A Love Letter From God

Based on a Pocket Signs tract called, A Love Letter From Jesus, only difference, this is strictly a list of bible quotes from the old testament. 

“Be still, and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10. “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth” Isaiah 54:4

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.” Isaiah 43:1. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you….” Jeremiah 1:5. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” Jeremiah 31:3. “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands…” Isaiah 49:16. “I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” Isaiah 44:22. “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18.

“Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:22. “As I live,” says the Lord God, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?” Ezekiel 33:11. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.” Isaiah 59:1. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” Psalm 50:15. “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 57:15

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’… For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’” Isaiah 41:10, 13. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.” Isaiah 43:2. “. “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14. “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.” Isaiah 49:15.

“Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9. “Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, and people for your life.” Isaiah 43:4. “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” Joshua 1:5. “No weapon formed against you shall prosper” Isaiah 54:17. “I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children.” Isaiah 49:25. “Vengeance is Mine.” Deuteronomy 32:35. “You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers…” Exodus 22:21

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26. “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” Jeremiah 32:27. “I have made the earth, and created man on it. I—My hands—stretched out the heavens, and all their host I have commanded.” Isaiah 45:12. “Every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.” Psalm 50:10-11. “Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” Isaiah 43:7.

“This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Jeremiah 31:33

Jacob’s Ladder Revealed The Savior

Threatened with death by Esau, Jacob went out from his father’s home a fugitive, but with the father’s blessing. Isaac had renewed the covenant promise to him and had told him look for a wife among his mother’s family in Mesopotamia.

Yet it was with a deeply troubled heart that Jacob set out on his lonely journey. With only his staff in his hand he must travel hundreds of miles through a country inhabited by wild, roving tribes. In his remorse and dread he tried to avoid people, to prevent his angry brother from following him. He feared that he had lost forever the blessing God had wanted to give him, and Satan was at hand to press temptations upon him.

The evening of the second day found him far away from his father’s tents. He felt he was an outcast, and he knew that all his trouble had come upon him because of his own wrong actions. Despair pressed upon his soul, and he hardly dared to pray. But he was so lonely that he felt the need of protection from God as never before. With weeping he confessed his sin and asked earnestly for some evidence that he was not utterly forsaken. He had lost all confidence in himself, and he feared that God had rejected him.

But God’s mercy was still extended to His erring, distrustful servant. The Lord compassionately revealed just what Jacob needed—a Savior. He had sinned, but God revealed a way for him to be restored to divine favor.

Tired, the wanderer lay down on the ground with a stone for his pillow. As he slept he saw a ladder whose base rested on the earth while the top reached to heaven. Angels were ascending and descending on this ladder. Above it was the Lord of glory, and from the heavens His voice was heard: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. … In you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” This promise had been given to Abraham and to Isaac, and now it was renewed to Jacob. Then words of comfort and encouragement were spoken: “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

The Lord in mercy opened up the future before the repentant fugitive so he might be prepared to resist the temptations that would come to him when alone among idolaters and schemers. The knowledge that the purpose of God was reaching its accomplishment through him would constantly prompt him to faithfulness.

In this vision Jacob saw the parts of the plan of redemption that were essential to him at that time. The mystic ladder revealed in his dream was the same to which Christ referred in His conversation with Nathanael: “You shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man” (John 1:51). The sin of Adam and Eve separated earth from heaven so that human beings could not have communion with their Maker, yet the world was not left in hopelessness. The ladder represents Jesus, the appointed way of communication. Christ connects us in our weakness and helplessness with the source of infinite power.

All this was revealed to Jacob in his dream. Although his mind at once grasped a part of the revelation, its great and mysterious truths were the study of his lifetime, unfolding to his understanding more and more.

Jacob awoke in the deep stillness of night. The vision had disappeared, only the dim outline of lonely hills and the heavens bright with stars now met his gaze. But he had a solemn sense that God was with him. “Surely the Lord is in this place,” he said, “and I did not know it. … This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”

“Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, and set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.” He called the place Bethel, or “the house of God.” Then he made the solemn vow, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

Jacob was not trying to bargain with God—the Lord had already promised him prosperity, and this vow came from a heart filled with gratitude for the assurance of God’s mercy. Jacob felt that the special evidences of divine favor demanded a return.

Christians should often remember with gratitude the precious deliverances that God has given to them, opening ways for them when all seemed dark and threatening, refreshing them when they were ready to faint. In view of countless blessings each one should often ask, “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” (Psalm 116:12).

Beginning of the End, p. 84-85

Comment: I was only going to share a part of this, but thought it was worth sharing the whole thing. My objective in reading this book is to continue gaining a greater appreciation for God’s plan of redemption.

There were two other quotes that also caught my attention. This first one really convicted me of appreciating Christ’s sacrifice more.

In Scripture Esau is called a “profane person” (Hebrews 12:16). He represents those who lightly value the redemption Christ purchased for them and are ready to sacrifice their heavenly inheritance for the perishable things of earth. Multitudes live with no thought or care for the future. Like Esau they cry, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1 Corinthians 15:32). The desires of appetite prevail, and God and heaven are virtually despised. When they are presented with the duty of cleansing themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, they are offended. [Beginning of the End, p. 83]

This second quote is about faith and obedience in the context of Abraham’s sacrifice, which pointed to Jesus.

“Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see how faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?” (James 2:21, 22)…. genuine faith will be demonstrated by obedience… God “preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand” (Galatians 3:8). And the patriarch’s faith was fixed on the Redeemer to come. Christ said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). The ram offered in place of Isaac represented the Son of God, who was to be sacrificed in our place. The Father, looking on His Son, said to the sinner, “Live: I have found a ransom.” [Beginning of the End, p. 67]

Jesus is all I need

Those who have followed my blog since 2014 know about how I started the blog around the time my mom passed away. Around this time I was also having financial issues with college. Looking back at those posts, it seems I was really close to God during that trial, but then after about two years, it appears I lost that first love and I returned to my old computer gaming addiction. Those who have followed this blog recently know about how last summer, God led me out of that and had me face another trial: social anxiety. That’s when I came back to blogging.

Well, anyway, looking over my old posts, I continue to find more encouragement. I no longer feel the need to schedule a load of devotionals that I haven’t even read. I already have an archive of them here to read when ever I need to.

I came across a post that really encouraged me yesterday evening, it said:

It’s so easy to complicate our lives so much to point that we become dissatisfied with where were in life and miss the very simple point of why we even exist in the first place. We might even get depressed like George Bailey from the movie It’s A Wonderful Life. This movie makes a very important point: As simple as our lives may seem, each of our lives have a great impact on the lives of many others.

This post encouraged me to be more content and grateful for God’s blessings in my life. Not merely material blessings, but the blessing of people He has placed in my life and how He has even used me to be a blessing to others. That might be what I meant when I said “why we even exist in the first place”. God made for His glory, that is, to reflect and share His goodness. (Isaiah 43:7, Exodus 33:18-19).  The bible says that when Moses asked God to show His glory, God responded, “I will make all My goodness pass before you”.

As nice as the blessing is of God providing “people for your life” (Isaiah 43:4), we shouldn’t forget Him from whom all blessings flow. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” Ephesians 1:3. “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:19. You see, Jesus is all we need and all God asks is that we share Him with each other. Share the bread of life, food for thought (yes, pun intended, but don’t miss the point, hehe).

♫ Hallelujah! I have found Him
Whom my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies my longings;
Through His life I now am saved. ♫

Now looking back at how spiritually “needy” and oppressed I was, I’m glad I have found Jesus, or should I say, He found me. I’m reminded of these verses:

Psalm 40:17 But I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God.

Psalm 72:12-14 For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and him who has no helper. He will spare the poor and needy, And will save the souls of the needy. He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; And precious shall be their blood in His sight.

Psalm 113:7 He raises the poor out of the dust, And lifts the needy out of the ash heap

Matthew 5:3-4 Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.

Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.

Jesus thought of you before the world began

The following comes from a recorded sermon. I typed it out in an older post. I found this part to be really awesome because it shows us that Jesus thought of us before the world began and willingly chose to die for us.

Jesus came to clarify the character of God, to show that God is not a withholder, but giver of good things. “No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly” Psalm 84:11. So Jesus came from heaven to clarify who God really is and to set this record straight. This wasn’t an afterthought. God didn’t wake up one day and think, “Wow, a third of the angels are against me! What should we do?” and then call Jesus and they have an emergency meeting. From the very beginning, God knew and Jesus knew that Satan was going to betray them and lead the angels and us into sin. This was not a surprise. It didn’t catch God off guard. Does anything catch God off guard? No. You can see in Romans sixteen verse 25, it says that the mystery of the gospel, when Jesus became a man, was a revelation of “the mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal.” God didn’t want Satan to sin, but did He know about it? Yes. Did He have a plan? And that involved Jesus coming to earth.

Satan had said, “I’d like to be with my throne above the stars. I’ll be like the most high”. What did Jesus do instead? Did he go up? He came down. He didn’t count it something to be grasped to be like God. He made himself in the form of a servant, took on himself the likeness of man, this is in Philippians chapter two. He humbled Himself. He’s our example, isn’t He? You want to be like Jesus? You’ll find more peace being like Jesus. You’ll find more happiness. Now, did Jesus have to go, did He have to leave heaven? No, nobody made Him do it. He could have stayed at His father’s side, but instead he came to give us light, life, happiness, freedom and peace.

Two thousand years ago, there was a voice in heaven. This is found in Psalms 40 and it’s also quoted in the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter ten verses five through seven. Hebrews 10:5-7, it says in verses 5 and 6: Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, “Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.” Did God really find intrinsic pleasure in the death of all the animals in the sacrificial system? No. They were to be a reminder of whose coming? Of Jesus’ coming. Now verse 7, Then said I, ‘Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.'” Is this before Jesus became a man or afterwards? It’s before because it says “a body hast thou prepared me… Lo, I come… to do thy will”. This is quoting from a Psalm that is talking about Jesus before he became a man.

This is a passage that I find comforting because Jesus said, while he was still in heaven, “Lo, I come to (I want to) do Your will”. And The Father could respect His choice, and as He grew up as a child, the Father knew that before Jesus became a man, He made that commitment. “I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.” And so The Father protected and guided Him as He grew up. “Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.”

Isn’t Christ’s self-sacrificing love awesome? The King of the universe chose to sacrifice all for you, why not sacrifice all for Him, with your whole being? Are you struggling under the burden of worry or guilt? Surrender your whole being to Him and He will give you the victory. Say, “Lord, take my mind, body, and soul, let my whole being be yours, forgive me and cleanse me of sin, and may I be like you.”

To be like Jesus is to reflect His self-sacrificing love in which He said “Not my will, but Thy will be done” and “I delight to do Thy will”.

Let it flow, let it glow, let it grow!

