I am calling up memories of your sincere and unqualified faith (the leaning of your entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness), [a faith] that first lived permanently in [the heart of] your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am [fully] persuaded, [dwells] in you also. 6 That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination]. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. 8 Do not blush or be ashamed then, to testify to and for our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for His sake, but [with me] take your share of the suffering [to which the preaching] of the Gospel [may expose you, and do it] in the power of God.  2 Timothy 1:5-8 AMP

 

In Romans 1:16, Paul tells us that he is not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes it no matter who they are – whether Jew or Greek. Here in his second letter to Timothy, he encourages him not to be ashamed to preach the gospel or to testify about Jesus, firstly because he was anointed by the Spirit to do it and also because God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and of love and a sound mind. Fear is not from God, therefore, any time you experience fear, you know that it must come from somewhere else. The devil uses fear to intimidate you, hinder you, and stop you from accomplishing the will of God. God gives you the power to overcome fear. If you will put your trust in God and His word, you can put fear away from you and do what the Lord tells you to do.

 

We should never be ashamed or afraid to preach the gospel or to testify of what Jesus has done for us. If we are called by the Lord, then we are also anointed and empowered by Him to do what He has called us to do. We need to trust the Holy Spirit’s anointing on our lives and we must be bold to do and say what the Spirit tells us to do and say. 

 

We should not ever be ashamed to preach the gospel and neither should we shrink back from persecution. A Christian is one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died and was resurrected for them, personally. Jesus was not ashamed to be physically and verbally abused, to be mocked and despised, or to suffer agonizing pain, and death on a cross, for our benefit. If we Christians want to partake in His resurrection life, we cannot afford to be ashamed to be counted as one of His. If we are ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of us – because it means that we have not esteemed Him or His blood or His sacrifice. If we are ashamed of Him, it means that we have rejected Him and if we reject Him, how can we be a partaker of His eternal life? You cannot call Him Lord, privately and be ashamed of Him publicly. If He is not your Lord at all times, before all people, then He is not really your Lord. If you acknowledge Him privately, you must acknowledge Him publicly.   

 

Paul encourages Timothy, and us, to take our share of the suffering to which the preaching of the Gospel may expose us. This is the same suffering that Jesus bore. The suffering that Jesus bore, was not sickness or disease, but was the suffering of intense persecution. The reason that some Christians shrink back from openly and boldly preaching the truth of the gospel, is because they are afraid that they may not be received and that people may be offended. You cannot afford to take it personally when people are offended because it is not your message, but God’s – you are just the delivery person; you are just the messenger.

 

If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world [no longer one with it], but I have chosen (selected) you out of the world, the world hates (detests) you. 20 Remember that I told you, A servant is not greater than his master [is not superior to him]. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word and obeyed My teachings, they will also keep and obey yours. 21 But they will do all this to you [inflict all this suffering on you] because of [your bearing] My name and on My account, for they do not know or understand the one Who sent Me.  John 15:18-21 AMP

 

The world hated Jesus and now that you belong to Him and represent Him, they will probably hate you too. The good news is that anyone who is hungry for God will welcome you and the message of hope that you bring. They will be so thrilled to hear and receive the gospel and to miss hell and make heaven their home. For this reason, for the joy of seeing people saved and set free, and for the rewards that await us in heaven, you and I can endure the persecution that comes with the territory!

So from one man, though he was physically as good as dead, there have sprung descendants whose number is as the stars of heaven and as countless as the innumerable sands on the seashore. 13 These people all died controlled and sustained by their faith, but not having received the tangible fulfillment of [God’s] promises, only having seen it and greeted it from a great distance by faith, and all the while acknowledging and confessing that they were strangers and temporary residents and exiles upon the earth. 14 Now those people who talk as they did show plainly that they are in search of a fatherland (their own country). 15 If they had been thinking with [homesick] remembrance of that country from which they were emigrants, they would have found constant opportunity to return to it. 16 But the truth is that they were yearning for and aspiring to a better and more desirable country, that is, a heavenly [one]. For that reason God is not ashamed to be called their God [even to be surnamed their God–the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob], for He has prepared a city for them.  Hebrews 11:12-16 AMP

 

The book of Hebrews, chapter 11, is a report of great people of faith. They were not some special breed of people, born differently from the rest of us. They were not made-up heroes like the imaginary people of myths and legends. They were ordinary people just like us. The only difference is that they chose to believe the word of an extraordinary, supernatural God, and they acted on what they believed, resulting in great signs, wonders, and miracles! Many of the early men and women of faith are mentioned by name, but after that, there are too many to be individually named. People who are ashamed of God and His word will see no miracles. The only way to see miracles is to be unashamed of God and His word. They were not ashamed of God or His word and therefore He was not ashamed to be called their God.

