“Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart” ~Psalm 37:4. The word delight means to take pleasure in someone or something; it is your source of happiness. To take delight in the Lord would mean He is your source of happiness and joy, you take pleasure in Him. To desire something would incline that you want something, it is a feeling of an unsatisfied state. Every one of us has desires, what are your desires? This verse is a promise from God and stated as fact by Kind David who had received the desires of his heart. The desire of King David’s heart was the Lord! There are many promises made in the word of God and God who cannot lie is truthful in all the promises He makes. Yesterday I read a prayer request from a women who is obviously hurting, she is evidently going through some major tribulation in her life, but as she is going through this tribulation her faith in God is wavering, not only that, she blames God for what she is going through stating why is God putting me through this. My heart goes out to her and I know that she is hurting, I have prayed for her. She like so many other people are doing and have done; are losing faith in their God, but while they are losing faith in their God, I fear that their God isn’t The God, The God of the bible. I would like to talk today about God’s promises.
What has God promised believers?
1. Temptation: We as believers are all promised temptation! In explaining the parable of the Sower and the seed Jesus explains that those who have a shallow faith when they are tempted will fall away. “But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away” ~Luke 8:13. But as a believer we hold on to God through every temptation if your delight is in the Lord He Shall give you the desires of your heart. “No temptation has ever taken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” ~1 Corinthians 10:13. Is there a way out? Through God always, the question is who do you love more God or the pleasures of sin?
2. Tribulation or Trials: We as believers are promised many trials! “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” ~John 16:33. Jesus talked about people without root in Him He said: “yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles” ~Matthew 13:21.
3. Persecution: We as believers are promised persecution for our faith! Most of the epistles of the Apostles where written in one way or another to God’s people who were being persecuted with encouragement to help them endure. This is the promise as Paul wrote to Timothy. “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” ~2 Timothy 3:12.
Now how does that sound? Does it sound like something you might want to sign up for? The problem isn’t God, the problem is us. People are being told come to God for love, joy, peace, and fulfillment; while those are fruits of salvation they are not the reason to come to God. If you come to God expecting love, joy, peace, and fulfillment but all you get is temptation, tribulation, and persecution you will soon be diluted, angry, and better and rightly so you didn’t get what you were promised but you did get what God promised. Well then you say why should I come to God if what I get is temptation, tribulation, and persecution? Jesus didn’t come to give you a happy life, He came to save you from the wrath of God, yeah that’s right the wrath of God himself. We are sinners, we have broken God’s laws and He is angry about that, so angry He demands punishment for our crimes and that punishment is death in Hell. You don’t think you have broken His laws then carefully look at his commandments. Have you ever lied? The ninth commandment says “you shall not lie”. The bible says “all liars their part is in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death” ~Revelations 21:8, and that is just one of his commands with many more to Go. God does love us all and while He demands punishment He is also merciful, instead of pouring his wrath out on you and I He poured it out on His sinless Son Jesus instead and offers us instead of the death we deserve eternal life as a free gift and all He asks is that we believe and place our faith in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. What better offer is there than that? We deserve death in Hell but instead get eternal life with God in paradise! That is the source of the fruit. You’re filled with joy because you get to go to heaven, you’re at peace because your sins are forgiven, and you know you are loved because He died for you, you are fulfilled because your desires are God and He gave you Himself! My hope and my prayer for you all is that you will trust yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ not for the things of this world but to escape the wrath that is to come!
Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation,
Mike Peek
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
You Keep the Change I’ll take the Hundred
When my children were very young I would occasionally give them some money in the form of change: pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. They held tightly to this money as a prized possession. They enjoyed the color, how it was shiny, the noise it made when the change rattled together, and how you could stack one upon another. They wouldn’t part with the money because to them it was their prized possession. One time while shopping at a store my daughter saw a toy she wanted, I told her that if you give the people at the counter your money they will give you the toy, well she would have none of that, she wasn’t going to give up her money. One time I tried to offer my son and daughter each a one dollar bill in exchange for their one dollar in change, they wouldn’t have it, the change was shiny and the dollar was not, besides the change was many and the dollar was one. I think had I offered them a one hundred dollar bill in exchange for their one dollar in change they would have denied it as well.
Now this is a story about two children 2-5 years old with no understanding of the purpose of money, but are you not yourself holding on to something of little value when God is offering you everything. God offers everyone a free gift and that gift is eternal life through Jesus Christ, but instead many chose to keep their sin rather than accepting the gift of God, and God promises that whatever you give up in this life you will receive a hundredfold as much in the life to come, and receive eternal life (ref. Matthew 19:29); are you not just holding on to a small amount of change when you could have one hundred dollar bills. I carry around with me at all times a gospel tract; on one side it says “God Loves You” referencing to Romans 5:8. This verse defines the way in which God loves us, it says: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” ~Romans 5:8. That is the way in which God loves you, He doesn’t want to see you perish, but His desire is to save you and that is why Christ died. On the back there are three verses, the first verse is Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. When it says all, it means every one, you and me both. What is sin? Have you ever lied? I have, how about you? The ninth commandment of God says; “do not tell lies”. The bible tells us that “Sin is lawlessness” ~1 John 3:4, meaning sin is breaking God’s law, and if you have ever told a lie even one time you have broken God’s law. The second verse I have listed is Romans 6:23. The first half of that verse says: “For the wages of sin is death”. That is what we have earned for sinning, for breaking the law, we have earned death. And it’s not the death of your body we all know that each of us will die at some point, the Bible says: “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” ~Hebrews 9:27. When God judges you, will you be innocent or guilty? Your innocence or guilt is based on this; did you break the law are not? If you have ever lied; than yes you have broken the law. Since you have broken the law and are guilty; what will happen to you? This is what the Bible says will happen to you; “all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” ~Revelations 21:8. That is what we commonly refer to as Hell, but there is a second part of Romans 6:23 “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. You have earned death in Hell for breaking God’s law but God offers the free gift of eternal life and it is a gift because you didn’t earn it, the wage you earned was death in Hell. This verse tells us the way in which we receive this gift, “in Christ Jesus our Lord”; you must accept Jesus as Lord. The final verse I have on that Gospel tract is Romans 10:9 – “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”.