I was meditating on a sermon I heard on the parable of the ten virgins, how the Holy Spirit is represented as oil because it represents consecration, healing of the soul from sin, and letting Jesus shine in our lives like a lamp. I was pondering what it meant to be more Christlike and then I remembered this the first chapter from the Desire of Ages (“God with us”), and a sermon on it, and recently saw in a Glow tract (“The Gift of Joy”) and it wasn’t until yesterday that it finally hit me… this is what it’s all about:

In the light from Calvary it will be seen that the law of self-renouncing love is the law of life for earth and heaven; that the love which “seeketh not her own” has its source in the heart of God… Looking unto Jesus we see that it is the glory of our God to give… All things Christ received from God, but He took to give. Desire of Ages, p.19-20

Let It Flow!
It’s really simple, think about His love and just let it flow. It will flow to us, to others and then back to Him, and then back to us, to others, and back to Him again. Just let it flow. The folly of self-seeking is when we start focusing on the gifts instead of the Giver, doing things with the selfish motive of getting something out of other mere recipients like ourselves, and glorifying the creature instead of its Creator.

Such is the folly of the “foolish virgins” because they try to depend on the spirituality of others, but in doing so they deprive themselves from God who alone can impart the power of the Holy Spirit and its fruit of self-renouncing love. God convicted me that I was being a “foolish virgin” and now He’s teaching me how to be a “wise virgin”. He’s convicting me to consecrate myself to Him everyday, let Him cleanse me from sin and let Jesus shine through me to others for Him.

God has a sense of humor, He used the spiritual people I was leaning on to convict me, whether it be by recorded sermons or in person. In one of those sermons about the parable of the ten virgins, the closing song was “Nothing Between”. I’ve made that my personal prayer, “Nothing between my soul and the Savior so that His blessed face may be seen; Nothing preventing the least of His favor, Keep the way clear! Let nothing between.”

Let it glow!

Christ does not bid His followers strive to shine. He says, Let your light shine. If you have received the grace of God, the light is in you. Remove the obstructions, and the Lord’s glory will be revealed. The light will shine forth to penetrate and dispel the darkness. You cannot help shining within the range of your influence. COL 420

God’s Spirit will  convict us of sin and expel it from our souls if we give Him consent. Like the paralytic at the pool at Bethesda, we should make up their minds to be well and then Jesus, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, will heal our sin-sick souls. Harden not your heart, nor let it grow dull to the prompting of the Spirit, for He has sent His word to heal us (Psalm 107:20).

That which was objectionable in the character is purified from the soul by the love of Jesus. All selfishness is expelled, all envy, all evil-speaking, is rooted out, and a radical transformation is wrought in the heart. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22, 23). “The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace” (James 3:18). [Ye Shall Receive Power, p.289]

Let it grow!

The Lord has closely connected the spiritual life of man with the plant life, which symbolizes the spiritual experience of all who are seeking to become members of the heavenly family, plants in the Lord’s garden. Our lives would be spoiled did not the Lord’s pruning knife cut away the objectionable branches, and prune the fruit-bearing branches, that we might bear fruit of a better quality. [Lt 6, 1900]

Matthew 13:23 …he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit…”
John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

How to end “spiritual worry”
You know how Jesus said not to worry about what to eat or what to wear? The same applies spiritually. You do not need to worry what word to say, God’s spirit will bring to your memory the bread of life that you and others need to hear (John 14:26). Likewise, you do not need to worry about being good enough, He will clothe you with His righteousness! (Isaiah 61:10)

Look at how the sparrow doesn’t worry about what to eat and how the lily doesn’t worry about how to grow and look pretty. Likewise, why worry what to say or what to do. God will guide you, as long as you yield to His Spirit. Daily, let God feed you with the heavenly manna of His Word and let Him clothe you with His righteousness.

Unutterable Loneliness

I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me. Isa. 63:3.

Through childhood, youth, and manhood, Jesus walked alone. In His purity and His faithfulness, He trod the winepress alone, and of the people there was none with Him. He carried the awful weight of responsibility for the salvation of men. He knew that unless there was a decided change in the principles and purposes of the human race, all would be lost. This was the burden of His soul, and none could appreciate the weight that rested upon Him.

Throughout His life His mother and His brothers did not comprehend His mission. Even His disciples did not understand Him. He had dwelt in eternal light, as one with God, but His life on earth must be spent in solitude. As one with us, He must bear the burden of our guilt and woe. The Sinless One must feel the shame of sin. The peace lover must dwell with strife, the truth must abide with falsehood, purity with vileness. Every sin, every discord, every defiling lust that transgression had brought, was torture to His spirit.

Alone He must tread the path; alone He must bear the burden. Upon Him who had laid off His glory and accepted the weakness of humanity the redemption of the world must rest. He saw and felt it all, but His purpose remained steadfast. Upon His arm depended the salvation of the fallen race, and He reached out His hand to grasp the hand of Omnipotent love.

The loneliness of Christ, separated from the heavenly courts, living the life of humanity, was never understood or appreciated by the disciples as it should have been. . . When Jesus was no longer with them, . . . they began to see how they might have shown Him attentions that would have brought gladness to His heart. . . .

The same want is evident in our world today. But few appreciate all that Christ is to them. If they did, the great love of Mary [Matt. 26:6-13] would be expressed, the anointing would be freely bestowed. . . . Nothing would be thought too costly to give for Christ, no self-denial or self-sacrifice too great to be endured for His sake.

Our Father Cares, pp. 207, 208.

