The PathSeeker Gospel Message

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Welcome Again,

This is a new week and again a new segment along this Path Christ has begun for us. I hope and pray all is well and that you are traveling with Jesus as your guide. As PathSeekers with Jesus we travel just as the first disciples. We listen and hear, watch and see from the greatest teacher of all times. From what He says we apply to ourselves and from what He shows us we are able to increase our Faith.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

This particular verse is still the basis of what I am trying to cover in this group of studies. I have gone over and have tried to point out some of the trappings of the way, we as individuals and together as a church are easily deceived into conformation to this world, which is the first part of this line of scripture. As a simple reminder of what I am meaning by this I would like to share:

1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

A few weeks ago I began on the second part of the main scripture reference. Which is: “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. I have pointed out before that we need to be transformed to having the Mind of Christ. First I believe we need to get to know Jesus, not just on the basis of Sunday School lessons, or by what we receive as a driver’s license description, but to really get to know Jesus. There is no other way to transform towards His mind or ways of thinking without getting to know Him personally first.

Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

Jesus asked his disciples first who do “men” say that I am. The reply was that men who did not really Jesus assumed He was just a copy or a return visit of one of the prophets of old. But then Jesus turned asked them “But who do you say that I am?” And the reply was of a higher placement of who He truly was, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This was the reply of the ones who truly knew Him. The ones who walked and talked and listened to what He had to say on a daily basis. The disciples knew who He was because they knew Him at the very personal level of hearing and seeing all that He had done. Everyday that passed he taught and showed them the miraculous wonders that only the Son of God would be able to do. Their faith was increased as they were PathSeekers walking the Path with Jesus.

A quote from *John MacArthur NKJV Study Bible elaborates on verse 17: “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you. Christ’s messianic claims had always been subtle illusions to OT prophecies combined with miraculous works that substantiated those claims. Never before had He explicitly taught Peter and the apostles the fullness of His identity. God the Father had opened Peter’s eyes to the full significance of those claims, and revealed to who Jesus really was. In other words, God had opened Peter’s heart to this deeper knowledge of Christ by faith. Peter was not merely expressing an academic opinion about the identity of Christ; this was a confession of Peter’s personal faith, made possible by a divinely-regenerated heart.”

It was from an in-depth, personal, daily relationship, in which God was able to show Peter who Jesus truthfully was. It was not anything that someone had taught him but instead it was from being with Him and able to see from the heart as to who and what Jesus was here to do. From within His heart Peter was able to regenerate a faith in which Jesus later had told him;

Matthew 16:18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

From having a “divinely-regenerated heart” God enables you the ability transform your mind towards the mind of Christ. Like the word transform defines as “change” so does regenerate also. With a heart willing to grow in faith, the mind is able put this newly transforming faith into action enabling you to be Christ like.

I could go on and on writing an exhaustive list of the aspects of the character of Jesus. Jesus became flesh so we may see for ourselves as to what the Christ should be.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus is a light to a dark and troubled world. He is as salt, in the way salt adds flavor and is as a preservative. He is as water from a spring that never runs dry and has the ability to quench your thirst no matter how parched or dry you may be. One of the most important aspects for us as being of human nature was the way, He, the “Word” became flesh.

Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

We all know Jesus faced every obstacle we all face as part of our human nature. He faced every desire of the flesh you and I face as well on a daily basis. Even after spending forty days alone in the wilderness fasting and praying, He was tempted face to face with the devil. The faith in action is the weapon Jesus used to defeat the devil in his trickery, faith in the Father and the very word of God as the sword to defeat him. (Ephesians 6:17…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God Jesus as the Word became flesh so that we too could see with our own eyes the actions of faith. He became flesh so we may able to see what all we are to be imitators of. Just as the reply (at the age of twelve) He gave His parents after they realized they had left Him behind at the temple.

Luke 2:49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

We too should be about our Fathers business and be as children of God. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus constantly reminded us that He was here to do the Fathers business. He said repeatedly He was here to do the will of the Father and as a last confession to His faith in God, He said “not my will but your will be done”.

Jesus told the religious leaders point blank “you do not know me because you do not know the Father”. Through the life of Jesus we are able to know the Father because of the “Word” we can get to know Jesus. He also said that if you know the Son you will also know the Father. Look at yourself or at family, generally for the most part the son of a family usually resembles the dad, not just in looks but also in his actions. Usually whenever a dad was a good athlete so is the son, if the dad is rocket scientist so is the son. But yet Jesus was the Son of God and even though He was made flesh his hearts desire was to do the will of His Father.

