Psalm 23

Greetings in the name of Jesus. This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today we’re going to talk about Psalm 23, but before we do, we’re going to start in Psalm 22. Let’s turn there now. Psalm 22:1-24, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed. But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him! But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother's breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother's womb You have been My God. Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion.  I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. Save Me from the lion's mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me. I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard. It is only because of what is revealed here in Psalm 22 of the sufferings of Christ that we can enter into the blessings of Psalm 23. 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. The Lord is my Shepherd. In order to partake of the promises in Psalm 23, first of all, the Lord must be your Shepherd. You must be following Him. If you are in rebellion against Him; continuing in any sin, refusing to repent; if you are in any unforgiveness, you are not following Him. Jesus died for your sins, and the sins of those people who did you wrong. He loved you and gave Himself for you and suffered for you that you might be forgiven and enter into fellowship with Him, and the Father, and with the people of God. So forgive them and love them so that you may be forgiven. In 1 John 1:8-10 it is written, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. You must confess it! If you feel like you can’t face it; if you feel like you can’t forgive, cry out to Jesus! For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered. He will help you. He loves you. Come to Me, Jesus said, take my yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest unto your souls. Jesus gave Himself on that Cross to pay your ransom for all your sins, and to bring you into eternal life with Him; to forgive you, and wash you, and fill you with His Holy Spirit, that you might be led by His Spirit to follow Him in the righteous paths that the Father has planned for your perfection; to make you holy, separate from this present evil world, that you may walk with Him and serve Him all your days in holiness and righteousness, and bring forth fruit that remains to His Glory. Let’s turn to Mat 7:21-23, 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! Not everyone who says Lord, Lord, is going into the Kingdom of Heaven, but they that do the will of the Father. 

If the Lord is your Shepherd you will be seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all those things that you need will be added unto you; you shall not want. Luke 12:22-34,  Then  said Jesus to His disciples, Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. He will bless you. He will make you to lie down in green pastures. You will have good food, all that you need, with His blessings. But if you set your heart on the things that you want and need, and seek those things, you will not be able to follow Jesus. He will lead you beside still waters; a place where you can drink and be satisfied and refreshed and find rest. 

As you follow Him, He will lead you in paths of righteousness to restore your soul. The Lord has paths for you to walk in that will deal with your heart, and bring about righteousness in you. He will expose things in you and bring you to repentance and cleansing. Your soul will be restored from all the damage of sin and rebellion, pride and self-righteousness. If you’re going to follow Jesus you must stay on the path He has for you and let Him deal with your life and break you and make you righteous, until He leads you to the next path. Sometimes it hurts; sometimes it’s difficult and painful, but if you are following Him, He is with you for your greatest good, and it’s for His name’s sake, not yours. He will bring you to the place where your greatest desire is to glorify His name and please the Father; no longer yourself, and He will make you fruitful if you will be faithful to Him and follow Him unto death.

Eventually you will come to the valley of the shadow of death. No matter what He brings us to, we need not fear any evil, because He is with us, and He will bring us through that valley. His rod and His staff will comfort us. Jesus Christ has absolute authority over every power of darkness, over every principality, over every man, over every name that is named; that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord to the Glory of God the Father. He is Lord! As His sheep, if we will stay close to our Shepherd, and follow Him, we need not fear the wolves, the lions, or the bears, nor any other predators. His rod and His staff are in His hands to defend us, protect us, and comfort us. I will fear no evil for you are with me. In fact, Jesus will prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies, right in front of those who want to destroy us, He will feed us, He will bless us, and anoint us with His Holy Spirit. Let’s turn to Luke 12:35-40, Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 

