2024 ADVENT 4 ~ Eve, Who Did NOT See What was Coming….

  .Genesis 3:2  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: Genesis 3:3  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, GOD hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 

Genesis 3:4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 

Genesis 3:5  For GOD doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 

Genesis 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. . . . .

^{. . . . Genesis 3:13}  And the LORD GOD said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 

^{Genesis 3:14}  And The LORD GOD said unto the serpent

Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,

and between thy seed and her SEED+ ;

*HE+ shall bruise thy head,

and thou shalt bruise His+ Heel. 

^{Genesis 3:15}

*[ In the Hebrew, “HE” is written. “It” does not occur in the Hebrew language. ]

Eve did NOT see what was coming, unlike faithful Abraham.

Eve was blinded  because of her disobedience.  

Disobedience blinds us.

When we listen to the tantalizing lies of the satan, we fall into his trap.

The trap of satan works like this: Listen to me-e-e … and I will make you instantly happy !   Yes…. just as “happy” as the satan is … the serpent satan who is FILLED with fury because he knows his time is short.

The satan only brings LIES . Lies ONLY bring pain.

Here is the Truth… and TRUTH makes us free if we embrace it: 

ALL disobedience is based on a LIE of the satan.

In their disobedience, Eve and Adam subtly changed the Authority Structure of their family: Eve told her husband Adam what  to  do  .

That  pattern of change has caused much difficulty and pain ever since it entered the human race through Eve’s disobedience.

No, poor , deluded Eve did NOT see what was coming. 

She did NOT rejoice to see the Day of The LORD come to planet earth.

Eve only gained a pocketful of thorns and a cradle full of sorrow as the fruit of her disobedience to GOD, The ELOHIM.

Even so,  The LORD GOD declared HIS divine, immutable WORD that her SEED+ would eventually come to bruise the head of the lying serpent.

Let us pray:

Heavenly FATHER,

Help me to SEE !  Open my eyes to see “who” is causing my disobediences , those attitudes that are so displeasing to YOU.

I am too old in CHRIST to indulge in those attitudes and nurse those emotions that are NOT worthy of  a  follower of CHRIST.

Open my eyes to see which LIES of the satan I have embraced and held onto “to make me happy.”

Like Martha’s sister Mary, I need “only ONE thing” to make me happy. Like that Mary, I want to choose “that GOOD part “ which shall not be taken away from me. …. no matter what situation I am in.

I repent, O LORD JESUS, for running after something or someone else besides YOU+  , to make me happy.  

Open my heart, now, to realize what I’ve done in my quest for happiness.  

Help me ever to embrace it and to forsake those lies about “what” or “whom”  will bring me happiness.

Thank YOU+ for coming to deliver me through Your+ TRUTH.

Praise, honor, and glory are YOURS+,  LORD CHRIST,

forever and ever. Amen

 

2024 ADVENT 3 --- How Did ABRAHAM Know ?

HOW Did Abraham KNOW what The MESSIAH+ came to do ?

How did Abraham KNOW how to identify The MESSIAH+ ?

The offering of Isaac showed Abraham something.

Hear The WORD of The LORD to Abraham.

Genesis 22:2 

And HE said,

Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac,

whom thou lovest,

and get thee into the land of Moriah;

and offer him there for a burnt offering

upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

…. Genesis 22:15  And the Angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of Heaven the second time, 

Genesis 22:16  And said,        

 By MYSELF have I sworn, saith THE LORD,

for because thou hast done this thing,

and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

Genesis 22:17  That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the Heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy SEED+ shall possess the gate of His+ enemies; 

Genesis 22:18 

 And in thy SEED+

shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

because thou hast obeyed MY VOICE.

+  +  +

Did Abraham realize that his test of obedience from THE LORD was going to establish before our eyes the PATTERN of Redemption ?

Did Abraham realize that test of obedience was going to establish HOW his people would be able to IDENTIFY The MESSIAH+ … as the Redeemer, the SAVIOR+ of Israel ?  … and the world ?

