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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The Curse That Is Pursuing Us

There is no doubt at all, if anyone wants to take the time to investigate, that this Country was largely started with Christian foundations, by largely Christian men who held a "Christian/Judaic" belief system that certainly informed our Republic, policies, and even foreign perspective, especially towards Israel. Were there non-Christian, as well as even "New World/Age" Luciferian, Illuminatists involved as well? Sure. But for the most part, we were largely Judeo/Christian in our heritage. This is evident by the fact that not only do our founding documents show a foundation that is firmly rooted in the Hebrew scriptures (the bible), but also in the personal writings of many of the "founders" of this Country. There is also the undeniable evidence of God's incredible blessing upon this Nation for the last 232 (counting from 1776 to present) years.

However, this is drastically changing. Both the fact that we were a "Judeo/Christian" Nation, and God's blessing upon us. A read through Deuteronomy 28 reveals how God deals, first with Israel, and then in likewise manner any Nation that follows Him, or turns from Him (cf. Jeremiah 18 on God's dealing with Israel, and the Nations). Is it not apparent that America is beginning to go down the road of curses? Case in point: Several articles that WND posted recently about our own Border Patrol agents not firing back when fired upon by drug smugglers for fear of losing their jobs, or even being arrested as was Border Patrol agents Ramos and Campean. You can read about them here, and here, et al, thus allowing us to be overrun with "aliens" (strangers, ie, non-citizens). We are being invaded daily, and increasingly so as time goes on.

What is happening in, and to our Country? I'll tell you what is happening. Whether or not every single person in this Country from the time of it's inception to now was/is a "Christian", we did indeed once function as a whole under biblical principles, and we supported Israel to a large degree (probably more so than any other Nation in History has). We no longer function so. Though just about as many people today claim to be Christian, the behavior of most, our "entertainment", our elected officials, our dealing with Israel (trying to divide up the land into a two-state "solution"), etc., etc., etc. (to quote the King and I) proves to be quite the opposite. We are not a largely Christian Nation (I mean in practice as a whole). And thus, per Jeremiah 18, we are beginning to be "pull[ed] down, and...destroy[ed]" (cf. Jer. 18:7).

America (this means you if you live in America) - repent! Wake up! Open up your eyes!

.j.

Friday, December 19, 2008

The New World Order is Coming (whether we like it or not)

I have been hearing rumors, and receiving emails for well over a year now (more like 2 years) about a coming enactment of Martial Law in the United States fueled by riots over the financial issues here. This morning, World Net Daily had this to share with us. Are we being prepared for what (I, and many others believe) will be a forced world merging politic under the guise of "possible civil unrest over the failing market?" Biblically we know that the world will eventually see the rise of a world ruling superpower, with a single, worldwide monetary system and leader. We're beginning to feel the first rumbles before the "big one" hits!

.j.

Friday, December 5, 2008

God's Timetable

I was listening to a talk by Pastor Mark McClellan of The Harvest Fellowship in Thornton, Colorado the other day on my trusty ol' ipod, and he mentioned some very interesting things concerning 9/11 and the recent (September) drastic fall in the stock market.

See, YHWH is a God of order, structure, and pattern, or, better stated, He works within order, structure, pattern, etc. If you are even remotely familiar with the bible, you are aware of the repeated pattern of biblically significant numbers throughout the scriptures, such as 3, 7, 12, 40, et al. For example, 7 signifies completion, perfection, wholeness, etc. So...

9/11 happened, obviously, on September 11, which happened to be exactly 7 days before Rosh Hashanna (or, more accurately Yom Teruah - the Feast of Trumpets) in 2001. The Feast of Trumpets is also known as "the day of the awakening blast" because the shofar (rams-horn "trumpets") are blown throughout the day (up to 100 times traditionally) as a wake-up call to everyone that judgment is coming (exactly 10 days later at Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement). So, we start with the attack on Sept. 11, then 1 week later we have the Feast of Trumpets. Now fast forward 7 years to September 29, 2008. This just happened to be the eve of, you guessed it, the Feast of Trumpets, when it was announced that the stock market had dropped 777 points!

What makes this extremely fascinating is that, there is an interesting story from 9/11. There is a Church in N.Y. called St. Paul's Chapel, located across the street from the (former) Twin Towers, and it happens to be one of, if not the oldest churches in America. George Washington attended this Church for a time, just to give you the historical significance of this place.

There was an old Sycamore tree in the yard of St. Paul's, and when the towers fell, massive debris went flying everywhere. It is believed that this Sycamore tree took the brunt of the debris that would have severely damaged, if not destroyed St. Paul's, thus, saving the historic church building. Afterwards, a local artist heard about this tree, and came up with the idea to memorialize it by making a mold of the roots of the tree (which had been removed with the remaining trunk, and replaced with a Spruce tree - more on this in a moment), and creating a sculpture from the molds. He made more than 300 bronze castings of the roots, and created a 20 ft. long sculpture of it. The sculpture now sits at Trinity Church Wall Street.

Immediately after the 9/11 attacks, various leaders gave the American public the typical speeches of how we are going to overcome this; we are going to build again; we will come together and overcome this evil, etc. In fact, for a season there was a tremendous rise in what seemed to be a return to the Lord. Our Government leaders were even singing hymns and patriotic songs together! But this did not last very long, and soon enough, it was business as usual. The problem was/is, when they were telling us about how our great country was going to "build again", rather than call the people to repent (they invoked the name of God all right, but they simply said over and over "God bless America." No repentance, no calling on the people to change their ways. They should have done like the King of Nineveh when Jonah came to them, and repented in sackcloth and ashes, and called for the people to do the same in the hope that God would relent, and that He would have mercy towards us!)

So, as was pointed to by Pastor Mark, Isaiah 9:8-13 says the following: "The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel. And all the people shall know, [even] Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart, The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change [them into] cedars. Therefore the LORD shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together; The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand [is] stretched out still. For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts."

It is interesting that it was a sycamore that was knocked down! No, they did not plant a Cedar in it's stead, but they did plant a Spruce, both of which are of the Pine family. But notice what Isaiah tells us - rather than the people repenting, they stand up in their pride and say WE will build again.

So back to the "Trinity root sculpture." It is noteworthy that this relic of a terrible attack upon us was memorialized, and is being used as a symbol of how we will unite and rebuild. It was placed on Wall Street, the seat of Finance for America. Pastor Mark pointed out (at this point I should mention that much of what he was sharing he derived from Norm Franz of Ascension Ministries) that by casting the roots in bronze (which biblically is the metal of judgment) and placing the sculpture on Wall Street, we either wittingly or unwittingly invited God's further judgment upon us. Now some might not see things like 9/11, the drastic drop in the stock market, the fires, earthquakes, etc. as judgments from God. I mean, if He were going to judge us, wouldn't it be comprehensive, and throughout the entire United States? Well, biblically we can see a precedent for judgments coming in little blips, and then steadily growing in frequency, size, and intensity. He does this because He is trying to get our attention, that we might repent, so that He may relent concerning the judgment He has intended -

"The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make [it]. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay [is] in the potter's hand, so [are] ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. [At what] instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy [it]; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And [at what] instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant [it]; If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them."
Jeremiah 18:1-10

I believe God's hand is upon these things that are coming to pass on America. I believe His fingerprint is all over the drastic drop of the stock market back in Sept. when it dropped 777 points on the eve of the Feast of Trumpets, exactly 7 years to the month after 9/11, which I believe was a wake up call, though very few have heeded it. America woke up for a couple of days, and then hit the snooze button. Theses judgments will grow if we do not listen, and turn back to Him, and it will eventually lead to a comprehensive judgment that will bring us to our knees. We need to pray for our leaders, family, and neighbors, as well as ourselves to repent, and put away the evil from among us.

.j.



Saturday, November 15, 2008

Aliens...Truth or Fiction?

For the last several weeks, I have been interested in a variety of topics that at first, seem unrelated, but upon further research, form into a unified whole: future biblical prophecy, politics, aliens/demons, satanism/luciferianism, transgenics, physics, and other assorted topics. You might be wondering, "how in the world do these fit together?" Well, they are related (not intrinsically, but because they are beginning to conglomerate) in the sense that they are being combined, I believe, by not so benevolent forces that the bible predicted long ago. I hope to engage this subject more in the future in the interest of being informed myself, and informing others. For the time being I simply want to offer to you a link that you can watch/and or listen to for an introductory view of the "alien" agenda, and how it relates to biblical prophecy. Go here to view/listen to a 6 part conference called "Alien Encounters" by Chuck Missler and Dr. Mark Eastman.

.j.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Like the Days of Lot...

This at World Net Daily...You might want to go back and read Genesis ch. 19 to refresh your memory as to how it was in Sodom and Gomorrah, then read the article from WND. Jesus said the latter days would be like the days of Noah, and like the days of Lot....

Also, check out this brief video from SFSU College Republicans webite titled "Crazy lefties attack old lady at 'No on 8' protest" for a visual of the "Lot affect" as I am calling it.

.j.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Letter From Our Friends In Israel

We received an email from some friends of ours this morning. They have been in Israel for the last 3 months, and believe that the Lord wants to keep them there. They were supposed to fly out Nov. 6, but were trusting the Lord to stay as they truly believe they are to be there. The following is their email describing the Lord's awesome miraculous working to fulfill His plan for them. We all have doors set before us, the way of faith and the way of sight. If we choose the way of sight, we will miss the miraculous. If we take the way of faith, we will behold the mighty workings of YHWH.
**********

Shalom Shalom,

Hope this finds you well.

