For the Day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head. Obadiah 1:15 ESV

     The book of Obadiah points out how the Edomites (Esaus’s descendants) treated Israel (Jacob’s descendants). Esaus and Jacob were two brothers with a bad history between them that touched the generations which followed them. The book reveals the details of God’s judgments for the Edomites and the world who comes against His church. This book also reminds believers that God is faithful even when the odds are overwhelmingly against them. Because of their sin, Israel had been taken captive by the Babylonians, and the Edomites cheered and aided in the destruction and demise of Israel. Though the Edomites had much confidence in their geographical location as being impenetrable, God told them they were going to be brought down. God had made a promise to Israel, and God is always faithful to His word.

We have a New Testament verse that parallels somewhat with “As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.” Obadiah verse 15. It is found in Galatians 6: 7-8 ESV Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption , but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 

     With this in mind let us look to Jesus as OUR RIGHTEOUS JUDGE . In doing so, think on these three facts.

Jesus did not come to condemn the world.

     For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:17 ESV Jesus, through all the Old Testament, is the promised Savior; and when He (God) came in the flesh, that promise was fulfilled. Yes, one day there will be a judgement, but when He came into the world, redemption was His plan.

 
If you plant in the soil of the flesh you reap corruption.

     For those who live according to the flesh set their mind on the things of the flesh. Romans 8:5a ESV 
     For to set the mind on the flesh is death. Romans 8:6a ESV
     For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:7-8 ESV

     The flesh tends to be proud of its accomplishments, attempting to bring glory to itself. It lives in a state of “I’m not that bad,” and tends to self justify things that are contrary to God’s teaching. This, in essence, is hostility toward God. This mindset leads to death, for it reasons that Jesus was unnecessary for the salvation of your soul. The flesh mindset is that of rules and regulations to accomplish Godliness rather than Grace. The flesh is quick to judge with no mercy, even though no flesh could produce the righteousness in itself for the pardon and forgiveness of sin. If you plant in this soil and think it will bring life, you will be looking at a garden that will never produce. This frustration of labor with little results will ultimately starve the soul to death in vain labors producing no harvest.

 
If you plant in the soil of the Spirit you reap eternal life.

     This is how you will be judged by the Righteous Judge if you plant in the soil of the Spirit.
     There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2 ESV

     But those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5b ESV
     But to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace Romans 8:6b ESV
     You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. Romans 8:9 ESV

 
     Are you producing a harvest resulting from the implanted Spirit of God in the soil of your life? It is important to always keep in the forefront of our Spiritual mind that we are saved by grace and not works. (Ephesians 2:8-9) It is also important that you remember the Spirit of God did not save you to leave you dormant in Spiritual growth. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 ESV … Jesus is the Righteous Judge, the one before whom all will one day stand. He will on that day say, “Depart from me” or “Enter into my rest,” based upon the evidence that we have sown of the the Spirit of Life…. His.

 
Because of His grace ~Pastor David

     And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:14-15 ESV

     The Thanksgiving season is a special time of year. A time to be thankful in reflecting, pondering, and remembering blessings of the past, and to anticipate blessings yet to come. There are those, with the anticipation of family and friends who are coming together, that have a special joy which words can’t explain. Others experience the absence of those who are not able to join them for the time of the thanksgiving celebration. Whatever your expectations are for this
thanksgiving, remember three important aspects of life that will always keep you focused on what is important.

LOVE !
     Love is the glue that holds everything together. A love that binds everything together in harmony is a love that is formulated by God Himself. Without a God-formulated love, people starve, children die – those born and yet to be born, marriages fail, a country dies, churches close; those without Christ perish without hope, and darkness wins. The list could go on as to the tragedies that would advance if there wasn’t a God-formulated love. What does, “put on love” mean in the Christian’s life? It means to be as Jesus was, is, and is yet to be in a world that didn’t deserve Him. It means to be as Jesus when everything seems to be falling apart. It means to be as Jesus who came not to condemn but to seek those who are lost. It means to be as Jesus who was a servant leader to all those who followed Him. In short it means to be like Jesus.

PEACE !
     If true peace could be marketed, it would be in great demand as a commodity sought after by many. As Christians we are to have a peace that is beyond understanding by the world. This peace from Christ is only a reality when He rules your heart and you make Him your focus. You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3 ESV

THANKFULNESS !
     Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100: 4-5 ESV
     Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20 ESV
     The word of God is full of verses in which praise and thanksgiving is given to God. May we live daily with attitudes of gratitude in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us. May we never fail to give thanks to God for all that he has done and all that He is yet to do.

Because of His Grace ~ Pastor David

     Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate. Amos 5:15 ESV

     In the book of Amos there was much injustice taking place. The kingdoms were established and had what would be considered successful kings by worldly standards, but these kings allowed the worship of other gods, and allowed idols to be built in the land. The people had a form of godliness but did not live by God’s instruction. Thus, God was not pleased with their attempt to worship Him while allowing false gods to be worshipped. Remember Israel was a people that God had set free from slavery in Egypt. They were a chosen people to whom God had shown Himself strong, and had established them in the land against all odds. Those who were blessed richly by God were not taking care of the poor and allowed slavery by selling those who could not pay their debts. The same people whom God had freed from slavery now allowed it among themselves. This is why Amos was led by God to address the people of Israel. Amos, a fig tree farmer and a shepherd, was the tool in God’s hand to speak against the actions of the people. No matter what period of time in this world, God still hates injustice and adulterated worship. God, being a just God, sent Jesus to be for us what we could never be without Him. Holy. Jesus is our justice before God. God has richly blessed us and set us free from the slavery of sin, and expects us to worship Him alone. In doing so, it will open the gate for others to receive freedom when God uses us to establish this fact. He is just and merciful to all who come to Him by believing in His only Son whom He sent into the world.

