Sermon: The Greatest Thirst of Our Lord

The Greatest Thirst of Our Lord

332 Crimson wave

336 There is a fountain

John 19:18

*Les Brown tells story of going to radio station to seek job from Mr Butterball.  No vacancy.  Turned up next day and next.  Till owner got fed up and said boy go get me some coffee.  Became errand boy.  Driving guests, no license.  One day Rock the DJ was drinking and could not keep going so boss called him Les r u there.  Yes. Rock can’t go on.  I know.  Go play some music.  He must be joking.

Les called up family.  I’m about to come on the air.

And he launched his radio career that day with passion.  Les said “I was hungry”

Physical hunger and thirst but mental one.

Passion.  Drive.  Thirst for accomplishing something wonderful.  Something excellent.  For my Maker and my King who suffered so much for me and who offers in his suffering something new and different to that which we have in our communities.

Peace.

Love.  Joy.

Not the kind from ball of coke or perfume at the end of spliff.

Under his wings

Under his wings

This gospel of the kingdom must be preached, must be sung

To all world and then shall the end come.

Some who have forgot the songs they used to sing.

So many who say they used to come to church.

There is a need to reach these lost coins, lost sheep and lost boys and girls.

Time is running out on us in the toenails of history.   But to make from Paradise Lost to Paradise restored, to sing with the holy choir in the New Jerusalem we have to pass by Calvary.

I Thirst

Author: Bev Lowry
Copyright: Homeward Bound Music (BMI). Used by permission.
Album: High and Lifted Up (1993)
1. One day I came to Him, I was so thirsty
I asked for water, my throat was so dry
He gave me water that I have never dreamed of
But for this water, my Lord had to die
(Chorus)
He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the rivers
He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the sea
“I thirst,” said the King of the Ages
In His great thirst, He brought water to me
2. Now there’s a river that flows as clear as crystal
It comes from God’s throne above
And like a river, it wells up inside me
Bringing mercy, and life-giving love
Repeat Chorus (twice)
TAG:
In His great thirst, He brought water to me

Look again at our Friend and Savour.

Look at the supreme moment of grace and judgment.

For the Christian, Calvary is the centre of who we are as a people. 

We are duty bound to study and meditate on the passion of our Lord on a regular basis and find in it lessons old and new to keep us going and motivate us in this journey.

I.                    Jesus our Crucified Redeemer is Thirsty for Water

Why is Jesus thirsty?

1)      Godman is suffering for the lost race.  And feels literal thirst.  As part of agony he is going through for you and for me.

Pain.  Thirst.

Not to mention the beatings.  Whipping.

Movie the Passion of the Christ could very well be renamed the beating of the Christ.

Day of loss of blood and water.

Suffering is the lot of the faithful, there is blessing it suffering with Christ.

"this is the most dangerous trial of all, when there is no trial and everything is and goes well; for then a man is tempted to forget God, to become too bold and to misuse the times of prosperity"
— Martin Luther (A Treatise on Good Works)

II.                  Jesus Our Crucified Redeemer is Thirsty for Divine Comforting Presence of God

When Godhead is together Jesus is source of Water of Life.  Now sin is bringing separation and thirst is cosmic.

What a mystery. 

But in this is salvation.

For in that moment of separation i is connecting me with God.

Psalm 42  David in hiding cannot go to sanctuary and equates presence of God with going to church so in wilderness he looks around and sees the hart.

“As the hart panteth for water brooks so he longs for God.”

We ought to daily pray for hunger and thirst after righteousness that we will be filled.

Hunger and thirst not for sinful delights, not for unclean words and, but for holiness and ethical living.

“You alone are my heart desire and I want to worship thee.”

Bless the Lord

O my soul

And all that is within me

Bless Hi holy name

David says, “When shall I come and appear before God?”

He longs for company of saints on holy days and cant.

We take this privilege and the freedom for granted but it is only for a time.

2)      Thirsting too for the comforting presence of the Father because he is slipping closer and closer to a death for my sins and yours.  Pushing Him farther and farther away from the presence of Father.  Blocking out the glory of Father.  Sin is doing its work and he is feeling forsaken, hungry and thirsty.

Ten thousand angels would have come with waters from the river of life. 

For he could have called ten thousand angels.

But ten thousand angels had to fold their wings for they know

Because of the victory won by that thirst

Angels will not know the joy that my salvation bring

They watch the vindication of the law of God and of grace when they see innocent blood shed for sin that character of sin might be revealed and God’s character of love and justice shines through

But it is for me He is thirsty.

He endures the thirst that I CANT endure that I may drink from  streams of living water.

Woman of Samaria knows.

Read John 4:13,14.

What did he tell Martha:

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

For in the great paradox of the gospel story in his thirst he has won victory which now offers us water.

George W Reid formerly of biblical Research Institute”

QUOTE

in Christ's atonement a monumental price was paid, not in crass commercial terms, but to accomplish reconciliation between us as fallen sinners and our righteous God, to set us right with God. "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life" (Rom. 5:10).
        Before a watching universe God demonstrated once for all how far He would go to make possible redemption of lost sinners. In this extension of His love is revealed the manner in which His sacrifice partakes of ransom qualities.
        We must never forget that it was our God who initiated our rescue, who reached out to us. "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself" (2 Cor. 5:18). And He continues to reach out to us today. When we accept His merciful invitation, we walk in the certainty of salvation guaranteed by His death and resurrection.
        In one brief sentence Paul probes the depths of what it means for God to love. "But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8).

UNQUOTE

See him earlier at the feast of Tabernacles.

Desire of AGES

At the first dawn of day, the priests sounded a long, shrill blast upon their silver trumpets, and the answering trumpets, and the glad shouts of the people from their booths, echoing over hill and valley, welcomed

Page 449

The festal day. Then the priest dipped from the flowing waters of the Kedron a flagon of water, and, lifting it on high, while the trumpets were sounding, he ascended the broad steps of the temple, keeping time with the music with slow and measured tread, chanting meanwhile, "Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem." Ps. 122:2.

