"God's Servant"

 "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come, glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee." (John 17:1 KJV)

  ""Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction."" (Isaiah 42:1-4 NLT)

 If you ever have been to court over something that might put you in jail, then you know that your fate is in the hands of the court. However, for those who are in God's hand, there is really nothing to worry about, because if you are God's servant, you will have the outcome God wants, be where God wants you to be, and will feel good about whatever sentence that you are given. 

 There is more to this than just a prayer; Jesus is the Mediator between us and the Father! The portion of Scripture, from Isaiah 42, was shared on yesterday by Pastor Rick. He spent several minutes setting up his message, asking everyone to forget that the plan God had happened, but instead, place yourself in God's shoes and think of what you would do, having everything you made to be perfect, turn out wrong, over and over again. 

 Of course, there is another side to all of that, in that God already knew firsthand, everything that would go wrong, so the plan was in place, even before anything had happened. But, in the place where we stand, we are dependent upon God's justice! What is justice? Wow, this could take some serious consideration! 

 First of all, there is a starting point to all that was wrong; and it didn't start with Adam when he ate of the fruit. It started with Lucifer and his rebellion against God; taking one-third of the angels in heaven with him. He rebelled against God, as some expect, because he was jealous of mankind, whom God was going to place over the angels. 

 That makes the story a little different, as we are really not the cause of the mess, but a product of the insurrection! You know what I feel about that Tree that was placed in the midst of the garden; the whole thing was based upon the knowledge of good and evil; something Adam had to figure out, based on the wrong choice he had made, to eat the fruit! 

 I really don't want to go any further with that, because this is about what Jesus has done to fix all of that! It could only be a man, meaning someone that took Adam's place, making the right choices, and becoming a Servant, obeying and following all of the Father's instructions. At the same time, He needed to be God, because only God was capable of pulling it off... 

"Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:18-19 NLT) 

"The Prayer of Jesus"

 "After saying these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you."" (John 17:1 NLT) 

  "I lift my eyes up to you, O God, enthroned in heaven. We keep looking to the LORD our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal." ((Psalm 123:1-2 NLT) 

 Just a little different twist of this chapter, as the rest of the Lord's prayer will be broken up into three parts: "The High Priestly Prayer," "The Disciples in the World," and "Their Future Glory." In a way, this is the continuation of the last verse of Chapter 16; what Jesus said to His disciples, He will now pour out before His Father.

 If you have ever preached a message that you knew God was going to do a work through, then you know that you need to pray something that is similar to what Jesus is praying, but with quite a lot more humility and meekness! Never go into a message unprepared, but always go expecting God to speak! Most of the time, God gives us something that is easy to understand and articulate, but then He will expand what we prepared for, by giving His heart on the matter.  

 In this case, Jesus knows full well what is going to take place, yet He also knows that there will be part of Him that will be tempted to make it stop. And He could make it stop, if He wanted to, with just a word! However, He was being a Servant! The Greatest Servant there ever was on this earth! You can't imagine what it would have been like, to have so much power, yet to be able to take so much punishment; let alone the shame, as everyone looked upon His beaten and stripped body, as He hung upon the cross. 

 As I shared yesterday, the way we fix the things we have that are messed up in our lives, isn't done by what we can do, we must give them to God, and then focus upon what we can do for the Lord. It is by God's strength that we changed, because He has already changed us, we just need to walk out the change we have been given, as His servant. 

 The reason I made such a big deal about the lame man that carried his mat, was not just because he forgot about saying, "stand," but because it was Stand that changed him! When Jesus gave the word, stand, it was by that word that the man stood up; he was changed in an instant. The mat that he was so dependent upon, was now somewhat of a burden that he carried, as he walked through the Temple, while in his changed condition. 

 If he had focused on the change, instead of the burden he was stuck with, he might have expressed the wonderful healing, more than the reason he was carrying his mat...

"You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11 NLT) 

"All Things!"

 "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 KJV) 

  "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purposes for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory." (Romans 8:28-30 NLT)

 As I was beginning to start this morning's post, I focused on what Jesus was saying to His disciples, and I realized the point He was making, as to the forgiveness that is found in Him! We really get messed up on our mess-ups; so much so, it sometimes hinders our ability to share all that the Lord gives to use, like, peace and joy and the ability to love one another. These things are the properties of Christ, and in Him, we are overcomers, because He has already overcome the world! 

 It really is about abiding in Christ! In this world, we will be knocked down, kicked around, and even sometimes beat ourselves up. But we always have Jesus to pick us up and put us right-side up again! This is what it takes to be saved by grace; we don't deserve it, but He gets us across the finish-line, no matter what! 

 All the time we waste by dealing with our own issues, when we should be busy doing His work, and allow Him to do the work in us! The more we focus upon the weaknesses and issues we might have, the less time we are equipped to do those things that matter most, like sharing the goodness of God! It is through Christ that we have strength, not by our own strength, but in Him! 

 Sorry for all the exclamation marks, but I feel as though this is something important. It's almost like we have two different personalities, the one that walks in the flesh, and the one that abides in Christ; they always are fighting one-another; but no matter what, in the end, we win! All things work together for the good! Don't ask me how, because I personally don't really want to know. I just want to believe that Jesus is the way, and I need to keep my focus on Him...

"As for me, my I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died. It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creature. May God's peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God." (Galatians 6:14-16 NLT) 

"It Is What It Is"

 "Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me." (John 16:32 KJV)

  ""For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search and find my sheep. I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day."" (Ezekiel 34:11-12 NLT)

 I firmly believe that Jesus was not casting judgment upon His disciples for what would happen to their loyalty; this is something that was going to happen, and He was just letting them know that He knew it was going to happen, whether they believed Him or not, it was going to happen! This was written about hundreds of years before, and it was based on the heart of man, as the Scripture says: "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" (Jeremiah 17:9 NLT) 

 Without a doubt, Jesus knew how and why everything was going to play out, as this was something the Father and He had planned for thousands of years. It was written about, shown to the Prophets, and it was even demonstrated throughout all of the festivals, rituals, and instruments within the Temple. Which brings to mind the "Water Basin" used for cleansing before offering sacrifices. As it were, the articles and the furnishings of the Temple were all given measurements for Moses to note, except for the water basin.

 I had heard this message several years ago, given by Pastor Jon, and it really struck a chord in my heart. If you are under the belief, as I am, that the Water refers to the Word of God, then the Word is also the same as Jesus Christ, who, as with the Water Basin, has no measurements! Oh, in the flesh He had height and weight, but that was the flesh, that which was seen and touched by human hands. He was also Spirit, which was sent by the Father, which has no weight or measure; it is infinite! 

 Anywho, that is my take of what was said. When I shared that little tidbit, not long after I first heard it, I was scolded by someone I said it to, as they replied: "The water represents the Holy Spirit, not Jesus!" Maybe that might be a manner of speaking, as the song might go: "I've got a River of Life flowing out of me." There might need to be a little more investigation into that meaning, because based upon the simple illustration of the work of the Water Basin, used for ceremonial cleansing, before you can have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, you must be cleansed. 

