The Lord's Treasure

 

Greetings in the name of Jesus ! This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. My name is Rob Haymes. Today we are going to talk about The Lord's Treasure. Did you know that the Lord has a treasure? Let's turn to Isaiah, chapter 33, verse 5, The Lord is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness. Verse 6, And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure. We are going to go through several scriptures that talk about the wonderful blessings of the fear of the Lord. Many people feel like fearing God is a negative thing. No, fearing God is a good thing; it's really a blessing. That's why it's called The Lord's Treasure; because of all the promises that are given in the scriptures regarding the fear of the Lord. Deu 5:29, the Lord said, O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! Deu 10:12&13, And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? So, we see here that the fear of the Lord and the love of the Lord go together. The fear of the Lord is for our good.

God is mighty. The Bible says He is to be greatly feared, because of His might and His great power. He told Moses one day, Get out of the way Moses, I'll destroy them as one man, and I'll make a new nation out of you, when Moses and the children of Israel were in the wilderness. God could destroy the entire human race in a moment, but that is not His purpose. He loves us so much! He created us! He loves us, and He gave His only begotten Son Jesus to live as a man, without sin, tempted in every way, yet without sin, that he might become the spotless Lamb, and offer Himself a living sacrifice on the cross for our sins. That's how much He loves us! He became a man, and He died for us to take away our sins, why?, so He could bring us into fellowship with Him, fellowship with Him, communion with Him. He is Holy! He is mighty! He wants us to be holy, and to fear Him, and to fear His great power, and to give Him honor and glory, and walk with Him. It's for our good! If we fear God we will depart from evil, and it's for our good! It's a great treasure to fear the Lord! So many blessings come from fearing the Lord! He delights in those that fear Him. He loves us. He is not looking to destroy us. Job 28:28,  And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. Psa 19:9, The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. So, we see here that the fear of the Lord is clean, it's pure, it's a good thing. It will keep us pure, it will keep us clean, if we fear the Lord, and if we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not grievous.

Psa 22:23&24, Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. The Lord hears the prayers of those that fear Him. Perhaps some of you have been praying; and you've been praying, and praying, and you're not getting an answer. Perhaps you should check yourself: Do I fear the Lord? Am I doing things that are not pleasing to Him? Ask the Lord. Go before the Lord. Ask Him to show you. Humble yourself. Tell the Lord; Lord you know I don't fear you. Be honest with the Lord, and ask Him to teach you His fear. He will do it! Psa 25:14, The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him. If we fear the Lord, He will teach us, reveal to us His Word, His covenant. We are in the New Covenant in Jesus Christ, and if you want understanding, God will give it to you if you will fear Him. He will teach you His covenant.

Psa 33:8&9, Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. Psa 33:18&19, Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. If we fear the Lord, He will keep us alive, even in famine. He will keep us from death, He will deliver us from death. Glory to God! Psa 34:7, The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. If we fear Him, God will have His angels round about us to deliver us, to deliver us from evil. Verse 11, if we will hearken to the Lord, He will teach us His fear; Come you children, hearken unto me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. So, the Lord will teach us His fear if we will hearken to Him. Psalm 103, thank you Jesus, verse 17, But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; If we will fear the Lord, His mercy will be not only upon us, but upon our children and our grand children. Is that not a wonderful promise! Psa 111:10, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. If we will fear the Lord, we will begin to learn wisdom. We need to learn God's wisdom. Some of you are wise in your own eyes, you are wise in the ways of this world, but you need to lay that down. The scripture says in 1 Corinthians 3: 18, Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. So, you need to become a fool in that sense, that you may learn God's wisdom. You need to humble yourself and fear the Lord, and then you'll begin to learn God's wisdom. Pro 1:7, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. So, not only is the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom, it is also the beginning of knowledge. You will begin to have true knowledge if you fear the Lord. You will know the truth. He will begin to teach you His covenant. He will teach you the truth, and you will begin to have true knowledge, and true wisdom.

