Tag: death

NO PRAYER

By Rick Mathes

Luke 18:1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,

The anchor of the Calvinist acronym TULIP is “perseverance of the saints.” You’ve hear the old adage, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” Well that applies to prayer also. We just don’t give up. How would you like to learn in heaven that you were just one prayer short of a loved one getting saved? You gave up one prayer short of it being answered!

The hardest to answer prayer for our Lord is one offered up by a sinner that refuses to repent. How can a Holy God when a filthy, unrepentant sinner lifts his dirty hands in prayer. This person has the wrong expectations.

How about the sinner that is all wrapped up in self-confidence? He’s the one who sings, “I did it my way” when no one is looking. Excuse me: God is looking and He can see right through these phony prayers that are only said to be heard by others to impress them with his sincerity.

The unforgiveable sin is unbelief. This person has false idols that are lifted up as gods. I can remember like yesterday, I couldn’t even spell Jesus after having all “A’s” in catechism and catholic high school while I prayed to my “patron saint” statue of Joseph. What a horrible scam to invent by Rome! The commandment clearly demands that we do not worship false idols nor create any image of God (or Joseph for that matter). Unbelievable but true and almost universally ignored as is chastity.

An unforgiving heart has no right to pray for forgiveness. How audacious can a person get and how can they expect a Holy God to respond favorably from His blood soaked cross?

When you have a lack of faith, your doubts drain your prayers of all their power. Doubt and fear are the keys to hell. Faith and trust will get you past Saint Peter’s gate and into the new Jerusalem.

Too many prayers (litanies) are not heard and in reality are worse than any prayer at all. Talking to God in a dishonoring way is shameful and won’t be forgotten when you are called to account for your actions in the last judgment.

 

NO BOASTING

By Rick Mathes

Proverbs 27:1 (NASB) ¹ Do not boast about tomorrow,

For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

While you are sleeping, Satan is doing push-ups! He never lets up on his only flaming passion and that is to steal your joy in the Lord. A favorite passage of mine is when Mary goes back to the tomb and sees that it is empty. What courage it took for her to even step on cursed ground in her effort to finish a proper burial for Christ!

It was still dark and the sun was only dimly beginning its rise in the East as she peered into the tomb: no Jesus! She was beside herself as Jesus stepped up to the tomb entrance. As she looked back into the rising dawn background, His shadow precluded her from recognizing Him. He said, “Why are you weeping?” and she responded with words that have been echoing in my mind every day, “They’ve taken my Lord away.”

They have taken my Lord away: think about that. Isn’t that exactly what Satan wants the world to do, take your Lord away?

The devil’s method of operation has never changed.

He will take you back into the past and drag your nose through every rotten thought and action you have ever had in wide-screen IMAX with surround-sound. Vivid remembrances of the horrors you once perpetrated with the blessing of Hell. Shameful and disgusting, vivid reliving of every sordid detail. That’s enough to knock the wind out of anyone’s sails and usually, if you let him, you knees will fold in the nightmares of your past. Gottcha!

The other way is, he will lift you up and push you forward into the future “what ifs”. What if this happens or what if that happens.

Anxiety is manufactured fear. Ninety percent of what you worry about will never happen and ten percent there’s nothing you can do about it! And nine of out of ten people you tell your troubles to can’t help and the other one is glad you have the problem! It is all a waste of energy.

Dr. Bob and Jesus had it right when they proposed that you only have enough grace for today.

Fear is the opposite of faith and doubt is the backside of belief. Fear and doubt are the keys  to Hell and faith and trust are the pathway to heaven. Don’t let Satan get you worried about your future. Let the Lord do that.

Keep your eyes focused on today and His love for you. What happened when Peter looked away from Christ and worried about the billowing seas, he sank? That is exactly what Satan wants to do to you.

Don’t boast about tomorrow or worry about the past rearing its ugly head, keep your eyes on the Cross today and the Son with shine in your life.

 

NO ANSWER

By Rick Mathes

Psalm 22:2 (NASB77) ² O my God, I cry by day, but Thou dost not answer; And by night, but I have no rest.

Jesus looks upon those who are looking up to Him. Our eyes meet His and I pray and my prayer is answered. I really believe if I have faith, repent of my sins, and expect my prayer to reach Him, I will get an answer. The silence may be deafening but I know, in His time, the answer will be forthcoming: yes, no or not yet.

