Whosoever, the promise!...the Wayfarer 4/21/15

Whosoever, The Promise
 4/21/15

“Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

(Matthew 10:31 & 32)

Too often, the promise is forgotten as the gospel is preached to the throngs and multitudes in the various corners of the earth, leaving too many without the remembrance of the hope, and surety that is provided through that promise.

Despair, a tool of Satan himself, is allowed to prevail as the commonly shared concerns of this world impede the significance of that promise to any and all who are willing to receive it.

Forgotten is the FACT that that promise has been given, and cannot be breached by any of those concerns that constantly attempt to draw attention away from it, causing many to fear, instead of welcoming the future that has been promised.

Jesus did not say that only his immediate disciples were heir to that promise, but to the contrary assured us that that promise is extended to all people everywhere at all times, and for all ages past, present and yet to come.

There is, however, a requirement for the acceptance of that promise!

“And he said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.”

(Matthew 18:3 & 4)

Humility, one of the hardest things for any human to accept is a requirement for the acceptance of that promise. That humility comes only through the means of repentance, in exchange for the redemption provided by that promise, the same simple, yet profound message preached by Jesus throughout his earthly ministry.

Just as a small child is humble before his parents, and recognizes their authority, recognizes that their protection and sustenance comes through those parents, recognizes the love that comes from those parents that is shown constantly through the nurture of not only food, but of soul as well as body, so too must we be humble, recognizing the blessings and love given us by God through Christ, not only the things given immediately and that are so transitory, not only the pleasures that we concentrate so much of our time and attention on, but more specifically on the eternal, the promise and love given us through Christ that  cannot be transitory, temporal, nor in any way temporary, but is eternal, once accepted.

“And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.

But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.

For he that is not against us is on our part.

For whosoever shall give a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.’

(Mark 9:38-41)

That promise is not extended to only one group of followers, despite any denominational teachings to the contrary, but to any and all who truly worship Jesus, truly believe the promise that was given by him, and truly wish to share that promise with all who are willing to accept, despite sect, despite cultural difference, despite racial difference, despite any difference whatsoever that may exist between God’s children, as long as that promise has indeed been accepted and that true belief exists.

“And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away,

And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Therefore, I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

(Mark 11:21-26)

Faith and belief come only through repentance, the forgiveness of others, also a difficult thing to do if humility is not found is also a requirement of that faith.

It is not that others are required to forgive us, but that WE are required to forgive others the wrongs we perceive against us.

If we are unwilling to forgive, then how can we possibly have met the requirement of humility and true repentance of our own sins?

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, daily, and follow me.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.”

(Luke 9:23-27)

Daily! Each and every day of our life, we need to subjugate our will to that of God, to rely on His guidance, to repent any and all diversion from that guidance, to constantly and consistently profess the glory of Christ, and the righteousness of God while in admittance of our own unworthiness and lack of any righteousness or goodness of our own, or any braggadocio of our own purity in view of the fact that the only purity that exists is held only by Christ Jesus.

Losing our life consists of more than simple physical death, but consists of losing the idea of our own perfection as well. It consists of the willingness to and repent our own wishes and desires that are in contravention to the will of God, and to continue to strive toward the mark of perfection that is unobtainable until this body no longer confines us to the temporal and temporary and the eternity of the soul is in fact the reality.

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up:

That whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

For every one that doth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God”

(John 3:14-21)

The most familiar verses that give the promise are contained in this short piece of scripture, and quoted often, though never often enough.

Too often the passage is confined to the single thought found in John 3:16, which is indeed the promise. The continuing scripture is also a part of that promise as well!

Jesus had no need to come to condemn the world, the world did that just fine by itself!

It is the salvation of the world that he came to provide, not condemnation.

It is the requirement for repentance that he preached, not condemnation.

It is the promise of redemption that he preached and promised that must be forward and center of any attempt to preach the gospel, and the actual rewards of that redemption, not the rewards of this world, but the eternal rewards!

“Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and10- who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink: thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water  shall thirst again:

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst: but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

(John 4:10-14)

Whosoever!  Again we see no limit as to whom the promise has been made, only the limitless power that is contained within that promise!

That promise continues, and will never be broken!

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: and I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood and fire, and vapor of smoke:

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

(Acts 2:17-21

Whosoever! No matter where, no matter when, no matter any distinguishing difference seen by men… Whosoever.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”

(Revelation 3:20-22)

Amen and Amen

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

the Wayfarer