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"If you abide in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free...So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed!" (John 8:31-32,36)

Archives for October 2012

Unparalleled Iniquity

October 13, 2012 by Beryl Smith Leave a Comment

“So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. And after the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Jesus therefore said to him, ‘What you do, do quickly.’” (John 13: 26-27)

It is almost unimaginable that Judas Iscariot, after traveling with Jesus Christ for several years, could conspire with the Pharisees to betray Him for thirty shekels of silver. He had watched Jesus heal the sick, open the eyes of the blind, raise the dead, and feed thousands from five small loaves and two fish.

How could Judas do such a heinous, dastardly, dirty deed, to betray God Himself in the person of His Son?

Like the religious leaders who plotted to murder Jesus, Judas was the spiritual child of his father, Satan. What’s worse, Satan entered the spirit of Judas incarnating himself to inflame the betrayal by this “son of perdition.”

When this traitorous, cowardly deed was over, he capped off the plan of his father by hanging himself, forsaking the world of men for the habitation of demons and unnumbered multitudes who had lived in rebellion against their creator. The torments of hell, rather than the joys of heaven, would be his eternal abode.

Should we have any fear of this evil leader of the fallen angels? Is there any danger that he, the “prince of the power of the air,” could ever entice us to evil?

First, we would do well to be reminded of just who Satan is. In his little volume, Concise Theology, J. I. Packer summarizes Satan’s character:

 “Satan is a creature, superhuman but not divine; he has much knowledge and power, but he is neither omniscient nor omnipotent; he can move around in ways that humans cannot, but he is not omnipresent; and he is an already defeated rebel, having no more power than God allows him and being destined for the lake of fire” (pp. 69-70).

His names or titles describe his character: adversary, “devil” meaning accuser, “Appollyon” meaning destroyer or tempter, the “evil one” and the “god of this world” presiding over the lives of unbelievers. He is a murderer and a liar and his children are those who have never been delivered from his power by Christ.

Second, we should remind ourselves of the words of Peter – the disciple, who after betraying his Lord by telling a lie, was transformed into a preacher of righteousness:

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (I Peter 5:8).

Satan desires to keep people from hearing the Gospel of Christ. He also desires to devour the life and usefulness of professing believers who set their minds and affections on things on this earth rather than “things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1). We’re tempted to build a nest egg here on earth, while our bank account in heaven is void of spiritual treasures.

Thirdly, we should realize that God tells us how Satan and his host of demonic powers strive to devour unsuspecting, gullible individuals. He does this through false teachers.

 “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

Show me a person who calls himself or herself a minister of Christ and who denies the deity, incarnation, sinless life, substitutionary death, resurrection, ascension, and second coming of Jesus Christ and I’ll show you a minister of Satan.

Show me a so-called minister who fails to preach on sin, Christ’s atoning blood, and the necessity of the new birth and I’ll show you a person who is vacuous of any true spiritual wisdom or calling.

We should learn from the example of Judas, the betrayer of the Son of God, and listening to the words of Jesus, we should,

“Fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

We should heed the admonishment of the Apostle James, who said,

“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded” (James 4:7-8).

 Yes, even the most supposedly “spiritual” of us are still sinners. We are still double minded. So let us believe, rejoice, and trust the “Lion of the tribe of Judah” – Jesus the risen, ascended Messiah of Israel and intercessor of all believers – who said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you…come to me and I will give you rest” (Hebrews 13:5 & Matthew 11:28). He is the conqueror of Satan and his minions. By His indwelling Spirit, Christ enables us to be His conquerors and opens His arms to our stumbling ways. It would do us well to learn that old German hymn,

Praise the Savior, ye who know Him!

Who can tell how much we owe Him?

Gladly let us render to Him all we are and have.

Jesus is the name that charms us,

He for conflict fits and arms us;

nothing moves and nothing harms us

While we trust in Him.

Trust in Him, ye saints, forever,

He is faithful, changing never;

neither force nor guile can sever

those who trust in Him.

Keep us, Lord, on Thee relying

whether living, whether dying;

let no bitterness or sighing

mar our trust and praise.

Life Struggles, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Truth

Too Much at Home Here on Earth

October 7, 2012 by Beryl Smith Leave a Comment

“All these died in faith…having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”    (Hebrews 11:13)

Life is strangely and wonderfully filled with ambiguities and mysteries. It’s always wonderful to come home, especially after an absence of several days. I love the adventure of unknown places in the world. I discovered that spending two winters two hundred and fifty miles above the Arctic Circle at Prudhoe Bay.

Yet, coming home holds some feelings of not really being where I want to be. Maybe it’s the wanderlust in me. I love driving in the countryside; and almost being three-quarter of a century old, the woods, lakes, streams and meadows seem lovelier than ever before. I get to feeling that I’m going to miss all this beauty when I go toes up and they plant me in the family plot.

But that gets me thinking of life after my demise – that is when my biological clock has ticked its last beat. Reminds of some wise words I read long ago…

“The world is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;

Little we see in Nature that is ours;

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!”

I’m sure Wordsworth saw much more in nature than most of us. I hear his words in my memory…

“I wandered lonely as a cloud

that floats on high o’er vales and hills,

when all at once I saw a crowd,

a host, of golden daffodils;

beside the lake, beneath the trees,

fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”

Ah, the beauty of life all around us! But then I wonder, did Wordsworth see beyond this life? Did he gaze with the eyes of his spirit and wonder what the Celestial City might be like?

“And the city had no need of the sun or the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it. And in the daytime (for there shall be no night there) its gates shall never be closed; and they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it; but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:23-27).

