Sunday, June 29, 2014

The American Empire will soon come to an end

Apocalypse Soon?
By Rev. Paul J. Bern


As I pause to take a look around me, I observe that my country is under attack both from without and within. It remains to be seen whether the outcome of these multiple attacks will amount to anything more than a temporary convenience, but I see ominous warning signs all around me. Externally, we have and will continue to come under attack here at home due to America's aggressive deployments of numerous US troops overseas while simultaneously being burdened with a crushing war debt that can never be repaid. Add to this the fact that the deadly drone strikes all over the Middle East and Africa are killing scores of innocent civilians, and America has enraged far more people than many of us realize by doing so. If America's Arab allies in the petroleum-producing countries were to suddenly turn on us, the US would find itself in a challenging situation, to say the least. Yet this glaring fact has not ceased to blind the eyes of those in power who see only the oil when they look at the Middle East. It will only be when the US converts from gas and diesel to much clear-burning natural gas for their cars and trucks, something America has in abundance, that America will be able to finally break her addiction to Mideast oil.


Internally, our country is under attack from rampant corruption that overshadows most other countries in size and scope, and it is a systemic corruption that goes all the way to the top. But there is something else going on here, something underneath the surface, that is far greater than either of these other two threats I have mentioned. I am writing about what now-deceased TBN host Grant Jeffery once called a “shadow government”. This shadow government is a cabal of unelected, shadowy private interests that control the multinational corporations, the World Bank, the IMF and the US military-industrial complex, among other things. This “shadow government” is made up of members of the global top 1% income bracket, and their activities are directed against the rest of us in the form of an enforced inequality, as you know all too well by now. I have compiled the following list that proves “we the people” are under just such an attack.

1) The inequality of wealth in the United States and abroad has soared to an unprecedented level. The U.S. already had the highest inequality of wealth in the industrialized world prior to the 2008 financial crisis. Since the crisis, which has hit the middle class and poor much harder than the top 1 percent, the gap between the top 1 percent and the remaining 99 percent of the U.S. population is greater than ever.
2) The three big banks that took taxpayer money and benefited the most from the government bailout have just set a new global economic record by issuing $30 billion in annual bonuses this year, “up 60 percent from last year.”
3) The profits of the economic elite are now underwritten by taxpayers with $23.7 trillion worth of national wealth. As the looting is occurring at the top, the U.S. middle class is just beginning to collapse.
4) Workers between the ages of 55 to 60, who have worked for 20 to 29 years, have lost an average of 25 percent off their 401k. During the same time period, the wealth of the 400 richest Americans went up by $30 billion, bringing their total combined wealth to $1.57 trillion.
5) Home foreclosure filings hit a record high in the third quarter of 2010 and continues into 2014. Over 3.4 million homes entered foreclosure by the end of 2010, and this year will top 4 million.
6) 25 million people are unemployed or underemployed. That's nearly 1 in 6 Americans.
7) There have been 123 U.S. bank failures thus far this year (as of 2012 - PB).
8) 10 U.S. states are on the verge of bankruptcy, with several ready to declare a financial state of emergency, such as California, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.
9) “U.S. public debt has topped $14 trillion for the first time in history”… This prediction, first written in the spring of 2011 when the final draft of my first book was completed, has since topped $16 trillion.
10) The U.S. poverty rate is the highest in the industrialized world. Predictably, homelessness is rising at an increased rate as well. The U.S. government does not tally the numbers but interested organizations say that more than 3 million people were homeless at some point over the past year. The fastest growing segment of the homeless population is families with children.
11) 50 percent of U.S. children will need to use food stamps to eat at some point in their childhood. In the African-American community, it is a shocking 90%. (As to why the black community isn't protesting in the streets over this, I have no idea. Dear brothers and sisters, the time has come for all of us to stand up and fight for our kids!) This is a national disgrace, a social injustice and a cause for outrage and protest if ever there was one. We are all in awful shape when we can't even feed our own children.
12) In 2010, according to the Census Bureau, the number of U.S. citizens without health care grew to a record 50 million. Furthermore, this statistic is on track to exceed 56 million by the end of this year (prior to Obamacare - PB).
13) Lack of health insurance caused 45,000 preventable U.S. citizen deaths in 2010. The American Journal of Medicine recently released a study that stated, “Nearly two out of three bankruptcies stem from medical bills, and even people with health insurance face financial disaster if they experience a serious illness.”
14) A Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study reported that 17,000 US children have died due to lack of health care. You can also add in a recent report that revealed that 2,266 U.S. veterans have died in 2008 due to lack of access to health care.
15) The gun and ammunition manufacturing industry in the United States has over 200 companies producing billions of dollars in annual revenues. This huge manufacturing base cannot fulfill demand quickly enough. The demand for guns and ammunition has hit a record high and the gun industry cannot produce enough bullets to keep up with orders. Americans are arming themselves to the teeth! In the past year, 100 new armed militia groups have been formed across the US as militia members have doubled in numbers. Federal authorities are gravely concerned about the “up-tick in militia activities." One federal authority recently said, “All it’s lacking is a spark.”
16) Between January 1996 and September 2006, there were 253 confirmed incursions into the United States by Mexican government personnel. There is documentation of shots fired on both sides of the border, unmarked helicopters invading U.S. airspace, drug smuggling and actual confrontations between U.S. Border Patrol agents and armed members of the Mexican military. All it will take is one violent cross-border incident to start a US-Mexican war. What is such a shame about all this is that if the US government would just call off the stupid, idiotic and pointless “war on drugs”, all the cartel-related violence that is now occurring on and below our southern border would disappear almost overnight. As it stands right now, American law enforcement and the CIA have Mexican blood on their hands.


