The work of the Divine Cupid began in the beginning.    After creating the heaven and the earth, the LORD created the flora and then the fauna of the earth.  After that he made the man.  Though he was alone, Adam was totally oblivious to his social state.  Adam did not look up to God and cry out for a companion, let alone for a wife.  It was God who said about Adam that it was not good for him to be alone.  God then put Adam into a deep sleep, removed some of his substance, from which he made the woman.  The LORD then brought the woman to the man and commanded them to go forth and multiply, and to fill the earth.  It is true that Adam was not very romantic.  Consider his words when he first saw Eve.  His eyes did not pop out of his head while exclaiming, “Wow!”, nor did he scratch his head and ask, “Uh Lord, what’s that?”  Instead he spoke with great understanding and said,”This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh”, he then went on to talk about becoming one flesh.  Adam realized a great truth that two were made from one, brought together by God so that the two could once again become one.  And all of this was not by Adam’s request, but by the will and work of God.

In the New Testament, Christ commenting on marriage states, “They are no longer two but one flesh.  What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.”  Note the acknowledgement of ”What God has joined together.”  In other words, even in this age, it is God who brings two people together into the marriage covenant.  The details of how this happens can vary with the particular society.  In our society we generally choose whom we will marry with relatively few if any guidelines.  We give great import to that state of temporary insanity we call “falling in love.”  We usually blame this on an imaginary creature called Cupid, while I submit to you that it can be God’s work.  Yes, it can be corrupted to lead us astray, but when entered into prayerfully can be the most wonderful time in our earthly life.  In this state one fails to see the pimples, warts, unibrow, idiosyncrasies, and general shortcomings of his or her beloved.  Whatever the process that leads to marriage, one must regard it as the work of God.

The Lord Jesus also reminded his disciples that a man is to leave his father and mother and cleave (be stuck to) his wife.  Yes men, your better half truly got “stuck” with you. Marriage is like two boards which have been joined together by a powerful glue.  The right tool could probably pry them apart, but not without damaging both boards in the process.  Some feel that when you stop falling in love, you no longer love that person.  This is not true.  It simply means that you have come to your senses and can now truly begin to love your beloved as God loves you.

This Valentine’s Day do not attribute your special love to a little imp using deadly force, but give thanks to God for the most wonderful relationship a human being can enter into with another human.

“And he (Jesus Christ) answered and said unto them, Have ye not read that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they two shall be one flesh.  Wherefore they are no more two but one flesh.  What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.”  Matthew chapter 19, verses 4 to 6.

One of the basic tenants of modern psychology is to absolve guilt by shifting the blame to something other than the person, himself.  Instead of taking responsibility for his wrong actions the responsibility is shifted to something in his childhood, pollutants in the environment, a bad gene, etc.  This concept however did not start in the last century or two, but goes all the way back to our first parents.

Adam and Eve lived in a perfect environment, were physically perfect, and had a perfect Father.  They were given only one prohibition which was to sustain from eating the Fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  In the third chapter of Genesis, we are told that after conversing with the serpent, Eve ate of the forbidden fruit.  She also gave it to Adam and he ate.  God came down to walk with them as was their custom, but Adam and Eve hid themselves.  The LORD confronted them regarding  their sin and the blameshifting began.

Adam started the ball rolling by pointing to Eve.  He responded by saying that the woman gave it to him and he then ate.  By pointing to Eve, Adam was not only blaming her but God himself.  Afterall, it was God who took the initiative to give the first man a helpmeet; Adam in fact was in a deep sleep during her creation.  Adam failed to acknowledge that he knew the law and that he exercised his will in the breaking of God’s commandment.

After Adam’s refusal to accept responsibility, Eve kept the blameshifting ball moving by pointing to the serpent.  “He deceived me,” she said.  No, Eve, it was you who continued to listen even after the serpent questioned God’s goodness (He has withheld something from you) and God’s truth (Surely you will not die).  Eve allowed herself to be drawn into Satan’s web and have her innocence devoured.

The only one who made no attempt to shift the blame was the serpent.  Perhaps it had no thumb to point with or perhaps not being human it had no inclination to refuse responsibility.  The serpent’s situation reminds me of a Three Stooges routine where the misfits are accused of doing something wrong, Moe points to Larry and says, “He did it,”, Larry points to Curly and says, “He did it.”  Poor Curly turns, but has no one else to point to and claims to be a “Victim of Coicumstances.”  I suppose if any creature could truly say “The Devil made me do it,” it would have been the serpent.  But no such protest was made by the speaking reptile.

