“Hear Him!”

Where do you spend most of your time in reading, studying and listening?

If our time is not found in Christ and getting back to reading and studying what He taught, then we are in trouble. It doesn’t make any difference how long we have been saved, we should still be looking at His commands and teachings and following them foremost above all. Studying His life to gain understanding about how to live.

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;”

(Heb.1:1-2)

Many today are following man. Man has lots of good things to say and teach, but he is not Christ.

Do you spend more time in reading books that are written by some men than you do in the Gospels? Do you spend more time in listening to some man’s sermons than letting the Spirit minister to you through the very words of Christ? Christ said himself, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (Jn.6:63)

Sure there are lot’s of popular Christian book authors out there, and we can gain some wisdom and understanding  by reading an occasional book now and then, but we must not “camp” there. We should take inventory of our time and devotion.

Do you spend more time reading the writings of Mark Driscoll, John Piper or Paul Washer? What about John MacArthur? These men are certainly good teachers, but not The Christ. Yes, called of God and used by God, but not The Christ. Mere Men.

Jesus was more than a man like us. He spoke the very words of God. (Jn.14:10, 24). If this be the case, shouldn’t we be found there? If His words are “spirit and life”, shouldn’t we be partaking in this “spirit and life”?

More importantly, if God said we should “hear him” don’t you think we should?

“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, Hear Him!” (Matt.17:5).

Not only are many putting man’s writings and teachings before Christ, but it would appear that they are building “tabernacles” for them just as Peter wanted to do for Elijah and Moses. Christ turned to them and said, “Hear Him!” Basically, don’t worship Elijah and Moses, hear my Son and worship Him.

Even Moses said 1451 years before Christ, “Him you shall hear.” (Deut.18″15)

Also what did God say to Moses? “I will raise up from  them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.” (vs.18)

So, the very words of Christ are what God has spoken to us in these last days. There is no need to take up with anything else. By the words of Christ and God’s Spirit, we have all we need. The problem is that many have become too sophisticated.

I will end with a quote by Don Everts (I think he hits it on the head).

“It’s hard to remain focused on Jesus because we have become too sophisticated. The Gospels are so simple and straightforward that we sort of graduate on to Paul (or I might add, Paul Washer, Driscoll or Piper) where the meaty theology lies.”

So it is.

“Offspring of snakes”

Jesus’ biggest battle here on earth was with the religulous “Pharisees”.

I just spent the last couple of days in my study in the Gospels, looking at the fierce battles that Jesus had with all the religulous Pharisees of his time.
What about today? What kind of battle is He in with them today? Does He just overlook them today? What would He call them today, in today’s language?

They were followers of Moses and his Law. They always brought up the Law trying to condemn Him. Lots of times, Jesus would say to them, “it is written in your law”. Then He would go on to supersede their law. This would greatly offend them. After all, who was this man who thought he was God and also how could he know more than us.

The Pharisees loved to quote Moses, but they missed one that was very important.
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren, Him you shall hear.”
“I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.”
“And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.” (Deut.18:15,18-19)
THEY MISSED THESE WORDS!
Are there those who are missing the very words of Christ today? Instead they want to hang on to the “Law and the Prophets”? They spend all their time studying the “OLD Testament” and never search out what Christ taught. Somehow they think that His commandments are less than the “Ten”?

Just how important are “The Commandments of Christ” anyways?
We shall see.

The Tree of Life

Adam and Eve “freely ate” of “The Tree of Life” before their fall.

“And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Gen.2:9)
Here we see that all the trees in the garden were “pleasant to the sight and good for food.” This included the “tree of life.”

“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;” (vs.16) This included the “tree of life.”

The “Right” to the tree of life.
Adam and Eve had the right to the tree of life because they walked with God without sin. When sin is present, there is no right.
Before sin entered the heart of man, he had the right to eat and live forever. But when he sinned, he gave up his God given right to eternal life. All because of sin, the “right” has been given up.

Only through Christ can man gain back his God given right to eternal life. Only through Christ can he partake of the tree of life and live forever.

Before the fall, man was not “like God” in regards to knowing good and evil. There was no sin, thus no need to have knowledge of sin. But after his disobedience, he received the knowledge (or conscience) of sin.

Man’s consequence for sin.
Because man had become like God in knowledge of good and evil, God “drove” him out of the perfect place (the garden). Why? Because He did not want man to “put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever-” (3:22)

Now, it is very important to note here that God “drove out” man from the garden and that He “placed Cherubims” (beings of a sublime and celestial nature. Noted for power and wisdom) and a “flaming sword”. What for? “To guard the way to the tree of life” (3:24)

This is why man cannot freely take of the tree of life on his own. It is heavily guarded and no man can go on his own. He would never make it. The sword would cut him into pieces if he so even came close. I can hear the angels say, “don’t even think of it!”.

And just think, all because of sin. We must not under estimate sin and the consequences thereof.

This “right” to the tree of life is only given to “over comers”. Those who have overcome sin through Christ. And those who “do his commandments” (Rev.22:14) These are they who “do” the commands of Christ. Just like Christ, who came to “do” the Father’s will, we also must “do” the will of Christ by following his commands.

Here are some :
Mt.28:20, Jn.13:34,14:15,21; 15:10,14; Acts.10:42; 1Jn.3:23
God bless you as you go forward and do His commands and thus partake of The Tree of Life.

Is the “Great Commission” hard to understand?

Is it complicated? Should we add or take away from it?
No. Just do what it says, period. If we do, some awesome things will take place.

In the book of Matthew it says, “All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to obey all things that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the world.” (28:18-20)

In the book of Mark it says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
And these signs will follow them that believe; In my name they will cast out devils; and they will speak with new tongues;
They shall take up snakes; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (16:15-18)

GO – TEACH – PREACH – BAPTIZE

What is so hard to understand about these? We have all heard them over and over, haven’t we?

GO means to get off your bottom and get out into the world.

TEACH (in this context) means to teach them whatever Christ commanded. I won’t get into that in this post, but it would do us all some good to review what Christ commanded in the gospels.

PREACH means to “herald” or “cry out” or “proclaim” the Gospel (the good news of Christ) to every person (yes, it does say “every”).

BAPTIZE means to get them “fully wet” or “cover wholly with a fluid” in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost.

Help me out, is this hard to understand?

And you know what? If we DO this “Great Commission”, Christ said himself that he would be with us and that signs would follow them that believe. What would these signs be?

Devils would be cast out of people. Speaking in new tongues would happen. If we handle any snakes, IE any “sly cunning” or “malicious persons” or “satanist” they shall not hurt us. If we drink anything that’s deadly, IE poison etc. it shall not hurt us. Isn’t this comforting to know? What should we be afraid of?

Now here is a really good one. “They shall”. This is no maybe, they will. THEY SHALL lay their hands on the sick and THEY SHALL recover. Don’t you love this?

Well, there you have it. It’s pretty self explanatory, isn’t it?
May God help us all.