"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WANTING TO BE CLEANSED OF SIN, AND FORGIVEN BY GOD."

"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WANTING TO BE CLEANSED OF SIN, AND FORGIVEN BY GOD."

Psalm 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.

Psalm 119:9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.

Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.

2Cor 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

1John 1:9  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Some explanatory thoughts/application, and a prayer:

1. Let's start with what King David said in Psalm 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. Notice, He was confessing his sin, and asking God to wash him from his iniquity, and to cleanse him from his sin. We can follow this same pattern. To acknowledge our sins and our iniquities to God, and ask Him to wash us and to cleanse us. In a word, we can pray and ask God to do it, and He will.

2. Again, here's another truth that God proclaimed through David.
Psalm 119:9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. The question is asked, "How can a young man cleanse his way?" The answer is not just for young people, but for anyone. And, the answer is, by taking heed according to Your Word. Here's how it reads in the NLT Psalm 119:9 How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word and following its rules.
Obedience to God's Word, and following the rules that God gives to us, will help us to be pure, to be cleansed, and to stay that way.

3. Jesus stated it in a slightly different way. Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. He also encouraged us to make confession of our sins a part of our prayer life and walk with God. When we know we have sinned, we are to ask God to forgive us, and He will. And, Jesus adds, that we are to ask God to forgive us, just as we forgive our debtors, those who have sinned against us. So, there is cleansing and forgiveness that takes place from human to human, and from human to God. God forgives, and we are to be just like Him, forgiving others also.

4. Paul addresses the matter also in 2Cor 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Essentially, he says that we have promises from God about His cleansing us. Here are those promises. 

2nd Cor 6:17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”

2nd Cor 6:1“I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.”

So, as you look at those two verses, you can see the call of God to come out, and be separate, and not to touch the unclean thing, and God would receive you. Also, God says He will be a Father to you, and you shall be His sons and daughters Says the LORD Almighty.

We have these promises, and we are to act upon them, believing them, taking them to heart, and doing just as God instructs us to do, and we will be cleansed and forgiven.

5. Now let's see what James says in James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. He starts off by encouraging us to draw near to God, and promises us that God will draw near to us. And, that we are to cleanse our hands, and purify our hearts. In the NLT it reads this way "Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites."

This is so encouraging isn't it. God promises to draw near to us, if we draw near to Him, and then states that we ought to, and can be cleansed in our hands, and in our hearts.

6. Lastly, the apostle John says in 1John 1:9  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. As you can see, confession, or acknowledging your sins, and or agreeing with God, or saying the same thing He does about your sin, is the first step towards forgiveness and cleansing. We are told two things here about God. That He is faithful, or dependable, and that He is just. meaning, He is right, or righteous, or He will do what is right, which is to be faithful to His promises of course.

And, we are told, 2 things that God will do. He will forgive us our sins, and He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Cleanse means to be clear. Our account will be clear with God as it were.

A prayer:

Father, we are in such need of what only You can provide. Thank You for being so faithful, so just, so willing to forgive us and to cleanse us from our sins, and our iniquities. For they are many, and they can come upon us in a flash. But, Lord in an instant You can forgive, You only call us to be honest with You. Thank You for Your grace and Your mercy. In Jesus name. Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WHO ARE AFRAID"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WHO ARE AFRAID"

Here are six reasons to not be afraid, when you find yourself being afraid. And, six Scriptures to explain why you do not have to be afraid. Followed by a prayer:

1. Do not be afraid when you do not know what to do. God promises to guide you.

2nd Kings 1:5 And the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king.

2. Do not be afraid when you hear people talking contrary to what God has said in His Word. God's Word alone is true.

Isaiah 37:6 And Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.

3. Do not be afraid when you have to face those in power or authority. God is the one who is above them, and He rules over the kings of the earth.

2nd Chronicles 32:7 “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him.

4. Do not be afraid when you are weak, and without strength. God will be your strength, He will strengthen you.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

5. Do not be afraid when you are following God's will which might end up in embarrassment or criticism. God's Wisdom is foolish in man's eyes, and vice versa.

Matthew 1:20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

6. Do not be afraid when God blesses you unexpectedly. Receive God's Blessings with innocence and gratitude, and enjoy them. He gave them to you.