He bore the flagon to the altar, which occupied a central position in the court of the priests. Here were two silver basins, with a priest standing at each one. The flagon of water was poured into one, and a flagon of wine into the other; and the contents of both flowed into a pipe which communicated with the Kedron, and was conducted to the Dead Sea. This display of the consecrated water represented the fountain that at the command of God had gushed from the rock to quench the thirst of the children of Israel. Then the jubilant strains rang forth, "The Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song;" "therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." Isa. 12:2, 3.

Day after day He taught the people, until the last, "that great day of the feast." The morning of this day found the people wearied from the long season of festivity. Suddenly Jesus lifted up His voice, in tones that rang through the courts of the temple:

"If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." The condition of the people made this appeal very forcible. They had been engaged in a continued scene of pomp and festivity, their eyes had been dazzled with light and colour, and their ears regaled with the richest music; but there had been nothing in all this round of ceremonies to meet the wants of the spirit, nothing to

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satisfy the thirst of the soul for that which perishes not. Jesus invited them to come and drink of the fountain of life, of that which would be in them a well of water, springing up unto everlasting life.

The priest had that morning performed the ceremony which commemorated the smiting of the rock in the wilderness. That rock was a symbol of Him who by His death would cause living streams of salvation to flow to all who are athirst. Christ's words were the water of life. There in the presence of the assembled multitude He set Himself apart to be smitten, that the water of life might flow to the world. In smiting Christ, Satan thought to destroy the Prince of life; but from the smitten rock there flowed living water. As Jesus thus spoke to the people, their hearts thrilled with a strange awe, and many were ready to exclaim, with the woman of Samaria, "Give me this water, that I thirst not." John 4:15.

He gave us to drink water of life from the rock, and we have give him gall and vinegar.

He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the rivers.
He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the sea.
“I thirst,” said the King of the Ages.
In His great thirst, He brought water to me.

(Let us use the time wisely because Christ is full of the third thirst of the soul.)

III.                Jesus Our Crucified Redeemer is Thirsty for Souls to be Saved

God’s people need to have a hunger a thirst for harvest of souls.

From a wonderful sermon “I Thirst” at bible centre.com I found the following illustration

While on the cross, Jesus was certainly physically thirsty and dehydrated.  However, in the spiritual sense, Jesus' greatest thirst…His greatest desire…is for us to be saved.

On March 5, 1994, Deputy Sheriff Lloyd Prescott was teaching a class for police officers in the Salt Lake City Library.  As he stepped into the hallway he noticed a gunman herding 18 hostages into the next room.  With a flash of insight, Prescott (dressed in street clothes) joined the group as the nineteenth hostage, followed them into the room, and shut the door.  But when the gunman announced the order in which hostages would be executed, Prescott identified himself as a cop.

In the scuffle that followed, Prescott, in self-defence, fatally shot the armed man.  The hostages were released unharmed. 

Likewise, Jesus, dressed himself in street clothes, entered into our world, and freed us from our captor,  On the cross, Jesus died, and delivered us from our hostage taker…Satan. 

  My friends, Jesus gave everything He had to free us from our sins.  His greatest thirst is for you and me to be saved.

Consequently, Jesus Is Thirsty for Your Sacrifice of Time and Commitment to Seek the Lost

And the lost are right around you in your city and beyond.

1.       What if there were no branch Sabbath schools?  What if we were in countries where we could only have house churches?  Where bible is forbidden.  Would you with a thirst so Christly from the Christ of Calvary take the hope of salvation to your friends, your family, your neighbour, your co-worker.

2.       This outreach here needs your thirst.  We are blessed with the presence of Loving Saviour.  But we need your help.  In the book of Judges Deborah rebukes Meroz for not coming to help of Lord against mighty.  Busy with business, farms, their personal zones of comfort never came to help of Barak against Sisera.  Let it not be said of you. 

Come to the waters provided by the Man who cried “I thirst”.

In the words of EG White, a messenger of the Lord:

“The cry of Christ to the thirsty soul is still going forth, and it appeals to us with even greater power than to those who heard it in the temple on that last day of the feast. The fountain is open for all. The weary and exhausted ones are offered the refreshing draught of eternal life. Jesus is still crying, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink." "Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." Rev. 22:17; John 4:14.”

King James Version Isaiah 55

---

1Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

2Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

3Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the rivers.
He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the sea.
“I thirst,” said the King of the Ages.
In His great thirst, He brought water to me.

Do you long for peace and sweet rest

To drink of waters of hope and love and life

Come today for there is a fountain filled with blood

Drawn from Immanuel’s veins

(Chorus)
He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the rivers
He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the sea
“I thirst,” said the King of the Ages
In His great thirst, He brought water to me
2. Now there’s a river that flows as clear as crystal
It comes from God’s throne above
And like a river, it wells up inside me
Bringing mercy, and life-giving love

(Chorus)
He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the rivers
He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the sea
“I thirst,” said the King of the Ages
In His great thirst, He brought water to me

Sermon on Enoch

I have preached the following sermon twice in recent months. The material towards the end is from Mark Finley's seminar. I would love to preach it again using the Hebrews text as the key text and focus only on righteousness by faith.



Enoch
574: O Master let me walk with thee
108: Amazing Grace
Genesis 5:21-24
Hebrews 11:5,6
*The story of Shay, sacrifice for joy of one disabled little boy to have a happy day. Character, love.
People can be noble and loving. The story of Enoch reminds us that we can cultivate a noble character by the grace of God.

Enoch did not die. He walked with God so much one day God said just come over my house and don’t bother to go back to earth.
Translated = changed from mortal to immortal and taken to heaven. Only one other human being on this planet it happened to and that was Elijah the prophet.
Scripture teach that Moses died and experienced a special resurrection, a first fruit of those righteous who will be resurrected at the last day.

Enoch. What a life it was.
Enoch walked with faith
Enoch walked with holiness
Enoch walked with God
In the lawless and decadent age in which we live we often wonder if the Son of man will find faith when He comes. Will we and our children be able to walk in faith, holiness, and righteousness before God at the end of the ages?
I give you today the testimony of Enoch


I. Enoch was translated because by the grace of God he walked with faith
He lived just like us in a rapidly growing ungodly population. While the world wicked majority had no use for God, Enoch walked with faith in God.
Without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith is substance of unseen. Evidence. Believe. God is and a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
God who reveals Himself to us through word
Nature still occluded by thorns and thistles glorious sunset, and rippling streams and red roses that remind us of beauty of Creation week.

