Commentary: Hebrew meaning Strong’s # 3034. The first question we have to ask what are we praising God for? Some people praise God and some people curse God! Why? The clue lies in the definition of the word praise itself! The word by definition includes the element of the confession and acknowledgement of our sin! It is a declaration to God of our sin! The biggest enemy to confession is the first cause of all sin which is pride! It got Lucifer kicked out of heaven and was the first temptation to Eve in the Garden of Eden by Satan! Then our confession turns in thanksgiving to God for our deliverance! People who do not praise God do not want to recognize they are sinners! You will see this element in the religions of the world where they are all works based! Religion is works based! Earn your way to heaven! They deny the reality of their sin and the need for a savior! King David recognized his sin before God and praised God for his ability to deliver him from the sin! To deliver him from himself! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: praise
Praise or Wail? Revelation 1:7
Just as Jesus ascended into the clouds from earth to heaven so Jesus at his second coming will descend back to earth through the clouds from heaven! There are many instances of clouds in the Old Testament! The cloud over the Tabernacle! The cloud over Mount Sinai! These clouds represent the presence of God! These clouds at his second coming will not hide Jesus from the world but will show Jesus to the world where no one will have any doubts it is him! Remember the dark cloud over Calvary? The Father could not look on the terrible fate of his only Son on the Cross! Jesus cried why have you forsaken me? Many had forsaken Christ that day including his disciples! Have I ever forsaken Christ? Yes! The disciples repented and Jesus enlisted them again to continue his work here on earth! The most difficult day for those who have not repented of their sin is to witness Jesus second coming! It says in this scripture that they will wail! They will cry and mourn! Why could they not rejoice at his coming? Because they rejected Christ and he comes to the earth a second time not as Savior but as Judge! Those that pierced him will wail! We have all pierced him but then some have repented and let Jesus take our sin upon himself! So when he comes back will you be able to rejoice or will you wail? Which group will you be in? Remember wailing always begins with a mockery of Christ! A mockery on those that follow Christ! In pride you know more than God? You are bigger than God? Mockery of Christ and his followers is a sign of no repentance towards God! Of all the kindreds of the earth which group will you be in? While you still have the breath God has given you consider turning your mockery of Christ into Praise of Christ! There is only one King of Kings and only one Lord of Lords! Who is your King? Yourself? Mortal men? If you have chosen God his Christ your King then you mourning will be turned into dancing joy! Our choice is between one of two places in eternity! Heaven or Hell! It is all up to you! It is your choice! We can make a bad choice while on earth and still recover but to make this choice about eternity an error there is no room for repentance when you witness Jesus at his second coming! This time for repentance is right now! The opportunity will pass by you only once! Do not trash God and throw this opportunity away! Eternity is forever and this life is very short! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Credit Card Praise! John 5:43
Jesus did not come in his own name! He came from Heaven to earth in his Father’s name! Jesus told the crowd that you receive me not? However if another shall come in his own name you will receive him? Jesus whole walk on this earth was to give his Father the glory! What much of the world cannot stand is for you to come to them in Jesus name! If you tell the world my name is Frank, Sally or George they have no problem! But if you come to them in the name of Jesus all Hell breaks loose! Most people have a Visa or credit card. The bank that has given you the card has given you a loan or some credit! If you took the name of the bank off the credit card it would be worthless! You purchase by credit in the name of the bank! Your name on the card by itself would not even buy you a can of beans! Our power and authority does not come from our own name but from the name that is above all names! When we call on Jesus name it gets the attention of the Father just as a charge on your Visa gets the attention of the bank! Without the recognition of the bank or the recognition of the Father your request will be denied! The Father listens for the name of Jesus from your lips! Some people curse rather than praise Jesus! Do people go around cursing their bank? Your credit rating is all about you honoring your bank by paying back the loan! How much credit do you give Jesus for your life? How is your spiritual credit rating? Have you refused to give the credit for which he has paid out to you on the Cross for your sin? The debt was paid by him! Your debt! You did not even have to pay it back! Just thank him with your breath! The breath he gave you! What fool would refuse this offer? James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
I Am That I Am! Exodus 3:14
