Chapter 9:1-5

“¹ I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, ² that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. ³ For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, ⁴ who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; ⁵ of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.” 

My family and I took a much-needed break last week. We visited the city of Kingston since we could not go to church camp in the US. We were not able to cross the border and see our brothers and sisters in the US. There is a lot of turmoil in the world today and a lot of lies. A lot of Christians and pseudo-Christians have gotten caught up in the Social Justice movement, and a lot of pastors have succumbed to the pressure to be relevant and not truthful. The Bible is misused as a springboard into the sermons that justify what they feel as opposed to what the Bible teaches. One of the things that gets missing in the whole political arena is that of the Gospel of Jesus.

Recently, there was a writer who made the claim that Jesus was pushed on the Africans by the White man. But the truth is that the Gospel of Jesus was brought by Black men to their people from the Jews (recall Acts 8). Simon the Cyrene was a black man who carried the Gospel to Africa. We can go on and on; Jesus is for everyone. It is certain that Jesus was not the white, tall, blond-haired and blue-eyed man that is often portrayed. He was and is a Jew. He would not have had a goatee; he would have had a full beard much like one sees on some Jewish groups, Muslim men, or the Amish men. He would have been the average height as He often got lost in the crowded areas of Jerusalem, and it took a kiss from Judas to identify him to the mob who arrested him. Jesus looked like a normal Jewish man.

In Isaiah 53:2, we are told that the Messiah Jesus would have not form of beauty that we would be drawn to Him. Jesus was not a good-looking man as far as good-looking men of that day. Often, he is shown in movies as what we call today handsome, but whatever he looked like in that day, he was not physically appealing.

In the passage above, I want to simply observe something that convicts me and maybe should convict you as well. Paul loved his fellow Israelites so much that he was willing to give up heaven so that they could get there. Did you see that? Verse 3 – I wish that I were accursed from Christ for my brethren. Is there anyone that you would choose to go to hell for? Is there someone that you love so much that if it were possible, then you would vacate your spot in Heaven for them?

We need to understand that in the vast majority of cases where Paul was persecuted, it was at the hands of the Jews. His own countrymen were his worst enemies, yet he had such great love and compassion for them that if it were possible that he, Paul, could switch places with them, he would take their place in Hell. Do you and I love even our loved ones this much, furthermore our enemies? I dare say I don’t, and if you were to be honest, neither do you.

About 4 years ago or so, maybe a bit less, I was led by the Lord to preach through the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 at the church I pastor. It challenged me and hit me in the heart. It took a while, but I began to realize that this was how God loved me. He loved me like 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, and he expected me to love others the same way. It began to hit me; my son and I had been at loggerheads for a long time, and I was not being very loving. Now, loving does not mean condoning or being a party to evil. But it does mean forgiving; it means holding one’s tongue; it means giving chances and more chances like God gives us. It means not holding a grudge, and it means always looking for the best for the people that hurt you. Man, it hit me that I was not loving this way, and I began to ask the Lord to change me. He has and He is; trust me, it was a God-sized job to move me, but He was up to the task.

In the Bible we see men being great examples of this kind of love. Stephen in Acts 7 asked God to forgive the men who killed him. Paul preached Jesus to the man who ordered him to be brutally beaten in Acts 16. And, of course, Jesus asked God the Father to forgive the men that killed Him. In Genesis 50:20, Joseph comforted his brothers who feared his wrath once their father had died. Joseph promises them that he had no evil towards them, that what they had done for evil, God has used for good. Joseph was a man at peace.

In John 13:34-35, we are called to love each other as brothers and sisters in the Lord; and in this kind of love, we will be able to exhibit our Christianity. But in Matthew 5: 10-12, we are called to love our enemies. If one is truly following the current events, you will see that there is a deliberate effort against conservative Christianity. In some states is illegal for churches to meet, yet one can protest side by side. In many states, it is illegal to attend church, but the liquor stores and abortion clinics remain open. In many places, it has become so that people cannot attend weddings or funerals for a loved one, yet we can attend all kinds of rallies and protests for evil.

