Theword

?THE GRASS WITHERS, THE FLOWER FADES, BUT THE WORD OF OUR GOD STANDS FOREVER.? (ISAIAH 40:8)

Pastor Ernest Martinez

The Community Church of Devore

Seek God, Know His Word

Blessing and Honor to our Lord Jesus Christ, who has chosen us before the foundations of the world. To Him be our praise and worship. God has chosen you, dear ones of God, don?t forget Him who called you into His glorious light. You may be down and out! Call on Him. You may be troubled on all sides! Call on Him.

Listen to the words God spoke to Solomon: ?As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever (1 Chronicles 28:9).?

I am overwhelmed by the task God has given me. Like you, I cringe before the Word of God. It is filled with profound warnings that should let us come close to the Throne of God, but it often reveals a self-centered lifestyle, that unless it is crucified it will grow. We often quote the Romans Road (Which includes 3:23; 6:23; 10:9,10) to others and give them Romans 6:23: ?For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.? But let us not forget that Paul was warning those in the Church who have decided that it was ok to sin. The wages of sin are truly the pathway to death. Solomon was blessed by God with superior wisdom and was able to write the words: ?The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7).? O Lord that I would fear you and consider my life as nothing compared to the riches of Your Dear Son Jesus Christ our Lord. You alone O God deserve and demand my life and worship. To you be the majesty and the glory and honor in all generations. All the nations will bow before Your Throne. Amen.

As the Psalmist has said:
?You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance. For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; We finish our years like a sigh. The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath. So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalms 90:8 ? 12 emphasis mine).?

When we fully understand the brief nature of our lives, truly understand, then we will gain a heart of understanding. It is then that we will understand that the ??word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).? It is then that we will be willing to die for Christ. Not only that, we would rather die than to disregard the word of God as outmoded. Paul boldly declared in Romans 1:16: ?For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.? Paul spoke to the Ephesians concerning the ministry God has entrusted to His Saints, His Church: ?And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; (Notice that the preparation is to guard against false doctrine) that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head Christ?(Ephesians 4:11 ? 15).? The battle is too awesome to forsake the Word of God, for soon we all will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account as to how we handled the Word of God. Peter said: ?Therefore, laying aside all malice, all guile, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, ? (Peter 2:1 ? 2).? We are to desire the Word of God, not stories, or clever ideas. Paul was not entrusted with the gospel to make people happy and comfortable but to prepare them ?for the work of ministry.? As he declares: ?For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (I Corinthians 1:17 ? 18).? And we are warned, O how we are warned:

?For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables (2 Timothy 4:3 ? 4).?

I cannot, I will not apologize for the Word of God. I am not ashamed of the Gospel which God has entrusted to me and to you! There is nothing more powerful and more exciting than the Word of God. Some of you may have forgotten the real purpose of your life. It is not to be happy and drive a nice car. It is not to get married and build a large church (conviction for me). The real purpose of our lives is to bring glory to God. How wonderful that is to me, that God has chosen me to serve Him, and if need be suffer and die for Him. As Paul encourages us: ?Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12).? O Lord that you will make me stand under the trials and tribulations that surely will come on us. You alone Lord Jesus can deliver us from the snares of the devil. You alone have the words of eternal life. Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. Amen.

Let us not be like those who are excited about the whole Christian experience, but when persecution comes they fall away as Jesus announced:

??yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles (Matthew 13:21).? Look through the Bible and you will find that the Word of God was as the center of everything.

God?s word cannot be a lamp to our feet or a light on our path (Psalm 119:105) if we don?t abide in it, and use it, and learn it and love it. How can we be mature and able servants (bond-servants of Christ) if we do not uphold and defend the Word of God. ?All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16 ? 17).? Amen.

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Published on: 2005-06-03 (2106 reads)