TO HIM I PLEDGE MY LOVE FOREVER

To Him I Pledge My Love Forever

"Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, So is my beloved among the young men. In his shade I took great delight and sat down, And his fruit was sweet to my taste. [Son 2:3] As I sat, under the cool canopy, my eyes fixed on the heavens and its blueness;  For who in the skies is comparable to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty is like the LORD, "My beloved is dazzling and ruddy, Outstanding among ten thousand,and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. [ Psa 89:6 Son 5:10 Mat 13:46]

Oh, I am weary at times. Especially when I see all the sin, the hate, the vulgarity all around me. Shrill voices with an emptiness in their dark lifeless eyes. Shouting at me to give way to their disease and terminal illness of lust. Only through strong faith and the armor of God do I see the path of escape; a cloak of peace and of strength; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood. [Rev 1:5],

And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church; He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. [Eph 1:22, Col 1:18]

This is inclusive as He occupies First Place in my heart, O divine Master, promised Husband to His Bride; of which we wait in unbridled giddy anticipation for the arrival of the Wedding Feast. I can almost hear His voice in the distance making His way closer and closer to my arms, "His cheeks are like a bed of balsam, Banks of sweet-scented herbs; His lips are lilies Dripping with liquid myrrh. [ Son 5:13] Do you hear the sound of His voice, He is near;  The officers answered, "Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks." [ Joh 7:46]

Make Your face to shine upon Your servant; Save me in Your lovingkindness.

[Psa 31:16] Grant me my place in the Body of the Bride, in the Body of Your Church, Lord Jesus, let me serve You forever!

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

WHO ARE WE?

Christ Eternal Senior Ministries, LLC

WHO ARE WE?

Gary Dean Thompson, CHAPLAIN, Linda Mary Thompson, Spouse and Registered Agent

Navarre, FL-USA 32566

EMAIL: afndelago@gmail.com

This ministry operates exclusively in the secular environment headed by an ordained Minister of the Gospel, CHAPLAIN, and spouse /Registered Agent. No salaries are taken nor demanded as the Lord has already provided all that is needed. We are a Matthew 28:19-20 commissioned itinerant Gospel preaching ministry(Para-Church) known by the name Christ Eternal Senior Ministries, LLC. We are a non-profit religious organization, by operation and function, however, we do not apply for nor accept tax sheltering; We believe in paying our fair share of taxes related to this ministry as reflected in Romans 13:7, and Mark 12:17. The Lord has already so blessed us with all that we need to accomplish His will in this ministry. We do not solicit for donations or funding whatsoever. Any such to come to us unsolicited, we would honor the tax liability as it would apply to our standing as a non-501.c.3 LLC. We preach the Gospel of Christ Crucified in the context of the whole Holy Bible through Itinerant Evangelism using the Sermon in a suitcase modality. We bring the church to the community instead of inviting the community to the church. Our focus is the Senior population residing in Assisted Living Facilities, Memory Care units, Nursing homes, RV Parks and private homes and Hospice settings. We charge no fees. We solicit no donations or tithes.

We align ourselves with the NOMINATION Church of old, operating as closely to what is described in the New Testament of the Holy Bible, and not with any DENOMINATION that has evolved since. The purity of the scripture in its Theology, Doctrine and Dogma stands alone and as such is our confession, our template and our guide; 2 Timothy 3:16, 4:2. The Bible is our authority and guide in all matters.

Christ Eternal Senior Ministries --ChristEternalSeniorMinistries.org


HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

QUESTION OF THE SABBATH

Question of the Sabbath

20190922su-SERMON- Question of the Sabbath Ge 2:1-3 / Mk 2:23

SERMON SYNOPSIS

The Sabbath. The day of rest and reflection. God created, God sanctified, God Commanded. The penalty was death for those who ignored or violated this hallowed day. How is the Lord's 7th day Sabbath related to the Sunday we call the Lord's Day? WHY? That is what we will investigate today.

OPENING PRAYER

Father of LIGHT and of LIFE, we gather this morning on this LORD'S Day with open hearts and eager ears. We pray LORD, that You will teach us Your Will through Your WORD as it pertains to the SABBATH, and to the New Beginning. Paint for us, O Lord, a picture that we can comprehend. That we may understand the great value and Holy worth in the sanctification and blessing in the day of rest, and prayerfully, see the beautiful transition and seamless blending of the OLD and the NEW. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, You are ALWAYS welcomed in our midst, we Worship and Revere You, Amen.

