If Anyone Draw Back

Posted on June 29, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Adam Bignell on Unsplash

Hebrews 10:38-39 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any {one} draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto PERDITION; but of them that BELIEVE TO THE SAVING OF THE SOUL.

“God is Love” is a favorite sermon in the United States. The sermon is largely preached by Evangelists and Pastors that are more concerned about numbers and noses than they are your eternal soul. As long as the churches are packed and the coffers overflowing, these churches prosper materially while being terribly spiritually deficient.

“God is LOVE” is Biblical (1 John 4:8). But God is not just love.

“God is HOLY” (Psalm 99:9; 1 Corinthians 3:17). God is not just love and holy, but “God is JUST”, that is, He is righteous (Deuteronomy 32:4; Isaiah 45:21). Further, God is the AVENGER. “Vengeance is MINE, I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). What else? “God is JUDGE” (Psalm 50:6; 75:7). And further, “God is TO BE FEARED” (Psalm 89:7; 111:10).

God is LOVE
God is HOLY
God is the JUST
God is the AVENGER
God is THE JUDGE
and God is to BE FEARED

The Bible tells us to “work out YOUR OWN SALVATION with FEAR and TREMBLING” (Philippians 2:12). Ensure that you are saved. Are you what our text today calls “The JUST”. Let’s get into the text:

Who Are “The Just”?

This phrase “the just shall live by faith” is one of the most important teachings in the Bible. It is not just in the New Testament under the New Covenant, but is found as a principle of salvation throughout the entire Bible.

Who are “THE JUST”? One of the things we just learned about God is that “God is JUST” (Deuteronomy 32:4; Isaiah 45:21). Man is a sinner. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). I have told you many times that because Adam sinned, he brought sin into the world on us all (Romans 5:12). All are natural born sinners. It is in our hearts to do the wrong thing, to be contrary to the Just and Holy God Who loves us. Can we fix ourselves? The Bible tells us that, no, we cannot. The Prophet said:

Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

We can’t. This is why we need the salvation of God. God is not only JUST, but God is the SAVIOR:

Isaiah 45:21 … there is no God else beside Me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside Me.

God says “Yes, I am JUST, I am HOLY and RIGHTEOUS, and you are all fallen far from Me and My standard. But because I LOVE YOU I MADE A WAY for you to be JUST as I am JUST. That way is Christ.

“THE JUST” is a reference to someone who is right in the eyes of our Holy God. “THE JUST” is the person who has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and has received Him as Savior. “THE JUST” once saved walks in the light of God, not in the darkness of this world. “THE JUST” fears God, and loves God, and obeys God.

The Bible says “the WICKED plots against the JUST” (Psalm 37:12). It says “the PATH OF THE JUST is as a SHINING LIGHT” (Proverbs 4:18). Why? Because “GOD IS LIGHT, and in Him THERE IS NO DARKNESS AT ALL” (1 John 1:5). The person who is saved, “THE JUST” walks not in the darkness but in the power of the Spirit of God (1 John 1:7). “THE JUST” person knows that “the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them” (Hosea 14:9).

In short, “THE JUST” is every person who has called upon the name of the Lord to be saved, and obediently SURRENDERED their lives to Him. “THE JUST” are not so because they have kept the Law of God perfectly, but because they have surrendered to Jesus and have become God’s possession.

The Prophet wrote:

Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: BUT the just shall live by his faith.

The lost person’s SOUL is not upright, not looking god-ward. The lost person’s soul is LIFTED UP in pride and arrogance. “God made me this way” is their justification for the evil they do – yet they do not believe in God. If they believed in God, they would believe in His Word. The lost make excuses, and blame God, or try to elevate themselves to the position of God. But the Prophet said,

BUT the JUST shall live BY HIS FAITH

The righteous person is not saved by their own efforts, but by trusting in God. They LIVE BY THEIR FAITH. Faith is not a set of socks or stockings that they put on and take off, but it is a way of life. People have NEVER been saved by their denomination, nor any man-made institution, or any written law. The Apostle wrote:

Galatians 3:10-12 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

The Law said you had to be circumcised. The Law said you had to keep the feasts. The Law gave Israel dietary restrictions. The Law gave Israel animal sacrifices. These ceremonial things could not bring salvation. This is what we’ve discovered as we’ve studied the Old and New Covenants. The Bible says:

Galatians 3:13-14 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

No one was EVER saved by the Law. The Law showed us to be sinners in need of the Savior. Listen Beloved, anything an unbeliever can do can not save you.

The Pharisees – who kept the Law perfectly – rejected Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Jesus told them “If you CONTINUE IN MY WORD, YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES. And you will know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH shall set you free” (John 8:31-32). Jesus then went on to tell the Pharisees that they were children of the devil, not of God or Abraham (John 8:37-45).

An unbeliever can sacrifice animals.
An unbeliever can be circumcised.
An unbeliever can join a Church.
An unbeliever can be baptized.
An unbeliever can keep feasts.
An unbeliever can follow s special diet.

What is the ONE THING the unbeliever cannot do? They can not – will not BELIEVE IN JESUS.

Anything an unbeliever can do is not that which saves. What is the ONE thing the unbeliever cannot do. They cannot believe in God nor His Word. They cannot exercise saving faith. “The JUST shall live by faith”. This has always been true. The Apostle wrote:

Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

“THE JUST” is the one who heard the Grace of God, and received it by faith.

“The JUST” Do Not Draw Back

The JUST are saved by and live by their faith. The JUST are saved BY GOD and spiritually BORN AGAIN. Are you born again?

Read with me:

Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: BUT if any man DRAW BACK, my SOUL shall have NO PLEASURE in him.

Word Study: Let’s break this out. God says “if you DRAW BACK, My SOUL finds NO PLEASURE in you”. The word translated “SOUL” is the Greek psychḗ, (pronounced psoo-khay’), which is a reference to the life essence of God, His eternality. God says to those who DRAW BACKfrom faith that in His innermost being GOD IS NOT PLEASED.

Word Study: The phrase translated “DRAW BACK” is the Greek hupŏstĕllō, {pronounced hoop-os-tel’-lo}, which means “to cower or shrink away from, to withdraw or shun, to be unwilling to utter from fear, to shrink from declaring, to conceal, dissemble”. To DRAW BACK is to compromise your faith, to hide it or be unwilling to share it out of fear of others, to put your fear of man ABOVE the fear of God. We’re told in the next verse:

Hebrews 10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Word Study: What is “PERDITION”? The Greek apṓleia, {pronounced ap-o’-li-a}, the word means “damnation, destruction, eternal ruin or loss”. The word is used frequently by Jesus in the New Testament. Jesus said,

Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the {narrow} gate {that’s Jesus}: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to DESTRUCTION (apṓleia) and many there be which go in there at:

The NARROW GATE that leads to eternal life is to believe on and receive Jesus Christ. The WISE GATE that leads to eternal punishment – PERDITION – is to ignore Him and do it your way. Our Lord Jesus called Judas Iscariot “The SON OF PERDITION (apṓleia)” (John 17:12), a child of hell, because he rejected the way of the Master. The Apostle spoke of those who rejected faith in Christ in order to please themselves, saying:

Philippians 3:19 Whose end is DESTRUCTION, (apṓleia) whose god is their BELLY {the flesh}, and whose glory is in their shame {let’s have a PRIDE month}, who mind EARTHLY {Greek epígeios, that which is of this world, worldly} things.

The unbeliever is enamored with anything that pleases their flesh. They are not seeking to glorify God, but to glorify self, to make themselves gods and goddesses. They may assume the guise of the believer for a while, like a worker at Disneyland puts on a Mickey Mouse suit. But when something extreme happens this false believer “draw(s) back unto perdition”.

Here is the proof of your salvation: when tried, do you move TOWARD Jesus or AWAY from Jesus?

As believers in Christ go through the trials of life, the trials do not draw them away from God, but draw them closer to God. No trial the believer faces:

The death of parents,
The death of child,
A diagnosis of a fatal disease,
The loss of all that property

There is NOTHING that can make the believer in Christ, renounce the Savior and Lord. I am reminded of the Prophet Job who, having everything, but lost everything in such a short time. Did he DRAW BACK on his faith? No. The Bible says:

Job 1:20-21 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshiped {God}, 21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

And even in the midst of terrible suffering, The Bible says that Job declared to his shrewish wife:

Job 2:10 … What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?

Here is the problem that I perceive with the Prosperity Gospel, the Social Gospel, the Liberation Gospel, and all the other fake gospels being spewed out as truth in America today. These fake gospels teach that God wants to save you so that He can heal you and give you large bank accounts, or that He might bring a utopia on earth. These false gospels have deceived many, and do not save a person. In time every person on the face of this planet will be touched by the hand of suffering and injustice. Bad things happen to everyone, not just one or another groups. When the bad thing comes, you who have believed the Gospel of Salvation, who have received Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior, will not shrink away or hide or “deconstruct” your faith. No, the saved always overcome. Always. Look at the Book of Revelation, as God speaks to the Churches. What does He say?

Revelation 2:7 … To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life…

Revelation 2:11 … He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life …

Why do the JUST always OVERCOME? Why is it that the JUST do not DRAW BACK TO DAMNATION? It is because God’s Spirit indwells the believer.

1 John 4:4 “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world”

You do not draw back, dear Christian, because God keeps His own:

Psalm 37:23-24 If the LORD delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; {24} though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

2 Corinthians 1:20-22 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. {21} Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, {22} set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Jude 1:24-25 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy– {25} to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Those whom God saves, He keeps on saving. He Who is in us is greater than anything we might encounter on this earth. God has promised to keep us close, and He promises never to leave or forsake us. If a person can DRAW BACK from Christ, that person was never saved in the first place!

God Now Gives Us Examples Of Saving Faith

The last verse in chapter 10 is:

Hebrews 10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

What are some examples of those who “BELIEVED TO THE SAVING OF THE SOUL”? We need only turn to the next chapter of Scripture:

Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

The very first murder ever committed in humanity was when Cain killed his brother Abel. God told Abel what type of sacrifice He wanted him to do, and without question Abel complied. But Cain told God what type of sacrifice HE was willing to give. When God wouldn’t budge, and demanded that Cain give an acceptable sacrifice, Cain murdered Abel. Abel stood his ground, and would not compromise with what God said though Cain threatened him — and paid with his life.

Abel would not draw back.

I know pastors who have drawn back from Bible truth because they had a son or a daughter “come out of the closet”. Beloved, God’s Word is not negotiable. Again I say, God’s Word is not negotiable. Our Lord Jesus said:

Matthew 10:35-38 (NKJV) For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; [36] “and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his [own] household.’ [37] “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. [38] “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

You cannot change Bible truth because your family members are offended. What Jesus has said, He has said. Jesus declared that faith in Him would bring division between you and your lost relatives. I will not DRAW BACK regardless as to what my family says.

Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

We know very little about Enoch in the Bible. We are told in

Genesis 5:21-24 (ESV) When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

For 365 years Enoch (ḥănôḵ, pronounced khan-oke’ which means “dedicated”) “WALKED WITH GOD”. God was not an afterthought, but Enoch’s Father and Friend. Every day he sought to “PLEASE GOD”. Then one day God told Enoch, “Friend, just walk on into Heaven with Me”. I will live to honor my Heavenly Father, else I am DRAWING BACK.

Hebrews 11:7 By faith NOAH, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

In Genesis 6:13 God comes to Noah (nōaḥ, pronounced no’-akh, meaning “he who rests”) and told him that the world was going to be destroyed – and he needed to build a boat. Noah did not question God, though Noah had never seen a flood. Noah went against the cultural demands of his day, and began to build as God directed fearing God, until the project was finished.

Noah did not DRAW BACK. He stayed the course, and finished the race. Why? Because, saved by Grace, he was a child of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Noah was not perfect – we none are. But Beloved, if you are saved then you WILL NOT DRAW BACK UNTO DAMNATION …

BUT BELIEVE TO THE SAVING OF THE SOUL.

If you are not truly born again, I pray that today – without hesitation – that you will give your life to the Lord Jesus. “The JUST are SAVED BY FAITH”. I can’t get you to Heaven. You can’t get you to Heaven. There is but one way to have a faith that saves your soul.

Total surrender to Jesus. May God touch your heart with His Word!

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God’s Wisdom Not Man’s Wisdom

Posted on June 19, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Joel Heaps on Unsplash

Proverbs 8:1-7 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? 2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. 3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. 4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. 5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. 6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. 7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

To those who say “I didn’t know”, God says “You did know, but refused to listen”.

There will be many who stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment who will say, “I didn’t know”. In fact, I have heard people say “What about the people who never heard the Gospel, never heard the Word of God, never heard of the Old Rugged Cross? Will they get a free pass into Heaven because they haven’t heard?”

Short answer: NO!

Longer answer: God Himself has made clear and plain what He expects. No one leaves this life saying “I never knew”. Christians will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:20; 2 Corinthians 5:10) where our works for Jesus that we did in this life will be judged. I am sure there of some of you who will say,

“I never knew”

To which Jesus will reply “You were told, but would not listen”.

God’s Wisdom Is Not Hidden

Proverbs 8:1-3 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth (nāṯan, naw-than’, to give) her voice? 2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. 3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.

Where is God’s Word not revealed? His Word is “in the top of high places”. You can be in the Palace, the White House, the Congress. You can be a dictator like Putin, or a President like Biden. No matter how high you go, God’s Wisdom reaches there. Wisdom is by the way “in the places of the paths”. God’s Word is accessible to the common person like you and I. God’s Word “crieth at the gates”. In ancient times the “gates” was where merchants came to do their business, so God’s Word is accessible to major corporations and businesses, CEO and SEOs, Wall Street and Fortune 500 Companies. But God’s Word is also “at the coming in at the doors”. It comes into homes, no matter who you are. God makes sure His Word penetrates everywhere. There is no one who says, “I never knew”. Why is this?

Because God’s Word is embedded in our conscience, our creation.

When the Apostle Paul discussed the horrendous evil that was dragging the Roman Empire down, he wrote:

Romans 1:18-20 (ESV) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Inside of every human is the concepts of what is good and what is evil. In time we can convince ourselves that good is evil and evil is good. We can create a month where we celebrate sexual sin (like June) and then corporations can push sexual sin and acceptance of perversion until a fearful people decide they cannot speak out against it. It doesn’t make it right – but we know what is right.

God gave us all a conscience, but we can, through perversion and willfulness, harden that conscience.

Proverbs 8:4-7 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. 5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. 6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. 7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

When God says “my voice is to the sons of man”, that doesn’t mean He just speaks to MEN. The phrase “sons of man” is a reference to humans born in a human way.

God speaks right and wrong to every person. He clearly represents Himself and His desire for us in His Bible.

I got home from Church last Sunday to find an invitation to a new cult that is meeting in Columbia. It uses the Mulehouse on Sundays at 10 am, and has attracted a large crowd. Called the “Belonging Co” it is co-pastored by a man and his wife, Henry and Alex Seeley. Past of the “Word of Faith Movement”, they believe that since we as humans are created in the image of God, what we say has the power to change reality. From a recent sermon, Alex Seeley stated:

“God’s Word has creative power. It forms something out of nothing. We are made in the image of God, we have creative power, so we need to watch our words.”

We DO NOT HAVE CREATIVE POWER with OUR words. This is what the world believes. What do we hear in our society? “Live our YOUR TRUTH”. “You can BE WHATEVER you want to be”. Young people are told that they can be “furries” because they believe they are “furries” and purr like “furries”. That’s nonsense. God’s Word, Wisdom, says:

Proverbs 8:4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.

Wisdom comes from God. The Bible says,

James 1:5-6 (NKJV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting …

We are born with a knowledge of good and evil because God created us that way. If someone beats a kitten to death with a ball-peen hammer we don’t celebrate that. It is wrong to torture and kill something so soft and helpless. But if a person dismembers a tiny baby in its mother’s womb, and flushes the little body parts into the dumpster, we celebrate this. Why? Because we have convinced ourselves that the convenience of a selfish and self serving mother trumps the life which is within her.

And we are horribly wrong.

God’s Word is truth. God tells us:

Proverbs 8:8-9 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing FROWARD (pāṯal, unsavory or twisted, torturous) or PERVERSE (ʿiqqēš, crooked, perverse) in them. 9 They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.

God says “My Word is not torturous. What I say is not meant to make you suffer. What I speak, I speak in love, and want you to understand your life will not be blessed until you receive it”. For we who love the Lord have learned to trust the Lord, even if we do not agree at the time with what He has said. We know that, in time, God’s Word is ALWAYS right.

God’s Word, His Wisdom, Sets The Standard

The “Word of Faith Movement” is dangerous on many levels, for it elevates the Word of Man over the Word of God. They teach “our words have creative power”, a quotation from their female pastor Alex Seeley. Here’s my problem with these types of churches.

They are blatant about ignoring Scripture.

Let’s start with they have a female Pastor. What’s wrong with a female Pastor? What’s wrong is that it violates what God has established as the parameters of the Pastoral office. The Bible ties the office of Pastor back to the creation of humanity. The Apostle writes:

1 Timothy 2:11-15 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

When the qualifications for the office of the Pastor were established in the very next chapter, the Apostle wrote:

1 Timothy 3:1-5 This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

This is culturally offensive in our America today, but nonetheless what the Scripture says. God designed us and gave us value within our sexes. Adam was FIRST FORMED, then EVE. Eve was formed out of Adam. The leader in the family is to be the husband and father. The leader in the Church is to be male. PERIOD! It has been historically true that once women were introduced into the pulpits as Pastor, the mainline churches next normalized sexual perversion and began to celebrate “Pride”. That is the way to destruction.

We Are To Receive God’s Word, Not Man’s Word

Proverbs 8:10-13 Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. 11 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. 12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. 13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

It is God Who establishes the parameters of our faith. For instance, God defines EVIL and PERVERSION. We do not define it. God’s Word defines it.

The devil and his acolytes spend time debating what God has clearly said. The righteous just DO the Word. The saved by faith always seek to follow God.

Christians cherish God’s Word, even if we do not fully understand it. God says “wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it”. Wisdom is the most important thing in the world. Why? Because it lends toward “PRUDENCE”. God hates pride, arrogance, and evil ways. He hates these things for the harm they bring to His creation.

Proverbs 8:14-21 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. 15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. 16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. 17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. 18 Riches and honor are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. 19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. 20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: 21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

The way to blessing is to RECEIVE and OBEY God’s Word. You will never succeed in life until God’s Word guides it. God’s Word brings order out of disorder. It brings stability to nations. It is God’s Word that is the basis of the laws of nations. God’s Word goes on to say “Riches and honor are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness”. There are great riches in following God, in adhering to His Word. We are told in:

Ephesians 1:7-8 (ESV) In {Christ} we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight …

Through God’s Word we have the “RICHES OF GOD’S GRACE”. Through faith in the Gospel, we are promised the forgiveness of our sins, and redemption from eternal punishment. The “RICHES OF THIS WORLD” choke the Word of God from our lives (Matthew 13:22), and lead us to failure. But when we believe on and DO that which God tells us,

Romans 10:12 (ESV) …. the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

We who have believed on Christ have “THE RICHES OF HIS GLORIOUS INHERITANCE” (Ephesians 1:18). God brings us into His family, and guarantees that we are His children both now, and into eternity.

Again, compare this to the teaching of Alex Seeley (Belonging Co):

“God waits for our “yes”, and our “yes” brings increase in our lives. God is saying, “I never ask of you that which you are not able to accomplish. I’m never going to give you more than you can handle. But I do need to co-labor with you. If you say “yes” to God, you will always find increase”.

That’s not in the Scripture. God often puts more on us than we can handle, so that we can follow Him in faith. Further, when you say “yes” to God and live for His glory (and not for your pocketbook), you will find persecution. The Apostle write:

2 Timothy 3:12-17 (ESV) Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

There is ALWAYS going to be a new brand of toothpaste, and another cult like the Belonging Co. They were in the early Church, and they’re here now. Peter said:

2 Peter 2:1-3 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

They rise up, preach untruths that have no foundation in the Word of God, and live lives of luxury on your money. They do not preach a Gospel of salvation, but a false gospel, a social gospel, a prosperity gospel contrary to the Scripture.

If you turn to Jesus “the Wisdom of God” the Lord will bring you into His Kingdom. He will write His Law on your heart, and teach you to love His Word. God’s intent for His Church is not to re-write scripture, nor to twist what He has said, but to heed His Word and do what He says. We do not boast about ourselves, but about our Jesus. And we do what we can to please Him, loving God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and being …. and loving our neighbors the way we want to be loved.

We are not Gods.
We are God’s.
We do not speak as Gods.
Only God has the authority of God.

May God the Holy Spirit guide you into His truth.

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How We Got Our Bible #4: The New Testament Formation (Part 1)

Posted on June 10, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Kiwihug on Unsplash

The Bible that Jesus and the earliest Church had
was The Old Testament

As our Lord Jesus taught, He did not create new Scripture – but instead properly interpreted and taught Scripture to show its true intent. Groups like the Pharisees, though well meaning, had twisted the Scripture through their own opinion. Jesus chastised them for this, saying:

Mark 7:6-9 Well hath Esaias {Isaiah} prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Note that as Jesus chastised them, He referred back to the Old Testament prophesies of …

Isaiah 29:13 Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Though the words are not exactly the same, Jesus is quoting Isaiah 29:13 (which is originally Hebrew) in Koine Greek (the language of the people). Jesus is most likely quoting from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Every Scripture Jesus quotes in His ministry are Old Testament texts, The Bible of His day. These quotes are probably from the Septuagint.

Jesus was recorded as quoting from the Old Testament texts of:

Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:4-5,13, 16; 17:6
Exodus 20:13-14
Isaiah 29:13; 56:7; 61:1-2
Hosea 6:6
Genesis 2:24
Malachi 3:1
Psalm 8:2; 22:1; 31:5; 35:19; 69:4; 110:1; 118:22-23

Jesus made the claim that all the Scripture (the Old Testament) spoke of Him, the Messiah:

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

John 5:45-47 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. 46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

Again, the Scripture was just the Old Testament – and there was a need for a New Testament. Why? Because with Jesus’ death on the Cross, His resurrection on the third day, and His ascension into Heaven, the Old Covenant was passed – we are now under a New Covenant. This doesn’t mean that the Old Testament is of no use today. After His resurrection, Jesus taught His disciples:

Luke 24:44 These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

The Old Covenant foretold the coming of Christ, and Jesus in His lifetime fulfilled the Law, the Psalms and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17-18). No one else has ever done that, proving that Jesus is the Messiah, the One Who brought in the “New Covenant in His Blood shed for us” (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 12:24). The Old Testament is valuable to the Christian because it proves that Christ is Messiah. One of the early Reformers of the Church, Martin Luther said:

“The Old Testament is the swaddling clothes and the manger in which Christ lies” (Luther’s Works, 35:235)

Dr. Brian Tabb, the President of Bethlehem College & Seminary wrote:

“The great church father Augustine once wrote, “The New {Covenant} is hidden in the Old and the Old is revealed in the New {Covenant}” (Writings on the Old Testament, pg 125). Indeed, the two testaments hang together in a way that reveals God’s grand plan of redemption and confirms the complete reliability of God’s word. Readers would be hard pressed to find a chapter of the New Testament that does not explicitly or implicitly reference the promises, patterns, and principles of the Old Testament.”

When Jesus introduced Himself to Nazareth as the Messiah of the New Covenant, He quoted Isaiah 61:1-2 …

Luke 4:18-19, 21 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. … 21 This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

God ordained men wrote the New Testament. These were:

Apostles Peter, Matthew, John & Paul
Evangelist John Mark
Gentile Doctor Luke
Jesus’ stepbrothers James & Jude

The stepbrothers of Jesus did not believe Him to be the Messiah until after the resurrection (see John 7:5; Mark 3:31-35).

The New Testament Scriptures were written to pass on the Apostolic Teachings of men who learned at the feet of Jesus, and were leaders in the early Church. Dr. Brian Cunningham (MA in Apologetics from Biola University, and a PhD in Theology and Apologetics from Liberty University) wrote:

“At the crucifixion, I think it’s a very big deal that Jesus entrusted his mother to his disciple John (John 19:26-27). I’m assuming James is the oldest sibling after Jesus, since he is always listed first. And one would think that Jesus would have entrusted Mary to James.”

Jesus did not entrust Mary His mother to either James nor Jude, because as He hung on the Cross they in unbelief abandoned Him. As the believing Apostle John was standing at the foot of the Cross as Jesus died, Jesus entrusted His mother to him. However, the Lord always gives us a second chance. The Bible via the Apostle Paul tells us that after His resurrection,

1 Corinthians 15:7-8 {the resurrected Jesus} was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me {Paul} also, as of one born out of due time.

Through this visit James and Jude became believers – and ended up writing Scripture as God the Holy Spirit led them to do.

The First New Testament Scripture Written
Was Not The Gospels, But The Epistle Of James

In our Bibles the first New Testament Books are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts. The reason they are presented this way is because they cover the early ministry of Christ and the Church. However, none of these Books were the first Scripture written. That distinction goes to the Epistle of James. Though Mary was a virgin (Luke 1:27), after she had Jesus her husband Joseph loved her, and they had several children together (Matthew 1:25). Jesus had four half-brothers, as we are told in …

Matthew 13:55 (ESV) Is not this the carpenter ‘s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas (or Jude – not Iscariot)?

After Jesus resurrected and appeared to James, James along with Jude prayed in the upper room until the Day of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14).

James is one of the Pastors of the Church in Jerusalem, and was considered a “pillar of the Church”. When the Pharisee named Saul was converted on the Damascus Road to become Paul the Apostle, he wrote in his testimony:

Galatians 1:18-19 … after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. 19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.

When Peter is imprisoned for the faith by King Herod, and an Angel released him from prison and two soldiers, the Angel of God recognized the authority of James, telling him …

Acts 12:17 … Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren.

James supported preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles. When God began to lead Gentiles into the Church under the preaching of Paul and Barnabas, James, the leader of the Jewish Church at Jerusalem, stood up for them. James quoted Amos 9:11-12 when he endorsed Gentiles becoming members of Christ’s Church, saying:

Acts 15:13-17 (ESV) … James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’

James was an Elder of the Church, a Shepherd (Galatians 2:9) at Jerusalem, and his endorsement of Paul and Barnabas to preach to the Gentiles carried a lot of weight.

Pastor John MacArthur notes that James wrote his Epistle sometime between 44-49 AD.

My commentary notes ..

“James’ speech at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15:14-21 reveals his reliance on Scripture, his desire for peace within the church, his emphasis of grace over the law, and his care for Gentile believers, although he himself ministered almost exclusively to Jewish Christians. Also worthy of note is James’ humility—he never uses his position as Jesus’ blood relative as a basis for authority. Rather, James portrays himself as a “servant” of Jesus, nothing more.”

The focus of the teachings of the Book of James is that those who are saved by faith in Christ will undergo internal spiritual changes that will effect their outward actions. “You MUST be BORN AGAIN”

James Epistle primarily addresses a Jewish Christian audience that was being persecuted by unconverted Jews and Gentiles.

James 1:1 (ESV) James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

James encouraged them to continue to follow Christ, regardless as to the cost. James does not preach easy believism, the nonsense that you heard from many pulpits today, but taught that trials are God’s way of purifying and guaranteeing the genuineness of our faith. Just as James went from unbeliever to the Pastor of the Church at Jerusalem on meeting Christ, the believer in Jesus undergoes a profound change. James points out that this is consistent from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. Those coming to Christianity from Judaism were being cast out of their families, treated as criminals, and sometimes killed by both Jews and Gentiles. James tells us today:

James 2:18-22 (NKJV) But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

James wanted the Christians in his charge to know that for a faith to save, that faith must stand. God will save anyone – but He saves from the inside out. You are not saved by good works, but by believing in the work that Jesus did on the Cross and at the empty tomb. But once saved, that which is in your heart will show in your hands, your feet, your lips. Faith without the proof of works is like a corpse – it is dead! “As the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26, NKJV).

James was martyred for his faith in 62 AD after writing his epistle. It is fitting that the Scripture God wrote through James was the first written book of the New Covenant.

The Second Book Of The New Testament Written Was By God Through Paul The Apostle

It is reckoned that the Book of Galatians was written from
49-50 AD by the Apostle Paul.

Paul was a Pharisee, a “hit-man” sent by the Sanhedrin or the Ruling Council of the Jews to round up Christians. Known then as Saul, he was present at the stoning to death of the Evangelist Stephen (Acts 7:58). After killing Stephen, Saul ravaged the Church, leading people into Christian homes to drag them off to prison (Acts 8:3). As Joseph told his brothers who had betrayed him to Egypt …

Genesis 50:20 (AP) … you meant evil against me, BUT GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD, to bring it about that many people would be preserved to life

Though Jesus had commanded His Church to go into

Acts 1:8 … (ESV) Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

The Church largely stayed in Jerusalem, and Jews were the primary ones saved. When God allowed Saul to rise up, it scattered the witness of the Church from the Temple in Jerusalem, throughout Samaria and into Damascus. This is what brought Saul to the Damascus Road. Here Jesus knocked Saul down, blinded him, and said …

Acts 9:5-6 (ESV) … I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city {of Damascus}, and you will be told what you are to do.

Jesus had a plan for Saul, the persecutor of the Church. Jesus told His disciple Ananias,

Acts 9:15-16 … {ESV} Go {to where Saul is}, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine to carry My name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.

Though Saul – later called Paul the Apostle – would preach Christ to Israel, his primary mission was to share Christ with Gentiles and Gentile Kings. Paul as a Roman citizen (though Jewish) would be executed by Emperor Nero after sharing the Gospel with him. Paul died under the sword shortly after Nero burned Rome, 67-68 AD.

Galatians was written to the churches of Southern Galatia, mixed audiences of both Jew and Gentile. One of the common problems in the early Church was that the saved Jews believed that the Gentiles, once saved, needed to keep the rituals and feasts of the Mosaic Law. In Galatians the Apostle addresses this, explaining that salvation does not come through outward ritual (like circumcision or the keeping of feasts) but by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As a “Pharisee of the Pharisees” Paul was well acquainted with the Law of Judaism. He wrote in

Philippians 3:4-7 (ESV) … If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

In Galatians Paul addresses why God gave the Law, and why the New Covenant supersedes the Old Covenant.

1 & 2 Thessalonians and 1 & 2 Corinthians

As an Apostle commissioned to go to the Gentiles, the Apostle Paul next wrote his letters to the Church at Thessalonica, 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Written between 51-52 AD in Corinth, the Bible says in

1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 (ESV) … not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

As Paul notes they “turned from IDOLS to serve the LIVING GOD”, those in Thessalonica were not converted Jews but GENTILES. The primary focus of 1 Thessalonians is…

“… to encourage Jesus’ believers to continue to progress in their faith” (Oxford Bibliographies)

The focus of 2 Thessalonians is the impending judgment of God’s enemies. As the Thessalonians were being persecuted for their faith, the Apostle wanted to encourage them. They were an example of how Christians are to stand up under persecution. The Apostle wrote:

2 Thessalonians 1:3-4 (ESV) … your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

As Paul wrote Thessalonians from Corinth, it makes sense that he wrote 1 & 2 Corinthians as God led him to establish Churches. The Corinthians Epistles were written 55-56 AD. Corinth was a large, international metropolis, filled with people from many different backgrounds. There was extensive idol worship and unrestrained sexuality in Corinth. This had crept into the Church, and brought division and fighting.

Paul chastised the Church on its compromise with the world, reminding its members that they were to be light, not darkness.

Paul wrote 2 Corinthians because many responded to his first letter by rejecting his Apostleship. Chuck Swindoll writes:

“Just as Paul wrote to the Corinthians in the wake of their repentance from divisions and quarrels, the message for today is clear: living in unity requires us to humbly forgive one another and to follow our leaders. Second Corinthians reminds us that even as Christians, we hurt each other and need to forgive those who wrong us (2 Corinthians 2:7). That Paul was willing to exhort the Corinthian believers to forgive those who had fallen away and repented, even as he defended his own apostleship against a vocal opposition”

Paul’s Epistle To The Romans – AD 57

Paul had not been to Rome when he wrote Romans. He wrote in:

Romans 1:9-12 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

Paul would end up in Rome a year later, but as a prisoner of Rome. This wasn’t his first imprisonment for preaching the Gospel. He was imprisoned in:

Macedonia (51 AD – Acts 16:23-34)
Jerusalem (Acts 21:11-23:11)
Rome (Acts 28:30-31)

Placed under house arrest in Rome, Paul was allowed to preach the Gospel. Every time he was imprisoned, Paul focused on his mission to preach the Gospel.

Paul wrote to the Roman Church just three years after Nero ascended to the throne as Emperor of Rome. At this time the Church was relatively safe. Nero wouldn’t sponsor attacks on the Church until he sets Rome on fire in 64 AD. Chuck Swindoll writes:

“The letter to the Romans stands as the clearest and most systematic presentation of Christian doctrine in all the Scriptures. Paul began by discussing that which is most easily observable in the world—the sinfulness of all humanity. All people have been condemned due to our rebellion against God. However, God in His grace offers us justification by faith in His Son, Jesus. When we are justified by God, we receive redemption, or salvation, because Christ’s blood covers our sin. But Paul made it clear that the believer’s pursuit of God doesn’t stop with salvation; it continues as each of us is sanctified—made holy—as we persist in following Him.”

We’ll continue this study in two weeks, after Father’s Day and our VBS Graduation. May God bless you all richly!

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The Old Covenant Is Gone Forever

Posted on June 10, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Artem Sapegin on Unsplash

Hebrews 10:8-10 Above when He {Jesus} said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin Thou {God the Father} wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9 Then said He {Jesus}, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He {God the Father} taketh away the first, that He {God the Father} may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

As we have come through the Book of Hebrews, we have seen the New Covenant that Jesus brought in, and have seen how it replaced the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant had animal sacrifices and ceremonies that were supposed to appease God. In verse 8 we see a conversation between the Son of God and God the Father. We can determine who is speaking in the text based on the context. In verse 8 we read:

Hebrews 10:8 ABOVE when He {Jesus} said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin Thou wouldest not …

The word ABOVE tells us to look at the previous text. In verse 5 we read:

Hebrews 10:5-6 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

Who is the One that “COMETH INTO THE WORLD”? Who is it Who had “A BODY PREPARED FOR ME”? It is Jesus. The Bible says:

1 Timothy 1:15 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners …

Mark 10:45 … even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

And again in John 6:38-39 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

Jesus specifically came into the world because animal sacrifices and feasts and circumcisions did not satisfy God, for these things did absolutely nothing … NOTHING to bring a person closer to God. So God Himself made Jesus a body (vs 5 a body hast thou prepared me).

God Was Never Pleased With “Looks Like” Religion

The reason God sent Jesus into the world – the reason He was “born of a virgin” (Luke 1:26-38; Matthew 1:18-25; Isaiah 7:14), is because God cares nothing for “looks like” religion. The first animal sacrifices were made in the Garden of Eden, when God covered the nakedness and sin of Adam and Eve with the fur of the innocent animal. But God never was pleased with animal sacrifices. He said in through the Prophet:

Isaiah 1:11 (ESV) “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.

The purpose of the animal sacrifices is to show us that we cannot work our way to God. I cannot stress this enough. You say to me, “But Pastor, we don’t have animal sacrifices today”. Don’t you?

Our Sacrificial Animals: When I first came to this Church, I called every name on the Church roll to see if I could get them back to the Church. One man I called said, “Well, I don’t go to Church anymore.” I then asked if I could have his name removed from the roll. His response: “Oh no! Keep it on the roll. My mamma would roll over in her grave if she knew I had my name removed from the Church roll”. The Church roll, to many, is much like an animal sacrifice. They have the idea that Jesus cares about the Church roll. No, He doesn’t. The Bible says what brings you into the Church is the Holy Spirit of God. Don’t believe me. Read this:

1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. 27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Church membership was not even a thing in the early Church. If you were saved by faith in Christ, you were a member of the Church. Membership rolls were not kept because to do so would be a death sentence! Christians were persecuted, and did not advertise where they met.

God wants you on the roll of the Book of Life. He wants you in a living, loving relationship with Jesus. He will not judge you based on whether you are on a human roll – but on the Roll up Yonder!

Other Animal Sacrifices: Baptism is a wonderful time in a Christian’s life, when you act obediently and do what Jesus said, publicly proclaiming your faith. But water baptism has become an animal sacrifice in many churches. Here’s the thing: is the person who was BAPTIZED now LIVING FOR JESUS. If so, praise God. But if the person baptized is THE SAME PERSON LIVING FOR THEMSELVES, then God is not pleased with the baptism.

When John the Baptist saw the Pharisees coming to his baptism in the wilderness, John didn’t welcome them in order to get more nickles and noses in the crowd. He publicly said:

Luke 3:7-9 … O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Now John preached in the transition between Old and New Covenants, but he spoke the truth. God is NEVER satisfied with the symbolic, the looks like, the pretend. God is calling a people to Himself that will love Jesus, love one another, and follow His commandments without debate.

God was never satisfied with just Israel, circumcision, and the symbolic feasts. The Old Covenant was ritualistic, closed, locked down. The New Covenant is life altering.

The Christian Is SANCTIFIED By The Body Of Jesus – Not By The Denomination He Attends

Hebrews 10:9-10 Then said {Jesus}, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first {Covenant}, that he may establish the second {Covenant}. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Word Study: Jesus came to this earth to set apart a people for God. The offering of the “BODY OF JESUS CHRIST” on the Cross of Calvary “sanctified” us. That is, once we receive what Jesus did for us by faith, believing on Him, God “SANCTIFIED” us. This is the Greek hagiazō which means “to be separated from the profane and the dark, and be dedicated to the service of God”. You are no longer what you were. You now belong to God. You are “SANCTIFIED” because you have believed on Christ. The Holy Spirit has come to you, and you are changed – internally – from what you were to now a Child of God.

Just as God is holy, we are holy. We do not chase after the darkness, because God has changed our perspective. We have …

Acts 26:18 (AP) … our eyes OPENED, we are turned FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT, from the POWER OF SATAN TOWARD THE POWER OF GOD. Our sins are forgiven, and we have an inheritance among all who are SANCTIFIED by faith in Christ …

We are not saved by calves, nor are we saved by golden calves. Some say “Unless you are a member of our Church, you cannot go to Heaven”. Hogwash! This is no more than repackaged Catholicism. We are SANCTIFIED by the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:16), SANCTIFIED by faith in the finished work of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2; 6:11), SANCTIFIED by the OFFERING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST ONCE AND FOR ALL.

My hope is built on nothing less

than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:

all other ground is sinking sand;

all other ground is sinking sand.

No “Church” went to Calvary to die for our sins, no animal, no ideology, no one but Jesus.

His sacrifice was so complete that the Bible says:

Hebrews 10:12-14 But this MAN, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Why does it call Jesus a MAN? Because “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). It was the sin of Adam that brought universal sin into the world. But the Scripture says:

Romans 5:19 as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Because Jesus OBEDIENTLY took on Himself manhood, because Jesus OBEDIENTLY went to Calvary for the sins of the world, because Jesus loved us so …. faith in Him makes us righteous before God. We come under the blessings of the Second Covenant, the Covenant of Grace.

The New Covenant Brings A Change
Of Heart And Mind

Hebrews 10:15-17 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

When the Old Covenant was given, it relied on the outward, the festival, the circumcision, the Sabbaths, the animal sacrifices. But the New Covenant brings something entirely new. God said,

I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them

God makes the Christian understand and want to do His Law, His moral code. Some today teach that once you are saved, you are free to do whatever you want, for the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses you of all sins.

This is hogwash!

Once saved, there is “no more offering for sin” (vs 18). But once saved, God puts HIS LAWS IN YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS. You know what pleases God.

1 As Children of God, we want to be closer to God. Under the Old Covenant people were frightened of God. From God’s mountain came thunder and lightening, and people trembled at the thought of getting too close to God. We who are saved by the Blood of Christ have an assurance. We read:

Hebrews 10:19-22 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Jesus’ death covers our sins, but Jesus’ resurrection assures us we have a High Priest over the House of God. Jesus saved us, and keeps on saving us. We are saved to the uttermost.

2. As Children of God, we want to serve God in unison. We read:

Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

If someone tells me that they are saved, but have no desire whatsoever to serve God in their salvation, I immediately suspect there is a problem. Salvation cannot be procured by works – but once you are saved, you will want to work for God. He has written His Law on your hearts. You have experienced His love.

Because Jesus took my sin, I can take His Heaven. Such a thought should bless you greatly. I owe Jesus everything. I owe Jesus everything.

Illustrate: I heard a great illustration the other day I thought I’d share with you. A preacher went to visit a friend of his, and his friend had a very big dog. He took his small daughter with him, and asked her to go back to the car and get something he had forgotten to bring in. His daughter started running toward the car – and the dog, growling – started to go after her. The dog’s owner called out: “You’d better not run, honey. He doesn’t like it when people run away from him. Walk with him. Put your hand on his neck. He won’t hurt you.”

God is like that. God doesn’t like it when we run away from Him. We should fear Him, that is, respect His Laws and Commandments. We should work together with other believers to serve Him. Pastor John Piper wrote:

“I picture myself climbing in the mountains, say the Himalayas. And I’m on these massive rock faces, and I see a storm coming. It is going to be a massive storm, and I feel unbelievably vulnerable on these mountain precipices. And so, I am desperately looking for a little covert in the rock where I won’t be blown off the side of the cliff to destruction.

And I find a hole in the side of the mountain, and I spin quickly, and suddenly the holiness, and justice, and power, and wrath, and judgment of God breaks over me like a hurricane, but I know I am totally safe, which means all that horrible danger is transposed into the music of majesty, and I can enjoy it rather than fearing it. And I think that is what the cross is. Jesus died for us to provide a place where we could enjoy the majesty of God with a kind of fear and trembling and reverence and awe, but not a cowering fear.”

Those under the New Covenant are protected by the Blood and Body of Christ. Those under the New Covenant are called into union with other genuine believers, to serve and glorify God in our lives. We are called as believers to together “consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works”.

Once you are saved, God writes His love on your hearts. You want to love Him, and follow Him. You want to love others, to love your local Church, and to serve the Lord for His glory.

What If I Reject The New Covenant
That Jesus Offers?

Hebrews 10:26-29 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Some have taken this verse to mean that you can lose your salvation. This is why we ALWAYS read scripture in context. “if we sin willfully” does not refer to just any sin. EVERY sin is a WILLFUL sin. You never accidentally sin – you will it. The WILLFUL sin in this text is the sin of rejecting the New Covenant, the sin of rejecting Jesus.

There is but one sin that sends a person to eternal damnation – that is the willful rejection of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Those who were under the Old Covenant who “despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses”. If you rejected what God commanded under the Old Covenant, there was no recourse. You were cut off from Israel. You died if you blasphemed what God said.

If you have heard of the Grace of Jesus, heard that He died for your sins, and rose again to be your High Priest. If you, on hearing this, reject Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you are willfully sinning against God. You’ve received the truth.

The Catholics believe if you leave this life without Jesus, that you will be in pergatory until you work your way out.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe if you die without Christ, your soul will be incinerated.

People think there will always be a second change after this life. The Bible doesn’t teach this. If God sent His Son to die for you, to take your hell so He could get you to Heaven, and you reject God’s provision …

you have no hope.

Word Study: If you mock and make light of the Cross of Christ, you walk on the Son of God. You have done despite to the Spirit of Grace. The phrase “DONE DESPITE” is the Greek enybrizō, which means “to insult”. To hear that Jesus died for you, but to cling to the Old Covenant, believing your human works will please God – it is a horrible insult to the Spirit of Grace. If there were a work that you could do that would save you, why on earth would God send His Son to the Cross? There wasn’t, and there never will be. God says:

Hebrews 10:30-31 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Those who are saved put their faith in Christ. We love Him, and surrender to Him. We trust Him. We believe that His sacrifice is sufficient to pay for our sins, and that Jesus and Jesus alone will get us into the family of God and Heaven. The chapter ends with these words:

Hebrews 10:38-39 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Those who are “JUST” live their lives by “FAITH” in Jesus Christ. Those who claim faith in Him but “DRAW BACK INTO PERDITION (apōleia, destruction, damnation)” are not saved at all. Judas Iscariot was called “The Son of Perdition” (John 17:12), a “devil” (John 6:70). He did not show evidence of salvation. Those who are saved have God’s Law and God’s Love written in their hearts. Judas had the external only, the ritual.

And he died in his sins!

Beloved, do not delay. Repent, and turn to Christ this day. Give Him all of your lives, and cling to Him Who died for you. This is where salvation is – the Author of the New Covenant, Jesus Christ. May God the Holy Spirit move on your hearts. Amen.

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God’s Wisdom and Understanding vs The Strange Woman

Posted on June 6, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by David Underland on Unsplash

Proverbs 7:1-5 My son, keep My words, and lay up My commandments with thee. 2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. 3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. 4 Say unto WISDOM {chokmâh pronounced khok-maw’}, Thou art my sister; and call UNDERSTANDING {bîynâh pronounced bee-naw’} thy kinswoman: 5 That they may keep thee from the STRANGE {zûwr pronounced zoor} woman, from the stranger which FLATTERETH {châlaq pronounced khaw-lak’} with her words.

In Proverbs Chapter 7 God contrasts two women, one called Wisdom who is to be your sister and her kinswoman Understanding, to one unnamed STRANGE woman who wants to take advantage of you. The word translated “STRANGE” is the Hebrew zûwr {pronounced zoor} which is used in Scripture for strangers, foreigners, enemies, profane people. The “STRANGE WOMAN” uses her words to “FLATTER” you. This is the Hebrew châlaq {pronounced khaw-lak’}, which means “to separate, to draw away, to divide from what God wants for you”. Let’s look first at

God’s Word is Wisdom, The Kinswoman Understanding
– Want To Bless You

Proverbs 7:1 My son, KEEP My WORDS, and LAY UP My COMMANDMENTS with thee.

Word Study: To “KEEP” {shâmar, shaw-mar’} God’s Word is to “guard it, to put a hedge about it, to treasure it, to protect it”. How do we guard God’s Word? We guard His Word by adding nothing to it (like our opinion) or by taking anything away from it. We consider God’s Word to be complete, something to be cherished and done. God said of His Word:

Revelation 1:3 (ESV) Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

We are not to be a judge of God’s Word, but are to guard it from opinion and cultural influence.

When we cease guarding God’s Word and instead begin to judge His Word, it is not long before we find ourselves, like Adam and Eve, in a very bad situation. Our Lord Jesus said:

Luke 11:28 (ESV) Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and KEEP {phylássō, foo-las’-so – guard it, preserve it, obey it} it!

Jesus chastised the Pharisees for, though they knew the Word of God, they allowed their opinions to enter into what God clearly said. In so doing they violated the commands of God, but established their own golden calves that they expected others to follow. Jesus told the Pharisees:

Mark 7:6-9 (ESV) Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” 9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!

When we fail to GUARD and DO the Word of God, and instead begin to twist it and add what suits our sensibilities to it, we lose the protections that the Word of God gives us. Take for instance the Social Gospel, a nonsense preached from many pulpits today. When the Social Gospel replaces the Gospel of Repentance and Obedience, virtue signaling people begin to think they are saved and Heaven bound because the have appeased the culture. When we love and support the culture more than we do the Word of God, we become part of the darkness. Jesus said:

John 14:23 (ESV) If anyone loves me, he will KEEP {tēréō, tay-reh’-o, to OBSERVE or HOLD FAST TO} my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

The Genuine Christian is the one who “Hears the Word of God, and HOLDS ON TO IT with honesty and sincerity, bearing fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15).

Word Study: We are to “LAY UP” {tsâphan, tsaw-fan’, to TREASURE} God’s Word. What the Lord has said to us is valuable, more precious than gold or silver. Why? Because we are told:

Proverbs 7:2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.

It is the Word of God that brings life, and light. It is the Word of God that brings us from Satanic Darkness and into the Light of God. We who are saved by the preaching of the Word are resurrected beings.

Our Lord Jesus said in

John 8:12 … I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

And again in John 12:46, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”

Those who walk in the darkness, walk apart from God and stumble through life. Those who walk with the Lord walk in the Light of His Word. We have eternal life because of His Word. We guard and treasure God’s Word. HOW we do so is next very graphically described:

Proverbs 7:3-4 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. 4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:

The Word of God is bound on your fingers. Does this mean to write Bible verses on your hands? It could. God told His Israel:

Deuteronomy 11:18-20 (ESV) You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes …

Deuteronomy 6:8-9 (ESV) You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

The Word of God is to be treasured. It should drive what you DO with your hands. It should direct your heart to the things that are pleasing to God. Write God’s Word on your heart, then follow what God has said.

God’s Word will …

Proverbs 7:5 … keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.

The Strange Woman Lies In Wait
For The Simple Minded

Proverbs 7:6-10 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, 7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, 8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, 9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: 10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtile of heart.

Word Study: God now gives us an illustration through King Solomon. Solomon said that he was looking out his window, observing “SIMPLE ONES” {pᵉthîy, peth-ee’, “foolish, naivete, simple or open minded”}. We have some “SIMPLE ONES” like this not far from this Church. On their church sign they have:

“Open HEARTS, Open MINDS, Open DOORS”

What’s wrong with that? The Bible calls “OPEN MINDEDNESS” simple minded, foolishness, ignorance. The Bible says that as God’s Children:

1 Corinthians 2:16 … But WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST …

The believer is not called to have “Open MINDS”. Our minds are to be on Christ and God’s Word. Our focus is on “with ONE MIND GLORIFYING GOD, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:6). Our minds are to be closed to the world, closed to darkness, closed to Satan, but filled with the Word of God. The Bible commands us:

1 Corinthians 1:10 … by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Philipians 1:27 … stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel

1 Peter 1:13-15 (ESV) … preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct …

It saddens me that professing Christians and so called pastors have succumbed to the culture, and departed from the Word of God. No good ever comes of it.

We who are Christians are to “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:5-7)

Where does the “STRANGE WOMAN” lurk?

Proverbs 7:9-10 … In the TWILIGHT, in the EVENING, in the BLACK AND DARK NIGHT: 10 And, behold, THERE MET HIM A WOMAN with the attire of an harlot

The devil and his agents hide in the darkness. They whisper lies over the phone, gossiping, murmuring. Here you meet the “WOMAN WITH THE ATTIRE OF A WHORE”. In the Book of Revelation, God calls the false religions of the world

Revelation 17:5-6 … MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

The Whore does not want to bless you, but to curse you. The Whore of false religion is “drunk with the blood of the Saints”. Who was instrumental in killing Jesus? Was it not the false religion of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Herodians? Was it not a vile judge Pilate who, though he found no fault in Jesus, sentenced Him to a criminals death? Who was the first Martyr in the Church after Christ our Lord? Was it not STEPHEN (Acts 7:54-60). And who killed Stephen. Was it not Pharisees, hypocrites, religious self righteous bigots? Who was the second martyr in the Church? It was Herod the King (Acts 12:1-3) who wanted to please the Jews, the Pharisees.

The whore walks in darkness, not light. The whore is part of the culture. She is not quiet, but LOUD and INSISTENT.

Proverbs 7:11-12 (She is LOUD AND STUBBORN; her feet abide not in her house: 12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

Word Study: The whore is “LOUD AND STUBBORN”. The word “LOUD” is the Hebrew hâmâh, {pronounced haw-maw’}, which means “to RAGE, to CLAMOR, to make a scene, to be in an uproar”. She is not just noisy, but “STUBBORN”, the Hebrew çârar, {pronounced saw-rar’} which means “to be rebellious, against that which is civil”. She has no shame. She may go about shouting at diners, ruining their meals while demanding “Say BLACK LIVES MATTER”, or angry because you did not use her pronouns of choice.

Proverbs 7:13-18 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, 14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. 15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. 16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. 17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.

The whore offers peace and love if you will compromise with her. She claims to want nothing from you. She is no whore for profit. She says “I HAVE PAID MY VOWS”. She is wed to another, and does not want to marry you, but to be with you. She is not seeking wealth from you. She says, “I have decked my bed” with the finest weaving, the finest linen. The bed itself is top of the line.

Illustrate: The most expensive bed in the world today is the Baldacchino Supreme Bed. There are only two of these in the world. Hand built by Italian furniture makers, it is intricately carved. The canopy over the bed is 250 pounds of 24 carat gold, silk and cotton sheets, and diamonds adorn the headboard. It’s value? $6,300,000. This woman’s bed is much like this. Very expensive – she claims to want nothing of you but your presence.

But she wants your soul.

She claims her husband is not at home – that he has sufficient funds to stay away, and will not return until the appointed time (verses 19-20). Because the young and simple man did not have God’s Word in his heart, we are told:

Proverbs 7:21-23 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. 22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; 23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

The devil knows how to entice you into his trap. And when you fall into the trap, it is like “an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks”. In ancient times (and I wish they would bring it back) they would take criminals who broke the Law (but not a CAPITAL offense) and put them into the public stocks. It was for misdemeanor crime. Your hands and feet were bound in front of you, and you were publicly ridiculed – and sometimes pelted with food – until your time in the stocks was passed. This is where we get the noun “laughingstock”. You were in the stocks, and people made fun of you, and laughed at you, mocking you, up to and even after the time you were released.

The point: If you do not store the Word of God in your heart, and instead follow after the whore, the least you can expect is to be made a laughingstock of. At the most – it will KILL you!

You can be trapped as a bird in the snare, or have a “dart strike through his liver”. If you are shot in the liver you have a 40-60% chance of death, even with emergency treatment. Rejecting God’s Word and chasing after the cultural whore can not only kill you – but send you to damnation. We end with these words:

Proverbs 7:24-27 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. 25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. 26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. 27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

Nothing good comes of following the ways of this world. The best thing you can do is store God’s Word in your heart – then run from the cultural whore. Going into her house will lead to – at the least – shame, but at the most – death and damnation.

Cling to God’s Word, His Wisdom, and do as He says for abundant life. May God touch your hearts with His Word.

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How We Got Our Bible #3: God Gave Us Translations

Posted on June 5, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

When I was being examined by the Pulpit Committee in view of becoming the Pastor of this Church, one member asked me

“What Version of the Bible do you preach out of”?

I explained that I preach primarily from the King James Version (what many called the “Authorized Version”), but that I also referred to the original language of the Scriptures (the manuscripts) as well as other versions.

Since I’ve been at this Church, I found out that – though many use the King James Version – others use other versions. I have had people call and ask me if we were a “1611 King James Only” Church, and when I told them “No, I’m sorry, we’re not” they hang up. Sadly most people who are in the “1611 King James Only” camp have never studied nor even thought about what they believe. Let me ask this question:

If the 1611 King James Version is the only real Bible that there is, what did people use for Bibles before 1611?

Slide One Picture of my 1611 KJV

Did no one have a Bible before 1611? Did God deprive His people of the Scripture until King James came along? No, He did not. God has always given His Word to His people. God has given His Church two gifts:

1 God gave us the HOLY SPIRIT to guide us into His Word.

Slide 2

John 16:13-14 (NKJV) However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

Slide 3

John 17:17 (NKJV) Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

The Word of God – the Bible – is the TRUTH the Church is built on. God has always given His Church the Bible, a Bible we can understand. God gave His Old Testament people a Bible they could understand. Therefore,

2 God gave BIBLE TRANSLATIONS to His people.

I Love The King James Bible

Lest you think I have a “problem” with the King James Bible, I don’t. But if I love you, I will “speak the truth in love so that you will become more like Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). I was saved under the preaching of thew King James Bible – the version many of you are using today. The original 1611 King James was translated by 47 scholars. All scholars were members of the Church of England and all except Sir Henry Savile (a scholar and mathematician, Warden of Merton College & Oxford) were clergy. The Bible was commissioned in 1604, and published in 1611. It was sponsored by King James VI and I. Known as King James VI from July 24, 1567 as King of England and Ireland. When the Scottish and English crowns united he was called King James I until his death in 1625.

My commentary notes that the King James Version was the third translation of the Bible in English approved by the Church of England.

The first translation of the Bible into English approved by the Church of England was the Great Bible (1539). The Coverdale Bible (1535) was the first complete English Bible printed on a press (1535). Incorporating the Matthew 1537 Bible into his work, Miles Coverdale produced the Great Bible (1539).

Slide 4 The Great Bible (1539)

Though the Coverdale Bible was the first whole Bible printed in English, it was never “Authorized” by the King or the Church England. The Great Bible – which incorporated Matthew’s 1537 Bible,

Slide 5 Matthew’s Bible 1537

The second “Authorized” translation into English was The Bishop’s Bible (1568), though in Switzerland the “Reformers” translated the Geneva Bible (1560) from the original Hebrew and Greek Scriptures.

The King James translators referred to the Geneva Bible as they worked – and it influenced the translation.

Slide 6 Bishop’s Bible & Geneva Bible

Though the Geneva Bible (1560) was more popular than the Bishop’s Bible, the translators of the Geneva Bible translated the word KING as TYRANT some 400 times. This is one reason the King refused to “Authorize” the Geneva Bible.

The original King James text (1611) contained a number of differences from the King James text you have today. Though you may or may not have the 1611 Preface in your King James Bible,

Slide 7 KJV 1611 Preface

The King James Bible you have is NOT a 1611 version. The original 1611 Version had a monthly Moon Chart and Prescribed Prayers for each day of the week:

Slide 8 Moon Chart and Prescribed Prayers

The original KJV had a much older English than what you see in your King James. Here we see a “Table and Kalender” that gives an order to read the Psalms and lessons to be learned. You can easily see this is very old English.

Slide 9 Table And Kalendar
Slide 10 Proper Psalms On Certain Days

The original 1611 KJV did not just contain the 39 Books of the Old Testament and the 27 Books of the New Testament (the 66 Books of our Bible), but also contained the false scriptures known as the Apocrypha.

Slide 11 The Apocrypha

These are the 14 books rejected by the Protestant Church as Scripture, though the Catholic Church still holds these books to be part of the Bible. Though the Church of England broke from the Catholic Church, the translators kept the Apocrypha in place in the 1611 King James. The Apocrypha:

1 Taught a person was saved by their good works and not by faith in Christ:

Slide 12

Tobit 12:9 For alms giving saves from death and purges away every sin. Those who give alms will enjoy a full life …

2 Taught that a person who was not good enough for Heaven could go to “PURGATORY”, and could be bought out of Purgatory if enough good was done on the earth by their relatives:

Slide 13

Second Maccabees 12:41-45 The noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened as the result of the sin of those who had fallen. He also took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. … Therefore he made atonement for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin …

3 The Apocrypha taught that God hears the prayers of the dead:

Slide 14

Baruch 3:4 O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, hear now the prayer of the dead of Israel, the children of those who sinned before you, who did not heed the voice of the Lord their God, so that calamities have clung to us …

There are many other reasons the Apocrypha was rejected as Scripture. It teaches that souls preexist before a person is born (Wisdom 8:19-20), that God created things out of preexistent matter (Wisdom 11:17), that the body weighs down the soul (Wisdom 9:15), and on and on. The Apocryphal writings are false scriptures that the Church rejected.

Slide 15 The Changing English Language

Thankfully we do not have a 1611 King James Bible now, because frankly, I don’t think we could read it. On your screen you see a page photographed from my 1611 King James Bible, John 3:14-17. Notice how much the language has changed from 1611 to the version of the King James you currently have. Notice the spelling of the words in the Book of Proverbs:

Slide 16 Prouerbes

The 1611 King James underwent two major revisions in 1629 and 1638, courtesy of Cambridge University in England. Thomas Nelson Bible Publishers note:

“Two of the leading universities in England—Cambridge (again) and Oxford—began work on updated standard editions. Francis Sawyer Parris oversaw the Cambridge edition, and Benjamin Blayney oversaw the Oxford edition. The Cambridge edition was finished first, in 1760, but the Oxford version, which was finished nine years later, superseded it.

Blayney’s exacting work on the Oxford revision calls to mind Psalm 12:6: “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”

His revisions fall into five categories. The first is the use of italics. Blayney used italics to identify words that are inserted into a passage to make the meaning clear but aren’t found in the original Hebrew or Greek text.

The original 1611 version used small “roman” type to identify such words. Because of printer’s errors and other factors, however, not all of those words were properly identified. The 1769 Oxford edition is much more heavily italicized than the original.

The second category of revisions involves very minor changes to the text itself. For example, in the 1611 version, Matthew 13:6 contains the phrase “had not root.” In the 1769 version, the phrase is changed to “had no root.”

The third category involves spelling (“sinnes” is changed to “sins”), capitalization (“holy Ghost” is changed to “Holy Ghost”), and punctuation. In the century and a half since the original version was written, the rules of writing had changed. Spelling, capitalization, and punctuation had become more standardized. Blayney attempted to introduce this standardization into the Bible text.

The fourth category involves changes to the margin notes, including removing references to the Apocrypha. The fifth category involves correcting a handful of printing errors, including changing “might” to “night” in Matthew 26:34.”

The version of the King James you are using today is the 1769 Oxford edition. You have the essence of the 1611 King James – a wonderful translation – but it has gone through updates that are necessary because of the changing nature of language. It is indeed a Biblical masterpiece of translation. However, it is not the only translation God has given us.

People Change, And All Languages Change

The first translation of the Bible from the original manuscripts into the people’s language was not the King James, but the Septuagint. The Encyclopedia Britannica notes:

Slide 17 Hebrew Language Bible

“The Septuagint was presumably made for the Jewish community in Egypt when Greek was the common language throughout the region. Analysis of the language has established that the Torah, or Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament), was translated near the middle of the 3rd century BCE and that the rest of the Old Testament was translated in the 2nd century BCE.”

Slide 18 The Septuagint

The Septuagint (so called because there were supposed to be 70 or 72 translators) translated the Hebrew text of the Old Testament into Koine or Common Greek, the language of the people of that day. One article I read noted:

“The Septuagint is quite possibly the most important translation of the Bible. It is the oldest translation of the OT into another language. It was considered by Philo and Josephus to be on an equal footing with the Hebrew Bible. It was preferred to the Hebrew by the Early Christian Church. And it sheds much-needed light on the development of the New Testament. …

Hebrew ceased to be a spoken language as early as the exilic or post-exilic period (cf. Nehemiah 13:24), and Aramaic became the {language} of the Jewish people. With the rise of Alexander the Great and the Greek empires, the Jews in the diaspora were Hellenized, and for some Jews, especially those living in Ptolemaic Egypt, Greek became the primary language. Thus, it became necessary for the Scriptures to be translated into Greek.”

God will not leave His people without His Word, so He raises up translators to insure that we have access to His Word. Languages change over time, and God wants His people to know His truths.

As I preach through the Bible, you may have noticed that there are times I allude to “the original text”. In my office and online I have access to lexicons, which are a type of dictionary that ties the Bible translated word back to the original manuscript that it was translated from.

Slide 19 Lexicons and Greek New Testament

Now I’m no expert Theologian by any means, but if you are using a King James Bible there are a number of Lexicons out there keyed to the King James text. There are a number of online resources as well that help you find the original language word. These resources are very helpful. Even though your King James is the 1769 Oxford edition, English has undergone many other changes since 1769. For instance, when people brought their children to Jesus to bless, but the disciples tried to stop them. What did Jesus tell them?

Slide 20

Matthew 19:14 … Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

The word translated “SUFFER” is the Greek aphiēmi (pronounced af-ee’-ay-mee) which means “allow, permit, do not hinder”. The same word is used when Jesus told John the Baptist to baptize him, and John initially refused. Jesus told John:

Slide 21

Matthew 3:15 … SUFFER (aphiēmi) it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he SUFFERED (aphiēmi) Him.

In our day to “suffer” means to hurt. But in the Greek aphiēmi means “to allow, to not hinder”. But depending on the context, the word can mean “to leave one place for another”, as in:

Slide 22

Matthew 4:22 And they immediately LEFT (aphiēmi) the ship and their father, and followed {Jesus}.

It can also mean to ABANDON SOMETHING, as in the Lord’s Prayer:

Slide 23

Matthew 6:12 And FORGIVE (aphiēmi) us our debts, as we FORGIVE (aphiēmi) our debtors.

Jesus intends that we ABANDON VENGEANCE against others when we are offended. That is the way that aphiēmi should be translated in those instances. Now, why did I show you all these illustrations from this one word?

Because study of the Scripture is not merely MECHANICAL, but it is SPIRITUAL. Bible translators – who are God given people – come together to translate the Scripture from the original text to our language. Yet English and all languages are constantly growing and changing.

Let’s go back to my beloved King James text. Is the Third Person of the Trinity the Holy GHOST or the Holy SPIRIT?

You will find the Third Person of the Trinity referred to as “Holy Ghost” 183 times in 89 verses, but as “Holy Spirit” 44 times in 21 verses.

Is there a different word used in the original text for “Ghost” and “Spirit”. No, it’s the same word – Pneuma – which means “Spirit”. The Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible tells me that Pneuma is translated:

“Spirit (111x), Holy Ghost (89x), Spirit (of God) (13x), Spirit (of the Lord) (5x), (My) Spirit (3x), Spirit (of truth) (3x), Spirit (of Christ) (2x), human (spirit) (49x), (evil) spirit (47x), spirit (general) (26x), spirit (8x)”

It’s all the same word. In modern English when we speak of a “ghost”, we think about a disembodied soul that is roaming the earth. God is not a ghost, but a “Spirit”. Our Lord Jesus said:

Slide 24

John 4:24 God is a Spirit (Pneuma): and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

God is not a disembodied soul, but a Spirit. God took upon Himself flesh and bones so that He could save us, but God in His essence is Spirit. God is everywhere, not localized as we are. The theological term for this is OMNIPRESENT. The Bible says:

Psalm 33:13-14 (ESV) The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,

God as a Spirit is immense. The Prophet wrote:

Isaiah 40:12 (ESV) Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?

As one commentary notes:

“He fills all things with His presence (Colossians 1:17) and upholds everything by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3) – yet He is not necessarily everywhere to bless. … Just as God is sometimes separated from His children because of sin (Isaiah 52:9), and He is far from the wicked (Proverbs 15:29) and orders the godless subjects of darkness to depart at the end of time to a place of eternal punishment, God is still there in the midst. He knows what those souls suffer who are now in hell; He knows their anguish, their cries for respite, their tears and grief for the eternal state that they find themselves in. He is there in every way as a perpetual reminder to them of their sin which has created a chasm from every blessing that might be otherwise granted. He is there in every way, but He displays no attribute other than His wrath.”

It is God the Holy Spirit Who inhabits the Christian, guiding us in the Scripture, teaching us the deep things of God. God the Holy Spirit is not limited by the translation of Scripture you use. If we will diligently seek His truth through a decent translation of the Scripture, God will guide us into all truth.

What Bible Translation Should I Use?

Slide 25 Types Of Bibles Available

If you are comfortable with the King James text, I recommend you stay with it in studying your Bible. I’ve stayed with the King James text as my foundational study Bible because it has been around so long, and there are many original language helps that are keyed to the King James. However, I am not afraid of other Bible translations, and turn to some of them if I seek a deeper understanding of the text.

There are three types of Bibles available in English:

1 Word for Word Translations (Literal)

2 Thought for Thought Translations (Dynamic)

3 Idea for Idea PARAPHRASES

If a Bible is a PARAPHRASE, it is NOT a translation. Someone read a Bible Translation, then re-wrote that translation in the way they understood it. A Paraphrase may be easy to read, but I would not recommend doing any serious Bible study with it. Some of the Paraphrase Bibles are:

Slide 26 Paraphrases

The Living Bible: Kenneth N. Taylor used the American Standard Version of the Bible (1901), and re-wrote it in his own words and interpretations.

The Message: Written by Eugene H. Peterson. My commentary notes:

“The Message has engendered more criticism for its lack of serious scholarship and outright bizarre renderings than just about any other Bible version to date. One common complaint from many who read The Message or hear it read aloud is “I didn’t recognize it as the Bible.” Other critics declare The Message to be not a paraphrase of what the Bible says, but more of a rendering of what Eugene Peterson would like it to say. In an interview with Christianity Today, Peterson described the beginning of the creative process that produced The Message: “I just kind of let go and became playful. And that was when the Sermon on the Mount started. I remember I was down in my basement study, and I did the Beatitudes in about ten minutes. And all of a sudden I realized this could work.”

I wouldn’t recommend it – I don’t believe it is the Word of God, but the Word of Man. Be careful when dealing with Paraphrases. The Good News Bible or The Passion Translation may be easy reading. But what you’re reading may be man’s traditions and thoughts – not God’s Word!

Slide 27 Word For Word

Word for Word (or Literal) Translations attempt to be accurate to the original text, but for this reason are often harder to read than Thought to Thought Translations. Some of the more popular versions are:

KJV – King James Version
NKJV – New King James Version
NASB – New American Standard Bible
ESV – English Standard Version
NRSV – New Revised Standard Version
ASV – American Standard Version
AMP – Amplified Bible

Slide 28 Thought For Thought

Thought for Thought (or Dynamic) Translations respect the original language, but place a high emphasis on conveying the thought of what the text conveys. It is easier to read than the Literal Translations. Some of the more popular of these are:

CSB (used to be HCSB) – Christian Standard Bible
{A Southern Baptist Translation}
CJB – Complete Jewish Bible
CEV – Contemporary English Version
NCV – New Century Version
NLT – New Living Translation

Though this is not all the Translations and Paraphrases available today, this graphic shows where these versions rate on the Biblical Translation Spectrum:

Slide 29 Where The Versions Rate

I personally prefer focusing on the “Word for Word” (Literal) translations, though I will sometimes read the text in the “Thought for Thought” (Dynamic) versions to help get a better understanding of what God is trying to tell me. But as I said before – Bible Study is not MECHANICAL, but SPIRITUAL. As I read and study the texts, I pray and seek God’s direction. May God bless you as you study His precious Word!

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To Serve The Living God

Posted on June 5, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Mario Dobelmann on Unsplash

Hebrews 9:11-14 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The act of God saving Israel from Egypt is a type or a shadow of the salvation we have in Christ.

When Israel cried out to God (Exodus 2:23-25) the Lord heard them, and raised up a Redeemer. “The people groaned because of their slavery, and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery went up to God.” While we are satisfied with our lives, satisfied that “we are gods” or that the gods we have created are sufficient, God will not help. But when we realize that we need the True God, the Power of God Himself, and cry out, God will raise up the Redeemer.

God raised up a Redeemer in Moses for Israel. Moses is a type or a shadow of Christ. Moses goes to Egypt – the Lost World – and demands that Pharaoh release God’s people. Why? God told Moses to say:

Exodus 7:16 … The Lord God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let My people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness …

Exodus 8:1 … Let My people go, that they may serve me.

Exodus 8:20 … Thus saith the Lord, Let My people go, that they may serve me.

God saved Israel from Egypt so that “they might serve God”. This is a pattern of salvation. God saves us, rescuing us from Egypt or the World, so that we might serve Him. We are not to serve ourselves, but Him Who saved us. We live for Him.

Under the Old Covenant People Served God
By Eternally Striving To Be Saved

Israel was saved to serve. We are saved to serve. What was the difference between the service of the believer under the Old Covenant as compared with the service of the believer under the New Covenant? That’s where the Lord is taking us today. Read with me:

Hebrews 9:1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.

Under the Old or the First Covenant, service to God was accomplished mainly in a worldly sanctuary. All service to God was mainly accomplished in the Tabernacle (the Tent of Meeting) or in the Temple. These were “ordinances of divine service”. The word “ordinances” is the Greek dikaíōma, {pronounced dik-ah’-yo-mah}, which means “deeds required for justification or righteousness, laws established that ensured salvation”. There were things that you had to strictly adhere to to retain your salvation before God. This was a works salvation.

The Law governed what you are as clean or unclean.
The Law required frequent animals sacrifices to cover sin.
The Law required ceremonial washings and cleansings.
The Law required set feasts and celebrations.
The Law controlled who approached God, and who did not.

We read:

Hebrews 9:2-5 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the sanctuary. 3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; 4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

Breakdown of the Temple: Under the Old Covenant when you entered the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and looked left you would see the Golden Candlestick. This Candlestick was pure gold, beaten and made of one piece. It had a main light, but also six branches of lights meaning there were seven lamps in total. The Golden Candlestick cast light on the Table of Shewbread. The Table of Shewbread had twelve loaves of bread – one for each Tribe of Israel – to show God’s provision for His people. These were shadows of what would come under the New Covenant.

The Golden Candlestick represented the Holy Spirit of God, and Table of Shewbread the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus told us:

John 6:32-35 (ESV) Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

As the Golden Candlestick illuminated and revealed the Table of Shewbread, the Holy Spirit illuminated and revealed Jesus as the Messiah, the Savior of the world. In the inner most part of the Temple – called here the “Holiest of all” – was the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant represented God.

Who served God in the Temple? The people who brought the sacrifices, but also the Priests that killed the sacrifices. Blood was shed, and carried into the Holy of Holies, making Atonement for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 9:6-7 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. 7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

The PRIESTS or Levites served God in the first part of the Tabernacle, “accomplishing the service of God”. The HIGH PRIEST or the sons of Aaron served God in the Holiest part of the Tabernacle, the Holy of Holies. The people brought sacrifices for their sins, and the priests and the High Priest made the sacrifices and made the offerings.

Under the Old Covenant, the works of the Law were accomplished to insure your place as an Israelite, and as a saved believer in God. The intent of the Law was to show that we could not save ourselves no matter how hard we tried.

While the Holy of Holies stood, the “WAY INTO THE HOLIEST OF ALL”, the Way into Heaven, was not manifested.

Hebrews 9:8-10 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: 9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

The earthly Tabernacle and the human priests could not make the worshipers perfect or right with God. “The Way into the holiest (God’s Heaven) was not yet manifest while the first Tabernacle was standing”. Man cannot save himself. We cannot make ourselves right with God by any work that we do. We can go through the motions – but it is highly ineffective. God must save us!

What is “The WAY unto the Holiest of All”? It is JESUS. Jesus said (John 14:6) “I AM THE WAY, the Truth, and the Life: No man or woman cometh unto the Father BUT BY ME”.

The New Covenant Saves The Believer
So We Can Serve God

When the Gentiles began to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the question came up as to circumcision. We are told in the Book of Acts:

Acts 15:5-6 (ESV) some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” 6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.

A sect of believing Pharisees rose up in the Church, people who did not understand the fullness of the grace of the New Covenant. They wanted to impose the Old Covenant requirements on the Gentiles. They wanted to require circumcision on every male believer, and require the keeping of the Law of Moses, the feasts and sacrifices, the holy days and sabbaths, the laws of food and drink. As the elders (the Pastors) of the early Church deliberated on this, the Apostle Peter spoke up, saying:

Acts 15:7-11 (ESV) Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.

The concept that salvation is by works is a yoke on the neck of the believer. It is a yoke that, in time, you cannot bear. Salvation has always been a free gift of God.

Noah, who lived long before the Law, was saved by Grace.
Enoch, who lived long before Sinai and Moses, was saved by Grace.
Abraham, the father of faith, was wholly saved by Grace.

The New Covenant was not God’s “Plan B” because mankind failed the Old Covenant. God saved Israel from Egypt BY GRACE before He ever gave them the Law.

Why did God institute the Law? Because Israel kept making golden Calves. Israel kept trying to save herself. Only God can save. Only God is God.

Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

The Levitical High Priest served God in a worldly Tabernacle or Temple. But Jesus Christ serves God not in an earthly Temple, but in the “perfect tabernacle” of Heaven, that place which is “not made with hands”. Heaven is God’s structure, God’s construction. No man laid the street of gold. No man put up the gates of pearl. No man builds mansion in that place, but the God-Man Christ Jesus. He builds mansions there. He, the Son of God, reigns in that place.

Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

The Bible says:

Galatians 3:19 (ESV) Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.

Why did God give the complicated, convoluted, crippling Law at Mount Sinai? It was added “BECAUSE OF TRANSGRESSIONS”, because Israel would not listen to or obey the voice of God by faith. The Law was like a king over Israel. When Israel had God as its King, it needed no other King. God is the Perfect King. But Israel wanted a King so they would be like the other nations – so God stepped down and gave them a king.

They traded the King of Kings for a king. But God promised in David that He would send a King of Kings once more (2 Samuel 7:8-29).

The Law was given “until the offspring should come”, the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. When the Lord Jesus Christ came, He came to offer Himself for His Sheep. He said:

John 10:11-15 (AP) … I am the Good Shepherd – not a hired hand. I know My Sheep, and they know Me. I know the Father, and He knows Me. I lay down MY LIFE FOR THE SHEEP…

No one took Jesus’ life – He laid it down of His own will (John 10:18). The Eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ, was “made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death” (Hebrews 2:9). Jesus TASTED DEATH FOR EVERYONE. The Bible says that Jesus did not take the blood of the Old Covenant, the blood of animals that were without spot or blemish, into the Holy of Holies in the Temple. Jesus BYPASSED THE TEMPLE. The Bible says:

by his own blood he entered in once
into the holy place

The priests entered into the Holy of Holies years after year, sacrificing frequently for the sins of man. But Jesus carried HIS OWN BLOOD into the Holiest of All, into Heaven itself. His Blood was efficacious and effective. He entered ONCE into Heaven, paying for our sins. How effective was the Blood of Christ. We are told that Jesus:

obtained eternal redemption for us

Read the text carefully. It doesn’t say that Jesus obtained eternal LIFE for us, but that He obtained ETERNAL REDEMPTION. The word rendered REDEMPTION is the Greek lýtrōsis, {pronounced loo’-tro-sis}, which means “deliverance from the penalty of sin”. The believer in Christ is no longer enslaved to sin. The believer in Christ is no longer bound to the darkness. The believer in Christ is now a purchased possession of God. As the Scripture says:

1 Corinthians 6:20 {you} are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 7:23 {you} are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

You who are saved by faith in Christ belong to Him Who saved you. You are children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You were redeemed from Egypt, from the world, so that you can serve the Living God.

