"Not Consumed"

August 31, 2010

“Not Consumed”

Blessings Folk!

Was praying this morning with a group of men.
We meet every Tuesday...have for years.

Pray for these men.
The decisions that they make every day effect literally thousands of people.
They want the heart of God.
They want to do what the Lord desires.

During our time together this morning a portion of the Word crossed my mind.
One verse is very familiar.
The verse before it less so.

I was particularly struck as I read from a version different from that which I memorized.

Here is the New American Standard translation…


Lam 3:21-26
21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.
22 The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, or His compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him."
25 The Lord is good to those who await for Him, To the person who seeks Him.
26 It is good that he awaits silently for the salvation of the Lord .
NASU

We have discussed in the past the glorious truth that our hope is in the Lord.
We can recall this.
We know that the lovingkindness of the Lord never ceases
His compassions never fail.
The Lord is our portion.
The Lord is our hope.
The Lord is good to those who await for Him.

Now, take a moment and read again...from a different translation...

Lam 3:21-26
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 It is of the Lord 's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord .
KJV

Did something leap out at you like it did to me?

Look at verse 22.

It is by the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed.

The NASB states that “the Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease.”
True.

But, that understanding that it is by the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed is a profound thought.

We need not be consumed by anything…

  • doubt
  • fear
  • hatred
  • depression
  • bitterness
  • envy
  • etc. etc.

The mercy of the Lord is with us.
The mercy of the Lord keeps us from receiving what we truly deserve...death, ultimate consuming.

A couple of other versions…

Lam 3:22
22 Because of the Lord 's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end.
(from Holman Christian Standard Bible® Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 by Holman Bible Publishers.)

Lam 3:27
22 Because of the Lord 's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
NIV

So adhere to this truth.

It is the mercy and love of the Lord that has protected us from receiving what we deserve.

It is the mercy and love of the Lord that will protect from that which seeks to consume us.

The mercy and love of the Lord are new every morning.
He is never failing.
He is always faithful.

He loves you.

Blessings!




"Woe to you...Kingdom Deniers"

August 30, 2010

“Woe to you...Kingdom Deniers”

Blessings folk!

A quick announcement for those of y’all local…

We will order the workbooks this week for the next Bible study. Let me know if you desire to participate...if you have yet to do so.

As we saw our last time together, Jesus was encouraging us to live in humility before one another, to exalt not ourselves.

The Lord then moves into a series of declarations to the scribes and Pharisees, the religious rulers.

We would do well to give heed to these warnings.
We would do well to go before the Lord and ask if we commit these.
I suspect that we would be amazed at how we do…

Here are a couple of them…

Matthew 23

13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
 14 ["Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.]
 15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

Jesus speaks bluntly.
He calls the religious rulers what they were - hypocrites.
They taught one way...often the correct Truth from the Word...but lived another.

Why “woe”?

Judgment was coming there way.
They would be held accountable for what they were doing.

What were they doing?

They were living lives of lies before the people.
They were shutting off the kingdom of heaven from the people.
They were not entering into the kingdom of heaven themselves.
They were actively seeking to dissuade the people from entering, especially those that were swerving too close to the truth.

The religious are alway far more in interested in keeping their “religious thing” going rather than entering into a true encounter/relationship with the Most High God.

The religious seek to gain control.
The religious seek to keep control.
The religious will manipulate...through a spirit of witchcraft...the people...all the while calling it “leadership.”
The religious rule with an iron fist.

As we have previously seen, they will heap burdens upon the people.
They will expect the folk to believe and act the way they dictate.

You think this does not happen today?

You would be wrong.

Today, “leaders” create rules and mandates that are not found in the Word.

To be a part of “their church” (which is often true...it is “their church”...the Lord has been removed) one must “give” a particular kind of way (anything other than joyfully, as your heart desires, freely, etc. is not found in the Word)

To be a part of “their church” one must agree with…?...any number of things.

It is a man-made trap that exclude people from the Kingdom.

But, it gets worse.

These hypocrites devour widow’s houses…I’ve seen this happen. They think nothing of abusing and robbing “little ole folk” in the name of the Lord. “Christian television” is full of this stuff.

Oh, these hypocrites can pray long, florid, moving prayers.
They sound good.
They look better.
The world will color them a “success”.
Many within the Body will be deceived.

Yet, they are white-washed tombs...Jude speaks of them.
They will receive not just condemnation but greater condemnation.
Wonder what that entails?
A hotter place in the lake of fire?
I do not know.
I do not want to experience it.

Finally, we see the degree to which these hypocrites will go.