The Bible is hated, truth is hated, and even Black conservative men and women are seen as traitors because they tell the truth. Truth is the enemy of the current situation. We have seen many instances where social media have edited or flat-out banned a person’s post because it is the truth, but it did not fit the present narrative. Truth is the enemy of all lies, and the more accepted a lie becomes, the more hated the truth-tellers will be. That is us – you and I who hold that the Bible is the absolute truth. It says exactly what God wanted it to say and means exactly what God wanted it to mean.

Paul was a truth-teller. Paul taught that Jesus was the only way to be saved; Paul taught that women should not be permitted to teach men; Paul taught that a pastor called an elder should not drink alcohol, and on and on we can go. He taught that homosexuality was wrong, but so was gossip, backbiting, and bigotry. He taught that a repentant brother or sister should be accepted back with loving arms. Yet he was hated for teaching the truth; and if you teach the truth, so you will be hated as well. Look at the modern preachers that are accepted by the masses, and you will find the ones who are loose with the truth of the Bible. On the other hand, the ones who deal fair and straight with the truth are hated.

Yet Paul loved his fellow Jews and wished that, if possible, he would give up heaven for them. Do we love each other this way, furthermore our enemies? I tell you; we will soon begin to get the chance. Our enemies will surround us, and we will be called to make radical choices for the name of Jesus. I pray that the Holy Spirit in me will help me to stand when my flesh is weak. I pray that the Holy Spirit in me will help me to love the very men who may kill me, my wife, or my kids and to ask God not to hold it against them.

Do you love as Paul did? Do you love as Jesus did? Oh, that we would, this world would be a better place, and we would have a greater understanding of the cross. There, Jesus died for us, we who were his enemies at the time. Yet He loved us and gave His life for us.

What a loving, gracious and kind God we serve. Oh, that I/we were more like Him.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding

Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MississaugaMissionaryBaptistChurch

Online: https://www.mississaugamissionarybaptistchurch.com/

Email: missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca

This may seem familiar, as I posted one similar in May 2019. This one contains updates to include events of today, and the song is just as critical as it was then.

Galatians 2:20; “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” This was a statement that summed up how Paul was inspired by the Savior after his conversion on the road to Damascus. We need to understand that this applies to every person on this earth as well. When we realize this, our life takes on a new meaning, and our eternity a new direction. Those who reject Jesus will face a terrible eternity. (all emphasis mine)

The Godhead is a “Trinity”; three entities in one; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When we receive and accept Jesus as our Savior, we have the full power of this Trinity with us. John 14:15-17; “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever; even the Spirit of truth, whom the world [unbelievers] cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You will know Him for He dwells with you, and will be in you.” Please note that this passage includes the whole triune Godhead. Then John 14:20; “In that day, you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”

Some may ask, what are Jesus’ commandments. Matthew 22:37-40; “Jesus said to him, ‘Love the lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it; Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.’” These commandments are also given in Mark 12:30-33 and Luke 10:27.

More verses about Jesus and the Spirit living in us are John 15; 1-27 (especially V.5); John 17:20-23; Romans 8:9-11; 2 Corinthians 13:5; 1 John 4:15 and many others. The “Spirit” within even has verses in the Old Testament with Ezekiel 36:27 and Isaiah 63:11, just as two examples.

Two verses that declare that we must have Jesus as our Savior are John 3:18; “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he/she has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” Then 1 John 5:12; “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

John 14:1 and 6; “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me…. Jesus said to him [Thomas], I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by Me.”

Peter, who had denied Jesus three times just before the crucifixion, became an inspired speaker after Pentecost. Filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 4:12, he boldly told the religious leaders; “And there is Salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved.”

A song that holds a lot of meaning for me personally was written by the Easter family. It’s a Southern Gospel-style hymn, and it’s called “Jesus Is Living in Me.” It’s performed by James, Jeff and Sheri Easter on YouTube, and well worth the time to listen to it.

(1) Lonely years, I had nothing; my life had no meaning till I heard about Calvary. Then I knelt down in prayer; the Lord met me there; now Jesus Is Living in Me.

(ref) He’s in my feet when I’m walking; in my tongue when I’m talking; in my eyes, and now I can see. He’s in the songs that I’m singing; in my heart His joy is ringing; Jesus Is Living in Me.

