“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself; and hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. I can of Mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and My judgment is just; because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me.”
John 5:25-30
Eternal Life
Rock or Sand?
“Not every one that saith unto Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?’ And then will I profess unto them, ‘I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
Matthew 7:21-27
Not every one who says they are a Christian is a Christian. People who say the words “Lord Lord,” and do not do what He says are lost and dying in their sins. Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Does He know you; and you know Him?
The one who hears and does his will are like the wise man who built his house on the Rock. Those who hear the words of Jesus and do not do them are like the foolish man who built his house on the sand.
Now, where do you fit in? There is no middle of the road answer here. It is one or the other. Your choice. One way leads to Jesus and heaven. The other one leads to hell and eternal destruction.
The Equality of The Father and The Son
But Jesus answered them,
“My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.”
Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. Then answered Jesus and said unto them,
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth Him all things that Himself doeth: and He will shew Him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom He will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent Him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
John 5:17-24
The Mountain Experience
And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, He took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and glistering. And, behold, there talked with Him two men, which were Moses and Elias: who appeared in glory, and spake of His decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and they that were with Him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw His glory, and the two men that stood with Him. And it came to pass, as they departed from Him, Peter said unto Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias:” not knowing what he said. While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son: hear Him. And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.
Luke 9:28-36
Not Condemned
He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 3-:18-21
Condemnation is not a good state to be in. It also means you are dead in sins and separated from God and all that is holy, righteous, and just.
Who are the condemned?
Those who have their own righteousness, because they do not kick their dog, they do not hit their wife, or their neighbor, they may use profane language a little bit, but they think that does not hurt anyone. Those who are condemned do not feel that they need any Redeemer. They are self satisfied, and think that if there is a God He will see my good works, and He will have to let me into heaven.
So who are those who are not condemned?
They are those who believe on Jesus Christ, who have fully given themselves to Him for all eternity. They have confessed their sins, and confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe that God has raised Him from the grave. The apostle Paul wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).
You do have a choice now that you know the truth of your spiritual condition. Do I stay in condemnation, in darknes, in eternal condemnation? Do I turn to Christ Jesus, him dying on the cross to pay my sin debt, that He was buried, and that He rose again, and through Him have eternal life. The choice is yours.
Be Alert, Watch
“Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. and if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.”
“Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.”
Luke 12:35-40
How does one “Be ready” when it comes to the second coming of Jesus Christ? While we are waiting for that day we must devote ourselves to Him, being diligent to pray, read and study His word.
Best of all we must have Christ as our Lord and Savior. That comes when you get to the place that you recognize Him as One who gave His life to redeem you from your sin, then, you confess Him as Lord, and believe that God has raised Him from the grave.
Be saved today, and that is the beginning of being ready, being alert, and watching your life for Jesus.
…You Would Love Me
Jesus said unto them, “If God were your Father, ye would love Me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of Myself, but He sent me. Why do ye not understand My speech? Because ye cannot hear My word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe Me not. Which of you convinceth Me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe Me? He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”
John 8:42-47
In these verses Jesus is speaking to Jewish religious leaders, who were supposed to be learned in the Scriptures. They were denying Scripture they “believed in” by rejecting their Messiah who was standing in front of them. They had called Him demon possessed, a lunatic, and a blasphemer. He is either lunatic, liar, or He is Lord. O reader where do you stand in the matter of who Jesus is?
Jesus tells them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me…” It is very important to confess both the Father, and His Son Jesus. If you deny the Son you deny the Father. If you deny the Father you deny the Son. Denying the Son as Deity is denying the Father as well. To believe in Jesus is to believe in the Father.
Who are those who deny Jesus? Those who have Satan as their father, the one who is a liar, and the father of all lies. They will not hear the word the words Jesus speaks, but seek ways to destroy Him. They will not hear His word, because they are not of God.
Dear reader where do you stand with Jesus Christ? Maybe you are an atheist and you do not believe in God, but you do believe that a man named Jesus lived a long time ago, historically, but he was not deity. May I give you a suggestion? Go and purchase a Bible (New King James, English Standard, American Standard, or even the New Living). Begin your reading in the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and let the word of God speak to you.