Luke 2:10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

A prayer:

Lord, there is that hymn that says "count your blessings" Well, Lord, one blessing we can count up, are the hundreds and hundreds of times in Your Word that You address the subject of fear in Your people. And, You tell us not to fear, and You give us good reasons, and explanations to back it up. So, This day, we would like to say, "THANK YOU" You are so in love with us, and so caring, and so attentive, and so concerned, and You do not want us to be afraid of anything, or anyone. You have the bases covered, and You are the Lord God Almighty. There is no one greater then You. In Jesus name.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT PURITY"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT PURITY"

Psalm103:11For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
Psalm103:13 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm103:14 As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.

Some explanatory notes, application and a prayer:

1. David begins this Ps, by talking about two very real things, things that we can see, to help us understand a truth about God and those who fear Him. What is it? The heaven and the earth. Look at what He says, Psalm103:11a "For as the heavens are high above the earth" Well, first of all, the heavens are very, very high above the earth. The word high here, means to be high, higher, exalted, and lofty. We don't have to really try and imagine just how high they are, we can just go outside and look up, and see for ourselves. In fact, we can at night see beyond the immediate cloudy heavens, and see the start twinkling and the moon etc. Just to give you and idea of how far or high the nearest planet is from our earth, it would take light 4 1/2 years to get from earth to that planet. Can you imagine traveling that long, 4 1/2 years. It would take billions of years of travel to get to the farthest known planet traveling at the speed of light, which is some 186,000 miles per second. Think about all that for just a moment.

2. Now, in the last part of that same verse, here's what is said, Psalm103:11b "So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him" So, using the distances of the heavens being high above the earth, which is more then we can really understand, it's very, very high, God says so great is my mercy is toward those who fear Him. That would mean, God's mercy is immeasurably great. God's mercies are in fact, from everlasting, to everlasting. And, they are towards those who fear Him, those who hold Him in reverence and awe, and seek to honor Him, and obey Him, and allow God to rule in their lives. He has great, great mercy, or pity, and care towards you.

3. Now onto the next verse. And, this deals with how God has made us pure in His sight. Psalm103:13 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Here again, God uses something we can understand to some degree, we can see it with our own eyes, the east from the west. We can look east, and then look west, and say within ourselves, "Wow, those two directions are separated from one another, and each of them goes on infinitely. They are far, far apart. There is actually no end to them. Well, that's what God has done with our transgressions. He has removed them from us.
Transgressions, comes from a word meaning, to offend, to rebel, to trespass, or to violate. Which of course we have done. But, God has removed our transgressions from us, and placed them on Jesus Christ, who then paid for them, by dying on the cross, and now those transgressions are gone. Justice has been served, by Christ paying the price.

4. Lastly David mentions a third truth we can relate to, actually two truths. Here they are once again. Psalm103:14 As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. A father pities his children, and the Lord pities those who fear Him.
Pities, means, mercy, compassion, love, mercy, to love deeply, to have mercy, be compassionate, have tender affection for, to be shown compassion. Well, again, the Lord is full of mercy, and He has demonstrated that mercy by saving us, through Christ taking our place for the punishment and payment of our sins, and then, He has made us alive in Christ, to live forever with Him.

A prayer:

Father, in our strength, we could never be pure and accepted by You. We cannot remove our sins. And, if we were to pay for them, then we would be forever separated from You in the lake of fire. But, You have changed all that. You have provided the way, the truth and the life for us. You have given us a mediator, the man Christ Jesus. And, You have made us accepted in the beloved. You have purified us. And, You call us to walk in purity day by day, hour by hour, and minute by minute. And, what a joy it is to walk in that way. We love You Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE HOPE OF HEAVEN"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE HOPE OF HEAVEN"

Luke 23:42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
Luke 23:43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Some explanatory thoughts, application and a prayer:

1. These two verses are taken from the closing moments of Jesus's life on the earth, as He hung on the cross, dying for the sins of the world. They also include a very brief conversation between Jesus and one of the two thieves that were crucified on either side of Jesus.