Pro 8:13, The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. If we fear the Lord, we will hate evil. We will turn from evil. Pro 10:27, The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. The fear of the Lord prolongeth days. Our life will be full and long if we fear the Lord, according to His will. Pro 14:26&27, In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. If we fear the Lord, our children will have a place of refuge, our children will be taken care of. We will have strong confidence if we fear the Lord. And, the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. What a blessing! Pro 16:6, By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. Pro 19:23, The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil. Pro 22:4, By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life. 

Let's look at Isaiah 11, verse 2, And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; verse 3, and shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord... We know these scriptures are talking about Jesus; if you look at verse 1, And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. Jesus is called the Branch. Jesus walked in the fear of the Lord. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of the fear of the Lord; verse 2,...the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. He will lead you, as you yield to Him, to walk in the fear of God, in the way that He shall choose for you. Psa 25:12, What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. 

Act 9:31, Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. As you walk in the fear of the Lord, the Holy Ghost will comfort you. He will be with you. Act 10:35, But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. These words were spoken by the Apostle Peter at Cornelius' house. Act 10:1&2, There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always. And, if you read on, you see that an angel came to Cornelius, and told him that his prayers and his alms were come up as a memorial before God, and he had him send for Peter. Peter came to his house, preached the Gospel, and Cornelius, and his household, and his friends were saved. Not only that, but they received the Holy Ghost. God blessed Cornelius because he feared Him, with all his house. He was a blessed man. He had servants. He had wealth. He was very blessed, and he was a devout man, and he prayed to God always.  Pro 28:14, Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief. So, not only does the fear of the Lord bring blessings, but you will be happy. If you fear the Lord you'll have real happiness. You don't think Cornelius and his family were happy on that day when the Holy Ghost was poured out on them?! Oh yes! They had the joy of the Lord, not only that day, but for many days there after. Psalm 128, Thank you Jesus !! Verse 1, Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.... happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. If we fear the Lord we are not going to be in torment. That's ungodly fear. Ungodly fear brings torment, but the fear of the Lord brings happiness! It brings joy! It brings peace! It brings all the blessings of God, pouring out upon a person that will fear Him! They will come upon you and over take you! Hallelujah! Psalm 128, verse 1, says, Blessed is everyone that fears the Lord! This is not for a select few. God is not a respecter of persons, blessed is everyone that fears the Lord!

Let's look at what Jesus said in Matthew 10, verse 28, And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. There is a very clear reason, spoken by Jesus, why we should not fear a man. If you have the fear of the Lord, you will not be afraid of men. You will not. You will fear God, and you will always want to do what pleases God, even in the face of strong men. You will not fear them, but you will do what God wants, you will want to honor God and please Him. Also we must fear Him, for He is able to destroy both our soul and our body in hell. Again, as I said before, that is not His desire. He has no pleasure, the Bible says, in the death of the wicked. His desire is for us to be saved! His desire is for all men to repent, and come unto the knowledge of the truth! But, those who reject His salvation through His Son Jesus Christ condemn themselves. God is not looking to condemn us, but we must fear Him, for He is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. As we saw in psalm 128, everyone that fears the Lord shall be blessed. God is not a respecter of persons, happy shall you be, and it shall be well with you. So, I urge you to pray, ask God to teach you His fear. Ask, and you shall receive, that you might partake of The Lord's Treasure! 

 True Worship

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today we’re going to talk about True Worship. Let’s turn to 2Ch 5:1-14, This is talking about the dedication of Solomon’s Temple:  So all the work that Solomon had done for the House of the LORD was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and all the furnishings, and he put them in the treasuries of the House of God. Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, in Jerusalem, that they might bring the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD up from the City of David, which is Zion. Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with the king at the feast, which was in the seventh month. So all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the Ark.  Then they brought up the Ark, the Tabernacle of Meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the Tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the Ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. Then the priests brought in the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the Temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the Ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the Ark and its poles. The poles extended so that the ends of the poles of the Ark could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. Nothing was in the Ark except the two tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they had come out of Egypt. And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without keeping to their divisions), and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets— indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying: For He is good, For His mercy endures forever, that the House, the House of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the Glory of the LORD filled the House of God.   With one voice they lifted up praise and thanksgiving, with trumpets and instruments of worship, and with the Word of God, saying, For He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Then the Cloud, the Glory of God filled the House.  2Ch 6:1&2,  Then Solomon spoke: The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. I have surely built You an exalted house, And a place for You to dwell in forever. Verse 40-42, Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place. Now therefore, Arise, O LORD God, to Your resting place, You and the Ark of Your strength. Let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, And let Your saints rejoice in goodness. O LORD God, do not turn away the face of your anointed; Remember the mercies of your servant David. 2 Ch 7:1-3, When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the Temple. And the priests could not enter the House of the LORD, because the Glory of the LORD had filled the LORD's House. 