Faith he who will live Godly will suffer persecution.
Faith enduring faith that says hold on this is darkest hour is just before dawn.

Faith that says though all men should forsake thee by thy grace I’ll follow thee.
Faith that wrestle like Jacob and say I will nor let thee go unless you bless me.
Faith that says when the going gets tough the tough gets going on his knees. Claim promises of Lord Almighty.
Faith is best formed in the fires of affliction, distress, and struggle.

With this kind of Enoch faith lay hold of grace of God we are able to resist temptation.

*Story of visiting a metallurgical workshop and supervisor kept going from furnace to furnace and asked what are you doing. Heat the furnace and know the silver is pure when see my face reflected in it. Jesus will keep allowing heat to turn up until we reflect His character inn our daily relations for he is looking for holiness in our lives.

II. Secondly, Enoch was translated because by the grace of God he walked with holiness.
Enoch’s life showed that it was possible to keep God’s commands and resist temptation, even in a world of corruption and rebellion.

A. The decision begins in the mind.
B. Little actions that count, lets get them right in the spirit of the law.
C. Willpower is important but willpower alone can’t do it, we need to lay hold of God’s enabling grace.
a. Grace gives pardon
b. Grace also gives power. Holy Spirit power.
c. KEN MCFARLAND in his book The Called the Chosen puts it this way “since the virus of sin – of selfishness- will always lurk inside us here on earth, not to be removed till Christs second coming, we will always need twofold grace.” P.37.

John Newton: A wretched slave ship captain driven to his knees after a violent storm in which he asked jesus for rescue felt love of Jesus and the recognition of his sin in face of such awesome love eventually wrote:
108: Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I’m found
Was blind but now I see

John Newton gave his heart to jesus and became a preacher of the gospel.
Grace is available.
And remember that God will not allow you to be tempted more than you can bear.

Song says He will never
Put more on you
Can you can bear.
Never
Never

So what ever comes remember you can be pure
You can be holy
You can obey
Claim the presence of His Holy spirit
For he never put more on you
Never, Never Put more on you
Than you can bear
(But there's more)

III. Thirdly, Enoch was translated because by the grace of God Enoch walked with God.
* Psalm 1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in counsel of unGodly….

A. Enoch demonstrated that there is a way to walk with God.
i. Walked by faith and not by sight, for all around Enoch was evil, but he kept on keeping company with God.
ii. Walk after the spirit. A spiritual walk. Associate with God. Take time for Jesus, He took time for you.
Prayer. Meditation.
God wants to pour his love into you and a bigger vision of your calling.
*Story of plane spreading fertiliser. Bought by pilot. Fly. See what plane can do. Higher heights. Gods ideal for His children.
Enoch blessed with spirit of prophecy.
Through holy angels God revealed to Enoch His purpose to destroy the world by a flood, and He also opened more fully to him the plan of redemption. By the spirit of prophecy He carried him down through the generations that should live after the Flood, and showed him the great events connected with the second coming of Christ and the end of the world. {Patriarchs and Prophets 85.5}

Jude 14, 15.
iii. Walk of obedience.
iv. Walk of love.
1. Let’s talk about love. Esteeming and placing great affection on something or someone. Love can change you. Love ennobles you. Love is kind. Love suffers long.
2. Romantic love, brotherly love. Godly love. Great virtues of love faith and grace combine in heart of righteous.
3. Love for child Methuselah awakened noble virtues in heart of Enoch, love of God and appreciation of God love for him we are all Gods children
“ But after the birth of his first son, Enoch reached a higher experience; he was drawn into a closer relationship with God. He realized more fully his own obligations and responsibility as a son of God. And as he saw the child's love for its father, its simple trust in his protection; as he felt the deep, yearning tenderness of his own heart for that first-born son, he learned a precious lesson of the wonderful love of God to men in the gift of His Son, and the confidence which the children of God may repose in their heavenly Father. The infinite, unfathomable love of God through Christ became the subject of his meditations day and night; and with all the fervor of his soul he sought to reveal that love to the people among whom he dwelt.”
PATRIARCHS & PROPHETS P.84
God in the family what a happy home
Christian home great witness for gospel. Pray for one another to have happy loving homes.
v. Walk of faith is a walk of witness for God in every sphere of life.
Enoch's walk with God was not in a trance or vision, but in all the duties of his daily life. He did not become a hermit, shutting himself entirely from the world; for he had a work to do for God in the world. In the family and in his intercourse with men, as a husband and father, a friend, a citizen, he was the steadfast, unwavering servant of the Lord. {PP 85.1}

“O master let me walk with thee as Enoch walk in days of old…..
B. The amazing story of Enoch gives us hope to prepare for the final crisis because it demonstrates that there is a reward for whose who walk with God.
a. Righteous have a final reward and wicked a final punishment.
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8. For three hundred years Enoch had been seeking purity of soul, that he might be in harmony with Heaven. For three centuries he had walked with God. Day by day he had longed for a closer union; nearer and nearer had grown the communion, until God took him to Himself. He had stood at the threshold of the eternal world, only a step between him and the land of the blest; and now the portals opened, the walk with God, so long pursued on earth, continued, and he passed through the gates of the Holy City--the first from among men to enter there.
{PP 87.3}