We have had an exciting week and I would like to share how the God who parted the sea and fed manna to His children and caused the widow woman's oil to never run dry is still the God we serve today.

We started the paperwork for Aliyahs birth certificate on Oct 26th, and after a week we still had heard nothing. Our flight was due to to leave on Thursday the 6th and though we want to stay we were getting nervous as we were running out of money. We were told when we purchased our airline tickets that they were unchangeable after 3 mos. This time frame was now up.

So come Monday Nov 3rd this is what we were facing.
1.No money (literally not even enough to ride the bus to town),
2. Our flight leaving without us in 3 days and no way of making it,
3. Our visas expiring on Friday the 7th.

Now some may say you guys are crazy others may say we are stupid - but we knew in our hearts that we were exactly where we were supposed to be and that YHWH was going to take care of us. He was in control. We were in a prime place for a miracle.

So we continued to wait and pray. We had an appointment for Thursday morning in town and were unsure how we were going to get there, as well as buy food Thursday when we went in for the Shuk. How were we going to buy tickets to return to the USA if we could not stay? How were we going to get our visas extended? All things that can cause a lot of stress if you let it.

Monday and Tuesday were spent trying to find out options with our tickets. By Tuesday afternoon YHWH had made a way for us to postpone our tickets for up to a year, we had found favor in their eyes. This was miracle #1 - this week.

Wednesday morning some friends we had made in Jerusalem rented a car so they could come visit. We had a great time of fellowship, they even took us down to the Ministry of Interior to pick up our Birth Certificate for Aliyah, step one of several in this process. Praise Yah!!

After our friends left we returned to the kitchen to find 100 shekels on the counter. WOW!! It was more than enough to get us to our appt. the next morning. Miracle # 2.

We then made an appt. at the Consulate for as soon as they could get us into proceed with Aliyahs paperwork. Nov 24th was the date set. It will then take at least 1 month after that to get the passport and birth abroad report back. So I wrote this info up in a letter and presented it to the Ministry to apply for an extension on our visas. We were then informed that as long as the application process was in process we were fine - miracle #3.

Thursday morning we got up and boarded the bus with our family and went to our appt. Now at this point we are expecting big things as YHWH always keeps His promises and He said He would take care of us. Our appt. was down at a qibbuts here in Afula. A qibbuts is a place where most of the time it is a group of families working together for a common goal. Meaning they have a sort of school for the children, someone doing the gardening for food, someone else doing laundry etc... This particular quibbuts is not set up like that right now - they offer lodging and dining and worship and Bible studies. They only rent one floor of this giant house that Golda Meir used to live in and here is where there ministry is. Now there is a lot more to this place that we will be learning about as the days and weeks go by but this is what we know so far.

We got to visit with a few different people that were helping out or staying at this qibbuts. We had a wonderful time visiting with the guests and the volunteer staff. We found a group of people their that have the same vision we do regarding what days we are in and what the Father is calling us to do. We had such affirmation their about the leading we have been getting from YHWH. They were in love with our children and spoke many blessings over them. They affirmed the training of our children and the need for us to continue investing all we have into them.

Partly through the visit one of the gentlemen gave us a package. We did not look at it there. He also gave a us a jar of raw Eucalyptus honey and some fresh limes for our horrible sounding coughs. Another man gave us 100 shekels. They fixed us a REALLY good meal and served us like we were kings and queens. What a great time.

It was a little bit of a walk to where the bus drops you off and this place and as we headed towards town the gentleman that gave us 100 shekels came running up behind us giving us another 400 shekels.

This was awesome as we now had the money we needed to go grocery shopping right on time. So that is what we did. Later after looking at the other gentleman's gift we found $3250 in cash. Amazing miracle after miracle. Not only did we have the cash for later but we had the shekels for right now as it was late to go exchange the money. Everything was right on time. No delays.

Please understand no one knew before giving that we had a need. We have purposely been very quiet about this as we wanted to see YHWH really provide without us hinting or saying anything.

So now Sunday November 9th we have more money than we need right now, an Israeli birth certificate, our plane tickets on standby, and a application process for our visas - which means all is well. What an awesome God we serve. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. And we are so excited to see Him work and be the beneficiary of His gifts.

We hope in what ever place you are in that you will call upon Him for He hears your cries and will not forsake you.

Thank you for your faithful prayers you offer up on our behalf!! They mean more than you may know.

The children all say hello - and by the way their faith never wavered - they knew provisions were on the way just like dinner would be served that night.

Blessings to you from the Land still flowing with milk and honey to those who trust in Him,
The Logan Crew

More Recipes From My Daughter

The following is from my daughter.
***********

Hello! Here are some more recipes that we like to make. Actually, one of them got put in a magazine!



Hot Apple Delight


5 to 6 apples
1/2 cups of water
1 to 3 teaspoons of lemon juice
1/4 pound of butter
1 cup of honey
3/4 cups of whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

To start: quarter, peel and core the apples. Slice into a 9'' square
pan. Pour water with lemon juice over apples. Mix the dry ingredients
and spoon over the top. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook for 1 hour.
Enjoy! :)


Pesto Potato Salad

1 cup of mayo
2 tbs of pesto
4 chopped potatoes
1/2 cup of sliced celery
1/2 cup of sliced red bell pepper
1/2 cup of sliced green onion
1 1/2 cups of shredded Monterey jack cheese

Mix all ingredients together, top off with Parmesan cheese and basil
Enjoy all!

Homemade Pesto

1/2 cup of olive oil
1 1/2 cup of baby spinach (remove stems)
3/4 cup of fresh basil
1/2 cups of walnuts
6 oz of asiago cheese
3 cloves of garlic

In a processor pour in 2 TBLS of oil with ingredients. After they are
smooth, add the rest of the oil. Enjoy!

I hope that you enjoy these. Please feel free to comment with a recipe theme that you would like.

.k.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Obama, Thy Kingdom Come???

WND has an interesting post today wherein a picture is shown of a sign in an Obama campaign office window that says:

"To God be the glory great things He has done
OBAMA
Thy kingdom come thy will be done"

Absolutely unbelievable! Have so many people LOST THEIR MINDS?!?

.j.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

A New President (Day?)

Well, here we are, two days after the 2008 Presidential elections. I must admit, the man I least wanted to see become our next President unfortunately was the man that the majority of Americans did want. So what now? This morning I was reading 1 Timothy, and I came to
ch. 2:1-3

" I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour."

I was reminded of the fact that my future is not ultimately determined by American politics, nor the politics of the world for that matter. My great hope does not rest in any man save One - The King of kings, and Lord of lords, Yeshua the Holy one of Israel. In fact, it is this very King of kings that is in control of which "kings" come and go in this world:

"...to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men."
Daniel 4:17

King Nebuchadnezzer found this out the hard way ( to find out how, read all of Daniel 4). The fact of the matter is, we (America) got exactly what God wanted, and what most Americans think they wanted. Israel got what they think they wanted once, when they demanded of Samuel the prophet, to appoint them a king. Samuel thought that they were rejecting him because of this, but God reassured Samuel that it was not him (Samuel) that they were rejecting; it was God Himself. Then Samuel went on to explain to Israel what it was that they would actually get in getting for themselves a king:

"And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day."
1 Sam. 8:10-18

I realize that we (America) have progressively grown more and more burdened under a system of laws that continue to swell in such a manner as to be overwhelming. Our "kings" seem to be more and more about their own aggrandizement than the ultimate welfare of the citizens of this country. And Obama will be no different. But let us not forget that, as Christians (those of us that claim to be at least), we are duty bound to the Lord Jesus Christ to heed His word, and do as He commands. To say that we are His, yet reject His word, is to reject Him. And we are instructed to pray for our leaders, for this is pleasing in His sight. We are not to be immature kids, living by our emotions gone out of control. We are to be ruled by the Word of God, as directed by the Spirit of God, in service to the Son of God. May we rise up and honor our King, even as we pray for our new "king."

.j.


Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Ex "Nazi Youth" Speaks Out

An article at WND by Hilmar von Campe very plainly lays out the real issues facing us in the coming Presidential election. As a former Nazi Youth, growing up under the Nazi socialistic regime, he can see the climate in America, and elucidate for us the similarities between the rise of Nazi Germany, and the potential rise of the same in America if we do not wake up and take a long, hard look at the man (and party) that we very well may see in the White House come Nov. 4 (well, Jan. '09 really). Please take the time to read the article, pass it on, and certainly not least of all, pray for our country!

.j.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Interesting What a Game Can Reveal...

As a family, we played a game the other night that we learned from some friends. You take a dictionary, and one person finds a word that no one knows, and tells everyone the word and how to spell it. They write it down on a little piece of paper, and then try to come up with a short definition of it. The person who chose the word writes down the definition on a little piece of paper as well, and when everyone else is finished writing down their "definition", they pass their papers to the first person. The first person then reads each definition (hopefully with a straight face) and then everyone tries to determine the true definition. Each person can earn points two ways: 1) if they guess the true definition, and 2) if others pick your definition.

So anyways, through this we discovered that my oldest son can be quite creative and eloquent in his thoughts and speech. He decided that he would like to put some thoughts down on paper, and I told him he could submit a blog entry. So what follows is his own thoughts and words, with no help or input from me.

So without further ado...

.j.