When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the Glory of the LORD on the Temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: For He is good, For His mercy endures forever. 

True worship requires a clear conscience, void of offence toward God and man. There must be repentance and confession of sin and real cleansing of filthiness and wickedness in order to come into God’s presence with a pure offering of praise. The Lord God gave the Children of Israel in old time; in the Old Covenant, the blood of sheep and oxen which they sacrificed unto Him to make an atonement for their sins before Him; that they might be forgiven of their sins and continue in fellowship with Him and not die. Now, in the New Covenant, He has given us the Blood of His Beloved Son Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, though He was tempted in every way as we are; He willingly gave Himself on the Cross to die for our sins, that through faith in Him, faith in His sacrifice and true repentance, we might receive forgiveness of sins and be cleansed, white as snow, from all our sins, and enter into fellowship with our God and Father; being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible; by the Word of God, which lives and abides forever; being His sons and daughters, serving Him in Spirit and in truth. Christ in you, the hope of Glory! 1Pe 1:18-23, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious Blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart; this is how we purify ourselves: by obeying the truth, the Word of God, through the Spirit, the Holy Spirit;  having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever. He has also given unto us His Holy Spirit, that we might be filled with His Spirit and be led by Him in all that we do every day, denying ourselves and taking up our cross and following Jesus to obey His Word and walk in His ways and offer to God true worship in the Spirit.

Let’s turn to John 4:6-24, Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, Give Me a drink. For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? for Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water. The woman said to Him, Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock? Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 

but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. 

The woman said to Him, Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw. Jesus said to her, Go, call your husband, and come here. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You have well said, I have no husband, 

for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly. The woman said to Him, Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 

Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship. Jesus said to her, Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth. Mat 15:8&9, These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. So it is today: true worship is of the heart; a heart that is given fully to God. God said of King David that he was a man after His own heart. David wrote the Psalms by the Holy Spirit and worshipped God and served Him with all his heart. So it is today; we must draw near to God with a true heart in repentance and faith in the Blood of Jesus; in the Holy Spirit, to offer unto God true worship in the Spirit and in truth; the Word of God. David gave us so many songs; psalms of praise and thanksgiving unto God. Eph 5:17-20,  Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Col3:1-17, If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. In the church today there is much worship being offered to God in vain; being founded in the doctrines of men; doctrines of false grace; turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. People are drawing near to God with their mouth, but their hearts are far from Him as they embrace these false doctrines to justify themselves to walk in the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Many are caught up in the beautiful music, the big sounds, the lights, and the glory of man, and they don’t realize that their worship is of the flesh, and many times of the wrong spirit, not in the Holy Spirit, and it is not acceptable to God.

Isa 1:13-20, Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The new moons, the sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. 

 Yom Kippur

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today’s program is called Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement. Let’s turn to Lev 16:1-17, Now the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered profane fire before the Lord, and died; and the Lord said to Moses: Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat. Thus Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering. He shall put the holy linen tunic and the linen trousers on his body; he shall be girded with a linen sash, and with the linen turban he shall be attired. These are holy garments. Therefore he shall wash his body in water, and put them on. And he shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats as a sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering. Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness. And Aaron shall bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bull as the sin offering which is for himself. Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it in inside the veil. And he shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, lest he die. He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness. There shall be no man in the tabernacle of meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the Holy Place, until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself, for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel. Verses 20-34, And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. 

Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness. Then Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of meeting, shall take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place, and shall leave them there. And he shall wash his body with water in a holy place, put on his garments, come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people. The fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. And he who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. And they shall burn in the fire their skins, their flesh, and their dung. Then he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.     This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. And the priest, who is anointed and consecrated to minister as priest in his father's place, shall make atonement, and put on the linen clothes, the holy garments; then he shall make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tabernacle of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses. Verses 21&22, Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.  All the sins of the whole human race were laid upon Jesus when He was on the Cross. God made Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Isa 53:6, All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Lev 16:30, For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. Let’s read Lev 17:11, For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.

Ok, now let’s turn to Heb 9:1-14,  Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins; the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience—concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?  Verse 22, And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Lev 17:11,...For it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.

Every year the Jewish people, God bless them, observe Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, with fasting and repentance and prayers. They believe that their fasting and repentance and prayers atone for all their sins before God. They believe also that their sins against others must be dealt with person to person, and they seek to do this during this time of the year, and especially on this Day of Atonement. However, they no longer are able to have the high priest make atonement for them, by offering the two goats: one a burnt offering for sin, and the other as a scapegoat to carry away all the sins of the people. They do not have the blood of the sin offering to make atonement for their souls. They also do not believe that Jesus Christ is their Messiah; that He Himself is their great High Priest who offered Himself without spot to God on the Cross, and shed His Blood to atone for all their sins. The Jews who do not believe in Jesus, or in His sacrifice for their sins, and who do not offer the blood of the goat for an atonement on the Day of Atonement do not have an atonement, no matter how much they fast, confess their sins, and pray. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins, for it is the blood that makes the atonement. Also, the Old Covenant has been done away in Jesus. He is the final sacrifice for sins. Anyone who rejects His sacrifice has no atonement, Jew or Gentile. He was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore He is the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sins, not only of the Jews, but also the sins of the whole world. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him; in His sacrifice for their sins, should not perish, but have everlasting life.  Jesus performed the final sacrifice for sins. He, the sinless Christ, died on the Cross for our sins. The Law, with all of it’s practices as a means of attaining righteousness, was done away in Him. Heb 10:1-10, For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure. Then I said, Behold I have come. In the volume of the Book it is written of Me- to do your will Oh God. Previously saying, Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin you did not desire, nor had pleasure in them, which are offered according to the Law. Then He said, Behold I come to do your will Oh God. He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 

The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, is a shadow of what was to come through Christ.

Christ is a far better sacrifice than the yearly sacrifice of bulls and goats in which there was no power to purge the conscience of sins. But every year they had remembrance of their sins. How much more shall the Blood of Christ purge our consciences from dead works to serve the Living God. Jesus loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own Blood. He laid down His life for us on that Cross. Therefore, having been cleansed of our sins through faith in His sacrifice; faith in His shed Blood, we love Him and lay down our lives to serve Him every day, denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Him, being led by the Holy Spirit to do His will. Heb 4:14-16, Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 

 Only The Holy

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today’s program is called, Only The Holy. What does Holy mean? It means, in the Greek, set apart to, or by God; separated unto God; separated from evil, from the world; from that which is unclean. Let’s turn to 1 Peter 1:13-25, Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I Am Holy. God is holy! If we’re going to be with Him, we need to become holy, and we can.  And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever, because all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and it’s flower falls away, but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the Word which by the Gospel was preached to you. But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. 1 Pet 2:1-12, Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to Him as to a living Stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 

Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, Behold I lay in Zion a Chief Cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame. Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, The Stone which the builders rejected has become the Chief Cornerstone. and a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense. They stumble, being disobedient to the Word, to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. 

