Tag: repent

COMFORTER II

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

COMFORTER 2

By Rick Mathes

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to walk in His shoes until He returns in glory. That is quite a responsibility to be our instructor, helper. In fact that’s a major issue for us Protestants. We don’t agree that just the Pope has the only correct interpretation of God’s Word not to mention the Pope’s new revelation that Paul condemns. We are to be instructed by God the Holy Spirit in all truth, the full Gospel without exemption. The Bible is the total and exclusive words from the very mouth of God, the Logos. The Rhema is the Holy Spirit teaching the essence of the Word to only believers. It is virtually impossible for an unbeliever to understand the God’s Word apart from the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

He is also the Advocate. I’ve studied two years of law and have founded a prison ministry so I have a good understanding of the criminal justice system and the department of corrections. I know the lawyer; advocate can be the key player in the judgment of your guilt or innocence.

Our Intercessor knows our case very well. Every word, action and even every thought we have ever had in our entire lifetime has been recorded, videotaped in surround sound for all to see, hear and witness in real time! No escaping the total reality of our relationship or lack of it with the King. Now we can stand before a Holy God without even a speck of sin to His knowledge.

In real life the Comforter is very busy communicating our repentance, submission and obedience to the Father much to the joy of the Son. When we become born-again, the Holy Spirit erases every sin we have ever committed from the backboard. And then every time we sin the devil writes our sin back on the blackboard and when we repent, the Holy Spirit erases it, back and forth. So the battle for our freedom in Christ goes on and on. Having an active compelling Comforter, Instructor, and Advocate in my life is a solid evidence to me of my salvation.

How much would you pay for contentment? Then why don’t you release the Holy Spirit within your heart and experience it? Satan has a litany of reasons why you shouldn’t do it right now and you are buying into them. Am I wrong? Then get on your knees right now and pray, “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 would God have me do?”

I guarantee He will answer you.

BY YOUR DEEDS

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

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!

COMMUNION

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

COMMUNION

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;

Sharing the bread and wine in remembrance of Him is the privilege of the believer. Non-believers or those seeped in willful and unrepentant sin are not welcome at the table. No, we aren’t actually eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Ask the Apostles who were there if they did. No, it’s just a symbol on the outside of what has happened on the inside. We become one with Him when we are born again. It is at this point of communion that we reaffirm that we are not ours anymore. We surrender all as we remember Him and His sacrifice for us: a very special commemoration.

In sharing the elements as fellow Christians in good standing, we confess our sins and our allegiance to the King. When the Body of Christ comes together in corporate worship we declare to the world our unity regardless of denominations. Our doctrinal differences or distinctives melt into thin air as the Holy Spirit blesses all that confess Jesus as Lord equally.

Our being in one accord is clearly communicated to all who will look. The talk is real when the walk confirms it and that is certainly the case as we all remember Him for who He is and who we should be in Him. Our actions speak louder than words. St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the gospel and use words when necessary.”

As we commune as one in Him, the Holy Spirit seals us until Jesus returns and breaks the seal. He, only He, the Lamb of God is qualified to break the seal so that the Groom may be united with the Bride (The Church).

This amounts then, in its totality as a consecration of us for Him. Roman Catholic priests have their thumb and two fingers consecrated, declared without sin, so as to touch the host (Body of Christ) they believe is truly His flesh. I suggest that a true biblical communion results in the Holy Spirit consecrating not just our fingers but our whole being so that we will be pure and holy in His sight.

BY GRACE ALONE

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

BY GRACE?

By Rick Mathes

Ephesians 2:5 (NASB77)               5  even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ ( by grace you have been saved),

I went through all of grade school and high school in the Roman Catholic education system. I can remember like yesterday asking the Marist Brother, “What is grace?” many times and I couldn’t understand what he said. Also, I never understood that I deserved anything. I was on my own from age 13. My life was like endlessly swimming against the current of black ink: dark and ugly.

