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A STIFFNECKED PEOPLE [Part 3]

The rebellion against God by stiffnecked ancient Israel that resulted in its 70AD cessation corresponds to the parallel rebellion by stiffnecked Unreal Christianity…

SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST

Whoever has a problem with the Lord Jesus has a pretty big problem. Regardless of whether they understand the stance they have adopted or not, or if they are sane or not, anyone who opposes Him is on the opposite side of salvation. And while this position may not indicate a non-saneness among such people, it does indicate the equivalent thereof in a spiritual sense because the greatest human disease of all is the sin disease and the only cure for that is the salvation which the Lord Jesus, and only the Lord Jesus, has made available. And since this particular issue of spiritual salvation is one of which unbelievers/non-Christians would consider an unrelatable or “religious” one, it is usually not within their purview, meaning they cannot relate to it or will not attempt to try and are thus indifferent toward it and willingly separated from it.

In Parts 1 and 2 I briefly mentioned this inherently common rebellious issue stemming from the rooted bad attitude of majority national Israel which God described as being stiffnecked (KJV) or obstinate (NASB95). Yet I also touched on the fact that Unreal Christianity has proven to be pretty much the exact equivalent. One must remember, however, that this attitude also lies hidden and unperceived until provoked when it then presents itself in full fury. That which causes the provocation is the conviction of sin. That which brings on the conviction is the authentic Gospel. Most people steer clear of this including the majority of Christians who are not experienced with anointed preaching and witnessing against sin which is actually the very heart of the initial Gospel message. It is why John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus, the twelve apostles, and Peter at Pentecost each strongly preached the preliminary need of repentance because it is the first step toward addressing the sin issue:

Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” [Matthew 3:1-2]

Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” [Mark 1:14-15]

They went out and preached that men should repent. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them. [Mark 6:12-13]

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” [Acts 2:38]

Accordingly, it means such hesitant Christians (née rebellious), rather than deal with their sin according to the clear Scriptural instruction, hide it and even coddle it, apparently because they have no intention of eliminating it apparently again because they want to reserve the right to continue in it even if it means subjectively reclassifying it as non-sin. To this end they apparently for the third time prefer extremely soft spiritually meaningless churchy sermonettes, liturgical theater, non-spiritual motivational speaker directives (that never or rarely address root sin), and pacifying pabulum so as not to be put on the spot and have their unrepentant sin revealed.

This proves that social and cultural status (and the money derived thereby) are much more important to such people than right standing with a holy God because the very thought of the process of real repentance is both embarrassing and humiliating as well as socially damaging.

HE NEVER SINNED

It is good that the Lord Jesus never supported such an attitude. It would obviously be antithetic to His very mission which demanded He be a bulwark against the sinful and wayward ways of this temporary fallen world. Because He was the epitome of resistance in this regard and even waged spiritual war against this and other spiritual enemies, He was an ongoing and continual target of attack and reprisal by the forces of antichrist. This is why persecution is a constant for real Christians. It is why the mandated command of the Lord to take the offensive, forge ahead, and attack the very gates of hell triggers a defensive counterattack (persecution) which acts as a proof and witness of real Christianity, something Unreal Christianity is completely devoid of since it represents no effective threat to the kingdom of darkness.

Because of the Lord’s wholesale and fearless opposition to sin, He was tempted severely. He was fought at every turn. He was eventually hated by almost everyone but without a cause. He was rejected. Even His own left Him at the end and were not there when He needed them most. His enemies pretty much called Him every name in the book. Of course, His detractors were actually describing themselves and were falsely accusing Him of exactly what they were doing, but they had managed to create such a stunningly believable fabricated front that the deceived humans (the majority) couldn’t see through it. Sound familiar?

Maybe this is why churches in general are loaded by and large with spiritually immature people unpossessed of critical thinking ability, spiritual eyes to see, and the wherewithal to actually do a little reading and research work to build up the eyes of their heart. On the other hand, however, those things are generally outlawed in such places because the last thing churches in general need is a congregation of people open to the revelation of God who seek truth, serve the Lord Jesus, think for themselves, refuse to be dictated to, and are impossible to program. Churches as we know them could never exist with a controlling majority of those kinds of people. They need a spiritually low common denominator of folks perfectly willing to go along to get along which never questions authority or applies the full New Testament to their proceedings.

