A World Of Lies

John 12:31

Now is the judgment of this world: 

now shall the prince of this world be cast out.  

   God tells us in the Bible that we live in Satan's world and that he is the father of lies. We should not be surprised, because this world is dominated by lies in almost every aspect of life. There is no doubt that some time, some where in all our life's, we all were under Satan's domination of Lies.  But let me make this very clear. when I wrote, were under I'm talking about those that are no longer burden by Satan's domination because, they served our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  

    I'm sure that someone is saying, that the statement about being burden by Satan is not true. Well they would be correct.  Because once you accept Jesus as your Saviour that's when the battle between good and evil begins. There is no worries, Jesus Himself tells us in the Bible that,   "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal," (John 12:25).  "If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor," (John 12:26).  

 My Friends, each day we fight battles, however I pray you don't fight those battles alone.  As long as we live on this earth we are living in Satan's world. For us this world is temporary. Our final Home is Heaven if we so Choose. Myself I chose Heaven a long time ago. Have you chose your final home. 

Amen!

Reading: John 12:25-26

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless

You And Your Family

     Robert A. Lail Sr.     

The Cross Life Ministery

   

The Narrow Door

 Luke 13:25 

When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, 

and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, 

Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and 

say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: 

   The kingdom of heaven works unseen. We do not see the works of Heaven working but all the time it is fulfilling its function. The kingdom is on the way. Anyone who knows a little history will be bound to see that. The kingdom of heaven works from inside. We will never change men from the outside. New houses, new conditions, better material things change only the surface. It is the task of Christianity to make new men; and once the new men are created a new world will surely follow. That is why the church is the most important institution in the world; it is the factory where men are produced. The power of the kingdom comes from outside. We have tried and failed to change life, we need a power outside and beyond us. We need The Master of Life, and He is forever waiting to give us the secret of victorious living. 

  He declared that entry to the kingdom can never be automatic, but is the result and the reward of a struggle. "Keep on striving to enter," he said. The word for striving is the word from which the English word agony is derived. The struggle to enter in must be so intense that it can be described as an agony of soul and spirit. 

  It is easy to think that, once we have made a commitment of ourselves to Jesus Christ, we have reached the end of the road and can sit back as if we had achieved our goal. There should be no  going backwards in the Christian life.  A man must ever be going forward or necessarily he will before he realizes he has fallen from Grace.

  My Friends, The Christian way is like a climb up a mountain pathway towards a peak which will never be reached in this world. "It's like Climbing that Peak." For the Christian, life is ever an upward and an onward way. 

Amen!

Reading: Luke 13:22-30

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

 And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Lasting Joy Is On The Road To Calvary

Philippians 1:21 

For to me to live is Christ, 

and to die is gain. 

 

   What a tragic waste when people turn away from the road to Calvary and The Love of God.  All the riches of the glory of God in Christ are on that road.  All the sweetest fellowship with Jesus is there.  All the treasures of assurance, joy, kindness and all the most earnest prayers. They are all on The Calvary Road were Jesus walks with His people. 

  My Friends; Take up your cross and follow Jesus on this road, and this road alone. For Life is Christ and Death is Gain. Life on any other road is wasted. "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong," (2 Cor. 12:9-10). 

Amen!

Reading: Phil. Chap 1

                 Cor.  Chap 12

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Working Through God's Word

 Psalms 119:9-13  

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking 

heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart 

have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy 

commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, 

that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, 

O LORD: teach me thy statutes. With my lips 

have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. 

  The only way for proper Faith and Affection, and the best indicators of what we really believe and feel about God's Word is to (Sing, Speak, Study, Store Up, Obey, Praise, and Pray. This is how All Man and Women of God Handle The Scriptures. Right now at this point some of us fall short in believing, feeling, and doing.  Ps. 119 is a finely crafted single minded love poem and is the longest in the Bible. It is not about marriage or children or food and drink or mountains, with sunsets, not even rivers or oceans, it is only about the Bible itself. 

