Tag: heart

Heart Trouble?

1 John 3:20 “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.” Commentary: An interesting fact about our English language is that every word is borrowed from another language! Could be Latin, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Spanish or a host of other languages! When we look at the New Testament our English words are translated from the Greek language! This is why a Greek-Hebrew Study Bible will expand your understanding of his Word! The word “heart” in the Greek is an all encompassing word! It means the inner man! This is inclusive of the thoughts, reasonings, understanding, will, judgment, designs, affections, love, hatred, fears, joy, sorrow, anger, intentions, motives and desires! Our heart is a storage unit of what transpires in our minds! So all of us most likely have heart trouble requiring medicine on a regular basis! Call on the Great Physician! Our thoughts and emotions affect our blood pressure! Our heart is a receptor of our thoughts! Remember Pharaoh had a hardening of his heart? Our heart will condemn us if are thoughts are wicked or criminal worthy of blame and are justly charged as madness! Satan is a cunning devil! He plants an evil thought into the minds of men then he turns around and blames or condemns men for carrying out the thought! This is how he gets his victims! He promotes ideologies that oppose the Word of God! He baits your trap with sin and temptations like a piece of cheese in the trap and then you take the bait! In the Garden of Eden it was just one fruit! God gave Adam and Eve all the fruit in the garden from every tree except one tree! What would you have done? If Satan had whispered in your ear God is a liar and he wants to with hold something good from you what would you have done? My parents want me home by 10PM they must want to destroy your fun? Now the good news is God is greater than our hearts! There is no sin in him! His thoughts are only good towards us! In fact God is so good he took your wicked thoughts and actions unto himself and took the punishment and judgment of death upon himself on a Cross of execution! He went to the gallows in your place! He took your plagues and pandemics caused by sin upon himself! He paid the penalty of the lies of the devil that you believed to be true! He took your evil ideologies whether political or religious upon himself to pave the road to forgiveness for your life! He Christ defeated Satan and the sin that so easily besets us! Since God is greater than our sin we can trust him with our sin! The accuser of the brethren has lost his power of condemnation over us! Those Darwinist that believe there is no God have no remedy for their sin! Unforgiven sin brings anger and eventually violence towards their fellow man! No repentance no redemption! God has given us a way of escape from ourselves yet men so foolish to carry their own burdens! Burdens are lifted at Calvary so the old hymn goes! The old hymns and their theology somehow stick with me while the newer songs even though they sound good yet do not? Maybe it is just me? James & Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Destroying Images!

To destroy images is something every revolution has been able to do! Alfred Rosenburg, Sentenced to death by hanging at the Nuremberg Trials for war crimes. Known for his rejection and hatred of Christianity! Comment: Those in America promoting the tearing down of our historical images and defacing Jewish Synagogues and removing Crosses across our land have one motive! Revolution! To destroy our existing system of government and replace it with a revolutionary government! Rebellion is in the heart of man and only Christ can heal a wounded soul! We were created in the Image of God! Our image can only be perfected to be God like in Christ! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Who Do You Trust? Psalm 86:11