They will roam land and sea to make one proselyte...to convert one to their way.
They are so successful that the convert becomes twice the son of hell that the original hypocrite is.

That is profound.

I have seen this.
I continue to see it.

It grieves the spirit to see man exalting himself and his plans.

The Lord is warning us.
Woe to us if we function in this way.

Ask God about it…

Blessings!
Fear not, things will get “worse”… Happy







"Be Ye Not Called..."

August 26, 2010

“Be Ye Not Called…”

Blessings Folk!

Let’s spend a little time in Matthew 23.
The Words of the Lord are as alive today as then.

Hear. Heed. Allow the Lord to transform us.

Read the passage…

Matthew 23
 1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
 
2 Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:

 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

 4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

 5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
 
6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
 
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
 
9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

 10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

 11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

 12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Some points.

Jesus is speaking to His disciples and to the multitude.

Jesus tells them that the scribes and Pharisees sit in the seat of Moses...in other words, they do have the “authority” to interpret and teach the Law.

Jesus then tells the folk to do as the scribes and Pharisees teach...do as they observe and teach from the Word, but do not do according to their works.

The scribes and Pharisees were hypocrites...as we will in see in abundance.

Jesus then told the disciples and multitude exactly what the religious leadership was doing…

  • tie heavy burdens and place them on men’s shoulders
  • they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger...to do what they are saying
  • all their works they do to be seen by men
  • they make broad their phylacteries
  • they enlarge the borders of their garments
  • they love the special room in the feast
  • they love the chief seats.

These guys put on a good show.
They looked great.
There is no way that you could misinterpret who they were...their position.

Many are the supposed leadership that I encounter who live the same way.

They exalt themselves.
They demand to be called “pastor”, “doctor”, “bishop”...etc. The titles actually become humorous…
They “milk” the flock for all it is worth.
They exhort and encourage the Body to do that which they will not do.

Everything is about them.

It gets worse.

  • they love the greeting in the market...not the usual greeting of love, but the greeting of position, of power, yes, of fear.
  • they love to be called “Rabbi, Rabbi”...note the repetition.
  • they love to be called Father

Jesus says these things are not to be so.

We are not to call ourselves nor receive titles of “Rabbi”, “Father.”

The leadership lorded over the people.

The same happens today.

I think today is worse.

I continue to be sickened at the amount of self-adulation from “church leadership.”

Most of what I see is the adoration and adulation of “my pastor”, “my church”.

Jesus tells us to live as servants.

Yes, we are to encourage one another.
Yes, we are to honor one another.
Yes, we are to love one another.

But, this stuff that is happening within the church today is being judged by God.

Leaders, live as servants.
Quit exalting yourself and “your” work.
Reject the adulation of man.
Restructure your situation to reflect a proper understanding of the Word and the Body of Christ.

All of us are to serve one another.

Lastly, do not let a supposed leader lord himself over you.
Much harm has come to the Body by those who exalt themselves, those who demand to be followed, obeyed, etc.
Speak the truth to them.
If they refuse to listen, shake the dust off your feet.

"Planted, Old, Fruitful"

August 17, 2010

“Planted, Old, Fruitful”

Blessings folk!

So, yesterday we examined Ecc. 12 for insight into aging.

It was not a pretty picture. Happy

True, but not particularly encouraging.

We as believers are not to simply fade away.
God has something greater planned.

Read…give close attention to…
  • what we are to do “unto the Lord.”
  • how we are to do it
  • what the Lord has done for us
  • what happens to the brutish, fool, wicked…
  • what happens to the enemy of the Lord
  • what happens to the righteous
  • the aged?

Psalm 92
 1 IT IS A GOOD THING TO GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD, AND TO SING PRAISES UNTO THY NAME, O MOST HIGH:
 
2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,
 
3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.
 
4 For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

5 O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.

6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.
 
7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:

 8 But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.
 
9 For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
 
10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
 
11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.
 
12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
 
13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.

 14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
 
15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Look at verses 12-15 again.

The righteous shall still flourish...like the palm...shall grow like a cedar...strong, tall, tough, beautiful.

“Those planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish…”?

This is a picture of living in the Presence of the Lord at all times. In the Old Testament the house of the LORD was the place of the Presence of God. Today, we as believers have the Lord residing within us. We are the very Presence of God… (you can imagine how folk pervert that truth&hellipWinking

If we live planted in His residing Presence then we will flourish in His Kingdom.

We will bring forth fruit in old age!
We will be fat and flourishing in old age.