**********

I would like to share some things about abortion. I feel very strongly about abortion. Abortion is murder. Some people might disagree on this. Some people might say that a woman has a right to do what she wants with her own body, which I agree with, but the problem is that it's not her own body that she is messing with. It is another living soul, and she is trying to kill it for her own selfish reasons. Millions of little babies have been murdered through abortion. If their Mothers waited until they were in their teens, or even five if not even younger, their Mothers would have been in big trouble for murder. Yet if they do it when the baby is still in the womb, they just go to the hospital and have a Doctor kill it. How could any Doctor do this in his right mind?! Something is wrong! I can already see God's fiery judging hand coming upon America for what it has done. Wild fires, tornado's, disease, and much more. Our country needs to repent and turn back to the Lord. What I think we need to do to stop our country's fall is to stand up for Jesus. We need to bear good fruit, and be a light unto the world. We need to share the gospel with all of the world.

"Thou shalt not kill". Exodus 20:13

Justin.


A Word From My Daughter

From time to time, my daughter is going to share some recipes, articles, stories, etc. for inspiration. She welcomes comments, and ideas that you might want to share as well. Please let us know if there is any particular subject that you would be interested in.

.j.

************
As our family is growing, I am finding that it is not easy for Mom to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday. So, as the oldest girl, I am making them more and more. I hope that you find this post, and more to come, helpful.

Here are some yummy breakfast recipes that our family enjoys:

Baked Oatmeal

3 c. oatmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
add some cinn, raisins, and nuts.

1c. honey
2 tbsp.vanilla
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs

Mix dry, and wet in separate bowls. Then combine. Put in a casserole dish, and bake at 350 degrees.



You always know its a good meal when your Dad asks for it EVERY morning, and goes on and on about how they taste AWESOME. This is one of them! :)


Pancakes

2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

3 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tbsp butter
1/2 c. water(if needed)
a little squirt of honey

You can make your own buttermilk by getting a quart of buttermilk from the store, take about 2 tbsp and put it in a big, glass jar, and fill it up with regular milk. Give a little shake, and put in cupboard. Let it sit 12/24 hours, and put in refrigerator. When you are finished with jar, save two tbsp, and start over! Also try to put blueberries, nuts, apple sauce, cinn, vanilla, etc. And instead of syrup, try honey, or jelly! YYYYYYYYYYYYUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Breakfast Casserole

6 eggs
2 c. milk
salt
dry mustard
4 slice bread


Feel free to add these ingredients to make it extra yummy:
cheese, turkey sausage, potatoes, and any vegetables.



To save time, make this later in the day for the next morning, make double portions, and make a day for cooking. You can freeze the casseroles, and use the same bowls for all these recipes, they are almost the same ingredients. It will also add to the flavor!

.k.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Zemer Levav

I haven't had the time to publish any new posts for a while (though I am working on a couple presently), but in the meantime, enjoy this video (a family band that our family enjoys very much).

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Are The "Seals" of Revelation Being Opened?

When the Dow dropped 777 points in one day, it just happened to be on the eve of the Feast of Trumpets (or, Rosh Hashana). An interesting article at RaidersNewsNetwork discussed the possible connection and correlation...it's worth the read.

.j.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Feasts of the LORD For Christians?

World Net Daily has an interesting article here promoting a video they produced about the biblical feasts found in Leviticus 23, and how they relate to Jesus. Since tomorrow is Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), it is a timely piece indeed!

.j.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Yom Teruah

Today is Yom Yeruah, the biblical name for what is also known as Rosh Hashana (the "Jewish new year"). It is the beginning of the fall feasts of the LORD, known as the High Holy Days. It is a demonstration of the heavenly courts being opened, called into session (on Yom Teruah-the "Feast of Trumpets"), and then God judges the peoples (on Yom Kippur-the Day of Atonement). The season finishes with Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles), a week-long celebration picturing God "tabernacling" with His people (which He will do when He returns, and which He did when He came the first time - "And the Word was made flesh, and *dwelt* (Lit. "tented" or "tabernacled") among us..." - John 1:14). One of the synonyms for Yom Teruah is "The Day of the Awakening Blast." One of the themes of this Holy day is "WAKE UP"! Rico Cortez recently did a teaching on GLC (God's Learning Channel) about Yom Teruah, and he listed 12 "themes" for this Holy-day:

1) Teshuva - The Season of Repentence
2) Rosh Hashana - Head of the Year
3) Yom Teruah - Day of the Awakening Blast
4) Yom Ha Din - Day of Judgement
5) Yom HaZikkaron - Day of Remembrance
6) HaMelech - Coronation Day (or Day of the King)
7) Days of Awe
8) Opening of the Gates of Heaven
9) Kiddushin Nesu'in - Wedding Ceremony
10) The Last Trump
11) Resurrection of/from the Dead
12) Yom HaKeseh - The Hidden Day

One of my first posts was titled "Awake", and was meant to stir up fellow believers (and unbelievers) to awaken to the times we are in. This is the perfect day to remind everyone that we need to "awake" - the scriptures are replete with the warning to wake up - prepare oneself - make ready, for the Day of the LORD is coming - a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness. Paul (or the writer of the book of Hebrews) tells us in Hebrews 10:30,31 the following: "For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

And again in 2 Corinthians 5:10,11 - "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men...."

What I mean when I say that we need to awaken to the times we are in is not only that we need to realize, or acknowledge that we are getting close to the return of the LORD (which we certainly need to do), but even more so, we need to awaken to the realization that judgment is coming - therefore we must repent. Repentance is not a one-time thing: it is a continuing need in the believer's life. The purpose of the "awakening blast" is to get people to awaken out of their slumber, and repent - teshuva (turn) towards the LORD. The LORD is returning as a "thief in the night." This was not/is not a new term that Jesus made up. There is a story behind it that you can read about here. However, as I pointed out in my post "Awake", Jesus' followers were not to be taken by surprise, such as a thief overcoming us in the night. We are supposed to be watching and waiting. We are expected to know the time and season of His coming ("But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." 1 Thess. 5:1-4). Prophetically, the season of the fall feasts is the season of the return of the Messiah, and the great and terrible day of the LORD. The Messiah MUST fulfill the fall feasts. He has already fulfilled the spring feasts (Passover/Unleavened Bread/First Fruits), as well as the summer feast (Shavuot, or Pentacost, which is the Feast of Weeks). He WILL fulfill the fall feasts, and today is the rehearsal for the time when the Messiah returns. One of these days - one of these Tom Teruah's rather - will be the real deal!

Are you preparing yourself for the return of the bridegroom? Today is a "wedding rehearsal." If you are a part of the Bride (those that are born-again know what this means), then you should be sharing in the wedding rehearsals. Are you preparing yourself to be one of the 5 "wise" virgins, or are you one of the 5 "foolish" virgins (Matt. 25:1-13)?

May you have a blessed Yom Teruah.

.j.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Homosexual Christianity?!?

As some of you may know, a very popular and well known *Christian* singer has recently come "out of the closet." Ray Boltz, after living in a heterosexual marriage for some (30?) years, and fathering 4 children, apparently decided that he was done with trying to conceal his homosexuality. So he "came out" publicly in a recent interview in a very prominent "gay" newspaper, the Washington Blade. According to reports, he came out to his family in 2004, but publicly only recently in the Blade interview. What I find so alarming about this is not so much Ray's story per se (though it is saddening to hear that such a popular and well known gospel/contemporary Christian singer is homosexual), but rather the fact that this is becoming more commonplace today in the world. There is a "tsunami" (to use the metaphor Ray used in the interview) of Christian denominations and Pastors supporting supposed "Christian" homosexuality, for lack of a better term for it. Somehow, God's clear teaching concerning homosexuality, not to mention the witness of nature itself, doesn't matter. In fact, many are so brazen (including Mr. Boltz himself) as to boldly proclaim that God "made" them that way; that it is God's "blessing" to them (as I had a Pastor of a United Chruch of Christ in Phoenix Az. once tell me in a personal email discussion we had concerning the issue), as if God would do such a thing despite His clear written word concerning the matter!

Fellow born-again believers in Yeshua (Jesus), please know that we are in the "perilous times" that Paul wrote to Timothy about in the bible. If "Every word of God proves true" (Prov. 30:5-ESV), then it must needs be that the "perilous times", the great "apostacy", the workings of "lawlessness" that will precede, and accompany, the "man of lawlessness" will come - and folks, I believe very srtongly that they are here and getting worse. Take up the sword of the Spirit (which is the WORD of God) and prepare your minds and hearts for the times ahead.

.j.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Petra Anyone?

This is one of my favorite songs of all time. I grew up listening to it, and it has special significance to me now because it reminds me of an uncle whom I loved very much. It makes me think of one of the last family vacations that our families enjoyed together.

.j.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

"Fear"

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
-Proverbs 1:7

If you are a Christian - or even if you are not, but have even a cursory knowledge of the bible, you know that the bible speaks of "the fear of the LORD" many, many times. I have sat through various bible studies through the years wherein this issue was discussed with the intention of trying to define what it means to fear the LORD. The most common and usual proposals are as follows:

1) to "fear" the LORD is to have "reverence" for/towards Him.
2) to "fear" the LORD is to actually "fear" Him ( as in, be afraid/terrified).

The fact of the matter is, both are right. The Hebrew word most commonly used in the bible for "fear" of the LORD is "yir'âh" (pronounced 'yir-aw'). It means: fear, reverence, dreadful.

The Greek word for "fear" is "phobeō" (pronounced fob-eh'-o). It means: frighten, alarmed; by analogy to be in awe of, revere, reverence.

So we can see that both are in view in light of the definitions of the two primary words used in scripture that are translated as "fear."