…As Enoch was translated to heaven before the destruction of the world by water, so the living righteous will be translated from the earth before its destruction by fire. Says the apostle: "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump." "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God;" "the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." "The dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. {PP 88.3}
Jesus said:
Notice carefully: every human being will be resurrected or awakened from sleep at one of the two resurrections. Jesus’ words are clear. “All who are in the graves shall hear His voice.” Then our Lord describes the two resurrections: 1) The resurrection of life, 2) The resurrection of condemnation. Revelation 20:6 says, “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection.”
Two things are taught here. By identifying this as the first resurrection, God lets us know there will be a second one. And, by specifying that those raised in the first resurrection are the faithful dead, the blessed and holy, we also learn that the rest of the dead, the unfaithful, are raised at some later time.
What happens to those who rise in the first resurrection? Let’s read on in verse 6: “Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”
The story of faithful Enoch shows us persuades us, inspires us with hope for about believers who are living when Christ comes. The Bible tells us that when Jesus returns, the dead in Christ are resurrected first and caught up to meet him in the sky. The living righteous are changed, transformed and they also rise up to meet Christ. Paul gives us a wonderful assurance:
“We shall all be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
But when we look up and see Jesus coming, we’ll be changed in an instant, transformed in a moment. New life will pulsate through our bodies with incredible energy and vitality! We rise up into the air toward a glorious destiny with our Redeemer.
But what about the wicked? What about the unrighteous who rejected God’s love?
Those are the people described in Revelation 6:15-17. They pray for the rocks to fall on them. They look up and don’t see a Savior; they only see wrath, the face of a disappointed Father, grieving over the fate of rebellious children. That’s what fear and guilt and rebellion do to people. They see the Lamb of God coming and think they’re seeing a lion.
These are people God wanted to save. These are people for whom Christ died. But they just didn’t respond to His appeals. They refused to be rescued. They refused to accept the message of salvation.
Tragically enough, many people find the Good News not to be good news at all. Paul writes:
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
It’s the same message, but it is received very differently depending on a person’s response to God’s appeals. To some it’s just a foolish old myth and fails to awaken their interest. To others it is accepted as the power of God—and becomes just that! It’s not that God gives good news to some and bad news to others. No, He presents grace to every human being, just as his sunshine and rain come on the just and the unjust. But unless we accept the gospel, it won’t be the good news for us. If we pass it off as a useless fairy tale; the coming reality will be horrible indeed!
What’s happening here on earth while the righteous are reigning with Christ for a thousand years?
Here is how John described it:
“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:1, 2).
This period is called “the millennium.” The word “millennium” comes from the Latin. It literally is “millo” 1000 and “annum” years, or “1000 years.” This word is not found in the Bible but used to describe the 1000 years here mentioned in Revelation 20:1. During this time Satan is bound in a bottomless pit.
Why? What does this mean?
The Greek word translated here as “bottomless pit” is “abussos”. We get our English word abyss from it. “Abussos” means without form and void. It’s what was described in Genesis 1:1, 2:
“In the beginning the earth was without form and void.”
Jeremiah adds:
“And the slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth” (Jeremiah 25:33).
If Satan is alive throughout these 1000 years, how is he “bound” (Revelation 20:2)? What does that mean?
Remember that Revelation is a book of symbols. John is depicting the earth to be a terrible prison for Satan. He is bound by a chain of circumstances. That’s what ties him up securely.
All the righteous have gone to heaven. All the wicked have been struck dead. In other words, no one left for Satan to tempt! There is no one left for him to manipulate and deceive.
This earth will become like a bottomless pit for Satan. In the wreckage of the planet, one principle is echoed over and over: the wages of sin is death. And looking on, the whole universe will bear witness to the terrible truth of those words. He is now confronted with the horrible results of rebellion.
But what will the righteous be doing? Remember Revelation 20:6. Those who rose in the first resurrection will be priests of God and reign with him for a thousand years.
Think about being with Christ during the millennium. It will be inexpressibly wonderful. But you’ll also have a lot of questions. You may wonder why a loved one isn’t there. You may not understand why a friend—who seemed like such a good person—wasn’t saved.
Guess what? Our gracious God is going to answer all of our questions. We’ll be able to review God’s decisions.
Look at Revelation 20:4, where John is speaking of the redeemed during the millennium:
“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them.”
We know that God is the ultimate judge. Only the all-knowing God can preside over the heavenly courts. But, in some sense, judgment will also be given to the redeemed. Revelation 20:12 says that “the books were opened.” The redeemed now in heaven will then be allowed to look over heaven’s records; it’s a kind of a judicial review.
Remember how Paul stated it:
“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? . . . Do you know that we shall judge angels?” (1 Corinthians 6:2, 3).
We’ll be looking over the cases of people who have been lost.
This implies that one day we will fully understand why it was impossible for God to save some people. This happens during the millennium. We may not on our own, understand why this person or that person didn’t make it. But God can show us why. He can show us all the ways he tried to win this person, all the ways he tried to enable love to break through. He can show us what was really in people’s hearts, things that people kept hidden so well.
At the end of that period of judicial review, we are going to fall at God’s feet and proclaim that God is just and fair. The redeemed will sing: “Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments” (Revelation 16:7).
During the millennium all your questions will be answered—questions about other people, questions about your own life.
Now let’s look at what happens at the end of the millennium, the end of the thousand years.
John wrote:
“Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth” (Revelation 20:7, 8).
“But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:5).
As we noted earlier, “the rest of the dead” are the wicked dead. We have a resurrection of life for believers at the beginning of the thousand years, and we have a resurrection of damnation for the wicked at the end of the thousand years.

It is difficult for us to imagine the sense of loss of those who look at God in all His love and glory and realize that they will never be a part of life with Him in heaven. They will miss out on eternity! What inexpressible anguish that thought must bring. No wonder Scripture describes it as a time when there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Let’s look at the other important events that take place at the end of the millennium.
God is going to make all things new. He’s going to remake the earth as it was in the Garden of Eden. John wrote:
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away . . . Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:1, 2).
Do you know what this is describing? Our return trip, after the millennium, from heaven back to earth. We are in that New Jerusalem. It’s like our space ship. And its destination, its destiny, is to reclaim Planet Earth. Let’s read on in verse three: “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.
God is going to live with us in this New Jerusalem! This sin-scarred earth is going to be remade into a spectacular footstool for God’s throne.
This is wonderful news. But it’s not good news for Satan at that moment. He sees that holy city coming down and he is driven to one last act of defiance, one last act of rebellion. He can’t help himself.
Remember, at this time the wicked have been resurrected, the wicked from all ages. As Revelation 20:8 tells us, their “numbers is as the sand of the sea.”
Satan gathers his forces from all over the earth into one vast army. He will take as much time as necessary to build his army under the brightest generals of all time and furnished with the most sophisticated killing machines that great minds can devise. Then he attacks the holy city:
“They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city” (Revelation 20:9).
This is Satan’s last gasp. It’s the last battle in the long conflict between Christ and Satan for the heart of the universe. It’s the final battle of the war called Armageddon. The armies of hell are rushing up against the city from heaven. Let’s look at what happens:
“And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them” (Revelation 20:9).
The fire which consumes the wicked also cleanses the earth. It wipes away all the scars of sin. It removes the ravages of rebellion. And that is how God makes all things new. Now he can create a new heaven and a new earth.