Ok, I hear the comments about “having the fat part down pat”...read from the NASB…

12 The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree,
         He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
   
 13 Planted in the house of the LORD,
         They will flourish in the courts of our God.
   
14 They will still yield fruit in old age;
         They shall be full of sap and very green,

Great! We will be full of sap and very green.

Fat saps.

LOL Happy

This is a marvelous promise that those who dwell in the Presence of God will find their last days to be fruitful, full, vibrant with life...sap flowing is what brings forth the green leaves.

I believe our last days can be more fruitful and powerful than the younger days.

Note the last verse…

15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

The Lord does this to reveal that He is upright.
Fruitfulness in later days is evidence of a life founded upon the Rock.

The decision is ours.

Will we mope, groan, moan with the transitions of age...somewhat as Solomon was doing in Ecc. 12, or…

Will we rejoice in the Lord?
Will we be fruitful?
Will we be full and overflowing with the Life of the Lord?

Choose ye this day.

Remember, the Lord is Most High forevermore.

Blessings!



"Growing Old"

August 16, 2010

“Growing Old”

Blessings Saints!

Thanks for all the birthday greetings this past weekend.

My mom tells the story of how disappointed my paternal grandmother was that I did not wait another 90 minutes to be born. I would have then been born on her birthday. She was born today, 1895.

It is always interesting to reflect back through the decades and centuries.
We are not that far removed from what is often thought of as the distant past.

Wish you could have seen the look on my youngest daughter when she realized how old I am. She is 22, but apparently she thought that mom and dad are living in a time stasis apparatus. For a moment I saw a look of shock and…”is he getting old?” look. Cute, but sad that the reality of mortality raised its face.

We all have those moments of revelation. Happy Happy

Reflect upon the following after thinking through these questions.

What if you had unlimited money?
What if you had unlimited power?
What if you had unlimited sex?
What if you had the wisdom of God?

One would probably think that all problems would disappear.

Think again.

Solomon, second King of Israel, had all this.

Yet, read what he wrote… you will be familiar with a portion...this passage reveals what happens as one grows old…expressed in a poetic language...my comments are in parenthesis.

Ecclesiastes 12
 1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
 
(The Preacher, as he calls himself, is saying to remember the Lord from your youth on… before you reach the problems of age...before you have no pleasure in the years)

2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

 3 In the day when the keepers of the house (hands) shall tremble, and the strong men (legs/back) shall bow themselves, and the grinders (teeth) cease because they are few, and those that look out (eyes) of the windows be darkened,

 4 And the doors (ears) shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding (digestion) is low (lack of appetite), and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird (insomnia), and all the daughters of musick (voice) shall be brought low;
 
5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, (afraid of falling/walking) and the almond tree shall flourish (the blossom of the almond tree is white/grey...grey hair), and the grasshopper shall be a burden, (small things are hard) and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:

 6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. (stuff is suffering the effect of the Second Law of Thermodynamics...stuff breaks! Happy )
 
7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. (death)

 8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

Well that paints a rosy picture of growing old. LOL

So the Preacher accurately observes that as we age that things happen…

  • hands shake
  • legs and backs grow weaker
  • teeth do not grind as well...fewer of them
  • eye dim
  • hearing fades
  • appetite lessens
  • voices warble
  • material possessions age, fall apart
  • etc. etc. etc.

Yet all is not loss.

I’ll give you a really, really encouraging word related to this tomorrow…Happy

Today, read the balance of the chapter.

Solomon felt this way because he had strayed from the Lord.
His many wives (1,000 wives and concubines) led his heart away from the Lord.
(This does not mean he “lost his salvation.” It does mean he did not keep his eye upon the Lord.)

Still, the wisdom of the Lord in Solomon continued to be manifest.

9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
 
10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

 11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
 
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

So what is the conclusion of the Preacher?

Fear God.
Keep God’s commandments.
This is the whole duty of man.

Why should we do this?

God will bring every work into judgment...that should rattle us.
Every secret thing.
Good.
Evil.

Fear God!
There is hope...we will look at it tomorrow…
Want to get a head start? Psalm 92.

Pray for the Edge/McAfee family in the home-going of matriarch Edna.
A wondrous time of sorrow, grief, joy and celebration of a long life well lived.

Blessings!


"Marriage - Part 3"

August 13, 2010

Marriage - Part 3

Blessings Saints!

So, we have seen that Jesus affirmed the truth of the Lord through His Word that…
  • God created
  • God created male and female
  • God established the relationship (marriage) where the man leaves his father and mother, cleaves to his wife and the two would become one
  • God joins the male and female together.

