…For the Purpose of Prayer! I Peter 4: 7-10

…For the Purpose of Prayer! I Peter 4: 7-10

7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms—I Peter 4:7-10

Praying will keep you from sin and sin will keep you from praying.
Engaging in drugs, Pot Smoking and binge Drinking of Alcohol and Sex addictions will never lead you to an activity of Praying. Engaging in Prayer will never lead you to mind altering influences and addictions. "...Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil..." --Matthew 6:13

The Apostle Peter, in light of the Divine Inspiration of the Holy Spirit,  reminds believers the end of all things is near. In light of such a view of the end of all things, how should the believer and elect of God Live? He gives Two beatitudes to keep the Church focused on Prayerfulness “Be Alert” and Be of “Sober Mind”.

“Therefore” in light of the end of all things is near…”Be Alert” this involves watchfulness against the taunts of the sin cursed self to dominate the believer and Watchfulness against the conformity to the world in rebellion against God, His Son, The Word and the Church in conformity to sin and ungodliness.

It follows, if you are not watchful and alert, you will not dedicate your life to prayer. Indeed, you won’t pray at all! The body of sin will seek its control over you and the taunts of the flesh, the world and the devil will seek to immobilize you and keep you from Praying.

The second, beatitude is be of “Sober Mind” The State Arizona, since it legalized Pot smoking, is now having a Marijuana fest, and I can assure you that those who are smoking Marijuana at that festival are of a mind of stupor and dizziness, none of them will engage in activity of Prayer, they will engage in social highness leading them to being foolish and light headed. Henceforth, it follows, that those under the influence of mind altering drugs and Alcohol will never be of a sound mind to Pray! Nor will they engage in the activity of Prayer.

Not so with the Believer, the Elect of God, they are to guard there life and be alert and of sober mind to preserve a life everyday of prayer, to be in communion continually with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, in light of the view and perspective that the end of all things is near!

The reign of Evil is but an Explosion that passes, and afterward Eternal punishment! Genesis 3:15; Romans 16:20

The reign and terror of evil is but an explosion that passes and afterwards the terrors of Evil and Satan will have Eternity of God's  wrath punishing the Evil doers!

Genesis 3:15--15
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Romans 16:20--The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Satan's head has been crushed by Jesus on the Cross, the striking of the heal in Genesis 3:15 is the sting of Death that Jesus drank of the full cup of God's wrath for the penalty of my sin, Drank it and yet conquered it in His Resurrection.

The serpents head was crushed indeed, yet the reign of evil and terror seems to haunt us from every age and generation--Why?

I look at the head of the serpent crushed, but the body of the serpent is still wiggling around and writhing in great thrashing, and in this thrashing it takes many casualties and sweeps over with many blows of disaster and destruction.

Hence, whenever the reign of terror seems to strike in evil acts of bombings under the ideologies of hatred for liberty in this country and ultimately against those who believe in Jesus Christ, take heart, Oh!  believer!

It is only the serpents body and tail that seeks to paralyze in fear.

But the terror is only but a temporary explosion, once detonated and it is set off, and the perpetrators of such evil acts of terror are either killed or captured, their reign of terror no more!

Though temporary it was, now is the eternal consequence ever so great and there is no escaping, there is no temporary passing over, but only the fearful expectation of God's judgment!

And such is the consequence in all Holiness, justice and eternal condemnation ever unending smoke of their torment going up forever for all those who chose to follow in the evil acts of unbelief in Jesus Christ.

Such an outcome can only be executed by God, alone, for He says in His word: for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord!

Deuteronomy 32:35:
"It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”

In light of such Evil acts of Terror surrounding us, how then should the believer and Elect of God in Jesus Christ live?

According to the Apostle Paul's Exhortation to the Roman Believers, give a listen:

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.Do not be conceited. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12: 14-21)

Evil is like a reign of terror in a split second explosion that does its damage immediately, yet once it is in a split second done and finished  the perpetrators of those evil acts will ever experience the eternal explosion of God's wrath--and this will never cease! There will be regret but it will be too late to reverse.

Behold! Now is the day of Salvation, now is the time to repent and believe on Jesus and live a life worthy of the eternal calling--even the elect ones chosen by God!

"For he says,

“In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation." --
(2 Corinthians 6:2)

Jesus my Rock! My unshakable Fortress in shakable times! Psalm 62, Matthew 19:16-19

The great confession of Faith in the person of the Eternal Son of God, reveals  Jesus' Divine Nature!

It is also a confession of Faith to believe in the testimony of His Death on the Cross and Resurrection from the Dead.

The confession of Faith  proves to be a great foundation for which the Church is built upon.

Such a Great fortress is an unshakable fortress to which no threat in this life is ever able to shake or destroy.

It is an unshakable fortress and foundation that endures through the ages!