Here are a few of the reasons you may be hindering your prayers from being answered:

• Something connected to sin
• Neglect of some command
• Wrong motive
• Ignorant prayer
• Below God’s dignity
• Delayed answer
• Need of a trial
• Not God’s purpose
• Sinner asking for mercy!

The simple answer for unanswered prayer is that it isn’t the Lord’s timing to make you aware of the answer. I can trust Him to answer because He got me through my sinful, lost years in one piece so I can be assured that He will get me through this need. He won’t let me down. He never has.

Everyone is a Calvinist but some are not informed enough to understand and admit it. That makes our prayer preordained but also a vital link accompanying that result for which we are praying for. It is a necessary component to effect God’s will and we obediently lift our supplications and requests to Him in His perfect timing.

Every prayer is graciously answered in God’s best interests. You are His bond-slave, true, but one He loves with all His love enough to die for.

Let’s do a quick spiritual inventory:

1. Do you sincerely believe in the risen Lord Jesus?
2. Do you trust Him as your only hope of salvation?
3. Is your trust in Him from deep within your heart?

If so, then believe me, He has answered your prayer.

LOVE LETTER

By Rick Mathes

By Rick Mathes

John 5:39 (NASB77) ³⁹ ” You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me;

It’s not a much the what as it is the who. You may have your theology with some error but if you  are right with the who, “Jesus” you will be just fine as you keep pressing on to the whole truth.

You can find both in the Holy Scriptures. All we need to know is there. Mark Twain once commented, “It’s not what I don’t understand about the Bible that worries me, it’s what I do understand.” My yardstick of a true believer is: Bible only, Jesus only, Grace only, and Faith only. Let’s examine a few of the building blocks of what we do understand and make every effort to apply and then evaluate the following:

1. You must take up your cross, die to sin an rise to life.
2. It is a natural reaction to the Word to pray fervently.
3. The church is commanded to unify and be in one accord.
4. The response to the Word is to become a soul winner.
5. The Gospel begs to be discussed and searched as a good Barean.
6. It overflows in your spirit and in your way and you will preach the Word.
7. Once the Holy Spirit quenches your understanding you will be responsible.
8. Nothing will silence you as you exhort and encourage.
9. A natural consequence will be to rebuke and correct.
10. All of Hell will do all it can do to deter and stop you.

You can count on the devil attacking you unexpectedly and on your blind side. While you are fast asleep at night, the devil is doing push-ups and planning your destruction in the morning. He is rabidly consumed with a passion to destroy Scriptures and grasp you for his.

He knows your weakest point and that is where he aims his missiles of sin, to kill and destroy any trace of repentance and to ignite the sins within and destroy and trace of repentance and to ignite the sins within you to a furnace so hot it can melt diamonds like butter on a skillet.

Satan is deceitfully friendly as he teaches you that the Bible “contains” the Word of God as other books do. He will twist and turn Scriptures so that you wink at sin and put off all effort of pursuing holiness with a once burning desire that is now only a faint glowing ember.

NEVER FAILS

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 13:4-13 (NASB77) ⁴  Love is……..

Love never fails:

1. Patient             Love is possible
2. Kindness         Love in action
3. Generous        Love in competition
4. Humble           Love in hiding
5. Courteous       Love in society
6. Unselfish         Love in essence
7. Temper           Love in disposition
8. Righteous        Love in conduct
9. Sincere            Love in profession
10. Eternal             Love in Jesus

Love is proof that something invisible can be real and tangible. It is very vital to know that Biblical love is God: God is love. To love unconditionally, without strings is to love with our Lord’s love. On the other side of he coin is to know hat love is not.

Not necessarily in order of importance, love is not necessarily feelings. The devil can counterfeit the feelings of love. True love is always a decision that may or may not be followed by feelings. We don’t have to like each other to love each other. Satan can and does fake love so something can be learned from Dr. Spock.

The love of God will always fail if it is man-made. This is loving at God instead of loving God as Jesus would through us. So pretending toile is just plain prostitution of your emotions and it will lead to death as all sin does. If nothing else be genuine in loving even if you know it will hurt, love anyway. It will always prevail if it is genuine.

The last is retaliatory. You can get even with your enemy by loving them. Whatever happened to Shalom, Salaam and Peace be with you? We all make so muchof being foundered and descended from Abraham, why can’t we love with his love? Love conquers all so be real and our love will never fail.

