Random Thoughts on the Really Good News

Introduction: "Just because your preacher will not preach it does not mean the bible does not teach it." Message read from the Scripture without comment: "Lo! the Lamb of God Which is taking away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29 CLNT) "For there is one God, and one Mediator of God and mankind, a Man, Christ Jesus, Who is giving Himself a correspondent Ransom for all."  (1 Timothy 2:5-7 CLNT) "...through Him to reconcile all to Him (making peace through the blood of His cross), through Him, whether those on the earth or those in the heavens." (Collosians 1:20 CLNT "...God was in Christ, conciliating the world to Himself, not reckoning their offenses to them, and placing in us the word of conciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18-19 CLNT) "...this is ideal and welcome in the sight of our Savior, God, Who wills all mankind be saved and come into a realization of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:3-4 CLNT) "Faithful is t...

According to the Preacher of Ecclesiastes... "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:... a time to be born and a time to die...a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance... a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing... a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak... When time is no more. When all activity is done. When all that we know are memories. When our heart is set only on eternity and we go the way of all men - will everything be made beautiful? ...He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart... If God "has made everything beautiful in its time" all our memories should be "beautiful" in the eternity set in the human heart. So I do not dwell on the bad memories now, and the good ones give me joy. They make me laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time. I know that there is nothing better for...

“…the former things have passed away. And He who is sitting on the throne said, Lo! New am I making all. ” (Revelation 21:1-4) Exactly what are the “former things” ? Look around. We are living in the “former things” right now. Paul calls it “this present evil age.” “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.” (Galatians 1:3-5) The Preacher of Ecclesiastes said of this "present evil age" … “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) Who is responsible for this age being  “evil” and  “all is vanity” ? God did it. “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create EVIL: I the LORD do all these things... For to VANITY was the creation subjected, not voluntarily, but because of Him who subjects it…” (Isaiah ...

“ I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. ”  ... “Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” ( John16:33; 1  John 5:5) Jesus had earlier told John and the other followers that the will of God was to raise to life all who God had given to him… “… it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day ” (John 6:32-40) Various religions restrict the " those he has given me " to those who join their group. But there is nothing about joining anything. It is about God j...

It took God the Father 72 hours to save humanity through His Son Christ Jesus. Here is the way it happened... "He begins to teach them that the Son of Mankind must be suffering and be rejected by the elders, and the chief priests and the scribes, and be KILLED and AFTER THREE DAYS days rise."  (Mark 8:31) “For even as Jonah was in the bowel of the sea monster three days and three nights; thus will the Son of Mankind be in the heart of the earth THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS.”  (Matthew 12:40) "Now about the nineth hour Jesus exclaims with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi! Lema sabachthani?"...Now Jesus, again, crying with a loud voice, lets out the spirit."  (Matthew27:46-50) "The Jews, then, since it was the preparation  (for the high sabbath of unleavened bread ) , lest the bodies should be remaining on the cross on the sabbath (for it was the great day, that sabbath), ask  Pilate that they might fracture their legs, and they may be taken away."  (Jo...

"There is nothing I can do to make God the Father love me any more. There is nothing I can do to make God the Father love me any less. His love for me is not based on my performance. This is what grace is."   Peter M. Lord  from Bless and Be Blessed (2004) Love based on "GRACE" - unmerited favor - now that is a good thing! God loves like this.  People, not ever.  There are times when we just get hacked off at the world in general - we even get mad at God sometimes.   Fortunately God is not like us... "God is love...Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 John 4:8; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7) "God is love" , and unlike you and I, He "keeps no rec...

Below is a summary of the really good news.  It needs no explanation or comment. "Then God said, let us make mankind in our image, according to our likeness ...so God created mankind in His own image, male and female made He them..."  (Genesis 1:26) "...all sin and fall short of the glory of God...the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord."  Romans 3:23; 6:23) "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6) "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible...it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in him, and through him to reconcile all things to Himself..." (Colossians 1:15-20) "...you shall ...

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God…. There is more knowledge, government and religion on this planet today than at any other time in the history of mankind; and  yet they have failed to bring salvation, peace and unity to the creation.  Why? "…for the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it..." (Romans 8:20) It was God who "subjected" the creation to futility. The governments and religions of man will continue to try to repair the world but will fail. Creation can be "set free from its bondage to corruption"  only by the God who "subjected" it in the first place - mankind can only "wait for it with patience" . "...the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory...

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands; one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." President Eisenhower said of this pledge... "From this day forward, the millions of our schoolchildren will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural schoolhouse, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty." It is good and right for our children to be taught it is OK to pledge allegiance to the flag which represents our nation as one nation under God. Their is only one way to unify all Americans, including paid professional athletes, it is to humble ourselves and bow  "at the name of Jesus", our Savior, because he "humbled himself" to become  "a ransom for All" . "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all...Have this attitude in yourselv...