"Struck With Fear"

 "When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;" (John 19:8 KJV)

  "Then Job replied to the LORD: "I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, 'Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?' It is I - and I was taking about things I knew nothing about, things too wonderful for me. You said, 'Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.' I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance."" (Job 42:1-6 NLT)

 There are certain times in which we should just shut up and listen for God to speak; this just might be one of those times! The whole world is shaking; trembling, is the world used in the Bible, as God says, "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about." (Zechariah 12:2a KJV)

 This too should give us hope; but most of all, we should examine where we are at in our walk with the Lord! Do we walk as though we are with Him? Because you should, He said that He would always be with us; so that must tell you that you are not alone, even when you might think that you are! 

 And yet, how are you treating the Lord? Is everything that you do, done as to the Lord? Do you control your life as if He is always with you? 'Not likely,' is most everyone's answer; and then there will be some that will say, 'Most definitely!' 

 Maybe I have already said too much, but I really do want to be ready when He comes for His church; which I really do believe is going to be soon, and very soon! But we must endure; we must continue to work and live and sleep and make every effort to share the Good News that we have been given. It's not just something that we have been told about, and now we get to share it; it is what we are, and it must be breathed out of us! 

 This morning, I too was struck with fear, as I thought about Pilate's reaction to what was said, I thought about some of my reactions to what the Lord has said to me. If I am being honest, most of the time it is, "I will take that into consideration," as if He is making suggestions to me, helping me manage my life. 

 I can recall a time that I was pulled over for speeding. I was driving my niece to Reno to get her daughter at the airport, and just came off a road that was 65mph, following a truck that was going way too slow. When we pulled onto Hwy 36, which was 55mph, as soon as I had a chance, I passed the truck. 

 My Cadilac really had some power, and for about six seconds, I gave it all it got; then looked down at the speedometer and I was over 80mph, on a 55mph Hwy. As quick as I could I slowed down, but I saw a Highway Patrol car coming towards me on the other side of the Hwy. As I watched him in my mirror, I saw him make a U-turn and head towards my direction. 

 I didn't even wait for him to pull me over, I just pulled over and stopped! He approached the side of the car where my niece was seated, and asked if I knew how fast I was going. I told him I was just passing a truck, and didn't realize my speed, only trying to get back into my lane. The officer said, "Well, I can give you a speeding ticket, or I can give you a fix-it ticket, which one would you like?" 

 As I recall, I hesitated, pondering what might need fixing; but no sooner than I could speak, he was leaning towards me through the window, and said, "I think you should take the fix-it ticket!" That was a pretty good suggestion, as anything 20mph over the speed limit is called, Hazardous Driving! 

 How is your driving? I drive around from job to job all day long; my driving is not worth bragging about, and that's being generous. When I am behind a car on a one lane road, and they are going 10mph below the speed limit, the first thing I think of, is that they are just trying to control me! And then when we get to a place where I could pass them, they somehow go faster, as if they don't want me to pass. 

 You think maybe I should just pray for them, as well as myself, and quit trying to judge their hearts! Well, that is the suggestion I get from the Lord! What are my chances of doing it? Maybe 40%, if I am not in a hurry! Do you see what I mean? Think about it, and then ask, "Where is the Lord in this?" 

 That might sound foolish, but it is the little things like that we tend to ignore and not think that much about. He is coming soon! Don't be found beating your fellow servants, when He comes...

"Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12-13 KJV) 

"Great Misunderstanding!"

 "The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God." (John 19:7 KJV)

  "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." (Isaiah 53:1-2 NLT)

 Before I say anything, I must make something clear: I am not complaining about my life, being broken is not something I am ashamed of, or something that I feel I don't deserve; it is my cross to bear, and I am more than humbled and thankful that I am privileged to take care of someone who I consider to be a part of me, for we are one in Christ! In that regard, I am broken, because there is a part of me that cannot be or do the things that once could be done! Other than that, my love for her is greater, because God has shown me how to love unconditionally! 

 And then there is this word, "made," which in and of itself does not work! Nothing can be made from nothing, because there is only One that can make something from nothing, and that is GOD! Oh, my goodness! If you might be forced into a life that might seem overwhelming and tragic, embrace that life and thank God for something special! You are a light, meant to be shinning and a testimony of God's great love and purposes! 

 As crazy as that might sound, it is the way God works! We are His workmanship, made for something that is not ordinary, but extraordinary and set apart to be a witness of God's great love! If you have been diagnosed with a sickness that might lead to death, then you are gifted with a chance to show off the hope within you, to be with the Lord! Let your light shine brightly, because you can make a great impact on those that otherwise may not pay attention. 

 If you are God's child, then you are in His hand and He has made you what you are, for His glory! He is not the one who caused you to be bad, injured, or sick; but He did know what would happen to you, and He knows best what to do with you, after you're broken! If you need some proof, look at Paul's life and you will see, a broken man, that is used of God! 

 Now, "made," is the word that was expressed here by the Jews, saying, "he made himself the Son of God." To be factual, the Son of God, was brought into this world by the Holy Spirit, as we read, "The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God."" (Luke 1:35 NLT)

 Somewhere they were misinformed and did not get the memo! "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6 NLT) So the point about Him making Himself, was not true: He was given to us by the Father! Made into a Man, so that He was able to be broken...

"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 is 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!" (Isaiah 53:3-4 NLT)

  

"Too Hot to Handle"

 "When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him." (John 19:6 KJV)

  ""'Don't be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It's a lie! Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours, and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, "We are safe!" - only to go right back to all those evils again? Don't you yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears my name, has become a den of thieves? Surely I see all the evil going on there. I, the LORD, have spoken!'"" (Jeremiah 7:8-11 NLT)

 Forgive me if I might have spoken too much about stuff that we know nothing about! Seriously, nobody really knows what God knows! But He has told us in His love-letter, that He knows everything, that there is nothing hidden from His sight, and that He has known us, even before we were in our mother's womb. But even then, we still don't know enough about what God knows, that we might try to write a book about it! 

 When they saw, 'The Man,' they became horrified! Offended, yes; but there was too much to take in, seeing a man marred so badly, crowned with thorns piercing His head, blood running down His face, and wearing a rob, to show His royalty and stature. It was way too much to take in! The only thing they could do, besides looking away, was to get angry and fiercely yell out: "Crucify him, crucify him!"   

 If you could only see what God saw, in their hearts! There is nothing we can see in the hearts of those we know; it is hard to know our own heart, let alone the heart within someone else. But God can see your heart, before you do something, while you are doing something, and after you have done something; He sees everything within you! Don't you think by that, that He can see your every move! 

 That wasn't a question, it was a statement to be considered and to think about! I would think by now that the chief priests might have remembered what was written about Jesus, having seen Him beaten so badly, they might have remembered what they had read, from childhood, no doubt! But this was not what they assumed would be, or they would have not been so quick to judge Him. 

 There is something that has been tearing at my heart, for two years now, (man, how time flies!), which involves the man's responsibility to be the head of his household. It was brought to my attention, when I watched a movie called, "Unstoppable", which was put out by Kirk Cameron. Whenever I try and share what God has put upon my heart, I seem to offend any brother I speak to, and they tell me, without saying it, "To shut my mouth!" 

 It is hard to share, but it is something I feel needs to be done! You that might have been following this blog, should know by now that I have been broken: if you don't know, then I will let you know: I am a broken man! My wife is broken, and I can't fix her; and all I can do is to care for her and hold her in my arms, hoping for some sort of reaction! 

 That said, I can seriously say that God has me, and my wife, right where He wants us to be! Crazy as it might sound, it is more about love, than it is about living...