Exacerbating all 16 of these facts – all of whom were sourced directly off the Web – is the fact that America can't even print its own money. This critical national responsibility has been undertaken – hijacked would be more life it – by none other than the Federal Reserve. As many of you know, the Fed isn't even a part of the US government. It's a privately held corporation that operates in the utmost secrecy. Makes you wonder why they think they need to do that, now doesn't it? As to how badly the Federal Reserve System (which many call the World’s largest counterfeiter) has destroyed the American economy is evidenced in their destruction of the US Dollar which has lost over a quarter of its value in the past 8 years, and what a single Dollar could buy in 1913, when this secret banking cabal began to strangle these people, would cost $21.67 today, and which comes out to a shocking inflation rate of 2067%! And, as hard as it is to believe it is nevertheless true that Americans pay more on overdraft fees to their banker masters than they spend on fresh vegetables! Russian Finance Ministry calculations dating back to 2012 show that should the American people stop paying their money to banks (mortgages, credit cards, auto loans, etc.) and all declare bankruptcy, the entire debt load carried by the US Government would be paid or written off in less than 2 years and the United States would have over $85 trillion available to them over the next 10 years to pay for the complete rebuilding of their Nation and society. What we have instead is America being driven right into the ground by an evil and oftentimes crazy group of people who answer only to the top 1%, to the detriment of the remaining 99%. The worst part is that it is in their best interest to run the country into the ground because they will make a lot of money from the collapse of the USA, and that is exactly what they are trying to do.



As Benjamin Franklin famously said over 200 years ago, "They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security." In the meantime, it is now official. A majority of Americans are willing to give up liberty in order to be safer from so-called “terrorism”. Never mind that the chief perpetrator of this “terrorism” is the US federal government and the military-industrial-intelligence complex it controls. A stunning new McClatchy-Ipsos poll has found that 51 percent of Americans agree with this statement: "It is necessary to give up some civil liberties in order to make the country safe from terrorism." Only 36 percent of those polled agreed with this statement: "Some of the government's proposals will go too far in restricting the publics civil liberties." Have they really been brainwashed into willingly giving up their essential liberties just so they can feel a little safer? Maybe some have, but I sure haven't. So almost 4 out of 5 Americans are perfectly fine with letting airport security officials gawk at their naked bodies just so they can feel a bit safer from terrorists? How crazy is that? The truth is that when Americans allow themselves to become so wimpy and so fearful that they are willing to throw many of their most important freedoms out the window, those “terrorists” have already won.






The lack of money isn't the problem. Money is the problem.

What If We Didn't Need Money?
by Rev. Paul J. Bern
(excerpt from his 2012 book, "Occupying America: We Shall Overcome")


What is law enforcement in much of the world, and more noticeably so in the US as of late, being paid to protect? To keep and preserve the peace to be sure, but that's just on the surface. What are the government and its junkyard dogs otherwise known as police officers watching out for? The assets, infrastructure and personal privacy and security of the top 1%, that's what! The problem with that is the top 1% regard everything in sight as theirs, as if all the people in the lower income brackets – the other 99% – didn't deserve one stinking thing. In short, its all a game of acquiring the most stuff, the biggest collection of material goods of one kind or another, the fastest or most luxurious car, the most powerful truck and the biggest house. It's steak for them and beans for the rest of us. And for what? If any one of us should die tomorrow (God forbid), he or she can take absolutely none of it with them. As Rev. Billy Graham used to preach, “nobody ever saw a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer behind it”. It's all temporary, left behind when we are dead and gone, as all of us eventually will be, including me. It's what we leave behind that counts, not what we have accumulated.


Come to think of it, maybe we should ask ourselves – if you haven't done so already – what kind of legacy do we want to leave? Not only someone who did great things or performed great accomplishments in the sight of others or who made a great fortune, but someone who took care of the needs of the people first while considering themselves last. Not someone who is lauded with praise by men and women for giving away millions when they have many millions more hoarded away, but one who seeks the praise and approval of Almighty God as I and others like me do. I love giving some homeless guy a sandwich and some fries (yes, I have actually done this – has anyone else?), and if I could afford it I would jump at the chance to pay an elderly widow's electric bill or donate a used computer to an inner city school kid who needs one, and never mind their skin color either. Performing volunteer work, giving generously to your church (contrary to what some are teaching, it doesn't have to be financial aid, there are many ways to help at church), sponsoring a hungry kid overseas, or adopting one here at home are the things people remember about us after we have passed, and so will God. We are to be leaving behind the things that people remember about us long after we are gone, and they must be positive things that build people up, not negative things that tear us down. We are to be contributors, being sure to give wherever possible and not living just to see how much we can earn, or even take. Takers are losers who leave holes in time.