If Abraham did not realize it at that time, he discovered it after his death … and REJOICED to see the Coming of the Long-promised SEED+ !  

+  +  +

Let us pray:

O Heavenly FATHER,

The SEED+ of Abraham came through his obedience to YOU.

That SEED+ has blessed all nations, indeed, whosoever will humble himself to obey Your WORD and come to the Hebrew MESSIAH+,  CHRIST JESUS, as LORD of his/her life.  

Your Holy, Promised SEED+  is available yet, to “whomsoever” will receive His+ Divine Invitation to Eternal Life.

For this cause we bow the knees of our heart to rejoice and give thanks to YOU, O Heavenly FATHER, for sending us Your SON+,  the SEED+ of  Abraham.

For Your PROMISES are always TRUE !

Also for this cause, O LORD, we bow the knees of our heart to obey Your Will… that same Will that Your Beloved SON+, JESUS CHRIST obeyed:

Though he were a SON+,

yet learned HE+ obedience

by the things which HE+ suffered. ^{Hebrews 5:8}

Help me to learn obedience to YOU through the things uncomfortable, hurtful, and bringing suffering to my heart and body, those things that YOU have laid in my path.  Because YOU are worthy … worthy of all obedience.

YOU sent Your SON+ to give me Life and HE+ did !

 HE+ died for me; help me to die for HIM+,  KING+ JESUS,  the LORD of my life.

Glory to GOD in the Highest

and  on earth, peace, good will

towards men !

 

2024 ADVENT 2 ~ Abraham Saw It . . . Do We ?

 

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see MY+ Day:

and he saw it, and was glad.

^{John 8:56}

The Patriarch Abraham saw the coming of the MESSIAH+ Who+ would save the world.  That made Abraham rejoice in heart.

Do we see it , as well ?

The Ancient People of GOD lived before MESSIAH+ came.

Now we live after  MESSIAH+ , the Anointed ONE+, the Promised ONE+ WHO+ came to earth to save man from death, hell, and the grave.

Do we STILL REJOICE to see HIS+ Coming Day … this time, the Day of Judgment, the day of reckoning ?

On this Second "Day of The LORD,"  HE+ will come not as a Babe+ in a manger, but in flaming FIRE to take vengeance on them who know not GOD nor obey The Gospel of The LORD JESUS CHRIST.

As it is written …

2 Thessalonians 1:7-10

And to you who are troubled rest with us,

when THE LORD JESUS shall be revealed from Heaven

with HIS+ mighty angels,  in flaming fire

taking vengeance on them that know not GOD,

and that obey not the Gospel of our LORD JESUS CHRIST: 

who shall be punished with everlasting destruction

 from the Presence of THE LORD,

from the Glory of HIS+  Power; when HE+ shall come to be glorified in HIS+ saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. 

+  +  +

Are we even looking  for that DAY , HIS+ Second ADVENT ?

If we were looking for it, we would be hard at work for the Salvation of those who know not CHRIST nor the power of His+ Rising.

For, when HE+ comes the Second time,

it will be too late  to save those who know not GOD,

according to 2 Thessalonians 1:10 !

+  +  +

Are we content to celebrate His+ wonderful Birth, breaking into this world darkened by sin  . . . and forget that many still remain lost in  that SAME darkness of sin ?

Many remain who have not had one prayer of Salvation prayed for them.  Many remain whom the gods of this world have darkened their understanding.  

Many, many remain within the strongholds the evil one has put them.

YES, we are GLAD for our  Salvation and rightly so, but are we a light which has hidden itself UNDER a bushel basket ? 

Instead of shining on a hill,

are we a light shining in our OWN Kingdom

--- O, bless me, Lord ! Bless me, Lord ! ---

as we work our OWN will ?

Are we consumed with obtaining a happy life here on earth ?  

Do we flee from being near the weak, tired, poor, dirty, and unruly unredeemed ?

Those whose lives are out of order need us MOST.

Because they are the hardest people to be around, we gravitate towards those who are already cleaned up from the  excesses of sin, don’t we ?

+  +  +

Let us pray:

Dear LORD JESUS,

YOU+ came for me, to clean me up, to clean me out.

