Tag: So God
Why is God angry with the USA!
Like the children of Israel, we have also gone a whoring after other gods
The Lord God has place a special blessing on the USA, it was a land free from religious persecutions of the so called Mother Church. God placed special blessing on this land and on its people because they followed what they had for truth. Men, Women and their families were free to worship and believe as they will. Communities and towns were built around there Church and respect for God and for others was as naturel as drinking water. It was a time of people helping people no one needed the government to step in with a welfare check. Children took care of their parents and their Grandparents when the time came, it was a part of life and something that was done out of love.
If you read the Old Testament that is the way the children of Israel were directed to care for their family’s and loves ones, there was respect for the elderly.
If you are a parent what is the one most important thing you want your children to do, that’s easy, to obey what you said. Why because we have been where they are just now going and we have learned what is good and what is bad. We want only what is good for our children so that is the reason we want them to obey what we tell them. God is no different, God knows what is best and how we can live a happy, long, and holy life. It also shows out respect for others who are older and more knowledgeable then we are.
Our God only expects one thing from His created being and that is obedience to His word. Why because all heaven is at peace, rest, and eternal happiness because God knows what is best for everyone to be happy. But if there is someone there who is doing opposite of everyone else soon there will be discord, content, and hate. That is what happened when Satan rebelled, he was no longer happy just to have what God gave him he wanted more and the only thing more then what he had was to be God.
God proved His love for man in coming to this world and living a life of poverty, He was the gentle shepherd who cared for others who were in need. He took time to visit and bring healing to all who believed and had faith in Him, then at last He gave His life to pay the penalty of man’s sin. Ezekiel: 18: 20: The soul that sinneth, it shall die.
OK but why is God now so angry, why is He going to destroy this world, let’s take a look in the Bible and see if we can find the answer.
In the beginning God created a perfect world
Genesis: 1: 29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Our world was perfect until our first parent disobeyed the commandment of God and sinned. God knew for them to be happy they needed to trust the God who created them. So God made a simple test for them to see if they would obey or not
Romans 6:16: Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
It was not long before Satan entered as a snake to deceive man into disobeying his God by making them believe God was holding something good back from them.
Within a thousand years of man sinning the world became so corrupt that God had to put a check on sin by destroying it or it would have destroyed the earth. Genesis 6: 5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
We can’t imagine how God must have felt to see His creation fall into sin and to see it to a point that a loving God would have to destroy His creation in order to stop its downfall.
7 So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
But all was not lost, God has always had a people in every age who was true to Him, they were never the majority but only the few and sometimes as in the case of Noah only as few as 8 people. Genesis: 6: 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
The earth in Noah time was much like our world today it was filled with violence, hate, murders, and sexual immorality
look at what Jesus had to say 2000 years ago about the times we are living in Matthew 24:37: But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
The only thing different now then in Noah’s time is the teaching of false religion
All the people living before the flood made a chose to disobey God and enjoy living in sin.
After the flood man once again choose to live in sin and disobey God why because God said I will never again destroy the earth with a flood
Genesis: 11: 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” 5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.
Again man choose to sin and not obey God so God confused their language so that they could not understand one another and scattered them across the face of the earth in order to once again put a check on sin.
After the tower Babel God found a man who loved and obeyed His Commandments, his name was Abraham. And God called Abraham out to a land that God would give his descendants if he would obey and keep Gods commandments. But God found that Abraham children were stiff neck and would not obey God. But because of the covenant that God made with Abraham God did all He could to save them.
Isaiah: 1: 2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me; 3 The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.” 4 Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward.
But God would not give up on them He did all He could do to help them all He could do to save them, look at verse 18 God is pleading with man telling them He will forgive them if they would only turn back to Him and do as He told them to do
18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; 20 But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
God is pleasing with man and telling him look if you will just obey my laws and keep my commandments all these blessings will be yours. Plus, I will give you eternal life in a paradise place that I am building for you.
Throughout the history of mankind dealing with his creator God it has been a history of nothing but backsliding, unfaithfulness, hate, and disobedience.
Look at some of the blessing that God has promise to give His people
Deuteronomy: 28: 1: “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:
But also look at some of the Curse’s that God has said would come by not keeping His Law and Commandments.
Deuteronomy: 28: 15 “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: 16 “Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. 17 “Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18 “Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. 19 “Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. 20 “The LORD will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me.
How does God say we are to obey by observing very carefully all His commandments and His statutes, not just one but all of them?
