Pilate must have thought the crowd was crazy, why would they reject an innocent man and choose a murderer to go free? Pilate believed that Jesus was the King of the Jews, he desired to free Jesus because of the dream his wife had about him. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.” Matthew 27:19 NASB. Pilate was aware of the custom of the Jews to release a prisoner each year at the time of the Passover and thought for sure they would choose Jesus over Barabbas. But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?” John 18:39 NLT. Pilate in his zeal to get Jesus released had him flogged, beaten to a pulp as one would say in order to win the people’s mercy for him saying; “Behold the man”  Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!” John 19:5 NLT.  To his total surprise, the Chief Priests chose Barabbas and rejected Jesus, shouting; “Crucify Him”. It was God’s will that Barabbas go free and Jesus be crucified! Pilate was much afraid, he knew Jesus was innocent and believed he was the King of the Jews. He ordered a sign to be put on the cross; “Jesus the Nazarene, “The King of the Jews”. Neither Pilate, the Chief Priests nor the crowd sentenced Jesus to be put to death, God willed it. Jesus, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world Revelation 13:8 NASB.

The Apostle Peter explained this to his people in his preaching recorded in the Book of Acts, the Jews who heard were “Pierced to the heart” by the Holy Spirit and repented as Peter had told them to do. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. Acts 2:23 NIV.

As Peter had told them it was God’s pre-determined will that Jesus go to the cross for the sins of the Nation. Caiaphas who was the High Priest that year had prophesied that Jesus would die for the Nation; this is another confirmation that it was God’s will, not man’s that Jesus was put to death! This was the Prophesy of Caiaphas; Nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” John 11:50 NASB.

God’s word says that without the shedding of blood there would be no remission of sins. It was the will of God the Father to send his Son, God the Word to die for our sins, the just for the unjust! Our fallen nature with all its sin was represented by Barabbas the murderer and prisoner. Jesus died and we were set free, loosed from our sins and God’s Judgment.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard Romans 3:23 NLT.

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. Isaiah 1:18 NASB.

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NLT.

Author Ken

Feb. 2013

When the Lord saved our souls he left the body unchanged and still able to sin and follow its lusts. ( Romans 7: 17-25). Our Lord Jesus, the second Adam had to come in the flesh (Without the sin nature) in order to identify with us when he offered himself as a ransom for our sins.  When we are saved the Holy Spirit begins his warfare against the flesh with its pride and ego, then we are humbled by the Lord’s correction and are able to experience his presence through prayer, as God resists the proud but gives Grace to the humble.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 1-Peter 5:6 NASB.

In the Book of Romans believers are told that “Willful” sinning can bring weakness, sickness and the body may be put to sleep, death. (The soul goes to be at home with the Lord, it was saved for all Eternity by the ransom paid by Jesus on the cross! The only thing that may be lost is any Rewards given at the Lord’s Judgment of our works done in the flesh for Him.)

So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. Romans 8:6 NLT.

For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. Romans 8:7

For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. Romans 8:13 NLT.

Remember that in our struggle against sin that comes through the flesh is that the key is not yielding or embracing the sin willfully. Paul was not judged or chastened because he hated the sin which caused him great frustration when he committed it. The Lord has promised that after we have suffered awhile (Humbled through various trails, some fiery) He will strengthen and establish us. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you 1-Peter 5:10 NASB The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you Romans 16:10 NLT. The battle is the Lord’s through His Holy Spirit who is our comforter, greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world-Satan.

Don’t give up in your battle with sin!    Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins. Ecclesiastes 7:20 NASB.

In our struggle against sin, the Lord pities us knowing our frame, that we are dust. His promise to David was He would never stop loving him but when he embraced sin, he would be punished. It is the same for us believers today! David wrote Psalm 119 in which he describes God’s punishment for his sin of adultery, murder and disobedience to the Lord. His son born out of wedlock was taken by the Lord, (To Heaven) many in his Kingdom turned against him. Swimming in your bed shows a man with no rest, no peace. In Psalm 119 David said when he confessed his sin God forgave him. Then David said; “When I went astray you punished me but now I keep your word”. What grace the Lord showed to him even calling him; “A man after my own heart”, the Lord thinks the same about us, He sees His Son in us and loves us because we love Jesus!

Consider this, when the Lord rose from the dead, he displayed his new body to the Apostles, he ate a fish and honeycomb before them. He wanted them and us to understand that we will not be spirits floating around Heaven playing Harps! The body Jesus displayed will be ours also, exactly the same, we will be able to eat or not with our senses of taste, smell expanded beyond what we can imagine. You will be able to be somewhere by just willing it, as Jesus demonstrated personally! Sounds weird? The word of God declares it;  Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is 1-John 3:2 NLT. Having the same incorruptible body!

When we believers reign with Christ on earth in his 1000 year reign, Jesus said that he, with  believers will enjoy the marriage supper of the Lamb and drink the new wine with him. This is literal, we will be able to enjoy the crops of the earth, the fruit of the vine, never ever subject to death or sin.

This is our sure hope for our saved souls and weak bodies.  That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1-Corinthians 2:9 NLT.

