Jesus Commends a Woman

Mark 14:3-9 And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply. But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” NKJV

Our Lord had earlier in the day made His Triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem where all the people shouted Hosanna; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Our Lord then went out of the city that night with the disciples to Bethany where they stayed with Simon the leper (this could have been the Samaritan He healed with the other 9 lepers). As He sat at the table for dinner a woman (this may have been the woman forgiven for adultery or the woman our Lord healed at the well in Samaria, but it was more likely Mary the sister of Lazarus) came and poured costly oil over His head to show her love, gratitude, adoration, and devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ. This woman perhaps spent most if not all of her financial resources on this fragrant oil just for this particular occasion to show her love to Him.

Psalms 116:1 I love the LORD, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. NKJV

Mark 12:30 “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This is the first commandment. NKJV

She was not concerned what other people thought of her action or was she trying to prove herself to anyone. Her sole desire was to worship the Lord Jesus Christ the only way she knew how at that time. She possibly could have received Divine revelation from God the Father just like Peter did when he said to our Lord that, “You are the Christ the Son of the Living God”, to carry out this act of worship. Whatever motivated or prompted her to do what she did, our Lord commends her and approves of her anointing Him in such a manner and with the oil she chose.

2 Corinthians 10:18 For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends. NKJV

This is shortly before He is to be arrested and sentenced to be crucified and the influence of the enemy was present even in this modest home as the disciples scoffed at her spending this money on one bottle of oil when it could have been used for helping the poor. The Apostle John in his gospel tells us that it was Judas the betrayer that responded first with anger and disdain because he was a hypocrite, a pretender, an actor playing a role as disciple because he wanted the money deposited into the treasury (that he held) so he could continue to steal from it without the other disciples even knowing. Our Lord immediately stepped in and put a stop to their harsh criticism of this women because he knew Judas’ heart and what he was about to shortly do to betray Him. Our Lord said this woman has done a beautiful, valuable, and morally virtuous work on my behalf. She will be remembered for her selfless act of worship, her steadfast love and devotion to Me, and her gratitude for her many sins being forgiven her. She is to be praised forever wherever this gospel of mine is proclaimed.

2 Corinthians 8:12 “For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have” NKJV

This women did not come to Me for what she could get from Me but her desire (from the heart) is for Me to be Glorified in what I have done for her. She has no desire to abuse My grace but by My grace she desires to be empowered so that she might live a life to honor Me and one worthy of the high calling she has received. The Lord Jesus Christ said, “She has done what she could.” Note: Our Lord never ask any of His redeemed blood bought children to do more than is within the resources that He has providentially provided for each one of us. She was not looking for anything from the Lord Jesus Christ but to be with Him in that moment. This woman and her act of worship in this instance is an eternal testimony of passionate love and gratitude (which is always the response of the truly regenerate soul) to the One that rescued, restored, and ransomed her from the power of darkness and conveyed her into His Kingdom.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. NKJV

Colossians 1:9-12 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. NKJV

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. NKJV

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. NKJV

“Those that honour Christ He will honour.” Matthew Henry

“Outward acts of piety which do not flow from the new and God-given affections of the heart, which delight to depend on God and seek His glory are only legalism and have no value in honoring God.” John Piper

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reader, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…                                    

Jesus Coming Again with Great Power and Glory

Mark 13:24-27 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.” NKJV

In the Eleventh Chapter of the Book of Romans the Apostle Paul teaches us that the Nation Israel was God’s chosen people, but because they rejected the Messiah Jesus Christ at His first coming then God made salvation by grace available to the Gentiles to provoke Israel to jealousy. There is still a remnant of Israel or Jewish people that will hear the gospel of grace through Jesus Christ and believe. All of humanity now lives under the dispensation of grace and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will save anyone that comes to Him in repentance and faith.

When Jesus Christ left Heaven the first time and became a man dying for man’s sin and rebellion, He did not even have an earthly home to call His own. He was born in an animal stable or barn because Joseph and Mary could not find room in any Inn to bed down. He grew up not as a rich kid but lived in what we would consider poverty although He and His family were able to meet their daily need for bread. He grew up in a city that was despised and looked down on by those who lived in other parts of the region.

