#27
1Peter 3:13-22
¶ Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?
But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed.
AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED,
But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts,
always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.
For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.
Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.
{{{ to be zealous is to be Passionate to show enthusiasm, or devotion in the pursuit of the Lord and His ways, showing great interest, having your passion set firmly on Him, to know Him and to do His will.
We are to know by living in this manner there is no one who can harm you. No one can take you from the Lord
Romans 8:31-39
¶ What then shall we say to these things?
If God is for us, who is against us?
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?
God is the one who justifies;
who is the one who condemns?
Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised,
who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
Who will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Just as it is written,
“FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Then we are told how we should live out our days;
“DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED,
But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts,
always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and we are to keep a good conscience when we are slandered, for walking in obedience to the will of Christ Jesus.
We are shown that Christ Jesus only died once for all of us, believers and nonbelievers, that throw His death on the cross He has made it posable that all mankind has the opportunity to inter in to heaven to be with GOD.
At the death of His human body, He went before His Father, Father God, and proclaiming to the spirits in prison proclamation of the cleansing of the soles of those who accept Him as Lord.
That we might have the same relationship with the Father as He has, that we may take part in the same baptism and be cleansed and saved.
Not that the dirt be removed from our flesh, but that through the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord we can be as sons of the Father, Father God.
Through Christ death and resurrection, we have the opportunity to be seen as clean and acceptable in the sight of Father God.
But what it takes to receive the gift of salvation through Christs death and resurrection it excepting it, excepting Christ as Lord, repenting of our sins, excepting the forgiveness of our sins, confessing to Him our short comings and then obeying His commandments.
Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Father God made it posable for us to live with Him in His kingdom.
We have been forgiven and cleansed; all we need to do is except the gift set before us, open it and dwell in it.
Matthew 22:36-40
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
And He said to him,
“YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.
This is the great and foremost commandment.
The second is like it,
YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Have you excepted, and grasped firmly to the free gift of salvation from Father God and Christ Jesus?
Do you live by His commandments?
Or are you so attached to this world, the things and ways of this world that you can step away from them?
This gift is free, and is available to all, all who will reach out to Christ Jesus as their Lord.
Will you?
Have you?
And if you have, are you being obedient to His word?
The following are word spoken by Christ Jesus, what has been labeled the sermon on the mount.
What I like to call (Christ words as to how we are to live)
Matthew 7:21-
¶ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
And then I will declare to them,
‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
If your foundation is not Christ Jesus, relies you may here the saddest word that will ever be spoken;
“”I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.””
Yes there are those who they say Christians, followers of Christ,
but do not follow Him in their hearts,
their foundation is still in the thing of this world not in Christ Jesus.
Don’t fool yourself, the gift of salvation is free, but you do have your part to play in it.
If you have given your whole life to Christ Jesus, Father God.
There is nothing that can take you from Him, but if you are trying to hold on to the worlds concepts, ways and things, how can you say you have excepted Christs salvation, and have surrendered to Christ? }}}
Think about where your heart is planted.
Is it planted firmly on the foundation of Christ Jesus?
or is one foot still searching for a foundation in this world?