If this is so, it really does not tell us very much - that is, if all we have are the definitions of the Hebrew and Greek words. I mean, I have "fear" and "reverence" for lightening, but on a day to day basis, that fear and reverence does not really affect my thoughts and actions. In fact, even during a thunder storm, my actions vary little more than staying indoors and trying not to stand under the biggest tree in the neighborhood, or not standing on my roof holding up a 10 foot metal pole!

The bible speaks often about the "fear of the LORD", or similar such sentiments. But what does it mean to fear God, since we are commanded to do so? Fortunately for us, God gives us example after context after example of what it means to fear Him. The verse that I opened with states that if we want to grow in knowledge, we must begin with the fear of the LORD. But how does one "begin" with the fear of the LORD? Deut. 6:2,3 gives us a clue: "That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey." YHWH called Israel to "hear" Him many times; and it was understood that to "hear" meant to listen to instruction with the intention of obeying. And by obeying, one would "fear the LORD thy God." So, one of the biblical "definitions", if you will, of what it means to "fear" the LORD is to "hear" God and obey Him. What is interesting to me is that the beginning of knowledge is the fear of the LORD. In other words, to hear God, and then to obey Him is to fear Him - and this is the beginning of knowledge. Wow! God expects us to listen to what He says, obey Him, and then we will grow in understanding. This is totally opposite of what the world teaches. This is completely opposite of our natural inclinations. We want to understand first, before we "obey." God's ways are certainly NOT our ways. We obey Him because He is God - He is King and Judge over all:

"The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land."
- Psalm 10:16

"That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" - Gen. 18:25

When there is an earthly King, the subjects of the Kingdom fear and revere that King (if he actually has true authority, such as in the Kingdoms of time past). They do as he commands, for they know that if they don't, they will suffer the consequences. Under a "King" such as Caesar Nero, for example, the consequences for disobedience or disloyalty were dire. The whole Universe has a King - He is King over ALL of the earth's inhabitants. He is Mighty, All Powerful, Glorious, Majestic, Holy ( "Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?" - Ex. 15:11). This King demands obedience. There are dire consequences for those that refuse to obey the King. This King demands that we have faith in Him first (faith being a trust in Him that acknowledges that He is who He says He is; that He will do what He says He will do; that we are who He says we are). In fact, this is one of His greatest demands.

This King has given us a book that tells us what He expects from us. His name is YHWH. His Son's name is Yeshua. His "book" is known as "the bible", the "TaNaKh", the scriptures, the "Holy" book, the "good" book, etc.

This King has had, and has still, emissaries and ambassadors to call to action His people, and to assimilate new subjects. One such ambassador, in time past, was named Peter, who said: "Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king" (1 Pet. 2:17). This ambassador had read (or heard it read to him rather) the Kings book all of His life. He even spent several years in direct contact with the King. He knew what it meant to "fear" Him. He knew that it meant to "hate evil" (Proverbs 8:13). He knew that it meant to "walk in all [the LORD's] ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD [his] God with all [his] heart and with all [his] soul (Deut. 10:12). He knew that to fear the King he needed to "... keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and... serve him, and cleave unto him" (Deut. 13:4). In fact, once the King even told him personally that "If ye love me, [you will] keep my commandments" (John 14:15), and " He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him" (John 14:21). Peter knew what the King meant, for the King had already told His subjects such things in His book. It had made it much more personal for Him that day, though, when the King said it to him face to face.

The King calls to His people today through the voice of His Spirit. He says to them, morning by morning (Isaiah 50:4) that if we are His indeed, we will continue in His word (John 8:31) . We will walk in His ways (Zech. 3:7). In fact, we will walk even as He walked (1 John 2:6). We will touch not the unclean thing (2 Cor. 6:17). We will hear His voice (John 10:16) and do whatsoever He commands (John 15:14). Or, to simplify if you like, we will "fear" Him.

Are you one of His - a subject of the King? Do you love Him? Do you fear Him? To love Him is to fear Him. Then do what He says. The King has issued His decree.

.j.












Sunday, August 31, 2008

Street Witnessing

A few years ago I used to take groups out to go street witnessing in local skateparks, etc. Then, my family and I moved out of state, and street witnessing went on hold, so-to-speak. Sure, I would give a gospel track to a truck driver delivering a load to the metal shop I work at - or witness to a co-worker, etc., but that was about it. Then the LORD began to put it into my heart again to begin to go out witnessing. A couple of weeks ago it was my daughters birthday, and one of the things she wanted to do was to go to the local mall and witness - so we did, and had a great time (my 2 oldest boys joined us). So then, when my wife's birthday came along (about a week later), she decided to uphold the tradition, so back to the mall we all went for some more gospel preaching/witnessing. It was great.

This last week I was in Ignacio, Co. doing some work (putting up a rental fence for American Fence around an extension tent/concert stage set-up that the Sky Ute Casino was putting up for "Bike Week" - a four day biker event not unlike a mini Sturgis), and thought that it would be a great place for some street witnessing, but lamented the fact that I didn't really have anyone to go with. I wasn't too sure about taking my kids to such an ordeal, not knowing how immodest, and who-knows-what-else it could/would be.

Saturday evening I received an email from some friends telling us that they had watched some Ray Comfort DVD's that day, got convicted, and went out witnessing on the streets! My wife emailed them back and told them that I had wanted to go witnessing in Ignacio, and that I would be willing to go out with them some time if they would like. They emailed back and said "how about tomorrow (Sun. - TODAY!!). So today, I, along with my daughter and 2 oldest sons, met up with our friends in Ignacio for "Bike Week" to do some street witnessing - and man was it interesting! I'm so proud of my 3 kids - they gave out gospel tracks like pros. It was interesting to watch my younger son hand gospel tracks to some big, leather clad bikers! The responses were, for the most part, not too welcoming, but we had a great time serving our King Yeshua (who said, in some of His last words to His disciples, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature"). Our friends did great too, especially considereing the fact that they really hadn't done a lot of street witnessing, and handing out tracks. We all certainly stuck out like sore thumbs out there amidst a sea of Harleys and black leather. Oh, we also got rained on pretty heavily. The greatest part though is that my kids absolutely LOVED it, and my younger son told his Mom when we got home that he decided he didn't want to use his money to go buy toy army men anymore - he wants to buy gospel tracks and "preach the gospel!"

If you have not handed out gospel tracks in the streets (or malls, schools, etc.) - and if you have not personally witnessed in the streets, let me tell you that you are missing out on one of the most blessed, terrifying, awesome, and glorious things you could do as a believer and disciple of Jesus Christ. And if you are not sharing your faith at all, you are in disobedience to Jesus who told His disciples to preach the gospel to everyone. Please let me encourage you to allow your desire to obey Jesus - and your compassion for others, to see them saved by the gospel TO God, and from eternity in hell, to motivate you to open up your mouth and tell them the good news; to hand them a gospel track (and run if necessary for fear :); to leave a gospel track in a waiting room/gasoline pump/grocery store/bank drive-up teller/library, etc. Time is running short. The Messiah is returning. Get in your bible daily. Seek the Lord hourly. and last but definitely not least, do something for the kingdom.

.j.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Dealing With "The Shack" Again...

Another great article concerning the popular book "The Shack."

http://herescope.blogspot.com/2008/08/relationship-on-rocks.html

.j.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Many Shall Come in My Name

It has been oft-times pointed out by many a Pastor that the first warning that Yeshua (Jesus) gives to His disciples in Matthew ch. 24 is to not allow themselves to be deceived, "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many" (vs. 5). We are told (and rightly so) that He was/is warning His followers that many would come, claiming to be "Christ" (which is the Greek word in exchange for the Hebrew "Messiah", which means "anointed"), and would lead many astray. In fact, He warns of this very thing again in vs. 11 (where He says that false prophets will lead people astray) and again in vs. 24 (in which even false "signs and wonders" accompany them). And it is becoming more apparent, and more pervasive day by day as we see the growth of the "New Age" movement (who's ideas are beginning to permeate even the "Church"), along with random nutballs here and there, claiming to be some incarnation of Christ. The New Age claims that each individual should seek to attain the "Christ-consciousness", thus becoming an individual "christ" (which invariably leads to the notion that if I am an individual "christ", I can save myself - something Marianne Williamson is promoting, via Oprah's XM radio program). So, as we live and breathe day by day, we see more and more of this way of thinking seeping it's way into the American (and world) mindset.

