Nebuchadnezzar's Testimony

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes with Jesus. Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, Jesus said, there am I in the midst of them. To those of you who love Him in truth: mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. (Jude 1:2)

Today’s program is called Nebuchadnezzar’s Testimony. This is the testimony that King Nebuchadnezzar gave, as it is written in the Book of Daniel. Let’s turn to Daniel chapter 4, verses 1-37, Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the Earth: peace be multiplied to you. I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me. How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders! His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation. But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation. 

These were the visions of my head while on my bed: I was looking, and behold, a tree in the midst of the Earth, and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong; its height reached to the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of all the Earth. Its leaves were lovely, its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, the birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from Heaven. He cried aloud and said thus: Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, and the birds from its branches. Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts on the grass of the earth. Let his heart be changed from that of a man, let him be given the heart of a beast, and let seven times pass over him. This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men. 

This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you. Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. So the king spoke, and said, Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, may the dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation concern your enemies!  The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the Earth, whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home— it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the Earth. I just want to point out here that Nebuchadnezzar was one of the greatest kings that was ever on the face of the Earth. Verse 23, And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from Heaven and saying, Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him; this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: 

They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules. Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.

All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke, saying, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty? While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell from Heaven: King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws. And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to Heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His Kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the Earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of Heaven and among the inhabitants of the Earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, What have You done? At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of Heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.

Right now we are in a great trial in America with the 2020 presidential election. No matter what you believe about this election, or which candidate you support, there is one thing that is indisputable: God is in complete control, His hand is stretched out still, and no one can restrain His hand or say to Him, what are you doing? He will place a man of His choice as President of the United States for the next four years; that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He wills and sets over it the lowest of men. No matter what the outcome will be, set your hope on the King who is coming soon. Do not be dismayed! Set your hope in Him! He is coming back very soon, and He will set everything straight. While you still have breath, set your hope on Jesus Christ! Come to Him, and give Him all your heart! Repent and believe the Good News of what Jesus has done for you and what is about to take place! No matter how dark it gets, keep looking up to Him: The Light of the World, and His light will shine on you and in you, to cleanse you and sanctify you, and through you, that others may be drawn to Him through your love and devotion to Him, and your love for your brothers and sisters. In 1 John 1 we read, God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

Let’s turn to Dan 2:20-23, Daniel answered and said: Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the king's demand. Verse 28-45, But there is a God in Heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these: as for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be. But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart. You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole Earth. This is the dream. 

Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of Heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold. But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of these kings the God of Heaven will set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.

The God of Heaven will set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed. Most people who have studied the Scriptures and the history of the World believe that we are presently in the time of the feet of iron and clay; the final mixed kingdom of Greek and Roman culture; the final worldly kingdom. The final chapter of this age is upon us; the reign of the anti-Christ, the man of sin, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the brightness of His coming. He, the Lord Jesus Christ, is coming back to Earth very soon, and the anti-Christ, the false prophet, and the devil will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever and ever, and so shall it be for every person whose name is not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life; every person who rejected His loving sacrifice for our sins on the cross of Calvary; the sacrifice of Himself; that He might wash us from our sins in His own Blood that we might inherit the Kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the Earth. All the wicked will be judged by fire in that last day, that great day of the wrath of the Lamb, and they shall be ashes under the feet of the righteous. The Lord’s Kingdom will be established forever, and all those who have repented of their sins and been justified in Him and remained faithful unto Him unto death will reign with Him as kings and priests forever in His Glory. Jesus Christ is our King and He will reign forever on the throne of His father David. Isaiah 9:6&7, For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His Kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Interpretation of a message in tongues:

I am God Almighty, and as my servant has spoken, my hand is upon this election in the United States, and I will put whom I will as President of the United States for the next four years. Let your trust be in me, says the Lord. Look unto me; the author and the finisher of your faith, who for the joy set before Him; the Lord Jesus Christ, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the Majesty on High.

Thank you for reading this message from 15 Minutes With Jesus at roberthaymes.com . May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you who love Him in truth, Amen ( 2 Cor 13:14).