SERMON

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.  (2)  By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.  (3)  Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Gen 2:1-3

The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew Shabbath, and its direct meaning is to "desist". God made Holy the 7th day and the value and importance can be weighed by witnessing where it appears in Scripture. Immediatelyupon finishing the creation of all that is in six literal days, God commanded a mandatory day of rest, a day of reflection. A day of worship and adoration to the Potter from the clay formed of His hand. The Sabbath is a wonderful gift from the Creator, extending not just to mankind but to beasts and animals of burden was well. The command is that you should not do work, but that you should not force others to work on your behalf, affording time to contemplate the Awe in His creation. Beautiful in it's simplicity.

Since we do not have a reliable time stamp of the SIX DAYS OF CREATION, we can reliably pick up the historic time markers at about 2400 BC. at the tail-end of the BRONZE age. The Great Flood took place in about 2304 BC, leaving the world void of all living things except for those who were aboard the Ark. Biblical silence with regard to honoring the command of God to keep the Sabbath Holy extends at least from what we know to be as accurate as possible, from 2400 BC to 1447 BC and the Israelites being fed with Manna from God as Moses led them through the wilderness FOR FORTY YEARS! This silence does not, however, point to or indicate non-attention to the Lord's Sabbath. We can safely deduce that among all the SINS of mankind that led to the Great flood and capture by the Egyptians with the subsequent Exodus and the giving of the LAW, mankind ignoring the Sabbath was one of many heart breaking issues that Man became very good at!

Exo 16:22-24  Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread,[Manna] two omers [ about two quarts] for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses,  (23)  then he said to them, "This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning."  (24)  So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it.

As God continued to teach and test those of Israel. The Manna would appear on the ground in the morning and would have to be collected and consumed that day. Only the authorized amount was to be harvested and eaten. Any extra would spoil quickly overnight and have worms in it by sunrise. Lessons learned in this process taught good Stewardship, work ethic, ability to follow instructions and realization of penalty when the rules were not followed. Only on the SIXTH day could the people collect extra Manna and hold it over for use on the 7th Day, the day of rest.

Exo 16:22-30  Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses,   then he said to them, "This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning."   So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it.   Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field.   "Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none."   It came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.   Then the LORD said to Moses, "How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions?   "See, the LORD has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day."    So the people rested on the seventh day.

The Fourth Commandment to Honor and keep the Sabbath under the penalty of death was and is an eternal beacon to every created being for the glory to the Creator.

Exo 23:12  "Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as your stranger, may refresh themselves.

The beauty and majesty of God's gift to all through the Sabbath has often been overlooked. Throughout the Old Testament, the strict adherence to the Sabbath waxed and waned a great deal. More and more, as biblical history marched forward to the commencement of the Maccabaean revolt, during the so called silent years leading to the New Testament, three significant sins were at the very top of the SIN laden hit-parade; COVETOUSNESS, ADULTRY / FORNICATION, and Blasphemy of the SABBATH.

J. Skinner comments in the HASTINGS Bible Dictionary that:

"Accordingly the Sabbath law was (next to His own Messianic claims) the chief subject of contention between our Lord and the Pharisees. As regards our Lord’s own attitude, it is enough to say that it combined reverence for the ordinance, in so far as it served religious ends (Luk_4:16), with a resolute vindication of the principle that ‘the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath’ (Mar_2:27). Similarly, in the Pauline Epistles the Sabbath is relegated, either inferentially (Rom_14:5f., Gal_4:9ff.) or expressly (Col_2:16f.), to the category of things morally indifferent, with regard to which each man must follow the dictates of his conscience. It is significant also that the decree of the Council of Jerusalem does not impose the observance of the Sabbath on the Gentile Churches (Act_15:29).

The Birth, Life, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ DOES NOT take away value or importance regarding God's Gift, the SABBATH on the 7th day: Mar 2:27-28  Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  "So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

Jesus demonstrated this time and time again in His actions that even healing on the SABBATH was a Glory producing accolade to the Father, thus honoring the santification of the day, and God's command to Honor the day. What ever we do, on ANY day, we should do it to bring Glory to God!