 

How can you join the ranks of these named and unnamed individuals, who saw such great victories, who brought such glory to God, and of whom He is not ashamed to be called their God? God gets no glory when people have no faith in Him or His word. He has limitless power at His disposal, but unless someone calls on Him in faith, drawing on His miracle-working power, nothing will happen. Think of it this way: if you don’t trust His word, you can guarantee that nothing will happen, but if you dare to trust His word you can guarantee that something will happen! It takes as much energy to be in faith as it does to be in fear – rather activate your faith – you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

 

We prove that we are not ashamed of Him or His word when we boldly proclaim and do His word – because that is what will activate His miracle power – even in the midst of an unbelieving generation. It takes guts to be a believer and a doer of God’s word. The devil will do his best to oppose you by placing seeds of doubt and unbelief in your own head and also by using other people to be a negative influence in your life. Some people will try to stop you because they don’t like you or agree with you, but some are well-meaning and trying to “help” you by preventing you from making a fool of yourself by daring to step out in faith. We cannot listen to anyone who speaks contrary to the word of God in our life, no matter how well-intentioned they are. It is not very difficult for the devil to hinder and prevent some Christians from believing the word of a God they cannot see – they are so worried about what other people think that they never do anything for God. However, for those of you who push past your own fear and who care more what God thinks than what man thinks, you will see great victory!

 

And now, little children, abide (live, remain permanently) in Him, so that when He is made visible, we may have and enjoy perfect confidence (boldness, assurance) and not be ashamed and shrink from Him at His coming.  1 John 2:28 AMP

 

Let us live our lives in such a way that we are not ashamed of our words, our deeds, or ourselves, when we stand before Jesus! Many Christians act like they are ashamed of Jesus and His word. They care more what other people think, than what God thinks. If you care more about what people think about you than about what God thinks of you, then you do not have a full revelation of Who He is! The only way to get a revelation of Who He is; the only way to build up your faith so that you are not ashamed of Him and therefore not ashamed before people; is to live permanently in Him. How do you do that? You live in His word. Put the word in your heart. Permanently let the word live in you and make sure that you live permanently in His presence by your worship and commitment to obey His word.

 

When we trust God and His word, we bring glory to Him. People have a tendency to think that what they choose and what they do affects only themselves, but as we can see from the faith chapter, our choices and decisions, as personal as they may seem at the time, could affect generations of people, even those yet unborn!

 

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

 

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

 

2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.

 

3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

 

4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.

 

5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.

 

6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.   Revelation 3:1-6 NIV

 

Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, some thirty miles south-east of Thyatira, the old capital of Lydia. It was situated at the crossing of Roman roads, in a plain watered by the river Pactolus.

 

The city was of very ancient origin and was seized and conquered by different kings many times over. In its early history, it was ruled by King Meles and after him, by a series of princes, the last of whom was Croesus, who was celebrated for his wealth and his misfortunes.

 

Sardis was conquered by Cyrus and then by Alexander the Great and in 214 B.C. by Antiochus the Great. The kings of Pergamus ruled after that and from them it passed into the hands of the Romans. In the time of Tiberius, Sardis and eleven or twelve other important cities of Asia were desolated by an earthquake. The calamity was increased by a pestilence.

 

In very early times, Sardis was an important commercial city. According to Pliny, they invented the art of dyeing wool. The flocks of Phrygia furnished Sardis with the raw material for the manufacture of all kinds of woolen goods, including carpets. Sardis was also the place where the metal “electrum” was procured, Gold was found in the bed of the Pactolus and silver and gold coins are said to have been first minted there. It was also, at one time, known as a slave-market. The impure worship of the goddess, Cybele, was celebrated there, and the massive ruins of her temple can still be seen. It was a city of softness and luxury and of apathy and immorality. The city is now a heap of ruins. Along with Laodicea it was rebuked most of all the seven churches.