"For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word." (Ephesians 5:25-26 NLT) 

"Behold, The Man!"

 "Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!" (John 19:5 KJV)

  (Young Man) "I have entered my garden, my treasure, my bride! I gather myrrh with my spices and eat honeycomb with my honey. I drink wine with my milk." (Young Women of Jerusalem) "Oh, lover and beloved, eat and drink! Yes, drink deeply of your love!" (SONG OF SONGS 5:1 NLT)

 Okay, let's try this again! God knows everything, as it is said: "God does not learn!" What that means, is that He cannot be taught anything, because He already knows everything! I know that might be hard for some to understand, but you must make it a thing to know and believe, whether you have the ability to understand it or not, it is what it is! 

 God knows what you did last night, and He knows what you will do tomorrow; He already knows when you will take your final breath; so, you cannot prolong or shorten that time, because whatever time it is or will be, He already knows the precise second your life will end. In that same sequence and with that same ability, God knows who will accept His free gift of salvation, and those that will not! We, on the other hand are completely and absolutely clueless! 

 That said, we must make every effort to share our faith with whomever will listen, because that is what it takes to reach those that will be saved! We don't know who or how, but we just do our best to do our part, and God does the rest! "It's so crazy, it just might, work!" 

 Anywho! Today's post hurts to examine, because it shows us the human side of the Son of Man! Yes, He is God; The Great I AM, the Creator of Heaven and earth; otherwise known, as The LORD of Heaven's Armies! And He, 'Emmanuel,' which means God with us, has just stepped out onto the stage to present Himself, bloodied and stricken, beaten and all banged up, He stands before them wearing a crown of thorns and a purple robe! 

 "Majestic", is the word the angel's might have whispered! The same host of Heaven that sang at the time of His birth, were there to witness this, and they were in awe! As Isaiah penned: "But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed." (Isaiah 53:5 NLT) 

 We must understand that there are two different plains that we are dealing with: one is the world in which we now live in, which is temporal and dying, day by day; the other is the eternal, ever existing Kingdom of God, that never ever dies or fades, and is technically all around us! We don't see it, but some can and have, if but just for a glimpse of time, because there is no time associated with Heaven! 

 Call me crazy, but there is more to this life than meets the eye! This flesh, although it is to be treated with respect, it is only a temporary tent that our soul dwells within. As such, this Tent which Jesus is wearing, although it has been ripped apart, His glory still is 100% intact and just the way He was meant to be, in that exact moment; "It's so crazy, it just might work!": stripes and all; all for us... 

"Christ it 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 the 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)

"Be It Known"

 "Pilate therefore went forth again, and said unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him." (John 19:4 KJV)

  "So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone, a new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 5:16-17 NLT)

 After thinking about what it means when we do not respect God, it came to my attention that it is really us that gets harmed by that, because God's love is what we disrespect! Imagine what that looks like, if you can? He holds His arms out to us, wanting to take us in, as His children; we run away, making a total and complete mess of our lives, and end up missing out on something that we need, more than the air that we breath! 

 All right, I said my piece, as did Pilate to the crowd! "Be it known!" Is the long and short of it; as if it were a surprise, even after he had Jesus scourged and humiliated by his soldiers; he prepares to bring Him out and show that the punishment is on them, because he still thinks that Jesus is innocent! I know, it is weird, but that is how politicians think: everything is our fault, they never do anything wrong, it is all the fault of the people; the complainers, the protester's, the ones who don't follow instructions; we are just subjects, that need to be shown what to do. 

 I digress! This point of the story is not just ugly, it makes no sense! However, I believe that John is showing this in order to demonstrate how God's will cannot be altered! No matter what we do, or how hard we try, if it is meant to be, then it is meant to be: Period! I know that might sound as if we don't have any choice; but it is always about choice, we just fail to make the right choice, which God already knows that we will do! 

 What do you want to be? Do you want to be His child, or be lost and thrown in the fire? It's your choice! Where do you see yourself ending up, heaven or hell? Once upon a time, I believed that I was destined for hell; almost even got a tattoo that said it, as if I was proud to be a rebel! But, God, who is not able that any of His be lost, snatched me up and out of the fire, knowing full well that I would fall madly in love with Him! 

 Doesn't that seem as though we don't have a choice? Well, from this perspective it might, because we don't really know any better! Just know this: When He calls you, you had better make the right choice...

"And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:18-21 NLT) 

"And No Respect!"

 "And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands." (John 19:3 KJV)

  ""Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don't beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you. Don't you see what they are doing throughout the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? No wonder I am so angry! Watch how the children gather wood and the fathers build sacrificial fires. See how the women knead dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. And they pour out liquid offerings to their other idol gods! Am I the one they are hurting? asks the LORD. "Most of all, they hurt themselves, to their own shame."" (Jeremiah 7:16-19 NLT)

  It really doesn't take much knowledge of the Bible to understand that the fear of the LORD is the real beginning of wisdom! Would you jump off a cliff, knowing that you can't survive the fall? That would be stupid, unless you were trying to end your life. But there is no difference in that, then there is in giving no respect to the One that holds you in His hand! 

 That really doesn't relate to this, because these soldiers really did not know who Jesus really was; if they did know who He really was, this little escapade may not have taken place! Then again, as weird as it might sound, this too was meant to happen! There had to be a direct act of disrespect and hatred towards Jesus, for almost everyone, except His followers. And even they, really didn't want to stand up for Him! 

 This too is part and parcel to the power of the cross of Christ! There is so much hate in mankind, mostly based upon things that really don't even exist; they are filled with hate based upon their own lack of interest in knowing the truth. The problem is, they know the truth, they just do not wish to believe it! 

 Paul makes this point in Romans, saying, "But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God." (Romans 1:18-20 NLT)

 Much as He says in Jeremiah 7:19, ""Am I the one that are hurting? asks the LORD. "Most of all, they hurt themselves, to their own shame." If any one of these soldiers were standing guard at the cross, or kneeling down below the cross, throwing dice for His robe, having seen the sky go dark and the earth quake, they would have not felt so proud of the way they disrespected Him!   

 I can somewhat relate! As it was, I believed in God for most of my life growing up; yet I only really called out to Him when I felt I needed His help. I do recall one time when I didn't necessarily need Him to help me, but I was feeling sad for my mom, as I was thirteen, and had run away from home for several months. I called home just to let her know I was still alive and felt sad for her after the call.

 I was living on top of a hill in a public park, sitting up there gazing at the stars, and began to have a conversation with God. Maybe I really was talking to Him, or maybe it was just my imagination, but either way, I left that place feeling as though He had soothed my soul. 

 When I was in jail, before I had received Christ Jesus in my heart almost a decade later, I had a very similar experience, as I sat outside a church that was in the compound. I was maybe 50 yards away, sitting in the adjacent field, watching the silhouettes of the prisoners inside, raising their hand and praising the Lord. I started to pray for them, as if they were being deceived by religion; but found myself crying. I thought I was crying for them; but as it turned out, I was crying for myself! 

 I have said this before, and I will say it again: If anyone says that God does not here or listen to sinners, I will call them a liar! How else can you ask God to forgive you for your sins, if you can't ask Him yourself...

"Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshipping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshipped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles." (Romans 1:21-23 NLT) 

   

"The Crown and Vesture"

 "And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe," (John 19:2 KJV)

  "But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all! Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, "Is this the one who relies on the LORD? Then let the LORD save him! If the LORD loves him so much, let the LORD rescue him!"" (Psalm 22:6-8 NLT)

 There is so many things that we can take away from this, both spiritually and physically; but the main things that I feel need to be addressed, are the specific's that speak to man's suffering and condition. This requires the need to see what was done from the fall, both God's judgment, and man's need for a Savior! 

