What is Stored Up In You?

As I witness the continual, never-ending calamity going on within our political system, I decided to find out the truth behind it all.   The reasons for my search include the following:

1. The horrible rhetoric that comes from certain individuals in Congress.
2. The pundits on TV who agree with such harmful words (and their motives behind it all).
3. The hatred spewed daily by the Hollyweird crowd.
4. The radical and dangerous groups that have chosen to do evil and plot schemes to cause disruption and outright harm to the Americans attending the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as our next President of the United States.What is the underlying cause?

   I decided to go to the Bible to help me figure out and understand why many persons on the far left choose to be so vicious against (and highly disparaging of) their opponents (especially Christians!) on the right.

Those words spoken by Jesus in John 16:33 are a continual comfort to me!  We are to expect trouble and tribulation in this temporal world, but Jesus has overcome the world!  As believers and followers of Him, what could be better than all of His promises to us?

When addressing the Pharisees in Matthew 12:22-37 (who accused Jesus of casting out demons through the power of Satan) in Matthew 12:22-37,  Jesus said, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”  Matthew 12:35 NIV

 

Jesus was telling us that what we say reveals what is in our hearts.  What comes out of the mouth is an indication of what your heart is really like.

When Jesus began his ministry on earth, he said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17b

We know that well-known people (i.e. athletes, celebrities, politicians, even religious leaders) make public apologies.  However, it begs the question:  Are they truly sorry or sorry they were found out?

Only God knows, of course.  We could phrase it another way and say if people (including us) are sorry for sins, shouldn’t they (we) come forth on their (our) own before they (we) are called out?

In 2 Corinthians 7:9 we are shown the fruit of genuine sorrow.

“Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance.  For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.”

We recognize that “godly sorrow produces repentance” (2 Corinthians 7:10).  That is, when we are truly sorry about something, it will be evidenced by our repentance–which includes confession, asking forgiveness, and restitution where it is needed.

The NIV version of 2 Corinthians 7:10 reads:

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

We could contrast the obvious godly sorrow that Peter felt when he denied Jesus three times (which Jesus predicted he would do even before it happened!) vs. the worldly sorrow that Judas felt when he tossed the 30 pieces of silver back to the Pharisees and then ended up hanging himself.

Compare Peter’s remorse and repentance with Judas’s bitterness and act of suicide.  Both disowned Christ.  One repented and was restored to faith and service, the other took his own life.  Worldly sorrow leads to death.  Not only death in this earthly life, but also eternal death.

Another example is the two thieves on either side of Christ as he hung on the cross.

Luk 23:39
¶
Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ,[fn] save Yourself and us.

Luk 23:40
¶
But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?

Luk 23:41

“And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”

Luk 23:42

Then he said to Jesus, “Lord,[fn] remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

Luk 23:43
¶
And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

It is never too late to repent!  Right before the thief’s death, he acknowledged his sin and asked Jesus to remember him when He comes into His kingdom!

Paul told us that there is a false kind of sorrow–the “sorrow of the world.”  And that sorrow leads not to repentance but to “death.”  Yes, sins and errors of judgment are embarrassing and sometimes shameful.  But when their magnitude is truly realized, godly sorrow always leads to repentance–a change of mind and direction.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote:

“Christianity starts with repentance.”

Very true!  The term “repent” appears in the Bible 33 times in 32 verses.

John the Baptist, who was prophesied in Isaiah 40:3 urged people to repent:

Mat 3:1
¶
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,

Mat 3:2

and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

Mat 3:3

For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.’ ”[fn – Isaiah 40:3]

More prophecy fulfilled from (4:16)

Isaiah 9:1, 2

 

Mat 4:12
¶
Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.

Mat 4:13

And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,

Mat 4:14

that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

Mat 4:15

“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:

Mat 4:16

The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.”[fn]

Mat 4:17
¶
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

There is a Proverb that reads:

For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity.  Proverbs 24:16

There is another Proverb that reads:

Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company; for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble.   Proverbs 24:1-2

Since there is none who are righteous (see Isaiah 64:6 and Romans 3) God sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sins and reside in our hearts (through the Holy Spirit)  as His righteousness within us!

Jesus’ shed blood at the cross was the propitiation for our sins; and believing in Him, confessing and repenting of our sins, is the only way back to God.

Hat tips:

Blue Letter Bible
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The Political Version of Adam’s Excuse to God

It is very, very sobering to realize and admit that we are all complicit in the evil. Black3Actual over at Oil For Your Lamp has written a post that brings one to the conclude with the fact that only Jesus Christ can save us from ourselves! This becomes more and more evident to me with each passing year, month, week, day, hour, minute, and second!

Jesus Christ, our good shepherd, is the world’s one and only true hope!

The wise still seek Him!

