After Death

After Death – Resurrection!  ♪♬Up From the Grave Christ Arose, with a Mighty Triumph o’er His foes; He Arose a Victor from the dark domain, And He lives forever with His saints to reign, He Arose! He Arose! Hallelujah! Christ Arose!♬♪ O Let His Praises spring forth from the heart of every Born-Again Believer!  Raise your joy and let Triumph of His Victory be your strength! Let the “Alleluia’s” roll! Because He Lives, we shall also live eternally, and not only live, but ever be with our loved ones who have preceded us into Eternal Life. We Thank God for Calvary, for Jesus’ obedience to surrender His will, for our Everlasting Life!  O but, to see Him come forth triumphant over the Grave is yet another glorious wonder!  For in Resurrection we see what will be ‘After Death.’  After Death, Eternal Life! When Jesus appeared to the Disciples all hidden away for fear, the walls could not hinder Him ... He walked right through the wall into the presence of the Disciples and with a Word, He stilled their fear. “Peace be unto you!”  Let’s commemorate that moment from Luke 24:36-41 “Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.  But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And He said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself: handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have. And when Jesus’ had thus spoken, He shewed them His hands and His feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Have ye here any meat?” ‘After Death’ ... Jesus was not detoured by the walls that surrounded them; Jesus looked the same, they knew Him. He stretched forth His Hands toward them and they could touch the nail scars that was so visual. He was not a spirit, He was Jesus the man they had walked with these past years of His earthly Ministry. Then He asked for meat, Jesus was going to eat with them. This tells us so much about life ‘After Death.’ First it is a Peace that transcends all earthly Peace. There is ‘no fear!’ You will hold your loved one who has preceded you in Christ ... Matt. 28:9...they came and held Him by the feet, and worshipped Him.  O the glorious ‘Life After Death’ for the saints of God!  He said “Handle Me and see!”  What a day that will be when our Saviour we see and wrap our arms around Him.  O glorious Resurrection ... Our Eternal Hope!  Death can not keep its prey, Jesus My Saviour ! He tore the bars away!  Made like Him, like Him we rise!

 Rejoicing with you as we celebrate Resurrection, Love You, Pastor

“What Will We Do?!” How will we Discipline ourselves for HIM?

God speaks to His people all through the Old Testament as He was establishing His Covenant with the Patriarchs and their decedents.  How awesome is the marvelous works of God in the midst of the Old Testament saints. His dealings with them was so personal. He led them and guided them; think of Noah, Moses, Abraham, and the Prophets, Isaiah, Joel, Jonah, for a few.  Sometimes the dealings with humanity brought consequences. The Law was strict, but God loved His people.  He spoke to them over and over telling them “I Will” ....

“I Am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will Redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:  And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I Am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” ~ Ex. 6:6-7 

 

And are we apart of Israel? Are we not grafted into the Promises that were given to God’s People?  I believe this Word of God is for us today too. For often, the term “generations to come,” was applied to the Covenant that God was making with the Old Testament saints.  We know that God is a Covenant making God, and we know that we are partakers of this Covenant, but sometimes we forget the power of sacrifice that was in God’s heart as He “willed” to Covenant with mankind. 

 

“That the “Generation” to come might know them, [Law-Covenant] even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their Hope in God, and not forget the Works of God, but keep His Commandments:” ~ Ps 78:6-7

We are the “Generation to come,” and He has Redeemed us, He sent His Son to be our Salvation! He will bring us out of the difficulties for He is our Hope!     

The Covenant God made with His people would ultimately have to be written in blood, it would be the Blood of His Only Begotten Son.  The Covenant of the Old Testament would be enlarged in the New Testament and sealed in the Blood of Jesus, our Saviour!  When God said “I Will” Redeem them, He kept His Word.  Over and over in the Old Testament God declared His Covenant with an “I Will!”  I turned over to the New Testament to see the “I Will’s that came from the heart of Jesus!  “I will not leave you comfortless” —  “I will pray the Father for you!” —  “I will be his God” —  “I will give you rest,”  “ I will never leave you nor forsake you.” etc.  No wonder David seeing afar off could say:  “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth I will make known Thy faithfulness to all generations!” This question breezed into my mind, What will I do for my Lord?  What “I Wills” do I have for Him?  May we say with Jesus, not my will, but Thine be done!   Loving you and praying for you,  Pastor

Bread & Milk

Our Message today comes from Isaiah the 55^th Chapter. It would be great if you would read it this week in your devotions. Isa. Begins: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and Milk without money and without price.”  Of course God is speaking through Isaiah to bring forth a Spiritual Message. For in VS2 The Word says; “eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself ...” When we come to Christ, we eat of His Word, we drink of His Spirit and the ‘price’ – the Sacrifice of Christ’s Life. VS3 is the center of thought that God desires to reveal to us: “Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an Everlasting Covenant with you, even the sure Mercies of David.”  So many voices in the earth today, so many challenges, and seemingly so little time.  I can hear the voice of my Mother when I was a child; as my brother would leave the house, she would call out, don’t forget the Bread and Milk!  Such a voice is heard in Scripture today, for it appears that the Bread may be forgotten and we have remained in the Milk of the Word.  God is calling His people to ‘grow’ – to “mature” in Him, for the battle rages against Him. We know that we are more than “conquerors” but only as we are filled with His Bread and have moved through the Milk into the Meat of His Word. It is the power of His Word, the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ that will sustain us, and nourish us as we face the powers of darkness that attempts to rein in our world. It is not business as usual, huge changes have come, Jesus’ steps closer to the edge of heaven, trumpets are being prepared ... as the war rages, He will come!  The Bread of Heaven is our strength, and we must live in Him. Loving you, Pastor