These are the words of Jesus spoken from the Book of John! This is not my opinion! These words spoken by Jesus here are also confirmed by other scriptures including the Old Testament! The truth spoken here by Jesus here says that all will be raised from the dead! The believers and unbelievers! I believe this truth is forgotten in most Easter Messages! We forget the Bible applies to everyone whether you believe it or not! The righteous raised to everlasting life and the unrighteous raised to judgment and the second death or lake of fire! This truth makes the Salvation message even more important! Most of the 21 Century preaching today is a soft petal message of Jesus! Jesus was a lamb at His first coming but will be a lion at His second coming! How does a culture try to deny the truth about what Jesus said in this scripture in John? If you try to deny the grave then you could avoid any resurrection! Right? Three ways those at war with God in American culture do this! First they deny the existence of God! Atheism which includes Darwinism and evolution and the junk science that tries to validate it! Second the grave is denied through abortion! To abort a baby in the womb and cut it to pieces and sell the body parts is to deny this soul’s existence! No grave no resurrection! Abortion is also about money! Money is the root of all evil! Sadly millions of dollars of our tax money is used to do these atrocities on millions of children! Cremation is also a denial of the soul and the grave! Cremation is promoted as a method to save money? Save it for abortion! If you have no body you have no grave! War itself is a denial of the human soul and the sanctity of life! Islam claims it is their duty to kill Christian’s and Jews? Cut their heads off and separate the body and deny the grave! They also claim it is their job to eradicate a whole race of people in Israel? Hitler echoed the same words! He used cremation on 6 million! Rather than try to deny life and the grave would it not be better that your eternity is predicated on what you do with Jesus Christ! When the train blows the whistle and you are not on board it will be too late! Happy Easter! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: resurrection
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
Christian Burial 1 Chronicles 16:1
Verse 1 (Ark) Comment: It is interesting the same Hebrew root word for Ark is also the same word for coffin! It is a sacred box which is kept in the Holy of Holy’s below the Mercy Seat. It originally contained the stone tablets (Ten Commandments), the pot of manna and Aron’s rod that budded! The original intent of the word was to gather together! Remember Joseph’s coffin that was carried out of Egypt during the Exodus! We have the Ark of the Covenant! The Saint’s are gathered together in His Church on earth and will be gathered together in Heaven! Christian burial is not cremation! Fire represents judgment! Jesus was not cremated! The heathen cremate their dead! Let us look at Matthew 27:52 When Jesus died on the Cross many things happened! One thing was that the graves were opened and many bodies of the Saints which slept arose from the dead! John 5:28 says, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all in the graves shall hear His voice!” Remember at the resurrection the dead in Christ will be raised first! Jesus had a coffin or tomb and that tomb was sacred! Why? Because he returned to the grave to be raised from the dead after three days in the heart of the earth! I believe cremation is an attempt by man to escape the grave! One of the big problems with cremation is that you get no closure of the deceased! You have a memorial service with no body? Like being married to a woman that has a spirit but no body! I try to pattern my life after Jesus in living and dying! The money you save in cremation is not worth it! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Real Prophets Suffer! 1 Kings Chapter 17
Elijah lived in a great day of Apostasy in Israel. King Ahab and Jezebel were Baal worshipers! The centerpiece of Baal worship was child sacrifice! Much like abortion in America today! However Elijah did not have a 501c tax exemption! He spoke some prophetic words over Ahab and Jezebel that were not nice! Like the dogs will lick your blood and there will not be enough left of you to bury! However Elijah started off with a drought predicted for the King! How would the 21st century prophets respond to Ahab and abortion? Maybe something like this? Ahab you are going to be rich and wealthy! Prosperity will be everywhere you look! You will be blessed, successful and famous! Peace will dominate your realm! Your lovely wife Jezebel is such a blessing to us! Ahab our ministry is growing everyday and a suggested donation of 30 pieces of silver would grant you God’s favor and we would pray for you! Elijah stuck with God’s word and Ahab sent his army after him! God sent Elijah to a remote area where a small stream provided water! This brook