The Blessings of Gods People

Scripture:  

Deuteronomy 33:2-3 King James Version (KJV)                                                   "And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.  Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words."

It should bless us to know and

 realize that we are a blessed people!

Moses, speaking of God says:  

1-"Yea, He loved the people.  

2-"All His saints are in His hand." 

3-"They (the people, His saints) sit at His feet and receive His words."

#1 - It is a blessing to know...                                                                                                   that God has His people on His heart!  "Yea, He loved the people."   The are so many examples in the Bible that show to us the love that God has for His people.  Here are just a very few... The most familiar, memorized and quoted scripture verse of God's love would probably be John 3:16.  "For God so loved that world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” ... “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”     

1 John 4:19

"We love because he first loved us."

                                                       

#2 - It is a blessing to know...                                                                       that God has His people in His hand!  When the storms of life rage, when the difficult and challenging trials come our way, when Satan rears his ugly head and tries to attack our lives, aren't you thankful that God has you in His hands?  Oh the feeling of love and security when God tightens His might hand!

                                                                        

#3 - It is a blessing to....                                                     sit at Jesus feet!  

"They sat at His feet and received His words."                              

***At the feet of Jesus is a place of revelation.                                                               Luke 10:38-42    "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?   Tell her to help me!”   “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”  ***At the feet of Jesus is also a place of worship.                                                           John 11:32 states that Mary fell at the feet of Jesus and worshipped Him. "Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died."                                                                                                                                   ***At the feet of Jesus we will also find a place of praise.                                                                There is a wonderful account in the scriptures of Luke 17:11-19 where Jesus healed 10 lepers.  "Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a] met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”  When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.  Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”  Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”                                                                                                                                     ***At the feet of Jesus is the perfect place of prayer.                                                                    In the Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke is recorded the story of Jarius the synagogue ruler.   Mark 5:22  "And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,"     

                                                                         

Closing thoughts.....there are times when God picks us up and holds us to His bosom.  (The bosom is the breast or chest area of the body. It is also poetically considered to be the place where our feelings reside)  (intimate)  Isaiah 40:11 says, "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." 

                                                                         

       Friends, 

when the Red Seas and the River Jordans come,

 know that the beloved and the blessed 

of our Lord will dwell in safety....

between His shoulders, on His heart, 

in His hands and at His feet.   

           Amen?                       

                

Jesus, The Light

                                                                                   

Scripture:  (King James Version)
John 8:12
"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followers me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."



It is a well known fact that everything in this world depends on light. (It is not necessary I am sure, for me to labor the point with a number of proofs.)

Darkness and death go hand in hand.

When Jesus said "I am the Light of the world He was saying that everything and everybody were dependent upon Him.  Whether or not men comprehend this or acknowledge this is, it is true regardless.

As the Light of the world, Jesus Christ is indispensable!   Today as we read these words of The Master we will be convinced of their truth.

First of all, there is no sight without light.  
Without light we might as well be totally blind for we can not see.  As light shines in a dark place it reveals that which is hidden.
Spiritually speaking without Christ the natural man cannot see a thing.  Spiritual things just do not make sense to him.  His understanding is darkened.  He is alienated from God because of the blindness of his heart.  But, when man has Jesus, the Light of the world, his mind and heart are illuminated and he sees the truth.

There is no revelation without the light.

No physical revelation....

No intellectual revelation....

No moral revelation

and no spiritual revelation.

There is no revelation without Jesus!

So thankful for the Book of Revelation in our Bibles. 

Had it not been for Jesus, the Light of the world there would have been no revelation.  
No unveiling of things past, present or in the future.
He is the light yesterday, today and forever.  (Hebrews 13:8)
He is not only the Light of the world, He is the light of Glory.  Praise God, if you to to Heaven you will go to where the Lamb is the Light.
                                       

There is no creation without light.  
Before creation God said, "Let there be light and there was light. (Genesis 1:3)  
                                      

Everything that followed depended on the light.  There is no spiritual creation apart from Jesus.  But, "if any man be in Christ (the Light of the world) He becomes a new creation.  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

There is no life without light. 
There is no spiritual life without Jesus.  Our scripture John 8:12 says when we have Jesus we have the light of life.  In Him was life and the life was the light of men.

Do you remember the song that went like this....."I saw the light - I saw the light.  No more darkness no more night."
Glory to God I saw the light.  

How about you? 

 Have you seen the light?