Adam will be there, Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Ruth, Matthew, Paul. Stephen.
John.
Enoch will be there.
I by the grace of God will be there. What about you?

Do you want victory like Enoch tonight.
“Men were taught that it is possible to obey the law of God; that even while living in the midst of the sinful and corrupt, they were able, by the grace of God, to resist temptation, and become pure and holy.” PATRIARCHS & PROPHETS

108: Amazing Grace

Wednesday Night Meeting after the inauguration

Here is notes for prayer meeting conducted the wednesday after the tuesday:

Let Freedom Ring

In this most historic decade in which to be alive as a member of the African Diaspora one cannot help but feel that momentous events are gathering upon us and we would do well to wear our prophetic cap of god’s remnant movement well in order to make sense of the new age which is dawning upon us.

For you cannot witness the occasion of the swearing in of the 44th president of the United States of America and the first black man to be elected to that high office without hearing the echo of that other great son of America and hero to the world
Martin Luther King Jnr. who 40 years ago on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial came to the capitol to cash a cheque of freedom for oppressed black minority in America and in the4 shadow of the monument of that great president of the civil war era in America he charged the nation in crisis to Let freedom ring.

Oh yes on Tuesday there were tears and celebration because all of us who are alive now have the sense of anticipation that something like freedom will ring in the halls of America. Yes we can man Barack Obama.

Meanwhile back home, from a church that has largely seen itself as left out of the mainstream of Jamaican society because of our unique principles and practices in Sabbath keeping, in diet, and in conduct, we have been forced to avoid many of the activities, organizations, and positions of civil society which would have benefited from our presence but which we felt would Have compromised the standards as stated in our 28 fundamental beliefs; from such a church, namely the seventh-day Adventist church will arise the sixth governor general of the island of Jamaica in the person of Patrick Allen, president of west Indies Union Conference of seventh-day Adventist.

History. History. History.

He will be the highest ranking Jamaican comes February 26, 2009. Head of state. Like him in USA President Barack Obama I implore for them both your prayers that the may allow the Lord to use them that the earth might be3 filled with the glory of
God as the waters cover the sea.

I am not here to say which side of the debate I’m on whether I agree or disagree with Dr Allen’s decision. But I see an opportunity to be like Esther, like Joseph, like Daniel, like Nehemiah in the land. And as for the rest of us instead of spending time wondering how odd use the opportunity to tell them of three angels messages. An opportunity to tell Jamaica what we really believe.

While we have the freedom to do.

Tonight I want to celebrate freedom.
I do not for a minute take the rights and freedoms we enjoy under the Jamaican constitution for granted for I know they have been won in the cane fields of slave rebellions, on the waterfronts of 1938 uprising, of the visionary leaders who sought to lay the foundation of modern Jamaica into independence and after.

Freedom of assembly. Freedom of conscience which includes freedom of worship.
Freedom to choose the political representative. To vote.
Freedom of movement within Jamaica and overseas.
Freedom to proselytize, to make disciples of Christ.
We know the time is coming when god’s commandment keeping people will be denied freedom, so in the euphoria watch and pray for when they say peace peace it might just be sudden destruction.
What about within us. Are we free from t he burden of sin.
I want to celebrate the freedom of the gospel of Christ.
You see the same our church and black race have encountered historic first in the Western world this year the same way there are should baptized and unbaptised who need to liberated from oppression of fear, of sin, and of death.

Galatians 5:
Stand fast in the liberty where in Christ has made us free.
I: Let freedom ring with the gospel of Jesus Christ sets us free from deception.
Take heed
Matt 24:3-14
First sign is deception.
a. deceived by false Christians
*Context of Galatia. Back to bondage of Jewish rituals. Grace of Christ abolished Jewish rituals. The lamb had come. Anger and counsel of Paul.
i. Don’t be deceived by false brethren.
b. deceived by new age messiahs
i. secret teachings, candles, and chants
c. deceived by devil
i. Look at how Christ dealt with devil, don’t interview devil, and rebuke him in name of Jesus. It is written it is written
1. matt4: 4,7,10
ii. Look to Jesus when tempted; claim the gracious love and unassailable power of the nail scarred hands.
Know the signs of the times like early Christians so we not deceived and like early Christians will save in time of destruction.

II. Let freedom ring with the gospel of Jesus Christ who frees us from sin.
a. Matt 1:21: shall save his people from their sin
b. John 1:29 Lamb of God who takes away sin of world.
i. Claim his promise and His presence right now in your life, in your career, in your relationships.
ii. John 3;16 whosoever believeth in Him
iii. 2 Cor 5:17 new creature



III. Let freedom ring with the power of the resurrected Christ who frees us from death.
a. John 3:16 should not perish/have everlasting life Two roads before you. Free to choose.
b. Life abundantly now and eternal life hereafter John 11:25
c. It begins with a new birth experience.
i. John 3 must be born again
1. Born twice die once, born once die twice.
ii. Divine connection
iii. Walk after spirit Galatians 5
1. Read flesh
2. read spirit


In this year of history let freedom ring
Freedom from deception
From sin
From death
Freedom in the company of Jesus now
Freedom to praise him on sea of glass...

Song no more night.

New GG for Jamaica a Seventh-day Adventist

In my more focused days when I was an intern pastor with Central Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, my senior pastor for a few months was Pastor Patrick Allen.

Well, as of February 26, 2008, he is expected to be the next Governor General of Jamaica.

Interesting!

The position is more ceremonial than anything else but it wields a tremendous moral influence over the nation.

And as the queen's representative, it is the highest office in the land.

Very interesting!

My personal opinion: Patrick Allen possesses the administrative and visionary attributes to serve at the highest levels of church or state. The issue of whether or not he should step down from miinistry to be a gg is a hot potato in the church right now. I dont wish to comment on that. Lets just use the opportunity to witness as minds are now open to the truth, even out of curiosity.