 This has been covered before; I don't remember when, but it was maybe eight years ago. We are looking at the crown of thorns, which is actually thorny and is making marks of blood on Jesus' head. If you recall, the curse that Adam received for having disobeyed God, it was that his labor to provide for his family would be challenged by thorns and thistles; and God said, 

  "Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweet of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:17-19 NLT) 

 What I believe this crown of thorns represents is the curse that was placed upon the ground as Jesus was not only covering for sins, but He has taken on every single condition relevant to man's fallen condition. We can see much of this spoken by Jesus, as He gives many examples of the opposite to this curse: such as, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give is light." (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT) 

 I'm not saying everything is easy, because Jesus never promised us that life world be easy! But what we are talking about is the soul! The punishment placed upon Adam was towards the flesh; that which God had formed from the dirt; then God breathed life into it, and man became a living soul! When Paul speaks about crucifying the flesh, he is not saying that his flesh has no more power, but that it has been placed under the power of the Holy Spirit. By which, we are now to be walking in the power of the Spirit, not the power of the flesh! (That is not easy, either!) 

 Life is still a battle, and it is hard to live godly lives; but the more we follow and abide in Christ Jesus, the easier and godlier it gets! As for the vesture, that is the sin! The royal robe, dipped in blood; the blood of the Crimson worm...

""Come now, let's settle this," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool."" (Isaiah 1:18 NLT) 

   

"Scourged!"

 "Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him." (John 19:1 KJV)

  "The Sovereign LORD has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will. The Sovereign LORD has spoken to me, and I have listened. I have not rebelled or turned away. I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting." (Isaiah 50:4-6 NLT)

 "O that in meditating on these things we may experimentally know the power of Christ's death, and the fellowship of his sufferings!" (Matthew Henry) As previously stated, it is believed that John wrote this Gospel Message towards the end of his life. Which makes the possibility of him to have had a chance to read the other Gospel Messages, first, before he had written his own version of the events.

 Also, according to many, especially Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D, John had written 1:19 to 21:24 prior to the verses we see in 1:1 to 1:18, as well as 21:25; these are to show the Deity of Jesus Christ, that He was, and is, and always will be, God Almighty! Do you really know what that means, and why it matters so much that we understand it? 

 First of all, The Creator of Heaven and earth, the One who made you and knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb; He stepped down into this fallen world to be offered as a sacrifice for your sins! Not only yours, but the sins of the entire world; including those that sent Him to the cross, those that spit on His face, those that pulled out His beard, and especially the one that put those stipes upon His back! 

 I say, especially, because that was probably the most brutal thing that He had happen to Him. Yes, the cross was horrible, and it caused great suffering; but this man who had the honor of whipping Him, this man's beating was withstood and taken, with the greatest of humility! You can't even imagine what it might have been like, to be able to stop it, to slay that man beating you, with just a thought; yet to take everything you were given, as if you deserved it! 

 Secondly: Wow! Think about anything that might cause you to blame God for? Your illness, financial issues, your punishment or chastisement for sins; and then think about what Jesus did, to give you eternal life!  When Jesus committed to the task He was given, He owned it...

"Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will not be put to shame. He who gives me justice is near. Who will dare to bring charges against me now? Let them appear!" (Isaiah 50:7-8 NLT) 

 

"Jesus Sentenced to Death"

  "The Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple rob on him. "Hail! King of the Jews!" they mocked, as they slapped him across the face.

 Pilate went outside again and said to the people, "I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty." Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, "Look, here is the man." 

 When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" 

 "Take him yourselves and crucify him," Pilate said. "I find him not guilty." 

 The Jewish leaders replied, "By our law he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God." 

 When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave no answer. "Why don't you talk to me?" Pilate demanded. "Don't you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?" 

 Then Jesus said, "You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin." 

 Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders shouted, "If you release this man, you are no friend of Ceasar.' Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Ceasar." 

 When they said this, Pilate brought Jesus out again to them again. Then Pilate sat down on the judgment seat on the platform that is called the Stone Pavement (in Hebrew, Gabbatha). It was now about noon on the day of preparation for the Passover. And Pilate said to the people, "Look, here is your King!" 

 "Away with him," they yelled. "Away with him! Crucify him!" 

 "What? Crucify your king?" Pilate asked. 

 "We have no king but Ceasar," the leading priests shouted back. 

 Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified." (John 19:1-16 NLT) 

"Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men. So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall be considered." (Isaiah 52:13-15 KJV) 

 This was quite the task, typing all of this without weeping and seeing these images in my mind! This might be the wrong time or season to be dealing with this; but then again, maybe, it just might work! 

 As it is, this time of year the goons and goblins come out, so to speak. For the first time in a long time, I feel as though I really want no part of this festive celebration. Even though I know there are loved ones that will go all out to make this a fun-filled night for the kids, it just seems like this year, it has taken on a whole different character! 

 Maybe it's just me, but then again, I think that I am not alone as our familiar event at church doesn't seem as though it has gotten as much interest. The last two years I took part in handing out candy, but even though it was fun, I still think that I might pass, turn out the lights, and pray for lost souls! 

 Besides, have you noticed the price for a bag of candy! $18.00 for a bag, and in my neighborhood, I would need at least ten or fifteen bags; and even then, we still run out of candy before the last group shows up. If I am going to buy bags of candy, it's going to go to the church; at least that might work for good, and there might be a few souls saved in the process...

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (STAND!) (2 Corinthians 10:3-6 KJV) 

"Hardened Hearts"

 "Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber." (John 18:40 KJV) 

  "Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd, "People of Israel," he said, "what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - the God of all our ancestors - who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate's decision to release him. You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact! Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed - and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus' name has healed him before your very eyes."" (Acts 3:12-16 NLT)

 Yes, we can change our hearts, for the sake of envy, lust, and person desires! Once we have turned to pick up that which once was holding us in false satisfaction, it really doesn't take much to make our hearts turn back into stone! Such is the case, despite the Holy Spirit telling us not do it, we only try harder and harder to get our own way; like a dog returning to its vomit! 

 Been there, done that! More than I care to talk about, over the last 42 years of walking with the Lord. In the case of trying to be honest, most of the times I felt as though I was entitled to do what I was doing, as if the hard work I put into serving the Lord gave me the right to treat myself to some personal pleasures. You can laugh at that if you want to; but it's more real than you might think. 

 What was it that made David stay back from going to war? Wasn't it his thoughts of having the right to take a break? Having defeated so many already, it wasn't it something he felt entitled to do? One thing leads to another: each becoming more and more lethal, ugly; making the heart harder; till you don't even see the damage that you have done, no matter what length's your passions take you! 

 Anywho, that's my take on what is going on here; as these, so called, men of God, have no compassion what soever; they can't even see why they hate Jesus so much, except for the fact that He is more perfect than they are; which fills them with envy! Just like Cain towards Able, there was a hardened heart that could do nothing but become harder and harder. 

 There is only one way that we can change our hard hearts, and that is to ask and allow God to change it! God knows our hearts, we do not! I really don't care what you might think your heart is like, because if your buttons are pushed in just the wrong way, you're not going to control your passions! 

 When I was growing up, and when we were studying with the J.W.'s, my mom would say that Jesus really wasn't perfect, as some might think. She based that statement upon what Jesus did, more than once, turning over the tables in the Temple and chasing out all the moneychanger's; which was the point that the J.W.'s would use to show Jesus was not perfect. 