What is far more insidious to me, though, is the underlying meaning of what Yeshua was telling His followers (I believe). For, if you are a follower of the TRUE Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth, and you are in His word (the bible) on a regular basis (as He indicates that His disciples would do, cf. John 8:31), you (we) will be able to see through the various attempts to get us to follow the multitude of false "christs" out there, or even worse, believe that we are some sort of "christ" ourselves! However, we can still be deceived, if in fact He was/is warning us of something far harder to detect, especially if we do not exercise true biblical discernment (which can ONLY be obtained by acting as Yeshua Himself said would mark His disciples - ABIDING in His word, which means reading, studying, and applying it to/in our lives daily). And this deception will come in the form of the following: someone who claims that they follow Yeshua (Jesus) - says that He (Jesus) is the Christ, and then proceeds to deceive others, by leading them contrary to the bible. Case in point: Oprah. She, while proceeding to promote more and more the teachings and ways of all sorts of New Age mumbo-jumbo, will still quote from Paul, or Jesus, etc. This is pretty easy to see through for many Christians (though there are MULTITUDES of professing "christians" who apparently have little more biblical discernment than a gnat following her). But how about someone like Barak Obama? Though he claims to be a believer and follower of Jesus, it does not take long to listen to his words, watch his actions (via his Senatorial voting records, et al) and see that he is not following the Jesus of the bible. Was HE one of the deceivers Jesus was talking about in Matt. 24, vs. 5? Folks, it gets worse than that. The way many high profile Pastors are going, it makes one wonder, ie. Joel Osteen. Now, before I go on, I would like to say that I will withhold judgment concerning salvation - that is God's and God's alone to make. But I AM told to judge "righteous" judgment (cf. John 7:24), and to take heed that I am NOT deceived. How am I to do that without making judgments? So, please refrain from throwing out "judge not, least ye be judged..." without first understanding the context with which Yeshua spoke those words. Since I mentioned Joel Osteen already, let me justify my mentioning of him. I am not seeking to judge whether he is a true, saved follower of Jesus our Messiah. That's not my job. But I AM to discern whether or not he teaches and promotes biblical truth; and if he does not, then I am to disregard his teaching (cf. Deut. 13). So with this in mind, what do we do with the teachings and actions of Benny Hinn? Kenneth Copeland? How about the now becoming more and more famous Todd Bentley? Shall we dig further? How about someone like Rick Warren, regarding whom there is an ever increasing divide among Christians concerning what he is promoting, his agenda, actions, AND associations? Tell me, is his P.E.A.C.E. plan a biblical plan that brings Yeshua to the Nations, and the Nations to Him, or a humanistically driven plan that unites a conglomerate of religions (contrary to Jesus own words that if He be lifted up, He would draw all peoples to Himself, not to each other in the name of "P.E.A.C.E."? I realize that simply bringing up some of these very popular teachers I put myself in danger of being attacked for being "judgmental", "legalistic", "unloving", etc. My intention is to sound a wake up call (see my second post - July, 2008) to the body of Messiah (Jesus' followers), and urge everyone to begin to take a hard look at where we are going as a whole, and just what we are really willing to stand for. If any/all of these men are truly Christians, and are saved, then I suggest that at the least, they are leading people off course, and thus putting those that listen to them at greater risk of being deceived even further. I do not (I repeat, do not) judge whether or not they are saved. But I do highly question the ideas and teachings that they promote, and all I ask is that you do the same.

"Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men." - 1 Cor. 14:20


This brings me to my ultimate point. I believe that the underlying warning that Jesus gave to His disciples in Matt. 24:5 was this: that there would be MANY (can I say it again? MANY) who would come, in His name (don't we pray in His name, ie. His authority?), claiming that He, Jesus, is indeed the Christ, and would deceive MANY. In other words, MANY false "christians" - MANY naive believers who listen to them. Friend. Dearly beloved in Jesus. We MUST seek to take hold of His word, the bible, and dive into it DAILY, seeking the LORD for wisdom, understanding, and discernment, that we might not get sucked into the whirlwind and plethora of false christs, AND false FOLLOWERS (so-called) of Christ. We MUST begin to seek His word, AND obey it.

In the Name of The only begotten Son of God, the Holy One of Israel and our Great God and Savior, the Lord Yeshua (Jesus) Mashiach.

.j.

Friday, August 15, 2008

The Shack

Many of you are probably familiar with this (now very popular) book. I have my thoughts on it, but I have read several other articles about it that I thought were well done. Since I can't figure out (yet) how to get the direct link in my posts, I will simply give the URL and you can paste in into your browser address bar.

.j.

http://herescope.blogspot.com/2008/07/shack-elousia-mythical-mystical-black.html

http://www.challies.com/archives/book-reviews/the-shack-by-william-p-young.php

(The above is a little lengthy, but good.)

http://www.thebereancall.org/node/6982

(The above is from the Berean Call - simply scroll down to the Questions and Answers section to read the Question, and Dave Hunt's response.)

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Shadows of Messiah

"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." - John 5:39

We are told that the "scriptures" (ie. the Tenakh, or "old testament") contain allusions, shadows, and types of the Messiah. Jesus Himself confirms it in the above verse. So, with that in mind I wanted to share, from time to time, some "shadows" that I have found, or at least give examples that I have read from others, along with some that are an amalgamation of my observations with others.

Here is one example from my journal on 03/27/08. I'm just going to copy it straight out of my journal -

"This weeks Parasha (Torah portion of the week) is Sh'mini - Lev. 9:1-11:47. It begins with the sacrifices that Aaron and the Priests offered for themselves, and for all of Israel. Last weeks Parasha ended with Aaron and his sons being set apart for 7 days prior, in order to be set apart (that they might not become "unclean") and consecrated to the LORD. This weeks Parasha, Sh'mini, means "eighth", and it was on the eighth day that the Priests were called forth to offer sacrifices for Israel. The pattern is that in ch. 9, verses 1-21, we read of the various sacrifices being offered. Then, in verse 22 we read: "And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them (we read of the specific blessing in Num. 6:23-27)...." Next, in verse 23, Moses and Aaron go into the Tabernacle. So the pattern is: 1) sacrifices are offered 2) bless the people 3) ascend into Tabernacle.

In Luke 23, we read of the death of Yeshua. We are taught in the New Testament that Yeshua's death was/is an atoning sacrifice (cf. Heb. 7:27; 9:11-15; 10:10,12,14 et al). In Luke 24, Yeshua is resurrected, and in verse 50 of ch. 24 we read: "And He led them (His disciples) out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them." Then, in verse 51 it says "...while He blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried up into heaven." We know that the true Tabernacle, which the LORD pitched, is in heaven (cf. Heb. 8:1,2), which is where He ascended to. So the pattern is 1) He Himself is the offered sacrifice 2) He blesses His disciples 3) He ascends into the heavenly Tabernacle.

Aaron was the High Priest in the wilderness Tabernacle. Yeshua is our High Priest in the Heavenly Tabernacle (cf. Hebrews to read of Yeshua's Priesthood). Isn't the bible amazing! We could spend forever finding these correlations, and in fact, God intends for us to do so. It is for our benefit, not only to learn of God Himself, but to learn of His patterns; His ways, so that we can direct our steps accordingly. The Israelites went to Aaron and His sons as mediators for them before God. We are to go to Yeshua our mediator (cf. 1 Tim. 2:5), gaining access through Him directly into the "throne of grace" (Heb. 4:16). We know that our prayers will be heard, not because of us, but because of our Great High Priest, Yeshua the Messiah!

.j.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The Final End

The link below is to a teaching by Dr. Michael Brown of ICN Ministries. It is very good, and very relevant to all of us, so please take the time to listen to it if you get the chance (be cautioned: he incorporates a couple of illustrations that are somewhat graphic in the sermon). It is called "Acharit: The Final End". It is available for personal download at his website www.icnministries.org, or you can follow the link below:

http://www.icnministries.org/audio/AharitHQ.mp3

.j.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Honoring Parents 3

So, we left off last time with the plan to go over some examples of how we can honor our parents, and what we could do to fight the trend (at least in OUR circle of influence) of disrespect in general that seems to be pervading our society (and world).

First- parents of children/kids/teenagers: You are the parent. You are the boss. You must remember that you have the authority, and the final say in any matter between you and your child. I don't mean to encourage parents to act as tyrants, but we need to realize that no matter what our children are to show respect toward us; they must be respectful in how they answer us; they must not lash out at us without being corrected, and if need be, disciplined. I know we all have seen the typical scene in the grocery store: the child is crying and carrying on for something he/she wants, and the parent is coddling them to a sickening level, and you wonder just who is the authority (I take that back-it is obvious who is the authority!). Sometimes I think we forget that we don't always (if ever) have to give a reason for our answer to our child if we say no to them. And they need to learn to accept what we say without pouting, being angry, complaining, etc. Parent, if you tell your child no, or you administer correction to them, DO NOT let them walk away with an angry tone in their voice, or with obvious anger in their countenance toward you-it is a sign of rebellion in their heart. They are only obeying in body because they have to; they are not submitting their will to you as their parent. If we let them get away with this, it will sew the seeds of further rebellion in their hearts toward us, and towards authority in general. This can have huge ramifications later in their dealings with God. If they have not learned to submit their body AND mind/emotions/will, they have not learned to submit to authority at all! We must labor with our children, seeking to teach them to honor us, and respect authority in general. (a separate issue, but relevant to mention here briefly is that we must teach them what is true authority is-ie. some strange adult telling them to come over to their car, etc, is NOT authority that they need to submit to. Our children need to be taught how to deal with that if it were to happen, and that they need not obey that person. There's much more to be said about this, but it will have to be dealt with in a different post). The bottom line, parent, is that we need to remember that WE are the parent, and thus have a position delegated by God to us-a mandate rather, that we teach our children to honor their parents, thus having respect for all true authority. We do this both by direct instruction, AND by our action or inaction. Parent, if you do not deal with that sassy attitude; if you do not deal with their sour disposition; if you let them speak disrespectfully toward you, you ARE in fact teaching them to dishonor you, and to be rebellious toward authority by your inaction. On another note, if you act disrespectfully toward authority yourself; if they see or hear you being dishonoring to your parents, etc., you are teaching them by example how to not honor you.

That said, we must realize that the command to honor parents has no deadline; it does not end at a certain age, and is not even cancelled by death. Our speech toward them, or about them must be honoring always. As adults, it means taking care of them physically, financially, etc. (I know of 3 examples of this over the last few years, and though it has been hard-emotionally and physically draining, I believe it is so important in the long run-it has been an example to me of how we are to endeavor to the end to honor our parents by doing all we can to care for them in their latter years.)

