MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE

We are told in Scripture that there is coming a shepherd who many people will follow after hearing his voice.

He is not the Good Shepherd. He is referred to as a little horn in Daniel 7:8. It also says he will have a mouth uttering great boasts…

…and people will listen to him, and follow him.

In chapter thirteen of Revelation, this boastful shepherd is referred to as a beast and it is said that there was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies against God…

…and people will listen to him, and follow him.

In chapter thirteen of Revelation we are told by John that he sees another beast besides this arrogant beast. He is a deceiving beast performing great signs and wonders. He uses his voice to tell those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the boastful shepherd, the arrogant beast, and to worship it…

…and people will listen to him, and do as he says.

Why do those who dwell on the earth listen to, follow after, and worship this boastful shepherd, this arrogant beast?

In Revelation 13:8 it tells us it is because their names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.

Here we find a nugget regarding God’s eternal plan. The Lord Jesus, referred to here as the Lamb, died to purchase the salvation of those whom God has chosen. According to God’s eternal, electing purpose before creation, the death of Christ seals the redemption of the elect forever. This coming boastful shepherd, this arrogant beast, can never take away the salvation of the elect. John MacArthur refers to the book of life as “the eternal registry of the elect.” I love that. Since it is eternal it will never be altered or changed or edited.

Even more wonderful yet, the elect WILL NOT LISTEN to the boastful shepherd, the arrogant beast, because…

…the Good Shepherd’s sheep hear the Good Shepherd’s voice only. The Good Shepherd knows His sheep, and they will only follow the Good Shepherd…a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers. (John 10:5,27)

And the elect WILL NOT LISTEN to the boastful shepherd, the arrogant beast, because…

…the Good Shepherd’s Father who has given the Good Shepherd the sheep (from before the foundation of the world!) is greater than all (100% word!); and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:29)

…not one sheep of the Good Shepherd will be lost!

(One final thought, with the mention of the book of life containing the names of all believers, the church, placed right in the middle of Antichrist's reign, I believe we are seeing a direct reference to the church still being around at this time.)

NUGGET FROM ABRAHAM PIPER

"Nature teaches us that an infinitely marvelous, eternally powerful being created us and all we have. Therefore we are His creatures. He owns us. Our life, our breath, and everything we have is a gift. Our duty is simply to be thankful to Him from our heart and to cherish His glory."

Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

~Psalm 100:4-5

May the Lord be your life today...

THANKSGIVING TRADITION

This just came in from my dear mother. I will not be celebrating Thanksgiving with her this year, we will be separated by 1,200 miles, but I will at Christmas, Lord-willing! I think you'll understand why I love her so and why I am so thankful to the Lord for her and my wonderful spiritual heritage!

Dear Family - As I prepare for tomorrow, I can't help but remember years gone by when we four kids stood around the Thanksgiving table with Gay (this is my great-grandmother), Aunt Mabel, Aunt Ruth, and Uncle Sydney, as well as Mommer and Dad. How beautiful was the beginning of The Doxology with Uncle Syd's deep bass and Aunt Ruth's beautiful alto with the rest of us joining in the various parts. Then, to the amusement of this somewhat naughty little girl, one by one the older voices dropped out as tears filled their eyes and throat! Then there was the Thanksgiving where Aunt Grace and Uncle Milt joined us. Dad asked Uncle Sydney to pray and he choked up and passed it on to Gay who choked up and said, "Milt, you pray", which he did. Now it is me who starts strong but also stops midway in tears as I look at our gathering, holding hands in a circle that grows larger each year. What a blessing to see and hear the younger generation singing that beautiful, old hymn with their hearts as well as their voices. And the young men that have been added to the family leading in the prayer afterwards! Tomorrow we have a new, almost grandson-in-law joining us who also loves our Lord. Eva Karin is so blessed. Yes, I have so very much to be thankful for. May each of you also remember and be thankful for a home that founded us deep in a faith in our Lord Jesus and I hope you can make it through the entirety of The Doxology. (Bet you can't!)

Love to all,
Eva/Mother/Gramma

(We also sing the Doxology at Christmas time. I probably won't make it through without tears...it will have been ten years since I've celebrated Christmas with my mother...I'm in the older generation now...and it's family tradition!)

PASSING ON A SPIRITUAL HERITAGE

Like Timothy, I have a rich spiritual heritage on my mother’s side. From my mother’s testimony, sincere faith dwelt in my great-grandmother. She was sought out by my mother’s high school friends for counsel and my great-grandmother would pass on to them the pure wisdom from above.