When Phillip (one of the 12) went and found Nathaniel (also one of the 12) he said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote --- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” and Nathaniel replied at that time with these words “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” The Prophet Isaiah told us 700 years before His incarnation that He would be a Man of sorrows who would be despised and rejected by men. Our Lord came as a lowly, meek, and humble servant only to be obedient to His Father in Heaven and live the life the first man Adam could not live fulfilling all the Law and the words spoken by the Prophets and in so doing satisfy the justice of God and pay the penalty for man’s sin.

Fast forward into the future, I don’t know the hour or the time but it is as sure as the night turning into day or the sun rise, or the rain fall from the sky that He is going to roll back the heavens like a scroll and step off of His current throne of grace and come with severe judgment on all of those who rejected Him or resisted His invitation for forgiveness of sin through His blood sacrifice alone. The Apostle Paul also said in that same eleventh Chapter of Romans these words, “Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God.” God is good and He is love, but for the men, women, boys, and girls who die absent a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through regeneration and new birth they will immediately be in the presence of a consuming fire that will render to their un-forgiven soul His justice of total separation from Him in the torments of hell, for there is no partiality with God. For those who are alive when our Lord comes on the clouds of Heaven with great power and glory they will see Him and shriek with such terror and fear that the Apostle John says the following:

Revelation 6:13-17 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”  NKJV

Our Lord said as in Noah’s days people will be so caught up with the dow jones, sports, sexual escapades, drinking, partying, and other carousing for physical, financial, and recreational pleasures that just as when Noah built the ark they will have the door of grace shut on them and they will see Him and instantly see their filth and sin in the Light of His Glory and mourn knowing that they are doomed as the Lord is not loving and meek, but the Executioner of God’s Holy justice on the impenitent. Our Lord said this also, “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”

Revelation 1:7 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. NKJV

These word pictures are graphic, grim, and gruesome for those that do not love the Lord Jesus Christ. Today and for many centuries His Name is used as a cuss word. People make up skits, plays, and even movies mocking and belittling our Precious Lord Jesus, but in the day He is revealed there will be great weeping and gnashing of teeth as His awesome power is unleashed against His enemies.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 “And to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.” NKJV

I plead with tears (knowing the terror of the Lord) to everyone reading this to stop thinking about today, tomorrow, or two weeks from now, but picture in your heart and mind 100 or 1000 years from now and ask yourself am I good enough to stand before this King of Kings and Lord of Lords in all of His power and glory. Sin has pleasure attached to it (I know I lived in it for many years), but it is only as the Bible says for a season, that season may be 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, 30 years, 50 years, or even 100 years, but after that it is over and then you die.

Hebrews 9:27-28 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. NKJV

I am sure everyone reading this has at some point in time witnessed a severe thunder and lightning storm, a hurricane, a tornado, or a massive earthquake or tsunami remember how utterly small you felt and helpless as there was nothing you could do to stop what was happening. Now take all of those sights, smells, and sounds and multiply them by infinity and Selah (think about that) and ask yourself do I want to witness this Conquering King as an unclean, un-converted, and unsaved sinner. People get ready because Jesus Christ is coming soon and despite what appears a long time to us (almost 2,000 years) to God who resides in eternity continually it is only but a couple of days. Don’t be caught in horrific shock like the people in Noah’s time and Lot’s time they are right now in hell being tormented because they would not relinquish their pride, self-will, and other sins and submit to God’s will. Pick up a Bible today and read it you will find this to be the truth and you will escape the wrath to come through the Blood of the Lamb, the Blood of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen Here I list some of the Scriptures where God speaks of Christ coming to the earth to render judgment for sin and rebellion:

Isaiah 13:9-13 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine. “I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, And the earth will move out of her place, In the wrath of the LORD of hosts And in the day of His fierce anger. NKJV

Daniel 7:13-14  " I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. NKJV

Amos 5:18-20 Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, and not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him! Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it? NKJV

Zephaniah 1:14-18 The great day of the LORD is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of trumpet and alarm Against the fortified cities And against the high towers. " I will bring distress upon men, And they shall walk like blind men, Because they have sinned against the LORD; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, And their flesh like refuse." Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the LORD's wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land. NKJV

Acts 1:9-11 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." NKJV

2 Peter 3:10-12 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? NKJV

Revelation 20:10-15 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. NKJV

“The apostolic church thought more about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ than about death and heaven. The early Christians were looking, not for a cleft in the ground called a grave but for a cleavage in the sky called Glory.” Alexander MacLaren

