“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which  are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”  (Rom. 8:1 KJV). 

We live in a broken world.  One of the results  of that brokenness is the fact that each of us at different times face condemnation from a variety of sources.  Some people condemn us whenever we make a mistake, never recognizing their own weakness and tendency for failure. Others condemn us when we do not measure up to their expectations.  Then there are those who condemn us simply because we disagree with them, regardless of the irrefutable facts that support our position.   We see that all across the spectrum of our society today. 

Then in addition to that, for those who are followers of Christ, we face the condemnation of the evil one.  He condemns us and reminds us of our past. 
He condemns us and points out our failure whenever we  slip up and do something wrong as a follower of Christ. (Note:  We all fail at times! ) He condemns us by telling us that there is no possible way that God could forgive us, much less love us; especially after what we did.   That of course is a lie!

And there is the condemnation that we bring upon ourselves.  We beat ourselves up because  we feel that we should be more spiritual or more mature than we are.  We get disappointed in ourselves when we compare ourselves to others. 

But the good news of the gospel is that Jesus came to set us free not only from the penalty of our sin, but also from the condemnation  that sin brings upon us!   The experience of  freedom begins with genuine repentance before God.  We agree with God that in light of His holiness our act or actions was sin in His sight. (1 John 1:9).  Repentance means that we surrender  to the cross, renounce our sin and turn from it. In exchange,  we receive His forgiveness, love and grace.  We receive His cleansing, renewal and refreshing.  We enthrone Jesus upon our heart and resolve to walk in  Him submitting to His power operating within us.  When we choose to do so, we discover the liberty and freedom of no longer walking in condemnation!  Jesus sets us free from the condemnation of others, from the evil one, and from the condemnation we bring upon ourselves!   That is real freedom!  And only Jesus can provide that for us! 

James W. Black

“And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” (Luke 24:31 ESV).

     The reality the Jesus is evident to all  those who want to see Him.   He is revealed in and through the creation (Psalm 19:1, John 1:3, Col. 1:16).  He is revealed in and through The Word of God (Heb. 4:12, Rom. 10:17).  And He is revealed in and through the personal lives of those who have received His message of grace, forgiveness and salvation and have experienced the transforming power of His Spirit!  (Rom. 8: 15-16). 

      Although  Jesus is invisible  (at the moment) to the natural eye, yet He is visible to us in the spirit and through the everyday events and circumstances of life.  Jesus illustrated this by pointing out that the Holy Spirit is like the wind.  We do not see or know how or where it originates or where it goes when it passes over us, but we can readily see and know what it does (John 3:8).  The ability to recognize Jesus depends upon whether or nor we genuinely desire to see Him!  All throughout scripture, the Lord revealed Himself to those who genuinely wanted to see.  He did that for Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Daniel and He still reveals Himself today.  Some revelations are dramatic, such as Moses at the burning bush (Ex. 3:2) and Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9: 1-6).  The majority however  are quiet and simple like those two disciples in Emmaus,  who were having an ordinary meal with a stranger until their eyes were opened and they realized it was Jesus.   

      That is how Jesus most often reveals Himself to us today; in the simple,  everyday, ordinary things of life.  In those  times, like the disciples  in Emmaus, we may not immediately recognize Him at first.   But when as we look more closely upon  the moment, the  event or the circumstances we  have experienced our eyes are opened and we suddenly see Him .  We see that He was there right in the midst of of it!  He was  operating and working in that situation all the time!  That revelation is given to us by The Holy Spirit who opens our eyes and enables us to see!  That is why those who do not know Him and those who have no interest in Him, never see Him.   Jesus always hides Himself  from those who do not care to see.  But He is always revealing  Himself to those who do!  (Jer. 29:13). 

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature…” – 2nd Peter 1:4

The promises of God are without equal!  The promises of God are absolute;  meaning that they will be fulfilled!   The Character and the Power of God are behind each promise that He makes!  They are greater than we can possibly imagine.  As the hymn says; we can “stand on the promises of God.” 

But it is important for us to understand that there are different categories of God’s promises.  Some of the promises of God are unconditional; meaning that they apply to all people at all times.  Such is the promise of Salvation. It is offered to all who believe (that is put their complete trust) in  Jesus.  His love, forgiveness, and amazing grace are available to all who call upon Him in faith!  (John 3:16, Rom. 10:13).  This promise enables all who put their trust in Christ to experience the life-changing, transforming power of the Holy Spirit and receive a new life!  (2 Cor. 5:17). 

There are some promises that are specifically for the Nation of Israel.  They are God’s Covenantal Promise unto them. (Gen. 12:3). Some promises are conditional; meaning that we have a responsibility for those promises to be fulfilled.  If we honor, obey Him and meet the conditions He has asked, specific blessings will follow. But if we walk in dishonor and obedience certain curses will follow as a result.  (Deuteronomy 28).

All of God’s promises are given out of His love for His people!  They are designed to bless His people!  All of His promises are given to enable His people to experience the goodness of God in their lives.  One of the greatest ways we can grow in our faith is to begin walking by faith in the promises that God has given unto us.  As we do, we will experience the reality of those promises being manifested in our lives.  And we will begin to experience God in our daily lives! 

Let us be thankful that we have such an awesome God who makes such astounding promises to us! 

Rev. James W. Black