Help me not to shy away from the “unclean” people who are yet in this world.

Let Your+ Loving INVITATION TO LIFE in JESUS  flow from my eyes, from my heart, and from my words, to all the “unclean” people I see or meet throughout the day.

For I know YOU+ love them as much as YOU+ love me.

Show me how to invite them into The Family of GOD … 

• in Your+ love, 
• through Your+ mercy, 
• in fear of Your+ Righteous  Judgment, 
• and by the TRUTH written in Your+ Word
• …  all of which are given to save men’s souls.  

Help me not to shy away from speaking the Word of Conviction where it is needed which may work to save their souls.

Because YOU+ loved me before I was cleansed, I must love them… before they are clean.

Help me to be like YOU+, O precious SAVIOR+, for YOU+ came to be the SAVIOR+ of the world... the world that was lost in sin. 

In Your+ Precious, Life-Giving Name, O LORD CHRIST, I pray. Amen.

2024 ADVENT 1 ~ There’s Coming a Day !

  

ADVENT 1 ~ There’s Coming a Day !

Abraham Saw It !

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see MY+ Day:

and he saw it, and was glad. 

^{Words of The LORD JESUS , recorded in John 8:56}

                                                         ^{+  +  +}   

How did The LORD JESUS CHRIST  know that ?

How did HE+ know that Abraham rejoiced when HE+ came to earth ?

Abraham saw “the day” The SAVIOR+ came to earth incarnate, was crucified, and Resurrected never to die again.  “The Day” … meaning the entire course of The MESSIAH’S +  pilgrimage upon earth, it seems.

How did The LORD JESUS  know   that gladness and rejoicing transpired within Abraham’s bosom ?

HE+ tells us how:

JESUS said unto them,

Verily, verily, I+ say unto you,

Before Abraham was,

I+ AM.

^{John 8:58}

+  +  +

HE+ knew Abraham because our LORD JESUS CHRIST was with The FATHER from the Foundation of the earth.  HE+ was part of The ELOHIM ~ The Divine, Plural, 3-in-1, unified  GODHEAD.  HE+ was The WORD+  with  GOD.

The LORD JESUS was part of The ELOHIM in Genesis which created man and this world .

So when Abraham worshipped The ELOHIM, The LORD JESUS was included in Abraham’s worship. 

Whenever Abraham built an altar and worshipped, The ELOHIM,  The LORD JESUS was also worshipped because HE+ was an  intrinsic, fundamental part of  THE ELOHIM.   

HE+ knew Abraham’s heart when The ELHOHIM called Abraham away from his family  to follow HIM --- the Divine ECHAD, the Divine, Unified ONE.   

Has HIS+ ability TO KNOW the hearts of men changed ?

Does HE+ know your heart today?

Hasn’t HE+ ALWAYS known it ?

+  +  +

LET US PRAY:

Dear LORD JESUS,

Yes, LORD JESUS, YOU+ know my heart also . YOU+ knew me in my Mother’s womb.

YOU+ know what makes me happy and what makes me afraid. 

YOU+ know when I’m thankful and when I am NOT. YOU+ know me when I am anxious and tied in a knot inside of my heart.

O LORD JESUS, forgive me for my lack of trust when the “unknowns” come, for YOU+ are my Shepherd+; I shall not want.

Forgive me for my unthankful spirit, for I DO LOVE YOU+, LORD JESUS; YOU+ alone are my life. 

Help me to change my ways and to become more pleasing to YOU+ in the thoughts of my heart. . .  for YOU+ understand my thoughts afar off. ( Psalm 139:2).  

Like Jeremiah, before I , too, was formed in the womb, YOU+ knew me .

Grant me a clean heart, O LORD JESUS, and renew a right , TRUSTING, spirit within me.

To YOU+ I bend the knees of my heart now, during this remembrance of Your+ first Advent.  

Thank YOU+ for calling me to be Yours+.

In Your+ Holy Name, LORD JESUS CHRIST, I lift this prayer to you.

Amen and amen.