THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. # 1

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lion and lamb

BY Ken Blue

No doubt, the greatest blight on the church and its members, is the inability to rightly divide the Word of God. Sadly, many pastors have never figured that out, or they fear the wrath of the brethren, should they depart from the traditions of their fathers, or peers.

The three books in Scripture, that Christians have the most difficulty with are, Matthew, Acts, and Hebrews. The two reasons for the problems are, Christians have been taught for centuries that everything from Matthew, through Revelation is written to and about the church. Secondly, they fail to comprehend that Matthew, Acts, and Hebrews are transition books.

The purpose of this article is to consider one or two aspects of the Sermon on the Mount in light of what we have said about right division. We will not do as most interpreters, and force this book into the church of this dispensation. Although, I have some respect for the Scofield Bible, and Clarence Larkin’s, Dispensational Truth, they fall into the same trap. They spiritualize, when necessary, in order to fit the sermon into church doctrine.

 If one cannot understand the difference between the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God, and the present Body of Christ, which is the Church, he will forever be confused. First, the Kingdom of Heaven is the literal, physical, and earthly kingdom promised throughout the Scriptures to Israel. The Kingdom of God is spiritual, and in the heart. The reason the nation of Israel forfeited the Kingdom of Heaven, was because of their refusal to bring forth works “meet for repentance. (Matt. 3:8). Now, one may have the Kingdom of God without the Kingdom of Heaven, but, none will have the Kingdom of Heaven without first receiving the Kingdom of God. The Church is a different matter entirely, and we see no need to address it now.

“3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9  Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Matthew 5:3-12.

There are nine Beatitudes here. They are requirements and blessings for those who would enter the Kingdom of Heaven, if they obey them. Since Israel did not possess any of these, they forfeited the Kingdom of Heaven. There will be a remnant of Israel, in the Tribulation, who will repent, and obey the requirements of this sermon.

“Poor in spirit,” is not speaking of anyone in this dispensation. The promise is not “heaven,” but, the Kingdom of Heaven. Examples are: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:17. “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 57:15. “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” Isaiah 66:2.

Several prophecies describe this scene by the remnant prior to the Second Advent.  “They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.” Jeremiah 31:9. “In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.” Jeremiah 50:4.

The reader can see that these verses will include much in the sermon that will be required of Israel to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” These are “The poor in spirit.”

GIVING THE DEVIL HIS DUE

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 Path of the Son of the MorningSon of morning

BY Ken Blue

Isaiah 14:12-19

Thou art fallen from heaven, O son of the morning;

Cut down to the ground, you are found!

“To rule over men,  above the heights I’ll ascend,

On the sides of the north sit down.”

 

I will wing my way above the highest of clouds.

Like the Most High, I will be.”

Yet, assigned, for thy pride, to the pit you’ll reside;

With contempt, men will glance at thee.

 

Perfect in beauty, perfect in wisdom,

Morning Star and Cherub they name.

Aspiring Deity, angels following thee.

Yet, locked in hell, to remain.

 

O Son of the Morning, how great was thy fall!

Now in unquenchable fame.

Eternities now, you’ll reflect how,

God’s Son Paradise did regain.

 

 

Regions Christians killed for faith nearly doubled in 2013

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killed for faith

Killed for Faith

Rev. Faye Pama Musa, 52, was one of 2,123 Christians killed for faith, compared to 1,201 in 2012. More than half of those reported killings (1,213) occurred in Syria, followed by Nigeria (612) and Pakistan (88). (Courtesy: Open Doors)

Rev. Faye Pama Musa knew immediately why suspected Boko Haram militants burst into his home as his wife prepared dinner in the family’s northeastern Nigerian home. His stance against Christian persecution in the divided African nation had long made him a target.

Musa, who served as the general overseer of the Rhema Assembly International Church and secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Borno, saw the intruders near the front door of his home in Maiduguri as his wife, Mercy, prepped food. One of the couple’s daughters, Zion, had spotted the armed men just seconds earlier jumping a fence.

“Today you are a dead man,” one of the gunmen reportedly said on May 14 as he dragged Musa to the porch. “Call your Jesus to help you, Mr. CAN man!”