Depend Solely On The Merits Of Jesus

I saw that the enemy would either contend for the usefulness or the life of the godly, and will try to mar their peace as long as they live in this world. But his power is limited. He may cause the furnace to be heated, but Jesus and angels will watch the trusting Christian, that nothing may be consumed but the dross. The fire kindled by Satan, can have no power to destroy or hurt the true metal. It is important to close every door possible, against the entrance of Satan. It is the privilege of every family to so live that Satan cannot take advantage of anything they may say or do, to tear each other down. Every member of the family should bear in mind that all have just as much as they can do to resist our wily foe, and with earnest prayers and unyielding faith, they must rely upon the merits of the blood of Christ, and claim his saving strength.

The powers of darkness gather about the soul and shut Jesus from our sight, and at times we can only wait in sorrow and amazement until the cloud passes over. These seasons are sometimes terrible. Hope seems to fail, and despair seizes upon us. In these dreadful hours we must learn to trust, to depend on the sole merits of the atonement, and in all our helpless unworthiness cast ourselves upon the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour. We shall never perish while we do this—never! When light shines on our pathway, it is no great thing to be strong in the strength of grace. But to wait patiently in hope, when all is dark, when clouds envelope us, requires faith and submission which causes our will to be swallowed up in the will of God. We are too quickly discouraged, and earnestly cry for the trial to be removed from us, when we should plead for patience to endure, and grace to overcome.

The Review and Herald April 22, 1862

With Humble Hearts

For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isaiah 57:15.

All who will come to the Word of God for guidance, with humble, inquiring minds, determined to know the terms of salvation, will understand what saith the Scriptures. But those who bring to the investigation of the Word a spirit which it does not approve will take away from the search a spirit which it has not imparted. The Lord will not speak to a mind that is unconcerned. He wastes not His instruction on one who is willingly irreverent or polluted. But the tempter educates every mind that yields itself to his suggestions, and is willing to make of none effect God’s holy law.

We need to humble our hearts, and with sincerity and reverence search the Word of life; for that mind alone that is humble and contrite can see light. The heart, the mind, the soul, must be prepared to receive light. There must be silence in the soul. The thoughts must be brought into captivity to Jesus Christ. The boastful self-knowledge and self-sufficiency must stand rebuked in the presence of the Word of God.

The Lord speaks to the heart that humbles itself before Him. At the altar of prayer, as the throne of grace is touched by faith, we receive from the hand of God that celestial torch which enlightens our darkness, and convinces us of our spiritual necessity. The Holy Spirit takes of the things of God, and reveals them to the one who is sincerely seeking for the heavenly treasure. If we yield to His guidance, He leads us into all light. As we behold the glory of Christ, we become changed into His image. We have that faith which works by love, and purifies the soul. Our hearts are renewed, and we are made willing to obey God in all things.

—The Review and Herald, December 15, 1896.

God With Us

Disclaimer:  This isn’t the full transcript. I’ve took some liberties in paraphrasing things, leaving some things out, and adding in the exact quotes from the first chapter of the Desire of Ages (which is what this sermon is based on).

Lord God, we want to thank you for your love and your mercy for us, for the privilege of knowing you and that you’re a merciful, forgiving, and kind God. We want to thank you for your love toward us and we pray that your Spirit will guide us as we study you word together. Speak through me and speak to my friends’ hearts. Give us understanding and give us courage and strength to live by the principles that are in your word. Thank you for your love, thank you for listening, Amen.

Jesus came to reveal God’s love

Jesus came on a rescue mission from heaven to this lost world. To this sin-darkened earth He came to reveal the light of God’s love,–to be “God with us.” He came to show what God is really like because He knew we’d die eternally if He didn’t.

Jesus came to clarify to us who God really was. He didn’t do that just for our sake but also for the onlooking angels. Peter says that the angels “desire to look” into the process of salvation, how we are saved (1 Peter 1:12). They have something at stake in their minds as well. They have heard allegations from Satan that God is not all He should be. They’re interested in this too. So our world is actually “the lesson book of the universe”. They want to know what’s going on.

Both the redeemed and the unfallen beings will find in the cross of Christ their science and their song. It will be seen that the glory shining in the face of Jesus is the glory of self-sacrificing love. In the light from Calvary it will be seen that the law of self-renouncing love is the law of life for earth and heaven; that the love which “seeketh not her own” has its source in the heart of God; and that in the meek and lowly One is manifested the character of Him who dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto. Desire of Ages, p. 19-20

Faith to be supported with evidence

The challenge we find ourselves in starts even before the creation of the world. God created the world and created us. He gave us life. This isn’t just a faith statement, I believe this is founded in reality. Your faith needs to not just rest on what feels good or something comforting to your soul, it needs to be founded on things that are objective and verifiable and repeatable. Now faith has to go beyond that, but you need to have reasons for your faith. You can also have “faith” in secular things, faith is not exclusively a religious term.

Your faith in God needs to rest on evidence. You need to have evidence in yourself and your experience with God. You should also seek to have a faith that is consistent with things you can observe all around you. Now, that doesn’t mean faith is dictated by that and you need to be very careful lest you be misled by false interpretations. God’s word is the basis for our faith, but there are many reasons based on reality to support faith. I have many reasons, over a dozen reasons, that are based on different fields of science, for why I believe in the existence of God. Can I prove it? Not beyond a shadow of a doubt. Anyone can find excuses to doubt. Now, is the weight of evidence there? Yes!

