My husband and I have been watching some viewings on
John the Baptist. He was going ahead of Jesus to prepare the way for the kingdom
of God! John had some descriptive words in speaking to the religious group. He
called them “vipers”! These vipers give
birth inside their bodies. Not good for the snake nor people called vipers!
But was
thinking today of reverent speech. That speech of the kingdom of God as fresh
water. Remembering John speaking to different groups within Israel but also the
king. Here the king wanted to hear him and yet in another time and day, he put
John in jail or prison!
Mark 6:19-22 Therefore Herodias held it against him
and wanted to kill him, but she could not; 20 for Herod feared John, knowing
that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. and when he heard him,
he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 Then an opportune day came when
Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers and the
chief men of Galilee. 22 And when Herodias’ daughter herself came in and
danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the
girl. “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.”
One moment Herod heard John the Baptist gladly and the next he would have his head by the whims of a young girl. Mark 6;27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison.
Those who indulge in “self’ will be snared & broken. When one despises the prophecies of the Lord, the word given to men, they become the scornful. And against those God will send a foreign invader…to them,……who will speak in another tongue or foreign tongue.
John the Baptist gave good words of the kingdom. He
warned Herod of taking Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife found in Mark 6:18.
But Herodias wanted John murdered. She delighted in the world’s ways. But John
warned of taking Herodias. What is even worse, Herodias was his niece. So two
families divorced in marriage took on wickedness.
Reminded here in Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be
converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may
come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that he may send Jesus Christ who
was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of
restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy
prophets since the world began.
Refreshing always represents the presence of
the Lord! From Acts 3:19 refreshing is NT 403 and 404
…(an---aps’---ook---sis-) recovery of breath….revival…Presence -4383
/4314(pros’--o--pon) front as being towards the view of a presence or a
person……facing toward God in His presence
to refresh others….
That foreign language that depicts those leaving
God…how many will turn away from Christ…..
Hebrews 6:1-8 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works & of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection from the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. 4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened & have tasted the heavenly gift & have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 & have tasted the good word of God & the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the son of God, and put Him to an open shame. 7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, & bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8 but if it bears thorns & briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
People not of God’s Kingdom speak a different language and in a different tone! But those of God’s kingdom speak in completeness both mentally and morally.
1. Perfection in
Hebrews 6:1;#5047 completeness both mentally & morally
2. From V 7, we
receive the water of God’s word to bear fruit…cultivated we receive blessing
from God: The foundation was laid when we first believe and learned of that
faith walk;
3. Now we take to be maturing in the Lord; These from this passage in Hebrews 6:1-8 are those who have experienced the saving grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives; Their language now disowns the Lord Christ, they are deliberate and decisive in abandoning their Christ faith. They leave God out of everything they speak & do!
These are apostates! Isaiah 5:6 I will lay it waste;
it shall not be pruned or dug, but there shall come up briers and thorns. I
will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it.
It appears as
those who once went to the assembly to hear the word of God are now those who
change it or say, there is no God! Some speak that He is love and will allow
people to be themselves, when God had identified them at one time His own, so
in truth, they were never going to meet God’s standard nor have a whole
heart for Him! ….These are irreverent toward God and Jesus!
There is a Peril to Not Progressing: we know that we
are to confess that guilty as charged in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God”
1. Moving from
condemnation to conviction..For Conviction is from God by the Holy Spirit and
we are to accept it. John 16: 8-11 NKJV 8 And when He has come, He will convict
the world of sin, & of righteousness and of judgment: 9 of sin, because
they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My
Father and you see me no more; 11 & of judgment, because the ruler of
this world is judged.
2. Convicted for sin, we repented, and the
conviction continues to keep us to strive for God’s ways and His thoughts…….God
is here to help us move forward, always giving us hope in Jesus Christ, He shows
us the answers by His word and we grow, changing
into His image…
Conviction Came to 2
People, obvious of failure but one chose to repent and one chose suicide.
In Peter and Judas, conviction drove
Peter to repentance; condemnation drove Judas to suicide! Both committed
similar sins. Peter cursed and denied Jesus ( Luke 22:54-62); Judas betrayed
Him for thirty pieces of silver. Judas could have been forgiven and restored if he had repented.
Instead, he listened to the voice of condemnation and was doomed. He was doomed
to quit, that he had no hope and that he was the problem and not the answer.
Matthew 27:3-5 NKJV then Judas, His betrayer,
seeing that he had been condemned, was remorseful & brought back the thirty
pieces of silver to the chief priests & elders, 4 saying I have sinned by
betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”
5 then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple & departed &
went & hanged himself. But Peter was
restored, reinstated, and some fifty days later, preached at Pentecost and
3,000 souls were saved (Ac. 2:14-41).
Jesus, the manifested
word of God, restores Peter! Conviction can come, and it enlightens what is
wrong….and Jesus, the word washes us to walk like He walked. Jesus convicted
the world of sin, and His righteousness is left within us….to stand to in the defense and confirmation of
the gospel like Paul did!
Psalm 73:22-28
Message Bible: I was totally ignorant; a dumb ox in your very presence. I’m still in your presence, but you’ve taken
my hand. You wisely and tenderly lead me, & then you bless me. You’re all I
want in heaven! You’re all I want on earth! When my skin sags & my bones get brittle,
God is rock-firm and faithful. Look!
Those who left you are falling apart! Deserters, they’ll never be heard from
again. But I’m in the very presence of God---oh, how refreshing it is! I’ve made Lord God my home, God I’m telling
the world what you do!
The grace to spread a testimony should be those who
love the Lord with all their heart. We have been having secret counsel with Him
and from that we seek to tell others of His goodness in the land where people
live with purpose for God. His desire is for us to be perfected in His purpose
for us. This is a face to face with God with reverent speech before Him!
Ask if you could the man of Gadara: a man living in
the tombs, where residing in him was Legion. This demonic habitation within
this man!
Ask him if you could or just read the account. Jesus
would not allow him to come on the boat with them to leave that area.
No, but told him to tell others in that region of
what the Lord had done for this man. That region held 10 cities. The Lord knew
him, he who now was healed and in his right mind would do the job through his
salvation and healing received! He would reach that magnitude in the speech of
salvation and healing. He would reach the lost for the Lord!
For we were bought with a price and learning of Him
and His great sacrifice, We give from our heart from what we have gained from
the Lord through His word and prayer. Living by faith, we regard our tongue
that it aligns with God’s words of grace. For if anxiety appears, faith has
gone out the window! In Christ, all
the treasure of divine wisdom & all the riches of spiritual knowledge &
enlightenment are stored up & lie hidden for us and we walk in Him, armed
and dangerous to give God’s word that encourages & brings strength to
others.
We stand in
the defense and confirmation of the gospel that the Kingdom of God has
come. We have the Spirit of God residing
in our hearts..and….He is the delivering God!
WE approach God by the belief both that He exists and that He cares
enough to respond to those who seek Him.
1 Peter 5:6-8 Therefore humble yourselves under the
mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care
upon Him, for He cares for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary
the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
WILL WE be deserters at this time when our God
expects us to rise with a testimony in our heart? Will we desert God for many
worldly likes?
Will we defend the gospel or will we never be heard from again? We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God! Amen and Amen.
New teaching at: Voice of Prayer
That Free Will or Self Control