The Hebrew word for this English phrase is “Hayah”. Strongs # 1961. This Hebrew word is also related to another Hebrew word “Havah”. Strongs #1933. What is interesting is that these words are not nouns but verbs! So they represent an action or initiation of something! The first word describes God as “to exist.” He always was and always will be! He does not fade off into history like men! The second Hebrew word used means to “breathe.” Do not confuse this word with the two Hebrew words used in Genesis 2:7 and Genesis 6:17. In Genesis 2:7, Strongs #5387, the word breath means a Divine inspiration with intellect. The word breath used in Genesis 6:17, Strongs 7307, means a violent exhaustion of air and spirit. Like giving up the ghost! At Creation God the I Am That I Am, initiated his breath into man with Divine inspiration and intellect! At Noah’s flood in Genesis 2:7, the word breath means a violent exhaustion of air and spirit by death! At birth we receive God’s breath! At death we exhaust God’s breath! At Creation our life is established by his breath! We are established with his breath! We did not evolve! So our breath is not our own! So you have to be careful what you say! Some people have bad breath! Do we praise God or curse him with bad breath? Do we exalt God or ourselves? Every good or evil action is initiated with the breath of our words! Again our breath is not our own! Who is the owner of your breath? When Jesus raises us from the dead again one day we will have breath again! Both believers and unbelievers! Remember the story Jesus told of Lazarus and the rich man? It is found in Luke 16:19-31. Lazarus the beggar was taken to Heaven and the rich man to Hell. There was a great gulf between the two abodes! The rich man begged Abraham to warn his brothers still on earth to the Hell that awaits them unless they repent! Abraham told the rich man in Hell that his brothers had Moses and the Prophets! Abraham told the rich man that if they will not believe them then they will not believe one though raised from the dead! So God was really telling Moses to tell Pharaoh that I am the breath that all men have! I am the God that breathes breath into men! I am the Creator of all living things! Pharaoh you have not evolved by your own works! Pharaoh since you are using my breath that I gave you do not abuse me in unbelief towards me! Jesus said we must be born again! I second breath or wind! Before being born again I cursed God with my breath! No I praise him with the same breath! Pharaoh rejected the God that gave him breath and he and his army was drowned in the Red Sea! In the time of Noah the world except for 8 souls were drowned in the flood! Remember Lucifer who became Satan the Praise Leader of Heaven? Remember the fallen Angel? He used the breath of God to Glorify God then he used the same breath to oppose God! He rebelled against God in Heaven and was cast down to earth with 1/3 of the angels! Now they use the breath of God to oppose his Kingdom here on earth! Satan has many followers over the generations that have lived since the Garden of Eden! Is your breath used to raise doubts about God or affirm him? After the resurrection of the dead we will have breath again! Some to everlasting life and some to judgment! The Praise of the Saints will be beautiful but the screams of Hell deafening! Remember this! What you did with God’s breath while here on earth will determine your outcome in eternity! You are not your own you have been bought with a price!If I were God I would be reluctant to give mortal men my breath! Very risky! Will they praise me or curse me? With the breath of God Jesus said on the Cross,” Father forgive them for they know not what they do”! Crucify Him! One day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! Why not start now while you have breath! Worship the I Am That I Am! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Give Glory to Another? Isaiah 42:8
“I am the Lord; that is my name: and my Glory will I not give to another; neither my praise to graven images.” Comment: His name is Jehovah and he has distinguished himself from idol’s! He will not allow his name to be ascribed to another! No one will take the honor that belongs to me! God’s glory, honor, abundance and all that he is be given to another? No praise to graven images that belong to God? God has distinguished himself from his creation! In the earth throughout history we have one God but many gods created and worshipped by men! Idol worshippers have made gods unto themselves! Earth worshippers, environmentalists, sun worshippers, worship of money, sex, fame, fortune are the gods of men! Satan has always tried to get mortal man to worship him! To steal worship from God! Any ideology that replaces God is self-worship! Atheism and evolution are two good examples! Self-worship is exalting men above God! So how do we reconcile this with the Gifts of the Spirit? The indwelling Holy Spirit? How can God share his nature with mortal men? We were created in the image of God! How can God live in mortal men who are sinners? God became man through his Son Jesus Christ! God is a Trinity! Father, Son and Holy Spirit! One God but yet three distinctions! Each with a specific purpose! The Holy Spirit was the first active agent involved in the creation of the heavens and the earth! Even today the Holy Spirit delivers Israel from her enemies! God’s Son Jesus Christ sacrificed his sinless body as a substitute for our sinful body! So after Salvation we ascribe glory to God through his Son! Now the benefits from God are available to us because Jesus is God! When we give Jesus glory we are giving God glory! God gives his glory to us through his Son! So now we have communion both ways! God to men and men to God! God see’s his Son living in us and it pleases him! He see’s his atoning blood over our lives! The Father gives his glory to the Son and the Son gives his glory to believers! The Holy Spirit see’s God through his Son living in you and he is attracted to dwell in you! The Gift’s of the Spirit such as love, peace and joy are ours! His power is available to us to give victory to believer’s and defeat Satan! Without Christ man can only give God graven images and human sacrifices! God sacrificing himself for you is the only acceptable sacrifice! He was sinless! The praise of men that they give idol’s belong to God! If God saved your life and stepped out in front of a vehicle and took your death who would you be thankful to? The reckless drunk driver? No but yet this is what idol worshippers do! They thank Satan who wants to destroy them and reject God who has saved them! This is the unpardonable sin against God! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Are You Stoned? Ezekiel 28:13