Jesus said: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” ~Matthew 16:24. This is how to be saved. To deny yourself and take up your cross is to give up the sins in your life that you hold tightly to. Is it easy? No, but God offers you a hundredfold as much in exchange and you will receive eternal life. Come to God, confess your sins to Him and forsake them (turn away from them) and accept Jesus as Lord!
Repent and trust in Jesus Christ alone,
Mike Peek
Now this is a story about two children 2-5 years old with no understanding of the purpose of money, but are you not yourself holding on to something of little value when God is offering you everything. God offers everyone a free gift and that gift is eternal life through Jesus Christ, but instead many chose to keep their sin rather than accepting the gift of God, and God promises that whatever you give up in this life you will receive a hundredfold as much in the life to come, and receive eternal life (ref. Matthew 19:29); are you not just holding on to a small amount of change when you could have one hundred dollar bills. I carry around with me at all times a gospel tract; on one side it says “God Loves You” referencing to Romans 5:8. This verse defines the way in which God loves us, it says: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” ~Romans 5:8. That is the way in which God loves you, He doesn’t want to see you perish, but His desire is to save you and that is why Christ died. On the back there are three verses, the first verse is Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. When it says all, it means every one, you and me both. What is sin? Have you ever lied? I have, how about you? The ninth commandment of God says; “do not tell lies”. The bible tells us that “Sin is lawlessness” ~1 John 3:4, meaning sin is breaking God’s law, and if you have ever told a lie even one time you have broken God’s law. The second verse I have listed is Romans 6:23. The first half of that verse says: “For the wages of sin is death”. That is what we have earned for sinning, for breaking the law, we have earned death. And it’s not the death of your body we all know that each of us will die at some point, the Bible says: “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” ~Hebrews 9:27. When God judges you, will you be innocent or guilty? Your innocence or guilt is based on this; did you break the law are not? If you have ever lied; than yes you have broken the law. Since you have broken the law and are guilty; what will happen to you? This is what the Bible says will happen to you; “all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” ~Revelations 21:8. That is what we commonly refer to as Hell, but there is a second part of Romans 6:23 “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. You have earned death in Hell for breaking God’s law but God offers the free gift of eternal life and it is a gift because you didn’t earn it, the wage you earned was death in Hell. This verse tells us the way in which we receive this gift, “in Christ Jesus our Lord”; you must accept Jesus as Lord. The final verse I have on that Gospel tract is Romans 10:9 – “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”.
Jesus said: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” ~Matthew 16:24. This is how to be saved. To deny yourself and take up your cross is to give up the sins in your life that you hold tightly to. Is it easy? No, but God offers you a hundredfold as much in exchange and you will receive eternal life. Come to God, confess your sins to Him and forsake them (turn away from them) and accept Jesus as Lord!
Repent and trust in Jesus Christ alone,
Mike Peek
Saturday, January 1, 2011
The Year of Our Lord
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” ~Romans 10:13. The Lord gave me a really interesting and wonderful year in ‘The Year of Our Lord’ 2010. I say ‘Year of Our Lord’ because it is very interesting, that in early documents by the founders of America, if they stated a year, they would say “The Year of Our Lord”, basically confessing Jesus as Lord, acknowledging the fact that something incredible happened in the past, and that something incredible is, God’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ came into the world. The Bible says “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” ~ Romans 10:9. You can’t deny it, this country was founded by Christians, you can state otherwise but the truth is the founding fathers believed, but that is a debate for another time. So ‘The Year of Our Lord 2010’ was one of the most interesting years of my life.
I am a member of (Central Baptist Church 1343 East Grande Blvd, Tyler, Texas) on the last Sunday of 2009 my Sunday school teacher Dan Sala gave us a challenge, he wanted us to write down goals for 2010 and seal them up in an envelope opening them up after the completion of 2010, I opened mine yesterday. What I had written, I didn’t think of as goals but instead what I knew God wanted of me. There were two things I wrote down:
1. I would give God complete Lordship, I would follow Jesus were ever He lead me.
2. I would love my neighbor as myself.
The Lord had already been working on my heart to be a witness for him but I really didn’t know how to go about it and I was for the most part a shy man, keeping to myself, trying not to bother anyone. My wife mentioned to me something about someone handing out gospel tracts, I have to confess I didn’t know what a Gospel tract was and I confessed this to her, she laughed of course but told me what one was. I had seen them before but didn’t know the word tract.