2. But, more importantly, what is seen in this conversation are all the elements of salvation. How can a person be saved, and know they are going to get to heaven when they leave this world? Let's take a close look at them.

(1) First of all, there must be a savior, and there He was, right next to this man. The Bible says in Matthew 1:21 “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” So, Jesus is the savior.

(2) A man must perceive his own guilt of being a sinner. God is the one who brings about that conviction, and this man had it.
While it's not readily apparent in the verses, it's explicitly implied. And, earlier, he said very clearly, admitting his guilt, as he spoke to the other thief who was being crucified.

Luke 23:40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?

Luke 23:4“And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”

(3) Not only did he perceive his own guilt, but he knew he deserved to die, or to be punished for his sins. He understood justice. And, of course that's what's true of all of us, for the Bible says in Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death. Sin pays death. This man was a sinner, and he knew he deserved to die for his sins.

(4) He prayed to receive forgiveness. This is what he meant when he said, in Luke 23:42b “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And, the Bible says in 1st John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This man, was admitting his guilt, realizing he was worthy of punishment, confessing his sins to God, i.e to Jesus Christ.

(4) The man had no time to join a church or to be baptized, or do any good works, he only had time to be believe in Jesus.
He was about to die. It's not joining a church that saves you, but rather, it's Jesus who saves you as you put your faith in Him, like this man was doing. Rom 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

(5) And, this man was saved, and wound up that very day in paradise with Jesus. Paradise means "new garden" Referring to new Eden that Jesus offered.

A prayer:

Father, most of us who are reading this devo today are probably saved. But, if anyone is not, we pray that as they read this, Your Spirit would bring conviction into their hearts and minds, and show them Jesus Christ, and the Love and mercy in Christ, and draw them to Jesus, And, Lord, You may put it upon a readers heart to send this devo to a friend who is unsure of their salvation, or who knows they are not saved. Maybe You could use this Father to bring them to salvation. In Jesus name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE WHEN YOU ARE AFRAID OF DEATH"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE WHEN YOU ARE AFRAID OF DEATH"

Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Some explanatory thoughts, application and a prayer:

1. David who had been a shepherd before he became a king wrote this beautiful and well known Ps. He had as a young boy developed a relationship with the Lord while being a shepherd, and thus he uses the illustrations of shepherd and sheep throughout this Ps.

2. In this particular verse, ( right in the middle of the Ps, which was proceeded by many wonderful truths about our Lord the good shepherd, and many wonderful truths follow this verse to complete the Ps ) David is dealing with what happens to sheep, and why they do not have to fear, and what the shepherd does for his sheep. 

3. We of course are referred to by Jesus as His sheep, and He as our Shepherd, in fact, He calls Himself the good shepherd.
But, let's look a little closer at some of the truths here, dealing with the fear of death, which is what this verse is all about.

(1) Ps 23a "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" Actual sheep would often have to traverse what David calls the valley of the shadow of death. These were parts of a journey sheep would take at different times of the year, to move to better grazing land, and to move to better places to feed depending on the weather and the seasons of the year. David calls it the valley of the shadow of death. It must have appeared that way to the sheep themselves. They were afraid of these areas of travel. Just like many people are, and even many Christians. But no need to be afraid as we will see. 

(2) The Psalm goes on to say in 23b "I will fear no evil" Or simply, " I will not be afraid," The sheep because of having a shepherd did not have to be afraid, and their fears were relieved by the shepherd, just as our Shepherd, relieves our fears as well. It's helpful to face our fears with faith. Just look at the fear right in the face, and then, look right into the face of God through His Word, believe His Word, take it to heart, and act upon it, and You will find comfort and find Your fears dissipating, and just simply going away. 

(3) Here is why the sheep did not have to be afraid. David gives two reasons. Ps 23c "For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." Or in the NLT it says, "for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me."
So, the first fear reliever, is the fact that the shepherd was with the sheep. Just as the Good Shepherd is with You, and has promised never to leave you. The second reason is because of the shepherds actions towards and in the lives of the sheep. Protecting and comforting. These two reasons of course are true for those who are Jesus's sheep. He is with us, and He protects and comforts us. 