Please pray for Dr. Allen and his family as they embark on this new path.

A Book Written by a Friend

Dear Friends:

I am introducing to you a book that was authored to assist students with their educational needs at Northern Caribbean University, West Indies College, now Victor Dixon High, and West Indies College Preparatory School. The title of the book is PREYING ON THE BLESSINGS OF PRAYING. The book was previously printed in Jamaica and enjoyed by especially the youth. The testimonies reveal that it is a book that you cannot lend, you won't get it back. A very good book for a gift this season. You may view the book at AuthorHouse Book store on the web.

The book was printed in the USA 2005 by AuthorHouse Printers but copies have not been sold because it is not publicized. I am using this avenue to introduce you to the book. The copy you purchase today may be the means to save a the life of a youth today, and who knows may in the future save your life or the life of a loved one.

To purchase a copy of the book on line, go to:



http://www.authorhouse.com




OR go to
www.authorhouse.com
Store Home
Type in Judith Forbes as your search
The book PREYING ON THE BLESSINGS OF PRAYING: SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS ON WINGS OF PRAYER will come up to view, authored by Judith A Forbes and you will be able to purchase same on line.

I would appreciate your feedback on same.

Nahar's testimony

a believer from the Middle East sent me an email which was really meant for Mark Finley, so I replied and suggested he communicated with Hope TV. His story is so interesting and inspiring that I have accessed his testimony from Songs of Praise site:


Nahar's Testimony


Nahar is a real person and this is his testimony. We have changed his name to protect him. I have corresponded with him over several years and have been amazed as he grew in faith and knowledge. His courage is an inspiration and I pray that God will protect him from all harm. Be sure and hear the song we wrote for Nahar, Your Love Surrounds Me. - Elton, April 14, 2004.

Introduction and prayer, My life, I met Jesus, The Bible and the Quran, More about Jesus, Conclusion

Matthew 5:14 (Injeel)
The Lord Jesus said, "You are the Light that gives Light to the World!"

And in the Quran, Surah Al-Ahzab 46
"And as one who invites to Allah's Grace by His leave and as a Lamp spreading Light."

Dear God,
I thank You for Your love and daily strength! My God, I thank You for the unconditional and incomparable love You have for sinners like me. I am very grateful to You Lord God! Surely I didn't choose You for I can never ever do that. It's only because of your mercy my God. I ask You Holy God whoever reads and comes to know what You have done in my life to glorify Your name Lord God, not mine, and change their hearts O God to love. You more than anyone and more than anything else. I ask the same for myself also Lord. Make me live each day loving You and becoming more like Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ! In the Lord Jesus Christ's name I ask You Lord God.
Amen.

I am no more than an ordinary man who has been spending life like knowing nothing. I also had so many unthinkable questions like almost everyone experiences in some part of their life. Why am I here? Where did I come from? Is there really a God and if so where is He? Why doesn't He talk?

I was born in a quite wealthy Muslim family in the village of Punjab, Pakistan. But when I was about three or four months old I was carried to Saudi Arabia by my father. The eldest of my grandparents have been working and staying there for a while. My father already had married before and my mom was the second wife of my father. From mom we are two brothers and two sisters, four in all. I am the youngest. When I was about 6 years of age my own mom passed away. It's really hard for children like me to have good future in life without the love and care of mom. My eldest and elder sister took very good care of me but even then I used to realise "if I had my own mom she would have hugged me and kissed me when I used to get good remarks in class". My sisters are still very loving to me I love them very much.

My father got married to a third wife not long after my mom died. In the beginning she used to be very good to us, but slowly, slowly she started to fight and argue and use a kind of language a mother is never supposed to say. My father always listened to her alone and still he does that. When I was about 15 or about to be 16, I came to know that Christians believe Jesus Christ is the son of God. I very much wondered why is it like that. I have been studying the Quran since I was around 12. I had studied it in Arabic and then got its translation to understand and to know what it really says in English. I could understand in Arabic but not very well so I got its English copy as I could understand English better. I have been studying in English medium school. When I started reading the Quran in translation, I also started reading other kinds of Islamic books like the Life of Prophet Mohammad, Hadiths, etc.

My father is not really good in Islam but used to be very strict with me. I have been Wahabi or Ahlae Hadiths like most of the Saudi Muslims are. Osama Bin Laden is also one of them. They believe that Hadiths, the sayings of Prophet Mohammad and the Quran are the only true guidance on earth and they have rules and all the other stuff in it. They are very extreme and I have been one also.

Slowly, slowly I started taking more interest in Islam as I had been learning that it's the only way to Heaven. If you do this you'll get so and so blessings in Heaven, and if you do that you'll get so and so blessings in Heaven. I became an extremist for the religion Islam.

Well, I believed what I had been doing and what I was doing was right, and if it is right I have to dig deeper and it has to prove it is what it says. I had read about the prophets in the Quran and Hadiths, but Jesus Christ was the only personality that really touched me more than any others. I did like Mohammad but the hunger and thirst I got for Jesus Christ was something different from Mohammad's!

I started searching for Jesus Christ more and more. I had a Catholic friend who used to study with me. I asked him one day if I could have his Bible. He was surprised and said "sorry Nahar, you cannot have it". I assured him no one would ever know, "it will remain between me and you". But my father came to know that I read the Bible and that it was in our home. He was very angry and he knew I have only one Christian friend. So he took me with my uncle to this friend's home and warned them saying "if you do this again and try to preach Christianity to a Muslim child, you'll have to suffer a lot and you know it. We will complain about it to Islamic Police (Mutawa) and you could be exiled from this country forever". I was a bit worried. I shouldn't have done this to my friend's family.

My father warned me and so did my uncle to pray five times a day as I used to pray and one time in mosque. I kept going and many times when there was no one in the mosque I used to cry and ask God to show me "who is this Jesus and who are you?". Often while the Imam (leader) of the prayer used to be praying in Arabic, as it's compulsory to pray in Arabic only, I did not give much attention to what he's saying. One day I was praying in the Mosque. It was Zuhar's prayer (Noon prayer about one). I wasn't thinking of Jesus Christ that time. I saw an image of a handsome person on the floor where we bow our heads in prayer. I was shocked. I never saw such a thing before. It was kind of an image on water. I heard in myself that this is Jesus Christ. This is the Lord!