 Which reminds me of something I heard the other day, about fishing: "The fishermen catch the fish and then cleans them." We become God's children when we are cleansed, by the blood of the Lamb...

"This is what the LORD says: "Was your mother sent away because I divorced her? Did I sell you as slaves to my creditors? No, you were sold because of your sins. And your mother, too, was taken because of your sins. Why was no one there when I came? Why didn't anyone answer when I called? Is it because I have no power to rescue? No, that is not the reason! For I can speak to the sea and make it dry up! I can turn rivers into deserts covered with dying fish. I dress the skies in darkness, covering them with clothes of mourning."" (Isaiah 50:1-3 NLT) 

  

"Hold That Thought"

 "Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?" (John 16:31 KJV)

  "Awe gripped the people as they saw this majestic display of God's power. While everyone was marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, "Listen to me and remember what I say. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies." But they didn't know what he meant. Its significance was hidden from them, so they couldn't understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about it." (Luke 9:43-46 NLT)

 Here is the scary part, sort of, because it is also the part that makes being chosen by God the most amazing thing of all! He knows us, better than we can know ourselves; even when we think that we have the ability to stand up for Him, to obey Him, and to be His follower, He knows what we are really made of! 

 Scary, but wonderful! You messed up, but He knew that you would; and He chose you to be His follower anyways! That might not enlighten those who think they are doing well and never messed up; but if any person thinks they don't sin, they are just fooling themselves, and cannot see their own failures. 

 There are two points that are brought up by Matthew Henry in this case: one is that of foreknowledge of the believer, as to those times they should have believed before, being on their conscience, as they should have believed sooner. The second is about the event when their faith is tested, and will you revert back to questioning what you believe, due to your doubt of the sincerity of your belief. 

 That is really not hard to be the case in just about every believer, at one time or another. We think we can withstand being judged or rejected by others for our beliefs, until that particular moment when it appears too critical or threatening to our personal life, business, or desires. Then we shrink back and just pretend to be neutral on any particular point or subject, even if someone might be putting down the Lord! 

 We all know what happened to the disciples, even though they personally walked with Jesus, saw all of the things He did, and felt the love that He had for them; yet they turned their backs on Him, when it should have mattered the most... 

"Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm? My servant grew up in the LORD'S presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected - a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for sins. He was beaten so we could be made whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all." (Isaiah 53:1-6 NLT) 

"Simply Believe"

 "Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God." (John 16:30 KJV)

  "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all of creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable." (Hebrews 4:12-13 NLT)

 Once upon a time, as the story goes, things were seemingly so much easier to understand; there really wasn't so much to think about, as we just did what we needed to do to provide for our families, and plan things to do with one another. Now, as if this has changed anything, we are still reading the same Word of God, praying for His soon return, and hoping we are found worthy, when He does! 

 I really do believe that He is coming soon, as there are just too many things happening today, most of which I think God cannot tolerate that it is happening. The point that the disciples are making, is more than just believing that Jesus came from God, but that there is nothing hidden from Him, not even our thoughts, and our innermost desires! 

 In other words, He knows what we are going to say, before we say anything! That might not seem all that amazing, since it is expected to be the attribute God has the ability to do. But the amazing part in all of that, is that we continually forget that it is so, making plans and thinking about things we should not do! If we could only just stop the thought; cut it off, as if it does not even belong in our minds! 

 Well, we have a Helper! We have the Holy Spirit living within us, to not only help us to overcome those things that cause us to stumble, but He will also empower us to obey. Oh, if it were only that easy! If only I could replace those thoughts with something else, as soon as I start to think about them? 

 Just in case you are wondering what it is that we need, His name is JESUS: The Living Word of God...

"So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT)

 

"Crystal Clear"

 "His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb." (John 16:29 KJV)

  "When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn't use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God's secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness - timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God." (1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NLT)

 Not to reheat old stories, but I was reminded of something the other day that really rocked my world for several weeks. First off, there has been a commercial on the CSN that has been bothering me for several months, as a particular person of academia is quoting the woman caught in adultery, when Jesus says, "Woman, where are your accusers? Does not even one condemn you?" And the announcer says that the woman says, "None, Sir."  

 Every time I heard that commercial, I would feel my heart wench. There are some things that are easy to comprehend, and then there are things that might take several times of hearing it, as it grows and grows in you understanding. This too, like that, was the thing that happened to the disciples. Jesus really didn't say anything new, because He had said this same thing several times before; He just clarified what was already said! 

 Back in the time of the pandemic, (if it is yet over,) I had a couple of days where I was dealing with some very crazy spiritual-warfare. My in-laws were dealing with Covid and I had set them up with some simple medications and some monitors to help keep track of their temperature and saturation's. My wife and I had started praying for them, and I seriously believe that Marianne was praying for them! 

 I was stuck in a portion of the Scriptures, John 5:11, and it was causing me to question what was wrong with the lame man's answer, "The man who healed me told me, "Pick up your mat and walk." As I stood over Marianne, I kept reading the same verse over and over, saying, "What is wrong with this, that I cannot understand?" Over and over again, I kept reading it, at least a dozen times; each time getting more and more determined to find the answer. 

 After a while, Marianne started to have a concerned look on her face, and I instantly understood what it was that I was missing! I know that sounds weird, but I truly believe that her concerned look is what triggered that thought in me, because it instantly hit me, like a shock! The man that was lame forgot the most important part of what Jesus said, "Stand!" 

 I know, it seems like that isn't really all that big of a deal, but the commands of God and the way He speaks, they matter a lot! We must not ever forget Who we are dealing with and how important it is that we do not change what is written or said, not even a little. The whole point of this goes back to the very beginning, when Eve added something to God's command, saying "We should not even touch it." 

 I am not perfectly gifted with teaching, but when I mess up sharing the Scriptures, no matter how much I make good in the presentation of the message, one wrong point, and everything is lost! You say one thing that does not bare the truth, and your whole point is no longer credible.

 Which is why the Jew's answered that man who was carrying his mat on the Sabbath, "Who said such a thing as that?" The authority of the command was not mentioned, "Stand"...

"For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," had made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6 NLT) 

"The Alpha and Omega"

 "I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father." (John 16:28 KJV)

  "Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory." (1 Timothy 3:16 NLT)

 Not sure if the last message was released, having been restricted to contacts, as my content sometimes is not approved by whoever or whatever is monitoring this blog. However, I will not stop this, regardless of whatever is the issue or the reason; this isn't about popularity or statis, it's about me just sharing my thoughts and concerns, in what I originally set out to do: A Living Journal.

 There are some things that are easy to understand, and then there are things that require faith; faith being the belief in something that you cannot fully understand! The whole point of Mary being a virgin, is that she did not have sex with anyone! The child inside of her was the seed of the Holy Spirit, manifested inside of her womb! In other words, her virginity was not taken, there was no penetration, she was still a virgin! 

 I don't care what others might say, I just know what the Bible says, the right Bible! Just because there is another opinion, does not mean that it is the possible way that it happens; it just means that someone does not believe that God can manifest inside of a virgin's womb, as if that is impossible for God! Is anything impossible for God? According to Gabriel, it is not! 

