Tag: Rick Mathes

BOTTOM LINE

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BOTTOM LINE

By Rick Mathes

When you distill the gospel to its most condensed state ti will be composed entirely of faith. Faith is entirely dependent upon the power of God and His allotment to us. Faith is not a power, it is a presence. We appropriate the Holy Spirit within us when we unleash the full import of faith within us like a laser beam that convicts us of sin, cleanses us of all unrighteousness, transforms our life to conform to His, comforts our aching heart and strengthens our resolve to keep the faith and press on!

We appropriate the promise of salvation. This frees us from the bondage of sin and fear of the superstitions the evil one conjures up to destroy our resolve to conquer this worldly kingdom for our Lord and Commander-in-Chief, Jesus Christ.

Once we strep out of the boat of carnality we escape the punishment, power and presence of sin: the past, present and future. This begs a few questions tht you need to put on the table to establish your bottom line.

  • Have you been justified?
  • Have you been sanctified?
  • Do you have faith or fear?
  • Are you out of the boat and walking by faith?

As a nation we need regeneration, reformation, revival and then revolution!

Let me laser in once again on your own personal bottom line

  1. You need to be assured that you have been born-again. Have you really experienced a complete regeneration or are you just the old you in a new fabricated package?
  2. Have you rehabilitated your old bad habits to bless our Lord with good habits of praise, study and prayer?
  3. Are you ashamed of the gospel or are you out front in the face of Satan making disciples for the Lord?
  4. And are you prepared to the best of your ability to be included in the rapture that final day?

You can’t avoid the bottom line: the gospel truth in your heart and soul. If you doubt that you are saved, you aren’t! So wake up, take a personal inventory because tonight might be the night the grim reaper visits you and then it will be too late!

BORN TO DIE

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BORN TO DIE

By Rick Mathes

The moment our baby Jesus took His first breath, He began a life of dying. Although sinless, He experienced all the devil’s little stabs to stop our walk through this valley of death. The good news for we who are elect is that as we walk through this life of demonic landmines, is that we walk in the shadow of death. If there is a shadow, then we must be walking in the Light!

From our own sinful experience our minds are continually racked and disturbed with family and social ills. It seems that we are hit with one after another grenades of unrest. Hell’s war on us is relentless. Our goods disappear before our very eyes. Such are the wages of sin.

Meaningless, everything we accumulate will be left to those who don’t deserve it only to, in time, decompose to dust and rubble. There’s no U Hall going to be attached to your hearse. Everything, all the trinkets, bells and whistles of hell are all meaningless.

Even our own progeny, our children and friends will sicken and die. You can always count on death and taxes. Think of all the family, friends and acquaintances that have passed before your eyes, slowly headed for the inevitable grace: dust to dust, for future blooming.

It just seems as though our crosses are continual. One sin dies after another as we pursue holiness and nail their sins to the cross. Our Lord said that we are to lift up our own death stake or we are not worthy to follow Him. We are seldom at ease.

Behind every glittering toy lurks a demon laughing at how weak your faith is. If we are in the image and likeness of God then as He would, we need to pass through this world of hell’s deadly playthings for the substance of eternity of glory.

We have been born to sorrow, to sweat, toil and fail because of Adam’s error. But we have been reborn to heaven’s gates because Jesus took our cross for us. Praise be to Jesus!

BASIC TRAINING

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BASIC TRAINING

By Rick Mathes

This worst case training is a professing Christian who lives for Satan! I would like to see the sermon more than I want to hear it. Words are cheap and deceiving because unbelievers don’t understand the true definitions of our vocabulary such as what a real Christian is.

You should know by now if you have followed my writings at all that my bottom line is Jesus only, Bible only, Grace only and Faith only. So it is very important for an ambassador of Jesus to represent Him. In other words, as you get to know a Christian you should get to know Jesus.

For me there have been four areas that I have had to work at so as not to shame my Lord.

Being zealous for doing God’s will is sure a blessed gift but it must be tempered with patience. It is better to do less well. The devil’s most effective weapon to stop or at least slow down a mighty work for the Lord is to get us too far ahead of God’s will so that problems arise and energy fails. Or he will get you way behind where you should be by persuading you that you can do this tomorrow and tomorrow never comes without an admonition that there is plenty of time: just don’t do it now.