Let’s turn to 1 Cor 10:12-24, Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say.  The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the fellowship of the Blood of Christ? We are blessed because of the Blood of Jesus; washing us and cleansing us, white as snow; that we might enter into communion with Jesus and the Father, and with one another, through His sacrifice of Himself on the Cross. Through repentance and faith toward Him our cup runs over; the blessings will come upon us and overtake us: the blessings of true righteousness, the blessings of true love, the blessings of the Holy Spirit, and the blessings of the Word of God; the blessings of true fellowship with the Lord through the Holy Spirit, and with one another. We will be blessed and our families will be blessed. Our work will be blessed. Our companies will be blessed. Our cities will be blessed and our nation will be blessed, IF we will repent and turn to Him with all our heart, and truly and wholeheartedly follow the Lamb of God wherever He leads us. And He will lead you if you are willing to follow Him. If you want to go your own way, and seek your own pleasures, He will not be leading you into all these blessings, and you will wander in your own wilderness until He deals with your life to bring you out of rebellion, dead religion, self-righteousness, and the doctrines of men, to really follow Him in the Spirit, and in truth; to truly love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor also, as yourself. As we love God, and love one another, forgiving one another, walking in the light, we will have true fellowship with Him and with one another, and surely His goodness and His mercy shall follow us all the days of our life, and we will dwell in the House of the Lord forever. 

Choose you this day whom you will serve; whom you will follow. As for me and my house, we will follow our Lord Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd. Jesus said, I am the Good shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

 Holy Ghost Prayers

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today’s program is called Holy Ghost Prayers. Let’s turn to Rom 8:26-30, Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. Let’s turn to 1Cor 14:14&15, For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. An extremely important reason to be filled with the Holy Spirit is that He may lead you in effectual prayers. When you receive the Holy Spirit, you will receive your Heavenly language also, that you might pray in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance; praying as He leads for the things you really need to pray for. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 1 Pet 3:12, For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and His ears are open unto their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. As you continue to be filled with the Spirit and led by the Spirit in all things, you will be fulfilling the righteousness of the law. Rom 8:4, The righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. You will be being led by the Spirit in your prayers; praying with the understanding, and praying with the Spirit also. You are righteous as you are being led by the Spirit to obey the good Word of God; obeying Him and prospering, even as your soul prospers.  

As you pray in the Spirit in other tongues, the Holy Spirit will be leading you in intercession, in warfare, and in worship. He will lead you in battle against the powers of darkness, and His power will be manifesting as you continue to believe the Word of God. The Holy Spirit will be praying in you, through you, and for you, and others, and He will rise up in you against the powers of darkness that are seeking to destroy you and others. He will lead you in Holy Spirit worship. The Father is a Spirit, and He seeks to be worshipped in Spirit and in truth; in the Holy Spirit, with the Words of God. Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s turn to Eph 6:10-18, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Here we have a description of the whole armor of God; the equipment and means with which we need to carry out our warfare against the powers and principalities in the heavenlies that are set against us to destroy us. We must avail ourselves therefore of Holy Spirit prayers, all the time, praying always with all prayers and supplication in the Spirit; prayers in tongues, and prayers in our language, watching thereunto with all perseverance. As we continue in this the Holy Spirit will rise up in us in prayer; effectual, fervent, and righteous prayers. Jude 1:20&21, But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 

We must seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, Ask, seek, and knock. Shall not the Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask? Remember that the Kingdom of God is not in word only, but also in power. Let’s turn to 1 Cor 2:1-5, And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Chapter 4, verse 20, For the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. So with our prayers; if our prayers are only in word and not also in power, they will not be effectual. Also, they must be in faith. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Mar 11:22-26, So Jesus answered and said to them, Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses. When we pray, we must believe, and we must forgive. 

