1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet [appear] what we shall be, but we know that, when he shall [appear], we shall be like him; for we shall see him as is he is.” Commentary: The word appear in Greek is an interesting word! It means the act of divine revelation! Jesus eternal existence preceded his earthly disclosure. Jesus did not begin at a manger in Bethlehem! He has no beginning and no end! This is the character of God! If you think you are God try that! I remember the drunk guy in India that shouted out some words in the street of a village there. He shouted out these words in the local Tamil language so I asked my nephew what he said? He said, “I was before the beginning!” Drugs will do strange things to the mind! He was making himself God! It happens a lot in India! If you reject God you will try to make yourself God! Only one problem! You are not God! While in heaven Lucifer or Satan tried to make himself God! He rebelled with one third of the angels in heaven against God and was cast down to the earth where he authors rebellion in humans against God here on earth! War started in heaven and it continues even today! The riots, looting, church burnings and murder did not start in the streets of American this year! The seeds of rebellion against God and his authority began in heaven! Satan can never be God since like us he is a created being but he created a hell for himself and those that follow him! Who you follow is who you look like! Follow Jesus and you will begin to look like him! Follow Satan and you will look like him! Jesus is love, peace, joy, patience, long suffering, sacrifice for others, prophetic, powerful, full of faith and forgiving your enemies! When Jesus appears at his second coming if you have been following him you will look like him! If not you will be a stranger to him and him to you! We were created in the Image of God yet that can only be accomplished through Christ because he took your sin away on the Cross that has transformed your image from sin against God and man to the righteousness of God and peace with men! James & Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: image
Which Image Are You?
Luke 1:51 “He hath shown strength with his arm, he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.” Comment: We are going to examine two Greek words here. The first is the word “proud”. It means one who shows himself above his fellow men in honor preferring himself! Pride was the first sin in heaven and in the earth! Lucifer rebelled against God in heaven being cast out of heaven and with one third of the angels who followed Lucifer unto the earth! Then Lucifer who became Satan offered Eve in the Garden of Eden the same opportunity to rebel against God! Rebellion has been the history of man! When I hear the words “Pride Day” I cringe in my spirit! What fools! A fool has said in his heart there is no God! God’s character is just the opposite of pride! Jesus humbled himself even to death on a Cross! Jesus became our need! A sinner in need of a savior! Pride is sin! It creates the need for a savior! Jesus took our sin upon himself! Pride leads to war! War against God and man! The next word we need to look at is the word “imagination”. It means an intellectual understanding. It is the perception with thought coming unto consciousness of oneself knowing you exist from a source outside of yourself. It means to understand, apprehend and to discern. The mind is the organ of the Spirit and at the same time is the function of the heart. It is a conscious recognition of character and judgment. It is an intellectual faculty understanding with moral reflection characterized by a perverted moral impulse with intentions and designs. You are aware of yourself and God! My Bible says we were created in the Image of God or imagination of God! The problem has always been in terms of rebellion that we want to be more than his image! We want to be God! We want to create God in our image! A role reversal! We want to make ourselves greater than God as Lucifer tries to do! Answerable to only ourselves! We make the rules! We make laws to oppose God! Make our own religion or no religion where we can be God! Fire God and replace him with ourselves! Satan has his own Kingdom with his disciples in a place called Hell! God has his disciples in a place called Heaven! God had to send his only Son into the earth to show us a clear, true demonstration of his love and redemption! This is what Mary was rejoicing about in her Song of Praise! Light entering a dark world! Jesus not a created being as we but eternal part of the Trinity taking on our sin and death upon himself! God becomes flesh! Paying the price for our sin who was without sin! We cannot become the Image of God without God! God created male and female! There is no gender confusion here! Only Satan would try to bring gender confusion to attack God’s Image! The image of Satan is sin, death, confusion and judgment and destruction! The Image of God is life, redemption, salvation, forgiveness, peace, joy, freedom and liberty from the guilt of sin! Freedom from slavery and tyranny! When you look into your spiritual mirror what image do you see? How does your image compare with the Image of God presented to you in the Bible? James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Right Image!