So who is Jesus? Ask God and He will show you. Walk with Jesus and He will teach you, talk with Him and He will tell you, watch Him and He will show you. Just as God enabled Peter with a divinely-regenerated heart to enable him to know Jesus as the Christ. God will do for you. Be like Jesus and do the will of the Father and you like Peter will hear:

Matthew 16:18 “And I also say to you that you are    “Your Name”     and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Thank you and God Bless,
Tommy Harmon

Use this link to read a simple prayer to open your hearts door and let Jesus in.

Please use the comments link below. I would like to hear your remarks to these messages.

*All scripture quotes are from the The New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible unless otherwise noted

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Welcome Again,

I will of course begin with the main scripture reference for this on going study. those of you who have been following this weekly message should pretty well have this memorized by now. For those who are here for the first time don’t feel bad for not knowing because I try to post it here to start with every week.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

I am still zeroing in, here now, on part two of this scripture reference. “…but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” This week the characteristic of Jesus I want to discus is how through His daily conversation He used His gospel message to save those who heard Him would be saved from an eternity of the fiery pits of Hell. We have all heard the expression of “selling ice water in hell” or “people in hell want ice water”. Well Jesus used His message of gospel to quench or put out the fire of hell from your very life.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

I want to begin here with probably the most known verse in the bible. Nearly everybody has learned as a child in Sunday School, or have seen signs during sporting events “John 3:16“. I want to point out that although this verse is the most quoted it also comes complete with more when used with its context. What a great thing it is to know God loved us all enough to send Jesus to save us from a life in the eternal pits of hell. Unlike the message preached by some, Jesus did not come here to condemn us. We all were already condemned because of the way sin had entered into the world through Adam and Eve. Sin had been incorporated as a natural order of our lives from the beginning.

Jesus did not come here to condemn us through what has been in our nature from birth. Instead he came to save us from the fire that has been burning inside us all from birth. By belief in the very name of Jesus as God’s son, His blood is the ice water that has used to put out the fire that has been burning within your very life. Jesus came as a Spring of Life to quench the thirst of the world. Just as Jesus spoke and taught the Samaritan woman while drinking at the well, of a new way to worship God. A new way that for all who thirst could have their thirst quenched and all throughout the world would be able to come to God in the same way.

John 4:5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 “Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

Jesus is offering His life to us as the water from the spring that never runs dry. He is offering His life to us as a drink of water that quenches an unquenchable thirst. And He is offering His water to everyone in the world, not just the chosen children of Israel from the old testament of the Bible, but to everyone who will call on His name.

Water is a necessity of life. Everything here on this earth depends upon water as a life giving force. From the ground to produce grass for cattle, to the very same cattle to become the beef on your dinner table. Just as fish depend completely on water we also have to have water to sustain our lives. Jesus is offering to us water that quenches thirst for eternity.

Just right the opposite of life giving water is the eternal consumable fire that awaits the devil and all evil. Throughout the bible, there are scripture references of how God will use fire to cleanse the world of evil. The burning of the chafe after the wheat has been separated, the casting away of unfruitful branches after being pruned from the vine. I would like to share with you a parable from Jesus:

The Parable of the Tares

Matthew 13:24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 “but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 “But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 “So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 “He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 “But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 ‘Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ “

After all the crowds had left, His disciples asked Jesus to explain what was meant by His Parables

The Parable of the Tares Explained

Matthew 13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 “The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 “The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 “Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 “and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Our enemy the devil has nothing more to do than to place temptation, evil, and self gratification within our lives.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

He is after your life to spend the eternity that awaits him and his in the eternal lake of fire. He knows his fate, he knows Jesus arose from the grave with the keys of life and death. He knows he has been defeated, but he wants to take you and as many others as possible with him.

Still for you and me there is hope. There is away to have the eternal fire that awaits you to be extinguished. All it takes is to drink from the life giving water which flows from Jesus Christ. All it takes is to do as He had said:

John 14 “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.

The ice water sent to quench the thirst that is within us all.

Thank you and God Bless,
Tommy Harmon

Use this link to read a simple prayer to open your hearts door and let Jesus in.

Please use the comments link below. I would like to hear your remarks to these messages.

*All scripture quotes are from the The New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible unless otherwise noted

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Welcome again,

I am pleased to be able to be here again with a new message to bring to you. I am also grateful to know that there is become a large number returning here each week to read these messages of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the opportunity to take the Gospel through out the world, that I feel blessed in doing so. I would like to have feedback from all, so I would be able to tell others of how God is working in your life.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

For those who have been here for the duration of this study, you should know this by now. But for first timers I must say that this is the base scripture reference I am using for this ongoing study. In the first part of this verse, conformation to the world is a problem we as individuals and the organized churches of not just today but in the beginnings of Christianity. In previous issues of these messages I addressed just a few of ways we fall into a world view of life instead of a Godly view. Here lately I have covering some of the aspects of the character of Jesus in order to see what we need to do within ourselves to be transformed into the renewed mind of Christ.