So right there is another clue: The Lord did not seem to fit. Anywhere. He seemed to be rejected. Everywhere. Why? Well, again, He opposed sin and sinning. He was not a sinner. He had no sin. This means He did not possess the sinful human nature passed down through the millennia from the first humans. The Lord Jesus also had no human father of the biological kind. He had a human mother but she had been an especially chosen one. His mother Mary was certainly in need of a Savior like everybody else but she had to have as close to a sinless nature as there could be, and was likely exceptionally good-natured, humble, and thoroughly obedient to God. She was actually referred to by God as the favored one—one richly blessed—who found favor with God.

We know this by how quickly she said yes to the angel messenger Gabriel. We might remember by comparison that an older, seemingly wiser, very religious, dutiful, excellent member of society and one serving in the priestly ranks had a similar visit by the same angel yet made a significant error which was a perfect display of human nature in action. That man was the future father of no less than John the Baptist himself. As a penalty this older wiser man was struck dumb in large part because as old and wise as he was he still could not completely control his mind or his emotions or his tongue.

But Mary made an A plus. This means the Son of God had derived from a godly mother who likely did better than anyone else regarding doing her best to keep, act on, and correctly believe in and apply the Word of God. When these two are put together—having God for one’s Father and a truly godly human mother (a Man unlike other humans)—it is no wonder the Lord Jesus didn’t fit anywhere in this world. This should be a lesson to all Christians in that if one fits well in the world within human society, he or she likely does not fit so well in the Lord’s kingdom if such a one is in it at all. The Word of God is clear:

Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. [James 4:4]

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. [Romans 8:5-8][1]

THE FATHER-SON RELATIONSHIP

We know, of course, that the Son pleased the Father to the nth degree. He scored a perfect grade in this area. This means the Son perfectly subjected Himself to the Father and to the law of God. He was perfectly aligned with the Word of God in that He is the Living Word and the Word is God. The Son was on perfectly friendly and loving terms with the Father. He set His mind on the things of the Spirit and never the flesh. And He was never a friend of the world.

God chose to become the Son in part as a living example to His followers. As the example of every real Christian, that is, every Christian who truly loves the Lord, wants to serve the Lord, and dedicates his or her life to the Lord and His work, every real Christian must do his or her best to follow His example and do likewise. This is obviously not easy and will take much work and effort over several years. Regardless of levels of success one can only do one’s best. If one thinks about it too much it will look like a daunting task and may even appear impossible.

Yet we know by the examples of those as recorded in the New Covenant Scriptures that such success can certainly be achieved though it is relative. In other words, there was only one Son of God walking this earth who achieved absolute perfection but He also had by far the most difficult assignment and mission. No one else achieved this perfection, not Peter, not Paul, not any of the apostles or any other disciple. Even so, each of these and so many more were sons in their own right and achieved an astounding level of spiritual success by doing their best to live according to the example of the Son of God—

But when the proper time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born subject to [the regulations of] the Law, To purchase the freedom of (to ransom, to redeem, to atone for) those who were subject to the Law, that we might be adopted and have sonship conferred upon us [and be recognized as God’s sons]. And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the [Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba (Father)! Father! Therefore, you are no longer a slave (bond servant) but a son; and if a son, then [it follows that you are] an heir by the aid of God, through Christ. [Galatians 4:4-7 AMPLIFIED]

One must therefore never look at living for the Lord as impossible, unworkable, too difficult, or not worth putting forth the effort due to a perceived likely lack of success, but accept it wholeheartedly as the greatest of privileges knowing that God will grant His sons every ability and means toward spiritual achievement and victory.

Making a resolute stand for the Lord Jesus and being determined to fulfill His will is thus the antithesis of being stiffnecked against Him.

Posted in Current Events

REJECTED BY HIS OWN: SHARING IN OUR SAVIOR’S SUFFERING

Nov 27

Posted by RJ Dawson

Spiritual suffering is part of being a real Christian. There is sometimes much pain that must be endured for His purposes.