 I'm sorry to inform anyone that feels that way too, but Jesus was passionate about His Father's house! It was not for His own benefit that He did this; besides, He would be the final sacrifice for sin; so those selling and making money in the Temple, they really didn't count! (No pun intended!) 

 Do you want to change your heart? Then allow God to change it; but it is going to require sacrifice...

"Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness. Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you. You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God." (Psalm 51:10-17 NLT) 

"Change of Heart"

 "But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?" (John 18:39 KJV)

  ""The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But, I the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve."" (Jeremiah 17:9-10 NLT)

 Quick question: Can we really seriously change our heart for good? I absolutely know that we can change it to become hard and wicked; but is there anything we can do on our own that will cause our hearts to do good? Just something to think about, because the heart does what it does, as soon as it is tested. 

 We really don't need to study this verse very long, in order to see that Pilate had a change of heart towards the King of the Jews! Yes, he might have set out to have him released, telling the Jews, "I find in him no fault at all." But as soon as he says this, he thinks of a way to appease them, adding to that, by calling Jesus the King of the Jews. Not only did he give them an ultimatum, but he stuck a dagger in their hearts by the way he presented it, "will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews." 

 "Ultimatum," 'is a word that says, this is my final demand or statement of terms, the rejection of which will result in retaliation or a breakdown in relations.' In other words, this was their only choice, choose someone to be released, but if you want this man killed, you had better pick someone else! 

 I heard a message yesterday that reminded me of this, as I was thinking of the title for this verse, if, that is, I wasn't doing a second part to verse 38! If I would have, it would have been based upon the words that Pilate said, "I find in him no fault at all." But after hearing that message, I realized he did not care if he was killed anyway, as long as he didn't make the call. 

 This was from J. Vernon McGee, as he shared about a boy that was asked if he had found Jesus. The boy responded, "I didn't know that Jesus was lost; but He sure found me!" Then he was asked about the part that he played in his salvation. The boy responded, "My part was my sin!" Then he was asked to explain what he meant, so he said, "I was lost in my sin, running from God and walking in sin; and then He chased me down and changed my heart. He saved me, that was His part; my only part was my sin!" 

 When the Apostle Paul shows us that we are saved by grace, he does not say we are saved by mercy; God's mercy was Him giving His Son, because we were dead, Jesus gave us life! Mercy is something we experience after we are saved, continually begging that God will have mercy, when we still sin. But we could have care less about either, grace or mercy, prior to being saved; as a matter of fact, we only care about the life we lived in our sin! 

 Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve! We were retched and broken, lost in sin; the walking dead, waiting to somehow just charge our batteries again. He came to us, knocking us off our high-horse and he softened our heart, just long enough to make the right decision! So, what was our part in that? 

 "YES!" That was the only part we had, if you want to call that a part; because it was the reaction to the great need we felt for mercy! In that moment we remember how badly we treated Him, showing Him no respect; seeing what He did for us, and knowing how much He loved us, we became broken; not that we weren't already broken, but we saw just how broken we really where, and how much we needed to be saved! 

 J. Vernon added: "I sure am glad that God chose me before the world began, because if He was going to choose me after I was born, He might have changed His mind." Anywho! Keep on looking up, because the KING is coming soon! Keep telling yourself that, I you might actually be ready when He comes...

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boost about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT) 

"What Is Truth?"

 "Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all." (John 18:38 KJV)

  "And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end." (Damiel 12:8-9 KJV) 

 Hopefully, this won't get too political, because there is a whole lot of crazy stuff that is going on out there! This potion of Daniel is the part of the Tribulation, most of which is set to a certain time, but the clock really does not get started until the rapture of the church. Hopefully that is understood by most of you, because we do not know the day or the hour the rapture takes place; but those who are left, can start setting their watch, knowing exactly what comes next, and when it will be over! 

 Reading the things that take place during the Tribulation, there is really only one thing that is sealed up and is a mystery, "a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals." (Revelation 5:1 KJV) To my knowledge, this "book," represents the deed to earth, and there was only One that could open the book, which was the Lamb of God! This is where the earth becomes the Lord's, and He is able to take it back from the one that had been ruling it, Satan! 

 It might seem a little complicated, hard to understand, and a little mysterious, but God's ways are so much greater and above our ways, we should even try to figure it out! What we should do, is focus upon the end, letting that be what we put at the forefront of our minds; because the stuff that is in-between us and end is not only above our paygrade; it really isn't that pleasant to dwell upon. 

 With that, I would like to tell you what I think, and you can take it or leave it, it all really doesn't matter that much to me. There was this little thing about, 'wars and roomers of wars,' that Jesus spoke about; not as though it was the end, but that it showed signs of the end. Lately, there have been many serious people that have been verifying UFO,s, or as they refer to them now, UAP,s. 

 There are no aliens, just for the record; but there are reasons that these sightings are taking place, and why they have become more and more verified. Once the rapture happens, these wars will stop, and the world will unite into a One-World order; reason being, is that alien's will be the blame for all of the people that have been taken. This will also be the time when the Lamb opens the Book! 

 Some people speculate that there might be a time period of two years between the rapture and the Tribulation; I think it will be closer to six months, but that's just my opinion. Regardless, all that we see happening in this world, is not just random and beyond control, because God is still on the throne, still waiting the that last believer to say yes to His Son; at which time, He will say: 'Son, go get your Bride!' 

 By the way, I taught about something amazing yesterday, about the "Wedding Banquet" Jesus spoke about, saying, "the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to this." In this parable, the king offers to get all those that are his chosen to come to his banquet, but none of them came; so, he tells his servants to call all the common people in off the streets. (Matthew 22:1-14)

 This is what I saw from this, that those that were chosen were Israel, and those that were called, randomly, were the Gentile's! But wait, it gets better! The master had everyone given a Wedding Garment to wear, as they entered into the Banquet Hall; yet he noticed that someone did not have his Wedding Garment on. 

 The Wedding Garment is the Righteousness of Christ! If you are not clothed in the Righteousness of Christ, you will not be allowed in the Banquet! That is Truth...

"Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you." (Galatians 3:24-29 NLT)  

"For This Cause" - 2

 "Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." (John 18:37 KJV) 

  "For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him for your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory." (1 Peter 1:18-21 NLT)

 Just so you know, there is nothing we can do to undo the things we might have done; nor, can we go back and fix anything by doing the things we should have done! These are the things of life, once the day has been ended, the day is done! Which reminds me of something that I hardly ever remember doing: Do not go to sleep with anger towards your spouse!  

 We might have had some spats and things might have gotten ugly a time or two; but we always made sure that we came together to pray, asking God to forgive us! And never ever leave, as if you are giving up! It might sound easy, but it must be something you are committed to do, no matter what. 

 Anywho, this is something that Jesus was determined to do, because this is what He came to do: To undo all that had been done, from the very first sin, to the very last, He came to pay the price for us to be free from sin, because it was a price that we could never have paid! That is the Truth! No matter what we might try, or how hard we might work towards pleasing God, we could never erase the sin that is in us, ever! 

 This statement, "Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice," is confirmation that we understand that He died for our sins and has given us new life! This is made possible by what He has done on the cross, and nothing we have done is responsible for removing our sins from us, absolutely nothing! This is totally and completely a gift from God, which is there for the taking! 

 Therefore, those things which have passed, we might regret them and be anguished over them, but just like our ability to remove our own sins, we have nothing we can do to change them! But God!!! God can turn ashes into beauty and bring dry bones back to life! There is nothing God cannot do, and then some; much more than we could ever wish or pray for, He can do better! 

 I guess what I am trying to say, is that we are guaranteed a New Life, there is no way that we can turn back and undo what God has done! You might think you can quit, buy if you have truly been born again, your life is in Christ, and He is in you; your pretty much stuck and there is nothing you can do! 