There is far more that could be said about this, and surely you yourself have thought of many things that could be added, but I need to end this here for the sake of time and length! At the very least, my hope is to get you (us) thinking more about how we can battle this trend of disrespect and dishonor all around us. The Apostle Paul said that this would increase exponentially in the last days. But may it not take a foothold in my home, nor yours as we move toward the soon coming of the LORD and KING, YESHUA THE MESSIAH!

.j.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Good 'ol Puritan Preachin'

Todd Friel of "The Way of the Master" radio read a sermon on air by Thomas Watson, one of the Puritans of old, and I thought I would post it here...but beware! It's classic Puritan fire. If it is offensive to you, take a second and ask yourself why. Is it because you think he is wrong, or because it hits too close to home. You be the judge.

.j.

The Seventh Commandment

‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’ Exod 20: 14.

God is a pure, holy spirit, and has an infinite antipathy against all uncleanness. In this commandment he has entered his caution against it; non moechaberis, ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’ The sum of this commandment is, The preservations of corporal purity. We must take heed of running on the rock of uncleanness, and so making shipwreck of our chastity. In this commandment there is something tacitly implied, and something expressly forbidden.

1. The thing implied is that the ordinance of marriage should be observed. ‘Let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.’ 1 Cor 7: 2. ‘Marriage is honourable and the bed undefiled.’ Heb 13: 4. God instituted marriage in paradise; he brought the woman to the man. Gen 2: 22. He gave them to each other in marriage. Jesus Christ honoured marriage with his presence. John 2: 2. The first miracle he wrought was at a marriage, when he turned the ‘water into wine.’ Marriage is a type and resemblance of the mystical union between Christ and his church. Eph 5: 32.

In marriage there are general and special duties. The general duty of the husband is to rule. ‘The husband is the head of the wife.’ Eph 5: 23. The head is the seat of rule and judgement; but he must rule with discretion. He is head, therefore must not rule without reason. The general duty on the wife’s part is submission. ‘Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.’ Eph 5: 22. It is observable that the Holy Ghost passed by Sarah’s failings, not mentioning her unbelief; but he takes notice of that which was good in her, as her reverence and obedience to her husband. ‘Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord.’ 1 Pet 3: 6.

The special duties belonging to marriage, are love and fidelity. Love is the marriage of the affections. Eph 5: 25. There is, as it were, but one heart in two bodies. Love lines the yoke and makes it easy; it perfumes the marriage relation; and without it there is not conjugium but conjurgium [not harmony but constant wrangling]. Like two poisons in one stomach, one is ever sick of the other. In marriage there is mutual promise of living together faithfully according to God’s holy ordinance. Among the Romans, on the day of marriage, the woman presented to her husband fire and water: signifying that as fire refines, and water cleanses, she would live with her husband in chastity and sincerity.

II. The thing forbidden in the commandment is infecting ourselves with bodily pollution and uncleanness. ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’ The fountain of this sin is lust. Since the fall, holy love has degenerated to lust. Lust is the fever of the soul. There is a twofold adultery.

[1] Mental. ‘Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.’ Matt 5: 28. As a man may die of an inward bleeding, so he may be damned for the inward boilings of lust, if it be not mortified.

{2] Corporal; as when sin has conceived, and brought forth in the act. This is expressly forbidden under a sub poena. ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’ This commandment is set as a hedge to keep out uncleanness; and they that break this hedge a serpent shall bite them. Job calls adultery a ‘heinous crime.’ Job 31: 2: Every failing is not a crime; and every crime is not a heinous crime; but adultery is flagitium, ‘a heinous crime.’ The Lord calls it villany. ‘They have committed villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives.’ Jer 29: 23.

Wherein appears the greatness of this sin?

(1) It is a breach of the marriage-oath. When persons come together in a matrimonial way, they bind themselves by covenant to each other, in the presence of God, to be true and faithful in the conjugal relation. Unchastity falsifies this solemn oath; and herein adultery is worse than fornication, because it is a breach of the conjugal bond.

(2) The greatness of the sin lies in this: that it is a great dishonour done to God. God says, ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’ The adulterer sets his will above God’s law, tramples upon his command, affronts him to his face; as if a subject should tear his prince’s proclamation. The adulterer is highly injurious to all the Persons in the Trinity. To God the Father. Sinner, God has given thee thy life, and thou dost waste the lamp of life, the flower of thine age in lewdness. He has bestowed on thee many mercies, health, and estate, and thou spendest all on harlots. Did God give thee wages to serve the devil? It is injurious to God the Son, in two ways. As he has purchased thee with his blood. ‘Ye are bought with a price.’ 1 Cor 6: 20. Now he who is bought is not his own; it is a sin for him to go to another, without consent, from Christ, who has bought him with a price. As by virtue of baptism thou art a Christian, and professes that Christ is thy head, and thou art a member of Christ; therefore, what an injury is it to Christ, to ‘take the members of Christ, and make them the members of a harlot’? 1 Cor 6: 15. It is injurious to God the Holy Ghost; for the body is his temple. ‘Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you?’ 1 Cor 6: 19. And how great a sin is it to defile his temple!

(3) The sin of adultery lies in this: that it is committed with mature deliberation. There is contriving the sin in the mind, then consent in the will, and then the sin is put forth into act. To sin against the light of nature, and to sin deliberately, is like the dye to the wool, it gives sin a tincture, and dyes it of a crimson colour.

(4) That which makes adultery so sinful is, that it is needless. God has provided a remedy to prevent it. ‘To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife.’ 1 Cor 7: 2. Therefore, after this remedy prescribed, to be guilty of fornication or adultery, is inexcusable; it is like a rich thief, that steals when he has no need. This increases the sin.

Use one. The church of Rome is here condemned, which allows the sin of fortification and adultery. It suffers not its priests to marry, but they may have their courtesans. The worst kind of uncleanness, incest with the nearest of kin, is dispensed with for money. It was once said of Rome, Urbs est jam tota lupanar, Rome was become a common stew. And no wonder, when the Pope, for a sum of money, could give a license and patent to commit uncleanness; and, if the patent were not enough, he would give them a pardon. Many of the Papists judge fornication to be venial. God condemns the very lusting. Matt 5: 28. If God condemns the thought, how dare they allow the fact of fornication? You see what a cage of unclean birds the church of Rome is. They call themselves the Holy Catholic Church; but how can they be holy who are so steeped and parboiled in fornication, incest, sodomy, and all manner of uncleanness?

Use two. It is a matter for lamentation to see this commandment so slighted and violated among us. Adultery is the reigning sin of the times. ‘They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker.’ Hos 7: 4. The time of King Henry VIII was called the golden age, but this may be called the unclean age, wherein whore-hunting is common. ‘In thy filthiness is lewdness.’ Ezek 24: 13. Luther tells us of one who said, ‘If he might but satisfy his lust, and be carried from one whore-house to another, he would desire no other heaven’; and who afterwards breathed out his soul betwixt two notorious strumpets. This is to love forbidden fruit, to love to drink of stolen waters. ‘Son of man, dig in the wall; and when I had digged, behold a door; and he said, Go in and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.’ Ezek 8: 8, 9. Could we, as the prophet, dig in the walls of many houses, what vile abominations should we see there! In some chambers we might see fornication; dig further, and we may see adultery; dig further, and we may see incest, &c. And may not the Lord go from his sanctuary? ‘Sees thou the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth, that I should go far off from my sanctuary?’ Ezek 8: 6. God might remove his gospel, and then we might write Ichabod on this nation, ‘The glory is departed.’ Let us mourn for what we cannot reform.

Use three. For exhortation, to keep ourselves from the sin of adultery. ‘Let every man have his own wife,’ says Paul, not his concubine, nor his courtesan. 1 Cor 7: 2. That I may deter you from adultery, let me show you the great evil of it.

(1) It is a thievish sin. It is the highest sort of theft. The adulterer steals from his neighbour that which is more than his goods and estate; he steals away his wife from him, who is flesh of his flesh.

(2) Adultery debases a person; it makes him resemble the beasts; therefore the adulterer is described like a horse neighing. ‘Every one neighed after his neighbour’s wife.’ Jer 5: 8. Nay, it is worse than brutish; for some creatures that are void of reason, yet by the instinct of nature, observe some decorum and chastity. The turtle dove is a chaste creature, and keeps to its mate; and the stork, wherever he flies, comes into no nest but his own. Naturalists write that if a stork, leaving his own mate, joins with any other, all the rest of the storks fall upon it, and pull its feathers from it. Adultery is worse than brutish, it degrades a person of his honour.

(3) Adultery pollutes. The devil is called an unclean spirit. Luke 11: 24. The adulterer is the devil’s first-born; he is unclean; he is a moving quagmire; he is all over ulcerated with sin; his eyes sparkle with lust; his mouth foams out filth; his heart burns like mount Etna, in unclean desires; and he is so filthy, that if he die in this sin, all the flames of hell will never purge away his uncleanness. And, as for the adulteress, who can paint her black enough? The Scriptures calls her a deep ditch. Prov 23: 27. She is a common drain; whereas a believer’s body is a living temple, and his soul a little heaven, be spangled with the graces, as so many stars. The body of a harlot is a walking dung hill, and her soul a lesser hell.

(4) Adultery is destructive to the body. ‘And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed.’ Prov 5: 11. It brings into a consumption. Uncleanness turns the body into a hospital, it wastes the radical moisture, rots the skull, and eats the beauty of the face. As the flame wastes the candle, so the fire of lust consumes the bones. The adulterer hastens his own death. ‘Till a dart strike through his liver.’ Prov 7: 23. The Romans had their funerals at the gate of Venus’s temple, to signify that lust brings death. Venus is lust.