As a child I loved to sit under my mother’s teaching. She has faithfully served the Lord for over fifty years now. She’s been a VBS worker, Pioneer Girl’s leader, camp counselor, Pastor’s wife, and a Sunday school and women’s Bible study teacher.

My grandmother lived next door to us while I was growing up. This afforded many sleep over opportunities! After breakfast my grandparents expected anyone who ate at their breakfast table to join in the family devotions. I grew to love those times. After prayer I would often linger and talk to my grandmother about heaven. I’m sure my eyes sparkled when she mentioned the streets of gold. She told me how she looked forward to a perfect body no longer riddled with aches and pains. And I felt safe and secure because I would not have to worry about going through the tribulation. Jesus could come at any moment and we will be raptured prior to the rule, reign, and persecution of Antichrist.

Fast forward thirty-five years or so.

I now pray for my daughter and granddaughter. I love to talk of the things of the Lord with them. I have told them that they will have to endure persecution, if they meet one condition. Paul, Timothy’s spiritual father in the faith, told Timothy that indeed all who desire to live godly in Christ will be persecuted. (2 Ti. 3:12) Did you see that 100% word? All who desire to live godly will be persecuted. If we have not suffered some form of pressure for our faith, we probably have not made much of Christ. My daughter and granddaughter are also familiar with what Paul told the Roman believers. Nothing, absolutely nothing, will separate us from the love of Christ! In a list of what God’s elect will encounter Paul includes tribulation and persecution. (Romans 8:35) Just one verse prior to that Paul says that Jesus was raised from the dead. The Offering for our sins has gone up to God and God embraced the Offering and now the Offering intercedes for us. The moment we are gifted with faith we are placed in Christ. Will God ever stop embracing the Offering? NO! Therefore He will never stop embracing us and nothing can separate us!

I have also told my daughter and granddaughter that Jesus has given us signs for which to watch to know when His return and our gathering is near. The biggest sign is Antichrist exalting himself as God in a rebuilt temple. He is going to demand the worship of the world and then the greatest persecution ever to come upon Israel and God’s elect will occur. (Matthew 24, 2 Th. 2)

How thankful I am for such a rich spiritual heritage. I can’t wait to be reunited with my grandparents. They were rocks for me during some very difficult times in my life. I’ve never met my great-grandmother. Someday I will. My mother was at her bedside when she was ushered into heaven. She told me that just before she took her last breath her face lit up and the words “Jesus!” spilled from her lips - She finally came face to face with her Glorious Treasure!

NUGGET FROM JOHN PIPER

Nancy sent this to me this morning...

“Therefore God’s love labors and suffers to break our bondage to the idol of self and focus our affections on the treasure of God.”

Definitely worth passing on...

GOD’S CHOSEN AND THE LAST DAY

I became a little excited when in my Bible reading the other day I came across a passage that mentions together the sovereignty of God in our salvation and an event that occurs at the coming of Christ, the resurrection of believers. (The sovereignty of God in our salvation and the blessed hope are two of my favorite subjects to study, and blog about!)

The passage is John 6:35-44.

In John 6:35 Jesus calls Himself the bread of life. This is the first of seven tremendous “I AM” statements.

In verse 37 Jesus emphasizes the sovereign will of God in the selection of those who come to Him for salvation. “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”

We see the security of the believer in verse 39. “…that of all (100% word!) that He has given Me I lose nothing…” “This is the will of Him who sent Me…” Those are wonderful words, aren’t they?! No one chosen will be lost! It’s God’s will and God’s will is ALWAYS ACCOMPLISHED!

Verse 40 emphasizes the human responsibility in salvation. “…everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him…” Although God is sovereign He works through faith. Man must believe in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God who alone offers the only way of salvation. However, even faith is a gift of God. (Rom. 12:3, Eph. 2:8,9) This makes salvation COMPLETELY the work of God, so no one can boast!

Remember our spiritual condition before salvation?…deadness…and dead men cannot understand God and neither do they seek God. Faith must come from God under those conditions. I agree with John MacArthur. “Intellectually harmonizing the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man is impossible humanly, but perfectly resolved in the infinite mind of God.”

Then Jesus says that those who believe in Him (God’s elect which He gifts to the Son) have everlasting life; “…and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

When is “the last day?”

Paul told the Corinthian believers that we will put on incorruption at the event of the Lord’s coming/parousia/presence. Chapter fifteen in his first letter to them is about the resurrection of Christ and of believers. Jesus is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep, after that, those who are Christ’s at the event of His coming/presence – 1 Cor. 15:23.

