2014: a year of giving up

Count The Cost and Journey On in 2014

Luke 14
²⁵ A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, ²⁶ “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
²⁸ “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? ²⁹ Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. ³⁰ They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
³¹ “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? ³² And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.  

cost of the kingdom of God

³⁴ “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? ³⁵ Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!”
Luke 18 
²⁶ Those who heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?”
²⁷ He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”
²⁸ Peter said, “We’ve left our homes to follow you.”
²⁹ “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, ³⁰ will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.”

journey on: see the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love

Zechariah 9:10-12

New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁰ I will remove the battle chariots from Israel
    and the warhorses from Jerusalem.
I will destroy all the weapons used in battle,
    and your king will bring peace to the nations.
His realm will stretch from sea to sea

    and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
¹¹ Because of the covenant I made with you,
    sealed with blood,
I will free your prisoners
    from death in a waterless dungeon.
¹² Come back to the place of safety,
    all you prisoners who still have hope!
I promise this very day
    that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles. 

Genesis 17:7

“I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

Genesis 17:6-8 (in Context) Genesis 17 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Deuteronomy 4:26

“Today I call on heaven and earth as witnesses against you. If you break my covenant, you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will live there only a short time; then you will be utterly destroyed.

Deuteronomy 4:25-27 (in Context) Deuteronomy 4 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

2 Kings 8:19

But the Lord did not want to destroy Judah, for he had made a covenant with David and promised that his descendants would continue to rule, shining like a lamp forever.

2 Kings 8:18-20 (in Context) 2 Kings 8 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

 

2 Chronicles 15:12

Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul.

2 Chronicles 15:11-13 (in Context) 2 Chronicles 15 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

 

Nehemiah 1:5

Then I said, “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands,

Nehemiah 1:4-6 (in Context) Nehemiah 1 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

 

Psalm 103:17-18

¹⁷ But the love of the Lord remains forever
    with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children
¹⁸     of those who are faithful to his covenant,
    of those who obey his commandments!

concluding words from an apostle: our conscience is clear, our strength comes from God’s grace

Hebrews 13

New Living Translation (NLT)

Concluding Words

13 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.² Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! ³ Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.
⁴ Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.
⁵ Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,

“I will never fail you.     I will never abandon you.”

⁶ So we can say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper,     so I will have no fear.     What can mere people do to me?”

⁷ Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.
⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ⁹ So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules about food, which don’t help those who follow them.
¹⁰ We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. ¹¹ Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. ¹² So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. ¹³ So let us go out to him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace he bore. ¹⁴ For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.
¹⁵ Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. ¹⁶ And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.
¹⁷ Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
¹⁸ Pray for us, for our conscience is clear and we want to live honorably in everything we do. ¹⁹ And especially pray that I will be able to come back to you soon.

²⁰ Now may the God of peace—     who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep,     and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood— ²¹ may he equip you with all you need     for doing his will. May he produce in you,     through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him.     All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.

²² I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, to pay attention to what I have written in this brief exhortation.
²³ I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released from jail. If he comes here soon, I will bring him with me to see you.
²⁴ Greet all your leaders and all the believers there. The believers from Italy send you their greetings.
²⁵ May God’s grace be with you all.

____________Verse of the Day
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!        2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT
 

journey on: to undeserved favor - grace, grace, grace!

The last sermon 2013 and first sermon 2014 he heard for the over-midnight service by watching online a recorded Sunday worship (due to time zone difference he does not watch live) is all about getting rid of the trash in our lives. The watchman admitted that this was truly most appropriate for this spring cleaning day for him!
Pastor Sandra Kennedy aptly titled the subject, “God is the Redeemer not the condemner”. It is about getting rid of our daily trash. She said God has paid for the trash collector, but each man must take out his or her own trash. We cannot let the trash stay in the house and go out. Because when we come home the trash is still there and stinks! She opened her preaching by quoting from NLT Bible Isaiah 43:25, Micah 7:19, then Jeremiah 29:11, 31:33, 37, Psalm 103:8, Hebrews 1:3, 2 Corinthians 5:17. Pastor Kennedy warned that the devil is the condemner. If anyone condemns, he is walking with the devil. God is Redeemer!
Here is a summary of the action steps we each need to take to get rid of our personal trash:

1. be specific about our trash (sins). name them and claim them.
2. allow God teach us something from it.
3. allow God have our past: forgive, heal, pour oil and wine.
4. forgive ourselves. (God has forgiven us and there is no record of it.)

Do start our new year 2014 right by hearing God right. Here is the last message for 2013 and the first one on this first day of the new year!
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewEmbedResizeCC2.aspx?ccEnabled=false&autostart=true&indexSessionSKU=i8mIsipYweI6PFo4Pu3dkw%3D%3D
http://hosted.earthchannel.com/WholeLife/tabs/sundays.php#

Isaiah 43:25 (NLT)

²⁵ “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake     and will never think of them again.

Micah 7:19 (NLT)

¹⁹ Once again you will have compassion on us.     You will trample our sins under your feet     and throw them into the depths of the ocean!

Jeremiah 29:11

New Living Translation (NLT)

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 31:33

New Living Translation (NLT)

³³ “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Jeremiah 31:37

New Living Translation (NLT)

³⁷ This is what the Lord says: “Just as the heavens cannot be measured     and the foundations of the earth cannot be explored, so I will not consider casting them away     for the evil they have done.     I, the Lord, have spoken!