We are commanded to love but loving makes one vulnerable. It involves trust and a lowering of defenses, otherwise others cannot be reached with the Gospel. The person who has already gone through the process of real repentance and surrendering to the Lord sometimes suffers from the actions of unrepentant sinners who do not follow the Lord’s teachings or obey the Golden Rule, and who also have little sense for mercy and compassion. This dynamic makes the spiritual work of real Christians often subject to personal attacks, a lack of respect, and a general mockery of all things New Testament, since such spiritual teachings are not appreciated or understood by the natural mind.

HEART PAIN

Though not exclusively Christian, this “heart pain,” which some refer to as the worse kind, describes well the process of necessary suffering. As for spiritual reasons why it must exist, one must suffer according to the Lord’s will, whose purposes may be temporarily unknown, for the betterment of one’s relationship with Him or to be more effective in His work. At other times it may be for the sake of others, for those whom Christians may minister to, and also for one’s ongoing spiritual maturation process and development. Here is a good illustration:

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.” [John 15:1-2]

Though somewhat challenging to define, heart pain may be described in general as deep-set, like a nebulous rock, far within the core of one’s being and even somehow beyond it as if one’s being must expand to contain it. It is brought about by several possible stimuli, such as an unfortunate event or occurrence, negative treatment by others, misunderstandings, or having one’s hopes dashed. It may feel like an invisible floor or foundation collapses into nothing. The initial pain may arrive relatively fast and even be somewhat debilitating. Healing may take quite a while though in the interim the pain becomes somewhat lessened by the eventual onset of a general numbness, as though an internal medicated bandage has been applied or an imperceptible deadening drug administered.

A new Christian experiencing this for the first time may wonder about the purpose or necessity thereof—the big “why” question—and thus realize that he or she has signed up for more than originally thought. This pain may thus come as a somewhat rude awakening in that the new birth experience arrives with great joy and newness of life, what is described well as a “Holy Ghost” high. After one’s initial experience though, which might last a few months, there is the inevitable coming down from it and the realization that spiritual effort and means are required to gain it back and maintain it as one seeks a steady, ongoing, and effective walk with the Lord.

To gain a better understanding of spiritual suffering in general, it, like everything else, begins with the Lord Jesus. Scripture makes the clear implication that no one ever suffered to the degree He did. As our Founder and Leader, it was required that He experience all the pain His followers would later experience so there would be mutual understanding and that His followers would know He could relate to their pain and would be the One to go to for ministry and mercy regarding it. We see this process of the Lord leaving His perfect and holy estate, then being treated as essentially the last of all men, only to become victorious and rising to first across the board, as illustrated here:

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. [Colossians 1:17-18]

REJECTED BY HIS OWN

“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.” [Luke 9:22]

“For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.” [Luke 17:24-25]

Rejection is something common to mankind and specifically regards particular individuals perceived as less significant or flawed or alleged as such by narrow, often prejudicial standards, and thus being unqualified for inclusion in a group. Such parameters are, of course, based on the necessity of exclusivity as a means of keeping the “riffraff” out for the purposes of group purity and superiority. Such rejection was also something the Lord suffered, which is really strange on the surface, since He is the greatest, most pure, and most loving and compassionate Person in world history. He was even a Man apart in His own family and among local kinsmen who considered Him “beside Himself” (KJV):

In addition to being referred to as senseless/crazy, He was also falsely labeled by others as a drunkard (a winebibber), a glutton (though He fasted often, even for forty days), a friend of sinners, as demon-possessed (by the religious leaders—a clear case of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit), and even of illegitimate birth, a scurrilous charge against His heavenly origin and pure bloodline. Even unbelieving Jews of today still refer to Him as a “magician” and by other profane names which still appear in their “holy” books. These were and are gross mischaracterizations and pure slander which, however, would cause one to understand why He was rejected by those who believed such lies so readily. His rejection was also prophecy:

For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘And He was numbered with transgressors’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.” [Luke 22:37]

One wonders, then, what the hell kind of a group or society was it that excluded Him? It could have only been an evil, sinister group and one accepting of sin and rebellion against God. In fact, it was not just a group but effectively an entire nation. This, again, puts into perfect focus the kind of nation He was dealing with in that it rejected Him outright—and we are talking the majority here—of everything He was and represented. We must therefore see His rejection by His own people as foundational and definitive and that rejection in general is most often perpetrated by lesser people appearing as the greater.