 That is just one minor part of the great mystery! As I mentioned before, I was once asked by one of wife's nurses: "Why would God need to come here and die for our sins?" She asked it as if it was something far-fetched or as though she was offended by the notion. This was mostly due to the fact that she studied with the J.W.'s, who do not believe that Jesus Christ is God. 

 First of all, only God is perfect! The sacrifice needed to take away the sins of the whole world, needed to be a perfect sacrifice, which required that the sacrifice be God! Hard to conceive that, but believe it or not, that is the easiest thing to receive! The love of the Father, as mentioned yesterday, is the thing that people just can't understand! 

 As I was listening to the message yesterday in church, I heard Pastor Rick mention several times how we sometimes judge God ability to love us, based upon the way we feel about ourselves, as if we can ever understand the love of God! His love is too vast for our feeble minds to begin to comprehend; let alone that we could ever try to compare our love with His, because we can't! 

 Jesus came to die for our sins! He stepped down from glory, to be humiliated and have His body broken for our sins! This was something that was planned from the very beginning of time; time is not the beginning of God, but was created for mankind, meaning you and me. The other concept by which it was required that God should die for us, is that of giving us eternal life, which only comes from God! 

 By one man's sin, eternal life was lost: but by Jesus Christ, eternal life was granted again...

"For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to be like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" (Romans 8:29-31 NLT) 

"The Father's Love" - 2.0

"For the Father himself loveth you, because ye loved me, and have believed that I came out from God." (John 16:27 KJV) 

  "But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father." Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir." (Galatians 4:4-7 NLT)

 Now then, looking up the term, "unconditional love," you will discover that there is a multitude of sites that suggest, if not, specify, that there is no such thing as unconditional love, that it does not exist. Well, this is a pretty deep rabbit-hole to fall into, because it typically doesn't have an end! If you cannot see the fact that God loves you unconditionally, then that hole only leads to one place! 

 Let's be clear: Those that have accepted God's "free gift" of salvation, clearly know how much God loves them, even though they offend Him, time and time again. But because we believe in His son, and the wonder-working power of the cross, He does not and will not stop loving us, regardless of our sinful ways, the stupid things we might do, or the way we ignore His hand that tries to guide our lives. 

 In that light, some will say that God's love is not unconditional, because it is based on the fact that we must believe in His Son. Again, there is the rabbit-hole, just waiting for someone to jump into! You see the chance to be loved unconditionally, yet you refuse to believe it is so, jumping head-first into the pit, as if that is the solution to your unbelief. 

 There is only one simple solution: Turn and run into the arms of God! Forget about what you think you know and accept His free offer to become His child. Then you will truly see that His love is pure and true! That closing Scripture from Peter's letter, although there are several different points of view on what he meant, it clearly says that our salvation is secure and out of reach. 

 I have heard every side of the argument, again and again, there is always going to be those who say that you cannot lose your salvation, those who say that can lose your salvation; and then, those who say that can't, but you sure can leave it. How much does anyone know? We truly won't know who was really saved or not until we all are together in Heaven; then we will see who had salvation and who did not! 

 If you believe that God loves you unconditionally, I truly believe that cannot lose or leave a truth like that...

"Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrist have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us." (1 John 2:18-19 NLT)

"The Father's Love"

 "For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and believed that I came out from God." (John 16:27 KJV)

  ""For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."" (Zephaniah 3:17 NLT)

 Since I opened this conversation about the Father's love, I need to share something else that I have shared before that I have experienced. As some of you might recall, back in 2010, maybe around September, I was standing over my wife and doing some of her care, when I heard a 'man of God' say something on the news, that seriously struck a blow to my heart. 

 For those of you who might recall, there was several days of postings that were dealing with this, as I was very passionate and upset about the can-of-worms that had been opened, hoping and praying that people would not pay any attention to what that man said. What he said, was, "I believe that it is okay for a spouse to divorce their significant other, if they have a brain disorder, for the sake of companionship." 

 When I heard that, I was shocked, and became furious, saying, "Where would you be, O man of God, to have companionship with a Holy God, if not for the sacrifice of His Son on the cross!" At first I really didn't understand my own declaration; but I understood that it must have been Spirit led. 

 I realized something important in my relationship with the Father, His love for us, and our ability to respond to His love accordingly. As I care for my wife, based upon the commitment of the vows that we gave before God and our families, this was love that is based upon commitment, not upon feelings or circumstance. 

 Without getting to carried away and making this about me, I just want to say that I learned something about what the Father's love might feel like: unconditional love does not expect anything in return...

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. New we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance - an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see." (1 Peter 1:3-5 NLT)

"The Lord's Provision"

 "At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:" (John 16:26 KJV)

  "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12 NLT)

 This might be the most important part of our New Life in Christ! Not only are we saved and allowed to be granted eternal life, but we are adopted into the family of God, joint heirs with Christ Jesus, and the children of God, the Father! Yes, we have a Heavenly Father, who we can call out to in times of despair and when we feel as though we need a huge! 

 You know that I have shared on this before, but it needs to be said again. There are times when I just break down and weep, overcome with reality of the temporary situation; and I can feel the Father's hand upon my shoulder, as He is trying to comfort me and assure me that everything is going to be all right. 

 Most of the time I find peace, almost immediately, as if there has been a huge burden lifted off my shoulders; but there are times when I want to just keep on weeping, as if I just need to get it all out. In those moments I can feel the hand patting my shoulder or gripping a little firmer, as if to say things are not as bad as they seem. And if I keep on weeping, I can feel His hand gently pulling off of my shoulder, as if to say, "That's enough now, go love on your wife." 

 You can choose to believe me or not, but I know what I know: The Father is always there when you need Him! This is not some sort of fairytale or myth! We have a Father in Heaven that loves us, more than we can ever imagine! I don't know if we will ever know the complete magnitude of His love, not even when we are living with Him in Heaven. We will be so overwhelmed, but still unable to fully comprehend the full magnitude of God's love! 

 One thing is certain, we will never need to feel unloved or alone ever again...

"And on one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I and making everything new!" And then he said to me, "Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true." Also he said, "It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega - the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children."" (Revelation 21:5-7 NLT)

"The Lord's Assurance"

 "These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father." (John 16:25 KJV)

  "Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. But the people's minds hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord - who is that Spirit - makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image." (2 Corinthians 3:12-18 NLT)

 Hopefully you have come to the understanding that you have not been made perfect, yet, because in this life here on earth, we will still be able to stumble and fall into sin, no matter how hard we try to avoid it, it can and will happen. There is the point of the veil that Moses put over his face; he did not hide the glow for the reason of not letting the children of Israel see his anointing; but, when the anointing had worn off, they wouldn't think less of him. 

 To help understand what this means, it is something like the illustration of the Father looking at us through rose-colored glasses; He sees us through the blood of His Son, and we are washed and perfectly clean, in the blood of His Son! There is no more veil needed to cover, because the perfection of our lives is based on Jesus Christ, not on us! 

