glory and pitifully cried out with His parched throat, “I thirst.” His physical attributes were very real and human. Consider that He didn’t have the strength to carry a 50 pound crossbeam to the hill of Calvary. Even before that, He rested at the well with the Samaritan woman and how about when He fell asleep in the boat as it was tossed and turned in that violent storm? He was real Man that bled real red blood like we all do as was evidenced by the Centurion who confessed Jesus as Lord.

The real torture that demonstrated His manhood wasn’t on the cross that was anti-climatic. The horror of the hell He was about to suffer came upon Him in the garden. It was so terrifying that He prayed that it might pass and He sweat blood!

No doubt about it, He suffered, bled and died and was buried like you and I will someday find ourselves, planted in the soil that God created us from. The Bib le and other records verify, without any doubt, He was a real historical figure that walked this earth as we do. He was descended as a man from Heaven and returned a King that had conquered death for us.

PRESS ON!

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A NEW COMMAND

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A NEW COMMAND

By Rick Mathes

Matthew 13:34 All these things Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable,

I have often imagined myself the President of the United States and the most unnerving ability I can imagine would be the office of Commander of the Armed Forces. All other duties, however important, would pale in comparison to having the lives of a million young soldiers in your hands. How his heart must break in wars when these men give their lives for their country as my Dad did in WWII.

When Jesus commands His army to war He provides the armor and sword. His victory is in the heart of those that are His because that’s where the war is waged. He commands us not just to love one another but to love our enemies “for they know not what they do.” As soldiers in God’s army we are to dig in our cleats and unleash the dynamite of the Holy Spirit that is within us at Rev. Lucifer and his wimps. The battle and victory belong to Jesus and the peace resides in our hearts that are joined to His.

Jesus breathed a soul into Adam and His mind and heart followed. So reason and emotions are the pathway of comfort to the soul, in His image and likeness. Satan’s whole being is committed to snatching your soul into his fiery clutches. He knows his time is running out and like the desperation of a rabid hyena facing death, he is determined to take you down with him; hie’s that evil!

Your mind is where the backsliding thoughts are hatched if there is nay fertile ground for them to grow such as: pornography, drugs, booze, gambling, etc. When your mind is in the gutter your heart will follow and your soul will fall from grace. All you have to do is blink and Satan will slip into your mind with the flesh not far behind.

So loving each other with His love is not an option. Our Commander-in-Chief demands it because He knows that love is life and without it you become a casualty and a victory for Lucifer and his hell-hounds.

Receive your marching orders like a good and obedient soldier for Christ. Each time you say no to Satan temptations you earn higher rank in the Savior’s Survivors Squad of warriors. You have His strength as the Holy Spirit partners with you in the conflict for your soul. Jesus says for us to love and then watch the feeble efforts of the devil wither before our very eyes.

PRESS ON!

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A JUDAS GOAT

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A JUDAS GOAT

By Rick Mathes

Matthew 25:45 45 “Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

When you look carefully at the division of the sheep and the goats in chapter 25 of Matthew, you will notice that it wasn’t what the goats did that sent them to hell; it was what they didn’t do. They didn’t pursue holiness and the effects of genuine works that are not masks of self-gratification.

The evangelicals like to throw around the label “carnal Christians” to describe plastic believers that are attached to the world and measure their faith by what power, money, prestige and influence their church may have. I once preached, “Is Judas still treasurer of your church?” at a large Baptist church. Needless to say, they never invited me back!

Holiness and good works was in the air the Lord breathed. As St. Francis of Assisi once said, “All I want to do is go about the work of the Lord and not know it.” You can’t be a practical atheist for too long before true Christians take your mask off and uncover the horror of your twisted motives: a midnight of your soul in the abyss of endless shock and awe. The hell that is displayed will startle you into insanity if you look long and too hard at the truth of your depraved mind. If you really believed in Jesus, you wouldn’t embrace your favorite sin: it was the weapon that killed God’s only Son!

There was a time in Rome when the dead body was attached to the murderer, chest to chest until the corpse rotted off of him. Such is the sin you willfully acknowledge that you love more than the Savior. It would drive the Roman prisoner over the edge of rationality and you are also on your way to a chaos of mental confusion, such as you may never recover unless you’re repent.

The goat turned his life toward the wider road that led the sheep to slaughter. The Judas goat gets his name from the fact that he is trained to have the sheep follow him to the butcher block. They blindly line up behind him and he returns again for more that dutifully follow him to certain death. The Judas goat isn’t doing evil, he just isn’t doing anything but leading to a oblivion of endless torture without relief, ever!

And so it is also with you not what you are doing as much as what you have not done. No decision to repent is a vote to reject salvation. Following the goat soon transforms into being the Judas goat as others see and imitate your example by what you didn’t do.

When faced with sin, just stop, stand still, turn around and return to Him. No decision is a decision to be a Judas goat. How many souls have you sent to Hell? When is the time to stop? What or who is holding you back?

Slay the goat and line up with the sheep that the Good Shepherd has chosen for His today!

PRESS ON!

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A god

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A god

By Rick Mathes

2 Corinthians 4:4 (NASB77) 4  in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Father Lucifer fell with his angels because of his pride. This sin is the root of all evil and the devil is all deceitful false pride. He has nothing to be proud of because of his blindness to sin and all that brings in its tow. Things of this world become gods and the more of them you own, the more they own you. Eventually there is nothing more of you and you are too prideful to walk away from those that are irresistible. Like metal to the wrong magnet, the devil lures you into the bear-trap of worldly toys and then snaps it’s jaws shut.

The attractions the demons drag out for their god Satan and like decorations on a Christmas tree, they blink and glitter in a sensual manner that can pierce the self-protection unbelievers expect will protect them and it doesn’t. No matter what your occupation means to you, it can’t remain your god for too long otherwise you need to be worn down to where your resistance to more and more and more evaporates in the smoke of hell’s chimney.

The devil’s appeal is stronger than your resistance. You are a spiritual prostitute of the highest order his gang of evil hall-hounds will form an attack-pack and tear your unbelief to shreds. Apart from having the Holy Spirit within you, you are not able not to sin. You not only are hopeless with your god, you are being fed false hopes from demons in the pulpits of many churches. It’s the false god Satan and his doctrines of lies that will distort the true Christianity so bad that it becomes a confusing battle of contradictions and denominations that are hell bent on earing the Body of Christ apart.

Man makes god in his image and likeness to deflect notice of his sin by hiding it in a barrage of false teachings. It doesn’t take long to have a man become your god and bow to the wishes of this pope or senior bishop or priest. Once layered by sinful men the fear of man replaces the fear of God. This is the death knell of religion. You get a false assurance that the true faith is whatever you personally believe it to be.

PRESS ON!

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