From the Author
I really have worked to make these books readable to Mr. and Mrs. Average Person. So much of what I find is written academically, or to grind out a preconceived view, or to scare the wits out of the reader. Mr. Joe Average Christian’s future is dramatically described in these pages – his long-term life choices, her raising a family, his choosing a vocation – all of these should be made with an accurate eye on what Jesus said is surely somewhere, sometime on our horizon.
Books by Sam Chess by Release Date
Peter: The Grace of New Beginnings
If only there was somebody that would let us look deep into his/her sinfulness, and then let us see a total transformation by the power of God!
There is – It’s Peter! We don’t get a few snapshots of his life in the Bible, we get a whole high-definition movie!
Jesus not only chose Peter as his first disciple – He seemed intent on spelling out all the “wise-guy” things that he said, all the arrogant comments, all the falling-on-his-face failures! And then in a logic that we struggle to understand, Jesus took the least likely person, and lifted him to the number one place in leadership among his disciples!
• Question: Why would Jesus do that? Why did Jesus want Peter as his main storyline?
• Answer: Because, that’s who the greatest number of us can relate to!
God uses an “in-your-face, arrogant, big-mouth, screw-up” to eventually become the most powerful, righteous voice in the Early Church! He did it, to show us just how far his grace can and will, bring each of us toward “maximum eternal life impact,” if only we are willing!
Jonah: God’s Unrelenting Grace
Every generations of Sunday School children have heard the story of Jonah. It’s the story “about a big fish swallowing a man and the then spitting him back out onto dry land.”
Acutally the word “fish’ is only mentioned four times in the whole book! Clearly, the point of the story must be about far more than “a fish swallowing a man.” The fish is mentioned just 4 times. Jonah is mentioned 18 times, God is mentioned 38 times!
It turns out that Jonah is not the hero of the story. GOD IS! The book is actually about God’s extraordinary, unstoppable, GRACE, even toward the sons and daughters who choose to run away from him!
When our Heavenly Father holds open His arms of invitation, we know that the prodigal son or daughter sometimes runs in the opposite direction! Jonah did! Perhaps that describes some of us reading these words. But the amazing story about Jonah is that God’s love never gives up. God’s grace always pursues us! HIs outstretched arms reach out to us, even in the fog of our deepest sins!
God’s grace is a powerful, unstoppable, unmerited river pouring in our direction. But it is not always easy to accept, not easy to even believe in, not easy to receive. In this “JONAH” book, Sam Chess helps us to experience the consistent, ever-faithful, relentless, constantly-pursuing, unrestrained, love and grace of God reaching into each of our lives.
Heaven
If I were to ask each of us where we will be one minute after we breathe our last breath, most of us would respond – I’ll be in Heaven! Good! So where is that? What is it like there? What will you be doing? Many people might form their response from a modern book about somebody who said they died and visited Heaven – but we all should really be asking, “What does the Bible actually say”?
Many people have the misconception that the Bible is vague on the subject. The truth is the word “Heaven” shows up 913 times from the earliest pages of Scripture to its description in the last three sentences, along with hundreds of additional passages that describe Heaven without actually using the word.
What if we could organize all that Biblical information to be able to gaze right inside of Heaven, be able to see exactly where our saintly relatives are, and start to form a mental picture of what they are doing right now – and what we will be doing for all of eternity?
We all say we’re looking forward to the “no more pain and tears” part. That’s good! When we do finally find ourselves in Heaven and the curse of sin has fallen away, and the pain, and the fears, and the confusion of this sin-soaked life have faded from view… When we for the first time walk into the Throne Room of God – and from deep in our soul, a praise begins to rise joining in unison with millions of other “Saints” and millions of angels, worshipping in ways we only get the briefest glimpse of now – all the traumas of this life will suddenly seem worthwhile! But what if that is just the beginning, What if there is far more to Heaven?
But what if that is just the beginning, What if there is far more to Heaven? What if what we are learning and experiencing in this life is just preparing us for what the book of Romans calls being “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ”?
What in the world could Apostles John and Paul have possibly meant when they describe us as eternally “reigning” with Christ? It’s all in here – let’s dig it out!
Newest Release: What Scares Demons?
1 John 3:8: “ …the Son of God came to DESTROY the works of the devil.”
In What Scares Demons Sam Chess shows us that Jesus left Heaven and came into this world, as a Savior, as OUR SAVIOR, to forgive and cleanse our sins! But Jesus also came into this world as a HEAVENLY WARRIOR to do fatal damage to “satan’s kingdom of darkness”!