I have heard Christians talk for years about (callings). They would say things like: I was called into the ministry, or my brother got called into the mission field, my calling is to work with troubled teens, or to work with homeless children. I had often wondered about all of this calling stuff, is this for real? Looking back over the past year I discovered this. We are called once, and the calling is the same for everyone, we are called to Repentance and to follow Jesus, then He will lead. If you follow Jesus He will lead you wherever He wants you to go. “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” Luke 5:32. He walked up to Matthew the tax collector and said, “’follow Me’. So he left all, rose up, and followed Him” ~Luke 5:27-28. Matthew became one of His twelve apostles, he wrote the Gospel of Matthew.
Now I said that 2010 was an incredible year, I followed Jesus and here is where he led me. If you had told me one year ago what God would have done through me in 2010 I would never have believed it.
• One year ago I didn’t know what a Gospel tract was, in 2010 I handed out somewhere near 2000 Gospel tracts.
• I had never really had a one on one witness encounter with anyone; in 2010 I directly witnessed to somewhere around 3000 people.
• English classes where always my worst subject in school I barley passed through high school and in college my stomach turned at the thought of writing a research paper. At the end of June God lead me to start writing about Him and thus this Blog was born, as of this writing, this Blog has been down loaded 1013 times and has been accessed by people in 10 different countries around the world.
• I said earlier that I was a quiet man keeping to myself, Paul told Timothy “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” ~2 Timothy 3:12 and that statement is as true as it gets. I would never have imagined how violently angry people can become at the name of Jesus Christ, and most of the time, it is not from the people you expect it from, but God has made me bold in 2010.
Every bit of this is God, I am not capable of even doing one of these things, and God is responsible for all. Jesus is the Lord of Lords, and the King of Kings. He is the one that was, and is, and is yet to come. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. All glory to Him. Lord thank you for this past year, it has been an absolute wonderful journey serving You. You have never left me or forsaken me, You walked with me hand and hand every step of the way. You are my Lord and Savior. My hope is this to all that read this blog. That you will come to know Jesus as your Lord, your God, and your Savior. Jesus said: “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the father except by Me” John 14:6. Jesus is the Way, all other ways are false. Lord Jesus I look forward to wherever you lead me in your year, “The Year of Our Lord 2011”
Repent and Trust in Jesus Christ alone,
Mike Peek
I am a member of (Central Baptist Church 1343 East Grande Blvd, Tyler, Texas) on the last Sunday of 2009 my Sunday school teacher Dan Sala gave us a challenge, he wanted us to write down goals for 2010 and seal them up in an envelope opening them up after the completion of 2010, I opened mine yesterday. What I had written, I didn’t think of as goals but instead what I knew God wanted of me. There were two things I wrote down:
1. I would give God complete Lordship, I would follow Jesus were ever He lead me.
2. I would love my neighbor as myself.
The Lord had already been working on my heart to be a witness for him but I really didn’t know how to go about it and I was for the most part a shy man, keeping to myself, trying not to bother anyone. My wife mentioned to me something about someone handing out gospel tracts, I have to confess I didn’t know what a Gospel tract was and I confessed this to her, she laughed of course but told me what one was. I had seen them before but didn’t know the word tract.
I have heard Christians talk for years about (callings). They would say things like: I was called into the ministry, or my brother got called into the mission field, my calling is to work with troubled teens, or to work with homeless children. I had often wondered about all of this calling stuff, is this for real? Looking back over the past year I discovered this. We are called once, and the calling is the same for everyone, we are called to Repentance and to follow Jesus, then He will lead. If you follow Jesus He will lead you wherever He wants you to go. “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” Luke 5:32. He walked up to Matthew the tax collector and said, “’follow Me’. So he left all, rose up, and followed Him” ~Luke 5:27-28. Matthew became one of His twelve apostles, he wrote the Gospel of Matthew.
Now I said that 2010 was an incredible year, I followed Jesus and here is where he led me. If you had told me one year ago what God would have done through me in 2010 I would never have believed it.
• One year ago I didn’t know what a Gospel tract was, in 2010 I handed out somewhere near 2000 Gospel tracts.
• I had never really had a one on one witness encounter with anyone; in 2010 I directly witnessed to somewhere around 3000 people.
• English classes where always my worst subject in school I barley passed through high school and in college my stomach turned at the thought of writing a research paper. At the end of June God lead me to start writing about Him and thus this Blog was born, as of this writing, this Blog has been down loaded 1013 times and has been accessed by people in 10 different countries around the world.
• I said earlier that I was a quiet man keeping to myself, Paul told Timothy “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” ~2 Timothy 3:12 and that statement is as true as it gets. I would never have imagined how violently angry people can become at the name of Jesus Christ, and most of the time, it is not from the people you expect it from, but God has made me bold in 2010.
