Category Archives: Cross

Den Of Thieves

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He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!” Matthew 21:13

As we begin this Holy Week, Jesus makes his first stop to cleanse the Holy Temple. The Holy Temple which was built , not only to worship God, but the place on Earth where God resided. However the Holy Temple of God has been turned more into a corporation than a house of prayer, where selling of merchandise , had become higher priority than true worship of God

Jesus showed his disgust by overthrowing tables and chasing the merchants out! Often we only hear about a watered down version of Jesus , but here Jesus would not allow his Father’s house to be desecrated.

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16

Today if you’re a Christian, you are the temple of God. The Holy Spirit dwells in you, just as he did in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Is your Temple Holy or desecrated? Are you allowing Jesus to cleanse out your Temple or are you conforming to the ways of the world?

Its important as Christians, we continually reflect on the current state of our faith. Would Jesus be pleased with the current condition of your spiritual life or would be overthrowing tables?

This Holy Week lets make a strong commitment to keep our Holy Temples pure in Jesus Name Amen!

The King Is Coming! #PalmSunday

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Took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.” John 12:13

The King is Coming! On this “Palm Sunday” while we remember and celebrate King Jesus coming into Jerusalem , we also must remember that the King of Kings will return again. The first time he came as “The Lamb” the next time he will return as “The Lion” and reestablish Gods kingdom forevermore

These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. John 12:16

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a Donkey instead of a horse, people did not understand. They were looking for a mighty King like David, who would destroy the Romans and free the Jewish people from oppression. However Jesus came as the “Prince of Peace” to save not just the Jews but the entire world.

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; Revelation 7:9

Fast forward to the return of Jesus , a great multitude which no one could count, meaning everyone Jew and Gentile, who is saved by the blood of Christ will be standing at the throne of God. Clothed in white robes with palm branches!

Get your Palm Branches ready because the King is Coming back soon! Blessed is Yeshua (Jesus) who comes in the name of Yahweh (God) in Jesus Name Amen!

Free Will

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“If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. Matthew 18:13

Often Christians are criticized by non-believer for worshipping an “Angry God” that is wrathful and hateful, the reality is , it couldn’t be farther from the truth. As we look at this parable about how God rejoices over just one person repenting and coming to Christ

God loves us enough to not only forgive us for our sins and disobedience , but he was willingly to lay down his life for you, there is no greater love than what God displayed on the cross

“So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish. Matthew 18:14

It is not Gods will for anyone to perish, it is our will that determines if we perish. Since the beginning of time, God has granted us “free will” that allows everyone to choose, good or evil, God or Satan, this is a choice everyone gets to make

However even after all God has demonstrated to us , some will still reject Christ and refuse to repent or change their ways. When you make your choice ,you must also be willing to accept your fate, which will be the Lake of Fire

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

Many people mock at the delay of Christ return, however God is doing this purposely allowing people time to come to repentance. However God is just and eventually justice will be served!

Come to repentance , come to Christ, who is the only one who can redeem you of your sins and restore your soul in Jesus name Amen!

Deny Yourself

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And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. Luke 9:23

When we look at Christianity today, it has become the exact opposite of what Jesus taught. Preachers have not become more like “self help” salesmen rather than ministers of God. Everyone is looking for “ their best life now”, looking for prosperity and fame.

Jesus is telling us to “Get over ourselves”, stop worrying or pursing the things of this world. Give up the lust for the things of this world and pursue righteousness with God. This is obviously hard for many to do as we are carnally minded. But until we “Deny Ourselves” we can’t become a true Christian

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. Luke 9:24

Jesus even goes one step further, if you continue to live carnally minded for the world, you will lose your life. The only way to gain eternal life, is to be crucified with Christ. Most people when they see the cross, they only see Christ on their. However we must all become crucified and resurrected to be “Born Again”

If you want eternal life, you must lose this carnal life first. You can’t live in the flesh and expect to walk in The Spirit.  Take up your cross daily, humble yourself, be willing to suffer for the Kingdom of God is at hand in Jesus Name Amen!

Not Of This World

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Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15

Do you ever feel out of place in this world? Feel like you just don’t fit in? This isn’t a bad thing, as anyone who loves this world doesn’t love God. What does this mean exactly? Does this mean we shouldn’t care about the planet? No this is speaking symbolically of the things or lust of this world. You look at our culture, the music and movies, it’s a filled with immorality. The world lives for the flesh and the spirit

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 1 John 2:16

Pride and lust don’t come from God, they come from Satan. They are used as traps to enslave us in sin and death. Fix your eyes on Jesus and not on the things of this world. For the things of this world are temporary, but the kingdom of God is eternal

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

So what should we do as Christians? Should we just live in a cave, separated totally from society? Jesus has called us to be the light and salt of the world, how can we do this if we don’t associate with the world? Be a good example for people, show them the resurrection power of Christ living through you! Be a testimony! But dont conform to the evil ways of this world, be transformed in Jesus Name Amen!