1 Tim 2:1-8 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. I desire therefore that  men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; Phil 4:6&7, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. As you continue in prayer, in the Holy Ghost, you will be edifying yourself and others. Only the Spirit knows what you really need to pray, and as you yield to Him in prayer, He will lead you far beyond all that you could ask or even think. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God; to them who are the called according to His purpose. Many a time in recent days I have been praying, when the Holy Spirit began to pray in me a strong prayer in other tongues. These prayers are very powerful. Even though I don’t know what is being spoken, I am sure that they have been effectual in dealing with the situations we have been going through. Also, many a time, as I am praying in tongues, the Holy Spirit will lead me in binding powers of darkness; binding witchcraft, or loosing people from the onslaught of evil coming against them. He knows exactly what is going on in the spirit, and how it needs to be handled. I always ask the Lord to send the Holy Spirit to pray in me and through me according to the present need, and He always responds. Ask and it shall be given; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you. For whoever asks receives, and he that seek finds, and to him that knocks it shall be opened. It’s not by might; it’s not by power; but it’s by my Spirit says the Lord. 

Let’s turn to 2 Cor 10:3-5, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. As we pray in the Spirit; as we are truly led by the Holy Spirit in effectual, fervent prayers, our weapons of warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God. He will be leading us by His Holy Spirit to pull down strongholds, cast down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the true knowledge of God. And we will be bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. In this way, by His power and might, we will be aligning ourselves and others with the will of God, that His good purposes may be fulfilled in our lives, and in the lives of others. Much of our trouble and bondage in our lives is brought about through deceit and lies, and evil imaginations and thoughts. As we continue in the Word of God and Holy Spirit prayers we will truly be Jesus’ disciples, and He will be teaching us His Word by the Holy Spirit, and leading us in the knowledge of the truth, to overcome the things that have us and other people in bondage; out of darkness, into His marvelous light. This can only be accomplished through the Spirit and the power of His might. Carnal prayers will not get it done. The only way you can deal with powers of darkness is in the power of God. The only way you can deal with lies is in the truth; even as Jesus overcame the temptations of the devil by speaking the Word of God to him in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Song:

Oh the weapons of our warfare are not carnal

But they are mighty, they are mighty

Oh the weapons of our warfare are not carnal

But they are mighty in the Holy Ghost

For they are strong to the pulling down of strongholds

They are mighty, they are mighty

Oh they are strong to the pulling down of strongholds

They are mighty in the Holy Ghost

 The Grace Of God

The grace of God is given through the sacrifice of Jesus for us to walk in the Spirit and fulfill all righteousness. He will lead us in doing good works. The grace of God does not “cover” walking in the flesh. Rom 8:13, If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Verse 14, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. Jesus will be giving unto every one of us according to our works; He will reward us. The grace of God is the gift of righteousness through the gift of God’s Son, so we can be dead to sin in Him, and alive unto God; married to another; to Jesus who was raised from the dead, to bring forth fruit unto God, walking with Him, obeying the Father, led by the Holy Spirit as sons and daughters of God. The grace of God enables us to put to death the deeds of the body, the works of the flesh, through the Spirit, that we might live in Christ. We are no longer slaves of sin, but we have become slaves of God, bought by His Blood. We are not our own. Our past sins are forgiven, we are become righteous in Jesus through the gift of His righteousness. Then we continue in Him, yielding to the Holy Spirit to do the will of God every day, not yielding to the flesh, but putting it to death through the Spirit. We continue in His grace, confessing our sins, being forgiven and cleansed; walking with a pure conscience. It is the grace of God given to us that we can now come to God and confess any sin and be forgiven and cleansed, and it is not imputed to us because of faith in Jesus’ sacrifice, because of the grace of God. If we will not confess it to God, if we will not repent from the heart, but continue in sin, we trample under foot the Son of God and count the Blood of the Covenant wherewith we were sanctified an unholy thing, and we do despite unto the Spirit of Grace! 