Revelation 22:14 Greek Translation: “Blessed possessing the character of God with the state of their behavior in Christ to do endowed with the quality of Christ with his Commandments enjoined together doing his mighty works with the authority of the Commander that they may have the right with power and authority to take action to the Tree of Life in the spirit and the soul and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Comment: In 21st Century America the word blessed has a different meaning! Sadly even in the church! It means to amass silver, gold, land, stocks, bonds, bank accounts, savings accounts, retirement accounts and tip the church with a few pennies! Why did Jesus tell the rich man to sell all he had and give to the poor? Because his wealth had him! His wealth owned him! Why did Jesus say it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter heaven? If not careful one day the wealth will own you! The Blessed state is to have the character of God! To do God’s Commandments is to be joined with him in agreement! Disagreement with God is sin! Jesus said if you love me keep my Commandments! We do the mighty work of God yielded to the authority of the Commander! We do not do our own thing! God will never put you in authority unless you are under authority! Are you submitted to your Pastor? He is not perfect and neither are you and me! If you have ever served in the military you will understand this better! Satan did not want to submit to the authority of God so he is building his own Kingdom where he and his followers will end up in Hell! When we partake of the Tree of Life we become like Christ! The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil our ancestors partook of lead to sin and death! We can only enter the City of God through the Gates is by reflecting the Image of God! God has a truth detector! It is his “Word.” If you do not know his word you are flying blind! None of our stuff will qualify us for Heaven! It will all be left behind! Is God your beginning and end? Your Alpha and Omega? In verse 14 the Monk’s Centuries ago when they translated this verse from Greek to Latin it was translated like this; “Blessed are those who’s robes are washed in the Blood.” Jesus blood has conquered death, hell and the grave for you! His blood has cleansed our sin stained blood! As my body continues to perish here on earth I think about the promises Christ has made to me as I trust him with my life! He makes the here and now exciting as I await Heaven! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Negative Exposure! Luke 2:34-35
Greek Translation: “And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, behold, this child is laid for a foundation for the fall and the resurrection of the body from the grave of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also): that the thoughts and reasoning of many hearts shall be revealed what was hidden.” Comment: Simeon prepared Mary for many things to come! Even the miracles Jesus would do would be spoken against? Even today many speak against our Christ? The sword would pierce Mary’s own soul as she watched the Crucifixion! Jesus would expose the thoughts of many hearts! Jesus came to expose our sin! Then to save us from our sin! Christmas is all about the Salvation of humanity! Something we could never do on our own! Christmas is a solid case against our guilt and then an unearned acquittal of our guilt! However some like King Herod, Judas and many today thought that by their own efforts they can hide their sin from God! So foolish as to get rid of the only one who could save them! Sin is a strong addiction! It brings out the worst in us! It compliments evil! Confession is difficult because people are in love with themselves but not God! It is all about making yourself God! You decide who lives or dies rather than dying to self and let God live in you! All false religion is about making yourself God! God became a human to make us fit for Heaven! Without Christ no amount of human effort will ever make us fit for Heaven! It will only prepares us for Hell. No one can forgive you except God himself! Just like a negative film it takes light to expose the true image! We were made in the Image of God but only His light can expose and correct the imperfections in our image! Let God see you through the blood of His Son! Merry Christmas! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Holy Ground! Exodus 3:5
Take off your shoes Moses! No shoes allowed! Sometimes when you go into a business they post a sign on the front door that says, “Must wear shoes.” After the 9-11 Muslim terror attack on us you have to take your shoes off at the airport! Not in respect for Islam but to try to prevent them from blowing up your flight! Let us look at the word “ground” in the Hebrew. It is the word “Adamah” which is Strongs #127. Do you see a clue here? Do you see the word Adam here? God’s first created human being on planet earth. Adam was formed out of the ground! He was created out of the dust of the dust of the earth! The top soil produces the entire agriculture products for us to exist! In fact all the elements in the human body are found in the soil of the earth! The plants, tree’s and animals take the elements in the soil that we eat to replace the lost elements in our bodies! The name Adam means ruddy or a red brown color. It is the color of fermented wine. The curtains in the Jewish Temple were this color. Remember when you walk across the ground you were made of this stuff! Ashes to ashes! Dust to dust! Your physical body was joined together with God’s Spirit! You are created in the image of God! This is why the 6th Commandment says you shall not kill. Jesus is the second Adam sent to redeem us! God became flesh but this time to atone for the failure of the first Adam! The ground that Moses walked on produced man ! When we are buried at death back to the ground we go! The grave could not hold Jesus Christ! He defeated death and the grave! No