 There is where the boldness comes from, that Paul is speaking of, because we are flawed and lack being perfect; but we have been made perfect to the Father, and He has the final word on our perfection and our righteousness, which is not from us, but from His Son! The Holy Spirit which works within us, makes us able to shine, not because of the way we are, but because the glory of Jesus is shown through us. 

 There are some ways to understand the point I am making; and then there are ways to try and make it about putting on a mask, and being something, you are not. We cannot be like Jesus unless Jesus works through us! When you are not doing the Lord's work and being yourself, you will be much more like everyone else; but when you are doing the Lord's work and letting Jesus live through you, you will be glorious and shine like an angel. 

 Anywho, that's my take on any of this! We have understanding, because we have assurance that we are okay with our Heavenly Father! There is no need to question if He hears us, or if we have fallen out of His loving arms; Jesus has assured our eternal place in Heaven, and our Heavenly Father has totally and completely approved...

"You see, we don't go around preaching ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves." (2 Corinthians 4:5-7 NLT)

"The Lord's Blessing"

 "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." (John 16:24 KJV)

  ""And so I tell you, keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you."" (Luke 11:9 NLT)

 How is your prayer life? Have you even considered it, as a life? Do you even know what it means, to say, 'I have a prayer life'? There once was a time when I would skip my routine of praying every morning, most mornings for at least one hour. It was something I picked up after doing a study about what Jesus asked his disciples in the garden, saying, "Can't you not pray for at least one hour?" 

 Most of my prayer time is devoted to prayer for those people in my life that I have started to pray for; as it is my belief that you must keep praying for those people, not to call them out onto the battlefield, just to leave them out there on their own. But you can do what you want, I just try to make that my duty, as if it is an obligation. One thing for sure, if you don't know what to pray for a whole hour, prayer for a hundred or more souls will help you pass the time! 

 This makes better sense if you think about what Jesus is doing for you: He intercedes for you before the Father! Yes, that's right; while we make foolish mistakes and misjudgments, He intercedes and stands up for us, making the case for the complete washing away of sins, both, before and after our salvation! Besides that, between the justification stage, which is the day we accepted Christ as Lord, to the glorification stage, when we are glorified with Christ in Heaven, there is the sanctification stage, where we get purified and processed into something, whether we like it or not; it is the action of making us what He wants us to be! 

 Better yet, when we know that He hears our prayers, we enter into the joy of the Lord! It is just so much more exciting to feel as though your prayers really matter, that you are not just wasting time, because you see your prayers being answered! 

 That is one aspect of it, but better still, is to seek, which is to have the Holy Spirit assist you in what to pray. Having hardly any clue what to pray is like trying to navigate around in the dark; you don't know if you are headed in the right direction until you bump into something familiar. It is best to let the Holy Spirit help you, as He knows what you should pray for, even if you don't know what you might be saying. 

 And the life, which is the part that makes things exciting and interesting to watch, is the knocking! For that is where we continually get surprised and amazed. Pastor Chuck always had a saying, that many of the pastors under him carried forward: "Where God guides, God provides!" Which basically means, If God is guiding the way, then He will provide the means to make it happen! If it doesn't have God's blessing, then we shouldn't try to make it happen on our own but wait on Him to open the door!  

 That doesn't mean that there won't be opposition, because there most likely will be. But God's provision is the sign that He is guiding us in the right direction...

"This is what the LORD says - the Holy One of Israel and your Creator: "Do you question what I do for you my children? Do you give me orders about the work of my hands? I am the one who made the earth and created people to live on it. With my hands I stretched out the heavens. All the stars are at my command. I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose, and I will guide his actions. He will restore my city and free my captive people - without seeking a reward! I, the LORD of Heaven's Armies, have spoken!"" (Isaiah 45:11-13 NLT) 

"The Golden Scepter" - Too

 "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you." (John 16:23 KJV) 

  "He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the Holy Spirit because what Christ has done for us." (Ephesians 2:17-18 NLT)

 Most of us have this understanding that we can freely go to the Father, as it is something we have learned by the simple touch from the Holy Spirit, who urges us to cry out to our Heavenly Father. So, it really is no surprise that He hears us, because we have had the experience of prayers being answered and have seen firsthand the work that He has done, usually more than we could ever imagine.

 As to the title, "The Golden Scepter," it was borrowed from Matthew Henry, as he uses it to share the boldness of Esther, as she went before the king without being summoned, which usually would have been a death sentence, unless he extended out his golden scepter to welcome her presence before him. Not that we have any fear of being struck down by our Heavenly Father; far from that; it is His Son that is the Scepter, which has given us the privilege to come boldly before the Father, without fear, but with a heart the simply needs to know Him more. 

 By the way, our most useful prayers are those that intercede for others. Which is what Esther did, as she went in not knowing whether she would be spared or not, but believing what she was told, "For such a time as this," which is something that goes far beyond anything we could ever imagine! When is comes right down to it, we really don't know what will happen by something we might do or not do, in any situation or circumstance. 

 Your prayers might not be answered the way you think or imagine, but God has a way of doing things that we can't dream of or know about; things that are beyond our understanding and our lifetime here on this earth. We have a special place and a purpose; it is why we are here and what God has chosen for us to do. 

 As to the other issue, the one that might hold us back or keep us from going forward: We will always have a place in Heaven, Jesus has promised that we would, so it is guaranteed and cannot be taken away, even if we fail to do certain things that might be required of us. But, and I say this with great humility and sadness, we will wish we would have done much more than we have done, no matter who we are or how hard we have tried to do all that He has given us to do! 

 We all fall short, but that doesn't mean He stops loving us...

"When I think of all this, I fall on my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." (Ephesians 3:14-19 NLT) 

"The Golden Scepter"

 "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you." (John 16:23 KJV)

  "So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he has faced all the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT)

 As to the point of my post yesterday, it might make better sense if I put forth some examples of what I have experienced in my own life, as well as I can explain things; if it is even possible to make sense of any of what I think I know. If you have ever asked God to use your life for His kingdom, then you know that there are certain things that will be required of you; things that will change your life.

 Maybe that is not your goal, to have your life changed; you just want to be able to serve God in your own way, without having too much of your life changed, because you actually like the way your life is going. So, we pray for God to use us, without taking the time to count the cost. Because there will be a cost! You will need to be poured out; and you will need to be changed into a vessel that God can use faithfully. 

 Have you ever prayed, 'Lord, whatever it takes, please use my life for your kingdom!' There are certain things that we hold back, or try to hold onto, hoping that they are not part of the whatever He might take! You know the drill: "He gives and takes away!" (Job 1:21) Which is basically saying: 'Everything belongs to God, no one can give Him anything, that He needs to pay them back!' (Job 41:11) 

 There you have it, the simple explanation, which turns out to be more complicated by the day! God has only the best plans for us; they just don't always look like our plans that we dream up in our heads! We see the way that we would like things to be, but He knows best what it is that will change us. We must be changed into a vessel that He creates new! Are you willing to allow Him to do so? 

 Truthfully, is it in your heart to say it out loud: 'LORD, whatever it takes, take my life and use it!' If so, then hold on and enjoy the ride... 