Gods dealing with the children of Israel through a thousand years has been one of dealing with a people and religious leaders backsliding and refusing to obey as God has said to do.
Daniel: 9: 5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. 6 Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. 7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah,
The children of Israel substituted man made requirements in place of Gods commandments. But God still did not give them up, He sent prophets to give them warring of the coming judgement, but still they would not hear.
Finely God sent His Son His Only Son Jesus into the world to show to the world the love of the Father. John: 3: 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
This is so amazing: God the creator would leave His place in Heaven to come down to His creations level and become one of them in order to save them. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
All through the life and ministries of Jesus you will find a very humble and loving God. He did not come to judge the world but that the world through Him may be saved. His one aim was to show man the love of the Father, then He said if you love me you can do the same, Jesus said in John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. Very simple and very easy to understand, Jesus was saying do as I did; I kept my Father Commandments. Why do the Religious Leaders want to make this hard to understand, do as Jesus did and you can’t go wrong.
While in the world Jesus did all He could do to show man what love really was. He did many miracles right before the people and the Religion Leaders eyes, but they would not believe, they wanted a sign. Why because they were stiff neck and rebellious and so they turned their back on the salvation that God the Father has provided. Now 2000 years later they are doing the same thing they did back then.
In the Old Testament many times God had to deal hard with the children of Israel, He would aloud their enemies to come and destroy them because they refused to obey what God told them. Even with Jesus what did the Religion Leaders do: they killed the Son of God by hanging Him on a tree. If Jesus would come back today as the same humble loving and caring God He is; they would try to hang Him again, that is how far off they are from following the Truth in the Bible. They preach but not Gods word they preach their word.
Look at the curse and what God is telling us is going to happen and happen very soon.
Isaiah 24: 5: The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed the laws, Changed the ordinance, Broken the everlasting covenant.
6: Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, And those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men are left.
19: The earth is violently broken, The earth is split open, The earth is shaken exceedingly. 20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, And shall totter like a hut; Its transgression shall be heavy upon it, And it will fall, and not rise again.
Romans 16:26: but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—
Revelation 14: 6: Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
God is looking for a people who will do His will, keep His Law, and obey His Commandments.
Isaiah: 29: 13 Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
He is looking for a people who will do as He asked them to do. His way not their way, that is why when He says to remember something don’t let any man tell you it is ok to forget it. Jesus said if you love me you will show it by keeping My Commandments.
Revelation 12:7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,. What most people don’t know is that we are all involved in a war here on this Earth. Not a war that we can see with our eyes, but a spiritual war of Good versus Evil.
Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
All through history all God wanted was a people who would do as He asked them to do, not by force but by love. That is why Jesus said in John 15:10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
God took a people group a special people and to them He committed all the oracles of heaven, He gave them His will, His Laws, and His Commandments, His love, that if they would keep them and obey them He would send special blessing upon them. But if you read through the Bible you will find that they were stiff neck and very unfaithful, un loving and un caring. Instead of serving a God who loved them they committed adultery and went after the God of the nations and people around them.
Deuteronomy: 32:16 They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger. 17 They sacrificed to demons, not to God, To gods they did not know, To new gods, new arrivals That your fathers did not fear.
God gave to the children of Israel everything, in return all He asked of them was to keep His law and do them, follow His Commandments and live a peaceful and fruitful life. But they refused, look at what Jesus told them in the book of John 8:40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.
God the Father sent His Only Son into the world to show His special people that they all can keep His Law and Commandments, but what did they do, they wanted to kill Him.
So God finally gave up on them and send His Gospel to the Genitals.
But it was not long after before evil men came into the Church and corrupted its teaching and enforcing the Commandments of Men in place of Gods Commandments. 1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us
Jesus Himself said to beware Matthew: 7: 15: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
And worse yet these false religious teachers substituting a false day of worship in place of Gods Holy day of Worship the Sabbath. Daniel 7:25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time.
Persecutions got so bad in the medieval times that million and millions of Gods true Christians were put to death, why because they believe in God’s word as the only truth there is. And God did not leave then by themselves He sent help to His people, He open up the shores of a new world. God sent His blessings on this new nation with religious freedom people could believe accordance to their faith. That new world was the United States of America, the land of the brave & free, no other nation has ever been like this one.
And God richly bless the USA because it was founded on Gods Holy principle, and in its constitution said that all men were created equal and free.