OK, so now let's take this to the next level. What if we didn't need money at all? What if we had an alternative way to buy and sell things without using traditional cash, checks or plastic? What if we didn't have to work at all, or maybe not nearly as much? Using profit as a mechanism for the control of liquid assets by and for the top 1% when the overwhelming majority of Americans have no access to those assets is obviously an economic barrier that keeps the remaining 99% of us in a bare subsistence mode that is clearly discriminatory and therefore illegal based on existing civil rights laws. Eliminating the need for money instantly wipes out poverty while putting the 99% in a favorable position to have all our basic needs met (never mind all the fancy BS stuff and frivolous luxuries, just the basics of life). The replacement of money, and of the work that is necessary in order to earn it, are already being accomplished by computers and robots. And their speed and raw processing power doubles every 18 months.


Technology has eliminated jobs across the board on an alarming scale – from secretarial positions to auto workers. The resulting crisis is compounded by our culture's deep denial of the basic problem. I'm old enough to remember the '60s and '70s when so many pundits described the coming glories of the "cybernetic age." Computers would at last liberate us, we were promised, from the drudgery of 9-5 jobs. Back then the worry was, what would we do with all that leisure time? But in fact quite the reverse is true. Leisure time has proven frustratingly elusive. Instead of some personal R & R, most of us are working harder than ever as our employers continue to "downsize." Alternatively, it is we the long-term unemployed who are out pounding the pavement looking for non-existent jobs to replace those that have been "outsourced" to Asia. Additionally, so many of the "jobs" available to the more recently laid off labor force are extremely low-paying to a humiliating degree (such as the current, pathetic minimum wage of $7.25 hourly, which amounts to enforced poverty). In the end, the jobs of the “new economy” are nothing more than useless $8.50 per hour jobs that keeps the workers impoverished while offering no chance for advancement can be positively destructive to the middle class. Things like big box stores, grocery chains, many telemarketing firms, the fast food industry, and convenience store jobs are connected with wages that are actually below the poverty line.


Still other industries and the jobs they used to bring can easily be eliminated by technology, possibly in as little as ten years. Think of what happened to Encyclopedia Britannica because they didn't see Wikipedia coming right at them. Think of the music industry, which has been recently involuntarily "downsized" by file sharing, a process that continues as I write this. And what about MSM newspapers and magazines, currently in crisis because of alternative media websites like Alternet, Op-ed News, Infowars, Truthdig and Information Clearing House, among others? The Internet has similarly made direct salespeople a vanishing breed and some storefront businesses – such as Blockbuster Video and most recently Radio Shack – obsolete. Web-based education is having its own impact on higher education as brick-and-mortar campuses find themselves headed for financial oblivion. Even the oil industry will soon be entering a period of decline. Imagine what that means for an entire economy and lifestyle absolutely dependent on oil. I'm not just referring to so-called "Peak Oil". New technology will soon turn every building and highway into an energy power plant. Surplus energy will be stored in hydrogen cells. And the energy produced will be shared person-to-person across a "smart grid". Think of the jobs that will be eliminated as a result – including those required by what would otherwise be energy wars. We are kept from discussing it only because our "drill, baby, drill" politicians have their heads so firmly stuck in the tar sands up in Canada like so many oil-soaked ostriches. Consequently, the U.S. economy is being left in the dust relative to the rest of the developed world.


Still another possibility which is already being developed and marketed are the new 3-D printers (there are also 4-D printers currently in the development stage, but I'll save that one for another time). Many, but not all, things can be made with these 3-D printers, ranging from plastic parts to human body parts. But you can't, for example, make a new car with a 3-D printer, or at least not yet. But it's only a matter of time until the day arrives when we can make a car or anything else we need right there at home with our handy 3-D printers. If that were the case, people wouldn't need nearly as much money to live on as they do now. Instead of going to the store and buying an item, why not just make it yourself and save? It would be indicative of a mammoth paradigm shift in America's economic landscape, we can all be sure about that.