In John 14:3 Jesus gives the magnificent promise that He is coming again and will receive us to Himself.

In Matthew 24:3 the disciples ask Jesus the sign of the event of His coming/presence and of the end of the age. Since the dead in Christ receive their resurrection bodies at the event of His coming/presence (1 Cor. 15:23) and Jesus said He will raise up all that the Father gives Him, the elect, on the last day (John 6:40), I do believe the last day is a reference to the end of the age.

What do we see in Matthew 24 as He gives instruction regarding His return?

1)The gathering of the elect…

2)which follows the sign of the end of the age/the last day…

3)which occurs at the event of the Lord’s coming/presence…

4)which follows immediately after the great tribulation…

5)which is said to be cut short for the sake of the elect!

Whew! That was a mouthful!

So, I do believe the resurrection occurs here when the elect are gathered at the event of the Lord’s coming which we see cutting short the persecution of Antichrist.

But I think what I will ponder on for awhile is the fact that we are a gift of the Father’s love to the Son and the Son receives and holds on to each love gift. What tremendous joy and wonder that brings my heart…I hope it does yours too!

THE JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS OF GOD

I just returned from my morning walk, in the rain. I had my big red and white umbrella with me; no furry, brown-eyed, four-legged friend appeared this time to escort me home. I did bump into another woman with a big umbrella too, complaining with bad news that one of the plans to solve the traffic congestion in our area is to run a road right through the beautiful horse pasture where I turn around. I must say, that would be rather sad if they did that! If I run into her again I hope I have boldness to ask her if she’s heard the Good News of Jesus Christ! The Lord has given me a passion to witness. Now I just need to act on it! I did talk to a fellow at the laundromat last week about the Lord. He is the owner’s father. He thinks the Bible is full of contradictions and was written by man. He brought up that it is unfair for the people in deepest, darkest Africa, that if they’ve never heard the gospel, it was unfair that they would be lost and destined for hell. I kept bringing him back to Christ and Christ’s claims. He said we’d just have to disagree. He walked away but later came back and asked me to pray for him. I asked him if we could talk more the next time and he said yes! The next time is today! So, pray for fertile soil in Jim’s heart!

Four other women and I baked about 50 dozen cookies yesterday for our drive-through living nativity that our church puts on every December. We offer goodies to the folks that get out and take the walk-through tour. We had a fun day. In the picture you'll see three of us. Marion, my dear friend with whom I've been meeting once a week to go through another dear friend's character study of Christ is the one bent over. (Sorry about that Marion! Chapter ten tomorrow, can't wait!) Camille, in the blue apron, is the youth leader’s wife. She is a twin too and we both love sports. We get along great! I'm in the yellow apron. Joyce is holding the camera. It was in her kitchen. What a beautiful kitchen it was! Big, with lots of room to work, and TWO ovens!

By the way, since we are born under condemnation, we all deserve hell. We all deserve to face God’s wrath. He is just and fair in allowing those who have never heard the gospel to be lost because they are sinners. But in His marvelous mercy and grace He chooses some for salvation. Why He chose me, I don’t know?! But I know I can’t wait to fall at His knees and thank Him for His great love and mercy and grace. Those of us who do now have understanding and are seekers of God (Romans 3!) are to be about spreading the Good News. He knows those who are His elect because He wrote their names in the book of life even before He created the world. No revisions, no editing, no re-writes. Wow, is that an amazing thought or what?! We spread the seed and leave the results up to Him!

Is there someone you know that hasn't heard the Good News? Share it with them today!

THREE THINGS THAT ARE PRECIOUS TO GOD

...the death of His godly ones - Psalm 116:15

...the blood of His Son that redeemed us - 1 Peter 1:18,19

...the Son Himself - 1 Peter 2:4

"precious" - of great value, highly esteemed or cherished

"Treasure God Above All...

...everything else is bonus." Nancy Suko

(Nancy is my pastor's wife. She is one of those dear friends that is God's "bonus".)

PSALM 65:4

The word "choose" in Psalm 65: 4 jumped out at me as I was reading yesterday...

“How blessed is the one whom Thou dost choose, and bring near to Thee, To dwell in Thy courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, Thy holy temple.”