Mustard Seed

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He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; Matthew 13:31

Most times when we hear this parable of the Mustard Seed, we reflect on our own lives. However what about reflecting on Jesus life? Think about how a carpenters son from a little town could change the world forever! Talk about small beginnings, this is exactly how the Kingdom of God came to Earth

Jesus began his ministry, with basically nothing but a staff and clothes on his back, yet he not only took on the religious establishment, his teachings became a new religion! He planted the seed of truth, which is the Word of God, and over time it grew into what we know as Christianity today!

Think about how one man, who was perceived as a blasphemer and law breaker, was crucified on a cross, saved the entire world from their sins!

and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.” Matthew 13:32

The seed that Jesus planted into the world, grew to become our hope and salvation, that all of us can rest under that tree. The same tree that Jesus bore the penalty of our sins! God in flesh dwelt among us but he was so misunderstood and overlooked, that they mistaken him for a common criminal

Keep planting the seed of God’s Word throughout the entire world and watch Gods Kingdom continue to grow beyond our comprehension in Jesus Name Amen!

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And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’ Mark 7:6-7

I think one of the interesting things about Christianity, is Jesus came to abolish religion yet man made another religion out of his teachings.  The Pharisees were supposed to be experts of the scriptures, however they couldn’t even identify The Messiah right before their eyes.

See The Pharisees even though they loved God and the concept of  him, their hearts were far from God. Instead of them listening to the teachings of the Son of God, they judged him based on their manmade rules and opinions. They were hypocrites just as Isaiah prophesied they would be. They talked the talk but they didn’t walk the walk. Sadly we see many Christians doing the same thing today

And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ Matthew 22:38

Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. If the Pharisees really loved God they would have given Jesus a chance. Instead of condemning him because he ate with unclean hands, or scolding him because he healed the sick on the Sabbath. Or if they were truly seeking God then they would have recognized Jesus is The Messiah

But their hearts were far away from God even though they talked like holy people. Don’t allow your heart to wander from God, love him with all your heart, soul, and mind in Jesus Name Amen!

Days of Noah

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But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark– you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. Genesis 6:18

Covenant – A contract between two parties

Throughout history God has made covenants with humanity.

  • The Covenant of Marriage (Genesis 2)
  • Covenant of Abraham (Israel) (Genesis 15)
  • The New Covenant of Jesus Christ (Jeremiah 31 , Luke 22)

In the days of Noah, when the world was full of wickedness and evil, God made a covenant with Noah and his family; through the ark he provided salvation for humanity. God made a promise to provide a way even though humanity didn’t deserve it.

While Noah showed obedience to God, the world mocked him. The world continued there sinful ways and didn’t repent or listen to Noah, because of there human pride, they all lost their lives.

“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. Matthew 24:37

Just as God provided a means of salvation by a wooden ark, Jesus gave us salavation from a wooden cross. On the cross, Jesus said “It Is Finished”, establishing the “New Covenant” that provides us salvation from sin and death.

Just like in the “days of Noah”, Christians are being mocked and ignored. But just like the “Great Flood” the day of Judgement is coming. Your only hope for salvation is through  Christ, don’t be the wicked and foolish who rejected Gods salvation in Jesus Name Amen!

Message Of The Cross

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For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

As we looked back on the life of Billy Graham, one reason his ministry was so effective was because he kept it simple. He preached the message of the cross! This is the place we should all start when preaching the gospel, because without repentance there can’t be any transformation.

In todays world, I believe many modern preachers have abandoned this message to combat the Atheist movement. Instead of us talking about the cross and what Jesus did for all humanity, we talk about fossil records and aging measuring techniques. Don’t get me wrong, I love apologetics , however sometimes it feels like we get tied into endless arguments and never talk about Jesus Christ.

But you say “the message of the cross is foolishness” to all the Atheists, Muslims, Hindu’s, and everyone else that rejected Christ. Yeah that’s precisely the point, we can chase our tails to try and appease non believers, or we can just give them the gospel straight and leave it up to them to decide.

Whether the Earth is old or new, flat or round, doesn’t really matter in the final moments of life. The real moment that matters is did you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, did you repent of your sins?  Is the message of the cross foolish to you or is it the love and power of God in Jesus Name Amen!

Make Us Clean

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And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Mark 1:40

Why did you come to Jesus? This may sound like an odd question, however when people come to Jesus for the wrong reasons, typically they fall away from their faith. However when we come to Jesus , as the Leper, begging for mercy, then we truly come to Jesus for the right reasons.

Lepers during these times were considered sub human and outcasts. Religious leaders would not even allow Lepers to be part of society, they were banished to deserted places left to die. We are these “spiritual Lepers”, we were dead in our sins, left to die. However Jesus Christ had mercy on us, and he is the only one who can make us “Spiritually Clean”

Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Mark 1:41

What was Jesus motive to heal us? He was moved with compassion, even though we were still sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8) Jesus loved us before we knew him, he said “I AM Willing”, he was willing to go to the cross for our sins, he was willing to take the wages of our sins upon himself, he was willing to love a spiritual leper when nobody else was

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Come to Christ for mercy and salvation, he is willing to cleanse you from your sins in Jesus Name Amen