Verse 24; “And when Jesus had prayed over the meal and broke and divided the bread He said, “Take eat; this is my human body which is broken for you, this do in remembrance, in recollection, in repetition, to know again and recall of me.” Verse 25; “After the same manner Jesus took the cup after the evening meal and said, “This cup is new which is not impaired by time or use and is a divisor will in my atoning blood and as often as you drink it come to know me again.” Comment: Why do we take Communion? The Lord has instituted it according to His Word! Human nature tends to forget! When we honor someone it is usually in memory of the past. However the Hebrews or the Jews have a very different perception of the word remembrance! The Jews look at the word remembrance as his presence is still with us! At the Seder meal the Jews have an empty chair seated for Elijah! Jesus is with us today! I will never leave you nor forsake you! Remember Jesus has set the Communion Table before you as an invited quest! Your sin required the Table be set! You did not pay anything for the Table or the meal. You were invited even though you were unworthy! Jesus is personally sharing a meal with you! He is present with you! Why would you turn down a meal you did not pay for and did not deserve and made no sacrifice for? This meal purchased your freedom from sin, death and Hell yet you will not partake? His broken body and shed blood remind us that the Cross was very costly to God and His Son for the redemption of your spirit, soul and body! Pastor Oscar Cope, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Fairburn, Georgia.
Tag: god
Heaven or Hell?
Two places are ordained for man to dwell in after this life! While he is here, he may choose, by God’s mercy, which he will; but once he is gone from here, he may not do so. For whichever he first goes to, whether he like it well or ill, there he must dwell forevermore! He shall never after change his dwelling, though he hates it ever so badly! John Wycliffe (1320-1384)
Made Whole! Luke 8:48-50
Jairus the Temple ruler had one daughter 12 years old who was very sick! Jairus had sent for Jesus but He got delayed when a crowd of sick people thronged Him! A woman in the crowd touched the hem of His garment and got healed! Jesus commended her for her faith! Jairus sent another message to Jesus telling Him not to come for his daughter is dead! You might call this a cold case! Jesus presented two conditions for restoration! Fear not and believe and you will be made whole! So what does the words made whole mean? Elementary Watson! The Greek root word used here is “Sozo.” It is the same word used for our English word “Salvation.” This word means a spiritual and eternal rescue granted immediately by God for those who believe in Christ! It is the current experience of God’s power to those who believe in Christ! It is God’s power to deliver us from sin and death! What death are we talking about here? It is the second death or eternal judgment made by Christ Himself! Remember Jairus daughter and Lazarus were raised from the dead but they died a physical death again! Lightening can strike twice! I was delivered from my death bed in 1973 and have served Christ for the past 44 years but I will experience another physical death! Remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:5? Remember the congregation member living with his father’s wife? Verse 5: “To deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Remember Physical death is Satan’s work not God’s work! Death is the result of sin! If Salvation was a rescue of our physical bodies here on earth then we would never die again while here on earth! At the resurrection we will receive glorified bodies that will never get sick or die! Remember at the Judgment seat of Christ some Christians will lose their rewards but not their Salvation! When some Christians get to Heaven will they be on probation? Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us! Jesus went back to Heaven to pray for us, send the Holy Spirit and prepare a place for us! He will come again! You cannot go there unless you have Salvation with a new body and a redeemed soul! He can provide that to you because of Calvary! The Easter message is about this hope we have in Him and His promises to those who accept Him as Savior! Our hope is in Him! Our past is in Him! Our present is in Him! Our future is in Him! He is the same yesterday, today and forever! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
State Funded Schools!
Universal education is the most corroding and disintegrating poison that liberalism has ever invented for it’s own destruction! Adolf Hitler Comment: If anyone knew about destruction it should have been Adolf! Was he right? Let us look at the numbers! I have found in my research that trying to find the illiteracy rate for the United States is very challenging! The 2015 UNESCO report excluded the data for the United States, United Kingdom and Israel? I had to dig for a long time and the State Funded Education Department has it well hidden in a corner of their report? According to the 2016 report there are 32 million American’s who cannot read or write! This is probably a very conservative report! If you include the millions of illegals that have come over the past few years it is much higher! In the New England Colonies prior to public education the illiteracy rate was 2 percent! Then the children used the Bible as their text book for reading! If America is going to survive we must privatize our schools! The worst tragedy is that the State funded schools work overtime to remove their student’s Faith in God! For the first time in American history the succeeding generation is less educated than the previous generation! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Covenant! Genesis 17:8
We often separate the Old and New Covenant in our Theology! However the word Covenant is the same word used in both the Old and New Testament! There is only one word used in the Greek for Covenant in the New Testament! So the only thing that separates them is time! It is the passage of time that proves the Covenant! The passage of times confirms the Covenant to the Jews, Israel and to the Gentiles! Four thousand years later from Abraham we have the nation of Israel. The word Constitution is another word for Covenant! Our U.S. Constitution is a Biblical document! Remember a Covenant is conditional. Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved! Whosoever believeth in me shall not perish but have everlasting life! Here are some words that describe Covenant: determination, stipulation, league, treaty, alliance, constitution and a sacrifice! It was sealed by passing between the divided parts of a sacrifice! It is a divisor will, to put apart! Jesus will one day separate the sheep from the goats! We see in Genesis 15:18 that God promised much more land to the Jews than Canaan. However the Covenant is conditional and the Jews broke the Covenant! Captivity was their lot when they did this! A Covenant is a contract accompanied by signs, a sacrifice and a solemn oath which sealed the relationship with promises of Blessings for obedience and cursing’s for disobedience! Jesus was obedient even to death on a Cross! The Jews rejected human sacrifice! That is what the Heathen did! Therefore their Messiah could not be human! This is the challenge Jesus met in 1st Century Palestine! They were puzzled? How could Jesus do miracles that only God could do yet He appeared human? They understood God created humans yet their sacrifice could not be human! Their concept of God was He would come down as a knight in shining armor riding a white horse and destroy the Roman government! What they were really envisioning was Jesus second coming! What Jesus was trying to tell them is that He was God! A human telling them He was God was blasphemous to them! The Jews could not put all this together in their minds? God created human beings who sinned against Him and then He sacrificed Himself for them? This defied their understanding so they Crucified Him! They executed the sacrifice! What was missing was Faith! By Faith Abraham believed God! Counted as righteousness! Without Faith it is impossible to please God! We know He loves us! We will never know everything about God because then we could control Him! Could you imagine what the Judas Iscariot’s of this world would do with that! A jet aircraft flies through the air at hundreds of miles per hour! It does not think about it’s designer but simply does what it is designed to do! We are designed to worship God! When we do that in Faith we are fulfilled and find purpose in Him! Happy Easter! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Are You a Minister? 1 Chronicles 16:4
King David appointed these ministers to serve before the Ark of God! They were to record and give thanks to the God of Israel. They were to write down their experiences and record them! That is how we got our Bible! Notice they were appointed by a higher authority! They were not self-appointed! You can never be in authority unless you are under authority! The word minister used here in the Hebrew means to serve a higher rank! Much like in the military. An example would be Joseph managing all the affairs of Potiphers house. Not his wife’s affairs! So who is the General or highest rank? God Himself! If you examine God in the scriptures we find that He is also a servant! Who is the lowest rank? Satan yet because of sin he runs most of the world! You should not serve him because all of creation out ranks him including the snake! Jesus exposed the good nature of a servant when he said he who is greatest in the Kingdom of God is servant of all. You will discover in the New Testament that the word minister and servant come from the same Greek word, “diakonos.” This definition can range from a waiter of tables to running errands to a teacher or a Pastor! Satan is not a servant! In fact he enslaves people so they do his bidding! God gives but Satan takes! God has given us life but Satan has taken life through death! So we have givers and takers! Our Bible says give and it will be given to you pressed down and overflowing! It also says the wages of sin is death! Remember we minister to the highest rank when we serve others! God will enable us to do this if we will humble ourselves! Pride will cause us to want to be served! Two different attitudes with two different outcomes! As Easter is approaching let us remember God sacrificed Himself for us! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Do Bible Translations Matter? 1 Chronicles 16:3
If you are a student of the Word of God then it does matter! If God created the Heavens and the Earth by His Word then His Word matters! If you believe your Bible is the Word of God then your translation is important! Let us zero in on verse 3 and the later part of this verse. The King James Version (KJV) and the American King James Version (AKJV) translate the last part of this verse as “a flagon of wine.” A flagon is a flask or container for liquids. However the following 5 English translations; American Standard Version (ASV), Basic English Translation (BBE), Webster Revision, World English Bible and the English Revised Version say something very different? They render this English translation as a “cake of raisons.” Is it a jug of wine or a cake? Why does it matter? They cannot be both right? Here is the problem! If you look at verse 3 in it’s totality you have 3 elements listed! The bread, wine and flesh! This with the preceding and following verses presents a picture of Communion in the Old Testament! A cake of raisons completely throws this concept away! There are even more translations out there but I strongly make a case for the King James Version! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Offering and Worship! Genesis Chapter 22
Are they the same? God told Abraham to offer his son Isaac up for a burnt offering on Mount Moriah! Moriah means God will provide! The word offering here means to rise up or lift up! The word is usually associated with morning! Those who love me seek me early! It is used in a sense of going up. However the word is not used in the sense of intimacy! So what is a burnt offering? It is not your wife’s cooking! It means to ascend up like smoke! Remember an offering is something we do! Your tithes and offerings is something you do and God requires it of us! So what is worship? I am glad you asked! The word worship used in the Old Testament was first used in Genesis 22:2. The word means to bow down! Just the opposite of offering! It means to prostrate oneself! It means to fall upon your knees and touch your head to the ground! However after the Cross the New Testament concept of worship is different! We still bow down in prayer in submission! The Greek word used has a new dimension! Worship used here means to dwell together in union and completion! Now God takes possession of you! You are no longer your own! People are either God possessed or demon possessed! No middle ground here! Half and half is a milk product! Worship means to lean towards Him and be partial towards Him! No one will ever be able to talk you out of or persecute you out of partiality towards Him! This is the New Testament concept of worship! In the Old Testament it was always worship from afar! After the Cross now God has His dwelling place in us! The Holy smoke is inside of us! Since His son Jesus made the sacrifice for our sin the walls of partition are broken down! Worship is now an inside job! Greater is He who is in me than He who is in the world! He works His righteousness in you by dwelling in you! This is what born again is all about! Let us think about this as Easter approaches! Jesus early in the morning bowed down in the garden of Gethsemane and worshiped! Then He was lifted up on high on a Cross on Mount Calvary! Jesus died once so that you would only die once and escape the second death! Your Salvation includes many things! Freedom from guilt, death, hell and the resurrection to judgment! The resurrection to everlasting life and His power residing in you cannot be compared with anything this world has to offer! The promises the world makes to you will perish with the world! My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness! If you submit and let Jesus take control of your life nothing that preceded this new reality will ever compare! Happy Easter! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
God Raises The Dead! 2 Kings 4:35
With Easter near our Pastor Oscar Cope wants us to examine the historical record in our Bible of instances of God raising the dead in the Old Testament. What you will find out studying the Old Testament that it is vogue for today! My Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today and forever! Elisha’s predecessor Elijah is considered one of the greatest Prophets in our Bible! He was raptured and did not see death! He was with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration! Elijah’s successor Elisha asked Elijah for a double portion of his anointing! How do we know it happened? Elisha raised two people from the dead and Elijah raised one person! Do you remember Jesus telling us that greater works would you do than me if you go in my name! Elijah prayed and laid on a dead corpse seven times! Elisha prayed and laid on a dead corpse three times! Twice the anointing takes half the time! Jesus was raised from the dead in three days! Seven represents the number of completion! Seven days in a week! We begin the new week on Sunday not Monday! We give the first day of the week Sunday as Christians to God in worship! We start the new week with Him! The first part of our income the tithe and the offerings is given on the first day of the week! This tells God that He owns the week! Any given day of the week is a gift from Him! I have been a Christian for 44 years now! I have asked the Lord about certain parts of the scriptures to give me revelation about some of the more difficult parts? I have asked the Lord why did these prophets stretch their bodies over these dead corpses? As our Pastor said Sunday today if you did this they would file so kind of a law suit against you for sexual abuse however if two men get married no problem? Sunday while in the services and hearing this message many times the Lord gave me the answer! If you want to hear from God be in His House! When you stretch your body out on another body you form a Cross! Jesus body was stretched out on a Cross! The Jews escaped the Egyptian plague by painting with lamb’s blood on the top and sides of the door posts forming a Cross! When the Jewish tribes camped around the Tabernacle in their wanderings their tribes were arranged in a cross formation! It is so sad to see America today where millions of dollars are spent in law suits trying to remove Crosses across our land? What fools we have become! Satan hates the Cross because it reminds him of his defeat over death and is our hope and sign of victory over death, hell and the grave! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
How Old is the Earth? Genesis 1:1-5
The earth does have a birth certificate! Genesis chapter one says the earth was created on the first day of creation! From this we can calculate the age of the earth! From Adam forward to Noah to Abraham to Moses to David to Christ we come up with about 6000 years! The old earth theory began in the late 1600’s. The idea of the earth being millions of years old was based on earth rock layers interpreted by geology. However many problems exist here. Naturalistic uniformity refuses to consider any catastrophic events such as Noah’s flood! The global flood described in Genesis 6-8 would wipe away the concept of millions of years! A flood would explain massive amounts of fossil layers! A massive world flood would rip up many of the previous rock layers and redeposit them elsewhere destroying the previous fragile contents! This would destroy the evidence of an alleged age! So the rock layers can represent the evidence of millions of years or a global flood but not both! Radiometric dating came along in the early 20th century. In 1913 Arthur Homes estimated the age of the earth at 1.6 billion years! Since then it has been raised to 4.5 billion years. However there is growing evidence that radiometric dating methods are completely unrealistic! All uniformitarian dating methods require assumptions for extrapolating present day processes back into the past! There are some questions that should be asked about radiometric dating? Initial amount? Was the parent amount added? Has the rate of decay changed? Was the parent amount removed? Was the daughter amount added? Was the parent amount removed? If the assumptions are truly accurate then uniformitarian dates should agree with radiometric dates across the board for the same event! However, radiometric dates often disagree with one another and with the dates obtained from other uniform methods for the age of the earth, such as the influx of salt from the ocean, the rate of decay of the earth’s magnetic field and the growth rate of human population! Here are some classic examples of radiometric dating! Mount Saint Helen’s in the State of Washington. The rock was formed in 1986. According to K-Ar radiometric dating the rock is up to 2.8 million years old? How about Mount Etna basalt in Sicily? The rock was formed in 1972. According to radiometric dating the rock is between 210000 to 490000 years old? This is not rocket science! This is junk science! The age of the earth comes down to trust! It is a world view issue! Will you trust what the all knowing God says on the subject or will you trust imperfect man’s assumptions and imaginations about the past that are regularly changing! Source: Answers in Genesis! Comment: Here is a clue about the age of the earth! All the planets in our solar system including the earth are all the same age! This fits Genesis! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com