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Tuesday, September 1, 2015, 8:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Why Are You Afraid?” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Isaiah 5 (selected vv. NASB).
His Vineyard (vv. 1-4)
Jesus Christ, God the Son, came to earth, took on human form, suffered as we suffer and was tempted in like manner as we are tempted, yet without sin. He healed the sick, raised the dead, comforted the sorrowful, and he cast out demons. He confronted sin in sinful human beings, and called for us to deny self, die daily to sin, and to follow him in obedience. He said if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and self), we will die, but if we lose our lives (die daily to sin and self), we will live for eternity (See: Lu. 9:23-25).
There were those who loved him and who followed him, but many rejected and hated him, and eventually they had him put to death on a cross, although he had done no wrong. Yet, when he died our sins died with him. They were buried with him. And, when he was resurrected from the dead, he rose victorious over hell, Satan, sin and death. Yet, Jesus did not go through all of that just so we could escape hell or have the promise of heaven when we die. He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave himself up for us; and that we might no longer conduct our lives according to the ways of our sinful flesh, but that we might walk in the Spirit of God, living holy lives pleasing to God (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15; Ro. 8:1-14).
Yet, the modern church in America has largely gone the way of the world, and has turned the church into big business, marketed just like any other business, utilizing human reasoning, logic, and scheming (tricks) in order to draw large crowds of people to become consumers of their new product-line. They focus much attention on entertainment and the “big show,” which they call a “worship service,” because that is where they draw in their large crowds. Book studies and movies have largely replaced Bible studies, some of which teach mysticism and false doctrines. And, the hymns, many of which were filled with the doctrines of the Christian faith, have largely been replaced with feel-good songs which stir human emotions, although there are many good spiritual songs out there, too.
They dilute the gospel message, as well, to make it more appealing, less offensive, and more acceptable to the world. They teach that God does not require that we repent of our sins or that we obey him, and they teach that if we pray a specific prayer that we are now guaranteed heaven, no matter how badly we sin from this point forward. Because so many within the church have bought into this watered-down gospel, much of the church here in America has become spiritually static, while largely just going through the motions of having a walk of faith in Jesus Christ. The purpose of this diluted gospel is to reduce pressure (conviction of sin), thus reducing the risk of the gospel having much impact on our lives (on our lifestyles). It is a false grace gospel which gives free license to continue in sin.
Hedge Removed (vv. 5-7)
In many scriptures in the New Testament the church is warned against such spiritual adultery as this, and against spiritual apathy, and she is commanded to turn from sin and to obey Christ’s commandments, and to live a life worthy of her calling. The church is also warned of divine judgment if she does not repent of (turn from) her sins and obey God (See: Rev. 2-3). I believe God is going to judge his adulterous church in these final days before his return, and the purpose of the judgment will be to revive her, to restore and to purify her; to get her ready for the consummation of her marriage relationship with Jesus Christ.
In order for this to happen, the Lord must remove the hedge of protection over her, and allow her to be trampled on by the nations (See: Rev. 11:2; 13:7). The church worldwide, though, is already being trampled on by the nations, and many have already lost their lives for their testimonies for Jesus Christ and for his gospel. This New World Order “Beast” has been going throughout the world overtaking nations and murdering innocents and followers of Christ for some time now. The church in America, though, has largely been protected from such persecution, so far, but it is coming to us, as well. We will not escape. Yet, the trampling that has taken place so far in America has largely been in the form of deception and getting the church to embrace a false grace gospel which requires no death to sin or living to righteousness. In other words, the church is being destroyed from within.
With regard to this New World Order “Beast,” they stage protests, uprisings, riots, bombings, terrorist attacks, etc., often playing both sides of the conflict, in order to create chaos so that they can come into a situation as “savior” to help resolve the conflicts or problems which they first created. This is not to say that none of these conflicts are real, or that people are not really getting hurt or killed. I believe some are, but some aren’t, and it has gotten to the point where it is really difficult to know the difference. The US government is a big part of this New World Order, in that it was instrumental in giving it birth, along with its political allies. The US government, thus, which is in partnership with the institutional church, is rotten to the core, fully corrupt and wicked, and responsible for much shedding of innocent blood worldwide. The complacent and apathetic church, which gives its worship to this government, is thus culpable for all this shedding of innocent blood, even that of those who follow Jesus Christ with their lives, and this is part of the reason we are being judged.