NOW. Here, in the New Testament, is where we witness the new Church of Jesus Christ and its relationship to what would become the LORD's DAY;

Mat 28:1  Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. SUNDAY WAS THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK!

And HERE in John; Joh 20:19  So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and *said to them, "Peace be with you."

The relation of the Lord’s Day [SUNDAY] to the Sabbath [SATURDAY] can be best defined as one of close affinity rather than of identity. Certainly one does NOT replace the other. The SABBATH will always be the SABBATH. It sprang from the love of God for man, providing by religious sanction for the definite setting apart of the seventh day as a time for rest from labour and for communion with God.

Follow along as I read: Act 2:1  When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. This was on a SUNDAY! The FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK. The promised HOLY SPIRIT had arrived!

And this: Act 20:7  On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. [it is here that a young man named Eutychus fell out of a 2nd story window, broke his neck and Paul healed him. 1Co 16:2  On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come. This day...SUNDAY, the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, became a time of gathering for the New Church, a day of breaking bread, of fellowship, of common support and of love. It did not run afoul of the SABBATH. It complimented the SABBATH. Separately, SUNDAY became the Lord's Day.

SUMMARY

When God Blessed and Sanctified the 7th day as a SABBATH day of rest, it was a gift to His creation who toil and sweat and do all manner of labor six days in the week. On the 7th day, the Lord gave us a day of rest and reflection, of refreshment. We are expected to honor this gift in extension to those who work for us, including our animals. This is what God Blessed and Sanctified the morning of the 7th day. God's later COMMANDENT to honor the SABBATH as being mandatory resulted from man's abuses of God's gift.

Our Lord's Day activities on Sunday, attending church, worship, and in some cases an extension of the tenants of the SABBATH on the Saturday, coincide with the Resurrection of Christ Jesus [ON A SUNDAY] and the subsequent day of Pentecost [ON A SUNDAY] and the day those followers of Jesus would come together to break bread and hear the teachings directly from the Master, The Son of God, Jesus the CHRIST. Sunday, The LORD's DAY.

CLOSING PRAYER

O Lord God, how very blessed we are to gather in Your name, to reflect, study, learn Your Word and Your ways. We are like baby birds chirping in the nest, always hungry for Your Word, always thirsty for Your Love and Peace. I pray that we never, ever become satisfied, that we never are fully filled, that our hunger for Your truth will always press us forward into Your mighty arms. In the precious name of Jesus of Nazareth, Amen.

BENEDICTION AND CLOSE

1Th 5:23-24  Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

SUPPORTING SCRIPTURE

Gen 2:1-3, Exo 16:22-24, 22-30, 23:12, Luk 4:16, Mar 2:27-28, Rom 14:5,

Gal 4:9, Col 2:16, Act 2:1, 15:29, 20:7, Mat 28:1, Joh 28:19, 1 Cor 16:2, 1Ths 5:23-24

SAVED BY GRACE, NOT THE LAW

SAVED BY GRACE AND NOT THE LAW

20190915su-SERMON- Saved by Grace Not Law Rom 6:14/1Cor 9:21

SERMON SYNOPSIS

The very nature of SIN in man becomes the preeminent justification in his belief that if he can be just good enough, be a little bit heavier on the GOOD side than the BAD side that he or she win access to the Kingdom of God. Here is the TRUTH: Man does not have the capability, the intelligence, the ability, the talent, the strength, the confidence or creativity to do ANYTHING that will usher him or her into God's magnificent Realm. WHY? Because we all are SINNERS!

Only Christ can open that door. Joh 14:6  Jesus *said ..., "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

OPENING PRAYER

O Lord, Awesome and powerful creator, make Your presence known to us this morning, this Lord's Day. Your HOLY SPIRIT is always welcomed among us. Open our hearts, open our ears, open our very souls to Your mighty message. Help us to understand the great weight and gravity of the gift of Grace. We can only marvel at the depth and vast length of Your love for Your creation. May we constantly strive to know You more, to represent and be an Ambassador to You in the highest reflection, and to TRUST and OBEY for that is the way, Amen and AMEN.

SERMON

‘Grace’ is the first word of greeting and the last word of farewell in St. Paul’s letters; for him it includes the sum of all blessing that comes from God through Christ.