 Josiah

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes with Jesus. Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, Jesus said, there am I in the midst of them. To those of you who love Him in truth: mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. (Jude 1:2) 

Today we’re going to talk about King Josiah. Let’s turn to 1Kings 13:1-6, And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the Word of the Lord, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. Then he cried out against the altar by the Word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men's bones shall be burned on you. And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out. So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, Arrest him! Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself.  The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the Word of the Lord. Then the king answered and said to the man of God, Please entreat the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me. So the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king's hand was restored to him, and became as before. I’m not going to read any more, there’s a lot more here about this prophet and what happened to him, but he prophesied of King Josiah by name, and this was hundreds of years before Josiah was ever born.

Let’s turn to 2 Kings 22:1-20, Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.  Now it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the scribe, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of the Lord, saying: Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which has been brought into the house of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people. And let them deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of the Lord; let them give it to those who are in the house of the Lord doing the work, to repair the damages of the house— to carpenters and builders and masons—and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house. However there need be no accounting made with them of the money delivered into their hand, because they deal faithfully.  Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 

So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, Your servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the Lord. Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. Now it happened, when the king heard the Words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes. Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, Go, inquire of the Lord for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the Words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the Words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us. So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke with her. Then she said to them, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man who sent you to Me, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants—all the Words of the book which the king of Judah has read—because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched. But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, in this manner you shall speak to him, Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Concerning the Words which you have heard—because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you, says the Lord. Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place. So they brought back word to the king. 

2 Kings 23:1-27, Now the king sent them to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him. The king went up to the house of the Lord with all the men of Judah, and with him all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the Words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the Lord. Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the Words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant. And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the articles that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of Heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. Then he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, and those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven. And he brought out the wooden image from the house of the Lord, to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and ground it to ashes, and threw its ashes on the graves of the common people. 

Then he tore down the ritual booths of the sodomites that were in the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the wooden image. And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba; also he broke down the high places at the gates which were at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were to the left of the city gate. Nevertheless the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren. And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech. Then he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech, the officer who was in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. The altars that were on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, the king broke down and pulverized there, and threw their dust into the Brook Kidron. Then the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, which were on the south of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the people of Ammon. And he broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images, and filled their places with the bones of men. 

Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place and crushed it to powder, and burned the wooden image. As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs that were there on the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar, and defiled it according to the Word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. Then he said, What gravestone is this that I see? So the men of the city told him, It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel. And he said, Let him alone; let no one move his bones. So they left his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria. Now Josiah also took away all the shrines of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the Lord to anger; and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel. He executed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned men's bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem. 

Then the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant. Such a Passover surely had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was held before the Lord in Jerusalem. Moreover Josiah put away those who consulted mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might perform the Words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him. Nevertheless the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. And the Lord said, I will also remove Judah from My sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there. 

The Lord spoke to Josiah, and He said, Because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants; that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, says the Lord. Josiah’s heart was tender toward the Lord. He loved the Lord God, and he purged Jerusalem and all  Judah and Israel from their abominations and their idols, and he proclaimed a passover, the likes of which was never done in all of Israel, not since the days of Samuel. In verse 22:2 it says, And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

Let’s turn to 2 Tim 3:1-5, But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 

For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, (or covetous), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! This is idolatry, and it is rampant in the church of Jesus Christ today. The church is full of idols and abominations and wickedness, as it was in the days of the kings of Judah and Israel. Come out from among them and be  separate! 2 Cor 6:14-18, Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will dwell in them and walk among them; I will be their God and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. Chapter 7, verse 1, Therefore, having these promises beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. The Scripture says, Holiness, without which no man will see the Lord.

Do you love God?  Will you love Him and keep His ways, even unto death? Or do you love yourself, and your pleasures, and the things and glory of this world, to your own destruction?  How is your heart? Is your heart tender like Josiah’s? Are you willing to humble yourself before the Lord, and give Him all your heart? The Lord Jesus already humbled Himself, and gave Himself a living sacrifice for you.

Thank you for reading this message from 15 Minutes With Jesus at roberthaymes.com . May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you who love Him in truth, Amen. (2 Cor 13:14)

 Abraham’s Seed 

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, Jesus said, there am I in the midst of them. To those of you who love Him in truth: mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. 

Praise God! Thank you Father, praise God, Amen. 

Interpretation of a message in tongues:

I am God Almighty. My people, I want you to listen this day to My servant Rob. Listen carefully to the words that I have given him. He did not speak these words on his own accord. I have given him these words. Therefore, hearken diligently to what I am saying to you by My Spirit through My servant Rob this day. 

