Godmart

Contents

1 Salvation

2 Forgiveness

3 Purpose/Ministry/Calling/Work

4 Faith/Faithful

5 Inheritance/Life

6 Needs/Desires

7 Love

8 Peace/Sleep/Rest

9 Joy/Blessed

10 Hope

11 Wisdom/Revelation/Knowledge

12 Grace/Mercy

13 Patience/Trust

14 Gentleness/Kindness/Goodness

15 Humility/Strength

16 Word/Instruction

17 Deliverance/Help/Refuge

18 Burdens/Trials/Healing

19 Holy/Sanctification

GodMart

In this day and time, everyone is familiar with the Walmart stores. Walmart has everything you need; everything for yourself, your home and your car. What a wonderful idea Mr. Sam Walton had!

You probably would agree that Walmart is the first place you run to when you have a physical need. Now let’s take that concept one step further, into the spiritual world. What if there were such a place that had everything you need for your soul, your mind and your spirit? Oh, how wonderful to think about going to one place to receive healing for all the hurts in your life; to receive peace for your mind, joy for your heart and hope for tomorrow.

Well, rejoice my friends! Let me take you to such a place! It’s called GodMart! One stop for whatever you need.

Come with me as we use the wonderful imagination that our Lord gave us to see into the spiritual realm, using the Walmart store as a floor plan.

Imagine driving down the highway and there it is; a huge five hundred thousand square foot building. The sign out front is big and bold and reads:

GODMART

EVERYONE WELCOME

All you need to do is go through the door. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life! We know this because God says that no one comes to the Father except through the Son! The door into this place of God must be his Son, Jesus! Even the door handles spell His name, Jesus!

Let’s grab Jesus and go in! Do you remember the first time you went to Walmart? The awesome size of it, the surprises at every turn, the wonder of it all! Well, GodMart is that and so much more. The first thing you notice is that there are no checkout counters or cash registers. How will you pay? Then you notice a sign that says: Jesus paid it all for you. Wow! Why would He do that? This is a big store and I need a lot of stuff you say. Again you are reminded; Jesus paid all the debt you will ever owe. In trying to encompass this, you are overwhelmed. No one has ever done anything like this for you! You have always had to pay, and pay some more.

As you move into the main part of the store, you see the usual aisles and lots of them. The end caps of the aisles are marked with different aspects of Jesus. There is an aisle marked FAITH, one marked HOPE, others marked SALVATION, TRUTH, GRACE, PATIENCE, WISDOM, and on and on it goes through the whole store. Moving quickly through the store aisles, on each shelf we see Jesus’ name printed on every box, can and bag. This must mean that everything you are ever going to need is in Him!

Now, what is it that you are in need of in your Christian walk? Are you short on faith; need a bag of grace, a box of truth or maybe just a can of love? Okay, go ahead. Just get a cart and go up and down each aisle and get whatever you need! Remember you don’t have to worry about coming up short when it comes time to pay. Jesus has already covered the cost. Jesus made it free for you! Jesus wants you to come and get the abundant life He promised you from the beginning.

GodMart is always full. Nothing is ever out of stock. You will never have to ask for a rain check and come back another day. You don’t even have to wait for a sale. Praise God there is always plenty of Jesus. Let’s go in and get everything we need!

As we mentioned earlier, in order to get into GodMart, you have to come through Jesus, the Son of the living God. In John chapter 14, verse 6, Jesus tells us, I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except through Me. So exactly how do we do this? First we must know what God says to us and the provision He has made for us. There is no better way to explain this to you except the word of God, the Bible.

In the book of Genesis beginning in chapter 2, God creates man (called Adam) and places him in the Garden of Eden, along with Eve, the first woman God created from a rib taken from Adam. Thus the first family was created; a man and a woman. God tells Adam of all the trees in the garden he may eat except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For in the day that he eats of it he shall surely die.