Hebrews 2:14-15: “…he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil…
Jesus didn’t come to this earth to have a word spat with satan. He came to destroy him! Jesus didn’t just come to save us from sin – He came to save us from satan!
Colossians 1:12-14: “…For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,”
What you see and hear from demons when come in contact with Jesus and scream out in fear in the Gospels should make you never fear them again in your life! The truth is – demons are scared to death of your God, they are scared to death of your Savior and they are scared to death of YOU, a Redeemed Saint, and the presence of God that lives in you!
“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and they tremble/shudder. (φρίσσω) in terror!” (James 2:19)
They know something that they hope you never find out: They know that all the power is on your side! You are a Son or Daughter of the Most High God!
And they are scared to death of what you will do with your life when you figure that all out!
Unmasking Revelation
Revelation is a book that many Christians dislike and ignore!
The Early Church saw this letter 180 degrees opposite. They were being persecuted, their possessions and families ripped away. Satan seemed to be winning! When those “hunted” people got this letter, they were electrified. They now had the final key to the “Gospel” message – they caught something they hadn’t caught before! Satan wasn’t going to win his battle against God! Jesus was coming back, and when he did, all evil would be defeated!
Nobody in the Early Church let their “Revelation letter” collect dust. Nobody said “it is just too hard to understand.” They studied deeply – because those words were the keys to their future! They now knew the end of the story! When Jesus returned, he would reward his Saints and crush satan! He would purge the “curse” off the planet! (22:3) The message of the letter was intense – it still is: Jesus victoriously wins…satan miserably loses!
Jesus didn’t intend the End Times to scare us! He didn’t intend for his “unveiling” to sit unread! What if – the 63-year-old carpenter, the 42-year-old salesperson, the 30-year-old nurse, and the 16-year-old student could all finally say: “It’s not scary mumbo-jumbo to me any more! What if instead of sparking confusion and fear, Jesus’ “Revelation” could ignite awe and worship?
Sam Chess has intentionally written to make the difficult understandable – to “unmask” the weird and scary, to simply unfold the chronological storyline of Jesus’ final triumphant victory!
Jesus Came to Destroy the Works of the devil
JESUS CAME TO DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL!
Luke 8:28: “As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of him. Then he screamed, ‘Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I beg you, don’t torture me!’”
Say it with me: “What I see and hear when demons meet Jesus and scream out in terror in Scripture should make me never live in fear of them again in my life because the actual truth is demons are scared to death of my God!” “They are scared out of their mind of my Savior!!”
- • Your Savior, the One who declared and still declares He loves you so much that he would allow himself to be crucified to pay the penalty for your sins.
- • The One who loves you so much that after dying and then rising from the dead to forgive you and cleanse you, he would then send his own Holy Spirit to indwell you to transform us from the inside out!
- • That One who loves you so much that he longs to spend all of eternity communing with you.
That Savior’s very presence caused the minions of satan to quiver in terror – every single time!
And here’s why! Listen to the tortured screams coming out of the demoniac:
Luke 8:28: “As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of him. Then he screamed, ‘Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I beg you, don’t torture me!’”
- • There are people sitting in churches all over the world who (even though they are occupying a church seat) will deny that Jesus is divine!
- • They will swear (on a stack of Bibles) that Jesus was just a good man with some particularly wise things to say about loving everybody, being tolerant of everybody, and treating others the way you want to be treated.
- • “But let’s not go all nuts,” they will say, “and make Jesus out to be incarnate God, here on earth in a human body.”
In direct contrast, the demons clearly believed Jesus was Sovereign! They believed, without question, that he had complete authority and that authority extended over them!
So, for those who don’t believe the Bible means exactly what it seems to be saying, I can assure you that satan and his demons do!
Even the demons End-Times view thoroughly assumes a returning Christ and a coming judgment over sin and satan. Watch this:
Matthew 8:29: “‘What do you want with us, Son of God?’ they shouted. ‘Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?’”
Luke 8:31: “And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.”
Again, what “theology” are these God-hating demons pointing to that eventually arrives through the pen of the Apostle John in inspired Scripture?
Revelation 20:1-2,10: “And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:10 then says satan gets out briefly to gather those who still reject Jesus during the 1000 year Millenium.) “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
Based on what the demons are saying, they already know that they will also be in the lake of fire with satan forever. Notice, the demons believe their total destruction is still a “future event.” They obviously believe Revelation 20 more firmly than many Christians do!