Jesus has been called “the author of our souls”. Physical and spiritually we are and carry the characteristics carried to all from Adam. Jesus had came and rewrote the way for us to changed, reborn and renewed into becoming children God would love. The life Jesus lived was documented through the Gospels of the apostles who walked spent their every available moment become His disciples. Jesus lived His life in a way to show us how to become holy and pleasing to God. but more than showing us He opened the door in which we could enter into the throne room in which God sets in His Heavenly kingdom.

Through the sacrifice Jesus paid for us with His Life, He became the High Priest through His life of holiness.

Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

In different ones of theses studies I have already discussed how the religious elite or priest before and during the time of Jesus’ life here on earth placed laws and standards upon Gods people that were so far out of reach that they were the only ones who could live up to their standards. As a matter of fact the man Jesus was beneath them. But they had angered God in such away that He knew He had to show a better way. The better way came through the life of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. the life Jesus lived was no different from the life we all live today. He faced all the same temptations and fears, and He even faced scorn and ridicule from the high and mighty preachers and teachers of Gods word. But God had a plan in action through the life of Jesus.

According to the book of Hebrews Jesus fulfilled the plan and enabled for us the way to God without the need of an earthly priest.

Hebrews 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins.

The trouble with men of human nature as priest is that they too are susceptible to temptation and sin as well.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

No matter how good or some kind of super Christian you may think you are, you are at risk. This is also one of the reasons why Christ had to do what He did for us. We were in need of a High Priest, a high priest above reproach. Jesus faced everything we do and He arose to defeat all that Satan could deliver against Him. Jesus became a high priest in which He had no need for further sacrifices. The sacrifice He paid for not only covered Himself as priest but covered us as our sin offerings.

In the world today we are facing the same issues God had disliked. men are making themselves priest over what is supposed to be body of Christ. There are divisions in what is to be one temple. There are divisions in what is to be one sacrifice for all who will come. Mankind has taken over what God has given freely as Grace.

A problem I thought was only taking place here in the United States is really a world wide event. Born again Christians are leaving the churches. Born again Christians are finding ways to connect to the body of Christ without having to deal with the back biting hypocrisy that has filled organized churches. There are mission fields everyday that fall prey to the enemy we have allowed within the church. People see what is visible. People see the hypocrisy, the judgment cast upon them from other members who believe they are some kind of super christian.

The enemy the devil has put forth a campaign to bring the body of Christ to its knees. Through out the church today mankind has been searching for ways to defeat the enemy, all the while having the weapons we need at our disposal. We have let the enemy in and are defeating ourselves through selfish and judgmental intentions.

We need to fall on our knees and pray to the High Priest who was placed by God. We need to remove the veil and let the masses into Christ. We need to obey the commands Christ had given us and love the Lord God with all our hearts and souls, and love our brothers as ourselves. Christ has forgiven and placed our sins as far as the east is from the west. What He has done for you and me is a miracle within its self, and we should offer the same life-giving miracle to all who come not just whom we please.

Before I close here today I want to offer a prayer to our High Priest :

Our most High Priest,

We bring unto your presence a prayer of sacrifice. We ask that we may enter within your holy presence. We bring to you today a prayer of repentance. We ask that your grace forgive us of our sins. We ask here Lord that your holy body come together as a functioning part of life as we see it. Together we can withstand all the attacks the enemy can throw our way. For it was written that “a house divided can not stand”. Our bodies a re the temple we use to worship and honor you. But you have made the way for us to bring our bodies together and become one body with you as the head over all. Jesus you opened doors that could never be opened except by acceptable sacrifice. You have offered your body as the sacrifice to once and for all. Please Lord allow us to be able to extend your sacrifice to all of whom you call and whom you welcome in. It is not our place to choose who should come, the choice is yours. Yours alone.

The love you have extended unto each of us, let us extend to all. Teach us not to be choosy as to who is chosen. Teach us to not hold some ones past as a way of showing favoritism. We are all created equal in the image of God we were created, we all have a past life of sin and we have all as Christians have received a new birth through Jesus. Teach us to see past the external and seethe heart of those who come.

Lord we ask these things in the Name of Jesus.

Thank you and God Bless,
Tommy Harmon

Use this link to read a simple prayer to open your hearts door and let Jesus in.

Please use the comments link below. I would like to hear your remarks to these messages.

*All scripture quotes are from the The New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible unless otherwise noted