“Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, ‘Let us break Their chains and throw off Their shackles.’
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath, saying, ‘I have installed My King on Zion, My holy mountain.’
I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son; today I have become Your Father. Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron; You will dash them to pieces like pottery.’
Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate His rule with trembling. Kiss His Son, or He will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for His wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.” [1]
If we join with those who reject and rebel against the Father and the Son, we will shatter into pieces like a broken pot when we see Him. When we stand before the Lord Jesus Christ in His glory, we will be speechless. All nations shall be given to Him. The best thing we can do while alive is to serve the Lord with holy reverence and celebrate His rule. The word “worship” in the Bible means “to kiss to.” We are to kiss to the Son of God and take refuge in Him. Salvation is 100% of Him and 0% of us.
“Blessed (happy) are all who take refuge in Him.” [2]
[1] Psalm 2:1-12
[2] Psalm 2:12
One day, Jesus ministered to people who were deceived by Satan. They believed that they belonged to God, but they belonged to Satan. Satan had laced their knowledge of the Old Testament with many false understandings. So much so, that they were exceedingly puffed up about their “excellent” understanding of God. However, when they met God face to face in the person of Jesus Christ, they rejected Him.
What did Jesus do? Did He avoid confrontation with them? No, He told them that they needed to hold to His teaching to be His disciples. If they became His disciples, they would know the truth, and the truth would set them free. [1]
Rather than listen to the voice of God, they told Jesus, “We are descendants of Abraham.” “We are not slaves.” They assumed that they belonged to God because they were born into the right religious heritage.
Jesus told them that they were slaves of sin. He told them that a slave of sin has no permanent part in God’s family, but a son does. He told them that they needed the Son (Him) to set them free from sin. [2]
Without Jesus no one can break the yoke of sin. HE IS the sin-bondage breaker. There are many kinds of sinful bondages. There are sinful bondages to drugs, to illicit sex, to worldly desires, to self-exaltation and to pride in one’s religion. Their hatred of God’s Messiah was the sin of all sins. Godly people do not want to kill God when He shows up.
When Jesus sought to set them free, they refused to let Him. They stuck by the line, “We are children of Abraham. He is our father.” Jesus countered, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do what he did.” Abraham never tried to kill the voice of God when God spoke to him. He listened to and obeyed God. Jesus told them that they were doing the works of their father the devil. They wanted to kill Him because their father was a liar and murderer. Jesus told them, “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” [3]
They called Jesus a Samaritan, a slur that meant He did not have pure doctrine like they did. They called Jesus demon possessed. Jesus countered, “I am not possessed by a demon. I honor My Father and you dishonor Me. I am not seeking glory for Myself; but there is one who seeks it, and He is the judge. Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys My word will never see death.” [4] Jesus told them the truth. He gave them the opportunity to hear and obey His Word, and as a result, never see death. They rejected both His message and Him.
Finally, Jesus told them that He was the Messiah. He did this by referring to Himself as “I AM.” “I AM” (Yahweh) is the name God gave Moses to call Him. Jesus told the Jews, “Very truly I tell you, before Abraham was born, I AM!” At this, they picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus hid Himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.” [5]
Are you more enamored with a particular brand of “God” than with listening to and following the Lord Jesus Christ? Today, Jesus is saying, “Hold to My WORD! Be My DISCIPLES! Then, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
[1] John 8:31-32
[2] John 8:34-36
[3] John 8:39-47
[4] John 8:48-51
[5] John 8:58-59
Paul the Apostle once asked a group of believers, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So what did Paul do? He laid hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. [1] Do you have the Holy Spirit? This is a serious matter because according to the Bible, “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” [2]
The Holy Spirit is the One who convicts the world of three essential truths:
1. He convicts the world for not believing in Messiah. Without faith in Him a person cannot be saved. The Holy Spirit convicts people of their need of Christ. [3]
2. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of righteousness because the world cannot currently see Messiah. [4] The Church is not orphaned. God the Holy Spirit is working in and through us to show the world what is right and what is wrong in God’s eyes. The Holy Spirit gives the Church power to testify for Messiah. be His witnesses when the Holy Spirit comes on us. [5] Jesus said that whoever believes in Him would do even greater works than He did while on earth because He was going to the Father. [6] The Holy Spirit prophesies through the Church and gives God’s people dreams and visions. [7]
3. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of judgment because the prince of this world is judged. [8] The devil and his followers are doomed. Every tree that does not bring forth the fruit of Christ will be chopped down and thrown into the fire. [9] He convicts people that this world is ending, and that Christ’s kingdom is coming.
We need the Holy Spirit. “Heavenly Father, please fill us with Your promised Holy Spirit! Please convict the world of it’s need of salvation! In the Name of Your Son Jesus Christ I pray. Amen!”
[1] Acts 19:2, 6
[2] Romans 8:9
[3] John 16:8-9
[4] John 16:10
[5] Acts 1:8
[6] John 14:12
[7] Acts 2:17-19
[8] John 16:11
[9] Matthew 3:10
People asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.” [1]
Once, during an illness, I lamented because I could not help the homeless. That was my work at that time. Can you relate with the homeless? Can you relate with someone who lacks even a dime to buy something to eat? What some in these situations say is, “Being treated poorly by those who are blessed adds to my pain.”
People asked Jesus what kind of work gains God’s approval. He replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” Jesus is the One the Father has sent to us to save us from our sin. God justifies believers in His Son.
All things were created by Jesus and in Him all things hold together. After Thomas saw Jesus alive from the dead, He testified, saying of Jesus, “My Lord and my God.” When a jailer asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” [2]
God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours. We may want to help rather than be helped, but perhaps being incapacitated is more necessary for us. The Lord says, “Remain in Me the Vine and you will bear much fruit.” [3]
What kind of fruit came forth from the Thomas who testified of Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” History tells us that he took the Gospel to India. In fact, my son-in-law and his family come from the part of India where Thomas had a big impact on the people. When we testify that Jesus is our Lord and God, He brings forth good fruit through us. He, not we, makes it happen. And it may not be as we expected it would happen. It is His grace working through us and He receives the glory!
Faith in Christ is the work God approves! There are many ways to exhibit faith in Christ. Being still and knowing that He is God is one way.
“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah” [4]
[1] John 6:28-29
[2] Colossians 1:16-17; John 20:28; Acts 16:30-31
[3] John 15:5
[4] Psalm 46:10-11