This means that if the Lord Himself—the Creator of the Universe—is rejected by His own who were thus primarily an immoral people—then rejection is not necessarily a bad thing though it may feel that way.

It can actually be seen as a good thing in that one may not be evil enough, or sinful enough, or spiritually immature enough, or accepting of degradation enough, or has higher standards, or simply has a great desire to be close to God and walk with God. How then can the righteous not be rejected?

In the following definitive passage, the Lord quotes Psalm 118:22-23 and applies it to Himself. Though obviously familiar with it, His rejecters rejected His interpretation and application also:

Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,

‘The stone which the builders rejected,

This became the chief corner stone;

This came about from the Lord,

And it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.” [Matthew 21:42-44]

Here we have a picture of not only those who foolishly reject the Lord Jesus but also what the Lord will do about it and to them as a result. It will not go unpunished. He will certainly suffer rejection as He must but in the end will also not only bring justice and retribution to punish the guilty but also restore and bless those wronged by the guilty.

May this be a comforting thought for all who are rejected with Him for the same reasons. Their sufferings, though relatively great, will never be for nothing if walked out according to His will and purposes, but will prove to be beneficial both for the one who suffers and for the spiritual purpose thereof. We perceive this clearly in His life:

But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. [Hebrews 2:9-10]

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. [1Peter 4:12-14][1]

Dear readers, if you’re going through it now, and I can certainly relate, it won’t last forever and will somehow, some way, eventually turn to joy and victory. For this we must praise the Lord and give Him glory. He always has the last word. Hold fast, proceed through the process with a good attitude, keep a good spirit, pray for spiritual strength, pray for your enemies, and trust the Lord. (Also, fasting helps.)

Though we may not understand initially what the purpose or end result of suffering and rejection may be, we know we can always trust Him to bring the victory.

Posted in Teaching

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Tags: Cornerstone, Discipleship, Lord Jesus, Love, Pain, Real Christianity The Nature of the Church, Rejection, Spiritual Suffering, Spiritual Warfare, The Great Awakening, The Sufferings of Christ, The Way of the Heart, Trust Your Heart With God

BAPTISM OF OPTIMISM: REJOICE!

Jul 11

Posted by RJ Dawson

He was born to die. He always knew it. He planned it. But even at the very darkest hour He knew there was a call for unbounded optimism: He would soon open the Way to Life.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. [Hebrews 12:1-2]

COUNT IT ALL JOY

Mature Christians of the real variety are very well acquainted with giving a message most will reject. As the Lord Jesus engaged in the greatest ministry of all time with a perfect message expertly delivered and a perfect teaching curriculum second to none, no one was more aware of the inherent difficulty of the task at hand than Him, in that His perfect message would be wasted on the majority.

It would seem, during His time, that all impartial hearers and personal witnesses of His love, compassion, mercy, mighty works, and incessant miracles would immediately join up with Him in a veritable heartbeat if for no other reason than that nothing they experienced could be denied. Denial of His extraordinary presence and perfection was impossible. His ministry was that clear. It was absolutely astounding.

And yet, as a stark testimony to the sheer impossibility of errant and immoral human beings besought with a sinful human nature—obstinate and unyielding at its core to any and all reform—recalcitrant and unruly—not only did the majority of His own people reject His message, they also rejected Him and drove His Name into the dirt.

His “own people” constituted not only His fellow Israelites in general but also the political leaders of His nation, the religious leaders of His nation, the foreign leaders in positions of authority in His nation, an untold number of His relatives, and even members of His own immediate family. One can only wonder at the great mental, moral, and emotional disconnect existing in the heart of the willfully lost and the message that could set them free. The Lord had effectively given everything He had, even acting as a supernatural electrician running miles of spiritual romex connected to the power plant of Heaven directly to their hearts and all they had to do was flip a switch. BUT NO.