Hebrews 9:13-14 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The blood of bulls, goats, the heifer all sanctified to the purifying of the flesh. It outwardly cleansed the offerer, but did nothing for the soul or the spirit. Just as the High Priest going into the Holy of Holies was a shadow, the sacrifices were shadows, without any real substance. The offerer had to constantly be examining himself to see if he fulfilled every jot and tittle of the Law. What was the net effect? Under the Old Covenant people were constantly sacrificing and keeping the Law in order to stay in God’s graces. But under the New Covenant, Jesus did the work.

There is no more sacrifice for sin.
The work is done, so we as children of God can focus on serving our Lord. Not to be saved – but because we are saved. Having Eternal Redemption, we also have an Eternal Inheritance.

Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

We who are saved have an “ETERNAL INHERITANCE” waiting for us. We who are saved by faith in Christ are promised that when we leave this life, we will enter another life where our Father is God, our Brother is Christ, and the Holy Spirit will be with us forever. We are not just given forgiveness now – but that state continues into eternity because of Christ. We stand right with God because of Jesus.

Are You Ready For Your Appointment?

I want to close by skipping down to the last two verses in this text:

Hebrews 9:27-28 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Each and every person in this place – on the face of the earth – has an appointment with death. It is sure, and it is certain. You will ONCE DIE. But will you just ONCE DIE, or will you DIE TWICE? If you are in a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, you will only DIE ONCE. But if you have no relationship with Jesus – if you are not one of His Sheep, His Followers – then you will DIE TWICE. The Bible speaks of this in:

Revelation 20:11-15 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

God will judge every person who stands before Him at this Great White Throne. As we read in this text, “they were judged every man according to their works”. What is “The Work of God” that God is looking for when He judges their works? Jesus said:

John 6:29 (AP) THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD, that you BELIEVE ON HIM WHOM GOD HAS SENT …

You have an appointment with God, with judgment, coming. Have you believed on Jesus? Or are you relying on your good works to get you into Heaven. They will not. What will get you into Heaven is the WORK OF GOD which is to BELIEVE ON JESUS. To give your life to Him. To trust Him, and follow Him as your Good Shepherd. When you do so, your name will be written in the Book of Life. But if you will not surrender to Him, following Him, loving Him, then the Bible says:

whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire

This is the SECOND DEATH. Oh Beloved, do not put it off. Recognize yourself as a sinner in need of the Savior. REPENT of be8ing your own God, and turn to Him Who is God the Son, Who died on Calvary for your sins and mine. Turn to Him Who today sits at the right hand of God the Father, Whose Blood cleanses us from all sin.

Do not delay. Come to Him today! Your works will ever fall short if you put them BEFORE Jesus. Once saved, you will work for Him. Not to BE saved, but BECAUSE you are saved.

May God speak His Word deep into your heart. Amen and Amen.

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Seven Sins God Hates

Posted on May 31, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Tom Winckels on Unsplash

Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Have You Heard Of “The Seven Deadly Sins”?

I’m sure many of you have heard of “The Seven Deadly Sins”. As I studied our text tonight, I thought about what people call “The Seven Deadly Sins”. Where did the concept come from?

This is a concept that crept into Christianity
by way of the Catholic Church.

Illustrate: The concept of “Seven Deadly Sins” has been pushed as Biblical through television and the movies. Do you remember the show Gilligan’s Island? Not many young people today know this show, but I grew up watching it. The show’s creator Sherwood Schwartz (the head writer for The Red Skelton Show and producer of The Brady Bunch) wrote a book called “Inside Gilligan’s Island” where he stated that each of the characters on the show represented one of the so called “deadly sins”.

The Professor – Pride
Thurston Howell III – Greed
Ginger – Lust
Mary Ann – Envy (of Ginger’s looks)
Mrs. Lovey Howell – Gluttony
The Skipper – Anger or wrath
Gilligan – Sloth

The concept of “The Seven Deadly Sins” came from the writings of a Catholic Monk named Evagrius Ponticus, who called it “The Eight Evil Thoughts” (addingsadness as a sin). In the Sixth Century Pope Gregory I wrote a Commentary on Job, rearranged the list from Ponticus, and gave it the name “The Seven Deadly Sins”. A later Catholic Leader named Thomas Aquinas created the list of Seven Deadly Sins we have today.

The Catholic Church today teaches that these “Deadly Sins”, also called “Capital Vices” or “Cardinal Sins” are mortal or deadly because they lead to the death of the soul. Professor of English at Arizona State University Richard G. Newhauser stated:

“Committing one of these mortal sins and not confessing {to your priest}, not doing penance and so on, will result in the death of the soul. And then you’ll be in hell for eternity, or your soul will be in hell for eternity”.

Does the Bible just list “Seven Deadly Sins”?

No, it does not. In fact, the Bible teaches that ALL sin is “Deadly”. I have often quoted:

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sin Defined: Sin is – properly defined – “a work of the flesh and of self satisfaction, separated from the glory of God”. The Apostle Paul told us that when we walked apart from God that we would default to “the works of the flesh” or sin:

Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV) Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

This list contains 15 types of sin, “works of the flesh” that destroy the Kingdom of God. This list is not extensive. We are told in …

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (ESV) Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

In this list Paul addresses 9 sins – and clarifies the sexual sins of adultery and homosexuality. In the text the Apostle sent to his student Timothy, he wrote:

1 Timothy 1:9-10 (ESV) … the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine

Again getting more specific into sins like striking your parents, homosexuality, the sin of enslaving others (chattel slavery is a sin to God), lying, and so on. There are much more than “Seven Deadly Sins” – much more.

Any work of the flesh where you put yourself above God or above respect of others is a deadly sin. If unrepentant, it will lead to some form of death in your world.

The Sins Of Proverbs 6 Are Sins God HATES

Read the text again:

Proverbs 6:16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto Him:

Word Study: This is not about “The Seven Deadly Sins”, but it is about “The Seven Sins God in Particular Hates”. We are told that these “seven are an abomination” to God. The word “abomination” is the Hebrew tôʿēḇâ (pronounced to-ay-baw’), which means “disgusting, unclean, idolatrous”. To get an idea of how God views these sins in Proverbs 6, we can see how the Lord uses the word tôʿēḇâ in other contexts. On sexual perversion God decreed:

Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination [tôʿēḇâ (pronounced to-ay-baw’)]

Concerning idolatry God said:

Deuteronomy 7:25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination [tôʿēḇâ (pronounced to-ay-baw’)] to the LORD thy God.

And on giving God less than your best, He said:

Deuteronomy 17:1 Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination [tôʿēḇâ (pronounced to-ay-baw’)] unto the LORD thy God.

God also despises cheating your neighbor:

Proverbs 11:1 A false balance is abomination [tôʿēḇâ (pronounced to-ay-baw’)] to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.

That which God considers an ABOMINATION makes little of Him, and little of those around us. Our Lord Jesus said that the entire Law could be boiled down into two points:

Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV) … “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

What are the sins that God HATES? It is the sins that destroy love for God and love for others. We are to “love the Lord your God with all” that we have, above all else – and “love your neighbor as yourself”. Love for God must be FIRST. But since mankind is created in the image of God, we are also to love other humans (Genesis 1:27).

Down the street there is a church with a sign out front that says “Open minds, open doors, open hearts”. What’s wrong with that? We are to have the MIND OF CHRIST (1 Corinthians 2:16), not a worldly mindset. We love God FIRST.

Defining The Sins God Hates

The Bible says “Hate what is evil; cling to that which is good” (Romans 12:9). As believers in Christ we are to hate what God hates, and love what God loves.

The “Hateful Seven” sins are all tied to the misuse of what God has given you. He has given you life. He has given you a body. You did nothing to earn nor deserve that body, but it is a grace gift. Thus, God wants you to use your body in a way that glorifies Him and blesses others. When you do not, then God HATES what you are doing.

Proverbs 6:17 … A proud look (rûm ʿayin)

God starts with our EYES. This is literally “PRIDEFUL EYES”. A departure from the ways of God always comes when we reject His clearly taught Word and begin to examine the sinful with our eyes. This is what happened in the Garden of Eden. The Serpent (the devil, see Revelation 12:9; 20:2) tempted Eve, saying “If you eat of the forbidden fruit, you will not die. God knows that in the day you eat of it, you’ll be just like Him, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). What happened next? The Bible says:

Genesis 3:6 … the woman SAW that the tree was good for food, and THAT IT WAS PLEASANT TO THE EYES …

This is the way that sin always entraps us. It starts with the eyes. You reject the Word of God, and then the devil parades out a good looking LAND MINE. Look in our context:

Proverbs 6:23-26 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: 24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. 25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. 26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.

God hates it when we ignore His Word, and look longingly at something He has forbidden. That is an ABOMINATION to God.

Proverbs 6:17 … a lying tongue

We go from the eyes, next to the MOUTH as we see that God hates lying. Our Lord Jesus told the Pharisees who told lies about Him and His ministry:

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The Devil – a.k.a. Satan – is the inventor of lies. He lied in the Garden of Eden when he told Adam and Eve “You will not die!”. The devil uses lies and trickery to get the righteous to fall, and to keep the unrighteous hell-bound. Lying is foreign to God. The Bible says “God NEVER LIES” (Titus 1:2). Believers in Christ are to be “speaking the TRUTH in LOVE” (Ephesians 4:15).

It was the lie of Satan that destroyed Paradise, and lies in the so called Churches that are leading the lost to greater lostness. God says:

Proverbs 12:22 Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight

We are to cling to His Word and faithfully speak His Word – for His Word is TRUTH (John 17:17).

Proverbs 6:17 … hands that shed innocent blood

Eyes, mouth, and now to the hands. God established the death penalty for shedding the blood of someone who did not deserve to die. He first established this when Noah left the Ark:

Genesis 9:6 Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

Life is sacred because God made us in His image. In fact, God states that “we are gods” (Psalm 82:6; John 10:34) – not in the sense that God is God, but we are little “g” gods because we are made in His image. God gave man dominion over the earth and all that is in it. Animals are animals but humans are NOT animals – we are in God’s image. That makes human life supremely sacred, and this is why God demands “life for life” (Exodus 21:23) if innocent life is taken.

Not too long ago Comedian Bill Maher stated “abortion is murder, and I’m okay with that because there’s 8 billion people in the world. We don’t need you.” God hates the shedding of innocent blood (which is what abortion is) and finds it abominable.

Proverbs 6:18 … An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations

The heart is next. The heart of a person is the control center of the soul. God hates the heart that focuses not on His Word, but on “wicked imaginations” because of the evil it introduces into the world. It was the heart focused on evil that caused God to flood the entire world with water in the days of Noah:

Genesis 6:5-7 … (ESV) The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land

The reason there is rampant crime and pain on this earth is because of the wicked imagination of the heart. Jesus said:

Matthew 15:19-20 (ESV) For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person.

Proverbs 6:18 … feet that be swift in running to mischief

God calls His people to be “Light” and “Salt”. Jesus said:

John 8:12 (ESV) … “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Where we go, we are to bring the LIGHT OF CHRIST with us, not the darkness of sin. God hates when people run to an area to tear down rather than build up. It is contrary to the Christian way of life.

Proverbs 6:19 A false witness that speaketh lies …

God despises the “lying Tongue” (verse 16), that is, the Tongue that speaks against His Word. But God also hates the tongue that bears FALSE WITNESS. The Ninth Commandment of the Law is:

Exodus 20:16 (ESV) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Numerous times in the Book of Proverbs the Lord speaks out against the False Witness. We are told:

Proverbs 19:5 (ESV) A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.

Proverbs 19:9 (ESV) A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.

It was the lies of the False Witnesses that brought Jesus to the judgment seat of Pilate (Matthew 26:59), and the lies of False Witnesses that caused the unlawful execution of the Evangelist Stephen (Acts 6:13). God condemned the False Witness under the Law, warning “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.” (Exodus 23:1). Under U.S. Law perjury is punishable by imprisonment of 5-7 years. Under the Mosaic Law, the false witness would receive the punishment he intended to bring on the falsely accused, up to and including capital punishment.

The Worst Sin Is Sowing Discord

In the first part of this text, we read:

Proverbs 6:16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

All of the sins mentioned are hated by God – but the SEVENTH sin puts the cap on it. God particularly hates DISUNITY. The Seventh HATED sin is:

Proverbs 6:19 … he that soweth discord among brethren

God particularly hates those who run around behind the scenes stirring up trouble among His people. Previously God spoke of the worthless man in:

Proverbs 6:12-14 A NAUGHTY {bᵊlîyaʿal, son of Belial, worthless} person, a wicked man, walketh with a FROWARD {ʿiqqᵊšûṯ, perverse} mouth. 13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; 14 FROWARDNESS {ʿiqqᵊšûṯ, perversity} is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

A worthless person tears down the work of God. Jesus said “where two or three are gathered TOGETHER IN MY NAME, I am in their midst” (Matthew 18:20). It pleases God when His Church is in one accord, glorifying Him. God HATES it when a member of the body, like a cancer, goes rogue and begins to destroy the unity that Christ purchased with His own blood.

Shame on you!

The Apostle told the Church at Corinth to handle the young man spreading discord in the harshest of ways. Paul said:

1 Corinthians 5:5 … deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Turn that person out. “Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, for Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Our Lord Jesus said:

Matthew 12:25 … Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand…

Division destroys the Work of God, and hinders the growth of the Kingdom of God. May God teach us to stand together, loving God with our all, and loving one another the way we want to be loved. Pastor Scott L. Harris of Grace Bible Church, NY writes:

“God’s desire is for brothers to dwell in unity (Psalm 133:1). Such unity is even more important for those who are spiritual brothers. It is our love for one another that demonstrates we are disciples of Jesus (John 13:35). There is not to be divisions among us (1 Cor. 1:10) for we are to be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 3:6). That is done by having the humility to regard others more important than yourself and look out for their interests and not just your own (Philippians 2:3-4).”

For Christ’s glory. For the advancement of His Kingdom. Amen and Amen.

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How We Got Our Bible #2: Do We Have All Of The Scripture?

Posted on May 27, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by John Spalding: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-lighthouse-on-a-coast-5425672/

Isn’t There Bible Texts That Are “Lost”?

When we talk about “How We Got Our Bible”, one of the questions that I’ve been asked is:

“I’ve heard there are books that should have been included in the Bible, but were excluded. How do we know we have ALL of the Bible available to us – that portions weren’t taken away or hidden.”

God gave us the Scripture through the Prophets and the Apostles. The “Prophets” were specifically chosen by God to carry His Word to the people. God said of the Prophets:

Numbers 12:6-8 … Hear now my words: If there be a prophet (Hebrew nāḇî’, pronunciation naw-bee’) among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. 7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. 8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

Moses was a prophet of God, a Premier Prophet. God spoke to Moses not in dreams, but in an audible voice. God spoke to the Prophets through dreams and visions, but Moses directly. The Prophets wrote the Old Testament as God gave them direction – and Moses wrote the Pentateuch, also called the Torah or the Books of the Law. These first five Books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy give the history of the founding of creation and the founding of Israel. These Books also set out the ceremonial, civil, and sacrificial laws that are unique to Israel, as well as the moral laws that apply to all people.

The office of the Prophet elevated and glorified God. The Prophet did not exist to make people feel good about themselves, but to point them to God as Savior and Lord.

God told His people:

Deuteronomy 13:1-3 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

If a Prophet rises up who tries to draw God’s people away from God, that Prophet is to be ignored. The Prophet existed to glorify God, not man. God went on to say:

Deuteronomy 13:5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

God raised up a number of Prophets to write Scripture, the Old Testament that we have in our Bible. But Moses was a special Prophet of God. As Moses life came toward it’s end on this earth, he prophesied:

Deuteronomy 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto Him ye shall hearken;

God would raise up another Prophet like Moses. This Prophet would hear God audibly – not in visions and dreams, but directly. Moses went on to prophesy:

Deuteronomy 18:18-19 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

Who was this unique Prophet Who was like Moses in how God approached Him? It is none other than Jesus Christ. We are told in:

Hebrews 1:1-2 (NKJV) God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds…

Jesus is the Prophet Who spoke to God face to face. Jesus told us:

John 8:28 … (ESV) I do nothing on My own authority, but SPEAK JUST AS THE FATHER TAUGHT ME.

John 12:49-50 (ESV) … I have not spoken on My own authority, BUT THE FATHER WHO SENT ME has Himself given Me a commandment – WHAT TO SAY AND WHAT TO SPEAK … What I say, therefore, I SAY AS THE FATHER HAS TOLD ME

When Jesus began His ministry, He hand picked men whom He called “Apostles” (Matthew 10:2). Apostles (the Greek apostolos, pronunciation

ap-os’-tol-os) were delegates or messengers specifically chosen by Christ, commissioners of Heaven. Apostles were “called or appointed by God, just as Old Testament Prophets were called of God” (Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1; 9:1).

Apostles And Prophets Wrote Scripture. False Apostles And Prophets Wrote Pseudepigrapha, or false scripture.

When early Christians were gathering the Scriptures – the Old Testament writings and the New Testament letters that the Apostles had written to the Churches – the devil tried to flood the Word of God with the word of man. He did this in the Garden of Eden when he questioned God’s Word to Eve. “Has God really said”? The devil asked (Genesis 3:1). The devil tried flooding both Old and New Testament Scriptures with false scripture, technically called Pseudepigrapha (meaning “false writings”). Some people have said that these are “lost books of the Bible”. That’s untrue. These books were rejected because they taught false doctrines rejected by the Biblical text. Some of these books are:

3 Maccabees
4 Maccabees
Assumption of Moses
Ethiopic Book of Enoch (1 Enoch)
Slavonic Second Book of Enoch
Book of Jubilees
3 Baruch

and so on. There are many more false writings that were rejected from the Canon of Scripture. One false writing called The Gospel of Thomas contains statements like:

Saying 114: Simon Peter said to him, “Let Mary go forth from us, for women are not worthy of life.” Jesus said, “Look, I myself will lead her in order to make her male, so that she too might become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who makes herself male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

That is absolute nonsense, and not something that the Jesus represented in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John would have said. Another false writing called …

“The Infancy Gospel of Thomas is a narrative account of periods in Jesus’ childhood, including legendary episodes in which Jesus strikes dead another boy who bumps into him, miraculously lengthens a wooden beam to help his stepfather, Joseph, with his carpentry, raises from the dead his friend who falls off a roof on which they were playing, and makes live sparrows out of clay. ”

Another false scripture called “Acts of John” tell the reader that Jesus is only a spirit who left no footprints when He walked, could not be touched, and did not really die on the Cross but just appeared to die. The Acts of John taught the false doctrine called Docetism, which claims that Jesus’ earthly form was just an illusion.

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Churches, he had to deal with forgeries that were going out in his name. One false writing that went out, a forgery with Paul’s name on it, claimed that the Rapture had already occurred:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 (ESV) Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

The devil has actively sought to twist, dilute, or counterfeit the Word of God from the beginning of human history. To counter the evil, Paul would write:

2 Thessalonians 3:17 (ESV) I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.

Though Paul had a secretary that wrote for him as he dictated, he always closed the letters with his own signature (see 1 Corinthians 16:21; Galatians 6:11; & Colossians 4:18).

Determining “Canon” Or The Rule Of Scripture

The false writings or Pseudepigrapha were rejected by the early Church as Scripture because they did not fit the “canon” or “rule” of Scripture. My commentary notes:

“The term pseudepigrapha comes from the Greek pseudo, meaning “false,” and epigraphein, meaning “to inscribe,” thus, “to write falsely.” The pseudepigraphical books were written anywhere from 200 BC to AD 300. They are spurious works written by unknown authors who attempted to gain a readership by tacking on the name of a famous biblical character. Obviously, a book called the “Testament of Abraham” has a better chance of being read than the “Counterfeit Testament of an Unknown Author.”

Rules Of Canon

There are three basic rules that determine the Canon or Rule of Genuine Scripture:

1 Scripture is clearly INSPIRED OF GOD. It is not the opinion of man, but a direct Word from the Creator. For instance, in

Exodus 24:3-4 (NKJV) So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

2 Once a clear Word of God was received through the Prophet, that Word is recognized by other men of God.

Deuteronomy 31:24-26 (NKJV) So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: 26 “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a witness against you …

Joshua 1:7-9 (NKJV) Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

God’s people are led by God our Savior. God leads His people to affirm His Word.

2 Kings 23:3 (NKJV) Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant.

God’s people knows what is right and wrong, for God stays with His people. “The LORD is My Shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). The Shepherd makes sure His sheep hear His Voice. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). God makes sure that His people can hear His Word, and not a false word.

3 The Word of God was collected and preserved by the people of God. Every Book included in the Canon of Scripture was carefully scrutinized. Was the Book written by a Prophet of God? Did that Prophet do acts that only God could have done? Did the Book speak truthfully about God, and have through its text the power of God? What the unbelieving world has called “The Lost Books Of The Bible” were routinely rejected by the early Church.

The Canon of Scripture the Church accepts as Biblical, the Word of God, is:

  • Books of the Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
  • Historical Books (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I & II Samuel, I & II Kings, I & II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther)
  • Poetic Books (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon)
  • Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel)
  • Minor Prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obediah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi). These are called “Minor” because the books are comparatively short, though just as important as the “Major” prophets.

These all comprise our OLD Testament, or books written under the Old Covenant that God gave to Israel. The last Old Testament Book was written about 400 BC, 400 years before Christ became incarnate, perfect Man.

The NEW Testament, books written when the Prophet Who would succeed Moses came – our Lord Jesus Christ. The New Testament Canon that the Church agreed on is:

  • The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
  • The History (Acts)
  • The Church Letters (Romans, I & II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, I & II Peter, I, II, & III John, Jude
  • The Future (Revelation)

The Devil Wants To Deny The Church God’s Word

The early Church was heavily persecuted by both religious Jews as well as Roman Emperors. The Church flourished under persecution. However, in 325 AD Roman Emperor Constantine called together the Council of Nicaea (the modern Turkish city of Iznik). The purpose of the Council was to establish a state religion – Roman Catholicism. As with anything that is politicized, it wasn’t long until corruption crept into the Catholic Church. As the priests began to drift away from the Scripture, they began to hide the drift by forbidding the masses access to the Scripture.

This was absolutely foreign to the teaching of the Bible. Moses organized public reading of the Scripture:

Exodus 24:6-8 (NKJV) Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”

In Deuteronomy 31 God commands the Israelites to read the entire Law every seven years:

Deuteronomy 31:10-12 (NKJV) Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law

When Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land, the Bible says:

Joshua 8:34-35 (ESV) {Joshua} read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them.

When King Josiah was reigning in Israel the Word of God – thought to be lost – was found in the Temple. As soon as it was found Josiah …

2 Kings 23:2 … (ESV) read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord

When Jesus started His public ministry, He went to the Synagogue in Nazareth and read Scripture:

Luke 4:16 (ESV) as was His custom, {Jesus} went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and He stood up to read.

God has always wanted His Word to be shared with His people. He specifically commanded this in Deuteronomy 6:1-9 when He told His Israel “these Words I command you shall be in your heart. You shall teach them to your children, talk of them while at home whether at rest or at work. You shall even put these Words on the doorposts of your homes.” God wants His Word to be given to His people. He wants His people to know what He has said, and to DO what he says.

As the Catholic Church became corrupted, it began to hide the Scripture from the people. Services were held, and preachers read scripture in Latin, a language the people did not know. People were not allowed to have Bibles. The Decree of the Council of Toulouse (1229 AD) stated:

“We prohibit also that the laity {those that are not priests}should be permitted to have the books of the Old or New Testament; but we most strictly forbid their having any translation of these books.”

The Ruling of the Council of Tarragona (1234 AD) decreed:

“No one may possess the books of the Old and New Testaments in the Romance language, and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the local bishop within eight days after promulgation of this decree, so that they may be burned”

In 1380 AD Oxford Professor and Theologian John Wycliffe translated the New Testament into English. He wrote that this would “helpeth Christian men to study the Gospel in that tongue in which they know best Christ’s sentence.” Though Wycliffe was deceased when they met, the Ecumenical Council of Constance (1415 AD) said that he was a heretic. His bones were dug up and publicly burned, and the ashes were thrown into the river!

English Bible Scholar and Linguist William Tyndale translated most of the Bible into English, though forbidden to do so by the Catholic Church. Tyndale was burned at the stake in 1536 AD for the sin of making the Scripture available to the people in their own language.

The devil tried twisting the Word of God. Then he tried counterfeiting the Word of God. Then the devil got religious leaders to forbid the Word of God to the people. They hid the Word of God in languages the people could not understand, so they could control the people and have power over the so called Church.

The Protestant believers rose up against Catholicism, and stood strong against the false teachings of that Church. Martin Luther, one of the first Protestants, was a Catholic Monk that was troubled over the Catholic Priests selling of “Indulgences”. An “Indulgence” is when you gave the Priest money to “forgive” the sins of a loved one, so they could go to Heaven. No one has the power to forgive sin but God, and there is no forgiveness of sin outside of faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Once believers separated from the then false church, people began to translate the Bible into the language of the people.

Though today we have the whole Bible translated in 736 languages, and the whole New Testament is available in 1658 languages. There are portions of Scripture in 1264 languages. This means that there are 3658 languages with at least some access to the Bible – about 49.5% of all languages. Many still have no access to the Bible, as there are7394 living languages in the world. In America, most people have more than one Bible. They are not restricted from the Scripture. But the devil encourages people to ignore the Word of God and the Biblical Church.

That is very sad, as the only way to grow as a Christian is through study and reading of the Word of God. God has – in His love – provided us with various translations of the Scripture in our language in North America. May God lead us to cherish the Word He has given us. Next session we shall discuss Bible Translations. May God touch your hearts with His Word!

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Three Great Truths

Posted on May 25, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

As we come to Proverbs chapter 6, Solomon introduces us to several truths that a Wise King led by God wants us to know. John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible notes:

“In this chapter the wise man dissuades from rash suretyship; exposes the sin of idleness; describes a wicked man; makes mention of seven things hateful to God; exhorts to attend to parental instructions and precepts, and cautions against adultery.”

We’ll look at the first three of these truths tonight. We’ll start with:

The Dangers Of Rash Suretyship: Verses 1-5

Proverbs 6:1-3 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, 2 Thou art snared (yāqōš [pronounced yaw-koshe’], caught in a trap) with the words of thy mouth, thou art TAKEN (lāḵaḏ [pronounced law-kad’], captured) with the words of thy mouth. 3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.

I’m sure Jerry our Lawyer knows what “Suretyship” is, but for the rest of us I’m going to give you the Merriam-Webster Legal Definition:

“the contractual relationship in which a surety engages to answer for the debt or default of a principal to a third party”

To put that in simpler terms, you have a person come to you in financial trouble. Say that person is your “friend”, someone you have known for a long time. This “friend” says, “I need your help. I’m in trouble, and I desperately need a loan, but I can’t get one on my own. Will you co-sign my loan?” Since he’s your friend, and you’ve known him for a long time, you go ahead and co-sign.

Six months later you’re on the hook for a pile of money!

The Bible places a high value on something the world cares little about, and that is keeping your word. As believers in Christ we represent the Kingdom of Heaven. Our word should be our bond. The writer of Proverbs writes in another place:

Proverbs 5:2-5 (NKJV) Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few. 3 For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool’s voice is known by his many words. 4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed— 5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.

God holds us accountable for how we live our lives. We need to be very careful about what we say we will do. We read:

Proverbs 6:2 Thou art snared (yāqōš [pronounced yaw-koshe’], caught in a trap) with the words of thy mouth, thou art TAKEN (lāḵaḏ [pronounced law-kad’], captured) with the words of thy mouth

When you have promised to do something – become surety for another – God expects you to follow through on that promise. If it is a matter of Law, then the Law expects you to follow through on that promise. Your word is to be your bond.

Word Study: There are many times when people approach me about someone else. “Will you help them – I understand they need help”. My response is always the same. “I need to talk to that person first, and insure that what I’m promising I can do – and I want to do”. To immediately say “yes” because a friend asks me is foolish. You may find yourself like a wild animal, caught in a cage that you can’t get out of. That’s the sense of the two words used in verse 2, yāqōš [pronounced yaw-koshe’] and lāḵaḏ [pronounced law-kad’]. Because you were hasty in becoming surety for another, you are now on the hook. You are stuck in a trap of your own making. What does God tells us to do before giving our word?

Proverbs 6:3 Do this now, my son, and deliver (nāṣal, [pronounced naw-tsal’], rescue) thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure (rāhaḇ, to strengthen or ensure, to press) thy friend.

To protect yourself from entrapment, do not allow a friend or a loved one to coerce you into suretyship. Go and talk with them plainly. Ask direct questions. The New American Standard states “be urgent with your neighbor”, the English Standard to “plead urgently with your neighbor”. Ask questions. You may have others around you pleading that you help this “poor unfortunate”, and who will malign you when you hesitate to do so. The text says,

“Humble yourself!” Make sure you know what you’re saying yes to – because God expects you to keep your word. Don’t worry about pleasing others. Focus on pleasing GOD!

The last two verses of this Proverb read:

Proverbs 6:4-5 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. 5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

Do not procrastinate in sitting down with your neighbor or “friend” before you give your word or sign the contract. Not too long ago someone came to me for something – I forget what – but I remember saying, “I’m not saying no – but I want you to explain to me carefully what it is you want me to do. Until I fully understand your request, my answer has to be emphatically “no”!” Don’t beat around the bush – communicate. If you can’t get a good answer from the “friend”, then,

Do what the “ROE” or deer does with the hunter: RUN!
Do what the “BIRD” does when it spots the gun: FLY AWAY!

Some may claim you’re stingy, or mean, or hard hearted. Tough! Do not let anyone lead you into a quicksand pit!

The Danger Of Laziness – Verses 6-11

Proverbs 6:6-8 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

God speaks to us through His Bible, but He also has given us teachings in His nature. God designed nature. He made every creature as He wants it to be. God made the tiny ant – and teaches us the value of preparedness and work. Every ant colony has one or more Queens. As God speaks of the worker ant, He calls that ant a “her”(consider her ways). Harvard University has a 4000 acre laboratory & classroom they call Harvard Forest. They note about the ants:

“Every ant colony has one or more queens. Even though the worker ants are female, the queen is the only ant that can lay eggs. … They have highly evolved social systems with three different castes ~ queens, males, and workers. The workers are female, but cannot reproduce. Most of the eggs the queen lays hatch into workers. Workers are specialized. Some spend their lives tending the eggs and larvae. Other workers forage for food. ”

The worker ants are “she” ants, and they leave the nest to gather food. The “Queen” does not direct them, but they work diligently and TOGETHER to get the job done. Ants know that winter is coming when there will be little food, so they gather and store what they can when food is available.

God wants us to be like the ant. We should not wait until we are in a desperate situation, then try and fix the problem. We are to look for opportunities to serve God and bless the Church and the Community. The ants have “no guide, overseer, or ruler”. They don’t have anyone chasing them around, telling them what to do.

There are many people today – and even some in this Church – that are sluggards. They know what they need to do, but would rather be entertained by television and social media, on the golf course or at the park. God has many things that He wants His people to do, to help facilitate the spread of the Gospel. Sluggards do nothing but drag their feet and complain. The Bible speaks of these people:

Philippians 3:17-20 (NASB) Brothers and sisters, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even as I weep, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who have their minds on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ …

The sluggard cares nothing for the Colony – the Church. The ant works together with other worker ants, doing what they are called to do, to expand the Kingdom. The sluggard sits at home in a darkened room watching television, never thinking of the coming winter, just satisfying himself for “his GOD is his BELLY”.

If you’ve ever noticed the common American field ant, it can carry up to 350 times its body weight. Why? Because God designed it to do so. An ant will work – in unison with others of its colony – within its design.

What God calls us to, He will equip us to do. You have probably seen ants carrying leaves or dead bugs many times their size. They can do so because God makes them do so. When we are serving God and doing that which pleases Him, He will enable us to do.

Psalm 147:5-6 (ESV) Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure. 6 The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked to the ground.

The ant is HUMBLE, not arrogant. It is willing to be nameless, to simply do the job that God has made it to do. King David said:

Psalm 84:10-12 (NKJV) I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.

The ant knows that it cannot do the entire job of the colony, just its part. So the ant labors on, trusting in God’s calling, doing what it is designed to do. Ants will not fight within their colony, but will battle other colonies if they invade their nest. Ants seem to understand that any disharmony in the colony can lead to its death.

Would that local Churches understand this concept!

God calls us to unity, to work together for the glory of Christ and the salvation of mankind. We are not to allow false teachers to invade our colony, nor are we to compromise with the godless and their ideologies. The Bible says:

Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV) … walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

And again,

Philippians 2:2-5 (NKJV) … fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus …

There is another reason not to be a sluggard. If you fail to serve the Lord like the ant serves the colony, if you lay about and do little – what you fail to sow, you will reap. We read:

Proverbs 6:9-11 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth {hālaḵ, [pronounced haw-lak’], sense wanders away from the colony}, and thy want as an armed man.

The above slide shows a sloth traveling from his normal habitat. When sloths travel, they are often run over on the highways. The sluggard traveling will often end up dead. Even so, the ant that wanders away from the colony and its calling will find itself in a threatening situation. Other ant colonies are antagonistic toward any ant outside that colony. An ant that wanders away invites quick death or worse, slow death by starvation.

I often meet with homeless people who have decided to be sluggards, to rely on others for their sustenance. I can feed them, but never really help them.

Their failure to prepare and laziness has put them in a situation that may eventually kill them. I try to help those I can, but unless they repent and turn to a better lifestyle, they will find themselves in an early grave. The average lifespan of a homeless person is 17.5 years shorter than that of the general population.

Laziness kills. Just as an armed man will kill you, laziness kills.

The Danger Of Wickedness – Verses 12-15

Proverbs 6:12-15 A NAUGHTY person, a wicked man, walketh with a FROWARD mouth. 13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; 14 FROWARDNESS {perversity} is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. 15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

Word Study: The word “NAUGHTY” is the Hebrew bᵊlîyaʿal, which means “One like Belial, someone who is worthless or good for nothing”. Good for nothing people will drag you down to their level. Where ever they go, they have a “FROWARD” (Hebrew ʿiqqᵊšûṯ (pronounced ik-kesh-ooth’), that is a “crooked or perverse” mouth. The Bible says that they do three things:

winketh with his EYES,
speaketh with his FEET,
teacheth with his FINGERS

They make suggestions to see what you’ll say, then do the old wink wink at you. Where they take themselves speaks volumes about their lives. What they do teaches you whether they are light or dark. Their hearts are devoted to perversity. They are constantly planning mischief, sowing discord where ever they go.

People like this think they will never be hurt – but they will. Those who sow discord will find themselves – in time – without friends. Some people call this “karma”. The Bible calls it “reaping what you sow”. As believers in Christ we are commanded to not allow the worthless person to drag you down to their level. They will, in time, meet their doom. Our calling is to do good, even to the evil.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-48 … Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Keep doing good. Keep being the light. Do the right thing even if all the world attack you. God will one day level the field – and your reward will come. May God touch your hearts with His Word.

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What Is A Pastor? What Is a Church?

Posted on May 22, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Maxime Gauthier on Unsplash

It is a honor and a privilege to be here tonight, recognizing the ordination of a man into the Gospel Ministry. I remember when I was ordained into the Gospel Ministry, August 22, 1999 at Greenwood Baptist in Valdosta, Georgia. It is a blessing to have God call a Pastor to a Church. It is my prayer that both Mission Chapel Baptist as well as Brother Ronnie Burns grow spiritually and physically, glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ by spreading His Gospel.

Jesus said “Upon this Rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). It seems that today the gates of hell IS prevailing against the church, but I don’t believe it is prevailing against Jesus’ Church. As long as the Church belongs to Jesus it has power. As long as the Church and it’s Pastors believe that “Jesus is THE Christ, THE Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16), that Church will stand strong though all the world stand against it.

My prayer for Mission Chapel Baptist and Ronnie Burns is that you grow together over the coming years to celebrate and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and the written Word of God, the Bible.

The Pastor Is A Shepherd Of God’s People

God loves His Church, and calls men out to serve His Church. God first called Apostles and Prophets. These men wrote the Scripture – the Word of God – that our Churches are built on. Once the Scripture was given, God gave the Church Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers (Ephesians 4:11).

The title Pastor (Greek poimēn) means “A Shepherd”.

God often uses Shepherds in His Work. God Himself is our Great Shepherd:

Psalm 100:3 (ESV) Know that the LORD, he is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Those who have believed on Christ for salvation are God’s Sheep. In the Old Testament, the people chose Saul to be the first King of Israel. The Bible says of Saul:

1 Samuel 9:2 (AP) There was not a more HANDSOME PERSON than Saul among the children of Israel …

He was a movie star – a celebrity – someone that, if he ran for President of the United States, he’d be a “shoo-in”. There was only one problem. As talented and beautiful as Saul was, Saul cared little for the glory of God, the Word of God, or for His people. Saul wanted to do things his own way. Finally God told Saul through the Prophet Samuel:

1 Samuel 15:23 (ESV) … rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.

God chose another man, a lowly shepherd boy named David to be the next King of Israel. David was a “man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22) because, God said, “he will do everything I want him to do”.

David heeded God’s Word. Though he failed God at times as all humans do, he loved the Lord and His Word. God promised that through David, God would send another to Shepherd His people. On the night that Jesus came into the world, faithful shepherds were watching their sheep at night. The Angel of God came and told them,

Luke 2:10-12 (ESV) … Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord.

God used a Shepherd called David to lead His people under the Old Covenant. Now God sent another Great Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, to lead His people under the New Covenant. And God announced the coming of the Chief Shepherd through lowly but faithful Shepherds, watching their flock by night.

Our Chief Shepherd or Pastor is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said:

John 10:11, 14-15 (ESV) I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 14 I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, 15 just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

Jesus loves His Church. He suffered, bled and died for His Church. He rose from the grave, and sits on the right hand of the Father making intercession for His Church.

Just as God called David from the fields,
And God announced the Chief Shepherd to those faithful unnamed men.
Just as Christ was called to lay down His life for the sheep,
God calls unnamed and unknown men to watch over His Church.
The Pastor is a Shepherd. His primary calling is to share God’s Word.

The Bible says that the Pastor is to …

Ephesians 4:12-16 equip the Saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ… making the Body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Pastors are to work with the Word of God and in the power of His Spirit to equip the Saints, to help each believer grow to be more Christlike in their walk of faith. Every believer in the Church Age is a PRIEST. Your Pastor is a priest, but he is not YOUR priest. In the Church every believer is a priest with direct access to God. The Preamble to the Baptist Faith and Message states:

“We honor the principles of soul competency and the priesthood of believers, affirming together both our liberty in Christ and our accountability to each other under the Word of God.”

Each local Church is a kingdom of priests, and each person – whether male or female – has direct access to God. The Scripture says:

Revelation 1:5-6 (ESV) {Jesus} … loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood. And made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The function of the Pastor – the Shepherd is to feed and equip every believer in his charge so that they will grow into Christian maturity, to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is not the Pastor’s opinion that matters, but what the Word of God has said. When Jesus prayed for His Church prior to going to the Cross, Jesus prayed for the UNITY OF THE FLOCK, saying “Father, let My Church be ONE, even as WE ARE ONE” (John 17:11). Jesus went on to say, “Sanctify them in the TRUTH – YOUR WORD IS TRUTH” (John 17:17).

The Pastor has oversight of the Church, leads the Church through preaching and teaching the Word of God. He is not LORD of the Church, but the under-shepherd of the Lord. The Chief Apostle said:

1 Peter 5:2-4 (ESV) … shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

The Pastor is an “overseer”, that is, you “exercise oversight” on the Church. The Church belongs to Jesus – you all belong to Jesus. The Pastor is to “LABOR IN PREACHING AND TEACHING”, as the Scripture says:

1 Timothy 5:17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

Pastors are called to “Oversee” the flock, to insure it adheres to the Word of God. When the Apostle Paul got ready to leave Ephesus, he warned the Pastors in that city, saying:

Acts 20:27-30 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. 28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

You are called of God to lead the Church, to feed the Church, but always to remember to not be “domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock”. Live out your faith. Be patient with the Church. Love it, and lead it toward Christian unity. Glorify God in all that you do. Remember, this is Christ’s Church. When you serve the Church, you serve Jesus.

The Church Is Christ’s Prize Possession

Just as the Pastor has a calling, the Church has a calling. Your Pastor is human, and as all humans do, he will make mistakes. Church, if you want a better Pastor, help him. The Bible says:

Hebrews 13:7 (ESV) Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

As your Pastor leads you, follow him. Imitate his faith. Pay attention to the Word of God that he shares with you, and do Christ’s Word. The Bible says:

Hebrews 13:17 (ESV) Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Love the Pastor that God has given you, and lift him and his family up in prayer daily. Realize this, too …

Your Pastor and his wife are human.
They, like you, will make mistakes.

The devil will do his best to bring disharmony to the flock, to scatter it if he can. Do not allow him to do so. As a Pastor, I have made many mistakes in my lifetime. When your Pastor makes a mistake, do as Jesus said in:

Matthew 18:15-17 (ESV) If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.

Try and handle any division in the Church at the lowest and most private level. Our Lord Jesus said:

John 13:34-35 (ESV) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

As Christians we are to love the Lord Jesus with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. We are also to love one another. My prayer is that you will grow in love, both for God and for one another.

As we prepare to lay hands on Brother Ronnie, praying for Him, let me pray for Mission Chapel Baptist as well as for its new Pastor.

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Jesus The Bondsman Of A Better Covenant

Posted on May 22, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Romain Dancre on Unsplash

Hebrews 7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

Our Lord Jesus is a “surety of a better testament”. What does that mean? The word “surety” is the Greek engyos, (pronounced eng’-goo-os), which means “a sponsor, Someone pledged or given”.

The Engyos is a Person Who guarantees something with His own life. Jesus said “No one takes My life, but I lay it down of My own accord”.

Jesus is the PROMISE of God, the One Who came representing a “better testament” or a better Covenant between us and God. Jesus “was in the beginning with God, and WAS GOD” (John 1:1-3). Jesus is the Engyos of God, not just now, but from all eternity.

Word Study: What is the proof that Jesus is the Engyos of God? The phrase “BY SO MUCH” is the Greek kata tosoutos, which means “by so many GREAT proofs”. There are many proofs set forth in Chapter 7 that proves Jesus to be the Head of a Greater Covenant. One of those proofs is in the life of a mysterious Person called Melchizedek. Before we talk about the Melchizedek and Abraham, let me ask this question:

Does God Speak To People?

Illustrate: I was watching an episode of a show Sherry and I like called “Blue Bloods”. I’ve been a Tom Selleck fan from his Magnum P.I. days. The show is generally clean, and depicts a Catholic family in law enforcement, with Selleck in the lead as the Police Commissioner of New York City. On one episode a woman told “Danny” (the Police Commissioner’s son) that “the Lord spoke to me”. As Danny and his partner talked about this, they agreed “you have to be crazy if you think God speaks to you”.

I’ve heard this a lot. People say, “God doesn’t speak to man”. But that’s not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that God speaks to His people. I’ve had people ask me, “What does His voice sound like?” as they smirk, and I tell them “I can’t explain it to you”. God’s voice is internal, to His people, and easily discerned if you pay attention. He speaks through His Scripture, the Bible. But God speaks to His people. He guides us.

God spoke to Moses. God called Moses to service in Exodus 3 at a burning bush. In Exodus 6 God spoke to Moses, and told him:

Exodus 6:2-8 (ESV) “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.”

God spoke to Moses, and spoke to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God gave the land of Canaan to Israel, and because He verbally promised that land to Israel, He told Moses to tell the people they would be led into that land.

God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, giving him
the ceremonial & sacrificial Laws of Israel.

God speaks to people. If He didn’t, then our entire Bible is a fairytale. God calls us into a relationship with Him. A relationship implies communication. If you are in a relationship with someone, there is communication between you both. God says to His people:

Jeremiah 33:3 (ESV) Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known

And spoke in David, saying in Psalm 85:8 (ESV) Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.

God Not Only Speaks To People,
But Appeared To People

The Bible teaches that no one has ever seen God fully but Jesus Christ. God spoke to Moses, but told His servant:

Exodus 33:20 (ESV) … you cannot see My face, for man shall not see me and live …

The Apostle said “No one has EVER SEEN GOD – the only God, Who is at the Father’s side, He {Jesus} has made Him {God the Father} known” (John 1:18). We who are frail and sin tossed humans cannot look on the pure and absolute holy Face of God and it not kill us. Jesus Christ – Who is Incarnate God (Matthew 1:23) is able to look on God the Father, for Christ is without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15). But God HAS appeared to man in the Old Testament. God appeared to Abraham.

Abraham had no Bible – the Bible was not yet made.
Abraham had no Church – the Church was not formed.
Abraham had no Priest – he was Priest over his family.

Abraham had nothing that we in the Church Age have. But God came to Abraham and spoke to him. God led Abraham, and Abraham followed God by faith. God sent an image of Himself to Abraham, an Old Testament picture of God.

Theologians call this Old Testament appearance of God a CHRISTOPHANY or a THEOPHANY. The Burning Bush that Moses spoke to, the Pillar of Fire and of Cloud, these are Theophanies. The High Priest Who appeared to Abraham named Melchizedek is a Christophany.

As you read the description of Melchizedek, you can easily see that He is not as we are. Let’s look at the text:

Hebrews 7:1-2 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;

Background: A little background here. Abraham had been following God, and the Lord led him to the Promised Land of Canaan. Abraham was following God, but his nephew Lot was following his heart. Abraham went where God sent him, but Lot went where his heart sent him. Lot ended up in Sodom. Four Kingdoms made war with Five Kingdoms, and Sodom was part of the Five Kingdom alliance. When the two sides battled in the Valley of Siddim (Genesis 14:8) the four defeated the five. As part of their winnings:

Genesis 14:12 They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.

When Abraham heard that his nephew Lot and his family were captured, Abraham led 318 of his men into battle against these 4 nations. Using guerrilla tactics at night, the Bible says “Abraham brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people” (Genesis 14:16).

Abraham’s defeat of a vastly superior force was not due to his skills, but to the power of God operating in his life.

Two men came to meet Abraham in the Valley of Shaveh (the King’s Valley). One was Melchizedek, the other the King of Sodom. The King of Sodom sought to reward Abraham, but Abraham refused, saying:

Genesis 14:22-23 (ESV) I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’”.

Abraham refused to receive anything whatsoever from the King of Sodom. Why? Because he did not want to glorify the King of Sodom, but the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Abraham acknowledged it was God alone Who gave him the victory. To Melchizedek, this mysterious Visitor, Abraham gave a tenth part of all the spoils of war.

Who was this Melchizedek? We are told in verse 2 that He is:

“the KING OF RIGHTEOUSNESS”, and
“the KING OF PEACE”

No human can be “King of Righteousness” or the “King of Peace”. These are divine titles.

The “KING OF RIGHTEOUSNESS” cannot be a Man as we are. Jesus said, “There is NONE GOOD, BUT ONE – that is, GOD” (Matthew 19:17). The Bible says in Romans 3:10, 17: “There is NONE RIGHTEOUS, no, not one” (Romans 3:10), and goes on to say “the way of PEACE have they not known” (Romans 3:17). Humans cannot be the King of Righteousness or the King of Peace. These are attributes of God.

But this Melchizedek cannot be God the Father. Our text states:

Hebrews 7:1 … this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him

He is not God the Father, but He is the “priest of the most high God”. This ancient Priest blessed Abraham, saying:

Genesis 14:19-20 (ESV) “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

Abraham was blessed of God because he walked with “God Most High, Possessor of Heaven and earth”. This is the only reason that Abraham with his 318 men could defeat 4 nations of armies where 5 nations could not stand. Abraham walked with God, and served God apart from the Law of Sinai. Melchizedek is further described:

Hebrews 7:3-4 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. 4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

This Melchizedek cannot be a human person like we are, though He is called a “Man”.

This MAN, for verse 4 calls Him a MAN, is “Without father, without mother, without descent”. Melchizedek had no father nor mother. Is there anyone here in this room that has never had a father or mother? No, we are all descendant from parents. Melchizedek had no family tree. To be a Levitical Priest, you had to be able to trace your genealogy back to Levi, as we are told in…

Ezra 2:62 (NKJV) {Some Levites} sought their listing among those who were registered by genealogy, but they were not found; therefore they were excluded from the priesthood as defiled.

Melchizedek had no family tree – yet He was a “Priest of the Most High God”. Further, we are told that Melchizedek had “neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God”. He was “LIKE UNTO THE SON OF GOD”. He is a Man, but not as we are men. He is eternal, without beginning or end.

When Abraham met Melchizedek, he gave TITHES to Him. This was long before Sinai and God’s creation of the Levitical Priests. We are told in Hebrews:

Hebrews 7:9-11 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. 10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchizedek met him. 11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

When Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, it was like Levi himself was paying tithes. Levi was the great-grandson of Abraham. In the Law of Sinai the people paid tithes to the priests. When Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, it was like Levi was paying tithes to Melchizedek, for Levi was “still in the loins of Abraham”. This makes Melchizedek the superior Priest.

Melchizedek is a Christophany, an Old Testament appearance of the New Testament Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ Came From Judah, Not Levi

Melchizedek had no lineage to trace. The Lord Jesus Christ was born of a virgin named Mary, and His lineage could be traced back to Judah and King David (see Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38). This is why we are told …

Hebrews 7:14-18 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of JudaH; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchizedek there ariseth another priest, 16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. 17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. 18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.

Under the Law of Israel you could be either a priest or a king. The priests were descended from Levi, the kings from David and Judah. Jesus is a fulfillment of God’s promise to David that he would have a Son that ruled forever (2 Samuel 7:8-29). Jesus – from the Tribe of Judah – could NOT be a Levitical Priest. But Melchizedek is the High Priest of God. Without beginning or end, without family tree, Melchizedek was “made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.”

This is an Old Testament appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. God promised that the Messiah, when He came, would be a Melchizedek:

Psalm 110:4 (ESV) The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Here is the point of the text:

Jesus Christ, the Engyos of God or Sponsor of the New Covenant, appeared to Abraham in Melchizedek long before Moses received the Law at Sinai. Jesus Christ, the Engyos of God or Sponsor of the New Covenant, appears to us today, offering Eternal Salvation. Jesus was BEFORE the Law of Moses. Jesus is AFTER the Law of Moses.

The Law Cannot Make Us Perfect, Righteous Enough To Stand Before God. But Jesus Can!

Hebrews 7:19-22 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. 20 And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: 21 (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek:{quotation Psalm 110:4}) 22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

The Law of Moses, delivered at Sinai by God, could not bring Israel into a relationship with God. All the Law could do was continually point out the failings of mankind. Jesus is the Sponsor of a Better Covenant, because He is a Better Hope than the Law was.

The Melchizedek that blessed Abraham, is the Jesus Who blesses us today. Abraham was blessed apart from animal sacrifice, apart from the feasts of Israel, apart from the Levitical Priesthood, apart from either Temple or Tabernacle. The Priests of Levi could not continue forever, for like all men, they died.

Hebrews 7:23-25 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: 24 But this Man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Levitical Priests came and went. In time, each suffered death. But Jesus Christ, like Melchizedek, never dies.

He saves “to the UTTERMOST those who come unto God by Him”. Why? Because Jesus never ceases praying for us, never ceases representing us before the Throne of God.

The Levitical Priests were all fallen men, just as I am. But Jesus is so much more. The One Who represents us before God is without flaw, without sin. He is …

Hebrews 7:26 … holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

The Levitical Priests were holy because they shed the blood of animals, paying for their own sins, before ever paying for the sins of the people. But Jesus is “HOLY” because He is God Incarnate.

Word Study: Jesus is “HARMLESS” (akakos, “free from guilt”). Jesus is “UNDEFILED” (amiantos, unsoiled, without deformity”). Jesus is not a sinner as we are. He is “HIGHER THAN THE HEAVENS”. He is righteous and just, the Holy Son of God. The Levitical Priests had to make offering for their sins, then for the people. But our Lord Jesus:

Hebrews 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for His own sins, and then for the people’s: for this He did once, when he offered up himself.

Jesus is “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29-32).

Hebrews 7:28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

Salvation is in Christ alone. Eternal security is in Christ alone. God spoke to His people prior to the Law, saving Abraham, who believed on God. God speaks to His people today, saving whosoever will answer His call. Do you know Him? Do you know my Jesus? Oh, that God the Holy Spirit would open your hearts to Him today. Call on Him and be saved. Don’t delay. The Law cannot save you. Your morality cannot save you. Jesus Christ alone can save you. Amen and Amen.

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Guard Your Heart

Posted on May 16, 2024 by bibleteacherorg

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues (tôwtsâʼâh, pronounced to-tsaw-aw’, the SOURCE) of life.

The most pushed theme on television today is “Follow your heart”. What is interesting is that this is not what God tells us, but what the devil tells us. God tells us to “Guard your heart”.

Humans Are Three Parted

The Bible teaches us that a person is composed of three parts:

Body,
Soul,
and spirit

1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Human Spirit: The “spirit” of a person is that which connects them with God. The lost person is spiritually dead or disconnected from God. When Adam sinned (Genesis 3:6) in the Garden of Eden, he brought spiritual death on all his progeny. Spiritual death is evidenced by,

hiding from God (Genesis 3:8)
shifting blame for sin (Genesis 3:12)

Sin came into the world through Adam, and spiritual as well as physical death by sin (Romans 5:12). In Ephesians chapter 2 the Bible tells us that before a person is saved, that person is “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13). The “spirit of man” connects us to the Spirit of God, so that we can know the things of God. The Bible says:

Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

1 Corinthians 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

Our human spirit is made alive the moment we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit of God – also called the Spirit of Christ – indwells us (Romans 8:9). Our God examines the human spirit to see if we are in a relationship with Him or not. Our context continues …

1 Corinthians 2:12-14 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy {Spirit} teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

When you receive Christ as Lord and Savior, God causes you to be “born again”. That is, your human spirit is made alive, and the Holy Spirit of God indwells you. You can now know the things of God because you are attached to God.

The Body: Our “BODY” is the fleshly, outer container of our “SOUL” and our “SPIRIT”. The Body is temporal, being composed of the dust of the earth. God told Adam:

Genesis 3:19 (NKJV) In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.

Adam was formed of “dust” or of the earth before he ever sinned before God (Genesis 2:7). Abraham said “I am but dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27). He wasn’t talking about his soul or spirit, but about his body. Our present bodies were never meant to be eternal, but temporal. Those who are saved by faith in Christ can look forward to a body made for all eternity. The Scripture says:

1 Corinthians 15:49 … as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

The Soul: Our “SOUL” is actually who we are. Your soul is the ME of YOU. Every person who is physically alive has a functioning soul. The lost have a human spirit, but it is dead in trespasses and in sins. The lost live their lives focused on pleasing not God, but their own flesh. They are “natural men”, not “supernatural men”. Since their human spirit is dead, they have no connection to God. If they acknowledge God, they rely on religion and ritualism to sensually attach themselves to a god. But they cannot know God.

Back to the “SOUL”. Everyone has a soul. The soul is the living part of you that animates your body. Your soul is made by God. When you die, your soul returns to God. He says:

Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Everyone has a soul, made by God. Each soul is unique, but each soul will eventually return to God for blessing or cursing.

The Heart Is The Control Center Of The Soul

When the Bible speaks of the “Heart”, it isn’t talking about the pump in your chest that keeps your blood circulating. The Heart is the control center of your soul. Satan and the world is constantly trying to take control of your heart. If your heart is influenced for good, then you will produce good. If your heart is influenced for evil, then you will produce evil. It’s like that old saying,

“Whatever is down in the well, comes up in the bucket!”

The first King of Israel, King Saul, did not guard his heart. He followed his heart, and as a result lost the throne. When God chose a King to replace King Saul, a very flesh driven soulish man, God sent Samuel to the home of Jesse. When Samuel saw Eliab, the firstborn son of Jesse, he said:

1 Samuel 16:6 (AP) Surely this is the one the Lord wants me to anoint as King!

But God told Samuel:

1 Samuel 16:7 “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

When God had Samuel anoint the little shepherd David to be the next King of Israel, the Lord said:

Acts 13:22 … (ESV) I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do

As God is Spirit and not flesh, and we see from these words that God Himself has a Heart, the Heart spoken of is not that pump of flesh. It is the control center of who you are. This is why we are warned to:

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy HEART with all diligence

Word Study: The word translated “Keep” is the Hebrew nāṣar {pronounced naw-tsar’} which means “set a watch on, guard, preserve from danger”. Our Lord Jesus said:

Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

If the control center of the soul is fouled with sin, the outward actions of the soul reflected through the body will be sinful.

We need to guard our hearts. The guarding of our hearts must be both defensive as well as offensive.

Defensively guard your heart

Understand that there is a war going on all around you, and that you are constantly being bombarded with messages and “truths” that are counter to what God teaches us in His Word. The devil and this lost world wants you to lose hope, to walk away from your faith. The dark world will twist truth and malign scripture. They will do all they can do to erode your faith.

Be careful who you WALK with. It effects your heart.

Proverbs 4:14-19 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. 15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. 16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

God does not tell us to avoid wicked people. He wants us to witness to the wicked, to those who are fleshly, dead in trespasses and sins. What God tells us is to AVOID WALKING WITH THE WICKED. He says,

Enter not into the path of the wicked

Not the PRESENCE, but the PATH. God says “go not in the way of evil men”. Don’t walk with them. Don’t bind with them in business. Do not partner with them in their enterprises. God says “these people would rather DO WICKEDNESS than sleep” (vs 16), and they so delight in dragging the righteous down that they will lose sleep if they can’t make someone stumble in their faith. They “eat and drink wickedness and violence”. Yes, you should witness to the lost – but you should never walk their paths. In the Scripture God commands us:

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (NKJV) Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” 17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 18 “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.”

When you “yoke” yourself in business, in marriage, in any partnership with a lost person, that lost person will drag your heart away from God.

When King Solomon under the inspiration of God wrote these words, he was writing from experience. The Bible says:

1 Kings 11:1-4 (NKJV) But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— 2 from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods …

I have seen this played out over and over again in Christ’s Church. A young man, dedicated to God, falls in love with a lovely but lost girl, and binds with her in marriage. What happens? She drags him away from Christ. Or a young lady marries an infidel, believing that she can change him. Does she? No. He drags her away from Christ in most every instance.

The devil is always watching, looking for an opportunity to drag our hearts downward and away from God. Don’t let him do it. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 15:33 (ESV) Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

Offensively guard your heart

You should not only guard your heart by protecting yourself from bad characters – but you should “load your spiritual gun”. If you are saved by faith in Christ, you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will guide you into spiritual truth. Do these three things:

Purposely study the Word of God.
Prioritize Scripture Memorization.
Practice that which God tells you to do in His Word.

We are told:

Proverbs 4:20-22 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

Feed the control center of your soul – your heart – the Word of God. Read Scripture. Memorize Scripture. Meditate on Scripture. King David wrote:

Psalm 119:9-11 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. 10 With my whole heart I seek You; let me not wander from Your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

The problem with most American Christians is that they spend hours feeding their hearts the bilge that is on network television, but minutes feeding their heart the Word of God. The Bible says:

Colossians 3:1-5 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

The devil watches us, and looks for opportunities to drag us back into darkness. He did this with our Lord Jesus before He started His earthly ministry. Satan came to Jesus and tempted our Lord three times, each time enticing Jesus to betray His mission. With each temptation Jesus replied:

“It is WRITTEN”

Jesus quoted Scripture to the devil, Scripture He had stored in His soul. Satan was defeated because Jesus offensively prepared Himself to do battle with Satan. As Jesus’ ministry progressed, over the next 3 ½ years He was attacked by agents of darkness. Jesus was attacked by Pharisees (the Conservatives), Sadducees (the Liberals), Herodians (the politicians), and Scribes (the lawyers). Each group did their best to trip Jesus up. At one point, even Peter got in on the act, and tried to trip Jesus up. How did Jesus guard His soul? By those very words,

“It is WRITTEN”

Proverbs 4:24-26 Put away from thee a froward (ʿiqqᵊšûṯ, pronounced ik-kesh-ooth’, “crooked”) mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. 25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. 26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

We are to put away anything that stands in opposition to what God has written in this Book. Our focus is on Jesus Christ. We follow Him, and heed the word that He has given us. Refuse to dwell on evil things. Do not follow the crowd, but follow Jesus. Heed God’s Word. Guard your control center. That is the way to joy and peace. Amen and amen.

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God Is Faithful, So Keep Walking

Posted on May 15, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Jad Limcaco on Unsplash

Hebrews 6:11-20 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: 12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, 14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. 17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

I have to admit that there are times I get very weary. It seems like I’m trying to put out a forest fire with a thimble of water. I just want to give up. Evil has abounded so much in America, and it seems as if there’s no hope. Our world is spinning out of control.

Then I come to passages like this.

The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:8, “whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (NKJV). We can dwell on the sad state of our country – or we can dwell on the faithfulness of our God. We can commiserate over the Goliaths that face the Church in the 21st century – or we can focus on God, realizing He is bigger than anything that is against us.

Never Stop Being What God Wants You To Be

Hebrews 6:11-12 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: 12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

The story of Old Testament Israel is a story of a people who started strong, but too often let other things get in the way of God’s promises. When the journey was easy, Israel was excited and hopeful. But when the journey became difficult they took their eyes off of Jesus, and focused on that which hindered them. God’s desire for this Church is that we show the …

same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end

Word Study: Let’s break this down. “SAME DILIGENCE” is the Greek autos spoudē. The word translated “SAME” is autos means “HIS”, “HER” or “THEIR”. This is a reflexive pronoun of self. It is pointing to the diligence that someone else showed. The word “DILIGENCE” is the Greek spoudē, which means “diligence, earnestness in accomplishing, carefulness in following through”. The person referred to – the one we are to copy – did not start out like gangbusters then fizzle out. This person acted as if they had a “full assurance of hope unto the end”. We are told in verse 12:

be not slothful

Word Study: This is the Greek ginomai mē nōthros, which means “to become sluggish, dull, or half hearted”. We have the promises of God Himself to rely on. Our God is faithful, and what He has promised will come to pass. God has called us into His Kingdom as sons and daughters of God, as VICTORS and not VICTIMS.

We are to trust God and keep on doing what He has told us to do with ALL DILIGENCE – for we serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The Bible repeatedly tells the Christian, the recipient of the New Covenant:

Ephesians 4:1 (ESV) … walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called ..

Colossians 1:10 (ESV) … walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God …

1 Thessalonians 2:12 (ESV) … we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

Once saved, we are not to drag our feet, but are to go where Christ bids us go, and do as Christ bids us do.

We do not know when the promises of God will come to fruition, but they will come in God’s own time. The Scripture says:

Galatians 6:7-9 (ESV) Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

We are to be, as verse 12 tells us,

followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises

We are to follow the examples of the Old Covenant Saints who paid attention to God’s Word, and honored God by – however imperfectly – continuing to have PATIENT FAITH.

We are not to follow the example of the first generation of Israel who whined and murmured and complained their way to the border of the Promised Land – and then refused to enter in. These sad sacks ended up dying in the wilderness over 40 years, wandering in circles while their destination was just over the horizon.

Believers Imitate Abraham, The Father of Faith

Hebrews 6:13-14 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by Himself, 14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

When God first called Abraham (who then was called Abram), the Bible says that:

Genesis 12:4 … Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

God had promised Abraham that – if he left his family and his country and FOLLOWED GOD, that God would “make of thee a GREAT NATION” (Genesis 12:2). This intrigued Abraham, as both he and his wife Sarai were without children, and past child bearing years. God promised Abram that if he’d follow God, that he would have not just a child, but a nation of children.

So Abram followed God. And the very next year Abram and Sarai had a child!
NOT!

When God makes a promise, God always follows through with that promise. The Scripture says:

Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

When God makes a promise, He is ALL POWERFUL. “Our God is in the Heavens – He does ALL THAT HE PLEASES” (Psalm 115:3, ESV). “Nothing is too hard for God to do” (Jeremiah 32:17, AP). God knows “the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10, ESV). So when God promises something, there is NOTHING that can come up to make God change His mind. Further, God is absolutely HOLY – He will not renege on what He has said He will do.

So God promises Abraham and Sarah a child, and a nation of children. But God doesn’t fulfill the promise the next year, nor the year after that, nor the year after that. In fact, God doesn’t fulfill the promise to Abraham until 25 years later:

Genesis 21:1-5 (ESV) The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

Why did God make Abraham wait 25 years before Sarah had Isaac? What hindered God in fulfilling His promise? Nothing hindered God – absolutely nothing. The reality is,

God delayed in giving Abraham a son until Abraham was READY to have a son.

Abraham WANTED a son sooner than he got one. But Abraham wasn’t ready. God promised to give Abraham a son, but Abraham kept trying to help God out. God made a promise, and God was going to keep it. Abraham was called of God to follow God and do as God said – not to BE GOD and HELP GOD OUT.

We, Like Abraham, Are To Wait On God No Matter What!

So Abraham waited. The Bible tells us to trust God’s Promises, to “wait on the Lord”:

Psalm 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Psalm 37:34 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

Proverbs 20:22 Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.

Abraham needed to learn to “WAIT ON THE LORD”.

What does it mean to “Wait On The Lord”?

It doesn’t mean to be slothful. We who are saved by the promise of God have, as we seen earlier, to keep on diligently serving God, doing as He says. The best way I can describe “Waiting on the Lord” is to talk about table waiters.

Illustrate: I was at “Legends” the other day with my dear wife, and I had gotten a horrible waitress. When we were seated it took her 15 minutes to get to our table. She wasn’t busy – she just wasn’t present. Other waitresses were busy waiting on their tables, and a couple even stepped in to help us though we weren’t their responsibility. Finally she showed up, took our order – and we didn’t see her again until she brought the check. I asked her where she had been, and she said “I was in the kitchen with the manager”.

The waitress is not to be the COOK.
The waitress is not to be the MANAGER.
The waitress is to TEND to the CUSTOMER.
To make the CUSTOMER HAPPY.

When God promised Abraham a son through Sarah, Abraham initially didn’t do what he was supposed to do but instead tried to do what God had promised. That’s a recipe for disaster. When Pharaoh took Sarah to be in his harem Abraham didn’t stand up like a husband should have and said “She’s MY WIFE”. No, he let fear reign, and Sarah was taken. God intervened. Abraham was supposed to leave his family and follow God, but took Lot his nephew with him. He did not honor God fully, and it ended up bringing trouble into his household. When Abraham separated from Lot God spoke to him, showing him the land of Canaan, saying …

Genesis 13:15-17 … all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. 16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

When Abraham fought the armies of five nations and won, Melchizedek the priest of the Most High God appeared to him (Genesis 14:18). Jesus said of this encounter that “Your Father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:58). He saw Jesus. God had promised Abraham a son – a nation of children – but he had to learn to wait on God.

In Genesis 15 Abraham offers to help God out. Time has passed, and God has not given Abraham or Sarah a child. So Abraham tells God:

Genesis 15:3 … Behold, to me Thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

Abraham had a young man born in his home Eliezer of Damascus (Genesis 15:2). A trustworthy young man, Abraham had already set him apart from the other servants. After all, if God wasn’t going to give an heir, then Abraham would have to step in and help God out! God told Abraham:

Genesis 15:4-6 … This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the Lord; and {God} counted it to {Abraham} for righteousness.

Abraham believed God when he left Ur of the Chaldees. But there are varying degrees of belief. He believed God – but took Lot with him though God had forbidden it. He believed God – but feared Pharaoh and let him take Sarah to be his own. Abraham walked the aisle of the Church – but his heart was not committed to God. The Bible says that “man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the HEART” (1 Samuel 16:7). “The LORD KNOWS THOSE WHO ARE HIS” (2 Timothy 2:19). The Bible says that at this moment “Abraham believed in the Lord; and {God} counted it to {Abraham} for righteousness”. It is faith in God that brings righteousness. Not faith in our efforts, but faith that He is able to do what He says. God promised Abraham that he would have a child and a nation of children – and Abraham believed.

Abraham is a pattern of faith for every believer in Christ.

The statement found in Genesis 15 is repeated throughout the New Testament. The Apostle wrote:

Romans 4:18-24 In hope {Abraham} believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Abraham was physically and sexually dead, unable to have children. But the God Who made the universe is able to make the dead come back to life. Abraham believed God, and God counted that as righteousness. Did Abraham have a child at the end of chapter 15? No. Why?

Because Abraham was not quite ready to have that child.
Though he believed God, he kept trying to help God out.
Which is why Ishmael was born.

We Wait On And Trust God, No Matter What God Tells Us To Do, No Matter What God Sends Us Through!

Year after year passed. Five years, ten years, fifteen years. No child. Twenty years. In the twenty-fourth year from when God first called Abraham God told Abraham “next year” he would have the promised son. Then Abraham turned 100 years old. “after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise”. God promises, but will not give us the blessing of the promise until we trust in and wait on God. Abraham had to learn to trust and obey God. When Abram was 99 years old God spoke to him, saying:

Genesis 17:5-6 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.

God told Abraham to circumcise himself, and the males of his household – an act that Abraham immediately did. Yet he had to wait another another year until the promised child was born. Why? Why did God wait?

Abraham was not ready yet.

Then Abraham has Isaac. What a blessing that was, after 25 years, to have this precious Promised child. Was Abraham ready for the child? Absolutely! Think about this. You’ve waited for a child for 25 years, and at the age of 100 years old you get that child. How will you treat that child? Some people would make an idol of that child. They’d spoil that child rotten. They’d put that child on a pedestal.

God gave the child, but had He given that child too soon, Abraham would have made that child into a golden calf, a false idol. But Abraham was ready for the child, ready for the blessing – for his focus was on God.

God tells Abraham:

Genesis 22:2 (ESV) … “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

What does Abraham do? He loves Isaac, but he loves the Lord MORE. Isaac is not his idol, but his son, his only son. God had promised that:

Genesis 21:12 … in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Abraham’s seed would only come when he believed in God, putting GOD FIRST. This is the basis of salvation. We come to God, trusting what He has promised us in Christ, and receive Jesus as both Lord and Savior. Ishmael was a seed of Abraham, but not the child of promise. In ISAAC shall thy seed be called.

So now we have the test of salvation. You say you love the Lord. Do you love the Lord if your body fail you? Do you love the Lord if your child die? Do you love the Lord if your business fall into bankruptcy? Do you love the Lord if your spouse leave? God has said in His Word:

1 John 5:21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

And

Jonah 2:8 Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.

God will not share His love with another. He demands you love Him above all else. Abraham was ready for Isaac, for without a whimper he took Isaac to Mount Moriah, laid him upon an altar, and prepared to sacrifice him to God. Abraham told Isaac, “God will provide Himself the Lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8).

Abraham understood. What God promised, God will do. Abraham understood that, even if God had him kill Isaac, that God would raise Isaac from the dead. “IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD TO LIE”.

Jesus Christ Is The Sure Hope Of Every Believer

Hebrews 6:18-20 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Abraham put his trust in God. Not in circumstances, but in God. And when he was fully ready to trust the Lord, God gave him the blessing of Isaac.

We who are saved put our trust in God. We run to Jesus. We “LAY HOLD UPON THE HOPE” that is Jesus. We cling to Him like a drowning man would cling to a life preserver, like one who has bailed out from a burning plane clings to the parachute above him. Jesus Christ is the “hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast”. It is impossible to lie. God has set His Son forth as the only PROPITIATION, the only SATISFACTORY OFFERING for our failures.

Just as there was only ONE ISAAC, there is only ONE JESUS, the Son of Promise. It is Jesus Whom the Father …

Romans 3:22-26 (ESV) … the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Do you know Him? Do you know my Jesus? Is He your Lord and Savior? It is Jesus Who went into Heaven, into the very Presence of God the Father, the Lamb of God offered for those who believe. Oh, that God the Holy Spirit would pierce your heart today, and bring you to Christ. Give your lives to Jesus. Believe in Him, follow Him. Trust Him. Not just momentarily, but for life. May God guide you to Him. Amen and Amen.

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How We Got Our Bible #1: Introduction To The Series

Posted on May 6, 2024 by bibleteacherorg

As soon as I met the Lord Jesus Christ in salvation, believing that He died for my sins and rose again to be my High Priest, I decided to study the Scriptures. I believe that the Bible is God ordained and God inspired. The Bible says:

2 Timothy 3:1-7 (ESV) But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

This is a perfect picture of American culture today. A nation that was built on the faith of the Puritan Christian, Americans have become detached from God and enamored of the Serpent of Eden, that Old Devil called Satan (Revelation 12:9). The devil has, through godless media outlets and social networks, promoted the ideology that “we are our own gods”. This started in the Garden of Eden when Satan suggested that Adam and Eve depart from the Word of God and eat that which was forbidden. The Devil said, “God knows when you eat of the forbidden, YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD. You will determine what is good and evil” (Genesis 3:5, AP).

When Jesus came into the world, He came to “fulfill the Scriptures”. The Bible is the written Word of God, but Jesus is the Living Word of God, the Incarnate Word. John 1:14 (ESV) tells us “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth”.

God gave humanity His Word – both written and Eternally Living – because He wants us to know the way of peace and blessing, the way to abundant LIFE.

The Bible Testifies About Christ

The Old Testament of our Bibles – every type, figure, sacrifice, altar, and even the Tabernacle and Temple – speak to the coming Christ of the New Covenant. The Bible says:

Luke 24:27 (ESV) And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, {Jesus} interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Luke 24:44 (ESV) Then {Jesus} said to them, “These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

And Jesus told the Pharisees and the Scribes who stood against Him:

John 5:39-40 (ESV) You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life.

Jesus held the Scripture in high esteem, because the Scripture He preached from – the Old Testament that the Jews maintained – foretold His Messianic coming. Jesus told them:

John 5:46-47 (ESV) if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

The Scripture is not a man made book. It is a PROPHETIC Book. It PROPHESIED about Jesus, about the coming Messiah. The Old Testament believed in Jesus – and Jesus believed in the Old Testament, the Scripture, as God ordained. Throughout His ministry Jesus said:

“It is WRITTEN”

He was not talking about some philosophy or human writing, but about the Bible, the Word of God. When Jesus was questioned about marriage He replied:

Matthew 19:4-6 (NKJV) “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Jesus spoke authoritatively about the things of God because He viewed the Scripture of His day – the Old Testament – to be the Word of God. Jesus believed, like Solomon, that

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.

Jesus chastised the Scribes, Pharisees, Sadduccees and Herodians – the religious leaders of that day – for they twisted the Word of God rather than merely presenting it. Jesus told them:

Mark 7:13 (AP) You have made the Word of God of NO EFFECT THROUGH YOUR MAN MADE TRADITIONS – these things you keep saying and teaching …

Jesus lived His life following the true Word of God, the Bible. He said to the devil when tempted, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but BY EVERY WORD OF GOD” (Luke 4:4). Jesus told those seeking a blessing, “blessed are they that HEAR THE WORD OF GOD and KEEP IT” (Luke 11:28). Jesus as God Incarnate, God in the flesh, knew that the Bible is NOT a man-made thing. As the Apostle says:

2 Peter 1:21 (ESV) … no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

We started out by addressing this fallen world through 2 Timothy 3. The world detached from the Word of God gets crazier and crazier every day. After stating this premise, the Apostle writes:

2 Timothy 3:14-16 (ESV) But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

God uses the Word of God, the Bible, to not only save us, but to grow us. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing BY THE WORD OF GOD” (Romans 10:17). “The sword of the Holy Spirit is THE WORD OF GOD” (Ephesians 6:17). We are “BORN AGAIN BY THE WORD OF GOD, which lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23)

We Have No Original Signed Books Of The Bible.
How Do We Know OUR Bible Is THE Bible?

One of the frequently made objections to belief in the Bible is:

“There are NO ORIGINAL COPIES of any book of the Bible in existence. How do we know what we are using is accurate to the original texts?”

or “The people that are obeying it to the letter of the words, they might not be following what Jesus really said because it’s been passed down from so many different people … So, do we really know what the Word of God in the Bible is?”

WHY are there no original signed texts {autographa} of the books of Scripture? Why do we have only copies? I believe it is because God knows our hearts. We as humans are prone to idolatry. When Israel was left by Moses so he could receive the first five Books of Scripture from God, the Israelis got a “Committee” together, went to Aaron, and said “Make us gods who will go before and lead us” (Exodus 32:1, AP). Aaron quickly complied. Had God left us with an original “signed” text (an autographa) from Moses, or Peter, or Paul, or King David, we would have put it in a glass case, and stood around it worshiping the scroll rather than the God Who gave us the Word.God wrote the Ten Commandments with His finger in stone (Deuteronomy 9:10), and gave it to Moses. Israel put the Ten Commandments inside the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:16; 31:18; 40:20). The Ark of the Covenant was first taken by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4-8), and 40 years later it disappeared when the Babylonians sacked the Temple (586 BC). The Bible tells us that the only Ark of the Covenant is now in Heaven:

Revelation 11:19 (ESV) God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

The earthly Ark of the Covenant was a shadow or copy of the Heavenly (Hebrews 9:23; 8:5). I suspect God took away the earthly Ark because God’s people started to worship the THING rather than the CREATOR OF ALL THINGS. God despises idolatry. We are repeatedly told throughout Scripture:

1 Corinthians 10:14 … Dear friends, FLEE FROM IDOLATRY.

1 John 5:21 … Dear Children, KEEP YOURSELVES FROM IDOLS.

God told us “those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them” (Jonah 2:8). God says to His people, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:3-4).

Like Israel did with the Ark of the Covenant, we would have stopped looking to the God Who commanded the Ark be made, and instead look at the Ark as a type of god or rabbit’s foot. God does not want this. He wants our faith to be in Him, and wants us to follow His Word because He gave it.

