Archives for April 2020

These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

Genesis 6:9

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Genesis 17:1

Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.

Deuteronomy 18:13

God has always required mankind’s best. The call to perfection was present even in the Old Testament, where they had to sacrifice animals to atone for their sins. Hebrews 10:4 says it is impossible for the blood of bulls and of goats to take away sin. It could not make them perfect as pertaining to the conscience. God understood this and thus overlooked some things in the OT. This was never God’s total standard of perfection, which came to light through the work of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 5:48

Now God has raised the standard of perfection in the New Testament. He says to be perfect as God the Father is perfect. Some have assumed this to be an impossible command from Jesus, but it’s really not. When Jesus says to be perfect, He is taking about the heart and the conscience of man. To be perfect is to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. If someone does that on a consistent basis, they will be morally perfect and have a conscience that is clean and free from sin.

After being made perfect through love, God expects us to grow in perfection. If God gives you 1 thing to do and you do it, you are doing 100% of what God requires and your heart is perfect before God. God can then give you a 2nd thing to do and you’ll be doing 2 out of 2 things and still be doing 100% and still be perfect before God. All the while we are growing in perfection and becoming more and more like Jesus Christ.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Philippians 3:12-15

Paul is not contradicting Jesus’ command in these verses. He says he doesn’t consider himself perfect, because he still has a lot of growing to do in Christ. He then goes on to say that as many as be perfect, have the mind of Christ on the matter. Those that have a perfect, sin-free heart before the Lord are determined to grow in grace until they are completely perfected.

I am perfect before the Lord, because I walk in love as exhibited by His Son Jesus Christ. I still have much to learn in God’s ways of love. I am not ashamed to call myself perfect, because my heart is perfect by the Lord’s standard of being perfect. Yet equally true is that I am being perfected and my heart is being enlarged spiritually to do greater and greater works of love for God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

1 John 4:18

I am free from fear through the blood of Jesus Christ. I know God watches over me and keeps me free from fear. Thus, I am made perfect by walking in God’s love and by receiving God’s love. You can be made perfect in love too! Just forsake your life of sin and obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. Call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

Proverbs 25:28

He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

Proverbs 16:32

God desires to rule over us, but He’s not a dictator. He wants us to understand His ways and how they are superior to any other way a man could live. He wants us to cooperate with Him as He changes our hearts to be like the heart of His Son Jesus. God has entrusted our spirits and bodies to us and says “rule them well!”. In the last day, we will all give an account of how we ruled or did not rule our spirits and bodies.

The world doesn’t rule their spirits. They submit themselves to the Devil and he’s the spirit at work in the children of disobedience. What the world needs is a relationship with Jesus Christ. He is willing to train anyone in the ways of righteousness, but they first must be willing to submit themselves to Him.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

We can submit ourselves to God or we can submit ourselves to the devil. They are both vying for our allegiance. Who will you serve? If you serve Christ, He will strengthen you and build you up in holiness and righteousness. If you serve the devil, he will tear you down and destroy your life. Even if you think you are the one ruling your life, there is a spirit of wickedness that is guiding you in every selfish step.

There are a lot of self help seminars and teachers out there in the world. People recognize self improvement as a need in their lives. They should put away the amateurs and consult the Great Physician, Jesus Christ. He’s the only way to eternal life. He doesn’t just give you eternal life, He prepares you for heaven by changing your heart, mind and character to be like His. He does a complete overhaul of your life. He sees every little detail and in due time He will get around to fixing it. He does all things decently and in order. He starts with the biggest sins first, like swearing or drinking or smoking or pornography. Then he works on your patience. Then he works on your love and so on until you are a perfect man in the image of Christ Jesus.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

The word translated “sound mind” in this verse means discipline or self control. God has given us the ability through His Spirit to be self disciplined. God is the overseer and shows us what to do. It’s up to us to walk His commandments out. If we will do that, we are His children and will spend eternity with Him in the new heaven and new earth wherein dwells righteousness. If we refuse to follow Christ, then the lake of fire awaits us with its eternal pain and torment. There is only one way that makes sense, the way of ruling your spirit through faith in Christ Jesus. I have chosen the way of the cross and will never regret it. Christ has made so many changes in my life and will continue, for He is a jealous God and wants ALL OF OUR LIVES! Rule yourself by the Word of God and you won’t be deceived by the enemy of your soul. Submit yourself to God, resist the Devil and he will flee from you.