And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.” The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.” [Mark 3:2-22]

Rather than acknowledge the great Light that had arrived for their salvation and honoring Him and praising Him and being thankful for Him they instead said He had an illegitimate birth, that He was a drunk and a glutton, that He was crazy, and that He was demon possessed. If this does not reveal to an impartial observer the wickedness of humanity nothing ever will. These hell bound moral laggards, at that time the greatest DAs in the history of the world though perceived by the world as upstanding and trustworthy, were the epitome of deceived demon-influenced dunderheads which a sinful unseeing nation prostrated themselves before and trusted exclusively with no thought of thinking for themselves or even giving God a glance. The blind were truly leading the blind but only because the wimpy blind yielded to the authoritative blind because they were far too fearful to risk thinking for themselves.

And yet none of it took the Lord by surprise. No one was more aware of the utter depravity of humanity. He created humanity. He watched humanity fall. He saw humanity from the very beginning from the Garden up to His present and knew very well what He was dealing with. And He came to this earth anyway. He subjected Himself to the vast stupidity and hate anyway.

He knew most would reject Him. He knew most would find fault with Him. He knew most would count themselves better than Him. He knew most would trust their own inclinations or those of their betters. He knew most would not budge an inch from whatever their chosen belief system was. He knew the majority of the indoctrinated and brainwashed would willingly remain that way.

He knew, for most of the people He preached to, that facts would never matter. Nor would the truth matter. Most would not and could not appreciate the truth. For most there was simply no love for facts and truth if these in any way violated their chosen beliefs.

BLINDED BY SIN

And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains. [John 9:39-41]

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. [2Corinthians 4:3-4]

“Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.” [Revelation 3:17-18]

How spiritually blind must one be to indignantly and continuously reject the very Light that would heal their blindness and allow them to see spiritual reality? How dark are the hearts that refuse the Light which would otherwise brighten their being and deliver them from the eternal night?

THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM

Yet there were others, a decided and relative few, who took a completely different tack. They were personally bold enough to go against the grain of the fallen world and deceitful sinful culture. These were spiritual pioneers who would rather seek Light and salvation even it meant inviting the wrath of the wayward and cause ongoing personal suffering. They possessed a gravitas that strengthened them against all onslaughts from evil, both human and demonic, and allowed the Lord to greatly supplement their strength with a spiritual power none could resist.

These composed the Remnant. He would rescue these. He knew they would comply. He knew they would surrender to Him and obey. Why? Because they had already been communicating with Him through prayer and supplication for years, long before He ever arrived as one of us. They had been asking for His help. They knew He could help. They wanted Him. They longed for Him. They would do anything for Him. They knew He was and had always been the answer.

Of course, due to their excellent attitude and desire for actual spiritual reality they did not fare too well with other members of society who were impossible to communicate with on a spiritual level. These had a different mindset. They had very little in common with the unrepentant. The Remnant, with reference to this world, knew something was off. They refused to make peace with sin or accept the sinful ways of the world, though they also knew it would make life more difficult.

They knew the way of the Lord Jesus was the highest way, the most pure and righteous way, and they would do their best to follow it. Thus, they rejected the social relativism of the sinful culture which always sought an extremely low common denominator. Such relativism is, of course, the administered agenda of the controllers since dumbed-down masses all on the same drivel-inspired page of monotony are much easier to control and use to do their bidding. And the exact dynamic is present in Unreal Christianity.

OUR GLORIOUS PRESENT

People are waking up. People are gaining their sight. By allowing evil the upper hand and freedom to show itself in all its wickedness, that which had previously been hidden behind dark shadows has emerged into the open. They think the coast is clear. They think they are free to sin to their heart’s content with no ramifications or accountability. They have revealed themselves for what they are. And people are noticing. Those who desire righteousness are raising up a standard, first, in their own lives and then against the wicked. Many are coming to an understanding of repentance, what it is and why it is necessary.

Real Christians have always known from the time of their born again experience that a spiritual Rubicon must be crossed and that one can never go back. They know that when a person makes a commitment to the Lord Jesus it is an irrevocable commitment. There is no looking back or turning back or desire to do so. They know they have crossed a line of separation. The terms of the New Covenant demand it. Those who have recently been awakened know they can never unsee what they have already seen. They know too much.