Zion Musa then begged the attackers to spare her father, a request met with a misfired bullet that caused her to faint. She survived but her 52-year-old father – a man who worked closely with Open Doors, a nondenominational group tracking persecuted Christians worldwide – did not.

Musa, according to the group, was one of 2,123 Christians killed for faith in 2013 due to their faith, compared to 1,201 in 2012. More than half of those reported killings (1,213) occurred in Syria, followed by Nigeria (612) and Pakistan (88).

But North Korea — a country of more than 24 million, with an estimated 300,000 Christians — remained the most dangerous country worldwide for Christians for the 12th consecutive year, followed by Somalia, Syria and Iraq.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Islamic extremism is the primary source of Christian persecution…[/pullquote]

“Like others in that country, Christians have to survive under one of the most oppressive regimes in contemporary times,” according to a release on the report issued Wednesday. “They have to deal with corrupt officials, bad policies, natural disasters, diseases, and hunger. On top of that, they must hide their decision to follow Christ. Being caught with a Bible is grounds for execution or a life-long political prison sentence. An estimated 50,000 to 70,000 Christians live in concentration camps, prisons, and prison-like circumstances under the regime of leader Kim Jong-Un.”

A sub-Saharan African country — Somalia — was ranked second on the organization’s list the first time for people killed for faith. Islamic extremism is the primary source of Christian persecution in the country of more than 10 million and while the capital of Mogadishu is under more moderate Muslim control recently, converts from Islam are threatened with execution, sometimes by the al-Shabaab militant rebels.
“In Somalia, a Christian cannot trust anyone,” one Christian reportedly told an Open Doors researcher. “One false confidence and you literally lose your head.”

Syria, meanwhile, which had not previously cracked the group’s list of top ten most oppressive places for Christians, ranked third last year. Like in Somalia, Islamic extremism powered the prosecution, according to Open Door officials, and many towns that previously had large populations of Christians have become ghost towns.

“The face of persecution in Syria has changed,” the group’s World Watch List reads, adding that nearly half of rebels in Syria have a jihadist background. “The influence of these groups that are linked to Al Qaeda and other extremist factions has risen considerably in the past year.”
More than 80 percent of people worldwide identify with a religious group, according to 2011 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Of those, 2.2 billion, or 32 percent, identified themselves as Christians, followed by 1.6 billion Muslims (23 percent) and 1 billion Hindus (15 percent).

The survey also found that roughly 1.1 billion people, or 16 percent worldwide, have no religious affiliation, making that segment the third-largest religious group globally and roughly equal in size to the world’s Catholic population.
By Joshua Rhett Miller Published January 12, 2014, FoxNews.com

(Note: If you think Islam is a peace loving religion, you are out of your mind. They are told by Allah to kill all infidels, or make slaves of them. We will wait for Muslim outcry against their murder of Christians.)

THE ETERNAL SECURITY OF THE CHRISTIAN

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SEATED IN CHRISTThe security of the believer, in this dispensation, may be one of the most misunderstood subjects in Scripture. The evidence of that is that most Christians do not believe in eternal security. The fault may lie at the feet of the doctrine that all believers in all dispensations are saved by believing the same thing, and that eternal security is taught in all dispensations. It is not.
It is true that believers in other dispensations had security, but it was conditional, and was not eternal. One passage that should clear this up, and there are many, is found in the Hebrew epistles, is 2 Peter 2:20, 21. “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.” Also, while under the Law, Luke records, “The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.” Luke 12:46. Again, He is speaking of the end of the Tribulation. 
The difference is found in the position  one is placed who trusts Jesus as Savior in this dispensation. The book of Ephesians, and Colossians are two of the best examples. I will choose verses from Colossians that, hopefully, will help us understand this mystery, and eternal security.
Paul’s desire is that the Colossians would have “…full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; 3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge… 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” Salvation is a work of the Trinity. However, all the attributes are placed by the Father in the Son to procure salvation, and exercise judgment. Consider the depth of verse 9. All that pertains to the Godhead dwells in Jesus Christ!