(5.) Adultery is a drain upon the purse; it wastes not the body only, but the estate. ‘By means of a whorish woman, a man is brought to a piece of bread.’ Prov 6: 26. Whores are the devil’s horse-leeches, sponges that suck in money. The prodigal son spent his portion when he fell among harlots. Luke 15: 30. The concubine of King Edward III, when he was dying, got all she could from him, and even plucked the rings off his fingers, and so left him. He that lives in luxury, dies in beggary.

(6) Adultery destroys reputation. ‘Whoso committeth adultery with a woman, a wound and dishonour shall he get, and his reproach shall not be wiped away.’ Prov 6: 32, 33. Some, when they get wounds, get honour. The soldier’s wounds are full of honour; the martyr’s wounds for Christ are full of honour; but the adulterer gets wounds, but no honour to his name. ‘His reproach shall not be wiped away.’ Wounds of reputation no physician can heal. When the adulterer dies, his shame lives. When his body rots underground, his name rots above ground. His base-born children are living monuments of his shame.

(7) This sin impairs the mind; it steals away the understanding; it stupefies the heart. ‘Whoredom and wine take away the heart.’ Hos 4: 11. It cats out all heart for good. Solomon besotted himself with women, and they enticed him to idolatry.

(8) This sin incurs temporal judgements. The Mosaic law made adultery death. ‘The adulterer and adulteress shall surely be put to death;’ and the usual death was stoning. Lev 20: 10; Deut 22: 24. The Salons commanded persons taken in this sin to be burnt. The Romans caused their heads to be stricken off. Like a scorpion, this sin carries a sting in its tail. The adultery of Paris and Helen was the death of both, and the ruin of Troy. ‘Jealousy is the rage of a man.’ Prov 6: 34. The adulterer is often killed in the act of his sin. Adultery cost Otho the emperor, and Pope Sixtus IV their lives. Laeta venire Venus, tristis abire solet [Lust’s practice is to make a joyful entrance, but she leaves in misery]. I have read of two citizens in London, in 1583, who, having defiled themselves with adultery on the Lord’s-day, were immediately struck dead with fire from heaven. If all who are now guilty of this sin were to be punished in this manner, it would rain fire again, as on Sodom.

(9) Adultery, without repentance, damns the soul. ‘Neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, shall enter into the kingdom of God.1 Cor 6: 9. The fire of lust brings to the fire of hell. ‘Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.’ Heb 13: 4. Though men may neglect to judge them, yet God will judge them. But will not God judge all other sinners? Yes. Why then does the apostle say, ‘Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge’? The meaning is, he will judge them assuredly; they shall not escape the hand of justice; and he will punish them severely. ‘The Lord knoweth how to reserve the unjust to the day of judgement to be punished, but chiefly them that walk in the lust of uncleanness.’ 2 Pet 2: 9, 10. The harlot’s breast keeps from Abraham’s bosom. Momentaneum est quod delectat, auternum quod cruciat [The delight lasts a moment, the torment an eternity]. Who for a cup of pleasure would drink a sea of wrath? ‘Her guests are in the depths of hell.’ Prov 9: 18. A wise traveller, though many pleasant dishes are set before him at the inn, forbears to taste, because of the reckoning. We are all travellers to Jerusalem above; and when many baits of temptation are set before us, we should refrain, and think of the reckoning which will be brought in at death. With what stomach could Dionysius eat his dainties, when he imagined there was a naked sword hung over his head as he sat at meat? While the adulterer feeds on strange flesh, the sword of God’s justice hangs over his head. Causinus speaks of a tree growing in Spain, that is of a sweet smell, and pleasant to the taste, but the juice of it is poisonous. This is an emblem of a harlot; who is perfumed with powders, and fair to look on, but poisonous and damnable to the soul. ‘She has cast down many wounded, yea, many strong men have been slain by her.’ Prov 7: 26.

(10) The adulterer not only wrongs his own soul, but does what in him lies to destroy the soul of another, and so kills two at once. He is worse than the thief; for, suppose a thief robs a man, yea, takes away his life, the man’s soul may be happy; he may go to heaven as well as if he had died in his bed. But he who commits adultery, endangers the soul of another, and deprives her of salvation so far as in him lies. Now, what a fearful thing is it to be an instrument to draw another to hell!

(11) The adulterer is abhorred of God. ‘The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein.’ Prov 22: 14. What can be worse than to be abhorred of God? God may be angry with his own children; but for God to abhor a man, is the highest degree of hatred.

How does the Lord show his abhorrence of the adulterer?

In giving him up to a reprobate mind, and a seared conscience. Rom 1: 28. He is then in such a condition that he cannot repent. He is abhorred of God. He stands upon the threshold of hell; and when death gives him a push, he tumbles in. All this should sound a retreat in our ears, and call us off from the pursuit of so damnable a sin as uncleanness. Hear what the Scriptures say: ‘Come not nigh the door of her house.’ Prov 5: 8. ‘Her house is the way to hell.’ Prov 7: 27.

(12) Adultery sows discord. It destroys peace and love, the two best flowers that grow in a family. It sets husband against wife, and wife against husband; and so causes the ‘joints of the same body to smite one against another.’ This division in a family works confusion; for ‘A house divided against a house falleth.’ Luke 11: 17. Omne divisibile est corruptibile.

Use four. I shall give some directions, by way of antidote, to keep from the infection of this sin.

(1) Come not into the company of a whorish woman; avoid her house, as a seaman does a rock. ‘Come not nigh the door of her house.’ Prov 5: 8. He who would not have the plague, must not come near infected houses; every whore-house has the plague in it. Not to beware of the occasion of sin, and yet pray, ‘Lead us not into temptation,’ is, as if one should put his finger into the candle, and yet pray that it may not be burnt.

(2) Look to your eyes. Much sin comes in by the eye. ‘Having eyes full of adultery.’ 2 Pet 2: 14. The eye tempts the fancy, and the fancy works upon the heart. A wanton amorous eye may usher in sin. Eve first saw the tree of knowledge, and then she took. Gen 3: 6. First she looked and then she loved. The eye often sets the heart on fire; therefore Job laid a law upon his eyes. ‘I made a covenant with my eyes, why then should I think upon a maid?’ Job 31: 1. Democritus the philosopher plucked out his eyes, because he would not be tempted with vain objects; the Scripture does not bid us do this, but to set a watch before our eyes.

(3) Look to your lips. Take heed of any unseemly word that may enkindle unclean thoughts in yourselves or others. ‘Evil communications corrupt good manners.’ 1 Cor 15: 33. Impure discourse is the bellows to blow up the fire of lust. Much evil is conveyed to the heart by the tongue. ‘Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth.’ Psa 141: 3.

(4) Look in a special manner to your heart. ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence.’ Prov 4: 23. Every one has a tempter in his own bosom. ‘Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts.’ Matt 15: 19. Thinking of sin makes way for the act of sin. Suppress the first risings of sin in your heart. As the serpent, when danger is near, keeps his head, so keep your heart, which is the spring from whence all lustful motions proceed.

(5) Look to your attire. We read of the attire of a harlot. Prov 7: 10. A wanton dress is a provocation to lust. Cuttings and braidings of the hair, a painted face, naked breasts, are allurements to vanity. Where the sign is hung out, people will go in and taste the liquor. Jerome says, they who by their lascivious attire endeavour to draw others to lust, though no evil follows, are tempters, and shall be punished, because they offered the poison to others, though they would not drink.

(6) Take heed of evil company. Serpunt vitia et in proximum quemque transiliunt [Vices spread abroad and spring on to any standing by]. Seneca. Sin is a very catching disease; one tempts another to sin, and hardens him in it. There are three cords that draw men to adultery: the inclination of the heart, the persuasion of evil company, and the embraces of the harlot; and this threefold cord is not easily broken. ‘A fire was kindled in their company.’ Psa 106: 18. The fire of lust is kindled in bad company.

(7) Beware of going to plays. A play-house is often a preface to a whorehouse. Ludi praebent semina nequitiae [Plays furnish the seeds of wickedness]. We are bid to avoid all appearance of evil: and are not plays the appearance of evil? Such sights are there that are not fit to be beheld with chaste eyes. Both Fathers and Councils have shown their dislike to going to plays. A learned divine observes, that many have on their death-beds confessed, with tears, that the pollution of their bodies has been occasioned by going to plays.

(8) Take heed of mixed dancing. Instrumenta luxuriae tripudia [Dances are instruments of wantonness]. From dancing, people come to dalliance with another, and from dalliance to uncleanness. ‘There is,’ says Calvin, ‘for the most part, some unchaste behaviour in dancing.’ Dances draw the heart to folly by wanton gestures, by unchaste touches, and by lustful looks. Chrysostom inveighed against mixed dancing in his time. ‘We read,’ he says, ‘of a marriage feast, and of virgins going before with lamps, but of dancing there we read not.’ Matt 25: 7. Many have been ensnared by dancing; as the duke of Normandy, and others. Saltatio adadulteras non ad pudicas pertinet [Dancing is the province not of the chaste woman, but of the adulteress]. Ambrose. Chrysostom says, where dancing is, there the devil is. I speak chiefly of mixed dancing. We read of dances in Scripture, but they were sober and modest. Exod 15: 20. They were not mixed dances, but pious and religious, being usually accompanied with singing praises to God.