But in the last 50 years’ things have changed, we are no longer one nation under God, we are no longer a Christian Nation. Look at what the Bible says
Revelation: 13:11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.
This two horn beat represents the USA and its Civil and Religious liberty
14: And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.
The United States is the only country that fits this lamb like beast. Lamb like; it started off as a Christian nation but something happens to it that makes it change to a dragon nation.
Like the Children of Israel this nation has turned away from God away from His truth and in its place they have excepted the false teaching of man.
Why should God not be angry, He did all He could do but like the children of Israel we have rejected His Law and cast down His Commandments and in its place we have excepted the Commandments and teaching of Men. We put our faith in our great Religious Leaders, what they say and tell us we take it as Gods word.
They take the Bible Gods Holy word and twist the scriptures to fit their beliefs and there teaching no one stands up to correct them. But God has always had a people, in every age there were men and women who kept the light of Gods Holy Word burning. They are not the large magnificent Churches we see; no they are the ones who are small and insignificant. What makes them different is that they study Gods word for themselves and go by what the Bible says is truth and not man.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
Revelation 14: 6: Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
The everlasting Gospel to preach to this old world, the same Gospel God gave to the Children of Israel, who rejected it. The sample Gospel God gave to His Holy apostles who gave it to the Churches. And when the Churches casted it down to the ground there was only a remnant of true Christians who picked it up and kept it next to their heart. The word remnant means few very few, they will not be found in the great mega churches of our days, they will be the small groups of people who will be studying God word and doing the things God asked them to do.
Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
As we get closer to the second coming of Jesus, Satan will be on the war pad persecuting Gods true believers again. Why because they will be the ones preaching God Everlasting Gospel, Just like Enoch, like Noah, like Abraham, like Jacob, like the prophets, like David the King, like Jesus the Christ when He was upon the earth, like the Holy Disciples, like the holy men of God through the dark ages, like the remnant will be doing right before Jesus returns.
God has always had a people who was true to Him in every age, a people who kept His laws and Commandments no matter what others around them were saying. Why because they loved God more than life itself Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
My Brother or Sister I hope and pray that you too will be one of the remnant few who Jesus will find doing as He said to do.
I am Elder Tim McNab for Restoring Gods Truth Ministries, God bless and be with you in your walk with Him.
Reflections of the Christ
John: 15:13: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked up a stone and scratched lines on the side of the car. In anger, the man took the child’s hand and hit it many times; not realizing he was using a wrench. At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures. When the child saw his father…..with painful eyes he asked,
‘Dad when will my fingers grow back?’ The man was so hurt and
Speechless; he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times. Devastated by his own actions……sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches; the child had written ‘LOVE YOU DAD’.
The next day that man committed suicide. . . Anger and Love have no limits; choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life….. Things are to be used and people are to be loved, but the problem in today’s world is that, People are used and things are loved..
During this year, let’s be careful to keep this thought in mind: Things are to be used, but People are to be loved … Be yourself….This is the only day we HAVE. Have a nice day
Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits they become character; Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
Let us Pray!
What is the most importance thing in your life? To many it is there Silver and Gold and the things they have in Life. I use to work at a Shipyard many years ago and sometimes we had work to do on some very expensive yachts. Some of them worth many millions of dollars and right as you go in they would have a sign hanging over head saying He Who Dies with the most Toys Wins. One time I had the opportunity to ask the man who own Sandals in Lost Vegas about his sign. I ask him how much is enough, he replied back till I have it all.
Till I have it all; what does the Bible teach about material things Matthew:16:26: For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Growing up I had to work everyday, I would go to school and right after school I would have to go to where my Dad worked to help him. He was a retired seaman and worked in a store selling discounted lube Oil back in New Orleans. One day my Mom and Dad got into an argument and ended up devoicing. Mom did all she could to teach us about God but Dad always thought that Christians were nothing but weak minded people. Dad moved back to the Islands in Honduras and Mom did all she could to keep the family together. But I was an angry young boy just about 14 years old when they separated and had no direction in life. About 6 months after my Dad left I was getting into all kinds of trouble on the streets of New Orleans and one day I decided to run away. So I planned very carefully and on Christmas Eve 1969 I packed my bags and got onto an airplane and left the USA for Utila one of the HondurasBayIslands.
Here I lived for the next 5 year and here it was that I learned why my Mother could no longer take living with my Dad. I loved him but he did not know how to give back love, his life was void of affection and full of hate. With the help of my older brother who was from my dad’s first wife and lived on the Island I made it until I was old enough to come back to the US and work.