"So God's rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard the good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: "Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts."" (Hebrews 4:6-7 NLT) 

"Prayer Promises"

  ""At that time you won't need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. You haven't done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. 

 "I have spoken of these matters in figure of speech, but soon I will stop speaking figuratively and will tell you plainly all about the Father. Then you will ask in my name. I'm not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God. Yes, I came from the Father into the world, and now I will leave the world and return the Father."

 Then his disciples said, "At last you are speaking plainly and not figurative. Now we understand that you know everything, and there's no need to question you. From this we believe that you came from God." 

 Jesus asked, "Do you finally believe? But the time is coming - indeed it's here now - when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."" (John 16:23-33 NLT)

  "The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of out God shall stand for ever." (Isaiah 40:6-8 KJV)

 As I was thinking about yesterday, (a day when I should have been filled with joy,) there was this thing that seem to have kept bothering me, something that made my heart heavy and my soul cry out for help. Sometimes we really don't know why we get bothered by little things that really can't hurt us, but just the thought of being tormented by it, is enough to cause us to call out to God for help. 

 Without getting into the reason, let me reason something else into this title, "Prayer Promises." There are a couple of different ways to look at this, because there needs to be some sort of explanation of why the promise seems to not happen, even though it should. 

 Having some experience in this matter, I might have an answer for you, if you are someone that might want to know. God will never break His promise, ever! He cannot lie, therefore He will not tell you anything, and then go back on His word. We, on the other hand, do not keep our promises, nor do we have the ability to always tell the truth. 

 I know that might sound as if I am saying that everyone lies, but I cannot prove that, neither can you; but not telling the truth is sometimes not a lie; it is just not saying that which you should. My reason for wanting something from God, might just be me asking out of obligation or because it seems like the right thing to do; but deep down in my heart, I really could care less, maybe even, I might not really want it at all. 

 If you think that is not really a thing, then think again! We just try to avoid thinking about it...

"Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:28-31 NLT) 

"Joy for Today!"

"And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." (John 16:22 KJV)

  "How long, O LORD, must I call for help? But you do not listen! "Violence is everywhere!" I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, and justice has become perverted." (Habakkuk 1:2-4 NLT)

 More and more, it feels as though there is a fog that has set in, almost as if there is some sort of layer of darkness that has covered the earth, causing people to be unable to see anything that is happening outside of their little bubble. I know that might seem like an exaggeration, but there has got to be some reason for the things that do not get more attention, especially the rights we once had, being stripped away daily! 

 Once again, this is not my world! So why should I care? I should! I must! It is my duty as someone who can shine the Light of the Gospel, especially in the darkness! How is that possible? Aren't you glad that you have been delivered from this? You might not feel that way; as I sometimes do, too. But that is the whole point of why my joy gets put to the side, because it is joy for tomorrow, and not for today! 

 Jesus has given us joy for what He has done; done, meaning that it is already accomplished, so we can actually celebrate it today, even in our tribulations and trials! Those things that don't really matter, because this world cannot take our salvation away; therefore, it cannot take our joy away either, because the work that produced the joy is already done! 

 At this point of the message, we need to double back to the beginning. As it stands, Jesus makes His point about, "A Little While," which is based upon time, meaning time that quickly passes. We have eternity at the door, yet we worry about things that have nothing to do with the eternity that waits, just around the corner. What only matters to our eternity, are those things that will be part of our eternal life: Those things are not things, they are people! 

 Moving along, the illustration Jesus gave about the man being born into the world, that is a life to be celebrated; after much anguish and pain of childbirth, the man has been born! Excuse me if I am not making myself clear, but we have New Life based upon what Jesus Christ has done; and that life we have is for some other place, eternally! Nothing can remove that from us... 

"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." (Philippians 4:4-6 NLT)

"To Be a Part"

 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy." (John 16:20 KJV) 

  "I will exalt you, LORD, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me. O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O LORD. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Sing to the LORD, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning." (Psalm 30:1-5 NLT)

 Here is the thing that I have come to understand: We are here for as long as God will have us here; no matter what you might be go through, if God still wants you to hang around, then you will be hanging around, as long as He has you here! Period! And, as long as you are here, whether you are doing well or barely making it from day to day, you must rejoice and be a part of this glorious journey! 

 We can look around our world and find things to complain about; but when it comes right down to it, complaints are really for those who are of this world, not for those who have hope in the LORD! We know the truth, the Truth which has set us free from all of this, sorrow, death, and sinfulness. 

 Having said that, I also know that there are days when we feel overwhelmed and alone. Almost as if we are on this journey by ourselves, dealing with issues that our own, suffering with problems that we feel others don't seem to be going through. But, have heart! You are never alone! You are a part of the body of Christ Jesus, your Redeemer, Master, and Friend! 

 Really, we must try harder to be a part! Do not forsake fellowship and the opportunity to come together; we need one another more than we might think! The more we can be together, the more we are not apart...

"We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, yet we have everything." (2 Corinthians 6:8-10 NLT) 

"Just So You Know"

 "Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?" (John 16:19 KJV)

  "O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or when I stand up. You know my thoughts even when I am far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD." (Psalm 139:1-4 NLT)

 If you really want to know, the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, because you really don't hide anything from Him; anything you do, that you pretend He does not see, is completely foolishness! It is just that, which, as my mother would say, "Is throwing wisdom out the window!" Take that in and let is sink into some sort of understanding, because believe it or not, you actually don't control wisdom! 

 How do you like those apples? It might be something that will be debated in the academic world, as those that think they are wise will challenge the thought; but wisdom comes with knowledge of the truth. And, if you stray from the truth, then you become a fool, and wisdom is tossed to the side, like you tossed out the window, saying, 'I don't need you anymore!' 

 Anywho, this is meant to be about something totally different; just the opposite of that, which is that of fear. Instead, it is something that should amaze us and give us peace and joy, beyond comprehension! Because the God who choose us, knows us, inside and out! You think you messed up, as if God doesn't know what you might do, or how you will pretend He can't see you! There is nothing we do that He is not aware of; even those dreams that you have, the ones that you wish you could erase. 

 That might seem rather frightening to some, but that is the whole point of our amazement! He still loves us! He loved us before the foundations of the world existed! He offers salvation to all that want it, all that thirst for it, knowing that they need it so desperately, because they cannot get it any other way! There is no other way! 

 Last night, Pastor Bryan mentioned a few things about Israel and what they represent in regards to the church; how the church dismisses them as no longer God's anointed, or that the church has somehow replaced them. But they represent us! Broken people that are governed by God! That is what we must understand, if we are to make it into the promised land...

""For I hold you by your right hand - I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, 'Don't be afraid. I am here to help you. Though you are a lowly worm, O Jacob, don't be afraid, for I will help you. I am the LORD, your Redeemer. I am the Holy One of Israel.'"" (Isaiah 41:13-14 NLT)  

"Pay Attention"

 "They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith." (John 16:18 KJV)

  "There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don't seem to listen." (Hebrews 5:11 NLT)

 This is one of those verses that has convinced me that this was written by more than one person, as they are trying to explain something to Jews, that cannot see the spiritual content of what they are saying. There was a certain verse I was torn over when I first became a believer, it was Psalms 103:12, which says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." 