God held all responsible for their actions.  For all three participants there were grave consequences.  Among the consequences were the serpent moving on its abdomen, the woman bearing pain in childbirth, and the man working by the sweat of his brow.  And, of course, the ultimate sentence that fell upon all, death.  Whether or not we take responsibility for our actions in this earth, we will give an account to God.  God has made a way to save us from the consequences of sin, by sending his Son to die for our sins that we may live with him forever.  The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son (To take the penalty for our sins), that whosoever believes in him should not perish (Bear the ultimate sentence for sin being eternal death in the Lake of Fire) but have everlasting life.

Have you done wrong?  The Bible says that all have sinned.  Do not shift the blame to someone or something else.  Somewhere along the way you choose to do that which you knew was wrong.  Instead of shifting blame let us acknowledge our wrong, seek forgiveness, from God first and then those we have wronged, and move forward having dealt with our sin on God’s terms.  Trying to deal with guilt by shifting the blame is like taking a painkiller for cancer.  It may give you some temporary relief, but it does not solve the problem.

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso cofesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”  Proverbs 28:13

First let us consider what the Bible says about human nature.  The fifty-third chapter of Isaiah’s prophecy says that all we like sheep have gone astray and have turned everyone to his own way.  Just as sheep have a tendency to wander from their shepherd so our natural tendency is to wander from God rather than moving towards him.  In the third chapter of the Epistle to the Romans the Apostle Paul writes that there is none that seeketh after God.  Both of these statements express the state of all people who are not in Christ.  The eighth chapter of Romans, verse 7 states that the carnal (natural) mind is enmity (at war with) God.  What we really seek is not peace with God, but peace with our self and our sin.

As has already been stated, the true seeker is God.  In the thirty-forth chapter of Ezekiel the LORD states that he will seek his people where ever they have been dispersed to bring them again into the land.  In the fourth chapter of John’s Gospel, Christ says that God the Father is seeking true worshippers who will worship him in spirit and in truth.  In Luke, chapter nineteen Jesus Christ (God the Son) states that he is come to seek and to save that which is lost.  One of the most amazing concepts in the Bible is that it is not man who seeks God, but God, the Creator, the Great I AM who seeks man, the creature, the tiny speck that lives on a tiny speck on the great mural of the universe called earth.

So, if we are not to be seekers, what are we to do?  How can we be found?  In ancient times shepherds would sometimes combine their flocks in a common feeding area such as a meadow.  This would create an extra measure of security   When it was time for each shepherd to go his own way, each shepherd would call his sheep.  Each individual sheep would respond only to the voice of its own shepherd.  I am no expert on sheep or ancient shepherding practices, but it is certainly a great illustration of how God finds us.  We must listen for the voice of the shepherd and go to him when he calls.  The believer in Jesus Christ hears the Shepherd’s voice when he or she hears the Word of God.  God’s children say yes to the Gospel and the whole counsel of the Scripture because it is to us the voice of our Great Shepherd who saves and loves us supremely.

“And other sheep I have. which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and they shall become one flock, one shepherd.”  John 10: 16

According to Mormon doctrine Jesus and Satan are both spirit children of God the Father, which would make them brothers.  The fifth chapter of Micah makes it clear that the Son of God has existed from eternity past.  The opening chapter of the Gospel of John and the book of Colossians tell us that all things, including the spirit realm were created by the Lord Jesus Christ.  Christ is God the Son and Satan is a creation of his.  Mormons also believe that humans existed before their birth as spirit children of God.  Also, a man, by following the tenants of the church including secret ceremonies in the temple, can become a god, creating his own universe.  The best a woman can hope for is to become the wife of a “god”.  There is no indication in the Bible that there was any existence before our creation or procreation.  Also the Bible is clear that there is only one true God who exists in three persons and that there will always be only one true God.  In the New Creation the redeemed will reach a higher plane of life, but will never become gods.  The LDS church also has a collection of additional books called the Book of Mormon, which together with the  Bible comprise the Mormon Scriptures.  These and other things as well are major differences of doctrine.  It is therefore correct to refer to The Church of Latter Day Saints of Jesus Christ as a cult in the traditional sense of the word.

Does this mean I hate Mormons?  No.  Does this mean that when they come to my house i sic the dog on them or turn the hose on them?  No.  In fact sometimes I go out of my way to lovingly share the truth with them.  By the way, I would not suggest you do that unless you are well grounded in the Scripture.  Does this mean I would not vote for a Mormon to be president of the United States?  Not necessarily, however it would be an issue I would take into consideration when deciding who would get my vote.  Of course, there would be other issues involved as well.