We have no “autographa” or original signed copies to protect us from ourselves.

Word Study: So how do we know that the Bible we have today is the same as the Bible which was originally written? If we only had a few copies of manuscripts we would not know what the original said. However, God has left us with a vast number of copies of “manuscripts”. The word “manuscript” is from two Latin words, “manu” (by hand) and “scriptum” (written). So “manuscript” means “that written by hand”. My source at Houston Christian University notes:

“There are approximately 5,800 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. In addition, there are 10,000 Latin manuscripts, and 9,300 manuscripts in other languages. The New Testament autographa, the manuscripts written by the original authors, are unavailable, but manuscripts have been discovered that are dated as early as the 2nd century.”

Though Moses received the Ten Commandments written on stone by God, Moses wrote down what God told him. The Bible says:

Exodus 24:2-4 (ESV) {God said} Moses alone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.” 3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 31:9 (ESV) … Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.

Moses wrote the first five Books of the Law: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. He gave the Law to the priests, the sons of Levi to guard and transmit to all of Israel. Once the Law was given:

The LAW = The TORAH = The PENTATEUCH = MOSES

to the Priests, the Priests that tended to copy the Scriptures were called Scribes (Hebrew groups of Scribes were Soferim, Tannaim, Amoraim, and Masoretes). My commentary notes:

“In the Mishnah (a Jewish collection of exegetical works that form the first part of the Talmud, or Rabbinic teachings) they are presented as pre-rabbinic teachers with authority, as well as copyists and teachers.”

The best known Old Testament Scribe is Ezra (Ezra 7:6). He was both priest and Scribe. The Scribes were considered guardians of the Law of God. The Scribes carefully copied Scripture on:

Parchment, made from lamb, goat, deer or cow skin, or
Papyrus, a reed plant that grows along the Nile.

Scripture was written in Scrolls (rolled pieces of papyrus or parchment) or Codex (bound like a book). The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, Chaldean, and Aramaic. Apologist Josh McDowell notes on his website:

“Paul D. Wegner, professor of Old Testament studies at Gateway Seminary in Ontario, California, shares further safeguards and protocols that aided scribes in their copying and storage of biblical texts:

~ Jewish writings mention that the temple employed correctors (meggihim) who scrutinized the scrolls to safeguard their precision.

~ At some point during the Talmudic period (100 BC to AD 400), meticulous rules were developed to preserve the Old Testament text in synagogue scrolls. These included only using parchment made from clean animals, using only black ink, lining the page before adding letters, and establishing a set column width and word spacing (the space of a hair between each consonant, and the space of a consonant between each word). Too, the scribe had to be freshly bathed and in full Jewish dress before beginning to copy the scroll.”

The Uniqueness Of The Bible

The Bible is unique in it’s writing. It has God as it’s Author, though God used human agents to accomplish His work. We saw earlier that God spoke as Moses wrote the Pentateuch or the Books of the Law. As God spoke through the various Prophets, they used phrases like:

Jeremiah 1:4 (ESV) Now the word of the LORD came to me …

We are told in:

Hebrews 1:1 (ESV) Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets

As the New Testament was written by the Apostles that our Lord Jesus hand picked, these Apostles often referred to the Old Testament. The Apostle Paul wrote:

Galatians 3:8 (ESV) … “the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’”

The Apostle who wrote Hebrews (most believe it was Paul) quoted Psalm 95:7-11 and attributed the writing not to King David, but to the Holy Spirit:

Hebrews 3:7 (ESV) Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice,

The Bible was written by more than 40 humans, but they were not its author, but God is. God called people to write Scripture from all walks of life:

Kings Generals Peasants Philosophers Poets
Fishermen Tax Collectors Musicians Politicians
Scholars Shepherds Farmers Priests Servants

And on and on. Moses was saved from death by the princess of Egypt, and murdered a man – but God used him to write scripture. King David started out as a shepherd, and at one time failed God by committing murder and adultery – but God used him. Amos was a herdsman, Joshua a General, Nehemiah a lowly cupbearer for a foreign King. Daniel was enslaved, but rose to be Prime Minister in two kingdoms. Luke was a doctor, Peter a fisherman, Matthew a tax collector for the hated Roman Empire, and Paul a failed Rabbi.

God used various and broken people to write His Word, but the Word was flawlessly transmitted because God was its Author!

The Bible was written over a period of 1500 years by people from the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe. The Bible, as I said before, was written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Chaldean for the Old Testament. Aramaic and Hebrew were common languages in the Old Testament times:

2 Kings 18:26 (NKJV) … Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.

Daniel chapters 2-7 and Ezra 4-7 are in Aramaic. There is also Aramaic in the New Testament. For instance, where Jesus cried out from the Cross:

Matthew 27:46 (NKJV) … about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

At the time our Lord Jesus ministered on the earth, the language of the people was Aramaic, Koine (Common) Greek, and Latin (Rome). This is because Alexander the Great, a Greek, conquered the world before the Roman Empire did. As Alexander conquered areas, he demanded that the people in those areas learn Koine or Common Greek. When the Apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Romans, he wrote in Greek rather than Latin. Why was this?

As Israel had wandered from God, and had been under the conquest of: the following nations:

Assyria (740 BC)
Babylon (597 BC)
Medo-Persia (539 BC)
Greece (329 BC)
Rome (63 BC)

Had Israel followed God and revered His Word, they would have never been captured and held against their will. God used the nations to punish His disobedient and wayward people:

Isaiah 9:13-17 (NKJV) For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts. 14 Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel, Palm branch and bulrush in one day. 15 The elder and honorable, he is the head; The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail. 16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err, And those who are led by them are destroyed. 17 Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men, Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows; For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, And every mouth speaks folly. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.

Israel continued to reject God. The Bible tells us that when the Messiah came:

John 1:11-13 (NKJV) {Messiah} came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Much of Israel had become so hard hearted to God, that they would not repent nor turn to the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. Over time, many Jews – particularly Jews living in Alexandria – had forgotten how to read Hebrew. The Bible speaks of this in:

Nehemiah 13:24 (ESV) … half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people.

As the Jews could not understand Hebrew, they could not understand the Bible So a plan was devised to translate the Bible into Koine Greek, the more common language of the people of that day.

Around 250 BC the Hebrew Old Testament was TRANSLATED from Hebrew and into Koine Greek.

This is the earliest translation of the Bible. Called The Septuagint (which means “70”) because there were 72 translators, 6 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. The Septuagint was considered by many to be on equal footing with the Hebrew text. The New Testament writers, like Matthew, often quoted the Septuagint as Scripture. Consider Isaiah 7:14, quoted in

Isaiah 7:14 {Hebrew} “Behold, the YOUNG WOMAN [‘almah] shall concieve”

Isaiah 7:14 {Septuagint} “Behold, the VIRGIN [parthenos] shall concieve”

Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the VIRGIN [parthenos] shall conceive.”

It is very likely that the Bible the New Testament writers referred to was the Septuagint. What do we learn from this? God has always worked to insure His people have an understandable Word of God, Holy Scripture. The Bible tells us that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth:

John 16:13-15 (NKJV) However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

What is the “Truth” that the Holy Spirit will guide us into? Jesus later said, as He prayed for His Church:

John 17:17 (NKJV) Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

God the Holy Spirit gave us the Bible through over 40 human writers. The Bible is divinely inspired, written by man, but its output was controlled by Almighty God. May God bless us as we learn of His Word. Amen.

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We Are Persuaded Better Things Of You

Posted on May 6, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Job Savelsberg on Unsplash

Hebrews 6:1-9 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this will we do, if God permit. 4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. 7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. 9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

Last week we started studying verse 1 of this text:

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto PERFECTION…

Word Study: The word rendered “PERFECTION” is the Greek teleiotēs (pronunciation tel-i-ot’-ace) which actually means maturity or better Christian maturity. When a person believes in the Doctrine of Christ, that is:

1- We are all sinners deserving of damnation. (Romans 3:10, 23-24)
2- Christ came to save sinners. (1 Timothy 1:15)
3- Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved from hell. (John 14:6)
4- Christ died to pay for my and your sins. (1 Peter 2:21-25)
5- Christ rose from the grave to be my Lord and your Lord (Romans 10:9-13), my High Priest and your High Priest.
6- I am saved by REPENTING, that is, turning from being my own god, and by SURRENDER to Christ as Lord and Savior. (Luke 3:9-14; Acts 3:19; 26:20). The same applies to you.
7- When I, from my heart, cried out for salvation, Christ sent the Holy Spirit to cause me to be “born again” into the family of God. Every believer is “born spiritually” into the family of God. We are members of His Kingdom, citizens & children. (John 3:5-7)
8- Learning the basics, we do not stay where we were at the point of salvation. We grow spiritually, more like Christ every day.

This last point is what God is addressing now. The Christian has the basics. What are some of these basics?

Hebrews 6:2 … Of the doctrine of baptisms

Note that the word is PLURAL and not singular. There are two baptisms required for the Christian. One is physical, the other spiritual. Water Baptism is where a believer is submerged in water in obedience to the command of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20). Water Baptism is an ordinance, a command. The other baptism is Spirit Baptism, which is what God does to you when you receive Christ as Savior and Lord. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Though Christians debate the exact nature of Spirit Baptism, the Bible makes it plain that if you are a believer in Christ you have been baptized by the Holy Spirit into His Body. You have, as a Christian, experienced “BAPTISMS”.

Hebrews 6:2 … Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands …

The Christian faith is an intensely personal faith, with its roots in Judaism. When the head of the family came to the end of his life, he would pass on leadership of the family by “laying on of hands”. The child blessed with the right hand would become the new family head (Genesis 48:14-20). In Judaism this is called Semikhah.

In Christianity, we pray for those who are sick by anointing with oil and laying on of hands (James 5:14). Jesus healed people by laying hands on them, though He sometimes healed without touching them (Matthew 8:8-13).

When the early Church called Deacons to serve the widow’s table, the Bible says:

Acts 6:6-7 {When the Deacons were} set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God increased …

When men were recognized called of God into the Gospel ministry, an Ordination Council of Elders laid hands on the candidates:

1 Timothy 4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

Hebrews 6:2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead

There is a life beyond this one. When you die, your soul goes to be with God (2 Corinthians 5:8; Revelation 6:9) if you are in Christ, or goes to hell and torment (Luke 16:23) if you have rejected Christ. There is a resurrection of the righteous where we will receive glorified bodies:

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

There is also a resurrection of the dead who have rejected Christ. They will be gathered from hell, and stand before a Great White Throne where their works shall be judged. The Bible says of this terrible judgment:

Revelation 20:13-15 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

What a sad day that will be. Released from hell, they go into a lake of fire. Why? Because they rejected the Doctrine of Christ. They do not “burn up” in that lake.

Hebrews 6:2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

It is “ETERNAL JUDGMENT”, or as Jesus called it, “everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46). How sad it is that people will reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior! This life is so fleeting, and eternity forever.

Christians understand these “basics” of our faith. Those who are born into God’s family are to grow, to mature, to become more like Christ.

But what if they don’t?

If There Is No Growth As Believers, No Fruit But Only Thorns, You May Not Be Saved

Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Some people see this text as proof that the Christian, saved by grace, can lose his or her salvation. But that is a sloppy reading of the text. The text tells us of people who have experienced some levels of blessing from Christianity, but because they are flippant or will not repent they cannot be “renew(ED) them again unto repentance”. The text isn’t talking about those who are saved, but those who are on the fringes.

I see it all the time.

There are people who come to this Church, or other Churches where the Word of God is fully preached. They are “once enlightened”. They have heard the truths the Scripture teaches. They “tasted of the heavenly gift”. They heard all about the glories of walking with Christ daily, being in a living relationship with Him. In fact, there are many who “were made partakers of the Holy Ghost”. They enjoyed the benefits of God’s blessing.

Illustrate: I remember years ago when I pastored Rock Hill Baptist – a sweet congregation much like this – when a family on the Church roll who had ceased coming to Church (or any Church) experienced terrible sickness. The elder lady had an abscess in her back that had turned septic, and she was on the brink of death. I visited her in the hospital for weeks, then followed her to rehab, praying for her, anoint her with oil. And Beloved, God intervened! She was healed. She and her husband swore they would recommit themselves to Christ, return to Church – that they would give their lives to Jesus. Did they? No! They came to Church one time, and were totally unaffected by the Word of God. They never returned – and both died within the next two years.

They could not be RENEWED TO REPENTANCE. Instead of receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior, they used Jesus as a spare tire or a stepping stool. He was a convenience, a tool to satisfy and enable their flesh.

This type of thing is found all throughout Scripture. I am reminded of the vast numbers who came to Jesus for healing when He walked this earth. One day Jesus entered a village between Samaria and Galilee on His way to Jerusalem. The Bible tells us that:

Luke 17:12-13 (NKJV) … there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

Word Study: These ten men call Jesus “MASTER”, epistatēs (pronunciation ep-is-tat’-ace) which means “overseer” or “superintendent”. They did not call Jesus “Lord” or “Messiah” or “Son of David”, which is what He is. They did not even call Jesus “Teacher” or “Rabbi”. They saw Jesus as Someone Who had power – they didn’t care where that power came from. He is a “miracle man” or a “shaman”. Even though they did not see Jesus as Lord and Savior, they cried out “HAVE MERCY ON US”. God does this every day. God has had mercy on America for over two hundred years. We mock Him, we take His Name in vain. We murder the babies He blesses us with. We snuff out little lives in the name of “Health Care” and in order to support godless sexual behavior. But God has mercy on us.

God is so good, so merciful. We read:

Luke 17:14 (NKJV) So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

Jesus did not heal these lepers immediately, as He often did. Under the Law a leper was to show themselves to the priests once they were healed (Leviticus 14:2-4). Jesus told them to go to the priests. The Bible tells us “as they went, they were cleansed”. Jesus is Lord! When they obeyed Him and the Word of God, as they went the sickness was ended. These men, unbelievers all, experienced the Grace of God. As our text states, they “tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come”. They experienced the power of God through Christ, Who healed by the Spirit of God (Luke 11:20; Matthew 12:28). Oh, how they were blessed.

But were they saved? No, only one was. We read:

Luke 17:15-19 (AP) And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you WHOLE.”

All ten of the lepers were healed, but only the one who returned to Jesus was told “Your faith has made you WHOLE”. The word translated “WELL” is the Greek sōzō (pronunciation sode’-zo), which literally means “has SAVED you”. The same Greek word is used in:

Matthew 1:21 {Mary} shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall SAVE {sōzō (pronunciation sode’-zo)} his people from their sins.

Matthew 18:11 For the Son of man is come to SAVE {sōzō (pronunciation sode’-zo)} that which was lost.

All ten experienced the blessings of association with Christ – but only ONE was saved, the ONE WHO RETURNED TO CHRIST.

There are many who are USERS of Christ but are not CHILDREN of God. They live their lives not to serve God and man, but to serve themselves. Notice the text:

Hebrews 6:6 they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Who was it that “crucified to themselves the Son of God” in the Scripture? It was those who refused to receive Christ as Lord, like the Roman soldiers:

Matthew 27:27-31 (NKJV) Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. 28 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.

Unbelievers want what Jesus offers, but do not want to acknowledge Him as Lord God Almighty. Richard Dawkins, a famous atheist who has said of faith “Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence”. He wrote the book “The God Delusion” where he stated that “not only does God not exist, but if He did exist, He would be regarded by every right thinking person as a moral monster” (pg 31). This same Richard Dawkins recently stated:

““It’s true that statistically, the number of people who actually believe in Christianity is going down and I’m happy with that, but I would not be happy if, for example, we lost all our cathedrals and our beautiful parish churches. So, I count myself a cultural Christian.”

He wants what Christ offers, but not Christ Himself. Like so many lost people, he mocks the Lord, saying “it is a fundamentally decent religion in away I think Islam is not”. He admires certain elements of Christianity, but despises the Lord. He is like those at the foot of the Cross:

Luke 23:35-36 (NKJV) And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.” 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”

How many thousands did Jesus heal while He walked the earth? How many did He make whole? How many did He feed and bless? How many supported Him at the foot of the Cross?

The Proof Of Salvation Is In The Fruit Of The Life

Hebrews 6:7-8 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

Those who profess Christ as Savior but never bear fruit, never grow, never change from where they were to where they are supposed to be …. they may not be saved. Where is the fruit? Where is the fruit? Jesus promised eternal life to those who believe in Him. He said:

John 10:27-28 (ESV) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

If you are saved, you belong to Jesus. He calls you “My sheep”. He is the Shepherd, you the follower – not the other way around. As His sheep we “HEAR HIS VOICE”. We are not deaf to His Word – we hear and obey Him. He is our Protector and Friend. He knows us and “WE FOLLOW JESUS”. We are loved with an infinite love, our Lord’s Love. Nothing can separate us from Christ’s love (Romans 8:35-39). “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). The Bible says “Jesus is the Vine, we are the BRANCHES” (John 15:5). When we abide in Him, we “BRING FORTH MUCH FRUIT”. Not briers, not thorns, but fruit. God has promised to the believer:

Philippians 1:6 (ESV) … He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

That is not true of the pretend Christian, but of the born again Christian. We who have received Christ not as a convenience, but as Lord and Savior have His assurance that we are heirs of God, headed toward

1 Peter 1:4-5 (ESV) … an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Is Jesus YOURS? Or better, do you belong to Jesus? As we close, the Lord says:

Hebrews 6:9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

The Lord saw the fruit of salvation in the Hebrew believers. He said:

Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

The proof of salvation is how you show love toward God and toward your fellow believers. Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). Christ could be seen in a crowd because He was the One doing good, regardless as to what others did to Him. He loved the unlovable. His life shows the fruit of the Spirit. Does yours? Is Christ to you just a way to Heaven – or a way of life? Your answer will determine your eternity. But do not fool yourselves. If you are your own god, your own shepherd – then you are not saved.

Make your calling and election sure. Do not put off repenting and coming to Jesus today, lest your heart harden, and it become impossible to renew you to repentance.

For God’s glory. In Jesus Name. Amen and Amen.

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Good Fathers Teach The Word Of God

Posted on May 3, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

Tonight we’ll be in Proverbs chapter 4. In way of introduction I’d like to note,

The greatest gift a father can give to his
children is the Word of God.

The Christian faith must be purposely passed on from father to children if the faith is to progress as Jesus designed it to. The only time that angels will proclaim the Gospel is during the Great Tribulation:

Revelation 14:6 (ESV) I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.

Even during that time God will set out 144,000 Hebrew Evangelists (Revelation 7:4) to preach and lead the lost on the earth out of that Great Tribulation (Revelation 7:14) – though it will cost them their lives. Until that time God has called humans to spread the Word of God. We are all familiar with the Great Commission:

Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

The Church is to spread the Gospel. But in the home, the father – as leader of the family – is to share the Word of God with his children.

Proverbs 4:1-4 HEAR, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. 2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. 3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

Let’s break this down.

Proverbs 4:1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

The father as the head of the family teaches his children to love God’s Word. In a section of scripture the Jews call “The Shema” or “The Hearing”, God tells His people:

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NKJV) “Hear (šāmaʿ pronunciation shaw-mah’), O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Word Study: The word HEAR or šāmaʿ found in Deuteronomy 6:4 and in our text at Proverbs 4:1 means not to just hear something as noise, but to “hear with the intent of obeying, to perceive and do”. There is no value in hearing something – even if it is intelligent – then doing nothing about it.

Illustrate: I was talking with a pastor friend of mine this morning about the homeless problem in America. Politicians and liberal tell us if we throw enough money at it, the problem will go away. That’s not true. The only way to alleviate homelessness is to teach the homeless to be productive, and to reward productivity. The Bible is very clear on this point:

1 We are to give to the poor:

We are to help poor BELIEVERS: Deuteronomy 15:7, 11 (NKJV) “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, 11 For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’

Galatians 6:10 (NKJV) Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

We are to help ALL poor: Psalm 41:1 (NKJV) Blessed is he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.

Proverbs 19:17 (NKJV) He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given.

2 We are not to give to those who will NOT work:

2 Thessalonians 3:10-13 (ESV) For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.

The welfare system in America is a tool of Satan, for it holds down rather than lifting up. It enables bad behavior. If we love people – if we love our children – then what we do or don’t do will be modeled based on the teaching of Scripture.

Not OPINION, But GOD’S WORD

Proverbs 4:2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.

Many people attend Church today to get a little “sugar”, a little something “sweet” to make them feel better about themselves. Parents are instructed to spoil and give in to their children. The Bible, however, instructs fathers to “give GOOD DOCTRINE”.

What is “GOOD DOCTRINE?”

Word Study: The word translated “GOOD” is the Hebrew ṭôḇ (pronunciation tobe), which means “good, wealthy, precious, pleasant, beneficial”. This type of “GOOD” does not come from man, but from God. As God created the earth and the Heavens, the Scripture says:

“God saw the light, that it was GOOD (ṭôḇ)” (Genesis 1:4)


“God called the dry land Earth … it was GOOD (ṭôḇ)”
(Genesis 1:10)


“God saw everything He had made … it was very GOOD (ṭôḇ)”
(Genesis 1:31)

What God made is GOOD (ṭôḇ). God alone has the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of GOOD (ṭôḇ) and evil (Genesis 2:17). It is God, not man who establishes what is GOOD (ṭôḇ). The Bible teaches is that:

“There is NONE GOOD but One, that is, God” (Matthew 19:17)


“All have gone astray … there is NONE THAT DOETH GOOD,
no, not one (Psalm 14:3)

Human good is no good at all. When the father says “I give you GOOD DOCTRINE (leqaḥ pronunciation leh’-kakh, learning, teaching)”, this is not based on his opinion, but on what God has said. Further, the father says:

Proverbs 4:2 … forsake ye not my law.

He is not saying that this is truths that he made up, but as a believer he has assumed ownership of the Word that God gave him.

The Apostle Paul did the same thing with the Gospel of salvation when he said:

Romans 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ …

2 Timothy 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:

The Apostle Paul did not write the Gospel, but he assumed ownership and stewardship of it without changing it. It became “MY GOSPEL”. We as believers are to be so appreciative of the Word of God that we, like Paul and the writer of Proverbs, call the text “MY DOCTRINE”. God gave it to us as a stewardship – and we are to share it with others that we love.

Proverbs 4:3-4 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

The writer tells us that “I was my father’s son”. He was loved of his father, for his father taught him the Heavenly Father’s Word. He was “only beloved” in the sight of his mother. Why was Solomon “only beloved” of his mother? Solomon was not the firstborn child of King David. The firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess. The second-born was Daniel by Abigail the Carmelitess, and the third-born Absalom the son of Maacah. While David was in Jerusalem, he had four children by Bathsheba: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. (see 1 Chronicles 3:1-9). If you’re counting, Solomon was actually the seventh-born child of David.

Why did David choose Solomon his son to reign in his place (1 Chronicles 29:28)? Why didn’t David follow the regular succession, and choose the firstborn Amnon to succeed him?

The Bible gives us the answer in:

1 Chronicles 22:7-10 (NKJV) … David said to Solomon: “My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the Lord my God; 8 but the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight. 9 Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. His name shall be Solomon, for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days. 10 He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

The reason that David chose Solomon to succeed him is because God chose Solomon to be the successor. David said “THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO ME”. God called Solomon to succeed David, because SOLOMON BELIEVED IN GOD AND HIS WORD. Solomon was a born again believer. God said of him, “he shall be My son, and I will be his Father”.

God established the Throne of David through a believer, not through unbelievers. God blesses those who hear and DO His Word. David was “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22) because, though flawed as we all are, he cherished and looked for God’s Word. David said of God’s Word:

Psalm 119:47-48 (ESV) … for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love. 48 I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.

And again,

Psalm 119:2-3 (ESV) … Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, 3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!

Solomon was like his father in this. He sought the Word of the Lord.

Wisdom – The Application Of God’s Word –
Will Richly Bless You

Proverbs 4:5-8 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her.

Word Study: WISDOM – the ability to not only know what the Scripture says, but the ability to USE it – “is the principal thing”. The phrase “THE PRINCIPLE THING” is the Hebrew rē’šîṯ {pronunciation ray-sheeth’}, which means “that which is chief or best, the choicest”. Again, to understand this word we have to go back to the Creation of all things. The word rē’šîṯ is the very first word in the Bible:

Genesis 1:1 IN THE BEGINNING {rē’šîṯ} God created the heaven and the earth.

Wisdom is from Heaven. It is from God. It is the foundation of EVERYTHING. To have wisdom in your life is to be blessed beyond measure. James 3:17 says:

“the wisdom that comes from Heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere”.

Proverbs 4:9-13 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. 10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. 11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. 12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. 13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

Biblical wisdom – the ability to not just know what the Scripture says, but to put it into action – leads to

GRACE
A CROWN OF GLORY
LONG LIFE
A STEADY WALK

Without applying Biblical knowledge, you cannot be saved. The Bible says that:

Romans 10:9 (NKJV) if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.You can know that you are a sinner in need of salvation. But unless you “CONFESS” Jesus as Lord, and do so PUBLICLY, you cannot be saved. Jesus said:

Matthew 10:33 … whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Grace is a free gift from God, but it is not received in secret. When Noah found grace in the eyes of God (Genesis 6:8), the Lord told him to build an Ark – and do so publicly. If you do not both HEAR and DO what Jesus says, you will not be saved.

Wisdom – the application of Biblical knowledge – brings “A CROWN OF GLORY”. The Crown of Glory is mentioned in Peter in reference to God Called Pastors who do their jobs:

1 Peter 5:1-4 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

The Pastor who cares for the Church God has entrusted him with, who FEEDS the flock the Word of God, who is not authoritarian or power hungry, who does not do it for money but who models Christ – this Pastor shall receive the Crown of Glory. The Crown of Glory is given to those who effectively use the spiritual gifts that God has entrusted to them for HIS glory and honor. It doesn’t apply to just the Pastor, but to every member in the Body of Christ. A devotional at Ligonier Ministries notes:

“… even though our salvation is a gift we do not earn, our Father not only promises eternal life to those who follow His Son, He promises many extra rewards to those who obey Him. This promise of extra blessings is found throughout the Bible. To the people of Israel already saved from the bondage of slavery, God promised many blessings if they would persevere in their obedience to Him (Deut. 28:1–14). Jesus promised that those who would leave everything to follow Him would receive a hundredfold reward in addition to eternal life (Mark 10:29–31). … God’s faithful servants can expect a reward. … And in the end, this reward will be for God’s glory, for one day we will cast these crowns at the foot of His throne in worship (Revelation 4:9–11; 22:3).”

Those who love the Lord and His Word will be granted a long and stable life. Oh, that we all would realize that the greatest blessing is not the land of Canaan nor the glory of Heaven. The greatest blessing is to live the life that God has given you under His watchful eye, doing what He says until the day you are received into glory.

Amen and Amen.

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The First Principles Of The Oracles Of God

Posted on April 29, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Hebrews 5:10-14 {Jesus} Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchizedek. 11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull (nōthros, pronunciation no-thros’, means SLOTHFUL, SLUGGISH, LAZY) of hearing. 12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

The Danger Of Becoming Stalled In Your Faith

Why is it important that you not only hear the Word of God, but do the Word of God? It is because you can never advance and mature as Christ followers unless your hearts are opened to Him, unless you see His Word as the most valuable thing on earth – then apply that Word. The Book of Hebrews has been comparing the House of Moses (the Old Covenant) to the House of Christ (The New Covenant). We found out that God spoke to His people through both Moses and Jesus Christ. We found out that:

  • The Old Covenant relied on animal sacrifices and ceremonies to provide a temporary salvation.
  • The New Covenant relies on the once and for all sacrifice of Christ to provide a permanent salvation.
  • The Old Covenant was offered to ethnic Jews, and the Gentiles who would agree to circumcision.
  • The New Covenant relies on the work of the Holy Spirit to circumcise the heart of a person. Through the Spirit we are born again, born into the family of God.
  • The Old Covenant relied on fallen humans as priests to cover the sins of the people.
  • The New Covenant relies on the sinless Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, Who sits on the right hand of the Father covering our sins.
  • The Old Covenant was but a shadow of the coming New Covenant in Christ. The moral laws have not changed, but Atonement has.
  • Under the Old Covenant the Tribe of Judah led God’s people, whereas the Tribe of Levi ministered as priests. Messiah would come from the Tribe of Judah. Kings could not be priests.
  • Under the New Covenant Jesus, of the Tribe of Judah and the House of David, is the promised Messiah. Jesus is a High Priest of the Order of Melchizedek, an ancient priesthood that predates Mount Sinai. Jesus is both King and Priest, and the children of God by faith in Christ are Kings and Priests unto God (Revelation 1:5-6). We are children of the Most High.

Jesus is a High Priest of the order of Melchizedek, & there are many great truths that go with this that bless us. But the lazy listeners hear but refuse to do the commands of God’s Word.

Many today are like the children of Israel at the base of Mount Sinai, demanding that Aaron create them a Golden Calf. When Israel left Egyptian bondage that God moved on the hearts of the Egyptians, and “Israel borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver and gold” (Exodus 12:35). When Israel came to Aaron and demanded “gods that shall go before us” (Exodus 32:1), the High Priest told the people to bring him the blessing that God bestowed on them at Egypt. He took that blessing, those jewels – and created a golden calf (Exodus 32:4).

God’s people are called to be salt, not sugar. We are called to hear God’s Word, and DO those things which glorify Him. We are not to make golden calves of God’s blessings to us. Those whom God is addressing should be mature believers, teachers of others. But instead they have become dull of hearing. They are lazy hearers. The lazy hearer hears what is being preached or taught, and is probably fascinated by it.

The lazy hearer rejects the MEAT but wants the MILK of the Word. Our text states:

Hebrews 5:12 are become such as have need of milk

There is nothing wrong with being a “babe in Christ” when you are first saved. Newly saved believers should want the “pure milk of the word”

1 Peter 2:1-3 (NKJV) Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Every Christian is a baby when they are first born again (John 3:3, 7; 1 Peter 1:23). As you study God’s Word, you will grow. God has promised, “My Word will not return to Me void, but it shall do whatsoever I please” (Isaiah 55:11). But you must DO what God directs.

The Hebrew Christians had “BECOME” in need of milk. They brought this condition on themselves by their failure to live in Christ, to

Romans 13:14 … put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Saved by Grace, as Christians we

Ephesians 4:1-3, 24 (NKJV) …. walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. … 24 … put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Salvation is by Grace – but sanctification and growth is by spiritual effort.

The Blood of Christ POSITIONALLY makes us right with God. Our partnership with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Bible PRACTICALLY let’s us walk with God.

God gave us salvation so that we might positionally be righteous, righteous because of Christ. But once positionally righteous, God wants us to be practically righteous. We are to be salt and light, not sugar and darkness. God did not save us so we could be gossips, homosexuals, transgenders, adulterers, murderers, kidnappers, thieves – in short, walk in the flesh. God saved us by the blood of Christ so that we might walk according to the Spirit of God:

Romans 8:2-8 (NKJV) … the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

The thought that Christ died for our sins so we could remain in our sins is foreign to the Scripture. The Scripture says:

1 Peter 2:24 (ESV) {Jesus} Himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

God did not save us just to send us to Heaven. He saved us to make us children of God by faith in Christ (Galatians 3:26). As the Apostle John noted:

1 John 3:10 whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

We are to love our God, and keep His commandments (1 John 5:2).

Hebrew 5:13-14 For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But STRONG MEAT BELONGETH TO THEM THAT ARE OF A FULL AGE, even those who by reason of use have THEIR SENSES EXERCISED TO DISCERN BOTH GOOD AND EVIL …

The Christian who learns to not only HEAR but to DO what God has said is able to “DISCERN BOTH GOOD AND EVIL”. That Christian understands WHY something is right and WHY something is wrong. The Christian that not only HEARS the Word of Christ but DOES it has the ability to make godly, adult decisions. Children, on the other hand, often make bad decisions because they don’t know any better. Listen Beloved,

It is not PHYSICAL age that makes a mature Christian. It is SPIRITUAL OBEDIENCE and APPLICATION of the Scripture to your life.

You cannot, as a Christian, “DISCERN BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL” unless you are applying the Word of God to your life. When asked, “Why is homosexuality incompatible with the Christian way of life?”, you cannot answer this if you have never graduated from milk to meat. When asked, “What is Biblical marriage?”, or “Why do you think Jesus is the only Way to be saved – don’t you think that’s a bit intolerant?”, babies cannot answer this. “STRONG MEAT BELONGS TO THOSE OF FULL AGE”, Christians who not only read but DO what God’s Word says.

The First Principles Of The Oracles Of God

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God

The “First Principles Of The Oracles Of God” mentioned in Hebrews 5:12 are the foundational doctrines or truths that the Christian life is built on. The very FIRST foundational truth is “the doctrine of Christ”. The Doctrine of Christ is not only mentioned here, but also in:

2 John 1:9-11 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

The “DOCTRINE OF CHRIST” is the belief that there is no salvation outside of faith in Jesus Christ. He is the Only Savior. The Doctrine teaches that, once saved by faith, you are saved into a Family, the Family of God. You no longer belong to yourself, but are a purchased possession, a child of God. The Doctrine of Christ teaches that He Who saves you is also the One you wish to please and follow. Jesus said:

Matthew 4:19 … Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Matthew 8:22 … Follow Me; and let the dead bury their dead.

Matthew 16:24 … Deny yourself, take up your Cross, and Follow Me

Matthew 19:21 … Come and Follow Me …

John 10:27 … My sheep … Follow Me

John 12:26 … If any one serve Me, let them Follow Me …

The Doctrine of Christ is the doctrine of ABIDING. We cling to Jesus, like a branch to a vine (John 15:4-11).

John 15:5 I am the Vine, ye are the branches: He that ABIDE (menō, cling to, remain in) in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.

Every work that the Christian does is built on the FOUNDATION OF CHRIST:

1 Corinthians 3:11 (ESV) For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

It is Jesus Who saves you, His Blood which covers your sins, His High Priesthood that maintains your status as a Child of God in the Father’s eyes. We live to glorify our Lord Jesus!

What is the next foundational truth?

Hebrews 6:1 … the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

“repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God” is key to the Christian way of life. Everyone fails at times. Everyone sins. What does the Christian do when we sin? Do we do PENANCE before God? Do we sacrifice animals, or beat ourselves with whips, or promise to do better? Every human action that attempts to bring us righteousness before God is a DEAD WORK. The Scripture says:

Isaiah 64:6 (NKJV) But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.

We cannot make ourselves RIGHT with God. Only CHRIST can make us right with God. When the Apostle Paul examined his own life – an Apostle – an APOSTLE I say – he declared:

Romans 7:18 … I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

Romans 7:24 … Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

But then Paul cries out in verse 25, “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”. When we as believers sin, we REPENT and RETURN TO WHERE SALVATION IS. We do not strive to do penance, but we do REPENTANCE. Just as we were saved, we enter into His presence through the door of REPENTANCE. We put our faith in Him Who loved us, and gave Himself for us.

You Can Be Judas, Or You Can Be Simon Peter

Who failed Jesus – Judas Iscariot or Simon Peter? If you answered BOTH, you’d be right.

When Jesus was telling the disciples that He had to go to the Cross for our sins, Peter rebuked Jesus, and said, “No, this will not happen to You!”. Jesus rebuked Peter, saying:

Matthew 16:23 … “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Peter had left the foundation of Christ and began to follow the flesh. He was rebuked. Later Peter told Jesus,

Matthew 26:33 … (NKJV) … Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble

Peter was heavily relying not on the power of God, but of his flesh, his own strength. Jesus told Peter,

Matthew 26:34 (NKJV) … Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.

Jesus knows us better that we know ourselves. Peter continued to argue with the Lord. “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” (vs 35). What happened? Jesus went to Gethsemane. While praying in Gethsemane, Peter couldn’t stay awake to pray with Jesus. When the soldiers came, Peter cut off a man’s ear, and was rebuked by Jesus (Matthew 26:52). Peter then ran away with the others. As Jesus was being tried, a servant girl saw Peter and said, “You were with Jesus of Galilee” (Matthew 26:69). Peter denied Jesus. Another young girl saw Peter and said, “That man was with Jesus of Nazareth” (Matthew 26:71). Again, Peter denied Jesus. Finally, several in the crowd spoke up. “You are one of Jesus’ men – your speech betrays you!” (Matthew 26:73). Peter swore and cursed, saying “I do not know Jesus!”.

And the rooster crowed. Peter left, weeping bitterly.

Then there was Judas Iscariot. He had all the blessings that the other disciples had. Judas was an Apostle, just as was Peter and the others. Judas had the power to heal the sick, and to preach the Gospel. As the disciples were sharing the Last Passover together, Jesus honored Judas and gave him the “sop”, a special honor, the Bible says “Satan entered Judas” (John 13:27) and Judas left the table to betray Jesus to the Pharisees for thirty pieces of silver. Interestingly, it was not long after this that Jesus told Peter that before the rooster crowed, he would deny Him three times (John 13:38).

You all know the story. Judas left the Table, and Jesus, after teaching the disciples a few more truths, instituted the Lord’s Table. Judas contracted with the Chief Priests and Pharisees to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. When Jesus went to Gethsemane for His final prayer prior to His trial, He was abandoned by all His disciples. Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Jesus was tried, convicted, beaten, and carried before Pilate to be executed (Matthew 27:2). What happened to Judas?

Matthew 27:3-5 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

Judas “repented himself”. He did not repent, and return to God. Judas “repented himself”. He tried to do penance instead of repentance. He did not go to God for forgiveness, but tried his own do it yourself religion. He thought by bringing the 30 pieces of silver back, that all would be well. It wasn’t. Finally, Judas killed himself, sacrificing his own life to make what he did right with God. Did it? No. Jesus called Judas “the son of perdition”, the “son of apōleia, of waste or destruction, of damnation” (John 17:12). Though Judas had the title of Apostle, though he was chosen by Jesus but “was a DEVIL” (John 6:70). Judas is the picture of many who PROFESS Christ, but are not POSSESSED of Christ.

The Devil enter Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter,
but only one repented and believed.

Peter denied Jesus also. He wasn’t at the foot of the Cross with Mary his mother and John the Apostle. Mary Magdalene, and Mary of Cleophas was at the foot of the Cross, but Peter was absent (Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41; Luke 23:49; John 21:24). But on the first day of the week, when the women ran back to tell the disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead, both Peter and John ran to the Tomb – but Peter was the first to enter the Tomb. John got to the Tomb first, but Peter went in to see where His Lord lay. The Bible tells us that the first man to see Jesus resurrected was PETER:

1 Corinthians 15:5 {after His resurrection Jesus} WAS SEEN BY CEPHAS, THEN by the TWELVE.

“CEPHAS” is the Aramaic form of “Peter”, which is the name Jesus gave Peter once he recognized our Lord as the one and only Christ (Matthew 16:18). According to the Apostle Paul, Jesus appeared to Peter FIRST before He appeared to the other Apostles. Why? Because Jesus has promised us:

“I will never leave YOU nor forsake YOU” (Hebrews 13:5)

Peter belonged to Jesus by faith. And it was proved by his actions. In the final chapter on John’s Gospel, Peter was out fishing in the Sea of Tiberius with 6 others – including John. They fished all night long and found nothing. As they were coming toward shore, a Man called out:

John 21:5 (NKJV) … Children, have you any food?

When they said “No”, the Man said “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some”. As they hauled in the net, now filled with fish, John said “It is the Lord Jesus!” As soon as Peter heard this,

John 21:7 … {Peter} put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.

Peter never tried to do penance. He never tried to make things right with his own works. Peter understood the basic foundation of Christianity is not our works, but to RUN TO JESUS. When we fail, we RUN TO JESUS. When we sin, we RUN TO JESUS. Our works cannot make things right – but Jesus can. And once we return to Jesus, we do that which Jesus tells us to do. Jesus asked Peter three times

“Do you love Me?”

Peter replied, “Yes Lord, You know I love you” (John 21:16). And Jesus said, FEED MY SHEEP. Do what I tell you to do. Cling to Me, as I cling to you. Obey Me if you love Me. If you fail Me, repent, and return to Me. I am your Lord, your Savior, your all.

That is the foundation our faith is built on – Jesus. Do you know Him? Have you received Him by faith? Have you repented, and come to Him with empty hands to receive the glorious Gospel of salvation. I pray you have. May God the Holy Spirit work in your heart today. Amen and Amen.

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Prospecting For Wisdom In God’s Word

Posted on April 26, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Steven Paton: https://www.pexels.com/photo/bird-flying-near-a-flower-7200775/

Proverbs 3:13-18 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. 14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honor. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

Opening: In Sri Lanka a man had hired a well dug in his back yard. While workmen were digging – looking for water – they found a star sapphire cluster. Since it was on his property, it belonged to him. He had it appraised through a gem trader and found out the 2.5 million carat sapphire is worth up to $100 million. The owner named it the “Serendipity Sapphire”. If you found it in your back yard, it wouldn’t look like anything at all to you. You might have rolled it out to the trash pickup. You’d have been wrong!

Gold is much like this sapphire. The inexperienced may find gold, but never know it’s gold, because it looks like dirty quartz until its refined. What looks like gold when you find it is Iron Pyrite, Chalcopyrite or Fool’s Gold. Gold, which isn’t golden until it’s processed, is worth $2336.30an ounce as of April 23, 2024. Fool’s Gold is worth .55 cents per ounce.

The miner is a person who has studied gold and it’s value. The miner knows how to prospect for gold, and how to ignore the false. Had the man who discovered the Serendipity Sapphire not been acquainted with gemstones, he would have tossed out this Guinness Book of World Records (largest star sapphire cluster ever found) stone.

As valuable as the Serendipity Sapphire is, there is something much greater in value. It is WISDOM.

Wisdom cannot be stolen from you. This is why the Bible says:

vs 14 the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver

Learn To Mine Wisdom From God’s Word, Not Rock From the Earth

Silver, gold, and diamonds can be easily stolen. Money in your bank account can be easily stolen. Hackers can get into your bank, and get all you have. Or bank tellers can push a wrong button, and your life savings is gone. Poof. Just like that.

Illustrate: Several years ago I left my silver coin sets out on a table in my home. While Sherry and I were gone out, thieves broke in and stole a lot of the silver. Oddly enough, they grabbed the shiniest pieces which, worth much, were not worth as much as they left behind. In the world of Numismatics (pronounced noo-miz-ma-ticks) it is the older, often dingier looking coin that is much more valuable. The fools go for the “Fool’s Gold”, but the wise know real value. Wisdom can be gained, and should be accrued as you grow. That wisdom you have cannot be taken away from you. You can only give it away, blessing others. We are told:

Vs 15 more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her

Word Study: Sapphires and Rubies are of the same mineral called corundum. When it forms blue, it’s a sapphire. When red, it’s a ruby. God is telling us that – as valuable as the Serendipity Sapphire is – WISDOM is much more “PRECIOUS” (yāqār), “more excellent, more costly”. In fact,

The Lord tells us that if you were to take everything you’ve ever desired – money, power, fame, good looks – wisdom would be worth more than it all.

The ancient Philosopher Plato said, “Better be unborn than untaught, for ignorance is the root of misfortune”. Wisdom from God teaches us to live our lives in joy and peace. Properly applied wisdom brings blessing. The Scripture says:

Vs 16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honor.

We’ve seen this before in Proverbs. Throughout the Proverbs God expresses the same thing using different poetic language. When we studied verse 2 of this chapter last week:

Proverbs 3:2 … for LENGTH OF DAYS and LONG LIFE … shall they add to you ..

We found out that “LENGTH OF DAYS” and “LONG LIFE” refers to QUANTITY as well as QUALITY of life. The same thing is true here. Wisdom is shown as a woman who, in her RIGHT hand has “Length of days”. Throughout the Scripture the RIGHT HAND was the hand of blessing.

Illustration: When Israel (Jacob) blessed Joseph’s children before he died, he laid his right hand on the second born child, Ephraim. When Joseph objected – for the firstborn was to be blessed with the right hand – Israel said:

“God will make Ephraim (the second born) as Manasseh” (Genesis 48:20)

The Right Hand of God is where the Son of God sits (Mark 16:19; Acts 2:33; Acts 7:55-56; Romans 8:34). When you heed God’s Word, His Wisdom, you are blessed by the Son of God.

Riches And Honor Are Not From The World, But God

When you are under Wisdom’s right hand, with it comes the LEFT HAND. In Wisdom’s left hand is “RICHES AND HONOR”. Riches and honor does not mean to have a full bank account. It means to LIVE A GOOD LIFE IN CHRIST. King David prayed in:

1 Chronicles 29:10-12 (NKJV) Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all. 12 Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all.

Longer life as well as a blessed life is promised to those who seek out and cherish wisdom. Silver, gold, and sapphires can buy you things, but they cannot add one minute to your life. Often those who are richest in material wealth are the most miserable of people.

Wisdom not only protects you from misery, but it
protects you from an early death.

The unwise person runs around with other foolish people who do things that endanger their lives. They drink alcohol to excess, or take dangerous drugs, or as a few years ago, eat Tide™ pods. Why? Because you are trying to impress someone who could care less about you. If you want a good life, we should mine for Wisdom through God’s Word.

Proverbs 3:17-18 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold (ḥāzaq, pronounced khaw-zak’, to grab with all your strength) upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth (tāmaḵ, pronounced taw-mak’, to hold fast, to stay close to) her.

Again we have a picture of the miner, who goes outside his comfort zone to find gold. He dedicates his life to seeking out the true gold. It is so sad that we as Americans today will burn up all our energy on jobs, hobbies, games, politics, television, social media, foods, and so on – but will devote little time to God and His Word. The writer of Ecclesiastes states:

Ecclesiastes 9:16-18 … Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, And his words are not heard. 17 Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard rather than the shout of a ruler of fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; But one sinner destroys much good.

Wisdom does not matter whose hands it is in. The “poor man’s wisdom” is much greater than the rich man’s foolishness. I am reminded of the story Jesus told us of Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man – well respected, famous, and blessed financially – ignored Biblical Wisdom, the Word of God, and lived his life as if there was no God. He had no respect for human life, but treated the poor as dogs, even wild dogs. Lazarus, on the other hand, was known by Jesus. Jesus knew his name. JESUS KNEW HIS NAME.

Word Study: He was “Lazarus” (lazaros, pronunciation lad’-zar-os) which means “The One Whom God Helps”. The rich man helped himself year after year, ignoring God, having no relationship with Him. But Lazarus looked to God for blessing, and trusted in His Grace though times were often tough. When they died, what happened?

Luke 16:22-23 {Lazarus} died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Lazarus had wisdom. He looked to God, the Author of True Wisdom. Having wisdom, Lazarus had “RICHES AND HONOR”. What! You say he has “RICHES AND HONOR”? You’re mad, he was a BEGGAR. Those who are saved are all BEGGARS at the Throne of Grace. When Lazarus died, he had “RICHES” for he was known of Jesus. In this life Lazarus had nothing, but in the next life he was taken to Father Abraham, the father of all who believe (see Romans 4:16). When Lazarus died, he had “HONOR”. He was given an ANGELIC ESCORT into glory, where he could be comforted in the arms of God.

God’s Word Brought Order From Darkness

Proverbs 3:19-20 The Lord by wisdom hath founded (yāsaḏ, pronunciation yaw-sad’) the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. 20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

Word Study: It is God’s “WISDOM” that lay the foundation of the earth. It is by Christ “all things CONSIST” (Colossians 1:17), Greek synistēmi (pronunciation soon-is’-tay-mee) which means “are held together”. The Scripture says “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” (Psalm 33:6).

It was not evolution that created earth and its environment. It was not man, nor any creature that brought about creation. It was God. It is God Who sustains all things by His Word. Compare that to the wisdom of man, the wisdom of the rich.

Rich people on the Massachusetts coast spent $500,000.00 to build sand dunes in front of the beach front property. It was washed away in three days! What of God’s creation? Earth is in a remote part of our Galaxy, the Milky Way. The only star near us is the sun, which is placed a perfect distance from the earth. How long will our sun last? Scientists calculate that the fuel of the sun, hydrogen, will run out in 5 BILLION years, but once it runs out will take 2-3 BILLION years to go through star death. What the rich fools did cost half a million dollars and lasted three days. What God did in the sun will last another 7.5 BILLION years.

The molten magnetic core of the earth not only helps us find North and South, but protects us from sun flares. The energy emitted by a solar flare is a million times more powerful than a volcanic eruption on earth.

The giant planet Jupiter protects the earth by eating up asteroids or comets that come near. It has been called “the vacuum cleaner of our solar system”. Our moon stabilizes our climate. God’s hand of design is seen all throughout creation.It is God’s Word that designed the rain clouds, and the cycle of water that sustains life on our planet.

Proverbs 3:21-23 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep (nāṣar pronunciation naw-tsar’) sound wisdom and discretion: 22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. 23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.

Word Study: The believer in God is encouraged to “KEEP or GUARD SOUND WISDOM”. The stepbrother of Christ wrote:

James 3:13-18 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

The Wisdom of God is based on God Himself. It is SPIRITUAL, not fleshly and self serving. “the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace”. God used His Word to give us life, and offers His Word to save us.

The Wise Live To Honor The God Who Saved Them:
5 Applications Of Wisdom

At this point Proverbs 3 God uses 5 verse sets to teach Biblical truth. Let’s look at these texts:

Proverbs 3:25-26 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. 26 For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

1 Don’t worry about what your enemy may or may not do. Trust in the Lord. Let Him avenge you:

Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Proverbs 3:27-28 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. 28 Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.

2 If God in Grace has given you the means to do so, do good to your fellow man. Jesus spoke of this when He said:

Matthew 5:42-48 (ESV) Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

3 Be Light, Not Darkness To Those Around You.

Proverbs 3:29-30 Devise not evil against thy neighbor, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. 30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.

Who is your neighbor? It is not the person who looks like you, but the person near you. Jesus explained this with the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). In that story a man of unknown race and heritage was attacked, stripped, and left on the side of the road as dead. A “Priest”, more than likely a Levite who functioned in the office of priest in the Temple, actually crossed the road when he saw the wounded man. Then a “Levite”, a person from the Tribe of Levi who worked in the Temple taking care of the things of God, also crossed the road rather than help the wounded man. Both Priest and Levite wanted to avoid being made “unclean” by touching this unfortunate.

Then came the Samaritan, the hated Samaritan. He bound the man’s wounds, took him to an inn, and payed for his accommodations. Jesus asked,

Luke 10:36 (ESV) Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?

It was the Samaritan who showed mercy. He was the neighbor. Jesus commands that we “go and do likewise” (37).

4 Do not imitate or desire what evil people have. Desire God.

Proverbs 3:31-32 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. 32 For the froward (lûz, the perverse) is abomination to the Lord: but his secret is with the righteous.

The “SECRET” of God is His personal presence and favor. Evil people may have riches and fame for a time, but they do not have what you have – a relationship with God each day of your life. I admire the Old Testament Saint Enoch. Enoch was born of Jared, and Jared lived 962 years. But Enoch lived 65 years before he had his first son Methuselah. He walked with God another 300 years, outliving all of his children and family but Methuselah. The Bible says:

Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

5 In time, God will bless His Children, but curse the wicked. Be patient. We end with these words:

Proverbs 3:33-35 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. 34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. 35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

Our God “giveth grace unto the lowly”. To those who are arrogant and perverse, God gives them their head. But a payday is coming someday. But God gives Grace to those who are humble. The Bible says:

James 4:6 (ESV) … {God} gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Young and immature believers tend toward arrogance, but God tells us to “clothe ourselves with humility” (1 Peter 5:5). We are to hear and do His Word. This is the only way to blessing. May God move on our hearts this very day. Amen.

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Jesus Is A Priest Forever

Posted on April 21, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Mikhail Nilov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-bearded-man-in-white-long-sleeves-praying-8720998/

Hebrews 5:1-6 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: 2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. 3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. 4 And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. 5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. 6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Jesus Came To Lead Israel From Old Covenant
To New Covenant

I do a lot of reading – and studying – because I’m fascinated with the Bible. I read an article the other day from a College Professor (Emeritus, City University of N.Y) named Bernard Starr (Ph.D). This learned man made the statement:

“Christianity began as a Jewish sect and that Jesus was a thoroughly dedicated practicing Jew who never suggested the launch of a new religion … Jesus lived and died a dedicated Jew, as observed by Christian writer Jean Guitton in his book ‘Great Heresies and Church Councils’ … Jesus did not mean to found a new religion. In his historical humanity, Jesus was a devout Israelite, practicing the law to the full, from circumcision to Pesach, paying the half-shekel for the Temple. Jerusalem, the capital of his nation, was the city he loved: Jesus wept over it”.

As many of the “great theologians” of the Scripture have done, they often ignore passages of Scripture while pushing their own doctrines. Jesus was a Jew, born of the lineage of David, of the Tribe of Judah. The Bible says that as Messiah:

John 1:11-12 (NKJV) {Jesus} came unto His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name …

Jesus came to the Jews first, the Messiah, to save whosoever would believe in Him. Jesus followed the laws of Judaism insofar as they were correctly interpreted. Jesus said,

Matthew 5:17-18 (NKJV) … Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, BUT TO FULFILL. 18 till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled ..

Jesus Came To Make The New Covenant Possible:Jesus came to fulfill the Law of God, the Ceremonial and Sacrificial portions that were shadows that would be fulfilled by the Messiah. The Bible is very clear that “the Law was a SHADOW OF THE GOOD THINGS TO COME” (Hebrews 10:1). The Feasts and Animal Sacrifices could not make a permanent covering for sin. The Messiah would have to come and, being perfect and holy, without sin, He would have to willingly go to an altar of sacrifice for sinners. His blood being shed would provide a covering for sin once and for all. As we are told in:

Hebrews 7:27 (NKJV) {Jesus} does not need daily, as those high priests {of Israel}, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

Jesus came to fulfill the Law of Moses, but He did not save us from the Law of Moses to bring in a new religion, but a NEW COVENANT. Jesus made this clear when He instituted the “Lord’s Table” out of the Feast of the Passover. Giving His disciples the “cup” of new wine, He said:

Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new (kainos, “recently made, a new kind of, unprecedented, novel, unheard of, new or fresh”) testament (diathēkē, a covenant, a will or “testament” like “last will & testament”), which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Mark 14:24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new (kainos) testament (diathēkē), which is shed for many.

Luke 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new (kainos) testament (diathēkē) in my blood, which is shed for you.

God spoke of this New Covenant to His Old Testament Israel through the Prophet

Jeremiah 31:31-24 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Under the Old Covenant that God gave Israel, the Law of God was given through Moses. The Law was proscriptive, but not prescriptive. It showed man to be a sinner, but did nothing to eradicate the sin – it only temporarily covered the sin. Under the New Covenant God would address the heart. He would cause people to be born again, Children of the Kingdom of God. When God speaks of “the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah”, this is a reference to a divided Israel – one that through civil war became North & South. The “house of Israel” or Northern Israel rejected the Levitical Priesthood and the Temple. Ten Tribes in revolt, they left Judah and Benjamin and started their own system of worship with Samaria as their Capital City. The “house of Judah” or Southern Israel (Judah and Benjamin) kept Jerusalem as their Capital City, and continued to worship in the Temple – though they were not obedient to God.

Israel was divided, conquered, and ineffective because they failed to keep the Old Covenant, and largely rejected the New Covenant that Jesus brought.

Jesus told us that

Matthew 12:25 Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand …

Jesus Christ was born of the Tribe of Judah, the Ruling Tribe, and is the fulfillment of God’s Prophecy to King David:

2 Samuel 7:12-13 … when thy days be fulfilled {when you leave this earth}, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

The “Seed of David” from the Tribe of Judah is Jesus Christ. God sent His Son Jesus to “BUILD A HOUSE FOR MY NAME”. God was not speaking of a Temple, but of a People. The Apostle tells us:

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (ESV) Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Where God’s people gather together in Christ’s name, we are His Temple. Our focus is on Jesus!

Under The Old Covenant, The High Priest Was Broken

Hebrews 5:1-3 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: 2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. 3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

God appointed Aaron, the brother of Moses, to be the “High Priest” of Israel under the Old Covenant. As High Priest Aaron (and his children) were to offer “sacrifices for sins”. The High Priest and his children, his successors, had to offer animals without blemish to God. But the priests themselves had to be without blemish:

Leviticus 21:17-21 (ESV) “Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, 19 or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, 20 or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles. 21 No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the LORD’s food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.”

The High Priest was a “shadow” of the coming Messiah, just as the “lambs without spot or blemish” were shadows of the coming “Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, 36). The High Priest had to be physically healthy – though as our text tells us:

Hebrews 5:2 … he himself also is compassed with infirmity (astheneia, pronounced as-then’-i-ah, “weakness”)

When called as a High Priest, Aaron and his sons were physically fine – but they were weak with sin. Outwardly they were without spot or blemish, but inwardly they were fallen and broken creatures, just as we all are. Under the New Covenant God would send us “The Holy Spirit to help our infirmities, our astheneia, our weaknesses” (Romans 8:26). Aaron had to make offerings for sin himself, before he could ever offer for the sin of the people.

God chose Aaron, knowing that Aaron was weak, a sinner. We are told in

Hebrews 5:4 And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

Aaron did not choose to be High Priest, no more than Moses chose to be Israel’s liberator. They were called.

God chose the Tribe of Levi to be the Priestly Tribe because of what happened at Mount Sinai. While Moses was receiving the Old Covenant, Israel turned to the flesh, to idolatry. When Moses came down the mountain and saw the children of Israel worshiping a Golden Calf, the Bible says:

Exodus 32:26 … Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

The Levites stood with their brother Moses. They were “ON THE LORD’S SIDE”. So God chose the Levites to be the Priests of Israel, and Aaron – with his sons – to be the High Priests.

Jesus Is Unlike The Levitical High Priests

Hebrews 5:5 So also Christ glorified not Himself to be made an High Priest; but He that said unto Him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

Aaron did not choose to be High Priest, but was a sinner chosen of God. Aaron was a Levite. But Jesus, as I’ve noted before, was of the line of David. He is the Messiah God promised David in 2 Samuel 7. Jesus, like David is of the line of Judah, not Levi.

Under Judaism Jesus could NOT be the High Priest. Under the Old Covenant Jesus could NOT be the High Priest. Why? He is of JUDAH, not LEVI.

As the Son of God, Jesus is “King of kings and Lord of lords, and with Him are His called, His chosen, His faithful followers” (Revelation 17:14). Jesus Christ did not come to reform Judaism, but to fulfill the Laws of Judaism so that He could bring in the NEW Covenant. Jesus is NOT a Priest of Judaism, for the Priests of Judaism are LEVITES. Jesus is High Priest of the New Covenant – the Messiah from the Tribe of David.

How could Christ be a High Priest? Because God the Father chose Him to be so. But also because Christ comes from a different priesthood.

Hebrews 5:6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

At this point the Holy Spirit quotes a Messianic Psalm,

Psalm 110:4 The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

When the Messiah came, He was to be LORD and King, because He would be from the Tribe of Judah, of the House of David. But when the Messiah came He was to be HIGH PRIEST of His House, a Priest NOT from the Tribe of Levi, but a more ancient priesthood.

One day Jesus was being attacked by the Pharisees, as they often did. They hated Jesus because He called them out on how they had modified the Old Covenant to suit themselves. Jesus told them “You are of your father, the devil, and the lusts of your father you do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and would not abide in the truth … he is the father of lies and liars” (John 8:44, AP). Jesus told them, “If anyone keeps My Word, he shall never see death” (John 8:51, ESV). The Pharisees challenged what Jesus said, saying “Our father Abraham died” (John 8:53). Jesus told them, “Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He saw it, and was glad.” (John 8:56). Jesus went on to say, “Truly, truly I say to you, BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS, I AM” (John 8:58).

Jesus lived before Abraham. He is the Great I AM of God. Jesus said “Abraham saw My day, and was glad”. What is Jesus talking about?

In Genesis 14 we read where Abraham’s nephew Lot and his household was taken captive by several invading kings with their armies (vs 12). This was a huge group of armies that did this. When Abraham heard this, he stepped out in faith. The Bible says that Abraham “armed 318 servants, and pursued them” (vs 14). Abraham brought back all of the people taken by the armies – Lot and his family included – and brought them home to Sodom. At the end of this great victory the Bible says:

Genesis 14:18-20 … Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And {Abraham} gave him tithes of all.

This is before the giving of the Law on Sinai. This is before the Old Covenant. The Bible says “Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God”. This is an Old Testament picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Abraham saw Jesus, saw an Old Testament incarnation of Him, and was elated.

As A High Priest Of The Order Of Melchizedek,
Jesus Saved Us

Hebrews 5:7-9 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

When Jesus went to Gethsemane right after the Lord’s Table – a Table that represented Christ’s broken body and spilled Blood – He sought the Father’s will with “prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears”. In the darkness of that Garden Jesus told Peter, James and John:

Matthew 26:38 … My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.

Jesus knew what was about to happen, but He sought the Father in prayer. He said,

Matthew 26:39 … My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.

Our High Priest, not a Levite but of the order of Melchizedek, prepared to offer the one thing that would pay for our sins. As He prayed, three times Jesus asked “if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will”. And three times the Father said, “Son, You must go. There is no other way. Your Blood must be shed.” Jesus was obedient even to death. The Bible says:

Hebrews 5:9-10 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Word Study: Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord. He is the “author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him”. The word translated “” is the Greek hypakouō, pronunciation hoop-ak-oo’-o, which means “to be obedient to, to listen to, to heed”. The New Covenant is marked by a heart that loves the Lord, that seeks to follow Him.

Beloved, you are NOT SAVED if you have
no intention of following Jesus.

Yes, we are flawed. Yes, we fail God at times. None are perfect. But we love Him Who saved us at such great cost. Jesus Christ is both KING and HIGH PRIEST to His people.

Do you know Jesus? Have you trusted your soul to Him? If you have, you have the promise of eternal life. And to God the Father, Christ has made you special. Jesus “has loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own Blood, and has made us KINGS and PRIESTS unto God the Father” (Revelation 1:5-6). As Jesus is a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, we are priests not of Levi, but of the order of Melchizedek. As Jesus is the Son of God, we are sons and daughters of God.

Do you know Him? If you do not, call on His name. Acknowledge yourself a sinner worthy of hell, and call on Him to bestow His abundant Grace on you. He suffered to save you. Do not leave this place today without the Lord.

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Your Best Life Is In God

Posted on April 19, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/rolled-20-u-s-dollar-bill-164527/

Proverbs 3:1-12 My son, forget not My law; but let thine heart keep My commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. 9 Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

The mega-church Pastor Joel Osteen preaches a prosperity gospel. In his book “Your Best Life Now” he makes statements like:

“God wants to increase you financially” (pg 5)
“Think big. Think increase. Think abundance. Think more than enough.” (pg 11)

Mega-church Pastor Steven Furtick preaches a Word of Faith gospel. The Word of Faith preachers are modalists. They deny the Trinity of God in favor of something they claim is more understandable, more relatable to the flesh. The modalists teach that there is one God, Who presents Himself in three different forms – Father, Son and Spirit. Preaching the words of Christ in

John 16:7-8 (NKJV) Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Furtick made this statement:

“{Jesus was saying} No, I am not leaving you. I am changing forms. See, up until now I have walked with you, but when I send my spirit, I will be in you.”

That isn’t what Jesus was saying. He spoke of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit as a Seperate Person. Furtick went on to preach:

“and now Jesus is taken from their sight, and hidden in a cloud, but he did not leave. He just changed forms. He did not disappear. He just was no longer visible. Instead he was internal… He said “it’s good that I’m ghosting you. It’s good that I leave in physical form because then I can give you in spiritual form, then I can direct you from a deeper place.”

This is not what the Scripture says. Osteen, Furtick, the various Word of Faith and Prosperity Preachers (Joyce Meyer, T.D. Jakes, Creflo Dollar) appeal to the flesh of man rather than preach the Gospel. As Creflo Dollar preached:

“As the righteousness of God, your inheritance of wealth and riches is included in the “spiritual blessings” (or spiritual things) the apostle Paul spoke of in Ephesians 1:5. Based on Psalm 112:3, righteousness, wealth and riches go hand—in—hand. You have every right to possess material wealth—clothes, jewelry, houses, cars and money—in abundance.”

What does the Gospel preach? It does not preach peace and comfort in this physical world. God does not preach that we will all be rich in the things of this world. As a matter of fact, Jesus said:

Luke 12:15 (NKJV) … Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.

Matthew 6:19-20 (NKJV) Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

And the Apostle Paul – who was a tentmaker – wrote:

1 Timothy 6:6-9 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.

There is an easy way to determine if something is false and not from God, or if it is true and from God. Ask yourself, “Does it elevate GOD, or elevate MYSELF, my FLESH?” If the “truth” elevates God, it is from God. If it elevates US, it is from Satan.

Follow Your HEART?

For instance, people say “Follow your HEART. Your HEART will always be right?” Is that true? Let’s put that on the Scripture Scales and weigh it:

Proverbs 3:1-2 My son, forget not My law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

God does not say “Follow your Heart”. In fact, this is what brought sin into the world in the first place. God gave Adam a very clear set of instructions, and a warning against doing what his heart told him to do. Instead of listening to God, Adam listened to his heart. He let his flesh control him, instead of the Word of God. What happened? Paradise was lost.

God said:

“let thine heart keep my commandments”.

Word Study: The word “let” or allow is not in the original text. The word “keep” is the Hebrew nāṣar (pronounced naw-tsar’) which means “to OBSERVE, to PRESERVE as presented, to GUARD from evil, to WATCH CAREFULLY, to DRAW CLOSE TO so as to obey”. We are not to revel or elevate the flesh, our own desires, but are to glorify God our Creator by heeding at doing what He said. We are not to “let” our hearts do God’s Word – that is a poor translation. We are to “KEEP” our hearts focused on God’s Word. We are to put a leash on our hearts, and say to ourselves “What has GOD said and GOD ordered. We will follow GOD regardless as to where our hearts want us to go”.

When we reject our desires and instead put God first, then we are promised:

length of days and long life, and peace

What is the difference between “length of days” and “long life”? The first phrase has to do with the QUALITY of your life, and the second with the QUANTITY of your life. When I lay in the hospital with my left leg crushed, every day seemed like a week, and every minute like an hour, and every second like a minute. When you are suffering and in pain you have a bad day, or a long and torturous day. What got me through each day was my relationship with Jesus Christ. When you heed God’s Word, and cherish it, God helps you make it even through those kind of days. When you guard and cherish God’s Word, your life is extended. To disobey God is to court disaster.

It’s better for your flesh to ignore the flesh, and
heed the Spirit and the Word.

Jesus told us:

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

If you live in this fallen system, you will have trials and tribulations. However, our Lord has promised to see us through the worst of everything. He will “never leave nor forsake us” (Hebrews 13:5), saying “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20).

Proverbs 3:3-4 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

As we go through this life we will find ourselves at odds with others. When someone does not agree with us, there is a temptation to do one of two things (both equally wrong):

1. We COMPROMISE the TRUTH of God so as to keep the peace, or


2. We ELEVATE THE FLESH and let our FEELINGS, our HEART
take the place of God’s Word.

Word Study: We are told to not allow either TRUTH or MERCY to “FORSAKE” us (the Hebrew ʿāzaḇ, to depart from us). We uphold and cling to the truths that God has given us in His Word. But we also operate from the place of mercy. We do good toward those who have done evil to us. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:43-45 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

You do not compromise the Word of God in order to please the enemy – but you DO GOOD to those who have done evil to you. You emulate your Heavenly Father. Our natural inclination is to “get someone back” when they hurt us. Jesus said, “Get then back by NOT COMPROMISING TRUTH, but DO GOOD to them”.

Let the Word of God direct your heart and
your hands, not fleshly feelings.

bind them about thy neck

When the neck is injured, the doctors will put a brace around your neck that keeps you from turning your head or bending your neck. Mercy and Truth are to be bound around your neck. They should control your head. You are also to

write them upon the table of thine heart

You are to take the Words of God and WRITE THEM – those words of Truth and Mercy – on the table of your heart. We are to control our hearts. Our hearts are not to control us.

We read:

Proverbs 3:4 So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

The reason why many Churches have lost their influence over a lost and dying world is because the members of the Churches are no more spiritual than the lost world. God calls us to be Light and Salt, not Darkness and Sugar. The Author of the popular devotional “The Imitation of Christ”, Thomas à Kempis (Thomas of Kempen, the Netherlands) wrote:

“Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is; delayed obedience is disobedience. Whoever strives to withdraw from obedience, withdraws from Grace.”

Trust In God Will Bless Your Physical Life

Proverbs 3:5-8 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

Modalism leans toward our own understanding. God is Triune. He is incomprehensible. His ways are incomprehensible. When the Apostle Paul considered the majesty of God, he wrote:

Romans 11:33-36 (NKJV) Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?” 35 “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

The way we glorify God is NOT to argue with Him at the border of the Promised Land, but to say “I don’t understand it. But Lord, if You say it, if it is in Your Word, I believe it”. God doesn’t care if we understand. He just tells us to DO what He says do, to glorify Him and Him alone. We have a tendency to “LEAN TO OUR OWN UNDERSTANDING”, and that is foolish. If God can be understood, then He’s not God. God is high above us. “IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM”. Put God first, and you will be blessed.

fear the Lord, and depart from evil

Fear of the Lord is when we hate what God hates. God hates evil, because evil destroys creation.

Global warming is not our world’s greatest threat. It is the spread and legalization of EVIL.

That which God has deemed is an “abomination” has become a plaything in America. The liberal leaning NPR (National Public Radio) published an article entitled “Live free and die? The sad state of U.S. life expectancy” (March 25, 2023). In the article we read:

“Across the lifespan, and across every demographic group, Americans die at younger ages than their counterparts in other wealthy nations. … How could this happen? In a country that prides itself on scientific excellence and innovation, and spends an incredible amount of money on health care, the population keeps dying at younger and younger ages. … Referring to a study “Shorter Lives, Poorer Health” the author quoted, “American children are less likely to live to age 5 than children in other high-income countries,” the authors write on the second page. It goes on: “Even Americans with healthy behaviors, for example, those who are not obese or do not smoke, appear to have higher disease rates than their peers in other countries.”

The article went on to give a myriad of reasons why the lifespan of Americans is decreasing. The Bible makes it clear. “The wages of sin is DEATH” (Romans 6:23). If you heed and do God’s Word, we are told:

It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones

The ancient knew that the “navel” was the place where you received life. Your naval was where you were attached to your mother – but it was God Who formed you in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-15). The ancients also knew that the MARROW is what produces your blood cells – and blood contains the life (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 10:10).

If you heed God and trust Him, not your heart, your stress levels will be lower, and the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:5-7)

Do Not Let “Stuff” Control You

Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

God will bless you physically when you put Him – and not your “stuff” – first. Everything you have, you have because of the Grace of God. There are three things we need to always remember:

1. God is TRUSTWORTHY. What He has promised, that He will do. Always!

2. God has ENTRUSTED us with what we have. If we are saved by faith in Him, we are HIS POSSESSION – and all of our possessions are His as well. Boyd Bailey (founder of Wisdom Hunters) said:

“Only in complete surrender to Christ are we complete in Him.”

If we belong to Jesus, then our stuff belongs to Jesus. We’re just borrowing it for a time. Honor God with your stuff.

3. We are TRUSTEES or stewards of all that God has given us. Our souls belong to God, and will one day return to Him who made us. Are we honoring Him? There will be a judgment day. Those who know Jesus by faith will stand before Him, and that which He entrusted to us will be judged for reward or loss. The Shekinah glory of God shall test what we did with what He entrusted us with. The Scripture says:

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 (NKJV) For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

The foundation is our relationship by faith in Christ. We build on this relationship. We do works that glorify our God, trusting Him above all else. May God move on us all to live for His Kingdom – for one day, if we are saved, we will be IN His Kingdom. Amen.

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With Whom We Have To Do

Posted on April 16, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Adrien Olichon: https://www.pexels.com/photo/inside-photography-of-church-2537598/

Hebrews 4:13-16 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. 14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

The past few weeks we have been looking at Israel, God’s Old Testament people. The Word of God led Israel out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, through the deserts, and to the base of Mount Sinai. When God gave His Word to Israel through Moses, His people – saved by Grace – said:

Exodus 24:3 (NKJV) … All the words which the Lord has said we will do ..

The Way To Blessing Is To Hear & Obey God

Yet Israel did not do it. Rather than hear the Word of God and do it, they murmured and complained and balked. In the end the first generation of Israel did NOT go into the Promised Land (other than Joshua and Caleb) because they disobeyed His Word. God had warned Israel:

Deuteronomy 30:15-18 (ESV) See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess.

Israel was saved by Grace, just as all are saved by Grace. But BLESSING only comes by obedience. But look at what our text tells us today:

Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not MANIFEST in his sight: but ALL THINGS are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Word Study: This is a very powerful statement. All creatures – all created beings – are MANIFEST IN HIS SIGHT. The word “MANIFEST” is the Greek aphanēs (pronounced af-an-ace’) means “not hidden, clearly visible”. This word is found only here in the New Testament, but it’s meaning is found throughout all scripture. There is nothing hidden from God. When God called Israel from Egypt, He knew that the first generation was going to fail. God knows everything. One of the characteristics of God is that He is omniscient, all knowing:

Isaiah 46:9-10 (NKJV) Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’

The Bible tells us that “God’s understanding is without measure” (Psalm 147:5). Before we were ever formed in our mothers, God knew us. God knows everything, and nothing is a secret to Him, nothing a surprise.

Isaiah 40:28 (ESV) Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

God knows everything. “The hairs of your head are NUMBERED” (Matthew 10:30). You cannot hide anything from God. He knows. He knows. You cannot hide anything from God. “Can a man hide himself in secret places SO I CANNOT SEE HIM? NO! I FILL HEAVEN AND EARTH.” (Jeremiah 23:24, AP). God even knows what we are going to say next. King David said:

Psalm 139:1-4 (ESV) O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

God knows. God knows. Did God know that the first generation of Israel would fail Him, and lose the promised land? Yes, God knew. It was not a surprise to God. He saved Israel by faith, and promised to bless Israel if they would hear and do His Word. He warned Israel repeatedly against failing His Word. Yet Israel chose to disobey, and the first generation died in the desert. Was this a surprise to God? Absolutely not!

ALL THINGS are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do

Word Study: The Bible says “ALL THINGS are naked and opened”. The word “naked” (Greek gymnos, pronounced goom-nos’) means “is laid bare, cannot be covered”. The word “opened” (Greek trachēlizō, pronounced trakh-ay-lid’-zo) means “to seize by the throat or neck, to expose the gullet of a victim to kill, to bend back the neck”. This is a fighter or wrestler’s term. Why are these two words used together? Because there is nothing you can hide or cover up that God does not see. Further, you are defenseless against the gaze of our Almighty God. God knows everything.

When God made Adam and placed him in the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam His Word. He said:

Genesis 2:16-17 … Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

God made Adam with free will, and put him in a beautiful place. When Adam sinned against God, was it a surprise to God? No. Look at the words that God uses:

“in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”

Not “IF you eat of it”, but “IN THE DAY YOU EAT OF IT”. God made Adam perfect. Adam was made in God’s image. Adam neither earned nor deserved this, and yet God in His Grace bestowed His blessings. To keep His blessings, Adam had to heed and DO God’s Word. But Adam failed to do so – and brought sin and death on both himself, and all his progeny.

God is OMNIPOTENT, all powerful. The Scripture says,

Psalm 102:25 Of old hast Thou (O God) laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of Thy hands.

God created all things. He said in Isaiah 48:13, “Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.” God made everything, and God knows everything. He is both OMNIPOTENT and OMNIPRESENT. God in His Trinity – Father, Son, and Spirit – made all things. And as Jesus said:

John 17:24 … Father… Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world.

Jesus Christ was with the Father, Eternal God the Son, Eternal Word of God from time past. God made us perfect, but knew we would fail. This Jesus Who “Was with God, and Was God, the Same was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-3), this same Jesus “was foreordained before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20).

There Is A Great High Priest

Hebrews 4:14-15 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

God knows our brokenness. He knew Adam’s bad choice before Adam was ever made. God did not make Adam make that bad choice – God gave Adam free will. But God knew.

Beloved, we are saved by “A GREAT HIGH PRIEST”. Israel had a High Priest who served in the Tabernacle and in the Temple, but Israel’s High Priest was just like us. Just as with all of humanity, the High Priest of Israel was himself a sinner. The Bible says:

Leviticus 16:11 (ESV) Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself.

Under the Law a sinful man called a “High Priest” made “atonement” or a covering for sin for HIMSELF by killing an ANIMAL. Only after the High Priest atoned for his sin did he make atonement for the people:

Leviticus 16:15 (ESV) Then {the High Priest} shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat.

The High Priest shed the blood of a BULL – not a human but a flawless BULL – then once his sins were paid for he shed the blood of a GOAT or a SHEEP. But until the High Priest “killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. And the sons of Aaron presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar and poured out the blood at the base of the altar” (Leviticus 9:7-24), until the sin offering was made for himself, he could not minister to the people.

This is why the Law of Moses could not bring a true salvation. Animals payed for the sins of mankind. Animals without spot or blemish – a representation of Someone Greater – paid for what Adam and the sons and daughters of Adam did and do daily.

The Law of Moses, the Law of CEREMONY and CIRCUMCISION and SACRIFICE were but shadows that pointed to a greater COVENANT, a greater BLESSING. That blessing is CHRIST JESUS!

The Bible says in

Galatians 3:19-26 (ESV) Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

God knew that we were broken – but WE did not know that we were broken. So God gave us the Law of sacrifice and ceremony and circumcision to teach us we are sinners. Even our High Priest was a sinner, and had to cover his sins with the blood of bullocks. But the Law of Moses was given to lead us to Christ, to show us our need for Him.

