Jesus Speaks

JESUS SPEAKING

                        Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they wanted to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, he said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today” (Luke 5: 18-26.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                To act in disobedience to the will of God is to sin.  A completely pure God does not associate with sinful things.  Yet mankind, the precious jewel of God’s creation, is steeped in sin; the evils of iniquity that separate God and man cannot be ignored or forgotten; they cannot be swept under the rug, or discarded; instead they can only be forgiven; God alone has the authority to pardon sinners […] The religious leaders were incensed when Jesus forgave the lame man; they believed he was a human being; they did not recognize him as the only Son of the Eternal Father; the creator in human form; “the image of the invisible God.”  He did not use words to tame the hearts of the angry doubters.  Instead, his authority was established by the two healthy legs of a once crippled man.  By the power of the Almighty God (in the presence of many witnesses) he had done the work of God; and that work continues today.  Jesus Christ has the power to displace every obstacle that stands between God and man.  He is the embodiment of God’s forgiveness; he is God’s solution to mankind’s iniquity.  Those who trust in him can finally know freedom from shame and guilt; the evils of sin can be washed away; and at last, sinful man can be in fellowship with a pure and Holy God.

                [Warning:  this illustration may be disturbing]  When I was a child, my stepfather was the local Boy Scout troop leader.  Every summer, our troop canoed around the Lake Superior peninsula.  One day, I went alone with my stepfather to inspect the next campsite.  My stepdad was well educated and well respected in the community; unfortunately he was also a pedophile.  That day I was victimized.  As we returned to the main campsite, I remained in a state of shock; later that day I recall standing on a rock near the water’s edge; I thought ‘if I just jump in the water, this feeling in my heart will be washed away.’  But the water didn’t wash away the guilt (although I was a victim, my stepfather’s sin had affected me as it was my own.)  I felt a great separation from God that day.  From that time on until I gave my life to Jesus Christ, I carried that guilt and shame around with me.  Jesus eventually accomplished what that water could not; he washed away all of the filthiness in my heart; and I have finally regained the innocence I lost so many years ago.

                There is no guilt, no shame, and no sin, that God cannot forgive.  He is ready and willing to make you clean; to cleanse you of all unrighteousness; to restore you to purity; to bring you close to your Eternal Father.  Jesus Christ alone has the authority to accomplish God’s forgiveness.  Ask him to come in to your life; to cleanse you and make you complete; and you will fellowship with Him and know his love; and you too, will finally stand before the Holy God and not be ashamed.

                “Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You and we ask that You remove all of our sins.  We desire to draw near to You, and to fellowship with You.  Jesus, we recognize Your authority to forgive our sins.  Please cleanse our hearts by the power of Your Holy Spirit.  Wash away our iniquities and restore our innocence.  If we have any guilt or shame that we still carry, carry it for us; we give it to You now.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.

JESUS SPEAKING

                “Have you not read that he who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall heave his father, and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?’  So then they are no longer two but one flesh.  Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate” (Mathew 19: 4-6.) 

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                What is marriage?  According to Jesus Christ, marriage is an eternal bond between one man and one woman; two persons become one […] complete; inseparable; and indivisible.  Divinely ordained unions are the work of God alone; (not the work of men.)  If the creator is not involved in the marriage, then he did not create the marriage.  Many today appear to be married; they live together; bear children; even wear wedding rings; but unless the marriage is built upon the solid foundation of Christ, the relationship is a performance; a charade; an act; an outward display that lacks an inward truth.  Eternal love can only be known in the presence of an eternal God.

                Gay marriage is one of the most hotly debated topics of our day.  Although scholars and well intentioned social advocates have debated it fervently, God does not debate or compromise on matters of right and wrong.  The debate was over before it started.  No matter how accepting society might become, God’s design makes no place for homosexual relationships.  No same-sex couple will ever truly be married.  Should the sanctity of marriage be rigorously applied only to those professing to be gay? Certainly not; heterosexual couples who deny God are not truly married either; for there is no eternal bond (their commitments to one another will last only as long as their bodies draw breath.)

                We commonly hear that marriage is “between a man and a woman;” and so it is; but more accurately, “marriage is between a man, a woman, and God” (Three persons, not two.)  When God is removed, there is no substitute.  Those who are gay or non-believers might be committed to one another, but they are not, nor will they ever be truly married.  Not according to the one who created and is intimately involved in every eternal bond. 

                “Lord Heavenly Father, we recognize the sanctity and sacredness of marriage; we thank You for it, and we praise You for defining what it is.  For those of us who are married, we pray that You would be at the center of our relationships.  For those of us who are single, we ask that You guide and direct us to our eternal spouses.  May we share in what You have ordained and made Holy.  Also Lord, if anyone is in a same-sex relationship, or a relationship that denies You, we pray that they would see the truth, and turn away from sin, and turn toward You.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.

JESUS SPEAKING

                Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all  things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.  For he will be delivered to the gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.  They will scourge him and kill him.  And the third day he will rise again” (Luke 18: 31-33.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                Although Jesus foretold of his impending death upon the cross, his suffering had been described in detail for hundreds of years.  Throughout the centuries, the old testament prophets (inspired by God) wrote about the arrival of God’s solution to sin; a sacrifice that would once and for all put an end to the iniquity that separated the divine creator from his fallen creations (Jesus Christ, was and is that sacrifice.) 

                One major prophetic scripture comes from the book of Isaiah; the book was written between 740 and 680 B.C.  Chapter 53 is particularly interesting because it describes the suffering of Jesus in great detail (hundreds of years before the crucifixion occurred.)  We read, “Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, Yet he opened not his mouth; he was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare his generation? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people he was stricken. And theymade his grave with the wicked — but with the rich at his death, because he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he has put him to grief. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the labor of his soul,and be satisfied. By his knowledge my righteous servant shall justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

                Only God knows the future; only the creator can foretell of events before they occur.  Accurate prophecy is a characteristic, unique to the Holy Bible.  No other book or set of sacred writings have ever correctly predicted anything.  The scriptures are the Lord’s reliable revelation; they can be trusted.  As you read the word, remember, you are not simply reading a book compiled by men, but a book authored by God Himself.  May it inspire you, lead you, and transform you.

                “Lord Heavenly Father we praise You and thank You for providing us with the Holy Bible.  As we read it, may we approach it with reverence and respect.  Speak to us through Your word; with every word read, and every page turned, may our hearts be transformed; may we become more like You and Your wonderful Son.  We love You Father, we thank You, we praise You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.