 

Jesus speaks to the church of Sardis and reminds them, “I know your deeds.” People look at the outside, but God looks on the heart. Don’t forget that the Lord sees it all – everything you do, everything you think, the secret things of your heart – so don’t be tempted to impress people by living a life that looks good only on the outside, when in reality, your life is in a mess and you are very far from God – He is the only One Who matters! The church at Sardis was supposed to be alive and on fire for God – everyone thought that they were alive – but in reality they were dead on the inside. Jesus is saying to them, “Wake up and smell the coffee! I know that you seem to be faithful believers in me; but in reality you do not follow me anymore. You look alive, but inside you are dead and what little life that remains is about to be snuffed out. Stir up yourselves to rescue what little righteousness remains in you.”

 

Jesus provokes them to remember and to call to mind the lessons they have received and heard. In Proverbs 4:20-23, the Lord God impresses upon us the importance of keeping the Word of God in your eyes and your heart – that means taking time to study it and making it your own – being both a hearer and a doer: “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.

 

21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;

 

22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.

 

23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.” (NKJV) You must continually, without stopping or giving up, or pulling back, lay the Word of God to heart. If God’s Word is firmly established in your heart as the standard you live by, then everything else becomes easier.

 

Jesus also urges them to obey the Word, and repent. The Word and the Spirit will convict you and bring you to a place where you know that you must repent. After that, you must make the choice to obey Him every day, in everything. Obviously, the church at Sardis had wandered very far from the truth of the Word of God, or they would not be in this position of having the last little bit of fire in them about to be snuffed out. If you are backslidden from God, then you will not be expecting and anticipating Jesus to return for you anytime soon at all. You will be thoroughly surprised and totally caught off guard when He does, unlike those who are submitted to Him and who eagerly anticipate and watch for His return.

 

Jesus says that there were just a few people left in Sardis who had not soiled their clothes. When you bow your knee to Jesus, your Savior, Jesus saves you and washes you clean – your sins are wiped away, He takes your old tattered garments and exchanges them for garments of pure white – robes of righteousness. You can’t buy this righteousness and you can’t earn it, but you can honor Him by walking in purity and keeping your garments clean. Sin soils your robe of righteousness, but repentance restores their purity.

 

And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly! You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God which He commanded you; for the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever; 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue; the Lord has sought out [David] a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince and ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you. 

1 Samuel 13:13-14 AMP

 

When Saul disobeyed God, He told him that his kingdom would not continue – his sons would never reign in his stead. God had already chosen a man after His own heart – David.

 

But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 AMP

 

Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, The Lord has not chosen any of these.

 

11 Then [he] said to Jesse, Are all your sons here? [Jesse] said, There is yet the youngest; he is tending the sheep. Samuel said to Jesse, Send for him; for we will not sit down to eat until he is here.

 

12 Jesse sent and brought him. David had a healthy reddish complexion and beautiful eyes, and was fine-looking. The Lord said [to Samuel], Arise, anoint him; this is he.

 

13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.  1 Samuel 16:10-13 AMP

 

David was a shepherd boy who loved to worship God. He was not a big man and was not highly regarded even by his own family. Jesse was David’s father. When the prophet came to his house to anoint one of his sons as king, Jesse did not even think of calling David. Only after God rejected one son after the other, did Jesse remember that he had one more son. No one but God saw David’s potential. His strength was not in his natural ability, but in his humility and his whole-hearted commitment to God.

 

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to the multitude of Your tender mercy and loving-kindness blot out my transgressions.

 

2 Wash me thoroughly [and repeatedly] from my iniquity and guilt and cleanse me and make me wholly pure from my sin!

 

3 For I am conscious of my transgressions and I acknowledge them; my sin is ever before me.

 

4 Against You, You only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified in Your sentence and faultless in Your judgment.

 

5 Behold, I was brought forth in [a state of] iniquity; my mother was sinful who conceived me [and I too am sinful].

 

6 Behold, You desire truth in the inner being; make me therefore to know wisdom in my inmost heart

 

7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean [ceremonially]; wash me, and I shall [in reality] be whiter than snow.

 

8 Make me to hear joy and gladness and be satisfied; let the bones which You have broken rejoice.

 

9 Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my guilt and iniquities.

 

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me.

 

11 Cast me not away from Your presence and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.

 

12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.

 

13 Then will I teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted and return to You.

 

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness and death, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness (Your rightness and Your justice).

 

15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise

 

16 For You delight not in sacrifice, or else would I give it; You find no pleasure in burnt offering. 

 

17 My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.

 

18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

 

19 Then will You delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, justice, and right, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then bullocks will be offered upon Your altar. 

Psalms 51:1-52:1 AMP

 

Saul disobeyed God when God told him to wipe the Amalekites off of the face of the earth – he allowed the king and the healthy animals to live – and then he had the audacity to defend his actions, deny his disobedience and blame the people.

 

Because of it, God rejected him from being king. David was entirely different. When he sinned and God confronted him over it, he was relieved – He was tired of being out of fellowship with God. He immediately repented and offered no excuses. He submitted to the will of God and asked for forgiveness. 

 

Saul thought that a sacrifice could make up for his rebellion and disobedience, but David knew that no sacrifice can take the place of a heart that is submitted completely to God. Even though David made a serious mistake, because of his repentant heart, he reigned with honor until he died and his sons and grandsons reigned after him. Jesus, Himself, came from the lineage of David

 

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondmaid and one by the free woman.

 

23 But whereas the child of the slave woman was born according to the flesh and had an ordinary birth, the son of the free woman was born in fulfillment of the promise.

 

24 Now all this is an allegory; these [two women] represent two covenants. one covenant originated from Mount Sinai [where the Law was given] and bears [children destined] for slavery; this is Hagar.

 

25 Now Hagar is (stands for) Mount Sinai in Arabia and she corresponds to and belongs in the same category with the present Jerusalem, for she is in bondage together with her children.

 

26 But the Jerusalem above ( the Messianic kingdom of Christ) is free, and she is our mother.

 

27 For it is written in the Scriptures, Rejoice, O barren woman, who has not given birth to children; break forth into a joyful shout, you who are not feeling birth pangs, for the desolate woman has many more children than she who has a husband.

 

28 But we, brethren, are children [not by physical descent, as was Ishmael, but] like Isaac, born in virtue of promise.

 

29 Yet [just] as at that time the child [of ordinary birth] born according to the flesh despised and persecuted him [who was born remarkably] according to [the promise and the working of] the [Holy] Spirit, so it is now also.

 

30 But what does the Scripture say? Cast out and send away the slave woman and her son, for never shall the son of the slave woman be heir and share the inheritance with the son of the free woman.

 

31 So, brethren, we [who are born again] are not children of a slave woman [the natural], but of the free [the supernatural].  Galatians 4:22-31 AMP

 

Both Ishmael and Isaac were sons of Abraham, but one was the son of a slave woman, Hagar (representing the flesh), and the other was the son of the free woman, Sarah, (representing the Spirit). Ishmael birth came about because of the will and decision of man, but Isaac’s birth was as a result the will, the plan and the promise of God. Ishmael brought his father trouble, but Isaac brought his father joy. The Lord uses natural things to explain supernatural things to us and so Ishmael and Isaac came to represent two different covenants – the Old and the New. They represent to us the flesh and the Spirit; the natural and the supernatural.

 

You have to understand that on this earth, you are serving either the Lord or you are serving the devil. There is no such thing as serving yourself, because serving yourself is the same as serving the devil. No, we are not calling you a devil, but we are saying that the Word says that if you are not walking in the light then you are walking in darkness.

 

Until you meet Jesus, the devil is your boss. Yes, you still have a free will – he cannot completely control you unless you give him place in your life – but you have no authority over him either, because you are not authorized to use the Name of Jesus. Also, you have absolutely no way to escape his clutches once you die. You will go straight to hell with no recourse. The only way to change your destiny is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and begin to serve Him.

 

Before you served Jesus, you were a slave to sin. Now that you are born again, you are no longer a slave to sin, but you are free to serve God with a willing heart. A slave does what he doesn’t want to do for no reward – he doesn’t get paid. A free man chooses which boss he will work for and what job he will do and he gets paid for it. There may be aspects of the job he likes and some he doesn’t, but it is still his choice to work for that boss for that amount of pay!

 

He is free to make choices that affect his life and change the course of his life. However, when you are a slave, your course is set by another. You may think that doing your own thing – whatever feels good to you – is freedom and that serving God sounds like bondage, but it is the other way around. The more you sin, the more you become a slave to sin and the worse you feel, the more bound you become and the more trapped you feel. Sin will work you into a corner and give the devil more and more authority in your life.

 

A sinner’s life is set on a course to eternal damnation, but a believer’s life is on a course to eternal life. A sinner is bound by the natural realm, but a believer is unrestrained by the natural. Even if a believer’s body dies, they continue to live – in the presence of God.

 

Unless someone, who is free, intervenes and buys the son of the slave woman, he is destined to become a slave himself. The son of the slave woman will never be an heir and share the inheritance with the son of the free woman, the son of the house. The slave eats from his master’s table and wears the clothes his master gives him, but it is only the master’s son who will inherit his title (his name) and his possessions.

 

The slave will never inherit the things that he works for, but the son will inherit everything he works for. Jesus has already intervened for us and made us to be sons in the kingdom of God. Why should you live your life as slave, with no inheritance when you can be a son in God’s house? Start serving Jesus with all your heart today!

 

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.   Matthew 5:19-20 KJV

 

The word “Christ” means “Anointed One” and the word “Christian” means “Christ-like” or “little anointed one.” If you are a Christian, you are saved by grace, washed in the blood of Jesus and born again into His image. You are supposed to come progressively to know the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. You are supposed to grow in your knowledge of God and in the process become more like Him. You are supposed to walk like Him, talk like Him, and act like Him.

 

Unfortunately, there are many Christians who think that the Word of God is optional. They don’t believe that it is important to obey God by being a doer of the Word of God. Even more unfortunately, there are people who stand in a place of leadership in the Body of Christ, who teach God’s Word to others, and who do not live what they say they believe. You lead by example. Jesus said that if you are a doer of the Word of God and you live what you believe and preach and you lead others to do so, then you will be called GREAT in the kingdom of heaven, but if you do not then you will be called the LEAST in the kingdom of God.

 

The Pharisees and Sadducees taught people rules and regulations, but they themselves did not do all the things they taught others. They put all their trust in themselves. They preached a works program – that it is your works that are vital to your salvation – but it was nothing more than mere religion and man’s tradition. Isaiah 64:6 says that, “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” Our own efforts and righteousness are insufficient before God, the Righteous Judge. We all need the mercy of a Savior. We all need to be washed in His blood so that we can put on the robes of righteousness that only He can bestow.

 

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”   Matthew 9:10-13 NIV

 

The Pharisees and Sadducees set themselves up as representatives of God, but they were hard, religious and judgmental toward those they considered “sinners.” God’s whole message to man is that He made us and He loves us and He has our best interests at heart. John 3:17 says that Jesus was not sent from the Father into the world in order to judge, to reject, to condemn, or to pass sentence on the world, but He came so that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him. If you represent God and speak for Him, then you must have His heart. You must preach mercy and show mercy to others – not judgment and condemnation. If the Pharisees and Sadducees truly represented the Father, then they would have loved the people and not judged or criticized them. Jesus rebuked them for their hypocrisy and they hated Him for it.

 

He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves and were confident that they were righteous [that they were upright and in right standing with God] and scorned and made nothing of all the rest of men: 10 two men went up into the temple [enclosure] to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray thus before and with himself: God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men–extortioners (robbers), swindlers [unrighteous in heart and life], adulterers–or even like this tax collector here. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I gain. 13 But the tax collector, [merely] standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, O God, be favorable (be gracious, be merciful) to me, the especially wicked sinner that I am! 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified (forgiven and made upright and in right standing with God), rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.  Luke 18:9-14 AMP

 

If you are too arrogant to receive the Word of God into your own life and submit to it, then you will not receive the blessings of the Word. However, if you will humble your heart to receive God’s Word, if you will submit to God and to His Word by your words and your actions, then you will receive all the blessings that He promises and you will be GREAT in the kingdom of God!

John, the son of Zechariah, went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins – preparing the way for the Messiah, Jesus – as he was born to do.

 

 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

 

8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

 

9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”   Luke 3:7-9 NIV

 

John came to prepare the hearts of men to receive Jesus. He came to stir them up, to make them hungry for God, to make them aware that they needed a personal Savior. Usually, it is so much easier for people to trust in their heritage and to rely on someone else’s faith and sacrifice, rather than building their own relationship with God.

 

The Israelites faith was in the fact that Abraham was their earthly father. Now Abraham believed the Word of God and because of his faith, Father God made him some wonderful promises. These promises applied also to those who would follow him, who approached God in the same attitude of faith. The promises are not inherited because of who your earthly father is, but because you had the same faith in your Heavenly Father as father Abraham did. Your inheritance comes to you as a result of your faith and your faith alone.