Then at the age of 38 a Presbyterian minister told me that it was by grace that I was saved. “What is grace?” He responded, “Unmerited favor.” All of a sudden “Tetelestai” became crystal clear, “Paid in full!” I dropped to my knees and sobbed, “Thank you Jesus” and I have never turned back since. His saving grace was all I needed and for His reasons alone He chose me to be His. Talk about a lucky draw? I had 5 aces!

I soon learned that His grace didn’t end there. Time after time temptations would have overtaken me had it not been for His sustaining grace. I can’t walk on water without His empowerment. When we surrender and step out of the boat, saving grace is the ability to stand on the surface of the deep. Sanctifying grace is walking on the water. Our need for grace continues to the grave.

We can’t walk through that dirty world without getting some dirt on us. It’s like walking through a coal mine in a white suit. It is inevitable that we will soil ourselves from time to time. That’s why “Repent” was the first sermon of John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul, me and many other evangelists. We must repent, submit and obey!

“I don’t get no satisfaction” from any counterfeit the Devil may invent. My only peace and contentment is in His satisfying grace of love and eternal security in Him. It’s by grace we are saved and I thank God He chose me so that I might respond by choosing Him! But if you choose sin of the Savior, Satan doesn’t have any grace. You will drop like a rock into the eternal abyss of flames?

BY THE CROSS

Tagged , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

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.

BURIED ALIVE

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

BURIED ALIVE

By Rick Mathes

Ephesians 2:5 (NASB77) 5  even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ ( by grace you have been saved),

We were just musing over the pros and cons of cremation. I’m against it because I have made great efforts over the years to avoid the flames. Also, I want to have all my body parts in one place to make it easier for our Lord to reassemble me! Both reasons, of course, are nonsense because there is no such thing as dead. Either you are living in glory with Jesus and your loved ones or you are dying in hell with those who tried to take you down with them but you are alive in either instance.

It’s by grace that we have our next heartbeat to celebrate. My point is tht there will never be a last heartbeat. We will have a moment when breath one breath hear and the next there. You will have a physical death but the beat goes on. Either you were born twice and died one or born once and died twice. In either case you will be fully conscience of the consequence of your decision to believe in Christ or not. There is no “plan B.”

If you choose to have Satan as our Lord you will experience a second death that is spiritual. All Satanists, those who call Satan Lord, will suffer an eternal nightmare of pain and anguish. If I could open up the floor beneath you to gaze at Hell you would go insane. Hell is worse than anything you can imagine. Hour sin killed God’s only Son!

Eternal is forever. Get a grip on that. Let me help you. Consider what is at the end of the sky. What is past are all the stars we see. Where is the end of it? It’s called the n’th degree. Our minds cannot conceive infinity but it is there and you will be there either in the blessings of heaven or the blaze of hell.

It is by grace that you are saved from hell and only because God feels like saving your rotten hide. We don’t even deserve our next breath but He loves us so much that if His being crucified again would bring your heart to Him, He would come back and do it all over again. You are going to be buried alive and were you live is your choice.

BLOODY THRONE

Tagged , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

BLOODY THRONE

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness,

Sin had killed God’s Son and Pope Satan was having high mass to celebrate with all the candles, glistening gold, gowns, pomp and ritual he could invent. The fallen angels and counterfeit Christians were ecstatic that there would be no more conviction of sin and no moral authority. As it is today, we are enjoying the undying curse of anything goes, right is wrong and no one should ever be judgmental. It’s all relative.

Oh how wrong the false professors of Rome were when they declared Jesus dead. As a mother in child-birth, after the pain came the glory. His death was the gate that opened life. Does this make sense? Let me elaborate the depth of king Lucifer’s stupidity.

When Jesus said, It is finished!” my translation would have been, “Satan, you a toast!” The blood of Jesus satisfied Father God’s propitiation of sin. Man was reconciled at last with God the moment of our Lord’s last heartbeat. Our journey, as believers, tour first nature had begun. Holiness was now within reach for those who would reach beyond their grasp. It is at that point of thin air where faith begins.