Father, I thank you. Of a truth, this is your program, Father. You gave it to me; I am your servant, and as you said, Jesus, without you we can do nothing. I do not have anything that I have not received from you. Amen. So Lord, we thank you for this program; I pray, bless every person listening; grant us all grace to hear what you are saying by your Spirit; to understand; give us understanding, and minister to every heart, I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Today we’re going to speak about Abraham’s Seed. First let’s look at the promise that God made to Abraham in Gen 17:1-8, When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly. Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your seed after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

Ok, let’s turn to Gen 22:15-18, And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of Heaven the second time, and said, By myself have I sworn, says the Lord, for because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son: that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in your seed shall all the nations of the Earth be blessed; because you have obeyed my voice. All the nations of the Earth are blessed in Abraham’s seed. 

Gal 3:6-14,  Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In you shall all nations be blessed. So then they who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that does them shall live in them. 

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree: that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Gal 3:16-29, Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, “And to your seed”, who is Christ. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 

Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Gal 3:9, So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Gal 4:4-7, But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

 

Now they are not all children of Abraham that are of Abraham: Rom 9:1-9, the Apostle Paul writes, I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever, Amen. But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, do you see that?, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. For this is the word of promise: "At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son." 

God brought forth His Son, born of a woman, born a Jew- the seed of Abraham, through whom He blessed all the nations of the world by the sacrifice of Himself upon the Cross of Calvary for all our sins, declared to be the Son of God, with power, by His resurrection from the dead. God sent His beloved Son into the world to bless all of us by turning us from our iniquities. Jesus was made a curse for us upon the tree, that we might be blessed in Him. God promised He would make Abraham a father of many nations: it was through his Seed, the Son of David, the Son of God, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Hallelujah! God separated the Children of Abraham unto Himself to be His people through the covenant He made with Abraham, and with his seed.  It was by promise. 

When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, the Seed of Abraham, by whom He blessed all the nations of the world, and all those who are of faith, who believe in Him: the children of the promise, are blessed with faithful Abraham. If you be Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. Rom 11, Has God cast away His people? God forbid.  God has not cast away His people which He foreknew. Vs 5, Even so, then at this present time, also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. Vs 25, …blindness in part is happened unto Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. Vs 26, And so all Israel shall be saved… Vs 28, …but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. Vs 29, For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 

I want to speak now about Satan’s hatred for Israel: Let’s go to Rev 12:1-5, Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in Heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of Heaven and threw them to the Earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. vs 4, …And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. Vs 13, And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the Earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. Vs 17, And the dragon was angry with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed (the seed of Abraham), which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Without question, the dragon is Satan, and the woman is Israel. The man child is Jesus, who is going to rule the nations with a rod of iron. Without question, as you can see in these scriptures, Satan hates the woman because of her child Jesus. Satan sought to destroy Jesus when He came the first time, but Jesus triumphed over him through the Cross. Hallelujah! He seeks to destroy Israel as well, but he cannot, for they are God’s chosen people. Jesus brought victory over Satan and immortality, eternal life to us through the Gospel. And we overcome Satan by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony: what Jesus has done for us through the Cross. Satan hates all of us who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. He has a remnant in Israel that He is bringing through the fire, and they are His people, and they will some day be united with their King, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the King of Israel, and they will see His face, and they will serve Him forever in His Kingdom. Those that be of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

Thank you for reading this message from 15 Minutes With Jesus at roberthaymes.com . May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you who love Him in truth, Amen.

 What God Has Done

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, Jesus said, there am I in the midst of them. To those of you who love Him in truth: mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. (Jude 1:2)

Thank you Father, in Jesus’ name; we thank you for this day; we praise you Father in Jesus’ name. Thank you for this program Father, Amen.  I want to take just a moment this day, this is March 29th, 2025, and I just want to thank God: this is the five year anniversary for 15 Minutes With Jesus. On March 29th of 2020 the Lord spoke to me, and He said, I want you to do a 15 minute program. That’s when this program began, and I want to thank you Lord; just thank you Father for what you’ve done these past five years, thank you Lord! Every week God has given me a program by His Holy Spirit, with very few exceptions. He has been faithful to me to give me a program for you, and I want to thank God for you: every one of you that’s listening or every one of you that’s reading; everyone who’s ever listened or read this program, I thank God for you; I thank God for what He’s done for you through this program, in any way that you have been edified or blessed, I am so thankful! My wife and I, Darlene, we thank God for you; we thank God for this program; I just want to thank God, Amen. 