Every bit of this is God, I am not capable of even doing one of these things, and God is responsible for all. Jesus is the Lord of Lords, and the King of Kings. He is the one that was, and is, and is yet to come. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. All glory to Him. Lord thank you for this past year, it has been an absolute wonderful journey serving You. You have never left me or forsaken me, You walked with me hand and hand every step of the way. You are my Lord and Savior. My hope is this to all that read this blog. That you will come to know Jesus as your Lord, your God, and your Savior. Jesus said: “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the father except by Me” John 14:6. Jesus is the Way, all other ways are false. Lord Jesus I look forward to wherever you lead me in your year, “The Year of Our Lord 2011”
Repent and Trust in Jesus Christ alone,
Mike Peek
Friday, December 24, 2010
GREAT JOY FOR ALL PEOPLE
“I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”. I stand before you today a Criminal guilty of breaking the law. I have broken ten very serious laws and I have not just broken them once but countless times. I am a criminal guilty but despite all I have done I have been set free, no longer held by the law. The crimes that I have committed are serious and the punishment is the death penalty but I have been let go because the judge Himself took the punishment in my place. And He is a good and just judge, being a good and just judge by His very nature He had to find me guilty but He also loved me so much that He didn’t want to punish me, so He Himself took the punishment for my crime and this is all He asked of me. To admit I had broken the law and deny myself the pleasures that breaking these laws gave me and put my trust in Him, to follow Him.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul”. Why is the law of the Lord perfect converting the soul? “For by the law is the knowledge of sin”. The Apostle Paul said in his letter to the church in Rome: “I would not have known sin except through the law”. It was the law of God that showed Paul and me both that we are sinners (law breakers) in need of repentance. These are but a few of the laws I have broken. I have lied countless times, more times than I care to imagine, which makes me a liar. Have you ever told a lie? I have stolen things that didn’t belong to me, it doesn’t matter the value of what I have taken, what matters is it wasn’t mine to take, this makes me a thief. Have you ever stolen anything? I have used the Lord’s name in vain, I used God’s Holy name, the name of the one who gave me life, gives me the air I breath, the food I eat, the legs I stand on, and I used His name in place of a filthy curse word to express discuss, making me a blasphemer. Have you ever used the Lord’s name in vain? The law of God says do not commit adultery and I thought I was good on this one then I read what Jesus said, He said: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart”. I have looked at many women with lust making me an adulterer at heart. Have you ever looked at someone you’re not married to with lust?
Now I have just mentioned four of God’s Holy Ten Commandments with six more to go, and I have broken these, a multitude of times. If you sin just five times a day, in one year that’s 1825 sins (that’s 1825 times you’ve broken the law in one year), and if you live to be 80 that’s 146,000 sins over the course of your life. Could you imagine all of those sins laid out before you and having to account for every single one of them? That’s exactly what will happen. The Bible says:”it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment”. The Bible says that “God will judge the world in righteousness”. “Each of us shall give account of himself to God”. Now I ask you like I asked myself, when you stand before God on Judgment day and He judges you by His law, will you be found innocent or guilty? Will you go to heaven or Hell? Keep in mind that you have broken the law. The Bible says “No thief and no adulterer will inherit the kingdom of God”, “and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death”. Speaking of the lake of fire and brimstone the Bible says:”And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever”.
Jesus came into this world from God, born of a virgin in the town of Bethlehem. He was both fully God and fully man, He himself being man was subject to the law but never once breaking God’s laws lived a perfect sinless life. Then He did something incredible, He who never sinned, laid down His life for guilty sinners like me and you. He was beaten and hung on a Cross crucified, dead and buried then on the third day He rose from the dead defeating death. He offers forgiveness of sins and this is available to everyone who will accept it. I began this with the Christmas message: “I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”. It is a message of great joy for all people because there is a savior, there is salvation from our sins in Jesus Christ and it is a free gift; it is the gift of God available to all who accept it. There is nothing we can do to earn it, what we have earned is death in Hell but “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus”. It is by the grace of God that we are saved, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”.
To receive this gift what you must do is Repent and trust in Jesus, turn away from sin and turn to the Savior Jesus. Jesus said: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me”. To deny yourself is to turn away from the sins that give you pleasure, to take up your cross is to die to yourself admit that you are not good, that you have broken God’s laws no longer trusting in your own goodness but trusting in Jesus’ goodness to save you from God’s righteous judgment. So “I implore you on Christ behalf, be reconciled to God”. Repent of your sins, do a 180 degree turn away from the sins that give you pleasure and turn toward the saver, do it today, you don’t know when your life will end putting you be before the judgment seat of God. Repent and put all of your trust in Jesus Christ. If you do that you will move from death to life, God will give you His spirit as a deposit for your salvation, He will give you a new heart with new desires. So go to God in prayer admit that you are a sinner, and say you’re sorry, commit your life to God. Repent and trust in Jesus. Do it today, receive the Christmas gift, receive eternal life in Jesus Christ.
Merry Christmas,
Mike Peek
(Bible verses quoted NKJV: Luke 2:10-11, Psalm 19:7, Romans 3:20, Romans 7:7, Exodus 20, Luke 5:27-28, Hebrews 9:27, Acts 17:31, Romans 14:12, 1 Corinthians 6:9, Revelations 21:8, and Revelations 20:10, Romans 6:23, Luke 9:23, 2 Corinthians 5:20)
“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul”. Why is the law of the Lord perfect converting the soul? “For by the law is the knowledge of sin”. The Apostle Paul said in his letter to the church in Rome: “I would not have known sin except through the law”. It was the law of God that showed Paul and me both that we are sinners (law breakers) in need of repentance. These are but a few of the laws I have broken. I have lied countless times, more times than I care to imagine, which makes me a liar. Have you ever told a lie? I have stolen things that didn’t belong to me, it doesn’t matter the value of what I have taken, what matters is it wasn’t mine to take, this makes me a thief. Have you ever stolen anything? I have used the Lord’s name in vain, I used God’s Holy name, the name of the one who gave me life, gives me the air I breath, the food I eat, the legs I stand on, and I used His name in place of a filthy curse word to express discuss, making me a blasphemer. Have you ever used the Lord’s name in vain? The law of God says do not commit adultery and I thought I was good on this one then I read what Jesus said, He said: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart”. I have looked at many women with lust making me an adulterer at heart. Have you ever looked at someone you’re not married to with lust?
