Based on the Bible, I believe we are all building our resume for heaven. Much like we built our education, then we go out into the world and take on opportunity, we are also building continually for eternity. Stepping into a new world, our experiential and educational prowess often determines how far we are able to reach. The Bible teaches levels of reward in heaven, as it also teaches levels of punishment in hell. One might acknowledge that someone like The Apostle Paul will likely have higher capacities than someone who just squeaks into heaven, 1 Corinthians 3:9-15. Likewise, one like Adolph Hitler will have a higher degree of punishment, as opposed to a generic pagan who chose to be separated from God for all of eternity. Just a mere 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ stepped into time. He inaugurated His Kingdom, with what the Bible denotes as "the end times". He will return to consummate His Kingdom. Paradise lost, will once again become Paradise restored. Paul writes in Romans 8:22, "For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body." The re-creation of the cosmos, and the recreation of our bodies, go hand-in-hand. So let us heed that our current earthly lives are preparation for eternity. 1 Corinthians 3:9-15, "For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."

Christmas is the answer to the fall of mankind, to sin, and to ultimate death. Adam ate the forbidden fruit casting humanity into sin and rebellion against God, terminating in physical and spiritual death. We all since, have ratified the choice of Adam. We have concurred that Adam was right, though he was actually deadly wrong. Consequently, God cursed Satan in Eden, telling Him (Genesis 3:15), "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel." Satan was to strike Christ at the heel, a term signifying a less than fatal blow. But Christ was to crush the head of Satan. The "head" signifies power and authority; preeminence. This Christmas, may we glorify the Seed (Jesus), that crushed the power (head) of Satan, and that reversed the effects of the fall. In the earliest stages of humanity, God had plans to save and justify His beloved creature man. Those plans even pre-existed man's creation. Now we can surely say, "Glory to The Lamb of God and to The Seed in whom we find our salvation."

I saw a sign that read, "Sometimes you WIN, Sometimes you LEARN." That's what I want to talk to you about today. Romans 8:28 says, "All things work together for good to them that love God." 1 Corinthians 4:17 says, "Our light affliction which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Romans 8:18 says, "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us." God gives us the best of both worlds; life on earth, eclipsed by life in eternity. Only God can take your mess, and create a message. Only God can take your trial, and create triumph. Only God can take your testing, and create a testimony. "Sometimes you WIN, sometimes you LEARN." But when your passion lies in the God that made you, one thing is always certain. Your never, ever, lose.

God is partially revealed, and partially hidden. You cannot see God. You cannot carry on an audible, two-way conversation with God. Yet, you know He is there. He does not answer every prayer in our way, and at times, all humans experience some form of doubt of God’s existence. The veil between heaven and earth cannot be penetrated at this time, so we as spatial, physical, and visual creatures, certainly are not seeing all of God at this time. God is partially revealed, and God is partially hidden. But why? Why has God chosen this approach to His creation? God partially reveals Himself, so that those who want a relationship with Him, can know enough about His existence that they can surely walk with Him in faith, and know Him as Creator. Christianity isn’t founded on blind faith, it is founded on faith in evidence. God reveals enough of Himself to us, that we know He is real. Yet He remains partially hidden. God partially hides Himself for just the opposite reason. A lot of people hate any idea of God. A lot of people do not like to hear about God. God partially hides Himself so that those who despise His knowledge, and His existence, will be able to foster and fabricate just enough doubt, that they may actually deny that God exists. In the “Great Assize”, God will remove this veil and live together with saved humanity. Those who have chosen to live apart from God will have their wishes as well.

Have you considered, “The Three Humiliations of Christ?” I absolutely love the word “condescend”. It means to behave as if one is conscious of descending from a superior position, rank, or dignity. It means to voluntarily lay aside one’s dignity or superiority and assume equality with one regarded as inferior. Have you considered that Christ condescended to cloak Himself in human flesh, to save us, and to undo the effects of The Fall? This is The First Humiliation of Christ, (His birth as a human). The Creator of our universe may have very well picked a flower in His youth and given it to Mary, His Mother. “Look Mommy, a flower!” Christ created flowers, now He lowers Himself to the place where He discovers His own creation! If you or I descended down the ladder of creature hood to become a worm, that would be a giant descent! Still, it would be from one creature, to another creature. Christ far surpassed this! He went from Creator to creature. The scope of Christ’s First Humiliation is an immeasurable chasm beyond human comprehension. The Second Humiliation (His life on earth) of Christ lasted just 33 years, in fact only in those 33 years was He called “Jesus”. God lived as one of us. Our God of no needs, lived with needs. Jesus felt pain. He felt hunger. He cried. He felt all that we feel in the limitations that are common to human nature. The Third Humiliation of Christ (His death) is when Jesus was mocked, beaten, scourged, slapped, spat upon, then crucified on a tree in the midst of two criminals. Bethlehem had no room when He was born. Now, Jerusalem had no room for a Man like this Man. And this is my version of The Three Humiliations of Christ. Jesus took on a new name after His resurrection. He forever became, “Lord Jesus Christ”, Philippians 2:6-11. John 17:5, “And now, Father, glorify me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.”