 The main point of my uncertainty was that there are two ways to look at that verse, based on God's work of removing our transgressions, or our direction of being obedient to Him. Basically, what that implies, is that He will remove our transgressions, as if they were never there; but the ones who don't fear Him, as it were, will walk back into transgressions. 

 That might be hard to understand, because there is one point which makes God's work in us unstoppable, and another which makes us accountable for our action. The only reason that it becomes something to be careful to pay attention to, is because it is surrounded by two other verses, 11 & 13! Verse 11 says, "For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him." And verse 13 says,  "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him." 

 This is where we need to be cautious and make sure we know what the Lord requires of us! The disciples had their focus on time, as if there was more physical explaining that they needed, instead of being focused upon the spiritual meaning, which was meant to be something outside of their way of thinking. 

 I cannot be the perfect person that I think I can be, outside of Christ Jesus, who makes me perfect! That is why our most important thing we can do, is to believe in Jesus Christ, and the power of everything that He has done to make us fit for the Kingdom! Yes, we have got to fear God! But do we always fear Him as we should? Not when we sin; surely not when we transgress; and certainly not when be practice iniquity.

 I say practice, in reference to iniquity, because you don't just fall into iniquity, you have to grow and work towards it. You can sin and transgress without knowing what you are doing, but iniquity means that you know what you are doing is wrong, but you do it anyways! Good thing none of us are guilty of doing that, because that is doing wickedness! 

 We must understand who wrote Psalm 103 and what David is speaking about: GOD'S LOVE...

"If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts." (1 John 1:1-10 NLT) 

"Inquiring Minds"

 "Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?" (John 16:17 KJV)

  "One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There an angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn't burn up. "This is amazing," Moses said to himself. "Why isn't that bush burning up? I must go see it."" (Exodus 3:1-3 NLT)

 I hope anyone that is paying attention is having fun trying to figure out what is going on; because there are many things that people want to know answers to, but no answers are being given. This might be the most important time to be alive, having such a chance to witness and take part in something, dare I say, that is extraordinary and hard to find answers to. 

 Try to imagine what was going through the mind of the disciples; they were in a quandary, just trying to understand; but at the same time, trusting that everything was going to be alright. Does that sound a little familiar to anyone? It is pretty much where we are as a church, as we see everything around us starting to either fall apart or be set into some sort of new order; yet, at the same time, telling each other that it's all going to be okay. 

 Just so happens, I heard a message the other day that might help anyone that has an inquiring mind. To be clear, God has a way of making things known to those that seek answers. We might not get the answer we are searching for; but He will give us the answer that we need, if we are just willing to trust Him. 

 Our number one reason to know anything, is to be led by God, and to do His will, not our own! That is really not that complicated, nor all that mysterious. We just need to keep asking! Having been there, and still there, I can shine a little light on the subject of needing answers, because sometimes the answers we are looking for just require us to listen and obey! 

 It sounds easier than it looks! There are certain days when I feel like I am totally out of step, and then there are days where I feel like I have my feet firmly planted. Please forgive me for sounding a little weird, but I am pretty sure it not just me! 

 Believe it or not, but this is something that must be worked out between you and God! You don't need to discuss anything with anyone else, even though you probably will anyways. Most of what we are afraid of or overly concerned about, will pass by and be nothing at all; but what God requires of us, is something that is simple, easy to follow, yet just requires obedience. 

 If you don't believe me, then look for yourself! God is the One who does the heavy lifted, we just need to show up...

"Jesus told them, "This is the only work God wants from you, Believe in the one he has sent."" (John 6:29 NLT) 

 

"Trifecta!" -Too

 "A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father." (John 16:16 KJV)

  "I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him." (1 Corinthians 15:3-8 NLT)

 So, yesterday's message at church had focused upon hope; which I thought was rather interesting. But more than that; yesterday's post was going to include the, "Rat Tale," which I have shared before, but do to the length of time, as it was almost 7am, I chose not to share it again. 

 Much to my surprise Pastor Bryan shared it during his message as he was explaining how important hope is to our walk with the Lord. Although, he had a little different version on the events, it was still able to show how important it is to have hope! 

 His version went like this: The experiment on the rats was to demonstrate what happens when the rats had hope, as the first batch of rats were placed in a drum of water that they could not escape from; after a few hours of swimming around, they gave up and all were dead. The next batch of rats were also placed in the drum of water, but this time, after an hour or so, half of them were taken out of the water, and saved. The rest of the remaining rats, kept on swimming around for over three days, waiting to be rescued from the water, because they had hope that they would be rescued. 

 That is a good way to see how that works, as they witnessed the others getting saved, that gave them hope to keep swimming for several days. However, the version of that 'Tale' I was told, had a little different spin, if you will. The rats that had been rescued from the water were placed back into the barrel; and they kept on swimming for weeks, because they had been rescued before! 

 It might not be that big of a deal, but there is a difference between watching others getting saved and being saved yourself. As Paul explains it, he was told about this hope, and it was good news to know; but greater than that, He witnessed Christ himself, as he was on the road to Damascus. 

 There were certain times in my youth where I had witnessed people getting saved; it was interesting to see, but I never really understood it, or couldn't see the point that it made. It never gave me any hope for the purpose of my life, or the future; let alone for eternity. But when I meet Jesus myself, that was a totally different story; one that became eternal...

""For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."" (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT) 

"Trifecta!"

 "A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father." (John 16:16 KJV)

  "And Jesus Christ was revealed as God's Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross - not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony. So we have these three witnesses - the Spirit, the water, and the blood - and all three agree. Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God." (1 John 5:6-8 NLT)

 In this verse is the three important things that are essential to the belief we must have to be saved: That Jesus came in human form to be crucified for our sins, that He was buried and rose to life again, and that He ascended back up into Heaven to be with the Father. This was the plan, from the beginning; it was carried out to perfection; and it has accomplished exactly what God had intended for it to do! 

 In other worlds, It was faultless, complete, and wonderful! Even though, to the world, it might have appeared as though it was a disaster and accomplished nothing; to those of us that have been saved, it was the power of God, doing what needed to be done, that we could be saved: TRIFECTA! 

 I know that there are sceptics who still seemingly doubt, even among those that sit within the church. As I was getting ready for bed last night, I thought about this, remembering what I have learned about the truth of the resurrection of Christ, and how the disciples all died and were badly punished for their testimony. 

 And then I remembered also the joy in knowing the hope we have been given in Christ; that when it comes right down to it, knowing that the resurrection is absolutely true, no matter what else might happen, it will have all been worth it! In other words, hope is enough to satisfy my holding on to the Truth...

"Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who receive the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 6:16-20 NLT) 

"Sadness Will Be Turned to Joy"

  ""In a little while you won't see me anymore. But a little while after that you will see me again." 

 Some of the disciples asked each other, "What does he mean when he says, 'In a little while you won't see me, but then you will see me,' and 'I am going to the Father'? And what does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand." 

