Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…I hope this message finds you filled with joy, and living life to the fullest. That’s what Jesus promised, and that is what He delivers to all who are willing to accept God’s Gift of Grace. As a result of that life-changing event, we are now in Christ, meaning our sins have been forgiven, past, present and future sins; we have inherited eternal life, meaning we will spend eternity in Paradise in the presence of God; we have inherited the indwelling Holy Spirit, who empowers us to become the person God created us to be; we are now worthy and acceptable in God’s eyes, not because of anything we did, but because of what Jesus did for us on the cross; we are grafted into God’s family, meaning we are now His child; we are now a “saint” (a follower of Jesus Christ) and not a “sinner”, meaning our short-comings are not counted against us as sin (Romans 8:1”: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus); we are heir to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm, including spiritual healing and revelation, and we are heir to every promise in the Bible. Wow! That is nothing short of a spiritual jackpot!!
The above paragraph defines our identity in Christ. But with that new identity comes a new-found sense of security, confidence, courage, strength, patience, peace and serenity that produces an almost unexplainable sense of “joy”. Now this “joy” is not to be confused with happiness, because happiness depends on external factors, such as “If I just had that car, (that house, more money, that job), I would be happy.” Joy is not based on external factors; it just wells up inside of us because now we know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we are unconditionally loved and accepted by God. Regardless of how crazy the world becomes around us, we grow in our awareness of what it means to be in the world, but not of the world. (substantiated by John 15:19) Now we grow in our desire to become more Christ-like, because the truth revealed in John 8:32 has now become engrafted in our minds and hearts: “Jesus told His disciples, ‘if you follow My teachings, you will know the truth, and that truth will set you free.”
The teachings of the world, and all other religions and philosophies, are not congruent with the teachings of Jesus. “How so”, you might ask? Well, the teachings of the world exalt man, and they encourage him to strive to be all he can be. All other religions and philosophies are about works to achieve their stated goal. Christianity, by contrast, is not about works, but about faith. This is clearly spelled out in Hebrews 11:6: “It is impossible to please God without faith, because anyone who comes to Him must first believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” The manner in which He introduced Himself to Moses, “I AM…” is the way Christians believe God to be; “He IS…” He IS everything. He satisfies completely. We put our trust in Him!
So, the appropriate question right here should be, “What did Jesus teach?” Before I answer that, let me point out four important points. (1) When Jesus came to earth in a human body, He fulfilled the promises and prophecies found in the Old Testament.(But take note, some of these can be repeated again) In Ephesians 1:10, it is stated, “And this is the plan (God’s plan): At just the right time, He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ -everything in heaven and on earth.” Romans 5:6 is the fulfillment of that plan: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” And what was” just the right time”? When we proved ourselves to be utterly helpless. (2) He came to show us how to become “the living Word” by His own example. Matthew 1:14 tells us, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (3) He came to destroy the work of the Devil.1John 3:8 tells us, “The Son of God came to destroy the Devil’s work.” When Jesus walked out of that tomb, death was defeated! (4) Jesus came to proclaim heavenly principles by contrasting His Truth with the ways and teaching of the world. He stated many times, “Repent! The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2) A prime example of this contrast can be found in the Beatitudes. (Matthew 5-7)
Now to the question at hand, “What did Jesus teach?” Jesus taught about love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, compassion, acceptance, and honesty. He also taught about the Father, about heaven and hell, and about being of service to our fellow man. When our minds and hearts are filled with this information, there is no room for darkness. As Proverbs 23:7 reminds us, “What a man puts in his mind and heart, so he is.” Proverbs 3:5-6 expands on this truth: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your path.”
Now, let’s look at the fruit that results from Jesus’ teaching. These traits are referred to as “fruits of the Spirit” because the Holy Spirit produces in us these Christ-like characteristics: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Now let’s compare this to what our culture refers to as “human nature” (and what the Bible refers to as our “sin nature”): pride, greed, jealousy, anger, hatred, fits of rage, depression, anxiety, guilt, shame, remorse, discord, sexual immorality, idolatry, envy, addictions and aggression. When these latter characteristics define us, there is no joy, no peace, and very little, if any, hope for the future. Unquestionably, there is an abundance of physical ailments and psychosomatic illnesses that result from these stresses.
Jesus was quoting Psalm 118, vs.22,24, when He said to the Pharisees, “the stone the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. The Lord has done it this very day; let’s rejoice today and be glad.” Jesus was, of course, referring to Himself as the stone, but even more specifically “the stone that makes people stumble and fall”. That statement is as true today as it was when Jesus said it, and we can see evidence of that in our culture with the attempts to mock, ridicule, and demean the teachings of the Bible. Nothing stands in the way of promoting the Liberal Progressive Agenda (LPA) more than the Truth of God’s Word, and perhaps the most controversial of all Scriptures is Jesus’ pronouncement in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” How discordant that must sound to the arrogant mind that believes itself to be god.
So, let’s superimpose this blueprint of truth over today’s culture. But first, a sneak preview of how we got to where we are today, I will go back half a century to the 60’s and early 70’s when we experienced these bombshells: the Vietnam War and the resulting protests, rock and roll, Woodstock, free love, LSD and other mind-altering drugs, and the horrific Supreme Court decision known as Roe vs. Wade. As a result of these pillar-shaking events, our culture began moving away from the Judeo-Christian principles that provided the groundwork for developing Spiritual and moral values. During the next two decades, America continued turning away from God and His ways, at first subtly, but for the past decade and a half, more brazenly. Today we find ourselves part of a culture that is spiritually and morally bankrupt, as reflected in the dramatic increase in suicides, the epidemic of addictions, the increase in divorces, the tolerance of lawlessness, a disregard for the value of human life, and the relativity of truth. All of these insidious markers, in my opinion, reflect the evil that is inherent in the Liberal Progressive Agenda. I boldly use the term “evil” here, because none of this is part of God’s plan. In fact, quite the contrary! The puppeteer pulling the strings behind the curtain of this evil agenda is none other than the prince and power of the Dark Domain. Today’s social and political climate also reflects that truth.
Does any of this ring true to you? Our culture believes it is a political crossroad, but I submit that we are at a Spiritual crossroad. Now to show inclusivity for my next statement, I will turn to a worldly thinker, Albert Einstein, for his input: “No problem can be solved with the same consciousness that created it.” I agree with Einstein’s thinking on this matter, therefore I challenge you to implement the directive given in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” Since God Himself revealed this plan of action, I believe intercessory prayer will produce powerful results. Will you join me in this endeavor to heal our land?
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May God Bless You abundantly
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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