Evidence of God’s self-denying love

So God created the world. When He created it, was there evil in it? No. God made the earth to be beautiful. Christ “wrote the message of the Father’s love” on every leaf, on every plant, on every tree. He put it there so that we could see it. Even after sin, God’s love is still revealed through nature. You can see this whenever you go to a natural environment. “There is nothing, save the selfish heart of man, that lives unto itself.” Every other part of nature has some gifts or some ministry that it provides to another form of life. You can see this in natural things and also in an nonliving things.

Think about the relationship between plants and animals.

There is no leaf of the forest, or lowly blade of grass, but has its ministry. Every tree and shrub and leaf pours forth that element of life without which neither man nor animal could live; and man and animal, in turn, minister to the life of tree and shrub and leaf. Desire of Ages, p. 20

Very simple, humans breathe out what gas? Carbon dioxide. We require what gas to live? Oxygen! In photosynthesis, plants take up what? Carbon dioxide. Again, they release oxygen. So there is a mutual benefit between animal life and plant life. This illustrates in part the love of God and the dependence that God has placed between different parts of his creation. No part was ever intended to be independent, self-sufficient, all by itself. They were intended to be interdependent, to reflect the nature of God and His character.

“The ocean, itself the source of all our springs and fountains, receives the streams from every land, but takes to give.” 

The ocean has water flowing into it from different rivers. Does the water stay there forever? Where does it go? It evaporates into the sky and then where do they go again? Back into the river and so it flows back again and again. There is a a reciprocity, a mutualism that occurs there, and that reflects part of God’s character. God intended us to be able to see those things in nature.

God’s love revealed through His angels

God reveals Himself to us in nature, even after sin. He reveals Himself to us in the character of the angels. If you read through the Bible you find that God’s angels delight to help us. They are on our side, they seek to assist us. “The angels of glory find their joy in giving,–giving love and tireless watchcare to souls that are fallen and unholy.” People that we wouldn’t want to protect, but God sees something in them and the heart of selfless love in those angels desires to help these people. So angels save lives and protect. They’ve protected and saved many of our lives, haven’t they? I think of many times for myself.

Beyond that, we can see God ‘s love in Jesus. 

If you look at Jesus, you can see that it’s God’s character to give. “I do nothing of Myself,” said Christ; “the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father.” “I seek not Mine own glory,” but the glory of Him that sent Me.” God gave everything to Jesus and Jesus gave power, glory, life and strength to all the universe. Then those created things, He desires they would give back love, praise, and service to him, which He passes on to the Father.

Looking unto Jesus we see that it is the glory of our God to give… All things Christ received from God, but He took to give. Desire of Ages, p.19-20

Sin originated in self-seeking, misrepresenting God’s character

God had ordained that this principle of this self-denying love to be the the law of life. However, “In heaven itself this law was broken. Sin originated in self-seeking”.

Think about it, sin originated in self seeking. Many of you wonder, “Is this should do? Is this a sin? Is this God’s will? One principle you can use is: Am I self-seeking when I do this? I ate breakfast this morning because I was hungry. Is that a sin? Yes or no? Why not? Just like God said “you can eat of the tree”, he specifically gave things that we can eat, that’s a healthy desire. Now if I eat and I eat so much that when I come and speak to you that I am struggling to stay awake or I am incoherent, then I’ve become self-seeking. If I do the right thing, but for the wrong reason, I can be self-seeking. Suppose I donate money to a good cause to help students go to a GYC [a youth camp meeting event]. Good cause, right? But if I do it so that someone will say of me “he’s a good outstanding medical student” and I do it because I want people’s attention, it becomes self-seeking. And now I have crossed the line, fallen into sin, and strayed from the plan the God ordained for me that would bring life, peace, and happiness.

Sin started with Satan, he used to be known as Lucifer and he began to think after a pattern that was self-seeking. He said “I’d like to have my throne a little higher than it is. I’d like it to be over the stars. I want to be up where God is,” not in character, but in power. And he began to spread this very discreetly, very cleverly among the angels. “God’s not all you think he is. How do you know God really cares? Isn’t he he keeping something from you? He’s trying to hide something. You could be better off if I was in charge. We’re Angels! We’re good people, we all know what’s good for us. We don’t need anyone to tell us what to do”. And this thing snowballed in heaven. Satan made allegations that God’s government was unfair. “He’s trying to keep something from you. You could be happier in another way.” One reason Jesus had to come to earth was to clarify that these things are not true. He had to set the record straight. Have you ever been in a position where you have to set the record straight? This was the situation Jesus was in.

How God planned on dealing with the issue of sin

The earth was dark through misapprehension of God. That the gloomy shadows might be lightened, that the world might be brought back to God, Satan’s deceptive power was to be broken. This could not be done by force. The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan. This work only one Being in all the universe could do. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it known. Upon the world’s dark night the Sun of Righteousness must rise, “with healing in His wings.” Mal. 4:2. Desire of Ages, p. 22

Jesus came to clarify the character of God, to show that God is not a withholder, but giver of good things. “No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly” Psalm 84:11. So Jesus came from heaven to clarify who God really is and to set this record straight. “The plan for our redemption was not an afterthought.” God didn’t wake up one day and think, “Wow, a third of the angels are against me! What should we do?” and then call Jesus and they have an emergency meeting. From the very beginning, God knew and Jesus knew that Satan was going to betray them and lead the angels and us into sin. This was not a surprise. It didn’t catch God off guard. Does anything catch God off guard? No. You can see in Romans 16:25, it says that the mystery of the gospel, when Jesus became a man, was a revelation of “the mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal.” God didn’t want Satan to sin, but did He know about it?  Yes. Did He have a plan? And that involved Jesus coming to earth.