(2) Through the valleys He has brought me to the top of the mountain, and over life’s troubled sea. Now I sing for His glory, songs that tells the Great Story, ’cause Jesus Is Living in Me. (ref)

Starting with the very first stanza, I had heard about Calvary all the way back to my early childhood. However, as with many people, the significance didn’t really sink in. I thought I was just fine because I believed Jesus was real, but without a relationship with Him, I was totally lost. Even Satan and his demons believe Jesus is real (James 2:19)

I’ve mentioned my “prayer warriors” in the past, and I’m firmly convinced they were holding me up in their prayers, asking the Father to open my eyes and touch my soul before it became too late. As the song says, “Then I knelt down in prayer; the Lord met me there.” From that moment forward, I realized just how lost I really had been, and thanked the Father for not requiring me to pass from this earth before I truly asked Jesus to be my Savior. I still thank Him for this every day!

It became a quest that I read the words God gave me. Each day I learned a bit more, and still do; and my new relationship with the Savior has grown stronger. I totally understand and believe that when I asked for Jesus to forgive me and to be my Savior, the Holy Spirit came to dwell inside of me. The Bible says this would happen, and I believe God cannot lie as given in Titus 1:2.

The refrain and second stanza describe my feelings today. I find myself singing praises to the Lord, even though it sounds a bit like “Alfalfa” of the original Little Rascals. (Yes, I was around way back then.) The father doesn’t hold our non-talent against us. He loves us to “sing” praises to Him the best we can, and with true devotion in our hearts. Psalm 105:1-3; “Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all of His wondrous works! Glory in His name; let the hearts of those who see the Lord rejoice!”

A few more verses are Psalm 5:11; Psalm 9:1-2; Psalm 89:1; Psalm 104:33; Isaiah 42:10; Colossians 3:16 and James 5:13. One illustration is when Paul and Silas were in prison and had been beaten and put in stocks. Acts 16:25; “About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” It goes on to tell about an earthquake releasing them from their bondage, but because they didn’t run away, valuable souls were saved – namely the jailor and his whole family.

Please understand one thing; when we receive Jesus and accept the wonderful gift He gave for us, we are still subject to sin. It’s part of human nature, and everyone sins (Romans 3:23). The one advantage all true believers have is the Father will forgive us when we confess and ask forgiveness (1 John 1:8-10). As our relationship grows, our sin nature causes our “conscience” (Holy Spirit) to let us know we have to repent and turn away from habitual sin. The only time we will actually be sin-free is when we get our new “forever” bodies and new mindset. For the believers today, that will be when the Rapture takes place.

However, the down side is that all who refuse to accept Jesus as their Savior before they take their last breath on this earth will spend eternity separated from Him. The Lake of Fire was initially made for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41), as they do not have a pathway to forgiveness. Everyone from the beginning of earth’s creation up to Calvary who were not in God’s will, and everyone from Calvary to the end of the Millennium that denies Jesus as their Savior will join Satan in that Hell as given in Revelation 20:11-15. There are no other options.

False prophets are increasing in number, just as the Savior, Paul, John and others said they would. A lot of people have “religion,” but it’s not biblical. Jesus had the most problems with the “religious leaders” of His day. Today, more and more evangelical churches are turning away from the true word, and are having entertainment sessions. They give wonderful words that make people feel good. Music is designed to keep the “happy” feeling continue, along with special effects. Sad to say, the first meeting time after the Rapture will not see a change in attendance in many of the mega-churches. The following 7-year period will be totally miserable for them.

Jesus is waiting for your call, but He won’t force anyone to accept Him. Those who do will have the Holy Spirit in them; and as a result, Jesus will be there too. Then “Jesus Is Living in Me” will be a very meaningful song for you as well.

Call today; this age is rapidly drawing to a close as evidenced by the daily news. Satan knows his time is about done, and he’s pulling every trick he knows to pull souls away from Jesus. Our Savior’s flock knows what’s going on, and calls out to Him to Shepherd us (John 10). The only difficult part is having faith and believing Jesus’ gift is for real. Romans 10:9-13 gives the pathway to forgiveness and redemption. I went to my knees, and called out to Him; He lifted me up as a newborn person with an eternal address in Heaven. As Mr. Rogers so eloquently put it… “Won’t you be my neighbor?”

Shalom!

huebshman46@gmail.com