For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Leviticus 17:11

The life is in the blood. The purpose of all these animals dying in the Old Testament was to prefigure the death of Jesus on the cross. The types of Christ could not take away sin from the conscience. Only the blood of Jesus Christ could do that. When the blood was shed, it signified that a life had been offered up. The animals had no choice in the matter, it was forced upon them. Jesus offered Himself up willingly as both the High Priest and the sacrifice. Jesus was the only sacrifice made in the image of God, the only perfect sacrifice. His sacrifice was so perfect that it does not have to be repeated, ever. It was once for all.

For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Matthew 26:28

Jesus’ blood instituted the new testament, or new covenant God desired to have with mankind. While the Old Testament was primarily for the nation of Israel and all the strangers that would come in to Israel, the new testament is for all people everywhere, so many as will come to Christ. Christ’s blood removes sins for those who repent and confess their sins to God in the name of Jesus. After repenting, there is no further need to repent again, unless another sin is committed. God’s covenant provides the way for us to get freedom and stay free from sin, forever! That’s the power of Jesus’ blood!

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Romans 5:8-9

God has proven His love for mankind, in sending His Son to die for us while we were sinners. He has made the way to reconciliation of a relationship with Him founded on the Truth of His Word. All we must do is accept the covenant on His terms. Repent to God and put faith in the blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

We are justified by Christ’s blood. To be justified is to be restored to what we used to be, free from sin! To be justified is to be just as if we had never sinned. As far as the east is from the west, so far has God removed our sins from us!

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Ephesians 1:7

We also have redemption through Christ’s blood. When we were dead in sin, we made ourselves worthless before the Lord. He was going to have to throw us away into hell and eventually the lake of fire. To be redeemed is to have our value restored to God. Now we live holy lives in Christ and have much value to God and others.

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:13

Our past life of sin removed the presence of God from our lives. Now, because of the blood of Christ, we can draw near to God and walk in His holy presence. Christ has dealt with the only thing preventing our relationship with Him, our sins. Now there should be nothing holding us back from being near to Him, a people dear to His heart, walking in all the commandments of Jesus.

And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Colossians 1:20

Before Christ, we were God’s enemies. We were at war with God. That was a battle we were destined to lose. Now because of Christ’s blood, we have peace with God. Our consciences formerly tormented us while we were living in sin, but now there is a hushed silence in our spirits. Peace, sweet peace at last! All thanks to Jesus Christ!

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 9:14

By the blood of Jesus we are Born Again. We’ve been given new, clean consciences, with no guilt or shame for our past sin. That sin has been removed by the blood of Jesus. Now we are free to serve God in spirit and in truth, with our whole hearts!

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Revelation 12:11

We overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. We overcome the world by the blood. Christ’s commitment to the Father to be faithful unto death, even the death of the cross should motivate us as His people to keep ourselves pure from the world, even unto death. The same spirit that dwells in Jesus now dwells in our hearts by faith and produces the works of Jesus in our lives too!

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

John 6:53

In order to have eternal life, we must be followers of Jesus. We must walk in the same manner that He walked in. Not trusting in ourselves but in God which raises the dead. Being faithful unto death. Picking up our cross and following Jesus daily. This is the narrow way that leads to eternal life. The blood of Jesus teaches us and gives us the grace to understand how to be a living sacrifice unto God. Observe the life of Jesus and then go and do likewise for God is with you!