The Talking Snake, That Was Not. The Bible is known as a “heavenly condensation”. It is written in a way that the reader can relate, and it is written that it may be easy to remember. This was done intentionally, as early believers did not have hard drives. They were exclusively an oral culture. Moses uses the imagery of a snake as he exposits how Adam and Eve feel into a life of sin, terminated by death. If you are one to think that Eve was tempted by a real physical snake, then perhaps when you read Genesis 3:15 you will also think that Jesus Christ was to triumph over the powers of darkness by stepping on the head of a serpent, rather than by His passion on the cross, (Colossians 2:15). Satan came to Eve, just as He comes to us. Suggestion, and temptation. He preyed on her natural weaknesses, yet they were culpable for their own sin. Satan cannot read our minds, but he can plant mind-to-mind thoughts of communication if we allow him to. He has been around for a long, long time, and as such, he has had libraries of requisite knowledge at his disposal to use against us. It has been said that The Bible does not tell us what Satan “looks like”. Instead, the Bible tells us what Satan “is like”. In John’s Apocalypse, He is called a dragon. Other places call him “an angel of light, a roaring lion, and so on. None of these descriptions tells us what Satan actually looks like. They all tell us what Satan is like. He is cunning. His motive is lethal. He is deceitful. He is a liar, (John 8:44). Remember that Satan is an angel, therefore He has no physicality. He does have metaphysicality. Angels do not have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). Spirits, angels, demons, cannot be seen, for they are not visible. God can cause an angel to temporarily take on physical form; He has done this many times throughout scripture. This however is not the norm. Angels do not look like anything, because they have no physical presence. However, they are certainly real creatures that God has created for His purposes.

What is a Biblical Jew?

Did you know the Bible refers to God's covenant people using Jewish distinctions even though they are not Jewish by nationality or ethnicity?

We see in Esther 8:17, "And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them." Likewise, Paul wrote in Romans 2:28, "A person is not a Jew who is one outwardly." Many other examples could be given.

The word “Jewish” or “Jew” is often used in the Bible as an idiom for God’s covenant people.

Today, the nation of Israel is often confused as God's chosen people, when in fact, God's chosen people have ALWAYS been one covenant people from every tongue, every tribe, and every nation under heaven. The New Testament church did not replace Israel (replacement theology). The New Testament Church is Israel (covenant theology), and always has been. Biblical Israel is not a piece of land in the Middle East.

Ruth was a Moabite, the archenemy of Israel, and yet she was part of True Israel because she believed in Yahweh, the God of Israel. Ruth as well as Rahab the Harlot are both included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew’s Gospel. They were not Jewish! They are part of True Israel, because they had faith in The God of The Bible!

The people spoken of in The Book of Esther didn’t change their birth mother, or nationality, but they believed in Yahweh, the God of Israel. So again, this has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with serving God.

In the verse below, The Apostle Peter takes the same language Moses used in Exodus and applies it toward New Testament Christians.

Exodus 19:6 (Moses), "You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

1 Peter 2:9 (Peter), "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession."

The Bible does literally state that Jesus was a Jew. As a hermeneutical rule, we must distinguish as to whether a word is to be taken literal, or as a figure of speech, such as the idiom I introduced in my prologue. Being familiar with the art and science of biblical interpretation, defining words in their context, provides the assurance for biblical fidelity.

Romans 9:6, “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.”

What does "God is Love" mean?

God is love (1 John 4:8). What does it mean? Let's define human love first. We love because we see the best, the most beautiful, the greatest. Our love is drawn out of us by the object of our love. I love you, because of this, or because of that. When we say "we fall in love", it sounds like we've fallen into a ditch or something, and cannot get up. God's love is of a different nature to human love. If God's love only goes out to the best, to the most beautiful, to the greatest, then no one even qualifies to get to first base. God's love isn't drawn out by its object. His love flows from Him freely and spontaneously, and out to the lowest, and to the worst, and to the filthy, even unto His enemies. God doesn't love us because of who we are. God loves us because of who God is. God is love! God does not have any love, He is love. Big difference! Love is not attached to God as an emotion, that gets hot when we are good, or gets cold when we are bad. God is love. He is what love is. It's as if I shared a glass of water with you. I can share a little, or I can share much. Still, it is me sharing the water with you. It's nothing like this with God. With God it's as if I come to you and say "I AM WATER!" God is love! He is the very essence of what love is! If you hear Him call you today, turn not away! He'll change you forever!