My purpose in writing this blog is to exhort believers in their struggle against the sin that so easily besets us. (Unbelief)

Author Ken

January 15, 2013

A special prayer for the children and their parents.

Words cannot express the hurt felt with the loss of a son or daughter, it is like a knife in the heart.

Many ask God why and can’t understand how he could allow these horrible acts which we see take place day after day. Lord do you care they ask, seeking to understand. With the fall of Adam, evil entered our world, we see its results through the much pain and suffering today. The enemy of our souls is Satan and his demons (Fallen Angels) tempt, possess a person/persons and do much harm. It may be that those who do such heinous acts as murder children are possessed by demons? Jesus met a man possessed by many demons, who was in a Cemetery. They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.^{[a] 2} When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. ³ This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. ⁴ For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵ Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.  Jesus cast out the many demons and set the man free (The people saw him clothed and in his right mind) and he wanted to stay with the Lord. Mark 5: 1 to 5

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. ¹⁹ Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” ²⁰ So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis^[b] how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. Mark 5: 18 to 20

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. John 8:36 NLT.

When an evil King heard that a Messiah who was the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was born, he sent his Soldiers to kill every male child two years old and younger. What God’s Prophet had foretold came to pass. “A cry was heard in Ramah–weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead.” Matthew 2: 18 NLT.

*I believe all the little children who die go to Heaven, my prayer for their parents is that they will realized this and be comforted in their sorrow. We too have a little boy in Heaven, so we do understand when people hurt and have sorrow. When Jesus died on the cross Mary’s soul was pierced by a sword through the prophesy she was told by Simeon.Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. Luke 2:34 NLT.

As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.” Luke 2: 35 NLT.

We could explain evil as doing harm to another person but why? I have been hearing many explanations, few from God’s word where it is correctly identified as sin.

From the fall of Adam and Eve we have seen the effects of sin with all its evil.

Through a darkened mind from a “Dead to God” spirit because of sin, Cain murdered Able. Satan tempts people with evil thoughts, even being able to possess some with his demons. Remember, even Peter yielded to Satan’s tempting by saying to Jesus, don’t go to Jerusalem where they are going to kill you! Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Matthew 16:23

The Lord did not rebuke Peter but Satan himself! We are told in Peter’s Epistles that as believers our enemy is Satan and we are to be on our guard. When tempted we should ALWAYS first submit to God (Acknowledge that he is the only one who can deliver us and without the Lord Jesus we are helpless) then resist the temptation of Satan to say or do something and He Will Flee and that is God’s doing!

As a teacher of God’s word I am convinced that sin is mankind’s problem as God has said. We are born with a fallen “Sin Nature” which is prone to go astray from God as his word declares.   These wicked people are born sinners; even from birth they have lied and gone their own way. Psalm 58: 3 NLT.

But man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward. Job 5:7

When sin entered the world Satan became its Prince and Ruler.

Scripture declares that those without Christ are under Satan’s control, being held captive to do his will. We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one. 1-John 5:19 NLT.

Those who are “In Christ” Have the Holy Spirit who is greater than Satan, he cannot possess them and must ask permission from God to test them! God only allows Satan’s testing us in order to bring good out of evil for his glory and our growth through our trials. The Lion that came at Samson was a symbol of Satan’s attacks in our trials but as with Samson, he is twarted and God brings sweetness like honey from the trial and we grow stronger.

So he said: “Out of the one who eats came something to eat; out of the strong came something sweet.”  Judges 14:14 NLT.

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 1-John 4:4 NLT.

The “Good News” is that Jesus has overcome Satan by his death on the Cross. The Lord is plundering Satan’s Kingdom, setting the prisoner free. John 3:16 declares his love for us and his creation. He is coming back to bind Satan (Who weakens the Nations) and set up his perfect 1000 year Reign on the earth. The Lord’s Rule will be in stark contrast to the “One world Government of Man” and its efforts to achieve a perfect world, free from War and crime with peace. This is the coming One World Government run by Satan through the Beast (Anti-Christ) and his false Prophet.

People need the Lord especially in this veil of tears world we live in today, God help those who are in much sorrow and grief today, he is close to the brokenhearted, he cares.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 NLT.

*The word of God mentions about the little ones who knew no sin entering into the Promised Land

which to me confirms my belief in the “Age of accountability”, that is when a child understands their responsibility to God. In the Hebrew faith I believe it is 12 years old. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that after his birth, the next event is the boy Jesus found in the Temple at 12 years old!

When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual Luke 2:42 NLT.

This convinces me about the age of accountability being at 12 years of age. Jesus, in order to be our representative on the Cross had to be exactly like us before God our Father. As a boy of 12 years old he came to the understanding that he was responsible to God to do the right thing, obey his parents (Which is the will of God) especially when he saw how worried they were about him when he was missing from their caravan. He then understood that they didn’t know he would be at his Father’s House, the Temple. From that moment on he became subject unto them until he began his Ministry as the man of sorrows who understands our grief, setting his face like flint on his way to the Cross. What love is this unspeakable gift of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus.

Author Ken

December 2012