“The idea which shuts out the Second Coming from our minds, the idea of the world slowly ripening to perfection, is a myth, not a generalization from experience.” C. S. Lewis

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reader, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…                                    

Jesus tells a Scribe the Greatest Commandment

Mark 12:28-34

It is often said by people that sin is sin with God and that one sin is not greater than any other sin, this is true. However, there are sins our Lord lifts up on a higher plain than others and He proves it by calling those particular sins an abomination to Him. Our Lord Jesus even speaks of different degrees of eternal judgment. He said to some of the cities that He taught and preached the Kingdom of God in (that rejected Him and His message) that at the judgment it would be better for Sodom than for some of them.

Likewise after our Lord had corrected the error in thinking by the Sadducees about the resurrection from the dead of those in Heaven, He was asked by a Scribe, “Which is the greatest commandment of all?” Unlike many of the other encounters our Lord had with other Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees, this man appeared to have been observing our Lord intently and saw in Him honesty, integrity, and truthfulness. The man perhaps had been to many other places and heard our Lord speak even when some of his fellow Scribes would try to catch Him in His words this man witnessed our Lord speak always the truth with fearless authority no matter His surroundings. So this was his moment as his heart has been consumed with desire to understand the truth of God and he has come to the conclusion that this man is perhaps who He says He is and is indeed from God.

John 3:2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” NKJV

Our Lord takes him back to the Book of Deuteronomy and specifically Chapter 6 verses 4 and 5, but our Lord quotes it to this man as follows: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ Our Lord added the phrase “with all your mind” as it was not written as such in the Old Testament but the word used for soul means the mind also therefore our Lord wanted to just emphasize the mind to place an emphatic exclamation to the love one must have to God the Father. Our Lord then added this, “And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?” NKJV

Isaiah 44:8 “Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’” NKJV

Isaiah 45:18 For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.” NKJV

Isaiah 46:9-10 “Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure’” NKJV

These two verses of Scripture are often quoted, but it is very important for us to understand that this is impossible to do without first being given a new heart through regeneration and new birth. One of our modern worship songs has this particular line as part of the lyrics and it says, “To love You from the inside out.” This is the type of love that can only be shown because it has been engrafted into the heart of the worshiping and adoring soul by God. Only the soul that has been cleansed from the stain of sin and sin’s polluting power and dominion can truly love God with their heart (the inner man; their will; their desire) see Ephesians 3:16 and their soul (their individual unique personality) see 1 Samuel 18:1 and with their mind (the thoughts and intents) see 1 Corinthians 2:16 and finally with their strength (their bodies with power) see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

Deuteronomy 30:6 And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. NKJV

Matthew 10:37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” NKJV

This Scribe that wanted to know the truth acknowledged to our Lord Jesus that He had indeed spoken the truth. This man perhaps could hear a whisper into his heart of our Lord saying to him, “Give me Your Heart.” (see article entitled “Give Me Your Heart”, http://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=77423 ). This man having lived long enough to look around him during this life and see that only those people who had a real and genuine love for YAHWEH (like the parents of John the Baptist Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth as the Scripture said of them, “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless”) lived a life that did others no wrong or harm and to the contrary the mere religious people were as wicked, crooked, violent, immoral, and deceitful as a human being could be.

Romans 13:9-10 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. NKJV

Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” NKJV

The human heart that is brought to the place of wanting to know the only truth will always be drawn to our Lord Jesus Christ for He is THE TRUTH. Our Lord recognizes that this man’s heart is open and ready to see Him as his only hope for rescue, redemption, and restoration from sin and judgment (see the article entitled “Has Your Heart truly turned to Christ”, http://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=86979 ). And I say that it would not be a long stretch to believe that this man was one of the many priest that heard the gospel message preached with power by the Apostles and repented and believed and received THE TRUTH into his heart through regeneration and the new birth. Indeed he was not far off after all and no one reading this is far off either because the word is near to you even in your mouth that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart (inner man or woman) that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved for with the heart (inner man or woman) one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (rescue, redemption, and restoration from sin and judgment).