Before I meet my Wife, my hold life was a life of nothing but living for the next day. At the age of 17 I started working in the Oil fields and moved to VeniceLouisiana. My cousin & I who was more like a brother lived doing nothing but drinking and smoking dope and anything else we could get our hands on. But I always had an empty feeling in my life and tried to fill that void with what everything I could. I got married just after I turned 18 to a very wonderful young Lady who was 21 at the time. She said that way she could finish raising me, boy she did not know what she was getting into. But guess what I did not know what I was getting either, but God knew, He planned it this way because of a pray I would pray. Asking Him Lord please bring a woman into my life that will make me a good wife and love me for what I am. I was not even a Christian then but God heard my prayers and answered them with a beautiful young Island girl who did not know the first thing about cooking.
A few years after we were married we had our first Child, a beautiful little girl who had my heart. I did not want for her to have a life like I had, so I decided I will make a change. I want in her little eye’s to see me as a loving father, but I did not know what a loving father was because I did not have one as a pattern. But I did remember my mother reading from the Bible about a Father God, so I started to studding about Him. The more I read about Him the more I started to change my life. I gave up drinking, smoking, dope and even started to change my vocabulary to words of a pleasant nature. I wanted to be to them what I never had a father who Loved me; I wanted them to see in me the Reflection of Jesus.
I wanted my Children to see the God I meet in me!
What are we showing others around us, do they see Christ in you or a Devil.
The Bible is a book of love it is a love letter from the God who has created this world. But something went wrong the man God created in his image rebelled because he believed a lie told to him in the garden. From the beginning we are told that everything God did was perfect in the Book of beginning called Genesis on the very first chapter 1: we have the story of God’s creation of His love.
24: And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25: And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29: And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30: And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31: And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good
But the question, with giving Man so much freedom and giving him dominion over the whole world; would he remain faithful to his creator. So God planted in the middle of the garden a tree just one tree as a simple test to see if man who He created in his own image would love him. Genesis 2: 9: And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2: 15: And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16: And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
God told the Man and Woman who He created that everything was there, but that there was one restriction they were never to eat of this one tree. Why because God loved His creation and God knew that if man would eat of this one tree it would open his life to a life of sin and rebellion and life of pain, suffering, sickness, and death.
There was nothing different about this tree; it was just another tree in the garden that God created. But what it was was a test of obeying God word, God said not to eat of it and live or eat of it and die. It was a simple test that God took one tree and said don’t eat of it.
It had to be this way, why because God did not create the Man and Woman to serve His from force, God wanted man to serve Him out of love; the same love that God had in the beginning the same love that God has for all of us today. For freedom to be free it must be willing to let go, willing to take a chance, willing to show love in the hope of receiving love back again. The freedom of choice comes with a price and we all have been giving that freedom and we must choose whether we will serve God or man.
God knew that man might sin but that did not stop His love for man, God knew that if man sinned he would have to die, Why because one of Gods Laws were broken, But God had a plan.
Now sin has marred God’s perfect work, yet the handwriting remains. Even now all created things declare the glory of His excellence. There is nothing except the selfish heart of man that lives unto it self. No bird that cleaves the air, no animal that moves upon the ground, but ministers to some other life. There is no leaf of the forest, or lowly blade of grass, but has its ministry. Every tree and shrub and leaf pours forth that element of life without which neither man nor animal could live; and man and animal, in turn, minister to the life of tree and shrub and leaf. The flowers breathe fragrance and unfold their beauty in blessing to the world.
The plan for our redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam. It was a revelation of “the mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal.” Rom. 16:25: Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
It was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God’s throne. From the beginning, God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan, and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the apostate. God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw its existence, and made provision to meet the terrible emergency. So great was His love for the world, that He covenanted to give His only-begotten Son, “that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Lucifer had said, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; . . . I will be like the Most High.” Isa. 14:13, For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
But Christ, “being in the form of God, counted it not a thing to be grasped to be equality with God, but emptied Him self, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. There is no other love greater then the love that God has toward man, we have sinned we have broken our relationship with our creator we have turned our back on Him but even then He did not stop loving us. He came to save the world and the world knew Him not; He came to his own people and His own people did not except Him; but hung Him on a Cross. Why because of God’s great Love, God has never stopped loving mankind.