An unshakable foundation and secure refuge that no power on earth is equaled to, or, can compare with, even in the face of bombs, Explosions, earthquakes and Temporal disasters; ever so unshakable to endure throughout every age and generation!

Psalm 62 declares it is for the purpose of the Glory of God to find rest in God alone!

In this Psalm, David likens God to a Rock, for when you go to look at a Mountain, you cannot help but see permanency!

When you go to the Rock, you cannot help but find God to be a Refuge, a place for shelter and protection from the storms and to be shielded from Enemies.

In this Psalm 62, David contrasts the permanency of God's Eternal Nature as a Mighty rock in contrast to the temporary nature of finite man, who is likened to a mere breath;

both lowborn men are a breath and high born men are a lie, to be weighed on the Scale they amount to nothing!

"9 Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath. 10 Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase do not set your heart on them"

Jesus Said to Simon, Peter, you are a rock a stone or pebble, upon The Rock—I will be my Church—The Rock Is Jesus,

He Refers Himself as The Rock! He Was declaring His Divine Nature, that Jesus is the Eternal Son of God in the flesh who is Our Salvation and unshakable fortress and Rock to which we can trust!

Peter declared the great confession of Faith given to him by God the Father, concerning  his view of Jesus, That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God! Matthew 16:16-19.

Have you made this great confession upon the Rock, Jesus is the rock that is higher than anyone on this earth, have you made this great confession of faith and placed the pebble of your life upon the Rock of Salvation--Even Jesus Christ, My Great God and Savior! For Everlasting life!

Psalm 62[a]

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

1 Truly my soul finds rest in God;
    my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

3 How long will you assault me?
    Would all of you throw me down—
    this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me
    from my lofty place;
    they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
    but in their hearts they curse.[b]

5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
    my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God[c];
    he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
    pour out your hearts to him,
    for God is our refuge.

9 Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
    the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
    together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion
    or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
    do not set your heart on them.

11 One thing God has spoken,
    two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
12     and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
    according to what they have done.”

The Depth of Jesus Drinking the Cup from the Union of His Divine and Human Nature Matthew 26:36-46:

The Depth of Jesus Drinking the Cup from the Union of His Divine and Human Nature Matthew 26:36-46:

The Mystery of Jesus Drinking the cup indeed, flows from His Divine Nature. Jesus’ human nature On the Cross endured great agony, pain, suffering and Shed blood. The person of Jesus on the Cross physically suffered with His blood being shed; hands and feet being pierced with 9”nails; His head bloody from the crown of thorns around His head; His back marred beyond recognition by the scourging He endured; His dehydration for thirst—yet did all this include the Cup He was praying about in Matthew 26:36-46?

The mystery of Him drinking the cup flows deeper to the union of His Divine Nature. In Jesus’s Divine Nature did He truly drink of the cup of God’s Eternal wrath for the penalty of my sin! He fully drank not to the point of being subdued and defeated by it, but to the point of Drinking until there was no more drop to drink of God’s wrath, but fully drank it all! And did He leave not one drop to fall but in fully drinking, He did subdue the cup and He did drink it to the Satiety of the Justice of God’s wrath against my sin for all Eternity. Did He ever drink to please God the Father’s will; did He Drink to fulfill the will of God the Father! And He did drink and submitted to the will of God the Father! In that split second agony of fully drinking of the Eternal.

The cup was an eternal Cup and only He who is eternal was qualified to ever drink of this cup. And The Eternal Son of God is the Chosen one from God the Father to Drink from this Eternal cup. Because Jesus is fully human and fully Divine, In the Person of Jesus, the union of His Divine Nature and Human nature fully drank of this Eternal Cup because He is the Eternal Son of God and the Immortal Son of Man!

I fully surrender to the Mystery of the union of the Divine nature of Jesus fully drinking of the Eternal cup of God’s wrath against my sin and do I fully submit to the mystery of Jesus appeasing and Satisfying the Holy Justice of God’s wrath against me sinful nature in fully Drinking the eternal cup of God’s wrath.

After the drink of the eternal cup in satisfying the Holy Justice of God’s wrath, Jesus was not subdued to eternal defeat by it, but did that eternal cup Satisfy His Eternal Divine Nature and did He ever, on the third day, Resurrect in great victory to now offer Eternal life to those whom God the Father gave to God the Son before the foundation of the world, by believing in His Name and Having life in His Name!

36)Then Jesus *came with them to a place called)Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38 Then He *said to them, My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” 39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me;)yet not as I will, but as You will.” 40 And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? 41Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this)cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. 45 Then He *came to the disciples and *said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!” –Matthew 26:36-46

Because of Jesus Christ's Death and Resurrection...

Because of Jesus Christ's Death and Resurrection...

From the Fountain of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ flows this wonderful Creed, without Jesus' Death and Resurrection, the Church would not exist let alone have this Creed! And because of Jesus' Death and Resurrection, I affirm this Creed which flows from God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Spirit all three in one, and thus, I believe:

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.