Acts 6:7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. NKJV

Hebrews 10:15-17 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” NKJV

“If loving God with one’s whole being is the greatest commandment, then not to do so must be the greatest sin--indeed, the root of all sin.” Dave Hunt

“Love is not just a sentiment. Love is a great controlling passion and it always expresses itself in terms of obedience.” Martin Lloyd-Jones

“The nature of God's love is unchangeable. Ours alternates all too readily. If it is our habit to love God with our own affection we shall turn cold towards Him whenever we are unhappy.” Watchman Nee

“God created you for the first and greatest commandment, to be a lover of God.” Sam Storms

“To love God does not mean to meet His needs, but rather to delight in Him and to be captivated by His glorious power and grace, and to value Him above all other things on earth. All the rest of the commandments are the kinds of things that we will do from our hearts, if our hearts are truly delighted with and resting in the glory of God’s grace.” John Piper

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reader, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…                                    

Jesus Angered by the Religious Merchants

Mark 11:15-19 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’ ? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching. When evening had come, He went out of the city.” NKJV

The money changers were those men who would exchange foreign currency to the Jewish people that would come from different places so that they could have valid money to use in the city of Jerusalem. These men like the tax collectors would so raise the exchange rates that they would make profit on average of over 100% and even as high as 300%. These men were dominated and ruled by greed and they could care less about the economic status of the people they were exploiting.

Jeremiah 7:11 “Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the LORD. NKJV

Those who sold the animals did so for the people to use to sacrifice to YAHWEH in the temple. These men would so raise their prices knowing that the people had to buy from them. The Jewish people that came with their own animals for the sacrifice, these sellers would inspect their animals and find some irrelevant or made up flaw or blemish with the animal and pressure them into purchasing one of their animals to sacrifice. Probably they were business partners in some way with the chief priest, scribes, and elders of the temple. They had turned the sacred and holy temple of God into a mall or a merchant place.

Hosea 12:7 He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress. KJV

Our Lord has been steadfastly making His way to Jerusalem to complete the Father’s will by satisfying the wrath of God that remains on mankind for sin. He arrives and makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem and into the temple. Because the time was late He took the 12 disciples and they left the city of Jerusalem for that night to lodge in Bethany and they came back the next day and as our Lord entered the temple immediately He was angered as He saw the money changers and those who sold animals doing it right inside the holy temple. Our Lord was probably at this time far from the mild, meek, and modest Shepherd, but He went through the temple with such fury that He would have made the incredible hulk look like a little school boy. It perhaps was a brief glimpse of what the Apostle John witnessed of our Lord in Revelation Chapter 1 when he saw Him he fell at His feet as dead.

When the Lord God spoke to Moses and gave him those very detailed instructions on how the temple was to be built and how the worship was to be conducted to honor Him those details were very specific and meticulous because they were but a pattern of The Temple Jesus Christ that stood in their midst that day. All who have been born again are the temple of God and our bodies where our Lord Jesus Christ lives is to be a constant temple of prayer to Him as a sweet savory aroma to His Heavenly Nostrils (see sermon entitled “Are You the Temple of God”, http://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=86428 ). Our Lord knew that the temple there was but a picture of Him and that their making merchandise in this holy place was a reflection of their hearts to the Father and to Him as they are One. Our Lord knew that the Jewish religious rulers would not receive Him, but He wanted them to know how sinfully rebellious to YAHWEH they had become with the veracious display of anger and wrath against turning His house of prayer into a merchant mall.

Isaiah 56:6-8 “Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants --- Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant ---Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to him Others besides those who are gathered to him.” NKJV

They hated reformation and wanted no part of His correction because of their love for money. This act of cleansing the temple of what He deemed to be abominable so infuriated the chief priest, scribes, and the elders that they were even more determined to kill Him. How ironic that our Lord knew their evil hearts and was in the city of Jerusalem for the very purpose of allowing them to kill Him and so fulfill the will of God.

Today we have men and women as I have stated in other writings that are addressed by the title prophet or prophetess and they are said to have the gift of prophecy. Some of these prophets charge people to prophecy over their lives and tell them things that will happen for them or to them in the upcoming year or whatever period of time the person request of the prophet or prophetess. They are serving in the same role or capacity as the occultist fortune teller or palm reader as they charge people to come to them so that they can tell them their future.