Jesus came willingly, thinking of us before we even existed

Satan had said, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God… I will be like the Most High.” What did Jesus do instead? Did he go up? He came down. Christ, “being in the form of God, counted it not a thing to be grasped to be on an equality with God, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.”, this is in Philippians 2. He humbled Himself. He’s our example, isn’t He? You want to be like Jesus? You’ll find more peace being like Jesus. You’ll find more happiness. Now, did Jesus have to go, did He have to leave heaven? No, nobody made Him do it. He could have stayed at His Father’s side, but instead he came to give us light, life, happiness, freedom and peace.

“Two thousand years ago, a voice of mysterious import was heard in heaven” Let’s look at Hebrews 10:5-7. It says in verses 5 and 6: Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, “Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.” Did God really find intrinsic pleasure in the death of all the animals in the sacrificial system? No. They were to be a reminder of whose coming? Of Jesus’ coming. Now verse 7: Then said I, ‘Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.'” Is this before Jesus became a man or afterwards? It’s before because it says “a body hast thou prepared me… Lo, I come… to do thy will”. This is quoting from Psalm 40, which is speaking of Jesus before He became a man.

This is a passage that I find comforting because Jesus said, while he was still in heaven, “Lo, I come to (I want to) do Your will”. And The Father could respect His choice, and as He grew up as a child, the Father knew that before Jesus became a man, He made that commitment. “I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.” And so The Father protected and guided Him as He grew up. “Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.”

Christ revealed before His incarnation

Jesus was about to appear in the form of a man. Now, has God appeared to man before in other forms? The pillar of fire, when Israelites are traveling through the desert. How did God appear to Moses, the first time Moses saw God? The burning bush. So Moses is out guarding his sheep and he sees a bush that’s burning and burning, and it’s not burning up. And he hears a voice speaking to him as he comes closer. Who is the voice? It was God speaking to him. “The burning bush, in which Christ appeared to Moses, revealed God. The symbol chosen for the representation of the Deity was a lowly shrub, that seemingly had no attractions. This enshrined the Infinite. The all-merciful God shrouded His glory in a most humble type, that Moses could look upon it and live.”

The Bible talks in many places that God’s glory so great if you could see everything you would be blown away and destroyed. So God has to cover it over and shroud it so you can bear to look at it. Same thing with the pillar of cloud. Same thing with the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Why did God make a tabernacle? So that He could dwell among them, but it would have to be veiled inside of a most holy place that was only accessible through a holy place that was only accessible through a courtyard. You could see into it but it was veiled because God is so great that you would be blown away.

The relevance of Christ’s incarnation and sacrifice

So Jesus, when he came, he looked like a normal human being because the glory of God was veiled in human flesh. As he took on this veil, it was inconvenient. Do you think it was convenient for Jesus to come? He left riches for poverty. He left friends for enemies. He left Angels for disciples that were fighting with each other. He left the love of His Father for separation from His Father at the cross. And He did that for us. Does that mean anything to you? It should. He paid the price for our sins. How many of you students have debt? If someone offered to pay all your school debt, would you be grateful? Would you want to do something special? Do you owe hundreds of thousands of dollars? That’s lot of money.

Jesus paid for our sins. Jesus paid it all, not just for me, but he paid for all of our sins. God laid on Him the iniquity of us all so that when He died, that means you don’t have to. Are you grateful for that? You should be enthusiastic about it. It’s a sin to be blasé about these matters. People are more excited when when the Lakers win a game than when Jesus pays the price for their sins. If you don’t have enthusiasm, something is not quite right. You need to ask the Lord to help you be more aware of His sacrifice. It’s a big deal.

Jesus understands how we feel

Since Jesus came to dwell with us, does God understand how you feel? Did Jesus go through all the different categories of experience that we go through? Did He? Yes. [see Hebrews 4:15] Now someone will say no, Jesus was never married, so how does he understand the challenges of a marriage? Jesus was never married, so He could never have been divorced, so how does He understand divorce? It’s a good question, isn’t it? It’s a fair question. Jesus was never married to have experienced divorce, but was He separated from his father on the cross? Yes. Would that have been a pain very similar to the pain of divorce? Did he lose His covering cherub, Lucifer, who stood right next to Him for ages past? Yes. Would that be similar similar to the loss of a child?

So Jesus can’t go through all circumstances in exact particulars, but He went through all types of experiences and He went through more because He could be tempted in ways that we can’t. Have you ever been tempted to turn stones into bread? No. I haven’t either. To turn asphalt into licorice? It just doesn’t come to mind! But Jesus could be tempted like that. So He had more challenges.

Acts of God?

Now I want you to see this passage from The Desire of Ages:

Satan represents God’s law of love as a law of selfishness. He declares that it is impossible for us to obey its precepts. The fall of our first parents, with all the woe that has resulted, he charges upon the Creator, leading men to look upon God as the author of sin, and suffering, and death.

Desire of Ages, p. 24

Did you ever read or hear something like this in different conversations? I just switched my insurance and I’m waiting for my policy in the mail. When I get that policy, it’s likely going to say “We are not going to insure you against acts of God”. Why do they call it an act of God? That’s slander. Does God, per se, in general, cause these things to happen? Is it His desire? No.

