JESUS’ WORD

Luke 21:33 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

The Scene:  The things of this earth will all pass away, like these flowers in a vase.

Jesus promises us through His Word that He will be with us forever.

Isaiah 40:7-8 All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God stands forever.

John 1:1-2, 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

For unbelievers, also, God’s Word will not pass away and they will eternally suffer the consequences, life in Hell eternally.

For believers of God’s Word and truth, His Word is eternal, including the rewards promised in His Word.

Revelation 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, ” Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes”, says the Spirit, “They will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Copyright 2016 Larry and Kathy Helms hsvisions.wordpress.com

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                                                           UNLOCKED (FROM SIN AND DEATH)

Galatians 3:7-10 Understand then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham:  “All nations will be blessed through you.”  So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

The Scene: Locked up by the law, until faith came through the coming of Jesus Christ, the prisoners (sinners) were held captive to sin and death.

Paul questions the Church: Do you believe in Christ and work miracles because of the law or because God gave His Holy Spirit to you?

Galatians 3:22-24  But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.

Jesus came to fulfill the law, not to replace it. The law was a stop gap measure that was put into effect by Father God, until Jesus came. And through God’s Holy Spirit the good news could lead the people to Christ, our Mediator. His people, true believers, have been set free from sin and death.

Matthew 5:17-19 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, nor the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Copyright 2016 Larry and Kathy hsvisions.wordpress.com

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                                                            TREE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Matthew 7:16-17 “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”

The Scene: The Tree of Righteousness. Its branches exhibit the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-24 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

Philippians 1:9-11 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in  knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God.

John 15:16  “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appoint you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last.  Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My name.  This is my command:  love each other.”

                                                              SEEK, ASK, KNOCK

Matthew 7:7-8  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds;  and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

The Scene:  doorway and door

God has given everyone the opportunity to seek Him , come before Him and ask what they will.

Matthew 7:26  “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, it fell with a great crash.”

Action is required for the door (access to God) to be opened. Prayer, talking to God, will open the door, gaining access to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:17  Pray continually; giving thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 55:6-7 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”

Copyright 2016 Larry and Kathy hsvisions.wordpress.com

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                                                                                     I WILL REPAY

Deuteronomy 32:41 “When I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me.”

The Scene: The Lord’s mighty right hand with the color yellow, the light of the Word.

“The world has rejected my Rock and My people.” (Lord Jesus and Christians)

Micah 5:15 “I will take vengeance in anger and wrath upon the nations that have not obeyed me.”

His Word, which will last forever, will, in the end be fulfilled.

Revelation 17:14 They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings– and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.

Copyright 2016 Larry and Kathy hsvisions.wordpress.com

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                                                      GOD’S WORD FULFILLED

In the end times the prophets of God will speak God’s truth and many people, scoffers, will not listen; they will suffer the consequences, just as in Old Testament times.

2Peter 3:3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this coming he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the creation.”

1 John 4:6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

1 Thessalonians 5:3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

2 Kings 7:1 Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says:  ‘About this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.'”

Now famine had come over the land of Samaria because of the siege by Ben-Hadad, king of Aram. (see 2 Kings 6 for details)  The king of Aram had sent troops to kill Elisha, because Elisha was continuously telling King Ahaziah of Israel about Ben-Hadad’s troop movements in Israel.                                                                              The king of Israel, Ahaziah,  had committed evil and his deeds led to the seige and famine in  Samaria. This had caused great inflation in prices for food and goods.  King Ahaziah’s messenger came and told Elisha he would not wait on God’s hand of protection any longer, to which Elisha replied that great amounts of cheap food would be available tomorrow, if they would wait on the hand of the Lord to deliver. The king and his officer did not believe the prophecy.

The Scene:  Four  gallons of barley (a large amount for the price) could be purchased for 1 shekel; 2 gallons of flour purchased for 1 shekel. A seah  was equal to about 7.3 liters or 2 gallons, much food for little money.

Elisha told the evil king of Aram that the Lord would end the famine in Israel. The famine was broken when the Lord tricked the Arameans and they abandoned their camps. The Israelites plundered their camps, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Elisha, as found in 2 Kings 7:3-20.

The Lesson: God uses His people for good. God keeps His word, for He alone speaks all truth. However, the officer who did not believe God’s representative’s prophecy did not get any of the food or plunder, but was trampled in the city gate of Samaria: 2Kings 6:33 and 7:2,17

Ezekiel 12:25 “But I the Lord will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, you rebellious house, I will fulfill whatever I say”, declares the sovereign Lord.

Those who believe God’s Word and believe in His Son, Jesus  Christ the Lord,the Light of the world, will be saved.

John 1:12 Yet to all who receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God–children not born of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

John 3:16-19 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

Copyright 2016 Larry and Kathy hsvisions.wordpress.com

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                                                                                     FREEDOM

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

The Scene: The chains of bondage have fallen from each born again Christian.

Romans 8:2-3 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.

As God’s people are set free, Satan wants each person’s life to be comprised of guilt, rules, laws, bondage, not freedom. But we know, through the Holy Spirit, we are free.

Psalm 118:5 In my anguish I cried out the the Lord, and he answered by setting me free.

Copyright 2016 Larry and Kathy hsvisions.wordpress.com

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                                                          THROUGH THE EYES OF JESUS

2 Corinthians 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

The Scene: What do we see? When we look at God’s creation, particularly His chosen people, do we see them as weeds or like the lilies on a pond? Perhaps a work in progress?

Matthew 6:22-23 “ The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

Lord, help us to see everything through your eyes. Give us the mind of Christ, O Lord. Only with the help of the Holy Spirit can we succeed. Amen.

1 John 1:5-7 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet we walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Copyright 2016 Larry and Kathy hsvisions.wordpress.com

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   LETTERS (PRAYERS)

Matthew 6:9 “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

The Scene: A letter addressed to Jesus the Christ, at His address in Heaven.

When we pray and focus on Jesus, just as though we were composing a formal letter to Him, the Lord’s Prayer (sometimes called the disciples’ prayer) is a good example to follow for our letter to God.

Ecclesiastes 5:2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything to God. God is in heaven and you are on the earth, so let your words be few.

Jesus is always eager to hear from us as we say “Dear Jesus…”, we compose our words to the Lord carefully, thoughtfully, not idly.

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,* with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

*petition definition: A formal written request to a superior authority. (Merriam-Webster)

Copyright 2016 Larry and Kathy hsvisions.wordpress.com

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