 Why do I pick  Psalm. 119?  It shows us what to believe about God's Word. It tells us how to feel about the Word of God; and most of all what to do with the Word of God.  My Friends, that's the application. That is what we pour into our minds and hearts, the sufficiency of the Scripture, the authority of Scripture and the clarity of Scripture. When we embrace everything the Bible say's about itself, then and only then will we believe God's Word.

 My Friends, don't miss understand me, We must study the entire Bible from cover to cover. The Psalms powerfully convey the feelings common to believers of all ages. However, The Psalms are intimately personal in that they explore the whole realm of human emotion. I pray that all readers will enjoy reading this little teaching point from as well as The Scriptures above. Let's all go forward serving our God with our Mind, Heart and Soul. 

Amen! 

Reading: Psalms 119

Ref: Ps:119:9-13

HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross life Ministry

God Punishes But Forgives

 Ezekiel 20:33-35  

As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched

 out arm, and with fury  poured out, will I rule over you:  And I will bring 

you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries

 wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a

 stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.  And I 

will bring you into the wilderness of the people, 

and there will I plead with you face to face. 

     

  The more these prophecies of Ezekiel and Jeremiah are studied the more striking they appear. First of all, they establish the very important fact with respect to the government of the world, namely, that the throne of God has been removed from the earth, and the government of the world entrusted to man under the form of an empire among the Gentiles. In the second place, the veil is also withdrawn as to the government of God in Israel. This test, to which man had been subjected, in order to see if he were capable of being blessed, has only proved the entire vanity of his nature, his rebellion, the folly of his will, so that he is radically evil. Even from Egypt, it was a spirit of rebellion, idolatry, and unbelief, which preferred anything in the world, but not the true God.   

  But on God's part we see His patience, the most tender care, the most touching appeals, everything that could tend to bring their hearts back to Jehovah; interventions in grace, to lift them out of their misery, and bless them when in a state of faithfulness produced by His grace, But they gave themselves up to evil; and, as shown by Ezekiel and Stephen, the Spirit of God returns to the first manifestations of their heart, of which all that followed was but the proof and the expression. And the judgment is executed on account of that which the people have been from the beginning.  "And I will cause you to pass under the rod and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant," (Ezek 20:37).

  God changes His plan of Government, and reserves for Sovereign Grace the re-establishment of Israel according to His promises, which He would fulfil by His means who could maintain blessing by His power, and govern the people in peace. 

  My Friends, It is Sovereign Grace, which Blesses Israel and all the world when responsible human nature has been fully tried, through definite conviction of our sins and sinfulness as to God's ways, It is the starting point of our path and what belongs to us. Therefore the necessity of a new nature, and God's love in giving His Son, for all of us. The Cross secures the righteousness through which Grace reigns and our Salvation is secured.  One day we all will be standing before God, face to face, be it saved or unsaved it's your choice.

Amen!  

Reading: Ezek. 20:33-44

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

Cross Life Ministry

 

Jesus Sentenced To Death

Matthew 27:1

 When the morning was come, all the chief priests

 and elders of the people took counsel 

against Jesus to put him to death: 

   They charged Jesus first with being a revolutionary, second, with inciting the people not to pay their taxes, and third, with claiming to be a king, (Luke 23:2). They fabricated three political charges, all of them conscious lies, because they knew that only on such charges would Pilate act. So, then, everything hung on the attitude of Pilate. What kind of man was this Roman governor? 

   When Pilate came to Judaea, he found trouble in plenty, and much of it was of his own making. His great handicap was that he was completely out of sympathy with the Jews. More, he was contemptuous of what he would have called their irrational and fanatical prejudices, and what they would have called their principles. Pilate was a man so entangled in his past, and so rendered helpless by it, that he was unable to take the stand he ought to take. Pilate is a figure of tragedy rather than of villainy. 