Today’s program is called, What God Has Done. Do you understand what God has done?

Let’s turn to Luke 1:26,  Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His Kingdom there will be no end." Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Jesus is the Son of God. He was conceived by the Father in Mary’s womb through the power of the Holy Spirit. Isa 7:14, Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Immanuel means, God with us. Chapter 9, verse 6 of Isaiah, For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His Kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. God gave His Son. 

Let’s turn to John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. Verse 14, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 

Jesus was begotten of the Father in Mary’s womb, and when He was born He was called Jesus, the Son of God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Over to John 3, when Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, and Jesus talked to him: verse 16 of chapter 3, He said to him, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." God so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son.

Let’s turn to Mark 7:1, Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. Verse 5, Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?" He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do." He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, 'Honor your Father and your mother, and he who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban"—' (that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do." The religion of man and the traditions of men make the Word of God of none effect in a person’s life. Jesus said, “This people draws near to Me with their mouth, but their heart is far from Me. In vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” So, there is much vain religion. The religion of man is vain, it is vain! If you are in man’s religion, you cannot really see what God has done. You say, “Oh, I know what He’s done, I know, He gave His Son.” But you cannot really see what God has done; your heart is far from Him, and yet, you believe you are with Him. Jesus said, in Mat 7:21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' 

God loved us, and He sent His Son to die on the Cross at Calvary for our sins, and Jesus loved His Father, and He loved us, and He went to the Cross. In the Garden of Gethsemane He struggled; He prayed and labored and travailed in prayer so that He could overcome His own flesh and do the will of His Father, which was to go to the Cross. He was sent here to die on that Cross for our sins; it was the will of the Father, and He said, “Nevertheless, not My will, Father but your will  be done.” Jesus was crucified on that Cross. It was a brutal death. Before He was crucified they beat Him; they spit in His face; they tore out His beard; they scourged Him; they mocked Him. Jesus lived for more than thirty years in this wicked world without sinning. He was tempted in every way that we are, yet He never sinned. That’s why He could offer His life, His sinless life,  on the Cross for our sins: He died to take away our sins. And when He died on that Cross, our sins were paid for; all the sins of the human race, the ransom was paid through His death, and through the shedding of His Blood we are cleansed from all sin and unrighteousness, if we will repent and believe this Gospel; believe this good news of what God has done; what He has done: He gave His Son on that Cross for our sins, and on the third day, He raised Him from the dead, and the Scripture says, when He raised Jesus from the dead, He raised us from the dead, Hallelujah!, Amen. When you believe this Gospel and you confess your sins to God and you receive Jesus as your Lord, you become a son of God: Jesus Christ dwells in your heart by faith. Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts crying, “Abba, Father.” Amen. Therefore you are no longer a slave to sin, but you are a son or a daughter of God. God is in you; Jesus Christ is in you; the Father is in Him; you are in them, Amen. Crucified with Christ; buried with Him; raised with Him; seated with Him at the right hand of the Father, far above all principalities, powers, might, and dominions, and every name that is named, so that through faith in this Gospel: this good news of what God has done, you can overcome and be conformed to His image, and be a son or a daughter of God to dwell in His glorious Kingdom with Him which is coming soon to this Earth, forever! To be with Him forever, in righteousness, in peace, in joy, forever. No more sorrows; no more pains; no more suffering; the former things will be done away in that Day, and that Day is coming soon! Thank you Lord, thank you Lord. 

Interpretation of a message in tongues:

I am God Almighty. My children, hearken unto My servant Rob this day, as he speaks what I have done for you. Why did I do what I did? Because I love you; I love you; I want you to understand My love for you; what I’ve done for you. It was not easy for Me to give My Son upon the Cross for your sins, nor was it easy for Him, but He willingly obeyed Me and went to the Cross for you: He gave His life for you; He suffered and died for your sins, that you might be forgiven; that you might enter into fellowship with Me, as it is written in My Word: Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. I am with you; if you will be with Me, I will be with you; if you will draw near to Me, I will draw near to you, says the Lord. Seek Me with all your heart and you will find Me, says the Lord. See what I have done for you. 