I can recall visiting Bishop T. D. Jakes church in Dallas, Texas as I was in town visiting relatives and we all decided to visit his church. The place was huge and a very nice facility. However, I was very perplexed as I walked around the front area before going to find a seat (it was built much like a basketball arena) I saw men and woman (like at a basketball game) selling t-shirts, caps, sweaters, programs, key chains, cups, and other items with Bishop T. D. Jakes picture on those things. I felt like I was at a basketball or football stadium and game. The man Bishop Jakes was merchandising his own image.

How is that going to bring glory to Jesus Christ? There is no gospel message that can save the soul of a lost person in an image on a t-shirt. That is far different from one putting his picture on a book cover with the message of the gospel contained in the book that God the Holy Spirit can use to save a soul. I held my peace about what I witnessed and did not express how repulsed I felt by seeing what I saw that day. When I reflect back on that day in Texas, I gain a much deeper understanding of why our Lord responded with such anger.

2 Peter 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. KJV

“The first century money changers were in the temple, but they didn’t have the spirit of the temple... They were out of sync with the whole purpose of the Lord’s house. “The atmosphere of my Father’s house,” Jesus seemed to say, “is to be prayer. The aroma around my Father must be that of people opening their hearts in worship and supplication. This is not a place to make a buck. This is a house for calling on the Lord.” Jim Cymbala

“Christ is our temple, in whom by faith all believers meet.” Matthew Henry

“Every saint is God’s temple, and he who carries His temple about him, may go to prayer when he pleaseth.” Augustine (see article entitled “Praying for those we Love”, http://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=79470 ).

“We are now the Temple of God! If the inanimate structure of the old covenant trembled and shook at God's presence, what is our response, we in whom this same glorious and holy God now lives? How can there be the slightest indifference or coldness or routine or mere ritual or mindless habit in our worship when this same God lives and abides in us?” Sam Storms

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reader, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…                                    

Jesus Defines Marriage and Divorce

Mark 10:1-12

Again our Lord is encamped by multitudes of people seeking to see what miracles He would perform next as He left Capernaum and entered the region of Judea. Now as it is in every case when He begins to teach the crowds, along comes some Scribes, Sadducees, or Pharisees with the intent of finding fault with Him and discrediting His Words. This time He happened to be questioned by some Pharisees about divorce. Be assured that these men did not want to be taught truth, but they wanted Him to put His stamp of approval on their being able to divorce their wives for any reason they deemed fit, so they would be free to marry someone more desirable to them and so as to have our Lord ease their conscience in this matter.

Jeremiah 3:1 “They say, ‘If a man divorces his wife, And she goes from him And becomes another man’s, May he return to her again?’ Would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers; Yet return to Me,” says the LORD. NKJV

These Pharisees knew what God’s Law said and meant in regards to marriage, but they wanted Christ to affirm Moses written permission for a man to divorce his wife as the will of God but the Lord said, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.” Our Lord wanted them to know that divorce is not the will of God and it never will be. However, our Lord would never want some woman to stay with a man that beats her or the man stay with a woman that is violent with him. The writer John Mark does not record as the other gospel writers Matthew and Luke did that He said divorce is permitted for either the husband or the wife having sex with another (adultery).

Malachi 2:14-16 Yet you say, “For what reason?” Because the LORD has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant. But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. “For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one’s garment with violence, “Says the LORD of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously.” NKJV

And from that point on now our Lord defines marriage for them clearly as God the Father intended it as it was God the Father who married the first man and woman Adam and Eve. It was for the very purpose of faithfulness that our Lord created only one man and one woman and not many men and women as He could have so easily done. This issue of marriage was and still is a serious issue with our Lord. The single man and women created from the beginning cast eternally what our Lord’s design was and still is in the first sacred institution He originated, ordered, and ordained for humanity before He founded the world.

Mark 10:6-9 “But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” NKJV

Our Lord went back to the detailed account of creation from Genesis Chapter 2 and one of the gospel writers even said He asked them had they not read this before. It has been ever since the fall that man’s heart in every generation and era is stained with the same coating of sin and it does not matter whether you live today of if you lived during the time of these Pharisees or during the days of Noah. Clearly in verse 6 of Mark Chapter 10 our Lord tells us that marriage is only to be between a man and a woman. The loving, merciful, and compassionate Son of God does not ordain same-sex relationships or marriage anywhere in His Holy Word. The people that wear the label Christian who teach that God will accept homosexual marriage do not do so under the authority and with the blessing of Jesus Christ and His Word (see the article entitled “All who Live in Sexual Immorality will Perish”, http://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=150907 ) . 