- • Demons apparently know, and believe, that the Bible says Jesus’ coming would bring an eternal kingdom which would forever wipe out their kingdom. But they had the same problem as the first century Jews: They didn’t understand that Jesus was going to come twice!
- • In Jesus’ First Coming he would pay our sin debt, but in His Second Coming he would set up an Everlasting Kingdom, and all the Redeemed Saints (us) will forever reign with Him!
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The point is; the evil one, the one we often see as an almost insurmountable adversary,
- • one single word from our Savior’s mouth,
- • the same Savior who satan knows that John 1 says was the Creator of the Universe,
- • the same Savior who one of these days is going to become the Sovereign Judge of the Universe!
- • One word from that Savior’s mouth, and our “powerful” adversary turns into a quivering ball of terror!
God needs to change the picture in the minds of his Church, from us cowering in front of satan, to seeing satan cowering in front of our Savior!
Ten Probing Questions
Ten Probing Questions!
Probing Premise# 1) If in fact true prayer originates in heaven. If prayer isn’t us coming up with some bright idea and pummeling God until we can convince him to come around to our way of thinking.
Probing Premise # 2) If it’s true that God originates true prayer and then he looks for one of us, his children, his Church, on whom he can place the burden of prayer – who will be the tip of the spear to voice the request in faith, believing, back to Him.
Probing Premise # 3) That would certainly explain how “what you bind on earth will have already been bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will have already been loosed in heaven,” wouldn’t it? (Matthew 16:19, Matthew 18:18)
Probing Question # 4) If you knew that you were, literally, a key player in the huge, cosmic battle between the mighty power of God, and the soon to be defeated forces of sin and satan.
Probing Question # 5) If you really saw yourself as a warrior right out on the front lines.
Probing Question # 6) If you knew that your prayers could so smash the plans of satan that whole sinful campaigns that he has put in place to trip up your family, or church, or community, or country, or this world would come crashing down in response to your prayers.
Would it be worth the investment to fall on your knees and cry out to God?
Probing Question # 7) If you really believed that your prayers were going to destroy satan’s plans in reference to that person in your family that you are so concerned about.
Probing Question # 8) If you really believed that you could foil the plans of satan and literally bring his evil strategies to a standstill.
Probing Question # 9) If you really believed that your prayers would release the mighty power of God to do in your community what God has already for-ordained in heaven. But its manifestation is waiting completely, totally, on people like yourself calling on God until you see the answer.
Probing Question # 10) If you really believed that our nation could be completely turned around until it, once again, is centered on God and his Word and that your great-grandkids could grow up in a much more righteous environment than you did.
If we really believed that with all our hearts – how much time would we be willing to invest in fervent prayer to God, until we saw it all unfold?
My Overcoming Declaration
MY “OVERCOMING” DECLARATION!
“I am strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” I am an over-comer! I am a Christian soldier called out, in-filled, empowered, and deployed as one of God’s spiritual warriors!
I start from a position of victory because my Divine Commander has already fought, and won ahead of me. I have been commissioned by Jesus to enforce the victory he already won on the cross! I am guaranteed to be a conqueror…”I am MORE than a conqueror!”
“My weapons are not human weapons – My ‘weapons’ have Divine power to demolish satan’s strongholds.” My “weapon of choice” is PRAYER! My prayers have the authority to turn the tide of evil back from my family, my church, my community, my nation, and my world.
“I am not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in heavenly places.” But “I am able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil!”
I AM JESUS’ CHURCH! “The gates of hell will not prevail against me. I have received the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever I bind on earth has already been bound in heaven!”
I believe that my prayers will release the mighty power of God to accomplish in my family, my church, my community, and my nation what God has already planned in heaven!
All that is needed to unlock the mighty unlimited, resources of heaven is for me to insert the keys I have been given – the keys of powerful, effective, God-filled prayer!
I believe that my prayers will foil the plans of satan and bring his evil strategies to a standstill. “I can resist satan and he will flee from me!”
I WILL pray! I will be victorious! “I am strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. I am more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus who loves me!”
Driven by Eternity!
What does the word eternity mean?… eternal, everlasting, evermore, forever? It fairly easy to give a word definition…its tougher to get our heads around the idea. What does the word driven mean…?.. If something drives you…that means it: Propels, guides,...
Earthquakes of the 20th Century
In Matthew 24 Jesus responds to his disciples question, "What signs will signal your return." Jesus gives quite a list including in verse 7 wars, famines, and earthquakes. Check out this 2 1/2 minute video from NOAA logging in every earthquake in the 20th century -...
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