Life comes with the Light.

There is no safety without light.  
Walking in the darkness is dangerous.  We have lights in our homes, lights on our roadways and lights on our vehicles.  What chaos there would be with no light!  There is no safety without Jesus.  Death, darkness and hell awaits the one who rejects Jesus, the Light of the world.

There is no growth without light.  
No physical growth and no spiritual growth.  
The Bible says in (Ephesians 5:14) "Wherefore He saith, awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give thee light."  
If we are to grow spiritually we must have His grace and His knowledge that comes from Him as the Light of the world.

There is no salvation without light. 

Jesus is telling us in John 8:12 that aside from Him and the light He provides, there is no such thing as salvation for the soul.  When He declared Himself as the light of the world He suggested a sharp contrast..  The opposite of light is darkness.

Without the Light of Jesus in your soul your soul is in darkness.

Without the Light of Heaven you will have the darkness of Hell.

Without the sight from the Savior you will have blindness from Satan.

                                         

Good news....
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life".

                                                                                     

God's Promises Right Now

Scripture:  (King James Version)
John 11: 23-26
"Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary was still in the house.  Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.  But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.  Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.  Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.  Believes thou this?


Many Christians today put off the promises of God that apply to the present (right now) to some future time.  Jesus was telling Martha in this scripture what He could do Right Now!  However, Martha thought of His words as happening at some future time.      Jesus said, "Thy brother shall rise again."         Martha said, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection in the last day.                              Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection, and the life."  

Jesus did not say I was or I will be.... 

but I am. 

 I am talking about right now.

Do not put off to a future time 

that which God promises and wants to do for you Right Now.  

Don't relegate to the past 

what God has for you today.

Martha made the promise of God impersonal.  
When Jesus said to her your brother shall rise again, she said, Oh I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.  She grouped her brother Lazarus in with all the rest of the dead.  She was telling Jesus that Lazarus would rise again when all the millions  shall be rising from the graves when Jesus comes.  But, if Mary wished to be comforted from this promise and have joy in her heart, she would have viewed the words of Jesus promise in a "personal" and positive way.  Her response to Jesus would then have been "yes, God's people will rise again in the last day and my brother Lazarus is a child of God.  When the trumpet sounds, my brother Lazarus shall rise again."    

What a blessed time it is going to be when Jesus descends from Heaven with a shout to gather His people to Himself.  As His redeemed, you and I will be in that number.  
                                                    

 The Lord's promises are personal.  

They are not just for others-they are for you and I.  

Every promise in The Book is mine, 

every chapter every verse every line.

Jesus has the table spread.  If you go hungry at this banqueting table it is because of your own lack of faith.                      

In Luke 15:11-32  we read the story of the prodigal son.  When the elder brother saw how the prodigal brother was so well received back home, blessed and forgiven, he complained to the Father, "All these years I have served you and you never did that for me.  The Father said, "Son, all that I have is yours."    Friends, YOU have not because you ask not.   If you don't take God at His Word don't blame Him.

Let's get back to Martha....
notice the above scriptures again.
We are reminded of the blessed hope of the church.  When Jesus comes the dead shall live. 
Jesus said, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live...."
When Jesus comes all of the redeemed shall live even though they may have died and their bodies gone back to the dust.  
The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17 that Jesus "shall descend from Heaven with a shout and the voice of the archangel and the trump of God"....and all the happy sleepers shall awake and arise.  Lazarus shall arise.  Your loved ones shall arise who have died in The Lord.  You and I shall arise if we depart this earth before our Lord comes. 

 God's promise is sure.

Verse 26 above states, ""and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."
When Jesus comes all of the living believers shall not die.  Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 that "those that are alive and remain shall be caught up."  They will be changed and prepared in the twinkling of an eye to pass into that glory state as did Enoch and Elijah....to be forever with the Lord.  (Hebrews 11)

Jesus is the life of His people.  

He is not only the resurrection to begin with

 but He is the life to go on with!  

He is the power of your life. 
He keeps you living.  I am reminded of the words to a song, "because He lives we can live also."

FAITH is the channel - the only channel - by which we can have Jesus and have life. 
                                      

"He that liveth and believeth on me shall never die."  As long as we live in Him, abide in Him and trust in Him, we shall never die.  There is no limit to life as long as we - by FAITH - drawn our life from HIM.  

"In Him we live and move and have our being."
Acts 17:28

The words of Jesus...

