Unlimited Access

Ephesians 3: 12 (NKJV)

……in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

Today, through the aid of technology, we have unlimited access to;

Unlimited text messaging—unlimited broadband—unlimited cell phone minutes—unlimited downloads—unlimited games—unlimited ringtones.

And yet we have unlimited access to the Most High God, and for some people, that doesn’t even excite them that much.

They’d rather have the unlimited component that their internet or cell phone provider supplies.

In the Old Testament, the only access there was to God, was through the High Priest.

And yet God has emerged from that small room in the Temple, to where only the Priest could go, and has taken up residence into our very hearts.

God, through His Son Jesus Christ, brought His presence into our very souls.

We have unlimited access to everything God has promised.

Every believer that get’s this message today, should rejoice at the fact, that the Hope of Glory resides in them.

Who wouldn’t want unlimited access to the things of God?

But some folks will chose something else, that they think will bring them satisfaction.

Some people have rich access to God, and don’t even realize it………….

Exposing the darkness

Matthew 16: 13 – 16

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Did you know that this conversation, took place in one of the most idolatrous places of its time.

I often wonder why Jesus would take His disciples to a pagan place, to reveal who He was.

Caesarea Philippi was a very dark place.

The more I think about it, some of the darkest and weakest places in my life, are His greatest opportunities to fix me.

Maybe we should all take time, to have Him expose the dark areas of our life.

Maybe we should learn to trust, in His perfect and patient love for us.

The gates of Hell shall never prevail against a person, who has faith and courage enough, to invite Jesus, into those hidden areas of our soul.

Those areas of my life, that I don’t want anyone else to see…..He wants to see, and He wants to expose the Light, of His immeasurable love……….

Standing up for truth

James 1: 15 – 16

Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers.

 

Doesn’t it seem, like there are more people deceived now days, than ever before?

 

I met with a family last Friday, for some pre-marriage counseling.

I made a statement at the end of our meeting, about how I felt marriage was defined as being between one man and one woman.

When I made that statement, I saw the couple immediately look toward one another.

I was quick to determine, that they didn’t agree with that truth.

What I didn’t know, is that they have a family member, who has chosen an alternate life style, outside of the will of God.

 

Last night, they sent me an e-mail, voicing their great displeasure, for my standing up for the truth.

 

If I now make the statement, that they are deceived, I would be considered narrow minded and out of touch.

But God’s Word stands true, does it not?

 

Each of has to decide, if we will ride the wings of truth, or contrive some thesis of our own.

As we step through these latter days, we must be verily sure, that we are not deceived along the way………..

Sound the alarm!

Judges 17: 6

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.

 

During the wee small hours of the morning, our smoke alarm went off in our bedroom.

The alarm did what it was supposed to…..it jarred us radically from our sleep.

Don’t worry, there wasn’t any smoke.

 

I had lunch with a friend yesterday, and we talked about people of the faith being really real with one another.

We also talked about why there wasn’t more accountability in the church.

 

We have accountability groups, and yet when it comes to really needing to sound the alarm in some cases, we rarely take the opportunity to do so.

I have sounded the alarm, more times than I can even count. The general response when I do, is lashing out and anger.

 

The people of Israel didn’t have a king, and so God, in time, gave them what they wanted.

Everyone did what they saw fit in those days. Doesn’t that ring a familiar tone in the church today?

 

Eventually, Israel would get what they hoped for, but not what God wanted for them.

 

Without accountability, sin always seems to show up.

When sin does show up, it usually doesn’t just affect the person, but the entire body of the church work.

 

If you were drifting toward the wickedness of sin, wouldn’t you want someone, to sound the alarm?

Redemption means paid in full!

Galatians 4: 5

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

 

Redeem:

To buy back—to free what distresses or harms—to free from captivity—to release from blame—to free from the consequences of sin—to change for the better—the payment of a ransom…..

 

Have you stopped to think of your redemption lately?

God didn’t put you on lay away—He didn’t purchase you with a 30% off coupon—He didn’t go to the dollar store—no, He paid full price!

 

He’s not going to take you back for something better—He doesn’t want His money back—He wants you!

He was under no obligation to do what He did—He won’t receive any rebate or any tax advantage for doing what He did.

He didn’t redeem you because He was provoked to do so by some government lobbyist.

 

He did what He did, so He could remove our obligation to pay.

He picked up the tab for every person on earth, and we have the full right to live in victory.

 

Today, and every day is your jubilee.

Will you celebrate your atonement today?

You should—because if Jesus is your Lord and Savior, you are His sons & daughters, and you have at your disposal, the full rights of His Kingdom.

Maybe today we should live like it……………

Hell is for real!

Revelation 1: 17 – 18

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid.

I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

 

Jesus is the One who was dead, but is now living and will be alive forever more.

That’s good news as we start a new week!

 

I overheard someone recently say, that their Pastor preached a sermon in their church, that claims that Jesus did not believe in hell.

Really?

 

When Jesus was crucified He encountered hell and defeated the devil once and for all.

He overcame sin by the power of the Holy Spirit and was raised from the dead.

Death had no hold on Him, because He was without sin.

 

To say that Jesus did not believe in hell, is one of the most ignorant thoughts ever thought.

Read what John the Revelator says in his vision in Revelation 20: 14……

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.  If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

 

Suffice to say, that Jesus believed in Hell. He overcame it, and defeated it.

When things go in a downward cycle this week, wrap your mind around that thought…………

There is still time!

Deuteronomy 30: 11

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.

 

Just before making this statement, God said that we should turn to Him with all our heart, and obey His commands.

That doesn’t sound too difficult to me, and yet why do we make it so difficult?

 

God said He would make us prosperous if we would obey Him.

He said He would delight in us, if we turned to Him with all our soul.

 

I often ask God, what part of my heart and soul have I not surrendered yet.

Is loving God, really that hard? I don’t think it is, but I do believe we have a tendency of making it more difficult than it is.

God said this wasn’t beyond our reach, and I think God knows what He’s talking about.

 

Later in this chapter, God said that if we would turn to other god’s and worship them, we would certainly be destroyed.

So what’s so hard to understand about that statement?

It’s a difficult thing to hear, but we sure do worship all kinds of other gods.

 

I think while we still have time, we should turn to God, before He makes things more difficult, than they really are…………