 Our Faith

Our faith is in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, who died; gave Himself for our sins on that brutal Cross, just outside the walls of Jerusalem on that dark, cold day 2000 years ago. He loved us and washed us from our sins in His own Blood. As we believe in His sacrifice and in His resurrection it is imputed to us for righteousness. God loved us when we were dead in trespasses and sins and gave His Son to suffer for us that we might live in Him and walk with Him, doing His will, doing righteousness, being led by His Holy Spirit. We are saved by His grace, not of ourselves, it is the gift of God; God gave His Son. To say that, therefore we can do whatever we want and say we are in faith, under grace, though we continue in sin, is an abomination and a lie, and a grievous sin against Christ, who has emphatically promised that He is going to give unto every one of us according to our works.

The apostle Paul said, we establish the law through faith. Jesus said, not one jot or tittle of the law shall be done away till all be fulfilled. Sin is the transgression of the law. The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. The Holy Spirit will lead us in love; loving the Lord and keeping His Words, doing the will of the Father, loving one another. Love does no ill to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. When you commit fornication, or lie, or steal you are not loving your neighbor; you are sinning against them and yourself and God.  Repent and return to Him, confessing your sins, and He will abundantly pardon and cleanse you, and you will be built up in Him. But if you will not repent, from your heart, you yourself will pay for your own deeds, having done despite unto the Spirit of grace. Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap, and there is no respect of persons with God.

 Why Did Jesus Die?

The Father in Heaven did not give His Son to suffer and die that brutal death on the Cross for you to make a way for you to get money and power and fame. NO! He loved you so much that He gave His only beloved Son to die for your sins; to give Himself a living, perfect, sinless sacrifice on that Cross, and wash us from our sins in His own Blood; to justify us and save us from the wrath of God which will soon be poured out on all those who, in spite of His great sacrifice for them, will not repent of their lies, and their fornications, and their thefts, and their idolatries; and to purify for Himself His own special people, zealous of good works, to serve Him forever in His glorious Kingdom. As we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, doing righteousness, being led by the Holy Spirit; denying ourselves and our lusts and desires, taking up our cross and following Jesus every day to do the will of our Father in Heaven, glorifying Him, being faithful in all the work which He has given us to do, all things that are needful will be added to us. We don’t need to even think about them.

 Behold The Man

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today’s program is called Behold The Man.  

It was the Passover; the time of the deliverance from the horror of darkness which the Children of Israel had suffered, being in bondage in hard labor in Egypt 400 years. Moses instructed them to choose a lamb without spot, faultless, and to roast it in the fire, placing the blood of the spotless lamb on their doorposts, that the angel of death would not come into their houses. The Lord said to them, And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are, and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be on you when I strike the land of Egypt. 

It was the Passover, and Jesus and His disciples gathered together in an upper room to eat the Passover meal together. That same night in which He was betrayed, Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, He brake it and said, Take, eat; this is my body which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also He took the cup saying, This cup is the New Testament in my Blood; this do, as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.

It was the Passover, and Jesus travailed in prayer, that He might take the cup which the Father had given Him, to become the Lamb of God, and to be slain for the sins of all of us; to bear our sins in His body on the Cross, and to wash us from our sins in His own Blood. It was His love for the Father, and their love for us that enabled Him to overcome His own flesh and go to the Cross.

It was the Passover, and they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Hall of Judgement. Let’s turn to John 18:28-40, Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. Pilate then went out to them and said, What accusation do you bring against this Man? They answered and said to him, If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you. Then Pilate said to them, You take Him and judge Him according to your law. Therefore the Jews said to him, It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death, that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die. Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, Are You the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?  Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here. Pilate therefore said to Him, Are You a king then? Jesus answered, You say that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. Pilate said to Him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, I find no fault in Him at all. But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews? Then they all cried again, saying, Not this Man, but Barabbas! Now Barabbas was a robber. John 19:1-18, So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, Hail, King of the Jews! And they struck Him with their hands. Pilate then went out again, and said to them, Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him. Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, Behold the Man!  Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, Crucify Him, crucify Him! Pilate said to them, You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God. Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, Where are You from? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then Pilate said to Him, Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You? Jesus answered, You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin. From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him! Pilate said to them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar! Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away. And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. 