There is also an enormous amount of productive infrastructure work crying out to be done across our country. The U.S. infrastructure is crumbling at an alarming rate. Green technologies in general, particularly the “smart grid”, high speed rail and public transportation are the most obvious needs. The number of potential jobs connected with them is in the millions. But there are not nearly enough green jobs to replace the ones that have been eliminated by technology and those that should be discarded because they are unsustainable, environmentally destructive and morally deficient. So what should be done about all of this? Share the work! None of us has to work that hard unless we want to. Thanks to new technologies we could work four-hour days or three-day weeks, or for only six months a year, or every other year and still make a living wage. We could retire at 40. And this is possible world-wide. And how to pay for all of this? For starters, cut back the military budget 60%. That alone would make available more than a billion dollars every day just in the U.S. alone. Tax the rich and the corporations – those who make up the "1%" that has ripped off the U.S. working class on an unprecedented scale over the last 30 years or more. (Remember the 91% top-level tax bracket that was in place following World War II? Look it up in the history books and on the Web, it's all right there. We could reinstate that!) Share the wealth. Boldly restructure the economy. Embrace new technology's promise along with the life of leisure that it offers. It is all now within our grasp. Since the government is unwilling or incapable of the restructuring I am calling for, it is up to us, “we the people”, to get the job done ourselves. Worker-owned co-ops and factories, little 1 or 2 person micro-businesses that are Web based, and a proliferation of non-profits will make up the greater part of the progressive business world of tomorrow.

Finishing Romans chapter eight from a Progressive Christian viewpoint

We Are More Than Conquerors Through Christ
Romans 8, verses 29-39


Last week we discussed Romans chapter 8 up to verse 30. This week, to put things into their proper context, we will start at verses 28-30 from last week's study to maintain the continuity of what St. Paul is trying to communicate with us. It reads as follows:


And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; those he called he also justified; those he justified he also glorified.”


Paul starts out by stating the obvious. “In all things God works for the good of those who love him”. This is something we can count on in this life, the idea of God being perpetually on our side. However, let's not forget that this is on the condition that we remain firmly on God's side. Jesus has already committed himself to us 100% by allowing his own crucifixion and death which paid the penalty for all our sins. The penalty he paid on our behalf was the conquest of death, which our Lord also conquered by his resurrection, which gave us access to the same eternal life that our dear Lord Jesus has. After building on this idea in verses 29 and 30 Paul then takes it to its logical conclusion both intellectually and Spiritually starting in verse 31.


What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered'.” (Romans 8:31-36)


If God is for us, who can be against us?” Since God has already offered up Jesus as a living sacrifice for us all, will He not graciously give us whatever else we ask for? It is a waste of time for any Christian to be worried, threatened or intimidated by anything – anything at all! God is already on our side. Why be fearful when it's pointless to be so? This is not what God intends for our lives to be like. He wants us to lead lives that are empowered, enriched and filled with Spiritual meaning and significance. Who can bring any charge against a believer? Who can condemn us if it is God who justifies us? Jesus is interceding for us constantly at the right hand of God. “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?” Can personal trouble or economic hardship separate us from the love of Christ? Can persecution due to social rejection because of our Christianity diminish the love of Christ? You know, you can never truly be alone when you have Jesus on your side. Can we be separated from the love of God by a lack of food or clothing? Real Christians don't worry about having enough of life's essentials, as it is written with the very words of our Lord Jesus, “See the lilies of the field. They neither toil nor spin. And yet I tell you that even King Solomon in all his riches was not clothed like one of these”. Will God not also graciously give us all things when we pray earnestly and sincerely for them as Paul has written? That's why worrying is a waste of precious time. Can imminent danger from a weapon separate us from Jesus? No, because no threat can deprive us of God's love no matter how dangerous it is. As it is written in the book of Psalms 44 and verse 22, “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” Just as Jesus sacrificed himself for each of us, so we all find ourselves chewed up and spit out by the world that surrounds us. When this happens, and it will, we are to count that as a blessing because circumstances that are beyond our control has caused us to emulate Christ whether we were consciously doing so or not. How did we emulate him? By allowing ourselves to be targeted by the world and the things thereof, making ourselves vulnerable in the process even as Jesus made himself vulnerable before Pontius Pilate. Paul then finishes this train of thought in the next 3 verses of Scripture.


No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 37-39 NIV)


We are more than conquerors though Jesus Christ because God made us that way. He has predestined us to be more than conquerors because we are called, called us because we have been justified, and subsequently glorified us because we are justified in the eyes of God through Christ Jesus. And how are we justified? Because Jesus is at the right hand of God interceding for us continuously. Remember that old song by Diana Ross and the Supremes, “ain't no mountain high enough, no valley low enough and no river wide enough to keep me away from you”. I regard this as a healthy way to look at God, at least from man's perspective, and we can be sure that we are His forever, as it is written, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can 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 chapter 10, verses 27-30, NIV)


There is nothing in the entire universe that can separate us from God. In fact, death actually unites us with Christ. That's why the fear of death is eliminated by true belief in God through Jesus Christ. In real Christianity death is a time of transition, not an end of all things as we have known them. In the same way, present circumstances over which we have no control can't come between us and God, nor can future occurrences that we cannot foresee, because God foresees all things. Angels and demons can't come between us and God either. This is great news because it makes us realize that though we may be completely surrounded by evil, God's love for us remains undiminished. Dimensions such as being in captivity can't separate us from the love of God either. No matter how isolated we may seem to be, Jesus is right there beside us as He intercedes for us to his Father in heaven. Nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God that is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.


