Called and Chosen

1 John 5:  ⁴For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

I so love to hear people talk about this scripture and their interpretation.   There is nothing like having God teach you the scripture and not man.  I know that I am not brilliant and this understanding did not come from me and sometimes I can’t understand why others don’t see it, but if you know anything about what I believe people are “dead” spiritually separated from God and CANNOT understand the things of God.  It is that simple.

Most people think the most significant teaching in this passage is that “faith” overcomes this world.  When I hear that I just want to SHOUT where did you get that from?  Can’t you SEE?  That is not what that scripture says.  Being BORN of GOD overcomes the WORLD.  Hear what I am saying being BORN OF GOD is the victory.  That is the only way to heaven.  Of course,  you are going to have faith if you are born again, but you can have faith in something and not be born again.

“Born to Believe”!

Do you really know how important a foundation in structures are?  Before I was born again I had a friend who was a carpenter/builder.  Their main job was to prepare the land for construction. Careful  not to dig down pass where they were going to dig the foundation.  They would follow the plans laying out the strings as to where to dig the foundation.  Once that was laid out then it was time to dig.  It was so cool they dug with the right kind of shoval and made the neatest rows where the concrete would be poured. Afterwards they would call for the concrete truck.  It couldn’t be to cold to pour and everyone had to be in place.  They knew by the square footage of the foundation and the depth of the foundation how much concrete was to be pours and how much to order.  While the concrete was soft medal bars had to go into the foundation.  This made the foundation strong.  This foundation determined everything that happened from here on out.  If the walls would be off centered.  If the carpet would have to be cut wrong to compensate for the mess up in the foundation.  If the bricks would be laid straight; and how long this structure would last before things began to happen to it.  This person when it came to foundations was a perfectionist.  They check and rechecked to make sure it was correct.

Little did I know this would be an earthly lesson on heavenly understanding.  How important your foundation is with God’s Word?

If you don’t understand the state that man started off in or you don’t believe today that it is important your entire foundation will be off.   You will believe that you are free moral agent.  However, that isn’t going to be enough to separate us because we will learn the truth when we stand before God.  If you want to bury that fact in your heart instead of opening it up to learn different I can’t change that.  I have made every effort to read scripture to understand why people believe they are free in darkness.  I understand why people believe they are free and I wish I could make them understand they are not.

I have come to understand that only God can show a man his need for him.

You are FREE in Darkness and You are FREE in Light, but you are not FREE to move from darkness to light.  That power remains with God.

It seems a long time ago it was always the Fathers responsibility to choose who will marry who.  In Genesis 24, following the death of Sarah, Abraham sends out his servant, Eleazer (see Genesis 15:2), into the far country to obtain a bride for his son Isaac. We find that the Holy Spirit is doing the same thing today. He is in a far country looking for the bride for the Father’s Son.

I can’t seem to wrap my mind around the fact that Man thinks he is in control of himself even though It says in scripture that we are DEAD not sick, but DEAD before the Holy Spirit wakes us up.  It seems that man loves control, but in this situation he is limited.  Yes in darkness you can chose to be good in your darkness or bad, but you cannot choose to cross from darkness to light it is a decision made by the father who will marry his Son.

In Matthew Jesus and the disciples were invited to a wedding.  The scripture starts off saying “The Third day”.  For years I read over that because in the natural it looked like it didn’t have any significance.  Oh but God will show you how important his Words are.  The third day represents the “resurrection”.  That happened on the third day and that is what gives us life and life more abundantly.  When you are born again you receive the resurrected “LIFE”.  Oh man, how awesome is that.  What is even greater John explicitly adds: “This, the FIRST of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.”  That is the FIRST MIRACULOUS sign that God has entered our lives.

If that isn’t Good News I don’t know for you what is that God chose you to be in the family and there was no pressure on you to do anything.  Marriage and New Birth all means the same.  You have no choosing in your physical birth.  It is the Father’s choice even in the natural  where he wants to plant his seed and you have NO CHOSE IN THE MATTER.  You are born and then grow up.

I am truly blessed and it is my heart that you will be as well. Have a Happy Turkey Day, but continue to keep your eyes and heart on Jesus.

Be Blessed!

John 1:13: 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

This scripture speaks volumes. When I tell of how I was born again some people say you must have had someone praying for you. This scripture says “no one” is born of God by the will of man. That means exactly what it says. Someone can pray for another person, but it is God’s will that will come to past. A person cannot will for another person to be born again, and just because you are born in this earth doesn’t mean you are born of God.