4. Here are some verses that speak to what we have just read above. God's Word is such a comfort, it's true, He is faithful, and He has such a great love for His sheep. These verses speak of God's love, God's guidance, God's precious regard for his children who die, and the fact of His love erasing all fear, i.e we as believers will not stand before God at the White Throne Judgment. Christ has already gone to the cross for our sins. We have a bright future ahead of us. 

Rom 8:38  "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away."

Isa 42:16 will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will make the darkness bright before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.

Ps 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints.

1Jo 4:18* There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

A prayer:

Lord, we appreciate Your Word so much. You have spoken the truth to us, which has set us free from the bondage of sin and darkness, and brought us into the light, and have given us eternal life with You. How can we thank You. May our lives here on earth be used by You to tell others of Your great, Amazing love. In Jesus name. Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE WHEN GOD SAYS "NO" AND THEN SAYS "GO""

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE WHEN GOD SAYS "NO" AND THEN SAYS "GO""

Luke 8:38 The man who had been demon possessed begged to go, too, but Jesus said,

Luke 8:39 "No, go back to your family and tell them all the wonderful things God has done for you.” So he went all through the city telling about the great thing Jesus had done for him.

Some explanatory thoughts, application, and a prayer:

1. This is the tail end of a powerful change that took place in this man. He went from being one thing, to being another, all because of His encounter with the Son of God. What we see in these two verses is a brief description of what he had been, and of what he wanted to do, and what the Lord told him, ( "NO" ) and of what he then did. We will no doubt meet this man someday, today we only know him through the pages of scripture. But someday, in heaven, we will get to meet him. 

2. So, what happened that led up to the "NO" by Jesus. Especially in light of the request from the man begging to go with Jesus  in His travel back across the sea of Galilee?. 

3. This man who had been demon possessed, and actually had 6000 demons in him, had them cast out by Jesus. He wound up sitting at Jesus's feet, clothed, and sane. Christ had changed Him, by exercising His power over the demons that had been in this man for a long time. 

4. The man, ( we don't know his name ) was begging Christ, to accompany Him. He wanted to go with the man who had changed his life so dramatically. The Bible says, 1st John 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us. So, it was very natural and normal for this man to want to go with Jesus. But, to his request, the Lord said, "NO"

5. But, that "NO" was far from the end of the story. Look again at what Jesus said to the man, and what the man did. 

Luke 8:39 "No, go back to your family and tell them all the wonderful things God has done for you.” So he went all through the city telling about the great thing Jesus had done for him.

No, You can't come with me, but, here's where I want you to go. And, here's what I want you do do. And, here's what the man did. 

(1) No go back to your family. Perhaps the main reason for this, is that Jesus knew the heartache the family must have been through for the long time that the man had been demon possessed, and Jesus wanted them to know that their family member had been set free.

(2) Jesus also no doubt, wanted the family to not only see a changed man, but to understand why he was changed. How did it happen. In other words, Jesus wanted them to hear the good news , it was Jesus Christ who changed the man life. Jesus told him, "tell them all the wonderful things God has done for you.” Wouldn't you love to have been there listening to that conversation. 

(3) Well, here's what happened to Jesus's instruction to the man. "So he went all through the city telling about the great thing Jesus had done for him." He was obedient to the call of Jesus on his life. He became a missionary/evangelist. He did not go only to his own home, but he went through the whole city telling them the great thing Jesus had done for him. He was a powerful witness. 

6. So, a "NO" from Jesus, probably means a "Go" in another direction. It might mean "wait" but, any direction from Jesus is fine.
And, it's not ours to question His direction, but to accept it as this man did. Good fruit will come into and through the lives who are willing to take an "no" and then a "go" God knows best what His plans are for our lives. 

A prayer:

Father, what a touching story. Thank you for letting us know about it. Thank You for making this man free of 6000 demons. That is mind blowing. And, thank You that Your "No" may just be followed by a "go". May we be like this man, who could take a "No" and then act on  "go" for you. May we tell everyone also what great things You have done for us. Open the doors, fill us with Power and humble boldness, that we might speak frankly, without any difficulty, and tell them what You have done for us, and what You are doing for us. We love You Lord, In Jesus name.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia