Mon, Jan 19th - 11:23AM
DINNER WITH JESUS CHRIST
Holy people, we can do nothing without Jesus. Again,
you, me, us can do nothing without Jesus. Neither can you, me, us grow to
maturity without His word. We have to keep this in the forefront in love and
trust in God- lest we sink into pride exalting ourselves and not our Creator. Thank
God for the faithful servant officers of the church who watch over and feed the
flock to grow to maturity. Everything that the church has come through Lord
Jesus Christ for His glory and our good. Please, let us consistently pick up our
Bibles to read, study, live and share it as God commands. Some read the Bible
through once and then put it away thinking that is all that is required by God.
It is no surprise that those who have little or no steady spiritual nourishment
get into all kinds of difficulties, and make avoidable errors in doctrine. Reading
the Bible through from beginning to end gives us a comprehensive understanding
of the whole of both testaments within the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. While
looking at the whole, we can also take time to look at individual books, characters,
themes of scriptures, applying them to our lives out of faith and trust in God.
Shamefully, we have dead churches in the past and right now gone or going to
closure through failure to feed their flock, despite many warnings sent by God,
they refuse to repent. Nobody witnesses in such churches, have any ministries, remain
strangers to one another and have no understanding of or haven’t heard of the
New Covenant of Jesus Christ, this is evidence and the fruit of false shepherds
whom God condemns. Worse yet, their poor deceived flock having never heard the
gospel, but just homilies or humanistic doctrines have not even been saved. Brothers
and sisters, the momentum of the study of the woman and her ointment, bears us
forward to go to the book of John keenly aware that our God never sees the
relationship/fellowship with His people in any casual manner at all, but one
that is always intensely personal and caring. We see Jesus the God Man up close
and personal in both His humanity and as God the Son, faithful Shepherd of the
flock of God. We know that God’s love and truth tests/measures the viability
and value of our relationship/fellowship
with Him and one another through and within the supreme Standard of Christ: Jhn
5:23 That all men should
honour the Son, even as they
honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath
sent him.1Jo 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that
acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.Jhn 14:6Jesus saith unto
him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me.Jhn 6:44No
man can come to me, except the Father which hath
sent me draw him: and I will
raise him up at the last day.Let us as God commands keep
the woman and her ointment in memory who understood Jesus is our true and only
treasure. While we can pray to God for things that we need, which He only
grants if its according to His will, the mature Christian isn’t focused only on getting stuff
from Lord Jesus. The mature Christian lives focused in all their doings on pleasing
God daily in doing His will, and worshipping Him for who He is and what He has
done for us in His eternal atonement for all who believe in Him. When we hear people talking
all Wishy washy touchy feely warm and fuzzy teaching that there are many roads
to God, or that obedience and faithfulness is not expected to be stable but to fluctuate
depending on circumstances etc whether ignorantly or willfully we know from
scripture that is a lie. However, the ignorant will receive the truth when they
are taught it but the wicked never will. As we go forward, dearly beloveds, to
the book of John we will look closer at the woman with her ointment, as well as
one of the most terrifying and disgusting human beings in scripture JUDAS
ISCARIOT. One of the many horrifying doctrinal errors that have resulted from
misinterpretation of scripture about him is that a born-again believer can lose
their salvation. Until next time, dearly beloveds, let us take comfort and have
complete confidence/assurance in the eternal inerrant, authority, love and
truth of all the promises of God through our indwelling Saviour, High Priest,
Mediator Jesus Christ God the Son of God with power: Mat 28:20…I am with you alway, even unto the end of
the world. Amen.Jhn 10:28And I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out
of my hand. Heb 13:5…for he hath
said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Rom 8:35-39. Love and truth
forever, serola
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Wed, Jan 14th - 3:54AM
DINNER WITH JESUS CHRIST
Brothers and
sisters, we know that we can do nothing without Jesus, absolutely nothing. The
Bible is clear; the church as a whole and individually cannot grow to maturity nor bear good fruit unto God
without Jesus-through His gospel. Praise God our Father who has given believers through
faith in Christ the right, authority and power to be taught it, live
and share it with one another and the commission to gather souls unto Him by
sharing the gospel in the world. Dearly beloveds, we know from scripture what Jesus
declares explicitly to any and every one even the whole world that God is no respecter of persons:
Mat
12:30He
that is not with me is against me; and he
that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. God the Absolute Authority rules supreme over any and every doctrine of men and/or devils. God
makes it clear there is no
neutrality, no fence
straddling, no
substitutes, no plan
b’s, no alternatives NO compromise, NO negotiation, NO Exceptions to
the gospel of Jesus Christ: Mat 15:9But in vain they do
worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men. Mar 7:7Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men.Lord Jesus knew who Simon the Pharisee was and had
likened the Pharisees amongst other sects as vipers-spiritual poisoners. They gave
themselves elite titles as experts, based on scholarships of alleged superior
knowledge such as masters, and doctors which they used to exalt themselves and
lord it over their disciples to exploit them financially as well as to mislead
them spiritually.Jesus boiled down the results of their teachings amongst
others: Mat 23:13But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye
shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer
ye them that are entering to go in.
Mat 23:15Woe unto
you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to
make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than
yourselves. Jesus reveals the fatal flaw in all of the doctrines of the
sects as well as the Levitical priesthood which had corrupted itself thoroughly
at the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry. We know that this same fatal flaw
remains today in all the humanistic doctrines of mere men, whether they be various
religious movements, ideologies, denominations, institutions, organizations
etc. is the lie that they can set the standard for salvation that adds to or
takes away from the everlasting truth of the New Covenant of Jesus Christ
understood within the whole context of both the Old and New Testaments. The
scriptures warn against adding to or taking away from the truth of God’s word: Gal 1:8-9;
2Jo 1:10-11. Now we know God doesn’t condemn those
who are ignorant not being taught scripture, for the righteous will repent when
they are taught the truth, but the wicked never will.Therefore,
we understand that these passages Gal 1:8-9; 2Jo 1:10-11, address
those who have been taught the word of God, but choose to reject it impenitently, and they have no excuse from God: Rom 1:18-25; Some might think
at least Simon the Pharisee had some love for God; doesn’t even a little bit of
love count with God? Is not a little bit of love better than none with God?
Brothers and sisters, we look to the scriptures for Jesus’ perspective on this
matter: Mar
12:30And thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the
first commandment. Mat
10:37He
that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he
that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.Luk
14:25And there
went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and
said unto them, 26If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters,yea, and his
own life also, he cannot be my disciple.We know that Jesus wasn’t hanging around
with Simon the Pharisee to participate in the tenets of this sect, but
continually teaching and bringing him the gospel message desiring that he would
believe it and be converted. Jesus teaches us that even in companying with
unbelievers- unspiritual persons, love and truth recognizes moral boundaries of
appropriateness that if violated, should be challenged, addressed and
corrected. After Jesus corrects Simon WITHOUT CONDEMNATION, did Simon repent or was he enraged, and embarrassed
by being publicly corrected by Jesus in the sight of those present including
the woman whom he saw as a great sinner? After Jesus justifies, protects, and
commends the woman for her faith and said to her directly that she was forgiven,
the thoughts of the disciples are revealed to us. Luk
7:49And they that sat at meat with
him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? Despite Jesus
telling them repeatedly His mission and who He is, and their observing His many miracles, raising the
dead, healing the sick, walking on water, casting out devils, and feeding
thousands with initially scraps of food, living sinlessly every minute amongst
them, and teaching them the gospel daily it is astounding that they could have any
doubts of His authority from God to forgive sins! If there is a definition of
hardness of heart we can certainly find it here.Luk
7:50And he
said to the woman, Thy faith hath
saved thee; go in peace. This is the second time Jesus
confirms to the woman that she is forgiven, and this second time He releases
her to go in peace confident and commended for her faith in Him.Dearly beloveds let us remember this woman as Jesus commands and do
even as this woman has done, let us cling in faith to our Lord and Saviour,
the Pearl of great price, the greatest treasure in all eternity in which the
riches of this earth is but mere trinkets and useless rubbish.Commendation to the woman correction to Simon the
Pharisee.Some take aways, you, me us-all believers- we are not
just a faceless number in the multitudes to Lord Jesus:Jhn
10:3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.Jhn
10:4And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he
goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.We
are His eternal family: Mar 3:35For whosoever shall
do the will of God, the
same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.Heb 13:5….for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.Love and truth forever, serola
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Fri, Jan 2nd - 8:10AM
DINNER WITH JESUS CHRIST
Jhn 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made
perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou
hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast
loved me.Eph
4:10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. Eph4:11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of
the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ: Perfecting: complete
furnishing, equipping. Eph 4:13 Till we
all come in the unity of the faith, and of
the knowledge of the Son of
God, unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: See Eph 4:16-32. 2
Ti 3:16 All scripture is given
by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17That the man of God may
be perfect, throughly
furnished unto all good works.