Maybe you are one who has never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ before; that Jesus Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again. If this fits you, then today is the day of salvation. Call on His name turning from sin to Him, confessing Him as Lord, and believing that God has raised Him from the dead. When you do this you will have eternal life, and will live eternally with Him.
In The Words Of The Baptist
He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: He that cometh from heaven is above all. And what He hath seen and heard, that He testifieth; and no man receiveth His testimony. He that hath received His testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 3:31-36
John the Baptist or Baptizer is the last of the Old Testament prophets, He was sent by God ahead of the Messiah to prepare the hearts of the people to receive their God and King. Who was John speaking of? The answer to that question is; Jesus is the anointed One or the Messiah (the Christ) of God.
John the Baptist calls Him the Son of God, “The Father loves the Son…” He is the One whom God sent.
John also tells us that, “He that believes on the Son has everlasting life; and he that believes not on the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Jesus Christ is the only way to have all your sins forgiven, and forgotten by God. He stood in our place taking the wrath of His Father upon Himself, so that we might be delivered from Almighty God’s wrath. So, the only way to get the wrath of God off of yourself is to trust in God through God’s only begotten Son, by believing in faith that He died for our sins, that He was buried, and that He rose again from the dead on the third day.
In His resurrection He proved that everything He did, every word He spoke, every act of healing He did was true. He is Truth.
A Storm In Life
We all face storms in our lives. Actual storms in weather patterns and in day to day life and living. God’s people, followers of Jesus Christ, are not immune to any of these storms either.
One of the storms of my life has been, since September 22, 2023 I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and it is not a pleasant thing to deal with. God is so good. He has given me a family: my wife, our sons and daughters and their spouses have been so helpful in helping in so many ways. This is the storm I am dealing with, as it seems sometimes to be getting worse. I still mow our yard. I can still drive, but I do not know how much longer I should. I am not scaring my wife yet. Well that is enough about that.
When Paul was on a ship headed to Rome, he had warned them of danger if they left Crete at that time scheduled. When they had been in the storm for fourteen days, here are the apostle’s words,
But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, “Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, ‘Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.’ Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.
Acts 27:21-26
The Lord had sent an angel to Paul, and told him to “Fear not”, there would be no loss of life, they would be grounded, the ship being destroyed, and that the Lord had given him all those who were on the ship with him, including the ship master, the soldiers guarding him and the other prisoners.
Storms are sometimes very frightening. It is always comforting and encouraging to know that God has these things in His Almighty hands. Even when that storm is your feet feeling like they are slipping, and they are not. Even when you balance is gone awry. When you are falling down more than you ever did. Even when it feels as though you are losing your strength, and you have no energy to go on. Have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not be afraid. “Fear not,” said the angel of the Lord to Paul; and to you and me.
Christ Jesus died so that we might be forgiven all our sins. He was buried in a borrowed tomb. He rose up out of that tomb, and came out alive forever more. Through Him we too are alive forever more. Believe Him, and be saved.
A Tree For Each Of The Three
And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on Him, saying, “If Thou be Christ, save Thyself and us.” But the other answering rebuked him, saying, “Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this Man hath done nothing amiss.” And he said unto Jesus, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.” And Jesus said unto him, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise.”
Luke 23:39-43
Each of these three were hanging on their own cross, and each cross was made from the wood of a tree. The man on the right of Jesus was guilty. The on the left of Jesus was guilty, but Jesus the Man in the middle not only innocent of the charges brought against Him, He was innocent in all His living. He never sinned.
It is evident that the Man in the middle was an innocent Man. How? You may ask. He never, while being nailed to the tree cursed those who had accused Him, neither did He speak vile words to those who nailed His hands and feet to that tree. Instead He said, “Father forgive them they know not what they do” Luke 23:34. Another example is in our text for the day. One of the condemned men, who had previously mocked Jesus on the cross, had realized that He [Jesus] was not a sinner, but the Savior. Now, he is calling on Him to save Him; not from the cross but for the kingdom’s sake, he said, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom,.” How do you suppose he expected Jesus to do this since He was hanging on a tree? He recognized Jesus as the Messiah.