 I know that I will have people that will disagree with what I just said; but as long as I believe it, then I keep believing and will always hear His voice; even if I stumble, or fall, or turn by back, I must not quit believing, no matter what! No matter how my day has ended, it never ends without me asking for God forgiveness...

 "You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth. So now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all of your hearts. For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, "People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever." And that word is the Good News that was preached to you." (1 Peter 1:22-25 NLT) 

"For This Cause"

"Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." (John 18:37 KJV)

  "But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, alone with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault in you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen." (1 Timothy 6:11-16 NLT)

 Sorry for the long reading, but I could not leave out anything, as this is something I feel has been too late and little spoken about, especially among brothers and warriors of the Lord! Have you ever wondered why it is that we can so easily fall into a life that is filled with compromises? If I told you that it was based upon our faith, would you believe me? 

 I can't help but think of something I saw, (or felt is more like it,) which was the way Jesus asked Peter three times, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" A topic to be looked at later, but for the moment, I feel the need to share just one thing: Do we love Him enough to give Him our life? I'm not saying life, as in being killed; but it is about life, and in the pleasures of this world we want to hold onto, even though we might feel uncomfortable in our participation of them. 

 I'm not talking about sin, unless it is convicting to you, and you do it anyways; but little things like smoking, drinking, and maybe watching movies that you shouldn't watch. Those are the things that we might do at home, but most likely will not do when we are hanging out with fellow believers. 

 Without getting too legalistic, I will tell you a little secret that I have learned, by experience: Your life in Christ Jesus begins at home! If you are not being a good example of a godly man or woman at home, then you are hiding behind a mask out in public and in church. Even if you think you're doing okay, but you family isn't, you're not okay! 

 This is a result of having compromises; little things, turn into bigger things, without even realizing that those you care about the most, may not believe you are all that serious about serving the Lord. Sorry, but I just had to get that off my chest! I think I will continue to share, "For This Cause," tomorrow, Lord willing!  

 If you want to practice anything to help, insert your name, in place of Timothy: "But you, Richard, are a man of God"...

""Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink - even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk - it's all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food."" (Isaiah 55:1-2 NLT) 

"His Kingdom Now!"

"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this would, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." (John 18:36 KJV)

  "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven's Armies will make this happen!" (Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT) 

 There is really nothing more I can add to this, except to say that Jesus has taken hold of His Kingdom, as if this task was in the can! We really can't understand what this might be like, because we have never been there; but Jesus knows what His Kingdom is like, because He has been sent from there, and knows what will happen, how it will happen, and is prepared for all that will be happening to Him! 

 Other than that, this little bit of information is to square Pilate's idea of who He really is, giving a little bit of an idea of why the Jews might want Him to be put to death. Besides that, if Jesus wanted to, He really wouldn't need servants to stop the Jews from capturing Him; He could say the word, and they would all disperse and scatter, as if they were just leaves, blowing in the wind. 

 I can recall a time, quite long ago, maybe it was around 1998; as I was home doing some reading in my Bible, there was a knock at the door from two J.W.'s. One was an elderly man, the other was a young woman; most likely she was new to this door-to-door stuff, because she was just observing what the elder man was doing. 

 I was wearing a shirt that had some slogan about Jesus, maybe it was "God's Gym", which was the one that had Jesus wearing the crown of thorns and having to cross upon His shoulders. Usually, I would have just introduced myself, said my piece, and sent them on their way; but that morning I felt as though I needed to make a point. 

 Just inside the door, was my office; on my desk was a bumper sticker that said, "Jesus Christ is Jehovah," which the elderly man saw when I opened the door. I realized that he saw it, and I knew what he believed, but for the sake of the young woman I decided to challenge him of his belief. I went and grabbed my Bible off the desk and opened it to Isaiah 9:6. 

 Before I could get a word out, he began to instruct me in the way that they believe; so, I let him have his say, and looked for an opening, praying that the Holy Spirit would speak, if not to both, but at least to the new convert. When the Spirit prompted me, I stop him from talking and said, well what about this, and read directly from my Bible, very audible, Isaiah 9:6. 

 The man walked away, in a hurry, and was leaning on the tree in front of my house, as if he was trying to catch his breath; while the young woman didn't know what to do or say. I asked if he was alright, and then told her that she should go and check on him. I never had another visit from any J.W.'s again, at the residence. 

 Please don't misunderstand me, I love the J.W.'s, because I know where they are at, and how much they are instructed to not move away from what they are taught. If they have any sort of questioning, they are instructed by the elders, and if they still have an issue, they are disfellowshipped and shunned. Even the slightest thought of what is said to be like, safely secure on the Ark, and they worry about being kick off, and not entering paradise. 

 God's Kingdom is not of this world, Period! The point Jesus is making, is not just an illusion or something that means something else! His is very serious about what He says: and we must take it to heart...

"One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, "When will the Kingdom of God come?" Jesus replied, "The Kingdom of God can't be detected by visible signs. You won't be able to say, 'Here it is!' or 'It's over there!' For the Kingdom of God is already among you."" (Luke 17:20-21 NLT)     

"Show Me!

 "Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?" (John 18:35 KJV)

  "Then what's the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision? Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God. True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful? Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, "You will be proved right in what you say, and you will your case in court."" (Romans 3:1-4 NLT)

 God sure works in mysterious ways! First off, Pilate makes it perfectly clear that he is not the one on trial; that he is not the one who has accused Jesus of anything, but that His own people, the Jews, were the ones that had brought Him to be condemned. Secondly, the fact that they have accused Him, he needs to know what Jesus has to say for Himself, and why they are so quick to have Him killed! 

 To those of us that know, based upon the Scriptures, it was all about the Passover! That event, which was celebrated year after year, to remember that night when the angel of death passed over every family that had the blood marked on their doorposts, as every firstborn son was killed in Egypt. This was what that night was all about, the Lamb of God being killed for our salvation! 

 Timing was everything; and even though God doesn't really live in time, we do, and time was made for this world when He created it. Which makes us wonder, How is God so faithful? Based upon the crazy misjustice in this world, some would blame God, as if He doesn't care about those that are killed, for absolutely no reason at all. 

 If you think that makes any sense, then you might also wonder how many protestors against Israel say that the invasion that Saturday really didn't happen, that Israel is just making it up to clear out Gaza! What rock did they crawl out from under? That is almost as crazy as thinking Jesus did something wrong to be crucified on the cross! 

 Why do you think His death was so brutal? Why was He put to shame, and made a spectacle for His enemies to mock? He took the punishment that He didn't deserve, because God cares! He doesn't like this wickedness and evil that goes on here, so much so, that He had His Son withstand it, suffer through it, and die a shameful and brutal death!  

 Everything that God allows, no matter how ugly it might be, He will judge and make good on every promise, no matter what! This world is no longer my home, although I am still here to live out my days, the place I am looking for is waiting for me...

"It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith - for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God." (Hebrews 11:8-10 NLT) 

"Look Within"

 "Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?" (John 18:34 KJV)

  "But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider he appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."" (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT)

 There are several ways to consider how and why Jesus has asked this question, the personal side is the side that Jesus would have noticed the most, because Jesus could read his heart! Therefore, the things which could be made obvious, based upon the question, is regarding the threat against his position, or the fact that he needed to know who he was standing before, ready to judge! 

 Without getting too far ahead of this, I must divert to the personal side of what this really implies: We are the ones responsible for the condition of our hearts! Yes, though we cannot know it, we know what we do, or don't do, based upon the way we live our lives. We cannot change our hearts, because in all honesty, we do not even know how; and if we could, we would most likely not get it right; mostly because we would think that we ourselves did something to change it!  