 

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?

 

2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about-but not before God.

 

3 What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

 

4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.

 

5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.   Romans 4:1-5 NIV

Abraham was justified in the eyes of God, because of his faith, not because of his own efforts. This justification is a free gift, which you receive by trusting in God alone – and not yourself – and by believing His Word.

 

And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

 

13 It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

 

14 For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless,

 

15 because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

 

16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring-not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.

 

17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed-the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.   Romans 4:12-17 NIV

 

God made this promise of righteousness – of right-standing with Him – to Abraham and to all those, from any and every nation, who would believe in God and believe His promise just as Abraham did. Even

 

Abraham’s own blood descendants were required to accept the promise by faith. The act of circumcision alone was not enough to release Abraham’s offspring from the curse of the law – it was faith in God’s sacrifice, on mankind’s behalf, that purchased their freedom from final judgment and eternal damnation.

 

Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  

 

7 Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.

 

8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”  

 

9 So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.  Galatians 3:6-9 NIV

 

All those who put their faith and trust in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ are saved from condemnation and blessed with eternal life, in the presence of Father God for eternity, along with father Abraham.

 

The Lord began dealing with me recently about the Year of Jubilee. I believe that this is our Year of Jubilee! In Nazareth, at His local Synagogue, Jesus was handed the book of Isaiah and He read from chapter 61:

 

The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed one, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity], 19 To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound.] Luke 4:18-19 AMP

 

Jesus preached that the acceptable year of the Lord was here—the Year of Jubilee, which took place every 50th year—the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound (Leviticus 25). What Jesus was really saying was, “I am your Year of Jubilee!”

 

THE LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai,

 

2 Say to the Israelites, When you come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath to the Lord.

 

3 For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits.

 

4 But in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the Lord; you shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.

 

5 What grows of itself in your harvest you shall not reap and the grapes on your uncultivated vine you shall not gather, for it is a year of rest to the land.

 

6 And the sabbath rest of the [untilled] land shall [in its increase] furnish food for you, for your male and female slaves, your hired servant, and the temporary resident who lives with you,

 

7 For your domestic animals also and for the [wild] beasts in your land; all its yield shall be for food.

 

8 And you shall number seven sabbaths or weeks of years for you, seven times seven years, so the total time of the seven weeks of years shall be forty-nine years.

 

9 Then you shall sound abroad the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month [almost October]; on the Day of Atonement blow the trumpet in all your land.

 

10 And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his ancestral possession [which through poverty he was compelled to sell], and each of you shall return to his family [from whom he was separated in bond service].

 

11 That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall not sow, or reap and store what grows of itself, or gather the grapes of the uncultivated vines.

 

12 For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat the [sufficient] increase of it out of the field.

 

13 In this Year of Jubilee each of you shall return to his ancestral property.

 

14 And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another. Leviticus 25:1-14 AMP

 

Under the Old Covenant every seventh year was a time to let the ground rest so that it could recover and come back stronger, producing a stronger, healthier, more abundant harvest. But the fiftieth year—Jubilee—was an extra special year. It was a Holy year. In the last year, before the year of rest, God caused the ground to produce three times as much fruit so that His people could eat and be satisfied whilst the ground rested and whilst they rested in His goodness.

 

Jubilee is a year of faith—where you rest from your own labors and your own efforts—allowing God’s goodness to lead you and feed you. God wants us to remember that it is He Who watches over us, feeding us, guiding us, and providing for us. If we forget this, we will wear ourselves out with our own efforts, but if we remember that He is the source of our life and every good thing in our life, then we can relax in Him and focus on worshipping Him and yielding to Him.

 

Jubilee is a time to let slaves go free, to redeem what has been lost and to reach out and help both family and neighbors and those who cannot help themselves. In the year of Jubilee, even though you do not plow or prune or sow, you are still able to eat of the fruit that the ground produces.

 

You cannot reap from a field that you have never sown, but when you have faithfully sown and sown and sown and then God calls a Jubilee year for you, then you know that it is a year of rest for you, a year of extra blessings, a year of eating from the abundance of the provision that your Father has provided for you as you rest in Him.

 

When Jesus said, “Today is this scripture fulfilled in your ears,” the people of Nazareth were very angry with Him and did not receive Him, but I declare to you today that Jesus is YOUR Jubilee—if you receive Him you will go free! Jesus has come to restore your joy, your family, your property and your inheritance. Every promise that God has made you in His Word is yours.