God is the Potter and we are the clay. He is the Creator we are the creation. Can we say to the Potter form me this way or that way? The answer is clearly NO. These are not my words these are the words of God.

In Ezekiel 36:25-27 25″Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26″Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27″I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

Don’t be deceived man is not as “FREE” as he wants to believe. Most are under the power of this World.

Be Blessed!

When a person first hears “regeneration precedes faith” it is usually a shock to their system when you’re brought up being told that one is born again after he believes. However, the Bible must be our dividing rod when contemplating any doctrine and when we let God’s Word speak on this matter.

The common view of most people are the order of salvation looks something like this: faith – rebirth – justification.

However, the Bible clarly says differently. As sinful creatures we do everything in our power to have some say so or gain some level of glory in everything we do – even in salvation. I believe that many Christians today are putting more faith in their faith than in the person of Jesus Christ!

I sat in Church and never could “hear” the word as a child. So when I was born again I held to what the Bible said on the matter that Salvation is of the LORD (Jonah 2:9). You see, we want to believe that we have a little spark in us that has the ability to respond to the Gospel. That we are just sick and not dead in our sins and transgressions. However, Scripture is absolutely clear on this matter: “… even when we were dead in our sins and transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” Ephesians 2:5. Here Paul is clear that we are spiritually dead in our sins. We are unable to respond to the Gospel message unless God regenerates us to be able to respond.

Jesus taught this plainly to Nicodemus. Notice in John 3:3 Jesus states: “Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Notice that nowhere in this conversation with Nicodemus does Jesus tell him how he can be born again but that he simply must be.

Faith only becomes available to us after we are regenerated by God. We are dead in our sins and only the power of God can regenerate us to a state of having the ability to act in faith and put our trust and faith in the risen Savior. John also writes of regeneration preceding faith in 1 John 5:1: “everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.” God gets all the glory in everything – and that means everything. God is glorified for those who end up in heaven for his mercy and grace and He is equally glorified for those who end up in hell to demonstrate His just righteousness as a righteous and good Judge.

Even our faith is not something we can grasp onto as something that will earn us a spot in heaven. It is Christ Jesus and everything He has done through His atoning work on the cross, taking on the wrath of God we so deserve and being raised from the dead that is our salvation. Our faith in Christ is a glorious gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8). In this way of thinking God receives all the glory for regeneration.

Your Sister in Christ!

The VERY FIRST thing God did for me was poured his liquid Love from the crown of my head to the sole of my feet.  He let me know that this was him and that HE LOVED ME.  At his appointed time in my life HE revealed himself to me.  I DID NOTHING.  It truly was a GIFT.  He showed me that he LOVED me in ugliest state in life.  That there were times I thought I was better than people, talked about people, did everything the Bible says we do against one another.  I did it.  No I didn’t take a physical life away, but there were many people that I am positive that I hurt and he YET LOVED ME!  For about a year of him speaking to me in my heart, showing me everywhere I went how awful I was and me running back into the privacy of my world crying telling God how sorry I was.  Wondering was this and does this happen to everyone?  One day he showed me the same way that I LOVED you through all your mess you are to LOVE others.  The more Love he showed me the more I Love him.  He was perfect and LOVE me I could not help but LOVE him back.  In the book of Ezekial God said he would take care of that heart.  

  26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

 27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

²⁹I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.

 31Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

 32Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.

He even said that he would allow us to remember our own evil ways not for our sake, but so that we could Love and understand others.  That is how we are able to Love others so much in spite of what they do.  We understand because we were once there. 

 So in closing to know God is to know and understand his Love (Jesus).  The foundation of who we are.

Your Sister in Christ!

Click Here to Browse TinyTrekker.com for Today’s Specials!

For the last month or so I have been in meetings or in conversations  and when people spoke about having  “FREE WILL”, something struck me hard in my spirit.  Why do people believe that they can choose God?  The bible CLEARLY states “no man seeks God”.   I just cannot for the life of me figure it out.  Adam and Eve were “free” because they were “living beings”.  Only those who are “living” have a choice or can make a choice.  Only the ones that are living will consider what I am writing.  Something about what I am saying will agree with your spirit (that inner witness).  I hope through the spirit I can convey what I mean.

Adam sinned and died spiritually.  It is evident in scripture he did not die physically. When we are all born we are all born spiritually DEAD.  Separated from God.  If you don’t believe that STOP reading this for it will be a waste of your time.  Dead people cannot make a decision for Christ.   Dead people cannot receive Jesus in their heart.  