 Jesus realized they wanted to ask him about it, so he said, "Are you asking yourselves what I mean? I said a little while you won't see me, but a little while after that you will see me again. I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby onto the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy."" (John 16:16-22 NLT)

  "So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life." (1 Corinthians 15:21-22 NLT)

 There is so much to see here, it might take some time to examine all that we can, just so we can get a feel for what was being said, from Jesus, as well as His clueless disciples. This whole thing about dying and then coming back to life, was something that they couldn't really understand. You might think that they would have had some kind of clue, after Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave; but they just did not see the picture Jesus was painting! 

 Basically, that is the whole point, we cannot see the picture because we are the painting! The subjects on the canvas cannot see anything about the whole picture because they are stuck to the canvas. We cannot see the whole picture because we are stuck in this world; but when we are raised to life, in our new bodies, we will see clearly; everything will be made known to us. 

 In the meantime, we can enjoy knowing that is what will happen! No one can take that you away, because it is secure in what we believe! Just keep on believing...

"Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you stand firm in it. It is this Good news that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you - unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place." (1 Corinthians 15:1-2 NLT) 

"Jesus; Lord of All"

 "All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you." (John 16:15 KJV)

  "Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made all things we can see and the things we can't see - such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross." (Colossians 1:15-20 NLT)

 Looking at this from a human point of view, it would appear as though Jesus has been given all power over everything; yet, in the spiritual view, things are portrayed a little differently, as Paul states: "Christ is the visible image of the invisible God." Yet, in the invisible world, Christ rules over all there is there also. 

 I was given the misfortune to hear a brief message given yesterday that coincided with yesterday's post. I will not give out the name or the source, but will only be giving the explanation. The subject was about the Holy Spirit, and whether or not Jesus possessed the Holy Spirit here on earth or was He borrowing the Spirit from the Father.  

 I seldom feel the need to shut people off when they speak, but I came very close to doing so yesterday. As the Bible, clearly says, there is only One God! There are three Persons, with the word, Persons, being presented in that form to let us be aware that there are three sperate entities, but that they are all One! Beyond that, that is pretty much all that we need to know; as far as that goes: God is One!  

 Other than that, in Jesus dwelt the Father fully! There was nothing borrowed or loaned out to Jesus; just as it would be for an earthly father's son; when the child is born, he will have his father's likeness and the parts of his DNA. Nothing is borrowed or loaned out to him, he has become an offspring of his father. 

 I really don't know what happens to the Holy Spirit; but I do know from what I have been told and believe, it was taken from being part of man's design at the time of the fall; when Adam sinned. Yes, man is body, soul, and spirit; as that is how we were created. Yet, according to everything that I have understood, from the time of my New Life inception, when Adam and Eve sinned, they became spiritually dead, separated from God! 

 Therefore, from that period of time, the time of their spiritual death, everyone born from Adam that had been given the Spirit, it was borrowed or loaned to them from God. If the Spirit was upon them, it was not because they were born with the Holy Spirit in them, but the Spirit of God came upon them. 

 That was not the same thing with Christ! Adam was not the source of the seed in Mary, but it was the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit is the seed that was birthed in Mary; bringing forth a Son, the One of a Kind Son: both man and God! Anything else, I will choose to not listen to, because it doesn't match what the Bible says! 

 The second issue, which was really the part that sent me for a loop, was that we have body, soul and spirit, because of the fall; when it should have been, spirit, soul, and body. Where did I miss that in the Bible? Yes, I do believe that we have a body and a soul; but the spirit is completely and adherently God's. That is the death that Adam and Eve suffered in the garden, they became spiritually dead!

 You can refer to the soul as a spirit, if you want, because technically, that's what it is, and it is yours! However, it too also belongs to God, so you really don't have the power to keep it, but you won't also have the power to get rid of it; it will continue to live on and on forever. 

 These are just simple things, that some people make complicated and hard to understand. This much I know: When I was born again, I was born of the Spirit: now, the spiritual part of me is what should guide my life, taking the soul into consideration to be more important than the body; that is my choice! 

 If only it could be fashioned that way to allow it to happen naturally...

"But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-6 NLT)  

"Shining the Light of Jesus"

 "He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and show it unto you." (John 16:14 KJV) 

  "Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how you know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here." (1 John 4:1-3 NLT)

 Something I have done, ever since the first day of my salvation, is to test, not only the person teaching the Word, but also the Bible that was being used for the teaching. It really wasn't too long after I was saved, that I was given a Bible, that I noticed did not say: "In the beginning was the Word; the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)

 It apparently was a popular new Amplified Bible, so they called it, which was meant to speak to the new generation of the believers. Unfortunately, there were some things that had been a little difficult for the Editors to swallow, so they just changed to wording to fit whatever they believed, not what the Original Text actually has to say. It wasn't too long into this journey, when I made it a habit to meet whoever was teaching and try to get a look at the Bible they were using to teach from. 

 The NIV is one that I have referred to, as, 'The Nearly Inspired Version,' because it takes liberty to change certain facts, one in particular, calling Mary a Young Madian, instead of a Virgin! Just a little thing, one which might make hardly any difference; but sometimes, it is the little things that really matter. 

 Anywho, there are quite a few pastors I know who teach out of the NIV, so I won't judge them, too harshly, because it was probably the Bible they grew up reading out of. Seriously, we must be aware of what we are being taught, and pay attention that Jesus is being taught in the message! I don't care what part of the Bible you are in, Jesus Christ is there, being presented in one form or another on almost every page of the Bible. 

 If you don't believe it, then check it out for yourself. Don't just take my word for it, because the Word will speak out to you, if you just open your heart and fix your mind on Him! Besides, Jesus said it Himself, saying, "You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!" (John 5:39 NLT)

 I am sorry if I go overboard on some subjects, but this one is pretty near and dear to my heart. Having been raised knowing a different Jesus, I try to pay attention, giving notice to what is said about Christ. If what is being taught does not declare Jesus Christ as Who He is, then I will be very cautious to anything else that I hear, taking note to the spirit I might be dealing with. 

 Don't think for a minute that there is no such thing as an Antichrist, because there is one that will manifest himself, who is already here! This is spiritual warfare that we are dealing with, not just men that think they yield power. Most likely they really have no idea who is actually controlling them; but sooner or later they will.

 The whole point of this message it that Jesus Christ must be presented as Who He is, was, and forever will be: LORD of LORDS...

"All glory to him who loves us and freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. He made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen." (Revelation 1:5b & 6 NLT)

"Showing the Way"

 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." (John 16:13 KJV)

  "But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us." (1 Corinthians 2:10-12 NLT)

 Basically, there are several topics that are packed into this verse; Jesus is showing His disciple that they will not be left in the dark, because the Holy Spirit will come, and when He does, He will guide them into all truth; all meaning, those things they need to know, when they need to know it. 

 This doesn't mean that we will have all the answers, because there are some things that we have no answer for; but, we are still not left in the dark, even though we cannot answer every question. I hope you understand that and are perfectly fine with it, because it is kind of a big deal for us to trust God, even when we don't have the answer! 

 There are so many things that I don't have the answers to; but each and every one of those things, is a thing that I really don't need to know, at least not now, or else God would have shown me an answer. That is what I believe, and that is what I expect to find out, when the time comes for certain things to be shown to me. 