I was worried what and how could that be as I have learned in the Quran that God is only one and Christians they take Jesus as the Son of God and also call Him God. This is the greatest sin which God can never forgive. I could not leave my prayer without completing it just for this reason, so I completed it and began thinking about it after that. My hunger to know about Jesus Christ grew more and more.

I did not have a Bible with me any more. One day I was passing with a friend through shops and I came to know an internet shop. I did not know anything about it at that time, but from my friend and studying about it, I made my e-mail address and started seeing web sites of different kinds. One day I was on the net on yahoo.com and there came a thought in my mind. Type "Who Is Jesus?". I did and got lots of web sites. I was amazed that I could search about Jesus Christ there.

One of the web sites which I selected was Campus Crusades For Christ International (http://ccci.org) and some others also. But this web site provided me very nice information about who Jesus is, and what was said in the Old Testament about Him, and how amazingly they are fulfilled in the New Testament.

I was very much amazed. I never knew how and why to accept Jesus Christ. I was very happy to visit this site. I kept coming to this web site often. Some of the other Christian web sites were blocked as you may know very well. One day I thought of giving Jesus a try and said the salvation prayer on their web site, and after that I also started thinking, "did I do the greatest sin? I will never ever get to heaven and so on".

I also had been seeing that same image of Jesus Christ often when I used to go in the Mosque to pray. One day I was walking toward a market using a short cut. It's a bit lonely area. Not many people cross through there. I was walking and been thinking and asking God if what I am doing is right and should I be Christian or Muslim. I heard a voice behind me saying "My son, you are on the right path". I was again amazed. These kinds of things I never had experience with.

But what all I had been going through I became more happier when I came to know the Holy Bible, which says many things.

For example, in Isaiah 30:21, Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it".

In Jeremiah 29:11-13 it says,
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart".

God has been faithful to me!

I had learned in the Quran that our first parents, Adam and Eve, were living in Paradise until they committed sin which also is the same in the Bible. But in the Quran I was told they were forgiven of their sins. I ask my Muslim friends "if they were forgiven of their sin, then why did God being so merciful and gracious make them leave heaven? Does it mean He did not forgive them?"

If according to the Quran, the Torah (Pentateuch), Zabur (Psalms) and Injeel (Gospels) are the Word of God, then how can they change? If they have changed as many Islamic scholars say, then who changed them and why? They will claim that the Bible has changed and they feel so happy in that, but to know the truth we need to be humble and seek. You need to ask yourself if everything you believe is really true. Where would I be if I did not search my Bible and ask God's guidance for my life? The God of the Bible replies like no other! That is reality!

We come to know in the Quran in Surah Yunus 10:64,
"Theirs are good tidings in the life of the world and in the Hereafter. There is no changing the Words of Allah that is the Supreme Triumph."

And in the same Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:106,
"Such of Our revelations as We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, we bring (in place) one better or the like thereof. Knowest thou not that Allah is Able to do all things?"

What does that mean? In fact it's exactly the opposite in the Bible.

In the Torah, Numbers 23:19, "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind."

And in Zabur (Psalms) 31:5, "Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth."

And in Injeel (the Gospel of John) 17:17, "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth."

Never did I find a single verse in the Bible saying that God lies or that He changes His verses and leads people astray.

In the Quran we are told to believe in all prophets and all the revealed Books of God which includes the Torah, Zabur, Injeel and even Daniel. If we do not believe in them, that they are the words of God, we are not Muslims. I have been praying this prayer before sleeping when I was Muslim. It can be read in Surah Al-Baqara 285.

Have we to believe in names only? Do we believe it in the same with the Quran? If we read the Quran we have to read the Bible also which can never change. Many measures and efforts have been taken to destroy the Bible from this earth but they have never been successful. That proves that God who revealed knows very well how to keep it protected. I challenge all the Muslims and every one who says that the Bible has changed to prove it to me with evidence. Hundreds of scientist have studied it and have confirmed its clarity and what has been written. This has been the first book to be printed ever and every year it reaches the highest scores all over the world.

The prophecies made in the Bible are being fulfilled in our very day. These are some of the most amazing things and confirm who is the author of this book. The very creator of this world knows what is going to happen tomorrow and the coming days. He does not predict it like a psychic but knows it!

These are a few things that confirm the importance of this amazing book in the world, the Holy Bible, the very word of God, which can never change and can never return back in waste. Start reading it with a humble and without critical mind. If you seek to read it to prove it's wrong, it will not help you much. :)

It's amazing to know what the Quran and Hadiths say about the Lord Jesus Christ! Read below. And also what the Holy Bible also says about it!

Surah Al-i'Imran 45
Behold! The angels said "O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus the son of Mary held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah.

(Injeel) John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God!

Why is Jesus Christ called the Glad Tidings, Word Of God, Held nearest to Allah, but nothing is mentioned about Mohammad as such?

Surah Maryam
He said: I am only a messenger of thy Lord that I may bestow on thee a faultless son.

Why a faultless son?

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith, Hadith 4.506, narrated by Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "When any human being is born, Satan touches him at both sides of the body with his two fingers, except Jesus, the son of Mary, whom Satan tried to touch but failed, for he touched the placenta-cover instead."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith, Hadith 4.641
Narrated by Said bin Al Musaiyab:
Abu Huraira said, "I heard Allah's Apostle saying, 'There is none born among the off-spring of Adam, but Satan touches it. A child therefore, cries loudly at the time of birth because of the touch of Satan, except Mary and her child."

Why was Jesus Christ faultless and without sin, whereas Mohammad was touched by Satan according to his sayings above and lead a sinful life. Many times in the Quran he's reminded of repenting his sins. Every Muslim who reads the Quran with understanding knows it very well.

The Quran also says Jesus Christ did miracles and did many other things which note except God can do. Why did God allow Him to do these things which only He did? Things like giving life to death, and creating birds, and healing the sick, and telling the thoughts of people and what they have in their homes. Why?

Why did Mohammad never do that? Despite many people of his time asking for miracles he refused. But one miracle is recorded in the Quran that he parted the Moon in two. What benefit did it bring to humanity? Did it save their souls?