Let’s turn now to 1 John 1:1-10, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 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. God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all! If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin! This is how we are made holy, continuing to walk in the light: the Word of God, with the Holy Spirit, shining the light on any sin or unrighteousness in our lives, with us seeking after righteousness with all our hearts; confessing that sin to God; believing His Word; believing in the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins, and that His Blood cleanses us from that sin when we confess it. The light is not for our condemnation, but for our purification. So we want to walk in that light of God; in the truth of His Word. We want the Holy Spirit to show us of anything unrighteous in our lives, and we want to be truly sorry for our sins and confess them to God, trusting Him to forgive us, according to His Word, because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But, those who want to hang on to some unrighteousness in their life; to some sin that they enjoy, they do not want to come into the light. They want to walk in darkness and try to hide their sins, and say that they are in fellowship with God, and with His Son Jesus Christ. Folks, this does not work! You can say that you are under grace, and you can say, Lord, Lord, but only those who do the will of the Father; those who deny themselves every morning, and take up their cross: the will of the Father for their life, and follow Jesus, being led by the Holy Spirit to follow Him and do the will of the Father; only those who are holy: who are separated unto the Father; who fear Him and love Him because of what He has done for them through the gift of His beloved Son Jesus, who was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin, who loved us, and gave Himself for us on that brutal Cross to wash us from our sins in His own Blood, only they are going into the Kingdom of God. 

Do you want this? If you really want this, you can have it if you will seek it with your whole heart. Let’s turn to Titus 2:11-14, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. You may say, I’ve tried to follow Jesus, but I just keep falling into sin.  I feel like I will never overcome, and sometimes I feel like giving up. Holiness seems like some far-away mountain that I will never get to. If that’s you, listen! There is hope for you! Don’t give up on Jesus! He loved you and He gave Himself for you to completely change your life!; to change you completely and conform you to His image; to make you like Him, so you can become a real member of God’s wonderful, holy family. Don’t give up, but look up! Come to Jesus with all your heart! Come boldly before Him and ask Him to help you. Be honest with Him, and confess everything to Him. Then give yourself to Him, and ask Him to make you His true disciple, being willing to do what He teaches you. Are you willing? If so, He will do it. You are not some special, hopeless case. God can do anything in your life, if you will only surrender completely to Him, in real repentance, and put all your trust in Him: to save you and change your life. He knows if you are serious, and He will respond if you are. However, if you want to go on playing games, and you don’t want to give up your sins, you won’t make it.  You will end up in the judgment of God that is surely coming, weeping and gnashing your teeth, as you are cast into eternal fire and torment. Make no mistake: God has promised, throughout the whole Bible, that He is going to give unto every one of us according to our works. 

Let’s turn to Rom 6:1-23,  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. 

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Remember: You can come boldly to the Throne of Grace! Heb 4:14-16, Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. When you are tempted, come boldly to the Throne of Grace, and ask for grace to help you in that time of need! And God will help you! Call upon Him in the time of need; He will respond. He loves you. God bless you.

 Is God Your Father?

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes with Jesus. Today’s program is called, Is God Your Father? Let’s turn to John 8:12-59, Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. The Pharisees therefore said to Him, You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true. Jesus answered and said to them, Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me. Then they said to Him, Where is Your Father? Jesus answered, You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come. Then Jesus said to them again, I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come. So the Jews said, Will He kill Himself, because He says, Where I go you cannot come? And He said to them, You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. Then they said to Him, Who are You? And Jesus said to them, Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him. 

They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them, When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him. As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. In the King James Version it says, If you continue in My Word. They answered Him, We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, You will be made free? Jesus answered them, Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 

And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My Word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father. They answered and said to Him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them, If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father. Then they said to Him, We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God. Jesus said to them, If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My Word. You are of your father the Devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God. Then the Jews answered and said to Him, Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon? Jesus answered, I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My Word he shall never see death. 

Then the Jews said to Him, Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, If anyone keeps My Word he shall never taste death. Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be? Jesus answered, If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, I do not know Him, I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His Word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad. Then the Jews said to Him, You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.  

Jesus said, If God were your Father, you would love Him. He said, If you love Me, keep my Words. Let’s turn to John 14:15-27, Jesus said, If you love Me, keep My commandments, and I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 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. Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world? Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My Words; and the Word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 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. Jesus said, If a man love Me, he will keep My Words, and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him and make our abode with him. We love Jesus because He first loved us, and gave Himself for us on the Cross, to take away our sins, and to bring us into fellowship with Him and the Father.  Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father but by Me. So where are we going in this Christian way? We are going to the Father through Jesus; through His sacrifice and His cleansing Blood; through repentance and faith; through continuing in His Word; being washed and delivered from every lie; being conformed to Jesus’ image to become sons and daughters of the Living God! Our Father who is in Heaven: hallowed is His name! Rom 12:1&2, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Are we doing this? 