As the text unfolds in chapter 3, the serpent more cunning than any other beast of the field comes to the woman and starts to question her concerning the eating of the fruit of the trees in the garden. She replies with the command God gave about the tree they could not eat of because they would die. The cunning serpent tells her, You will surely not die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it you will be like God knowing good and evil. So Eve saw the tree was good for food and pleasant to the eyes and a tree desirable to make one wise. She took of its fruit and ate and gave some to her husband and he ate with her. The bottom line here is they disobeyed God and His commandment to them. Their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked so they sewed fig leaves together to make themselves coverings.

Then they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden and they hid from Him. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, Where are you? Adams confessed he was afraid because he was naked and he hid from God. God asked, Who told you, you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree I commanded that you should not eat?

Here is the first recorded act of blame. Adam tells God, The woman you gave to be with me gave me of the tree and I ate. God then turns to the woman asking, What is this you have done? So continues the blame. The serpent deceived me and I ate, she replies. God tells the serpent he is cursed. There will be enmity between the woman and him, as well as his seed and her Seed. God tells the woman her sorrow will be multiplied in conception and childbirth and she will desire her husband but he will rule over her. He turns to Adam and tells him because of his disobedience the ground is cursed and he will have to toil to eat of it. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken and to dust you shall return. God then made tunics of skin and clothed them. This was the first sacrifice. An animal was killed to make a covering for man. God did not want the first family to be locked in separation from Him forever by remaining in the garden and eating of the tree of life, a life in rebellion and disobedience toward His commandments. So God drove the man out and placed a cherub at the east of the garden and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

This is the record of the fall of man from the presence and relationship with God. It happened because the woman was lead to believe in essence that God was holding out on her, thinking He did not have her best interest at heart. Mislead to believe He did not love her enough to give her something that looked good and tasted good. She too wanted to be like God. So she took matters into her own hands and chose to rebel against God’s word. Then to top it off she gave some to her husband and he too fell into disobedience.

There are so many revelations in Chapter 3 of Genesis. We are clearly shown we have an enemy, one who wants to lie and deceive us and distort the words God has spoken to us. The serpent, a.k.a. Satan, knows all about rebellion and wanting to be like God. He too fell from his position in heaven by desiring to ascend to the throne of God. His pride and thinking he knew better and more than God got him cast out and thrown down to earth. He is still trying to be God and rule this world as well as God’s people. His methods have not changed. They have only been refined and custom fitted to the individual he is attempting to control. God’s people are just that, His people and Satan wants be their god. He wants God’s people to obey his desires and worship him instead of God.

Thus we are in need of a Savior. One who can make a way for us to return to the original place of fellowship with God, our Creator. The God who knows best and is not holding out on us, but is watching out for us and providing for our needs. His ultimate desire is that we would recognize the sinful nature we have inherited from our earthly father Adam, and be reborn spiritually. This rebirth saves us from the sins we have committed and insures us an eternal home in heaven with Him, instead of going to hell with Satan forever. Not all of the people God has created believe in Him, or sin, or Satan. A lot of people are stuck so to speak in denial and doubt about God and His plan. Many want to live just like they are and think they will not have to give an account for all they have or have not done while they live on this earth. But this is just another of Satan’s great lies. Just like these: If there were a God would things be in the shape there are? If God really loved you like they say He does, why is life so bad for you right now? Doubt and questions run rampant; so much and so many lies. No one is seeking the Truth, especially if the Truth is not to their liking.

Here is the bottom line, God is God whether you choose to believe or not. He created everything for Himself and He is in complete control, whether we can see it or not. Our not believing in God does not change Him one iota. Our believing that it does is just one of the many forms of deception Satan uses to keep us away from the saving grace of God. You will have to stop believing what you may have been told or taught by everyone and seek the Truth.