Lucifer had it made! The praise leader of Heaven! He had every precious stone in his covering! Sardius, topaz, diamond, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, emerald, carbuncle and gold! Lucifer was equipped with praise instruments! He had the tabrets and pipes like a pipe organ to make music to the Lord in worship! Lucifer was a created being like us! That is why we are not to worship angels! Pride entered Lucifer and rebelled against God and was cast down to earth with 1/3 of his followers! When he impacted the earth his precious stolen stones from Heaven were scattered throughout the earth! So when you find a precious stone in the earth think where it came from! According to verse 13 Lucifer had been in the Garden of God, Eden! That is where he met Adam and Eve the first humans on earth! You might say Lucifer had a touch of heaven for in heaven the streets are paved with gold! It is not rare stuff up there! So why do we labor for the stolen goods Satan left here on earth when the jems and gold are as common as dirt in the earth up there? Some humans have worked for them but others have stolen them committing evil sins against God and man! Worship of God by humans involves the precious elements of the earth! Let us look at the Ephod Breast Plate in Exodus 28:18-29. The 12 tribes of Israel each had a precious stone of a significant color representing each of them before God! These stones represented earthly people. Most of these colors are in the rainbow across our sky! The rainbow has 7 colors! This sign in the heavens reminded us of God’s covenant to never completely flood the earth as in the days of Noah. It is interesting it takes water to activate the rainbow! It takes sin to activate the blood! When we look at the breastplate the tribe of Judah was represented by an emerald. The green emerald stone is used in engagement rings representing fidelity, harmony and loyalty! In Revelation 21:19-20, we see these precious stones appearing in the New Jerusalem! In the 4 entry gates of the city! Our Messiah came through the Tribe of Judah! God’s engagement to man began here and was consecrated in marriage which produced a Son named Jesus Christ! Remember Jesus always existed before creation and was incarnated into the earth as a human! The church today is the bride of Christ! My Bible says he is more precious than silver and more costly than gold! Why? Because he created this stuff! Remember the Ephod Breast Plate was for judgment! Judgment begins at the House of God! If you let Christ take your judgment then you are saved from it! Christ the eternal judge will not condemn his own! Another notable here is the eastern gate of the mobile tabernacle was guarded by the Tribe of Judah! When the Muslims controlled Jerusalem centuries ago they heard that Christ would re-enter the city through the eastern gate! So they sealed the eastern gate closed with brick and mortar to try to stop Christ at his second coming! The eastern gate is still sealed today and it looks like the Muslims believe some of the scriptures! In the New Jerusalem the eastern gate will have a green emerald stone on the gate representing the Tribe of Judah! If you have accepted the offspring of Judah Jesus Christ you will be able to enter this gate! Only God who created us is able to deliver us from sin! You cannot save yourself! It takes the God who never sinned to deliver you from our sin! He sacrificed himself for us! In the New Jerusalem there will be 12 gates, 12 angels, 12 tribes, 12 foundation stones, 12 names, 12 apostles, 12 thousand furlongs (dimension of city), 12 stones, 12 pearls and 12 fruits! This is going to be a fascinating place to live! Can I wait to see the mansion he has for me? Not really! It will certainly beat this stone age earth! There are a lot more scriptures available describing the New Jerusalem! Isaiah 54:11-12 is a good one! The windows are dressed with agates which are of every color representing the induction of every race into heaven! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
War in Space? Revelation 12:7-9