Hebrews 4:14-15 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Aaron was a GOOD High Priest, and many who followed afterwards perhaps were GOOD High Priests. They did their best. But Beloved, WE HAVE A GREAT HIGH PRIEST in Jesus. Jesus Christ can trace His lineage back to Adam, but being born of the Holy Spirit. As the Angel told Mary the mother of Jesus:

Luke 1:35 (NKJV) … The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

Those born fully human, Jesus’ blood line did not come from Adam, but from God Himself. All of the children of Adam are sinners, for Adam sinned. But Christ is God incarnate, God in the flesh. “The virgin was with Child. She brought forth a Son, and He is called EMMANUEL, meaning “God With Us” (Matthew 1:23, AP). Christ was not born of sinners, but He is the Eternal Son of God. He is a Great High Priest because, as our text tells us,

Hebrews 4:15 {Jesus} was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin

No Man Who walked the face of this earth was more scrutinized than Jesus was. The Pharisees who loved the Law hated Jesus, because Jesus called them on their hypocrisy. The Herodians hated Jesus, because He loved the Lord and not a political party. The Sadducees hated Jesus, because He spoke of resurrection, and they did not believe in an afterlife. The Romans hated Jesus because He would not bow the knee to Caesar. The Scribes hated Jesus because He would not bow the knee to the Chief Priests. Jesus was more examined than any person in history. What was the conclusion?

1 Peter 2:22-24 (AMP) {JESUS} COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS DECEIT EVER FOUND IN HIS MOUTH. While being reviled and insulted, He did not revile or insult in return; while suffering, He made no threats [of vengeance], but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges fairly. He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross [willingly offering Himself on it, as on an altar of sacrifice], so that we might die to sin [becoming immune from the penalty and power of sin] and live for righteousness; for by His wounds you [who believe] have been healed.

Jesus is our Great High Priest. He is sinless, and stands before God the Father making intercession for us. “He Who knew NO SIN was counted as sin in order that we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21, AP). When Jesus walked this earth, He kept the Law of God – the Law He wrote – PERFECTLY. The day that Jesus died, His executioner, Pilate, said “I find NO GUILT nor A BASIS FOR CHARGES against this Man” (Luke 23:4).

Jesus did not die because He is a sinner. He died because WE are sinners. Jesus did not offer an animal sacrifice for our sins, but offered HIMSELF, pure and holy, in our place!

Our Great High Priest died on Calvary. The Bible says that after His death:

Hebrews 9:11-12 (NKJV) Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Jesus walked through our broken world, and suffered the effects of our broken world, but He Himself remained without sin.

Jesus is SINLESS.
Jesus is ETERNAL.
Jesus is the SON OF GOD.
Jesus is at the Father’s RIGHT HAND.

What Does God Demand Of Us?

God knows our brokenness. God knows our failures. He knows our imperfections. We cannot hide our limitations from Him. But God has given us a GREAT HIGH PRIEST in Jesus. What must we do?

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

God bids us first of all to “come BOLDLY”. This does not mean to approach God with ARROGANCE, or in a DEMANDING way. But we are to come to God’s Throne WITH CONFIDENCE. God knows your brokenness, He knows all our failures. Jesus came for every person, for WHOSOEVER WILL. Will you come to Him, and humble yourself before Him?

Revelation 22:17 … (NKJV) the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

What limits you from coming to Christ, to making Him your High Priest? Nothing. Come to Him Who gave Himself for you. If you are thirsty, COME. If you are a sinner, COME. There is no one too broken to where Jesus will not intercede, Jesus will save. But you are to come “with CONFIDENCE, not ARROGANCE or GRUMBLING”. Notice we are told:

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace

Notice that this place we come is not an ALTAR OF GRACE. We do not come, as the ancient Jews did, with a sheep or goat without blemish. We do not bring anything we deem worthy to God. We make no payment nor penance before God, for there is no way that we can pay for our sins. What does God say?

Isaiah 64:6 (NKJV) … we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.

We bring nothing of worth to pay for Grace – Grace is a gift from God. But Grace is for whosoever will. This is not an ALTAR of Grace.

We come boldly to the THRONE of Grace

It is a THRONE because HE IS LORD. We come to Him Who is “King of Kings and lord of Lords” (Revelation 17:14). We come to “The Blessed and Only Potentate”, the Ruler and Creator of all. Beloved, let me be very clear on this:

There is no salvation, no GRACE outside of the THRONE. God calls us to salvation through UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER. HE IS LORD.

Certainly, we all come to Christ broken. Certainly, we come to Him as lepers needing cleansing. And He cleanses us. He gives us IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS through the sacrifice of Himself. He represents us before the Throne of Grace. But we are HIS PEOPLE. We belong to HIS KINGDOM. What does the Scripture say?

Matthew 1:21 (NKJV) Jesus … will SAVE HIS PEOPLE from their sins

Salvation is a free gift to the person that surrenders their allegiance to the King of the Kingdom of God. Jesus was manifest to “take away sins” (1 John 3:5). The Bible says:

Titus 2:14 (ESV) {Jesus} gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

It is a THRONE of grace. Once saved by Grace, you belong to Him. You belong to Jesus. You “are not your own – YOU ARE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We live to bring glory to Him Who saved us. We belong to Jesus. But that’s the best place to be.

In Him.

Are you in Him? Are you in Jesus? If not, “come BOLDLY to the Throne of Grace. Here you will find MERCY, and GRACE to help in time of need”. Oh that God would draw you to Christ this very day. Hallelujiah. Amen and Amen.

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God Delivers From Evil

Posted on April 11, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Being.the.traveller: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-a-lighted-candle-2730218/

Proverbs 2:6-15 For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. 10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; 11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: 12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; 13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; 15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths …

There is a reason that salvation is based on a relationship with the Lord, and not on your human works. Human works are flawed, suspect. We err. A summary of Romans 3:9-26 makes our position and God’s Grace very clear.

Everyone has sinned; Whether Jew or Gentile, we are under sin. we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. God gave us His Law to show us how far we are from perfect. Yet God in His Grace freely justifies us, brings us into His Family, and makes us right in His sight. He does this through Jesus. We are made right with God freely, without our works or worthiness, through the redemption God offers all in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the payment for and the covering of our sin. If we heed His call, and comer to Christ repenting of our former life, God brings us into a saving and joyous relationship in Him.

Once we are saved, we begin to walk with God in a personal relationship.

Proverbs 2:6-7 For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

Notice how the Bible phrases this. True “knowledge and understanding” come from God. The definition of WISDOM is knowledge and understanding. Not just to know, but to apply. Notice that it says, “out of his mouth” is where this knowledge and understanding for life comes. As I speak, you hear what comes OUT OF MY MOUTH because you are either in my presence, or under technology like Facebook and are hearing what I’m saying. People who are outside of my presence cannot hear what comes out of my mouth. Likewise, the person who has no personal relationship with Christ cannot hear the Words of God, for the only way anyone can approach God is through Christ. Jesus said:

John 14:6 (NKJV) … I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

You cannot hear wisdom from the mouth of God apart from a saving relationship with Christ. The Apostles preached:

Acts 4:12 (ESV) And there is salvation in no one else {but Jesus}, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Ephesians 2:18 (ESV) For through {Jesus} we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

1 John 5:11-12 (ESV) And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

God speaks to His Children giving us “sound wisdom”. Not the wisdom of this world, but the wisdom of God. God’s Word is to us “A BUCKLER” (Hebrew māḡēn, pronunciation maw-gane’) which means “a shield, that which defends you from harm”.

We live in a world today where we are encouraged to ignore sin, to rename sin, to tolerate sin. This is foolish. What comes of ignoring sin?

Illustrate: This past Monday I started smelling a funny smell in the Fellowship Hall. I didn’t think much about it. I sprayed “Febreeze”, thinking it was just stale odors because the Hall had been shut up. After spraying, I opened the windows and vented everything out. Tuesday the smell was back. I tried ignoring it, spraying “Febreeze”. I figured a mouse had died somewhere. Wednesday I went in the Hall, and what I smelled could have knocked a buzzard off a gut wagon. It was horrible. So I put on my gloves, picked up mouse bait stations, pulled out the refrigerator and stove, and looked through every cabinet. I couldn’t find mouse droppings, nothing! I went to push the stove back in to its cubby hole, and it bound up, so I emptied the bottom drawer. I opened the stove door, then picked myself up off the floor. Something was in a metal disposable pan in the stove on to top rack, all the way back. You couldn’t see it unless you bent over, but you could smell it. It was a unused pan of macaroni and cheese – and it had a longer beard on it than I have! That stuff had sat in the stove, my best guess, probably a month or a month and a half. And it was rank. It was all I could do to get it to the dumpster – and the buzzards were grinning when I left!

Sin is like that. You cannot ignore it, or make light of it, and hope that it goes away. Sin will, if ignored, get worst and worst.

The wages of sin is death – sin unrepented of and unforgiven leads to death. The way of life is to walk with God.

Proverbs 2:8-11 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. 10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; 11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

When you decide to live your lives walking with God, you become a “saint” (Hebrew ḥāsîḏ pronunciation khaw-seed’), which means “one set apart to belong to God”. When we walk with God we are, like Jesus, salt and light. Jesus said to those who follow Him:

Matthew 5:13 … You are the SALT of the earth

Matthew 5:14 … You are the LIGHT of the world

Salt is a preservative. It was used in the ancient world – and even today – to keep foods from spoiling and rotting. “Those who are in the FLESH cannot please God” (Romans 8:8). Those who chase after self satisfaction, self identification, self promotion – these people do not better the world, but darken it.

Salt was also used as a flavor enhancer and a nutrient. We need salt to live. As one commentary put it:

“salt has a positive influence on the flavor of the food it seasons. Where there is strife, we are to be peacemakers; where there is sorrow, we are to be the ministers of Christ, binding up wounds, and where there is hatred, we are to exemplify the love of God in Christ, returning good for evil (Luke 6:35).”

Light is directly tied to God. The first thing that God created when He made all things was light. “Let there be LIGHT, and there was LIGHT” (Genesis 1:3). Before God made anything, there had to be light. Light was made before God made the stars, the sun and the moon (Genesis 1:14). Light is wisdom and knowledge from God. God’s light keeps us from stumbling. “righteousness, and judgment, and equity” can only be understood properly when it comes from God Himself. When we walk with God heeding His Word,

Proverbs 2:11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

Word Study: You will be PRESERVED (Hebrew šāmar, pronunciation shaw-mar’), that is God will put a HEDGE about your life. If you follow the Lord you will be KEPT (Hebrew nāṣar, pronunciation naw-tsar’)or GUARDEDfrom the evils of life.

Evil People Are Harmful To All

Proverbs 2:12-15 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; 13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; 15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:

Word Study: There’s a word we need to define before we can understand this passage, and that is the word “froward”. What the heck does it mean to be “froward”, or to “speak frowardthings”? The word translated “FROWARD” is the Hebrew tahpuḵôṯ pronunciation tah-poo-kaw’, which means “something which is perverse, totally against faith in God”. In verse 15 we are told these people “froward in their paths”, which literally means “deliberately walk after perversity and deviousness”. These people do not stumble into perverse things – they actually seek them out.

When a person seeks to follow a perverse path apart from a righteous walk with God, they destroy themselves and others. Perhaps you’ve been following the trials of the Michigan School shooter Ethan Crumbley, and his parents James and Jennifer Crumbley. On November 30, 2021 Ethan entered Oxford High School with a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol, and murdered four students and injured seven others. Crumbley was sentenced to life without parole plus 24 years. His parents were arrested on involuntary manslaughter charges, and sentenced to 10-15 years in prison.

Four days before the shooting, James Crumbley bought his 15 year old son the gun. The boy showed signs of mental illness and instability. Several hours before the shooting, the school counselor called the parents in to discuss some disturbing drawings that he had made of him killing someone, along with the words “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me. My life is useless. I want help but my parents don’t listen to me so I can’t get any help. It’s causing me to shoot up the … school”. The parents refused to do anything, but were in a hurry to get back to their jobs, and left the boy at school. And four people died.

If you ask me, the parents got off lucky with a 10-15 year sentence.

There is no blessing in walking a crooked or perverse path. It came out during the trial that the father was inattentive, the mother in a extra-marital affair, and the boy ignored. Sin ignored can lead to death. It did in this case.

People need the Lord. I pray that this young man will be found of Jesus, and those so horribly hurt by the perversity of the parents will find peace in Christ. Oh, how our America needs the Lord!

Posted in General, Proverbs, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

God’s Word Our Rest – Hebrews 4:1-12

Posted on April 9, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Oladimeji Ajegbile: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-man-reading-indoor-2325729/

Hebrews 4:1-3, 8-9Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into HIS REST, any of you should seem to come short of it. 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. 3 For we which have believed do enter into REST, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into MY REST: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. … 8 For if Jesus had given them REST, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remaineth therefore a REST to the people of God.

We took a break from Hebrews last Sunday to commemorate “Resurrection Sunday” or what many call “Easter”. We talked about the importance of the Resurrection of Christ, and explained how – without the Resurrection – there is no proof that Jesus of Nazareth is the One and Only Messiah. I brought out last Sunday that there were two very common names in Israel,

Mary or Miriam
Jesus or Joshua

Many parents named their daughters “Mary” because Mary or Miriam saved Moses from certain death as a baby, and put him in a little ark, floating him down the Nile River to where the Princess of Egypt was. She adopted little Moshe or Moses, and he grew up to be the Redeemer of imprisoned Israel. Parents who had little boys often named them “Jesus”, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name “Joshua”. Joshua was a hero to Israel because he trusted the Word of God, and did as God said, leading Israel to conquer nearly all the Promised Land. I also quoted the noted Pastor G. Campbell Morgan who wrote:

“The angel came to Joseph and announced the name, “You shall call His name Jesus.” It was just an ordinary Jewish name, about as common in Judea as John is common to us. .. Jesus is a Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, meaning Savior. … the angel said: Give that name to this Boy; “It is He that shall save His people from their sins. … They are “His people.”… He is coming to identification with them.”

Why bring all this out? Because knowledge of what I’m telling you is necessary to understanding our passage today. We read in verse 8:

For if JESUS had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

The King James translates the name correctly, for here is the Greek iēsous. But nearly every other translation of the Scripture translates this word as Yehoshua or Joshua. Verse 8 is not talking about Jesus Christ our Lord, but the context of the Scripture tells us that it is talking about General Joshua who led Israel into the Promised Land. Joshua was one of the twelve spies who came back from Canaan and told Israel to enter in. Joshua told the people:

Numbers 14:7-9 (AP) “The land that God has given us is very good. If the Lord delights in us as His people, He will give us the land. Please, don’t rebel against God. Hear His Word. Do not fear the people, for the Lord is with us.”

God SAVED Israel by His Word. God SENT Israel by His Word. God blesses us if we hear and do His Word.

Did Israel listen? No, they rejected the Word of God. That’s the whole point of Hebrews 3 & 4:

Hebrews 3:7-11 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, TODAY IF YOU WILL HEAR HIS VOICE, Harden not your hearts, AS IN THE PROVOCATION, in THE DAY OF TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS, When your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years. WHEREFORE I WAS GRIEVED WITH THAT GENERATION, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known My ways. SO I SWARE IN MY WRATH THEY SHALL NOT ENTER INTO MY REST.

Israel was to rest on the Word of God. The Word of God that they applied in Egypt saved them. The Word of God would lead them, and give them the land. Listen Beloved: God SAVES a people that He might be glorified through them. He SAVES us so that He might SANCTIFY us, set us apart for His glory. Jesus said:

Luke 17:20-21 … The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: … behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

The Church needs to understand what Israel failed to understand: THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES FOR WHAT YOU DO OR DO NOT DO. Have you ever thought about that word, “CONSEQUENCE”? The word “CON” means “with”, and a “SEQUENCE” is when one thing happens after another – like a sequence of events. Depart from the Word of God, fail to apply what God said, and you will not rest but will suffer. Adam departed from the Word of God and brought death and sin into the world. King David departed from the Word of God and, because of Bathsheba, brought death into His family. Judas Iscariot departed from the Word of God and brought death to himself.

If you hear the Word of God, but refuse to act on the Word of God, or decide to act against the Word of God, there is always a negative sequence of events.

To REST Is To Be BLESSED

In Chapters Three and Four the Bible speaks of the “REST” of God. Let’s count how many times God uses the word “REST” in these two chapters:

Hebrews 3:11 … they shall NOT ENTER INTO MY REST (1)

Hebrews 3:18 … to whom swore {God} that they should NOT ENTER INTO HIS REST (2), but to them that believed not

Hebrews 4:1 Let us fear, lest, a PROMISE BEING LEFT OF US OF ENTERING INTO HIS REST (3)

Hebrews 4:3 … We which HAVE BELIEVED DO ENTER INTO REST (4)

Hebrews 4:4 … and God DID REST (5) THE SEVENTH DAY from all His works

Hebrews 4:5 … If they shall ENTER INTO MY REST (6)

Hebrews 4:8 … If JOSHUA HAD GIVEN THEM REST (7)

Hebrews 4:9 .. There REMAINETH THEREFORE A REST (8) TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD

Hebrews 4:10 For HE THAT HAS ENTERED INTO HIS REST (9) has also ceased from his own works, as God did His.

Hebrews 4:11 … Let us LABOR THEREFORE TO ENTER INTO THAT REST (10) …

The word “REST” is repeated TEN TIMES
in these two chapters.

I don’t believe this is a coincidence. Do you remember how many plagues God brought on Egypt before Egypt would heed the Word of God and release Israel from bondage? TEN. TEN! The Tenth Plague brought the death of the firstborn children in every household where God’s Word was not honored. Now listen,

How many times did the first generation of Israel hear and reject the Word of God?

The Bible tells us that God was going to destroy Israel, but Moses prayed for them and God gave greater Grace. But God said:

Numbers 14:20-23 (ESV) … the Lord said, “I have pardoned, according to your word. 21 But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, 22 none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, 23 shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.

Ten times Egypt rejected God’s Word, and then relented. Ten times Israel rejected God’s Word, and lost the blessings that would have come of their obedience. My commentary notes:

“What were the ten times the Israelites tested the LORD?

(1) Lacking faith before the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:11–12)

(2) Complaining over the bitter water at Marah (Exodus 15:24)

(3) Complaining in the Desert of Sin (Exodus 16:3)

(4) Collecting more manna than they were supposed to (Exodus 16:20)

(5) Attempting to collect manna on the Sabbath (Exodus 16:27–29)

(6) Complaining over the lack of water at Rephidim (Exodus 17:2–3)

(7) Engaging in idolatry in the golden calf incident (Exodus 32:7–10)

(8) Complaining at Taberah (Numbers 11:1–2)

(9) Complaining over the lack of food (Numbers 11:4)

(10) Failing to trust God and enter the Promised Land (Numbers 14:1–4)”

Though “The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Numbers 14:18), and though “The LORD is patient toward us, not wishing that any should perish” (2 Peter 3:9), God expects us to love Him and rely on His Word.

To REST Is To RELY ON GOD’S WORD

Hebrews 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

God in His Word has given us precious Promises, guarantees that He will bless us if we follow Him. When Israel got to the border of the Promised Land they feared the giants in the land more than they feared the God Who saved them.

Numbers 13:33 … we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

The “sons of Anak” were related to Goliath of Gath (2 Samuel 21:15-22; Joshua 11:22). Goliath himself was 9 feet 9 inches tall, a huge man! Yet God in His Word had told Israel that He was giving them the land. God is bigger than Goliath!

Hebrews 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

The Word of God, the GOSPEL – the Good News of God’s salvation – was preached to Israel, just as it was preached to us. The GOSPEL is to believe what God has said, and to trust in what God has said. Jesus said of the Gospel:

Mark 9:37 … whosoever shall receive Me, receiveth not Me, but Him that sent Me.

God the Father sent the Son to present and represent His Gospel. Jesus said “My meat is to do the will of HIM THAT SENT ME, and to FINISH HIS WORK” (John 4:34). He said “I came down from Heaven not to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me” (John 6:38). Those who hear God’s Word and “MIX IT WITH FAITH” are those who are saved, and those who are blessed. The first generation of Israel was saved when they heard the Word of God and, in faith, responded to the Word of God. They sacrificed the lamb without spot and blemish, and put it’s blood on the doorposts of their homes.

To HEAR the Word, but not OBEY the Word in faith, does you no good.

Hebrews 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

When the first generation of Israel BELIEVED God and REPONDED OBEDIENTLY to His Word, they “ENTERED INTO HIS REST”. When they did not move in faith, but balked at entering the Promised Land, God said “you will NOT enter into My Rest”. God said,

the works were finished from the foundation of the world

God has a Kingdom prepared for His people that was “prepared from the foundation of the world”. God wants us to live victoriously in Him. He wants us to live above the evil of this world, trusting His Word, loving one another as Christ loves us.

We must do His Word. We must love one another. Jesus illustrated this in

Matthew 25:34-40 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Israel rejected the Fatherhood of God, and refused to enter the Promised Land. Israel did not love God first, and love their brethren in the Kingdom.

They played fast and loose with the Word of God. And because of this, they lost the blessings that should have been theirs.

Hebrews 4:4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

Why did God rest on the seventh day? Was it because God was tired? No. It was because HIS WORD IS RELIABLE. God spoke all things into existence in six days. He breathed into Adam the breath of life. God’s Word established all of creation. Then God stepped back a day so that we can see GOD’S WORD IS RELIABLE. The Word that created all, is the Word that sustains all.

Hebrews 4:6-8 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: 7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 8 For if Jesus {Joshua, actually} had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

Had Israel listened to Joshua and Caleb, they would have entered into the Promised Land, and took the land, just as God promised. But Joshua did not give them rest, for they would not hear God’s Word. So God promised “ANOTHER DAY”, that there would still be the promise of rest for Israel, but not for the unbelieving and undoing generation.

Hebrews 4:9-10 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into His rest {God’s Rest}, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

When we enter into God’s Rest, hearing and doing what God says, we “cease from OUR own works”. We stop trying to do it our way, and seek to do it God’s Way.

We are saved by faith in His Word, that Jesus Christ made payment for our sins. We do not try to “be good” to be children of God. We receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. We trust in the Word of God, which says:

John 3:15-21 whosoever believeth in {Jesus} should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

We are to DO TRUTH, to DO HIS WORD, to believe that His Word is truth (John 17:17). His Word saves us, and His Word blesses us. We do not pick and choose the parts of His Word that we do. We do it all, just as He said.

Labor To Enter Into His Rest

Hebrews 4:11-12 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

That is a very interesting phrase, “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest”. What does that mean? There is a constant temptation – because of our old sin natures – to modify or negate the Word of God. We constantly are tempted to do so. So we LABOR to enter into His Rest. We strive against our own fallen natures, and surrender to His Word. Only by faithfully doing His Word do we not receive the Grace of God in vain. The Apostle Paul talked about this in:

1 Corinthians 15:9-10 (ESV) … I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

Paul was saved by Grace, by believing in Jesus on the Damascus Road. Paul went on to serve God by doing not his will, but the Will of the Father. He heard the Word of God, and did it. Paul went on to encourage us:

2 Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

God did not save you just to take you to Heaven. He saved you to bring you into His Kingdom. He saved you so you can walk with Him, in victory, through this present life and into the next. You will not be blessed if you reject His Word. Remember the Admonition:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (AP) You are not your own … YOU ARE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE. Glorify God in your body and in your Spirit, for you belong to God.

Word Study: The Word of God is “quick, and powerful, and sharper”. The word “QUICK” (Greek zaō, means LIFE GIVING) means that it is the Word of God that saves us from spiritual death. But this same word that saves us is also “powerful” (Greek energēs, means EFFECTUALLY POWERFUL). The Word of God not only gives us life, but gives us a GREAT LIFE, a BLESSED LIFE. The Word of God is also “sharper” than any man-made thing, any philosophy or science. Every time you both HEAR and DO it, the Word of God changes your life for the better.

Beloved, it’s time to get off the fence and follow the Word of the Lord. If not, you can expect the same judgment that God placed on Israel, and on Egypt, to be on you. May God lead you to cherish and do His Word.

Amen.

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Knowing God Should Be Our Primary Desire

Posted on April 5, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by John-Mark Smith: https://www.pexels.com/photo/pink-pencil-on-open-bible-page-and-pink-272337/

Proverbs 2:1-5 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

What Value Do We Place On God’s Word?

Why are there so many who profess to be saved who seem to have no more knowledge of God than the lost or the damned atheist? Our text today explains this.

When you are saved, you are saved because you “received” the Gospel of salvation as true. The Gospel is a SEED that is sown on various ground. Jesus said:

Some SEED is RECEIVED by the way side (Matthew 13:19)
Other SEED is RECEIVED in stoney places (Matthew 13:20)
Yet other SEED is RECEIVED among thorns (Matthew 13:22)
But the SEED RECEIVED on GOOD GROUND (Matthew 13:23),

this is the SEED that brings forth the fruit of salvation. Some people harden their hearts to the Gospel of salvation. When Jesus came, the Bible says:

John 1:11-12 … He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

To RECEIVE Christ is to RECEIVE Him as He is – both Lord and Savior. When this occurs, the Holy Spirit of God comes into our lives and causes us to be BORN AGAIN. You must FIRST be BORN AGAIN before you can understand the things of God. Jesus said:

John 3:3 … Except a man be born again, he cannot SEE {Greek horaō, perceive with the mind, to know} the kingdom of God.

Illustrate: I was watching a woman the other day who was mocking Christianity, declaring that “Unless you follow the whole thing, shut the ___ up”. Her rant was against those who stand for conventional human sexuality, not progressivism (the LGBTQ+ platform so fashionable today). She quoted passages from the Old Testament that said you cannot eat bacon or shellfish, that cutting the sides of your hair is a sin, that trimming your beard is a sin, that wearing clothes made out of mixed fabrics is a sin, that planting two different types of seed in a field is sin, and so on. She declared that unless Christians did everything in both testaments, they needed to shut up about Gay and Trans behavior.

The reality is that the Bible is divided into OLD COVENANT (Old Testament) and NEW COVENANT (New Testament). Under the Old Covenant, God gave Israel a series of Laws. In Israel there were:

Ceremonial Laws, and
Civil Laws, as well as
Moral Laws

When you approach the Laws in the Old Covenant you need to realize that the Ceremonial Laws and Civil Laws only applied to Israel as a nation. However, the Moral Laws applied to everyone. These things are true today. As a retired Air Force Airman I travelled the world. As I moved from country to country I found out that each nation has Ceremonial and Civil Laws unique to that nation. For instance, in America we have Civil Laws like…

The First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The Second Amendment: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The are Civil Laws that protect my rights of free speech. But if you go to Muslim controlled countries like Egypt you will find you do NOT have free speech. If you speak against the Muslim Prophet Mohammad you will find yourself imprisoned 5 years. In India you can get 3 years imprisonment. In Afganistan, Iran, Nigera, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Somalia you can be executed for blasphemy. Civil Laws differ from nation to nation.

What about Ceremonial Law? Israel had unique Ceremonial Laws – and so does every nation in the world. In America many people get upset to see a flag burned, but in England they care little about the flag. In England to speak mocking the Crown will get you ostracized or beat up. America has no monarchy, so we revere the flag. In the Phillipines if you sit so as to expose the bottom of your feet, then you insult your host. In Japan and Korea you are expected to remove your shoes at the door before entering a home. In Muslim countries you are not allowed to drink alcoholic beverages.These are Ceremonial Laws and Traditions.

Moral Laws are the same from Country to Country!

In most countries murder, rape, incest, kidnapping, adultery are considered morally unacceptable.

Until recently, in America LGBTQ+ behavior was considered immoral and unacceptable. In much of Africa, the various Muslim countries (like Sudan and Egypt), Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, aberrant human sexuality is a criminal offense. Under the Obama and Biden administration LGBTQ+ behavior has become popularized in America, so much so that we celebrate the behavior in June, called “Pride Month”. This past Easter the White House announced that March 31st was International Transgender Day of Visibility.

The day that Christ’s resurrection was to be celebrated was supplanted by “A Proclamation On Transgender Day Of Visibility”. I am not surprised. The lost and the atheist (and I am certain the White House at this time is atheist) care nothing for God.

You must be born again!

Those Who Are Received The Gospel Have
Received The Spirit of God.
They In Turn Should Receive The Word of God.

Proverbs 2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

Word Study: The phrase “My son” shows us that God is addressing His Children. As His Children by faith and adoption (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 4:5-7; 1 Corinthians 2:12) we are called on to “receive” (Hebrew Qal Imperfect lāqaḥ, to lay hold on, to capture, to seize as valuable) God’s Word. God’s Word is valuable. It is to be cherished. What God has said in His Moral Laws stand forever, not just temporarily. We are to seize His Word as His gift to us. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 119:47-48 (NIV) I delight in your commands because I love them. I reach out for your commands, which I love, that I may meditate on your decrees ….

Psalm 119:119 (NIV) All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore, I love your statutes…

Psalm 119:127 (NIV) … I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold

When God tells us what is right, when He gives us a directive, it is for our benefit. God is much like the Parent who tells the child to don’t touch the hot stove, or stay out of the medicine cabinet. The Bible tells us that:

1 John 5:2-4 (ESV) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

God’s commandments – His moral imperatives – are “not burdensome”. They are given to us His people to protect us from evil and destruction. God will one day sort the wheat from the tares, the righteous by faith from the evil by faith. The TARES are weeds that look like wheat, but have no nutritional value and in fact are a bit poison. Jesus said:

Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Those who love the Lord will one day be in “Christ’s Barn”, that wonderful place called Heaven. But those who rejected His Word, who mock His moral imperatives, these shall find themselves in a place of burning:

Mark 9:47-48 … cast into hell fire: 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

A terrible place, a veritable “furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth”. (Matthew 13:42, 50).

The Word of God is not only to be RECEIVED, but we read:

Proverbs 2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive My Words, and hide my commandments with thee;

Word Study: The word translated “hide” is the Hebrew ṣāp̄an {pronounced tsaw-fan’} which means “to lay up as treasure, to store as valuable”. The Prophet Job in the midst of his torment said:

Job 23:12 I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.

In a certain Church I was at, our services started at 11 am. A fellow who was a member of the Church and a professing Christian would make it a point to get up from his seat promptly at noon – and walk out of the service. I asked him about this, especially when one Sunday he did this a soul came down the aisle to be save. His excuse? “I eat at 12:30 sharp. Period. So I leave at noon. Period.” The Bible has a word for someone like this.

Philippians 3:17-20 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. 18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 20 For our {citizenship} is in Heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Anyone who loves anything more than God’s Word may not be a Child of God. Christians are to:

1 Peter 2:2-3 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

We Are To Both HEAR And APPLY

Proverbs 2:2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

In order to be blessed we are to “INCLINE OUR EAR”. We must be attentive to what God is saying. We must put away our preconceptions, and get away from the noise of the world, and focus Spiritually on God’s Word. There are many passages of Scripture where the writer asks God to “incline Thine ear”:

Psalm 17:6 I have called upon Thee, for Thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.

Psalm 71:2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

Psalm 102:2 Hide not Thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.

Isaiah 37:17 Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see:

As we want God to pay attention to us when we are in hurt, God wants us to pay attention to what He is saying in His Word. He does not want our argument, nor our disrespect. What God has to say is for our own good. It is best that we “INCLINE OUR EAR” to His Word – then apply what He has told us to do.

Do You Understand “Fear Of The Lord”?

Proverbs 2:3-5 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

The reason why so many know so little of God – even professing Christians – is because we do not seek knowledge of Him. We are saved by faith in Christ. But once saved, we need to pursue the Word of God and the will of God for our lives.

God here uses two phrases:

criest after knowledge
liftest up thy voice

To “criest after” (Hebrew qārā’, pronounced kaw-raw’) means “to call out to”. It was used of Isaac when God revealed Himself to him, saying:

Genesis 26:24-25 … I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake. 25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon (qārā’) the name of the LORD…

In all the times we have had Prayer Meeting at the Church, I’ve never heard anyone pray that God would give us a greater knowledge of His truths. But that’s what God wants us to do. He wants us to pursue His Word as valuable, as silver or gold, and prayerfully seek a deeper understanding of it. We are to “LIFT UP OUR VOICE”, to pray that God would open our eyes to His truths (Isaiah 40:9). Pastor David Platt – past President of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention – wrote:

“I think it makes a lot of sense based on this word from God to pray. God, right now we call out for insight. We raise our voice for understanding. Please give us understanding. Please give us insight, please give us your wisdom. Help us to live wisely today. God, we seek your wisdom like it’s silver. We search for it like it’s a hidden treasure. And yet we know, we know you’re a gracious God who dispenses wisdom, so we don’t ultimately have to try to find it here or there, because you give it to us.

So we seek what you give, we receive what you give, and as we receive it, we pray that you’d help us to grow in our understanding of the fear of you, and that we would find the knowledge of you. God, we pray that at the end of today, we would know you more than we do right now. And we pray that the end of tomorrow, we would know you more than we did at the start of tomorrow.

God, may our lives continually grow in the knowledge of you. And as we grow in the knowledge of you, fear of you, we pray that you would grant wisdom to us in every facet of our lives. And as we seek and receive your wisdom, we pray that it would increase our knowledge and fear of you. In Jesus’ name, we pray these things. Amen.”

Those who do not treasure God’s Word will know little of it. Let us pray that, as Christ’s Church, we would all treasure His Word. May God lead us to desire and know more of His Word, and to put it into practice daily. For the glory of Christ our Savior. Amen and Amen.

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Resurrection Necessary For Faith: 1 Corinthians 15

Posted on March 31, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Biola Visuals : https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-in-an-orange-sweatshirt-with-cropped-sleeves-looking-in-the-mirror-19916040/

1 Corinthians 15:12-17 Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

The Sadducees – the liberal crowd of Christ’s day – came into the Church teaching that “the dead rise not”. They did not believe in a life after this life. There are a lot of people like this in our world today. They live in the now, for they believe there is no afterlife. Some of these people will even say that Jesus was a great teacher and a wonderful leader of a moral revolution. But Jesus died, like all founders die. The Apostle tells us:

1 Corinthians 15:16-17 … if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

If Christ is not raised from the grave, then “your faith is vain”. The word “vain” is the Greek (mataia), which means “unreal, unproductive, ineffectual – without any standing in reality”. The fact that Jesus rose from the Grave is imperative to the Christian faith.

If Jesus Did Not Die And Rise Again,
He Is A Liar And a False Prophet

Throughout His ministry, Jesus was very clear that He was going to lay down His life for His people. We read in:

Mark 9:31 {Jesus} was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”

And again:

Matthew 16:21 (ESV) … Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

Matthew 20:18-19 (ESV) “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

Jesus had to die on the Cross of Calvary to make payment for the sins of man. We are told in our text today:

1 Corinthians 15:21-22 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

When Adam sinned against God by taking of the forbidden – putting himself in the place of God – he brought spiritual death on the entire world. That spiritual death was immediate. Though Adam would physically die at 930 years old (Genesis 5:5). But spiritual death – separation from God – came immediately in Adam, and on all his children. Adam’s act of hiding from God demonstrated his separation from the Lord (Genesis 3:8), as does his deflection of his sin by blaming it on his wife (Genesis 3:12). The Bible tells us that:

Romans 5:12 (ESV) … sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned …

The Bible says that all are “dead in trespasses and sin” (Ephesians 2:1) because of Adam. So God sent His Son to die on the Cross of Calvary for us. Jesus Christ is the “Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29-32). Jesus willingly laid down His life for us. Jesus said:

John 10:11, 14-15, 17-18 (ESV) … I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. … 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. … 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.

No one took Jesus’ life, but Jesus laid His life down for us. He stood in our place of punishment. He paid for Adam’s sin, for your sin, and for my sin. Jesus Christ died on the Cross of Calvary. He did not swoon – He died. Jesus told us:

Matthew 12:40 (ESV) … just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jesus died on that Cross, just as He said He would. And Jesus rose from the grave three days and nights later, just as He said He would. If He did not, He was a liar. Liars cannot pay for sins. Liars cannot be the Lamb of God. Jesus is not a Liar, He is the Lord of Life!

The Resurrection Of Christ Proved That
What Christ Did Was Acceptable To God

The day that Christ came into this world – God becoming perfect Man – the Angel told the Shepherds:

Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is CHRIST the LORD …

The word “CHRIST” or Christos means “The Messiah”. The Messiah is the “LORD”. He came into the world to “save HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS” (Matthew 1:21). How did Jesus save us? We are told in our context:

1 Corinthians 15:3 … Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

It was prophesied in the Scriptures that Christ – the Messiah – would die for our sins. The Prophet Isaiah (53:1-12) foretold that when the Messiah came He would be “despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows acquainted with grief … He would be PIERCED for OUR TRANSGRESSIONS … He would be CRUSHED for OUR INIQUITIES … upon Him was the PUNISHMENT that should have been ours … His WOUNDS would heal us”. The Prophet Daniel (9:24-26) foretold that “One will come to put and END TO SIN, and to COVER INIQUITY, to bring in RIGHTEOUSNESS … an ANOINTED ONE would come Who would be CUT OFF”. The Prophet Zechariah (13:7) said that “The Shepherd WOULD BE STRUCK and the sheep scattered”. And the Apostle Paul – quoting the teaching of Deuteronomy 21:23 said:

Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

Jesus proclaimed that He died for our sins. But how do we know that He was not just a deluded, misunderstood man? How do we know that He is the One and only Messiah?

Because of the Resurrection.

The Bible says in:

Romans 1:1-4 (ESV) Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

The Gospel is not just that Jesus died on the Cross – but that Jesus resurrected from the dead. There were many named “Jesus” who walked the earth when our Lord did. Pastor G. Campbell Morgan wrote:

“The angel came to Joseph and announced the name, “You shall call His name Jesus.” It was just an ordinary Jewish name, about as common in Judea as John is common to us. The name had not the significance that we understand today. It was a beautiful, Jewish boy’s name, a common name of the common people. … Jesus is a Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, meaning Savior. Other men have had that name. Many a mother called her boy Joshua in the hope that he would be a Savior and break oppression and set the people free. Now the angel said: Give that name to this Boy; “It is He that shall save His people from their sins. … They are “His people.” Give Him the name as one of His people; calling Him by the ordinary name of His people; He is coming to identification with them.”

How do we know that our Jesus is the right Jesus, the saving Jesus? Because He rose from the grave. Peter preached confidently on the Day of Pentecost:

Acts 2:24 (AP) … God raised Jesus up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it

This is why we are told:

1 Corinthians 15:17 … if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

We know that our Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior, the One Who covered our sins because God the Father raised Him from the dead. The Apostle explains the death and resurrection of Christ this way:

Romans 4:25 (NKJV) {the righteousness of God} shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.

Jesus was “DELIVERED UP BECAUSE OF OUR OFFENSES”, that is, He was lifted up on the Cross at Calvary to pay for our sins. But Jesus was “RAISED BECAUSE OF OUR JUSTIFICATION”. When God raise Christ from the dead, this was His clear declaration that GOD WAS SATISFIED with what Christ did. God accepted His payment for us. Because of Christ’s death, we are JUSTIFIED, made RIGHTEOUS BEFORE GOD when we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. Our sins were nailed to the Cross of Christ (Colossians 2:14) – and the resurrection proves that the Father received what Christ did for us.

The Resurrection Of Christ Assures Us That We Serve A Living Savior, And That He Watches Over Us

The Apostle tells us that:

1 Corinthians 15:4-8 {Jesus} was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

The day that Jesus died “HE WAS SEEN” as dead. The Centurion in charge of His execution saw Jesus die, and said:

Luke 23:47 … Certainly this WAS a righteous man ..

He had seen many executions, and he knew that Jesus was dead. The other soldiers in charge of His execution inspected Jesus. We read:

John 19:32-37 (NKJV) … the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”

Experts in execution saw Jesus was dead. He was removed from the Cross, wrapped for burial, and laid in a tomb. The tomb was sealed, and guards were placed on it’s seal. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Jesus was dead.

Then He was SEEN ALIVE three days and nights later.

Jesus was seen first by “Cephas”, which was Jesus’ name for Simon, the leader of the Apostles (John 1:42; 1 Corinthians 1:12; 9:5; Galatians 2:9). Then Jesus was see by “The Twelve”. It was after this that Judas Iscariot killed himself, realizing his part in crucifying the Lord of Glory (James 2:1). Then Jesus was seen of “five hundred brethren at once”, which proves that Jesus was not a figment of the imagination. Jesus then went to His stepbrother “James”, and after this went back to visit with the eleven remaining Apostles. Then Paul says “I SAW HIM”. Paul saw Jesus on the Damascus Road when the Lord knocked him down and got his attention.

We do not follow a dead Savior, but the Living God.

The Bible says:

Hebrews 7:25 (NKJV) {Jesus} because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

The day that you received Jesus as lord and Savior, He promised “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5) and “I will be with you till the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). Jesus could not be a Good Shepherd to His Sheep (that’s us) if He ceased being with us. He died, but He rose again so that He can always be with us. The Bible says:

Romans 8:34 (NKJV) Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Because Jesus Defeated Death,
We Need Not Fear Life Nor Death

1 Corinthians 15:20-26 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Jesus defeated spiritual death by making payment for our sins on Calvary. Jesus defeated physical death by rising from the Grave. We are told that Jesus is “the firstfruits of them that slept”. The “FIRSTFRUITS” is a technical term for the first crop harvested from the field. We who are Christians are told:

Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming

As Christ was resurrected from the grave and occupies a glorified body, every Christian shall one day receive a glorified body. We are promised in the Scripture:

Romans 8:11 (ESV) If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Death has no hold on the Christian. Jesus has defeated death and damnation. The body you have is NOT the body you will have in glory. In the latter part of this chapter, the Bible says:

1 Corinthians 15:36-44 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

The body you now have MUST DIE. The body you now have is flawed with the effects of Adam’s sin. You cannot enter Heaven with this mess you have right now. We are told:

1 Corinthians 15:50 … flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

There must be a change. There will be a change. Each and every person in this room will one day physically die. But if you are SPIRITUALLY alive in Christ, your soul will continue on to be with Jesus. And Jesus has promised that He will give you a glorified body wherein is no sickness or death, no disease nor sinfulness. Oh how I look forward to that day.

Do you know Jesus? Is He your Lord and Savior? If He is, then you are encouraged to keep on living your life for the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

That blessed day will come when you meet Jesus face to face. If you are not saved by faith in Him, your next stop – if you will reject Him – will be eternal damnation. Oh, how I pray you will give your lives to Him. May the Holy Spirit make this a reality today. Amen and Amen.

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Wisdom Our Helpmeet

Posted on March 31, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Alex Green: https://www.pexels.com/photo/smiling-asian-grandmother-teaching-little-granddaughter-to-cook-5693389/

Proverbs 1:20-23 Wisdom crieth without; SHE uttereth her voice in the streets: 21 SHE crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city SHE uttereth HER words, saying, 22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

What Is The Difference Between
WISDOM And KNOWLEDGE?

As we are studying our way through Proverbs, at this point God personifies WISDOM. Now let me explain this statement. First of all,

What is WISDOM?

Wisdom is the ability to put KNOWLEDGE into effective action. My Dictionary states:

“Wisdom and knowledge have quite a bit in common. Both words are primarily used as nouns that are related to learning. … The word knowledge is defined first as the “acquaintance with facts, truths or principles, as from study or investigation … Wisdom is defined as “the state of being wise,” which means “having the power of discernment and judging properly as to what is true or right: possessing discernment, judgment, or discretion.” … The primary difference between the two words is that wisdom involves a healthy dose of perspective and the ability to make sound judgments about a subject while knowledge is simply knowing. Anyone can become knowledgeable about a subject by reading, researching, and memorizing facts. It’s wisdom, however, that requires more understanding and the ability to determine which facts are relevant in certain situations. Wisdom takes knowledge and applies it with discernment based on experience, evaluation, and lessons learned.”

Let’s put this into a Biblical perspective. You can KNOW what is true, but not put it into action. Wisdom is the act of putting God’s Truth into ACTION. Jesus preached His “Sermon on the Mount”, and it was recorded in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. In this Sermon Jesus told us what God expects us to DO if we are His followers. As Jesus closed the Sermon we read:

Matthew 7:28-29 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: 29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

The SCRIBES had knowledge. They knew all about the Bible, and were astounding in how much Scripture they memorized. But Jesus was different. He told His audience just before closing the Sermon:

Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Who is the “wise man”? The person who HEARS what Jesus said, but DOES what He said. The Scribe will HEAR the Word, but not DO it. He is not wise. The wise person both heeds and does what God said, regardless as to temptation to do otherwise.

Wisom is to HEAR and DO, to APPLY.
What do we mean by “Wisdom Is Personified”?

As God describes Wisdom, in our text He describes Wisdom as SHE and HER.

Proverbs 1:20-21 Wisdom crieth without; SHE uttereth her voice in the streets: 21 SHE crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city SHE uttereth HER words, saying,

Word Study: Why does God describe WISDOM (Hebrew ḥāḵmôṯ, (pronounced khok-moth’) as a woman? It goes back to Solomon’s request as well as Creation itself. When Solomon first became King of Israel, he prayed and asked God to give him WISDOM to perform his duties. God answered that prayer, and the Bible says:

1 Kings 4:29-31 (NKJV) God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men …

When Solomon was made King, he realized that though he possessed the power, he didn’t know what to do. So Solomon cried out to God. The Bible says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God” (James 1:5, NKJV). God is the Source of Wisdom. When Solomon realized he lacked, he cried out to God and God gave him a helper.

In the Creation story, the Bible says that God made Adam first. The Bible says “Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed” (Genesis 2:8, NKJV). God put Adam (like Solomon) in control of His Kingdom. Then God said:

Genesis 2:18 … It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

The woman was made to help the man. God personifies wisdom as a woman, because wisdom was given to Solomon to help him do his duty. Wisdom is personified THREE TIMES in Proverbs as a woman:

Today’s text
Proverbs 8:1-36
Proverbs 9:1-12

Just as Adam could not do what God wanted him to do in the Garden, we cannot do what God wants us to do without that “helper” called WISDOM.

The merely KNOW something doesn’t do us any good. We need to put what we know into practice. We need to DO what God says. Wisdom will not mislead us, but will stay true to God’s Word.

Proverbs 1:20 Wisdom crieth WITHOUT… (ḥûṣ; pronounced khoots; OUTSIDE)

God’s Wisdom is not like the false wisdom of this world. I was watching a sitcom the other day when an actor said, “We’re all just random atome, an accident in the universe”. That’s stupid. If we’re all accidents, then there is no such thing as morality. It’s survival of the fittest, and to kill or be killed is right. That’s stupid. It’s like the idiocy that says “We no longer need to have MEN’S sports and WOMEN’S sports – let’s just let them all play together. It doesn’t matter, because GENDER IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT”. That is the idiocy of human wisdom. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 1:19-21 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

Man’s wisdom is not wise, but foolish, and leads to damage and damnation. God’s wisdom leads to salvation and peace. “We {Christians} speak WISDOM among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought” (1 Corinthians 2:6). “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” (1 Corinthians 3:19).

God’s Wisdom cries WITHOUT the world. It does not blend with the foolishness, but is light in the midst of darkness. Like Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, it requires that we turn from the flesh and toward the Spirit of God.

Proverbs 1:20-21 … she UTTERETH {nāṯan, pronounced naw-than’} her voice in the streets: 21 She CRIETH {qārā’, pronounced kaw-raw’} in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,

Wisdom {nāṯan, pronounced naw-than’} is not hidden, but CLEARLY REPRESENTS herself. God has not hidden the truth from us, but just as He SET (nāṯan) the stars in the sky (Genesis 1:17) and GAVE US (nāṯan) plants that nutricious (Genesis 1:29), God has freely given the world His truths through Christ and His Bible. Wisdom “CRIETH {qārā’, pronounced kaw-raw’}” or CALLS OUT to whosoever will hear. God has not hidden truth from us. Whether in the fields, or in the city. God has proclaimed His truth through faithful messengers over the years.

Wisdom Is Specific In Her Direction.
Will You Hear, Or Deflect?

Proverbs 1:21-22 …. she uttereth {Qal Imperfect of ‘āmar, pronounced aw-mar’, meaning “to speak from the heart”} her words, saying, 22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

Wisdom addresses and rebukes three types of people now.

Word Study: The SIMPLE Ones – First, there are the “simple ones”, the Hebrew pᵊṯî (pronounced peth-ee’) which means “the foolish, the naive or silly”. These are those who have rejected the Word of God. We read in:

Psalm 19:7 (NKJV) The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

God’s Word “MAKES WISE THE SIMPLE, the pᵊṯî (pronounced peth-ee’)”. Those who are foolish or naive or silly can very well shorten their lives. The Bible says:

Psalm 116:6 (NKJV) The Lord preserves the SIMPLE ; I was brought low, and He saved me.

In order to go from SIMPLE to WISE, the heart must be willing to receive the Word of God. The Scripture says:

Psalm 119:130 (NKJV) The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

Proverbs 1:22 …. the scorners delight in their scorning

Word Study: The ARROGANT or BOASTFUL –: The second type of rejector of wisdom is the “SCORNERS” (the Hebrew lûṣ {pronounced loots}), which means “those who are arrogant and boastful. Those who KNOW they’re RIGHT, and reject the Word of God.” The Bible says:

Psalm 1:1-2 (NKJV) Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

Those who despise the Law of God will openly mock what He has said – and those who follow Him. The evil want us to compromise the faith of Christ. The Psalmist was often tempted, saying:

Psalm 119:51 (NKJV) The PROUD have me in great derision, Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.

The PROUD, the ARROGANT, the “SCORNERS” (the Hebrew lûṣ {pronounced loots}) often find a nesting place in the Church of God. The Apostle Paul was attacked by such people who compared him to other teachers (see 1 Corinthians 1:12-13). They often found fault with Paul rather than hearing the truth he preached and applying it to their lives. The Apostle confronted this by his resolve to focus on not himself and his flesh, but on Christ. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 2:1-4 (NKJV) And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Paul could have lowered himself to where the Corinthians were and attacked back, but instead he was determined to focus not on the flesh but on Jesus.

Word Study: The FOOLISH or SILLY – The third type of rejector of Wisdom is those determined not to know. This is the Hebrew kᵊsîl {pronounced kes-eel’}, which means “those who are silly, dullards, senseless ones”. This word is used in these Scriptures:

Psalm 92:5-6 (NKJV) O Lord, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep. 6 A senseless man does not know, Nor does a fool understand this.

The Book of Proverbs talks more about the SENSELESS SILLY PERSON than they do others. By count, in Proverbs:

The SILLY or SENSELESS kᵊsîl {pronounced kes-eel’} is 49x
The SCORNERS or ARROGANT lûṣ {pronounced loots} is 18x
The SIMPLE or NAIVE pᵊṯî (pronounced peth-ee’) is 15x

Pastor Cole Newton wrote:

“… fools are destroyed by their complacency. This is a terrifying image. While the simple were killed because they turned toward sin, fools are destroyed by doing nothing. … This is a great warning against “Christians” who refuse to take sin and the things of God seriously. Twice Jeremiah warns the people of Judah against prophets and priests who heal “the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace” (6:14, 8:11). These religious leaders refused to take the sin of Judah seriously. They spoke of peace while God was crying out for His people to repent. We must take care that we do not allow a similar complacency to sweep us away. The path to damnation is open wide for those who refuse to let God’s word call them to action.”

God cannot bless those who reject His Word and His Wisdom. God says to all that the solution to life is to REPENT and TURN to the Word of God.

Proverbs 1:23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

It is only through repentance and turning to the Word of God that the Lord will “pour out my Spirit unto you”. This is a reference to the filling of the Holy Spirit. God gave us the Holy Spirit to “guide the believer into all truth” (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit that we receive as a part of our salvation is given by Jesus to “teach us all things, and bring all things to our remembrance that Jesus said to us” (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit of God “searches everything, even the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10-13).

We must abide in the truth of God’s Word if we expect an anointing from God (1 John 2:20, 27). We cannot pick and choose what we will heed. We must heed the whole council of God, the whole Word of God. We must rely entirely on the Word of God.

If we reject God’s Word, will God bless us? No. God will tell us in His Word and through His Spirit what He wants us to do. But if we reject Him and His Word, God says:

Proverbs 1:24-27 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

When you reject the counsel of God, reject His Word, then God takes the attitude of “you made your bed – now lie in it”. Rather than build on the Rock that is Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4) you decided to go the way of the world. The Bible says:

Galatians 6:7-9 (NKJV) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Had those Wisdom addressed heeded the Word that was spoken, they would have been blessed. But they would not hear. So God said, “If that’s what you want – then here you go”. When calamity comes, God will laugh. “He that sits in the Heavens shall LAUGH: the LORD shall have them in derision” (Psalm 2:4).

Proverbs 1:28-31 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: 30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

People ask the question, “How can a ‘Loving God’ allow the evil we see active in this world?” It is because “they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord”. God told them what to do, but they pooh poohed God. They “would {have} none of my counsel. When God rebuked them, like calcitrant children they rejected Him. “they despised all my reproof”. Jesus spoke of this in His preaching. He came to save the Jewish people, but they rejected Him. The Chief Priests and Scribes hated Him, and the Pharisees and Sadducees plotted against Him. In time, God turned away.

Luke 14:21-26 (NKJV) Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ ” 25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

God calls us to an all or nothing proposition. If we want His blessing then, like Solomon, we need to turn to Him for wisdom. We end with these words:

Proverbs 1:32-33 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

May God open your eyes, and touch your hearts with His Word. Amen and Amen.

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Holy, Not Hardened, Hearts: Hebrews 3:7-19

Posted on March 24, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Monstera Production: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crispy-toast-bread-with-cut-hearts-5874704/

Hebrews 3:7-12 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

All of the Scripture is God Breathed, God inspired, God spoken. The Apostle said in:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God {the believer} may be complete, equipped for every good work.

We know that all Scripture – this Bible we cherish – is theopneustos, God breathed out. It is the very Word of God. We know that the text we study every week is written by “holy men of God who SPOKE AS THEY WERE MOVED BY THE HOLY GHOST” (2 Peter 1:21). We know this. But here today as we read our text we see the words:

Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith…

The Bible here makes it a POINT that what is being said comes from the Holy Spirit of God. This isn’t something David Buffaloe is saying. This is something God is saying. It starts with “Wherefore”. This refers back to what we studied last week. We saw a comparison between The House of Moses and The House of Christ. Both Houses are led by faithful men. But the House of Christ is SUPERIOR to the House of Moses, because Jesus is superior to Moses. The House of Moses was built by those who had faith in God, and was a shadow of the coming House of Christ. Those on the House of Moses were servants of the Most High God. But those in the House of Christ are sons and daughters of the Most High God, because Jesus Himself is the Son of God. Moses was not the Son of God, but looked forward to the coming of the Son of God. Last week we ended with this verse:

Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Though The House Of Christ Is Superior To The Shadow Of The House Of Moses, We Learn And Grow By Studying The House Of Moses

This is why verse 7 starts with the word:

Hebrews 3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith …

There are lessons to be learned from the House of Moses that relate to the Christian way of life. Where did the House of Moses come from? Egypt. The lost world. A world filled with false gods and goddesses. The House of Moses, which is Israel, was enslaved by Egypt, enslaved by false gods, by sin, by the world. In the same way every person who is now a Christian – in the House of Christ – was at one time enslaved by the world, by Egypt. No one starts out in this life saved. I have shown you repeatedly that the Scripture says:

Romans 3:23 … all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God …

How does a lost person come to Christ? Consider Israel. When was Israel saved from Egypt? When Israel was at ease in Egypt, they did not cry out to God. But when …

Exodus 1:13-14 (ESV) … {Egypt} ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

When life became horrible for Israel, it was then that Israel called out to God. Their hearts were softened and their arrogance broken because of Egypt, because of the lost world. It was at this point that God raised up a redeemer in Moses. He told Moses:

Exodus 3:7-8 (ESV) Then the Lord said {to Moses}, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey

God calls His people out of Egypt, out of the world. He said, “come out from among them, and be ye separate” (2 Corinthians 6:17). God said “Be HOLY, for I am HOLY” (1 Peter 1:16).

Israel could not be a part of Egypt. God’s people cannot be one with the world. God told His people to take a Lamb without spot or blemish, kill it, and put its blood on your Home, on your life (Exodus 12:13-28). God said:

“When I see the Blood,
When I see the Blood,
When I see the Blood,
I will pass, I will pass over you!”

Where the Blood was not, death came. The Blood of the Lamb was a shadow of the Blood of Christ, the “Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:36). The Blood of the Lamb covered the House of Moses so that death would not come. The Blood of Christ covers the House of Christ so that death cannot take us. The Blood of the Lamb redeemed the House of Moses from Egypt. The Blood of Christ redeems the House of Christ from the lost world.

1 Peter 1:18-21 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain {way of life} received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

The day after Israel applied the Blood of the Lamb, Israel left Egypt praising God for His deliverance. Israel was saved from Egypt …. BUT

Would Israel Rely On God Or On Themselves?

When Israel left Egypt, they went straight to the Promised Land, and lived happily ever after. The end. Let’s go home.

No, that’s not true. Israel is a shadow of the Church, a picture of the Christian way of life. The Holy Spirit is telling us this, because the Spirit says:

Hebrews 3:7-9 … To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

God here applies the shadow of Israel leaving Egypt to the House of Christ, the Church. He tells us as Christians, “Harden not your hearts”. The Holy Spirit is not talking to unbelievers here, but to Christians. Faith and belief come from the heart. Not that pump in your chest, but that part of your soul the Bible calls the heart. It is the heart that God saves. King David cried out:

Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV) Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

If left to itself, the Bible says:

Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the LORD search the heart …

Our Lord Jesus said:

Matthew 15:19 … out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

God calls us to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” (Mark 12:30). How can we do that if our hearts so corrupt? We must REPENT and turn to God in faith. Salvation comes when we turn from sin and toward the Savior. We stop our love affair with Egypt, and cry out to God to save us.

Every person who has ever been saved has become fed up with Egypt. They cry out to God to save them, refocusing their heart on the Lord.

How are we saved? Again I refer to Scripture:

Romans 10:9-11 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

It was not the PHYSICAL blood of the Lamb that saved israel. It was that ISRAEL BELIEVED GOD AND DID AS HE SAID. They trusted God with all their heart. They believed on the blood of the Lamb. How is a Christian saved? The PHYSICAL Blood of Christ has long been shed, but that PHYSICAL Blood does not save you. The day that Christ died on Calvary there were soldiers all about who trampled on the Blood of Christ:

Hebrews 10:29 {they trod} under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant … an unholy thing …

Preach This: On the day that Jesus died on Calvary, the soldiers that beat Him with whips had His Blood scattered all over their clothing and faces. The soldiers who drove the spikes into His hands and feet had it spurt out upon them. When they raised the Cross and dropped it into the socket of the earth, the Blood of Jesus flowed down and spattered the ground like crimson rain. Those who mocked Christ, standing at the foot of the Cross, trod His Blood underfoot.

Not one of those unbelievers were saved by the Blood.

It was FAITH IN GOD that saved Israel from Egypt. Faith does what God says. Faith believes the Lord. Faith killed the lamb, and spinkled its blood. Faith looks to Calvary, and believes in Christ as both Lord and Savior. Faith believes His Blood was shed for ME.

When Israel was saved from Egypt, they left Egypt and headed toward the Promised Land. Then God began to test them. If you are saved, you will be tested.

God could have taken Israel directly into the Promised Land. But He didn’t. When you get saved, God wants you to be HOLY. Let me define HOLINESS. To be HOLY, is to put God first. To be HOLY, is to obey God. To be HOLY, is to love God above all else. To be HOLY, is to trust God no matter what the world throws at you.

As soon as Israel left Egypt, it wasn’t long before Egypt came to drag Israel back into its mess. When you walk with God, all that is evil will plot and plan to draw you back into it’s mess. The Bible says:

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

If the devil can’t keep you from being saved, he will do everything he can to draw you back into his world. Egypt started chasing Israel, just like the devil will chase a Christian. If he can’t keep you from being saved, the devil will try to get you to:

TOLERATE evil
COMPROMISE your faith
BLEND with the darkness

God doesn’t want you to do that. What does God do? What did God do with Israel? God led Israel to a place where they were trapped. They were trapped in Egypt, but God saved them when Israel trusted God and did as He said. So God leads Israel to the Red Sea. In front of Israel is TOO MUCH WATER. They’re trapped. What will Israel do? What did Israel do?

Exodus 14:11-12 (ESV) {Israel} said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Israel was praising Moses, their redeemer, for leading them out of Egypt. But now Israel is in an impossible situation. They do not cry out to God, but instead cry against God and the salvation He gave them. They are not loving God Who saved them, but cursing God for taking them out of Egypt.

Moses told Israel,

Exodus 14:13-14 (ESV) … “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Don’t worry. Don’t fear. You are in an impossible situation. God got you out of an impossible situation before, He will do it again. Praise Him! Love Him with all your heart. Call out to Him for salvation. God will save His people.

And God did.
Israel crossed the Red Sea unharmed,
And Egypt was destroyed!

After this event, you would think that Israel would have learned. Did they? God back to our text:

Hebrews 3:8-9 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years.

No. Israel didn’t learn from the Red Sea crossing. God parted the waters and saved them, while destroying the enemy. Israel hardened their hearts. God brought Israel into the wilderness of Shur, to a place called Marah (Exodus 15:22-25). Here the water was bitter, undrinkable. Israel went from TOO MUCH water, to BITTER water. Would they call on God? No.

Israel grumbled.

After God made the water drinkable, He told Israel:

Exodus 15: 26 (ESV) … “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”

God told Israel, “Open your hearts to Me. Stop hardening your hearts. Repent. Call on Me, as you did when you were in Egypt. Trust Me and obey Me, for I am your Healer.”

The Law of Moses was not given unto Exodus 20. God is not telling Israel to follow the Law. He is telling Israel to FOLLOW HIM, to LOVE HIM, to OBEY HIM.

Would Israel listen? Again, what does our text say?

Hebrews 3:8-9 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years.

Word Study: The word translated “provocation” is the Greek parapikrasmos (pronounced par-ap-ik-ras-mos’), which means “to provoke or irritate”. Let me illustrate PROVOKED. I have here a dog toy, a squeek. How would you like to hear it? What if you were talking, each time you tried to say something I SQUEEKED this little toy. This is what Israel was doing with God. Israel was poking the Lord. God saved them from TOO MUCH water. God saved them from BITTER water. They STILL wouldn’t trust God or rely on God.

Israel could draw near to God, and BE HOLY, or they could draw near to Self and BE HARDENED. The Christian and the Church can draw near to God and BE HOLY, or we can draw near to Self and BE HARDENED. What’s your choice?

The story continues. Israel next comes to Rephidem, later called Meribah. God brought them to a place where there was NO WATER.

TOO MUCH water.
TOO BITTER water. Now,
NO water.

Will Israel trust God? He’s saved them over and over again. Our God is faithful:

1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

If there is NO WATER, and God saved us from TOO MUCH water and the BITTER water, will He not now provide? But Israel refused to be holy. Israel kept drawing toward SELF. Israel kept going back to Egypt in their hearts. Israel had an identity crisis.

Church, Do You Have An Identity Crisis?
Do You Belong To Jesus, Or Yourself?

Israel TEMPTED God, PROVED God, and SAW GOD’S WORKS for 40 years. But Israel would not draw near to God. Israel wanted to be saved from Egypt, and wanted to inherit the Promised Land, but didn’t care about God. What does the Holy Spirit tell us?

Hebrews 3:10-12 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

What kept Israel out of the Promised Land? Israel. Not God, but Israel. Their hearts were hardened. They kept “departing from the living God”. Think about that phrase, “the living God”. Why do you think the Holy Spirit calls the God of Scripture “the living God”? It is because the Source of all life is God. Jesus said:

John 5:26 (RSV) … as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself …

Life is in God. Not just future, Heavenly life, but ALL LIFE is in God. When we are saved, God calls us to walk with Him, to trust Him no matter what might occur. Our focus is God. God is self existent (Exodus 3:14). The Psalmist said of God:

Psalm 36:9 (CEV) The life-giving fountain belongs to You {o God}, and Your light gives light to each of us.

Israel was saved from Egypt by believing of God. We are saved from Egypt – this world – by believing on Christ. But you cannot shake hands with the devil and walk with the Lord. You cannot be salt and light, while abiding in darkness. Salvation is a surrender to God.

We Encourage One Another To Avoid Sin And Embrace The Savior

Hebrews 3:12-16 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort {parakaleō, to call alongside, to encourage} one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

We are not to compromise with the darkness, but are to ENCOURAGE one another DAILY – while it is today – to walk with God. We are not to harden our hearts. If you harden your heart, you rob yourselves of the blessings that God wants to bless you with.

Our God is able. Our God is able!

Hebrews 3:16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.

Some provoked God – but “NOT ALL”. The children of those who left Egypt did not provoke God. The children would grow up, and enter the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb never provoked God, but trusted God, and encouraged the people to enter the Promised Land. But Israel wouldn’t. They were SELF focused, and not God focused. So they died in the wilderness.

Hebrews 3:17-19 But with whom was {God} grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

What a horrible thing it is to HARDEN the heart. A hardened heart cost Pharaoh his life. A hardened heart caused the first generation of Israel to lose the blessings of salvation. How horrible the hardened heart is! It provokes God.

Beloved, if you belong to Christ by faith, open your heart to Him. Repent of any sin in your life, and run to Him. Trust Him, and live in love toward God and your fellow man. But if you do not know Christ as Savior and Lord, I pray that today would be the day you would receive Him as He is. Turn from self, and toward the Savior.

The kingdom of God is at hand. What will you do? Holy, or hardened? The choice is yours.

May God touch your hearts with His Word. Amen and Amen.

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Do Not Join With Sinners: Proverbs 1:8-19

Posted on March 22, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Maruxa Lomoljo Koren: https://www.pexels.com/photo/red-neon-light-signage-3887574/

Proverbs 1:8-9 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 9 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

Parents are supposed to teach their children righteousness. Righteousness defined is, Biblically, “To adhere to the standard that God has set”. The Bible says in:

Isaiah 33:22 For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us.

God created the Laws of Gravity, Motion, Energy Conservation – the Laws that make life on Planet Earth possible. This same God “loves righteousness and justice” (Psalm 33:5, ESV). His righteousness is like the mighty mountains, and His justice like the ocean depths (Psalm 36:6, NLT). Christ paid the penalty for the believer on the Cross of Calvary. Everyone who believes in Christ has been given imputed righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) we who are saved by the Grace of God are drawn to live practical righteousness:

1 Peter 2:24 (ESV) He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

The Christian is drawn by God to “seek first His Kingdom and His RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Matthew 6:33). We are to “flee sin, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). The Christian parent is to teach their children righteousness, whether that child is saved or not. The righteous instruction of the parents is:

be an ornament of grace unto thy head

Word Study: The word translated “GRACE” is the Hebrew ḥēn (pronounced khane). This refers to Divine Favor and Blessing. The first use of ḥēn in Scripture is with the Prophet Noah:

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found GRACE (ḥēn) in the eyes of the LORD.

When God looked at the evil of the world, He cursed it, and decided to destroy it. But Noah found GRACE because he sought and honored the righteousness of God. Noah did not EARN grace, but FOUND grace in God. Noah turned away from the evil of his day and positioned himself to find grace. Noah heeded the Word of God, not the word of man.

The child who listens to righteous instruction from their parents will find grace unto thy head. When I read this, I think about children wearing bike helmets when riding. The helmet protects their head, the seat of the human soul, in the event of a fall. Grace around your head protects your soul. This is why the Bible tells us:

Ephesians 6:11 (NKJV) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

And as the Apostle describes the armor of God, what is the HELMET that is on the head? It is “the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:17), that which protects the soul.

Parents are to teach their children righteousness as God defines it in the Bible. No righteousness = No Grace.

Illustrate: I was watching an episode of CSI the other day, the one where a little girl on a bike was run over with a car, killing her. As they investigated, they traced the car back to an elderly black man who said he ran over the child. They searched further, and it turned out that it was the elderly man’s grandson who was driving the car. When the child was hit – a black child – the grandfather convinced his grandson to run away and to lie to the police. Had the young man contacted the police, and stayed at the scene of the accident, more than likely the young man would have been given probation. It was just an accident. But hiding the act, and lying to authorities, compounded the problem. When sentenced, the elderly grandfather begged to serve the grandson’s time. Though Jesus died for our sins, we cannot pay the penalty for another. Had the grandfather taught his grandson righteousness, they both would have been better off in the long run. Running away and hiding, both showed a poor view of the value of that child’s life. The grandson went to jail. In my opinion, the grandfather should have served along with him.

You say that this is but a drama, but it plays out in our criminal justice system every day. Children who are not taught righteousness and respect for life grow up to do horrendous things.

The First Lesson Of Solomon: Avoid Those Who Love Sin

Proverbs 1:10-14 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. 11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: 12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: 13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: 14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

Word Study: The word translated “sinners” is the Hebrew ḥaṭṭā’, which means “those exposed to condemnation, of criminal intent, one accounted guilty”. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23; 5:12). King Solomon wrote, “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). There are none born of humanity outside of Christ who does not fail God, and at times sin. It doesn’t matter who it is. The Apostle wrote:

Romans 3:9 (ESV) … both Jews and Greeks, are under sin …

and in Romans 11:32 (ESV) … God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

In one sense we are all sinners. The Hebrew ḥaṭṭā’ (pronounced khat-taw’) does not refer to the universal nature of sin, but of people who deliberately seek out and rejoice in sin. The first time this word is used in the Bible is in:

Genesis 13:13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners {ḥaṭṭā’} before the LORD exceedingly.

These are people who rejoice in their evil. You see them daily on television, saying “just follow your heart” or “you do you”. The Bible prescribes a different way of life. In the Bible, the great commandment is to “love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength”. The second great commandment is “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:38-40). Our Lord Jesus said that these two commandments are the string that holds up the entirety of “the Law and the Prophets”, the Holy Bible.

When a person embraces their brokenness, declaring it to be right and God sent rather than a thing to be repented of, then they step into the pig trough of sin.

Though All Sin, We Do Not Embrace Nor Normalize Sin

Those who embrace sin wants everyone to celebrate the evil and elevate the evil. Those who embrace sin create a rainbow flagged month where everyone should say that the lifestyle is normal. Those who embrace sin look the other way when theft occurs, saying “It is racist to stop the thief, or to expect responsible behavior from all citizens”.

When people pursue brokenness as normal, it is not long before they become MORE broken.

Proverbs 1:11-12If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: 12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit…

The one who loves and pursues sin “LAY WAIT FOR BLOOD”. They have no respect for life unless it is their own life. Other translations of this text state:

Proverbs 1:11 (NKJV) If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

Proverbs 1:11 (ESV) If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason;

Proverbs 1:11 (NASB-20) If they say, “Come with us, Let’s lie in wait for blood, Let’s ambush the innocent without cause;

Word Study: The Sinner, the ḥaṭṭā’ (pronounced khat-taw’) has no respect for life. Told that a fetus has blood about the 16th day from conception, and by the 20th day the heart pumps red blood cells through the blood vessels, the Sinner says “So what? It’s my body, and I’ll do what I want to do with that fetus”. They have no love for God nor man. They delight in shedding blood, just as long as

Proverbs 1:13-14We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: 14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

The “SINNER” values stuff and self more than the life of others

Word Study: They want “precious substance”, yāqār hôn, that which is rare and valuable like gold or silver. They do not cherish God’s Word, but cherish the rocks and metals that God made, considering them greatly to be treasured. They say, “let us all have one purse”, that is, you help us rob others of their valuables, and we’ll do like the pirates did – we’ll divide the spoil evenly. Jesus warned us:

Luke 12:15-21 (ESV) “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

God is the Source of life. I do not know of one millionaire or billionaire who, on the last day of their lives, would not give all they had for just a little more time. The stuff that the Sinner entices us with will one day be left behind.

It is better to be RICH TOWARD GOD. He is the Source of Life. Those who are RICH TOWARD GOD, who have received Christ by faith and live according to the Kingdom Principles, these will live forever!

Proverbs 1:15-16 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: 16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

Jesus said “I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE” (John 14:6). To walk “in the way with them” is to court death – for the “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). When Adam and Eve took just one bite of the forbidden, they thought it would be innocent. But their eyes were opened, and they died spiritually. It wasn’t long before their son Cain murdered Abel (Genesis 4:8). It all started with just one bite.

Death Starts With One Bite

I like to think of Judas Iscariot. Here was a man that Jesus hand picked to be an Apostle. Jesus loved Judas. When Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, Jesus said “Friend, do what you have come to do” (Matthew 26:50). Jesus called Judas to follow Him, and Judas did follow Jesus when many others abandoned Him (John 6:53). Along with the other eleven, Judas left everything to follow Jesus (Matthew 19:27). Judas was not a monster. But Judas had a flaw that he did not repent.

Judas loved money.

Just before Jesus was brought to trial, a woman with an Alabaster Box of very precious ointment (Matthew 26:7) came and anointed Jesus with the ointment as He ate dinner at Simon the Leper’s home. The Bible tells us that Judas asked, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” (John 12:5). Judas didn’t care about the poor, but was the Treasurer for the disciples and carried the purse. Judas starting pilfering money from that moneybag (John 12:6) – probably just a little at a time. But over time he became accustomed to getting money from that bag. I’m sure Jesus knew he was doing this – but Jesus loved him anyway.

When Judas said what he did, Jesus said “Why are you troubling this woman. She is doing a good thing, for she is preparing my body for my burial” (Matthew 26:10-13). “When the Gospel is preached, remember what she did”. What happened next?

Judas wanted to sell the Alabaster Box for three hundred denarii – about 300 days labor for a blue collar worker.

When he was rebuked, the Bible says:

Matthew 26:14-15 (ESV) … Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.

One commentary notes:

“In the Hebrew culture, thirty pieces of silver was not a lot of money. In fact, it was the exact price paid to the master of a slave if and when his slave was gored by an ox (Exodus 21:32). In order to compensate for a slave’s death and burial, it was written into law that 30 pieces of silver would account for the cost. … When Judas Iscariot bargained with the leaders of Israel for the betrayal of Jesus, he asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him to you?” The leaders then counted out a mere “thirty pieces of silver,” (Matthew 26:15). They considered the cost of Jesus’ death to be that of a slave.”

As close as I can tell, 30 pieces of silver is worth about a hundred denarii, or a hundred days wages (A denarius is one day’s wage: Matthew 20:2). Judas valued Jesus’ life at one third of that Alabaster Box of ointment, or the price of a common slave.

Sin Shortens Your Life

Proverbs 1:17-19 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. 18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. 19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

What the sinner does, eventually comes back on them. We are told “they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives”. After Judas saw Jesus hanging on that Cross – an innocent Man suffering and dying for thirty pieces of silver – the Bible says that it was then that Judas had second thoughts.

Matthew 27:3-5 (ESV) … {Judas} changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.

Judas did NOT repent. He did NOT go to God and seek forgiveness. Instead, Judas punished himself by committing suicide. He lived by his own hand, and died by his own hand. How said it is, for Numbers 32:23 tells us, “be SURE YOUR SIN WILL FIND YOU OUT”. Judas died in his sins, unrepentant, and is probably in hell today. Ancient English Austinian Mystic Walter Hilton wrote in his book “Toward A Perfect Love”:

“Stop and think how Christ loved Judas, who was both his mortal enemy and a sinful dog. How good Christ was to him, how benign, how courteous, how humble toward him whom he knew to be damnable. He chose him for his apostle and sent him to preach with the other apostles. He gave him power to work miracles. He showed to him the same good cheer in word and deed. He shared with him his precious Body, and preached to him in the same manner as he did to the other apostles. He did not condemn him openly; nor did he abuse him or despise him, nor even speak evil of him (and yet even if he had done all of that, it would simply have been to tell the truth!)”.

We do not bless the Sinner when we help them justify their sin. We bless the Sinner by bidding them repent, and walk with Christ. In time, those who pursue sin will reap the death that comes with it. We who love the Lord should warn the Sinner, remembering that though Jesus often sat and ate with sinners, Jesus never justified their sins as righteousness.

That is like saying cancer is normal growth. It is not, and never will be. Sin must not be condoned, nor celebrated, nor courted. We who are wise will reject what God has called sin. We will walk in love, putting God first, and treating others with love and respect.

May God touch your hearts with His Word. Amen and Amen.

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The House Of Christ: Hebrews 3:1-6

Posted on March 17, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Finn Semmer: https://www.pexels.com/photo/travel-20590867/

Hebrews 3:1-6 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; {2} Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses [was faithful] in all his house. {3} For this [man] was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath built the house hath more honor than the house. {4} For every house is built by some [man]; but he that built all things [is] God. {5} And Moses verily [was] faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; {6} But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Internal Erosion Of The Church

The reason that the Book of Hebrews was written was because the devil began to try and erode the Church from the inside. As people came to know Christ as Lord and Savior, being “born again” into the Kingdom of God, the Church began to grow. Satan attacked the Church externally, but this only made it stronger. So Satan infiltrated the Church. He put on a suit and tie, and joined the local Churches. Through the Pharisees he began to teach that – in order to be saved – the Christian had to return to the “shadows” of the Law.

Males had to be circumcised.
The Church must keep the Feasts.
Every believer must continue in the animal sacrifices.
The priesthood would continue with a few select men.
Christ is our Savior, the Law our Lord.

In congregations where this didn’t work, the Devil came in the guise of the liberal Sadducees. He came teaching:

Most of the Bible is to be disregarded.
Since Christ paid for sin, we are free to sin.
God has no standard for us other than our satisfaction.
Christ is our Savior, but not our Lord.