1 Corinthians 6:9 “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites” NKJV

The word our Lord uses in verse 7 of Mark Chapter 10 translated into English as cleave or join is from the Greek word proskollao, which literally means to glue together or weld together. This word demonstrates the deep commitment it is designed to be between the man and woman. It also shows how this union is a picture of the Church being our Lord’s bride as He is the groom. Our Lord will never leave or forsake His true Church and works from His throne of grace continually to purify those who He purchased with His own blood washing His Church daily with the water of His Word making her ready for Him. So is the seriousness of earthly marriage in His sight. It is never to be defiled by human beings going outside the will of God to redefine marriage against what our Lord has ordained it to be. The union between two born again believers’ man and woman bring glory to Him as they show forth His grace working in them together.

Ephesians 5:22-33

The marriage relationship is the only human relationship that our Lord says will result in the two becoming one and it is just like our Lord is One with His bride the true Church and He is One with every individual member of His true Church. The same Jesus that died on Calvary was buried and rose from the dead by the power of God is the same Jesus that wants to be the center of a marriage between His son and daughter to empower them by His Spirit to live out daily that one flesh union before a lost world that demeans marriage and treats it as optional and is working very hard to redefine it to suit the pleasures of sin for a season. Every avenue of sexual behavior that is outside of God’s original plan of marriage between one man and one woman will never bring lasting satisfaction, sanity, or security because it is outside of God’s creative order and out there dwells nothing good at all (I know I lived out there for many years) (see the article entitled “Sex and its Proper Use (Where must the Church stand?”, http://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=78396 ). The love of God the Father compelled Him to send His only Son to earth and the Father bruised His Son for us sinful human beings. Likewise His love tells us through His law (Word of God) that safety, soundness, and sweetness are found only in being obedient to the creative order He has planned and no manipulation, meddling, or maneuvering of that plan will shield us from the built in judgment in His Divine and Defined order. God made male and female and that is the only marriage He ordains.

Here is an excerpt from the book my Lord Jesus Christ wrote through me for His glory entitled “Silent Assassins of the Soul”, Chapter 2: How God Designed Us to Function Sexually: “In the beginning, God created us man and woman and said to us “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” God meant for us to have a fulfilling sexual life in the divinely-ordained confines of marriage between a husband and a wife with Him as a partner in the marriage. God provided marriage as the appropriate context for sexual fulfillment and the oneness necessary for emotional satisfaction. Our sexuality was designed to be exercised in the context of holiness and faithfulness. In His Word God has given us thorough guidelines for how we are to behave sexually. God has affirmed sex as a source of pleasure and shared intimacy between the husband (man) and the wife (woman) primarily for the procreation of the human race. The sexual union between husband and wife is at all times pleasing to God, for it was His creative design from the beginning. God created us in His image, which means that we are spiritual beings and only clothed with this physical body for habitation upon the earth. When we read and study the first and second chapters of Genesis carefully, we find that God created man (humankind) as spiritual beings—as male and female spiritual beings. Genesis 1:27 (KJV): “So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Here is what Holman Bible Dictionary says about the gender difference: “Thus, genders are not a mere biological accident or social construction. The contrast and complementarities between the man and the woman reveal that gender is part of the goodness of God’s creation. Modern efforts to redefine or redesign genders are directly contrary to the Bible’s affirmation of maleness and femaleness as proper distinctions.”” (see the poem entitled “Beauty Lost and Rescued”, http://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=152526 ).