Now I have just mentioned four of God’s Holy Ten Commandments with six more to go, and I have broken these, a multitude of times. If you sin just five times a day, in one year that’s 1825 sins (that’s 1825 times you’ve broken the law in one year), and if you live to be 80 that’s 146,000 sins over the course of your life. Could you imagine all of those sins laid out before you and having to account for every single one of them? That’s exactly what will happen. The Bible says:”it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment”. The Bible says that “God will judge the world in righteousness”. “Each of us shall give account of himself to God”. Now I ask you like I asked myself, when you stand before God on Judgment day and He judges you by His law, will you be found innocent or guilty? Will you go to heaven or Hell? Keep in mind that you have broken the law. The Bible says “No thief and no adulterer will inherit the kingdom of God”, “and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death”. Speaking of the lake of fire and brimstone the Bible says:”And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever”.
Jesus came into this world from God, born of a virgin in the town of Bethlehem. He was both fully God and fully man, He himself being man was subject to the law but never once breaking God’s laws lived a perfect sinless life. Then He did something incredible, He who never sinned, laid down His life for guilty sinners like me and you. He was beaten and hung on a Cross crucified, dead and buried then on the third day He rose from the dead defeating death. He offers forgiveness of sins and this is available to everyone who will accept it. I began this with the Christmas message: “I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”. It is a message of great joy for all people because there is a savior, there is salvation from our sins in Jesus Christ and it is a free gift; it is the gift of God available to all who accept it. There is nothing we can do to earn it, what we have earned is death in Hell but “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus”. It is by the grace of God that we are saved, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”.
To receive this gift what you must do is Repent and trust in Jesus, turn away from sin and turn to the Savior Jesus. Jesus said: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me”. To deny yourself is to turn away from the sins that give you pleasure, to take up your cross is to die to yourself admit that you are not good, that you have broken God’s laws no longer trusting in your own goodness but trusting in Jesus’ goodness to save you from God’s righteous judgment. So “I implore you on Christ behalf, be reconciled to God”. Repent of your sins, do a 180 degree turn away from the sins that give you pleasure and turn toward the saver, do it today, you don’t know when your life will end putting you be before the judgment seat of God. Repent and put all of your trust in Jesus Christ. If you do that you will move from death to life, God will give you His spirit as a deposit for your salvation, He will give you a new heart with new desires. So go to God in prayer admit that you are a sinner, and say you’re sorry, commit your life to God. Repent and trust in Jesus. Do it today, receive the Christmas gift, receive eternal life in Jesus Christ.
Merry Christmas,
Mike Peek
(Bible verses quoted NKJV: Luke 2:10-11, Psalm 19:7, Romans 3:20, Romans 7:7, Exodus 20, Luke 5:27-28, Hebrews 9:27, Acts 17:31, Romans 14:12, 1 Corinthians 6:9, Revelations 21:8, and Revelations 20:10, Romans 6:23, Luke 9:23, 2 Corinthians 5:20)
Saturday, December 18, 2010
WHAT ARE YOU WORTH
A question was posed to me earlier this week. What is your source of joy? Well my answer is the Lord Jesus Christ is my source of Joy but my explanation of that answer may surprise you. I came to grips with who and what I was several years ago; I am a criminal, that’s right a criminal.
Now to bring light to this subject of joy a separate question needs to be asked. What is value? For something to have value it must be valuable to someone. Nothing in itself has value unless someone is willing to pay for it. The Qianlong vase is an 18th century porcelain vase from the Qing Dynasty; The Qing Dynasty succeeded the Ming dynasty in 1736. The vase was sold at auction for a reported $80 million making it the world’s most expensive vase. Now I ask you, is the vase itself valuable or is the vase valuable because someone was willing to pay a lot of money for it?
Is the vase pretty? Yes, but there are a lot of pretty vases. What makes this vase so special? This vase is special because it was special to someone, to the amount of $80 million. Is it worth that much to me, I should say not, in fact to me it has no value at all, I wouldn’t buy this vase, in fact if I saw it while out shopping in an antique store; not knowing it had value to someone else, I would pass it by not giving it a second glance.
Now I told you earlier that I am a criminal. What do criminals deserve? Criminals deserve punishment for their crimes. The punishment I deserve for my crimes is death and eternal torment. You see the laws I’ve broken are not man’s laws but are the laws of God the creator of all things. This is not a light matter, God gave me life yet I defied Him who created me and did whatever I wanted to do. He asked that I love and worship Him and not other things yet I have worshiped the creation rather than the creator, He said “do not murder” the bible says “If you hate your brother you are a murder at heart” and I have hated several people during this life making me a murder at heart, He said “do not lie” yet I have lied countless times. And this is just three of God’s Holy Ten Commandments with seven others. God said “He will judge the world in righteousness” also “each of us shall give account of himself to God”. The bible says “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment”. I know who I am, I am a criminal, if I face God on judgment day and have to give an account for the things I’ve done in this life I will be found guilty and the punishment for my crimes is eternal punishment in Hell.