(9) Take heed of lascivious books, and pictures that provoke to lust. As the reading of the Scripture stirs up love to God, so reading bad books stirs up the mind to wickedness. I could name one who published a book to the world full of effeminate, amorous, and wanton expressions, who, before he died, was much troubled for it, and burned the book which made so many burn in lust. To lascivious books I may add lascivious pictures, which bewitch the eye, and are incendiaries to lust. They secretly convey poison to the heart. Qui aspicit innocens aspectu fit nocens. Popish pictures are not more prone to stir up idolatry than unclean pictures are to stir up to concupiscence.

(10) Take heed of excess in diet. When gluttony and drunkenness lead the van, chambering and wantonness bring up the rear. Vinum fomentum libidinis; ‘any wine inflames lust;’ and fulness of bread is made the cause of Sodom’s uncleanness. Ezek 16: 49. The rankest weeds grow out of the fattest soil. Uncleanness proceeds from excess. ‘When I had fed them to the full, every one neighed after his neighbour’s wife.’ Jer 5: 8. Get the ‘golden bridle of temperance.’ God allows recruits of nature, and what may fit us the better for his service; but beware of surfeit. Excess in the creature clouds the mind, chokes good affections, and provokes lust. Paul did ‘keep under his body.’ 1 Cor 9: 27. The flesh pampered is apt to rebel. Corpus impinguatum recalcitrat.

(11) Take heed of idleness. When a man is out of a calling, he is ready to receive any temptation. We do not sow seed in fallow-ground; but the devil sows most seed of temptation in such as lie fallow. Idleness is the cause of sodomy and uncleanness. Ezek 16: 49. When David was idle on the top of his house, he espied Bathsheba, and took her to him. 2 Sam 11: 4. Jerome gave his friend counsel to be always well employed in God’s vineyard, that when the devil came, he might have no leisure to listen to temptation.

(12) To avoid fornication and adultery, let every man have a chaste, entire love to his own wife. Ezekiel’s wife was the desire of his eyes. Chap 24: 16. When Solomon had dissuaded from strange women, he prescribed a remedy against it. ‘Rejoice with the wife of thy youth.’ Prov 5: 18. It is not having a wife, but loving a wife, that makes a man live chastely. He who loves his wife, whom Solomon calls his fountain, will not go abroad to drink of muddy, poisoned waters. Pure conjugal love is a gift of God, and comes from heaven; but, like the vestal fire, it must be cherished, that it go not out. He who loves not his wife, is the likeliest person to embrace the bosom of a stranger.

(13) Labour to get the fear of God into your hearts. ‘By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.’ Prov 16: 6. As the embankment keeps out the water, so the fear of the Lord keeps out uncleanness. Such as want the fear of God, want the bridle that should check them from sin. How did Joseph keep from his mistress’s temptation? The fear of God pulled him back. ‘How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’ Gen. 39: 9. Bernard calls holy fear, janitor animae, ‘the door-keeper of the soul.’ As a nobleman’s porter stands at the door, and keeps out vagrants, so the fear of God stands and keeps out all sinful temptations from entering.

(14) Take delight in the word of God. ‘How sweet are thy words unto my taste.’ Psa 119: 103. Chrysostom compares God’s word to a garden. If we walk in this garden, and suck sweetness from the flowers of the promises, we shall never care to pluck the ‘forbidden fruit.’ Sint castae deliciae meae scripturae [Let the Scriptures be my pure pleasure]. Augustine. The reason why persons seek after unchaste, sinful pleasures, is because they have no better. Caesar riding through a city, and seeing the women play with dogs and parrots, said, ‘Sure they have no children.’ So they that sport with harlots have no better pleasures. He that has once tasted Christ in a promise, is ravished with delight; and how would he scorn a motion to sin! Job said, the word was his ‘appointed food.’ Job 23: 12. No wonder then he made a ‘covenant with his eyes.’

(15) If you would abstain from adultery, use serious consideration. Consider, [1] God sees thee in the act of sin. He sees all thy curtain wickedness. He is totus oculus, ‘all eye.’ The clouds are no canopy, the night is no curtain to hide thee from God’s eye. Thou canst not sin, but thy Judge looks on. ‘I have seen thy adulteries and thy neighings.’ Jer 13: 27. ‘They have committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives; even I know, and am a witness, saith the Lord.’ Jer 29: 23. [2] Few that are entangled in the sin of adultery, recover from the snare. ‘None that go to her return again.’ Prov 2: 19. This made some of the ancients conclude that adultery was an unpardonable sin; but it is not so. David repented. Mary Magdalene was a weeping penitent; upon her amorous eyes that sparkled with lose, she sought to be revenged, by washing Christ’s feet with her tears. Some, therefore have recovered from the snare. ‘None that go to her return,’ that is, ‘very few;’ it is rare to hear of any who are enchanted and bewitched with this sin of adultery, that recover from it. Her ‘heart is snares and nets, and her hands are bands.’ Eccl 7: 26. Her ‘heart is snares,’ that is, she is subtle to deceive those who come to her; and ‘her hands are bands,’ that is her embraces are powerful to hold and entangle her lovers. Plutarch said of the Persian kings, ‘They were captives to their concubines,’ they were so inflamed, that they had no power to leave their company. This consideration should make all fearful of this sin. Soft pleasures harden the heart. [3] Consider what Scripture says, which may ponere obicem, ‘lay a bar in the way’ to this sin. ‘I will be a swift witness against the adulterers.’ Mal 3: 5. It is good when God is a witness ‘for us’, when he witnesses to our sincerity, as he did to Job’s; but it is sad to have God a ‘witness against us.’ ‘I,’ says God, ‘will be a witness against the adulterer.’ And who shall disprove his witness? He is both witness and judge. ‘Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.’ Heb 13: 4. [4] Consider the sad farewell the sin of adultery leaves. It leaves a hell in the conscience. ‘The lips of a strange woman drop as a honeycomb, but her end is bitter as wormwood.’ Prov 5: 4. The goddess Diana was so artificially drawn, that she seemed to smile upon those that came into her temple, but frown on those that went out. So the harlot smiles on her lovers as they come to her, but at last come the frown and the sting. ‘Till a dart strike through his liver.’ Prov 7: 23. ‘Her end is bitter.’ When a man has been virtuous, the labour is gone, but the comfort remains; but when he has been vicious and unclean, the pleasure is gone, but the sting remains. Delectat in momentum, cruciat in aeternum [He gains momentary pleasure and then eternal torment]. Jerome. When the senses have been feasted with unchaste pleasures, the soul is left to pay the reckoning. Stolen waters are sweet; but, as poison, though sweet in the mouth, it torments the bowels. Sin always ends in a tragedy. Memorable is that which Fincelius reports of a priest in Flanders, who enticed a maid to uncleanness. She objected how vile a sin it was, he told her that by authority from the Pope he could commit any sin; so at last he drew her to his wicked purpose. But when they had been together a while, in came the devil, and took away the harlot from the priest’s side, and, notwithstanding all her crying out, carried her away. If the devil should come and carry away all that are guilty of bodily uncleanness in this nation, I fear more would be carried away than would be left behind.

(16) Pray against this sin. Luther gave a lady this advice, that when any lust began to rise in her heart, she should go to prayer. Prayer is the best armour of proof; it quenches the wild fire of lust. If prayer will ‘cast out the devil,’ why may it not cast out those lusts that come from the devil?

Use five. If the body must be kept pure from defilement, much more the ‘soul of a Christian must be kept pure.’ The meaning of the commandment is not only that we should not stain our bodies with adultery, but that we should keep our souls pure. To have a chaste body, but an unclean soul, is like a fair face with bad lungs; or a gilt chimney-piece, that is all soot within. ‘Be ye holy, for I am holy.’ 1 Pet 1: 16. The soul cannot be lovely to God till it has Christ’s image stamped upon it, which consists in righteousness and true holiness. Eph 4: 24. The soul must especially be kept pure, because it is the chief place of God’s residence. Eph 3: 17. A king’s palace must be kept clean, especially his presence-chamber. If the body is the temple, the soul is the ‘Holy of holies,’ and must be consecrated. We must not only keep our bodies from carnal pollution, but our souls from envy and malice.

How shall we know our souls are pure?

(1) If our souls are pure, we flee from the appearance of evil. 1 Thess 5: 22. We shall not do that which looks like sin. When Joseph’s mistress courted and tempted him, he ‘left his garment in her hand, and fled.’ Gen 39: 12 He was suspicious to be near her. Polycarp would not be seen in company with Marcion the heretic, because it would not be good report.

(2) If our souls are pure, the light of purity will shine forth. Aaron had ‘Holiness to the Lord’ written upon his golden plate. Where there is sanctity in the soul, there ‘Holiness to the Lord’ is engraven upon the life. We are adorned with patience, humility, good works, and shine as ‘Lights in the world.’ Phil 2: 15. Carry Christ’s picture in your conversation. 1 John 2: 6. O let us labour for this soul purity! Without it there is no seeing God. Heb 12: 14. ‘What communion has light with darkness?’ 2 Cor 6: 14. To keep the soul pure, have recourse to the blood of Christ: which is the ‘fountain open for sin and uncleanness.’ Zech 13: 1. A soul steeped in the briny tears of repentance, and bathed in the blood of Christ, is made pure. Pray much for a pureness of soul. ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God.’ Psa 51: 10. Some pray for children, others for riches; but pray thou for soul purity. Say, ‘Lord, though my body is kept pure, yet my soul is defiled, I pollute all I touch. O purge me with hyssop, let Christ’s blood sprinkle me, let the Holy Ghost come upon me and anoint me. O make me evangelically pure, that I may be translated to heaven, and placed among the cherubim, where I shall be as holy as thou wouldst have me to be, and as happy as I can desire to be.’