Seek Ye The LORD

               Reading Amos 5:4 - 6 quoted below, my thoughts focused on the first part of (v 6).  In light of the tragedy in Norway this week and the subsequent tragedies here in the United States, I consider the question concerning all the victims. “Were they saved.  Did they know the Lord Jesus?”  Yet after reading the verses and then reading Chapter 5 in its entirety, the phrase “Seek the LORD, and ye shall live…” took on a new meaning for me.  The final thought came to my mind that God (through Amos) wasn’t talking about individuals.  He was talking to the Northern Tribes, (Israel, those ten tribes.)

               When we consider the horror of the Norway tragedies, it is unimaginable how that something like this could happen.  (I read one place that the man, (if found guilty) could get the maximum sentence of twenty-one years in prison.)

               Therefore, my ponderings stretch a bit farther and I ask, “Is God now talking to one nation or is He talking to the world, all nations?”  I would suppose the answer is “all nations.”  (Our world is in an upheaval and there is no realistic solution in sight.        The one exception is that we as individuals (and as nations) need to “Seek the LORD, and ye shall live.”)

               Most free nations have written laws to allow for more and more freedom, outlawing laws that keep the world somewhat at peace.  (We are in a situation where what men can conceive in their minds, they are allowed to do, with only minor punishment for stepping over the line.)

               There is greater punishment for harming a domestic animal than for harming a human.  (Our news media tells us how individuals get away with murder.  More and more people are dying because of the laxness of our laws.)

               In many places, Jesus’ name in prayer is forbidden, yet in those same venues any other god can be mentioned, just not the Christian God, Jesus the Christ.  We wonder, “How can this happen?” 

In order to live spiritually, Jesus the Christ is the answer.  This does not mean we will NOT have tribulations, but if a mad man attacks and kills us, we will have a home in Heaven, which is eternal.  So, my last question is, “If you died today, would Heaven be your home?”  If you cannot answer that question without an affirmative “Yes,” you must “Seek the LORD” and you can know you have life eternal.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Believe that God has raised Jesus from the grave, and confess to others (including yourself,) and God the Father will save you from your sins and from a fiery eternal Hell.  Call on His name today.                                

Bro. John R. E Chastain

Amos 5:4-6  For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: 5  But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought. 6  Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel. 

The Hope Of Glory

 

               Reading Colossians 1:24-27 quoted below: I ponder (v 27) (that portion which states; “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”)  I think of the multitudes that have accepted Jesus the Christ and gained the “hope of glory,”  those who now know that Jesus the Christ is their “hope of glory.”  They have the peace and comfort of knowing that when they are called into eternity, Heaven will be their eternal resting place.  They know that the grave isn’t the end, nor will they see Hell.  They know their body will descend into that grave, but they will already be in Heaven, communing with God.

               (Then the other side of the coin shows itself.)  Those are the people who have NOT accepted Jesus and do not know the “hope of glory.”  The hard part is so many don’t care.  (Their “hope” is in a worldly system, one that only loves them as long as they are obedient to the world.)  They will find their final resting place within the confines of God’s wrath in an eternal, everlasting, tormenting Hell.  They will wish that the silence and solitude of the grave was Hell. 

John 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

               I am certain some who are reading this are asking the question, “What is this hope of glory?”  The “hope” is the knowledge of knowing with certainty that your soul will reside in peace with God and His Son Jesus eternally.  The “glory” is that final revelation of the manifested [made visible] Heaven, a final place of residence.  So our “hope of glory” is an eternal life with Jesus and our Father in Heaven.  It will be a place of rejoicing, a place of peace, a place of no more partings, and no more tears.  “What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see.” 

               So reader, my question to you is: “Where do you stand?  Is it Heaven, the “hope of glory,” or is it God’s wrath in a fiery Hell with weeping and gnashing of teeth?  It will be a time that you will not only beg for water, but for just a moment of silence.”

                Reader, God loves you. He does not want you to go to Hell.  His desire is that all of us will join Him and His Son Jesus in Heaven.  All he asks is that we believe, and in that belief we will tell others.  If we do believe with a sincere, (true) heart, God will save us into His “hope of glory.”

Romans 10:9-10  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

               Accept Jesus today.  Believe God has raised Him from the grave, and you will know His “hope of glory.”                                       

Bro. John R. E Chastain

Colossians 1:24-27  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: 25  Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 

Now

               In 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 quoted below, I see the word “now” in a usage that denotes urgency.  We are warned that we should NEVER be in a place of having “…receive[d] not the grace of God in vain.”

               In order for us to understand this phrase in context, I have taken the liberty to quote J. Vernon McGee.  “To receive His great goodness and to rejoice in the salvation of the grace of God and yet live carnal, worldly lives is what it means to receive the grace of God in vain.”

               This is likely what Paul was referring to in these verses.  We as Christians must “walk a different walk” than a carnal, worldly person.  God helps each of us and we accept all that He gives; yet we are unwilling to honour Him.

               Our scripture tells us that “now is the accepted time.”  (Regardless of individual thought,) “now” is not tomorrow or the next day, or some day down the road.  If we put off the “now” it will never happen, just like tomorrow never comes.