Matthew 19
 1 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;
 2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
 3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Marriage is not to be between male and male nor female and female.
As a matter of fact from the Word, true covenant marriage can only occur between male and female.

That which is being celebrated by the world as “gay marriage” is not true marriage.
It is the creation of man.

How did we arrive at this point?

There are undoubtedly several factors.
Here are a few thoughts.

The church has done a poor job of teaching what true covenant marriage is.
The church has allowed the state to usurp the authority of God.
The church bows in deference before the state.
This should not be.

Marriage is not a contract reached under license of the state.
Marriage is covenant established by the joining together of God.

A little law stuff here...hang with me…

I was wondering about these things several years ago. Decided to investigate.
So, I took my Black’s Law Dictionary, 6th Edition, the Centennial edition, and began to check definitions. I looked up the following words in the order that will be presented.
I was amazed.

The first word I examined was “license.”
License - The permission by competent authority to do an act which, without such permission, would be illegal, a trespass, a tort, or otherwise not allowable.

Simply put, a “license” allows one to do something which otherwise would not be allowed.

(I hasten to say that most of the “licenses” of today are unconstitutional...but, that is a discussion for another time. Happy )

So, does this mean that one must receive a state endorsed license to be married?
Is the state the “competent authority” for true marriage?
What of the history of such?
Did George and Martha Washington have a state license? (Not that I can find.)
Did Lincoln? (Not that I’m aware.)

Then what is occurring here?

Next, I examined…
Marriage License - “A license or permission granted by public authority to persons who intend to intermarry…”

WHOA!
Wait!
“Intermarry”? I could not believe what I was reading.

So, I went to “intermarry”…this definition totally shocked me into awareness of the truth that had been lurking in the back of my mind. These two words confirmed everything.
Intermarry - (see “Miscegenation&rdquoWinking

I knew what “miscegenation” was. Now I wanted to know the “law definition.”

Miscegenation - mixture of the races. Term formerly applied to marriage between persons of different races.

Upon future examination one learns that “races” is not limited to that of black/white. It referred to Polish marrying Irish, etc. etc.

The biblical truth is that there is no such thing as “race”.
We are one blood.

I reached the conclusion that the “marriage license” was man’s attempt to control marriage. Once this was declared to be “illegal” under the “equal protection clause” of the Constitution, the “race” part ceased. But, the “licensing” continued.

I suspect it is a healthy revenue stream.
I also know that it opens doors of control and manipulation.

The Lord does not give us a prescribed process whereby a couple “gets married.”

There is no ceremony from Scripture by which we must prescribe...unless one accepts the multi-day, apparently heavily imbibing marriage celebration of the Jews in Jesus’ day (Jesus’ first miracle - Water into Wine.) Happy
In the Old Testament we see “...brought her into his mother’s tent.”

Genesis 24:67
And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

True marriage is the joining by God of a man and woman into a mystical, holy union that is not to be set aside by themselves or man.

Societies have many varied forms of celebrating and acknowledging such.

Marriage is to be declared and celebrated.

One of the best ways is a way of the past...a family Bible. You know the big, coffee table Bible with all the birth/death/marriage/etc. info at the front? By putting the information in the Bible, it becomes a legal document within our nation.

So, where does that leave us?

I know the arguments.

Some will say, “well, if you do not have a state license then you are not married.”
This is not true. Even the state acknowledges a marriage after a period of time. You have heard of “common-law” marriage. This is simply the state acknowledgement of a marriage (I believe after 7 years). It is derived from the common-law which predates our nation by centuries.

Some will say, “well the state has authority to require…”
Not when it comes to marriage.
Marriage is ordained by God.
Marriage is covenant executed by God.
The state has nothing to do with it.
Not our state.
Not another state.

Marriage is not contract.
Marriage is especially not contract created by man.

Some will say, “well, it really does not matter…”
Yes it does.
I’ll give you a couple of practical things. Things which I have seen for decades and which are growing in frequency.

First, the state punishes those who are married with state licenses...particularly through taxation.
Second, the state especially punishes those who we call “senior citizens.”

Here is what happens...have seen this repeatedly. A story based upon fact...

A man has been married for 40 years...his wife falls ill...suffers years, then goes to glory.
A woman has been married 50 years...her husband goes to glory.

The two meet.

Times a’wast’n. They fall in love.

Allow me use round figures (actual numbers change).

The man receives $1500 a month in state retirement.
The woman receives $1500 a month in state retirement plus the pension from her first husband’s life work.

They want to marry, but if they do, they will go from $3000 a month to $2000 and the wife will lose the pension.

One of the major demographic groups that is experiencing an explosion in “living together” is the senior adult population.