Paul speaks of our conversion as a move from death to life, “and you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sin. (Eph 2:1) and Col 2:13 Dead in trespasses and sins.  Not sick, not crippled, but dead.  Completely unable to choose or decide anything regarding Jesus.  Again Paul says, “but the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:14).   The Gospel is foolishness to the unbelievers.  How then can you invite the unbeliever to make a decision for that which is foolish? 

The  scriptures speak of the natural condition of man as an ENEMY OF GOD. “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law, it cannot. (Romans 8:7). 

I love it when I hear people say, “I ACCEPTED CHRIST”.  You accepted Christ, who are you?  If you had to do something in salvation then it isn’t a gift.  Humans always like to put themselves up; like they did something great. 

If you are alive in Christ you will hear what I am saying.  If you are dead you will hear the world.  It is not up to man to accept Jesus or reject.  Man just doesn’t have that much power.  How can the creation say to the creator I don’t want you.  How can the clay say to the potter don’t make me this way.  Jesus said to Paul, “who can resist the pricks of him”. 

In summary, there are two kinds of humans beings; some are living and the rest are dead.  I hope you are among the living.  I would assume by you reading this much that you are!

God Bless

Your Sister in Christ!

Something to consider: Everywhere in the old testament sin was talked about.  Every year everyone had to go the the temple to make sacrifices for their sins.  Jesus came to “take away our sins” so we will never have to make sacrifices for them anymore.  Jesus died for not some, but ALL our sins, past present and future.  If that is truth (and it is) why is it everytime I turn on the Christian Radio station, Christian TV Station, etc. all the men in the pulpit talk about is ‘sin’.  Have they not read the Bible.  WE ARE FORGIVEN!  They talk about sin more than they did in the old testament.

If you foundation isn’t correct you CANNOT teach the word of God.  When you read the Bible don’t do it with your mind; do it with your heart.

A New Covenant

 1.     The Cross – The Dividing Line of Human History.

A.    A Will is in Force Only When Someone Has Died.

Hebrews 9:16-17

“In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.”

B.     Without the Shedding of Blood (Sacrifice), There is No Forgiveness.

Hebrews 9:18-22

“This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. He said,  ‘This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.’ In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

2.  A New Covenant

A.    Reason for a New Covenant

Hebrews 8:7-8a

“For if there had been nothing wrong with the first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people.”

B.    The Lord’s Declaration of the New Covenant

Hebrews 8:8b-12

“The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, `Know the Lord,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

C.    The Holy Spirit’s Testimony about the New Covenant.

Hebrews 10:15-18

“The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First He says: ‘This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.’ Then He adds: ‘Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.’  And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.”

D.    The New Covenant Replaced the Old.

Hebrews 10:8-10

“First He said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire, nor were You pleased with them’  (although the law required them to be made). Then He said, ‘Here I am, I have come to do Your will.’  He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Hebrews 7:18 -19

A.    “The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.”

Hebrews 8:13

“By calling this covenant ‘new,’  He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.”

3.    A New Priesthood

A.    The New Priesthood Replaced the Old

Hebrews 7:11-12

“If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come – one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law.”

B.    A Superior Priesthood Representing A Superior Covenant.

Hebrews 8:6

“But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.”

Hebrews 9:15

“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance – now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”

4.    A New Priest

A.    A Perfect Priest Guaranteeing A Better Covenant.

Hebrews 7:20-22

“And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, but He became a Priest with an oath when God said to Him: ‘The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: You are a Priest forever.’ Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.”

Hebrews 7:26-28

“Such a High Priest meets our need – One who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.”

B.    An Eternal Priest

Hebrews 7:23

“Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office.”

Hebrews 7:24-25

“But because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.”

5.    A New Sacrifice

A.    His Sacrifice Took Away Our Sins.

Hebrews 10:1-4

“The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

Hebrews 10:5

“Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me.’

Hebrews 9:23-28

“It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

Atonement Covered Sins,  Christ Took Away Our Sins.

B.    His Sacrifice Is Final.

Hebrews 10:11-14

“Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool, because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are ‘the holy ones.’”

C.    There Is No More Sacrifice For Sins.

Hebrews 10:17-18

“Then He adds: ‘Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.’ And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.”

Hebrews 6:4-6

“Therefore . . . It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace.”

Hebrews 10:26-29

“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?”

Conclusions Concerning Forgiveness

Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

God remembers your sin no more.

There is no longer any sacrifice for sin.