   Now let's talk about the traitor, Judas. Here in all its grimness is the last act of the tragedy of Judas. However we interpret his mind, one thing is clear Judas now saw the horror of the thing that he had done. Matthew tells us that Judas took the money and flung it into the Temple. The suicide of Judas is surely the final indication that his plan had gone wrong. He had meant to make Jesus blaze forth as a conqueror; instead he had driven him to the Cross and life for Judas was shattered. There are two great truths about sin here. 

   The terrible thing about sin is that we cannot put the clock back. We cannot undo what we have done. Once a thing is done nothing can alter it or bring it back. No one needs to be very old to have that haunting longing for some hour to be lived over again. When we remember that no action can ever be recalled, it should make us doubly careful how we act. 

   My Friends, The strange thing about sin is that a man can come to hate the very thing he gained by it. The very prize he won by sinning can come to disgust and to revolt and to repel him, until his one desire is to fling it from him. Most people sin because they think that if they can only possess the forbidden thing it will make them happy. But the thing which sin desired can become the thing that a man above all would rid himself of and so often he cannot. Jesus was not sentenced to death because of sin against Him. Jesus was the Son of God and He died so that we, all people could be saved.  Just remember we are the sinners even if you are saved, because you are saved by God's Grace!  

Amen!

Reading: Matt. 27: 1-66

Ref HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

What Should We Believe About The Word Of God

Psalm 119:2  

"Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, 

and that seek him with the whole heart."  

     Of course the Christians answer, is all of it. I want us to look at three very important characteristics we should believe about God's Word.  First, God's Word says what is true. The Bible tells us, that we can trust in the Word, " So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word,"119:42).  We can't believe everything we read on the internet. We can't trust everything we hear from our professors. We certainly can't trust all the facts given by our politicians. And we can't even trust the fact checkers who check those facts.  

Second, God's Word demands what is right.  Here  the psalmist gladly acknowledges God's right to issue commands and humbly accepts that all these commands are right.  "I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me." (PS.119:75).

    All God's commandments are sure. All His precepts are right.  Some Christians admit that they don't like what the Bible say's, but since it's the Bible they have to obey it. On one level, this is an example of submitting yourself to the word of God. However, we need and should go one step further and learn to see the goodness and rightness in all that God commands. We should Love what God Loves and delight in whatever He says. Third, God's Word provides what is good.  God's Word is the way to happiness,  "ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.   Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart," (Ps. 119:1-2).

   My Friends, God's Word gives us Hope, Strength and Wisdom and directs us on along our path. As the people of God, we believe the Bible is unfailing perfect. We believe the Word of God can be trusted in every way to speak what is true, command what is right and provide us with what is good.

Amen!

Reading: Ps:119

Devotion Scriptures 

Ps:119, V. 6,9, 24, 28, 43 V.98-100,

V.130

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Why Jesus Chose A Donkey

 Luke 19:30-31  

 "Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at 

your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never 

man sat: loose him, and bring him hither.  And if 

any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? 

thus shall ye say unto him,

Because the Lord hath

need of him. 

   Donkeys were as common on the roads in Jesus time, as cars are on our roads today. These little animals were good for one thing; "Bearing Burdens."  Jesus decided to ride a donkey into Jerusalem.  It was not because He was tired and that the road was up hill.  It was not because he preferred to ride small donkeys all through His travels.  It was because Jesus, planned His entry in to Jerusalem very carefully.  Jesus was watched by thousands of critical eyes. But most important, What Jesus did was well thought out and deliberate. 

   Sometimes the prophets would act out their message.  For example Jeremiah once placed a wooden ox yoke around his neck and walked through Jerusalem. He did that to show the people that they would soon be under the yoke of Babylonia.  However Jesus had no grim message to tell by riding a donkey into Jerusalem.  Instead He acted out a message of Joy. 

   He was acting out the prophecy of Zechariah; Zec 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass,"  ie a beast of burden  Zech. 9:9.  Jesus was acting out the prophecy of a Messiah that would come in meekness, not in pride, riding on a war horse. This Messiah King would bring peace and rule with justice,as the prophets had foretold.