“The condition “except for unchastity” is not a way out that God provides, but is the grounds for divorce that He will recognize.” John MacArthur

“The monstrosity of sexual intercourse outside marriage is that those who indulge in it are trying to isolate one kind of union (the sexual) from all the other kinds of union which were intended to go along with it and make up the total union.” C. S. Lewis

“God created marriage. No government subcommittee envisioned it. No social organization developed it. Marriage was conceived and born in the mind of God.” Max Lucado

“The Puritan ethic of marriage was first to look not for a partner whom you do love passionately at this moment but rather for one whom you can love steadily as your best friend for life, then to proceed with God’s help to do just that.” J. I. Packer

“If the ultimate meaning of marriage is to represent the unbreakable covenant-love between Christ and His church (Eph. 5:22-33), then no human being has a right to break a marriage covenant. When the impossible day comes that Christ breaks His vow, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20), then, on that day, a human being may break his marriage covenant.” John Piper

“When Eve was brought unto Adam, he became filled with the Holy Spirit, and gave her the most sanctified, the most glorious of appellations. He called her Eva, that is to say, the Mother of All. He did not style her wife, but simply mother, mother of all living creatures. In this consists the glory and the most precious ornament of woman.” Martin Luther

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reader, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…                                    

Jesus says, Believe and All things are Possible

Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” NKJV

What does it really mean to believe? Our Lord made this statement to the father of a boy possessed with a mute spirit. He wanted the man, His disciples, and all of the others around to understand that through faith in Him there is no such thing as something being too hard. As in the Scripture it is written, “Is there anything too hard for God?” On one other occasion when the rich young ruler came to the Lord Jesus and went away sad the disciples were wondering who could possibly be saved if this man was not able to receive eternal life. Our Lord said to them then, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

The person who entrust his or her spiritual well-being to the Lord Jesus Christ will be able by His grace and power to endure any and all onslaughts from the devil and his demons as well as the human instruments the enemy uses for his evil and wicked purposes. Our Lord wanted all to know that to put their whole weight upon Him as one would sit down in a chair is to allow Him to release His power to redeem, restore, and resurrect that which is in need of deliverance, and destroyed, and dead. The boy’s father was reassured by our Lord (as we are assured by Him today) that through trusting Him we can turn any circumstance or situation brought against us into our triumph over it.

The Lord renders to every regenerated, re-birthed, and resurrected man a measure of faith and some are even given the supernatural gift of faith on top of that and we can always pray to our Lord and ask for our faith to be increased so long as we remember to give Him the glory at all times. Our Lord as He walked through the various towns and provinces teaching the Kingdom of God, He would sometimes have people come to Him with a need for healing and He would ask them, “Do you believe I can do this” before He would respond to their need. Unbelief will block the healing grace of our Lord from working to the maximum capacity it is capable of working in people’s lives.

We just witnessed in Mark Chapter 6 the reception our Lord received when He returned to His home town of Nazareth. They in His home town were astonished by His wisdom and teaching but were stumped in unbelief because they had watched Him grow up there with His sisters and brothers and could not or would not truly believe in Him and even were offended at Him. The writer Dr. Luke even records that they became so offended by His teaching and proclamations that they rose up and tried to throw Him over a cliff to kill Him. Well, we know that they were not successful because His hour had not yet come and because of their offense and unbelief of Him as the Scriptures says, “He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.”

Unbelief is like the valve on the water main line that runs to a residential home. When the valve is closed the water does not come into the home so there is no shower usage, washing dishes, clothes, etc. But believing is when the valve is open and the water runs freely into the home and through the shower, sink, washing machine, etc. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is from everlasting to everlasting and He is self-containing, self-sufficient, self-supplying, and self-reliant and His love, grace, mercy, resources, and power is endless.

Romans 11:33-36 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! “For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?” “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to Him?” For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to Whom be glory forever. Amen. NKJV

Ephesians 2:7 “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” NKJV

Ephesians 3:8 “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” NKJV

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” NKJV

Colossians 1:27 “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” NKJV

Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” NKJV

“Christ rises above all things.” “God does not so much want us to do things as to let people see what He can do.” A. B. Simpson 1843-1919

“An honest heart seeks to please God in all things and offend Him in none.” A. W. Pink 1886-1952

“The Word of God reveals to me how totally inadequate I am and how utterly and completely dependent I am on the Lord Jesus Christ and His daily supply of grace to me.” “Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You that in Christ I can be healed of physical infirmity but, more importantly, I thank You that I can be healed of the wicked desires that sprout regularly in my heart by allowing the Lord Jesus to wash me daily in His Word. Amen (So let it be)!” Clifford D. Tate, Sr. from “Silent Assassins of the Soul”, Chapter 10 “Do You Want to be Made Well”

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reader, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…