Behold the Man!; Jesus, the Son of God; conceived in the Virgin Mary’s womb; the Word was made flesh, therefore that Holy Thing that was born of her is called the Son of God. He is a man, in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Jesus was tempted, yet He never yielded; He never sinned. If He could be tempted, then He could have sinned. He was a man! Because He loved the Father, because He loved us, He never yielded. He overcame every temptation with fasting and prayer, speaking the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit, walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. He overcame in the Garden of Gethsemane to offer Himself a perfect sacrifice on the Cross, and shed His Blood, His sinless life, to deliver us all from so great a death: eternal separation from God and all His goodness, in eternal torment, receiving the full reward for our own evil deeds. The Father is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and be saved from His wrath that will consume all the wicked; those that reject the sacrifice of his Beloved Son on the Cross for their sins. Jesus died for our sins, without fault, as Pilate confirmed, and He rose again to justify us, and to give unto all of us who believe in Him eternal life, to serve Him and the Father in His glorious Kingdom. 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. Confess Jesus as your Lord, and believe that He rose from the dead, and you shall be saved! For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, His name is Jesus, shall be delivered.  

Behold the Man!, mocked and spit upon, beaten and scourged with a Roman lash, a crown of thorns on His head, in a purple robe, giving Himself for you, a living sacrifice for your sins; your sins, not His! He was without fault; the only man that never sinned!

Behold the Man!, on the Cross, every bone out of joint, His body marred more than any man, for you!; for your sins! There He cried out, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do! This is love!; not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and gave His Beloved Son to die for our sins; mocked, scorned, rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; surely He has borne our sorrows and carried our pains, yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted, but He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed! The Father saw the travail of His soul for us and was satisfied. He died for our sins!

Let’s turn to John 20:19-31, Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, Peace be with you. When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.  So Jesus said to them again, Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, We have seen the Lord. So he said to them, Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace to you! Then He said to Thomas, Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. 

Behold the Man!, risen from the dead!, victorious, glorified, justified from all the sins that were laid on Him: our sins; He was crucified for our sins and raised again for our justification; Rev 1:5-18,...Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the first born from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the Earth; to Him who loved us and who washed us from our sins in His own Blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen! Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the Earth will mourn because of Him; even so, Amen! I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End says the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come; the Almighty. I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, and, what you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen!

 How To Minister

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today’s program is called How To Minister. Let’s turn to Luke 16:10-13, He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?  No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Jesus spoke these Words, and He said, He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much, and he that is unjust in the least is unjust in much. God starts you out in what may seem to you as a little thing to see if you will be faithful in it. It may seem little to you, but it is not so to God. With God the little things are the big things because how you handle a small thing will affect how you handle all things, even the big things. People desire to do great things; to have a great ministry, to be a great man, or a great woman; to be a great man of God. It starts with your money; how you handle money; your job. Are you faithful with a little money? Can you manage the money that God gives you and obey Him with it? Are you faithful in your work; in your job; with your family and friends? Jesus said, If you have not been faithful with the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own? Wherever God has placed you, be faithful in it. Do excellent work; provide excellent service; as unto Him, and not just pleasing men. God will prepare you for bigger things as you remain faithful with the things He has already given you. Remain where God has you, being faithful and diligent, until He leads you on to the next thing; just as an athlete may spend years in training and developing his or her skills before he or she is ready for the big games. If they were not properly trained and developed they could not handle the contest and they would fail. God does not want us to fail, but He wants us to be truly successful; overcoming every weight and the sin which so easily besets us. Jesus said, No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. God will prove you with money to see if you will be faithful to Him with it, or if you will love money and the things of the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Master. Only in truly serving Him from the heart can we truly bring forth good fruit and glorify our Father in Heaven. We must be proven in that which is least to be faithful to Him in that which is bigger. We must yield to Him and follow Him in the path He is leading us in; asking Him, and sincerely desiring Him to purge us of all pride, and self-righteousness, and every evil way. 

Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? It is good if you have believed in Jesus; if you have been baptized in water into His death and burial, and raised with Him to serve Him in the newness of the Spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. All of us must receive the Holy Spirit coming upon us, with evidence of speaking in other tongues and prophesying; the earnest of our inheritance, so that He may be with us to lead us and comfort us every day. Jesus said to His disciples, when He was soon to leave them and go back to the Father, He said, I will not leave you alone; I will come unto you. When you have the Holy Spirit, then you can yield to Him and be led by Him every day. That’s how Jesus leads us; that’s how we follow Him, in every situation, to do the Father’s will; just as Jesus said, I only do what I see my Father doing; I only say what I hear my Father saying. The Holy Spirit will lead you where He wants you to go to the people He wants you to be with. As you continue to pray in the Spirit in other tongues, He will lead you in your prayers to overcome powers of darkness that would hinder you from overcoming and doing the Lord’s will. He will lead you in prayer; in forgetting the things that are behind and reaching forth to those things that are before.

I want to speak to those of you who believe that God has called you to be a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: Has God really called you? Do you know your calling? Have you been proven with money; with little things that are not so little? Have you been faithful in that which is another man’s; faithful in your job; faithful in your fellowship? Have you truly been baptized in the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in other tongues? Have you learned from Him, as you have been taught by Him the Word of God? Is He leading you? Are you following Jesus? Can you hear His voice? He said, My sheep hear my voice and they follow me. Are you willing to lay down your ambition; your desire to be great; your life, for Him. Do you really love Jesus, or do you love yourself and the honor of men? Are you ready to bear the glory; the honor that God puts on a man’s life to minister to His people? Or, do you need to work a job for another season, and wait on the Lord to start your ministry; being faithful with your job, serving Him; faithful with your money, with your wife and children, and let God decide when to send you, and where to send you, and what He wants you to speak and minister. Do you really want him to be glorified through your life, even unto death, or do you really want the glory for yourself? If any man speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God gives, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever. If you are serious about your calling from Him, then get serious about these things with Him. Ask Him to deal with your life. Seek Him to cleanse you of all unrighteousness and vain glory. He will do it, if you really mean it. Then you will be able to continue and be faithful in the ministry He gives you, and as you grow in strength and experience, He will move you on, and you will be able to stand and truly edify His people and glorify the Lord, and you will be rewarded in that day for your good service to Him and His people. If God hasn’t sent you and given you a message by His Spirit, you have nothing to give. If you love Him and His people, you will wait upon Him and seek Him until He answers. If your ministry is not founded in love for God and for His people it is rubbish. We must be converted; not just saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, as the Apostle Peter. Jesus said to him, at the Last Supper when He told him that he was about to deny Him three times, I have prayed for you that your faith fail not, and when you are converted, strengthen your brethren. Later, after He arose from the dead, He asked Peter, Do you love me? Peter said, Yes Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Jesus said, Feed my sheep.   Do you love Him?   Do you love His sheep? Will you wait upon Him to give you the Words and the works that he wants you to speak and do to truly edify His church? Jesus did not do any ministry until He was filled with the Holy Spirit, and He was led by the Spirit in all that He did. He said, It’s the Father in me doing the works. I only do those things that please Him; the Father in Him, and He in the Father; Jesus in you and you in Him. Without Him we can do nothing. And the Scripture says, If any man says that he abides in Him, let him walk as He walked. You can do all kinds of things and speak all kinds of words; build a big ministry in His name, but if it was not initiated by Him, it is nothing and it profits nothing. And when it is tried by fire in the last day, it will all be consumed.  What you may think to be a small thing in your eyes, if you will be faithful in it, may turn out to be gold, silver, and precious stones in that day.

