Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

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Tag: ABCD for a Christian

Be Broken or Be Crushed by Jesus

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On September 17, 2009

In Become a Child, Broken, Christian, Reuben, Videos

Luke 20: 17-18, records some profound and contrasting words by Jesus in which He proclaims that the stone (referring to Himself, the ROCK) which the builders (people) have rejected is become the cornerstone (foundation of God) and whosoever falls upon the stone (Jesus) shall be broken; but on whomsoever the stone (Jesus) shall fall, the stone will grind him to powder (will be crushed).

While the exposition to this text may seem at first as a little difficult to understand, the hidden treasure in these words of Jesus is quite simple. It is as plain as Jesus expressed it.

Whoever falls on (commits their life to) Jesus shall be broken (of their self, the bondage of sin and the seduction of the world). They ironically will be the ones who will be saved.
On the contrary, on whomsoever Jesus (the ROCK) shall fall (as a means of God’s righteous judgment), they will be totally ground to powder (face the full wrath of God’s judgment for not having fallen on (believed in) Jesus).

What does it mean to Fall on Jesus?
It means it is to acknowledge the Lordship of the Sovereign God, and believe that Jesus is the son of God, the savior of the world and confess, so that we are broken from our self, the bondage of sin and the seduction of this world, and totally TRUST in Him. But then again, I think it still falls short of the eloquence and simplicity in which our beloved and wonderful son, Reuben put it – You be the judge of that.

What does it mean to fall on Jesus?
To fall on Jesus means “there is nothing to be worried about, because he will catch you” – Reuben Abishai Paul (Age 3)

Luke 20:17-28 (KJV)
17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?
18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Sinless vs. Blameless

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On April 8, 2009

In Christian

In a message by (late) Dr. Adrian Rogers, he mentioned that sin must be
1. Exposed to the Light
2. Expressed to the Lord – If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to cleanse us of ALL unrighteousness
3. Expelled from our Life

It it impossible for man/woman to be sinless, except when Jesus washes ALL sins away. This happens when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, believe that Jesus is the sacrificial lamb of God, an atonement for our sins and we confess our sins to Jesus. This however gives us no carte blanche license to sin, instead, we must aspire to be Holy (without sin) as God is Holy – the first requirement.  Jesus is able to present us blameless (even if we are sinners), because of His sanctifying blood that was shed, that can wash our uncleanliness whiter than snow.

On this side of heaven, we are removed from the penalty and power of  sin but not from its presence, because this is where Satan’s, the lord of sin dwells (Rev 2:13), but on the other side of heaven, we are not only removed from the penalty and power of sin, but also from the presence of sin.

Point(s) to ponder:

Can God tell of you/me as he told of Job, Look at my servant <fill your name here>, none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright (blameless) man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil?

Colossians 1:21-22
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Job 1:8
8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

Heart prick to Repent, Remit and Receive

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On January 7, 2009

In Christian

Following the discourse of Jesus’ crucifixion (by men) and His resurrection (by God) as recorded in Acts 2:36, by Peter and the rest of the apostles, the people who heard this were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and the apostles, WHAT SHALL WE DO (to be saved)?

Peter’s response was simple yet profound. He responded by saying

  1. Repent (and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ) for the
  2. Remission of sins, and ye shall
  3. Receive the gift of the Holy Ghost

The same is answer today to all that seek eternal life and who long for a relationship (not religion) with God, our creator, maker and all-in-all.

Point(s) to Ponder:

  1. Is our heart being pricked?
  2. If so, are we willing to repent, so our sins are remitted and we shall receive God the Holy Spirit in us?

How can one Repent?

Say the following prayer,

Lord God, our Father
I acknowledge that I am not right with You and/or with man,
I believe that you sent your son Jesus Christ for me
Jesus, I thank you that you came and took my place, for my sin,
I believe that you were crucified (by men) and raised to life (by God)
I confess my wrong doings and sins and pray that you forgive them all
I accept you as my Lord and Master.
I am willing to do what you want me to do.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray
Amen (So be it)

The ABCD for a Christian

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On January 5, 2009

In Christian

For years, I have concluded the sermons I preached with the following call
If you need to have eternal life, have a personal 1-on-1 relationship with God, who manifested himself in human form in the person of Jesus, if you want to _________________ (you fill your need here), then the ABCs to know is

  • A – Acknowledge that we are sinners
  • B – Believe  in Jesus (for whoever believes shall not perish)
  • C – Confess our sins (for whoever confesses with his mouth; God is faithful to forgive us all our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness)

But yesterday as I read Acts 19:18 which says – “And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.” , I realized that in addition to the ABCs, there is a ‘D’ to needs to follow for those who have acknowledge, believed, and confessed, which is to ‘Do’.

We are undoubtedly saved by GRACE (God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense) and NOT by our WORKS (Ephesians 2:8-9), but we are called to DO good works (Matthew 5:16) is what the scriptures say and to the many who acknowledge, believe and confess, we must ALSO do.

We are saved by the Grace of God, but we are going to be judged by our works.
Jesus said, On judgment day, you will be told –
when I was hungry, you did/did not feed me;
when I was thirsty, you did/did not give me a drink;
when I was a stranger, you did/did not take me in;
when I was naked, you did/did not clothe me;
when I was sick, you did/did not visit me;
when I was in prison, you did/did not come to me.

And depending on whether we DID or DID NOT, judgment is meted on us to either to inherit the kingdom prepared for us and continue enjoying the presence of the Lord.

Let us not just stop with the ABC but move on to D – to DO the commands of God.

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