They know the only remaining direction is forward.

The world of fakery, much of it media-inspired, whether cultural or religious, must be left behind.

BAPTISM OF OPTIMISM

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. [Psalm 23:1-3]

But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever. I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it, and I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones. [Psalm 52:8-9]

The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. [Psalm 92:12-15]

He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf. [Psalms 11:28]

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.” [Jeremiah 17:7-8]

Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad, for the Lord has done great things. Do not fear, beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness have turned green, for the tree has borne its fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded in full. So rejoice, O sons of Zion, and be glad in the Lord your God; for He has given you the early rain for your vindication. And He has poured down for you the rain, the early and latter rain as before. The threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil. [Joel 2:21-24]

“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” [John 10:10b][1]

Posted in Teaching

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Tags: Betrayal, Blind Guides, Christ Died For Sinners, Christian Pharisees, Don't Confuse Me With Facts, Green, Joy, Lord Jesus, Mercy, Optimism, Overcome Evil with Good, Real Christianity The Nature of the Church, Real Christians, Real Repentance, Reality vs. Fakery, Rejection, Sinners Saved By Grace, Spiritual Blindness, Spiritual Warfare, The Fallen World of Sinful Humanity, The Great Awakening, The Lamb's Book of Life, The Remnant, The Sacrifice Lamb, The Way of Life, Tree of Life, Unreal Christainity, Wake Up America!, Wicked Heart of Unbelief

Mary Did You Know?

Dec 22

Posted by RJ Dawson

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. [Matthew 1:18] [1]

From the very beginning, the Lord demanded that His followers believe in and be a part of miraculous works. His very birth was a miracle!

But His mother Mary had to carry with her for the next thirty years the powerful and painful fact that pretty much everybody but Joseph believed she was an impure woman trying to present herself as pure.

It did not matter how much she protested all the disgusting innuendo that followed her constantly. No one other than her husband believed her, and possibly a few others. But these few, if they actually existed, had very little impact on lessening the pain that unbelief caused her. And the only reason Joseph believed was because an angel kept appearing to him giving him spiritual facts he could otherwise not see.

Imagine your entire town, your relatives, your “friends,” the people you attended synagogue with, and effectively the entire nation of Israel not believing a single word you say in defense of yourself. You know God asked you to do a very difficult thing and you showed zero hesitation in accepting the assignment and the great challenge it represented. You learned quickly that when God said a nation was blind He meant exactly that: ISRAEL WAS BLIND.

Mary knew in her heart based on her own very hurtful experience that the same thing would happen to her Son—He would be rejected as she was rejected. Most of His own countrymen would never believe Him. His own family would reject Him! None of His brothers and sisters were at the foot of the cross. Only one of His twelve disciples was there, and one wonders if John was at the cross in part because he was given the mantle of taking care of Mary.

But long before then, while the Lord was growing up, Mary still had to find a way to live with unbelief all around her and everyone whispering and shaming her everywhere she went. It was obvious to all in their spiritually blind and willingly sinful state that the Lord Jesus was certainly illegitimate, and because he did not favor Joseph someone else must be the real father. And everyone probably had their suspects.

But Mary, the wonderful, pure, and blessed mother of our Lord, soldiered on. She was presented with an extremely difficult lifelong task and was determined to fulfill it. She honored God. She gave her word. She considered herself greatly blessed. And most of all, God needed her!

In this wonderful time when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, our Immanuel—GOD WITH US—let us remember the great accomplishment of Mary—Miryam. Let us remember how she remained faithful to God for the duration no matter the pain and rejection she suffered. She did an excellent job as a wife and mother. Is it possible, though, that anyone ever cried more tears? She was holy and obedient and showed great resolve regardless of all the ubiquitous malicious gossip and unbelief.

And when at last her loving Son did that first miracle at the Cana wedding she could finally feel some relief. She could proudly say in clearing her name, “I told you so! Now will you believe me?”

Some did. Most did not. Even miraculous works did not change their dark sinful minds.

But Mary knew. She always knew.