drained into the Jordan River. Then God set up a bird feeder for him! I might have complained here? Ravens are scavengers and are road kill specialists! The prophetic word that caused the drought caused the small stream to dry up! So God sent him to a widom and her son for supplies? She warmly received him and told him they have enough supplies for one meal then we can all die! Elijah told her the provisions would last through the drought! Then the widow’s son gets sick and dies? The widow blames Elijah for his death? I would have lost it here! You no good low down and i cannot finish the sentence here! Elijah keeps his cool and focuses on the real problem the dead son! Elijah raises the son from the dead! So what was the widow’s testimony? “Now i know you are a man of God and that the word of God is in your mouth and that it is truth!” Elijah and Moses with Jesus stood at the Mount of Transfiguration! Elijah was taken up to Heaven and did not physically die! At the Mount Elijah represented the Prophets. Moses the law and Jesus the Prophet, Priest and King! As Easter approaches our Pastor Cope is helping us to look at some of the resurrection documents prior to the incarnation of Jesus Christ! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Job Knew! Do You? Job 19:25
“For i know the redeemer of my kinsman is living and He shall stand at the last day on earth.” A redeemer is one who will pay a ransom to free you from death! A day is coming when God will vindicate Himself of all of life’s suffering! Not only was His promise fulfilled in Job in the restoration of all that he had lost but has given us all the same promise for the present and the future for those that put their trust in Him! Jesus birth, death and resurrection and His second coming is fulfilling this Old Testament Prophecy made through Job about 3800 years ago! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Wonderful Councilor! Isaiah 9:6
God chose to make His dwelling place with men! A councilor is one who fixes problems! My dad was my best councilor growing up as an adolescent! He rescued me many times! Kids should learn important lessons in life from their parents! With all those close calls I had growing up God never took His eyes off me! Today many youth are exposed to a flawed view of God! There are four basic views how people view God. 1. God is a troubleshooter! We do not bother Him unless we get in a crisis! 2. God is a distant power! God is not really interested in us. This pro-active disengagement leads to many problems in marriages and home life. 3. God is a grandparent. God wants what I want! God is an ATM machine to give me my every desire! 4. God is Lord and center of my life! God is the source of all wisdom and I submit to His rule over my life! Is God a wonderful councilor to you? Are you busy and distracted by the cares of this life? I will ask God council over every area of my life! We live in cultural chaos! There are competing voices for your life! Slow down! Take time to be Holy! Pay attention to Christ! A sheep only responds to the voice of his shepherd! He will ignore all other voices! Take time to listen to the Master’s voice! People that hear from God wait on Him! John 14:26 The councilor, the Holy Spirit will teach you all things! He will remind you of everything He has taught you in His Word! Jesus was the original home schooler! Teaching requires patience, diligence, and staying with it everyday! Teaching is not a lucrative occupation! Jesus disciples were slow and rebellious! Teaching requires kindness and being intentional! The Holy Spirit teaches us and reminds us of all things! We as a church recite the Nicene Creed because it teaches us and reminds us of very important things! What do good parents do for us from the cradle to the grave? They teach us and remind us! As we take communion this morning Jesus taught us and reminded us to do this in remembrance of Him! God is personal and interested in you! That is why He came to earth! God came from Heaven wrapped in flesh! Fully God and fully man! He told us He would be born of a virgin, die on a Cross, be raised from the dead and ascend back to Heaven! He taught His disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit! The original Passover meals took hours to prepare! It was not fast food! God has taken great preparations for us! All we do is just receive the gift! Christ was broken for you yet His brokenness heals the world! At Passover in Jewish tradition the Messiah’s cup was always displayed meaning one day He would drink with us! At the Passover Jesus took the ceremonial cup and drank from it saying I am the long awaited Messiah! Jesus invites you to His table this morning! Jesus asked the Father if He could take this cup away from Him! Let thy will be done! God’s will was very costly to deliver us from our sin! Drink with Him this morning. He is a wonderful councilor and much more! No one can crash this party because everyone is invited! Source; Excerpt from Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. His complete messages can be seen on his Podcasts. Go to NewLifeChurch.org