The Devil brought POLITICS into the Church through the Herodians. He brought PERMISSIVENESS through the Sadducees. He brought the yoke of PONTIFICAL PRECEPTS through the Pharisees. Through it all, his intent is that we take our eyes off of Jesus.

Let Us Compare Jesus To Moses

Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Word Study: We are told to “CONSIDER” Jesus. This is the Greek katanoéō, {pronounced kat-an-o-eh’-o}, which means “focus your mind on the standard of”. In chapter one, we were shown that Christ is the Son of God, made lower than the angels to bring us salvation. We were shown that Jesus is in fact Eternal God in the flesh, who hates sin just as much as the Father does. We are shown that Jesus changed once when He became flesh, but Jesus never changes, for He is eternal. Jesus, Who was made lower than the angels for our sake, has always been greater than the angels.

In chapter two we learned that the Father offers a great salvation through Jesus Christ alone. God proved Christ is Messiah by signs and wonders, by miracles and supernatural giftings of the Holy Spirit. We saw that Jesus is Lord, and the High Priest of His Church. We saw that His Church is comprised of those who are “His brethren”, those who are “born again” by faith in Him.

Now as we come into Chapter Three we see a comparison between Jesus and Moses. In verse 2:

Hebrews 3:2 Who {Jesus} was faithful to Him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

Both Jesus and Moses were equally faithful to what the Father called them to do. However, Jesus is greater than Moses:

Hebrews 3:3 For this Man {Jesus} was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who hath builded the house hath more honor than the house.

Jesus has more glory than Moses. Now, why is the Bible comparing Jesus with Moses? Because the Pharisees often attacked Jesus for violating the Law of Moses. They claimed that Jesus was

Matthew 12:2 [AP] {allowing} Your disciples to DO WHAT IS UNLAWFUL on the Sabbath …

They attempted to stone Jesus to death “for BLASPHEMY, because You Jesus are no more than a Man, but You make Yourself God” (John 10:33, AP).

Jesus IS a Man, but He is NOT a Man as Moses is a Man. Though both Jesus and Moses are equally faithful, we have learned that Jesus is both fully Man and fully God.

Hebrews 3:4 For every house is builded by some man…

Why is Jesus superior to Moses? Because Jesus is THE SON, but Moses is THE SERVANT.

Word Study: The Bible is now going to compare two “Houses”. We’re all familiar with the word “House”. The word “House” is the Greek oikos (pronounced oy’-kos), which means “The Family, the place one dwells, the House”. We’re told that “every house is builded by some man”. Let me say this while I’m thinking it:

There are HUMAN houses, and there is a DIVINE house.

Human houses are built by men and women. A human house is where you live. If you built that house, you have authority in that house. If I go to Tony and Jane’s house, they decide what rooms are used for what. They decide when to eat, what they’re going to eat, how they’re going to cook it. When they raised children, they determined when the children would go place, where they attended school, and so on. If you are in their “house” you are under their authority.

Hebrews 3:4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.

Though men build the “house”, GOD builds ALL THINGS. God built the men that built the “house”. God provides the materials that make the “house”. The “house” is the place you live and have authority. It is not a hotel, but a house. When Sherry and I go to see our grandchildren, we stay at my son’s house. We’re comfortable there – of a sort. But we’re not at our house. If I need a drinking glass, I look in his cabinet to get one – but it doesn’t feel right. We stay in the room that the owner of the “house” puts us in.

Moses Built The House As A SERVANT

Moses was raised up by God to lead His Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land of Canaan. Egypt was a land of bondage, dominated by false gods and huge tombstones called pyramids. The Lord did not want His Israel to stay bound in a land of death and destruction, slavery and destitution. God wanted to raise His people up. He wanted to save whoever would follow Him and lead them from death and unto life.

Where did Moses come from? Israel was enslaved by Egypt, a fulfillment of a prophecy God gave to Abraham, the Father of faith:

Genesis 15:13-14 … your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

Moses was the son of Jochebed, a Hebrew, the wife of Amram. They were living in slavery, and the child was supposed to be drowned in the Nile river. His sister Miriam put her brother in a basket, and floated him down the Nile. He was discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter, who named him “Moses” (mōšê, pronounced mo-sheh’), meaning “drawn out of the water”. (Exodus 2:10). Though Moses was a slave, he was raised in the household of the King, the child of the princess.

Moses was not born into the House of Pharaoh, but was adopted by the princess. Moses was born into the House of Israel. Appearing to be royalty, he was a slave.

Hebrews 3:5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant (therapōn, a God called servant), for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

Raised in the House of Pharaoh, when Moses discovered he was actually a Hebrew, he killed a Egyptian Taskmaster (Exodus 2:12). Moses broke the Law of Egypt, but he also broke the Law of God. God told us all:

Genesis 9:6 (ESV) Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

Moses knew his action was both unlawful and sinful, for he tried to hide the man he murdered in the sand. But Moses was seen, and he fled into the wilderness for forty years. Marrying and raising a family, Moses shepherded the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. As Moses “led his flock to the west side of the wilderness of Midian, near Horeb the Mountain of God”. It was at Horeb, also called Mount Sinai, that God called Moses to serve Him from a burning bush (Exodus 3:6). As God called this man’s name, He said:

“I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”

But God did not say to Moses, “I am YOUR God”. Moses was a lost man. He was a fugitive from justice, a murderer. But God in Grace called Moses to salvation and to service. Moses was to go to Israel, to free Israel from the House of Pharaoh. Moses’ struggled with God’s call, saying:

Exodus 4:10 “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent”
Exodus 4:13 “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”

Moses was not worthy – but God never calls the worthy. Moses could not serve God in Midian. He had to go to Egypt for God. Israel could not glorify God, nor be His House, while it was part of the House of Pharaoh. Israel had to follow Moses out of Egypt. God tells His people:

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (ESV) Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

The House of Moses was to leave the House of Pharaoh. The House of Moses would bind with the House of God. God built Israel as His House, and Moses was faithful as a servant in his house.

Through the House of Moses, God brought forth the Law of God. He brought forth the Feasts and the Ceremonies, the Sacrifices and the Priesthood. Moses was faithful in building that House:

Hebrews 3:5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

Moses wrote the first Five Books of Scripture, called the Books of the Law or Torah. What Moses wrote, he faithfully wrote. God said of Moses in:

Numbers 12:6-8 (ESV) … If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord.

God spoke to Moses face to face, mouth to mouth, clearly. Moses was faithful IN ALL GOD’S HOUSE. Saved by Grace, and ex-murderer, Moses was faithful to what God called him to do. But that which was given to Moses was “a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after”. The House of Moses introduced the coming House of Christ. When our Lord Jesus spoke of Moses to the Pharisees, He said:

John 5:45-47 (ESV) Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?

When God established the House of Moses, it was an introduction to a greater House, the House of Christ. We are later told in Hebrews 10:1, “the LAW WAS BUT A SHADOW of the GOOD THINGS TO COME”. The animal sacrifices were a shadow that foretold the death of Christ on the Cross for our sins. The Feasts were a shadow of the joy we who know Christ have in our hearts every day. The Priesthood was a shadow of the Priesthood of the Believer, where Christ is our High Priest, and we all have access to God.

Jesus Is Building His House As A SON

Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Moses was a SERVANT over his house, over God’s House. He was a faithful servant, but Moses is just like us all:

“There is none righteous, no, not one. “ (Romans 3:10).

Not me. Not you. Not Moses. Not Paul the Apostle, nor Peter. No naturally born human is born flawless and without sin. But Jesus IS A SON OVER HIS OWN HOUSE. Not a servant, but a Son.

Moses the faithful servant was a SINNER, but Jesus is SINLESS. Pastor Nick Batzig wrote:

“Job declared that man is “abominable and corrupt,” one who “drinks injustice like water” (Job 15:16). Solomon acknowledged, “there is no one who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46). The apostle John warned, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” and “make Him a liar” (1 John 1:8, 10). The apostle Paul summed it all up when he said, “none is righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10). Yet, when the Son of God took to Himself a human nature, a sinless man entered into time and space.”

The Scripture says that Jesus is our High Priest,

Hebrews 7:26 (ESV) … holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

Moses was flawed with sin, but Jesus COULD NOT BE a sinner. Under the House of Moses, animals were frequently sacrificed to cover or “atone for” sin. But in the House of Christ Jesus HIMSELF, as a LAMB WITHOUT SPOT OR BLEMISH (1 Peter 1:19) paid for our sins. Whereas under the House of Moses people took lambs to the Priests to be sacrificed, under the House of Christ the Father sent the Son to be judged in our place.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) For our sake {the Father} made {Jesus} to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, and Moses came calling Israel to be part of his house. Moses was called by Grace, and knew his work foreshadowed that which Christ would do. Jesus calls to everyone who will hear:

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. {29} Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. {30} For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jesus calls us into His House. But we are not called as SERVANTS, but as SONS. Go back to the beginning:

Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Word Study: If you have been saved by faith in Christ – if you have heard His call and answered Him by faith – then you are “holy brethren”.

People misunderstand the word “HOLY”, the Greek hágios, {pronounced hag’-ee-os}, means “sacred, set apart for God’s Kingdom, consecrated – a saint”. Every believer in Christ has been “born again of the Spirit” (John 3:7). Because Christ paid the penalty of your sin, His righteousness is imputed to you. You are “made the righteousness of God” because of Jesus. You are to live within the House of Christ, devoted to Him. He is a Son, but you are sons of God because of Jesus! We as members of Christ’s House are to be:

Philippians 2:15 … blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

We who were bound to the House of Satan have been freed from sin and death by Jesus. The Scripture says:

1 John 3:1-2 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Moses was a servant. Jesus is a Son. And He, the Son of God, made us sons of God. We are …

1 Peter 1:23 … Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.

We as God’s people do not live in Egypt, in the world, subject to its whims and foolishness. We are dead to sins so that we can live in the House of Christ.

1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

By His Blood we who believe have been set free. His Blood, poured out on Calvary, satisfied the eternal offenses that stood between us and God – blessed be the Name of the Lord forever! We are told that:

John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

It is God’s desire that all might be saved. Yet whether you are saved or not depends on whether you believe on Him or not. The Scripture goes on to say:

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Though the Bible tells us that Christ Jesus came to this earth to suffer and die for sinners, the Bible is also careful to tell us that we must believe in Him and Him alone or we remain condemned. The saved do not have a hope so salvation, we have a know so salvation Just as Israel followed God out of Egypt, we who believe follow God out of this world. We repent of our sins, turning away from the ways we used to go. We follow Jesus, believing in Him, trusting Him, loving what He loved and hating what He hates.

The Christian Way of life begins by surrendering to Him in Whom is all life.

All to Jesus, I surrender,
All to Him I freely give,
I will ever love and trust Him,
In HIS PRESENCE daily live!

Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

We are

partakers of the heavenly calling

Word Study: “partakers” is the Greek metochos (pronounced met’-okh-os), which means “partners together with God”. We are “holy partners”, set apart to glorify God. If you are saved, you belong to the House of Christ. If you are going to succeed and win this land for God, then you will only do so as a partner with the House of Christ. Listen Beloved: your success or failure as a local Church is conditioned on whether or not you heed the One Who leads you. Look at verse 6:

Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Did you notice that? Whose House are we – we are the House of Christ – IF WE HOLD FAST. What do we hold fast? The confidence and rejoicing of the hope.

The House of Christ is designed by God to triumph in this land by leading others to Jesus. We are called to take the land for God. But we must continue to follow the One Whose House this is. Israel refused to follow Moses – God’s representative – and though Israel was saved from Egypt she died wailing in the desert. Too many professing Christians believe that they can ignore the Lord now that they have been saved. How foolish is such a concept! Israel was saved to serve the Lord Who rescued them. You are saved so that you can serve the Living God!

God is able. Follow Him. Look unto Jesus. He is our Apostle, our Lord, as well as our High Priest. Consider Him, and do as He tells you. If you do not know Him as Savior and Lord, turn to Jesus this very day. Enter His House, and obey His Word. May God touch your hearts with His Word. May God the Holy Spirit pierce the hardened heart. Amen. Amen and Amen.

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The Fear Of The Lord: Proverbs 1:1-7

Posted on March 15, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Sebastian Arie Voortman: https://www.pexels.com/photo/body-of-water-during-golden-hour-189349/

Proverbs 1:1-7 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; 2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; 4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. 5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: 6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Introduction To Proverbs

We’re starting our study through the Book of Proverbs. The Book starts with:

Proverbs 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel …

Word Study: First of all, what is a “Proverb”? The word “Proverb” is the Hebrew māšāl (pronounced maw-shawl’) which means “a parable, a concise or forceful observation that contains a general truth”. Some of our modern proverbs would be like:

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
A penny saved is a penny earned.
Actions speak louder than words.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
You can’t unring a bell.
Many hands make light work.
Strike while the iron is hot.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
Life is just a bowl of cherries. With it you get the pits.

These are all man-made proverbs. The proverbs found in the Book of Proverbs are GOD MADE proverbs. Though the Book starts with:

The proverbs of Solomon

Solomon himself had a God-given wisdom.

When he was first called by God to lead Israel as King, Solomon honored God by offering a thousand sacrifices on the altar (1 Kings 3:4). That night, God came to Solomon in a dream. God asked Solomon:

Whatever you ask Me for, I will give it to you.

God gave Solomon a blank check. If God gave you a blank check, what would you ask for? I’d be tempted to ask for immeasurable riches, or fame, or immense power. There was a song years ago that said “Everybody wants to rule the world”. What would Solomon ask for? Solomon told God:

1 Kings 3:7-9 (ESV) … O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?

Solomon did not ask for riches or fame, but for the wisdom to serve His God as King of Israel. Solomon showed fear of the Lord.

Our Lord Jesus told us:

Matthew 6:31-33 (NKJV) … do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Fear of the Lord is to put God first, to glorify Him first. Fear of the Lord is to listen to and DO as God says. Proverbs teaches fear of the Lord.

God said “Put Me first. Put My concerns and My Kingdom and My glory FIRST, not last. If you do this, then I will take care of your physical needs”. This is fear of the Lord. This is what Solomon did. As David’s son, he was next in line by birth to be King. But Solomon did not see his kingship as a birthright, but a privilege. As he prayerfully looked over what his calling entailed, Solomon realized he was incapable of ruling Israel in a way that would glorify God. So Solomon asked God to give him wisdom to do what he was called to do.

And God complied.

God said (1 Kings 3:11-13, ESV) “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise (ḥāḵām, pronounced khaw-kawm’, skilful, shrewd, learned, cunning, wily) and discerning (bîn, pronounced bene, understanding, prudent, that which perceives) mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.”

In short, God made Solomon’s mind the most wise, the most thoughtful, the most able of any other person who lived on the face of the earth. Solomon had a supernatural wisdom. The Bible says:

1 Kings 4:29-34 (ESV) … God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, 30 so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. 33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. 34 And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

When you exercise fear of the Lord, God will give you a long and blessed life.

God told Solomon:

(1 Kings 3:14, ESV) And IF you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.

If Solomon walked with God, the Author of Life, then God would give Solomon a long life. The Bible says that “The wages of sin is DEATH” (Romans 6:23). God gave Solomon immeasurable wisdom – but it was up to Solomon to follow the wisdom that God gave him, or else pay the consequences.

The Proverbs of Solomon are God given

Some of the Proverbs in this Book were written by Solomon during his lifetime. After Solomon died, chapters 25-29 were added by the scribes of King Hezekiah 254 years later:

Proverbs 25:1 These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out (ʿāṯaq, transcribed).

These were proverbs known to have been said by Solomon, but for whatever reason were not added to the text of Scripture until then. However, not all of the Proverbs are from Solomon. One chapter of Proverbs – chapter 30 is the Proverbs of Agur.

Proverbs 30:1 (KJV) The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal …

We know little about Agur other than what is read in the Proverb. One commentary notes:

“Agur was writing “to Ithiel and Ucal” (NAS); these men could have been disciples or friends of Agur, although some Bibles translate the meaning of the two names with the assumption that they do not refer to actual people. Most commentators believe Agur lived in the same era as Solomon.”

The last chapter of proverbs was written by King Lemuel:

Proverbs 31:1 The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

We know little about King Lemuel, though his name means “devoted to God”. My commentary notes:

“… we know that Lemuel was a king, he had a wise mother, and he wrote some poetry. Many commentators have surmised that Lemuel is actually King Solomon—in which case the mother would be Bathsheba. It could be that Lemuel was a pet name for Solomon, used by his mother in tender address, and that Solomon wrote down her advice in the manner she would have expressed it. Another theory is that Lemuel is actually King Hezekiah. A third theory is that Lemuel and his mother are fictional characters created by Solomon as a picture of an ideal king and queen mother.”

All of the Proverbs were considered the Word of God by the Jews, who were keepers of the Scripture. My Jewish Commentary notes:

“The Book of Proverbs is the second book in the Ketuvim (or Writings), the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). The full Hebrew title is Mishlei Shlomo, or The Proverbs of Solomon, a reference to King Solomon, who, according to Jewish tradition, is the author of Mishlei. … Proverbs offers statements about how to conduct one’s life wisely. While the book does not offer a systematic presentation of specific doctrinal principles, Israelite or otherwise, Proverbs does convey a clear view of reward and punishment connected directly to God. Chapter 1, verse 7 sets the tone: “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.””

Fear Of The Lord Defined In Proverbs

The phrase “The Fear of the Lord” is mention fourteen times in the Book of Proverbs. That’s amazing, because the phrase is only found sixteen times in the rest of the Bible.

The Book of Proverbs is therefore focused on teaching us how important it is to fear God, and what it means to fear God. Because Solomon feared God, and put a priority on glorifying Him in all that he did as King, God gave Solomon riches and worldwide fame. Solomon put God first, so God made Solomon first.

Fear of the Lord is to respect and honor God ABOVE YOURSELF.

Proverbs 1:2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; 4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

Let’s break this down:

To know wisdom and instruction

It is not enough to “know wisdom”. You can KNOW (Hebrew yāḏaʿ) WISDOM (Hebrew ḥāḵmâ, pronounced khok-maw’), but you also have to have with that knowledge “instruction”, the Hebrew mûsār (pronounced moo-sawr’) meaning “chastisement, discipline, correction”. You can know the right thing to do, but not do it – and it doesn’t benefit you at all. Wisdom is when God tells you the direction to take – then physically disciplines or corrects you when you don’t take the way prescribed. The Prophet Job said:

Job 5:17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening – mûsār (pronounced moo-sawr’) of the Almighty:

Illustrate: I heard a preacher just this week refer to a Jerry Clower story he heard. He said Jerry came in after a long day in the field, sat on his front porch, and tried to relax. About that time his neighbor’s hound dog began to wail. The dog wailed and wailed, over and over, and Jerry got upset. He got up from his porch, walked to his neighbor’s farm, and asked him “Why don’t you do something about that dog wailing? He about to drive me crazy”. The neighbor said, “He’s wailing because where he’s sitting on the porch, there’s a nail poking up, and the nail is poking him. When he gets tired of being poked, he’ll get up and move to another place.”

A lot of people are like that old hound dog. God tells them where a nail is poking up, and warns them against sitting on it. They sit anyway.

They hear the warning – the wisdom of God – but reject the leading and discipline of God. Then they moan and moan, suffering more and more, until they repent and get up and move away from what God forbade. When you do what God says do, this is to RECEIVE it – mentioned in the next verse.

Proverbs 1:3 To RECEIVE the INSTRUCTION mûsār (pronounced moo-sawr’) of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

You RECEIVE THE DISCIPLINE of God when you hear what He says and, in respect for God Who knows best, DO what God says. Wisdom not received is useless. When Jesus came through Samaria, the Samaritans rejected Christ:

Luke 9:53 … they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.

They knew Who Jesus was, but refused to RECEIVE Him as Lord and Savior. Many people know Who Jesus is, and will one day end up in hell. Why? Because of that word RECEIVE. The Bible says:

John 1:11-12 {Jesus} came unto His own, and His own {the Jews} received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

To RECEIVE – a technical term in Soteriology (the study of Salvation) – is to not just hear but to SURRENDER to, to acquiesce, to agree with and live by.

The step brother of Christ wrote:

James 1:21-25 (ESV) put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

A lot of people know what the Bible says, but have no fear of God. They do not DO what God says. To DO is to RECEIVE, to RECEIVE is to DO. The Christian not only HEARS, but DOES what God says. To hear and not DO, not RECEIVE, is to waste your time. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV) Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

You can have wisdom, but do nothing with it, and it will not do you any good at all. As we come to these Proverbs, God expects action from what we hear.

Proverbs 1:5-6 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain (Hebrew qānâ, pronounced kaw-naw’, means “to make one’s own, to possess as owner”) unto wise counsels: 6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

Those who would be wise like Solomon are encouraged to LISTEN and then APPLY what is heard to their lives. Solomon warns that what we will read as we go through Proverbs will not necessarily be pleasant. This is one of the problems with American Consumer Christianity.

If it is PLEASING, if it AFFIRMS me, then I will absorb it. But if it is DARK, unpleasant, something I don’t want to do, I will reject it. This is NOT fear of the Lord.

the words of the wise, and their dark sayings

Word Study: The phrase “dark sayings” is the Hebrew ḥîḏâ (pronounced khee-daw’), which means “perplexing or difficult questions, riddles”. Some of the Proverbs may be uncomfortable. Some of the Proverbs may hurt our feelings. However, regardless as to whether the Proverb gives you a “Joel Osteen Happiness” or bring “John MacArthur Heaviness”, we must, if we would be wise, ask ourselves …

What does God want me to do with this information?
How can I put this at work in my life?

The Proverbs are not given to entertain, but to make us more like Christ, more like children of God. We will put His Word into action in our lives.

There Are Two General Types Of People: Those Who FEAR The Lord, And Those Who Are FOOLS

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

God’s children want to glorify God in their lives. We want to magnify Jesus. But “fools” hear the Word of God, but refuse to put it into practice. Who are “fools”? They are generally the lost, the people destined to go to hell for all eternity, for they will not repent and turn. The word “fool” is the Hebrew ĕvîl (pronounced ev-eel’), and is used in Scripture for those who care nothing for God. We are told:

Proverbs 14:9 FOOLS {ĕvîl (pronounced ev-eel’)} make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favor.

Proverbs 12:15 The way of a FOOL {ĕvîl (pronounced ev-eel’)} is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

The “FOOL” {ĕvîl (pronounced ev-eel’)}) rejects the concept of sin, and choose his or her own way above the directive of God. This type of fool may not be as bad as the “FOOL (nāḇāl, pronounced naw-bawl’) who has said in his heart, ‘there is NO GOD’ (Psalm 14:1; Psaalm 53:1). But whether nāḇāl or ĕvîl, neither person honors God in their lives. Both type of “fool” has chosen glory of self over glory to God.

They are treading a dangerous path. You are treading a dangerous path if you are not hearing and RECEIVING what God has said in His Word. May God move you to do so this very day. Amen and Amen.

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The Danger Of Drifting And Not Walking With Jesus: Hebrews 2:1-4

Posted on March 10, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by James Wheeler: https://www.pexels.com/photo/foot-prints-in-gray-sand-1522285/

Hebrews 2:1-4 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; 3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

Opening: I often order items through companies like Amazon or Walmart, because I can’t find what I want locally. It saves a lot of gas and running around, especially when I’m looking for something like an “UHB to Ethernet Adapter”. I may have to pay shipping, but I can find exactly what I want and have it delivered. Most of the time. There are times when what I ordered is late coming in, and I get a little nervous if it was delivered to the wrong address. Thank goodness that the UPS Driver always takes a picture of what he delivered when he delivered it, so I can find it.

If you weren’t at Church when I presented this, you can’t see the confusing, blurred, indecipherable image that UPS sent to my email. Take my word for it, I couldn’t tell (ane neither could you) where the package was delivered, nor even if it was dropped off on Planet Earth.

Are You Walking With Purpose Or Are You Drifting?

Word Study: In Chapter One the Lord emphasizes that Jesus is God’s only Christ, the Only Messiah. As we enter Chapter Two the Word of God uses the word THEREFORE, which is two words in the Greek dia touto, a prepositional phrase which means “on account of this”.

Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

In Chapter One of Hebrews we were given no commands, but God put the spotlight on Jesus. God told us:

God spoke to humanity through His Son (vs 1-2)
God’s Son created and upholds all things (vs 2-3)
God’s Son is greater than the Angels (vs 5-7)
God’s Son is God, enthroned in Heaven (vs 8-9)
God’s Son never changes but is eternal (vs 10-12)

God’s Son sits on the right hand of the Father (13)

As God’s Son Jesus is the center of all power and prestige with the Father, dia touto – “on account of this” we are told:

Hebrews 2:1 … we ought TO GIVE THE MORE EARNEST HEED to the things we have heard …

We are given our first command in Hebrews. As all that was said in Chapter One established Jesus as the center of God we are called to FOCUS on what was said … continue reading:

Hebrews 2:1 … lest at any time we should let them slip.

Word Study:The words “let them slip” is the Greek pararrhyéō, {pronounced par-ar-hroo-eh’-o}, a NAUTICAL term which means “to flow past, to glide by you, to drift away”. Most of the other translations use “drift away” (NKJV, NIV, ESV, CSB, NASB 95 & 20, LSB, NET, RSV, ASV, NLT, AMP). Again, this is a nautical term. It’s only used here in the New Testament, but is used in ancient literature for what happens when someone doesn’t properly tie up their boat.

I love watching these Discovery Channel shows about people who live in harsh climates like Alaska. In one show a man had come in with his large fishing boat, but he neglected to properly tie it to the dock. A storm came that night, and the boat was taken by the wind and the current. The next day he came out to find his boat was gone. He had a smaller bass boat that he took out, trying to find his fishing boat. When he found it it was wrecked, up on the shore. It was badly damaged, and would end up costing him thousands of dollars to repair it to make it sea worthy once more.

How does your boat get adrift? How does your life drift and find itself destroyed in the storms of this world? How did you get to that point?

You failed to tie your line to a proper anchor. You tethered yourself to the wrong thing, or failed to tether yourself to the right anchor.

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 6:19-20, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf..”

The place we need to be tied to – the anchor of our soul – MUST be JESUS. The devil and the world is CONSTANTLY seeking to get us to tie ourselves to the wrong anchor. For instance, one thing I often hear is,

“Follow your HEART”

This is foolish. If the anchor of your soul is your heart, you have anchored yourself to a crumbling structure. The Bible says

Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV) The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

What did Jesus say about the HEART? He told us that the source of all that is evil is the unregenerate heart. Jesus said:

Mark 7:21-22 … from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.

The heart is not a good thing to anchor to. Jesus told us to anchor our hearts to God. He said in Matthew 22:37, “Love the Lord your God WITH ALL YOUR HEART”. The Bible says:

Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

We are to anchor ourselves to God, to Jesus Christ, not to our hearts. Our confidence must be outside of our feelings and desires. Jeremiah 17:7 says, “Blessed is the one who TRUSTS IN THE LORD, WHOSE CONFIDENCE IS IN HIM”. God knows what’s best for us in every situation. Tie the boat of your life not to your heart, not to your feelings, but to what God has said and has done. Give your heart to Jesus. Trust only in Him. He can keep your life anchored.

Another foolishness to anchor to is false truth. I often hear people say today,

“Live your OWN TRUTH”

Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson is the father of this philosophy. He said, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment”. This is why people are trying to re-envision pronouns and human sexuality. God never said to “Live your own truth”. Jesus said:

John 17:17 … God’s WORD (the Bible) IS TRUTH

Ever since Adam ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, we as humans have tried to establish what WE think as truth. To this, Jesus says NO! Jesus said:

John 14:6 (ESV) … I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

“Jesus is the POWER of God and the WISDOM of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). We as believers WALK with Jesus. He is the WAY, the Path that God would have us walk. We define right and wrong by Jesus. Jesus is THE TRUTH. He is not A TRUTH, but THE TRUTH. Finally, Jesus is THE LIFE. This is how God wants His Children to live. We live as Jesus says. When we define our own truth, we are adrift, hopelessly carried by the currents of this life.

Illustration: Many years ago Napoleon’s Army was marching through a desert. As the way got harder and the water ran out, at one point a soldier thought he saw a lake in front of them. Yelling “water”, he started running toward it, but after a few minutes it became apparent it was just a mirage. As Pastor George Truett once said, “Human life without God is, at best, a mirage”. We must be anchored in Christ.

How Shall We Escape …

Hebrews 2:2-3 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; 3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?…

Jesus is the only Anchor that is sure and steadfast. Now the Scripture asks us all a very good question. I love the questions of the Scripture, as they make us all think. The first question in the Bible was made by God. He asked it of Adam and Eve, but He asks us the same question today:

Genesis 3:9 … Where ARE you?

Other great questions:

Job 14:14 … if a person die, shall he live again?

Job 25:4 … Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean thing? How can he who is born of woman be pure?

Acts 16:30 … What must I do to be saved?

Matthew 16:26 … What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?
What will a person give in return for his soul?

Before God asks us this Great Question, He states:

For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward

God gave His Old Testament WORD, the Scripture, “by angels”. The Word that God gave was steadfast and true. The Bible tells us in:

Jude 5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

We are told “every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense”. God made promises, and directed His Old Testament believers to trust Him, to anchor their hope on Him. When Israel refused to do this – though God had saved them – when they disobeyed they “received a just recompense”. God did right by His people, and God kept His Word. But Israel drifted. They tied their faith to the wrong thing. They tied their lives to the wrong anchor. They did not obey the Lord, and “received a just recompense”. The Bible says:

Hebrews 11:6 … without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Israel refused to follow God when God said. That generation of Israel died out in the wilderness, wandering about for forty years. Why? Because God said to go. To live tethered to Him. The questions we need to be asking ourselves AS CHRIST’S CHURCH is:

Are we listening to Jesus?
Are we here worshiping Jesus?
Is our motivation to glorify Jesus?
Are we pleasing our God?
Where are our lives anchored?

God gave Israel a great salvation, then Israel began to drift away from God. Every time things got tough, Israel murmured against God. They said:

Exodus 16:3 … Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

They drifted, because they were not tied to Jesus, but to Egypt. They were tied to their old life, their old ways. In the end, they lost all blessing. In the end, they lost the Promised Land. Pastor John Piper said:

“The life of this world is not a lake. It is a river. It is flowing downward to destruction. If you do not listen earnestly to Jesus … you will go backward. You will float by… {you will drift}”

The early Church grew by leaps and bounds because it tethered itself not to the world, but to Jesus and His Teachings. The Bible says:

Acts 2:42 (NKJV) {the Church} CONTINUED STEADFASTLY in the Apostle’s doctrine …

Acts 2:44 (NKJV) Now ALL WHO BELIEVED WERE TOGETHER, and had all things in common …

Acts 2:47 (NKJV) … PRAISING God

The Church and the Christian was firmly anchored to Jesus Christ. Focused on loving and serving God the Son, the Church enjoyed the promise of God:

Psalm 121:1-3 (NKJV) I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.

The Christian is a Christian indeed, born again of God’s Spirit, when he or she ties their hope and trust entirely to Christ.

Pastor Sam Storms wrote:

“One of the unmistakable signs that you are a true Child of God, born again and justified by faith … is that if you are drifting, you won’t continue in it for long … You will sense a desire to turn your eyes and ears and hearts back upon Jesus, and be attentive and devoted to Who He is and what He says and all that He has done”

It is as Jesus said – “you shall know them by their fruit” (Matthew 7:16), and “by this shall all know you are My disciples, that you love one another” (John 13:35).

God Has Offered Us A GREAT Salvation. What Will You Do With It?

Hebrews 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?…

There is NO ESCAPE if we neglect the great salvation God offers to us through Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 3:1 … consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Hebrews 12:2 … Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith

If we neglect Jesus, the alternative is not good. If we anchor ourselves on ourselves and not Christ, we have no escape from the judgment of God. But if we cast ourselves on Christ, it is a GREAT Salvation for GREAT sinners. Salvation in Christ is great because IT IS ABLE.

Hebrews 7:24-25 (NKJV) But {Jesus}, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Illustrate: Jesus saves to the uttermost. Who? “Those who come to God through Him”. There is a beautiful picture that illustrates this in the Old Testament in 2 Kings 7. The Syrian Army has encamped outside of the Gates of Samaria, and four lepers are at the gates of the city. The lepers are starving to death. The lepers begin to discuss their predicament:

2 Kings 7:3-4 (NKJV) … “Why are we sitting here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.”

The lepers were in a hopeless and helpless situation. They could sit there till they died – for the city was in famine – or they could go to the Syrian Camp. They got up, went to the camp, and found that God had already defeated the Syrians. They went into the camp, and ate and drank – and carried away silver and gold and clothing – all by the Grace of God. They were not blessed because of their abilities, but because of God’s Grace.

Beloved, why do you sit there until you die? God has defeated the enemy, Satan and Death. He has given us a GREAT SALVATION. Why do you sit there until you die. You are leprous with sin. You are GREAT SINNERS. Jesus is a GREAT SAVIOR. The Apostles preached:

Acts 16:31 … BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ, and YOU WILL BE SAVED, you and your household ..

Untie yourself from any anchor but Christ and His Word. Tie yourselves to Him. Trust fully in what He has said. Jesus is able.

Jesus is not only ABLE to Save, He is AVAILABLE to Save.

Jesus did not come to this earth to save those who believe themselves righteous, but SINNERS. As “There are NONE RIGHTEOUS, no, NOT ONE” and “ALL have sinned, and FALL SHORT of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10, 23) God makes salvation available to all. But Beloved, YOU MUST CONFESS YOURSELF A SINNER (1 John 1:9). Confessing yourself a sinner, YOU MUST REPENT. You cannot be saved if your faith is tied to a godless anchor. As the Apostle Paul preached in Athens at the altar of the unknown god:

Acts 17:29-31 … (ESV) we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.

God is ABLE to save a person. Salvation is AVAILABLE to whosoever will. But God commands that we “repent”, knowing that there is a judgment day coming. No one will escape that judgment day if they neglect this GREAT SALVATION offered through Jesus Christ. God hates sin. But He has covered sin by the Blood of Christ. He offers complete salvation by the resurrection of Christ. He offers continuing salvation through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The Unanswerable Question

Hebrews 2:3-4 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

There will come a day when we will all stand before God. We will give an account for our lives. When you stand before Him, and have neglected this Great Salvation offered in Christ, what will you say? A certain Welsh minister closed with this:

“Friends, I have a question to ask. I cannot answer it. You cannot answer it. If an angel from heaven were here, he could not answer it. And if a devil from hell was here, he could not answer it. The question is this?

How shall we escape is we neglect so great salvation?”

There is no escape but Christ. There is no anchor but Christ. There is no Way to live but Christ. The parameters to get into Heaven is PERFECTION. We ourselves are imperfect, but Jesus is perfect. We will all be judged before God one day. If we are imperfect, we will go to hell. But God has given us GREAT SINNERS a GREAT SALVATION in Christ. When we repent, and give our lives to Him, He stands in our place of judgment. There is no escape from damnation apart from faith in Christ Jesus. Then from the point of salvation:

TRUTH is what God says is true.
SIN is what God says is sin.
FAMILY is whatever God says is family.
SALVATION is whatever God says salvation is.
HEAVEN is whatever God says Heaven is.
HELL is whatever God says hell is.
GOD is the sole Definer and Determiner of all truth.
GOD is the highest Arbitrator of all truth.
GOD is the Judge of all that is true and what is not true.
And GOD will judge us by our relationship to JESUS CHRIST.
(taken from a sermon by Dr. Steven J. Lawson)

May God move on your hearts today. Do not sit there until you die. Choose to give yourselves to Jesus Christ by faith, and trust in Him for both temporal and eternal life. Holy Spirit, make it so. Amen and Amen.

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The Tenth Commandment: You Shall Not Covet

Posted on March 8, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Michael Steinberg: https://www.pexels.com/photo/gold-bars-366551/

The last nine weeks we have studied a commandment a week. Tonight we come to the Tenth and final of the Ten Commandments:

Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not COVET thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.

When God gave the Tenth Commandment, He was very specific. The believer is not to “covet” (Hebrew ḥāmaḏ, pronounced khaw-mad’) that which God has given to another. God said:

“You shall not DESIRE your neighbor’s WIFE (or husband)”

This leads to adultery.

“You shall not DESIRE your neighbor’s employees”

This harms another’s business.

“You shall not DESIRE your neighbors vehicles”

Appreciate the tractor or car God has given you.

“You shall not DESIRE anything of your neighbors”

This leads to theft.

It is not wrong to desire. God created us with desire – but we are to desire the proper thing.

We Are To Desire – And Cherish – What God Has Given Us

God created us with desires. When God created the Garden in Eden the Bible says:

Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is PLEASANT (TO BE COVETED, Hebrew ḥāmaḏ, pronounced khaw-mad’) to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Word Study: God made things PLEASANT, ḥāmaḏ, right after He made man (Genesis 2:7). God made us with desires, then built a Garden to put us in that would satisfy our desires. Humans are called to cherish what God gave us – but not what God forbade us. To cherish the wrong thing is to commit IDOLATRY, as we are told in:

Ephesians 5:5 (ESV) For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

What led to the first sin, the sin that caused the fall of humanity? It was when Adam and Eve, LISTENING TO THE DEVIL, began to ḥāmaḏ or COVET that which God said was forbidden. The Bible says:

Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be DESIRED (COVET, Hebrew ḥāmaḏ, pronounced khaw-mad’) to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Coveting leads to sinful behavior. James warned the Christian:

James 4:1-4 (ESV) What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Coveting anything other than the GLORY OF GOD leads to war and infighting. If we will seek God with our desires, wanting what He wants us to have, then we would be blessed. Israel never fully settled the Promised Land because they never put God first. Whereas Jesus told His Church to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33), God told His Old Testament Israel to put Him first. If Israel would covet God’s glory first, then God promised:

Exodus 34:24 … I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man DESIRE (COVET, Hebrew ḥāmaḏ, pronounced khaw-mad’) thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.

God said “Covet ME first. Desire only what I GIVE you. If you do so, I will protect what is yours. If not, you will lose your blessings”.

Why did the first generation of Israel lose the blessings of Canaan, dying over 40 years in the wilderness? It was because they were never satisfied with what God gave them. They never thanked God for the blessings of His salvation. Anytime the life they were living got slightly uncomfortable, they began to moan, and to accuse their leadership and God Himself of hating them. When God sent the twelve spies into the Promised Land, they came out knowing it was “a land of milk and honey” (Exodus 3:5, 8) just as God promised them. Yet they complained because there were giants in the land. They complained that when God saved them, that He brought them out of Egypt, out of a land of milk and honey (Numbers 16:13-14). Israel did not count their blessings, but began to curse God and the leadership.

Exodus 17:3 … the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

They continued down this pathway until they brought the wrath of God on themselves. The Bible says:

Numbers 14:2-4, 27-38 (ESV) all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” … {God replies} …. 27 I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. 28 Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: 29 your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, 30 not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. 32 But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’ 35 I, the LORD, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.” 36 And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land— 37 the men who brought up a bad report of the land—died by plague before the LORD. 38 Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive.

God Is Serious About His People Controlling Their Desires

The first generation of Israel died in the wilderness because of coveting, which is idolatrousness. When God sent the second generation of Israel into the land, God told His people that when they went into the Land of Canaan, they were to never bring the cursed thing into their homes. What was “the CURSED thing?” It was the idols of the Canaanites.

The Canaanite false gods were created from stone or wood, and adorned with gold, silver, and precious stones. When Israel conquered a city they were to DESTROY, not covet the CURSED THINGS, but utterly destroy them.

God warned in Deuteronomy 7:25-26 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not DESIRE (COVET, Hebrew ḥāmaḏ, pronounced khaw-mad’) the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God. 26 Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.

The “cursed thing” was anything that you COVETED above your love for God and His glory. The “CURSED THING” is an idol hidden among the people of God. Once Israel settled the Promised Land, if any city of Israel departed from loving God, and started COVETING anything more than God, then the Lord said:

Deuteronomy 13:15-17 Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword. 16 And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again. 17 And there shall cleave naught of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers;

As the second generation of Israel moved into the Promised Land, led by Joshua and loving God, they defeated every enemy they came against. Israel coveted only God, and His glory.

Then Israel came to the City of Ai (pronounced EYE).

Unknown to Joshua and Israel as a nation, a man named Achan was with Israel as they marched around Jericho. He was there when the walls fell down (Joshua 6:20), and witnessed the salvation of Rahab and her family from the rubble. God knocked the walls of Jericho down. God gave Israel the victory. Their next stop was Ai (pronounced EYE). Jericho was an armed and walled city, impenetrable according to those who knew. Ai was, in comparison, a tent city. It wasn’t much of a challenge. When Joshua decided to attack Ai, he just sent three thousand (3000) men (Joshua 7:4). This was going to be a cakewalk. But it WASN’T.

Israel was easily repelled at Ai. When Joshua attacked Jericho, an armed fortress, he lost no one. At Ai, Joshua lost 36 men. Joshua fell down before the Lord, and began to pray:

Joshua 7:7-9 … Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! 8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

How did God answer Joshua? God told Joshua, “STOP PRAYING!”

Joshua 7:10-11 … Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 11 Israel hath sinned …

Quit praying. Quit crying out to Me. You have ALL sinned against Me. How did Joshua sin? Before Joshua attacked Ai, he didn’t pray and seek God’s counsel.

Joshua sent spies out, and presumed upon God. God was not being glorified. Joshua was over confident, and arrogant. Then when told “we don’t need the whole army”, Joshua sent just 3000 men without consulting God. Pastor Dave Miller writes:

“Where did this presumption come from? What had Israel done to defeat Jericho? One thing. One thing only. They obeyed. When God said march, they marched. And the walls came a-tumblin’ down. It was not Joshua’s leadership or Israel’s military prowess that won the battle. It was God’s power. But now, Israel was taking credit for what God had done. “A mighty army like ours, having just defeated Jericho, will find little challenge against Ai.” … Remember this: In the power of God, no enemy is too big. Greater is he that is in you… But in the power of self, no enemy is too small.”

Before Joshua could pray, he needed to REPENT. Israel needed to REPENT. God will hear our prayers, but will not bless us until we REPENT. Had Joshua sought God before Ai, then God would have told him sin is in the camp. God now tells Joshua:

Joshua 7:11-12 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. 12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

Joshua coveted and took the glory of God, presuming on God. He sinned. Israel presumed on God by attacking Ai without God’s blessing. They sinned. A citizen named Achan stole idolatrous items, and his them in his family’s tent. Achan sinned. When confronted, Achan confessed:

Joshua 7:20-21 … Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: 21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

The 200 shekels of silver is worth $52.97. The gold of 50 shekels weight is about 550 grams, or 19.4 ounces. This would be about $38,712 today. What Achan took was under $40,000 in value today – a year’s wages for a middle class worker. It cost him his life. It cost him his family. It cost him everything. God is serious about coveting what He has not given us. We need to run from it!

Love God – Don’t Be Like Satan

Christians are to be like Jesus, not like Satan. The Bible tells us that Satan is the original coveter. The Prophet said:

Isaiah 14:12-14 (NKJV) “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’

Satan – the fallen Angel originally named Lucifer or the Shining One – made five “I WILL” statements. He coveted Heaven, seeking to enter it as his own. Satan coveted the worship of the angels, to elevate himself high above his brethren. Satan wanted to rule the earth. But most importantly, Satan wanted to depose God, and assume the Throne of Heaven for himself.

Though Satan deceived Eve, and has stolen dominion of the world from Adam, he only led a third of the angels of Heaven in revolt against God. Satan could not assume God’s Throne, though he tried.

Christians, we should covet – but only the things that God wants us to covet. The Apostle tells us to “COVET earnestly the BEST GIFTS” (1 Corinthians 12:31), to “COVET the Kingdom of God”(Matthew 6:33). We are to trust God with our desires. I end with these words:

1 Timothy 6:7-8 (ESV) for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 (ESV) But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Greed and covetousness keeps us from the blessings God wants us to have. Let us be grateful for what the Lord has given us. Remember that “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35). May God bless the reading and preaching of His Word. Amen.

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The Ninth Commandment: Do Not Bear False Witness – Exodus 20:16

Posted on March 3, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Rodrigo Santos: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-holding-lighted-oil-lamp-1585584/

We’ve been working our way through the Ten Commandments. We’ve found out that the Ten Commandments are not just for the Old Testament, but that they apply today.

The FIRST Commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3), before the God of Scripture, was quoted by Jesus in

Matthew 4:10 (ESV) … You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve …

The SECOND Commandment, “You shall not make an idol to bow down to it” (Exodus 20:4-6) is found in:

1 John 5:21 (ESV) Little children, keep yourselves from idols …

The THIRD Commandment, “Do not take the name of God in vain” (Exodus 20:7) is in:

1 Timothy 6:1 (ESV) … the Name of God and the teaching may not be reviled

We found every commandment but ONE, the FOURTH Commandment, repeated in the New Testament. As Christians we realize some still keep the Sabbath, whereas others celebrate Christ on FIRST DAY, the day He rose from the grave. We are told in Romans 14:5-6 that we are not to judge one another on what day we celebrate the Lord. The Sabbath was a shadow (Colossians 2:16-17) that was fulfilled in Christ’s first coming.

As long as the believer sets one day aside to worship the Lord our God, whether Saturday or Sunday, we have fulfilled the FOURTH Commandment.

The first FOUR Commandments deal with our relationship with God, but the next SIX deal with our relationship to our fellow man. We are to honor our parents (5th Commandment, Exodus 20:12). We are not to murder (6th Commandment, Exodus 20:13). We are not to violate the sanctity of marriage (7th Commandment, Exodus 20:14). We are not to steal (8th Commandment, Exodus 20:15). Tonight we come to the NINTH Commandment:

Exodus 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

The Commandment Does NOT Say You Shall NOT LIE

The Ninth Commandment is often mis-stated as “You shall not lie”. That’s not what it says. It says, “You shall not lie ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBOR”. The Ninth Commandment is to humanity as the Third Commandment is to God. In the Third Commandment we are told:

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain
(Exodus 20:7)

One commentary notes:

“In the Old Testament, bringing dishonor on God’s name was done by failing to perform an oath or vow taken in His name (Leviticus 19:12). The man who used God’s name to legitimize his oath, and then broke his promise, would indicate his lack of reverence for God as well as a lack of fear of His holy retribution. It was essentially the same as denying God’s existence. … There is a larger sense in which people today take the Lord’s name in vain. Those who name the name of Christ, who pray in His name, and who take His name as part of their identity, but who deliberately and continually disobey His commands, are taking His name in vain. Jesus Christ has been given the name above all names, at which every knee shall bow (Philippians 2:9-10), and when we take the name “Christian” upon ourselves, we must do so with an understanding of all that signifies. If we profess to be Christians, but act, think, and speak in a worldly or profane manner, we take His name in vain. When we misrepresent Christ, either intentionally or through ignorance of the Christian faith as proclaimed in Scripture, we take the Lord’s name in vain.”

We take God’s Name in vain when we misrepresent Him. When we misrepresent our neighbor, bearing false witness against them, then we have violated the Ninth Commandment.

Though some say “Thou shalt not lie” is the Ninth Commandment, it is really “Thou shalt not lie ABOUT ANOTHER HUMAN”.

Though the Ninth Commandment does not say “Thou shalt not lie”, the Bible is very clear that we as Christians are to “speak the Truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). We are to be truth tellers, just as our God is. The Bible says in:

Proverbs 6:16-19 (ESV) There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

God hates “a lying tongue” as well as “a false witness who breathes out lies”. God says:

Proverbs 12:22 (ESV) Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.

Proverbs 13:5 (ESV) … The righteous hates falsehood …

And God’s standard within the Church is:

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

The lying tongue is a mark of the lost person. The WOKE crowd lies when it looks at a man, and say’s “that’s a woman”. No, that’s a lie. The WOKE crowd says “men can have babies”. No, that’s a lie. The WOKE crowd says “marriage is two consenting adults, regardless of their biological sex”. No, that’s a lie. The WOKE crowd says “sex is a cultural construct. You can determine your sex by how you feel.” No, this is a lie.

Lies belong to the lost, because the father of lies is Satan. Jesus told the Pharisees – who often slandered Him – that:

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

The Devil, that fallen Angel called Lucifer and Satan, is “a liar and the father of lies”. It is Satan that first lied in the Garden of Eden, telling Adam and Eve:

“If you eat of the forbidden tree, YOU WILL NOT SURELY DIE. God knows that the day you eat of this tree, your eyes will be opened, AND YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD HIMSELF, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5, AP)

Adam ignored the truth that God spoke (The Sum of Your Word is TRUTH, O Lord, and EVERY ONE of Your RIGHTEOUS RULES ENDURES FOREVER – Psalm 119:160) and listened to Satan. Doing so, he plunged the world and his progeny into spiritual death. Since Adam brought sin into the world “and DEATH BY SIN” (Romans 5:12-21) humans have played with the truth to their detriment. The HEART OF THE WOKE MOVEMENT is found in Paul’s description in:

Romans 1:24-28 (ESV) Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

They “exchanged the truth about God for a lie”. They rejected God’s Bible, His clear teachings. They rejected the Messiah, refusing to repent and turn to Him in faith. Lies belong to the lost. The Bible says to the Christian:

Colossians 3:9 (ESV) Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices

and again:

Psalm 58:3 (ESV) The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

Those who are saved by faith in Christ should NOT lie. Who will be not in Heaven, but cast into the Lake of Fire on judgment day? The Bible says:

Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

God does not condone lying – and particularly does not want you lying about your neighbor.

The Ninth Commandment Says You Shall Not Lie ABOUT Your Neighbor

Exodus 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

When in American Law you make a false statement and present it as a fact about someone, you can damage someone’s reputation. The person you hurt can bring a defamation lawsuit. One commentary notes:

“Libel is an untrue defamatory statement that is made in writing. Slander is an untrue defamatory statement that is spoken orally. The difference between defamation and slander is that a defamatory statement can be made in any medium. It could be in a blog comment or spoken in a speech or said on television. Libelous acts only occur when a statement is made in writing (digital statements count as writing) and slanderous statements are only made orally.”

Among God’s Old Testament believers the Lord had a simple method for dealing with false witnesses. We are told in:

Deuteronomy 19:15-21 (ESV) “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. 16 If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, 17 then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18 The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, 19 then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. 20 And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. 21 Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

The often misquoted “Eye For An Eye And Tooth For A Tooth” was not about vengeance, but about false witnesses. If someone committed a crime in Israel, and it went before the Ruling Council or the Priests, if a false witness was discovered “then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst”. In short, the false witness got the EXACT PUNISHMENT that would have went toward the accused. If the accused was going to die, the false witness would die. If the accused was in danger of losing property, the false witness would lose the same amount of property. God said, “Do not pit them … life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot”. God made an example of the false witness, and purged evil out of Israel.

“A true witness delivers souls, But a deceitful witness speaks lies” (Proverbs 14:25).

“A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who speaks lies shall perish” (Proverbs 19:9).

God does not want us as believers telling falsehoods about those around us. If we do not know the truth, we should not “speculate” or “postulate”, but hush. What we say about others matters. There is never a time when bearing false witness against another will be blessed by God.

Are There Any Times When Lying Is Permissible?

There is never a time when we can legitimately bear false witness about a neighbor, but it is permissible to speak a lie when saving lives. For instance, in Exodus 1 Pharaoh commands that the Hebrew mid-wives:

Exodus 1:16 (AP) … if it is a son {being born}, kill him, but if it is a daughter {being born} let her live …

When the mid-wives didn’t do this and the Pharaoh asked why, they lied. They said “the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them”. God honored the mid-wives for NOT killing the baby boys, though God did not address the lie. Later in Israel’s history when Joshua sent spies into the land of Canaan, the King of Jericho …

Joshua 2:3-7 (ESV) … sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” 6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. 7 So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.

Rahab purposefully lied to the King of Jericho in order to save the lives of the spies. Though the Bible does not address her clear lie, it commends Rahab for protecting the lives of the spies:

Hebrews 11:30-31 (ESV) By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

James 2:24-25 (ESV) You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

Rahab feared God, and protected the lives of God’s spies. She knew where the spies were hidden, and told the soldiers who hunted for them that they had left the city whereas they were hiding on Rahab’s rooftop. She lied to save lives. Rahab was honored for her faith, and is actually in the lineage of Christ (Matthew 1:5).

Lying to save others lives may be necessary, but be aware there is no where in Scripture where God praises a lie. We need to understand that our God is the God of Truth. Jesus said in John 8:32, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” If you tell a lie, you have to remember the lie you told, or else you’ll be tripped up in time. During World War II Corrie Ten Boom as part of the Dutch Resistance helped hide Jews from Nazi soldiers, knowing that these people would be murdered if found. When discovered, Corrie and her family were put in concentration camps. Her entire family died to save the lives of innocent people.

I want to end with this note from one commentary:

“Our goal should never be to wiggle our way around the truth or search for an ethical loophole. When the psalmist describes the person who is privileged to “sojourn” in God’s tent and to “dwell” on his holy hill (Ps. 15:1–5), among the qualities cited is speaking “truth” in his heart, refusing to “slander with his tongue,” and being the sort of person “who swears to his own hurt and does not change.” “He who does these things,” David insists, “shall never be moved.”

May God touch your hearts with His Word. Amen.

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Divine Destruction Of Death: Hebrews 2:14-16

Posted on March 3, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by NEOM on Unsplash

Hebrews 2:14-16 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

Last week we saw that Jesus was NOT an Angel. Angels are superior to humans in strength and duration. Angels are spirit beings, composed of light. Humans are carbon based, who have limited earthly lives. We saw that:

Hebrews 1:4 {Jesus is} … so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Jesus is God the Son. He is co-eternal and co-equal with the Father and the Spirit. Jesus is Creator God. Hebrews 1:2 noted that through Jesus God made the worlds. So Jesus is NOT an Angel, He is BETTER than the Angels. But Jesus is also – willingly – LESSER than the Angels. We read:

Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Jesus was made LOWER than the Angels. Why?

Jesus Was Made Like Us To Defeat Death

“Monster” movies just don’t scare me anymore. I remember as a child going to see movies like “Dracula” or “Frankenstein”, or watching something produced by a man named Alfred Hitchcock. It wasn’t long before I started noticing that monsters always hid behind doors, in the back seats of cars, in dark places, and always attacked just before the scary music started playing. When I’d hear the music I’d want to yell “Get out! Can’t you hear the music!” But they inevitably went to the wrong spot – the dark alley – and suffered the consequences.

What made the “Monster” movie scary wasn’t the monster, but the fact that the imaginary monster brought with it the real monster we call “death”.

We’re all familiar with death. We’ve been to funerals. We’ve seen unfortunate animals lying in horrid piles on the side of the road. We’ve seen vultures and crows feasting on the sides of roadways. But what actually is “Death”? Is it just the cessation of life? Atheist Richard Dawkins – now 82 years old – said of death “It will be like being unborn, a great nothing. Or rather as much of a nothing as before we were born.” How does he know this? He doesn’t for sure. He also said “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

What is death? Let’s define the word “Death”, not by our experiences or opinions, but by what the Bible says. The first time the word “Die” (Hebrew mûṯ, pronounced mooth) is found in the Bible is in a warning God gave to Adam. God told Adam:

Genesis 2:16-17 (NKJV) … Of every tree of the garden {the Garden in Eden} you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die {mûṯ}.

God was very specific. Adam had free reign over the Garden, in fact, over the whole earth. God told Adam and Eve “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over {all the earth}” (Genesis 1:28). Humanity had absolute control over creation. In the midst of the Garden there were two trees: “The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9). Adam and Eve – along with their progeny – were free to eat of the Tree of Life. But they were forbidden to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God warned Adam, “in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die {mûṯ}”.

God promised Adam that death would immediately come on him when he ate of that forbidden tree. Adam, just like all of us, paid little attention to God, and ate of that which was forbidden.

Did Adam “cease to live” or “stop functioning as a human being” IN THE DAY he ate of the forbidden tree?

The Bible says in Genesis 5:5, “And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died”. Wait a minute. Did God err? God said “IN THE DAY you eat of the forbidden, YOU SHALL SURELY DIE”. But Adam lived to be 930 years old. Did God LIE? As the Scripture says:

Numbers 23:19 (ESV) God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

What God has said He would do, He did. What God warned Adam against was not PHYSICAL death, but SPIRITUAL death. Richard Dawkins is SPIRITUALLY dead. He may still be walking the earth at 82 years old, but he – along with many others – is SPIRITUALLY dead. You see, God is the Source of Life and Light. It is God Who said, “Let there be LIGHT – and there WAS LIGHT” (Genesis 1:3). It is God Who “breathed into Adam the BREATH OF LIFE” (Genesis 2:7), and because of this “man became a LIVING SOUL”. God is the Source of Life. Moses told Israel to be …

Deuteronomy 30:20 (ESV) … loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days …

And the Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

And King Solomon wrote:

Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.

God was not telling Adam that he would PHYSICALLY die the day that he disobeyed and ate that which was forbidden. God was telling Adam that he would SPIRITUALLY die, that he would be separated from the Source of Life by his sin. When the Bible speaks of Adam’s sin and it’s repercussions, it states:

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

When Adam sinned against God, he IMMEDIATELY – IN THAT DAY – separated himself from God. The Bible says that Adam first tried to cover his sin with fig leaves. Then when Adam heard God coming,

Genesis 3:8 … Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

Before Adam sinned, he walked with God in the cool of the day. After Adam sinned, he hid himself from God. Those who are SPIRITUALLY dead have no thought of God.

Psalm 10:4 (ESV) In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek {God}; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

The SPIRITUALLY dead are dead because they are separated from God. If you are SPIRITUALLY dead you will eventually PHYSICALLY die – but you will STILL be separated from God, the Source of Life.

Illustrate: We see the evidence of SPIRITUAL death daily. I was at Wendy’s just today getting their “two sausage biscuits for three dollars”. I’d been there before, so I knew that the bill would be a certain amount. I had a bunch of change, so I gave the attendant more than the bill, thinking he’d give me a few pennies back. He put the money in the register, closed it, and gave me the biscuits. It wasn’t much money so I didn’t grouse about it. But either that man was lazy and didn’t count the money, or was a thief and stole it. Either way, it is dishonest – spiritual death.

Illustrate: We see spiritual death in other ways in our world. We see it in people who murder, in school shootings. We see spiritual death in people who deny their own existence, their own DNA and sexuality. We see spiritual death in broken families, orphaned children, and aborted babies. We see spiritual death in racism and hatred. A young man just the other day – an Airman in the US Air Force – stood in front of Israel’s Embassy and – pouring lighter fluid over his body, set himself on fire. As he died screaming, he cried out “Free Palestine”. To so treat the life God gave you is spiritual death. There is spiritual death in the suicide, the alcoholic, the drug abuser, the child molester. All that is evil and horrid in this world is a result of SPIRITUAL death.

Jesus Defeated Death By Defeating The Devil

Hebrews 2:14-15 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; {15} And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Who has the power of death? Look at the latter part of verse 14: “through death He (Jesus) might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil”. Who has the power of death? Satan! Again, going back to the proper definition of “death”, death is “separation from God”. Satan was the very first one to rise up in revolt against God, separating himself from God, dying spiritually as it were. The Book of Revelation speaks of the Angel Lucifer. Created by God as an Arch Angel, it was Lucifer’s job to lead the other angels of Heaven in celebrating the God Who created all things. But Lucifer revolted from God, and led a third of the angels of Heaven in revolt against God (Revelation 12:4). Trying to take over Heaven (a lesson in futility) the Bible says:

Revelation 12:9 … the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Cast to the earth Satan, “that old serpent” was in the Garden of Eden tempting Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden. “You shall not surely die – but the day you eat of it, you’ll be like gods!” (Genesis 3:5). It was the devil who tempted Adam to betray God. Adam took the bait, and brought SPIRITUAL death into the world.

Adam is a sinner, and his children are sinners. Spiritually dead because of sin, Adam and his children are separated from God by our own sin. We cannot make ourselves right with God. We are broken, in a hopeless and helpless situation. The devil, the author of sin and death, continued to egg us on to reject God. The scripture said:

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

What hope do we have? We have Jesus. The Scripture says:

Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Jesus took upon Himself “flesh and blood”. He brought Himself into the creation that He made. Though Eternal God Jesus Christ stepped away from glory to become like us. Imagine! The Creator became the created! Though …

Colossians 2:9 … in {Jesus} dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

Jesus did not hesitate to take humanity upon Himself. He did not come to this earth in robes and splendor as was His right. He did not come with a crown upon His head, or a scepter in His hand. He did not come with ten thousands of angels heralding His approach. He did not come on a chariot of fire, nor did He come to the applause of thousands. The Bible says that Jesus …

Philippians 2:7 .. made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men …

Jesus came as a Servant. He was born the Messiah in a little town of David called Bethlehem to fulfill prophecy (Micah 5:1-2; Matthew 2:1-10; Luke 2:1-21). Jesus grew up in Nazareth to fulfill Messianic prophecy (Matthew 2:23; Isaiah 11:1). It was a saying in those days “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46), as Nazareth was such a poor and pitiful area. Jesus came from the least and the less. Though He is the “blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto” (1 Timothy 6:15-16), Jesus came into the world lowly. Why?

The Greatest of all became the Least of us so He could reach the Lowest of us. Jesus took death on Himself so that we could receive life through His sacrifice.

When God told Adam “the very day you eat the forbidden, YOU SHALL DIE”, God was serious. Adam brought spiritual death on himself and on us all. Jesus saves us from this death by being punished in our place. Jesus died to Heaven – separated Himself from Heaven – so that He could reunite us with God. Jesus died to glory – separated Himself from the glory that was rightly His – so that He could “bringing many sons unto glory”. What does the Scripture tell us?

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

Jesus Christ took death on Himself for you and for me. All of your offenses and my offenses against Eternal God were nailed to His Cross – and Jesus was then nailed over top of them! The rain of Judgment struck the Son of God on that terrible Hill Golgotha. Jesus bore the penalty for our sin then, though Immortal God, willingly surrendered His physical life. He said:

Luke 23:46 … Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

He suffered SPIRITUALLY for us, then died PHYSICALLY. Laid in a grave, He was sealed in His tomb for three days and three nights. The Devil thought he had defeated the Messiah, but he was wrong.

Jesus delivered us from spiritual death. Jesus crushed the power of the devil. Jesus defeated physical death. Oh, how Satan hated that day when death died! When Jesus Christ took the penalty of our sin on Himself He made a way whereby God could make us alive again through the operation of the Holy Spirit. ALL Trespasses are forgiven the Christian. As The Scripture aptly puts it:

Colossians 2:13-15 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; {14} Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; {15} And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Before you believed on Christ, you were dead in trespasses and sins. You walked apart from God. Once you believe on Jesus, repenting of your sin and calling on His Name, God sends the Holy Spirit to you. You are made alive apart from the works of the Law.

The Christian Is Dead To The Law Of Sacrifice, But Alive To Righteousness

Hebrews 2:16-17 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

When Jesus came, He came by showing us that God keeps His promises. In the Old Testament God promised a man named Abraham:

Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV) “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God promised to give Abraham children, to bring a nation out of Abraham, and to bring the Messiah through Abraham and thus bless “all the families of the earth”. God keeps His promises. When Jesus came to this earth, the Messiah came from “the seed of Abraham”. Jesus came to replace the sacrificial system, where animals were killed to cover or “atone” for our sins. When Jesus died on the Cross, He died as:

John 1:29 … the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Those who are saved are saved from SPIRITUAL death by believing on Jesus. We are saved because we are ransomed …

1 Peter 1:19 (ESV) … with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

The Christian is “BORN AGAIN” or “QUICKENED” because we have received the Word of God as our own. We have heard and believed the good news that, though we are sinners, Christ died to cover our sins.

Dying for our sins as the Lamb of God, Jesus rose from the Grave and is now our Great High Priest. He is “a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people”. His death defeated Satan. His death defeated SPIRITUAL death. His resurrection defeated PHYSICAL death. Satan has no hold on the child of God.

God keeps His promises. Jesus is God. Jesus keeps His promises. He has promised:

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Those who believe in Jesus are passed from death unto life. We are no longer separated from God, but we are intimately bound with the Source of Life. Furthermore, the Christian knows that he or she has passed from death to life. How? The Scripture says:

1 John 3:14-16 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. {15} Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. {16} Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

How does the Christian know that he is a Christian? Life reigns in Him. God the Source of Life is also defined as Love, and He lives in the hearts of those who are His. Dead things exude death, but New Creatures in Christ exude Life. We as Christians are saved to LIVE above death, to LIVE outside the devil, to LIVE in victory. The devil condemns. The world condemns. The spiritually dead condemn. We who have believed on Him are ALIVE!

Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Death is dead, it’s Source is defeated, and we who believe have a High Priest Who sits in the Heavens representing us before the Heavenly Father. We are saved to the uttermost. I conclude with this.

Are you part of the Redeemed? Are you part of the Saved? Does Jesus make reconciliation for you? If you do not have a relationship with God by faith in Him then you are yet dead in your sins. The monster is out of the closet, and rules your life with glee. My prayer is that you know Him and the power of His resurrection. That you know death is dead for you. That you know Satan is a defeated enemy because He Who loves you gave Himself for you. And if you don’t know Him, today is a great day to come unto Him and be saved. May God touch your hearts with His Word. Amen and Amen.

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Jesus Is No Angel

Posted on February 27, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-hands-on-holy-bible-267559/

One of the heresies that crept into the Church was that Jesus is a great Teacher, but just a Man. Last week God told us in Hebrews that Jesus is no mere Man – that He is God in the flesh. A mere Man, no matter how moral, could not have paid for our sins on Calvary. We are all born sinners, all, that is, but Jesus Christ. He was born into humanity to save us from the condemnation of our sins.

While some were saying that Jesus is just a Man, others claimed that Jesus was no Man, but an Angel of God. The Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists and the Muslim cults teach that Jesus was an Angel or an Angelic messenger. But as we come to Hebrews once more we find out, NOT ONLY is Jesus NOT JUST a Man, but

Jesus Is Better Than The Angels

Hebrews 1:4-8 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

We can read the first verse of today’s text:

“Being made so much better than the angels”

Word Study: That’s very plain. Jesus is NOT an Angel, because Jesus is “so much better than the angels”. The word rendered “better” is the Greek kreittōn, which means “being more advantageous, more excellent, stronger, nobler, best or superior to”. This word is used frequently throughout the Book of Hebrews to show how superior Jesus is. God spoke His Word to the Old Testament Saints often through Angels. For instance, God sent the Angel Gabriel to speak to both Zechariah and Mary of Nazareth:

Luke 1:19 (ESV) … I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

To Zechariah the Angel Gabriel brought the news that John the Baptist, the Greatest Prophet who ever lived according to Jesus (Matthew 11:11) would be born out of his Elisabeth. To Mary of Nazareth the Angel came with the great news that she would bear the Son of God. In fact, the Bible says that

Galatians 3:19 (ESV) … {the Law of God} was put in place through angels by an intermediary

God used angels to bring the good news, and to share aspects of the Law of God with humanity through the Prophets. But angels could not bring what Jesus brought. Angels helped bring the Law, and told of the coming Messiah. But Jesus as THE MESSIAH brought us a BETTER {kreittōn} HOPE

Hebrews 7:19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a BETTER {kreittōn} hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

The Law of God – ordained by angels – gave man HOPE that we could be at peace with God, but the Law “made nothing perfect”, for it relied on animal sacrifices at a Temple on an altar. Animals cannot adequately atone for our sins. But Jesus, God become Man, Perfect Man, died once for all for our sins. Because of His Blood shed for us, we stand justified, righteous in the eyes of God. We are, as believers, sons and daughters of God because of our position in Christ.

Jesus took the animal’s sacrificial position for us, so that we could positionally be made sons of God in Him.

The Law was the Old Covenant, the Covenant of works. Sins could only be covered or atoned for by animal sacrifice. Various ceremonial and cleansing laws had to be strictly followed under the first covenant. But Jesus brought in a BETTER {kreittōn} covenant that offered BETTER {kreittōn} PROMISES. We read:

Hebrews 8:6 But now hath {Jesus} obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also {Jesus} is the mediator of a BETTER {kreittōn} covenant, which was established upon BETTER {kreittōn} promises.

Jesus Is MADE BETTER Than The Angels

Hebrews 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels

Word Study: The words translated “Being made” is the Greek ginomai, which means “to come into existence, to come from one form into another”. We studied last week where Jesus Christ is eternal God alongside the Father and the Spirit. In order to save us, He had to enter humanity. God had to become flesh. When the Angel told Mary that she was going to have the Messiah, he said:

Luke 1:35 … The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

God would, through the virgin birth, become Man. Jesus did not become an Angel, but a Human.

Hebrews 1:7 And of the angels {The Lord our God} saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

This is a quotation of:

Psalm 104:4-5 {God Who} maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: 5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

Angels are not like humans. Humans are created from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7; 3:19). But Angels are different in their creation. They are “spirits” (Hebrew rûaḥ, pronounced roo’-akh), which means “like the wind, breath, or spirit”. When Jesus resurrected from the grave the disciples, on first seeing Him, thought He was a ghost or an angel. Jesus said:

Luke 24:9 … a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

Mankind is carbon based, just as the earth is. But Angels are SPIRIT. They are also “a flaming fire”, the Hebrew lāhaṭ ‘ēš (pronounced law-hat’ aysh) meaning “that which blazes and burns but does not burn up”. Angels are like the sun, which is why they are often referred to as “stars” (Revelation 12:4). Angels “excel in strength” (Psalm 103:20), and are so powerful that one angel killed 185,000 armed Assyrian soldiers in one day (1 Chronicles 21:15; 2 Kings 19:35). In the Created Order, Angels are much more powerful than humans. Though Jesus as Infinite God is GREATER than the Angels, in order to become human – like us – Jesus had to become LOWER THAN the Angels.

Humans are LOWER than the Angels. We are not as powerful. They are created of light, and we of carbon.

King David wrote of how God honored humans in creation. He said:

Psalm 8:4-8 (ESV) … what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the {Angels} and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

Humans are LOWER than the Angels, but Jesus as eternal God is HIGHER and greater than the Angels.

The Law could not save us. Angels could not save us. So God lowered Himself, becoming “LOWER THAN THE ANGELS” to bear the wrath that we all so richly deserve.

The Scripture says:

Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Jesus Who is GREATER than the Angels allowed Himself to be made LOWER than the Angels – just like us – so that He could take the penalty of death in our place. We are told again:

Hebrews 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Word Study: The word “inheritance” is the Greek klēronoméō, which means “he is the HEIR”. The HEIR of something is the one who legally is the “next of kin”, the person who will receive properties or goods from a relative. The Angels are not HEIRS of God. They are created beings. We previously studied verses 2-3 which says that “God appointed Jesus HEIR OF ALL THINGS, through Whom HE ALSO MADE THE WORLD”. Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus is eternal, without origin (John 1:1-3). The Angels had beginnings and endings. But Jesus is God. God the Father said of the Messiah:

Psalm 2:7-8 (ESV) … The Lord said to Me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

Everything created – even the Angels – belong to Jesus. He is the Heir of all things. This is why the Bible says:

Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV) Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Both We And The Angels Worship Jesus

Hebrews 1:5-6 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

Jesus is “BEGOTTEN” of God:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Word Study: The word rendered “begotten” is the Greek monogenes. My commentary notes:

“According to the Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (BDAG, 3rd Edition), monogenes has two primary definitions. The first definition is “pertaining to being the only one of its kind within a specific relationship.” This is its meaning in Hebrews 11:17 when the writer refers to Isaac as Abraham’s “only begotten son” (KJV). Abraham had more than one son, but Isaac was the only son he had by Sarah and the only son of the covenant. Therefore, it is the uniqueness of Isaac among the other sons that allows for the use of monogenes in that context. The second definition is “pertaining to being the only one of its kind or class, unique in kind.” This is the meaning that is implied in John 3:16 (see also John 1:14, 18; 3:18; 1 John 4:9).”

There are many Angels, and many humans, but Jesus Christ is unique. He is the monogenes, the unique Son of God. Jesus as God was never created (as we have established before), but “became flesh and dwelt amongst us” (John 1:14). When Jesus became perfect Human, entering the world through the virgin birth, the Father said of Him “let all the angels of God worship him”. This is what happened when – that wonderful night in Bethlehem – the Angel announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds. After the announcement:

Luke 2:13-14 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Angels are NOT to be worshiped. Angels serve as guardians of those who are saved by faith in Christ (Hebrews 1:14). When John the Revelator saw an angel in Heaven, he bowed down to worship it. But the angel said, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets. … Worship God!” (Revelation 22:9). Our Lord Jesus said:

Matthew 4:10 (ESV) … You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.

Only God is to be worshiped. Man is not to be worshiped. Angels are not to be worshiped. Taylor Swift is not to be worshiped. Donald Trump is not to be worshiped. Only God. Jesus is God.

And God the Father directed the angels to worship Jesus. Why? Because Jesus is God Incarnate. To hammer this point home we are told:

Hebrews 1:8-9 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Jesus Occupies A Righteous Throne

Humans sit on thrones. The fallen Angel Lucifer sought to take God’s Throne. But Jesus legitimately sits on an eternal throne. The Bible here quotes the Messianic Psalm:

Psalm 45:6-7 (ESV) Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; 7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;

Jesus sits on a Throne. There are those who say that you can be saved by receiving Jesus as Savior only, and if you later want to do so, you can receive Him as Lord. This is false doctrine. The Bible makes it clear that Christ is to be received as BOTH Lord and Savior. We read in:

Romans 10:9-13 (ESV) … if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

In the early Church Christians would never have been bothered by the Romans and the Pharisees and Chief Priests had they just said “We believe Jesus is Savior”. Had you believed that, and kept your belief to yourself, there would never be any problem. The problem was that the early Church believed Jesus was BOTH LORD AND SAVIOR, and preached this as the Gospel. Christians were not only imprisoned, but KILLED OUTRIGHT because they believed Jesus to be both Lord and Savior. In Acts chapter 5 the Apostles were brought before the Ruling Council of Israel called the Sanhedrim. The Council demanded:

Acts 5:28 … Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.

The Apostles did not hesitate, saying:

Acts 5:29-32 … We ought to obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

The Apostles make some startling claims here. First, “We ought to obey God rather than men”. A “Christian” who claims to be saved, but who will not follow and obey Jesus, is no threat to anyone. I doubt they are even Christian. But second, the Apostles identified Jesus as “Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior”. Jesus is both Lord and Savior. Finally, the Apostles said “God hath given to them that obey him … the Holy Spirit”. Those who OBEY Jesus are given the Holy Spirit. The Bible is clear that:

Romans 8:8-9 … they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Jesus sends the Holy Spirit of God to those who believe on Him, those who have received Him as both Lord and Savior. Obedience to Christ is the condition of receiving the Holy Spirit. Jesus said:

John 14:15-17 (ESV) “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Jesus is both Lord and Savior. We as His people are His Kingdom, the Kingdom of God. We love Him, and we follow Him.

Hebrews 1:8-9 … a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Those who are saved by Grace – like myself – often fail the Lord. But we do not revel in the failure. When we fail, we confess our sin. We repent, and turn back to the Blood of the Cross.

We as members of His Kingdom do not endorse sin, because Jesus LOVES righteousness but HATES iniquity. His scepter is RIGHTEOUSNESS.

What is “RIGHTEOUSNESS”? It is what God has said is right. God is the Creator. Jesus is Creator God.

Hebrews 1:10-12 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

People change. Times change. Fashions change. Our earth changes. In my lifetime I have seen public morality change drastically through the false doctrines of “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”. I read that a “professor” wrote in Scientific American:

“[T]he science is clear and conclusive: sex is not binary, transgender people are real.”

New Atheist and Oxford Biologist Richard Dawkins (who believes there is no such person as God) replied to the foolish professors article:

“This ridiculous article (shame on the once-great Scientific American) ignorantly misunderstands the nature of the sex binary. … Sex is not defined by chromosomes, nor by anatomy, nor by psychology or sociology, nor by personal inclination, nor by “assignment at birth”, but by gamete size. It happens to be embryologically DETERMINED by chromosomes in mammals. … But it is universally DEFINED by the binary distinction between sperms and eggs. You may argue about “gender” if you wish (biologists have better things to do) but sex is a true binary, one of rather few in biology.”

God created all things. He has given everything order. Though we may try to manipulate right and wrong, God has set all things according to His standard. If you are saved by Grace, you are called to live to honor Him Who saved you. There is not an Old Testament God and a New Testament God. What God said is wrong in the Old Testament – unless He has rescinded it – it is still wrong in the New Testament, and today.

Christians, we are to live to glorify Jesus. Jesus is coming again. Until He returns, we are to live for Him. If you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I pray that God the Holy Spirit will pierce the hardness of your heart, and lead you to Him this very day. And once in Christ, I pray that you persevere, loving the Lord Who gave Himself for you.

Amen. So must it be, dear Lord. Amen.

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Exodus 20:15: Thou Shalt Not Steal

Posted on February 23, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-in-handcuff-holding-rolled-dollar-bills-6266297/

Exodus 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.

Just four words in the English, but only two words in the Hebrew, the EIGHTH Commandment says:

lō’ gānaḇ (pronounced gaw-nab’)

The words mean “you shall not carry away or steal”. The earliest use of this word is found in the story of Jacob and his father in law Laban. Laban was aging, and wanted Jacob to stay with him and tend to his herds of goats and flocks of sheep. Jacob agreed to do so, but only if Laban gave him all the speckled or spotted goats and black sheep. Laban quickly agreed to this, as the animals that were spotted or the black sheep were considered inferior quality (Genesis 30:32-36). The majority of Laban’s flock was pure white, and the goats were pure white or black. So it seemed as if Jacob was making a lopsided deal. But Jacob was in communion with God, and the Lord told Jacob how to breed the animals so as to birth speckled animals (Genesis 31:10-12). Laban was trying to STEAL from Jacob, and God wasn’t going to have it. In the end, Jacob ended up with a greater herd of speckled and spotted animals.