Thank you for reading this message from 15 Minutes With Jesus at roberthaymes.com . May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you who love Him in truth, Amen.

 Precious Promises

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. 

Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, Jesus said, there am I in the midst of them. To those of you who love Him in truth: mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. (Jude 1:2)

Today we’re going to talk about Precious Promises. Let’s turn to 2 Pet 1:1-21, Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Verse 16, For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And we heard this voice which came from Heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic Word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;  knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Verse 2, Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. The promises are through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. The promises come through the Lordship of Jesus in your life. 

Let’s turn to Phil 3:7-14, But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.  Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

Give diligence to make your calling and election sure. We have to be diligent to make our calling sure; with faith, virtue, which is excellence, knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, temperance, which is self control, Godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. In 1 Cor 13: 4-8, we read about love:  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. In Matt 11:28-30 Jesus said, Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and Godliness; the exceeding greatness of His mighty power which He worked in Jesus when He raised Him from the dead. 

Eph 1:15-23, Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. 

There are so many wonderful promises which God has given us in His Son Jesus Christ. There’s no way, in this program, that I can share all of them. I just want to share a few of them. Here are some Precious Promises:

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever lives and believes in Him should not perish, but inherit everlasting life. 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

Forgive and you shall be forgiven. Show mercy and you will receive mercy. Give and it shall be given. Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. 

When you pray, believe that you have received what you are asking for, and it shall be given you. 

If two or three of you shall agree as touching anything that you shall ask, it shall be given unto you.

If you walk after the flesh you shall die, but if you through the Spirit do put to death the deeds of the body you shall live.

Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all things that you need shall be added unto you.

If you love Me, Jesus said, keep My commandments, and I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter that He may abide with you forever.

The Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, He shall teach you all things.

Shall not the Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?

Jesus said, If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love.

Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

In John 6, Jesus said, He that comes to Me shall never hunger, and he that believes in Me shall never thirst.

He said, Him that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out. Hallelujah!

He said, Verily, verily I say unto you, he that believes on Me has everlasting life.

In John 11, Jesus said, He that believes on Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live!

Whosoever lives and believes in Me shall never die! Do you believe this?, He said to Martha. Do we believe it?

He also said, As the Father has loved Me, so do I love you. Continue you in My love. Do we believe that? 

Do you believe that Jesus loves you as much as the Father loves him?

In 1 John we read, This is the promise that He has given to us, even eternal life. In Him is life. He that has the Son has eternal life. He that has not the Son of God shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

In John 14 Jesus told His disciples, I will come again and receive you unto myself.

Jesus said, Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  

He said, If you abide in Me and my Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.

He said, If you keep My commandments you shall abide in My love.

Through these Precious Promises of God we can partake of the Divine Nature; we will be conformed to the image of God’s Son; we will be like Him. If we will seek after Him with all our hearts we will find Him, and we will escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. As you draw near to Jesus and seek to know Him, if you will take His yoke upon you and learn of Him, He will lead you in righteous paths to break you of your stubbornness and rebellion, and He will wash you and cleanse you of your corrupt ways that you learned from your fathers and from your old friends in the world. And He will give you His peace and righteousness and joy in the Holy Spirit, more and more, as you stay with Him and follow Him. Jesus said, If you will continue in My Word, you will be my disciples indeed, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

We must do something. We must repent of our evil ways and deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him every day. We must believe what He accomplished  through His sacrifice for us on the Cross. We must yield ourselves to Jesus to be baptized in water. Have you been baptized in water since you believed in Him? If you have been baptized, do you understand what took place in you? Jesus said, He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. Through water baptism you are baptized into His death, you are crucified with Him, and you are raised with Him into newness of life. It is very real and essential; it is not a religious exercise. The reason you don’t want to be baptized is because you don’t want to die. You want to continue as lord of your own life and continue in your own corrupt ways, which will inevitably  bring about your own destruction. Water baptism is the first step in following Jesus. You must be crucified and die with Him that you may inherit eternal life and live with Him. Your old sinful nature is destroyed thereby and you will be able to follow Him. 