We Should Hate Evil:
     Let love be genuine. ABHOR WHAT IS EVIL : hold fast to what is good. Romans 12:9ESV.  To abhor evil is to have a disgust toward all that is evil. It doesn’t matter if the evil is in your own life, or if its evil that the world promotes as good; it is still evil in God’s sight.

We Are To Love Good:
     Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; HOLD FAST TO WHAT IS GOOD. Romans12:9 ESV  Do not compromise the call of God in the lifestyle evidence of living as a Christian. Being a Christian isn’t so much what you don’t do, as much as it is, what you do. Romans 12: 9-21 (ESV) describes it like this….. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent is spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay says the lord. To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Jesus Is the Established Justice:
     For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are JUSTIFIED by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. Romans 3:23-24 ESV

     Therefore, since we have been JUSTIFIED by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 ESV

     When we are covered by the redeeming Blood Of The Lamb…JESUS, we should desire to live for Him as he has called us to do. Amos addressed Israel as to a coming judgement for their unfaithfulness in living and worshiping as God had instructed them to do. We have the same call under grace to worship and live as God has called us to do. Grace is not a ticket to sin, …. Are we to continue is sin that grace may abound? By no means! Romans 6 1-2 ESV As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy,  for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1: 15-16 ESV

     Let me encourage all that go by the name Christian to ….Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate. Amos 5:15 ESV …. Jesus is that justice.

By His Grace ~ Pastor David

     Here is a thought for the morning…. Forgiveness….. Have you been hurt by someone? Has there been an event or circumstance that has caused you to struggle with the loss of inner peace because someone has done you wrong? Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive x seventy = peace of mind and living the way Jesus teaches us to live. Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord , how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy- seven times.” Matthew 18:21-22 ESV  Forgiveness isn’t just for the other person. Forgiveness frees you and gives you peace of mind. It allows you to be like Jesus toward someone who may not deserve forgiveness. Isn’t that what Jesus has done for you? Go and do likewise…. Have a Blessed day.
Because of His Grace ~ Pastor David

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.  Joel 2:32a

     The book of Joel repeats several times the phrase, “The day of the Lord.” You must always remember that every day belongs to the Lord, for He is working out His plans according to His schedule, accomplishing all He said He will do. This gives us hope in the turbulent times of our day. The  turbulent times in the book of Joel were caused by the sins of the people, and the turbulent times of OUR day are caused by the same. God always judges sin, and there is and will always be a consequence. For the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23a. Not only do we see God judging sin in the book of Joel, but He does so throughout the whole Bible. God set the standard of the law by which we are to live, and He has never compromised this standard. Honestly, with our sin nature, we could never keep the law of God perfectly. One thing the human race seems to do very well is sin. We don’t even need to try because it comes very naturally. As the old hymn says, “Prone to wander Lord I feel it.” So, if we can never keep the law of God, and God is going to judge based upon this standard, then we are all doomed- Except for the fact that God has a plan to solve that dilemma as well….. JESUS, our only hope.

 
And it shall come to pass:
     Always remember that whatever God has said will come to pass. The most important events that have come to pass are Jesus’s birth, death, and resurrection. These events made it possible for everyone to be able to accomplish, in Jesus, the requirements of all the law. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:3-4 ESV  Remember this very important point…. it is a walk we walk, not just a talk we talk. The old adage “Actions always speak louder than words” is very important in the Christian walk.

 
That everyone who calls on the name of the Lord:
     Jesus…. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Act 4:12 ESV  This is the standard by which one day all will be evaluated by God. The standard ….. accepting Jesus by calling on the only one who could ever save us from the consequence of being lawbreakers. The name, which describes the lawbreakers of God, is sinner. When you break laws of the land and are prosecuted, you are called criminals. To receive all the rights you once had, you would need a pardon. Before sin, man walked with God and had a relationship/fellowship with Him. Sin separated us from that fellowship, but a pardon was granted through Jesus, God’s only Son, who restores that fellowship. To call upon the name of the Lord is to realize your absolute need of an advocate on your behalf because of sin. There is power in that  name…the power to save.

 
Shall be saved:
     You must realize that you are in need before you can ever be saved. The person who believes that one day they will go to heaven because they are a good person is saying that they have lived up to God’s perfect standard. Jesus is the perfect standard, so unless you live better than Jesus, you have fallen short. To think you are good enough is to say you don’t need Jesus, which, in essence, is denying him. So where does that put us if we are honest with ourselves? None is righteous, no, not one Romans 3:10 ESV ….. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20 ESV …… For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 ESV  Just as stated at the beginning, “The wages of sin is death” Romans 6:23a ESV, the last part of that verse states, “but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23b ESV  Understand there is no special formula by which a person is saved, but the Bible makes clear where to start. It happens in the heart, and not just because words are spoken from the lips; actions prove the reality in life what a person believes in his heart. The greatest work or action you could ever do is to believe. Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent,” John 6:29 ESV  What you believe in your heart will come out in your speech. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:10 ESV When you have come to grips with the fact that salvation comes only by Jesus, and the standard of his life, and your inability to ever live such a life, IT SHOULD LEAD YOU TO REPENTANCE. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret. 2 Corinthians 7:10 ESV  Which brings us back to—For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13 ESV Jesus IS our only HOPE!!

Because of His Grace ~ Pastor David