Let’s turn to 1 Peter 1:13-25, Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I Am holy. And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.  Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever, because All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and it’s flower falls away, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.  Now this is the Word which by the Gospel was preached to you.  Verse 17, If you call on the Father, who without partiality, judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear. Do you fear God? Are you fearing God? Are you afraid to disobey Him? Are you afraid to displease Him? 

Let’s turn to 1 John 3:1-10, Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin, or, does not practice sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins, or practices sin, is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not practice sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Every man who has this hope in him, purifies himself, even as He is pure. If we have the blessed hope of attaining to the resurrection from the dead; to the first resurrection, we will be seeking to purify ourselves, even as Jesus is pure. We will not be continuing in sin. He that practices sin is of the Devil. That’s what Jesus meant when He told the Pharisees , Your Father is the Devil, and you do the works of your father. If God is our Father, we will do His works. We, as little children, will humble ourselves in repentance, and faith in Jesus’ sacrifice for us, to do the things that we see Him doing, as He leads us by His Spirit every day. Jesus said, If any man will be My disciple,  he must deny himself every day, and take up his cross and follow Me. Do you do this? Do you start your day in prayer and the Word of God, denying yourself and your plans; your desires, laying them down before Him? Do you seek to take up your cross: the will of the Father for you, every day? Are you seeking to be led by the Holy Spirit every day? The Holy Spirit is given to us who obey Him, that He might teach us His Word, and lead us in doing it every day, in every situation. Do you build yourself up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit? Are you keeping yourself in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life? Are you always abounding in the work of the Lord that He has for you? Are you doing good, or are you doing evil? Remember, Jesus said, in 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! 

Jesus also said, Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.  

 The Good Fight Of Faith

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today’s program is called The Good Fight Of Faith. I want to start off with a prayer. Let’s pray together: Father, in Jesus’ name, I take authority over all unbelief, all fear, all doubt, all rebellion, all pride; I take authority over these powers that would stop this message from being heard. Give us ears to hear and hearts to receive what the Spirit of the Lord is saying, in Jesus’ name. Amen!  God bless every one of you! We are in a war! I know you’ve heard that before, but we must fight! This morning the Father encouraged me to fight the good fight of faith, and He sent me to encourage you! I’m already greatly encouraged: I just did some warfare and put off things that were oppressing me. One thing I want to share with you which many of you have probably experienced: You are in prayer, or you wake up from a dream, and all of a sudden you are in guilt. Satan is bringing something to your mind: a sin that you were involved in in the past that you have already repented of, and he brings it up, including all kinds of different scenes of things you did wrong, and you start feeling guilty. What’s going on? Satan is seducing your faith. If he can get you in guilt, and you start feeling guilty, first of all you are in unbelief, and you’re in guilt; you’re not believing what Jesus did for you on the Cross. So what do you do? You have to repent; just say, Father forgive me, and then just speak the truth: that you were forgiven; you repented of that sin, whenever it was, you confessed your sin, and God forgave you, and He cleansed you with the precious Blood of His Son! You’ve been washed white as snow, as it says in Isaiah, Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow! Remind the Devil. Tell him the truth. Speak your testimony of what God has done for you through the sacrifice of His Son! Jesus died for our sins; He was crucified!, and on the third day, the Father raised Him from the dead! He was crucified for our sins and raised again for our justification! We are justified in Jesus! Hallelujah!