You must then take the second step in following Jesus and be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, I’m going to be with the Father, but I won’t leave you alone. I’m going to send the Comforter. He shall teach you all things. It is absolutely essential for you, as a believer in Jesus, to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, that He may teach you all things and reveal Jesus to you; that you may be led by Him to do the will of the Father; to follow Jesus in the way. They that are led by the Spirit of God are the sons and daughters of God. The righteousness of God’s law is fulfilled in them who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Again, you have to yield; you have to surrender your own stubborn will to Him and let Him lead you in His good way. You will never regret it! Come to Jesus! Yield to Him! Take His yoke upon you and learn of Him; learn of all the things He has promised you if you will love Him and obey Him. He is not a respecter of persons at all. If you will yield to Him and obey Him, He will work His Precious Promises in your life, as you believe Him and trust Him. You have to trust Him because sometimes He will even lead you through the valley of the shadow of death. But He will be with you! He will be there in His power to comfort you! Oh the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out!

Thank you for reading this message from 15 Minutes With Jesus at roberthaymes.com . May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you who love Him in truth, Amen. (2 Cor 13:14)

 The Lord Is My Shepherd

Greetings in the name of Jesus ! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, Jesus said, there am I in the midst of them. To those of you who love Him in truth: mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. (Jude 1:2)

Today we're going to talk about The Lord Is My Shepherd. Psalm 23 :1-6: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

David wrote this Psalm by the Holy Spirit. Starting out in verse 1: The Lord is my Shepherd; The Lord is our Shepherd. He is the One. The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. The reason I won't want is because the Lord is my Shepherd. I follow Him. I confess Jesus as my Lord. He is my Lord, and He is my Shepherd, and He leads me in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. He leads me beside the still waters. He causes me to lie down in green pastures. You know, a sheep likes green pastures, where there is plenty of good food. You won't lack if the Lord is your Shepherd; you shall not want. He will lead you to green pastures. He will provide for your every need as you follow Him. He is your Lord. He is your Shepherd, and He will lead you beside still waters, where you can get a nice, cool drink. And, He will restore our souls. He leads us in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake; this is how He restores our souls; He leads us in these paths of righteousness; but that is only if He is our Shepherd; if we are following Him. If we follow Him. Jesus said, Follow Me. As we follow Him, He leads us in these righteous paths, and things are exposed in our souls, and as we humble ourselves, and we repent, and we draw near to Him, He will cleanse us, He will cleanse our souls, He will restore our souls. Our souls have been destroyed through sin. The first thing Jesus did to restore our souls is to offer Himself a living sacrifice for our sins. Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the World. And that's why He came; to take away our sins, and restore our souls, to make us sound, to heal us, to make us sons and daughters of the Living God. And He loved us; the Father loved us, so much that He gave His Son to be a living sacrifice on the cross for our sins. And Jesus loved us, and He obeyed the Father. He died for our sins, and He was buried, but on the third day the Father raised Him from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit, justified from all those sins, and we, when we give ourselves to Jesus, we are baptized into His death, burial, and resurrection; crucified for our sins, raised again for our justification.

Verse 4: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, why?, for you are with me. Jesus is with us because we follow Him. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. So, what is the rod? The rod and the staff represent the authority that the Lord has. All authority in Heaven and Earth has been given to Jesus, Hallelujah! And He's our Shepherd, and He's leading us, and as we are walking in obedience to Him, and He sends us, we have authority, we have His authority. And His authority will comfort us, because we know, beyond a shadow of any doubt, that Jesus triumphed over all the powers and authorities of darkness. It is written in His Word, Because He humbled Himself to the death of the cross, the Father has given Him a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, in Heaven, on the Earth, and under the Earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. The Father has seated Him in Heavenly places, and He has seated us in Him. When we are in Jesus, we are seated in Him at the right hand of the Father, far above principalities, power, might, and dominion, and every wicked spirit. That's the rod; that's the staff; that's the authority that is given to Jesus, and as we are in Him, we are protected by that staff; that rod. And even though the Lord leads us through the valley of the shadow of death, we will not fear evil, because of the authority that is given to Him, because He triumphed over all the powers of evil, all the power of darkness. He is our Lord, and He is our Shepherd. He is our shield and our exceeding great reward, and we are with Him; we are following Him; we are His sheep.