When you finally get past your hurry you need to have the courage to press on. The evil one will put up all kind of scary circumstances in front of you to persuade you that your efforts are dangerous and futile.

It takes a Holy faith in Jesus to knock Satan on his butt and push on through to success you know is a certainty because God’s Words says so. If the bible says it, I believe it and that settle it! The small steps soon become giant steps as you crawl to walk to run.

You will so learn that our Lord teaches through trials. What good is untested faith? A true soldier of the Lord completes his basic training and experiences a rush of happiness. What a thrill to overcome all of hell’s road-blocks and press on in faith to the finish line. Let happiness, true happiness fill your mind, heart and soul. Did you know Jesus loves you?

 

AN OPEN CONFESSION

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AN OPEN CONFESSION

By Rick Mathes

Permit us both to look into a mirror and see ourselves as we really are.

I truly do know my most secret sins and confess I just get into a blind denial and when the sin surfaces I have no strong defense. I willfully offend my Lord and I know what I am doing when I commit the grievous sin.

I have repeatedly offended Jesus without a true effort of repentance. Confessing just means I got caught. I never really hate the sin for what it did to Jesus, never to do again. I leave the option to sin open.

I have made my best friends those that permit my favorite sins to thrive. Birds of a feather truly flock together. It seems there is less conviction of wrong doing when the sin is committed by the greater numbers.

I am absolutely in the opponent’s corner glaring at my Lord every time I stifle the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Truth is, it is easier not to sin rather than sin but I am obstinate to the bone. Don’t tell me what to do!

I really am prepared to meet the devil and fight it out with him. I have done more good than bad and I know my good will conquer his bad. How much worse can it get? I’m already living in hell! What’s new?

I can’t escape the evil that consumes me. I am wretched, lost and without hope. The truth is, nobody cares. Life is just a façade, a tragic comedy of naked apes pretending they are civilized. Satan is king and I know what side I’m on and I don’t have a clue on how to be set free.

I am a traitor to God. His Son became man, died in my place and I went through the motions of being born again to please those bleeding heart do gooders who kept dragging me off to church. What fools!

I am a slave to sin and evil and there’s nothing I even now want to do about it. I consigned my fate and really the flames will be a relief from the horrors that are exploding inside me now.

I cannot endure the wrath to come!

Dear Jesus, I confess my sin, fall on your mercy and beg you to save this poor excuse of humanity. I accept your grace as unworthy as I am and step into your glory, justified and sanctified in your sacrifice of blood and I will forever praise your Holy Name! I’ve been redeemed…..

YOUR CHURCH

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YOUR CHURCH 3

By Rick Mathes

Matthew 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.

Cool marble floors, silent statues, golden altar utensils, and stain glass windows can give you spiritual chills but have absolutely nothing to do with winning souls or reaching God. All the bells and whistles in the world can’t get someone to say, “Save me Lord!” but the Word of God quickened in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. Like metal seeking the magnet, those elect are drawn to Jesus, drop to their knees and confess Him as Lord.

Beautiful organ music, huge choirs, over-head visuals and even indoor-fireworks and earthquakes ae all pushed to the limit and new gimmicks are yet to be invented to draw the gullible into these Christ-less rip off buildings with a cross on the roof. The Lord’s Church is barely visible in the “add hot water” “you blink you miss it” instant fast food religion that has infiltrated and captured most denominations.

Plenty of theology is invented to have you thirst for more: anything but repent, submit and obey. Father Lucifer does care if you want to give you heart to Jesus, repent of your sins and become born again, just don’t do it today. Apathy and lukewarm emotion is reflected in the new generation of young adults that live in a “whatever” world. The tail is wagging the dog and the dumbing down the children has come back to haunt the elite.

So here you have a beautiful church with only one problem: it is empty of believers!

When you open your doors to unbelievers without discipline you are guilty of he sin of permission. By not rebuking and correcting the sinners, you take on that sin as your own. Can you get a full understanding of this?