   My Friends, can you just imagine the joy when they caught the Spirit of what Jesus was doing. "And when He was come nigh to the descent of mount of Olives, The joy was so high the whole multitude of disciples began to rejoice and praise God for all the mighty works that they had seen," (Luke 19:37).  As Belivers in our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ, we should have that same Spirit filled Joy every day as they did when Jesus rode that donkey into Jerusalem. 

Amen!

Reading: Luke 19:28-44

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry  

Ungodly Associations

Proverbs 13:20  

"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: 

but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." 

   As a norm we are influenced by the people we are close to. What values, beliefs, or attitudes do our friends live by? What effect does it have on us? Our answer is in the Scripture above. (Prov. 12:15) Tells us: "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise." This implies that a fool thinks he knows it all.  According to the Scripture, a fool is also some one who mocks sin and says in his heart, "There is no God,"  "Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour, " (Prov. 14:9). Do we spend time and associate with those who mock God and His people. 

   Proverbs continues to warn us against entering a partnership with a thief, not to associate with people who flatter with their tongue, and stay away from some one who tells tales because they cause strife. There are many verses I could point out that show where we may be in error. There are things we can do, or not do, that will leave us vulnerable. So, it is not God's fault but ours. 

   My Friends, You may be thinking, "What about God's Grace?"  Grace is not a cover up for ignorance or an excuse for our sin. Grace is an empowerment to live in obedience to his word. We as Christians, are held accountable to do just that; Obey His Word. This is not legalism: this is simply obedience.  And besides, when you really Know God , you want to spend time with Him and learn His ways.

Amen:

Reading: Prov. Chap 19;1-29

Prov. 26:20; 29:24

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Minister

 

His Ascension And Our Union

Luke 24:51  

"And it came to pass, while he blessed them, 

he was parted from them, and 

carried up into heaven." 

   The ascension must always remain a mystery, for it attempts to put into words what is beyond words and to describe what is beyond description. But that what happen was essential. It was unthinkable that the appearances of Jesus should grow fewer and fewer until finally they petered out. That would have effectively wrecked the faith of men. There had to come a day when the Jesus of earth finally became the Christ of Heaven. The Ascension was ob0viously an ending. The days when their faith was faith in a flesh and blood person and depended on his flesh and blood presence were over.  Now they were linked to someone who was forever independent of space and time. 

  It was The Beginning! The disciples did not leave the scene heart-broken; they left it with great joy, because now they knew that they had a Master from whom nothing could separate them anymore. So they went back to Jerusalem, and they were continually in the Temple praising God. It is not by accident that Luke's gospel ends where it began in the house of God.

   My Friends,  The ascension gave the world the certainty that we have a friend, not only on earth, but in heaven. Surely it is the most precious thing of all to know that in heaven there awaits us that same Jesus who on earth was wondrously kind. To die is not to go out into the dark; it is to go to Him.

Amen!

                                     

"Happy Easter To All"

Reading: Luke 24:50-53

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Unforgiveness

2 Corinthians 2:10-11  

"To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, 

to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person 

of Christ;  Lest Satan should get an advantage of us:

 for we are not ignorant of his devices."  

   An easy way that may give the enemy access to your life is unforgiveness. This includes unforgiveness toward others, ourselves or God. What our main Scripture (2 Cor. 2:10-11) is saying is this: "Now whom you forgive anything; lest Satan should take advantage of us." In others words, if we don't forgive we can be taken advantage of  by the devil.

   There are many people who never really forgave the person who has done them wrong.  They will say,  "I forgave, but I'll never forget!  There are many of us that has said those same exact remarks and there are some that strongly, believe that way and live by that. Christians should know better, because as we study Gods Word, we are discerning God's Word so we can understand what God is telling us.  Listen, you can't forgive and then say, but I'll never forget. That is not true forgiveness.   