 

NAME OF JESUS

By Rick Mathes

Matthew 1:21 (NIV) ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Jesus. This name says it all: hatred of sin and love of holiness. There is nothing subordinate to these two truths that speak the same message of salvation.

What are we saved from? Not necessarily in order of importance begins with the guilt of sin. When you come before the throne of grace and put your face into the mud, blood and tears at the foot of the Cross, you are for forgiveness and He extends it to you. This is His promise not to turn you away no matter how heinous or offensive the sin may be. Once he extends His forgiveness it’s your job to receive it. This is where so many fall off and give up.

Satan will do all he can to run your nose back into your past and remind you of the very details of your shameful behavior to ruin and steal your joy of the Lord. But as you stand above the temptations of the devil, you rise to the highest level of forgiveness by becoming a forgiver. How can we not forgive those who have offended us after we have been forgiven of so much! Thank you Jesus we aren’t suffering the consequences of what we have really done not just what we were caught at or what is public record, but what you Lord know we did in the darkest corners of our own self-imposed hell.

The power of sin evaporates and soon to follow is the pretense of sin. Thank you Jesus you took our punishment upon yourself so that we no longer suffer the effects of our transgressions. The burning passion and love of evil is extinguished and this in turn curbs, to a large extent, the practice of sin.

Jesus saves you! And you are saved by His name. So read it, learn it, repeat it, pray it and sing it. Just that name alone will drive off a legion of demons that are terrorizing you. You are without excuse when you continue to in sin!

You have turned your back to your Savior and blocked out of your mind the only name that can save you. Calling on Satan doesn’t take a loud voice or even a whispered word. All it takes is a silent thought that echoes in hell to draw the attention of the flaming beast of Hades to you.

Understand that you have at your beck and call an all-powerful Lord that is more than willing to be your savior. He is holiness personified and there is no darkness nor even a shadow within him. He is always there for you, even when you need Him the most in your deepest depravity. How personal can it get when nailed to the death stake He cries out your name and says, “This one is for you!”

Right now, right this minute I can sense that the Lord is near, nearer than you think and maybe nearer than you wish Him to be. Lift up the name of Jesus, look, be saved and set free!

His Name is all you will ever need.

NAILED DOWN

By Rick Mathes

Luke 23:33 And when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.

Praise the Lord that the Cross and Tomb are empty! The emptiness of the Cross confirms that “it is finished.” The curtain to the Holy of Holies is open for all to enter and if you don’t you are a fool. He made that final intercession when He said, “Forgive them for they know not what they do.” Don’t you know that the Lord lives in His believers and when you mess with a Christian you have messed with Jesus? Father God will certainly deal with you without mercy unless Jesus steps in for your soul.

Our Lord’s shameful nakedness was a seemingly, ugly defeat of a loser. What pride could His followers have in His death as cursed on the death stake? They continued their endless sacrifice of sheep for their atonement of sin and didn’t realize the fulfillment of Isaiah 53’s Servant. His self-sacrifice and silence was prophesized and it went ignored by the most educated of the leading scholars of that day. We look back and are astounded at their apparent ignorance of the “Suffering Servant.” How could they not recognize their Messiah even to this day it mystifies me.

His mercy is found on every page of His Word and exploads in His power when His promises are prayed and believed. When Jesus speaks, God has spoken and His Word is true. You can rely on Him keeping His Word and He promised He would never leave nor forsake us.

The atonement satisfied Father God’s need of justice and now we can stand transparent before a Holy God. The compassion of Jesus is unimaginable!

Just think for a moment that there wasn’t His death on the Cross. If you were God, what punishment would you impose on you for your sins? There sure would be a derision justice without Jesus being the charged, convicted and executed. No punishment you can ever think of would ever satisfy God’s need for holiness and justice. Our sins were nailed on the Cross never to be seen again.

MY SAVIOR

By Rick Mathes

Luke 1:47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

A mighty sinner needs a mighty Savior and Jesus can stand His own with the best Satan has to offer. It takes a lot to wipe the filthy slate of sin clean and the blood of Jesus was up to the task. God accepted the sacrifice of His Son and the sinner was set free and you and I are also because Jesus always forgives a true repentance from the heart. He provided a full pardon: a clean record; when Jesus Stands before you, you knees hit the ground and everything within you cries out, “Lord save me!” Tears fill His eyes and yours as He lifts you into His arms and says, “I love you.” How can a sinner resist a Savior like that?