It is often for this reason.

They do no realize that marriage is not predicated upon the “license” of the state.

This is an evil being perpetrated upon those who should be receiving the greatest honor.

(There is an especially hot place in the lake of fire for those who abuse children and the older.)

Finally, (thanks for your forbearance) what does this have to do with “gay marriage”?

The varied judicial rulings that have been coming through the years are based upon man’s law, man’s interpretation and man’s agenda.

The rulings are not based upon a covenant understanding of marriage.

Marriage licensed and controlled by the state is not true marriage.

I say let Caesar have the things of Caesar.

Blessings!

"Marriage - Part 2"

August 12, 2010

Marriage - Part 2

Blessings Saints!

Be certain to read “Marriage”, August 11, 2010.

Read the Word again…

Matthew 19
 1 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;
 2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
 3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

After Jesus had finished these sayings?

What sayings?

It is always important to check the context.

Jesus had answered questions from the disciples...Matthew 18.
“Who is the greatest in the kingdom heaven?”
“How often shall I forgive my brother?”

The entire chapter speaks of forgiveness.

After these sayings...forgiveness…

The religious rulers of the day, the Pharisees, came to Jesus.
They came with the motivation to tempt him.
They had an agenda.

They inquired, “is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?”

In other words, can a man rid himself of his wife for any reason?

This is the context in which Jesus responded.

Jesus affirmed the Word. He asked “have you not read?” In other words, Pharisees, do you not know the Word of God? They did know the Word. They were using the Word to setup Jesus. They did this often...here… also with the woman “caught in adultery”, etc.

Jesus told them to check the Word for the answer.
Then, He gives them the answer.

The Word quoted the Word.

He Who made them at the beginning (truth rejected by much of the church) made them male and female.

Again, the answer is in response to an inquiry related to divorce...marriage.
Male and female.

God designed marriage, male and female, from the beginning.

Jesus is quoting Genesis 1.

For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

What cause?
Marriage.

Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

The man leaves father and mother.
The man cleaves to his wife.
The twain (two) shall be one flesh...a weaving of two into one.

Leave.
Cleave.
Weave.

This is a “supernatural”, mystical union that God creates in a joining together.
Man should not seek to put it asunder.

This is foundational to our understanding of what is happening today with the debate over “marriage”.

Generally speaking, few understand what true marriage is.

To be continued…

Pray for those on this list...some trying times…
http://www.dalemoore.tv/page9/page9.html










"Marriage - Part 1"

August 11, 2010

Marriage...

Blessings Folk!

In light of the most recent federal court ruling related to “marriage” I thought we would spend some time examining the issue of marriage, “gay marriage”, “equal rights”, etc.

Be forewarned.

This is likely to be a mutually offensive time.

Most folk simply do not know what the Lord has to say about the elements of the issue - marriage, homosexuality, covenant, man’s law and the like.

All of this is important.

The Lord did not leave us without help.

We have the Word.
We have the Holy Spirit.
We have the Truth.

Gonna take it slow. Be certain to read each communique.

Today, I want you to think about something, then read a portion of Scripture...and reflect upon it.

Jesus spoke directly of issues that through the years, and especially today, have been divisive within the Body of Christ.

Jesus spoke of Noah.

Matthew 24:37
But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Jesus affirms the biblical account of Noah.

Jesus spoke of Jonah.

Matthew 12:38-40
 38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jesus affirms the biblical account of Jonah.

Jesus spoke of Daniel, describing him as a prophet.

Matthew 24:15
"Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place ( let the reader understand),

Jesus affirmed Daniel as a prophet and his words as prophetic. (Contemporary, liberal “churches” today force Daniel into a different time period so as to make his writings that of history rather than prophecy.)

Jesus spoke of man and woman in the garden...created by God. (Read the passage giving special heed to the highlighted portion)

Matthew 19
 1 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;
 2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
 3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

The highlighted portion is a quote from Genesis 1.
Jesus affirmed creation ex nihilo (out of nothing) by God.
Jesus affirmed that male and female were made.
Jesus affirmed that male and female shall be joined together in one flesh.

Not male joined with male or female with female.

But, I jump ahead.

Now, do not get ahead of me. Remember, there will be opportunities for all to be offended. Happy

Major portions of the professing church do not believe the biblical accounts of:

Noah
Jonah
Daniel
Creation as recounted in Genesis 1-3.

They reject the Truth of the Word, thereby giving the enemy ample opportunity for deception.

For today, just remember that Jesus dealt forthrightly with the difficult issues of the day… then and now.

Let us do likewise.

Blessings!