Hebrew Translation: “Teach me by laying a foundation established and erect controlling me which leads me down the road of life. O Lord; I will walk faithfully and stable in thy truth; unite my heart in the totality of my inner nature to reverence and respect your name.” Comment: We like Jesus disciples have struggled with this scripture! Like Jesus disciples we sometimes do not walk stable following him! We waver in faith getting off the road that leads to life! The disciples would sometimes get off the foundation! Their heart was not always united with Christ! Reverence and respect for his name was not always there! Peter denied Jesus even though he told him he would die for him! He eventually did in Rome years later! Jesus told us to go out into all the world and preach the Gospel! We say let the church do it! Let an organization do it! Pay them so I do not have to do it! Our gift’s God has given us cannot be used unless we do what Jesus told us to do! At the feeding of the 5000 Jesus asked the disciples what do they have? The disciples wanted to send the crowd away! We do not have money to feed this large crowd? Cancel the meeting! Send them home! The disciples were perplexed? They can buy their own food! A little boy in the crowd came prepared! He had more than enough for himself! He had a little faith! Enough faith to give Jesus everything he had! The little boy gave his all! He had the gift of 5 loaves and 2 fish! Bring what you have to Jesus! God will multiply it! Let God bless what you have! Really what he has given you! Doesn’t seem like much but enough! He will multiply it to feed everyone! God is greater than what you have! Have you figured this out yet? Do something with what God has given you! With your life! Don’t waste it on drugs and go to work! With the left overs from a miracle you can feed even more people! Twelve baskets full! Israel had twelve tribes and Jesus had twelve disciples! God can build a nation out of left overs! God can build a church with left overs! God has more than enough for your family! He has more than enough for your church! God can bless you if you bring all you have to him! Peter build my church! Do you want to distribute God to the world? Or keep him for yourself? Sow the seed you have! Do not eat your seed! Share and multiply what you have! The rich young ruler was not able to do that? He valued his possessions more than God! I don’t need to tithe and make offerings? The possessions God had given to him he could not give back! If you give to God what you have he will do more with it than you ever could by yourself! The graveyard is full of excuses! Even David who wrote this Psalm waivered at times! Jesus never did! Wait on God but not on anything else! Do what God has called you to do! Help the needy and the lost! Go after those the world has rejected! Pray and agree with God! Jesus had every excuse to quit! The crown of thorns was very painful! The betrayal of his disciples was painful! His back cut open and bleeding was painful! His Cross was heavy! Your will be done! God’s will is not easy! Jesus had no excuses to die for you! Do you have any excuses not to live for him? He gave his all! Can you? Be faithful! Stand up for our flag and take a knee for Jesus in prayer! Pastor Don Wildes, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Fairburn, Georgia

Basic Wisdom Course 101

Psalm 90:12  Hebrew Translation “Teach us to distinguish between right and wrong. As our creator help us to understand your knowledge of us. To know you is to understand ourselves. Reveal yourself to us so you might help us to be familiar with and understand you. We number our days because life is short and eternity is forever. Help us not to miss you! Life is a short journey to find you and a long journey if we miss you! We understand that our hearts are the moral seat of evil. Help us to find our right place in you. Help us to have your heart. Help us in your wisdom to have insight and judgment. Help us to understand that true wisdom is only found in you and that our wisdom can never be independent of you. Only through your wisdom can we find real meaning in life.”

Holy Smoke!

You can sing all you want about how you love Jesus, you can have crocodile tears in your eyes, but the consecration that does not reach your purse has not revealed your heart. Pastor Adrian Rogers (1931-2005) Comment: If I tell you I trust Jesus Christ with my eternal life but not with my tithes and offerings I am blowing smoke but not sacrificial Holy Smoke! James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Treasure in Heaven? Upon the Earth?

Matthew 6:19-21 Comment: So what is the difference between earth and heaven? What did Jesus mean here? You might think you know the difference but let us look at the Greek root words used for these two English words! The word earth means the dust part of the earth! It does not include the above ground earth! However we are made from the dust of the earth! We will return to the dust of the earth! All the elements in the human body are found in the dust of the earth! Science confirms the scriptures of your Bible! The word heaven used here is also interesting because this word used here by Jesus means in a physical sense! It means the all embracing heaven beneath which is the earth. What does the word heart mean? It means every thought, reasoning, understanding, will, judgment, designs, affections, love, hatred, fear, joy, sorrow and anger of a human being! We cannot hide our heart from God! This is reason alone to repent of our sin! Misplaced values of the heart will lead to wrong choices! So what did Jesus mean when we put all these three words together? Jesus was saying do not invest your life in dust! Your earthly treasures will perish with your body! Jesus is saying the eternal part of us will never perish! It is your soul, mind and eternal body! Jesus will one day raise us from the dead! To invest treasures in heaven means to invest in souls here in the earth! Use your resources to reach people for Christ! This is why our Pastor Cope Sunday had an emphasis on Vacation Bible School for our children! This is why he had a Gideon’s International speaker at the pulpit to fund Bible distribution world wide! If you go after money and not soul’s you will become spiritually bankrupt! Separated from God! Will your treasure perish with you or grow the Kingdom of God here on earth? Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world! James and Hamsa  Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Prayer! Philippians 4: 6-7