It seems that even David understood that God chooses and draws worshipers to Himself, giving them hearts that will be satisfied with His goodness! We are not sovereign and self-determining. It is God’s choice for those who will awaken to His goodness and be satisfied in Him. He is calling out a people for Himself to proclaim His excellencies and be satisfied in His goodness. We scatter the seed of the good news of Jesus Christ and leave the results up to Him. We beg others to taste and see that the Lord is good, but He determines if the heart will be receptive soil.

I thank Him for His mercy and grace on my behalf…that He has called me to be satisfied in Him. There but for the grace of God I would still be dead and unresponsive in my sin (Eph. 2:1)…a non-understander and a non-seeker of God (Rom. 3:11).

ENDURING HAPPINESS

My sister emailed me this question today, "If someone were to ask you what your favorite Scripture passage or theme is what would you tell them?"

This was my reply...

I've always loved Ephesians 1 but I'm moving more towards verses that talk of our enjoyment and pleasure in God.

I love Ps. 16:11 - "Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fullness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever."

God takes great pleasure and is glorified in us finding pleasure in Him.

David also says in Ps. 16:8,9 - "I have set the LORD continually before me;...Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices."

David says in God's presence is fullness of joy...Compare that to what 2 Th. 1:8,9 says about those who do not know God...these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power..."

What an absolutely awesome privilege we have to be one of God's chosen, to delight in Him, to be in His presence, to see the glory of His power.

This is what I'm pondering on these days...God is a deeply happy God, not a frustrated, gloomy, irritable Father who wants to be left alone...He is a Father whose heart is so full of joy that it spills over onto those who thirst for Him.

John Piper in "Desiring God" says, "We should never try to deny or resist our longing to be happy, as though it were a bad impulse. Instead, we should seek to intensify this longing and nourish it with whatever will provide the deepest and most enduring satisfaction."

"THE DEEPEST AND MOST ENDURING HAPPINESS IS FOUND ONLY IN GOD."

PUTTING FAITH TO THE TEST

Have you ever lived with doubts that you are really saved?

Do you call yourself a Christian but is your life characterized by sin without conviction?

Is it even possible to be secure in your salvation, to be sure of it? The answer is a resounding YES!

Listen to this excellent message by Pastor Ken Gentzler of Grace Church and be sure of your salvation!

WORSHIP MEDLEY...

...by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.

BILLY GRAHAM TURNS 90

Recently I've been making it a practice to visit daily John Piper's Blog. Today I learned that Billy Graham turned 90. John noted Billy Graham saying one time about studying the Bible, “Sometimes His word makes such an impact on me that I have to put the Bible down and walk around for a few moments to catch my breath.”

While placing himself in the presence of Christ through His word, Billy Graham experienced Psalm 16:11 - "In Thy presence is fulness of joy; In Thy right hand are pleasures forever."

Spend time with Him in His word today, and let Him catch your breath!

LET YOUR THOUGHTS & WORDS BE ALL ABOUT MAKING MUCH OF CHRIST...

...then there will be no room for anxious thoughts or words, or critical thoughts or words.

And when the cup gets bumped...only His greatness and majesty will spill out!

PERFECT PEACE

Jesus has warned us that there is coming a great storm before He returns. Some of His elect are going to be thrown into great tribulation. Mark records that some of His followers will be delivered up during this time. We are not to be anxious before about what we are to say. We are to say whatever is given to us in that hour because the Holy Spirit will be speaking through us.

Is it possible to experience peace during that time? Can we experience peace in the storms we face today? Can we experience full and complete peace?

The prophet Isaiah said that those whose minds are stayed on God will be kept in perfect peace, that is, full and complete peace, because they trust in God.

God is either the ALL-SATISFYING-TREASURE-OF-INFINITE-VALUE-AND-WORTH to us, our EVERLASTING ROCK, or something else is.

We are commanded to be anxious for nothing. If anxious thoughts arise within, haven’t we diminished our thoughts that He is our best joy and security? Haven’t we taken our eyes off the greatness of His person, His precepts, and His promises and stopped being satisfied in them? Aren’t we entertaining thoughts of placing our assurance in a different thing and treating it more valuable than God?

Whether you see storm clouds gathering up ahead or are in the midst of a tumult now, fix your mind upon Him. When the command was given to be anxious for nothing, we are told to pray, with thanksgiving...prayer is directing our thoughts to God and we are to be thankful in the midst of these thoughts as we make our requests known to God. What’s the promise when we do this? Peace will stand as a sentry before our hearts and minds…between us and the world’s commotion.

Think for a moment on these words of King David, “How precious also are Thy thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!”

God’s thoughts towards us are abundant and they never diminish!