Now, does God occasionally bring a specific calamity for a specific purpose? Sodom and Gomorrah? The flood? Were those from God or the devil? From God, right? But in general, does God bring destruction? No, that’s not His desire. Jesus is trying to set the record straight.

Jesus proves it’s possible to obey God with His power

As one of us He was to give an example of obedience. For this He took upon Himself our nature, and passed through our experiences. “In all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren.” Hebrews 2:17. If we had to bear anything which Jesus did not endure, then upon this point Satan would represent the power of God as insufficient for us. Therefore Jesus was “in all points tempted like as we are.” Hebrews 4:15. He endured every trial to which we are subject. And He exercised in His own behalf no power that is not freely offered to us. As man, He met temptation, and overcame in the strength given Him from God. He says, “I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart.” Psalm 40:8. As He went about doing good, and healing all who were afflicted by Satan, He made plain to men the character of God’s law and the nature of His service. His life testifies that it is possible for us also to obey the law of God.

Desire of Ages, p. 24

That’s a little sobering, isn’t it? It’s a privilege, but for some of you it might sound challenging. I’m just trying to to be honest. Isn’t it challenging? Is Jesus asking you to do this without His help? No. Will you have His help? Yes. You don’t have to do this by yourself. Is it possible for us to overcome through Christ’s power? Yes, let’s look at Jude 24, (and there are many other passages we won’t have time to get to), it says:

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. Jude 24

God’s willingness to save you

The Lord wants you to be saved. He’s excited about the idea, He wants it to happen. Do you believe that He can do it? Now, is it going to happen immediately, overnight, and perfectly, at first? No, It takes time! This is what we call progressive sanctification.

The Lord works with us. If you sin, you’re not immediately evicted from God (Psalm 37:23-24). He loves you and He wants to bring you back. And so it takes time. You must not be discouraged if you fall because Jesus lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). Proverbs 24:16 says “a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again”. There is a quote that I found especially helpful:

“When it is in the heart to obey God, when efforts are put forth to this end [It’s in your heart and you’re trying], Jesus accepts this disposition and effort as man’s best service, and He makes up for the deficiency with His own divine merit.” [TMK 229].

Isn’t that cool? It’s amazing!

I count on that when I come before you to speak this morning. I am a sinner just like everyone else. I have to call on God and say, “God, it’s in my heart to serve You and I’m trying. And I ask that You will also fulfill Your will through me. And I believe Your promise and I’m going to go forward in faith.” You can do the same thing. Jesus knows how we feel, He knows how medical students feel, He knows how working people feel, and He gives us the strength to follow Him, doesn’t He?

Your environment doesn’t dictate whether you can follow God

When Jesus stooped down to take on humanity, He revealed a character that’s opposite to the character of Satan. Remember, Satan wanted to grasp to go higher, but Jesus stepped lower. It’s amazing. He went from being fabulously wealthy to be remarkably poor. From living in heaven to living in Nazareth. That would be like modern Las Vegas. Jesus was raised in a city that did not have a good reputation. But He grew up in that environment and The Father strengthened Him. Does your environment dictate whether you can follow God or not? No. Can a good environment make it easier? Yes, yes it can. But the Lord can give you strength even those places, can’t He? Yes.

“Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His. “With His stripes we are healed.” Desire of Ages, p. 25.

Christ’s sacrifice reveals how much God values us

By His life and His death, Christ has achieved even more than recovery from the ruin wrought through sin. It was Satan’s purpose to bring about an eternal separation between God and man; but in Christ we become more closely united to God than if we had never fallen. Desire of Ages, p. 25

You lose something and then you go looking for it, then you find it. It’s more valuable to you than it was before you lost it, isn’t it? Yes it is, and that’s the way it is with Jesus. John three sixteen, repeat it with me, you know it. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God didn’t just let Jesus go as a temporary sacrifice to come back to heaven and have all be the same as before He came. No, God gave Him to us, permanently. No holds barred.

Jesus, our defense attorney

Throughout the rest of eternity, Jesus now has a human nature. He’s in a body like ours. He understands what you’re going through. He understands my challenges. He stands at the throne of God. When God wonders exactly what it feels like to be human, who is the easiest person to ask? Jesus is right there. Jesus knows. That’s why it’s a good thing that Jesus is our lawyer. He’s our Advocate, isn’t He? He will defend you when Satan attacks.

There is a legal battle going on in heaven. Satan says, “[This guy] is too bad to save. Look at him, he does XYZ. He has these challenges and you shouldn’t let him in heaven. I fell from heaven and now you’re letting him in?” And Jesus says “Yes, but he repented, he asked for help, he asked for forgiveness, he got it, so be quiet”. And Satan has to be quiet. Are you grateful that Jesus is stronger than the devil? Now, He won’t be your lawyer unless you ask Him. You got to ask Jesus to be your lawyer. You have an opportunity to do that now before this sermon ends.

Jesus isn’t ashamed to call you brothers and sisters

Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brethren (Hebrews 2:11). I want you to see this in Hebrews again. It’s heavy but is it’s hearty.

Hebrews 2, starting at verse 9, this is amazing:

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

He tasted eternal death so that we don’t have to. Death will be like a sleep and you’ll wake up at the resurrection. Jesus died the second death, which is something we wouldn’t be able to recover from. Now verse 10:

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Who is the captain of our salvation? Jesus! Now see verse 11:

For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,”

Jesus isn’t ashamed of you. He presents you to the Father, saying, “he’s my brother [or sister]”. Jesus says of us, “These are my brothers and sisters, they are my family”. The Lord would like you to be part of His family, but He won’t force you. You can reject it if you want to. I hope you don’t. He’s not ashamed to call us brethren.