As ministers of the Word, to have His Church there has to be limits of which we will not go beyond. A true Apostolic Church of His is Bible only Jesus only, Grace only, Faith only. You can tell they are true to the Word if they ascribe to predestination of the elect and teach: Total depravity, unmerited salvation, limited atonement, irresistible grace and perseverance of the saints. Step into the real church and hear the heavens echo “Welcome to the Body of Christ”, the called ones, the true Church.

CORRUPTION

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CORRUPTION

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Corruptions on every front occur in the world and the church before our very eyes and we let them happen; everyone, whether in politics or in the pulpit is afraid to speak the truth because truth has been corrupted beyond recognition.

In either circle it begins by following humanist leaders. We call them liberals but the fact remains that they are conservatives with masks on. They are not just “Joe six-packs” in taverns or legislators in government; they are also graduates of seminaries.

They favor earthly, carnal, self-centered wisdom no matter how it’s packaged or marketed. I live in the real world but my heart is in the heavenlies. I see and you do too the nonsense that is offered as good-sense.

You can’t help but flounder in the flesh of relativism. It’s like throwing darts at a moving and changing target. There is no objective bull’s eye there is only bull s—t.

With an ever changing truth we give little or no thought for future judgment because what is there to judge? When there is no right there is no wrong and the lie becomes the truth. The Word of God warned us and the fulfillment is upon us. Why fear a judge of no laws or punishment. Muslims call it “kismet.”

The spiritual leaders flatter themselves by the attendance and wealth of their churches. All of hell has put its weight on their eyes to look outward instead of upward.

When you aren’t eye to eye with Jesus you are well on your way to sink to the depths of Satan’s evil abyss of fire. Faithfulness to Christ is measured by three words: repent, submit and obey If you will do these corruption wherever you feet are planted will flee.

Otherwise you are fragmenting the Body of Christ. You have corrupted to the point where you are not the solution, you are the problem. Guess what happens when you spit into the sky; it falls back on you.

DIVIDED WE FALL

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DIVIDED WE FALL

By Rick Mathes

John 7:43 So there arose a division in the multitude because of Him.

The Word teaches us that we are the Body of Christ that must be in one accord. The devil wants to squeeze in between us and Jesus any way he can because he knows that if we are divided we will fall.

What can be much worse than for us to divide because we have diverse opinions about our doctrine and church liturgy? Christians have never been in total agreement about either. We do, however, agree on the basic foundations of Christianity. If you confess Jesus as your Lord, which means living accordingly, then you are going to heaven just as you are. If your church or denomination excludes other Christians for disagreements over anything else, they are acting on behalf of Satan. We can agree to disagree and still have a wonderful opinion of Jesus together.

It’s all a matter of trust whether you are a Presbyterian, Baptist or Pentecostal, you still trust Christ as I do and love Him with your whole heart, mind and soul with all your strength. Truwst is what got Peter out of the boat and fear is what almost sunk him. You and Jesus must have a mutual agreement that you love each other and share an eternal destiny of glory.

Love is the super-glue that holds the Body together. Now understand that we don’t have to like each other but we must love each other. Yes, what I just stated makes sense when you think about it. WE don’t have to enjoy the same music, clothes or even culture to love each other.

It’s all in the development of obedience. There are not just growing pains but there is a learning curve involved also. This takes time so don’t allow a division because of things outward but rather has a unity of things upward. We’re back to the destiny of life with Christ here and now as a unified body.

Roman Catholics point out that we are divided because of our many denominations but they are not aware of our unity in the Spirit. Any true Christian knows that when we put aside our distinctions, our fundamental doctrine and beliefs are the identical. In my humble opinion we are all Calvinists but some haven’t matured enough to realized it yet, AMEN?

WHAT IS FAITH

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WHAT IS FAITH?

By Rick Mathes

Faith is not a power you appropriate, it is an assurance you grow into for the certainty of things hoped for and not seen. We just don’t pull up to the Holy Spirit and get a fill-up. In Christ we always have a full charge but we control the dimmer switch in us. We can turn its power up or down as we choose to.