You are not just saved from sin but you are also saved from self. It’s that selfish gratification you chase that will give you much sorrow. As the calm follows the storm, so does joy follow sorrow. You can’t put a price on a clean conscience. That comfort zone of innocence is priceless and all do to our Savior. He saves us from sorrow and the backsliding that has been so much a part of our life.

When you turn your back on Satan you are facing the Savior who has your back. You can be assured of that. Death, sin and hell slip away into the eternal bottomless pit of darkness. Satan’s jaw dropped and His hopes of becoming a god fled the moment Jesus stepped from the tomb.

The risen Christ is the power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to return to the foot of the Cross of repentance. Jesus will never reproach those who come with lifted hands in worship. He will always welcome you with inexpressible joy, no matter how many times you fall and get up.

When you are cuffed to your Savior you cannot grieve any more. His smile and joyful countenance will lift your spirits to heights you have never experienced before. He is always near to us: within the range of a needed hug. You can rest assured He will never leave you and His love for you will last beyond the end of time.

MY MIND

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 14:14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.

I think therefore I am. He mind is a terrible thing to waste. We only have one mind and we only have one go around in this 70 year life-cycle of the flesh. An Arabic proverb teaches that there are three things we can never recover: 1) A sped arrow, 2) A spoken word, and 3) A passing opportunity. When you realized the opportunity the Lord has laid before you, how can you do anything but be committed to Him? We need to be in it for the long run. This earth experience, however quickly you feel it flying by, is not a sprint, it’s a marathon of joy.

Our mind lights up and our hearts palpitate with rejoicing to Him. How grateful can one heart be before it bursts with love? This love then reaches out to all our senses and we think, see, hear, smell and touch with His Holy Spirit all that comes within our reach. It is wise to be ever mindful of the Divine appointments He arranges for along our way to glory.

We need to repent of our sins, submit to His will and obey His commands. This is very simple but not easy. We need to begin at the beginning and have a clean and coherent mind. We need the mind of Christ and God’s Word teaches that it is attainable. There is a system of maintenance that will keep us in shape while we are in the regimen of spiritual weight-lifting.

It starts with eating properly. The adage, “You are what you eat” has a lot of truth in it. Society says that we as Americans are way over-weight from junk and fast food take outs. How pleasant it would be if our minds were over-weight from feasting on His Word.

Next follows naturally that we rest adequately. There needs to be a limit to our mental energy that gives us a flashing yellow caution light. Satan can capture and confuse us buy overloading our thoughts beyond our ability to think them through. So with proper limits and measured exercise we can have wholesome thinking. A fruitful mind is a joyful course for our heart to love Him and our breathed in soul to breath out praises to Him.

MY LORD

By Rick Mathes

John 20:28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

The key verse, theme and heart of this Gospel is the comment of Thomas, “My Lord and my God!” That says it all for a believer. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who haven’t seen and yet believe.” Unbelief is the only unpardonable sin. Believing is the ignition of faith and eternal salvation. But what is believing really? Well, let’s look at a few facets of believing together:

Believe practically: This is very important because it is where the rubber hits the road. This is where the walk equals the talk. This is where “Jesus is Lord” drops eighteen inches to your heart and becomes “Jesus as Lord.” You grow from easy-believism to Lordship salvation when you come under new management and act accordingly. Just act on faith and good stuff happens.

Believe intently: You must keep your focus on the Lord’s approval or the devil will blindside you. While you are sleeping Satan is doing push-ups. There can’t be any contradiction between what you say and what you do. Any waver from truth and you will fall. Learn why failures failed and do what they didn’t and be the best.

Believe livingly: Just have the obedience of a child and He will welcome you with outreached arms of love and an embrace of protection. The simple way is the best way. We can learn from youngsters who repent, submit and obey.

Believe personally: Rest assured that Jesus is your Savior and Lord. The nails didn’t hold Him to the Cross-beam, His love for you did. If He needed to come back and go through the whole crucifixion again just for you, He would.

Believe continually: There is no such thing as being part Christian. Either you are a saint or an ain’t. You can’t be partly in heaven and live like you are headed for hell. You can’t be holy until you are wholly His.

Believe thoroughly: Being baptized means you went in you and you came out Him. He became yuou and you became Him with skin on. There is no darkness in your temple and you need holiness to your soul as you need oxygen to your lungs. There can’t be any space between you and Him for the devil to slip in. You join our Triune Godhead with your personal trinity of mind, heart and soul, then He becomes your LORD.