Darkness for Light (vv. 20-23)
I believe this woe applies to the adulterous church of today, in particular here in America, which has partnered with a wicked and evil government. This church leads its members in government worship via the pledge of allegiance (fidelity, loyalty) to the government, via patriotic songs sung in the church, via honoring our soldiers and veterans of war as heroes, and via believing the lies being spread through the government-controlled media, and by way of our politicians, concerning why we are in all these other countries, etc. By partnering with our government, they have allowed the government to take precedence over Jesus Christ as head of the church, in that they allow the government to dictate to them what they can and cannot say from the pulpit, and it is only going to get much worse. So many American Christians equate worship of God with this worship of country to the point to where if you try to imply that our government and military are not telling us the truth, some Christians will think of you as evil. So many are so blinded to the truth.
Pope Francis and Barack Obama are both strong voices for this New World Order in urging the church to be less judgmental and more accepting and welcoming of all people. Now, to some degree that message has good merit, because there are a lot of self-righteous hypocritical professing-only Christians who look down on people who commit certain sins, while their worship of God is in form only, and they aren’t going anywhere spiritually themselves. We should never treat others as though we think we are better or that they should be discarded as trash. We should love all people as God loved us, and we should be merciful, but as Jesus was merciful, i.e. he told people the truth about their sin, and he lovingly called them to repentance and to faith in himself, and he encouraged them with the hope of freedom from slavery to sin and of the wonderful awesomeness of a Spirit-filled life.
Showing mercy is never placating, accepting or condoning sin in sinful human beings in order to make them feel better. It is never kind to lie to people or to give them false hope. We should always tell people the truth about sin, hell and judgment, but to do so in love, and always to give them the hope of a life free from slavery to sin and eternal life with God. Yet, Obama and the Pope are preaching a social gospel which is inclusive of all people no matter their walks of life or whether they believe in the one and only true God or not. They want to do away with all that divides the people of this world, which means doing away with the gospel as taught by Jesus and his apostles, and thus doing away with the gospel’s messengers, too. They want to bring all people under the rule of this one-world government and one-world religion, and this is their mission. Pope Francis and President Obama have both inaugurated a scheme to reform the global church. And, this reform means out with the old and in with the new, but the new is of the beast, and it is directly opposed to Jesus Christ and his gospel.
God is calling out to his church to “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes” (Rev. 18:4-5). Yet, so many who call themselves Christians will not take the exit door. One of the reasons may be that they don’t want to have their own evil deeds brought into the light. One of the main reasons may also be that they are so deceived, and so blinded by all the lies, that they truly believe they are doing what is right by staying. Yet, leaving is not just physical. Leaving means a parting with all the lies and deceptions and being willing to have God open our eyes to the truth about our nation, and about our government, and about many of our leaders in the government and in the church. Some people really don’t want to know the truth. Yet, we have to stop looking only on the surface of things, and ask the Lord to show us what lies under all the masks. We have to ask him who is really in control of our government, and where we are headed as a nation, and as the people of this world, and as the church in these troubled times.
Yet, although we have our eyes opened to the truth, we should never be afraid of what is coming or of what humans may do to us, but we should continue in Christ and in sharing the truth of the gospel as long as we are able, until Jesus takes us home to be with him.
Why Are You Afraid? / An Original Work / December 5, 2013
Based off Various Scriptures
Do not be afraid.
Your Lord is always by your side.
Serve the Lord in righteousness
Before Him all your days.
Those who hate the light
Will not come to the Lord.
They fear their deeds
Might be noticed.
So, they hate the light,
And they embrace the night.
Do not be afraid,
Although your enemy attacks.
Dare to share your testimony
Of God’s saving grace.
Do not fear their threats,
But honor Christ, your Lord.
Be prepared to give an answer
For the hope you have,
With gentleness; respect.
Why are you afraid?
For all that’s hidden will be shown.
What I tell you, speak in daylight.
Let the truth be known.
Do not be afraid
Of those who’ll take your life.
Fear the Lord with understanding.
Trust Him with your life,
And give not up to strife.
Do not be afraid.
Take courage, it is I, your Lord.
Bow before Me; now adore Me.
Oh, why do you doubt?
Listen to the Lord.
Get up, and bear His name!
Run and tell the world He loves them.
Jesus came to save.
Give Him your all today.
His Vineyard (vv. 1-4)
Let me sing now for my well-beloved
A song of my beloved concerning His vineyard.
My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill.
He dug it all around, removed its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
And He built a tower in the middle of it
And also hewed out a wine vat in it;
Then He expected it to produce good grapes,
But it produced only worthless ones.
“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
Judge between Me and My vineyard.
“What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it?
Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones?
A song of my beloved concerning His vineyard.
My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill.
He dug it all around, removed its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
And He built a tower in the middle of it
And also hewed out a wine vat in it;
Then He expected it to produce good grapes,
But it produced only worthless ones.
“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
Judge between Me and My vineyard.