   The Bible tells us, that once God forgives us, He remembers our sin no more, "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more."  {Heb. 10:17}. We must do the same. If we don't forgive, we open a big door for the enemy to come in and cause destruction in our lives.  "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasse," {Mat 6:14-15}.

   My Friends, I pray that not one person would  want to be without God's forgiveness.  If we are guided by love and by consideration, not for our own pride but for the ultimate good of others, we will know the time to speak and the time to be silent. 

Amen!

Reading: Devotional Scriptures

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Why Is The Word "Trinity" Not In The Bible

 Galatians 1:1  

"Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, 

but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, 

who raised him from the dead;)" 

   How can Christians explain the "Trinity" when the word it's self is not in the Bible?  Let me explain how to understand and share the doctrine of one God in three persons. It's very clear  that all three persons are called God in many places in the Bible.  Examples are "Father" in: {Gal 1:1} "Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)." "Son" in: {John 20:28} "And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God." "Spirit"  {Act 5:3-4}  "But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?  Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God."

   Notice that all three person are mentioned close together on an equal basis in many places. For example: {In Matthew 28:19}, we are commanded to baptize in one Name, but three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, {Therefore The Trinity}   Another example is, "Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God The Father, Through the Sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with His blood" {1 Peter 1:2}. 

   It is interested to note that God sometimes refers to Himself as "US"  {Therefore The Trinity}.  "And God said, Let "US" make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth," {Gen 1:26}. 

   My Friends, In the fourth century, St. Augustine attempted to demonstrate  that the fundamental logic of the doctrine of the "Trinity" can be stated in seven Statements: {1} The Father is God. {2} The Son is God. {3} The Holy Spirit is God.  {4} The Father is not the Son. {5} The Son is not the Holy Spirit. {6} The Holy Spirit is Not the Father.  {7} There is only one God.  However All three: The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are The Trinity.  

Amen!

Reading: Devotional Scriptures

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr. 

The Cross Life Ministry  

 

GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY

Deuteronomy 25:15  

"But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect 

and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days 

may be lengthened in the land which

the LORD thy God giveth thee." 

Life, Death and The Sovereignty of God 

   Here is something we all should think about; Life, Death and the Sovereignty of God. First lets ask ourselves what about the Sovereignty of God?  "Yes, God is Sovereign, but there are two things to consider. First if you are not in His family "God's Family," you have no assurance of a long life whatsoever, "And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:"  (Deut. 28:66). Second, if you are a child of God, the Bible is full of promises of long life, but they are based on us taking hold of those promises and obeying His Word. "And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days, (1 King 3:14). Here is some more promises God made of long life.  Proverbs 3:2, 16; 4:10; 7:1-2; 9:11; 10:27; 14:27; 19:23; 28:16; Ephesians 6:3.

   My Friends, As you can see from the verses above, we have a responsibility to keep God's Word, thereby receiving the promise of a long life. This is not over stepping the Sovereignty of God. We are simply taking God at His Word. God is the one who stated the promises. God wants us to discover them in His Word and believe and trust Him for them.  "With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation." (Ps. 91:16").  

Amen!!

Reading: Devotional Scripture

Ref:  HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

         

THE ENEMY

John 10:10 

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:

 I am come that they might have life, and that

 they might have it more abundantly." 

Our Real Enemy!

    As we search the Scriptures, we see that God is not the one sending us to Hell.  He is not the one causing all the tragedies in our everyday life.  If we can understand this, perhaps it would be possible for man to see Our Real Enemy, the one that want's to destroy us by any means possible, and it is not God!  "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil," (1 John 3:8). 
During Jesus' earthly ministry, He healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out devils, teached and preach the Kingdom of God and repentance. Demonic powers exist and cause evil. In addition, man has a free will to cooperate with evil and to disobey God's instructions if he chooses to. 