Grace originates from the Latin word Gratia, meaning Favor. In Biblical reference, this favor or Grace is unmerited, undeserved, and in relation to God Himself, the act of giving grace is HOLY. Grace is a HOLY GIFT, freely given by He who created all that is and that will ever be. This wondrous and HOLY Gift should never, ever be taken for granted.

Certainly, after Paul met Jesus while on the road to Damascus, in the brilliant light of His Holiness, we read in Acts Chapter 26 and Verse 18the instructions spoken to Paul by the Lord telling him:  "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'

Paul is an excellent example that WORKS cannot win you the Gift of God's Grace. Paul was LAWFULLY prosecuting Christ's followers, arresting them, men, women, young and old, and in some cases, being the authority to put them to death. Paul LEGALLY abused, persecuted and killed Christians yet Jesus affords Him GRACE and delivers him from the Jews and the Gentiles; granting him salvation......and a JOB in the Ministry of Jesus Christ. DO YOU NOT FIND THIS EVENT INCREDIBLE??? By all that is HOLY, in my mind, ...Paul should have been on the EXPRESS ESCALATOR that leads to HELL. Instead, He becomes the undisputed champion of Apostles and the Father of the Church of Christ to the Gentiles. This is amazing by whatever measure you may use!

BELOVED........THIS IS GOD'S GRACE!

The First mention of the word Grace is in Ezr 9:8  "But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage. And the last in Rev 22:21  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. Grace is revealed in 122 verses, with the majority in the Book of Romans.

By God granting His exclusive Grace, void of ANY works, other than BELIEF, men cannot brag on themselves that one man was worthy and another was not worthy,..based on man's performance. The Lord knows the heart of every created creature, every SINNER and is fully aware of all of our positives and our negatives. He is the only decider for Grace. It would be wonderful in God's Kingdom if everyone would answer the call to know Christ Jesus;

1Ti 2:4  ...who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Sadly, the majority of those who live on this planet will not answer, will not believe. They will not see the Kingdom of God. Only the darkness of HELL.

The Sentence of Eternal Death that was pronounced upon us thousands of years ago at Adam's fall will be carried out. Jesus took the place of those who BELIEVE on Him and HE died in our place on that Cross at Calvary. Those who answered the call to know Jesus. Those who said YES. Those who answered the knock on the door, Their ETERNITY will be LIFE FOREVER in joy in LIGHT and in peace in the Kingdom of the Most High.

Act 4:12  [as Peter spoke to an assembled crowd] "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." His name is JESUS.

And in Joh 14:6  Jesus *said ..., "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

It is by GRACE we are saved, GRACE and not works.....

Rom 3:20  because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

Rom 3:27-28  Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.  (28)  For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

Rom 5:17  For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Rom 11:6  But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.

Act 20:32  [Paul says goodbye to those in the Church of Ephesus, knowing that they would not see each others face again...] "And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

How are we saved? BY THE GRACE, of Almighty GOD, through FAITH, faith in that we cannot see or touch, or taste, but know deep in our souls exists in HIS HOLY SPIRIT, in CHRIST JESUS, son of Almighty God, all for the GLORY of the FATHER of us all. That my BELOVED, is the method by which each of us can be and are saved to His eternity and His Glory.

SUMMARY

Joh 1:17  For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. The LAW had to be given in order that man might understand clearly that which is abhorrent to our Lord. Paul him self admitted in Rom 7:7  What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET." The LAW simply confirmed to us that we were indeed SINNERS, deserving of death, eternal death. Only through the wondrous GIFT of GRACE delivered through His mighty heart through LOVE, GRACE and Only GRACE is the way we are saved through the Son, the Lord God, Jesus our Christ.

CLOSING PRAYER

FATHER GOD, LORD JESUS, it breaks my heart that there are so many here in this building, in this community, in this town, county, state who are in the WINTER of their lives and most subject to suffer their LAST BREATH only to discover that the eternity to which they are delivered is only darkness, anguish, pain and suffering for ever and ever. That is their END by their OWN CHOICE. I pray O Father, that this will not be the end they choose. I pray that the TRUTH of the GOSPEL will convince those who waiver, to answer the knock on the door of their hearts and invite the Son of God to come in and sup with them. In HIS precious name, I THEE PRAY, Amen.