mortal man could do this only God! The ground produced humans but not redemption! Only if the sin within us is defeated can death be defeated! The resurrected Christ promised to raise us from the dead! The angel or pre-incarnated Christ could live in the flames and not perish because he is the judge of all. Do you want to draw near to God? Then your sin must be covered in the blood of Jesus Christ! Then you can draw near to God and then he will draw near to you! In April of 1912 a ship sank below the waves of the Atlantic ocean! Those men that stayed with the Titanic sang their last hymn on earth with a full orchestra! The name of the song was, “Nearer My God to Thee!” The purpose and journey of our life while on this short life here on earth is to draw near to God! Your Holiness is not based on you but what God did for you! Would you like to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior? James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Does Satan Work for God? Isaiah 54:16
“Behold I have created the smith that bloweth the coals on the fire, that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.” Comment: Certainly Satan opposes God but by his rebellion against God does he end up working for God? We know Satan runs his own prison! No tax money needed to support! Satan knows who the sinners are! Everyone! He knows his own! He is called the accuser of the brethren! Satan wants you to live in his image! In the image of doubt, fear and death! God asked Satan have you seen my servant Job? Both God and Satan know which camp you are in! What about those that switch sides? Some Democrats become Republicans! Some Republicans become Democrats! Satan would have everyone in Hell except for one problem! It is called the Blood of the Lamb! When your sin has been forgiven the guilt, fear and condemnation is gone and you are then free to serve God and His Christ! The disciples betrayed Jesus at the Cross just like you and I would have done but Jesus forgave them and they became the foundational leaders of the Church! Without God no Heaven! Without Satan no Hell! This is the problem with atheism! Deny God and deny Hell? Come up with a religion or ideology that supports their belief there is no God! Like Marxism and Darwinism! Both were Jews and atheists! To deny their existence does not make them non-existent! If you deny God you support Satan for you deny the Atonement! If you deny Satan you deny God for God created Lucifer the fallen angel! We will cover verse 17 in our next blog posting which is a very encouraging verse for us from God! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Love & Success!
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) Comment: I have found in life that when you find your highest purpose in life to love God and man you can do anything else and you will be happy! The joy of the Lord is our strength! Our purpose is not dependent on circumstances but takes joy in serving others reflecting the image of God! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Self-Worship! Isaiah 47:10
For you have felt confident, safe and secure in your malignant, evil and immoral thoughts; for you have declared and spoken that no one has seen my intellectual depravity. Your intellect and understanding is flawed and it condemns you for you have turned back to sin away from me. Comment: Self worship is a choice! You make your own gods and then worship them! You deny the true God and manufacture an idol. Lucifer was Heaven’s choir director! One day he decided to worship himself and abandon God! He made himself God! It was a case of identity theft! Pretend to be someone else! Masquerade as God! Lucifer with 1/3 of the angels were kicked out of Heaven! Lucifer became Satan! Never a chance for redemption! Satan came to Adam and Eve and said surely God has not said…. So he promoted the rebellion here on earth! Remember what Satan challenged Jesus to do? If you are the Son of God turn these stones into bread! Jump off the high wall of the Temple! Satan wanted Jesus to challenge God! Problem for Satan was Jesus was God! Satan wanted Jesus to challenge Himself! The Jewish leaders challenged Jesus saying only God can forgive sin! Atheists challenge God by saying He does not exist! When they do this they make themselves God! Charles Darwin a Jewish atheist theorized since God does not exist things must have happened this way! So he came up with his theory of evolution! Sadly this is taught as truth in our public funded institutions throughout our education system today! Children taught the big lie! You can lie about me and get away with it but to lie about God has eternal consequences! Salvation is an inside job! The law cannot change you from the outside in! Jesus said you must be born again! God provided His only begotten Son for the sacrifice for our sin! Worship the true God and you will reflect His image not your own image! Your own image is sin! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Social Media & Faith!
Jesus said to go out into all the world and preach the Gospel! I would suggest to you to use the social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Wikis, E-mail, YouTube, web sites and other media to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Remember it is not about you! It is all about Jesus Christ! The only thing limiting you is your imagination! Remember you were created in the Image or Imagination of God! Use the life Christ has given you to promote Him! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Virgin Birth! John 1:1
This is the key to understanding the virgin birth! God’s Word is full of Faith and Spiritual Power! God spoke it! God transmitted His image to Mary. She received the image created inside of her…the embryo that was in Mary’s womb was nothing more than the Word of God! Pastor Charles Capps (1934-2014) Comment: The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among men! In the beginning was the Word of God…………..