So now you have had a practical lesson in maintaining a positive mental attitude from a Spiritual vantage point. By keeping things in their proper perspective we become empowered to live a life that is predestined to be in harmony with God. We are predestined because we have been “called according to His purpose”. We are therefore justified because we are called, and we are already glorified for the life to come before our present lives are even over. This is really great news for all true believers because we can find favor with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Never again do we need to worry about the outcome of circumstances beyond our control because God is on our side, and He will always be there for us. So now we are better equipped than ever before for a life that is justified and glorified before God through Jesus our Lord and Savior. Let's all start living this empowered and victorious life today so we can enjoy the benefits of being called by God. We truly are more than conquerors because through Jesus we have overcome all the adversity that life has to offer. Jesus died and then rose from the dead just so we can have this kind of a victorious eternal life through Him. And this victorious life can be ours on a continuing basis. All we have to do is to humble ourselves and ask for it. That's the best news of all. Ask God today for this kind of life. He can't wait to grant your request.

Romans chapter eight part two

The Glory That Is In Store For Us
[Rom. 8; 18-30]


For today's lesson we will continue in the book of Romans in chapter eight, beginning at verse 18. This part of Romans gives Christians everywhere hope for a blessed future that awaits all true believers. One could call this part of the Bible a pep talk being given by God through the apostle Paul as our heavenly Father takes on the role of a dad and life coach for all his children.


I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subject to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage of decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Romans 8:18-21 NIV)


Our present sufferings in this life are not worthy of compare when contrasted to the glory that awaits all who truly believe in Jesus. All of creation itself waits eagerly for the sons of God to be revealed. Creation itself will be freed from bondage and “brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God”. For all those who truly believe in Jesus, this is what awaits us when our current life is at its end and we transition into our spiritual life, one that has no end. Try to imagine an eternity of “glorious freedom” in Christ outside the boundaries of space and time. One thing is for certain, it is an excellent reason for everyone to cling to Jesus knowing that all this is what awaits us.


We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8: 22-25 NIV)


In verse 23, the phrase “first-fruits” is taken from the law of Moses in the Old Testament. The Law of Moses is the first 5 books in the Old Testament beginning with Genesis and ending with Deuteronomy. First-fruits had to do with tithing 10% of what one had in the way of crops or livestock to the temple at Jerusalem at the time right after the beginning of the harvest. This was so that it could be offered up in sacrifice as atonement for sin, and this ancient Jewish tradition dates back well over 3,000 years. So if we have the first-fruits of the Spirit of Jesus within us then we have a security deposit from God guaranteeing the eternity that is to come. That is why the very next sentence says that we “wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies”. Having the first-fruits of the Spirit guarantees our being literally adopted as God's sons through Jesus Christ. In so doing we become Jewish by adoption just as Jesus was Jewish. And if we are adopted as Jews, we have become God's chosen people with them. “For in this hope we were saved”. This gives us the Spiritual motivation we need to be living as if we have the first-fruits of the Spirit. And yet all along, “we wait for it patiently”, knowing all along that it will be worth the wait.


In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we are to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.” (Romans 8: 26-27 NIV)


In the same way as having the first-fruits of the Spirit of Jesus causes us to hope for an adoption that we do not yet have, the same Spirit overcomes our human weaknesses. Our inability to measure up to God's standards set down by and through Jesus Christ is offset by Jesus' crucifixion, death and resurrection first, and by the first-fruits of the Spirit second. Without the Spirit we wouldn't know what to pray to God for even if we desired it, “but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” That's why God knows our needs before we even ask Him. The Spirit, in turn, “intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will”. There are times when we don't necessarily know what to pray for, only that we should start praying. This is one of those times. And who are the saints? They are all who worship Jesus Christ as the Son of God in Spirit and in truth, and that means us.


And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called, those he called, he also justified, those he justified he also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30 NIV)


That first sentence consists of very reassuring words. “In all things God works for the good of those who love Him”. God is constantly on our side, so there is no need to worry or fret about what the future holds. As the Bible says, and as Paul wrote elsewhere, “If God can be for us then who can be against us?” God loved us first before any of us loved Him, wrote the apostle John. Now all we have to do is to return that love back to Him, and we can start by obeying his commandments. And what are the commandments of Christ?”You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your spirit”, and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”After all, we have all been called according to his purpose. Obeying Jesus' commandments is a natural reaction of those who obey these two great commandments of Christ, which “sum up all the law and the prophets”. It is those who answer that call wholeheartedly who will become part of the family of God. That's why the apostle Paul resounds the adoption theme from back in verse 23. Notice that Paul calls those with the first-fruits of the Spirit “those God foreknew”. We are predestined – Paul's word exactly – to be conformed to the “likeness of his Son”. This is done so that Jesus would be the firstborn “among many brothers”. The “many brothers” here signifies the Church, which is the family of God here on earth and the Bride of Christ in the book of Revelation.