His sacrifice cleanses our record of all offense. “Not guilty, your Honor.” Becomes a true statement in the courts of justice. We are justified and now are able not to sin. (Able not to sin.) We are virgins all over again. The Lord gave us another chance and I believe that our last chance is upon us. All the sin of the world is peaking in it’s intensity and the perfect storm is forming rapidly. Jesus is near and soon to return in wrath for those who reject Him.

Our redemption is upon us in the Cross of Christ. There’s nothing more He can do for our salvation, ever. We will soon hear Him say, “It is done.” And fro hat poin on the great devide will be unrepairable.

We can live as though His will be coming tonight but plan that His return is hundreds of years off. Only the Father knows that day when we will return to the New Jerusalem. I bet my life and soul on this truth and hope because of His death for my sins and resurrection as the first born for me to follow.

BETRAYED

Tagged , , , , , , , Leave a comment

BETRAYED

By Rick Mathes

Luke 13:21 (NASB77) 21  ” It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of meal, until it was all leavened.”

Have you ever had a close friend turn on you? I have. I really think I have too high of an expectancy for those few I call friends. Most I know thrown that term “friend” around very loosely but I don’t. I try to use David and Jonathan as a model. But no matter how hard I try I am not the friend to Jesus I expect Him to be to me. I’m just a sinner seeking a Savior and I let Him down time and time again.

You see, deep down like you, I am rotten to the core. I have an evil nature that at times even scares me. It’s natural and easy to sin. Every molecule in my body is attracted to those things that displease Jesus. But when we become born-again we are “able not to sin” in His Spirit. The old excuses to sin vaporized in His presence and of course where He is, are the Temple of God I carry around is called my body. You and I are just animated dust that betrays Him at every chance we get apart from His Spirit which has taken up lodging in our “walking temple of God:” our body.

Sinful betrayal yields evil gain. We are piling up smoldering treasure in Hel with each sinful, self-glorifying act. Our heart hardens to each hammered blow to our pursuit of holiness We’ve done a 180 degree at this point and there aren’t any tears left.

Have you ever sobbed so had your ribs hurt? I imagine that Jesus is that deeply distressed when you or I sin. We’ve turned our back on the Cross and with the kiss of Judas we have begrayed Him and scorned His Word, trust His words to our advanae and join Satan in shaming Him or committing sin blatant, “in your face” sin?

If we have a modicum of intelligence, we can’t misunderstand “Repent the Kingdom of God is near.” Sin murdered God’s only Son. Get a handle on that. This is a dead serious charge to be held a sinner. There is no greater crime on earth than sin!

AND THEN

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

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 EXAMINATION

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

AN EXAMINATION

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 11:28 (NASB77) 28  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

No one enjoys the “final exam.” There’s something foreboding and nerve wracking about it and my hands are perspiring already! This is, however, what our Lord commands us to do before we share in the communion of the saints. We shouldn’t be afraid to test our faith and beliefs is we are secure in Him. The adage, “Birds of a feather flock together,” is so true.

So start your self-examination by looking around you and see if those you keep company with respect the Jews ou have come to respect in bread and wine. Are you one of them? When others see you will they label you by the company you keep? Remember that you can’t hang out with dirty people and not get some dirt on you.

If I followed you around day in and day out for a week would I collect enough information to convict you of being a Christian? I an speak for me that my habits changed drastically when I made Jesus my Lord. You won’t find me anywhere near blatant sinners if I can help it. I have a brand new regimen of activities. I only continue in those that please the Lord and magnify His name.

Once Satan has your thoughts for even a moment He advances to conquer your mind. I have even had evil thoughts in the midst of my praying. That scoundrel is so low life he has no respect for any thought but that which is evil and offends our Lord Jesus Christ.

Looking closer you will notice that my affections have done a real one-eighty. My heart beats with His and I love what He loves. I’m under new management now and my love of life has changed from temporal to eternal.

Certainly not last nor least but yet most important is for you to examine your motives. What are your underlying and ulterior motives? Underlying motives are on the table for all to see and ulterior motives are under the table, out of sight. If you are honest with yourself, you have both and for your best interests you need to be very aware of them and pray that both would be pleasing to Him. Take a private exam and let Jesus grade it, not hu.