“What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it?
Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones?
Jesus Christ, God the Son, came to earth, took on human form, suffered as we suffer and was tempted in like manner as we are tempted, yet without sin. He healed the sick, raised the dead, comforted the sorrowful, and he cast out demons. He confronted sin in sinful human beings, and called for us to deny self, die daily to sin, and to follow him in obedience. He said if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and self), we will die, but if we lose our lives (die daily to sin and self), we will live for eternity (See: Lu. 9:23-25).
There were those who loved him and who followed him, but many rejected and hated him, and eventually they had him put to death on a cross, although he had done no wrong. Yet, when he died our sins died with him. They were buried with him. And, when he was resurrected from the dead, he rose victorious over hell, Satan, sin and death. Yet, Jesus did not go through all of that just so we could escape hell or have the promise of heaven when we die. He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave himself up for us; and that we might no longer conduct our lives according to the ways of our sinful flesh, but that we might walk in the Spirit of God, living holy lives pleasing to God (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15; Ro. 8:1-14).
Yet, the modern church in America has largely gone the way of the world, and has turned the church into big business, marketed just like any other business, utilizing human reasoning, logic, and scheming (tricks) in order to draw large crowds of people to become consumers of their new product-line. They focus much attention on entertainment and the “big show,” which they call a “worship service,” because that is where they draw in their large crowds. Book studies and movies have largely replaced Bible studies, some of which teach mysticism and false doctrines. And, the hymns, many of which were filled with the doctrines of the Christian faith, have largely been replaced with feel-good songs which stir human emotions, although there are many good spiritual songs out there, too.
They dilute the gospel message, as well, to make it more appealing, less offensive, and more acceptable to the world. They teach that God does not require that we repent of our sins or that we obey him, and they teach that if we pray a specific prayer that we are now guaranteed heaven, no matter how badly we sin from this point forward. Because so many within the church have bought into this watered-down gospel, much of the church here in America has become spiritually static, while largely just going through the motions of having a walk of faith in Jesus Christ. The purpose of this diluted gospel is to reduce pressure (conviction of sin), thus reducing the risk of the gospel having much impact on our lives (on our lifestyles). It is a false grace gospel which gives free license to continue in sin.
Hedge Removed (vv. 5-7)
“So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard:
I will remove its hedge and it will be consumed;
I will break down its wall and it will become trampled ground.
“I will lay it waste;
It will not be pruned or hoed,
But briars and thorns will come up.
I will also charge the clouds to rain no rain on it.”
For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel
And the men of Judah His delightful plant.
Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed;
For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.
I will remove its hedge and it will be consumed;
I will break down its wall and it will become trampled ground.
“I will lay it waste;
It will not be pruned or hoed,
But briars and thorns will come up.
I will also charge the clouds to rain no rain on it.”
For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel
And the men of Judah His delightful plant.
Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed;
For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.
In many scriptures in the New Testament the church is warned against such spiritual adultery as this, and against spiritual apathy, and she is commanded to turn from sin and to obey Christ’s commandments, and to live a life worthy of her calling. The church is also warned of divine judgment if she does not repent of (turn from) her sins and obey God (See: Rev. 2-3). I believe God is going to judge his adulterous church in these final days before his return, and the purpose of the judgment will be to revive her, to restore and to purify her; to get her ready for the consummation of her marriage relationship with Jesus Christ.
In order for this to happen, the Lord must remove the hedge of protection over her, and allow her to be trampled on by the nations (See: Rev. 11:2; 13:7). The church worldwide, though, is already being trampled on by the nations, and many have already lost their lives for their testimonies for Jesus Christ and for his gospel. This New World Order “Beast” has been going throughout the world overtaking nations and murdering innocents and followers of Christ for some time now. The church in America, though, has largely been protected from such persecution, so far, but it is coming to us, as well. We will not escape. Yet, the trampling that has taken place so far in America has largely been in the form of deception and getting the church to embrace a false grace gospel which requires no death to sin or living to righteousness. In other words, the church is being destroyed from within.
With regard to this New World Order “Beast,” they stage protests, uprisings, riots, bombings, terrorist attacks, etc., often playing both sides of the conflict, in order to create chaos so that they can come into a situation as “savior” to help resolve the conflicts or problems which they first created. This is not to say that none of these conflicts are real, or that people are not really getting hurt or killed. I believe some are, but some aren’t, and it has gotten to the point where it is really difficult to know the difference. The US government is a big part of this New World Order, in that it was instrumental in giving it birth, along with its political allies. The US government, thus, which is in partnership with the institutional church, is rotten to the core, fully corrupt and wicked, and responsible for much shedding of innocent blood worldwide. The complacent and apathetic church, which gives its worship to this government, is thus culpable for all this shedding of innocent blood, even that of those who follow Jesus Christ with their lives, and this is part of the reason we are being judged.