Our arsenal is stocked with weapons that are to eradicate or at least seriously cripple our arch enemy, pride. Untamed pride left to grow exponentially was the fall of the Angel of Light Lucifer. He swelled up in his imagined egotism, armed with an ultimate high of narcissism, he challenged Jesus and with just a Word our Lord sent him to planet earth like a flaming meteor; a fallen star that would never return to its orbit of prominence in the endless sea of God’s glory.

There is no greater God-pleasing gift but faith. This is the hinge that opens all the doors of spiritual knowledge and hope. It’s not a blind leap of faith but rather a certain absolute. We may not understand all of God’s actions or purposes in our life but by faith in His Word and the unbending assurance of its absolute reliability, owe appropriate more and more faith the closer we draw to Him and see His truths materialize, even those that defy our natural understanding. Strong faith pleases Jesus.

You were created for a purpose and God has a vision for your life that con only come to fruition by appropriating more faith and doing spiritual weight lifting. A steady diet of His Word will ignite your faith to blossom and to explode in revelation of who you are in Him your mind had never before even imagined. I challenge you to unleash the faith of God in you, get out of the boat and walk on the water!

I know it can be done. I have been out there in the midst of those sometimes terrifying waves for many decades.

It’s so simple and I must add easy: Just listen to the teaching and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Let god be God and step out in faith, face to face with the new you in His image and likeness, not yours.

CRUCIFIED

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CRUCIFIED

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 1:23 (NASB77) 23  but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness,

The Jew as well as Roman Catholic and a host of other faiths are what are called ceremonialists. They have a variety of rituals, sacrifices, processions, holy celebrations and so forth that they participate in as they attempt to petition God and explain the unexplainable.

The Greeks were not much for feelings or experiences. They were thinkers and needed to be reached through logical persuasion or intellectual assent. One and one had to equal two so that the supernatural was not a consideration. God dying on a cross then a dead body rising to life was written off as nonsense.

Paul kept it simple for those simple and preached only Christ crucified. He saved the deeper waters for those experienced swimmers. This took not only to be called but also to be chosen. As any minister will confess, we are door mats for the general public to wipe their feel on. As an evangelist, I prefer to view myself as an anvil that has been the cause of many broken hammers.

When you put your face in the mud, blood and tears at the foot of the cross, you become born again: the minute Jesus is your Lord. This transaction unleashes God’s Holy Spirit’s power in you. You don’t need to be baptized again in the Holy Spirit according to both Paul and Jesus. You have the full power but you have a dimmer switch to turn it up or turn it down. The sin you have that reduces the power is one you want more than Jesus or you would repent of it.

As you stand in front of Christ on the cross you realized how rejected he really was.

As you stand in front of the empty cross you sense the triumph he has had over your sin.

As you stand before the empty tomb you realize how admired you are by the angels and all who have passed into glory for being believers.

And lastly, how proud Jesus is of you His trophy of grace!

COFFIN NAILS

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COFFIN NAILS

By Rick Mathes

1 Corinthians 1:2 (NASB77) 2  to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

Paul’s companion Clement became the third bishop of the Church in Rome right behind Cletus and Linus. Fifty years afer the Church of Corinth was founded, Clement wrote to them after Paul had written the letter “3rd Corinthians” to sort out the internal dissention and abuse of the gifts. Clement had to rebuke them again because now the younger members were disrespecting their Elders and the whole mess was stirring up all over again. I might add that charismatic churches in your community have continued in this prideful destruction and here are some reasons that keep reappearing over the years:

  • Dissentions
  • Personality Cults
  • Cliquishness
  • Moral Compromise
  • Carnality
  • Sexual Perversion
  • Fornication
  • Incest
  • Adultery
  • Worldliness
  • Materialism
  • Suing Christians
  • Idolatry
  • Selfishness
  • Homosexuality

The sign gifts were being perverted to mimic the old rituals that included estate behavior and glossolalia. They became boastful of the gifts they claimed they had and they used them at times for personal gain as they do to this very day!

How awful must the Holy Spirit feel when so called “Spirit-filled full-gospel” churches do the same thing? It’s as if nothing has changed. This type of behavior is flat-out prostitution of the gifts and dangerously close to the unforgiveable sin of unbelief!