"I am the resurrection and the life...."

There is no limit to the power of Jesus Christ.  
As He raised up Lazarus in that day, should He so choose, Jesus can raise the dead in this day....both physically and spiritually. One day (and I don't believe it will be long) Jesus will raise the dead by the millions, young and old alike, to draw them like a giant magnet unto Himself.  

Do you have a need in your life RIGHT NOW ? 
Christ has the power to meet your need.  
He has the power to change your life and keep you living.  There is nothing too hard for our Lord. 
                                      

"All things are possible with them that believe." 
Mark 9:23

"Only believe and thou shalt see the glory of God."  
John 11:40

Martha limited God's time....
"I know you will ......in the last day."
Martha limited God as to her circumstance....
"Jesus said take away the stone.  Lord by this time he stinks." (John 11:39)

Be reminded - The Lord is always on time!

***Lazarus is a given name and surname. It is derived from the Hebrew אלעזר, Elʿāzār (Eleazar) meaning "God has helped".

The Greatest Fact in Human History

Scripture:
John 1:10-12 (King James Version)
10 - "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 - He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 - But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."
                                                                                 

Notice the first two words of Verse 11 - "He came."
Aren't you glad He came?
God keeps His promise!  
He came as He promised - through the prophets would told that He would come.
There is much controversy concerning the exact date of Christmas - Christ's birth.
However, the exact date of our Saviors birth and coming into this world is not the important detail in the Christmas story.  The most important fact is that He CAME.  He tells us HOW He would come, WHERE He would come, and WHY He will would come.  He came as He promised and He carried out the purpose for which He came.
  "He came to seek and to save that which was lost.  (Luke 19:10)
You may not remember the exact day you were saved, but, if you are saved, you know it to be a fact. 
                                                                                 

He came to save men from their sins.  "Thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins."
He came to give us life and that more abundantly.
He came to destroy the works of the devil.  "For this purpose the son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."
He came to share His sovereign kingship with men.  "If we suffer with Him we shall also reign with Him.  We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus."

The greatest fact in human history......He Came!  

He came to die that we might have eternal life.

                                                                             

Within this 11th verse there is also 

the greatest tragedy in human history!  

        "He came unto his own and his own received him not."  
Centuries before Jesus came, God made a covenant with Israel,His own people.  He assigned them land and they were to build him a temple where He could come and take His place.  There they would worship Him.

But, those who pledged to worship Him spurned His presence and refused to hear Him.  As a nation they wanted nothing to do with Him.  "They received Him not."  
Sounds like so many today.

So thankful for the truth of Verse 12.  

The greatest HOPE in the history of mankind. 

 "But as many as received Him to them gave the power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on His name."
                                                                                 

Whereas Israel barred Jesus from His own land and His own house there were others who made room for Him in their hearts.  Their hearts became His temple....and He filled it.  They became His possession as Israel was to be His possession.  Christ found in men what Israel was meant to be. Someone to be His own.   A place to dwell and be worshipped.  Someone to make room for Him.

The life of Jesus (as far as the world is concerned)

has often been characterized by two words.....

NO ROOM.   

There was NO ROOM in (the inn)....so He was born in a stable.
There was NO ROOM in (Herod's kingdom)....so they sought to kill Him.
There was NO ROOM in (Israel's thoughts).....so they rejected Him.
There was NO ROOM in the (world's comforts)....so He had no where to lay His head.
There was NO ROOM for Him in the (plans of Rome)....so they crucified Him.

There is NO ROOM in (many people's hearts).....so He cannot save them.
There is NO ROOM in (many minds).....so He cannot give them wisdom and knowledge.
There is NO ROOM in (some people's plans).....so He cannot guide them.
There is NO ROOM in (their homes)....so He cannot make their union a success.
There is NO ROOM in many people's giving).....so He cannot prosper them.
There is NO ROOM in (many lives or in their time).....so He cannot bless them.

*****If you have no room for Him now in this life, then don't be surprised when in eternity He has no time, no place and no room for you in Heaven!

As God looks upon the door of your heart and life, can He rejoice as He sees your heart and life occupied with the blessed son of God?
OR - is He saddened because He knows that He is not wanted because He sees the "NO ROOM" sign hanging on the door of your heart?

But, in spite of the "NO ROOM" sign,

He lovingly knocks....

hoping that you will take down the sign and 

invite Him in.

"As many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God by believing on His name."