Secondly, every believer has been placed into Jesus Christ at the moment he believes. “10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. (the baptism and the circumcision are both symbolized in His death and resurrection. There is no literal baptism or circumcision intended here) 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”

The believer should read and re-read the above until he has knowledge and understanding of its import. 1. You are complete IN HIM. Now, what could be more complete than complete? 2. You are complete in Him who has power and position over all powers in heaven, earth, and hell. 3. The circumcision, baptism of Christ, in this context, is his nailing to the cross, His burial, and His resurrection. His “flesh” was cut off from the living, placed in the grave, and newness of life arose the third day! 4. Verse 15 states His open triumph over all principalities and powers. One of those powers was death. His resurrection gave the death blow to the serpent, sin, and death. Thus every Christian is IN HIM. After His victory, He ascended into heaven with every believer residing IN HIM. 

5. The church is the body of Christ. There are no religious ceremonies that add to that which is complete and perfect. “…the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. 20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.” Colossians 2:1-23.

6. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4. The believer is as eternally secure as the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not your faith, works, sincerity, or endurance that makes you eternally secure. It is ALL accomplished in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ! The wages of sin is death. The perfect Son of God paid the debt, conquered death, and reconciled us back to God.
7. The following sums it all up. “If ye then be risen with Christ, (and you are)…2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4.
What could be plainer than the above text? We are already in heaven, in Christ, who is in God! Christ is our LIFE. When He appears, we appear with Him in glory. The child of God should memorize this text, and then, regardless of circumstances, he will live in victory!

Saints in other dispensations had security, but only those in this dispensations have eternal security.

 

WHY THE IGNORANT HAVE BIBLEPHOBIA

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By Ken Blue

Why the ignorant have Biblephobia. They fear the Bible because…

It declares there is an all wise, all powerful, all righteous God. Some of this is covered in the next paragraph. The Bible is the most loved book, and the most hated book in the world. It is loved by those who read and believe its pages. It is hated by those how fear it, and demonstrate that fear by ignoring it. An example, is of young man that I worked with. He said. “I don’t believe the Bible because it is filled with contradictions.” I looked him in the eye, and said, “Are you sure of that?” He was adamant in his answer. I pulled my Bible and said, “Can you show me just one?” He refused to touch the Bible, and hurried away from sight. So much for the scoffers, who hide behind false hopes that the Bible is untrue. That is just one in a hundred cases of Biblephobia.

It declares that man did not evolve upward, but that he fell downward, and continues that direction. Those with Biblephobia find some comfort in the delusion of evolution. If evolution be true, then there is no God. If no God, there is no such thing as sin and judgment. Thus, only superstition, and only the weak minds believe the Bible, and that there is an all knowing and powerful God. Such is the reasoning of men who possess Biblephobia. Did you ever give thought as to why the Bible is banned from all Communist countries? You think the leaders fear it’s competition? 

It declares that none are good. Here is the one Book that knows the truth about every person. If the eye is the mirror of the soul, and the Bible the mirror to the eye, what is reveals to man is more that he can behold. Makeup, such as rouge, lipstick, eye shadow, and false eyelashes are not reflected in God’s mirror. The reflection sees them not. It sees what is within. Once man comes to terms with the true state of his soul, he either turns to God, or recoils in Biblephobia.

It declares there’s only one way to be saved. Man cannot accept that there is only one way to be saved, and only one infallible Book. That goes against his pride and self-righteousness. He is not willing to be objective, or open minded on this subject. That would mean that he is lost. That, because of fear, causes him to have Biblephobia.

It declares the lost go to hell at death. Now, why would anyone love a book, or want to read it, when it reveals the final destination of all Christ rejecters to a place called hell? Jesus talked more about hell than He did the church, about loving your neighbor, or judging others. Hell is a real place. That is one reason men and women have Biblephobia.

The Bible is the only book on earth that reveals what the way, the truth, and life is. These three are all man needs, and they are demonstrated in Jesus Christ. Until man discovers the way, the truth, and the life, he is lost, and he will never discover these as long as he is paralyzed with Biblephobia.