 

So receive Him as your Jubilee—rest in Him and enjoy His blessings.

 

Dr. Rodney Howard Browne leads a group through the Dead Sea. These are pictures of the event just days ago. The Dead Sea is a salt lake between Israel and the West Bank to the west, and Jordan to the east.

It is 1,378 ft below sea level and its shores are the lowest point on the surface of the Earth on dry land. The Dead Sea is one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water and it is nearly 10 times saltier than the ocean.

The Dead Sea lies in the Jordan Rift Valley and its main tributary the Jordan River has attracted visitors from around the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years and was a place of refuge for King David.

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  Romans 5:5 NKJV

 

When you accept Jesus Christ of Nazareth as your Lord and Savior, you are born-again. When you are born-again, the Holy Spirit pours the love of God into your heart and everything changes. You are not the same person that you were before. You are a new creature. You no longer follow the ways of the world, but you now follow the ways of God. You no longer behave like the devil, but you behave like your Father God.

 

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  John 13:34-35 NIV

 

The demonstration of the love of God that has been poured out in your hearts by the Holy Spirit is proof that you are Jesus’ disciples. When you love people they know that Jesus is your Lord.

“But I say to you who are listening now to Me: [in order to heed, make it a practice to] love your enemies, treat well (do good to, act nobly toward) those who detest you and pursue you with hatred.  Luke 6:27 Amp

 

Jesus speaks to those who are listening to Him. Unfortunately, not all Christians actually listen to Jesus or do what He tells them to do. It is very important that you listen to Jesus and that you do what He tells you to do. He tells you to make it a practice to love your enemies. No one in the world loves their enemies – they hate their enemies – but for Christians, loving their enemies should be a normal thing that they do! Not only are you to love your enemies, but the Lord also asks you to act nobly toward those who detest you and pursue you with hatred, to do good to them and to treat them well. This kind of behavior is foreign to the world, but it should be normal for the children of God.

Invoke blessings upon and pray for the happiness of those who curse you, implore God’s blessing (favor) upon those who abuse you [who revile, reproach, disparage, and high-handedly misuse you].  Luke 6:28 Amp

 

When people curse you, revile you, blame you, accuse you, belittle you, and high-handedly misuse you, Jesus tells you to invoke blessings upon them, pray for their happiness and beg God to favor them. This will definitely take them by surprise!

To the one who strikes you the jaw or cheek, offer the other jaw or cheek also; and from him who takes away your outer garment, do not withhold your undergarment as well. 30 Give away to everyone who begs of you [who is in want of necessities], and from him who takes away from you your goods, do not demand or require them back again. 31 And as you would like and desire that men would do to you, do exactly so to them.  Luke 6:29-31 Amp

 

When people attack you, you do not fight back. When they ask for things, you give it to them, when they take things away from you, you do not ask for them back. You know that God is your protector and your source of supply. You know that whatever you give away without grudging, will be given back to you again and some. You know that as you generously walk in love toward people, you are showing them the heart of God and you know that God can take this opportunity to reach them and to snatch them from the devil’s kingdom. Treat everybody – even people you don’t like and who don’t like you – exactly as you would like to be treated.

 

If you [merely] love those who love you, what quality of credit and thanks is that to you? For even the [very] sinners love their lovers (those who love them). 33 And if you are kind and good and do favors to and benefit those who are kind and good and do favors to and benefit you, what quality of credit and thanks is that to you? For even the preeminently sinful do the same.   34 And if you lend money at interest to those from whom you hope to receive, what quality of credit and thanks is that to you? Even notorious sinners lend money at interest to sinners, so as to recover as much again.  Luke 6:32-34 Amp

 

If you only love those who love you, and if you are only kind and good and do favors to those who are kind and good to you, and if you lend money at interest to those from whom you hope to receive, then what quality of credit and thanks is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them, are kind to those who are kind to them and lend to those who can repay them. When you love your enemies, are kind to them and lend hoping for nothing in return, then you show yourself to be of a different spirit than them and you become a light and an example to them.

 

We need to see the big picture – it is not just about us and our feelings – it is about reaching sinners by showing them the Spirit of Christ that is in us. We are God’s instruments – we are gloves on His hands! When we walk in love, we exalt Jesus, when we lift Jesus up – men will be drawn to Him and the devil will be defeated in their lives and in ours!