Those of you who are reading this, those of you that you know God has called you and you want to be a true minister of Jesus Christ, I want to ask you to pray with me right now; just join with me in prayer: 

Father, in Jesus’ name we come before you. Father, I just want to thank you for every person reading this whom you have called into the ministry, into your ministry, whatever it may be. The Bible says you have called some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. Hallelujah! So Father, those that are reading this and you have truly called them; I pray you would help them to hear your Words, to humble themselves before you this day and cry out to you, and to understand, with all their being, that they cannot do anything without you, and only what you are leading them to do by your Spirit will be of any profit to anyone. Thank you Lord. We thank you Lord, in the name of Jesus, thank you Father, Amen.

I’m reminded of what Jesus said, in John chapter six, that he is the bread of life, and He told the people that were listening to Him, unless you eat my flesh and drink my Blood, you have no life in you. And many were offended at this statement, and they said, How can we eat this man’s flesh? Many of them left Him, and He turned to His disciples and said, does this offend you? In verse 48, Jesus said,  I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, How can this Man give us His flesh to eat? Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. In verses 61-63, Jesus said, ...Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? He said, It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. If you are called of God, you need to give place to God; let God be glorified; let Him give you the Words by His Holy Spirit that He wants you to speak, and He will be glorified. He will minister to His people. You cannot do anything without Him. It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. If you don’t have the Holy Spirit, you need to seek the Lord to be baptized in the Holy Spirit; be filled with the Holy Spirit, and be sent by the Holy Spirit. In Romans 10 it is written, how shall they believe on Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they be sent? You must be sent by the Holy Spirit! You must seek Him and call upon the Lord, and be willing to wait upon Him until He sends you; as the prophets and teachers did in Acts 13. They were fasting, they were praying; they were waiting on God; seeking God, and the Holy Spirit said, Separate unto me Barnabas and Saul for the work that I have called them to do. Then they prayed and they fasted again, and they laid hands on them and the Holy Spirit sent them out. And they went where the Holy Spirit sent them, and they preached the Gospel, and they started many churches, and it was all a work of the Spirit that continued for many years, even to this day, through the Bible; we read the Words that the Apostle Paul wrote to those churches; and the Apostle Peter, and the Apostle John. All of these things were done by the Spirit. Those men were full of the Holy Spirit when they wrote those Words. So it’s the Spirit that profits. The flesh profits nothing.

 She Is A Sinner !

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes with Jesus. Today’s program is called She Is A Sinner! Let’s turn to Luke 7:36-50, Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil,   and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner. And Jesus answered and said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. So he said, Teacher, say it. There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more? Simon answered and said, I suppose the one whom he forgave more. And He said to him, You have rightly judged. Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little. Then He said to her, Your sins are forgiven. And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, Who is this who even forgives sins? Then He said to the woman, Your faith has saved you. Go in peace. Let’s turn to John 3:14-18, Jesus said, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 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. The woman that was a sinner believed on Jesus and she loved Him. She believed the love that God had for her; that He sent His only beloved Son to save her. When she heard where Jesus was, she came to Him, weeping, with godly sorrow for her sins, which were many, and she honored Him, loved Him, and ministered to him, washing His feet with her tears, and wiping them with her hair, and anointing them with ointment, and kissing them. Jesus said, her sins which were many, were forgiven, for she loved much. The Pharisee, however, did not have a lot of sins, and He didn’t love Jesus very much either. He did not honor Him when He came to his house; he did not wash His feet; he did not anoint His head; he gave Him no kiss; he did not believe, and he did not love. The woman was not condemned because she believed on Jesus, and she loved Him. All her sins were forgiven. The Pharisee was condemning her; judging her in his self-righteousness, and judging Jesus for allowing her to touch Him. He thought Jesus was being defiled by her sins, when actually, He was washing her of her filthiness through His love and forgiveness. She humbled herself before Him and loved Him. The Pharisee, however, was in self-righteousness and pride, and he was not justified.