Would I vote for Mr. Romney?  Frankly, he is not my favorite among the present Republican candidates, but it really has nothing to do with his religion.  Would I vote for him if he was the Republican candidate in 2012?  I would have to see who the other candidates are first, but more than likely yes.  Would I embrace his religion as just another Christian denomination?  No.

 ”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”  (John 1: 1-3)

Next the LORD told Ezekiel to preach to the bones.  He was not to preach just anything, but the message was, “Thus saith the LORD.”  Certainly through the annuls of human history ministers have preached to many dead congregations.  Some pastors today probably feel like they are preaching to pews filled with dry and scattered bones.  However, was any congregation as dead as that which Ezekiel spoke in the Valley of the Dry Bones Chapel.  As God’s servant preached the bones began to move, bone joined to bone until all had formed complete skeletons.  As the prophet beheld them, sinews and flesh came upon the bones.  Eyeballs filled the empty sockets, brains formed in the vacant craniums, and hollow torsos filled with organs.  Though the bodies were whole and certainly looked better than at first, they were still lifeless corpses.

Ezekiel was given another command, to preach to the wind to come upon the dead and to give them life.  Ezekiel preached as God told him and the wind became the breath of life and the dead arose and stood as a mighty army.  The immediate interpretation of this vision is that even though Israel will seem to have no more life than the dry and scattered bones, the LORD will raise her up again as a sovereign nation to serve him.  However, for believers in the age of the Gentile Church there is another application as well.  The vision of the dry bones is a wonderful picture of personal salvation.

The valley of the dry and scattered bones depicts the general spiritual condition of humanity.  The Bible says that those outside of Christ are dead in trespasses and sins.  The scripture says that our sins have separated us from God, and that except for salvation in Christ we are without God and without hope in this world and thus dead to God.  The pews of many Christian churches are filled with dry and scattered bones clothed in the garb of religion.

What caused the bones to start moving?  It was the preaching of “Thus saith the LORD.”  The movement of the bones and the outward appearance of life pictures conviction.  This conviction comes from the hearing of God’s Word.  A biblical example is Josiah.  When he heard the reading of the Law of Moses his heart was broken for the sin of his nation as well as his own personal sinfulness.  When one sees what he or she truly is in the mirror of God’s Word the only reasonable response is sorrow.  The first beatitude is “blessed is the poor in spirit.”  The first step to the blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven is a broken and contrite heart.  Without conviction and repentance there can be no true salvation.

So the bones had assembled into complete skeletons and then the bone were clothed in flesh and sinews.  The bodies looked better now but they were still dead.  What would be needed to bring life to these cadavers?  Ezekiel was told to preach to the wind, to call for it to come upon the slain.  The wind is a picture of the Holy Spirit who comes upon the repentant sinner who calls on Christ to save his soul.  One who merely turns over a new leaf or gets religion is no better than the lifeless carcasses that filled the valley.  You can dress up dry bones with the flesh of good works and the sinews of religion, but until one receives Christ as Savior he or she is still spiritually dead.When the spirit enters in the individual is born into a new life, becomes a new creature in Christ, and is and forever  will be alive to God.

There is major difference between what happened to the bones and personal salvation.  The bones had no choice, but you and I must choose.  You can either say, “Save me Lord Jesus” or “No, it is not for me.”You can be like the Pharisee (a member of the conservative religious party) who lifted up his eyes to God, gloating in his self-righteousness or you can be like the publican (tax collector) who lowered his head, beat on his chest, and cried, “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.”

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even while we were dead in sins, hath quickened (make alive) us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved.” (Ephesians 2:4,5)

One thing that can give us some insight is the context of the verse in the Bible.  It is a reference to the year of Jubilee which was to occur every fifty years.  During this year of Jubilee all debts were to be forgiven.  If someone were a servant to another due to an unpayable debt they were to be set free.  If someone lost their inherited land due to financial problems, it was to be returned to him.  If someone had been separated from his family due to financial loss they were to be restored to one another.  Furthermore, during this Year of Jubilee, no one was to take advantage of another’s financial loss for personal gain.  Not even interest was to be charged on any debt.  So, in the immediate context of the verse, liberty is to be freed from obligations due to debt.