   Many do not realize that evil powers are very real. I am not saying that there is a demon behind every tree. Most of the times the evil and troublesome things that occur are result of man's own disobedience, not the devil. However we have seen kidnapping and torture of little childern, plus the shootings that have taken place in our schools and shopping centers. There are wicked people out there, but to do something like that is "beyond mean."  That kind of evil can only come from the demonic realm, not just a crazy person.  

   My Friends, In his warfare against God, the enemy uses the human race which God created and loved. Therefore God's forces of good and Satan's forces of evil, have engaged in a deadly conflict since the dawn of History.  Apostle Paul tells us not to be ignorant of Satan's devices.

"Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices," (2 Cor 2:11).

One thing Paul was certain of; not all the world could defeat Christ. He did not live in pessimistic fear, but in glorious optimism. Paul knew the unconquerable majesty of Christ.

Amen! 

Reading: 1 Peter 5:8

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

 And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail

The Cross Life Ministry

Are We Entitled In God's House?

 John 3:36  

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: 

and he that believeth not the Son 

shall not see life; but the wrath 

of God abideth on him." 

Are We Entitled To Live In God's House? 

   Suppose you knocked on the door of the most beautiful and expensive home in the country, and told the owners, "I'm moving in with you." What do you think they would say? The answer would be NO! Why would they welcome you? You have no relationship with them. So you who questions God's fairness, live your entire life having nothing to do with God, even denying that Jesus is the Son of God. You then come knocking on God's door at your death and say "Excuse me; I'm moving in with you!"

   Why would you think you have the right to move into God's House? Why should He let you in? You never ask Him to be your Father, after He offered Himself to you during your life on earth. As a matter a fact you denied His Son as your Lord and Savior, who told you that the only way to Heaven was through Him;   Jesus saith unto him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also."  (Joh 14:6-7a).

   You say, "He knows me, and He supposed to be a loving God!" He knows you exist but he don't know you personally. He is not your God, He is your creator. "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity," (Matt. 7:23). How terrible would that be to hear from the lips of God? 

   My Friends. The fact that God gives us a choice to have a relationship with Him, proves that He is a Loving God. It is up to us to make that choice to have a relationship with God. Let me end this with a good note: We all know our life will end one day, and there will be a choice of two homes we could go to; Heaven or Hell!  Now my friends, let me give you the punch line.  YOU NEED TO CHOOSE RIGHT NOW!!! 

Amen!!

Reading:  Acts 4:12

                  Rom. 3:30, 10:9-10

                 1 Tim. 2:5

                John 1:12

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

7 Cry's From The Cross

John 19:25  

"Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's

sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene." 

7 Cry's From The Cross (pt-2) 

     Just a Quick review, we have only covered Jesus' first and second cry from the cross.  the order of events were, (1) The arrival at Golgotha. (2) The offer of the stupefying drink was refused. (3) Jesus was crucified between two thieves. The soldiers part His garments, and the Jews and the thieves mock Jesus, but one repents and believes.

   The Third Cry From The Cross:  When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! (John 19:26). After that Jesus told the disciple standing with Mary,  "Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home." (19:27).  Our Lord was put on the cross at (9:am) ("the third hour") of the day. Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land from noon until (3 p.m.) ("sixth" till " ninth" hour,"). Therefore here the ("sixth hour") could not be Hebrew time (noon), but (6:am) "When the morning was come," (Matt. 27:1). 

   The Fourth Cry From The Cross:   "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46). Our Lord was speaking in Aramaic. The pronunciation of the first word of His cry from the cross, "Eloi" or "Eli," (Matt. 27:46). It is very similar to the Hebrew Pronunciation of "Elijah" or it's Greek counterpart, "Elias"  The Fifth Cry From The Cross:  "After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst." (John 19:28). If Jesus was ever to redeem man, He must become man. He had to become what we are in order to make us what He is. That is why John stresses the fact that Jesus felt thirst; He wished to show that He was really human and really underwent the agony of the Cross.

   The Sixth Cry From The Cross: "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost, (John 19:30.  My Friends, I don't believe this was a cry; it was, "The Shout Of Victory."