 It is God that must change our hearts; but we are the ones who must allow Him to do it! Allow is not really the proper term in some of us; as I feel, for myself, that I need to plead for God to change my heart, and then rinse and repeat, each and every day! Seriously, I can pray for God to change my heart, setting out to be the kind of man that I think I should be, only to forget what kind of man I was, without even thinking at all. 

 It's too complex, so don't try to figure it out. Just know that you need to know, God's has to change you, but you must allow Him to do it! This much I know: Israel is an example of us, we that believe in Jesus and honestly want to be followers of Christ. Without much work, Israel is pictured falling away from serving God, making their journey in life about them, and no about the God that they serve. 

 It is pretty much the same with us, on a more personal scale. Every time we get on the right path, the path somehow becomes our own, and we work it, secure it, and then realize it is built on sand! And we start all over again, doing it again and again, hoping for some sort of different outcome. 

 As to the point I made yesterday, about the fact that Pilate might have connected the dots: It is really not ours to figure out, but to know that Jesus knew his heart! Whatever reason he had to ask, was most likely based upon his conscience and how he felt that the Man standing before him did not deserve to die! Other than that, Pilate was just a man that needed some answers! 

 Do you need to know if Christ Jesus is your KING? If you think He is just your friend, think again! He calls us friend, because He loves us; but He must be the KING of our lives, or we are not His friend, indeed...

"You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy? But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, "God opposes the proud and favors the humble." So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor." (James 4:4-10 NLT)

"THE KING"

 "Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?" (John 18:33 KJV)

  "Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! For the LORD will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the LORD himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over, and you will never again fear disaster. On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, "Cheer up, Zion! Don't be afraid! For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a might savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."" (Zephaniah 3:14-17 NLT)

 Here is an interesting fact: Adam, who was the one that sinned and brought death to everyone, could be considered as, "the father of all the dead"; hypocritically speaking. At the time of Adam's sin, his wife was called, "Woman," as she was taken from man, meaning himself. After God judged all three of them, Satan, Adam, and Woman, Adam changed his wife's name to Eve, which actually means, "mother of all living." Just a little side note, to prove a simple fact: Adam and Eve were looking for Jesus to come and save the world!

 They might have been primitive, but they were not stupid or unable to figure out that Eve had no seed in her, because the man had the seed, the woman has the egg, which the seed makes fertile. Or maybe you might think that they couldn't figure that out? Don't think for a moment that Adam wasn't smart, because God made Adam to be smart, and then caused him to use his mind, naming all the animals! 

 Between the time that Pilate went out to speak to the Jewish leaders, and the time he went back into the judgment hall, he thought he might ask Jesus a question, "Art thou the King of the Jews?" Just a thought, but could it be that those Jewish leaders were unwilling to take care of Jesus themselves, as stoning was still something they did, but they needed the Roman's to be the ones that killed Him. 

 We know based upon the cross, that it was God's will for that to be the type of death, but this is more about what was inside Pilate's head! 'Is He the King of the Jews?' he might have pondered? As the story had been, 30+ years ago, King Herod had visitors from the east, who came looking for, "the Newborn King of the Jews." It was well known, because the Roman soldiers were the ones who had to kill all the male children, two years old and under. Could it be, just maybe, Pilate might have been one of those soldiers, King Herod, had sent out to kill those babies? 

 Things don't happen for no reason; God uses so many things to tie everything together for His purposes and glory...  

"For the LORD declares, "I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain." The king proclaims the LORD'S decree: "The LORD said to me, "You are my son. Today I have become your Father. Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.'" Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth! Serve the LORD with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. Submit to God's royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities - for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!" (Psalm 2:6-12 NLT) 

"Resolute!"

 "That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die." (John 18:32 KJV)

  "But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."" (Galatians 3:13 NLT)

 I really cannot guesstimate the number of times that I have spoken about this, trying to explain how it was that Jesus, being God, had to pay the perfect price for our sins. You would think that it would be easy to show any one with a brain, that only God is perfect, therefore, only God could provide Himself a perfect sacrifice! 

 Why the cross? Some people ask. God does not mess around! That is the short answer, without getting into all of the history, from the beginning; but to be quite frank, there was this certain tree that God had placed in the midst of the Garden! That was where it began, and that is where God finished it! There are so many more things which make this point; but the same tree will not be a part of New Jerusalem, that much is for sure! 

 Paul knew full well of the curse, that it was more than just the cross, but the actual offence that Jesus had died for; the whole reason He had to come from a virgin, without the seed of a man. As most of us have come to understand, 'Eve was deceived; but Adam knew full well what he was doing and did it anyway!' It was Adam that sinned, as he was the one responsible; which should make us men a little more concerned about our role as a husband and a father: We are held responsible! 

 It breaks my heart thinking about all the times I did not lead my family the way that I should have; most of which was because of my own personal sin; sins that are not really personal, at all, because they are harming everyone that I am responsible for, without even caring or realizing the harm, until it is done! You really can't undo some of those things; but I believe God can do anything! 

 That, my friends, is the only thing that keep me sane and alive, is knowing that we will all be together with Christ Jesus in Heaven! "That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled", saying, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die." Do you believe this...

"When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break, still everyone died - from the time of Adam to the time of Moses - even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:12-17 NLT)  

"Who Will Condemn Him?"

 "Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death." (John 18:31 KJV)

  ""The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to who it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor."" (Genesis 49:10 NLT)

 It might be hard to believe, but there couldn't be a crucifixion on the cross, unless the Romans were the ones that ruled the land; otherwise, Jesus would have been stoned, which really wouldn't have worked in the way God intended it to work. This has amazed me, from the very time that I accepted the Lord into my heart: that God would plan everything out, down to the persist moment in time, to the very detail; all of what was written about, would all come into His perfect plan. 

 Those who said they could not put a man to death, wasted no time stoning Stephen; yet they were not going to kill Jesus, as it would have caused many of those that followed Him to come against them. So, they gave it over to the Romans, making it look as though Jesus would have caused some sort of revolt or problem, something that would have placed the region in turmoil; something the Roman governor was there to prevent. 

 John doesn't get into much of the details, as the other Gospel messages illustrate, but he does say enough to show who was a fault, who was not, and why it all was carried out, all according to God's plan! This was the whole reason that Jesus came, as he previously quoted Jesus saying: "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."(John 3:14-15 NLT) 

 The word, "must," means that it was the way it would happen, as that snake was nailed to a pole, so it was for the way Jesus would be crucified on a cross: nailed to it and lifted up for all to see! Who then is the one that condemned Him to die? It was the Father! "For God so loved the world, that He gave is one and only Son!" Yes, that "bow," God placed in the sky, pointed the arrow up! 

 The next timer that judgment would take place upon the whole earth, this would be the One that was to be judged...

"Then the LORD said to me, "Look, Jeremiah! What do you see" And I replied, "I see a branch from an almond tree." And the LORD said, "That's right, and it means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all my plans."" (Jeremiah 1:11-12 NLT) 

"In Spite Of!

 "They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee." (John 18:30 KJV)

  "While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing will be exposed in public." (Proverbs 26:26 NLT)

 "Nothing to see here!" When you usually hear that, it is because there is something to see, they just don't want you to see what it is. That's all they got, to call Jesus an evil-doer, which doesn't really point to any particular crime, but just make him out to be someone who is doing wrong. 