In verses 12 and 13, Jesus says:

“I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the [church] I will sing praise to You.”And again: “I will put My trust in Him.”And again: “Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.”

“In Christ, the family of earth and the family of heaven are bound together. Christ glorified is our brother and He brings heaven within our reach.” DA 25

Are you grateful for that?

Our salvation is permanent evidence of God’s love

The salvation or rescue which God brings to us, will be permanent evidence of who God really is. It’s evidence of His merciful and loving character. In the ages to come, Paul tells us what exactly our salvation will mean to the watching world.

Let’s look at Ephesians 2:4-7.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

The fact that God has saved you and me, forever to be His friends in heaven when we were once His enemies and even hated Him and His service. The fact that He has saved us and brought us to be His friends and live with him forever is going to be permanent evidence on file of who God really is.

There will never be another issue of someone’s saying, like Satan did, “God’s not all you think he is, he’s not all he tells you to be, he’s a withholder, he’s trying to keep something from you”. Will that have ever happen again? No, because our salvation will be will be permanent evidence of who God really is. The fact that He saves me and you is evidence of the first class of who he really is. God wouldn’t have sent His son on such an expensive errand if he didn’t care and he didn’t want to save us.

Through Christ, the government of God is justified. God ‘s character is clarified. No rebellion like Satan’s can ever happen again. The universe will be totally secure. In heaven, you won’t have to worry about your neighbors breaking into your house while you’re on vacation, it’s not going to happen. You won’t have to worry about car accidents, cancer, death and divorce in heaven. It won’t happen. Can you say Amen? Oh, it’s going to be good, and all because of the rescue mission that Jesus undertook to save us when He came down here all the way from heaven.

Even now, you’re deciding if you will trust in God’s love and saving grace

Jesus took an incredible risk to save us. He could’ve been lost. If Jesus had been lost, we would have been lost too. It was a risky business, but He tried anyhow and it worked. Now he’s interceding for us. He wants you to be saved. He won’t force you to be saved though. You have choices to make. The following is from the book, Education:

“[Every bible student] should see how this controversy [between Christ and Satan] enters into every phase of human experience; how in every act of life he himself reveals the one or the other of the two antagonistic motives; and how, whether he will or not, he is even now deciding upon which side of the controversy he will be found.” Education, p. 190

What’s your decision, friends? Do you want Jesus to be your lawyer? Do you want Him to pick you up when He comes back? His coming is soon, but you can’t prepare for that coming when you see Him in the clouds. You’re making that decision right now and the attempt to postpone the decision is also a decision. It rests with you, I can’t decide for you, your family can’t decide for you, mom and dad, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, can’t decide for you. You have to decide for yourself.

Do you believe Jesus loves you? One of the most painful things in life, I believe, is the rejection of someone who loves you and who has done so much to reach you and help you. Many of us know that by experience.

Come to Jesus, He won’t cast you out

The Lord has done more for us than anyone else. He loves us more than anyone. Are you going to reject His love or are you going to accept it and say, “Yes Lord, I need some help, I know you’re coming back soon, help me to make the right choices, give me a clean heart”. Jesus says, “he that comes to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). You might feel unworthy, that’s okay, that’s why Jesus came. Jesus came not to heal the whole, but those who were sick (Matthew 9:13). You can ask for His help and He will give it. Would you like to ask for that now? Let’s do that.

Closing Prayer

Father, we want to thank you for your love for us, for the privilege we have to be your children, for the incredible sacrifice, and the risk you took on our behalf. Lord, we need your help, we love you and we ask that you will help us to make right choices so that when you come back we can be right with you and be at peace. Lord, it’s not even in our hearts sometimes to want to make these choices. Give us a clean heart and a right spirit. Help us to want what is right and help us to lead others to follow your example, Amen.

A Spiritual Memorial

Luke 22:19-20 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”

Jesus Christ is our Prince of Peace [Isaiah 9:6]. He came to save, heal, and forgive [Matthew 1:21, Matthew 8:16-17, Mark 2:1-12, Acts 10:38].

The peace that Jesus offers us is nothing like the peace that this world promises, His peace is literally out of this world [John 14:27]. Being made righteous by faith, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ [Romans 5:1]. Peace has been offered to us through the blood of the cross [Colossians 1:19-20]. Satan who accuses us is overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. [Revelation 12:11]. This makes Satan mad as the devil himself, but we don’t have to be afraid because greater is Jesus who is in you than the devil who is in the world [Revelation 12:17, 1 John 4:4].

Though we have peace with God, we have spiritual battles to fight every day, the bible refers to this as “the good fight of faith” [1 Timothy 6:12]. The bible instructs us to take the “shield of faith” in order to “quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one”. [Ephesians 6:16]. We’re also instructed to “take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”. [Ephesians 6:17]. That’s what Jesus was referring to when He said “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” Matthew 10:34. Luke’s account uses the word “division” instead of “sword”, but this only further emphasizes that the truth of God’s word will inevitably cause division between those who accept the truth and those who reject the truth.

The bible instructs us to be girded with truth, “having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” [Ephesians 6:14-15]. Prayer and supplication is also emphasized as well [Ephesians 6:18]. Putting on this spiritual armor is also referred to as putting on the armor of light or putting on Christ [Ephesians 6:11, Romans 13:12-14].

Hmm… this would have made a good Good Friday post…  but that’s okay 😀

“Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
ye soldiers of the cross”