~ Christine

Thanks for this post, Joe. Needed to be said, written and shared.

The Oil for Your Lamp

When I saw this picture, all I could think about was the excuse Adam gave God for eating the forbidden fruit:

“It’s not my fault; that woman you gave me made me do it.”

View original post 1,301 more words

Hard Hearts Need to be Broken

As we look around the world today, there is no doubt about the proclamation of biblical truth which tells us that the closer we get to the end times, “the love of many will grow cold.”

Mat 24:12

“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

In fact, read the entire account in Matthew 24!

This passage begins with the disciples asking Christ what the signs will be of His return.

Mat 24:3

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Jesus begins with a warning:

Mat 24:4

And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.

Deception, in its many forms, runs deep today!

•  Radical Islam and the satanic terrorism they invoke in order to kill, steal and destroy.
• The lying and deceitful false flag operations of our government in order to brain-dirty the minds of the people against our second amendment rights.
• The “black lives matter” movement propaganda designed to entice the ignorant to hate and kill police, white people, babies in the womb and anyone else they deem unworthy or matters little in this life.
• The lies and treasonous acts of politicians that go unchallenged and unpunished.

I could spend the entire day listing all of the deceptions going on! And, if you read all of Matthew 24 you will notice how accurately Jesus predicted the future [NOW!] where we would experience the “birth pangs” of the end times!

There are politicians out there – some better than others – who are using great sounding slogans to get voters to follow their campaigns in the hopes of becoming the next President of the United States.

“Make America Great Again” – Donald Trump

“A New American Century” – Marco Rubio

“Courageous Conservatives, Reigniting the Promise of America” – Ted Cruz

“Heal, Inspire, and Revive” – Ben Carson

“Join Us to Restore a Safer, Stronger, Freer America” – Jeb Bush

“Donate to my campaign” – Hillary Clinton [Well, that’s what I saw before being able to view her campaign site!]

“Can you make a contribution to our campaign?” – Bernie Sanders Further down in the paragraph he says, “I believe America is ready for a new path to the future.” [Hey Bernie! Socialism DOES NOT WORK and has been a disaster the many decades to those nations that have succumbed and suffered under despots teetering on [and then enacting]  communism!]

No matter who becomes president, the mess inherited from B. Insane 0bama will be awful! It will take decades to fix and it will probably get even much worse over the next year of  fairy tale “climate change,” taking away gun rights, as well as socialism and Islamism being pushed upon us!  The “cope with the chains” that have continually been illegally put upon Americans over the past 7 years of devastation will take a lot of time to unravel and most likely would never be solved by one presidential term!

Being Christians, we know that by following and adhering to Christ we are not to be of this world.

Rom 12:2

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

So, what is the antidote against the many ills of this fallen world?

As you will notice, the antidote is not what worldly adherents would tell you!

The Bible tells us:

Psa 34:18

The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

Psa 51:17

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.

When I ran a message board back in 2007, a visitor named “Rocky” often posted very profound messages that he wrote in prose through his  study of the Bible and the Gospel of Christ. I would like to share one of them which discusses the need for us all to understand that “Hard Hearts Need to be Broken.”

~ Christine

*******

Hard Hearts Need to be Broken

by Rocky Chambers

I saw crumbs falling from the table of God

Many were hungry dogs ravenously devouring these crumbs

Then I saw that each dog was a man I knew

And that each crumb was something that had fallen into this world

These desires where endless appetites, as hunger and thirst that could never be quenched

I looked and I saw some crumbs in my own hands

The Lord then said to me, ‘put those down son and come eat at my table’

I answered, ‘what about these, will they not come too’?

The Lord answered,  ‘these are those of whom it is written,

‘you have forsaken me the spring of living waters

You have dug your own cistern which can not hold water’

I pondered the meaning of this and then the Lord continued,

‘these are like dogs at the children’s table

Although they eat, they are never satisfied

The crumbs from my table whet their appetites

But they never come to the table to eat with me

They are always discontented and dissatisfied

Their hearts are bitter and calloused

Their desires weary and fatigue them

They are like restless and discontented children’

Ever demanding this or that but are never contented

They do not know the secret to contentment

Their desires wound them and disturb them

Like wind blowing across open waters brings the sea to a rage

Their hearts are troubled and easily become enraged

This is their bitterness and what hardens their hearts’

Then I saw my heart on a great anvil

The Lord brought down a great hammer and struck it with a mighty blow

My heart was broken and I wept bitterly

The tears were the bitterness of my heart being poured out

Then as I looked again the Lord had replaced my heart with a new heart

A hearing heart, a heart of flesh

And He said, ‘If only they would be broken

Hard hearts need to be broken

Then they would hear, and turn and I would heal them

Then they would become land that drinks in the water

That produces a crop useful to me’