The response of the Man on the middle cross was given, and it was one of forgiveness. You could call the mans salvation, “A death bed confession and faith” because that is what it is. Was that guilty man saved? Will he be in glory with the Lord Jesus Christ? Most definitely He will. How do I know that? Because of the words of Jesus, the Man on the middle cross said to him, “Truly I say unto you, Today, you will be with Me in paradise.” That very day Jesus and that man went to paradise together.
One guilty man wanted Jesus to deliver them from the cross, one asked to be remembered in the kingdom that is coming, and one Man gave salvation to the who asked. It should have been me dying on that old cross, not Jesus the innocent One, who knew no sin. It should have been you who was hanged there, but just as Jesus took murderer, and insurrection leader’s place He took my place and yours.
Two men hanging on a tree on opposite sides of Jesus; one died in peace, knowing his eternal destination, the other died with darkness, and empty expectations, and is in eternal darkness, and burning flames. What made the difference? The One on the tree in the middle. His name is Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God. Yes He died on that tree for our sins. He was buried. He rose again and He lives eternally in a new body of flesh and bone (Luke 24:39).
In A Foreign Land
Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; “Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely unto you in My name: I have not sent them,” saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 29:5-9
As a follower of Jesus Christ, a student of His word, and always praying to be faithful to Him and His word, I am a foreigner in a foreign land. I mean by that that I am a citizen of the Land of Beulah also called Heaven or Glory, and I am a citizen of the country of which I was born into – the United States of America. I was born into this Nation and into a family where several generations of people of my lineage had been born as well.
Yet, I see myself as a foreigner. Why? Because this world is not my home. My desire is to be in the place where my Lord lives. Do I love the Nation in which I live, and reside? Most certainly I do. I also love my family, and I am praying that they have that same desire to be nearer our Lord and Savior that I do; or even greater than I.
You may be wondering what does that have to do with the Bible text? Many, if not all the people of Judah who were taken captive to Babylon were probably ones who had heard the word of the LORD through the prophet Jeremiah when Babylon was there at or near Jerusalem; “To save your lives you need to go out and give yourselves up to Babylon.” Jeremiah was accused of treason, and no one would hear the word of the LORD. Some did, but were taken to a foreign land.
The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter from which our text comes from giving them good advice for surviving in a foreign land, and it is purposeful advice for any follower of Jesus Christ in any day.
When you are bound in a foreign land, by captivity or other reasons then live your life in light of God’s word.
- Build houses and live in them;
- Plant gardens, and eat the fruits of it;
- Get married and have children;
- Take wives for your sons, and husbands for your daughters;
- Do these things so that you will not wilt away;
- Seek for the peace of the city where you are, for in their peace you will have peace;
- Do not listen to or heed the words of false prophets who have dreams to lead you away from the truth.
As Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, we are to live according to the direction the LORD leads us, and to build, and plant, and wed of the opposite sex, have children – lest we be diminished. We ought always seek peace with God, and our neighbor, our city, rural area, or where ever we might live.
There is much warning in the Prophets of listening to the prophets who tell people they are speaking the word of the LORD, when they actually telling lies to develop a following for themselves. Do not hear them. Do not be deceived.
Jesus said, “Occupy till I come.” (Luke 19:13). That simply means keep doing what you are supposed to be doing, until I come again. As Believers, followers of the crucified, buried, and risen Lord Jesus Christ we ought to see the great need for repentance in many coming back to faith who have been unfaithful; and calling others to receive the Lord Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.
Do you know Him? He died in your place, taking the wrath of God that should have been you receiving it. Call on His name, and ask Him to save you.
God Gives Man’s Portion
Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God. For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.
Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
Every good thing is a gift from God. Especially the gift of life, and life eternal through faith in His Son Jesus Christ who died for our sins. He was buried, and He rose again.
