Tag: Rick Mathes

BORN TO SET FREE

By Rick Mathes

Matthew 1:21 (NASB77) ²¹ “And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.”

Next to creation the most astounding miracle of God was His birth in the flesh as a helpless little baby at His mother’s breast: a baby “Born to Die.” From His birth, one Caesar after another put a contract on Him until He decided it was time. He said that He would lay down His life and raise it again of His own volition and He did. He finally died on the death stake but the grave couldn’t contain Him. He rose, ascended and promised to be back soon.

Nothing would atone for our sins but the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

When He cried out, “It is finished!” we were set free from the guilt of every sin we have ever committed. We ask Jesus for forgiveness: He graciously forgives us. Then we receive it and become forgivers. If you have any guilt, that is an indication that you did not leave your sin at the foot of the cross. You won’t offend Him, it’s empty!

We become free of the power of sin. It has often been asked, “Could Jesus choose to sin?” Yes. He could choose to sin in the flesh but in the Spirit He choose NOT to sin. The same applies to a “born again” Christian. You are unable to “not sin” if you are an unbeliever.

The sanctification process is the pursuit of holiness. If uyou are walking the light then you have been protected from the presence of sin. The shadow of death might be close behind but as long as you are walking toward the light the darkness of sin and your former life will be behind you.

Most important of all we are free of the consequences of sin both here and in the hereafter. How can anyone describe a clean life and clear conscience apart from Christ? What practical experiences can you discipline yourself to regarding His love letter to us?

• Read it__________________ examine, interpret
• Learn it__________________ discover, master
• Repeat it_________________ repetition, restate
• Pray it___________________ petition, implore
• Sing it___________________ shout out, vocalize

May the Lord bless your every effort to understand His name: Jesus?

BORN AGAIN AGAIN

By Rick Mathes

Romans 7:21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good.

I am happy that God chose me to be saved because the old me would never have chosen Him. I tried new starts with the old me time and time again with no improvement or change. I finally reached the bottom and left crime for Christ. Like a caterpillar the new me blossomed into a fulltime butterfly that has been ministering ever since. I was born again and received a new:

PAST:             Your past was the preparation for your future. You are the sum-total of all that has happened to prepare you to be the person God wanted you to be for His glory and honor.

FUTURE:        Finally you have a hop worth living for when you accept and understand the fullness of His unconditional love for you.

IDENTITY:      You will attend your funeral, death to the flesh as you rise to a new life in Him. This is the real you, no false pretense.

GOD:              Humanism is the religion where you are a god and all your values are relative to your beliefs. There is no God but you. This changes when yhou are born again and Jesus is your Lord.

JOB:                You become a minister and your secular occupation becomes the means of financing your ministry.

COURSE:       When you come to Jesus and face Him, your back is to the devil and your life is then turned around and you never go turning back now. Welcome to Christianity!

FAMILY:          Those of like faith become your new family. The blood of your natural family is not as important as the Holy Spirit running through your soul from you new Father.

INHERIT:        Your bank account is in glory flowing over with all that you have done on earth not taking credit for yourself. Do good and let others have the credit.

ASSURE:        You know His promises are true and when He said He was preparing a mansion for you and would return to take you to Him, He meant it.

When you look on His cross that battle within you is won, it is His!

BORN TO SET FREE

By Rick Mathes

Matthew 1:21 (NASB77) ²¹ “And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.”

Next to creation the most astounding miracle of God was His birth in the flesh as a helpless little baby at His mother’s breast: a baby “Born to Die.” From His birth, one Caesar after another put a contract on Him until He decided it was time. He said that He would lay down His life and raise it again of His own volition and He did. He finally died on the death stake but the grave couldn’t contain Him. He rose, ascended and promised to be back soon.

Nothing would atone for our sins but the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

When He cried out, “It is finished!” we were set free from the guilt of every sin we have ever committed. We ask Jesus for forgiveness: He graciously forgives us. Then we receive it and become forgivers. If you have any guilt, that is an indication that you did not leave your sin at the foot of the cross. You won’t offend Him, it’s empty!

We become free of the power of sin. It has often been asked, “Could Jesus choose to sin?” Yes. He could choose to sin in the flesh but in the Spirit He choose NOT to sin. The same applies to a “born again” Christian. You are unable to “not sin” if you are an unbeliever.

The sanctification process is the pursuit of holiness. If uyou are walking the light then you have been protected from the presence of sin. The shadow of death might be close behind but as long as you are walking toward the light the darkness of sin and your former life will be behind you.

Most important of all we are free of the consequences of sin both here and in the hereafter. How can anyone describe a clean life and clear conscience apart from Christ? What practical experiences can you discipline yourself to regarding His love letter to us?

• Read it__________________ examine, interpret
• Learn it__________________ discover, master
• Repeat it_________________ repetition, restate
• Pray it___________________ petition, implore
• Sing it___________________ shout out, vocalize

May the Lord bless your every effort to understand His name: Jesus?

BORN AGAIN

By Rick Mathes

John 3:7

“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

The command is quite clear, “You MUST be born again.” So that’s not the issue at hand. My question, a fair one, is “How do you know that you are born again?” Are there any guideposts to let you know you are and what directions to take to continue in grace? I can’t be all inclusive here but I would like to give you a few checks in your life that would help.