Let’s turn to Luke 18:9-14, Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess. And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner! I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. The Pharisee stood and was self-righteous, as he declared his good deeds. However, the tax collector humbled himself before God, confessing his sins, and praying for mercy. He went out justified because he humbled himself and acknowledged his own sinfulness. The Pharisee was not justified because he stood in his self-righteousness and did not humble himself. The woman that was a sinner came to the Pharisee’s house, humbling herself to wash Jesus’ feet with her tears, and she was justified because she was truly sorry for her sins, and she loved Him much. Jesus said, If you love me, keep my commandments. In John 14:21 He said, He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. Do you love Jesus? Are you like this woman, who was weeping so much over her sins, that she washed His feet with her tears; who loved Him so much, that she kept kissing His feet, and anointing them with precious ointment? Do you believe that He is the Son of God, your Savior, your King, as this woman did who worshipped Him with all her heart? Or are you like the Pharisee, trusting in your own righteousness, and condemning those who appear to you as sinners; not loving Jesus with all your heart, nor keeping His Words?

Let’s turn to John 8:1-11, But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say? This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first. And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more. Jesus did not condemn the woman, even though she was taken in sin. He told her, Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more. He came to save us from our sins; to wash us in His own Blood through His sacrifice on the Cross. If we love Him, we will be keeping His Words; baptized into His death, burial, and resurrection, to serve Him in the newness of the Spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter, or in self-righteousness. He has promised us the Holy Spirit to be our helper, and to lead us in doing the Father’s will. In Romans 8 we read, The righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. There is now therefore no condemnation, in verse 1, to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh; to fulfill the desires of the flesh and mind, but after the Spirit, doing the will of the Father, because we love Him. We love Him because He so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son to die on the Cross for our sins that whosoever lives and believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. If you love Him, you will want to please the Father. You will no longer seek to gratify your own selfish desires. You will be denying yourself, taking up your cross, the will of the Father for you, each day and following Jesus. He will be leading you by His Spirit, as you seek Him in prayer and thanksgiving and praise. You will be rewarded, as He promised, for the good works that you have done in obedience to His Spirit. Those who will not come to Him, with humility and weeping, and worship Him and love Him; those who are righteous in their own eyes, and seek to please only themselves, will also be rewarded, as God has promised throughout His Word, according to their deeds.

Do you understand how much He loves you; and how much grace and mercy He has given to you, through the sacrifice of His Son? If you will humble yourself like this woman who was a sinner; she washed Jesus’ feet, but He washed her of her sins, and she went away justified and forgiven. Jesus told the woman taken in adultery, Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more. He said in John 3:17, God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Let’s turn to Mark 2:13-17, Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, Follow Me. So he arose and followed Him. Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners? When Jesus heard it, He said to them, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. Jesus ate with sinners and tax collectors. He did not condemn them, but He loved them and spoke the Word to them, that they might be saved. The Pharisees, however, condemned Him, and the sinners, and themselves, because of their pride and self righteousness, and because they would not believe in Him. Jesus does not condemn us; He came to justify us, if we will love Him, and go and sin no more. If we love Him we will keep His Words; we will continue in His Words and be cleansed of all unrighteousness. He will give us the Holy Spirit to be with us forever and to lead us in His good way every day, as we yield to Him.

Ask, and it shall be given. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it shall be opened. For everyone that asks receives, and he that seeks will find, and to him that knocks, it shall be opened. So, if you would, join me in a prayer, and let us ask the Lord; let us seek the Lord; let us knock, that it may be opened unto us:

Father, in Jesus’ name, we ask you now, that you would help us to humble ourselves before you; to love you; to draw near to you; to seek you with all our heart; to be delivered from everything that is not pleasing to you; everything that is evil; even as you said in the Lord’s Prayer:  Father, deliver us from evil, for yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.

Song:

The Spirit of the Lord

Is now upon me.

To heal the broken heart,

And set the captives free,

To open prison doors,

And make the blind to see.

The Spirit of the Lord

Is now on me.