BENEDICTION AND CLOSE

Jud 1:24-25  Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,  (25)  to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

SUPPORTING SCRIPTURE

Rom 6:14, 7:7, 3:30, 27-28, 5:17, 11:6, 1 Cor 9:21, Jn 14:6, Act 26:18, 4:12, 20:32, Ezr 9:8, Rev 22:21, 1 Tim 2:4, Jud 1:24-25

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

SERMON: RIGHTEOUSNESS OF OUR LORD

20190908su-Sermon- Righeousness of Our Lord Job 29:14 / Mt 6:33

SERMON SYNOPSIS

RIGHTEOUSNESS. Job 29:14  "I put on righteousness, and it clothed me. Righteousnessis awonderful and powerful ATTRIBUTE of our God. Horribly afflicted, Job voiced his many offerings of righteousness in behavior towards others.

Mat 6:33  [Jesus is speaking] --"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Those THINGS to which Jesus refers are the things that YOU NEED. God knows that you need them. Our Lord teaches that we need to seek HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS FIRST. What we need will then be added to us.

OPENING PRAYER

Father, we come to you this Lord's day in the very presence of Your Son, Jesus the Christ and of the Holy Spirit. We gather as one family of believers who are kin to all of Your flock and pasture where-ever they might reside. We do so on this day to receive WORD from You as we understand the attribute of RIGHTEOUSNESS. Open our Eyes and Our Ears as we join in fellowship and in love in Holy Worship of all that You are. Amen.

SERMON

The word RIGHTEOUSNESS, in the Old Testament has its root in the Aramaic word "Tsdq", amplified in Hebrew as "Tsadaq". IN New Testament Greek, RIGHTEOUSNESS is expressed in the word "Dikaios", or more correctly "Dikaioma". RIGHTEOUSNESS is simply the out working or physical or mental motivation of RIGHT thinking or actions, or NOT RIGHT thinking or actions. Its either one or the other. RIGHT or WRONG. The "NESS" portion of this word has to do with the degree or frequency of the action or thought related to RIGHTEOUSNESS or UN-RIGHTEOUSNESS in performance.

This word and its concept appears many times in the Bible. Many instances surround judicial proceedings; Deu 25:1-2  "If there is a dispute between men and they go to court, and the judges decide their case, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked,  (2)  then it shall be if the wicked man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall then make him lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of stripes according to his guilt. or in Deu 1:16  "Then I charged your judges at that time, saying, 'Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen, and judge righteously between a man and his fellow countryman, or the alien who is with him. The words of God dictating to Moses as he taught God's Laws to a lawless nation called Israel.

There is a theme developing here, can you identify what it is? Isa 16:5  A throne will even be established in lovingkindness, And a judge will sit on it in faithfulness in the tent of David; Moreover, he will seek justice And be prompt in righteousness. Here we see a portend of the coming Christ and His role as Judge over all things.

As with all of God's attributes, He is unchanging. He is constantly constant. In His binary economy, we are either RIGHTEOUS or we are not. We are fortunate and blessed that God affords us, His creation, (full of flaws), a balance scale whereby one can quickly determine to what degree we comply or do not comply with expressing RIGHTEOUSNESS. If God is 100% RIGHTEOUSNESS, then we have a very high bar to reach!

For you and I who have frequent periods of UN-RIGHTEOUSNESS, the Lord blesses us with that same judgmental system that can, with the Balance Scales, demonstrate to us how much repentance and compliance it will take to move the scales back to the RIGHTEOUSNESS side. We have first examined RIGHTEOUSNESS applied in the Judicial. Now, let us look at our everyday life and our religious responsibilities:

Eze 18:5-9  "But if a man is righteous and practices justice and righteousness,  (6)  and does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period—  (7)  if a man does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing,  (8)  if he does not lend money on interest or take increase, if he keeps his hand from iniquity and executes true justice between man and man,  (9)  if he walks in My statutes and My ordinances so as to deal faithfully—he is righteous and will surely live," declares the Lord GOD.

From the earliest mention in the Old Testament, lets see where RIGHTEOUSNESS takes us in the New Testament:

Mat 5:6  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Mat 5:10  "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Mat 5:20  "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Mat 6:1  "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. Mat 6:33  "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Mat 21:32  "For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him. Mat 3:15  But Jesus answering said to him, "Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he *permitted Him.