First let’s look at those who aren’t born again. By definition of being born again, they will die twice: natural and eternal. They won’t be really living in the meantime. They have no life except burnt bridges, ruined relationships and the toys that they don’t need that they will leave their heirs that don’t deserve.

Their emptiness of everything but “feel good” toys and intellectual comic books betrayed their lace of spiritual capacity. Watching “Sponge Bob” is their mental limit. The fellowship of the lost is almost a foretaste of hell. Watch the old popular “Soul Train” dance show with the volume off and hou will be witnessing the prostitutes of Corinth in their devil worship. It’s all nothing more than cotton candy; Tastes good but no substance.

Conversely, you will notice first the born again pray. The Word is in their veins like fire and they just cannot shut up! What can be more important than talking and having fellowship with Jesus. When you know Him and I know Him we join others of like mind we have Church.

It has to be wonderful joy to Him when we lift our hands and sing praises to Him. Every face in glory is beaming a smile while the hornet’s nest of demons in Hell is stirred up to a frenzy and insanity.

It’s in the church, i.e. Body of Christ that we slowly begin to realize our inheritance. I was disinherited by my step-father when I became a Christian. He died and left a busness worth millions to my unsaved step-brothers. They drank and partied it away and with our dismal economy are not living much of a life. Our ministry is worth millions and even though I don’t own anything more than our modest home, I am living like a millionaire. I have my inheritance from my heavenly Father and the best is yet to follow when I occupy that mansion He has prepared for me in glory.

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!

BE TOUGH

By Rick Mathes

Acts 26:19 Consequently, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision,

I encourage you to take the blows which came to shape us and to fulfil His vision for us.

There it stood, a deformed, cracked and huge block of useless marble in the quarry. It was discarded to the rubble heap and past over by all the leading artists of the day except one, Michelangelo. He requested that block of discolored and ugly marble and sculpted it into the finest statue of King David in the whole world. He was once asked, “How did you make such a world-class masterpiece out of this useless stone?” He responded, “I just chipped away all that wasn’t David.” And so it is in our lives as the Lord shapes us back into His image and likeness.

Disobedience in an invitation for the hammer blows to begin and boy they sure do!

The first blow you may suffer is the loss of usefulness. When you begin to be disobedient to His will, nothing you touch will be blessed. Those what are walking in the Spirit will see right through you; you can’t be part saved nor obedient, any compromise with either disqualifies your attempt of good works to the trash bin in flames.

Your inner-strength will shrivel and collapse within you. The Word dries up and the Spirit steps back and let’s Satan have a go at you in this weakened condition. You need Father God to take a belt to your butt and He will. God does not approve of you getting yourself into this weakened condition.

There is no substantive reward when you are shaking the bars of your self-imposed jail cell. All you have worked so hard for will slip away and you will wind up with a handful of sawdust and a shadow of what might have been.

Your health begins to fail as your family abandons you one after another until your very life is at risk. You wealth and reputation become history.

The battering will fall on you like a sledge hammer until you obey your Creator as a creature of His hand is commanded to do so. Understand that God so loved the world that He didn’t send a committee. He sent Jesus and all He wants to hear from you when He speaks to you is, “Yes sir!”

Thank you Jesus that I have been an anvil that has been the cause of many broken hammers: all in your strength for your glory and honor.

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!

AT HIS FEET

By Rick Mathes

Hebrews 2:8 (ASV) Thou didst put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he subjected all things unto him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we see not yet all things subjected to him.

The word “Tetelestai” means “It is finished!” Jesus spoke this from the cross, gave up the ghost and died. I did too. My knees hit the ground and my soul soared in glory and submission to His Lordship at that moment I heard the word. And even to this day, my heart beats close to His and my spirit comes under His authority: at His feet.

All unfortunate sinners such as those suffering are reaping the reward of their disobedience. They must turn from the flaming king of this world and turn to the everlasting King of this universe in repentance and prayer.

Wayward children afflict fathers with shame and give good, praying mothers much sorrow and grief. No amount of crying and begging forgiveness will bring relief to their distraught parents or sin sick children but the blessing and forgiveness of our Lord. He said for us to bring our burdens to Him and He would give us rest.

The crowd that gathers at His feet frequently includes sinful women who do unnatural acts with each other and sell their sexual favors to the highest bidder. Women, made virtuous as an example of God’s purity rule; live and employ themselves with men that step fresh from the garbage and refuse of humanity.

A mission field that is frequently encountered in third world countries are those struggling with demons of alcoholism, drug addiction, mental illness and other supernatural attacks from hell. Those countries must infiltrated by Christianity are most i9nclined to hold off Satan’s demonic arrows so the father of hell goes to the weakest link which are those most inclined to fear the underworld and the attacks of the devil.

But the number one enemy and priority target of the devil is those who are seeking the truth because it’s the tuth that clearly defeats the devil. This truth is only found at the feet of the Lord. And let’s not forget the bereaved Christians in the weakness of their sorrow or the reverent worshippers in the weakness of their vulnerability or being out on the water. It’s at the precious feet of our Savior in respect and adoration that we are more than conquerors.