The devotional - 1451 - Are you Friendly?

The Devotional – 1451 – Are you Friendly?

Proverbs 21:7 and 10 – The violence of the wicked will destroy them (drag them away) because they refuse to do justice. The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.

Comments and challenges

Churches all across this world had something to say about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ yesterday. There are two basic views; the Biblical view and the world view. The Biblical view is that Christ is Risen; He is Alive, Luke 24:28-35. Some churches are solid in this truth; the folks in these churches departed filled joy, peace and a confident hope in their heart.

Those churches with a world view mixed Easter with the Death and Resurrection of Christ and filled the minds of those who attended with sawdust, cellophane grass and the promise of an egg from a rabbit. In this the truth was mixed with the lies of Satan, yes and people were comforted with the promises of spring arriving but they departed the church with “itchy” ears – 2 Timothy 4:1-5. 

For the time of a few months I have thought intensely of the events leading up to the death and resurrection of the Son of God. Now I have had some help in this because many of us in our church were involved in a presentation of the this event in the history of mankind when God prepared His Son to be the LAMB of God who “takes” away the sin of the world.

Through much tears and thought I became aware of the joy that God considered in His own being of the time He Created the heavens and the earth. In Genesis 1:31, Moses records the joy that God had over His Creation. “Then God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Now we need to look at what God saw even before that sixth day. Isaiah 46:9-10 – Remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying “My counsel shall stand and I will do all My pleasure”

.

God knew from before the beginning the joy and suffering associated with creation, with Adam, with Noah, with Abraham, with His Son, with His church and with the restoration. Notice Acts 1 which is the continued unfolding of Luke’s gospel as the church of Jesus Christ is formed.

Acts 1:4-11 – And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

We are mandated to tell the Truth, the church of Jesus Christ has the same call that Israel had, Israel failed and today the church is no different. Notice what God will do for the nation if it repents, but first the religious leaders have to repent from the blight of false teaching. Isaiah 1:2-20.

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; The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master's crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider." 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. Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment. Unless the Lord of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah. Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah: "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" Says the Lord. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. "When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies-- I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. "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. If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword"; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Hebrews 9:28 - so Christ was offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for Him shall He appear a second time without sin unto salvation.  Jesse <><