When man sinned by eating of the Tree that God warned him not to eat there was a Law broken and that Law said in Ezek:18:20: The soul that sinneth, it shall die.
The King of glory stooped low to take humanity. Rude and forbidding were His earthly surroundings. His glory was veiled, that the majesty of His outward form might not become an object of attraction. He shunned all outward display. Riches, worldly honor, and human greatness can never save a soul from death; Jesus purposed that no attraction of an earthly nature should call men to His side. Only the beauty of heavenly truth must draw those who would follow Him. The character of the Messiah had long been foretold in prophecy, and He desired men to accept Him upon the testimony of the word of God.
With amazement the heavenly messengers beheld the indifference of the people whom God had called to communicate to the world the light of sacred truth. The Jewish nation had been preserved as a witness that Christ was to be born of the seed of Abraham and of David’s line; yet they knew not that His coming was now at hand. In the temple the morning and the evening sacrifice daily pointed to the Lamb of God; yet even here was no preparation to receive Him. The priests and teachers of the nation knew not that the greatest event of the ages was about to take place. They rehearsed their meaningless prayers, and performed the rites of worship to be seen by men, but in their strife for riches and worldly honor they were not prepared for the revelation of the Messiah. The same indifference pervaded in our world today. Hearts selfish and world-engrossed were untouched by the joy that thrilled all heaven.
In Psalms 23: we read these words
1: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3: He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
“I am the Good Shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” “I am the Good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine. As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep.”
Again Jesus found access to the minds of His hearers by the pathway of their familiar associations. He had likened the Spirit’s influence to the cool, refreshing water. He had represented Himself as the light, the source of life and gladness to nature and to man. Now in a beautiful pastoral picture He represents His relation to those that believe on Him. No picture was more familiar to His hearers than this, and Christ’s words linked it forever with Himself. Never could the disciples look on the shepherds tending their flocks without recalling the Saviour’s lesson. They would see Christ in each faithful shepherd. They would see themselves in each helpless and dependent flock.
This figure the prophet Isaiah had applied to the Messiah’s mission, in the comforting words, “O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! . . . He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom.” Isa. 40:11. David had sung, “The Lord is my shepherd; He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young
And the Holy Spirit through Ezekiel had declared: “I will set up one Shepherd over them, and He shall feed them.” “I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.” “And I will make with them a covenant of peace.” “And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen; . . . but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.” Ezek. 34:23, 16, 25, 28
Christ applied these prophecies to Himself, and He showed the contrast between His own character and that of the leaders in Israel. The Pharisees had just driven one from the fold, because he dared to bear witness to the power of Christ. They had cut off a soul whom the True Shepherd was drawing to Himself. In this they had shown themselves ignorant of the work committed to them, and unworthy of their trust as shepherds of the flock. Jesus now set before them the contrast between them and the Good Shepherd, and He pointed to Himself as the real keeper of the Lord’s flock.
We are the sheep of His pasture and God has called us to attend His flock and to lead them by His example. We are to do this by doing the things that He did and speaking the words that He spoke.
John:10:14: I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
The life of every Father on earth is to be the leaded the priest of his family, we are to show our children the reflection of Christ living in us. We are to be to our Wife, family and others living around us a reflection of the good shepherd. We must follow His example we must study and read everyday and apply to our life the things we learn about being a true shepherd so that when the world sees us they see only the reflection of the Christ living in us.
Jesus gave us two great commandments to live by
Mark 12
29: And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
This commandment takes in the first 4 of the Ten Commandments, Mans duty to his creator
31: And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
This Commandment takes in the last 6 of the Ten Commandments Mans duty to his brother.
What a letter of love that God has giving to man that we might know the love of the Father through His Son Jesus.
I can only pray that my wife, my children and my grandchildren see only the reflection of the Christ living in me. Salvation is a free gift to all who by faith will except it, but it was not free to God’s Son Jesus he paid the price for our sins by His death. What a beautiful story about Love, how can anyone reject pure love so freely giving is a mystery to the heavenly host.
John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Friend I hope and pray that you find in Jesus the love that God has giving for this world salvation. John: 15:13: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. That is just what Jesus did, he dies to give you life, He took your sins upon Himself because He loved you with a Godly love.
There are many people that we meet each day in our world and you can always tell the ones that live with Jesus in there hearts. Just look for the reflection of His life in them.
God Bless and may your life also be a reflection of Christ living inside of you.
Elder Tim McNab