Darkness for Light (vv. 20-23)
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
And clever in their own sight!
Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine
And valiant men in mixing strong drink,
Who justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
And clever in their own sight!
Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine
And valiant men in mixing strong drink,
Who justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!
I believe this woe applies to the adulterous church of today, in particular here in America, which has partnered with a wicked and evil government. This church leads its members in government worship via the pledge of allegiance (fidelity, loyalty) to the government, via patriotic songs sung in the church, via honoring our soldiers and veterans of war as heroes, and via believing the lies being spread through the government-controlled media, and by way of our politicians, concerning why we are in all these other countries, etc. By partnering with our government, they have allowed the government to take precedence over Jesus Christ as head of the church, in that they allow the government to dictate to them what they can and cannot say from the pulpit, and it is only going to get much worse. So many American Christians equate worship of God with this worship of country to the point to where if you try to imply that our government and military are not telling us the truth, some Christians will think of you as evil. So many are so blinded to the truth.
Pope Francis and Barack Obama are both strong voices for this New World Order in urging the church to be less judgmental and more accepting and welcoming of all people. Now, to some degree that message has good merit, because there are a lot of self-righteous hypocritical professing-only Christians who look down on people who commit certain sins, while their worship of God is in form only, and they aren’t going anywhere spiritually themselves. We should never treat others as though we think we are better or that they should be discarded as trash. We should love all people as God loved us, and we should be merciful, but as Jesus was merciful, i.e. he told people the truth about their sin, and he lovingly called them to repentance and to faith in himself, and he encouraged them with the hope of freedom from slavery to sin and of the wonderful awesomeness of a Spirit-filled life.
Showing mercy is never placating, accepting or condoning sin in sinful human beings in order to make them feel better. It is never kind to lie to people or to give them false hope. We should always tell people the truth about sin, hell and judgment, but to do so in love, and always to give them the hope of a life free from slavery to sin and eternal life with God. Yet, Obama and the Pope are preaching a social gospel which is inclusive of all people no matter their walks of life or whether they believe in the one and only true God or not. They want to do away with all that divides the people of this world, which means doing away with the gospel as taught by Jesus and his apostles, and thus doing away with the gospel’s messengers, too. They want to bring all people under the rule of this one-world government and one-world religion, and this is their mission. Pope Francis and President Obama have both inaugurated a scheme to reform the global church. And, this reform means out with the old and in with the new, but the new is of the beast, and it is directly opposed to Jesus Christ and his gospel.
God is calling out to his church to “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes” (Rev. 18:4-5). Yet, so many who call themselves Christians will not take the exit door. One of the reasons may be that they don’t want to have their own evil deeds brought into the light. One of the main reasons may also be that they are so deceived, and so blinded by all the lies, that they truly believe they are doing what is right by staying. Yet, leaving is not just physical. Leaving means a parting with all the lies and deceptions and being willing to have God open our eyes to the truth about our nation, and about our government, and about many of our leaders in the government and in the church. Some people really don’t want to know the truth. Yet, we have to stop looking only on the surface of things, and ask the Lord to show us what lies under all the masks. We have to ask him who is really in control of our government, and where we are headed as a nation, and as the people of this world, and as the church in these troubled times.
Yet, although we have our eyes opened to the truth, we should never be afraid of what is coming or of what humans may do to us, but we should continue in Christ and in sharing the truth of the gospel as long as we are able, until Jesus takes us home to be with him.
Why Are You Afraid? / An Original Work / December 5, 2013
Based off Various Scriptures
Do not be afraid.
Your Lord is always by your side.
Serve the Lord in righteousness
Before Him all your days.
Those who hate the light
Will not come to the Lord.
They fear their deeds
Might be noticed.
So, they hate the light,
And they embrace the night.
Do not be afraid,
Although your enemy attacks.
Dare to share your testimony
Of God’s saving grace.
Do not fear their threats,
But honor Christ, your Lord.
Be prepared to give an answer
For the hope you have,
With gentleness; respect.
Why are you afraid?
For all that’s hidden will be shown.
What I tell you, speak in daylight.
Let the truth be known.
Do not be afraid
Of those who’ll take your life.
Fear the Lord with understanding.
Trust Him with your life,
And give not up to strife.
Do not be afraid.
Take courage, it is I, your Lord.
Bow before Me; now adore Me.
Oh, why do you doubt?
Listen to the Lord.
Get up, and bear His name!
Run and tell the world He loves them.
Jesus came to save.
Give Him your all today.