Brothers and sisters, let us God’s family of priests continually give our fervent
love and thank offerings to our High Priest, Saviour, Mediator, Jesus Christ
God, the Son of God with power, and to God our Father who has given us His Son
Jesus to be the propitiation for all of our sins and not ours only but for the
whole world- all who believe in Him. Let us with patience, faithfully keep in
remembrance that we can do nothing without Jesus, absolutely nothing:John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He
that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth
forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. Psa 127:1 Except the LORD build the
house, they labour in vain that build it: except the +++++ LORD keep the
city, the watchman waketh but in vain. Much love
and peace to you holy brethren, let us with much patience go to our Lord Jesus’
table to dine fully in His Word to find strength, courage, comfort and peace in
the knowledge of Him. We know that Jesus could have just refused Simon’s
invitation or the dinner upon being +++++ disrespectfully received by Simon the
Pharisee. We know that Jesus had miraculously fed to the full thousands with
mere table scraps of food, so in no way was Simon the Pharisee doing him any
favors by inviting him to dinner. Jesus could also have just accepted Simon the
Pharisee’s disrespectful treatment in displeased silence. We know, dearly
beloveds, that love and truth is the core standard that sets clear consistent
and firm boundaries for healthy natural relationships and spiritual relationships
even more so. No healthy relationship whether natural or spiritual is possible,
not bound by love and truth to test its validity and worth. Some are afraid to
test relationships out of fear of the risk of losing them, and/or fear of
retaliation and in some cases even violence. Was Jesus angry, disgusted,
disappointed, fed up with Simon the Pharisee? We know Jesus as a man was
certainly not pleased with how He or the woman had been treated. However, never
ceasing to be God the Son and Shepherd in His intense passion for His people, He
dared to risk- test His relationship with Simon out of love and truth when He meticulously
peeled back and exposed Simon’s shortcomings and disrespectful treatment of Him
and the woman, in hopes that it would lead this spiritually blind man to
repentance. We find no evidence here that Simon the Pharisee gained any spiritual insight which would have led him
to apologize for his disrespectful behavior. Therefore, Jesus frankly rebukes self- righteousness
and accepts only true repentance: Luk 7:47Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are
many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to
whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48And he
said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. Brothers and sisters
some might ask why Jesus forgave only the woman, since earlier He had said in
His parable that both sinners were pardoned, and doesn’t He contradict Himself
here? No, Jesus never contradicts Himself nor scriptures since He is the Word
of God Himself. The woman having heard the gospel believed it, and her frank
worship showed her much love in having understood His message, the meaning of
His death, and the Man/God in His Messianic mission who alone would grant
forgiveness for even the greatest of sinners such as herself. Her love did not could
not precede her faith, but her frank worship is evidence of her love after she
believed: Eph
2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any
man should boast. Even the free gift of faith and repentance is a
work of the mercy of God: Rom 2:4; Rom 12:3.
Brothers and sisters, we do not have++ to belabor the issue with Simon the Pharisee,
nor the danger of mere men EVEN++++ TODAY setting up humanistic doctrines as the standard for
being forgiven of sins by God. All of the sects had fallen into the delusion
that they had the power to set the++ standard for salvation or that it could be obtained
through the false doctrines of mere men. Love and truth forever,
serola +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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Name: Dolores serola Rutherford