God knows the DNA of every person, creature, and living thing. It was nothing for God to direct Jacob in the breeding of animals to enrich His people!

Sadly, when Jacob took his leave of Laban, and carried his superior flocks and herds off, his wife Rachel “had STOLEN (gānaḇ) the idols that were her father’s” (Genesis 31:19). Rather than trust in the Lord as Jacob was learning to do, she superstitiously stole Laban’s idols, thinking they would bring blessing upon the household. Jacob allowed Rachel to keep Laban’s idols until Genesis 35:

Genesis 35:1-4 (ESV) God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.

By keeping idols, Jacob’s family was STEALING GLORY from God. They had to put away all their theft before God could change Jacob to ISRAEL:

Genesis 35:9-12 (ESV) God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.”

While Jacob had family members stealing God’s glory and worshiping false gods, God could not bless him as He wanted to do. With repentance comes blessing. “You shall not steal”.

People Rob From God When They Worship Money

God spoke to His people in:

Malachi 3:8-12 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

God gives us blessing every day. He does not want us to worship that which He has given us, but to worship Him. In faith, we return a portion of our time and tithe (our money) to the ministry of God. In the early Church God established Apostles and Pastors who tended to the Church of Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote:

1 Corinthians 9:7-12 (ESV) Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? 8 Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. 11 If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?…

1 Timothy 5:17-18 (ESV) Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”

When you hoard your money, stashing it away, greedily worshiping it rather than contributing to God’s Kingdom, you have in essense robbed God. Your treasure is not to be your bank account, but God your Savior. Jesus warned:

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

When you leave this earth, your bank account will not go with you, nor will your home, your cars, your four wheelers, your fishing boats, or your businesses. When you stand before God every possession you have held onto a worship will not be with you. All that will be with you is your relationship with the Father through Christ. The Bible says:

Matthew 6:24 (ESV) No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (see also Luke 16:13)

It Is Wrong To Rob God, But It Is Also Wrong To Rob Government

When Jesus walked this earth, a number of groups of people despised what He had to say. One day the Herodians (supporters of Rome and King Herod) and the Pharisees (supporters of the written Law of God and the traditions of the elders) came together to try and trap our Lord. Jesus had been teaching the Jews in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, and large numbers were gathered around Him.

Matthew 22:15-22 (ESV) Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

If Jesus had answered “As a Jew, I don’t want to give to Rome”, the Herodians would have reported Him as a traitor to the nation. If Jesus had said, “Yes, we should pay our taxes to Rome”, the Pharisees would have said Jesus was a traitor to Israel. But Jesus merely had them hold up a coin. Every coin minted is minted by the government. Jesus asked, “Whose inscription is on the coin?”, to which they replied, “Caesar’s”. Jesus said:

render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, that is, Pay your Taxes!

render to … God the things that are God’s, that is, give glory and tithe to the Lord!

The government provides services to its citizens to protect them from foreign invasion and internal evil. The government has been given authority by God to protect not only the people of God, but all citizens so that they might hear the Gospel of salvation. When citizens do not pay their fair share the government cannot hire police, fire, and military services. As I am coming up on tax season (as we all are) I am aware that as an American citizen it seems like – at times – I’m taxed to death. However, taxes pay for services that we all need, whether we like it or not. The Bible tells us:

Romans 13:1-4 (ESV) Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. … 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

The One Who Steals – The Thief – Is Not Saved

Those who are saved by faith in Christ do not follow their old pattern of life. The Apostle said to the Church:

1 Peter 4:15-16 (ESV) … let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

The thief brings suffering on themselves as well as others. Judas Iscariot, one of the Apostles chosen by Christ, “was a thief” (John 12:6). He started out down the wrong path by stealing from the treasury of the Apostles. After a time, the money Judas so wanted led him to selling Christ for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13; Matthew 26:15; Matthew 27:9). After realizing that he was instrumental in the murder of the Lord of Glory, Judas “hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5) and was buried in an unmarked grave in a place called “The Field of Blood” (Matthew 27:8). Peter said of Judas:

Acts 1:17-18 For {Judas Iscariot} was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. 18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

People who steal often believe that they are not hurting anyone – not really – but they are. They are hurting themselves, and those around them. An NPR article entitled “Major Retailers Blame Theft For Their Decision To Close Locations” noted:

“Target announced this week that it will close nine stores in locations where the company has experienced too much crime. Whole Foods and Nordstrom recently closed locations in San Francisco for the same reason. Shoplifting is a problem, and so are looting incidents…”

The largest retailer in the whole world is Walmart. It is closing half its stores in Chicago. One article notes:

“In December 2022, {Walmart CEO Doug} McMillon noted that theft rates at Walmart alone were “higher than what it has historically been” and called it a significant “issue” facing the industry.” Walmart closed 20 locations in 2023 nationwide. “Eight of the closures were in Illinois, two in Oregon, and two more in Georgia, per Daily Mail. The remaining stores were scattered across 12 states, with one closure each in Florida, Washington, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, Texas, Wisconsin, Virginia, Arkansas, and Hawaii. Walmart is one of 19 other retailers that closed a combined 2,847 locations as of Christmas”.

Theft by shoplifting and robbery closes stores down in high crime neighborhoods. Bed Bath and Beyond, Party City, and Rite Aid filed for bankrupcy because of theft. When stores close down in neighborhoods, liberals say that it is because of racism. No, it’s because people steal. There is a principal of retailing that states:

If your OUTGO exceeds your INCOME, your UPKEEP will be your DOWNFALL.

Stores have tried combating this by locking up items most likely to be stolen. Sadly, customers will avoid such places. “Thou shalt not steal”. When you steal, you end up not only hurting others, but you also hurt yourself. God tells His Children – saved by faith –

Ephesians 4:28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

May God touch our hearts with His Word! Amen.

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The Importance Of Walking With Jesus

Posted on February 20, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-person-opening-a-scroll-5986492/

Hebrews 1:1-3 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high…

Why did God give us the Book of Hebrews? Why Is “Hebrews” So Important For Us In America Today?

People are in a constant state of confusion in America. Many children are growing up confused about their sexuality. The vast majority struggling with sexual identity come from broken homes. Their mothers or fathers – or both – abandoned them, abused them in their formative years, and so the child is confused.

A child, like a plant, will only grow and be fruitful in the proper soil and in proper care. Left to its own, the weeds of life take over. Poorly tended, children turn to crime, drug abuse, or confusion of face (furries)!

How are we going to see the rips in American society repaired? Will a political party, some man made “god” do it? No! What will fix the Church in America, the Church that has so compromised that its ministers have become molesters, and it’s mission to fly a rainbow flag? Another denomination isn’t going to fix it.

We need to get back to the Source of Life. We need to get to God. That’s what the Book of Hebrews is about.

Let’s start with the name of the Book, “HEBREWS”. According to Allan P. Ross, the author of the Baker Academic textbook “Introducing Biblical Hebrew” (2001):

“Hebrew belongs to the CANAANITE group of languages. Canaanite languages are a branch of the Northwest Semitic family of languages”

That’s fascinating. Our Old Testament is written in Hebrew and Aramaic, both languages coming from Canaan. Though Canaan was a land of “milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8; Numbers 14:8; Deuteronomy 31:20; Ezekiel 20:15), Canaan was filled with an evil and idolatrous people. Rather than worship the God Who made them, they created their own gods and goddesses. When God sent Israel into Canaan, He ordered that they “utterly destroy all in the cities” (Joshua 6:21). Why did God want the Canaanites all gone? Because God gave the Canaanites a beautiful and bountiful land. God gave them rain in due season, great harvests, and wonderful weather along with fertile soil. Rather than walk with God, the Canaanites despised God, abused that which He gave, and created false gods that they paid homage to.

And their civilization fell apart. They became savage.

Pastor Don Stewart notes:

“The Promised Land in which the Israelites were to settle was populated by the Canaanites who had corrupted and perverted God’s truth. They had corrupted themselves to the place where they were beyond saving. Had any been permitted to live, they would have infected Israel with their moral depravity.”

Canaanites followed false gods. They murdered and abused their children. They rejected a walk with God. In the midst of all this madness, we see God reach out to a person of Canaanite heritage. A HEBREW by the name of Abram.

Genesis 14:13 (ESV) … Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre …

Abram – who would follow God and become known as ABRAHAM – was from Canaanite stock. “Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). God reached out to Abram, Abram didn’t reach out to God. Abram was broken. He had no children, nor any prospect of children. God reached out and called this Hebrew to salvation. God said:

Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV) … Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Abram-Abraham was a pagan who heard a call to salvation, and began to follow the Lord because of it. He separated from his Canaanite family and Canaanite religions to honor the Lord who saved him. What did God promise Abram/ Abraham? He promised Abram a child. God said, “I will fix your broken life and the broken life of your wife if you follow Me”. God promised Abram many children. God said, “I will make of you a great nation”. God promised not only to fix Abram, but to give him a SUPERABUNDANCE OF GRACE. But what else did God promise Abram? God said, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”. God would give Abram GRACE, but a GREAT GRACE would come through Abram’s heritage. Now here’s a question for you to ponder.

What did God NOT promise the Hebrew Abram? He did not promise him HEAVEN. And yet, that is so much of the focus of preaching in America today.

It was through the lineage of Abraham – the Hebrews – that God would send the Messiah. Why did God call out to Abram/ Abraham? To lead him out of the mess of Canaanite society, and to invite him to walk with God Himself. Why did Jesus come to this earth? He came through the Hebrews to give us life RIGHT NOW. It’s not about eventual Heaven. Yes, we want to go to Heaven. The Bible tells us:

John 3:16-20 (NKJV) 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. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

If you walk through this life without Jesus, without the One that the Hebrew Abraham followed, then you have CONDEMNATION. Your life is in pieces. You are not living the life God meant you to live.

Jesus came into this world to not just save you from Hell, but to lead you in this life. He came to take your brokenness and, through His Grace, bless you and give you the life the devil doesn’t want you to have.

The Target Of Salvation Is To Walk With God

Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets

God has been reaching out to mankind since our start in the Garden of Eden. We’re told in verse 1 that God reached out “at sundry times and in divers manners”. This is two Hebrew words, polymerōs polytropōs. The God Who is “the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 40:28) reached out “at many different times, and in many different ways” to SPEAK or COMMUNICATE with us. God wants us to understand that He is the Creator of life. He is our Maker. When we walk apart from Him, we walk in darkness and in misery. God called out men whom He called “prophets”. The Prophets were the oracles of God. They, like Abraham, were willing to listen to God. These men in turn told others what God wanted them to hear.

God kept His Word, and out of Abraham raised up a nation called Israel that was to introduce the whole world to life with God. But Israel went to Egypt, and there got away from God. They gave their hearts to the gods of Egypt, turning back to the darkness. As a result the nation that was supposed to BLESS the world was CURSED in their world. Pharoah told the midwives, those who delivered the babies of the Hebrew mothers:

Exodus 1:16 … When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

When you get away from a relationship with God, He will often allow troubles to come. It is God Who brings stability to our lives.

Jeremiah 3:25 We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.

The Pharoah determined that he wanted the male babies of the Hebrew women to be killed. Had this happened, the Nation that God was going to bless the whole world with would have died out. When the midwives wouldn’t do this evil, Pharoah tried working the Jews to death. As slaves, he made their lives more and more difficult.

Israel cried out to the Lord for salvation when the whip of the taskmaster cut their skin. The prodigal son decided to go home to his father while he was eating out of the hog trough. Trials wake us up and remind us of God.

Israel cried out to God,

Psalm 3:7-8 Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For You strike all my enemies on the cheek; You break the teeth of the wicked. SALVATION BELONGS TO THE LORD … Selah!

When Israel called out to God, repenting and trusting in Him, God heard them. God always hears when we cry out. God called to Moses from a burning bush, saying:

Exodus 3:7-8 (ESV) … I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey…

Israel was saved by calling on the name of the Lord. They heard the voice of the Prophet Moses. God spoke to His people, saying “Follow Me and I will bless you, I will save you from wasted life.

Psalm 116:13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord …

Romans 10:13 … For WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED …

Salvation has always been by GRACE, by REPENTANCE, by turning from yourself and thrusting yourself by faith into the arms of God. Israel was saved by Grace. Abraham was saved by Grace. The New Testament tells us that:

James 2:23 Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. And he was CALLED THE FRIEND OF GOD ..

Romans 4:3 … Abraham BELIEVED GOD, and {this faith} WAS CREDITED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS (a quotation of Genesis 15:6)

Abraham was not saved by keeping a Law, but by loving and following Him Who made us. We are all broken. We think we know best, but apart from God, we do not. When we hear God’s call and follow Him, He covers our sins, and guides us into His light.

Romans 4:6-8 (ESV) … just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

To Be Saved Is To Follow God. Jesus Is God.

Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

God called humans to walk with Him through His prophets. Moses was a great Prophet. But God also wanted us to understand that, though salvation is free to us – it comes at a GREAT COST.

How could God describe the GREAT COST of our salvation? He first did it with the Law, with animal sacrifice. Israel followed the Prophet Moses to Mount Sinai, and there God gave Israel an elaborate series of feasts, festivals, and sacrifices. God established a Tabernacle and later a Temple for worship. The center of the Hebrew’s life was the animal sacrifice. God told the Hebrews to gather

Exodus 12:5 … year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats

The animal was killed as “a sin offering for atonement” (Exodus 29:36). The blood of the blemishless creature COVERED the sin of the people. The Hebrews were to “make atonement for their souls” (Exodus 30:15). The animals were to be killed on an altar to God, then burned to signify the wrath of God being poured out on the blemishless creature for the penitent sinner. The animal suffered the punishment of sin. The animal sacrifice was prophetic, for it had no ability to actually pay the price of sin. Salvation is a gift of Grace, but Someone MUST pay the penalty of sin, which is death.

Some 80 times in the Bible God through the Prophets spoke of ATONEMENT, the covering of sin. In each instance, an animal without blemish was PUNISHED, killed and BURNED to pay for the sins of the people.

Word Study: The word ATONEMENT (Greek katallagē, “Reconciliation with God”) is only found FOUR TIMES in the New Testament (Romans 5:11; 11:15; 2 Corinthians 5:18; 2 Corinthians 5:19). In these passages it never refers to an animal sacrifice – but to what Jesus did for us. For instance, the Bible says:

Romans 5:8-11 (ESV) … but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation (ATONEMENT (Greek katallagē).

We have “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). In the Old Testament, the Hebrew was called to walk with God by faith, and to temporarily cover his sins by animal sacrifices. In the New Testament “we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son”. The Old Testament Law was a shadow, looking forward to the Messiah. We now walk with God by faith in Jesus Christ, believing that HIS DEATH ATONED FOR OUR SINS.

It was prophesied in the Old Testament that God Himself would come into humanity. The Scripture says:

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (meaning “God with us”)

This Messiah would come forth from God to be born in Bethlehem:

Micah 5:2 (ESV) But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

This Messiah is Jesus. He would come into the world to ATONE for our sins, so that we can, by Grace, walk with God. We are told later in this Book of Hebrews:

Hebrews 10:5-10 (ESV) Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; 6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’” 8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

God was never satisfied with the sacrifices of animals, no matter how spotless they appeared. God never considered the sacrifice of animals to be an atonement for sin. No, the Messiah must come. The Prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah.

How Much Does God Want You To Walk With Him?

The Jesus that God sent into the world is no mere Man. We are told:

Hebrews 1:2 {God} Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

The Jesus Who came into this world is co-eternal and co-equal with God. Though He took upon Himself humanity, being made of virgin and Holy Spirit, Jesus is the Eternal Word of God. The Scripture says:

John 1:1-3 (ESV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

When God said “Let there be Light”, and there was Light, JESUS WAS THAT LIGHT (Genesis 1:3). God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit made life. When you walk with Jesus, you are walking with the Creator of Life:

John 1:4 (ESV) In Him {Jesus} WAS LIFE, and the life was THE LIGHT OF MEN …

Before Jesus Christ “the Word became FLESH and DWELT AMONG US” (John 1:14), Jesus is co-equal and co-eternal with the Godhead. Jesus is no mere man, a sinner like us.

Jesus is Eternal God Who BECAME FLESH so that He could BE MADE SIN FOR US, that is, in our place. “God the Father MADE Jesus to BE SIN FOR US; that WE might BE MADE the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The Bible says of Jesus that

Colossians 1:13-17 (ESV) {God the Father} has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom {Jesus} we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 {Jesus}| is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by {Jesus} all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

In Jesus, all things are held together. YOUR LIFE WILL FALL APART IF JESUS IS NOT IN IT!

Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

Jesus is the Maker of all things, so He is the HEIR of all things. It is Jesus Who holds all things together. It is Jesus Who “by himself purged our sins”. I read somewhere that in all of the Temple, there was no place, no chair for a Priest to sit down. The Priests worked around the clock, making sacrifices, and had no time to sit. But Jesus, once He purged our sins by dying in our place, He “sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high”. When He said from the Cross,

“It is finished” (John 19:30)

He drank the Cup of punishment for us. Instead of giving us a Cup of punishment, Jesus gave us a Passover Table and a Cup to remind us:

Matthew 26:27-28 (ESV) … {take this Cup}, drink of it, all of you; for this is My Blood of the {New} Covenant, which is poured out for many FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS …

If you have believed on Jesus, then the Bible says:

Ephesians 1:5 (ESV) {God the Father} has PREDESTINED US FOR ADOPTION AS SONS THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, according to the purpose of His will…

We are not what we were, but are “new creatures in Christ”. We have received “the Spirit of adoption as sons” (Romans 8:15), and await eagerly for our Heavenly redemption (Romans 8:23). We are not saved by Law, but by the Blood of Him Who satisfied the Law. Now saved, we DO NOT TURN THE GRACE OF OUR GOD INTO LASCIVIOUSNESS (Jude 4), denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. We live our lives following Him Who saved us, pleasing Him in all that we do.

May God touch your hearts with His Word and Spirit. Amen.

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The Seventh Commandment – Love, Not Lust: Marriage Is Sacred

Posted on February 16, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/aerial-photo-of-man-and-woman-lying-on-grass-field-265722/

We’ve been studying the Ten Commandments the last few weeks. Tonight we’ll look at one of the most violated of the Ten:

Exodus 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Sexual Sin Destabilizes Nations, Ruins Churches,
and Cripples Families

Several years ago I predicted that the push for the normalization of homosexuality would lead to other sexual perversions. The “flavor of the day” is now called “polyamorous”. The Colson Center notes:

“… polyamory is the practice of having more than one sexual partner. In other words, it is what was called (until yesterday) “promiscuity.” However, as with each prior stop on the slippery slope of undefining marriage and the family, this one also abounds with creative euphemisms like “open relationships,” “non-monogamy,” “throuples,” “swingers,” and (worst of all) “polycules.” {A} New York Times article listed a bevy of new TV shows, movies, and books promoting polyamory as fun and even beneficial—a journey of “self-discovery” that could liven up your “marriage”.

A bumper sticker reads, “Life is short. Have an affair!”

The Huffington Post ran an article a few years ago entitled “There Are Now Greeting Cards For Cheating Spouses. (Yes, Really.)” that’s the actual title. One card said,

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Forget that I’m married,
I’m hitting on you!

That was the cleanest card I saw – others I can’t read from a public pulpit. If you type in “Greeting Cards For Adulterers” in an internet search engine, you’ll get over 3 million sources and sites where you can order such atrocities. Some of the cards depicted people with animals. Another source mocked the 7th Commandment of God, saying “Adultery is ok!”.

God recognizes (but has never endorsed) that sexual sin exists, even among His people. As Jesus was teaching one day, the Pharisees asked Him, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?”. Jesus quickly replied:

Matthew 19:4-6 (ESV) “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

The Pharisees then asked Jesus, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” They were referencing the Law in:

Deuteronomy 24:1-4 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, 2 and if she goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3 and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife, 4 then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the Lord. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.

Jesus corrected the Pharisees. They asked, “Why did Moses COMMAND a certificate of divorce”? God through Moses NEVER COMMANDED a certificate of divorce. God recognized in the Law the failing and sinfulness of man. He said, in essense, “IF you take a wife, THEN later are dissatisfied and YOU CHOOSE TO GIVE HER a DIVORCE – then once she’s been with another man sexually YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO TAKE HER BACK INTO YOUR BED”. Why did God put these requirements in the Law? Jesus said:

Matthew 19:8-9 (ESV) “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

Under the Law – which could only PROSCRIBE (forbid) and PRESCRIBE but not cure – divorce was ALLOWED but not COMMANDED. It is only under the NEW COVENANT that God, because of the shed Blood of Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, could the heart be CORRECTED.

God was NEVER for divorce, as Jesus makes clear. God realized that as humans we are broken, and thus our relationships would be broken. Thus God said “In your brokenness I will allow you to divorce THOUGH I AM AGAINST IT”. God condemned His Old Covenant people for their laxity in maintaining sexual purity. He said:

Malachi 2:13-16 (ESV) … You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. 16 “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”

God made marriage to be one man and one woman united together in one covenant for life. In Deuteronomy God was actually saying, “don’t divorce … BUT IF YOU DO, and she marries another, don’t make claim on her as you wife again.” To do so would be to take another man’s wife, and THAT my friend IS ADULTERY.

Polygamy, Now Popular, Is Not New.
It Was In The Old Testament World.

Did God’s people follow God’s pattern of marriage? No, they didn’t. Polygamy – the marriage between one man and multiple wives – was common in the worldly culture of the ancient world. God did not endorse it, but it happened.

Abraham had two wives, Sarai and her maid Hagar (Genesis 16:3). This caused numerous problems for Abraham and his progeny, Israel. Israel’s current war over the Gaza strip is because the children of Hagar, the Arabs, want the land that the children of Sarah have, the Jews. Throughout the Old Testament and to the present day Abraham’s poor decision in taking Hagar to wife has plagued his children, both Arab and Israeli.

Jacob had four wives (Genesis 30), King David had many wives (2 Samuel 5:13), and his son Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines or mistresses (1 Kings 11:3). Each man suffered terribly in their lives, bringing wars into their families and among their children, because they violated God’s Law of marriage. As many wives as David had, he actually stole another man’s wife – Bathsheba – then had that man {Uriah} murdered in combat. God told David:

2 Samuel 12:9-12 (ESV) Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.

David was soundly punished for his act of adultery and murder. As he did, it would be done to him. Though David repented, God required the consequences of David’s actions to follow him till he passed from this life. When God commanded:

Exodus 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Word Study: He was warning us against a terrible poison. In the original Hebrew text there are only TWO WORDS here:

lō’ nā’ap̄ (pronounced naw-af’)

Literally “NO ADULTERY”, or more specifically, “NO BREAKING THE BOND OF MARRIAGE”. God in the Law required that the sin of adultery be treated just as a murder would be treated. If you were caught in adultery, the state (in this case, Israel) was to put you to death. The Bible says:

Leviticus 20:10 And the man that committeth adultery (nā’ap̄) with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery (nā’ap̄) with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterER (nā’ap̄) and the adulterESS (nā’ap̄) shall surely be put to death.

Both The Law And Jesus Are Against Sexual Sin

One day Jesus was teaching, when the Pharisees brought a woman to Him, saying “Master, this woman was TAKEN IN ADULTERY, IN THE VERY ACT” (John 8:4). They reminded Jesus that the Law of Moses required she be executed, then asked Jesus what He thought should be done. Jesus did not initiually respond to them, but instead said:

John 8:7 … He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

Jesus was actually quoting the Law of God. God said in Deuteronomy 17:6-7, “The HAND OF THE WITNESSES SHALL BE FIRST TO PUT HER TO DEATH, and afterward the hand of all the people” (Deuteronomy 17:6-7). If these men “CAUGHT HER IN THE VERY ACT” then, as witnesses, they should cast the first stone. Further, if they caught this woman “IN THE VERY ACT”, then where was THE MAN?

The Law demanded that BOTH the adulteress
AND the adulterer be executed.

Jesus used the Law, and put it back on the “witnesses”.
He caught them in a lie, and they knew it!

After they left, Jesus asked “Where are your accusers?” The woman replied, “None accuse me, Lord”. Jesus then replied,

“Neither do I condemn you: GO AND SIN NO MORE”

Jesus did not justify her act of adultery, but recognized it as sin. Nonetheless, Jesus followed the Law explicitly. As the man was not there, the woman could not lawfully be tried. Jesus told her to “GO AND SIN NO MORE”. This is God’s standard for the believer in Him. God has given us commandments that are for our own good. The Apostle said:

1 John 5:1-3 (ESV) Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

God’s commandments – including this Seventh Commandment – are NOT burdensome, but are a blessing. In the hardness of our hearts we often turn away from what God has directed, but we break ourselves when we break God’s Commandments. Sexual immorality destroys lives. The Apostle reminds us of the dangers of sexual sin. He writes:

1 Corinthians 10:8 (ESV) We MUST NOT INDULGE IN SEXUAL IMMORALITY as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day …

The Apostle is referrring to when Israel bound herself sexually to the daughters of Moab, followers of the pagan god Baal (see Numbers 25:1-9). God sent a plague on Israel that killed 24,000 people – 23,000 of them in one day! When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the Priest stood up and publicly brought the death penalty on a high ranking tribal head named Zimri the son of Salu and Cozbi the daughter of Zur for their adulterous activity, God withdrew the plague from Israel.

Beloved, as the children of God we are NOT to minimize sexual sin and the destruction of Biblical marriagew, regardless as to who it upsets.

I recently watched a “Priest” wearing a rainbow painted scarf say “God is gay. God is a lesbian. God is trans. God is gender non-binary. God is straight. God is cis gender.” This is not the God of the Bible. God never endorsed people’s sins. Jesus came commanding that we follow Him, regardless as to how it effected our status with our families. Jesus said in:

Matthew 10:34-38 (ESV) Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

The Scripture repeatedly calls the believer to walk apart from sin. We are called to “live lives worthy of the calling you received” (Ephesians 4:1). We are told “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND” (Romans 12:2). Saved by Grace, as Christians we “declare the praises of Him WHO CALLED US OUT OF DARKNESS, and INTO HIS WONDERFUL LIGHT” (1 Peter 2:9).

As Christians, we honor our God when we live not to please the world, but to please our God (John 15:19; 17:15-18).

1 Thessalonians 4:3 (ESV) For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality

and again,

Colossians 3:5 (ESV) Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

and again,

Proverbs 6:32 (ESV) He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself.

If you will not follow Christ on this earth, you need not believe that you will follow Him in Heaven. Saved by Grace now, we live to honor Him. Dear friend, do not believe that you can reside in sexual sin, and will one day enter Heaven. The Bible is clear:

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (ESV) Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:5 (ESV) … you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Revelation 21:8 (ESV) … But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

Those who are saved remain in the bonds of marriage, loving the Lord by loving their wives and husbands. May God help us to keep our marriages fully focused on honoring our God and Savior. Amen and Amen.

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The Sixth Commandment: Life Is Sacred

Posted on February 13, 2024 by bibleteacherorg

Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.

Poor Mr. Smith! Let’s Ignore The Victim.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is in an uproar again. The state of Alabama executed convicted murderer Kenneth Smith using Nitrogen Gas, in a procedure called nitrogen hypoxia. Smith was a part of a crew hired to murder Elizabeth Sennett. He and John Forrest Parker stabbed her to death in her home, on instructions from her husband. Convicted of murder, Smith sat on death row over 20 years. He was executed almost 36 years after he brutally assisted in murdering this woman. Alabama had tried to execute him by lethal injection (the procedure used to kill Parker) but failed because they were unable to find a suitable vein. Executed by nitrogen hypoxia, the ACLU said “Mr. Smith shook, convulsed, writhed, and gasped for minutes until he was pronounced dead at least 22 minutes after the execution began, though just how long it took is unknown since Alabama closed the execution curtain before the official time of death”.

I wonder how long Elizabeth Sennett “shook, convulsed, writhed, and gasped” as Smith and Parker drove knives into her body? Did those men deserve to die because they callously took her life? Does the state have the right to execute murders? The answer to both questions is an emphatic YES!

Tonight we’re going to look at The Sixth Commandment, and what this commandment entails. The world’s oldest profession is farming, as Adam was placed in the “Garden of Eden to work it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15).

The first sin ever committed was to ignore the clearly presented Word of God (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-7) in order to follow self. The second sin committed was when Cain ignored God’s Word as his father Adam did, and murdered his brother (Genesis 4:6-8).

Murder and killing has been with humanity since our beginning. The prohibition on murder is the one command that everyone agrees with, though not everyone agrees with how murderers are to be dealt with. Three well known characters in the Bible, Moses (Exodus 2:11-15), King David (2 Samuel 11), and the Apostle Paul before he was saved (Acts 8:1; 22:19-20; 26:9-11) were guilty of murder. Moses killed an Egyptian Taskmaster. King David killed Uriah, so he could take his wife in adultery. Saul, before he was Paul, murdered Christians. All three – though never executed – suffered horribly because of their actions.

God told David that “the sword will never depart your house because you despised Me, and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own wife” (2 Samuel 12:10). It is a universal Law of God …

Galatians 6:7 (ESV) Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

David’s conscience bothered him his entire life. In Psalm 51 he wrote “my sin is ever before me” (vs 3) and “deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation” (vs 14). Not only did David have to contend with his conscience, his son Absalom rose up against him, and sought to murder his own father so he could take the throne of Israel. Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness of Midian a fugitive because of his actions. The Apostle Paul never forgot what he did, saying “I am CHIEF OF SINNERS” (1 Timothy 1:15).

Murder is a sin that demands the greatest of punishments. Though the first murderer, Cain, was not executed for his sin, he was marked for life (Genesis 4:15) as a living sign that God despises murder! Life is a sacred gift from God.

In America, someone is murdered every 30 minutes. In 2023 there were 18,450 people murdered in the United States, close to half the population of Maury County. Though the ACLU would have you believe that America has the highest homicide rate, we have about 7.8 homicides per 100,000 people. Any murders are too many, but third world countries like El Salvador, Jamaica, South Africa, Nigeria, Mexico, etc, have 4 to 6 times higher numbers. The farther a people get away from the God of the Holy Bible, the more cavalier they are about the value of life.

Slide 4

Proverbs 29:18 (ESV) Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.

Children are fed a diet of video games simulating murder and mayhem, and television often glorifies the taking of life. One source I found noted that by the time an American youth reaches 18 years old, that child will have witnessed 80,000 murders by television, movie, or video games.

What Does The Sixth Commandment Forbid?

Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.

Word Study: The Sixth Commandment is only 4 words in the English, but just two words in the Hebrew: lō’ rāṣaḥ (pronounced raw-tsakh’). Literally, these words mean “No Murder” or “No Assasination”. The word is only found 47 times in 40 verses in the Bible. There are other Hebrew words in the Bible for “kill”, but rāṣaḥ refers to unlawful killing.

Not all killing is unlawful. Some killing is decreed of God, Who is the Giver of life. Murder is when you take life outside of the will of God.

For instance, God allows you to defend yourself and your property. The Bible says:

Job 24:14 (ESV) The murderer rises before it is light, that he may kill the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief.

Exodus 22:2-3 (ESV) If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, 3 but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay.

If someone sneaks into your home and tries to do you or your family harm, you are allowed to kill that person. If the sun is up, and you can thwart the invader without killing him, you should do so – for life is precious. But God does not expect you to allow others to sneak in and hurt your family.

In the Book of Esther, there was a plot against the Jews. The King of Persia allowed Mordecai to write an edict of protection for Israel, saying:

Esther 8:11 (ESV) … saying that the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, and to plunder their goods …

The purpose of government is to protect the lives of its citizens. When King David directed that General Joab “set Uriah {the husband of Bathsheba} in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down and die” (2 Samuel 11:15) David was guilty of murder for hire. As leader of Israel, it was his responsibility to protect the citizens of Israel (and Uriah was a good citizen), not to us his office to murder a man to take his wife in adultery. God condemned David, saying:

2 Samuel 12:9 Why have you DESPISED THE WORD OF THE LORD, TO DO WHAT IS EVIL IN HIS SIGHT? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites …

Was it wrong for Alabama to execute Kenneth Smith? Is this murder, and forbidden by the Sixth Commandment? Absolutely not! Government is ordained of God to protect the lives of its citizens. God told humanity when Noah disembarked from the Ark:

Genesis 9:3-6 (ESV) Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

God established human government to protect the lives of its citizens. When a person violates the will of God, God has the right to receind the life that He gave. God told Israel as they gathered at Sinai for the giving of the Law:

Exodus 19:11-13 (ESV) … be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. 13 No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”

God demanded that His Presence and His Word be respected. If anyone treated God’s Presence in a cavalier manner, God demanded that the COMMUNITY TAKE THAT LIFE. The Apostle Paul talks about the responsibility of human government to exercise CAPITAL PUNISHMENT in:

Romans 13:1-4 (ESV) Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

God ordains government to “BEAR THE SWORD”, that is, to execute capital punishment on those who threaten the life of its citizens. We are not to avenge ourselves (“do NOT avenge yourselves; leave room for God’s wrath … vengeance belongs to God, He will repay” – Romans 12:19). We are to allow God’s government to avenge murder. In the same Book that God forbade MURDER, He said:

Exodus 21:12-14 (ESV) Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. 13 But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. 14 But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

In the Law of God, the Lord differentiated between MANSLAUGHTER and MURDER. Murder was intentional. Manslaughter was accidental. Those guilty of manslaughter could run to a city of Refuge, and would not lose their lives. But the willful murderer was to die! Period!

In Numbers 35:9-34 God told Israel to set up six …

Numbers 35:11-18 (ESV) cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. 12 The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. 13 And the cities that you give shall be your six cities of refuge. 14 You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. 15 These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there. 16 “But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. 17 And if he struck him down with a stone tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. 18 Or if he struck him down with a wooden tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.

The MANSLAYER who accidentally and unintentionally killed someone could go to a city of refuge, and there have his or her case examined. If the action was unintentional, the person stayed at that city of refuge – kind of like a better class of prison. But if it was intentional, God decreed “The murderer shall be put to death”.

Accidental deaths were considered MANSLAUGHTER, but deaths that could have been prevented but were not were also considered acts of murder. For instance, in the holy land the people of Israel often spent the hottest days on the roofs of their homes. God told the Israelite:

Deuteronomy 22:8 (ESV) When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.

A “parapet” is a low, protective wall or guard rail along the edge of a roof, bridge, or balcony that keeps someone from accidentally walking off the side. If you failed to put up a parapet, then you brought “the guilt of blood upon your house”, that is,you could bew considered a murderer. You knew better, and heard God’s decree – but ignored it and someone died. One Jewish Commentary notes:

“The parapet had to have a minimum size of 10 hand-breadths. The law of the parapet applies only to flat roofs on which people can walk. The Talmud (Bava Kama 15b) records that the second-century teacher, Rabbi Nathan, extended the law of the parapet to prohibit keeping a vicious dog or a precarious ladder in the home.”

Again, the difference between murder and manslaughter is based on intent and deliberation. The Bible says:

Exodus 21:28-29 (ESV) When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable. 29 But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death.

If a person owned an ox – which was commonly used to plow fields – if that ox gored someone and killed them, the ox was to be put down while the owner was fined (see verses 30-32). However, if the ox had gored someone before “and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in”, then BOTH the ox and the owner were to be executed. Why? Because the owner showed the same carelessness for life that a common murderer would have. It was a preventable death, and hence was MURDER.

Why Does God Require The Death Penalty For Murder?

God is the Giver of Life, and so God has the right to remove life any time He desires. When God takes life, He is not murdering – He is just removing the gift He gave. When the earth became so filleds with evil that God determined it was unredeemable, the Bible says:

Genesis 6:11-13 (ESV) Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

The Bible says “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). God can do what He will with His creation, just as you can do with what belongs to you. But Beloved, your soul is the Lord’s. He says, “BEHOLD, EVERY SOUL BELONGS TO ME” (Ezekiel 18:4). You were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), and were made to glorify God. When you murder someone, you are taking something that does not belong to you. As Job said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21). God can do what He wants with what is His – but we have no right to take life outside of the will of God.

As we have said before, the taking of life inside of the lawful government of nations is not murder. Divine punishment is not murder. The soldier who takes life under the direction of lawful government authority is not a murderer. Accidental killing is not murder.

Murder is to unlawfully and unbiblically take a life. Suicide is self murder. Abortion is murder (Psalm 51:5; Luke 1:15; Psalm 139:6). Murder is horrible, because it robs God of His property, and fails to honor the God Who gave that life. God can forgive the murderer, because He has forgiven murderers. God forgave Moses, King David, and the Apostle Paul.

God can use the murderer for His glory. But unless God intervenes – and He has the right to intervene – the murderer is supposed to pay life for life under capital punishment.

God can use the murderer. God used a murderer named Barabbas to execute His Son for our sins. The day that Jesus died for us on Calvary, the Governor Pilate offered to release Jesus and execute Barabbas. The crowd cried out:

Luke 23:18 (ESV) … Away with this man {Jesus}, and release to us Barabbas…

The Lord of Life died instead of Barabbas who deserved it. The Bible says “{Pilate} released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.”

Barabbas was a known murderer (Mark 15:6-7) but Jesus, Who had done no wrong, went to the horror of the Cross. Peter preached:

Acts 3:13-15 (ESV) The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.

Jesus was murderered in a murderers place (Acts 7:51-53) for our sins, according to the Will of God (Acts 2:23-24; 4:27-28). Murderers do NOT go to Heaven (Revelation 21:8) unless they receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. He died for us all, so that we might all find life in Him.

Life is precious. The root cause of murder is selfishness, and self centered lovelessness (Matthew 5:21-22; 1 John 3:15-18). Jesus died on the Cross so that He might defeat the sin that so enslaves us, and ruins our lives. Life is precious. God does not want us squandering the great gift He has given us. Jesus was murdered for us, so that rising from the grave He could offer us lives that we cherish and enjoy. I will close with this passage from Hebrews:

Hebrews 12:22-24 (ESV) … you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

When Abel was killed by Cain, his blood cried out for vengeance. God said to Cain, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.” (Genesis 4:10-11). But when Christ was murdered, His Blood cries out in a different way. PastorDan Shambro wrote:

“Abel’s blood cried out, ‘Let my murderer be cursed in payment for my death’. Jesus’ Blood cries out, ‘Let My death be the curse in payment for My murderers.”

Murder must never be justified by the state. But those on death row have hope, the same blessed hope we all have. They have Jesus. If they would but turn to Him, repenting, their next chapter will not be eternal punishment but everlasting life. Oh, that all people would discover the joy of life in Christ. May God the Holy Spirit draw you to Christ this very day. Amen and Amen.

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The Fourth Amen

Posted on February 13, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Karolina Grabowska: https://www.pexels.com/photo/lonely-woman-crying-with-closed-eyes-4471316/

2 Peter 3:14-18 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of {of Christ} in peace, without spot, and blameless. 15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. 17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. 18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. AMEN.

The Fourth Amen Sums Up The Christian Way Of Life

Peter’s last letter to the Church closes with the word “AMEN”. Amen is an interesting word. It is a UNIVERSAL word. “Amen” in the Greek text, the text of our New Testament, is amēn. “Amen” in the Hebrew text, the language of the Old Testament, is āmēn. “Amen” is found in every language on the earth, though it is pronounced differently. It is a unique word that means “let it be fulfilled” or “so be it” or “this is truth”.

When you say “Amen” you are not only agreeing with what is being said, but are claiming ownership.

In Peter’s first letter to the Church, he used the word “AMEN” three times. In the first “AMEN” he gave all glory and power and praise to Jesus Christ. When we SPEAK, our words are to MAGNIFY CHRIST and not ourselves:

1 Peter 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. AMEN.

1 Peter 5:11 To {God} be glory and dominion for ever and ever. AMEN.

The life of the Christian is to glorify God, not ourselves. In the third “AMEN”, we glorify God by loving one another and lifting up one another – by PUTTING OTHERS AHEAD OF OURSELVES.

1 Peter 5:14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. AMEN.

Jesus Christ is THE AMEN, the Faithful and True Witness – The Beginning of the Creation of God (Revelation 3:14). We glorify Christ when we put God and others FIRST, and ourselves LAST. The essence of Grace is that God must be glorified by the lives we live.

The fourth and final AMEN is at the close of Peter’s second book. He says:

2 Peter 3:17-18 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. AMEN.

Before the AMEN there is a warning against “being led away with the error of the wicked”. We who are Christians need to be very careful as to who we follow. Then we are told “But grow in grace”. We are warned not to be led away by the error of the wicked, BUT to GROW IN GRACE. There are two things put before us.

Anything NOT of GRACE is ERROR.
We are to GROW in GRACE.

We as Christians are to be focused on growing in Grace. Now first of all, we are not told that Grace grows. Grace doesn’t grow. I have heard – and have said myself – that an acronym for GRACE is

God’s
Riches
At
Christ’s
Expense

I believe that’s a good definition in once sense. It is the Grace of God that came to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We are told in:

Titus 2:11 For the GRACE OF GOD THAT BRINGETH SALVATION HATH APPEARED TO ALL {PEOPLE}

God manifested Himself through Christ, bringing Grace to whoever believes in Him. But Grace does not just save us – Grace changes us. The Apostle went on to say:

Titus 2:12-15 {this GRACE} TEACHES US that, DENYING UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY LUSTS, we should LIVE SOBERLY, RIGHTEOUSLY, AND GODLY IN THIS PRESENT WORLD; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR US, THAT HE MIGHT REDEEM US FROM ALL INIQUITY, and purify UNTO HIMSELF A PECULIAR PEOPLE, zealous of good works.

Grace does not just save from the wrath of God, but creates children of God who want to follow Christ. Grace is not just something that gets you into Heaven, but Grace is something that gets Heaven into YOU! Our Lord Jesus “was made a little lower than the angels FOR THE SUFFERING OF DEATH …. that HE BY THE GRACE OF GOD SHOULD TASTE DEATH FOR EVERY PERSON” (Hebrews 2:9). It was Grace that paid for our sins. It is Grace that leads us to walk with Christ. As the Apostle addressed the Church of Corinth, a Church that seriously misunderstood Grace, he wrote:

2 Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

Christians Are To GROW IN GRACE, Not In SELF

2 Peter 3:17-18 beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. 18 But grow in grace

The phrase “grow in grace” presupposes that you are a living creature. A rock cannot grow. A dead thing cannot grow. A branch cut from a tree cannot grow. Grace is first found in the first book of Scripture. Grace is God’s undeserved goodness on us all. God created a man that He called “Adam”, and gave Adam a beautiful wife called “Eve”. Adam was given undeserved life, and placed in a perfect Paradise called the Garden of Eden. Man and woman was given the directive to “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). Everything that Adam and Eve had was a blessing. It was a gift of Grace, something undeserved and unearned. They just had to follow God. They had to do what God said. What did they do?

They were led away with the error of the wicked.

The devil, in the guise of a serpent (Revelation 12:9), convinced them to depart from Grace and satisfy themselves. To put themselves above God. To make themselves gods, rather than love the Lord Who gave them Grace. God told Adam, “in the day that you eat of the forbidden, YOU SHALL SURELY DIE” (Genesis 2:17). Adam heard and understood these words, but followed the devil rather than God. Being “led away with the error of the wicked” Adam and his progeny DID DIE. Beloved, “The WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH” (Romans 6:23). As the Scripture says:

Romans 5:12 … by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

The error of the wicked one spread through humanity. But the Grace of God was still there. Though God could have destroyed Adam, and with him his progeny, God clothed Adam and Eve, and sent them from the Garden. But Grace gave them life.

The evil one is always striving to lead us to walk away from Grace, and to make ourselves the center of all things. He whispers to us, “you are gods”, and bids us reject the Grace of God for our own glory. Those who are lost in sin follow the darkness of the evil one. Christians are not to do this. The Scripture says:

2 Corinthians 5:17 (AP) Therefore, is ANYONE IS IN IN CHRIST, they are NEW CREATIONS; the old has passed away, the NEW HAS COME!

Christians are to GROW IN GRACE, not to imitate the world. If you are not growing in Grace, you may yet be dead in your sins. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “This is GOD’S WILL, your SANCTIFICATION”. Sanctification is a technical term for growing to be more like Jesus, more like a child of God. You as believers are commanded to GROW IN GRACE. God would not command that you do something impossible.

God has given us His Spirit and His Scripture and His Sanctuary. Our eyes are to be on Him. Jesus said “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12). He said, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness” (John 14:26). We GROW IN GRACE, not in sinfulness. If we are saved, we walk loving God our Father. We walk surrendered to Christ and his Word. You are saved, a DELIVERED PEOPLE:

Colossians 1:13-14 {God} hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

God Has Given Us Beautiful Pictures Of
Growth In Grace In His Scripture

As I thought and prayed, “How can I explain GROWING IN GRACE”? the Lord spoke to my heart. “I’ve given you all you need – use it!” The first time the word GRACE is found in the Bible is:

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

God looked at the world, and all the world had ignored Him, and had been led away by the wicked one into evil. The Bible says that “Noah WALKED WITH GOD” (Genesis 6:9). Noah was saved by Grace, because he laid his life before the Lord. Noah didn’t follow the crowd, but followed the Lord. A recipient of Grace, Noah was fully saved. Then God came to Noah.

Noah, build an Ark of gopher wood. Make it the way I tell you. I’ll guide you, but you GROW IN GRACE. Rely on Me. Do what I say, for a flood is coming. Trust Me no matter what, and I’ll see you through.

Can you imagine the ridicule that Noah went through? He built an Ark, and told others that God said a flood was coming by RAIN. No one had ever seen rain, as the earth was watered by a “mist from the earth” (Genesis 2:6-8). Pastor Andy Manning said:

“There are {only} two options. You are either being led away, or you are growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. There is no standing still in the Christian life. There is progress, or regress. The spiritual life is a steep mountain; you are either ascending or descending. It is a battle, you are either advancing or retreating. It is a race; you are either winning or losing. You are growing, or you are backsliding.”

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “The only way to avoid falling in the Christian life is to advance. The only way to avoid slipping back is to go forward. There is no such thing as being static in the Christian life ..”

What if Noah had said, “Well, I’m saved, so I’ll just REST IN GRACE. God said to build an Ark, but its too hard. I think I’ll just sit here until I drift into Heaven.” Do you know what would have happened had Noah done that? He would have drowned with the rest of the world, he and his children. All would have died – including you and I – if Noah had not GROWN IN GRACE.

There’s another person that comes to my mind when I think of GROWING IN GRACE, and that is the shepherd boy called David. When King Saul failed to honor God, abusing His Grace, God rejected him as King and sent the Prophet Samuel to the home of Jesse the Bethlehemite to find a more suitable King for Israel. As Samuel examined each of the children of Jesse, strong young men, to Samuel they all looked powerful enough or smart enough to be King. But God told Samuel:

1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV) … Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

The Lord looks on the heart to see if you have surrendered to His Grace. Are you following the evil one, or seeking Him? Seven sons passed by Samuel, and to each son God said “I do not want this person – he has rejected My Grace”. Samuel asked if Jesse had any other children, and Jesse said “I have one other young son – my eighth. He is watching the sheep.” When Jesse brought David to Samuel, God said “Anoint him as King – he is the one” (1 Samuel 16:12). What made David special.

David loved the Lord. David received God’s Grace.

Did David ascend to the Throne of Israel right then, or did he seek out a following to help promote him to the Throne? No! David relied on the Grace of God. David GREW IN GRACE. He went back to the field to watch the sheep until King Saul called for David, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep” (1 Samuel 16:19). David went to the court of the King, and waited on the King, playing the harp for him.

To grow in Grace is to be like David. Though anointed King, he served the King because it pleased God his Father. David waited, and grew in Grace.

When you wait on the Grace of God, glorifying the Lord Who saved you, in time He will give you other opportunities for growth. When Israel went to battle the Philistines a giant by the name of Goliath came out and mocked Israel. This Goliath was arrogant, and brash, crying out “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together” (1 Samuel 17:10).

The armies of Israel quaked, fearing every man to go forward.
King Saul refused to fight. He was not willing to grow in Grace.

Then David came along. “For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26). The children of Israel hid. His brothers mocked him. Who was David to criticize them? Well, David was a nobody who knew Somebody great. While in the pasture guarding the sheep – the lowest job in the household – David used his sling and sword to kill predators. David told Saul,

1 Samuel 17:34-37 (ESV) … Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Growing in Grace means to not make everything about YOU, but about the Lord. Growing in Grace means to step outside your comfort zone, and live to glorify God. David grabbed a lion by its beard and killed it. David killed bears with his sling and a stone. He did it to glorify God, and to honor his father. David was anointed King, but was content to wait on the Lord, to trust in Him until the time was right.

When David got ready to fight Goliath, Saul tried to give him his armor. David said, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them” (1 Samuel 17:39). David did well by trusting in the Lord, by growing in Grace. He knew that Grace would give him all he needed to defeat Goliath. He was God’s man. Hear what it sounds like to grow in Grace. David told Goliath:

1 Samuel 17:45-47 (ESV) … You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.

What if David had cowered with the rest? What if David would not go forward until he had a Sherman Tank, or a machine gun, or the skills of a Ninja warrior? That’s not growing in Grace. Growing in Grace is living surrendered to the will of God, to the glory of God. What was the outcome? David killed the Philistine with a sling and a stone – using Goliath’s own sword to cut off his head. And when David won that battle and King Saul asked, “Whose son are you, young man?”, David simply replied:

“I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
1 Samuel 17:58

I am nobody. I am a recipient of Grace. I am growing in Grace, honoring my father and my Lord.

Growing In Grace Often Requires Suffering

As Peter talks about growing in Grace, he speaks about the Apostle Paul.

2 Peter 3:15-16 … account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

Before he was Paul, Paul was SAUL, a Pharisee commissioned to hunt down and destroy Christians. Saul was very religious. He knew the Law, and was trained by the famed Rabbi Gamaliel in the Torah and Talmudic writings. As he traveled the Damascus Road one day, seeking to imprison more Christians, Jesus knocked Saul down and reached out in Grace to him. God said of the newly saved Paul:

Acts 9:15-16 (ESV) … he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.

Wait a minute! I’ve heard the televangelists tell us that the whole purpose of GRACE is to RELIEVE SUFFERING, to keep us from Hell. Beloved, they have lied to you. Grace certainly saves from hell, but Grace demands you follow Christ. Following Jesus will put you on a different path from the world. The world walks in darkness. The world is “led away with the error of the wicked”. The world follows self and Satan, sin and silliness. But we who are recipients of Grace are to “Grow in Grace”, to learn reliance upon the Lord more and more.

As God used Paul to preach the Gospel of salvation, God used him in a mighty way. But Paul never took credit for that. He said,

1 Corinthians 15:10 … by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Paul was fully reliant upon the Lord. He GREW IN GRACE. One day, the Bible says that God intentionally sent trials to Paul. We read:

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 … lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 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. 10 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.

Growing in Grace is only possible when God takes away your own strength, your own abilities, your own self. Paul realized this. Like the Shepherd David, Paul was saved by Grace, and grew in Grace. Every day of his life he relied upon the power of God.

Some of you have thorns in the flesh. You can give in to the thorns. You can cry over what you have lost. Or you can use the time of suffering as a time to grow in Grace. If you are saved,

1 Peter 2:9-10 … ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

As recipients of Grace – the undeserved mercy of God – let us follow Him and love Him, no matter where life may lead us. When we suffer, let us draw near to Him in prayer. When we do not understand, let us increase our knowledge of Christ.

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

As Christians, let us live to learn more about Jesus. Jesus is not just our Savior, but He is “our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. Let us live to bring glory to Him – not to ourselves. For one day we will see Him face to face. On that day we will either receive reward for honoring Him through the Grace He gave us, or damnation for rejecting His Grace, “being led away with the error of the wicked”. It is “the TRUE GRACE OF GOD wherein we STAND” (1 Peter 5:12).

We stand with Jesus, because Jesus stands with us. Amen and Amen.

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Growing Victorious In This Viperous World

Posted on February 7, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by RUN 4 FFWPU: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-ripping-finish-line-strap-2524739/

2 Peter 3:1-2 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: 2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior:

In this wonderful chapter of my life – serving the Lord as a pastor and an unworthy servant – I have read many books and listened to sermons from men who were considered “greats” in our faith. The past 25 years or so I have been shocked at the fall of many of the great pastors and preachers. Johnny Hunt has been accused of sexual harassment, and is suing the SBC contrary to the direct teaching of the Scripture (1 Corinthians 6:1-11). Ravi Zacharias, a prolific author and well known apologist, was discovered (after his death) that he was systematically and sexually abusing women. Paige Patterson the former president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, was fired for improper behavior. Bill Hybels resigned from Willow Creek and Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill amidst charges of abusive leadership. Perry Noble was fired from his church for alcohol abuse. The grandson of Billy Graham, William Graham Tullian Tchividjian resigned as pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian due to an extramarital affair. Just yesterday, I read of a horrible misstep by Alistair Begg. On his “Truth For Life” radio program, Begg was asked by a grandmother what she should do about her grandson. Her grandson wanted to marry his same sex lover, and asked the grandmother to attend the ceremony. Begg said, “I suggest you do go to the ceremony. And I suggest that you buy them a gift.” American Family Radio dropped Begg’s program after this. As Christians, we are commanded to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).

Attending a homosexual marriage and giving a gift is no different from going to an abortion and holding the hand of the person killing her child. By your actions you are saying you approve!

Ever since the Devil possessed a snake and slithered into the Garden of Eden, he has proved over and over again that he is the dark master of deception. As I speak of fallen Pastors – men I did learn from who were at one time great men of God – I am not jeering. There but for the Grace of God go I! How can we as Christians Live Victorious In This Viperous World? Today Peter is going to give is four steps we need to follow that will guarantee the devil won’t get the upper hand on our lives.

1st Key To Growth: Cherish The Word Of God

2 Peter 3:1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance…

Word Study: Why were the Scriptures given to us? Because God loves us. We start out seeing that Peter calls the believer “beloved”, the Greek agapētos which means “someone well and dearly beloved, highly esteemed, worthy of love”. The Father used this word for Jesus when He said, “This is My BELOVED (agapētos) Son, in Whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17; 17:5). Throughout the writings of the Apostles, the Church is collectively called “Beloved” (Romans 1:7; 9:25; 12:19; 1 Corinthians 10:14; 15:58; 2 Corinthians 7:1, et. al.). The Bible tells us that …

Ephesians 1:6 … {God the Father} has made us ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED…

Because Christ is God’s Beloved Son, and we have received Christ as Lord and Savior, we too are “Beloved Sons and Daughters”. Not because we are worthy, but because HE is worthy. God now applies this same word to the Christian four times in this chapter alone. We see it not just in this verse, but in:

vs 8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing …

vs 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things …

vs 17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before …

God gave us His Word because He loves us. He gave the greatest Sacrifice He could give to redeem us. God gave us His Beloved Son, sacrificing and punishing Him Who was sinless in our place. God gave us His Word to not only construct us into New Creations, but to Complete us. We are God’s Beloved. We have a destiny. As Beloved members of His Kingdom, He gives us HIS WORD to cherish and learn. We are told in:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV) All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Word of God is eternally secure. It contains the will of God for our lives. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:25). Our Lord Jesus said in John 10:35, “The Scripture cannot be broken”, and the Psalmist in 119:89, “Forever, O Lord, Your WORD is SETTLED in Heaven”. It was the Word of God that brought light into the darkness. “Let there be Light” (Genesis 1:3), our God commanded, and there was Light.

In the Old Testament God spoke to His people through Prophets. In the New Testament, God the Son hand picked Apostles to train and broadcast His Word. The writings of the Apostles were given …

Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

The WORD of God saved us from this world. The WORD of God raises our thinking above the doctrines of this world. Jesus said:

John 15:19 (ESV) If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

And again in John 17:6 as Jesus prayed, He said “Father, I have manifested Your Name TO THE PEOPLE WHOM YOU HAVE ME OUT OF THE WORLD” (ESV). Christians are not to be part of this world in their mentality.

There is a great and ongoing battle between Satan and the Church, striving for the mind of the Christian.

1 John 2:15 (ESV) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Christians are called out of the darkness of this world, with its philosophies and foolishness and lewdness and sloppy thinking. 2 Corinthians 4:6 tells us “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” We are not to let the fads and fashions of our day drive our minds. We are to be driven by Scripture, by what God has said.

THE INTENT OF THE SCRIPTURAL WRITINGS is to …

2 Peter 3:1 … stir up your pure minds

Word Study: The word “pure” is the Greek eilikrinḗs, which means “that judged by light”. God wants the believer’s mind to be genuine, uncorrupted by the perversions of the scoffers and false teachers who are always about. We should not be driven by lusts, but by the Scriptures. The intent of the Scripture is to “stir up” (Greek diegeirō), “to awaken or arouse, to make active” your spiritual thought process and therefore your activity for the Lord.

2 Peter 3:2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior:

We are not to fill our minds with the gobbly-dee-goo that the world vomits out, but with the Word of God. By emphasizing the “holy prophets” along with the “apostles”. The early Church grew by leaps and bounds because …

Acts 2:42-43 … they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

The written words of the Apostles formed our New Testament, and were ordained of God. The Apostle wrote:

1 Corinthians 14:37-38 (ESV) If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. 38 If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.

The Bible is the Word of God, and is accurate in all that it affirms (John 17:17). God has not left us as His people drifting – “We have the MIND OF CHRIST” (1 Corinthians 2:16). We have the WORD OF GOD.

2nd Key To Growth: Avoid The Junk Food

2 Peter 3:3-4 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

The devil is watching this Church, and what we are preaching! Last Wednesday I preached on the Fourth Commandment of God, and explained why we worship Jesus on the “First Day” of the week and not the “Sabbath”. If you weren’t here or didn’t listen online, I can’t re-preach this today. If you’d like a copy of the manuscript, tell me as you leave the Church and I’ll mail one to you. Whether you were here or not, the Devil was watching. During the course of the message I spoke of the “Seventh Day Adventists” and some of the strange doctrines they have taught.

On Friday I received this book in the mail, called “The Great Controversy”. It’s a beautiful book, very heavy, printed on beautiful paper with a ribbon bookmark in it. On the spine the author is listed as “White”. The title pages tell me the author is “E.G. White”. Who is this? It’s Ellen G. White, a false prophetess and false teacher from the “Seventh Day Adventists”. The Adventists were originally called “Millerites” because they followed the false prophet William Miller. Miller prophesied that Jesus would return in 1843 or 1844. He “prophesied” this though our Lord Jesus Christ Himself said,

Matthew 24:26 (NKJV) But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

The Bible says that Jesus will return “as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10). Nonetheless Miller said that God told him when Jesus was returning. When Jesus didn’t come as he “prophesied”, the Millerites disbanded. But another false prophet rose up out of the Millerites, saying that Miller was right – Jesus did return – but He didn’t come to earth but to the Heavenly Temple. This false prophet was the 17 year old Ellen G. Harmon, after her marriage to an Adventist preacher she was known as Ellen G. White. Her followers believe her writings to be the “The spirit of prophecy” written about in Revelation 19:10.

Seventh Day Adventists do not believe the soul is immortal, nor do they believe that hellfire is eternal. They teach that Jesus Christ is actually Michael the Archangel, that when you die your soul sleeps in the grave, that the wicked are burned up rather than punished with torment, and used to teach that those who worship on Sunday have received the mark of the beast. If that were true the Apostle would not have written:

Colossians 2:16-17 (ESV) Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

Most Adventists are vegan, and will not eat meat. This is because Ellen G White, their false prophet, taught them that it is wrong to eat meat – even though the Bible says:

1 Timothy 4:1-5 (ESV) Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

When the Apostle Peter was in prayer, God showed him “a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” (Acts 10:11-13). God would not have told Peter to KILL and EAT what he saw if God commanded we be vegan. It is false prophecy!

2 Peter 3:3-4 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

“SCOFFERS” rise up within the Church, like White and her ilk. “SCOFFERS” rise up outside the Church, mocking the precepts of God. The word “SCOFFERS” is the Greek empaiktēs, which means “false teachers who mock or deride”. Pharisees mocked Jesus when what He taught did not go along with the “truths of the elders”. When Jesus told them “You do the deeds of your father, the devil” (John 8:41), they mocked Jesus, saying “WE are not born of FORNICATION – WE have only ONE FATHER, God” (John 8:41). They mocked the virgin birth of Christ, implying that His mother Mary had Him out of wedlock. The chief priests, teachers of the Law and the elders (Matthew 27:41) MOCKED Christ, even as He hung dying on Calvary.

These scoffers, these false teachers are not just religious, but secular. I was listening to comedian Bill Burr the other day when he began to mock God. He said, “It kills me when someone says I’m going to be judged one day. God made me this way. God gave me free will. He had to know this would go off the rails. If I made a car, and it was messed up, I wouldn’t burn it forever. I’d examine it, and fix it.” Oh, as he mocked God, the crowd cheered and jeered. Of course, the idea that there is a God Who will judge us is ludicrous. Or is it? Bill, a human is not a car. A human is made in the image of God, given an eternal soul. When you die,

Ecclesiastes 12:7 (NLT) … the DUST WILL RETURN TO THE EARTH, and THE SPIRIT WILL RETURN TO GOD WHO GAVE IT.

God said, “ALL SOULS ARE MINE: the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is MINE: the SOUL WHO SINS shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). The human soul is immortal because it is in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), and were designed to walk with God. If we, using our free will, refuse to come to Christ and honor God by believing in Him, we will leave this life to enter a place of eternal torment. God said of the wicked “their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched” (Isaiah 66:22-24). The Prophet Daniel said “some shall awaken to everlasting LIFE, others to everlasting CONTEMPT” (Daniel 12:1-2). Jesus preached often on Hell (Matthew 18:6-9; 25:31-46; Mark 9:42-48), and taught that the unrepentant rich man “died, and in HELL lifted up his eyes, BEING IN TORMENTS” (Luke 16:23-31).

There will always be scoffers, scorners, mockers and false teachers. Turn off that television and go back to the first key to growth – cherish the Word of God.

The 3rd Key To Growth: Understand
The Patience And Longsuffering Of God

2 Peter 3:5-7 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

We must understand that God’s timing is NOT our timing. However, GOD’S WORD IS SURE. When God made the Heavens and the earth, He did so BY HIS WORD. The Psalmist said,

Psalm 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

God spoke all things into existence. It is His Word that gives light and life. “Through FAITH WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED BY THE WORD OF GOD, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3).

The Word of God that made all things is the same Word of God that makes the Christian.

We are “born again, not by corruptible seed, but by incorruptible seed, BY THE WORD OF GOD, which lives and abides FOREVER” (1 Peter 1:23). It does not matter what the scoffers say. It does not matter what the world says. What God has said stands true. Jesus Christ is coming again. When? The scoffers say, “all things are as they were. Jesus has been gone over 2000 years. Surely we have misunderstood. Surely, if He’s not come yet, He’s NEVER coming – or He came spiritually and we didn’t see Him!” No, dear fools. The Bible says:

Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

When Jesus returns it will be sudden – and you’ll know it. Why does He wait? The Bible says:

2 Peter 3:9-10 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Why does God wait? Why did He wait for E.G. White? Why did He wait for Bill Burr? Why does He wait for YOU. YOU have had plenty of time to surrender to Christ, to give your life to Him, to receive His salvation. Though the Scripture says “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. ” (Hebrews 3:12-13). Yet you tarry. You refuse Him Who calls you to salvation. The same was true in Noah’s Day. That good man preached the flood, the coming judgment, but none would REPENT (Mark 6:12; Luke 24:47; Acts 3:19; 17:30). God tarries because He loves deeply. He allows the wicked one more day. Though “NOW is the DAY OF SALVATION” (2 Corinthians 6:2) they harden their hearts (Psalm 95:7-8). Then they die suddenly, their soul called home by the Creator Who made it. What comes then? THE JUDGMENT (Hebrews 9:27). Oh, that they had called on Jesus when they could. Oh, that you had not heeded the scoffers.

Holy Spirit, break their hearts. Draw them to Christ today!

The Final Key: Live Out Your Faith

2 Peter 3:11-12 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

IF you are Christians, your life – and your eternal life – are gifts from God. We should be living our lives without compromise, following the Lord our Savior. Let us:

1. Cherish the Word of God
2. Avoid the nonsense of the false teachers
3. Understand that our God is longsuffering and loving

Live your lives, if you are Christians, looking toward eternity. You do not know when God is coming to take you home. Live every day for Him, honoring Christ in your lives. I close with:

2 Peter 3:15 … And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation…

He has given us one more day to live in His Kingdom, and perhaps to lead another to trust in Christ. Let us not be lethargic in our faith. Tell others. Tell others. Live for Him. We are not promised tomorrow, let’s live for Him today. Amen and Amen.

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The Fifth Commandment To Honor Your Parents

Posted on February 1, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Elina Fairytale: https://www.pexels.com/photo/smiling-family-sitting-by-christmas-tree-5860054/

The last few weeks we have looked at the Ten Commandments of God. To review, the First Commandment is that “You will have no other gods before Yahweh”. Our God is #1! The Second Commandment is that “You will not create any idol of any type to worship or bow down to”. For this one we show the picture of the bowing number 2. The Third Commandment is that we will not “Take the Name of Yahweh in vain – to dishonor God with your lips”. The number 3 looks like a set of lips. The Fourth Commandment is to “Remember the Sabbath”, or to take one day in seven and dedicate it to the Lord. As Christians we do this on Sunday. The number 4 looks like a book end for a Bible. Now we come to the Fifth Commandment:

Exodus 20:12 Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

A Lawyer asked Jesus one day, “What is the “Great Commandment” in the Law?” (Matthew 22:35-40). His intent was to “tempt”or test Jesus, so as to show Him to be a fraud. Our Lord didn’t hesitate. He said:

Matthew 22:37-40 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Our Lord divided the Ten Commandments into two great Commandments. When we look at the Ten, the first Four Commandments are summarized as “To love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, ALL your soul, and ALL your mind”. The last Five Commandments: you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet another’s property; are all summarized by “You shall love your neighbor as you want to be loved”.

The Fifth Commandment to honor your parents is a hinge that connects the two great commandments. Your parents teach you to love God with your ALL, and to love others the way you want to be loved. The civility of a nation is determined by whether this commandment is honored or not.

The Office of Parent Was Designed By God
To Be Representatives For God

Exodus 20:12 … HONOR thy father and thy mother …

Word Study: The word translated “HONOR” is the Hebrew kāḇaḏ, which means “to ascribe weight to, to give glory to, to recognize as rich or valuable”. The same word is used in:

Psalm 22:23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise Him: all ye the seed of Jacob, GLORIFY (kāḇaḏ) Him …..

Psalm 50:15 {God said} call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt GLORIFY (kāḇaḏ) Me …

Parents are not to be worshiped as we worship God – this would be a violation of the First and Second Commandments. But Parents are designed by God to be His representative on the earth. When God made Adam and Eve, the Bible says:

Genesis 1:28 (ESV) God blessed THEM. And God said to THEM, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

God blessed the first Couple, and gave THEM DOMINION or control over “every living thing that moves”. The husband and wife were to be a team, the father and mother, the PARENTS. They were to rule the earth and all living things under their control which INCLUDED THEIR CHILDREN. Parents were to teach their children to love God with their ALL (the first Four Commandments) and to love and respect OTHERS the way that they wanted to be respected and loved (the last Five Commandments).

Parents stand in the gap, teaching children to love God and to be good citizens.

Pastor and Bible Scholar Steven J. Cole stated:

“If we are rebellious and disrespectful toward our parents who gave us life and sustenance, we will also probably be rebellious and disrespectful toward the Lord God, our creator and sustainer. Disrespect toward parents and God will also carry over into disrespect for all authority, and thus will result in a breakdown of law and order, leading to a disintegration of the very basis for civilized society. Thus the keeping of the Fifth Commandment is not some outmoded, quaint idea to be set aside without consequence. It is vital to the survival of our nation.”

The reason we as a nation are failing is because the Office of Parent has been destroyed by free sexuality and promiscuity contrary to the command of God. Children are taught how to relate to others in the home, long before they ever are released into the wild. Satan has so confused our nation that we no longer can identify what a woman is or what a man is. Children are fed a diet of books like “Jennifer Has Two Daddies” or “A Tale Of Two Daddies”, or “Heather Has Two Mommies”. They are told that the normal family can be two people of any gender, just as long as they “love” one another. What’s wrong with that? It is contrary to the standard of Christ.

The Pharisees asked our Lord Jesus about marriage and divorce one day. What was Jesus’ response?

Mark 10:6-9 … from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

God’s standard was to male them MALE AND FEMALE. The MALE AND FEMALE were to multiply, that is, reproduce. These PARENTS who are FATHER and MOTHER were to rule and guide the children. And the children were to honor and obey their parents as long as the parents did not direct them to violate the Laws of God. Though humans in a misbegotten desire to be “progressive” may twist and pervert the family unit, God said to “HONOR thy father and thy mother. Children are to be punished for violating the Ten Commandments, as these laws lay the basis for an orderly and civil society. How serious was God over parental guidance of the children? The Bible says:

Exodus 21:14-15 … if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die. 15 Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.

God considered a child who so disrespected their parents so as to strike them to be as worthy of death as a premeditated murderer! God said in:

Deuteronomy 21:18-21 (ESV) If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, 19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, 20 and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21 Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

Why so harsh? The Parent is the first authority that the child will know. The father and the mother, as God’s representatives, are to teach the child to respect authority and to live civilly with others. The child who will not respect authority in the home will grow up to be the adult disrespectful of order in society.

Both Father And Mother – Though They Themselves Are Imperfect – Are To Be Honored

Proverbs 1:8 Hear, my son, your Father’s instruction, and forsake not your Mother’s teaching.

Proverbs 23:22 Listen to your Father who gave you life, and do not despise your Mother when she is old

Illustrate: Children who are not raised to respect the authority of their father AND mother grow up to be adults who are confused and lawless. They make bad employees, terrible companions, and frightful lawbreakers. I stood watching a child destroy DVD covers at a local Walmart one day while the mother watched. When the young boy of color started tearing up the THIRD DVD I politely asked him, “Son, is that YOUR property?” The mother glared at me, grabbed his hand, and stomped off. I will guarantee you that the mother who does not teach her child to respect the property of others was herself a child who was not taught and corrected. Bad and spoiled children make bad and spoiled children.

Certainly parents will make mistakes. Parents, though called by God to represent God to the child, are imperfect. But even if imperfect, the child is still under the command:

Ephesians 6:1-3 (ESV) Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

One of the earliest examples of disrespect toward a parent is found in the Noahic Account. When the flood waters receded and God blessed Noah and his family, the Bible says that:

Genesis 9:20-21 (ESV) Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent

Noah, a man who found “Grace in the eyes of God” (Genesis 6:8), a man who faithfully preached of coming destruction while he built an Ark – 120 years!, “planted a vineyard”. Making wine, Noah “became drunk”. That’s a sin! Believers are to …

Romans 13:13 … walk honestly, as in the day; NOT in RIOTING and DRUNKENNESS …

Those who are MURDERERS or those who pursue DRUNKENNESS are warned that THEY SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD (Galatians 5:21). Noah should not have gotten drunk. Yet even believers in Christ, recipients of Grace, fall short at times. This is not to justify what Noah did by any means. “Do NOT BE DRUNK WITH WINE, for that is excess; but BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT” (Ephesians 5:18). No, Noah had no excuse. As a man of God he should not have gotten drunk. As a parent, a father with three young boys, he should not have gotten drunk. But Noah failed God, just as we all do at time. He failed miserably, and ended up drunken and unclothed. The Bible says:

Genesis 9:22-24 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him …

One of Noah’s sons Ham came and found his drunken, naked father stretched out. His father had sinned against God. Rather than cover his sin, out of respect for his father, the Bible says that Ham goes outside and tells his other brothers about it. The commentaries I have read said that Ham was mocking or making light of what his father had done, and then went outside to enlist his brothers into doing the same. When Shem and Japheth heard what Ham had to say, rather than mock their father they took a blanket and, walking backwards out of respect for their father, they covered his sinfulness. When Noah woke up, he cursed his son Ham, saying:

Genesis 9:25 “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

Noah did not curse HAM, but he cursed HAM’S SON CANAAN. Why is that?

Canaan was cursed rather than Ham, because disrespect of the parent is transmitted – like disease – from generation to generation.

Because the effects of violating the Fifth Commandment pass down from generation to generation. Ham had no respect for his father, and by gazing at him and mocking him, tried to enlist his other brothers into doing the same. Ham’s son Canaan would see this, and pass this same disrespect down to his children. Canaan and his children would settle in a land called “Canaan”. The people of that land would be so sinful and out of control, that when God sent His people Israel into that land He told them:

Deuteronomy 20:16-17 (ESV) In the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you.

I have read commentaries that detailed the Phallic Religions of Canaan. They often committed group orgies while false priests beat on human skin covered drums. Children were sacrificed in the fire to appease their gods. When God examined the cultures of those Canaanites, He wanted Israel to not just push them out of the land. God said:

1 Samuel 15:3 (ESV) Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.

I’m sure as you read this you are thinking this is horribly excessive. And yet, when the Fifth Commandment goes out the window, all the other Commandments are forfeited. Anarchy and hatred becomes the rule of the day. Children raised lawlessly are belligerent, and many times cannot be corrected. The Apostle Paul, writing of the degeneration he was seeing in the Roman Empire, said:

Romans 1:28-30 (ESV) … since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents …

Rome was not destroyed from without, but from within. Because children were not taught to respect authority, they grew up into adults that did not respect authority. In time, Rome was led by greater and more perverse children in adult bodies. Eventually Rome and all its glory died.

America is heading the same way, dear friends.

Parents Are To Remember They Represent God When Training Their Children

Right after the Scripture says:

Ephesians 6:1-3 (ESV) … Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

It continues with … Ephesians 6:4 FATHERS, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Our society tells us that fathers are unimportant, that a child doesn’t need a father. Yet that is wrong. God makes children using fathers AND mothers, and both are needed to raise children. In August of 2022 the State Auditor of Mississippi, Shad White, released a study called “Dads Matter: The Taxpayer Cost of Fatherlessness”. In the summary we read:

“engaged fathers are critical for a healthy society. By comparison, fatherlessness creates myriad costs, both social and economic. Studies show that fatherless children do not go as far in school, have more health problems, and are less financially secure as adults. Other studies show fatherless boys are more likely to become men who enter the corrections system. Still more research shows fatherless girls are more likely to become teenage mothers. Both incarceration and teenage pregnancy are strongly associated with the high school dropout rate. ”

Mississippi spends approximately $180 million each year to incarcerate men from fatherless homes.

If that’s true in Mississippi, what do you think the total across the United States is? Fathers matter, and what fathers do matter. Fathers are commanded to “bring {children} up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord”. Whether a child can play “Grand Theft Auto” or some video game is of little consequence. Fathers are to be engaged in teaching their children, both sons and daughters, to love the Lord with their all. The Scripture says:

Colossians 3:18-21 (ESV) Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

We are to follow the pattern of the family as God has given it in the Scripture. The husband – a man – leads and loves the wife and family. The children obey their parents, both father and mother. And fathers are to encourage and train their children, teaching them the two Great Commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, strength, and love your neighbor as you yourself would be loved.

We Are To Imitate Jesus In Following The Fifth Commandment

Our Lord Jesus obeyed and honored His parents. In Luke chapter 2 when Jesus was about 12 years old, Mary and Joseph took Him to the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem. Part of a caravan, they left at the end of the Feast, but unknown to them Jesus stayed behind. When they discovered Jesus was missing, they returned to Jerusalem and found Jesus sitting in the Temple, teaching the Rabbis the Word of God. Mary asked Jesus, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” Jesus replied, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Jesus was honoring His Heavenly Father first. But the Bible says that:

Luke 2:51 {Jesus} … went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them.

Jesus, though “God with us” (Matthew 1:23), in His humanity was the Son of Mary and the stepson of Joseph. Jesus honored His earthly parents, just as the Fifth Commandment directs. One of the first miracles Jesus ever did was turning water into wine at a Wedding Feast in Cana of Galilee (John 4:46). Mary was related to the Bride and Groom, and was invited to be there, along with Jesus and His disciples. As the Wedding celebration proceeded they ran out of wine. Mary called Jesus to the side:

John 2:3-4 … the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

When Mary told Jesus they were out of wine, Jesus explained that it was not the best time for Him to do anything. Mary didn’t argue with her Son. She expected Him to make the wine situation go away. He was able. He is God incarnate. There is nothing Jesus can’t do but sin. Guess what? Jesus obeyed His mother. He HONORED her, as He should have. The commentaries note that Joseph was not at the Wedding Feast, possibly because he was deceased. But Mary as Jesus’ parent was to be honored.

When Jesus hung dying for our sins on the Cross, Mary His mother and the Apostle John stood at the foot of the Cross watching. Joseph was no longer with the family, so Jesus was the head of the household. Knowing that He would not be around to look after His mother, the Bible says …

John 19:26-27 When Jesus therefore saw HIS MOTHER, AND THE DISCIPLE STANDING BY, WHOM HE LOVED {John}, He saith to His mother, “Woman, behold thy son”. 27 Then saith He to the disciple, “Behold thy mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her into his own home.

Jesus honored His parents. Jesus heeded His earthly parents, and honors His Heavenly Father still today. He set the pattern for obeying the Fifth Commandment.

In Conclusion

Exodus 20:12 Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Children who honor their parents are promised long lives. But children who are disrespectful of their parents often find their lives cut short. The Bible tells us of King David’s third son Absalom. Absalom rebelled against his father, and actually tried to kill David so that he could take the Throne of Israel. In the Battle of Ephraim (2 Samuel 18:9-17) Absalom’s long hair got caught in the branches of a tree, and his mount left him dangling in the air. David’s General Joab found him that way, and together with ten other soldiers stabbed him to death. Absalom was 29 years old.