Before Jesus Christ was born, angels were sent to announce the noble birth of a faultless son through the Virgin Mary. But Mohammad being the greatest of Prophets in Islam does not have that much privilege?

If God really was able to make a virgin give birth, then why would it be difficult for Him to call Him His Son?

God says in the Quran through an angel to Mary,
Surah Maryam 15
Peace on him the day be was born, and the day he dieth and the day he shall be raised alive!

Then the Lord Jesus Christ says the same thing when He come to the world.

Surah Maryam 33
Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!

Why is nothing similar said for Mohammad?

Mary the mother of Jesus Christ is mentioned 34 times. In fact there is a whole surah called by her name and Mohammad's mother is never mentioned once in the Quran. Why?

Surah Maryam 21
He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me. And (it will be) that We may make of him a revelation for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing ordained.

Revelation and mercy to all mankind not till Mohammad but after also. Why? Why is it ordained? What kind of mercy is Jesus Christ to the world? The Quran does not answer that. Muslims will have to read the Injeel (Gospel) to find about it. Read the Gospel!

In the Injeel (Gospel), Mark 10:46-47, one blind man cries out to the Lord Jesus Christ saying:
A blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Also in the New Testament:
Jude 1:21
Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

1 Peter 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

The Lord Jesus Christ is not the mercy that was meant for people of His time or of His area. God made Him Mercy for ALL MANKIND EVEN AFTER MOHAMMAD.

Not only in the New Testament we come to know that Jesus Christ died and took our sins, but also the Quran agrees to it.

Surah Al-i'Imran 55
Behold! Allah said: "O Jesus! I will cause you to die and then raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject Faith to the Day of Resurrection; then shall ye all return unto Me and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute".

This is what it says in Arabic but it's very sad to know that mostly all the Quranic translators mistranslate it. Due to this and many verses in Quran another very big sect which is called Ahmadi or Qadiyani in Islam was formed and they believe Jesus Christ was killed and was made alive, then taken to heaven!

We know from the Bible that we are sinners and away from the Lord. Jesus Christ is the only provision for us to reconcile us with the Lord, because He was sinless and became sin for our sake. Our sins were transferred to Him as Quran also agrees on transferring of sins. We read in the story of Abel and Cain the first children of Adam. Here's their conversation recorded in the Quran:

Surah Al-Maida 27-29
Recite to them the truth of the story of the two sons of Adam. Behold! They each presented a sacrifice (to Allah): it was accepted from one but not from the other. Said the latter: "Be sure I will slay thee." "Surely" said the former "Allah doth accept of the sacrifice of those who are righteous. "If thou dost stretch thy hand against me to slay me it is not for me to stretch my hand against thee to slay thee: for I do fear Allah the Cherisher of the worlds. "For me I intend to let thee draw on thyself my sin as well as thine for thou wilt be among the companions of the fire and that is the reward of those who do wrong."

Here we come to know the transferring of sins mentioned in Quran. And Jesus the name itself means one who will save from sin. Also in Quranic terms it means the same.

Jesus Christ bore our sins and became sin for us. Here's what the New Testament says:

In Injeel (Gospel), Matthew 1:21
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

To many other people He said "your sins are forgiven" indicating He wants them to be saved from sins! He bore their sins!

2 Corinthians 5:21
God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

Many people have found God's mercy in the Lord Christ and have been changed forever, and one of them is me. Many look for the miracles, authority, Truth and only truth in the wrong places and I also have been doing so, until I met Him, the only one who not only knows the way to God but Himself is The Way. In Jesus' very words:

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him."

Mohammad and Muslims have been praying every day many times in their much-devoted prayers for guidance and amazingly the last and greatest of lslam's Prophet kept praying for it till his death.

Surah Al Fateha 3.
O our God Guide us to the Straight path.

Was Mohammad on the straight path? Is Islam the straight path? I encourage all Muslims to ask him or herself is it really true what they are doing to get to heaven?

I do not believe heaven is a place with a price tag on it, which can be bought by our deeds, but only through His Mercy and grace. Many times in the Quran we come to know that Heaven is the place for whomsoever God wills. Here is one:

Surah An-Nur 14
Were it not for the grace and mercy of Allah on you in this world and the hereafter a grievous penalty (In Hell) would have seized you in that ye rushed glibly into this affair.

Surah At-Taub 111
Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their good for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise)

What do we understand of it?

Surah Al-Maida 35O
Ye who believe! do your duty to Allah seek the means of approach unto Him

I pray God will give hunger in each of us more each day and we will turn to Him for our Spiritual food and our salvation! I have used many Quranic verses to show my Muslim brothers and sisters to know what it actually says for us to do! There are many other Quranic verses that can help a lot to do more research on the living story of God, and to know Him personally. It is made so simple like never before. Come to Him with a humble heart. Seek His Face and find yourself in His arms! I have a few interesting links for you to go to. I encourage you to share them with your friends and most of all use them for yourself.

http://www.whoisjesus-really.org
http://www.discovergod.org
http://www.gospelcom.net
http://www.fathersloveletter.com

Yes, if you have any prayer request or any questions or just want to share anything I am always there with God's will to reply to you and do what I can for you. We become a new creation in Christ. It was written long ago, but today it is still true! How our minds and our thoughts change because the One who created us knows how to fill that missing gap and to reinstall our spiritual life in the Lord Jesus Christ who is the only Way to Him! So Brothers and sisters, open your hearts and minds to accept His amazing Love. Allow the Lord Jesus Christ into your life and see what happens next. The greatest adventure in the Universe begins. Whenever I have been in trouble He has been there and comforted me like no one ever could. He has shown me that He's alive forever and He loves us very much. Many times I have just been thinking of something and it happens because He knows our hearts and our desires and gives us what is best for us. I praise and thank God for sending His Son the Lord Jesus Christ to die for me and for all of us, and making the marvelous and glorious bridge to reach Him! Just give him a try.

My E-mail is:
amorsoldier@yahoo.com

Anyone can write to me. I love everyone and pray that God will pour more love in my life and make me love everyone, love more as He did and does. I want to see people as God sees them.

To God Be All Glory!
With His Love,
Nahar







Web songsofpraise.org