I told you earlier nothing in itself has value unless someone finds it valuable. My joy in the Lord is this; God found me valuable to Him. In fact He found me to be more valuable than the Qianlong vase. How valuable am I to God? What is the price He was willing to pay for me? You see I have broken His laws and the punishment for that is death, but He loved me so much, He Himself paid the price for My Crimes. God sent Jesus Christ His only begotten son to pay the price for my crimes and anyone else who will believe and follow Him. Jesus said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life”.
“I implore you on Christ behalf, be reconciled to God”. Jesus said: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand, Repent and believe the Gospel”. This is how to be reconciled to God, Repent (turn away from sin and turn to God) and put all of your trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. If you do this you will be saved from the judgment of God and rejoice because God has found great value in you, He purchased your freedom from death and punishment with His own blood.
Mike Peek
(Bible verses quoted NKJV: Exodus 20, 1 John 3:15, Psalm 9:8, Romans 14:12, Hebrews 9:27, John 5:24, 2 Corinthians 5:20, Mark 1:15)
Now to bring light to this subject of joy a separate question needs to be asked. What is value? For something to have value it must be valuable to someone. Nothing in itself has value unless someone is willing to pay for it. The Qianlong vase is an 18th century porcelain vase from the Qing Dynasty; The Qing Dynasty succeeded the Ming dynasty in 1736. The vase was sold at auction for a reported $80 million making it the world’s most expensive vase. Now I ask you, is the vase itself valuable or is the vase valuable because someone was willing to pay a lot of money for it?
Is the vase pretty? Yes, but there are a lot of pretty vases. What makes this vase so special? This vase is special because it was special to someone, to the amount of $80 million. Is it worth that much to me, I should say not, in fact to me it has no value at all, I wouldn’t buy this vase, in fact if I saw it while out shopping in an antique store; not knowing it had value to someone else, I would pass it by not giving it a second glance.
Now I told you earlier that I am a criminal. What do criminals deserve? Criminals deserve punishment for their crimes. The punishment I deserve for my crimes is death and eternal torment. You see the laws I’ve broken are not man’s laws but are the laws of God the creator of all things. This is not a light matter, God gave me life yet I defied Him who created me and did whatever I wanted to do. He asked that I love and worship Him and not other things yet I have worshiped the creation rather than the creator, He said “do not murder” the bible says “If you hate your brother you are a murder at heart” and I have hated several people during this life making me a murder at heart, He said “do not lie” yet I have lied countless times. And this is just three of God’s Holy Ten Commandments with seven others. God said “He will judge the world in righteousness” also “each of us shall give account of himself to God”. The bible says “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment”. I know who I am, I am a criminal, if I face God on judgment day and have to give an account for the things I’ve done in this life I will be found guilty and the punishment for my crimes is eternal punishment in Hell.
I told you earlier nothing in itself has value unless someone finds it valuable. My joy in the Lord is this; God found me valuable to Him. In fact He found me to be more valuable than the Qianlong vase. How valuable am I to God? What is the price He was willing to pay for me? You see I have broken His laws and the punishment for that is death, but He loved me so much, He Himself paid the price for My Crimes. God sent Jesus Christ His only begotten son to pay the price for my crimes and anyone else who will believe and follow Him. Jesus said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life”.
“I implore you on Christ behalf, be reconciled to God”. Jesus said: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand, Repent and believe the Gospel”. This is how to be reconciled to God, Repent (turn away from sin and turn to God) and put all of your trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. If you do this you will be saved from the judgment of God and rejoice because God has found great value in you, He purchased your freedom from death and punishment with His own blood.
Mike Peek
(Bible verses quoted NKJV: Exodus 20, 1 John 3:15, Psalm 9:8, Romans 14:12, Hebrews 9:27, John 5:24, 2 Corinthians 5:20, Mark 1:15)
Saturday, December 11, 2010
The Corners of a Building
Most all buildings have four corners especially very large buildings. A roof without walls requires four pillars to hold it up. It is this square structure that gives the building stability to withstand the weight of all the floors above and the four pillars withstand the weight of the roof above. Take away one pillar and the entire roof comes crumbling down. Take away one corner of a large building and the building will come crumbling down. Today I’m going to share with you the four pillars of salvation take away one of these and you have a lost soul.
{We are all sinners}. The Bible says: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. God has given us His law to follow and if you fall short at any point you have sinned; and we all have sinned. Take a look at God’s laws, His ten commandments.
1. I am the Lord your God and you shall worship only me.
2. Do not create for yourself any false God’s and bow down to them.
3. Do not take the Lord’s name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it Holy.
5. Honor your father and mother.
6. Do not murder.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Do not steal.
9. Do not lie.
10. Do not covet what belongs to your neighbor.
They go even deeper, God is spirit He sees every thought we have, Jesus said: “whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment”. The Bible says: “Whoever hates his brother is a murder”. Jesus expounds on adultery, He said: “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her as already committed adultery with her in his heart”. No one can look at God’s laws and be clean. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.