 During the three hours which the darkness continued, Jesus was in agony, wrestling with the powers of darkness, and suffering his Father's displeasure against the sin of man, for which he was now making his soul an offering. Never were there three such hours since the day God created man upon the earth, never such a dark and awful scene; it was the turning point of that great affair, man's redemption and salvation.

   The Seventh Cry From The Cross:  "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." (Luke 23:46).  Christ, just before He gave up His spirit, spoke in His full strength, to show that His life was not forced from Him, but was freely delivered into His Father's hands. He had strength to defy the powers of death: and to show that by the eternal Spirit He offered Himself, He cried with a loud voice, Then He yielded up His Spirit. The Son of God did die by the violence of the pain He was put to upon the cross. His soul was separated from His body, and so his body was left really and truly dead. It was certain that Christ did die, for it was needful that He should die. He had undertaken to make himself an offering for sin, and He did it when He willingly gave up His life. 

   My Friends, The rending of the veil signified that Christ, by His death, opened a way to God. We have an open way through Christ to the throne of grace, (the mercy-seat), and to the throne of glory, from now to hereafter.

Amen!

Reading: Same As (pt-1)

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

7 Cry's From The Cross

Matthew 27:46  

"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, 

Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God,

 my God, why hast thou forsaken me"? 

7 Cry's From The Cross (pt-1)

   Christ was led as a Lamb to the slaughter, a Sacrifice for all mankind.  Taking the cross from Him, they compelled Simon to bear it.  Make us ready, O Lord, to bear the cross thou hast appointed us, and daily to take it up with cheerfulness, following thee.  And when we behold what manner of death He died, let us in that, truly see the depth of His  love for us.  As if His death, so painful a death, were not enough, they added to its bitterness and terror in several ways. 

   When they arrived at Golgotha, known as the place of the Skull. Christ was offered a stupefying drink. Christ did not take it. Why? Because He knew that it was mixed with medicine that was given for pain to all who were crucified. Our Lord knew the pain and agony that He had to bare for our sins. Christ had to suffer everything for us, from being crowned with thorns and mocked, beaten to the point that a normal man could not survive let-alone, stand and carry His own Cross.  Then Jesus was nailed to the Cross and placed between two thieves. 

   My Friends, We wonder why was the two thieves tied to their cross and Jesus was nailed to His. The answer is the thieves were tied down, to hold them until they were nailed to their cross. Jesus was nailed because of our sins, there was no need to tie Jesus down, because His love held Him to The Cross. So after they raised His cross Jesus responds with this;  The First Cry From The Cross: "Then said Jesus,  Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do, and they parted his raiment, and cast lots," (Luke 23:34). The soldiers ripped His garments in pieces then divided them up between them.  The  Jews mocked Him, even the thieves mocked Jesus but one repents and believes. The thieve that repented was saved, so there is no need to worry, If You Believe, You Will Receive.  A sign was placed over Jesus' head, written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, saying This Is The King Of The Jews. The two thieves argued, but the one that believed said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdom.  The Second Cry From The Cross:  "And Jesus said unto him, "Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise," (Luke 23:43).  

   Let us not take what Jesus said as just words in the Bible.  Jesus made a promise to the one believing thieve hanging beside Him; That he would be with Jesus in a twinkle of an eye. Jesus made that same promise, to all mankind that, believed Jesus is our Saviour and our Lord.   

Amen!!

Reading:  Devotional Scripture 

                   Matt. 27:33-44

                   Mark 15: 22-32 

                   Luke 23:33-43

                   John 19:17-24

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

   

    

    

The Last Judgment

Matthew 25:31  

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and 

all the holy angels with him, then shall he 

sit upon the throne of his glory:"  

    There is a judgment to come, in which every man shall be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness, or misery. Christ shall come, not only in the glory of His Father, but in His own glory. The wicked and godly dwell here together, in the same cities, churches, families, and will not always be known one from the other.

    Jesus Christ is the great Shepherd; He will shortly distinguish between those that are His, and those that are not.  All other distinctions will be done away; but the great one between saints and sinners, holy and unholy, will remain for ever. The happiness the saints shall possess is very great. It is a kingdom; the most valuable possession on earth; yet this is but a faint resemblance of the blessed state of the saints in heaven. It is a kingdom prepared. The Father provided it for them in the greatness of his wisdom and power; the Son purchased it for them; and the blessed Spirit, in preparing them for the kingdom. 

    The wicked in this world were often called to come to Christ for life and rest, but they turned from His calls; and justly are those bid to depart from Christ, that would not come to Him. Condemned sinners will in vain offer excuses. The punishment of the wicked will be an everlasting punishment; their state cannot be altered. Thus life and death, good and evil, the blessing and the curse, are set before us, that we may choose our way, and as our way so shall our end be.  

   My Friends, This happiness is for believers, and they for it, for all eternity. They shall come and inherit it. What we inherit is not got by ourselves. It is God that makes heirs of heaven. We are not to believe that the amount of our bounty will entitle us to eternal happiness. Good works done for God's sake, through Jesus Christ, and we see here that the marking of the character of believers are made holy by the Spirit of Christ, and as the effects of grace bestowed on those who do them. 

Amen!

Reading:  Matt. 25:31-46

Ref:  HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Last Shall Be First

Mat 20:15-16

"Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? 

Is thine eye evil, because I am good?  So the last 

shall be first, and the first last: for many 

be called, but few chosen." 

   This parable is related to Peter's question in Matthew 19:27 "Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?  Jesus did explain to His disciples in the closing verses of Matt. chap 19. what they would receive, that have followed Him. The lesson that Jesus is teaching with this parable simply hinges upon the distinction between the laborers that were hired and the ones that were not.

   The first group was hired all day, for a penny a day (12 hour day).  Now there were a total of five groups of Laborers, The house holder, only hired the first group. The other groups were not hired, but called with a promise from the householder that he would reward them justly according to his own estimation of what would be right.  What the hired laborers didn't understand was, why, did everybody that started work in the field at different times during the day got the same pay as they got, 1 penny for a day's work. 

  My Friend's Those who agreed to work for twelve hours, set their own price and that is what they received. Our Lord wants us to follow the example of the other workers. Those who serve the Lord and leave the size of the reward up to Him, will always be given far more than if they insist on knowing how much they will receive before they begin.  "But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first," (Matt. 19:30).  

Amen! 

Reading:  Matt.  20:1-16

Ref: HGSB  

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

Buried Treasure

Matthew 13:44

  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure 

hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he 

hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all 

that he hath, and buyeth that field." 

   Jesus told a story about finding buried treasure, However if you don't pay attention you might miss what Jesus was saying to the people and us as well.  It was the law in Jesus' day, that whoever found buried treasure in his land he had the right to keep it.  If he owned the land he owned what was under it.  Many poor farmers probably lived in hope that one day they would find, secret buried treasure. 

   Jesus' story, of buried treasure though it is short should never be overlooked.  His story is about a man who had found buried treasure in a field he did not own. This man done what anyone listening to Jesus would have done. He quickly covered up the treasure, and schemed how he could buy that field. He sold what he owned and one way or another he made a deal to buy that field.  As soon as the field was his, he quickly dug the treasure up and made it his own.  The Kingdom of Heaven is like that treasure, said Jesus.  The kingdom is worth all that a man may possess. Jesus asked His disciples, "Have you understood all this?"  The disciples said, "yes" 

   My Friends, This is a story about earthly things, with a Heavenly meaning. It is up to each follower of Jesus to discover for himself the meaning hidden in what Jesus said. The stories Jesus told, many were simple, but each one has a special meaning for the Kingdom of God. In this story Jesus is asking us, "Are You Looking For The Real Treasure?"

Amen!

Reading Matt. 13:34-44

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr. 

The Cross Life Ministry