 James has a little insight in this regard, saying, "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone." There is great wisdom in that, because the first thing we set out to do, when we have anything to do with wisdom given by God, is to go out and try to get confirmation, as if God may not have really spoken. 

 Additionally, the Holy Spirit does not speak of Himself! I feel as though I need to step lightly here as this is a very touchy subject in several areas of the church. Howbeit, if there was anything that I can relate this to, it would be worship, which is basically the Worship leaders and what might happen from time to time with them. 

 From time to time, with no real thought to do so, the Worship Teams will make worship the act of the service; as if they are the ones that enlighten and bring the congregation together, into the throne of God. Well, not to be dogmatic about this, but it is my understanding that we worship before the message is given, to prepare our hearts to receive God's word; it is God's word the enlightens us, not worship. 

 The work of the Holy Spirit, in the same light, does not overshadow the Word, which is Christ! He will edify and manifest Christ Jesus, first and foremost, because that is what the Holy Spirit is meant to do! In us, He presents Christ by showing us how to live as Jesus lived, to react as Jesus would react, and to love, as Jesus loved. 

 Freedom of expression is not what the Holy Spirit is about; He will always manifest the life of Christ, in one form or another. Which brings me to the third portion of this, which is Him showing us the things to come. Hopefully we all know by now, Who it is we are looking for, and why we are expecting Him to come! We might not know the day or the hour, but we know He is going to come! 

 Of all things in this world that we should care about, it should be, to be ready when He comes; because this world is not really what we are expecting to change, but the world to come; there is our focus and our goal...

 "Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. The eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near." (James 5:7-8 NLT) 

 

"Kaleidoscope"

"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." (John 16:12 KJV)

  "Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn't talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren't ready for anything stronger. And you still aren't ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn't that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren't you living like people of the world? When one of you says, "I am a follower of Paul," and another says, "I follow Apollos," aren't you acting just like people of the world?" (1 Corinthians3:1-4 NLT)

 If you have ever had one of these things, a kaleidoscope, then you might remember that there are several different types: you have your basic types that our made of cheap colored glass and mirrors, and then you have the more complex types that are made of colored rocks, that make different patterns, almost like you can hardly ever see two the same. 

 There is something we must understand about God's word: His word is living and breathing, making each and every experience of reading, a new, yet familiar experience, deepening our understanding, while at the same time, adding a new and greater mystery to what we thought we already knew. In other words, we can never get to a place where we have seen it all, knowing all that is says, or no longer learning what He has to share with us! 

 As with those two different types of kaleidoscopes, one is pretty basic, the other is pretty complex; so too is the two different ways to read and live by God's word: one is from a worldly and a basic point of view, the other is from a spiritual and a complex point of view. Most people can't handle the complexity of how deep and far the spiritual side might take them; most people just want to keep it simple, avoiding the so called, 'Swirling Eddies'. 

 Anywho, enough with the stuff that doesn't really matter! The one thing I believe Jesus was trying to say, without taking too much liberty with His words, is that He had much more He could tell them about, but they were not spiritual enough to understand it, let alone contain any of it! Jesus was very familiar with the world, as well as the place He came from, which was Heaven.

 You can't just say things that people will not understand. If you tell eleven different people, all of which do not understand what you are telling them, you will get eleven different ideas of what was said; and no one will understand or agree with one another about what you said. We can actually see that happening in the church, all of the time. The pastor or preacher gives a message, and there are a multitude of different meanings to what was actually said, depending upon where their heart and head were at. 

 There are some basic things that need to matter; we must never get too far from the message...

"After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God's servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work God gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God's workers. And you are God's field. You are God's building. Because of God's grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have - Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:5-11 NLT) 

"Etched in Stone!"

 "Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." (John 16:11 KJV)

  "God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ - everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan." (Ephesians 2:9-11 NLT)

 Today is my wife's birthday, so I am changing this up a little, making some sort of message that will be geared towards her and the wonderful person that she is to me. There must be some reason that God has allowed her to continue living in her condition, as it is, we will soon be going on 20 years. She was 42 when this happened; today, she turned 62, and she hardly has aged a bit! 

 That picture, in the main page of this blog, might not give a honest look for me, but she hasn't changed at all; so, if I updated to show us both today, I would look 65 and she would still look the same as she did, 20 years ago. Actually, that picture was taken in 2006, so that would have been from 17 years ago. It was just before we are getting ready to take a trip, heading to Reno to celebrate her 45th birthday. 

 Let me tell you why I feel this is okay to talk about, seeing we are on the topic of the 'prince of this world is judged,' because it is he, the prince of this world that caused this to happen! Yes, you heard me right; that is a fact, because everything that is bad in this world, is all because of him and his jealousy against us, God's precious treasure! 

 Because God had planned to put man above the angels, the devil revolted against God, taking 1/3 of the angels with him; making it his goal to try and ruin God's plan. God's plans can never be undone, yet, even though the devil might really know that, he still does all he can to destroy as many of us as he can. So, it is perfectly right that I put the blame on him for all that is evil and wrong in this world! 

 That said, I firmly believe that my beautiful wife will be with me in heaven; where we will still know each other and be able to share eternity together, our son included! There will be no more sickness or dying; all of our tears will be forgotten; which means that everything bad and wrong will be erased! 

 This is what we need to be focused upon, what God has promised, God will do: It is etched in stone and cannot be undone, never...

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new!" And then he said to me, "Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true." And he also said, "It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega - the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children."" (Revelation 21:1-7 NLT) 

 

"Mind-Boggling!"

 "Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;" (John 16:10 KJV)

  "Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be save. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don't understand God's way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God's way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God." (Romans 10:1-4 NLT)

 I know, it might not make perfect sense to some, because they just can't see how the death of one man could be enough to take away the sins of the entire world. How is it possible for that to happen? Well, if you need to be enlightened, that is easy to explain, but it is hard to understand; unless you just choose to believe it and accept it as truth! 

 First and foremost, God is the one that makes the rules! He created everything there is, so He gets to make the rules on what is what; regardless of what we might think about it, it is what it is! In the case of righteousness, God knew from the very beginning of creation that we were not going to be able to achieve righteousness! He foresaw this right from the beginning; but He also had a plan to fix our situation, which was to make a way that His righteousness would be counted for us, because we were never going to be able to achieve righteousness on our own! 

 There was a play that we had at our church, some 30 years ago, called, "Toy Maker and Son." It was a little different, but the message was pretty clear: God and the Son had made this plan, from the very beginning. Which was really not based on our need, because none of us really cared; but based upon His need to save us, because He loved us so much! 

 I know that there are so many sceptics, the ones who say, 'If God cares so much, why doesn't He just fix everything and call it good?' Well, He could have created robots and people that had no choice but to love and obey Him; but instead, He wanted to have those that would love Him on their own; not because He said, "Love Me!" but because they really loved Him! 

 Suddenly, I do believe that it is all too simple, we just make it complicated be our own free will...

""No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. 

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 

"There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants."" (John 3:13-21 NLT)