               We as individuals must realize that before we accepted Jesus, we were sinners.  Romans 3:23,   “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”  Regardless of what we have become, we are still sinners, and we will always be sinners as long as we reside here on earth.  It is the nature given by (Not Mother Nature) but Adam, who sinned and consequently passed it on to us.  With this knowledge, we find the consequence of sin:

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death;..

What is this “death?”  It is not our physical bodily death.  It is death of the soul, in total separation from God and His Son Jesus.   It is an everlasting death abiding in hell.

John 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Yet, we can know that eternal life is for the asking.

Romans 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

God teaches us through Paul, if you (reader) will confess to others (including yourself) that you do believe that God has raised Jesus from the grave, God will save you eternally.

John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

That everlasting life is an eternal life.  Dear reader, there are no variations of those words which show that everlasting is shorter than eternal.  Accept Him “now.”                                                                                             

Bro. John R. E Chastain

2 Corinthians 6:1-2  We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.  2  (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 

Learn of Me

              In Matthew 11:28-30 quoted below, my initial thoughts were to write with an emphasis on “rest.”  After pondering the verses, the phrase “…learn of me…” seemed to be where God was leading me.   

              As a Pastor, there are times when I wonder, “Have I taught enough in my Preaching? Have I relayed enough information that those listening are learning about Jesus and His Father?”  Considering the stories and parables of the Bible, I find though Jesus spoke to the multitudes, many did not learn of Him. 

              It is sad to think we have people attending Church on a regular basis, who have, (per their testimony) accepted Jesus the Christ as their personal Saviour, yet have no substantial knowledge of Him.        We know to be accepted by God doesn’t take a Biblical degree.  We know with a small knowledge Salvation does happen.

Romans 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

God tells us through Paul, that if we will just believe God has raised Jesus from the grave, and if we will confess that belief to others (as the woman at the well did) God will save us.  The unfortunate thing about this is most stop with just a bit more knowledge, and are surprised when told that Jesus the Christ is God. 

              (We as Americans are appalled at the thought of arranged marriages, where a man and woman are married for life without a lot of knowledge about each other.   Yet, as a Bride of Christ, many Christians have no more knowledge of Jesus the Christ than this bride has of her arranged husband.)

              We as Christians need more knowledge of Him.   We need to grow in our knowledge.  Jesus said “…learn of me…” which is understood as a commandment.

John 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

              So where is our love for Him?   Many claim Jesus as their personal Saviour by their saying a prayer, by their Baptism, or choosing other things which define their Salvation.  Yet, they know nothing of the Man Christ who died on the Cross for their souls.  They no longer go to Church, (may never have started.)   They never read their King James Bible, nor do they attend any Sunday School.  So, where is their love for Him?  Where is their learning of Him?

              If you have claimed Jesus and know very little about Him, this Sunday purpose in your heart to go to a Church that teaches Jesus, and shows the way to follow His commandments.

Bro. John R. E Chastain

Matthew 11:28-30  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  (29)  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  (30)  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

GOD Is Our Refuge and Strength

              In Psalm 46:1-3 quoted below, and considering the worldwide devastation we have seen in this year 2011, it is amazing to note how the world refuses to involve GOD as the Maker of the Heavens and this earth.  It is generally always, “Mother Nature.”

              It seems, (at least in my mind) the “World” can only describe the beauty and the love that ensues from GOD.  Yet, in reading my King James Bible, I find many times the wrath of GOD portrayed.  (I cannot say that these horrendous occurrences happening now are the Will of GOD,) but along with our failing economy, our weather has caused great devastation in our country, and it has affected thousands of families.

              Our verses tell us that GOD is “…a very present help in trouble…”  Yet when these times come, where do we look?  We look to Big Brother Government that does not know its right from its left.  FEMA seems to be the answer.  (FEMA ordered thousands of mobile homes and had them sent to New Orleans, and then

realized there was no water, electricity, or sewer service available.  No one had checked to see if these services were available.) 

              Big Brother Government only knows the god of spending tax dollars, regardless of the need.

              Now I have severely digressed from what I wanted to discuss. 

Psalms 46:1  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

GOD “…is our refuge,..” He is our corner, (our cover we can snuggle under and know GOD is with us.)  “He is where I know I am safe and have the security of His wisdom and His protection.  Not only my refuge, He also gives me the strength I need to get through the trials and tribulations of this evil world.”

              He is our “help” in time of need.  If we wrap ourselves within GOD’s refuge (knowing His strength,) what else do we need?  We don’t need our government, and certainly not FEMA, nor any of our other government agencies, which are vanity.

              What we need is GOD.  (He is our Only help.)  We can endure through His strength, and His strength alone.

Isaiah 41:10  Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

              Look to Him, and remove your discouragement.  Look to Him, and rejoice that He and He alone is holding you up with His strength and His power.  He is with you.  Call on Him for help before you call on anyone else.

Bro. John R. E Chastain

Psalms 46:1-3  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  (2)  Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;  (3)  Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.