{Our sin separates us from God}. “For the wages of sin is death”. When you work a job you get a wage for the work you have done, the Bible tells us that the wage we have earned for the things we have done is death and it’s not talking about the death of your body but the death of your soul. “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, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, will inherit the kingdom of God”. “All liars will have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death”. “And they will be tormented day and night forever”. There is no soft way to put it; this is the wage we have earned by breaking God’s laws and sinning. This is hard to except, but it is the truth.
{Christ died for us}. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. While we were still sinners Christ die for us. Isn’t that just absolutely amazing that God the creator of all things was willing to take our punishment, the punishment that we deserved while we were still sinning, before we were willing to turn from sin and even before we accepted who he was. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends”. The God of the universe loves you; Jesus loves you he laid down His life for you despite all you have done.
{Through trusting in Christ we can be saved}. “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”. You see trust goes beyond belief, the Bible says: “Even the demons believe-and tremble”! Yes Satan and his demons believe that Jesus is God, that He is the Christ that takes away the sins of the world but they do not except His lord ship, they do not trust in Him alone for salvation. You will be judged; “it is appointed men to die once then comes judgment”. So trust in the saving grace of Jesus Christ to save you from the judgment for your sins. That’s right if you trust in Jesus Christ you will not be judged for your sins, for he has already paid the price for your sins. But you most trust in Him like you would a life preserver on a ship that’s going down, because in many ways we are on a ship that’s going down. This world is dying, our bodies are dying you don’t know for sure if this is the last day of your life, so trust in Christ for salvation today.
1. We are all sinners.
2. Our sin separates us from God.
3. Jesus is Lord and He died for us.
4. Through trusting in Christ we can be saved.
Trust in Christ alone for your salvation,
Mike Peek
(Bible verses quoted NKJV: Romans 3:23, Deuteronomy 5:17-20, Matthew 5:22, 1 John 3:15, Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Revelations 21:8, Revelations 20:10, Romans 5:8, John 15:13, Romans 10:13, James 2:19, Hebrews 9:27)
{We are all sinners}. The Bible says: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. God has given us His law to follow and if you fall short at any point you have sinned; and we all have sinned. Take a look at God’s laws, His ten commandments.
1. I am the Lord your God and you shall worship only me.
2. Do not create for yourself any false God’s and bow down to them.
3. Do not take the Lord’s name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it Holy.
5. Honor your father and mother.
6. Do not murder.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Do not steal.
9. Do not lie.
10. Do not covet what belongs to your neighbor.
They go even deeper, God is spirit He sees every thought we have, Jesus said: “whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment”. The Bible says: “Whoever hates his brother is a murder”. Jesus expounds on adultery, He said: “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her as already committed adultery with her in his heart”. No one can look at God’s laws and be clean. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.
{Our sin separates us from God}. “For the wages of sin is death”. When you work a job you get a wage for the work you have done, the Bible tells us that the wage we have earned for the things we have done is death and it’s not talking about the death of your body but the death of your soul. “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, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, will inherit the kingdom of God”. “All liars will have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death”. “And they will be tormented day and night forever”. There is no soft way to put it; this is the wage we have earned by breaking God’s laws and sinning. This is hard to except, but it is the truth.
{Christ died for us}. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. While we were still sinners Christ die for us. Isn’t that just absolutely amazing that God the creator of all things was willing to take our punishment, the punishment that we deserved while we were still sinning, before we were willing to turn from sin and even before we accepted who he was. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends”. The God of the universe loves you; Jesus loves you he laid down His life for you despite all you have done.
{Through trusting in Christ we can be saved}. “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”. You see trust goes beyond belief, the Bible says: “Even the demons believe-and tremble”! Yes Satan and his demons believe that Jesus is God, that He is the Christ that takes away the sins of the world but they do not except His lord ship, they do not trust in Him alone for salvation. You will be judged; “it is appointed men to die once then comes judgment”. So trust in the saving grace of Jesus Christ to save you from the judgment for your sins. That’s right if you trust in Jesus Christ you will not be judged for your sins, for he has already paid the price for your sins. But you most trust in Him like you would a life preserver on a ship that’s going down, because in many ways we are on a ship that’s going down. This world is dying, our bodies are dying you don’t know for sure if this is the last day of your life, so trust in Christ for salvation today.
1. We are all sinners.
2. Our sin separates us from God.
3. Jesus is Lord and He died for us.
4. Through trusting in Christ we can be saved.
Trust in Christ alone for your salvation,
Mike Peek
(Bible verses quoted NKJV: Romans 3:23, Deuteronomy 5:17-20, Matthew 5:22, 1 John 3:15, Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Revelations 21:8, Revelations 20:10, Romans 5:8, John 15:13, Romans 10:13, James 2:19, Hebrews 9:27)
Saturday, December 4, 2010
THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL
“I bring to you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”. “Taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, humbled Himself and became obedient to the Point of death, even the death of the cross”.