The Judge and Strongman Samson died at a younger age than he should have because he would not heed his parents. His parents told him to leave Philistine women alone (Judges 14:2-3). He wouldn’t listen, and only judged Israel 20 years, probably dying before he was 30 years old.

But Joseph, the son of Jacob honored his father, and forgave his brothers for their treachery. Loving God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength, Joseph lived with honor, and became the highest ruler in Egypt next to the King. Honoring his parents, Joseph became the key to the growth of Israel as a nation. The Bible says:

Proverbs 10:27 (ESV) The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.

Proverbs 30:17 The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures.

I’ll end with this illustration by Joy Davidman from the book, Smoke on the Mountain:

{There was} an old man who lived with his son and daughter-in-law because he had no where else to go. The old man’s hands trembled. When he ate, he clattered the silverware, often missed his mouth with the spoon, and dribbled some of his food on the tablecloth. The daughter-in-law hated having him there because he interfered with her right to happiness. So she and her husband took the old man gently but firmly and led him to a corner of the kitchen. There they set him on a stool and gave him his food in an earthenware bowl. From then on he always ate in the corner, blinking at the table with wistful eyes. One day his hands trembled more than usual and he dropped the bowl, which broke. “If you are a pig,” said the daughter-in-law, “you must eat out of a trough.” So they made him a little wooden trough, and he got his meals in that.

This couple had a four-year-old son they were quite fond of. One night the father noticed the boy playing intently with some bits of wood and he asked what he was doing. “I’m making a trough,” he said, smiling for approval, “to feed you and Mamma out of when I get big.” The man and his wife looked at each other for a while and didn’t say anything. Then they cried a little. Then they went to the corner and took the old man by the arm and led him back to the table. They sat him in a comfortable chair and fed him his dinner on a plate. From then on nobody scolded him when he clattered or spilled or broke things.

What you sow, you will reap. Honor your parents!

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The Lord Knows, Part 2

Posted on January 29, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Brett Sayles: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-mountain-hill-1121887/

2 Peter 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Review And Opening Comments

The last few weeks we have been looking at 2 Peter 2, as the Apostle discusses false prophets and their danger to the Church. False prophets – like the Pharisees who plagued Jesus – are ravenous wolves. Our Lord said:

Matthew 7:13-15 (ESV) Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. 15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

The way to Heaven is a “narrow gate” and a “HARD WAY”. It doesn’t follow the crowd, but Jesus.

Many follow the wide and easy path, a way that Jesus said “LEADS TO DESTRUCTION”. The false prophet always offers the easy way, the cheap way, the shortcut that doesn’t lead to Heaven but to Hell.

In 2022 Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research (a Southern Baptist entity) did a study of “The State of American Theology”, that is, what people in America believe about God. Some of the news was good.

7 in 10 Americans believe God is Triune, one God in Three Persons.
2 out of 3 Americans believe that God cannot make a mistake.

But then we drift – badly.

2 out of 3 believe that God accepts worship from ALL religions.
53% of Americans believe Jesus was a great teacher, but not God.
59% believe the Holy Spirit is a Force, not a Person.
66% say that “Everyone sins a little, but most are good by nature”.
51% say that “The Bible is 100% accurate in all it teaches”.
52% say that “The Bible has the authority to tell us what to do”.
66% say that “Worshiping alone or with my family replaces regular Church attendance”. Church is not essential to the Christian way of life.

How did this worldview take over a nation that was started by Pilgrims seeking religious freedom? It was because of false prophets that infiltrated the Church of Christ. This is why Peter spends so much time addressing the evil of the false prophet. The shocking truth about false prophets is:

The False Prophet Knows The Right Path, But Forsakes
That Path For Another god

2 Peter 2:15-16 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbade the madness of the prophet.

Word Study: The false prophet is not someone who is sincere, but become deluded. The false prophet knows what the right way is, but they have “forsaken the right way”. The Greek for “forsaken” is kataleipō, which means “to depart from or leave behind, to abandon something to go another way”. The word was used for Jesus when he “LEFT {kataleipō} Nazareth to dwell in Capernaum” (Matthew 4:13). The false prophets know the right way – but have walked away from what is right. They are “gone astray”, planaō, “wander from truth, to be led into error, to choose to be deceived, to leave the right path”. They are, like Jesus said,

Matthew 15:14 … blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Illustrate: In the United States alone, some 600,000 people get lost in woods or forested area every year. Why do they get lost? First, they leave a designated trail. Second, going off trail they do not use a compass. Or third, off trail without a compass they follow someone who doesn’t know the way. Christians, we must stay on the designated trail, the Word of God. Our compass is God the Holy Spirit. Be careful who you follow, for if they do not refer to the Scripture – they themselves are deliberately lost.

False teachers are not usually deceived or tricked into what they teach, but choose to follow another god.

To help us understand what he’s saying, Peter refers to “Balaam the son of Bosor”. This is one of the most interesting passages in the Bible. In the pages of Scripture, there are two instances of talking animals. In the Garden of Eden Satan possessed a serpent or snake (Genesis 3:1, Revelation 12:9; 20:2), and through that creature enticed Adam and Eve to sin. In Numbers 22 we see a talking donkey that the Angel of God possesses. Whereas the talking Serpent led man astray, the talking Donkey led Balaam away from doing evil.

The Bible tells us that Israel was “camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan river at Jericho” (Numbers 22:1, AP). The King of Moab, Balak (bālāq, “the devastator”), son of Zippor, had witnessed how Israel had soundly defeated the Amoritesin the power of God. Israel was like a “Superman”, and Balak wanted to find the Kryptonite to destroy them. “Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel” (Numbers 22:3). So King Balak devised a plan.

He sent for “Balaam the son of Beor” (bᵊʿôr, “A burning lamp”). Peter doesn’t use the name “Balaam the son of Beor”, but the Greek equivalent “Balaam the son of Bosor”. The word “Bosor” means “a burning lamp”. Balaam was a Prophet, and as a Prophet was supposed to represent God Who is Light (1 John 1:5). Balaam also had somewhat of a relationship with God. My commentary notes:

“The best textual evidence suggests that Peter wrote, “Balaam, the son of Bosor,” Bosor being a play on the Hebrew word basar, flesh. Thus Peter indicated Balaam’s immoral character by calling him the son of flesh.”

Though Balaam’s god was the flesh, or what satisfied himself rather than glorified the Lord, the Lord did talk with him. King Balak of Moab had seen that God worked through Balaam, so he asked for his assistance.

Numbers 22:5-6 (ESV) {Balak said} “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. 6 Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

Word had gotten around that God used Balaam, blessing those Balaam blessed and cursing those whom Balaam cursed. Does this mean that Balaam was saved? No,

Balaam was a son of the flesh (BOSOR), just as Judas Iscariot was the son of perdition
{John 17:12, apōleia, destruction or damnation}.

Judas Iscariot walked and talked with Jesus and the other 11 Apostles, just as he himself was designated an Apostle (Matthew 10:1; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:12-16). Jesus said of Judas,

John 6:70 Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.

In the same way God talked to Balaam. Why would God use a Balaam or a Judas? “God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one” (James 1:13). But God can and does use evil people and governments to fulfill His greater good will. God used unbelieving Assyria to punish wayward Israel (Isaiah 10:5), and raised up Babylon, a ruthless and impetuous people, to “sweep across the whole earth, to seize dwellings not their own” (Habakkuk 1:6). Our God is in control. He can use anyone – believer or unbeliever – to accomplish His purpose. And God’s purposes are always GOOD. “His steadfast love endures FOREVER” (Psalm 107:1).

When approached by King Balak, Balaam wants to sleep on the deal.

Numbers 22:9-12 (ESV) … God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10 And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11 ‘Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.’” 12 God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people {Israel}, for they are blessed.”

Balaam is NOT to curse Israel. God is leading them, and has promised His people “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse” (Genesis 12:3, NIV). Only God can curse Israel. Balaam goes back and tells Balak that, no, he will not curse Israel. But King Balak is persistent. He promises to give Balaam great riches if he will curse Israel. Balaam resists, saying:

Numbers 22:18-19 (ESV) “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more. 19 So you, too, please stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.”

God has already told Balaam to NOT curse Israel. But now MORE MONEY is on the table. So Balaam – instead of telling them to get lost – promises to seek God again. Maybe the Lord will change His mind. God did not change His mind. God warned us that “it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24). A desire for money is one of the greatest false gods there is. Jesus said,

Matthew 6:24-26 (AMP) No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].

“Mammon” was the name of the Syrian and Chaldean god of wealth, similar to the Roman god called Plutus. Money is a strong god that enslaves many who do not know the Lord.

When Balaam goes back to God that night, the Lord tells him:

Numbers 22:20 (ESV) … “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you.”

God didn’t tell Balaam not to curse Israel – He had already done that. God told Balaam to go with the messengers back to Balak – “but only do what I tell you”. The next morning Balaam goes with the messengers, but the Bible says:

Numbers 22:22 (ESV) … God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary.

The Bible says in 1 Samuel 16:7, “the LORD sees not as we see. We look on the outward appearance. The LORD looks ON THE HEART”. Balaam began to think of the riches had decided in his heart to disobey the Lord and to curse Israel. The Bible says that “the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way” – yet Balaam’s greed had so gotten hold of him that he couldn’t see the Angel standing there.

But the Donkey could!

Numbers 22:23-33 the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. 25 And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he struck her again. 26 Then the angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.” 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.” 31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. 32 And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.”

Balaam is so taken in the throes of his desire for money, that he begins to argue with a donkey. This is how deluded people can become when they depart from the Word of God.

Balaam did not curse Israel, but later caused Israel to curse herself. Moses tells us that “Balaam advised the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD, causing a plague to come on Israel” (Numbers 31:16, AP).

Balaam encouraged the people of Israel to compromise with the Moabites, and worship their gods. Encouraging Israel to leave the Lord God, He punished Israel for their evil. Is there any difference between this, and what many so called “Prophets and Preachers” do today when they encourage their congregation to be “a little more secular” and “a little more inclusive”?

What The False Prophet Teaches Is Not Only
Valueless and Deadly, But Enslaving

2 Peter 2:17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

The false prophet is called “wells without water”. A well without water is a false promise. It says that it will quench your thirst, but it only makes it worst. They are “clouds carried with a tempest”, or the better translation “mists driven by a storm”. They look like rain clouds, but are unreal. Jesus tells His followers:

John 7:37-38 (NASB, 95) “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

“Those who hunger and thirst FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). This satisfaction is not in the false prophet, but in Jesus. Jesus promises that those who come to Him will not only find their thirst satisfied, but will be so supplied that they themselves are wells of living waters. The Christian – indwelt by the Spirit of God – leads others to the Word of God. The true Church of Christ offers satisfaction for thirst from the Word of God.

Revelation 21:6 And {Jesus} said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.

Revelation 22:17 (ESV) The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

The false prophets claim to represent God, but only represent themselves. They are hypocrites, “waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted” (Jude 12). Because they have turned away from the Light and Power of God, to them “the mist of darkness is reserved FOREVER”. This is a reference to ETERNAL DAMNATION. Our Lord spoke of the empty and useless servant, saying:

Matthew 25:30 (ESV) And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

They shall spend eternity in a place where the light is but the fire of suffering, and the darkness is all about because they never had a relationship with the Lord. They professed to be saved, but were not. Beloved, “if we say we have fellowship with Jesus, but WALK IN DARKNESS, we are liars, and do not live according to the truth” (1 John 1:6). The saved walk with their Savior. The children of the Kingdom walk with their King.

If you walk in darkness in this life, you will live in darkness
and eternal flame in the next life!

2 Peter 2:18-19 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

These false prophets know how to speak. They are some of the finest orators around, but their words do not bring glory to God, nor uphold His Word. In fact, they detract from God. A quick search found these words from false prophets. Paul Crouch, Kenneth Copeland, and Creflo Dollar teach “You are little gods”. Benny Hinn said he wanted to kill his critics with the “Holy Ghost machine gun”. Suzanne Hinn, the wife of Benny Hinn, said “If your engine’s not revving up … you need a Holy Ghost enema right up your rear..” Todd Bentley kicked an elderly infirm woman in the face because he said God told him to do it to heal her. Kenneth Copeland says that you’re not much of a Christian if you’re not rich. Leroy Thompson said “God said – tell the money you don’t belong to the wicked, you belong to US… money, come to me now”. Mike Murdock said that if you donate $1000 with your credit card, your debt will be erased. Pat Robertson told a caller on the 700 Club to “divorce his wife and start all over again” because she had Alzheimer’s. When Jimmy Swaggart was caught with a second prostitute in 1991, he told his Church “The Lord told me, it’s flat none of your business”. Joel Osteen told interviewers that homosexuality is a sin, but then said “I stay in my lane. My job is to encourage and uplift, not to judge. So I don’t talk about it.”

It is so easy to be deceived if you do not read your Bibles and attend a Bible believing Church. The Scripture says:

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Word Study: We “try the spirits” by comparing what the alleged prophet has said according to the Word of God. These people use their words to “ALLURE” people into following them. The word “ALLURE” is the Greek deleazō, a fisherman’s term which means “to bait a trap or a hook”. This is the second time that Peter uses the word in this context, as back in verse 14 he said that the false prophets:

beguile (deleazō) unstable souls

When the fisherman or trapper hunts, he will take a piece of dead meat and put it in the trap or on the hook. The dead thing will disguise that which is deadly until the unsuspecting animal bites on it. Then the trap is set, the hook is set. A piece of dead meat was used to trap a living creature that will soon be dead. The wages of sin is death. The bait of the false prophet is sinful, dead meat covering a deadly thing. Do not be deceived.

Word Study:“they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption”. They are servants of “CORRUPTION”, Greek phthorá, “decay, ruin, eternal misery in hell”. The false prophets are like the 500 pound man who wrote a book on dieting, or a woman blind from birth who wrote a book on colors. They have nothing of value to offer, because their source is their own corrupt soul, and not the Word of God.

False Prophets Are Lost People Who Will Not
Lead Others Away From Christ

2 Peter 2:20-22 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

You can be blessed by following the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, and yet never be saved. “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men” (John 1:4). There are many false prophets who use the precepts that Jesus taught, and are blessed by those precepts. They use the Scripture, and by it find riches in this world. But they are never saved.

The Apostle uses two phrases to describe the false prophets: “DOG” and “SOW”. In the Bible the words “DOG” and “PIG” are used for lost people. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:6 (ESV) Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

It was prophesied that DOGS would crucify the Messiah. Psalm 22:16 says “For DOGS have compassed Me: the assembly of THE WICKED have enclosed Me: they PIERCED MY HANDS AND MY FEET”. When a Canaanite woman asked Jesus to heal her child, Jesus said “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the DOGS” (Matthew 15:26, ESV). When the Apostle warned of those unrepentant Pharisees who demanded the saved male be circumcised, he wrote “Look out for the DOGS, look out for the EVILDOERS, look out for those who mutilate the flesh” (Philippians 3:2, ESV). Who shall be excluded from Heaven? The Bible says:

Revelation 22:15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

I love dogs – the animal. But humans who act like dogs and pigs are unsaved. These false prophets are unsaved – and they’ve never been saved. The Bible says that the “dog is turned to his own vomit again”. He was a dog when he was eating his vomit before. “” emphasizes that he’s just turned back and doing the same thing he used to do. The “sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire”. You can wash a pig all day long, but until you change its NATURE, it will return to the mud. These people are lost, and the lost cannot lead the lost to be saved.

They need to REPENT. They need to stop trying to be “gods”, and surrender to Jesus. They, as we all, need to surrender to our Lord and Savior. He demands unconditional – I repeat – UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER. He bids us “Follow ME” and “Obey My Commands”. The key to salvation is repentance. Have you repented? Do you know Him – my dear Jesus – as Lord and Savior? If not, today is the day. Come. Repent. Give Him your broken life, and He will give you glorious liberty and joy both now and forever more. Amen and Amen.

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The Fourth Commandment To Rest

Posted on January 29, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-hands-on-holy-bible-267559/

Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

The last few weeks we have looked at the Ten Commandments of God. To review,

The First Commandment is that God is to be first in your life.

The Second Commandment is that you are to make no idols, nor bow down or worship anyone other than the God of the Bible.

The Third Commandment is that we not speak or represent the God Who is in an empty or blasphemous way.

Tonight we’ll be examining the Fourth Commandment, to remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.

When we started this study, I showed you how the Ten Commandments are represented in the New Testament. For instance, the First Commandment was repeated by Jesus to Satan in:

Matthew 4:10 (ESV) … “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

The Apostle Paul chastised the lost peoples for violating the Second Commandment (Romans 1:23; Acts 19:26-35). The Fifth Commandment is referred to in:

Ephesians 6:1-3 (ESV) Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

The Apostle Paul quoted the bulk of the Commandments in

Romans 13:8-10 (ESV) … the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

All of the Commandments are reflected in the New Testament under the New Covenant – all but one: The Fourth Commandment, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy”. Why is this?

The Sabbath Was A Shadow Of Christ

Exodus 20:8-10 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God…

Word Study: God told His people Israel to “Rememberšabāṯ (Shabbat)”. The Hebrew for “Remember” is zāḵar, which means “to be mindful of, to call to mind, to focus upon with intensity and purpose”. When God flooded the whole earth because of sin, after a period of time the Bible says:

Genesis 8:1 … God REMEMBERED (zāḵar) Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him on the Ark …

God FOCUSED on Noah and those with him on the Ark. Because of this focus, God caused the waters to recede, and the land to dry up so they could disembark. God then placed a rainbow in the sky as something to REMEMBER (zāḵar) so that world would no longer be destroyed by a flood. When God gave Israel the Old Covenant of the Law, He required that they have one day in seven to focus on Him and His gracious provision. As Israel worked and prospered, it was possible for them, as it is with us, to forget that it is God Who provided the good we have. We may toil the fields, but it is God Who blesses. God told Israel:

Deuteronomy 11:13-14 (ESV) … if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil.

Work is a good thing. Work was commanded, even in the Garden of Eden. But we must remember that our prosperity does not come because of our efforts, but because of God’s provision. He gave us life. He gives us minds. He gives us rain in due season, so that our crops can grow. So God decreed that Israel would have a day – the seventh day – where they would FOCUS ON GOD’S PROVISION, and give Him praise. On that day they were supposed to cease work – except where absolutely necessary – and spend time with the Lord.

The Sabbath – like CIRCUMCISION – was a sign to Israel of the Mosaic Covenant. The Scripture says:

Exodus 31:16-17 (NASB 95) ‘So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.’ 17 “It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.”

The Sabbath was specifically given to Israel. God said “I gave Israel My sabbaths to be a sign between ME AND THEM, that THEY MIGHT KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD WHO SANCTIFIES THEM” (Ezekiel 20:12, NASB 95. Also Nehemiah 9:14). The Shabbat (both the weekly and the special festival Shabbats) were given to Israel – not to the Gentiles. The Shabbat along with circumcision of males was specific to the Old Covenant.

The Apostle Paul tells us in:

Colossians 2:13-17 (ESV) … {God the Father} quickened {us} together with {Jesus Christ}, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

The Shabbat, like the rule of male circumcision, was a sign to Israel under the First or Old Covenant. The Shabbat was a “shadow of things to come” like animal sacrifice and the Temple Holy of Holies, the Festivals and Feasts. These things looked forward to the coming of the Messiah.

The New Testament NEVER commands Christians to observe the Shabbat. The Shabbat was not COMMANDED until the Law was given by Moses.

Jesus came to replace the First Commandment with the Second, the “New Covenant in His Blood” (Luke 22:20). The Scripture says:

Hebrews 8:10-13 (ESV) For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” 13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete.

The First Covenant, the Covenant of Law, was EXTERNAL. The Second Covenant, the New Covenant in Christ’s Blood, would be INTERNAL.

Through the Spirit of God the believer in Christ would be born again, sanctified or set apart for the service of God. The Spirit of God would indwell the believer (Romans 8:9), drawing us to Christ and to the Father.

The Pharisees Did Not Understand The Transition Of Either Circumcision Nor Of The Shabbat

The Pharisees, the Conservatives who upheld the Law of Moses, were constantly at odds with Jesus over the Shabbat. When Jesus taught in the Synagogue of Capernaum on Shabbat, He was heckled by a man possessed of a demon:

Mark 1:24-26 (ESV) “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him.

The Pharisees were not upset that Jesus cast out demons on Shabbat. But when He and His disciples ate from the grainfields on Shabbat (Mark 2:23) the Pharisees said, “Why are You doing what is UNLAWFUL ON SHABBAT?” (Mark 2:24). Jesus replied:

Mark 2:27-28 (ESV) … “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

God gave the Sabbath for man to remember His goodness and grace. The Shabbat was a time for those under the Old Covenant to focus on God. But Jesus said “the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath”. The phrase “Son of Man” is a title for the Messiah (see Daniel 7:13), and Jesus called Himself the “Son of Man” (Matthew 8:20; Matthew 9:6; Matthew 11:19; Matthew 12:40; Mathew 13:37). Jesus said not just here in Mark, but in other texts like:

Matthew 12:8 … the SON OF MAN IS LORD EVEN OF THE SABBATH DAY ..

Luke 6:5 … the SON OF MAN IS LORD ALSO OF THE SABBATH …

Jesus is the fulfillment of the shadows of the Law, and the Fourth Commandment was a shadow of the Messiah. We find our rest in Jesus Christ. He is our Shabbat. We rest from useless sacrifices that can never fully pay for sin (Hebrews 10:1). Jesus …

Hebrews 10:12 (ESV) … Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

The Bible tells us that we who are under the New Covenant have a Shabbat, a rest that we draw near to – this is Jesus. We are told in …

Hebrews 4:9-14 (ESV) … So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. 11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

Jesus Christ is LORD of the SHABBAT. He is our SHABBAT, our Sabbath Rest. Jesus satisfied the requirements of the sacrifices under the Law. Jesus satisfies the requirements of our High Priest. “How shall we escape if we neglect SO GREAT A SALVATION” (Hebrews 2:3)? We rest in Christ. We rest in His Word. He follow Him daily – not just one day a week. We rely upon Him every moment of every day. Jesus Christ is our Shabbat!

John 5:18 (ESV) This was why the Jews (the Pharisees) were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

I think it is significant that the Pharisees sought Jesus’ crucifixion for violating – they believed – the Shabbat. Jesus was crucified the day before Shabbat (Mark 15:42), the special Sabbath that followed the Feast of the Passover. The Bible tells us:

Leviticus 23:4-8 (ESV) These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them. 5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord’s Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. 8 But you shall present a food offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.”

The Feast of Passover is on the 14th of the month, followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a Shabbat, a Special Sabbath. Jesus died on the Feast of Passover, for “Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus was buried at the end of the Passover, just before the Special Shabbat of the Feast on Unleavened Bread. We are told in:

Luke 23:52-54 (ESV) This man {Joseph of Arimathea} went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. 54 It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.

John 19:31 (ESV) Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.

Dying for our sins as our Passover, Jesus went to the Tomb for Three Days and Three nights just as He declared (Matthew 12:40). The Bible tells us that Jesus rose the day following the weekly Shabbat. The women who loved Jesus came to the Tomb to finish anointing Christ’s body the day following Shabbat, the weekly Sabbath:

Matthew 28:1 (ESV) Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.

Mark 16:2, 9 (ESV) And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. … 9 Now when {Jesus} rose early on the first day of the week, {Jesus} appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.

If Jesus Is Our Shabbat, Why Do Christians Today Gather On Sunday?

The Jewish Shabbat was from Friday at Sunset to Saturday at Sunset. The Bible tells us that Jesus resurrected from the Grave, and appeared to His disciples on the first day of the week:

John 20:19 (ESV) On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

After the Day of Pentecost, where God sent His Holy Spirit to the Church, the Church began to meet on the first day of the week:

Acts 20:7 (ESV) On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.

The Apostle encouraged the Church to

1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.

The first day of the week began to be called “The Lord’s Day”. When John the Revelator wrote to the Church, he wrote the words of Christ “on the Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10), or on Sunday. There are other extra-Biblical sources that note the early Church met on Sundays. About 150 A.D. the early Church Pastor Justin Martyr wrote:

“On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together in one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read. … Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead” (Justin Martyr, First Apology, 67; ANF 1:186).

And another early Pastor, Ignatius of Antioch (Letter to the Magnesians, 8 [AD 110] wrote:

“those who were brought up in the ancient order of things [i.e. Jews] have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord’s day, on which also our life has sprung up again by him and by his death”

As the early Church was comprised of both Jewish as well as Gentile converts, there was often controversy between the two groups as to whether they were to observe the Sabbath and circumcision of males. The Apostle commanded the Jews and Gentiles to not quarrel over keeping the Shabbat, saying:

Romans 14:5-6, 8 (ESV) One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. … while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. …. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

Some believers today meet on Sundays, whereas others on Saturday, or even Friday afternoon. The Apostles often went to the Jewish Synagogues on their Shabbat and preached to them, just as Jesus had done (see Luke 4:16; Acts 13:14; 13:42, 44; 16:13; 18:4).

Though many believers may believe that one day is better than another to meet, we are not to judge one another. Rather, as Christians we set apart one day a week to honor our Lord. As Baptists, we worship the Lord on Sunday because we recognize that Christ rose from the grave on Sunday. We are “New creations in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:17). He is our Shabbat.

We worship Jesus on “The Lord’s Day”, the day He rose from the Grave and made us New Creations.

But we are not dogmatic, nor do we condemn others for gathering and worshiping on other days. Shabbat was a shadow, and Christ the reality. We serve and worship Jesus every single day – but celebrate Him as a Body, His Church, on Sundays. We remember the word of Scripture:

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV) And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

If you as a Christian are weak on “meeting together” with other believers, encouraging then and being encouraged to shine for Jesus – then you will be a weak Christian. We need one another. We may not meet on the Jewish Shabbat, but we meet Sundays to worship the Lord. May God touch your hearts through His Word to commit to being faithful in honoring Him at His Church this year. May the Holy Spirit draw you into a closer walk with your brothers and sisters in the faith, for Christ’s glory. Amen and Amen.

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The Lord Knows (Part 1)

Posted on January 16, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Kássia Melo: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-close-up-shot-of-a-white-peacock-butterfly-10917649/

2 Peter 2:9-14 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: 10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. 11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. 12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; 14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

Whereas 1 Peter addressed threats outside the Church, 2 Peter deals with threats inside or from within. Last week we saw the Scripture address the threats of the false prophets who rose up from within the Church. As I heard a preacher say one time,

“It isn’t the water OUTSIDE of the boat that is dangerous to those on the boat. It’s the water INSIDE the boat that will sink us, and drown us.”

As Peter – under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit – addresses these false prophets, it’s clear that he is angry, terse, and very pointed.

The False Prophets Preach Subjective Truth

It’s common to hear in America today,

“You do YOU, and I’ll do ME”, or
“Each person must live their own truth”

Is truth subjective? Subjective “truth” depends on feelings, desires, what I think as empirical. The Bible says of the false prophet:

2 Peter 2:10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

The mark of the false prophet is that they “walk after the flesh”. The Serpent in the Garden of Eden was a false prophet, saying “Has God REALLY said that you shall not eat of the forbidden tree?” (Genesis 3:1). Eve responded,

Genesis 3:3 (ESV) … “God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

Eve was about half right. The truth was – the RULE was – “You shall not eat of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil – Eating of it, you will SURELY die” (Genesis 2:17). The rule that God gave was fair, clear, to the point. God did not require that mankind not TOUCH the fruit. You were just to NOT EAT IT or the consequences would be death. The Serpent went on to say, “You’ll NOT die. God knows if you eat of it, you’ll BE LIKE GOD, KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL” (Genesis 3:4-5, AP). What did Eve do?

“the woman SAW that the tree was good for food”
“it was a delight to the EYES”
“the tree was to be DESIRED to make one WISE”

Eve did not rely on the RULE, the FACT of what God said. Instead Eve defined what was good and evil BASED ON HER FLESH, based on what SHE felt. Truth went from being objective to subjective. It was no longer what God said, but what I FEEL or I THINK. The end result of this was, just as God said, DEATH. First came spiritual death as they, through their own choices, sinned and brought a barrier up between them and God. Second came eventual physical death. The two go hand in hand.

2 Peter 2:10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness…

Word Study: False prophets always “walk after the flesh”, that is, they live their lives according to their own desires and own wants. They walk after the flesh “in the lust of uncleanness”. The word rendered “uncleanness” is the Greek miasmos, which means “to be defiled, morally contaminated, polluted”. The false prophet entices others to reject the clearly presented truth of God to follow their own truth. The phrase “walk after the flesh” means to follow YOUR own path. Those who “walk after the flesh” do not want to be told what God says – they want God to agree with them.

The Bible has much to say about “walking after the flesh”. The Bible says:

Romans 8:1 … There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit …

The person who is saved – born again of God the Holy Spirit because they have called on Jesus for salvation – is under “no condemnation”. Why? Because that person is “in Christ Jesus”. Our hope is IN CHRIST JESUS. Our faith is IN CHRIST JESUS. Our salvation is IN CHRIST JESUS. We are not going to Heaven because we are on the roll of a church somewhere, but because I am IN CHRIST JESUS. Because I am IN CHRIST JESUS my name is IN THE BOOK OF LIFE. You are a Child of God because you are IN CHRIST JESUS. And because you are IN CHRIST JESUS, “walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit”. We who are saved “WALK IN THE {power of the} SPIRIT” (Galatians 5:16). The Bible says:

Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

One follows the other. Saved by faith, indwelt of God’s Spirit, we walk in the Spirit, NOT after the flesh. God saved us by faith so that we might follow Him, doing His Will.

Romans 8:3-6 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Once you are saved, you enter the Kingdom of God. God is your King, not your flesh. You seek Him and His pleasure.

False Prophets Say You Can Be Saved
Without Repentance Or Obedience

False prophets say that you can be saved by faith in Christ – a thing called Grace – but God never demands your obedience – that your obedience is optional. How did that work out in the Garden of Eden? The Scripture says of these false prophets:

2 Peter 2:10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

Word Study: False prophets “despise government”, and teach others to do the same. They do not want anyone telling them what is right or wrong, what is good or evil. They are “self-willed”, that is, as long as it pleases them, then it’s true. And we are told that they are “not afraid to speak evil of dignities”. When I first read this it sounded like the false prophets were not afraid to stand up to God appointed leaders – but the actual Greek is much stronger than that. The false prophets are not afraid to blasphēmeō doxa, which means “to blaspheme or verbally degrade the Majesty or the Glory”. Some versions translate this as “The Glorious Majesties”. The Bible tells us that:

Romans 13:1 (NLT) … all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.

For the false prophets, there is no authority but what “I feel” or what “I think”. All others are rejected. This is rampant throughout America and the American Church.

2 Peter 2:11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.

The false prophets, like “fools rush in where angels fear to tread” (Alexander Pope). Angels have much greater power and strength than humans do – and yet these angels do not rely on their own senses and desires, but on the Word of God. What has God said? The Book of Jude tells us that these false teachers:

Jude 8-9 (ESV) … in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. 9 But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.”

When battling Satan, Michael the Archangel did not rely on his own power or deductive reasoning, but on the Word of God. False prophets care nothing for God’s Word. By walking away from the Word of God and proclaiming the word of the flesh, these false prophets have lowered themselves from God’s best plan for their lives into a state to where they are more animal than human. We read:

2 Peter 2:12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

Word Study: God calls the false prophet “natural brute beasts”, the Greek physikos alogos zōon, which means “as physical against the Word animals”. Jesus Christ is called “The Word” or “The Logos” (John 1:1, 14), whereas the false prophet is the word Logos preceded by the alpha negative or Alogos.

A false prophet is ANTI Word. The false prophet bases perceived truth on what “I feel” or “I think”, and not what the Word of God says. God says “They shall UTTERLY PERISH in THEIR OWN CORRUPTION.

It is God’s Word that made all things. The Scripture says:

Psalm 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

It is God Who brought light out of the darkness, and order out of the chaos. God did this in CREATION by His Word – and God does the same by the CREATION of the Christian.

The False Prophets And Their Converts
Will Receive The Reward Of Unrighteousness

2 Peter 2:13-14 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; 14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

The false prophet and their followers “shall receive the reward of unrighteousness”. Those who follow the false prophets think that they can “riot in the daytime”. Several years ago, crowds of rioters destroyed property, tore down statues, defaced artwork that was not theirs to deface, and did so in the guise of “social justice”. God does not bless anarchy. When God looks at these people, He sees them as “Spots” and “blemishes”. The word translated “Spots” is the Greek spílos, which means “moral defects, that which God has said is morally reprehensible”. The word translated “blemishes” is the Greek mōmos, which means “a flaw or blot that is disgraceful”. When God looks at the works and character of the false prophet, our Lord goes “YUK”. Their works are morally reprehensible, their behavior like the wet spot of a person that has urinated on themselves. This is not what Christ gave Himself for on the Cross. The Bible says:

Ephesians 5:26-27 … Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 27 That Jesus might present to Himself a glorious Church, NOT HAVING SPOT (spílos), or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Jesus did not suffer and die on Calvary so that we could willy nilly pursue sin. Granted, dearly Beloved, there are all times when we sin, when we do not do what Christ has bid we do. However, upon recognition of sin, the genuine believer will REPENT and TURN FROM THAT SIN and back to Christ. If we get off the path of righteousness, we get back on as soon as possible. We do not make excuses. We do not blame others. We own our sin, and REPENT of our sin and return to walking with Christ.

Those who pursue sin will “receive the reward of unrighteousness”. What is the “the reward of unrighteousness”?

2 Peter 2:14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children…

When you pursue sin, sin will multiply. Their “eyes are full of adultery”. They are constantly searching, and see others as sexual conquests, something to satisfy their urgings on. They “cannot cease from sin”. Jesus said:

John 8:34 (ESV) … Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

And again, in Romans 6:16 (ESV) Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Enslaved to sin, they actively “beguile” (Greek deleazō) or ENTICE the unstablesoul. They seek to enlist others to the path they are on, as misery loves company. Their hearts are not filled with love for God or love for others, but with “covetous practices”. Then we read that they have:

cursed children (katara teknon)

Their offspring learn about God from what they themselves have done. Their children are often “cursed”. This word is used in:

Hebrews 6:8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; {katara} whose end is to be burned.

That which is CURSED has an end to be BURNED. Oh, what a horrible picture this draws. The false prophet is headed toward hell, and is carrying others with them. This need not be!

Today Is The Day To Choose The Word Of God,
Not The Way Of Man

2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

God knows the difference between the lost and the saved, the ungodly and the godly. The Scripture says that

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations {peirasmos}

The Lord looks after His own children. He delivers those who love Him out of enticements to sin. God looks after His people. But the Scripture says that God …

reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished

There are only two types of people in the world, insofar as God is concerned. There are the GODLY, and the UNJUST or UNGODLY. How does one become GODLY? The Scripture says:

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

When a person actually HEARS the Gospel
– Hear now the Gospel of God!

1. We are all sinners, lost and unable to make ourselves right before God.


2. We all deserve eternal separation from God. We deserve hell.

3. Our sins are insurmountable barriers between us and God.

4. But God in mercy and love sent His Son Jesus to take upon Himself flesh. Perfect God became Perfect Man, and went to the horror of the Cross to pay for our sins.

5. Paying for our sins, Jesus died on that Cross, for the wages of sin is death.

6. Rising from the grave on the third day, Jesus ever lives to make intercession for those who receive Him as Lord and Savior.

7. REPENTING of our lives, we run into the arms of Jesus, trusting solely in Him.

8. Saved, we are members of the Family of God, ourselves sons and daughters of God. We follow the One Who saved us. We heed His Word, and live to please our Savior and Lord. God delivers the godly from temptations. He stays with His Children – forever. Do you know Him? Have you received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This is the only way.

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

The false prophet will not tell you these things, but Beloved, I tell you. God expects you to follow Him. Today is the day of salvation. Believe on Him without delay. Amen and Amen!

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The Third Commandment

Posted on January 13, 2024 by bibleteacherorg

The past two weeks we’ve been studying the Ten Commandments. The First Commandment is:

Exodus 20:2-3 … I am the Lord thy God … thou shalt have no other gods before Me …

God is to be number one in our lives. That’s the First Commandment. The Second Commandment is …

Exodus 20:4-5 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness … Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve (worship) them …

Remember that the number “2” looks like it’s bowing down. The believer is neither to bow down to or serve any god other than Yahweh, the God of Scripture. Tonight we’re looking at the Third Commandment:

Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Word Study Let’s break this down from the Hebrew. The word translated “take” is the Hebrew Qal Imperfect of the verb nāśā’ (pronounced naw-saw’), which means “to lift up, to bear, to carry off or take away”. God’s name is sacred. He gave His Covenant Name to those who believed in Him, who loved Him. When Moses asked God His Name, God told Moses:

Exodus 3:14-15 … God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

The Name Of God Defines God

The Name of God defines Who God is. God is “I Am”. He is Eternal, without beginning or end. “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). God has no starting place. He was never created, but has always been the Creator. God knows all things. “His understanding is beyond measure” (Psalm 147:5). Dr. Adrian Rogers wrote:

“The name Jehovah is used some 6,800 times in the Bible. It is the personal covenant name of Israel’s God. In the King James Version of the Bible, it’s translated Lord God. Not only does it speak of God’s strength, but also it speaks of the sovereignty of God and the goodness of God. The root of this name means “self-existing,” one who never came into being, and one who always will be. When Moses asked God, “Who shall I tell Pharaoh has sent me?” God said, “I AM THAT I AM.””

God is eternal and UNCHANGING. He is I AM. “I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6). Our God DEPENDS ON NO ONE. His Name is I AM. “The Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.” (John 5:26). Our God is the pattern of all life. God’s Name is not “YOU ARE” but “I AM”. “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6). There is nothing that God cannot do except evil. Pastor John MacArthur writes:

“Although such power might seem frightful, remember that God is good. He can do anything according to His infinite ability, but will do only those things that are consistent with Himself. That’s why He can’t lie, tolerate sin, or save impenitent sinners.”

God knows and understands all things. His will will always be done. A.W. Tozer wrote:

“God perfectly knows Himself and, being the source and author of all things, it follows that He knows all that can be known. And this He knows instantly and with a fullness of perfection that includes every possible item of knowledge concerning everything that exists or could have existed anywhere in the universe at any time in the past or that may exist in the centuries or ages yet unborn.”

There is no where where God is not present. He is “I AM”. The fullness of His presence is all about us. God asks, “Am I a God at hand,’ declares the Lord, ‘and not a God afar off? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:23-24). Our God is the Perfect Standard of what is right and wrong. The Bible says “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He” (Deuteronomy 32:4).

I could go on and on. God reveals Himself to us, and does so by His Name.

God’s Name Is Not To Be Used In An Empty Way

Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain …

The phrase translated “in vain” is the Hebrew šāv’ (pronounced shawv), which means “to fill with emptiness, to falsify, to break a vow or make a lie with, to hold up as worthless or empty”.

1. Cursing uses God’s Name in an empty way

It is common to hear the Name of Jesus Christ or “God” coupled with a profane word today. It is easy to understand why people do this. Those who know and fear God will respect how His Name is used. We shouldn’t expect unbelievers to live up to Biblical standards, for they are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). The lost are “walking according to the ways of this world”. The Bible declares that “people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means” (1 Corinthians 2:14, NLT). People who curse God’s Name have a greater problem than the cursing – they are lost and undone, and need Jesus.

It is a sin to use God’s Name in an empty, worthless way. Statements like “Oh my God” are sinful, unless we are addressing God. We are to reverence the Name of God. As one commentary notes:

“God controls the universe. A single word from Him creates worlds, puts planets in place, and sets galaxies in motion. He knows every hair on your head. The tiniest bird that falls does not escape His notice. This God, whom angels revere and demons fear, experienced unspeakable torture and horrors to redeem your life from eternal extinction. His name is neither an expletive nor a curse. It is holy. … You can use God’s name when giving thanks, offering praise, and in prayer. You can also lift up His name high by reflecting His love to others, as Jesus told us: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14 NIV).”

2. Misrepresenting God’s Word Uses His Name In An EMPTY WAY

We take God’s Name in vain when we hold up as Biblical truths those things which God never said. This happens quite frequently among professing Christians and religious people. Our Lord Jesus chastised the Pharisees for dong this. Quoting Isaiah 29:13, Jesus told them:

Matthew 15:7-9 (NKJV) Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

God’s Word gives us a very clear picture of Who God is. Those who love God want to keep His commandments. The Apostle said:

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

The Pharisees took the Word of God – which is given in the Name of God – and added hard and horrific restrictions that God never placed in the Bible.

God warned His people to be only ambassadors, not editors of God’s Commands. He said:

Deuteronomy 12:32 (NKJV) Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

God takes His Word seriously. When we modify the Word of God to suit ourselves, we are misrepresenting the character of God. God said in the last chapter of the Bible:

Revelation 22:18-19 … I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

When we modify the Word of God we distract from the richness of God’s Gospel, and can turn Christianity into a Do It Yourself religion. The Pharisees added restrictions that were never in the Law, such as …

A. Pharisees declared that you were only allowed to travel on the Sabbath “a Sabbath Day’s journey”, which the distance between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, about 2,920 – 3,034 feet (.55 of a mile to .57 of a mile). The phrase “Sabbath Day’s Journey” is only found in in Acts 1:12 – and there it is not given as a directive of God, but as a description of what the people had been taught.

B. You were not allowed to carry anything based on a poor interpretation of:

Jeremiah 17:21-22 (NKJV) Thus says the Lord: “Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; 22 nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.

If you read the context, God was chastising His people for working and doing business on the Sabbath. The “gates” of Jerusalem were how merchants came into that city to sell their goods. People would carry goods out of their homes to meet these merchants, buying and selling on the Sabbath. THIS WAS HAPPENING IN JERUSALEM, WHERE THE TEMPLE WAS. God told Israel:

Jeremiah 17:27 (NKJV) “But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.”

It is not sinful to CARRY something on the Sabbath – else Jesus would not have told the man He healedon the Sabbathto“TAKE UP YOUR BED and walk” (John 5:10-11). Jesus would not have commanded a person to violate the Law, as Jesus came “to fulfill the Law” (Matthew 5:17).

C. The Pharisees taught that you were not allowed to pick fresh corn on Sabbath day – even to fill your own belly (Matthew 12:1-8). Jesus corrected the Pharisees by quoting Scripture rather than the teachings of Rabbis.

D. The Pharisees chastised Jesus for healing people on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:10). Again, this is not found in the Scriptures. Jesus corrected the Pharisees. Other silly additions to the Law were: You could not SPIT on the Sabbath, for it would disturb the dirt and plow the ground. You could not swat a fly, for that was HUNTING. You could not look at your reflection, lest you comb your hair, which was work. If your house was on fire during the Sabbath, you couldn’t carry clothes out. However, you could put on multiple layers of clothes and wear them out of the house.

An interesting article I found stated:

“There were 613 commands in the Old Testament but the Pharisees created over 1,500 additional “fence laws” for the people to obey. They believed the best way to keep people from breaking God’s Law was to build a protective barrier around that Law, even though the Lord never told them to do this.”

By infusing Man’s word with God’s Word, the Pharisees made God appear graceless, tedious, and unloving. This drove people AWAY from salvation.

Jesus recognized this when He said:

Matthew 23:13 (NKJV) … woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

The Pharisees were not only not going to Heaven, they were leading others to hell as well. The Law of God was given to show us the character of God – not just His holiness and righteousness, but His GRACE AND MERCY. The Law was given to highlight our need for the Savior Jesus Christ. The Apostle highlights this in:

Galatians 3:19-25 (NKJV) What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

Nominal Christians Take The Name Of God In Vain

Those who profess to be saved by the Blood of Christ, but who willfully and knowingly live contrary to the command of God, take the name of God in vain. “We are AMBASSADORS for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20, NKJV). We represent the Lord to a lost and dying world. When we do what we ought not to do willfully and without care, we represent a false image of Christianity.

There are a number of texts that bring this out. God told Israel:

1 Samuel 12:22 … the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people.

God called Israel out of Abraham. Though Israel failed God numerous times, God will not forsake Israel lest it misrepresent His name. Likewise, the Christian is commanded of God to follow after RIGHTEOUSNESS for God’s Name’s sake. In the well known Shepherd’s Psalm 23 we read:

“The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He LEADETH ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR HIS NAMES SAKE.”

It is a black mark on the Name of God when Christians do not walk in the Paths of Righteousness with Christ. The Bible says “If we walk in the light AS HE IS IN THE LIGHT … the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sins” (1 John 1:7). Our God calls us into salvation, commanding us to “cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light” (Romans 13:12). What do we have to do with what God has said is sinful? We are commanded:

Ephesians 5:11 … have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

We are a people who have been saved by the Blood of Christ and by the Power of the Holy Spirit. We are “delivered from the power of darkness, and have been translated into the Kingdom of the Son of God” (Colossians 1:13). We are the “children of LIGHT, children of the DAY” (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Let us live for Jesus while we have life. I close with these words:

Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Pastor and Evangelist Dennis Kabingue noted:

“Solomon, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, rallies God’s people to secure a good name. In the book of Proverbs, he wrote, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold” (Proverbs 22:1). In Ecclesiastes 7:1, he wrote, “A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.” If God is teaching His people to do their best to preserve a good name, this should make you think how much more God treasures His own name.”

God sent curses upon Israel because they would not give glory to His Name (Malachi 2:2). The prohibition of the Third Commandment not only includes abusing the names and titles of God in cursing, but also in the violation or twisting of His Word, the misapplication of His truths, and the pursuit of false doctrines. God will not hold anyone guiltless for degrading His Name. Those who do so can expect a payday someday.

Let us live to honor the Lord Who saved us. Amen and Amen.

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The Gospel Of “I”

Posted on January 7, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/adult-lion-playing-with-lion-cub-40803/

Play video from Joel Osteen from CNN Interview (youtube link)

Please turn with me in your Bibles to:

2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

It’s not my intention today to make this sermon about Joel Osteen, but I do want to use Joel to make an introductory point. I believe Joel is sincere in what he believes. But I believe as you saw in this clip, Joel has a difficult problem answering the interviewers of CNN. Why? Because Joel is detached from the historic Gospel.

Joel preaches not the Gospel of Christ,
but the Gospel of “I”

Review what he said. His focus is to “lift people’s spirits”, not to direct them to God. He wants people to leave saying “I can do better. I can rise higher.” Instead of “I can do all things THROUGH CHRIST JESUS” (Philippians 4:13). Joel’s message focuses on our power instead of the God Who says:

2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV) … “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

Joel said, “In the old days, you went to Church to know what you’re doing wrong, and came away thinking ‘I’m so guilty I can’t do right’”. Joel said, “I want people to leave our Church saying ‘I can do better. God has planted seeds of greatness in me’”.

Joel does not focus on sin, yet the Bible does. The Gospel does. “All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “The wages of sin is DEATH, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus OUR LORD.”

Joel admits that homosexuality is a sin, but dances around the issue rather than be blunt, using straw man arguments. He says, “I’ve stayed in my lane, and my lane is lifting people’s spirits. Pride is a sin. There are other sins”. Yes Joel, there are other sins – and all sins are evil because they are against God’s loving design for us.

Joel’s Word says “I Can”. God’s Word says “I Can’t, But God Can If I Repent. I Can Through Christ.

What does the Bible say to the question, “Will people who are practicing sexual immorality go to Heaven?” Paul, what is your answer? When the Apostle was confronted with the Church at Corinth, where the members were suing one another in court, the Apostle did not categorize this loveless act as a “little” sin or a big sin. What he said was:

1 Corinthians 6:6-10 (ESV) … brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers! 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

The Apostle tells the Church that not only those holding up Christ and His Church to ridicule WILL NOT enter Heaven, but he goes on the address ALL SEXUALLY IMMORAL people, IDOLATORS, THIEVES, GREEDY, DRUNKARDS, REVILERS, SWINDLERS and HOMOSEXUALS. But what does Paul through the Spirit of God tell us next? Here’s the GOOD NEWS.

2 Corinthians 6:11 (ESV) And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Can a REPENTANT sinner go to Heaven? Yes, if you have repented, and called upon Jesus to save you. You “WERE WASHED”. You didn’t wash yourself. God washed you. You “WERE SANCTIFIED”, set apart for God’s use. God the Holy Spirit did that to you. You “WERE JUSTIFIED”. You didn’t get better on your own, but “calling upon the Name of the Lord, you were saved” (1 Corinthians 1:2; Acts 2:21).

God saves those who REPENT and COME TO JESUS. When we recognize ourselves as sinners, and come to Him Who died for sinners, you shall be saved.

You cannot be saved unless you are CONVICTED of God that YOU ARE A SINNER. You cannot be saved unless you surrender to Jesus and let Him be your Lord and Savior.

The Gospel Of “I”, Though Increasingly Popular,
Is Horribly Dangerous, For It Is A Lie

The Gospel of “I” starts with the premise that we’re all okay, and that God loves everyone the way they are. The Gospel of “I” starts – not with Scripture – but with human viewpoint. Let’s look at our text again:

2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you…

Word Study Let’s start with the “But”. The word “But”, the Greek δέ (de) is a coordinating conjunction used to connect ideas that contrast. It’s different from the coordinating conjunction AND, as AND connects two things that are similar. BUT connects two things that are opposites. The BUT in verse 1 connects us to what was discussed last week:

2 Peter 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Word Study God gave us the Scripture NOT from 40 people’s opinions, not based on what THEY thought, but the Scripture was given to those men – these prophecies – “as they were moved by the Holy Ghost {spirit}”. The Holy Spirit “moved”, the Greek pherō, which means “to lift up, to bear, to carry”. The same verb was used of John the Baptist’s head CARRIED (pherō) on a platter (Matthew 14:11), or when four friends CARRIED (pherō) a crippled friend to see Jesus (Mark 2:3). The Bible tells us that God controlled the writings of Scripture, the Prophesies, so that what was produced was not flawed human byproducts, but the very Word of God. God has given us His Word, and clear instructions by His Word.

BUT where ever God speaks, it isn’t long before Satan and sinful humanity will rise up with a “what about this”. It happened in the Garden of Eden. God gave very clear directives to Adam on what he could, and could NOT eat. Satan entered in and said “has God really said?” When our foreparents didn’t run him out of the Garden, he went on to say “You will NOT die if you eat of the forbidden. God is trying to rob you of your joy!” Go ahead, do it.

2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you…

Where there is the TRUE, there will always be the FALSE. Where there is the LIGHT, there will always be competing DARKNESS. Our Lord Jesus warned us of “false prophets”. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

Wolves are dangerous. Disguised wolves are doubly dangerous. Disguised wolves in the Church are fatal!

How did Jesus characterize false prophets? First of all, they do not come to you with a sign above their head saying “FALSE PROPHET”. If they did that, you would know what they are. But what false prophets do – according to our Lord – is they “come to you in sheep’s clothing”. Now what is sheep’s clothing? Do sheep wear denim, or dresses? Do they wear patent leather or pretty suits? No, sheep wear WOOL. How does a wolf come to you in sheep’s clothing? The wolf must KILL THE SHEEP. It leads sheep to death. Those who preach a Gospel of “I” are leading people not to salvation, but death.

Word Study These wolves are, as Jesus said, “ravenous” (Greek arpax), which means “extortioners”. An “extortioner” is someone who kidnaps what is rightfully yours, then charges you money or services to get what is yours back. The false prophets (Greek pseudoprophētēs) rob people of the Gospel of salvation, and instead offer false promises and false hopes.

Jude, a stepbrother of Jesus wrote of this twisting of the Gospel. He wrote:

Jude 3-4 (ESV) Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

After the resurrection and ascension of Christ, and after the Apostles went out preaching “the FAITH ONCE DELIVERED TO THE SAINTS”, it wasn’t long before people “CREPT or SLITHERED IN” (Greek pareisdýnō) to the Churches. As false prophets they began to teach various falsehoods. Some taught that Jesus never died, but just swooned on the Cross. Others taught that the blood of Christ is insufficient to save, but you must be circumcised. Yet others taught that Jesus is but One of many ways to God. False writings cropped up called pseudepigrapha and apocryphal writings. If you can imagine it, it has been taught. The intent of the false prophets and false teachers is to “pervert the grace of our God into sensuality”. To make Grace all about “I”.

I have heard preachers say “God created man because He needed man to be complete”. That’s the Gospel of “I” talking. God doesn’t NEED us, though God MADE us and God LOVES us. But God is complete in Himself.

The Gospel of salvation brings a person to call upon Jesus as Lord and Savior. But the Gospel of “I” causes a person to “deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ”. The Gospel of salvation brings a person into the Kingdom of God and, eventual Heaven. The Gospel of “I” makes a person thing that THEY are THEIR OWN KING, and are co-equal rulers with Christ in glory. Jesus said,

Matthew 24:11 … many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.

Continuing with our text, these FALSE PROPHETSand FALSE TEACHERS will…

2 Peter 2:1 … privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Word Study Again, these false prophets and teachers do what they do PRIVILY (pareisagō, SECRETLY, or CRAFTILY). They sneak about. They mask their real intent. They don’t do what they do in the LIGHT or in the OPEN, but conspire and sneak about. What are they doing? They are bringing about “DAMNABLE HERESIES”, the Greek apōleia airesis, “doctrines that bring utter destruction or ruin”.

The future Antichrist is called “The Son of apōleia, utter destruction” (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3). What the false prophets and false teachers bring is damnation with them – not blessing.

They “deny the Lord that BOUGHT them”. Jesus purchased our salvation by the shedding of His Blood on Calvary. Do you not know

1 Corinthians 6:20 … ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 7:23 … Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

Though A Best Seller, The Gospel Of “I”
Lies About The Nature Of God

2 Peter 2:2-3 And many shall follow their pernicious (Greek apōleia) ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

Word Study The word “PERNICIOUS” is the same word translated “DAMNABLE” in verse 1, the Greek apōleia. Again, this means “something that brings total destruction”. A lot of people will follow the words of the false prophets and false teachers, because their ways require no repentance. The Gospel of “I” ignores passages like:

Psalm 145:20 The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

God despises what He has categorized as SIN, because SIN BRINGS DEATH. To those who will be saved, God will save. But in order to be saved you must REPENT. Our Lord Jesus preached:

Matthew 4:17 … REPENT: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand

Matthew 9:13 … I am not come to call the righteous, but SINNERS TO REPENTANCE

The Gospel of the Scripture declares that we are all broken. But if we will come to God, turning away from being our own gods, then He will abundantly save whosoever will. Our Lord Jesus took the cup of suffering for us. He knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane praying,

Luke 22:42 (AP) Father, if it be Thy will, let THIS CUP – THIS CROSS – pass from Me. NEVERTHELESS NOT MY WILL BUT THINE BE DONE.

Illustrate: One popular book of fiction called The Shack portrays God as saying, “I don’t need to punish people for sin…. It’s not My purpose to punish it..” Is that true? Then why did Jesus have to go to the Cross of Calvary. A false teacher called Rob Bell questioned the nature of God and hell, saying “Has God created millions of people over tens of thousands of years who are going to spend eternity in anguish? Can God do this, or even allow this, and still claim to be a loving God?” Yes, God can.

The false prophet and false teacher “through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you”. They do not love those they are writing to, speaking to, teaching. It is not love to contradict God’s Word in order to gain a following. When my mother told me not to touch a hot stove, and then spanked me when I tried to do so, was not unloving. Love speaks the truth. You do not love someone when you see them doing something dangerous. You love them when you tell them what they are doing is foolish, against God’s Word.

Rather than make up a fictitious god of the Bible, why not refer to the Holy Scripture. We have previously been told that the Prophecy did not come by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved or carried along by the Holy Spirit. So what does the Bible tell us about God’s nature?

God Punished Catastrophically Before,
He Will Do So Again

2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

There were angels that revolted from Heaven with Lucifer, also known as Satan. Some of these angels are mentioned in

Jude 6 … the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day

These angels did something so horrific that God cast them into a pit the Bible calls “chains of darkness”. These angels – powerful beings – are being imprisoned until the Day of Final Judgment, where they will be cast into the Lake of Fire. God punishes sin.

2 Peter 2:5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

As wickedness grew in our world, the Bible says that

Genesis 6:5-8 (ESV) The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

What made God want top destroy the world that He made? It was that “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”. People had departed from Who God is, and had turned their back on the Gospel of salvation. People began to adhere to the Gospel of “I”. They became so wicked that God said, “I regret making them. I’m going to blot it all out”. God did not spare the “OLD WORLD”, but because of sin God purged it by water, “bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly”. The Bible says that

1 Peter 3:20 … eight souls were saved by water

Those who heard the preaching of Noah and who GOT ON THE ARK were saved by the same water that killed the rest of the world. I am certain there were false prophets mocking Noah, and telling the lost that God loved them so much that He wouldn’t drown them. They were wrong.

2 Peter 2:6-8 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

When the world became so wicked that God had to destroy it, He did so by water. But the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were utterly destroyed by God by FIRE. Why? The Bible says:

Genesis 13:13 (ESV) Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.

God calls sinners to REPENT. But when they reject God, and refuse to repent and cast themselves upon the Lord Jesus Christ, then they open the door to utter destruction. God sent two angels to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, saying:

Genesis 18:20 Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

What was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah? It was the Gospel of “I”. It was a taste for and tolerance for sin, for that which God has forbidden.

Jesus was preaching one day, telling the people to repent and come to Him. Word came to the disciples that some Galileans had been offering sacrifices at the Temple when Pilate’s solders killed them at the altar of God. People began to think, “What did those Galileans do to deserve that?” Jesus told the crowd:

Luke 13:2-5 (ESV) … “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (apollymi, be brought to utter ruin). 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (apollymi, be brought to utter ruin).”

I heard someone in our flock joking about Church. He said, “We come to Church, the Preacher tells us how bad we are, then we eat friend chicken”. That’s amusing! But Beloved, it’s my calling to tell you that “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”.

Do you know Jesus? Have you given your life to Him? You cannot be saved unless – turning from your sin and the Gospel of “I”, you run into the arms of Jesus. Oh, that God the Holy Spirit would lead you to Christ this very day. Amen and Amen.

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What You Need To Know First

Posted on January 2, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich: https://www.pexels.com/photo/golden-cup-and-statuette-6532587/

2 Peter 1:19-21 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Christianity is very unique among all the other religions of the world because Christianity is God made. Last week we saw that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was NOT a fantasy or a myth made up to trick people. People saw Jesus, heard God the Father say “This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I Am well pleased”, and were willing to die gruesome deaths rather than deny what they saw. Peter, James and John saw Jesus transfigured on Mount Tabor. Two out of three of these men died martyrs deaths, refusing to renounce Christ.

When God became Man (for Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us – Matthew 1:23), the Holy Spirit moved on Mary. The Bible says that Mary was told:

Luke 1:35 (ESV) … The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

Mary was not perfect – but her Son, created of God, was perfect and sinless. Mary said when hearing the Angel,

Luke 1:46-47 (ESV) … My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in GOD MY SAVIOR …

Mary needed “GOD MY SAVIOR”. If she were perfect, she would have needed no Savior. Mary was a fallen creature just as we are. Yet she produced a Child that was sinless, flawless. We are told in:

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) For our sake {God the Father} made {Jesus Christ} to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

And again,

Hebrews 4:15 (ESV) {Jesus Christ was} in every respect has been tempted as we are, YET WITHOUT SIN.

1 Peter 1:22 … (AP) in Jesus Christ there was NO DECEIT …

Jesus Christ had to be the “Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, 36; 1 Peter 1:19). If He were spotted with sin, then He could no more pay for our sins that I could. So Jesus – born of the Holy Spirit – was born perfect and holy and righteous, though His mother Mary was imperfect as we all are.

With God, NOTHING is impossible! (Luke 1:37)

Today Peter turns our attention to the witness of the Scripture, the Holy Bible. Last week he talked about the witnesses who saw Jesus, and gave their lives for the truth of Christ. Today Peter wants us to know that the witness of the Scripture is sure, right, and holy. People object. “But isn’t the Bible you read a collection of 66 books written by around 40 human authors. How do we know the Bible is without error? After all, it came through humans.” That’s true, the Bible was written by around 40 authors, people whom God picked to write it. But

Just as a sinless Jesus came from a broken Mary through the power of God the Holy Spirit, through the same Spirit God can send His Words through broken humans and the Word be flawless. The same Holy Spirit is the Author of the humanity of Christ and the Holy Bible.

Scripture Is Not A Human, But A Divine Idea

2 Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

God loved us so much that, even when we were fallen and cared nothing for Him, He came to us through Mary and walked amongst us. He saved humanity through a Perfect Human that He created in an imperfect vessel. When God speaks to us, He does not do so through the sky – though He has done that. He does not speak to us through visions – though He has done that. Instead, God reached out to humanity through imperfect humans, and told us what He wants and desires for our lives. God did this because God has always been relational. He did not create Adam then abandon him to tend the Garden of Eden, but walked and talked with Adam “in the cool afternoon breeze of the day” (Genesis 3:8, AMP).

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy”. In the previous context the Apostle wrote:

2 Peter 1:17-18 {Jesus} received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

Word Study Peter said “James, John and I were there, and we heard the Father speak from Heaven”. THEY heard it – but WE didn’t. Peter goes on to say “We have also a more sure word of prophecy”. The words “more sure” is the Greek bebaios, which means “stable, steadfast, trustworthy, rock solid”. What Peter, James and John experienced was something they can only testify of. But the Bible says:

Hebrews 2:2-3 if the word spoken by angels was STEDFAST (bebaios), and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

The Prophets were “ANGELS” in the sense that they were messengers of God. The Word that God spoke through the Prophets is sure, rock steady because it is THE WORD OF THE LIVING GOD. It is not a man’s idea, but God’s directive. Evangelist Billy Graham said:

“ ‘God is love’ means that He tries constantly to block your route to destruction.”

Word Study It is God’s Word – His directive – that we must heed to protect ourselves from destruction. Peter said of the Scripture that “ye do well that ye take heed” (prosechō), “turn the mind toward, be attentive to respond to”. We are to dwell on the teachings of the Scripture. Why? Peter says:

2 Peter 1:19 … take heed, (prosechō) as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn…

Treat the Word of God as if the only flashlight in a dark environment, the only candle in a dark, dark cave.

Illustrate If you have ever had the power go down at your home, you’ve stumbled through the darkness looking for the flashlight. While in the darkness the most important thing in the world is the light.

1 John 1:5 (TLV) … this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you—that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.

“God is light”. God is not darkness, but light. The very first commandment that God gave in human history was “Let there be LIGHT” (Genesis 1:3), and the Bible says “and there WAS LIGHT”. Light is a creation of God. Light is in God, and through God. The Psalmist said to God:

Psalm 119:105 (ESV) Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

God’s Word is our flashlight in this present darkness, this fallen world. There will come a day when we will not need the Scripture, for on that day we who believe in Jesus will be with Him Who saved us. There will come a day when Jesus will rule and reign on this earth, for our Jesus is “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16). When Jesus comes the darkness of sin will cease to grip this present earth, for Jesus is “The DAYSPRING from on high” (Luke 1:78). But until that day we who have believed on Christ “take heed to God’s Light”. We read and study the Word of God, and apply its precepts to our lives.

God’s Word is not temporal, but timeless. The Prophet said:

Isaiah 40:8 (ESV) The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

And Jesus said to Satan,

Matthew 4:4 (ESV) … Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

Through Mary, God became incarnate Man.
Through the Prophets, God spoke to Man.

When Jeremiah wrote, he declared “The Word of the Lord came to me” (Jeremiah 1:4). When Samuel wrote, “The Word of the Lord came unto Samuel” (1 Samuel 15:10). King Saul was deposed from his throne because “he rejected the Word of the Lord” (1 Samuel 15:26). But David was given the Kingdom because in his song of deliverance he sang:

2 Samuel 22:31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

“God spoke to our fathers by the Prophets” (Hebrews 1:1). When the Bible speaks, it speaks with the very auithority of God, for it is God’s Word. Early Theologian John Calvin wrote:

“We owe to the Scripture the same reverence which we owe to God, because it has proceeded from Him alone.”

The Apostle Paul, the Apostle who Jesus called to reach the Gentiles, wrote:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The Word of God is breathed out by God. It is the breath of Heaven. The Church that will be effective for Christ must cherish and apply the Scripture to its life. The Apostle said in:

1 Thessalonians 2:13 (ESV) … we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

The Word of God has no power in a person’s life if you regard it as the writing of men. But when you receive it as the Word of God, then it WORKS in the life of the believer. It grows the believer, strengthing the power of the Church on earth. As Dr. B.B. Warfield wrote:

“The Scriptures are throughout a Divine book, created by the Divine energy and speaking in their every part with Divine authority directory to the heart of the readers.”

As Scripture Is Holy Spirit INSPIRED,
It Must Be Holy Spirit INTERPRETED

2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

Word Study The words “of any private interpretation” is the Greek ídios epilysis. This means literally “an interpretation or explanation based on what you think or feel”. The Scripture was given to us by God the Holy Spirit. If you are a Christian, you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Colossians 1:27).

It is the indwelling Holy Spirit that helps the believer in Christ to understand and apply the Scripture to their daily life.

We are told in 1 Corinthians 2:12 (ESV) “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.”

God indwells us as the Holy Spirit not so that we can shape the Scripture according to our selves, our desires, but that the Scripture might shape us into the image of Christ. “All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8:14). The worldly will take the the Scripture and twist it so as to appease their desires and lusts. The Godly yield themselves to the Scripture, allowing the believer to live so as to honor Christ our Savior. When you “walk by the Spirit, you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). Pastor Paul Carter (Cornerstone Baptist Church, Orillia, Ontario Canada) wrote:

“Rather than grasping for a quote from the sixth or sixteenth century, Christians ought to be primarily concerned to study the example of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Word of God. He is the Spirit of Prophecy. He is God in the flesh, so if we’re looking for some guidance on how to relate to Holy Scripture, we ought to look no further than him.”

When Jesus made the statement, “I and the Father are ONE” (John 10:30, ESV) the Jews picked up stones to execute Him. To defend Himself, Jesus referred to the Scripture:

John 10:34-38 (ESV) … “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

Rather than argue His opinion with the opinions of the Pharisees, Jesus quoted Psalm 82:6 with the caveat, “Scripture cannot be broken”. Though I don’t have time to explain all the nuances of what Jesus was saying in this sermon, suffice it to say that Jesus quoted Scripture, and applied it to HIS life. Why? Why would Incarnate God not rely on His own opinion? Because He wanted to show us “Scripture cannot be broken”. The Word of God was given to us, not to twist, but to live by.

In another instance the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, tried to get Jesus’ opinion on the afterlife. Jesus told them:

Matthew 22:29-32 (ESV) … “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”

The Sadducees knew “neither the Scriptures nor the power of God”. They did not have the Holy Spirit in their lives because they were not born again of the Spirit (John 3:3, 7; 1 Peter 1:23). In the Old Testament when God was recorded as saying “I am the God” of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God did not say “I WAS”, but “I am”. The very tense of the verb proved that God was the God of the Living, for if the dead ceased to be, then God would not be their God.

Game, set, and match.

When people attacked Jesus, they always brought TRADITION or SUPERSTITION unrooted in Scripture. Jesus knew that,

Hebrews 4:12 … the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit ..

The battles that Christ and His children by faith wage are not physical battles, but spiritual ones. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). Our battles are unwinnable if we attempt to win them by our opinions and desires. Principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, spiritual wickedness in high places is all much more powerful than we are. Our power is of God. Our weapons are of God.

Christ’s Church in America began to drift away from the power of God when we began to modify the Gospel message to be “inclusive” to everyone, regardless as to whether they REPENTED or not. What God has said is sin is still sin. Again from Paul Carter:

“Jesus did not commission his people to undo the Old Testament; he faced the devil with Deuteronomy 8:3. He faced the Sadducees with Exodus 3:6. He faced the Pharisees with Psalm 110:1. Jesus clearly operated under the assumption that the whole Old Testament – properly understood – was binding and decisive and to be his follower requires you to do the same.”

When the devil attacked Jesus in the wilderness, our Lord did not defend Himself with His inherent power. Jesus defended Himself with,

Matthew 4:4 … It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Matthew 4:7 … It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Matthew 4:10 … it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Matthew 21:13 … It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Matthew 26:24 … The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.

Matthew 26:31 … Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

Jesus extensively quoted the Scripture in His earthly ministry, so much so that, if you took away all of His “it is written” statements – Jesus would have said very little.

You don’t get to have a smaller Bible than Jesus.

It is the whole of the Bible, the Scripture, that tells us of Christ (John 5:39). The Old Testament prepared people for the coming of Christ. The New Testament recorded the fulfillment of God’s promises in Christ. Everytime a lamb or a dove was sacrificed before the altar in the Old Testament, the action showed that sin is a horrible thing that leads to death. When Jesus started His earthly ministry, the Scfripture says:

Luke 24:27 (ESV) … beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, {Jesus} interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself

We know that there is a God, and know that He is holy because of Scripture. We know that we are fallen, and that we all need a Savior from our sin.

Jesus is that one and only Savior!

It is the Scripture that leads us to Jesus Christ. Praise God for the Scripture.

Let Us Rely Solely On God’s Word

2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

As God the Holy Spirit moved holy, dedicated men of God, they wrote of our need for a Savior. They wrote of Jesus. There is no other Savior than Jesus. As our Lord Jesus prepared to go to the Cross for us, He once more referred to the Scripture in

Luke 24:45-47 (ESV) Then {Jesus} opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

How is a person saved? Not by our works, but by His work. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, suffered on the Cross of Calvary. He died, bearing the full penalty for our sins. But Jesus did not die and stay dead, but rose from the dead on the third day. He laid His life down, and picked up His life again. He surrendered to and suffered death for us, so that we might be saved. A person is saved THROUGH REPENTANCE, by turning away from doing things your own way, and turning to and relying on Jesus. Believing on His Name, a person is saved to serve God.

Being saved is not about ME, but about HE. Being saved because you are following Jesus. Being saved because you have given your allegiance to Him. Jesus cherished the Scripture. If you are saved by faith, His disciple, then you too will cherish the Scripture. As Sinclair B. Ferguson wrote in his book “Worthy”:

“The grace of God in Christ provides us with a new identity, a heavenly one; it follows that this—and not our natural identity—determines everything we do. Our identity, our citizenship, is heavenly. As Paul says elsewhere, our lives are “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3) … So we are to “sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land” (Psalm 137:4). That’s not a matter of legalism, for “his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). Jesus tells us that being yoked to him, the meek and lowly one, brings ease, not dis-ease, and rest, not restlessness, for our souls (Matthew 11:28–30).”

Do you know Him? If not, today is the day to give your life to Christ. Only by faith are you saved, and only by faith in His applied word do you grow spiritually as a believer. May God touch your hearts with His Word.

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Introduction To The Ten Commandments And The First Commandment of God

Posted on December 30, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Exodus 20. As you’re turning there, I want you to see this clip from Cold Case Christianity:

View Clip Here

Introduction To The Ten Commandments

The first of the Ten Commandments is found in …

Exodus 20:1-3 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

I’m often asked “Why are there so many denominations in Christianity?” I like the way that J Warner Wallace said it,

“Because that’s who we are. That’s our nature as prideful, rebellious know it alls. We are all this way.”

It was human pride that caused the fall from Eden. Not God, but us trying to be gods. The devil told Adam and Eve:

Genesis 3:4 (AP) If you eat of the forbidden tree, you will surely NOT die. God knows that the day you eat of it you will be like Him, like a god. You will determine good and evil.

In our day today there is what is known as “An Epidemic of Despair”. The New York Times reported that “Nearly three in five teenage girls felt persistent sadness in 2021 … and one in three girls seriously considered attempting suicide”. There is rarely a day that goes by where I don’t see a death obituary that states “He or she died unexpectedly at home”. That’s code for suicide, or an unintentional death because of alcohol or drugs. The rise of “Woke Doctrine” in our society has fueled narcissism and borderline personality disorders. Why has this come about?

Because we have, as a society, divorced ourselves from the God Who made us and loves us.

For a person to be happy that person must understand that we cannot be God. It is impossible. In our songs – whether Country Music, Rap, or Rock – we sing about and set impossible standards of love for humans. Humans do not have the capability to love as deeply or as rightly as God does. We create graven images of God in our modern worship songs. As I listen to much of the Contemporary Christian Music I hear people sing things about God that are unBiblical, and are therefore a fantasy. God is defined by the Scripture He gave us, not by our wants and desires. When Jesus prayed for His Church, He prayed:

John 17:17 Sanctify them {O Father} through THY TRUTH. THY WORD IS TRUTH.

When our country was founded, our first Vice President (1789-1797) and the second President of the United States (1797-1800) John Adams stated:

“Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

Our founders knew this. God as the Founder of Israel also knew this. If Israel as a nation would be stable, its people must be “moral and religious”. They must have a relationship with the God Who made them. When Israel got to the base of Mount Sinai, around fifty days after they were saved from enslavement to Egypt, God constituted Israel as not just a loose conglomeration of people, but as a nation. The Ten Commandments were given as a basic constitutional structure for God’s people. Though God went further with the Law after the giving of the Ten Commandments (He gave them ceremonial laws, dietary laws, sanitary laws, and sacrificial laws to Israel), the Ten Commandments are the basis of stability for any of God’s people, whether Jew or Gentile.

Our Lord Jesus applied the Ten Commandments to the believer. When asked by a follower “what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”, Jesus replied:

Matthew 19:17-19 … if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. … Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

The Apostle Paul said:

Romans 13:8-10 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

James, the stepbrother of Christ, told us:

James 1:21-25 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

The Ten Commandments are found all throughout the New Testament. They are not to be ignored, but to be cherished as a gift that God has given to His people.

The Ten Commandments Are Not Chains, But
Are The Perfect Law Of Liberty

Exodus 20:1-3 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Evangelist Ronald L. Dart notes:

“Now I realize a lot of people don’t look at the Ten Commandments and think in terms of liberty. They have a habit of thinking that, well it’s kind of restricting, it keeps us from doing the things that we might want to do, but the problem is, a lot of things we might want to do will just put us back in slavery again. The Ten Commandments are introduced by this term, “I am the Lord your God that got you out of the house of bondage.” What we’re about here at Mount Sinai is liberty. Everything that follows is about liberty. … God didn’t bring Israel out of bondage to put them back in bondage again. Just read the introductory statement to the Ten Commandments of God, “I am the Lord your God, I brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” We aren’t going there again!”

To break the commandments of God is to break yourself.

Again, I refer back to Eden. Had Adam obeyed the Commandment of God, we would still be in Paradise today, a place where there are no mosquitoes, no hard word, and no graveyards.

Death entered the world when Adam sinned, rejecting the Commandment of God. Death entered the kingdom of Israel when David ignored God’s Commandment, and took another man’s wife as his own. Eternal God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, adhered to the Commandments of God.

Jesus said in John 12:48-50 (NKJV) He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.

The command of the Father is EVERLASTING LIFE. The Bible says that

1 John 1:5 (NKJV) … God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

God did not save Israel from Egypt to enslave Israel, no more than He saves us to enslave us. God saves us to FREE us, to bring us into the LIGHT of God where we will have joy and peace.

This was the lesson that David learned the hard way. He would later prayerfully write:

Psalm 119:9-12 (NKJV) How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. 10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! 11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. 12 Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes.

The First Commandment Reminds Us Of
The Singularity And Uniqueness Of God

As Israel remembers their salvation through the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian Army, God tells them:

Exodus 20:2 I am the Lord thy God

When Israel was in Egypt, they were exposed to the gods of Egypt. There were, according to one source I read, 44 male gods and 32 female goddesses in Egypt. Where Buddhism and Hinduism flourish, like India, there are some 300 million gods that are worshiped, and often the gods are at odds with one another.

Our God is not many, but ONE. God said “I am the Lord thy God”. He is singular, unified, and He wants a relationship with His people. When the second generation of Israel prepared to go into the Promised Land, God gave them the Law a second time in the Book of Deuteronomy. In that Book He wrote:

Deuteronomy 6:1-4 (NKJV) Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

God told Israel “The Lord our God, the Lord is one!”. Then The Lord summarized the first four commandments of the Ten Commandments by saying, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength”. Our Jesus did the same thing with the Commandments. When asked one day,

“Which is the GREAT COMMANDMENT in the Law?”

Jesus replied (Matthew 22:37-40) “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

The Law of God – the Ten Commandments – is divided into two parts. Love God with your ALL, and love your neighbor as yourself. Treat others the way you want to be treated. But ALWAYS REMEMBER that God is God and we are NOT!

There is only ONE GOD, and He is the God of the Scripture, the God Who gave the Ten Commandments at Sinai. Our God is uniquely One.

He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – but He is nonetheless ONE. Our Lord Jesus said,

John 10:27-30 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.

Jesus and the Father are ONE. When Jesus prayed for His Church, He prayed to the Father that “the Church may be ONE just as WE ARE ONE” (John 17:22). The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are uniquely One. Not three Gods, but One God in Three Persons. God told Israel:

Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

God wants us to love Him before all else. God despises idolatry, because idolatry divorces us from what is meant to be our best. We were created to walk with God, not as gods, but as adopted sons and daughters. We were meant to rely on God, not on ourselves. The Bible tells us in two places:

1 Corinthians 8:4-6 … that there is no other God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

Idolatry is no more than a MAGNIFICATION OF HUMAN PRIDE. It is when we reject the true God of Scripture in favor of a false god that is more pleasing to our lusts and our own satisfactions.

The late Tim Keller wrote in his book Counterfeit Gods:

“An idol is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, and anything that you seek to give you what only God can give.”

