True Freedom

Where does true freedom come from? Doesn't it come from God?

When God called Moses to go and speak to Pharaoh on behalf of his people,
the Israelites had been ruthlessly mistreated, harassed and subjected to slave labor.

Exodus 6:58
"I have heard the groaning of the Israelietes, whom the Egyptians 
 are enslaving,and I have remembered my covenant. 
 Therefore, say to the Israelites:
 I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
 I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an
 outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.
 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. 
 Then you will know that I am the Lord your God,  who brought you out
 from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land
 I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and Jacob. 
 I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord." 

God brought the Hebrews out of Egypt and delivered them from the hand
of Pharoah as He had promised. When God had delivered them out of
bondage and brought them to the land they would possess as their inheritance,
He proclaimed liberty throughout the land. This liberty was to be
celebrated in remebrance of what God has done for them,
how He fought for them from all their neighboring enemies by His
mighty hand and awesome deeds of power.

Exodus 13:3
Then Moses said to the people, "Commemorate this day, the day you
came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought
you out of it with a mighty hand. 
...Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving. When the Lord brings you
into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites--
the land He swore to your forefathers to give you, a land flowing with
milk and honey--you are to observe this ceremony in this month.  (v.4-5)
...On that day tell your son, 'I do this because of what the Lord did for me
when I came out of Egypt.' This observance will be for you like a sign on
your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the Lord
is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with His
mighty hand.  (v.8-9)

What else has God delivered us from?

...God has delivered us from all SIN through His Son Jesus Christ.
    I have come into the world as a LIGHT, so that no one who BELIEVES
    IN ME should stay in darkness.
    (John 12:46) (Isa.60:1-2) (Rom.8:1-2)

   So If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  (John 8:36)

    Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light
    for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
    But whoever lives by the TRUTH comes into the LIGHT,
    so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done
    through God.  (John 3:20-21)

...God has delivered us from the power of darkness.
    I Am the LIGHT OF THE WORLD. Whoever follows me will never walk
   in darkness, but will have the LIGHT OF LIFE.
   (John 8:12) (Isa.50:10)

   For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us
   into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption,
   the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13)

...From the power of the GRAVE.    
   For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishabe,
   and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with
   the impershable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying
   that is written will come true:
   "DEATH HAS BEEN SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY."
   "Where, O death, is your victory?" Where, O death, is your sting?" 
          (1Cor.15:52-55) (Isa.25:8) (Hos.13:14) (John 11:25)

...From the power of FEAR
   God is LOVE. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in Him.
   In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have
   confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him.
   There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear
   has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 
   (1John 4:16-18)

...From the grasps of the Devil.
   Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity
   so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death--
   that is, the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery
   by their fear of death.  (Heb.2:14-15) (1John 3:8)


Remember these freedom God has done for us.
Let us go to God and ask Him to help us whenever we are experiencing
difficutlies, trials,  or temptation.
1Peter 5:6-7 said,
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift
you up in due time. Cast your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
(1Pet.5:6-7)
Read also Mat.11:28-30, Isa.50:4, Job 23:10, 1Cor.10:13, Isa.61:1-3

           

The Fellowship Of The Believers

Jesus Washes His Disciple's Feet

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had
come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father.
Having loved his own who were in the world, He now showed them
the full extent of his love. (John 13:1)
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power,
and that He had come from God and was returning to God;
so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped
a towel around His waist. After that He poured water into a basin
and began to wash his disciple's feet, drying them with the towel
that was wrapped around Him. (v.3-5)
When He had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes
and returned to His place.
"Do you understand what I have done for you?" He asked them.
"You call me 'teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what
 I Am. Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet,
 you also should wash one another's feet, I have set you an example
 that you should do as I have done for you.
 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messanger
 geater than the one who sent him.
 Now that you know all these things you will be blessed if you them.
 (v.12-17)

(I do not own this picture)

May you all have a wonderful time of fellowship as you worship God,
when you assemble together at your church. Greet anoyne with a smile, a hug,
or a kiss, whatever your customs are when you greet your people.
Encourage one another and lift them up with the LOVE OF CHRIST.
Remeber everytime you come together at the house of worship.
Think about all these things. And may God Bless you All.

Look Unto ME And Be Saved

(I do not own this picture)

When you read the book of Lamentation, You will find that it is not a pleasant read.
You will feel the deep frustration and sadness, as the people of Judah grieve for their
beloved city of Jerusalem, as it is being reduced to rubble by their Babylonian invaders.

We know that God was behind this disaster. He had the right and reason to inflict
punishment on the people of Judah because of their unrepentant hearts...their
unwillingness to turn away from their evil ways even after God sent repeated warnings
to them through his servants, the prophets.

But in all this disaster that fell upon them, still God provided a glimmer of HOPE.
How comforting to know that even in the midst of God's punishement,
he offers hope and salvation!  GOD IS MERCIFUL!

In Lamentation  3:22, we see the depth of God's love in the midst of despair:
Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions
never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though He brings grief,
he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For He does not
willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. (v.31-33)

God still deals with us today! For Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today
and forever. (Heb.13:8)

If you are sitting in darkness, feeling you have nothing to hold on to, and feeling alone....
LOOK UNTO THE LORD AND BE SAVED

If you are depressed, struggling with difficult circumstances, abandoned, abused,
your marraige is on the rocks, or you are haunted by your past then....
LOOK UNTO HIM!

If you have walked away from God then....LOOK UNTO THE LORD AND BE SAVED

If you want to escape the judgment of God and be saved, now it is time to turn your life
to Him and receive Him with all of your heart. God is the only One who can save us (you)
from being eternally lost.
...LOOK UNTO THE LORD AND BE SAVED.

For Jesus said, "All that the father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me
I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will
but to do the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me,
That I shall not lose none of all that He has given me, BUT RAISE THEM UP
AT THE LAST DAY."
For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son  and believes in Him
shall have ETERNAL LIFE, AND I WILL RAISE HIM UP AT THE LAST DAY. 
(John 6:37-40)

Jesus also says, "Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand."
My Father who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them
out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."  (John 10:28-30)

"Neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present
 nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able
 to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
(Rom.8:38-39)
What a guarantee promise!