As a professing Christian, I’m convicted of being too much with the world. I’m shamed by my spiritual shallowness. Jesus said,

“If he world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).

It’s truly a shame that we can’t be different enough to be hated by the world. I have friends and work associates who really don’t like me. I don’t always laugh at their jokes. They seem to try to get a reaction out of me by their coarseness. But they don’t hate me. I try to be a nice guy. It makes me wonder if I can say, like Paul,

“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God” (Romans 8:18-19).

The creation groans to be relieved from the curse. And God’s people groan in spirit, longing also to be delivered from being “strangers and exiles on the earth.” Yes,

“we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23).

Oh, to look beyond the glories of this present world to the ultimate glories that await those who walk in the footsteps of the Savior! Oh, to be able to confidently say with Paul,

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

God give us such a vision!

Beryl's Blog, Heaven, Life Struggles, Spiritual Growth Tagged: eternity, heaven, vision

We Remember – He Forgets

October 6, 2012 by Beryl Smith Leave a Comment

“For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)

The Old Covenant, with its approach to God through the Levitical Priesthood and animal sacrifices, became obsolete and was supplanted with the New Covenant. The mediator of the New Covenant was instituted through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.

For Israel, the chosen people of God, the promise of future restoration was declared by the Prophets (see Jeremiah 31:31). For spiritual Israel, the chosen people of God from every tongue and nation, believers in the person and work of Christ were made partakers of forgiveness and perfect standing before God.

One of the Scripture’s titles for Satan and his host of demonic beings is “accuser of the brethren” (Rev. 12:10). He accused Job before God. And we, as guilty sinners, yielding to those “sins that easily beset us,” are accused by the tormentor of our souls. He delights in tormenting us with remembrance of our past slips, failures, and rebellion against the law and rule of God. He relishes our being defeated by reminding us of our specific sins of the past. Our fleshly nature is an easy target for Satan’s reminders of our past failures. It must be a willful act for us to cling to the gracious promises of God.

David declared,

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)

The Prophet Micah declared,

“Who is a God like Thee, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:18-19)

The Apostle John declared,

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)

The Apostle Paul declared, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25)

Oh, fellow sinner – breaker of the laws of God – may God give us the grace to kick the Devil in the face and know that, although we remember, God forgets! And He promises much more than this.

The write of Hebrews declared,

“For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:113-14)

I encourage you to read and memorize this wonderful hymn, written by George Croly of Dublin, Ireland in 1854:

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;

wean it from earth, through all its pulses move;

stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art,

and make me love Thee as I ought to love.

Hast Thou not bid us love Thee, God and King?

All, all Thine own, soul, heart and strength and mind;

I see Thy cross – there teach my heart to cling;

O let me seek Thee, and O let me find.

Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh;

teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,

to check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh;

teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.

Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,

one holy passion filling all my frame;

the baptism of the heav’n-descended Dove,

my heart an altar; and Thy love the flame.

forgiveness Tagged: forgiveness, sin

A Shared Curse

October 3, 2012 by Beryl Smith 1 Comment

“The one who curses you I will curse!” (Genesis 12:3)

A very serious question seemed to grip me the other night, when watching the turmoil in the Middle East. There are over twenty nations surrounding Israel. They are Muslim. They, by their own spiritual leaders, have been led to maintain a staunch hatred for the nation of Israel. Like the rabid leader of Iran, they would like to drive the people and nation of Israel into the Mediterranean Sea. The question for us Americans is, are we cursed by God because we, for many years, have been providing military and economic aid to nations that God has cursed?

Any search of the Internet will yield these general figures. The countries nearest Israel, that have been at war with Israel for centuries, have received American dollars in foreign aid in the year 2010 as follows:

  • Egypt – $1 billion, 699 million
  • Iraq – $2 billion, 88 million
  • Jordan – $767 million
  • Afghanistan – $11 billion, 447 million
  • Pakistan – $2 billion, 853 million
  • West Bank/Gaza – $693 million
  • Russia – $506 million
  • Palestinian Authority – $100 million
  • Yemen – $70 million

That’s not all of the countries that have vowed hatred for Israel. But that’s over $20 billion dollars of American tax dollars in 2010 alone. As a country, we are over 16 trillion dollars in debt; and yet, we keep borrowing money we don’t have to give to countries that hate Israel. Do we think that God is pleased with our government’s support of those who hate His national people, Israel?

Do you think God is pleased with America? Is God spewing out of the mouth of His purpose those lukewarm, apathetic, individuals in the post-modern Evangelical Church who have, by their silence, joined hands with those who support nations that hate Israel?

Supposedly 30% of Americans profess to be “born again Christians.” If that’s true, why have we, as God’s people, kept silent and allowed our society to turn against God’s people Israel? We’ve allowed the murder of over 50 million of our own unborn citizens. And now, by our tax dollars, we are supporting countries that hate Israel – God’s chosen people.

If you are interested in what the Bible says about God and the world of men and nations, I urge you to read these words of God to Abraham, found in Genesis 12:1-3:

“Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

I would urge you to ask yourself these questions: Is there any correlation between America’s support of Israel-hating nations and America’s moral, spiritual and economic decline? Has God removed His hand of blessing from this nation because we are aiding and abetting those who curse Israel? If you are a true Christian believer, the answer to that question should be very sobering and disturbing.

Culture, Worldview Tagged: Evangelical Church, Israel

Beryl Smith

AvatarBeryl has a great love for studying the Bible and Christian theology. Beryl is a 12th generation descendant of Ralph Blaisdell, an English Puritan who came to America from Bristol, England in August, 1635 on the sailing ship “The Angel Gabriel.”
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