And so now we all know what it is that God has in store for all of us, and it is more than any of us can currently imagine, you can rest assured on that one. All we have to do is to cling to Jesus with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and to treat others as we would have them treat us. If we will do these things, we can be predestined to an eternal life with God because we are called, and are therefore justified in the eyes of God and able to stand before Him to be subsequently glorified in our new spiritual bodies. These spiritual bodies with their inherent immortality will be the payoff of having the first-fruits of the Spirit. This will be because we have been adopted into the family of God where we shall have many brothers and sisters. I don't know about you, but this sounds like an excellent way to spend eternity. Next week we will finish up Romans chapter eight. Shalom!

Romans chapter eight part one

Life Through The Spirit
[Romans chapter 8; verses 1-17]
by Rev. Paul J. Bern


In today's lesson we will be moving on to the book of Romans chapter eight. There is a lot here so I am going to divide it up into several parts as we move through this remarkable piece of Scripture. The first part consists of the first 17 verses that we will be covering today. I will break this up into several paragraphs as usual so that the full depth of its meaning can be soaked up like a sponge and enjoyed by everyone in order to help fortify the hearts and minds of all those who freely choose to believe in Jesus and his message. So without any delay, let's start at verse one.


Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8: 1-4 NIV)


The first half of the first sentence simply means that if we believe in Jesus with all our heart, mind, soul and spirit we cannot be condemned when our lives is over so long as we practice all due diligence in putting our faith into action. We all have life through God's Spirit because, “the law of the Spirit of life sets me free from the law of sin and death”. The Holy Spirit of Jesus is that Spirit of life that is spoken of in the Scriptures, and it is through him that we are set free. That's because if it were not for Jesus, then when our lives were over one of two things would happen. Either we would instantly be transformed into nothing at all, simply ceasing to exist, or we would wake up in hell and burn forever. Blackest darkness would be reserved for us in the first possibility, or we would be immersed in fire and consumed, either of which would be defined as a lack of the presence of God, possibly even the lack of the presence of anything.


To stop this from happening, God sent Jesus to be an offering for each one of us. Just as the Scripture says, “God [sent] his own son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering”. God gave His one and only son because He loves us so much that He was willing to undertake anything – up to and including the death of his only Son – to make sure that we would always be with Him, both in this life and in the eternal state that exists after our bodies die. Without Jesus we would be unable to measure up to God's standards because God is Holy. “ And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us”; no one is righteous in the eyes of God. This is a hard fact to learn but a true one nonetheless. But the way out is to live as the rest of the verse says, “...do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit”. The Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit of Christ. The text of this quote then continues as follows:


Those that live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. (Romans 8: 5-8 NIV)


The sinful mind wants only what nature desires, or more accurately what our emotions desire. On the contrary, the spiritual mind only wants what the Spirit desires. The two are diametrically opposed to one another and as such they can never be mixed together. “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace”. The sinful man is a dead man even though he lives as a dead man walking. A Spiritual mind is filled with life and peace, free from turmoil and conflict. So if you want a more trouble-free life (and who doesn't?), work on being a more Spiritual person, provided that this is done in the Holy Spirit and in no other. Then and only then do we really start living as opposed to having a mere day-to-day existence that sprouts from a sinful mind. Living is always preferential to a mere existence, and being in control due to having a Spirit-filled mind is the ultimate life experience when compared to the mere existence of a sinful mind, which is never satisfied. In contrast, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ generates the purest satisfaction and purpose within every true believer.


You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you. (Romans 8: 9-11 NIV)


If the Spirit of God lives in us through Jesus Christ then we will be controlled by that same Spirit. We will be incapable of living according to our old sinful nature because the Spirit of Christ that lives within us won't allow us to do so. You either have the Spirit or you don't, as it says in the next sentence, “And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” This is about as cut and dried as you can get, and the Bible leaves no room for doubt here. But then it clarifies this in the next verse when it says,”But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.” So if Christ is in us, the only thing really alive is our spirit. If Christ is not in us, the only thing that is alive is our flesh, and even then only for a short while. When that life is over, it's over forever. Not so with life in the Spirit, which lasts forever even after our bodies die. The passage concludes the same way when it says, “And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.” If God raised Jesus from the dead, then he can and will raise up from the dead all those who were believing in and living for Jesus when they died. It is just as the apostle Paul wrote elsewhere in the New Testament regarding this topic when he wrote, “... and the dead in Christ shall rise first”, which had to do with the rapture of the Church. And that's the best news of all. And now let's conclude today's study stating at verse twelve.


Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation – but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father”. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs with God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (Romans 8, verses 12-17, NIV)


... if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” If we live with much carnality, it only feels good for the short term, but in the end the payoff is death. These are the kinds of people who die of STD's, accidental drug overdoses and other addictions. Sin is addictive behavior, and it takes too many forms for me to list them here, but suffice it to say that when Jesus comes back for his Bride, which will be here before you know it, only those without spot or blemish (in the spiritual sense) will be raptured away to be with the Lord. Those who get left behind for the last three and a half years of the Great Tribulation – as foretold by Jesus himself – will be faced with the choice of taking the mark of the Beast so they can live, work, buy and sell, or of refusing to take the mark, or the number of his name, or who refuse to bow down and worship his image. Whose image, you may ask? None other than than the man of perdition himself, the Antichrist. Those who refuse to do so will be killed and yet shall live forever, but those who take his mark will be condemned to eternal death.


... you have received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry,“Abba, Father”, is a Biblical way of saying we are all adopted into the kingdom of God. The phrase 'Abba, Father' is an ancient way of saying 'Daddy, Daddy!' if it is translated straight into English from the original Biblical Hebrew and/or Greek texts. First and foremost, this means we are one big happy family. In that regard I would say we are doing fairly well, and so let's continue to do so in our daily living (denominational differences notwithstanding). By living this way, we make our entire life one big happy occasion, the power of which is being generated by the Holy Spirit. “Now if we are children, then we are heirs... if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” It does appear to me as I ponder this bit of Scripture that since we are all born with a sinful nature in the sight of God, and have been “born again of the water and of the Spirit” through Christ, we are now also a part of the risen Christ. And when we become part of the risen Christ, we know we have attained eternal life because Jesus paved the way for us to travel down that road to eternity. So let's keep our eyes on the prize and focus on Jesus who waits for us at the finish line of faith.

Our next progressuve Christian Bible study: Romans chapter seven

Struggling With Sin
[Romans chapter 7]


Today we'll tackle chapter seven in my continuing series of Bible studies on the writings of the apostle Paul. As we begin, we find Paul using an illustration from marriage to explain what our relationship is, and how it should always be working, relative to Christ. So let's plunge right in to the refreshing waters of Paul's letter to the early Roman church, which was not the same as the Rome-based Catholic church that came into being in Rome some 300 years later.


Do you not know, brothers – for I am speaking to them that know the law – that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man. So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him that was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” (Romans 7, verses 1-6)


As before, the old law, or Law of Moses, has been replaced by the new law, which is Jesus Christ crucified followed by his death and subsequent raising from the dead on the morning of the third day. He was and is the fulfillment of that set of laws, and the fulfillment of the new law, or New Testament, all at once. The main exceptions are the prophesies that have yet to be fulfilled here in the end times, such as world war three and the rise to power of the Antichrist. Here Paul is comparing the death of a spouse who is replaced later by a new one to that of Christ and his Bride, which is the entire church regardless of denomination in the latter days of today. If the spouse decides to leave the marriage so that he or she can marry another, that is unquestionably adultery. In the same way, if anyone comes to Christ and makes him the Lord of their life only to fall away from the church in pursuit of worldly gain such as a new spouse, a new business or a new job, then that is most definitely spiritual adultery in the eyes of Christ. Those who pledge their complete love and undying devotion to Christ only to turn away later in a state of Spiritual adultery are cheating on God, as if He wouldn't notice.


So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him that was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.” Belonging to another in a physical sense, such as a husband or wife, is not the same as being part of the Bride of Christ. If our deliberate separation from our spouse is tantamount to separation from Christ, then that is also deliberate in nature. If we have died to Christ, we cannot bear fruit, which is to tell as many people as we can about Jesus in order to bring more souls into God's kingdom. “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” Dying to what once bound us, which is our sinful nature, we can now serve God with unbridled enthusiasm and nearly limitless zeal. Yet we do not do this on our own, but it is the Holy Spirit that guides us, that propels us, and that causes us to march onward as soldiers in God's army so that we can do good things for God through Jesus Christ. Bearing that in mind, let's continue now beginning at verse seven.


What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, 'Do not covet'. But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from the law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which was good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.” (Romans 7, verses 7-13)


I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, 'Do not covet'. But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire.” If there is no law, then there is no sin. On the other hand, sin produces an attraction to whatever is sinful due to its illicit nature. For example, let's take the Prohibition period of the 1920's and early 30's here in America. During that time, the consumption of alcoholic beverages was outlawed, which gave rise to a vast underground network of illicit bars and restaurants. These underground establishments flourished during this time, and if any one of them was shut down by the police, they would relocate and start back up again almost immediately because the demand for alcohol was so lucrative. The so-called “war on drugs” is only the latest example of this selective enforcement (ask any person of color about this topic and you will get an earful). If, for example, marijuana were to be legalized, regulated and taxed similarly to beer or cigarettes, it is a proven fact that the demand would greatly decrease based on numerous studies in controlled environments that prove the cannabis has medical properties and benefits that are impossible to ignore (excluding those who choose to insist on doing so). The fact that pot – and all other street drugs that are currently illegal – is in such demand is proof that its illegality is fueling increasing demand.