Those who pray from the heart do not think about the prayer they are saying, but about the God to whom they pray! Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622), French Theologian. Comment: As a Christian for 45 years I have learned through prayer that God likes to be reminded who He is! This has been a key for me to successful intercession! You will not know who God is until you read and study your Bible! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Transubstantiation! Matthew 26:29

Perhaps you will say, I see something else, how is it that you assert that I receive the Body of Christ?…Let us prove that this is not what nature made, but what the blessing consecrated, and the power of blessing is greater than that of nature, because by blessing nature itself is changed… For that sacrament which you receive is made what it is by the Word of Christ. But if the Word of Elijah had such power as to bring down fire from Heaven, shall not the Word of Christ have power to change the nature of the elements?… Why do you seek the order of nature is the Body of Christ, seeing that the Lord Jesus Himself was born of a virgin, not according to nature? It is the true Flesh of Christ which was crucified and buried, this is seen truly the Sacrament of His Body. Before the blessing of the heavenly words another nature is spoken of, after the consecration the Body is signified. He Himself speaks of His Blood. Before the consecration it has another name, after it is called Blood. And you say Amen, that is, it is true. Let the heart within confess what the mouth utters, let the soul feel what the voice speaks. Saint Abrose of Milan (340-397 A.D.) Comment: This doctrine has been a Catholic doctrine for hundreds of years! We have to look at two words used in verse 29. The word kingdom in the Greek can include both Heaven and earth! That is it can mean God’s rule over the earth and His rule over the Spiritual eternal Kingdom in Heaven! Remember part of the Lord’s prayer is on earth as it is in Heaven! The other word used in this verse is the word new! The word means qualitatively new! That is the old man has become a new man! The Old Testament has a new quality! It has become the New Testament! The old Heaven has a new quality! It has become the new Heaven! The old earth has a new quality! It has become a new earth! Everything changed at the Cross! A change took place in me when I came to the Cross! The changes are still taking place in me some 45 years later! It is a continual work! A daily reformation! Are we going to take Communion in Heaven? How about at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb? Some say well we will not because we will be with Jesus! Is Jesus not with you right now? Jesus said this do in remembrance of me! Do we need to remember what He has done for us in Heaven? When I take Communion here on earth what do I remember? I remember how bad I am and how good God is! I remember the price He paid for my sin! I remember I deserved death and He gave me life! I remember how hopeless and lost I was and He rescued me! Will I forget these things in Heaven? No way my friend! You see His love for me changed everything! His love for me caused me to love others! If I am that valuable then others must to valuable too! My same motivation to worship Him on earth will be the same motivation in Heaven! Ever Communion Service renews my relationship to Him! It is like being born again again! Paul warned us not to crucify Him again! We are to examine ourselves before Communion! Paul meant we are not to continue sinning after Communion! Whether the elements of the Communion are the actual Blood and Body of Jesus is not the issue with me! We can reject Christ even while taking Communion! Our heart can be somewhere else! Away from Him! So how can we test any Theology? Does the Theology move us closer to Christ or farther away from Him? If Communion causes me to feel free to sin because my slate will be clean at the next Communion Service then we have a license to sin! Does your love for Christ want you to please God and forsake your sin? Why did Lucifer rebel against God? Lucifer a created being like us that was the Praise Leader of Heaven and forsook his position and was cast out of Heaven with 1/3 of the Angels who became Satan? Lucifer looked at his job as a position only not in relationship to God! It was just a job and love was absent from his relationship to God! So self moved on the throne of his heart and rebellion followed! We attended a large church in Colorado Springs for 3 years. Pastor Brady Boyd had the congregation take Communion every week! This was a lot of work for there were about 5 thousand members! So what did this do for me? It brought to my remembrance more often what Christ had done for me and what He is doing for me today! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com