Dying and Living
If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer Thee: Thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.
Job 14:14-15
People all over this planet earth have believed that there is life after we die. Is this true? If it is true how can we know for certain that we will live again.
Job was a godly man. He is declared as a just man, by God Himself. Yet God has given Satan permission to do harm to Job, to bring glory to the LORD Almighty. Now Job is wanting to have never been born, and to die rather than to continue suffering as he has been.
Job asked the question, “If a man die, shall he live again?” The best answer to this question is, “Not in this world as it is now.” In the Old and New Testaments we have a few examples of a few who died and were given life again, but then they died again. “It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment” Hebrews 9:27. Death is a certainty. It is even more certain than taxes. There is a one hundred percent chance that you and I will die. But what then?
Death came to us because of sin. Sin came to us because of the first man, Adam who did not obey the Creator concerning the trees in the middle of the Garden of Eden. So, because of one man, the first man, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No one is born into this world without sin – with one exception.
“Not in this world, as it it is now” was the answer. However, the Creator made Adam and Eve with eternal souls, so we all have eternal souls. The Creator who is God is eternal, and He made us in His image, and after His likeness, so that includes being made for eternal living. So the answer to the question, “Is there life after death?” is Yes!
Eternal life is meant to be spent with God, always in His presence and glory, yet, because of our sin we would not be able to go spend eternity with Him except He make a way for us; and He did, and He does have a way, One way, and that is through the One who was the One who made all things (John 1:1-5), and all things were made by Him, and for Him. His name is Jesus. We can know that there is life after death, because Jesus Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He came out of the grave alive, and He lives forever more. He was seen by over five hundred witnesses who saw Him in His resurrection body.
Job said, “All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come” and that should answer the question of whether there is life after death. That change comes when we are raised when Jesus comes again. It does not answer the question of where you will spend it though.
There are two places that are eternal, Heaven or Hell. Heaven is the place of our Lord Jesus Christ who tell us that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Jesus will come again for those who are His – that is those who have given themselves to Him confessing that He is Lord, and believing that God has raised Him from the dead (John 14:1-4; Romans 10:9-10).
Hell is the appointed place for Satan and his legions. It is a place of eternal fire and torment, and there will be no relief. It is also the eternal home of those who deny and reject the free gift of grace God gives us in His Son Jesus Christ. You have a choice – Heaven or Hell
Turning, Turning, Turning, and Turning Again
And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god. And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side: neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.
Judges 8:33-35
Reading the history of Israel in the book of judges ought to remind us how fickle we people of Adam’s race really is. At this point we read of judges, men, and a woman whom God used to deliver Israel from their tormentors, again and again.
They are loyal and faithful to the LORD while they are following the leadership of the faithful judge, but as soon as he/she is dead they go back into bondage.
Notice where bondage begins. It begins when the people of God turn their backs on God, and live their own way, in their own truth, and worship a god, a demon of their own making. Turning away from their glory in the LORD. They are again in the bondage and iniquity of sin.
When things are going smoothly, with no conflict, and things are comfortable; look out for turning away from God. When we are blessed, and everything seems right, if we are not aware, we need to beware of our position with the LORD, at all times. We also need to continue remembering the LORD our God through all times.
Jesus Christ is the way to God. He is the only way to God. He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). The sacrifice of His life on the cross dying for our sins, His burial, and resurrection is the way to life, and eternal life. The only way to being forgiven all of your sins, being made clean, and clothed in the righteousness of Christ. He is also the only way that we can remain faithful and loyal to Him through every situation and circumstance we encounter in life. We will not be sinless in this life, but because of our faith in Christ when God sees us He sees us as forgiven, clean, and righteous because He sees the blood of His Son Jesus.
Yes, we can still be fickle in and about things, even our faith. When we sin Jesus is our Advocate with the Father. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
When we find ourselves turning away from the LORD, let us immediately turn back to Him.
Keep Yourselves In The Love Of God
But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Jude 1:17-21
The Fire and Hammer 