Merry Christmas! Christmas is my favorite time of year because it is this time that I am reminded of the greatest gift of all, that even though I didn’t deserve it God gave his son Jesus as atonement for my sins. Yes Christmas is about Jesus, God sent His perfect and Holy son to dwell amongst us to be the perfect sacrifice that once and for all takes away the sins of all those who follow Him. There has been a verse out of the book of Romans that I have meditated on all week. “Now we know what the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the Deeds of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin”. This is talking about every man and women walking the face of the earth, we are all under God’s laws. Who among you doesn’t know that lying, stealing, murder, and adultery are wrong. God has written His laws on the hearts of everyone, He gave you a conscience. Con means with and Science means knowledge, so every time you Sin, every time you break one of God’s laws you do it (With Knowledge) that it is wrong.
Let’s go through just a few of God’s Ten Commandments, the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th. While we do I want you to remember this, God is Spirit He knows your every thought. “You shall not murder”. Have you murdered anyone? The Bible says: “Whoever hates his brother is a murder”. Have you hated anyone? “You shall not commit adultery”. Have you committed adultery? Jesus said: “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart”. Have you ever looked at another person with lust? “You shall not steal”. Have you ever taken anything, anything at all that didn’t belong to you? “You shall not bear false witness”. Have you ever told a lie? If you have broken these commandments you’re not alone, I have broken all of them myself. This is just four of God’s commandments with six more to go. How do you think you would fare with the other six, if you are like me not good, I’m guilty of those as well? But even if you are guilty of breaking one of these commandments one time you’re as guilty as if you had broken them all. God in His Holiness demands perfection in thought, word, and deed; and we all fall gravely short. “For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God”. The bible says God is a good and just Judge and He will judge us according to our works. If He judges you according to your works will you be found innocent or guilty, Heaven or Hell? If you said Heaven let me ask you how a good and just judge could let crimes go unpunished, if He did that, He would be nether good or just, He would be merciful yes but not just, Justice demands that the guilty be punished.
God did something so that you could escape judgment and punishment, that’s right escape. The Christmas Gift! God sent His Son Jesus to suffer a sinner’s death on the cross for your sins and mine and all you and I have to do to receive this gift is follow Jesus. The bible tells us that God did this for His righteousness, so that He could be both just and merciful to all who believe. I implore you, turn from your sins today, confess your sins to God and put your trust in the saving Grace of Jesus Christ! If you will do that God will give you His spirit as a deposit for your salvation and will give you a new heart, His heart.
God Bless I hope you will trust in Jesus today,
Mike Peek
(Bible verses quoted NKJV: Luke 2:10-11, Philippians 2:7-8, Romans 3:19-20, Romans 2:15, Deuteronomy 5:17-20, 1 John 3:15, Matthew 5:28, James 2:10, Romans 3:23, Romans 3:26)
Merry Christmas! Christmas is my favorite time of year because it is this time that I am reminded of the greatest gift of all, that even though I didn’t deserve it God gave his son Jesus as atonement for my sins. Yes Christmas is about Jesus, God sent His perfect and Holy son to dwell amongst us to be the perfect sacrifice that once and for all takes away the sins of all those who follow Him. There has been a verse out of the book of Romans that I have meditated on all week. “Now we know what the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the Deeds of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin”. This is talking about every man and women walking the face of the earth, we are all under God’s laws. Who among you doesn’t know that lying, stealing, murder, and adultery are wrong. God has written His laws on the hearts of everyone, He gave you a conscience. Con means with and Science means knowledge, so every time you Sin, every time you break one of God’s laws you do it (With Knowledge) that it is wrong.
Let’s go through just a few of God’s Ten Commandments, the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th. While we do I want you to remember this, God is Spirit He knows your every thought. “You shall not murder”. Have you murdered anyone? The Bible says: “Whoever hates his brother is a murder”. Have you hated anyone? “You shall not commit adultery”. Have you committed adultery? Jesus said: “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart”. Have you ever looked at another person with lust? “You shall not steal”. Have you ever taken anything, anything at all that didn’t belong to you? “You shall not bear false witness”. Have you ever told a lie? If you have broken these commandments you’re not alone, I have broken all of them myself. This is just four of God’s commandments with six more to go. How do you think you would fare with the other six, if you are like me not good, I’m guilty of those as well? But even if you are guilty of breaking one of these commandments one time you’re as guilty as if you had broken them all. God in His Holiness demands perfection in thought, word, and deed; and we all fall gravely short. “For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God”. The bible says God is a good and just Judge and He will judge us according to our works. If He judges you according to your works will you be found innocent or guilty, Heaven or Hell? If you said Heaven let me ask you how a good and just judge could let crimes go unpunished, if He did that, He would be nether good or just, He would be merciful yes but not just, Justice demands that the guilty be punished.
God did something so that you could escape judgment and punishment, that’s right escape. The Christmas Gift! God sent His Son Jesus to suffer a sinner’s death on the cross for your sins and mine and all you and I have to do to receive this gift is follow Jesus. The bible tells us that God did this for His righteousness, so that He could be both just and merciful to all who believe. I implore you, turn from your sins today, confess your sins to God and put your trust in the saving Grace of Jesus Christ! If you will do that God will give you His spirit as a deposit for your salvation and will give you a new heart, His heart.
God Bless I hope you will trust in Jesus today,
Mike Peek
(Bible verses quoted NKJV: Luke 2:10-11, Philippians 2:7-8, Romans 3:19-20, Romans 2:15, Deuteronomy 5:17-20, 1 John 3:15, Matthew 5:28, James 2:10, Romans 3:23, Romans 3:26)
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