Let’s turn to 1 Tim 6:3-16,  If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. Verses 11&12, But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called… This is a good fight!, and it is also a fight of faith. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God! Our weapons to fight this fight are mighty through God! We must receive the Holy Spirit! Many of you, perhaps, that are listening or reading this: you’ve been told that you have the Holy Spirit, but you’ve been lied to. You have not been baptized in the Holy Spirit, with evidence of speaking in other tongues. If you have a controversy with speaking in tongues, you’ve missed the bus! Speaking in other tongues is the beginning; it’s extremely important that you yield your tongue to the Holy Spirit; that you be filled with the Spirit! Speaking in tongues is evidence that a person has received the Holy Spirit, but speaking in tongues and praying in tongues; praying in the Holy Spirit is extremely important! You need to be able to do that. You need to humble yourself and read the Word of God; do a word search and read the scriptures about it. It is very important! There is no condemnation, but many of you have been told you received the Holy Spirit when you were baptized in water, or you got the Holy Spirit when you were born again. Actually that’s true: when you received Jesus He came into your heart by the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is in you and you are in Him, but you need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit; you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Do you understand what I am talking about? This is a blessing! And this is something you need as a Christian! You cannot do these things without the Holy Spirit. 

Let’s turn to 2 Cor 10:1-6, Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. 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 in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. You cannot do these things in the flesh; only through the power of the Holy Spirit. These things are where Satan works: strongholds, imaginations, high things exalting themselves against the knowledge of God, disobedient thoughts, ungodly thoughts, thoughts of unbelief or guilt. God has given us weapons which are mighty through God to fight the good fight of faith. You must be baptized in the Holy Spirit in order to make use of these weapons, because they are mighty through Him: The exceeding greatness of His mighty power which He worked in Jesus when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand, far above all principality and power and might, and every name that is named! Let’s go there: 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, (that’s what we need!) 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. The Holy Spirit knows what is going on on the battlefield, and He will lead you in the fight, otherwise you will be overcome, and you must have the whole armor of God on you to fight effectively to win the battle. 

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… The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Stand up! Use your faith! Repent of your unbelief and rebellion, put on your armor, and get in the fight! Take back the land that the enemy has taken from you! Jesus is the Lord of the warfare, and He leads us by His Spirit in the fight of faith. Notice: It is a fight of faith, faith in His sacrifice for our sins on the Cross; His shed Blood cleansing us from all sin, making us righteous in His sight. His resurrection from the dead justifies us before our God; His total defeat of the enemy! Col 2:13-15, And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to His Cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Jesus triumphed over all principalities and powers of darkness, and made an open show of them. Our victory is in Him! When we come in His name, in His righteousness, in faith and obedience, we will triumph also. The devils believe and tremble at His name spoken in righteousness and faith in the power of the Holy Spirit. One of the Devil’s main methods is to get you in sin, and try to keep you there, in unconfessed sin, and tell you, “It’s ok, you haven’t sinned, you’re in faith, or, you’re under grace, everything is fine, all your sins are forgiven, past, present , and future: that’s a lie! Don’t believe those lies! If you have sinned, come before God! There’s no condemnation. Confess your  sin; turn from it!, so that you may have righteousness! The Blood of Jesus will cleanse you, and you will walk on in righteousness: you’re righteous before God. That’s what God wants! Satan wants to get you in unrighteousness and keep you there; get you under guilt and keep you there, because that way you are ineffective; you can’t do anything; you can’t fight this fight.  If you are in Christ, He is in you and  you have the victory in Him! Keep praying! Keep fighting! Keep believing! If you faint, repent! Get back on your feet and stand in your testimony of what Jesus has done for you on the Cross, and through His resurrection, and faith in His shed Blood, which, when you repent, washes you white as snow! You stand justified before Him, and cleansed, walking on with a conscience void of offense toward God and man. If God shows you any offense, deal with it, and believe His Word. Deal with it truly, according to His Word. If you have repented from your heart, God has forgiven you and cleansed you by the Blood of Christ. They overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony. They overcame the Devil by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death. 

Interpretation of a message in tongues:

I am God Almighty. My children, hearken to my servant Rob this day. I’m exhorting you to stand up. Stand up and utilize what I’ve given you. Utilize everything I’ve given you to fight the good fight of faith!, that you may stand in this evil day!; that you may stand!; that you may triumph!; that you may be with Me throughout eternity! But you must fight; you must overcome! Stand up and fight My children! Believe My Words; believe My Gospel! Believe what My Son has done for you, and be strong, and fight the good fight of faith, says the Lord!