Verse 5 says, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. The Lord provides abundantly for us right in front of our enemies. Even though our enemies are round about us, the Lord is providing for us, and He anoints our head with oil. Let's turn to First Samuel, chapter 15. This is where we read about Saul, and how he rejected the Word of the Lord, and how the Lord rejected him from being king. When Samuel came to him, in verses 22 & 23, he said…Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the Word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king. 

Let's go to chapter 16, verse 1: Now the Lord said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons. Samuel obeyed the Lord. Samuel walked in the authority of the Lord because he was obedient to the Lord. So he came to Bethlehem, and he got together with Jesse and his sons, and Jesse brought each one of his sons before Samuel, and Samuel said, one after another, the Lord has not chosen this one. Verses 9-13,  Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one. Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, The Lord has not chosen these. And Samuel said to Jesse, Are all the young men here? Then he said, There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep. And Samuel said to Jesse, Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here. So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him; for this is the one! Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. 

So David was anointed by the prophet Samuel and the Holy Spirit came upon him from that day forward. David was a man after God's own heart, and that's why God chose him. David loved God, and he followed his Shepherd; he was led by the Spirit. The goodness of Psalm 23 came to David and us through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. And, as you know, if you have read the scriptures, David did many things, including killing Goliath, which was an amazing accomplishment, but he did that by the power of the Holy Spirit, and by the Word of God. David loved God, he wrote the Psalms; he wrote Psalm 23 under the anointing of the Holy Ghost, and in verse 5, You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. He understood that; he understood the anointing.

So, the Lord is my Shepherd, number one, the Lord is my Shepherd. Jesus is my Lord, He's my Shepherd and I follow Him. We like to quote Psalm 23, but the blessings that are spoken of therein belong only to those that follow their Shepherd. Going back to 1Sam 15:22, …Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Does the Lord delight in our religious practices as much as He delights in us hearing His voice; Jesus said My sheep hear my voice and they follow me; that's what the Lord delights in; hearing His voice, obeying Him, following Him. Continuing on in verse 22, Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. And, that's what happens to many people; they don't stay with Jesus. They say that they are saved, they say, Jesus is my Lord, but they don't obey Him; they are not led by the Holy Spirit to follow their Shepherd. They are not walking in the Spirit, hearkening unto the voice of their Shepherd, and they get into rebellion, and when you get into rebellion, you fall into witchcraft. Only the Lord can deliver us out of that rebellion and out of that witchcraft, but if any one of us will humble ourselves and repent, God will do it; He will forgive us, He will cleanse us of that, and bring us into obedience.

Let's go to John 10:1-18, Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.   But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Notice, the sheep hear the voice of the Shepherd. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. Then Jesus said to them again, Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.   But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. There is one Shepherd. His name is Jesus. Jesus is our Shepherd, and He proved this when He laid down His life for us. Thank you Jesus. Greater love has no man than this, He said, that a man lay down his life for his friends. He said, you are my friends if you do whatever I command you. Verse 17, Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father. 

In Mathew chapter 7, at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said,  Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! They weren't following their Shepherd; they weren't following their Lord. They were doing their own will; they were in rebellion, and in the sin of witchcraft. Even though the Holy Spirit had manifested through them in times past, they were not following their Shepherd. Jesus said, I only do the will of my Father; what I see Him doing. He will lead us by His Spirit to do His will. We follow our Shepherd by the Holy Spirit. We hear His voice and we follow Him.

Jesus saved us from our sins and washed us in His own blood by the sacrifice of Himself to make us sons and daughters of the living God, to follow our Lord, our Shepherd, to do the will of God from our hearts, seeking His glory and honor, seeking to please the Father, not ourselves any more. Not to live in the flesh, to do our own will, seeking our own glory and pleasure, and then go to Heaven, because we are "saved". No, it won't work. It's a lie. The Spirit is given for us to love God, and serve Him, and obey Him, following Jesus, our Great Shepherd, and loving one another. He said, This is my commandment, that you love one another. We cannot say that we love God if we hate our brother; if we won't forgive our brother or our sister. We are in darkness, and we don't love God. The Apostle John said, This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. He said, If God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Heb 13:20&21  Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen!

Thank you for reading this message from 15 Minutes With Jesus at roberthaymes.com . May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you who love Him in truth, Amen. (2 Cor 13:14)