The motivation that drives a Christian to sincerely WANT and STRIVE to be RIGHTEOUS is born out of LOVE. It is the kind of LOVE that does not come natural for man. This LOVE must come from outside. From a source that first LOVED us.

As He loved us so we desire to love Him back, and share that love with others. So it is as He becomes the example to us of RIGHTEOUSNESS, THROUGH the indwelling Holy Spirit. WE are compelled to reach beyond our fleshly capabilities and bond ourselves to His RIGHTEOUSNESS, to duplicate, replicate His example.

We can be eternally thankful that the SCALES of the LORD's JUSTICE will accurately measure the degree of our success. Pray that you will be found HEAVY in this attribute. WEIGHTY in your expression of that which is RIGHTEOUS.

In the Gospel of John we read: Joh 16:8  "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.

SUMMARY

As we sojourn through this time on earth, wearing this tent of flesh, refresh your mind and heart often in reflection of the RIGHTEOUSNESS of Our LORD. It is by His example, when we follow Him, that we witness and learn His mastery of the RIGHTEOUS art of Godly RIGHTEOUSNESS. In the kingdom there is no middle ground. It is either RIGHT or it is WRONG. It is RIGHTEOUS or it is UN-RIGHTEOUS. Thank-You Lord and Judge that you carry Balance Scales with which to judge the child.

How do we, you and I practice our RIGHTEOUSNESS in our daily activities? We earnestly look for the GOOD in all situations. Two sides of a coin, one dark and oxidized, the other shiney. Purposely pick the shiney side. Two sides to an argument, but only one result. Pick the best. Someone offends you and your options are get angry and correct them harshly, or smile and thank them for their assist. Pick the Smile.

Four Words: BE GOOD, DO GOOD.

Deu 6:25  "It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the LORD our God, just as He commanded us.

CLOSING PRAYER

Mighty and sovereign Lord of Lords, being a follower of Your precious Son, Jesus, the Christ, is difficult. More than difficult, it's success is impossible without the Holy Spirit that You have baptized us with. We pray, Father, for Your continued divine strength, through our Savior; guiding and leading us in the RIGHTEOUSNESS of our meditation and our behavior in all our doings in Glory to You Forever. Keep us strong O Lord, Amen.

BENEDICTION AND CLOSE

Rom 1:17  [FAITH] For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." Go in Peace and in LOVE, Amen

SUPPORTING SCRIPTURE

Job 29:14, Mt 6:33, Deu 6:25, 25:1-2, Isa 16:5, Eze 18:5-9, Mt 3:15, 5:6, 5:10, 5:20, 6:1, 6:33, 21:32, Jn 16:8, Rom 1:17

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

YOU SURELY WILL NOT DIE!

YOU SURELY WILL NOT DIE!

The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die!   "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." [Gen 3:4-5]

Adam stood with his wife and was privy to the conversation between the serpent and Eve. Eve was truly overcome by the wiles of this slick talking being. This was a powerful deception and in her innocence, she ate.

But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. [2Co 11:3]

God had delivered His command regarding this fruit and this tree directly to Adam. Mouth to ear, eye to eye. Adam was not deceived. Adam rebelled. As Satan spoke, the prideful lust welled up in Adam's heart. His emotions were stirred, and his greed gave way. Notice that Adam waited. Waited for Eve to eat first, and when he saw she DID NOT immediately die, he was emboldened and he eagerly ate. Thus SIN and DEATH and HELL were ushered into the lives of mankind through the seed of Adam. That seed is in each of us. From birth, WE ARE SINNERS! Without Christ, we will all perish.

The whole of the Bible is our road map, our guide, our "HOW-TO-DO" manual on salvation. The WORD, also known as Jesus the Christ, is found in virtually every book of the Bible from Genesis all the way to Revelation. Read, learn of the power that God has given you to believe in Him, to protect yourself, to assure your future as one of His own, forever living and serving in His kingdom.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.   For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.   Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.   Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,   and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;   in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.   And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [Eph 6:11-17]

When those around you sin against you without regard, lovingly point out their error, forgive their sin against you. Teach them about God's grace and the love of Jesus.

But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ,   so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes. [2Co 2:10-11]

The most powerful WORD that can be used against temptations of Satan is the word NO. Use it daily!

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?