A Light for Revelation

Luke 2:26-32 

26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 
27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 
28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 
29 "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."
Luke 2:34-35,40,52
34And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 
35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." 
40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. 

Christ was appointed, by God, to save sinners. The salvation He offers is of God by His divine power. 

This precious salvation is offered to all nations. 

Matthew 4:16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."

Acts 13:47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"

Acts 26:23 that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles."

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down

Joshua 6:20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.
This is a bible truth about the people of God relying totally on God for victory! The town of Jericho would not bow to it's appointed master, Israel. The people shut themselves up tightly, thinking they were safe in the fortified city. Because of their hardened hearts, God condemned them to destruction. But in that city, there was a faithful one who did not perish.
Heb.11:31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
Joshua 6:25 But Rahab the prostitute and her father's household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
Rahab is listed in the lineage of Christ!
Matt.1:1-18 

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 
3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 
4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 
5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 
6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 
7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 
8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 
9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 
10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 
11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 
12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 
13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 
14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 
15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
Lord, help us not to remember who we were but who we are in You! Help us to teach repentance that leads to salvation through You. Amen

Belief, Unbelief, Worship

Thank you Pastor David! Our worship of Christ is a reflection of our belief in Christ! When Jesus went to His hometown, the people heard His words, saw His works even still they denied Him worship. What an example of unbelief!
Matt.13:54-58
54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household." 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.No matter your circumstance, Jesus is there! Will you deny Him or will you worship Him? We must reflect His compassion and rely on His resources. Jesus alone is our soul's satisfaction! He meets our needs, He is a greater prophet than Moses and He is the Messianic host. Jesus will use us to meet the needs of others! Will you receive His blessing?Matt.14:14-2114 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." 16 But Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." 17 They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." 18 And he said, "Bring them here to me." 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.Faith in the face of fear...Jesus is sovereign over you.Jesus is interceding for you.Jesus is present with you.Jesus is strength in you.Jesus is peace around you.Matt.14:24-3324 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." 28 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." 29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."Christ is faithful!Heb.12:1-2 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Fall at the feet of the One who saves the perishing!! Feast at the table with the One who satisfies the hungry!!Ex.3:13-14 13 Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"Lord, we really don't have a clue as to who You are. Our human mind can not truly grasp Your glory and wonder. We only know what You have chosen to reveal to us through Your word. Forgive us for our feeble attempts at worship. For You alone are worthy! Amen

There is No God Beside Me

Deut.32:39 "'See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.
There is only one true living God! He is maker of all things! His ways are not our ways! He is just in His judgments! He has great mercy for those who will repent! He will destroy those who will not repent! Who is this God we serve? He is not a figment of out hearts desire but real! He has sent His Son Jesus to be our redeemer. Here is a small part of His story! These things take place before His birth!
Luke 1:31-33,35,37,41-45,46-50
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."35 And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God.
37 For nothing will be impossible with God."
41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." 46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.Lord, teach us who You are! Reveal the things You have given to us. Show the world through us! Amen

Length of Days

What will you do with your length of days? God has granted you an amount of time, written down before you came to be. These days are not ever to be lived again. It lets me know the truth of the verse "today is the day of salvation". Why? Which one of you can say "I will be here tomorrow"? If God is speaking to you about your eternity, why would you not listen? If your whole world is in turmoil, you are so unhappy, you have no love of people just things, you have lost your way, and you are just plain miserable, open that bible, written in it are words leading to eternal life and eternal rest, words that came straight from God Almighty. Christ follower, let us proclaim the gospel loud and clear!


Deut.30:14-15 14But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.15"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.
Deut.30:19-20
19I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,20loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."
2 Cor.6:2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Ps.139:16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.Prov.3:2 For length of days, and years of life, And peace, will they add to thee.Ps.90:10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.Ps.91:16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Lord, how very precious are the days You have given us. Show us the eternal things that we should teach others. Prepare hearts for the spread of Your gospel truth so lives may forever be changed! Amen

Unshakable,Inseparable,Supernatural and Eternal

Definition of unshakable: Strongly felt and unable to be changed
Definition of inseparable: Impossible to separate or part
Definition of supernatural: of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe
Definition of eternal: Time without beginning or end; infinite time
Unshakable:
Heb.12:24-29
24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." 27the removal of things that are shaken--that is, things that have been made--in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.Inseparable:Romans 8:37-39 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.Supernatural or eternal:2 Cor.4:16-18 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.John 3:14-17 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 "For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.We live in a mortal body that will decay! We have within us an immortal soul that will go to an eternity of rest or torment! There are eternal consequences to being born in sin. God has prepared a way for us to escape Hell. We have a Savior in Christ who will take your burden of sin and cleanse you from sin. Sin that separates us from a holy God and sin that damns you to Hell. Unbeliever, you are walking on borrowed time.Lord, so many lost, so many who do not repent, so many who are in need of a Savior, Lord help me to reach them. I want to teach Your word! Only you can soften hard hearts. Only you can change a sinner! You Word is life to those who will believe! AmenPs.23:3-4 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

The Spirit is Willing but the Flesh is Weak

Mark 14:38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

If you are a believer, you are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent to us after Christ died and rose again. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin. Therefore, having the Holy Spirit living in us, it grieves our Spirit when we sin.  Christians are not always living righteous lives, even though we want to be. Paul seems to have schizophrenia as he describes the struggle between the spirit and the flesh.

Romans 7:15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

Romans 7:18-19 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.

Our spirit and flesh are in conflict!

Galatians 5:17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

From the beginning, we have been wicked!

Gen.6:5-6 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

Eph.4:30-32 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander; along with ever form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

Lord, I pray this for all Christians that they would be forgiving and would love each other. I also ask for us to driven to deep faith in You alone, in the knowledge that You are faithful and just! Amen

But what about the unrepentant sinner who does not have the Holy Spirit indwelling in them? Do they have a moral compass, to discern right from wrong? In a sense they do because when God created man, He put in him a sense of what is true. But with this rebellion comes judgment! Even from a child, you knew what was naughty, but with wild abandonment, you did it anyway! Even as a child, you would wonder who made the earth and all that is in it!

Romans 1:18-22 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-His eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood by what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Salvation in Christ:

Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.