Good Friday! Mark 8: 27-38
As we reflect on our life we can conclude that many responsible people have paved the way for our success and Blessings! Think of the millions of American’s who have laid down their lives in war to defend our freedom and way of life we benefit from here in America today! The foundations we enjoy have come at a very great price! Think of the church congregation members that took up arms against the British Army at Concord in the Revolutionary War! Think of the 600000 men who died in our civil war to free the slaves! Think of the thousands of men and women in our VA hospitals across America from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Also our Vietnam, Korean and World War II veterans! How about our great science inventors and business people who have made our lives more comfortable here in America. How about our great spiritual leaders that have set an important foundation for our understanding of God over the generations! As important as all these American’s are we have to go back to a greater foundation that has established the true meaning and purpose of life! A price paid by God Himself that would give us a hope in this life and beyond! No one represents humanity better than a disciple of Jesus named Peter. Jesus asked Peter who do men say that I am? Peter replied some say Elias and some say a prophet. Then Jesus asked them who do you say that I am? Peter got it right and seemed to be the smart one when he said you are the Christ! Then Jesus went on and said that he would be rejected, persecuted and would be killed but would rise on the 3rd day! Peter immediately took Jesus off to the side and rebuked him? At this time Peter was in remedial training and Jesus rebuked Peter and called him Satan! Peter at this time could not see from an eternal perspective but from a flesh viewpoint. Jesus went on to explain to them that they must deny themselves take up His Cross and follow Him! Peter eventually got it and became the leader of the Jerusalem Church and later martyred in Rome hung upside down on a cross. Good Friday is not good without the Resurrection on Sunday! We have no future unless we understand God has made a way for us and then accept the eternal foundation that all history has shown us is hopeless without the Cross! Happy Easter! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
True or False? Matthew 7:15-23
False Prophets! Not all that shines is gold! Jesus warning His disciples. Wolves attack just to kill while other beasts kill only for food. Assassins! Dressed in sheep clothing. They look like you, dress like you, have a good church language but are suicide bombers wearing a Christian costume. Intentional people who purposely mislead us to hurt. Evil at the core. Verse 16- By their fruit you will recognize them. Good or Bad! True or False! Pay attention to the right thing. Walk and be not deceived. Good fruit is moral fruit. Bad fruit is immoral or evil fruit. Verses 21-23. Final Judgment! I prophesied in your name? I cast out demons in your name? I did miracles in your name? Jesus said but I never knew you! Worst thing you could ever hear! Warning! Big crowds always follow those who perform prophecy, cast out demons and perform miracles. They may be genuine or total deceivers? Work for the right fruit. Do they sell products and then sprinkle Jesus on top of their sales pitch? How does fruit come? Fruit takes time to produce. Galatians 5:22- Fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace———-. Is our motivation on self or Christ? Look for sound doctrine! Is your household built on sand or rock? 2Timothy 4:3-4. People want a doctrine that fits their desires. Our desire and God’s desire is different. Make me happy God! The 21st century church theology is called; Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. It says that God is here to make me happy! Use Jesus to get what you want. No sound doctrine. A lot of money made under this false doctrine. Money made in the God business. Why? It sells! Itching ears. We want to hear this! Pleases the flesh. Marketing 101- Find out what the people want and tell them how to get it. Politicians today- They follow the culture rather than lead it! Flow with the stream down the drain. Sound doctrine- Iron sharpens iron. Follow Jesus. Believe Him. False Prophets will appear to go along with the Gospel but yet will say Jesus did not die and raise from the dead. The Death and Resurrection of Christ is foundational to our Faith! The Nicene Creed has been foundational to our Faith for over 1600 years. The early church father’s wrestled these heresies to the ground for us. You have to be able to discern truth to avoid the destruction of the false! Source: Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Sunday Sermon Notes Message given on September 8, 2013. Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com