Another example we can consider is the liberty proclaimed in 1776.  American colonists felt more and more like they were being treated like a conquered nation rather than British subjects.  Britain was imposing heavy taxes on the colonists to pay the high costs of maintaining an empire.  Soldiers were always present and could force someone to house and feed them.  These and other things were being done to the colonists without representation in the British Parliament.  When Americans tried to reconcile their differences they were rejected.  This lead to the birth of a nation which recognized that all men were created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.  Liberty at the birth of our nation was to be freed from an oppressive mother country.

Another example of liberty is found in the New Testament.  In Romans chapter 6 and Second Peter chapter 2 we are told that those outside of Christ are slaves to sin.  That is, we do not sin because we choose to do evil, but we sin because it is our nature and we have no choice in the matter. Also, the 23rd verse of Romans 6 states that the wages of sin is death.  Biblically death is not just the cessation of bodily functions, but eternal death in the lake of fire.  The conclusion of the previously mentioned verse is that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.  But eternal life does not just mean that when we die we go to heaven, but it is the power to be free from the power of sin.  John, chapter 8, verse 36 states that whosoever the Son shall make free shall be free indeed.  In Christ is the power to be free from sin.  In him is the capacity to choose holiness over sin.  In Christ is forgiveness and cleansing from sin.  Ultimately, in the new heavens and earth mentioned in the final chapter of the Revelation of John, to dwell eternally in an entire universe untouched by the consequences of sin.  This is true and absolute spiritual liberty.

Basically then, liberty means to be set from some type of oppression.  On July 4th we celebrate our liberty as a nation and it is certainly a wonderful thing to acknowledge.  However, infinitely more important than any political liberty is the spiritual liberty that comes by simple childlike faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  May you find liberty in Christ even as you celebrate your liberty as an American.

“But God be thanked, that ye were servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.  Being then made free from sin ye became the servants of righteousness.” (Romans 6: 17,18)

What can we learn from this encounter?  First of all, that God does not take sides, not even Joshua’s.  It is never a matter of whose side God is on, but who is on his side.  Also, when one does willingly put himself under God’s command, he will join in our battle.  We see that God takes part in mankind’s wars.  Here we see the Lord attired in battle dress.  In the third verse of the fifteenth chapter of Exodus we read the Lord is a man of war.  For those of you who think that this is only an Old Testament concept read the nineteenth chapter of Revelation.  War in itself is not evil, but as long as evil exists, and it will not exist forever, war will be a necessity.  Finally, the Lord wants to guide us in what we do.  He came to Joshua with a plan that no human being would have ever conceived, and by following it the unconquerable city was conquered.

So, whether commander or soldier in the fray, you must decide first whether you are with God or against him.  Unfortunately, being an American does not automatically line you up with God.  Then understand that he is in the battle.  Are you with him or opposing him.  Finally realize that by the laws and principles of God’s Word you will be lead to make right choices.  Do not say you are on God’s side but refuse to change when his Word requires it.  Thank God for our Americans in arms.  What a horribly different world it would be without them.  May they meet the God of Joshua in his written word.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.  And he was clothed in a vesture dipped in blood:  and his name is called the Word of God.  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in white linen, fine and clean.  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations:  and he shall rule them with a rod of iron:  and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.  (Revelation: 19: 11-16)

The ultimate reality is not what we perceive through our five senses, though it is certainly a plane of reality.  The ultimate reality is what exists beyond this physical and temporal realm.  The ultimate reality is to know God who created all things and desires to commune with every human.  People are separated from God by sin, the breaking of God’s law, and can only be reconciled to Him on the basis of  His terms.  God’s terms for reconciliation are found in what is commonly called the Gospel or Good News.

1. All have sinned.  There is none righteous, no, not one.  Your righteousness is as filthy rags (that is rags filled with blood and pus).  This part may not seem like good news, but unless you understand this the rest is irrelevant.

2. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  While we were yet sinners God loved us and sent His son to die for our sins.  Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world.  This is the Gospel, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures (the Old Testament), and that He was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures (the Old Testament).

3. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be save.  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.  …that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.  God’s terms for reconciliation are received by men and women through faith in Jesus the Christ (Messiah) as He is revealed in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments.  

4. He came unto His own and His own received Him not, but as many as received Him, to them He gives the authority to be called sons of God.  You who were dead (separated from God) in trespasses and sin has He quickened (made alive).  Salvation is not going to heaven when you die, though that will certainly happen.  It is being reconciled to God, and walking with Him now and forever.  And that is the ultimate reality.

Do you believe this?  God gives an invitation to all.  “Come and let us reason together, though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow.”