“He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.” (John 1:10 ESV)

Many people easily think of Jesus as God’s Son, but they don’t think of Him as the Creator, but that’s what He is! When you understand that God is one God but represented in three parts, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, you clearly see that all three are the Creator. It’s kind of hard for some to wrap their head around this three-in-one concept but that’s what the Bible teaches. It’s why God referred to himself in plural when He said in Gen. 1:26, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

The following verses explain

“For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.” (Col. 1:16)

“Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3)

 “yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.” (1 Cor. 8:6)

“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,” (Phil 2:6-7 NLT)

Therefore…

“But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.” (Heb. 1:2)

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Heb. 13:2)

Maybe not what you think

Most people picture angels as beautiful women with long flowing robes, halos, harps, and wings. But the Bible has a very different description of them. There isn’t a single example of them being a winged female. Angels are beings that God made to serve Him in many different capacities.

According to the passage at top it’s possible to see an Angel and not know it because they can blend in.

I don’t know if I ever saw an Angel, but maybe

Let me explain. A few months ago I started a brand new ministry to represent Christ within the automotive recycling industry. I wasn’t sure if this new venture was what I should be doing and was there to test the waters, so to speak. It involved traveling to the same industry conventions I had previously gone to in a business capacity for many years. I was at a large industry trade show in Dallas Texas and felt a bit nervous and uncertain as I stood there greeting people and handing out gospel tracts. I recognized many familiar faces as industry friends, past clients, and colleagues, walked by. I looked up to see a man standing a few feet away smiling at me. I smiled back and said hello and he said, “You are doing a good thing here.” I said, “Thank you, that’s very nice of you to say!” He stood there for a few moments then turned to leave. I don’t know why I was compelled to do this, but I said, “Excuse me, but are you an Angel?”And he turned and smiled broadly at me once again and said, “Yes, I am.” And then he disappeared into the crowd. I never saw him again. I don’t know if he actually was an Angel, but what he had said to me about doing a good thing was very encouraging and confirming. And it was exactly what I needed to hear!

Angels are often God’s messengers

The word “angel" comes from the Greek word "Angelos," which means "messenger." In the Bible, angels showed up to people many times as a messenger from God.

What the Bible says about Angels

Angels are created beings and are an entirely separate type of creature from humans.They are intelligent beings. (1 Peter 1:12).They rejoice in God's works and serve Him. (Psalm 103:20; Rev. 22:9). They are mobilized by God to come to the aid of believers. (Hebrews 1:14). They minister to humans and sometimes bring answers to prayers. (Acts 12:5-10, 8:26, 10:3). They proclaim God's judgments (Rev. 7:1, 8:2).

Therefore

“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:14)

“For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:11)

“The angel of the LORD encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7)

“For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways…” (Psalm 91:11-12)

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,

But a good word makes it glad.” (Prov. 12:25)

Emotions are a part of human nature

Emotions are usually a good thing for most. But for many people their emotions get out of control and are expressed in the form of anger, extreme sadness, emotional outbursts, or as anxiety attacks (fear on steroids).This causes much trouble and sorrow and is at the root of many personal struggles.

The Bible says

 “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back” (Proverbs 29:11).

 “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7).

There is hope in Christ

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Therefore

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” (John 14:1)

“Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Famous radio personality…

Paul Harvey used to tell amazing backstories of famous people, things, and places. And after he finished he’d say, “And now, you know the rest of the story!” In the same fashion, the most famous verse in the New Testament, John 3:16, also has a back story that most don’t know. You see John 3:16 shown everywhere, even on hand-held signs at Super Bowl games. If you could quote only one verse, this would probably be it. But few can tell you what the verses are before and after it are in the Bible that tell “the rest of the story”. Let’s take a look.

Verses BEFORE John 3:16

The Bible verses preceding John 3:16 tell about a religious ruler who visited Jesus at night and Jesus explained to him how to be transformed into a brand new person by the Holy Spirit.

John 3:1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

Verses AFTER John 3:16

After John 3:16 we learn WHY God gave His only Son, “the rest of the story”.

John 3:17  “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

And now you know the rest of the story!

This is the gospel story! The good news! So don’t keep it to yourself, go and tell someone!

“Do everything in Love.” (1 Cor. 16.14)

How can you do everything in love if you don’t like your job?

Do everything in love? Really? If you dig ditches all day long in inclement weather? If you work in a small cubical staring at a computer screen for hours on end? If you work at a big non-personal factory doing repetitive work hour after hour? Or, if you’re forced to work with disagreeable, dishonest, even vile, people, who bring you down all day? Can you do thatin love?

The answer is “yes” if you change your motivation  

Many people work at their nine-to-five jobs for selfish reasons.Their motivation is to get money, to eat, and to pay their bills.That is their basic motivation for getting up and going to work everyday, and they hate their jobs! They think of it as “the daily grind”. If that describes you, you’re probably unhappy at what you do.

However

If you change the reason you go to work, no matter what or where that is, to being there as God’s representative. And there to be His eyes, ears, hands, and mouth, within your working world. And that you’re there to please Him, as His ambassador, that will change everything for you!

Love is the ultimate motivation, especially at work!

The highest motivation for any kind of work is love. When you do anything in love, that pleases God. When you change your motivation for going to work, to please God, that changes your motivation. Because God is love! (1 John 4:8). And when you are working for Him, you are actually doing what you do in love.

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,” (Col. 3:23)

 How do you do that?

“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom. 12:16-18 NIV).

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John 4:7-12 ESV)

 Love keeps you going when you feel like giving up

“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 1:3 NIV)

Therefore

Work for God and you’re then working in love because God is love.