The Truth is a person, Jesus Christ, the savior of the world. At this point you may not understand who Jesus is or what He has done for you or even your part in God’s plan. But hopefully a trip to GodMart will make it clear. The things in GodMart are only available to you after you receive the salvation of your soul through faith in Jesus. So there is no need to even start through the store until you have this point settled.

Because we have the same fallen nature of Adam, the first man, we need to be reborn into the family of God. You must acknowledge and repent of the sin that separates you from the presence of God. You must come to see that you too have rebelled against the authority of God in your life. You have tried as Eve did to be like God. We have all fallen short of the grace of God and there is none righteous in and of their self. God says the penalty of sin against Him is death. So because of our sin someone must die and pay the debt owed. God knew we could not pay for what we have done. So in His great mercy He sent his only begotten Son, Jesus to come and tell us the good news. He was willing to be the substitute for us and die on the cross designed for us.

Jesus is the Son of God, who came to earth in human form and lived His life without sin, to be the perfect sacrifice, pleasing to God. Remember in the book of Genesis when Adam and Eve realized they were naked and made coverings out of fig leaves. They were trying to cover their sin, their disobedience to the commands of God. But God killed animals and used their skins to make a covering for them. Something had to die to cover their sin. Thus the sacrifice was started. In the Old Testament an animal was brought to the priests to atone for the person’s sins. You might be asking how they knew they had committed sin. God gave them the Ten Commandments. These commandments were laws the people were to obey. When they did not do as God had commanded, they were required to offer something (sacrifice) of value to try to make atonement to God for their disobedience to the commandments (God’s Word). The bulls, goats or doves as well as the grain and wine they brought to the priests as an offering to God cost them. They were not allowed to bring a defective or sickly animal to the priest. It had to be the best one they had. God is not pleased with less than the very best we have. The bringing of their sacrifice was an admission they had sinned against God.

God desires obedience and humility from us. Pride and disobedience will not stand before the presence of God. We cannot usurp His authority without dire consequences. The people God created for Himself to serve and obey Him have always had the same problem Eve had in the garden. We want to be like God. We want to be the God of our own life. We want to do what we want to do, live like we want to live and have it our way without any problems or consequences. Rebellion and the consequences of rebellion are recorded throughout the Old and New Testament. You might be asking how this can ever change. The answer is Jesus.

In the Old Testament many prophets were sent to the people to tell them of their sins against God and their need to repent and confess what they had done. They also prophesied of the coming Messiah; the One who would reveal God’s plan of salvation from their sins; the final sacrifice, the ultimate priest, the One who would make a way of escape from death. The people were divided even then about the Messiah. Not much has changed today, except the names and the faces. There are those who think Jesus was just a man that someone wrote about. There are those who think He was just another prophet. There are those who think it is all a bunch of hogwash and chose to blaspheme Him and God. There are those who think Mary, Buddha, Mohammed or you fill in the blank are God. These are all lies. Lies Satan has implanted into the heart of man to kill steal and destroy him from any hope of a relationship with God, the Father, Creator ofall the universe and lover of our soul. God is the one with the plan, the way to Him, is His Son, Jesus Christ.

Since we have inherited the sin nature from Adam, the first man, we need to be reborn to receive a new nature. To be reborn we have to die. The death we must die is to self. How do you do this? You must believe Jesus is the Son of the living God and He came to earth and lived as we lived, but He did not sin against the commandments of God. He obeyed His Father in every way, because He lived a perfect life. He became our sacrifice. Remember earlier when the people had to bring a sacrifice to the priest to offer to God for their sin and it could not be defective, sick or lame. Well Jesus was the perfect Lamb of God, without spot or blame. He came and told us all about our sin and our need to be saved. So we could live in peace and fellowship with God our Father forever. He told us if we would believe in Him and confess our sin. He would forgive us and give us His inheritance and a home in heaven for all of eternity. He told us unless we have faith in Him and ask Him to be our Lord and Savior we will die and go to hell. Everything to do with God and Jesus can be summed up into one word… faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Eve had faith. She just put it in the wrong person, Satan. She trusted Satan more than she trusted God who had created her, placed her in the garden and provided for all her needs. Does this sound like you? Are you trusting in the lies you have been taught or the ones you have made up for yourself just to live the best you can. God is the one who created you and has given you everything you have, whether you like Eve believe it or not. Do not think for one moment you in and of your self have done diddley. God has graciously been watching over you, even in your rebellion against Him. He is waiting for you to acknowledge Him, confess your sin and accept the provision of His Son’s death on the cross as your payment for the sins you have committed against Him. Why are you waiting? Why are you trying to be in the place of God in your life? No wonder you are miserable. No wonder you are hurting and broken. You need a Savior and a new life. Jesus is the answer. He is ever waiting for you to come to your senses and trust Him with your life.