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

Words: John­son Oat­man, Jr., in Songs for Young Peo­ple, by Ed­win Ex­cell (Chi­ca­go, Il­li­nois: 1897).
Music: Edwin O. Excell (MI­DI, score).
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Refrain

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

Refrain

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

Refrain

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Refrain

Ephesians 1:3-6  (NKJV) Redemption in Christ

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, ⁵ having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, ⁶ to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
_______________________

HYMN HISTORY:   Rev. Johnson Oatman, Jr., was one of the important and prolific gospel song writers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was born near Medford, New Jersey, on April 21, 1856. As a child he became acquainted with the hymns of the church through the singing talents of his father.
At the age of nineteen Oatman joined the Methodist Church and several years later was granted a license to preach in local Methodist congregations. Though he wrote over 5,000 hymn texts, Oatman was busily engaged throughout his life in a mercantile business and later as an administrator for a large insurance company in New Jersey. Other gospel favorites by Johnson Oatman include “Higher Ground, and “No, Not One!” (http://hishymnhistory.blogspot.com/2012/11/count-your-blessings.html)

All about the Spirit of Christ

Today it is all about Christ, the Spirit of Christ Jesus, the Son of God.

1. Matthew 3:16
   When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
   Matthew 3:15-17 (in Context) Matthew 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
2. Matthew 4:1
   [ Satan Tempts Jesus ] Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
   Matthew 4:1-3 (in Context) Matthew 4 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
3. Matthew 10:20
   for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
   Matthew 10:19-21 (in Context) Matthew 10 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
4. Matthew 12:28
   But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
   Matthew 12:27-29 (in Context) Matthew 12 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
5. Matthew 12:31
   [ The Unpardonable Sin ] “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
   Matthew 12:30-32 (in Context) Matthew 12 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
6. Matthew 22:43
   He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying:
   Matthew 22:42-44 (in Context) Matthew 22 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
7. Mark 1:10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Mark 1:9-11 (in Context) Mark 1 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
8. Mark 1:12
   [ Satan Tempts Jesus ] Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.
   Mark 1:11-13 (in Context) Mark 1 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
9. Luke 2:27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, Luke 2:26-28 (in Context) Luke 2 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
10. Luke 4:1
    [ Satan Tempts Jesus ] Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
    Luke 4:1-3 (in Context) Luke 4 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
11. Luke 4:14
    [ Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry ] Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.
    Luke 4:13-15 (in Context) Luke 4 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
12. Luke 4:18
    “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
    Luke 4:17-19 (in Context) Luke 4 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
13. Luke 10:21
    [ Jesus Rejoices in the Spirit ] In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.
    Luke 10:20-22 (in Context) Luke 10 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
14. John 1:32
    And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.
    John 1:31-33 (in Context) John 1 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
15. John 1:33
    I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
    John 1:32-34 (in Context) John 1 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
16. John 3:5
    Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
    John 3:4-6 (in Context) John 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
17. John 3:6
    That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
    John 3:5-7 (in Context) John 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
18. John 3:8
    The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
    John 3:7-9 (in Context) John 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
19. John 3:34
    For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.
    John 3:33-35 (in Context) John 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
20. John 6:63
    It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
    John 6:62-64 (in Context) John 6 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
21. John 7:39
    But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
    John 7:38-40 (in Context) John 7 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
22. John 14:17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16-18 (in Context) John 14 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
23. John 15:26
    [ The Coming Rejection ] “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
    John 15:25-27 (in Context) John 15 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
24. John 16:13
    However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
    John 16:12-14 (in Context) John 16 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world

The Savior, Redeemer

1 Who has believed what He has heard from us?     And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For He grew up before Him like a young plant,     and like a root out of dry ground; He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him,     and no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men;     a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces     He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

4 Surely He has borne our griefs     and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken,     smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced for our transgressions;     He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace,     and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray;     we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him     the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and He was afflicted,     yet He opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,     and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,     so He opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away;     and as for his generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living,     stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked     and with a rich man in his death, although He had done no violence,     and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush Him;     He has put Him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt,     He shall see his offspring; He shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul He shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,     make many to be accounted righteous,     and He shall bear their iniquities.

12 therefore I will divide Him a portion with the many,
    and He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because He poured out his soul to death
    and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet He bore the sin of many,
    and makes intercession for the transgressors.

(from: Isaiah 53 English Standard Version (ESV))

Isaiah 41:14 Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 44:24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: “I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,

Isaiah 45:15 Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, the Savior.
Isaiah 45:21 Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me.
Isaiah 49:26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine. Then all flesh shall know that I am the Lord your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Isaiah 60:16 You shall suck the milk of nations; you shall nurse at the breast of kings; and you shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
Isaiah 48:17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.
Isaiah 54:8 In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord, your Redeemer.         
Isaiah 59:20 “And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the Lord.

___________Who is This Savior, Redeemer?
Luke 2:11
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:10-12 (in Context) Luke 2 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

John 4:42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”  

John 4:41-43 (in Context) John 4 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Acts 5:31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 5:30-32 (in Context) Acts 5 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Acts 13:23 Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.
Acts 13:22-24 (in Context) Acts 13 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Jesus Messiah, the Redeemer, Savior