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Col. 3:17)

“But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.” (Prov. 1:33 NKJV)

The above verse contains three wonderful promises! 1) you will dwell safely. 2) you will be secure. And, 3) you will be without fear of evil.

Like many promises in the Bible, this passage tells you exactly what to do to acquire what is promised, listen to God. This instruction to listen to God doesn’t seem like a difficult thing to do, but if that’s true, why aren’t we listening to Him? Let’s look at three reasons.

·      Some people CANNOT hear God

 There’s a Christmas carol that starts with the line, “Do you hear what I hear?” And that isn’t a bad question for someone to ask, because many cannot hear what God is saying to them because they don’t know Him and therefore are not of Him. They are not one of His sheep and not His followers.

“Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” (John 8:47 ESV)

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27 ESV)

·      Some people DO NOT want to hear God

“For this people's heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.” (Matt. 13:15)

·      Some people are DULL of hearing

“you have become dull of hearing. (Heb. 5:11)

If you live next to a freeway, you will learn to ignore and not even hear the traffic noise.You can learn to tune it out mentally. It works the same way with people. Children tune out their parents, parents tune out their children, husbands and wives tune out each other, and they also tune out God!

“For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.” (Matt. 13:15 ESV)

What you MUST do

• You MUST work at listening

You can hear sounds but not actually listen and responding to them. Hearing and listening are two different things. Hearing is about the ability to perceive the presence of sound. Listening is responding to it. 

“Making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;” (Prov. 2:2 ESV)

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen…" (James 1:19).

• You MUST hear God’s Word to gain faith

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17 ESV)

“Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,” (Prov. 1:5 ESV)

• You MUST open the door!

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20 ESV)

“Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea. (Isa 48:18 NLT)

“Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.” (Psalm 119:133)

We we’re infested!

Recently we heard a scratching noise in a bedroom wall. We knew it had to be a rodent and we must get rid of it before it damaged the insulation or chewed electric wires. But how? First we knew they had found a way to enter our house and we must find that hole and patch it. Second, we knew they needed food and water to survive and there wasn’t any in the wall; they must leave the house in order to get that. So, we examined the exterior of our house and found where they were coming in and out and set traps there. Afterwards, we plugged up the hole so the invasion couldn’t happen again.

The same with sin!

As I was thinking about rodent infestation, I realized sin operates exactly the same way. It enters secretly through a hole or crack within a person’s life when they let down their spiritual guard. It reveals itself subtly and will grow into a big damaging problem if not caught and eradicated quickly. “Sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:15).

Sin must be fed to survive

To deal with sin, you must recognize it’s presence, trap it, and get rid of it before it gets a foothold.“I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5). And, “Do not give the devil a foothold.” (Eph  4:27).

And finally

Close up the hole through which sin had gotten in. “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” (Col. 3:5-6).

“For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.” (2 Cor. 8:21 NLT)

When I was growing up in the 1950’s (yeah, that was a long time ago), I loved to watch cowboy movies featuring heroes like Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, the Lone Ranger, and of course, anything with the great John Wayne. There were the good guys and the bad guys, and you clearly knew who they were; the good guys usually wore white hats, and the bad guys wore black. The movie plots were thin and predictable, but that didn’t matter, the good guys always saved the day—they got the bad guys, they got the beautiful girls, and they rode off into a brilliant sunset at the end of the movie. You walked out of the theater feeling good because all had been made right. Those were the days!

Not anymore!

Over the years there has been a paradigm shift in movie characters and plots. Today, we have both superheroes and super villains, and you no longer know who’s going to win. In fact, characters who would have been considered evil during my childhood are now portrayed as wonderful, powerful, and exciting, and kids root for them to win. Good and evil is no longer clearly defined. Young people no longer understand the difference and why it should be important to them. They spend hours playing electronic games virtually and they mentally become the characters they are playing, whether good or evil. And this does affect their character development and how they understand what’s right and wrong and society changes as millions of them become adults and enter communities and the work force.

Defining character 

“Your character is the internal script that will determine your response to failure, success, mistreatment, and pain. It reaches into every single facet of your life. It is more far-reaching than your talent, your education, your background, or your network of friends.” A.W. Tozer

In the Bible persons of character are noted for their honesty, ethics, and charity. “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.” (Prov. 10:9)

One of the few things we can control is our character

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;” (Gal. 5:22-23)

With God's help we can behave wisely and make wise decisions: “I will be careful to live a blameless life—when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.” (Psalm 101:2, NLT)

“They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,” (2 Thess. 1:9 ESV)

I heard someone say that if there was a drop-off into hell no one would be there! That’s because its presence would be obvious. It would be scary and avoided. Barricades and warning signs would be posted everywhere to keep people from falling into it. But, unfortunately, the road to hell isn’t a drop-off! Instead it is a very long and gradual slope leading gently into it. People are enticed along the way by all kinds of worldly pleasures and enticements. Suddenly, without warning, they find themselves in hell.

A gradual shift in the general perception of morality

If you were to compare what society in general thought was right and acceptable during your grandparents time with our present day you would see that what shocked, even outraged, them back then, is considered acceptable and not even blinked at today. It happened with one little sin concession at a time. Over time, one generation died out and another came in. Each new generation slid further down the slope of sin, accepting more sin as normal. If you were to ask the average person to define sin, they could not. Even most Christians cannot answer correctly. The definitions have become blurred.

The Bible defines sin

 “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal. 5:19-21)

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:9-11 ESV)

Little sins with big consequences

“A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” (Gal. 5:9 ESV)

But, there is an answer

… And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Quote:

“When sinners are careless and stupid, and sinking into hell unconcerned, it is time the church should bestir themselves. It is as much the duty of the church to awake, as it is for the firemen to awake when a fire breaks out in the night in a great city.” Charles Finney