I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.” The old law, or Law of Moses, brought forgiveness through animal sacrifice by the shedding of blood on an alter made of stone. But thanks to Jesus Christ and his salvation, because when he shed his blood on Calvary Jesus served as a substitute sacrifice whose shed blood has saved us all. So the old law, which is without Christ since his time had not yet come, leads to death for those who will not believe in Christ. The new law, on the other had, leads to everlasting life through Christ, and there is no other way into heaven than through Jesus Christ. “Did that which was good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good...”. “We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”, wrote the prophet Isaiah approximately 850 years before the birth of Christ. This passage from the Old Testament is very likely what Paul was referring to in Romans chapter seven, since he was a Hebrew scholar and was thoroughly familiar with the old law. When we give our hearts, minds, bodies and souls over to Christ, our sinful natures are put to death just as Jesus was. The primary difference was that Jesus rose from the grave on the morning of the third day after he allowed himself to be a sacrifice for us all, whereas the rest of us will have to live out our lives for Christ as witnesses in the Spirit. We will achieve eternal life by remaining faithful to the very end. And now let's begin to close today's study starting at verse 14.


We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but I hate what I do. And if I do not do what I want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good that I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work through the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” (Romans 7: 14-25)


In daily living I find that old habits can be hard to break, and the ones that we want to get rid of the most can be hardest of all to break. To avoid putting anyone on the spot, I will use myself as an example. I have been an avid smoker for years. I'm a relatively light smoker, my average is about a half pack per day, sometimes even less. But that is no excuse. I know I should quit, and yet I keep right on smoking. But, since God made the tobacco plant along with all the other plant life (see Genesis chapter 1 and verse 11), I'm not sure to what degree of sin that would be, if any. But I do know that it is in my own best interest to quit. Intellectually I know I need to kick my habit, yet I keep right on smoking, partly out of habit and partly stemming from enjoyment. I haven't quit yet because I like cigarettes more than I like the money I spend supporting my habit. I'm sure that all you readers out there can think of countless examples of this. Perhaps you have a habit you would like to break. One of the classic examples of this is an addiction to alcohol, or to drugs of one kind or another. Or maybe you are involved in a toxic relationship that would be best if it were ended. Or maybe you're stuck in a dead-end job with an abusive boss, or you could be in a behavior pattern that is self-destructive. Never mind the reasons why, it's just that you know you want to change. This is what Paul was talking about when he wrote, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but I hate what I do”. Have you ever felt like that? I sure have and I'm sure everyone would agree that this is something to be avoided in life. This is the kind of quality of life that Jesus wants everyone to have, a life where we can be at peace with God through Jesus Christ, and so have peace within ourselves.


So what do we do about this? The apostle Paul identified the problem when he wrote, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out”. We are all born with a sinful nature because we do not have an inherent ability to please God. It is what makes us unable to carry out what is good even though we may desire to. The only way to get over this is to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “For what I do is not the good that I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing”. It is as if we literally can't stop ourselves from doing bad things or things that are unhealthy and not in our best interests. This is where our sinful nature comes from, and we can't live up to God's expectations no matter how hard we try. So what is the solution then? How do we live inside of God's perfect will for our lives?


Right here is where Paul brings everything into sharp focus. “So I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me”. We all have imperfections, personality traits and character flaws that we would like to eliminate, and that includes myself. For instance, I suffer from a certain nervous disorder that tends to make me hyper and jittery, often for no discernible reason. It is an inherent medical condition that I suffer from. As long as I have this, presumably for the rest of my life according to my doctors, I will never be able to please God because of my imperfect nature even though I take medication to control my disorder. It, along with the pharmaceutical drugs that I take, is something I would just as soon live without, but I can't because I suffer from this disorder that I was born with. For me, at least, this is a moral dilemma that I will have to deal with on an ongoing basis. Now you can see why the shedding of blood on Calvary means so much to me.


Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” God, through His son Jesus, is the only one who can rescue us from this sinful nature that we all find ourselves in the midst of. Jesus Christ is not only our personal Lord and Savior, He is also our healer. Only through Jesus can we be delivered from our imperfections, character flaws and undesirable personality traits that we would all just as soon get rid of. So let's pray this little prayer together right now. “Dear Lord Jesus, I know that you have the power to heal anything. Grant me the power through you to heal my personality defects and character flaws that I and others around me find so annoying. I surrender all my imperfections unto you and ask that you heal them all so I can be a better servant for you and through you. I ask all these things through the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Amen.” There you go! See how easy life can be when we step back and let God take charge of our lives? There's an old saying. “You have to let go and let God.” This is a classic example of how we can all do this. That's the best news of all. Everyone is capable of doing this if only we will let go of our pride and ask Jesus to step in and help. It is imperative that we make Christ the Lord of our lives. If you're not already doing so, we can all start doing this today. You will be pleasantly surprised at how effective this can truly be.

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