When you give Him your life, die the death of self, He will give you the abundant life that He promises in the Bible. He will do so much for you. He will take away all the pain and hurt from the past, as well as the worry and fear of today. He will give you His life in exchange for your life. That almost sounds too good to be true, But God is not a man that He should lie. He is all truth. Man is the one who lies and Satan is the father of lies, he spoon feeds them into the heart and mind of man. Man does the rest by placing his faith in the lies as he is led away from the truth of God.

Let’s just start looking at some of the scriptures which speak of salvation. John 3:16 tells us: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Acts chapter 4 verse 12 refers to the two verses before concerning Jesus saying: Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. In the book of Acts chapter 16 beginning in verse 25 we read the account of Paul and Silas praying and singing hymns while being held captive in jail. Suddenly there was a great earthquake and the foundations of the prison were shaken and the doors were opened and all the chains were loosed. The keeper of the prison was awakened and thought all the prisoners had escaped. He drew his sword to kill himself, when Paul called with a loud voice telling him all the prisoners were still there. He came and fell before them trembling and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? So they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your whole household. Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. They were baptized having believed in God.

What a great testimony of salvation not only for this man but his whole household. Paul writes to the Romans in chapter 1 verse 16 telling them he is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. This verse reveals salvation is for every one of us, God shows no partially. He loves everyone and withholds no good thing from us, but blesses us beyond our wildest dreams. Just in case you are thinking you do not need to be saved, Romans 3:21-26 reveals truth concerning this: But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, who God set forth as a propitiation by His blood through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness because of His forbearance God has passed over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Wow! Praise God! He did it all for me and you in and through His Son Jesus Christ. In Ephesians chapter 2 beginning in verse 1 we read: And you He made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature children of wrath just as the others. But God who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Amen, Amen.

In Philippians 2 verses 12 and 13, Paul tells us the following: Therefore my beloved as you have always obeyed not in my presence only, but now much more in my absence work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Now this verse does not mean we have to do a work to be saved, as was made clear in the previous verses taken from Ephesians. It means we have to use the gifts we have received from our salvation in Jesus Christ. Salvation is not something we receive and then we settle back into the normal ways we used to live. We are changed when we receive the abundant life from Jesus. After you have been reborn, there is a lot of work to be done in the kingdom of God and work to be done concerning the old way of life we have been delivered from. In Colossians chapter 1 beginning in verse 9 please hear what the Spirit of God writes through Paul for all of us: For this reason we also since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God: strengthened with all might according to His glorious power for all patience and longsuffering with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. I don’t know about you but that is a lot of work on my part. I have to choose to believe I am no longer under the power of darkness, Satan, the world and the flesh. I have to study God’s instruction book to learn who I have become now that I am a new creature, a new person, reborn, a child of God. I have been bought by the precious blood of the Son of God. I have to seek the wisdom of God and let go of my will, intellect and desire. I must choose daily to believe what God says about me and my life more than I believe what I think, hear, see or am told by other people. I have to trust God.

This trust is probably the hardest thing for us to work out. We have all been lied to, hurt, rejected, abused,