 Let's pretend we don't know anything, but we are just a bystander, trying to get a look at whatever might be happening here. For example: Say you might have heard some of the evil things that Jesus might have done, like making the blind to see. Maybe the blind person didn't want to see, and now he has to get a real job! How about raising the dead to life? The dead guy was in Abraham's bosom, now he is back to die all over again! 

 To be real, these are just a couple of the things that these Jewish leaders actually knew Jesus did; they had complete and vivid proof that these things were done. In spite of what they knew, they called Him an evil-doer, without letting the good that He had done be known. There are just too many similarities here, much of which is hitting too close to home! 

 Did you know, for example, that Donald Trump has been blamed for the attack on Israel? Yes, the simple fact that he did a couple of things that some didn't like, like setting up the "Abraham Accord," and making Jerusalem to be declared Israel's capital; things like that set the region into chaos, and he is to blame! 

 These are not quite the same things, but the spite is very similar! However, on a very good note: The crazies are coming out of the woodwork and are being exposed. There are several things that are being discovered, that were once cancelled and no one was paying attention to, but now the proverbial cat is being exposed and let out of the bag! 

 All of that said! God is still on His Throne! He has the last say in everything, and His Will, will be done! What we must do, every chance we get, is to pray that we are doing His will, and that we do it well...

"I don't want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness." (1 Corinthians 10:1-5 NLT) 

"State Your Case"

 "Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?" (John 18:29 KJV)

  "LORD, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea! Don't turn away from me in my distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly when I call to you." (PSALM 102:1-2 NLT)

 Maybe we don't really understand it, but most of what goes wrong in our lives, really isn't about us! To be clear, when it says, "All things work together for good," the good that happens, may not be our own, but meant for something or someone else. Just a little thought to help brighten your day! 

 If you read the other illustrations of this event, then you would know that Pilate really didn't want to condemn Jesus, because he was very confused by any of the charges against Him. As a matter of fact, even his wife warned him against it, which was why in the movie about it, Pilate washed his hands, literally, after declaring the sentence against Jesus. 

 This is the point of where I am going: As God's servants, we really seldom get what we want, but we have the honor and the privilege of being a part of what God wants, even if it might hurt or feel uncomfortable in the process! Pilate might not have felt comfortable making his decision, but it was God's choice to see that he did; so, he really didn't have a choice, it was bound to happen, no matter what!   

 If you are going through something, not really understanding why, or wondering how this could possibly happen for the good; don't focus upon the situation you might be in, but focus on the goodness of God, knowing that He loves you, no matter what might happen, you will be with Him always, forever and ever! Thinking upon the eternal, not about the temporary, because this too will pass! 

 Now, this might not feel as though it makes much sense; but sometimes we just don't get the answer we want, when we want it, and the way we expect it to be delivered. When Jesus spoke to the disciples about how to pray, the, "Ask, Seek, and Knock," was about consistent and determined prayer. How often do we pray like that? 

 That was the point Jesus made, saying, "But I tell you this - though he won't do it for friendship's sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence." (Luke 11:8 NLT) Sometimes we will not get the answers we are looking for; but have we sought hard for the answers? Or are we just curiously wanting to know? 

 Better yet, are we worried about being judged? The answers that you seek, may not be the answers you want; especially if they are brought out into the open. Just saying...

"What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are wrong - you want only what will give you pleasure." (James 4:1-3 NLT)  

"The Hall of Judgment"

 "Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover." (John 18:28 KJV)

  "What sorrows await you who say, "If only the day of the LORD were here!" You have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will bring darkness, not light. In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion - only to meet a bear. Escaping from the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house - and he's bitten by a snake. Yes, the day of the LORD will be dark and hopeless, without a ray of joy or hope." (Amos 5:18-20 NLT)

 If you are looking for some sort of reason for them to worry about being defiled, it would probably be the signs of Roman statues or banners that displayed the image of Cesear. However, I seriously doubt that is the case! No, this is about having their hands in the pot, so to speak; turning Jesus over to the Roman's, letting them have Him put to death, that the people would not put the blame on them!

 Not sure if that resonates any sort of imagines in your mind, because their plot or scheme, will not hide the fact that this was their doing. Besides that, God knew the truth, Jesus absolutely knew what they were doing, and even the disciples would soon figure it out! Other than that, they had already convinced themselves that God was not going to judge them, so why take a chance that the secular court might hold their feet to the fire! 

 Supposably, this was one of the palaces that Herod had built, which the Roman governor used for his residence, as well as the Hall of Justice. That is the reason Pilate was so easily summoned, at whatever time in the morning, this might have been. Matthew Henry points out that it was early, because they were trying to get the sentencing over before people might show up and try to come to Jesus' defense.   

 As it was, they had their own people there, to make a case against Christ! A Case for Christ! I think I own that movie; maybe I should watch it again! That is the total opposite of what we are witnessing here, because the people in charge of putting Jesus to death, they are tearing down all of the evidence: all the prophecies that they should have known, all the miracles that they should have admired; each and every sign of Deity, they ignored, making their hearts harder and harder to the truth before them! 

 So, yes, this was there moment to pass the buck; making it a little bit easier to partake in the Passover! Do you see the point of the prophecy of Amos? There is no way that they will out-run or hide from justice! The Hall of Judgment will be their own house...

"And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he will answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends." (Zechariah 13:6 KJV)   

 

"Jesus' Trial before Pilate"

 "Jesus' trail before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn't go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn't be allowed to celebrate the Passover. So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, "What is your charge against this man?" 

 "We wouldn't have handed him over to you if he weren't a criminal!" they retorted.

 "Then take him away and judge him be your own law," Pilare told them.

 "Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone," the Jewish leaders replied. (This fulfilled Jesus' prediction about the way he would die.)

 Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. "Are you the king of the Jews?" he asked him. 

 Jesus replied, "Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?" 

 "Am I a Jew?" Pilate retorted. "Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?" 

 Jesus answered, "My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world."

 Pilate said, "So you are a king?" 

 Jesus responded, "You say I am king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true."

 "What is truth?" Pilate asked. Then he went out to the people and told them, "He is not guilty of any crime. But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this 'King of the Jews?" 

 But they shouted back, "No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!" (Barabbas was a revolutionary.)" (John 18:28-40 NLT) 

"I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love. What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?" (Song of Songs 5:8-9 KJV) 

 Isn't interesting how we really don't recognize our own sinful actions, because our hearts are pointed in the wrong direction! There is really no other way to consider this or figure it out: if our hearts are set on something that we are determined to do, there is really nothing we will not do to make it happen. 

 I hate to admit it, but there were several times when I had sinned, even though I had been convicted that what I was doing was wrong. I even had a hard time actually making it happen as if God was putting up barriers and trying to make me rethink everything I was trying to do. 

 That might not actually be the case we see here, but for those that are trying to have Jesus killed, that will be the way they see it, if they ever figure out that they did something that was evil...

"And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" (2 Samuel 11:2-3 KJV) 

"Face the Music" - Too

 "Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew." (John 18:27 KJV)

  "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." (Genesis 6:6 KJV)

 There are several things in this world that really never change; but the heart of man can only be changed by God, otherwise, it is as hard as a rock! This word, "Repented," that is mentioned in Genesis 6:6, is a very peculiar word. Most translations have interpreted it to mean, "Sorry," as if God was sorry that He had made man. Some have it to mean, "Regretted," as if God had regret, for ever having created man. 

 When I try to imagine the look that Jesus gave Peter, I really don't think it was a look of being sorry for or regretting of; or even repenting that He had choose him to be His disciple: I see a look of pity, or of comfort; of compassion for a friend! These are also words that are taken from the Hebrew word, "naham," which is the translation for, "Repented." 