President Trump says that the nations will one day soon wage war from space and in space! He says the nation that controls space will control the earth! Russia and China are ahead of us in space weaponry! If an enemy can destroy our satellites in space then our communications is cut off! No more cell phones, navigation systems, weather radars, GPS, internet and so on! No navigation systems for our ICBM’s! It would turn our clock back 50 years! Our military would be blinded from seeing military movements against us! The war in Heaven began a long time ago! The war between good and evil! Heaven is where it all started! Part of this war is described in Revelation 12:7-9. Lucifer a Praise angel who became Satan rebelled against God and waged war against God in Heaven! Heaven was not a peaceful place at one time in history! Satan lost this battle and with 1/3 of the angels that followed his rebellion were cast down to the earth where this war continues today! The inhabitants of earth are now caught up in this battle! It goes on to say in verse 11 of Chapter 12 that they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony! It also says they loved not their lives unto death! God has given us a way to defeat Satan! Through His own Son Jesus Christ! Another great and last battle is coming to earth with Jesus second coming! The tension in the earth today has everything to do with the two sides preparing for this last battle here on earth! Everyone will choose sides! This last battle on earth is called the Battle of Armageddon! If you reject Jesus Christ you will be on the opposing side! God has given me peace in the earth even though in the middle of the conflict! He can do the same for you! God is no respecter of persons! Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved! Call on Jesus today! After Christ’s defeat of the Anti-Christ there will be a thousand years of peace on earth! Jesus is called the Prince of peace! Start with His love of forgiveness for your sin and then continue in His love! Love for God and then love for others! My prayer is come quickly Lord Jesus! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Mary’s Song! Luke 1: 54-55
“He hath cooperated with His servant Israel; in remembrance of His mercy; to Abraham and His offspring both past, present and future!” Comment: Mary really did understand the implications of the incarnate birth of Jesus! Forever includes both past, present and future! Remember Jesus said before Abraham was i was! The religious leaders could not wrap their brains around such statements! Jesus said i am the same yesterday, today and forever! Salvation comes through the Jew! Christ pre-existed creation yet was born into the earth through the flesh! Born to a Jewish girl named Mary. Mary the offspring of Abraham brought forth the Christ child! This responsibility had to weigh heavily on her! Her response was to break forth in Praise! God Himself conceives an offspring to bring redemption to the earth! Joseph and Mary lived in troubled times just as we do today! But the joy of our salvation overcomes all the worldly troubles! In child birth the pain is overcome by the joy of a new life! The best news you will ever find is in and during the Christmas season! Join the generations of the past, present and future along with the angel’s in praise to our King! There is only one earthly King who came down from Heaven to serve you! No King will ever do for you what this King has done! This King is God Himself come to conquer death, hell and the grave just for you! My allegiance is to Christ alone simply because no one else can deliver me from my sin and raise me from the dead! None else can promise you eternal life and deliver it! Find time to rest in Him this season and discover why Mary broke forth in praise! Merry Christmas! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Mary’s Song! Luke 1:49
“For He that is mighty hath done miracles and perfect is His name!” Comment: Our God majors in miracles! God never went to school! He is mighty because of who He is! He is perfect because perfection is in His name! He is creator of all things! No evolution with God! He is creator of all things but He Himself was not created! He always was and is and is to come! He is the pre-existent one! No one proceeded Him! He is the cause for all that is and everything that has been! His Son Jesus Christ also proceeded creation! God is the designer and cause for all life! You are created as all the angels were! That is why we do not worship angels! Miracles and perfection are the character of God! God being born into the earth through flesh causes me to sing songs of Praise along with Mary! Mary was impregnated by God for the birth of His Son Jesus Christ! Human parents by themselves could never achieve this! Man could only be saved from His sin through divine intervention! Signs and wonders will follow those who believe in Him! The Christian story is a miraculous story and those miracles are lived out on those who follow Christ! Be like the wise men and follow Him! The perfect God brings perfection in your life! He has done His best in us and we are to do our best in Him! Let us like Mary break forth in Praise to our God as we experience the miracles and perfection of a little baby born in Bethlehem! Merry Christmas! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Mary’s Song of Praise! Luke 2:51
“He hath showed strength with his arm, He hath scattered those that have turned their backs on Him in the image of their hearts!” Comment: Notice God scatters them! Remember Israel’s captivity? Like Refugee’s! Why would people turn their backs on God? Probably many reasons but the bottom line is they have the wrong image of God in their hearts! Remember we were created in the image or imagination of God! However the image breaker Satan is very busy! Satan tries to break the image of God in your heart! He tries through deception and lies to paint a bad picture of God to you! Christmas is important for this shows us God’s love for us! Being born for us and dying for us cannot create a better picture of God’s love for you! When we find the true image of God and His love for us then we want to love God and try to be like Him! The true image of God is expressed in the birth of His only Son Jesus Christ and the reasons He has come to earth just for you! Merry Christmas! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com