 I heard a message yesterday that really broke my heart, regarding the words of Jesus on the cross, when He said, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46) As the Pastor sharing this said: "Do you know what Jesus heard after He said that? Crickets! He heard nothing, because God had forsaken Him, and turned His back on Him!" 

 Talk about Facing the Music! Jesus took on everything, including being forsaken in our place, so that we would never be forsaken by the Father! That really made me think about how easy it is for us to turn our back on the people that we love! Maybe not literally, but in a moment, with a thought, in any situation or argument; because in our hearts, we had forsaken and turn away from them! Don't think that doesn't count, because it is causing callouses of hate upon our hearts! 

 This might not seem like the right thing to share about, but it is relevant to the message! When we have imagined these things within our mind and heart, we can become bitter towards someone without even realizing that it is happening. Each new incident or argument can become easier to react to, harder to absorb, or ignore the hate!  

 I am absolutely confident that Jesus looked at Peter with a look of compassion, to comfort him and to have pity upon him, as a friend...

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think of these things." (Philippians 4:8 KJV)    

"Face the Music"

"Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew." (John 18:27 KJV)

  "Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner - yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there." (Psalm 51:4-6 NLT)

 Back to Jacob, and the point, "what goes around comes around," I was thinking about several things that Jacob deceived people with, and how he ended up being deceived in like fashion. When he was young, his mother made him appear to be his brother, with goat skins on his arms and neck to make him feel hairy; then when he was older, his sons killed a goat, dipped Joseph's coat in its blood, and sent it back to Jacob saying Joseph was killed by a wild animal. 

 And, as if that wasn't proof enough, he was tricked into getting married to Leah, instead of Rachel; as he thought he was sleeping with Rachel, but Laban took Leah in with Jacob instead of Rachel. As the Bible says, "But when Jacob woke up in the morning - it was Leah! "What have you done to me? Jacob raged at Laban. "I worked seven years for Rachel! Why have you tricked me?" 

 Amazingly, God always works everything towards the good! Even those things we do that might be foolish, wicked, or deceitful; He can turn everything that is bad or wrong into something that works out to be part of His plans and purposes; even this situation with Peter; yes, even Peter's denial of his Lord! 

 I have chosen this title, Fase the Music, because it is exactly what we must do! Just as David did, after Nathan had informed him that his secret was not a secret with God! Not only did God know, and Nathan obviously was shown; but Joab, David's general, knew also. And, whether we can believe it or not, Satan is also well aware of our situations we put ourselves in; and he will use them against us! 

 When Jesus told Peter that Satan wanted to sift him as wheat, it wasn't these denials that would be doing the sifting, it would be the punishment that Peter would be putting upon himself, after he heard the cock crow, and made eye contact with his Lord! That must have been quite a look; much like the kinsman of the servant who Peter had cut of his ear, had looked at Peter, as they watched his assault take place.  

 His image was burned into their mind, just as Peter's image of the look from Jesus was burned into his mind; he most likely could not get it out of his mind. Every time he would close his eyes, there it was, tearing him apart! 

 Face the Music is really not something to be feared; at least not, if you are facing the Lord...

"Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me, now let me rejoice. Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return back to you." (Psalm 51:7-13 NLT) 

"Lend Me Your Ear"

 "One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him?" (John 18:26 KJV)

  "The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of trees in the garden?" "Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden," the woman replied. "It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, 'You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'" "You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman." (Genesis 3"1-4 NLT)

 Just to be clear, that old saying, "What goes around comes around," really is something that actually will happen! Is it Biblical? Yes! Does it always happen? No, not always; but the outcome might prove to be the opposite. For example, if someone might be a bully, then they will be bullied when they are vulnerable; thou, if they have been redeemed, they might be a protector of those that have been bullied. 

 There are countless examples of this in the Bible, Jacob is a prime example, as he was quite a deceiver, yet was greatly deceived about the death of Jacob by his other sons. Real as it might be, the devil is a liar; Jesus called him, "the father of lies," because he tricks people by making them think they will do well, but he actually leads them into hell! 

 In the portion of Scripture from Genesis, we have a situation where Eve, or "Woman," as she was called at this point in creation, has opened the door for the devil to flat out lie. He didn't even need to trick her, because she misquoted the words the God had said, by adding the words, "or even touch it." This became an open door for the bold-face-lie, "You won't die!" 

 I was listening to Pastor Mike yesterday, and he was sharing about our memories and how we remember certain things better than others, based upon the situation or incident that might have occurred. For example: there is a quick memory that I have, from a time when I was about fifteen years old, as I was running across the street to see my girlfriend and didn't pay attention to a car that was coming my way. My girlfriend yelled at me to stop, and somehow, I miraculously stopped running, while the car brushed against my chest; continuing behind it, after it went by.   

 As Mike continued to speak, he actually mentioned the point about miraculous encounters where God have shown His hand of protection upon our lives. It is something that I remember vividly, because I had imagined it was the hand of God that held me back from being hit by that care; if not but for one second of time! 'It only takes a second to say goodbye,' became my motto for death, from that point on.

  Anywho, here we have Peter, warming himself by the fire, to try and get some kind of glimpse of what might be happening to Jesus. You might not need me to say much more; as it is completely obvious that this person related to the man, whom Peter cut off his ear, clearly remembers that Peter was the one who did that, because they witnessed it, and it was embedded in their mind. 

 "You made your bed, now lie in it," my mother would say...

"Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed." (Proverbs 12:19 NLT) 

 

"The Heat is On"

 "And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not." (John 18:25 KJV)

  "Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety." (Proverbs 29:25 NLT)

 To clarify a statement that I made, about the things that happen here on earth, verses those things that happen in heaven: we do things here, whether they are by accident or intentional, that are bad; those things are not going to be attached to us, once we are in heaven with the Lord. However, everything that we do here, whether it is accidental or intentional, if it is done in Christ, for love, or for the sake of God's kingdom, those things are forever secured away in heaven. There will be a test of everything done, which will be some sort of fire, whether it is real flames or a spiritual flame, everything will be tested and put to the test. If it didn't count for the Kingdom of God, it is burned up in that fire; but if it was for the Kingdom of God, it will remain, forever! 

 That's my take on that, so if you don't agree, then we will agree to disagree, but hopefully, still love one another! Other than that, I was thinking about King David as I pictured Peter warming himself by the fire. The vision I saw was David speaking with some men that were there for the battle, overlooking the valley of Elah. As he was having a conversation, he could hear the voice of someone down below, shouting and bellowing curses, taunting the army of Israel; and he was pricked in the heart! 

 If you know the story, then you know how it turned out. But, before anything could have happened, there needed to be something that would come alive in the heart of David; something that caused him to put his full trust in God, not fearing what man might do, because God is greater! That is the kind of stuff that is forever secured in Heaven! 

 Additionally, the intentional sins of David, and even those stupid mistakes, they will not be going to be taken up into heaven, they will be burned up with this earth. There will be no tears or sorrow for the foolish things that we have done, because they are not part of God's Kingdom; forever forgiven and forgotten, they will not be a part of our conversations in Heaven. 

 Again, my take on that, again, so you know the drill! When God says that all things are made new, then it means that the old things are gone! Jesus knew how much Peter would change; making his fear of man a thing of the past, and keeping his eyes fixed upon Christ Jesus. He told Peter this would be what would happen; and I believe that John had realized the magnitude of this situation, knowing full well, that without the power of God's Spirit, we are all vulnerable to the weakness of our flesh. 

 Which reminds me: This flesh stays here too...

"But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens of fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the hew heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God's righteousness." (2 Peter 3:10-13 NLT)