There are many today who profess to be Christian, but follow a god of their imagination not realized in Scripture. The God of salvation says “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me”. Why? Is it because God is jealous? Yes, He is. He made us to love us, and we will not be what we were fully intended to be until we fully love Him.

Idolatry began in the Garden of Eden, when Adam tried to make himself a god. It failed. Idolatry came to Israel soon after God gave them the Ten Commandments. God had told Israel:

Exodus 19:5-6 (NKJV) if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

Israel heard this, and replied (vs 8) “all that the LORD has spoken, we will do”. And yet when Moses was 40 days on the Mountain, Israel demanded that Aaron (Exodus 32:1) “make us gods that shall go before us”. They worshiped a “golden calf”, giving this “god” credit for leading them out of Egypt. When God heard this from the Mountain, God threatened to destroy Israel and raise up a great nation out of Moses (Exodus 32:9). Had Moses not intervened in prayer, glorifying and honoring God, that nation could have died that day.

As it was, though Moses’ prayer spared Israel that day, this congregation would eventually die in the wilderness over a 40 year period because of idolatry.

When We Make The Primary Secondary, And The Secondary Primary, We Wreck God’s Work For Us

Why did Israel make the golden calf? They were driven by fear, impatience, selfishness. They loved themselves more than they loved God. We must always love God most. He must always be first in our hearts. God is the Giver of good things. I believe that God wants to give us good things. But that which God gives us must never be valued above the Giver of the good things. C.S. Lewis wrote about first things and second things. He said that first things are things that God designed to be first in our hearts – namely, loving Him; whereas second things are the good things that God has given us that are only good as long as they are secondary. I can think of a few illustrations.

I love my little dog Bella, I love her very much. I want no harm to come to her. But when she dies (and she will die) I will love God for the time He has given me with my pet.

I love my Church very much, but there will come a day I am here no more. Yet I will still love God for the time He has given me with my Church.

I love my children very much, but God saw fit to take one of my children away. Yet my love for God has no diminished, for He is the Giver of Children, that wonderful gift from Heaven. When Job lost all,

his servants,
his sheep,
his camels,
his sons,
his daughters,

Job said, (Job 1:20) Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.

God is in charge. What God gave, God took away. Does it not say,

Romans 8:28-30 we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Israel was predestined to enter the Promised Land, for God had promised that land to Abraham by faith. Even though the first generation failed to enter because of idolatry, the second generation entered. God’s will will be done!

The Christian is predestined to be “conformed to the image of His Son”, for the glory of God forever. This is why “all things work together for good to those who love God”. If you love God, and cherish His Word, everything that happens to you happens for a greater good. God is in control – not us. We are to trust Him. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32).

Israel was not saved by the Law, but by following Jesus through the Red Sea. Had Israel not followed the Lord, they would have never left Egypt and slavery. Jesus said, “Follow Me”. God says “Follow Me”. Faith follows God. Israel was not saved by the Law, but Israel was PRESERVED by the Law. While they obeyed God, they were protected and blessed.

Do not believe you can be saved, and not follow the Lord. Israel was at Sinai because they followed the Lord there. God told them:

Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

The first generation of Israel will lose the Promised Land because of Idolatry. The second generation of Israel will gain the Promised Land because the Canaanites were idolatrous. So God warned His people:

Slide 11

Deuteronomy 12:29-32 (NKJV) When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, 30 Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ 31 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. 32 “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

Do you know why God dispossessed the Canaanites? Because their idolatry led them to sacrifice their children to their false gods. Americans do that today, and call it a “medical procedure” or “women’s health”. It is not. It is murder. It is idolatry. It is evil. God says, do not do that. Idolatry destroys your relationship with God and with others. It is the gateway to anarchy and absolute darkness. As Evangelist Dwight L. Moody said:

“You don’t have to go to heathen lands today to find false gods. America is full of them. Whatever you love more than God is your idol.”

May God lead us as American Christians to put Him first. Amen and Amen.

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Only A Fool Would Cancel Christmas

Posted on December 31, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Venti Views on Unsplash

Matthew 1:18-25 (KJV) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And SHE SHALL BRING FORTH A SON, AND YOU SHALL CALL HIS NAME JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it MIGHT BE FULFILLED which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME EMMANUEL, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and HE CALLED HIS NAME JESUS.

The Devil Is Killing America With “Feelings”

We live in a “feelings” day. Over half of our nation is driven by not FACTS, but FEELINGS. You see it on the news. It doesn’t matter if it’s FOX or CNN, it’s all about FEELINGS. FOX was talking about a fellow that was imprisoned in England for a social media post, bemoaning the loss of “Second Amendment” privileges. Did you read what the man posted? It was horrible. He was advocating MURDER and ARSON against a people group! The man ought to be in jail – or a psychiatric hospital!

You see it on social media. People attacking one another, rather than focusing on FACTS. People mocking other people rather than sharing ideas.

Confused and emotional people attack people, because they rely not on facts but on feelings. The wise, the Christ follower is supposed to attack devilish ideologies or thoughts, not people. We are to be a factual people.

Think about the protests going on around our country. People marching at a “No Kings” rally. Our First Amendment protects your right to march. There are “No Kings” in America. If there were a king, you could expect execution, imprisonment, torture, and loss of property. Have you EVER SEEN BRAVEHEART?

You can march against fascism. Most people don’t know what fascism is. If our country were fascist, the marchers would be arrested and imprisoned, tortured and interrogated, executed or just “disappeared”, placed in forced labor or concentration camps, and whole families were brutally disciplined. The First Amendment protects us from what the citizens of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Francoist Spain (under Francisco Franco), or Imperial Japan went through. It protects us from what Communist China’s and Northern Korea’s citizens suffer daily.

The First Amendment protects us from state run religions like the Muslim nations and the Catholic nations of years past. Czechoslovakian Christian Martyrs like Jan Hus (pronounced yahn hoose) was burned at the stake in by order of the Council of Constance (a Catholic church council) on July 6, 1415, after refusing to recant his views. Brother Hus preached:

👉 The Bible is the final authority (not popes or councils)

👉 Salvation is by grace through faith alone (not indulgences or works), and

👉 All believers are priests (no need for a special clerical class to mediate)

Before dying in flames, Jan said: “You are now burning a goose [“Hus” means goose in Czech], but in 100 years God will raise up a swan you will not be able to burn or silence.”

Mormons under Joseph Smith murdered those who departed from their faith. Buddhists, Muslims, and Hindus kill those who will not convert. They feel that they are doing the right thing. Beloved, Jesus said:

Matthew 12:25 (NKJV) Every KINGDON DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF IS BROUGHT TO DESOLATION, and every city or house divided against itself WILL NOT STAND.

Be it nation, community, or church, we cannot stand. We cannot stand based on FEELINGS, because FEELINGS come from a broken heart.

Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV) The HEART [is] DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS, And desperately wicked …

Mark 7:21-23 (NKJV) For from within, OUT OF THE HEART OF {PEOPLE}, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

Our hearts are not naturally pure. People are not innately good. God tells us to take our broken hearts to HIM, and let HIM fix them.

Proverbs 3:5 TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART and lean not on your own understanding.

Give your HEARTS, your FEELINGS to Jesus. Put that on the back burner, and do as Jesus did. Ask yourself, “What does the FACTS teach? What is the reality? What does God say in His Word?”. King David was a broken man like we are – but he cast himself on the Lord. He said:

Psalm 51:8-12 (NKJV) Make me hear joy and gladness, [That] the bones You have broken may rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. 10 CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART, O God, And RENEW A STEADFAST SPIRIT WITHIN ME. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 RESTORE TO ME THE JOY OF MY SALVATION, And uphold me [by Your] generous Spirit.

The devil wants you living your life by feelings. God says, no, come to Me. God’s Word says you must “confess with your MOUTH that JESUS IS LORD, and believe IN YOUR HEART that God raised Him from the dead … then you SHALL BE SAVED” (Romans 10:9). You are not saved by feelings, but by facts, Bible truths.

What If Joseph Has Went On “Feelings”?

Matthew 1:18-19 (KJV) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, BEFORE THEY CAME TOGETHER, SHE WAS FOUND WITH CHILD of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, BEING A JUST MAN, and not willing to make her a public example, WAS MINDED TO PUT HER AWAY PRIVILY.

Every year we come to the Christmas story. We think about Mary, we think about Jesus. That’s fine. But I want you to take a minute and wonder about this: HOW IMPORTANT WAS JOSEPH TO THIS EVENT? The Bible says of Joseph that he was:

BEING A JUST MAN

The phrase “JUST MAN” tells us that Joseph was a man who walked with God. God uses the “JUST MAN”. When God sought to rid the world of out of control evil, He chose “Noah, a JUST MAN” (Genesis 6:9). Those who are “JUST MEN” trust in God’s Word, not in their feelings. “The just man walketh in his integrity” (Proverbs 20:7). A “JUST MAN” is not perfect, but he looks to the Lord and is blessed:

Proverbs 24:16 (KJV) For a JUST MAN falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Mary is with Child, but Joseph has not consummated the marriage yet. They had not yet “COME TOGETHER” as husband and wife should. Imagine this! You’re a man, and your intended Bride is with child. What will control you? Your feelings? If Joseph had been controlled by his feelings, Mary might not have been killed, but she would have been shamed and shunned by her world. Among ancient Judaism people were executed for adultery – but were called to accountability for fornication. Mary would have been a cast out.

Joseph loved Mary, but walking in his integrity as a just man he could not marry her. Joseph thought Mary was involved in egregious sin (Deuteronomy 22:23-24). If led by feelings, he would have made her estate public. Instead he was “MINDED” to “PUT HER AWAY” or divorce her quietly.

Had Joseph went on feelings, Jesus Christ would never have been born into this world. Jesus is the “Only Begotten” of the Father. As Eternal God, Jesus has always been with the Father. As long as there is God, which is forever, Jesus has been with God. It was planned by the Father that humanity be redeemed from the slave market of sin by the Incarnation of Christ.

Matthew 1:20 (KJV) But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for THAT WHICH IS CONCEIVED IN HER IS OF THE HOLY GHOST.

Joseph was a “JUST” man, but he wasn’t perfect. When the Messiah came, He had to be born a perfect Man, completely without sin. The Bible says that after Adam sinned, Yahweh told the Serpent (Satan):

Genesis 3:15 (NKJV) And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.

This is what theologians call the Protoevangelium or the first preaching of the Good News of the Messiah. When Adam sinned, he brought sin into the world. The Scripture says:

Romans 5:12 (KJV) Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

By following his feelings instead of the fact of God’s Word, Adam brought sin into the world. God cannot look the other way on sin. God detests sin! So Yahweh promised Satan that Serpent that “the SEED OF THE WOMAN” would come and crush his head – though He Himself would be injured (but not forever). The Messiah would come – not through the seed of the man but the seed of the woman. By man sin entered into the world. Man cannot fix sin. But if sin were to be forgiven, and the wrong righted, then a Perfect Man would have to do so.

This is why there was a virgin birth.

Joseph, though a “Just Man”, was not a perfect Man. Being imperfect, he could not sire the Messiah. But God could. God the Holy Spirit worked within Mary to create a Perfect and Sinless Man. This was the same thing that the Angel Gabriel told Mary:

Luke 1:35 (KJV) … The HOLY GHOST SHALL COME UPON THEE, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also THAT HOLY THING which shall be born of thee SHALL BE CALLED THE SON OF GOD.

I was reading Elmer Towns book “Learning From God’s Imperfect People”, and came across this quote:

“How can you be more perfect? By getting a vision of what God can do through you, or more importantly, what God can do with you.”

Joseph could not create the Messiah. But he could get out of the way, and support Yeshua as He took upon Himself human flesh. Joseph loved Mary, and loved the Lord. Love is the laying down of your life – and your rights – in order to bless another. Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends”.

Joseph laid down his life for Mary and the Messiah, so that the Messiah could one day lay down His life for us. “God loved us, and sent His Son to be the satisfactory payment for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

Matthew 1:21 (KJV) And SHE SHALL BRING FORTH A SON, AND YOU SHALL CALL HIS NAME JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.

In the ancient world, the father usually named the child. Joseph was not the father, so he could not name the child. God was the Father of the Messiah.

It was prophesied of the Messiah:

Isaiah 53:9-10 (NKJV) And THEY MADE HIS GRAVE WITH THE WICKED–But WITH THE RICH AT HIS DEATH, Because He had DONE NO VIOLENCE, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT IN HIS MOUTH. 10 Yet it PLEASED THE LORD TO BRUISE HIM; He has put [Him] to grief. When YOU MAKE HIS SOUL AN OFFERING FOR SIN, He shall see [His] seed, He shall prolong [His] days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.

Jesus would grow up to die on Calvary for our sins. He would die between two thieves, a man found innocent by Pilate the Governor, yet nonetheless executed. He would be buried in a rich man’s tomb. Jesus would die on Calvary for us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) For He made Him who KNEW NO SIN [to be] sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Because Jesus, pure and sinless, bore our sins, we can believe on Him and receive His righteousness.

Christmas Is A Commemoration Of God’s Love

Matthew 1:21-22 (KJV) And SHE SHALL BRING FORTH A SON, AND YOU SHALL CALL HIS NAME JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it MIGHT BE FULFILLED which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME EMMANUEL, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Christmas commemorates a time when God kept His promise. God always keeps His promises. God promised that He would step into creation. Why? We see it in the text:

YOU SHALL CALL HIS NAME JESUS: for He shall SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS

Word Study: The Bible says in 1 John 3:5, “He was MANIFESTED or REVEALED {through incarnation} TO TAKE AWAY OUR SINS; and IN HIM IS NO SIN”. Why did the Father name the Messiah “Jesus”? The name “JESUS” is the Greek iēsous, which is equivalent to the Hebrew Yehoshua (or Joshua), which means “The Lord saves”. One of the heroes of Judaism was Joshua, the man who led Israel into the Promised Land. Joshua led God’s people into a Promised Land that was physical. Jesus leads His people into the Kingdom of God, a much greater blessing. Joshua saved God’s people from the enemies who occupied the Promised Land. Jesus saves God’s people from slavery to sin and Satan.

Jesus came to save us from our sins. Sin separates us from God, and robs us of the joy of living. Sin brings death and disease, slavery and suffering. Jesus saved us from more than hell. He saved us from a life without God both now, and into eternity!

Joseph was to name the Messiah “Jesus” or “The Lord saves”. The Bible goes on to tell us that this was a fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14, “THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME EMMANUEL, which being interpreted is, God with us”. One reference I found noted:

“‘Emmanuel’ is a title, not necessarily a personal name. In Hebrew culture, to be ‘called’ something often meant to be known as or to embody that reality—not that it would be the name on a birth certificate. So ‘Emmanuel’ describes who the Child is, not what people would shout when calling Him for dinner.”

Christmas commemorates the great love that God had for us imperfect humans. He sent His Eternal Son from glory to this broken world. Jesus came not to be “Superglue” or “Duct Tape”. He didn’t come to put a patch on us. The Messiah came to “save His people from their sins”. God did this supernaturally by taking Eternal God and containing Him in Finite but Perfect Man. Only God could do that.

About this time every year the Liberals and the Progressives begin telling us how they feel when we speak of Christmas. I’ve heard it called “A War On Christmas”. The war on Christmas, on Christ Himself, has always been here. It was there in the Garden of Eden, it was there when Noah built an Ark, it was there when God called Abraham. Beloved, our war is “not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). Several years ago the Washington Post ran an article by a Jewish woman named Julia Ioffe. It was titled “Please don’t wish me ‘Merry Christmas’”. She wrote:

“Christmas is a lovely holiday, but it is definitely not a secular one. It is a celebration of Christ, as its very name implies. … Whenever I hear the name, I hear the “Christ” in it. To me, it’s strange that many of its celebrants do not. … “This is always the time of year I feel most excluded from society,” one Jewish friend told me. Another told me it made him feel “un-American.”” …. There’s something a little deranged about taunting someone of another faith with “Merry Christmas” after they’ve politely asked for a recusal. It feels out of step with what Christians say this holiday — and Christianity — is all about: peace, love and mercy. It feels, instead, to be of a piece with the warring tribalism that has consumed our politics.”

When someone – especially a Jew – tells you “Don’t wish me Merry Christmas”, understand you are talking the color red to a blind person. They do not see it. To them, Jesus is just a Rabbi or a Teacher of just another world religion. Jesus is much more than this. Jesus is THE Christ. The reason there are Jews is because God chose to send the Messiah through Israel. He came “to the Jew first, but also to the Gentile” (Romans 1:6; 2:9-10). God sent the Messiah through Mary and Joseph to save whosoever will.

Israel exists because of Jesus. It continues to exist because of Jesus. Jesus will return, and rule Israel. No Jew is saved apart from Jesus.

God made a promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3) that through his progeny “all peoples on earth will be blessed”. Israel was chosen to be the CONTAINER through Whom the Messiah, the Christ would come. Having come, He came to save Israel – and us – from our sins.

Beloved, only a fool would want to cancel Christmas. Only a fool would reject the wonderful message that God gives us at Christmas. Oh, how I hope in the midst of this holiday buying and wrapping of presents, setting of trees, that you forget the great Gift of the Messiah that God gave us.

Merry Christmas!

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You Can’t Run Looking Backwards

Posted on December 31, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Miguel A Amutio on Unsplash

Philippians 3:12-14 (KJV) Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

I’ve seen a lot of horror movies, and found out one of the biggest problems people have is running away while looking backward. You can’t run looking backward. Well, you can, but you’ll fall and become a victim rather than a victor.

Running while looking backwards makes for victims, not victors.

Life is very much like a race – maybe that’s why we’re called the human race. It’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon. If you stop running, they throw dirt on you. People run their race pursuing all types of things. The run their race depending on their own power, on their ego, on the I can do all things.

Opening: The Rap singer Fifty Cent (Curtis James Jackson III) had an album called “Get Rich or Die Trying”. He’s rich – he has lots of money. His net worth is estimated at $60 million. Yet when you look at his life, what does he really have? He was shot 9 times in 2000 and said when he survived, he believed in “God”. But his faith is in himself, on the Irather than Jesus. In an interview with beliefnet he said:

“I believe in God. I didn’t survive being shot nine times for nothing. I didn’t claw my way out of the ‘hood just ’cause it was something to do. I know I‘ve got a purpose – a reason for being on this planet. I don’t think I‘ve done everything I‘m supposed to do yet. But I do know this: I ain’t going nowhere ’til I‘ve done it all.”

In this one paragraph the Rapper used the word “I” eleven times – but “God” only once”. I didn’t bring this out to put the Rapper down, but this is the mindset of many people in our world today. They want to be spiritual, but their focus is I. This man, like many others, run the race looking at the I, at themselves. This will wear you out.

You Can’t Run Looking Backward: I’m reminded of the singer “Whitney Houston”. Whitney believed in God. Raised a Baptist, she said “I learned to sing in church. Church is where I got my strength. … God is the source of my talent. I never thought it was mine. … I know He’s real, because He lives inside of me.” Yet Whitney died at just 48 years old, drowned in a bathtub with cocaine found in her system. I don’t know if Whitney was saved or not, but I do know that if she was saved, a Child of God, she tried running her race looking backward. I don’t doubt she was a child of God, but even children of God hurt themselves if their eyes are on the wrong thing. Our Jesus said:

Luke 9:62 (NKJV) No one, having put his hand to the plow, and LOOKING BACK, is fit for the kingdom of God.

If you are a Christian, God has called you into salvation to serve Him. You need to realize ….

Your Life – Both Physical As Well as Spiritual –
Is A Stewardship, A Gift Given By God

Philippians 3:12 (KJV) Not as though I had already ATTAINED {lambanō}, either were already PERFECT {teleioō}: but I FOLLOW AFTER {diōkō}

A lot of people looked at the life of the Apostle Paul and thought, “Paul, you’ve arrived! You’re at the top of your game! There’s nothing left for you to do. Jesus called you on the Damascus Road to go to the Gentiles to preach the Gospel. Yes, you have been persecuted. But you’ve started Churches all over the place. God has used you in wonderful ways to spread the Gospel. YOU ARE THE MAN!” Paul replies,

“No, I HAVE NOT reached the goal or seized the prize”
{lambanō}
“No, I am NOT PERFECT. This is NOT a finished product”
{teleioō}
“I am still STRIVING, RUNNING SWIFTLY toward the goal”

What was Paul’s goal? What did he want to achieve? The rest of verse 12 seems convoluted, but it’s not. He says:

I FOLLOW AFTER {strive, run swiftly with all my strength}, if that I may APPREHEND {katalambanō} that for which also I am APPREHEND {katalambanō} of Christ Jesus.

Word Study: The word “APPREHEND” {the Greek katalambanō} means “to grab so as to possess”. What’s he’s saying is that “Jesus laid hold on me for a purpose – and I want to find and achieve that purpose that Jesus has for me”. Let’s read this in other versions for clarity:

[NKJV] I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

[ESV] I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

Paul is saying “God made me for a purpose. God saved me for a purpose. I will keep striving, I will keep following Jesus until I fulfill His purpose for my life”

Those who are lost wander about, looking for purpose. If you have detached yourself from God Himself, then your life will be purposeless. It was not God’s purpose for Adam to destroy himself with sin, and to get himself banished from Paradise. Adam made this decision. God wants the very best for our lives.

When Israel disobeyed God for 70 Sabbatical years, the Lord had them exiled as a nation for 70 years. As Israel despaired under Babylonian captivity, the Lord told His people:

Jeremiah 29:10-13 (ESV) For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I WILL visit you, and I WILL fulfill to you My promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU, declares the LORD, plans for WELFARE and NOT FOR EVIL, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then YOU WILL CALL UPON ME AND COME AND PRAY TO ME, and I WILL HEAR YOU. 13 You will SEEK ME AND FIND ME, when you SEEK ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART.

God wants the best for each and every one of us. He gave us life. He purchased us salvation in Christ Jesus. What does God expect of us? He wants us to FOLLOW HIM, to FOCUS ON JESUS, to PURSUE THE MESSIAH. We are to realize that we are NOT COMPLETE, and will never be complete in this life. We are all imperfect. We know nothing. We understand nothing. God is all in all.

What Satan is constantly doing is trying to get us to follow the I. To make life about ourselves. To make ourselves the center of all things. Beloved, this type of life is destined to fail.

If You’re Still Breathing, You Haven’t Arrived

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have APPREHENDED {katalambanō}

Paul says, “I’m not there yet. I’ve not arrived.” So many of you think, “When I was young I did these things, but now I’m older I have no purpose, no plan, no thing that I must do”. Beloved, if you are still on this earth, you HAVE NOT ARRIVED. The Apostle wasn’t done yet. God wasn’t done with him. Do you know when God is done with you? When the preacher says a few words over your empty shell. When they put your earthly body in a resting place. But while you are alive,

1 Jesus Christ wants to save you if you are yet lost. While Paul was Saul, he couldn’t really be used of God. Jesus must reach you. You must say yes to Him and Him alone. People say, “Why won’t God use me?” The answer is He will not use a dead thing. Every work you do apart from Jesus is a dead work. God is good, but you are not.

“No one is good – except God ALONE” (Mark 10:18, NIV)

The Bible tells us that “there is NO ONE RIGHTEOUS, no, not even one. There is no one who seeks after God, no one who understands. All have turned away from God, and have become worthless. There is no one who DOES GOOD, no, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12, AP). The lost person without Jesus cannot do even one good thing that God considers worthy. The lost person is enslaved to sinfulness. The saved person follows the Lord Jesus.

John 8:34-36 (NKJV) Jesus answered them, Most assuredly, I say to you, WHOEVER COMMITS SIN IS A SLAVE OF SIN. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, [but] a son abides forever. 36 Therefore IF THE SON MAKES YOU FREE, YOU SHALL BE FREE INDEED.

You need Jesus. Jesus Christ came to save sinners, broken people like you and I. You are a child of the devil if you are not in love with Jesus. The father you have, is the one you will serve. Jesus said, “{if} you are of your father the DEVIL, and the desires of your father you want to do”. We are all born into this world lost and undone. But Jesus Christ came into this world to save you from your sins. He came to change you, from a servant of sin to a servant of God. When you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, God changes you from the inside out. The Bible says:

Romans 6:16-18 (ESV) Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who WERE ONCE SLAVES OF SIN have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having BEEN SET FREE FROM SIN, have BECOME SLAVES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

The one God uses must be first saved by Grace in Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS FOR GOOD WORKS, which God prepared beforehand, that WE SHOULD WALK IN THEM.

We are saved by casting our lives on God, by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. He made us on purpose. He remakes us on purpose.

2 Once saved, this is not the end of your journey. The saved spend the rest of their lives on this earth serving the Lord Who saved them. Our focus is to be on Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this ONE THING {heîs} I DO, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I PRESS TOWARD THE MARK FOR THE PRIZE of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul says that this is the “ONE THING {heîs} I DO”, that is, this is his focal point. He keeps his focus on “the PRIZE”. What is the prize the Christ follower seeks? To discover what it is that God wants us to do, then to DO IT. We are not to be hindered by our failures, our stumbles, but keep looking to Jesus. Paul said that he keeps …

FORGETTING those things which are BEHIND

We all fall. We all fail. Put the failures in the rear view mirror – and don’t dwell on it. You as a Christian are a creature in transition. You are a caterpillar God is changing into a butterfly. We are children of God, sons of God through Christ Jesus. The Bible says of the believer that I am a …

“new creature in Christ: OLD THINGS are PASSED AWAY; behold, ALL THINGS are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Your past should not define your present. This is what destroyed Israel.

When Israel was in Egypt, they were a nation of slaves. God told Israel:

Exodus 6:6 (ESV) … I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I WILL DELIVER YOU FROM SLAVERY to them, and I WILL REDEEM YOU with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.

and once Israel was freed, God reminded them …

Leviticus 26:13 (ESV) … I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that YOU SHOULD NOT BE THEIR SLAVES. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.

God said “OUT OF EGYPT I Called MY SON” (Matthew 2:15). Egypt is a picture of the lost, pagan, godless world. When God saves us, He calls us OUT OF EGYPT. What is it that God has said?

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 (NKJV) Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN, And I will receive you.” 18 “I will be a Father to you, And YOU SHALL BE MY SONS AND DAUGHTERS, Says the LORD Almighty.

Israel was saved from Egypt. They PHYSICALLY came out of Egypt. But SPIRITUALLY they stayed in Egypt. Any time things got tough Israel didn’t look forward to Jesus, but looked BACK TO EGYPT. When they were trapped at the edge of the Red Sea with the armies of Egypt coming upon them, they cried out to Moses:

Exodus 14:11-12 (NKJV) … Because [there were] no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 [Is] this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘LET US ALONE THAT WE MAY SERVE THE EGYPTIANS’? For [it would have been] better for us to SERVE THE EGYPTIANS than that we should die in the wilderness.”

Rather than look UP to God, they looked BACK to Egypt. Though God saved Israel by parting the waters and by destroying the armies of Egypt, they continued to look to Egypt. In the wilderness of Sin they cried out:

Exodus 16:3 (NKJV) And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD IN THE LAND OF EGYPT, when we sat by the pots of meat [and] when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

God gave them manna from Heaven, yet their minds were locked on Egypt. In Rephidim they found no water. Rather than look to God, they cried out:

Exodus 17:3 (NKJV) And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “WHY IS IT THAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT US UP OUT OF EGYPT, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?

Is it any wonder that when Israel got to the base of Mount Sinai that they demanded of Aaron:

Exodus 32:1 (NKJV) Come, MAKE US GODS THAT SHALL GO BEFORE US; for [as for] this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.

God saved them, but their minds were in Egypt. They quickly made “GODS” that they could worship, rather than turn to the God Who saved them from Egypt. God has said,

Isaiah 42:8 (NKJV) I [am] the LORD, that [is] My name; And MY GLORY I WILL NOT GIVE TO ANOTHER, Nor My praise to carved images.

If you are a Christian, you are to be in constant transition. Keep following Jesus. Keep your eyes on the Lord. Don’t let your failures define you.

You do not belong to Egypt any more, dear Christian. You are God’s possession. You are not slaves of sin, and of darkness. This is the land of the lost, not the Promised Land of the Christian.

forgetting those things which are behind, and REACHING FORTH unto those things which are before

Had the first generation kept their mind on the lord Who saved them, they could have gone into the Promised Land. But they didn’t. They kept looking backward. You cannot run the race set before you looking backward. If you do, you will stumble. You will fail. The Apostle Paul looked back over his past life, and learned from his mistakes. But he did not allow those mistakes to define him.

1 Timothy 1:12-17 (NKJV) And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting [me] into the ministry, 13 although I WAS FORMERLY A BLASPHEMER, a PERSECUTOR, and an INSOLENT MAN; but I obtained mercy because I DID IT IGNORANTLY IN UNBELIEF. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 15 This [is] a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS, OF WHOM I AM CHIEF. 16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, [be] honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Paul said “I am the LEAST OF THE APOSTLES. I am NOT WORTHY TO BE CALLED AN APOSTLE, because I PERSECUTED THE CHURCH OF GOD” (1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13). He remembered, I am sure, the Christians he had murdered in his unbelieving ignorance. He remembered the bad things he did. But Paul remembered that Jesus brought him out of Egypt. He remembered that it was BY GRACE He was saved:

1 Corinthians 15:10 (NKJV) But BY THE GRACE OF GOD I AM WHAT I AM, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, YET NOT I, BUT THE GRACE OF GOD WHICH WAS WITH ME.

Paul remembered where he came from – and learned by it. Paul got his mind out of Egypt, and into the kingdom of Christ. His focus was on following Jesus.

reaching forth unto those things which are before

Beloved, you have not finished what God has planned for your life until you get to glory.

Immature Christians Focus On Egypt – And Lose The Prize Of The Victorious Life!

Philippians 3:15 (KJV) Let us therefore, as many as BE PERFECT {teleios, mature}, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Paul has already told us in verse 12 that he is not PERFECT {teleioō, Perfect Passive Indicative} or COMPLETE. So unless Paul is contradicting himself, Paul is not talking about perfection in verse 15. The word here is the Greek teleios which means “to be mature, of full age”. The NKJV renders this verse:

Therefore let us, as many as are MATURE, have this mind

If you are a Christian, if God the Holy Spirit lives inside you, then you will stop looking back to Egypt. If you are otherwise minded – that is, if you don’t agree with this, then if you are a Christian “God shall reveal even this unto you”. Those who are Christians, though they may deceive themselves for a while, will eventually be brought to a right and a righteous mind by God. Here’s the truth:

You cannot be a joyful Christian and wallow in Egypt!

To those who say, “I’m a Christian – but I think thus and so sin (as the Bible defines sin) is fine”, if you’re really a Christian God will change your mind.

God does not give one set of rules for one Christian, and another set of rules for another. This is hogwash!

Philippians 3:16-17 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, LET US WALK BY THE SAME RULE, LET US MIND THE SAME THING. 17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

If you are a Christian, you are a child of God, a member of the kingdom of God. You do NOT get to make your own rules. You must follow God’s directives. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you keep My commandments”:

John 14:15, 21 (KJV) If YE LOVE ME, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS. … 21 He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, HE IT IS THAT LOVETH ME: and HE THAT LOVETH ME SHALL BE LOVED OF MY FATHER, and I WILL LOVE HIM, and will MANIFEST MYSELF TO HIM.

You don’t get to make your own rules. You are members of the kingdom of God. Even in the early Church, there were people who PROFESSED to be Christian …. but walked with their hearts in Egypt. Paul says of these:

Philippians 3:18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the ENEMIES OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST: 19 Whose END IS DESTRUCTION, whose GOD IS THEIR BELLY, and whose glory is in their shame, who MIND EARTHLY THINGS.)

Those who run looking backward are not children of God. They are enemies of the cross. Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins – not to enable us to revel in them. Those who love Jesus – love Jesus. Those who love Jesus – look for Jesus.

Philippians 3:20-21 For our CONVERSATION {politeuma, community, commonwealth, citizenship} is in heaven; from whence also we LOOK FOR THE SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.

We live for Jesus, not for ourselves. May God move on your hearts! The great Pastor and Preacher C.H. Spurgeon wrote of the false Christian, saying:

“These professors have… learned to sleep over the mouth of Hell and dream of Heaven while damnation is denounced upon them.”

And the great Evangelist Billy Graham said,

“Millions of professing Christians are only just that — ‘professing.’ They have never possessed Christ. They live lives characterized by the flesh.”

If you are saved, you will desire Jesus. You will love God’s Word. You will want to grow into what He wants you to be. May God lead you to His side daily! Amen.

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Redeeming The Time

Posted on December 31, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash

Ephesians 5:15-16 See then that ye WALK CIRCUMSPECTLY, not as fools, but as wise, 16 REDEEMING THE TIME, because the days are evil.

Colossians 4:5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, REDEEMING THE TIME.

Opening: We are all so very fragile, and we never know when our time on earth will end. Just a few days before Christmas, Michael Dickinson of Nebraska died in a McDonald’s drive thru. Pulling up to the payment window, Police Chief Dean Elliot said “It appears the deceased opened the door to further reach out of the window for payment purposes,” he said. We’re not sure if the vehicle lurched forward or what happened, but he became pinned between the door frame and the drive-thru window counter”. A McDonald’s employee attempted to save him, but could not. A life cut short in a McDonald’s drive thru just before Christmas.

We never know when our time on this earth will end. About the same time Michael passed from this life, a Florida man named Jason Kenney killed his wife and shot his step daughter before taking his own life. He was drinking when his wife Crystal suggested he turn off the NFL Game between the 49ers and the Colts. Enraged he took her life, then his own. The step daughter was shot twice, but is recovering. Searching the home in the aftermath of the shooting, deputies found a note that Crystal had written to her husband:

“You’re drinking, you’re using cocaine again. This is not the way the family should be. You need God.”

I wish Jason had found the Lord before the devil found him. Nothing good came of what he did. And if he left this life without Jesus – and I suspect he did – he is in a hell that he brought on himself even this day.

Christians Are To “Walk Circumspectly”

Ephesians 5:15 See then that ye WALK CIRCUMSPECTLY, not as FOOLS, but as WISE,

The Bible uses the word “WALK” as a picture of living. This is the seventh time that the Apostle uses “WALK” in this book. How you walk is how you live out your life. How you walk will effect your eternity.

Word Study: We are commanded to “WALK CIRCUMSPECTLY”. The word “CIRCUMSPECTLY” is the Greek akribōs, which means “in an accurate and diligent manner, in a way that avoids flaws”. When we encountered the word “WALK” in the earlier passages of this book, we read:

Ephesians 2:2 (LSB) ….. you FORMERLY WALKED according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience,

When you were lost, you walked carelessly. You walked as “fools” do. When the Bible uses the word “fool”, it is a reference to those who are godless. “The FOOL has said in his heart, ‘there is no God’. They are corrupt, and do abominable works” (Psalm 14:1). But once you met Jesus, you were saved by Grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). At that moment, your “walk” changed. We were told:

Ephesians 2:10 (LSB) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that WE WOULD WALK IN THEM.

To walk “circumspectly” is to walk not in sin, but in good works, in works that glorify the Lord our God.

You are not like the unbelieving world. You are changed by Grace. You are changed by the indwelling Holy Spirit of God. We are to “WALK WORTHY” of our calling (Ephesians 4:1). We are to “STOP WALKING” like the unsaved, confused persons (Ephesians 4:17).

Ephesians 5:2-3 And WALK IN LOVE, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. 3 But FORNICATION, and all UNCLEANNESS, or COVETOUSNESS, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

The Christian walk is characterized by LOVE, not LUST. We are to care for others, and to give ourselves for others just as our Lord Jesus did. But we are not to be involved in “FORNICATION” {porneia} or sexual sin. We are not to be involved in “UNCLEANNESS” {akatharsia} or perversity and rot. We are not to be GREEDY, chasing after the riches of this world.

Ephesians 5:4-6 (KJV) Neither FILTHINESS {aischrotēs, obscenity}, nor FOOLISH TALKING {mōrologia, moronic statements}, nor JESTING {eutrapelia, speech which tears down}, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU WITH VAIN WORDS: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Walking circumspectly means to control your tongue and your actions so as to glorify the Lord in your life. The wages of sin is always death, whether you are a Christian or a lost person. When you follow after things which ridicule the Way of Truth, you open yourself up to the disciplined of God. The Scripture says:

Colossians 3:23-24 (LSB) Whatever you do, do your WORK HEARTILY, AS FOR THE LORD rather than for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. Serve the Lord Christ.

We have an enemy, Satan, also called “the Prince of the Power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). “Air” is what envelopes this earth. Satan and his demonic followers are where ever there is air, where ever there is emptiness. If you’ve seen the devastation that a hurricane or a tornado can bring, you know that air can be destructive. The Bible says that:

1 Peter 5:8-9 {LSB} Be of sober spirit, be WATCHFUL. Your adversary, the DEVIL, prowls around like a roaring lion, SEEKING SOMEONE TO DEVOUR. 9 But resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished among your brethren who are in the world.

The devil and the darkness did not give up when Jesus resurrected from the Grave. The devil and the darkness doubled down. The forces of darkness are all about us – we MUST be circumspect, be careful in how we walk. The Apostle said:

2 Timothy 3:12-13 (LSB) Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13 But EVIL MEN AND IMPOSTERS will proceed [from bad] to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

The Redeemed Should Redeem The Time

Ephesians 5:15-16 See then that ye WALK CIRCUMSPECTLY, not as fools, but as wise, 16 REDEEMING THE TIME, because the days are evil.

I have heard it said, “We are to redeem the time because we ourselves are redeemed”.

Word Study: The Christian is a REDEEMED person. The word “REDEEMED” is the Greek exagorazō, which means “to pay a price for someone to recover them from the power of another; to ransom from enslavement or entrapment”. This what Jesus did for us when He died on the Cross. The Bible says:

Galatians 3:13 (KJV) Christ hath REDEEMED {exagorazō} us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:

Before we met Jesus, we were enslaved to sin. Jesus said, “everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34; Romans 6:20)

Before we met Jesus, we were enslaved to Satan. We were in the “snare of the devil, being captured by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:25-26; John 8:44)

Before we met Jesus, we were enslaved to the darkness. It is only Jesus who can “deliver us from the dominion of darkness, and into the Kingdom of God’s Beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13)

Before we met Jesus, we were enslaved to the Law as lawbreakers. The Law was not a blessing for us, but a CURSE. It condemned us as sinners. The Law said, “Do this”, but we could not in our own power. We were slaves to sin and Satan. But Jesus came, and died on Calvary for us. When we believe on Jesus, we are redeemed from the curse of the Law. Why?

Galatians 4:5-7 (KJV) To REDEEM {exagorazō} them that were under the law, that WE MIGHT RECEIVE THE ADOPTION OF SONS. 6 And because ye are sons, GOD HATH SENT FORTH THE SPIRIT OF HIS SON into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

As Christ has redeemed us, we now redeem time on this earth for His glory. We do not walk as those in darkness, but walk as children of God.

Ephesians 5:7-11 Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 8 For ye were {at other times} darkness, but NOW ARE YE LIGHT IN THE LORD: WALK AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

What God has condemned, we who are His children will not do. We cannot walk in sexual sin. We cannot walk in greed. We cannot walk contrary to the Word of God. Should we befriend unbelievers? Yes, I believe we should. However, when we reach out to unbelievers, we must NEVER CONDONE THAT WHICH GOD CONDEMNS. We are told:

no fellowship with the unfruitful WORKS OF DARKNESS but rather REPROVE THEM

It doesn’t say we can’t reach out to the WORKERS of darkness. We should reach out to the lost. But you cannot lead the lost to salvation by justifying that which God forbids.

Illustrate: There was a group I used to listen to called “The Newsboys”, and I was horrified to find out that their lead singer Michael Tait was involved in sexual misconduct and substance abuse. There were accounts that he actually molested young men who looked up to him. After he resigned from the Newsboys (being replaced by Adam Agee) there were many who excused Tait’s behavior. Some even stated that Christians should lower the standards, so that Tait didn’t have to live a double life.

No, dear friends, we cannot lower the standards, because God sets the standards, not us. The Bible draws the line, and here is where we stand.

Those who are redeemed should be redeeming the time. We do not redeem the time by twisting the Scripture. We stand on what the Word of God has clearly stated. We were purchased from the darkness by a great price. Jesus REDEEMED US TO GOD by His Blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation (Revelation 5:9). We are freed from the prison of sin, Satan, and self. We do not want to go back into that prison. We do not want others left in that prison. So we will redeem the time for our Lord.

If We Do Not Redeem The Time, The Lost Will Not Repent,
But Sleep Their Way Into Hell

Ephesians 5:13-14 But all things that are REPROVED are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. 14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Read that first statement carefully. “All things that are REPROVED {elegchō} are made MANIFEST BY THE LIGHT”. People sleep in the darkness, not in the light. The Christian cannot compromise with the darkness. When you fly a “rainbow flag” in front of your Church, you are telling those who follow that doctrine that there’s nothing wrong with it.

Word Study: Unless something is REPROVED {elegchō, to point out fault, to reprehend severely, to call to account, to admonish}, people will think there is nothing wrong with what they do. It is only when an action is REPROVED, and the doer is angered, can there be any possibility of the light manifesting the reality to that person.

No reproof. No repentance. No redemption.

Now this isn’t popular in the local church of America today. Churches seem to want to compete to try and get as many people in its doors as possible. Jesus never asked us to do that. He commanded that we “make DISCIPLES”, that is, teach people what Jesus and the Word of God say. The church cannot afford to be in the darkness. The church cannot afford to sleep. A sleeping church will not lead others to Christ. The church must be light. It must walk accord to God’s Word.

Romans 13:11-12 (ESV) Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to WAKE FROM SLEEP. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us CAST OFF THE WORKS OF DARKNESS and put on the armor of light.

We who are saved belong to Jesus. We who are saved have the Holy Spirit indwelling us. We are to walk according to God’s Word and with God’s Spirit.

Author Brennan Manning once stated,

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

Though I agree with the statement, Manning himself lived a double life. He died an alcoholic’s death, but not before losing his family because of alcohol. We are all broken, yes, and we all need Jesus. But we must realize that God does not warn us against sin because it hurts Him. He warns us against sin because it hurts US, and condemns those who will not repent of it and turn to Jesus to a life of misery and darkness.

We must reprove sin. We will be called homophobic, racist, hateful, demonic, uncharitable, mean spirited. Yet if the Book tells us it is wrong, we must declare it wrong.

In John 7 we read about Jesus. We read:

John 7:1 (LSB) And after these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was UNWILLING TO WALK IN JUDEA BECAUSE THE JEWS WERE SEEKING TO KILL HIM.

Why were the Jews seeking to kill Jesus? Was it because He fed the 5000 Jews, or fed the 4000 Gentiles with a tiny bit of food? No. It was because Jesus spoke the truth. After feeding so many with so little, the crowds started following Jesus not for the Word of God – but for the FOOD. Jesus REPROVED them.

John 6:26-27 (LSB) Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, set His seal.”

Jesus told them that they had to REPENT and BELIEVE on HIM. He told them that He was the “bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). Jesus chastised them for not believing in Him. To Jesus, faith was more than just a simple “I believe”. Faith in Him is like feeding on Him. He told them:

John 6:54-58 (LSB) He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down out of heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. He who eats this bread will live forever.

That day, many Jews left following Jesus, and began to plot against His life. So when we come into John chapter 7 we see that Jesus no longer goes to Judea because they want to KILL Him!

The Pharisees and the Chief Priests had a meeting at the end of John chapter 7, and plotted to kill Jesus. Though Nicodemus stood up for Jesus, he could not persuade the other Jews not to kill Jesus. The darkness HATES the Light.

John 3:19 (KJV) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and MEN LOVED DARKNESS RATHER THAN LIGHT, because THEIR DEEDS WERE EVIL.

After this meeting of Jesus’ enemies, we read in the last verse of John chapter 7:

John 7:53 (KJV) And every man went unto HIS OWN HOUSE.

They thought Jesus was a heretic. They thought Jesus was a menace to Judaism. Did they go to God? No. they went to their OWN HOUSES. But where did Jesus go? In the next chapter, first verse, we read:

John 8:1 (KJV) JESUS WENT UNTO THE MOUNT OF OLIVES.

Jesus went to where He often prayed. He prayed all night long, then went to the Temple and taught the Word of God. Jesus was able to go to the Temple where His enemies were, and teach a class in the midst of danger, because Jesus redeemed the time.

Time spent with God in prayer and in His Word is never wasted. This present life is a gift from God. What you do in this present life will effect your eternity.

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Winning Christ

Posted on December 17, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Samantha Rodríguez on Unsplash

Philippians 3:1-3 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. 2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. 3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Rejoicing In The Lord, Our Safe Place

Word Study: When Paul begins this section with the word “FINALLY” (Gk. Loipon), it makes us think that this will be the last chapter of this book. It’s not. The word loipon means “now, furthermore, or from this point onward”. Paul has spent the last two chapters telling us the glorious riches we who are Christians have received from Jesus Christ. What do we who are Christians have?

1. We are all “saints of God”, set apart in God the Father’s eyes because of our faith in Jesus (Philippians 1:1).

2. We did not earn this sainthood. We have “grace and peace with God” as a free gift from our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:2).

3. We are “filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:11).

4. Death nor our enemies have no hold on us. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

5. We have been given the “mind of Christ” (Philippians 2:3-8; 1 Corinthians 2:16).

6. We are the “sons of God in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation” (Philippians 2:12-16). We are to shine as His sons, not grumble nor complain.

Six major truths found in Jesus up to this point. The Bible says that God created earth and all that is in it over six days – “on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made”(Genesis 2:2). Up to this point, Paul has pointed out all that God did – at least six wonderful things – and now we are “brethren”, children of God together. The word Loipon means that – because of all that God has done for us in Christ – we now REST. What do believers do on the Sabbath, the Lord’s day? We REST, and REJOICE in the Lord Who saved us. From this point on, brothers and sisters,

REJOICE in the Lord

The phrase “REJOICE in the Lord” is found 232 times in the Bible. We “REJOICE in the Lord” because we know who we are are, and Who our God is. The Prophet said:

Isaiah 61:10 I will GREATLY REJOICE IN THE LORD, my SOUL SHALL BE JOYFUL IN MY GOD; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Bad times may come our way, but one thing that cannot be taken away from us is this: because we love Jesus, the Father loves us. We are His prized possessions. The Bible says:

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NKJV) Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls– 18 YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD, I will JOY IN THE GOD OF MY SALVATION. 19 The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s [feet], And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

Trials may come and go, and yet they will not defeat me. Why? Because …

Romans 8:28 (NKJV) we know that ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, to those who are the CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.

In chapter 3 the Apostle tells us who are saved by Grace to REST, to REJOICE in the Lord.

Philippians 3:1 … rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is SAFE {asphalēs}.

Word Study: Paul says “what I’m saying to you NOW is what I’ve said numerous other times. It does not grieve me to say this again. Why? Because for you it is SAFE (the Greek asphalēs, a certain or sure foundation on which to abide)”. The same word asphalēs is used for the promises of God in salvation in Hebrews 6:19. God cannot lie. God has promised to whosoever believes in Christ that they have eternal hope and everlasting life with God. God’s Word is SURE and STEADFAST.

The Apostle has used the word JOY or REJOICE a total of 16 times in this little book of Philippians. He commands us to REJOICE IN THE LORD.

That which is safest for the Christian is to REJOICE IN THE LORD. To focus on what you have in Christ, and the new identity He has given you. The safest place to be is in the Presence of Jesus, to read and hear the Word of God that He so loved. As we go through our daily trials, we are to fix our eyes on Jesus. As Jesus went through this life, bullied by the Pharisees and the religious leaders, did He lose heart? Was He defeated by the suffering He endured, the loneliness of Gethsemane, and the horrors of Golgotha? The Bible tells us:

Hebrews 12:1-3 (ESV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also LAY ASIDE EVERY WEIGHT and SIN which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 LOOKING TO JESUS, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him ENDURED THE CROSS, DESPISING THE SHAME, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 CONSIDER HIM who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

No matter what you are going through, look unto Jesus. REJOICE IN THE LORD. “My eyes are ever toward the LORD” (Psalm 25:15). Pray. Praise. Rejoice in the Lord! Keep looking upward, trusting in Him. The Scripture admonishes us:

Colossians 3:1-4 (ESV) If then you have been raised with Christ, SEEK THE THINGS THAT ARE ABOVE, WHERE CHRIST IS, seated at the right hand of God. 2 SET YOUR MINDS ON THINGS THAT ARE ABOVE, NOT ON THINGS THAT ARE ON THE EARTH. 3 For you have died, and YOUR LIFE IS HIDDEN WITH CHRIST IN GOD. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

“REJOICE IN THE LORD” is not a request, but a command of Scripture. Happiness depends on our circumstances – but joy is based on knowing whose we are.

Beware Those Who Will Rob You Of Joy

Philippians 3:2Beware {blepō} of dogs, beware {blepō} of evil workers, beware {blepō} of the concision.

Word Study: Paul mentions three things that will rob us of joy. Three times he uses the word blepō, which means “look for with your physical eye, and then mark so as to avoid with your mental eye”. Several commentaries note that Paul is just talking of the Judaizers who are trying to tell Gentiles they must be circumcised. But Paul uses three “bewares” or “look out” here, so I think he is talking about three elements of people who can rob you of your joy in Christ.

“Beware {blepō} of dogs”. In early Judaism (of which Paul was well acquainted) “DOGS” are those who are pagan, who are unbelievers in God but believers in false gods. Dogs can be those who pretend to love God outwardly, but inwardly are spiritually dead and unclean. Solomon wrote:

Proverbs 26:11 (ESV) Like A DOG THAT RETURNS TO HIS VOMIT is a FOOL {an unbeliever, see Psalm 14:1} who repeats his folly.

The Apostle Peter used the term “dog” to describe the false believer:

2 Peter 2:17-22 (ESV) These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. 18 For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but THEY THEMSELVES ARE SLAVES OF CORRUPTION. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are AGAIN ENTANGLED IN THEM AND OVERCOME, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

The Church in America has many who profess that they are saved so that they can freely sin. We are not freed from sin so that we may more freely sin. The Bible says:

Romans 6:18 (ESV) having been SET FREE FROM SIN, you HAVE BECOME SLAVES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Those who are saved, but feel that they are saved so they can freely sin, are like the “dog who returns to its own vomit”. The Bible warns that such people shall not be in Heaven (Revelation 22:15).

Sin not only brings disease and death, it kills joy!

beware {blepō} of EVIL WORKERS {kakopoios}

“EVIL WORKERS” is the Greek kakopoios, which refers to those who are not just thinking evil thoughts, but they are seeking to actively corrupt others. Several years ago the LGBTQ+ “Community” rallied and fought that they could be “married” like the traditional one man one woman couple was married. They wanted the same legal and civil rights that the traditional couple had. They said over and over again, “It will have no effect on traditional values, no effect on Christians. Trust us.” But what happened once they were given the legal right to marry? They began to demand that Christian florists and bakers cater to their affairs. They began to push the local churches to participate in their sinful fantasies.

Beloved, we should love the sinner, and tell them the Gospel of Christ. But we need to keep a sharp eye out and not bind with them until they repent and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Light and darkness cannot walk hand in hand.

beware {blepō} of the CONCISION {katatomē}

The word rendered “CONCISION” is the Greek katatomē, which means “those who cut or mutilate the skin”. This is indeed a reference to Judaizers, unconverted Jews who crept into the Church and say “Jesus is not enough”. Judaizers taught that you had to be circumcised to be saved. Many of these were Pharisees told Christians “you’re not fully saved until you satisfy the Law of Moses. You must be circumcised. You must keep the ceremonial laws of Judaism”.

This matter had been settled in the early Church among the Apostles. Once Paul began to reach the Gentiles with the Gospel of Christ, he went to Jerusalem to discuss the matter with the other Church leaders. The Apostle Peter along with James, the Overseer at Jerusalem, declared:

Acts 15:19-20 (NKJV) Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, 20 but that we write to them to ABSTAIN from things polluted by IDOLS, FROM SEXUAL IMMORALITY, [from] things strangled, and [from] blood.

Circumcision was a command that God gave to Abraham and his descendants. But circumcision was never mandated for the Gentiles. God would promise the children of Abraham that one day there would be a New Covenant where the HEART would be circumcised. Paul talked about this in …

Romans 2:28-29 (ESV) For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But A JEW IS ONE INWARDLY, and CIRCUMCISION IS A MATTER OF THE HEART, BY THE SPIRIT, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

Under the Old Covenant the Jew was circumcised in the flesh. But circumcision today is not required, not in the flesh. Paul goes on to say…

The Saved Have A Circumcised Heart

Philippians 3:3 (KJV) For WE ARE THE CIRCUMCISION, which worship God in the Spirit, and REJOICE in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

There are three types that we should avoid: dogs, evil workers, and the cutters/ those who demand circumcision. They rob us of our joy. Those who are saved:

1. Worship God in the Spirit. We were not saved by our own power, we were saved by the power of God. Now as children of God, we worship God – not in our own strength – but through the Spirit of God Who indwells us. The lost person is bored by God – unless God is doing something for them. The saved person loves God, loves learning of God, and loves the Word of God.

2. REJOICE in Christ Jesus. We are not ashamed of Jesus, but love Him, and want to know more of Him. And,

3. Have no confidence in the flesh. We who are saved give all glory to God. We do not believe that we are, within ourselves, “good enough” for Heaven. Paul wanted to be a good steward of the Grace that God had given him. He wrote:

1 Corinthians 4:2-4 (KJV) Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I KNOW NOTHING BY MYSELF; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

Some people love to stand around judging others, thinking they are better than those around them. The Christian should do the best he knows how – as UNTO THE LORD. Whatever we do, we do it not to be saved, but out of love for Him Who saved us. We are always mindful that we are all broken, even though now we are saved.

I wish some of you understood that.

The genuine Christian has NO CONFIDENCE in the flesh, NO self righteousness. Paul says:

Philippians 3:4-6 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Before Paul was saved on the Damascus Road, he pointed to six things he thought proved he was right with God. None of these things had anything to do with Jesus.

1. RITUAL. Paul was “Circumcised the eighth day”, just as the Law declared.

2. RELATIONSHIP. Paul was “of the stock of Israel”, of the chosen nation, God’s Old Covenant people.

3. RESPECTABLE. Paul was “of the tribe of Benjamin”. That was like saying, “My family came to this country on the Mayflower!”

4. RACE. Paul was “an Hebrew of the Hebrews”. There was not a drop of Gentile blood in his veins! He and his family stayed blood-pure!

5. RELIGIOUS CONSERVATIVE. Paul said, “as touching the law, a Pharisee”. The Pharisees were the most strict, the most Bible based, the most intensely orthodox of the religious denominations. Pharisees were religious, but heartless and mean. Paul said, “concerning zeal, persecuting the Church”. I heard a story of a little boy who brought a dead mouse in the house, holding its tattered body by its tail. He said, “Mama, look! I beat him with a broom. I ran over him with my tricycle. I hit him with big rocks, and then stomped on him!” His mother said, “Wasn’t that cruel, son? That’s horrible!” The little boy thought, then said “When I was done, the Lord called him home!” Pharisees were religious, but MEAN!

6. REPUTATION. “touching the righteousness which is in the law, BLAMELESS”. Paul was a whitewashed tomb! Then he met Jesus.

Once the Lord saved him, Paul’s attitude changed. He said:

Philippians 3:7-8 But what things WERE GAIN to me, those I COUNTED LOSS for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but DUNG, that I MAY WIN CHRIST,

Winning Christ Is The Goal Of The Believer

Word Study: In the phrase “WIN CHRIST”, the word for “WIN” is the Greek kerdainō which means “to gain, to win over, to gain Christ’s favor and fellowship”. Paul counted all the benefits that he used to have as “DUNG” {skubalon, animal manure}, as something well worth losing, in order to gain a closer, more intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

There was a group of people called gnostics who twisted the Gospel of Christ, and made it into fire insurance. They made statements like “Why should I continue to strive and to work for Jesus, after we have been saved? If I am assured that the Blood of Christ cleanses me from all sin (1 John 1:7) then why not, after I have professed Christ, just relax. Why not just do what I want, even if it is sin? Why gather with the Church? Why give? My ticket is paid! I’ll see Jesus in Heaven”. This is the attitude of many in America today, the gnostic way. They know about Jesus, but do not have a personal relationship with Him.

This is not what the Bible teaches!

When I was a young man going through the Air Force Academy I thought that the greatest thing I could ever have was to be the best in that school. So I worked hard and poured every ounce of my strength into excelling in my studies, in my drills, in all that I did. I won top in class, and had my picture taken with the Commander. Twice! Oh, how I struggled to get here. Oh, how sweet to get to the top of the class. Do you know where those awards are today? I have no idea. The newspaper clippings of my “great victory” are gone, lost in time. That thing that I struggled to get is today dung, manure, of no lasting value. It was a waste of my time! The Bible says “You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while – then vanishes away.” (James 4:14, AP). The things of this world are fleeting.

The most important thing you have is your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

People today are chasing after everything – and finding nothing. The child sees a parent love a dog or a cat, while ignoring the child. The child seeks to be a “furry”. A man, weak and discontented as a man, seeks to be a woman. A woman wants to have “equal rights” with all men – then pines for the children she wish she could have had. Everyone is chasing nothing, and finding nothing.

God designed us to walk with Him – not just in Heaven – but NOW! Our father Abraham understood this principle, that the greater thing we should be seeking – friendship with God. We should be striving, driven to win Jesus’ as our Friend. I’m not talking about salvation, Beloved. You cannot earn nor deserve your salvation – salvation comes by faith alone in Christ alone (Titus 3:5-6). Abraham understood this.

We must set our life’s compass by Someone greater than ourselves if we want our life to have meaning. Beauty passes, money is spent, fame is fleeting, but friendship with Christ … this is a blessing that continues into eternity.

Do Not Trust In The Flesh, But In Jesus

Philippians 3:9-11 And BE FOUND IN HIM, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I MAY KNOW HIM, and the POWER of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Paul said, “If you’re looking for me, I’ll always be “FOUND IN HIM”. Paul wasn’t staying close to Jesus because he was afraid of going to hell. Salvation is a free gift from God. “By the deeds of the Law no flesh will be justified in God’s sight. The Law gives us knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:19-20, AP). If you are saved, Jesus is your Friend. You cannot go to Jesus as His Friend and say, “I cannot trust what you said about salvation”. Friends trust one another. Jesus paid the penalty for my sin on the Old Rugged Cross. I have accepted Him as my Savior so now I am free to pursue a deeper relationship in Him. Friends trust one another. Friends rely on one another. Listen to what Jesus our Friend did for us:

2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV) For {The Father} hath made {Jesus} to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Your Friend Jesus gave so much for you on the Cross. He did not call us to salvation so that we could walk through this life by ourselves. He called us to salvation so that we can live VICTORIOUSLY, right now. And once this life is over we have a much greater life beyond this one with our Friend Jesus Christ. Jesus said:

John 15:14 Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I COMMAND YOU.

Jesus is a Friend Who will never let you down. Beloved, life is hard, we are fragile, and time ends unexpectedly. A quiet walk in the beautiful woods of Tennessee can quickly turn into pain and death if you step on a copperhead. We live our lives day in and day out expecting things to be easy, then tragedy strikes without warning. The wise man sets aside a few savings for a rainy day – because the rainy days will come. The wise man buys fire insurance for his house, and medical insurance for his family. You stay prepared for whatever comes, and life is much sweeter. Be prepared.

But better than savings, insurance, whatever, it is good to have Christ as your Friend. The Apostle knew this. Those who seek friendship with Christ Jesus find real power for living. There is no value in pursuing Christianity as a religion, but as a relationship with Christ – Beloved, there’s great value in that! There’s a song I love to sing – perhaps you’ve heard it? No one knows who wrote it – but I know. It was a broken creature like me!

I am weak but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long,
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Thro’ this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

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As Dear Children

Posted on December 17, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash

Ephesians 5:1-2 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.

Are You A Disciple Or A Dabbler?

A Religious Landscape Study conducted by the Pew Research Center (February 26, 2025) notes that only 62% of Americans identify as “Christian”, which is a sharp drop from 2007, when 78% identified as Christians. However, only one third of U.S. adults attend services in person at least once a month. Some of that number – up to 16% – only participate in Church online or through the television. What about involvement in Church activities? Lifeway Research (an arm of the Southern Baptist Convention) notes:

When asked if they have served as volunteers (church or other organizations) in the past year, about 30% of churchgoers said yes, while 66% said they had not.

That is very strange, as the Great Commission our Lord Jesus gave us explicitly states:

Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV) Go therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES {mathēteuō} of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, [even] to the end of the age. Amen.

Word Study: Jesus did not say “Go out and save people from hell by preaching the Gospel I died for”. Jesus said, “Go and MAKE DISCIPLES”. The word mathēteuō means “to instruct others the teachings and precepts of the Master, to teach others to live according to the directives of Jesus”. It is certain that Jesus came into this world to “bring SINNERS to REPENTANCE” (Matthew 9:13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32). Jesus loved us so much that His foremost ministry was to reach sinners – people like us. But Jesus did not come to save sinners, and then leave sinners in their sins. As the blind man healed by Jesus told the Pharisees:

John 9:31 (NKJV) Now WE KNOWS THAT GOD DOES NOT HEAR SINNERS; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, HE HEARS HIM.

That’s a well established principle in the Scripture:

Proverbs 15:29 (ESV) The Lord is FAR FROM THE WICKED, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.

Micah 3:4 (ESV) they will cry to the Lord, but HE WILL NOT ANSWER THEM; He will hide His face from them at that time, because THEY HAVE MADE THEIR DEEDS EVIL.

Proverbs 1:28-29 (ESV) THEY WILL CALL UPON ME, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because THEY HATED KNOWLEDGE and DID NOT CHOOSE THE FEAR OF THE LORD

Salvation comes by faith in Christ Jesus. It is a free gift from God. But once you are saved, your status changes. You become a “DISCIPLE”, a student of the Kingdom of God. But more than this, you become something even greater.

You are not a “Child of God” because you are part of a group. Only those saved by faith in Christ, born again of the power of the Holy Spirit, are Children of God under the New Covenant of Christ.

I have heard leaders in the Church make outrageous statements that are not Scriptural. For instance, several years ago Pope Francis (the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church) said “There is only one certainty that we have for all: we are all children of God”.

United Methodist Bishop Gregory V. Palmer said, “Is there any more important message that the church has to commend to the world than every human being is a child of God?”

Anglican Bishop Jeremy Greaves wrote “We are ‘all children of God’”.

Those who say such things are defying Jesus. Jesus distinguished between those who received and did His Word, and those who did not. Jesus told the Pharisees who often attacked Him and His ministry:

John 8:42-47 (LSB) Jesus said to them, IF GOD WERE YOUR FATHER, YOU WOULD LOVE ME, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come of Myself, but HE SENT ME. 43 “Why do you not understand what I am saying? [It is] because YOU CANNOT HEAR MY WORD. 44 “YOU ARE OF YOUR FATHER, THE DEVIL, and YOU WANT TO DO THE DESIRES OF YOUR FATHER. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own [nature], for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 HE WHO IS OF GOD HEARS THE WORDS OF GOD; for this reason you do not hear [them], because YOU ARE NOT OF GOD.”

That is very specific and to the point. The characteristic of the Child of God is that they

(1) love Jesus Christ,
(2) understand that Jesus alone came from the Father as Messiah,
(3) hear what Jesus says, and seeks to do it
(4) desires the things of God, not of Satan
(5) lives to share LIFE with others, not murder
(6) speaks the Word of God in truth, not deceptively
(7) believes Jesus is sinless
(8) hears and appreciates the Word of God, the Bible

Being A “Child Of God” Is Uniquely New Testament

Ephesians 5:1-2 Be ye therefore followers of God, AS DEAR CHILDREN;

As I studied this passage, the first thing God led me to do is research and see where the phrase “Child (or Children) of God” is found. This phrase is unique to the New Testament. The Lord showed me that …

no individual Israelite under the Old Covenant
was ever called a Child of God

When Israel was referred to, God called the NATION. Israel was often called “Children of Israel” (see Genesis 32:32; 36:31; Exodus 1:1, 7). The phrase “Children of Israel” is used 644 times in 600 verses. Under the Old Covenant you were either “Children of Israel” or Gentiles. But Israelites were NOT individually called “children of God”.

God called the circumcised NATION of Israel “My Son”. Under the Old Covenant only the NATION was the son of God, the children of God.

When God sent Moses to Pharaoh, He said:

Exodus 4:22-23 (ESV) … you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, ISRAEL IS MY FIRSTBORN SON, 23 and I say to you, “LET MY SON GO THAT HE MAY SERVE ME” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I WILL KILL YOUR FIRSTBORN SON.'”

The designation “My Son” emphasized that God called the nation into a covenant relationship with Him (Deuteronomy 14:1; 32:6; Isaiah 1:2; 63:16). Israel was collectively God’s SON, as long as the men of the nation were under the mark of CIRCUMCISION (Genesis 17:10-11; Leviticus 20:26; Deuteronomy 10:16). God told His national Son:

Genesis 17:14 (AP) Any UNCIRCUMCISED MALE… SHALL BE CUT OFF FROM HIS PEOPLE; he has broken My covenant.

You will not find the phrase “Child of God” anywhere in the Old Testament under the Old Covenant for a singular Israelite. Children or sons of God refers to the nation of Israel as God’s corporate covenant people.

The first Jew to be called a “Child” of God and a “Son” of God Individually is the Messiah, The Lord Jesus Christ!

When God prophesied the coming of Jesus as Messiah, He said:

Psalm 2:7 (ESV) I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU …

That this is a prophecy of Christ Jesus is clearly seen when we read how the New Testament refers to this Psalm, saying:

Hebrews 5:5 (ESV) So also CHRIST DID NOT EXALT HIMSELF to be made a high priest, but was APPOINTED BY HIM WHO SAID TO HIM, “YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU” (see also Acts 13:33)

In the Old Testament God said of Israel, “This is My son Israel, My firstborn”. But in the New Testament the Father said, “THIS is MY BELOVED SON, in Whom I am WELL PLEASED” (Matthew 3:17). When God spoke to King David, He told him that he would have a Son, a special Son:

2 Samuel 7:13-14 (ESV) HE SHALL BUILD A HOUSE FOR MY NAME, and I WILL ESTABLISH THE THRONE OF HIS KINGDOM FOREVER. 14 I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to me a Son. …

This was not a reference to Solomon, who, like all of us mortals, would have a throne that would end when he died. This was a reference to the coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Angel Gabriel told Mary:

Luke 1:31-33 (ESV) And behold, you will conceive in your womb and BEAR A SON, AND YOU SHALL CALL HIS NAME JESUS. He will be great and WILL BE CALLED THE SON OF THE MOST HIGH. And the LORD GOD WILL GIVE TO HIM THE THRONE OF HIS FATHER DAVID, and HE WILL REIGN OVER THE HOUSE OF JACOB FOREVER, and of his kingdom there will be no end.

Jesus is THE Son of God prophesied in the Scripture! He is THE Child of God by supernatural birth.

Isaiah 9:6-7 (ESV) For to us A CHILD IS BORN, to us A SON IS GIVEN; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Jesus is the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, the only Son of God to be born into humanity. The Son became a Child, a Perfect Child.

This was NOT speaking about Israel, but about the Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus was born as a Child, a perfect and sinless Man born of a virgin.

Isaiah 7:14 (ESV) Therefore THE LORD HIMSELF WILL GIVE YOU A SIGN. Behold, the VIRGIN SHALL CONCEIVE AND BEAR A SON, and shall call his name IMMANUEL.

The SON OF GOD would be given to us. The SON OF GOD would come from glory, and be born from a virgin. Some have tried to twist this Messianic Prophecy, saying that the word “VIRGIN” should just be “YOUNG WOMAN”. What kind of “sign” would that be, o’ foolish unbeliever? The Angel of God quoted this very verse to Joseph, applying it to Jesus, saying:

Matthew 1:20-23 (NKJV) Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for THAT WHICH IS CONCEIVED IN HER IS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 21 And SHE WILL BRING FORTH A SON, and you shall call His name JESUS, for HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS. 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: {here quoting Isaiah 7:14} 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Israel as a nation was the son of God. No individual Jew was a son of God before the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus the Christ, the Eternal Son of God, left immortality, left Heaven and the adoration of Angels, to come to this earth. The immortal became mortal. The sinless came to this earth to walk among sinners.

Jesus Christ Brought In A New Covenant, And A New Way. Believing in Him Brings New Birth!

The perfect and pure Son of God lowered Himself to be with us, to save us, to make us individually the Children of God.

Oh the glory of what Jesus did for us! “CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS, according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). “But GOD DEMONSTRATES HIS LOVE FOR US, in that, WHILE WE WERE SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US” (Romans 5:8). Oh Beloved, unto us a Son was given. Unto us, a Child was born. He came to build a bridge through our sins to bring us to God. The Scripture says “Christ Jesus satisfied God’s justice ON OUR BEHALF. He is the PROPITIATION, the SATISFACTORY PAYMENT FOR SIN, not for ours only but ALSO FOR THE WHOLE WORLD” (1 John 2:2). That Baby, nondescript and undervalued, born a manger in Bethlehem would grow up to be the “Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29, 36). How would He do this?

1 Peter 2:24 (ESV) HE HIMSELF BORE OUR SINS IN HIS BODY ON THE TREE, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. BY HIS WOUNDS you have been healed.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) For our sake THE FATHER MADE HIM, JESUS, WHO KNEW NO SIN, TO BE SIN FOR US, so that IN HIM we might become the righteousness of God.

God could not call individuals “son” in the Old Covenant, because from Adam until today we are all born into this world as sinners. We are enslaved to sin. We are defined by sin. The Bible describes the state of every person before he meets the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scripture says:

Ephesians 2:1-6 (LSB) And YOU WERE DEAD IN TRANSGRESSIONS AND SINS, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom WE ALL FORMERLY CONDUCTED OURSELVES IN THE LUSTS OF OUR FLESH, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and WERE BY NATURE THE CHILDREN OF WRATH, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, MADE US ALIVE TOGETHER WITH CHRIST—BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED– 6 and RAISED US UP WITH HIM, and seated us with Him in the heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus,

Before Jesus came, Israel was the son of God. But after THE Son of God came and gave Himself for us, whosoever believes on Him individually becomes a child of God. We are “RAISED UP WITH HIM”, raised up by the Son of God to be a son of God – to the glory of God.

You are not born into this world a son of God, a child of God. You are born into this world separated from God. But once you receive Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, once you believe on THE Son of God, YOU become a son of God, a child of God. The Bible says:

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, THE LORD KNOWETH THEM THAT ARE HIS. And, LET EVERYONE THAT NAMETH THE NAME OF CHRIST DEPART FROM INIQUITY.

It is by faith in THE Son that you become A son. “But to all who did receive {Jesus}, who believed in His name, He gave the right to BECOME CHILDREN OF GOD, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13, ESV).

Children Of God Follow Jesus

Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore FOLLOWERS OF GOD, as DEAR {agapētos, Beloved} CHILDREN…

If you are a child of God by faith in Christ, if you have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, then it should show by your behavior. The history of Israel throughout the Old Covenant is the history of a disobedient people. God designated the nation itself as His “son”, but under the Old Covenant the average Israelite was spiritually dead. There were some who believed on the Coming Messiah, and were saved by faith as we are. The one that comes to my mind is Abraham. “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23). What Abraham believed is that which we believe today. Abraham did not believe in himself. Abraham did not believe in Israel. Abraham believed in the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord (John 8:56-58).

If you are a genuine Christian, someone “born again” because you have received Christ, then God calls you to accountability. God calls you to follow HIM, not the world. We are “Beloved Children”. God did the most for us at the Cross of Calvary.

When I read this passage, I thought about children. What are the characteristics of children? Children want to make up the rules, but they don’t. Poor parents allow them to do so, but that’s a poor parent. Parents set the rules, and children obey them. Children want to modify the rules, but they shouldn’t. A proper parent will punish the child that rejects the rules. A poor parent, not loving the child, will look the other way. Children want to imitate the grown up world. Children watch the adults, then imitate what they see whether good or bad. Children often don’t understand the why of the rules. Yet they must obey the rules anyway.

I remember one year at my house buying a present for my kids, something I just KNEW they would love. Imagine my surprise and disappointment when my kids, on unwrapping the present, played with the box. Children often undervalue that which is most valuable. The most valuable thing you have as a Christian is not heaven. The most valuable thing you have is that you daily walk with God. And may I say this:

If you’re not walking with God NOW, you may not be walking with God THEN. Your salvation may be a sham. Make sure you’re not playing with the box.

Children love their parents, and want their parents to be proud of them. Do you know what makes God our Father proud of us?

Ephesians 5:1-2 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And WALK IN LOVE, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.

The Child of God is a follower of God. The Child of God loves Jesus, God’s Only Begotten Son. Are you a Child of God? If you are not, what a wonderful day it would be to give yourself to Jesus! To be a Child of God was not offered to Israel under the Old Covenant. But being a Child of God is offered to ALL who will receive Jesus today. The Scripture says:

Galatians 4:4-7 (NKJV) But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that WE MIGHT RECEIVE THE ADOPTION AS SONS 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Only a Child of God can have the Holy Spirit. If you are not a Child of God, you are a slave to sin and the Law. Oh how I pray that you would give yourself to Jesus this very day!

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Living As Faithful Witnesses

Posted on December 12, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Gary Meulemans on Unsplash

Do You Love Jesus – Or The World?

Opening: I get a publication from the Colson Center called “Breakpoint Daily”. It keeps me up with trends and fads, and reminds us as Christians that our job is really never done. We are to be the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14), not our light, but like the moon we are to reflect the light of the Son (John 9:5), Jesus Christ our Lord. The most recent article was called “A Decade of “Words of the Year”. Every year since 2004, Oxford Dictionary has chosen a “word of the year”. The “word of the year” is not necessarily one word. It can be a popular phrase in American society. The “word of the year” shows how far our America has drifted from Biblical truth. Frankly, I had never actually heard these words. The list since 2016 is:

“Word Of The Year”What it means
2016post-truthFeelings matter more than truth
2017youthquakeYoung people can change society
2018toxicOften applied to perceived harmful relationships
2019climate emergencyTo describe the “dire” state our world is in
2021vaxTo be vaccinated
2022goblin modeYoung people can do nothing to change anything
2023rizzexciting others, being a personality
2024brain rotscrolling endlessly on social media
2025rage baitany content that provokes anger or discomfort

The “Word of the Year” has nothing to do with the True Word, the Word of God. It had everything to do with redefining truth, and the drifting hopelessness of the world in which we now live.

The Breakpoint article summed this up with:

“Truth is a Person. Jesus is the ultimate anchor for reality: unchanging, compassionate, and authoritative. He validates our feelings by bringing them into alignment with what actually is. He calls us to see the world as it is, not as the algorithms present it. He invites us to resist the cognitive and emotional conditioning of brain rot, aura farming, and rage bait.

The last decade of Words of the Year teaches us that when we try to feel our way into truth, our reality collapses. When we allow algorithms, outrage, or curated self-performance to define reality, we fragment into rage, passivity, and distortion. But when we anchor ourselves in the reality of God’s image, we reclaim the capacity for thoughtful engagement, creativity, and authentic relationships—both with Him and with others who share that image. ”

If we want to make a difference for the Kingdom of God, we who are saved by faith in Christ must live as faithful witnesses to the Gospel. We need to follow the pattern of Hezekiah!

Hezekiah Loved The Lord His God

Proverbs 25:1 These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the MEN OF HEZEKIAH King of Judah copied out.

Solomon was a flawed, but wise man whom the Lord used. When King Hezekiah came to the throne (about 270 years after Solomon’s reign), the King had his scribes search the royal vaults to collect additional sayings of Solomon. These words make up chapters 25-29 of this Book.

God used humans in writing His holy Scripture. He could have written the Scriptures through angels had He wanted, but God used man created in His image (Genesis 9:6) to relay His Word.

King Hezekiah was a good and Godly King. He loved the Lord Christ. He wanted to honor God in his office. The Bible says:

2 Kings 18:2-7 (NKJV) {Hezekiah} was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name [was] Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And HE DID WHAT WAS RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, according to all that his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke the [sacred] pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan. 5 HE TRUSTED IN THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. 6 For HE HELD FAST TO THE LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses. 7 The LORD WAS WITH HIM; HE PROSPERED WHERE EVER HE WENT. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

Hezekiah (Hebrew ḥizqîyâ, meaning “Jehovah is my Strength”) was not the only good King Judah (Southern Israel) had. The Southern Kingdom of Israel had eight good Kings who loved God, who were saved by faith in Christ. The Northern Kingdom had NO good kings, for they departed from God’s Word and God’s Commandment. When Hezekiah became King, the wisest thing he did was seek out the Word of God, and expand the Book of Proverbs. The Bible tells us that Solomon wrote about 3000 Proverbs (1 Kings 4:32), and many of those had not been transcribed up to this point. If Hezekiah was going to be an effective King, he wanted to cling to the Word of God! We are told in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “all scripture is God breathed”. Further the Apostle tells us:

2 Peter 1:20-21 (ESV) knowing this FIRST OF ALL, that NO prophecy of SCRIPTURE comes from someone ‘s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but MEN SPOKE FROM GOD AS THEY WERE CARRIED ALONG BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Hezekiah did what every wise leader should do: he sought out God’s Word so he could live by it.

There Are Kings – Then There Is THE King

Proverbs 25:2-5 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter. 3 The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable. 4 Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. 5 Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

Our God is “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16). God does not tell us everything, but conceals certain things from us. Human kings, like us, are limited in what they can do, what they understand. But our God is INFINITE. We who are FINITE cannot fully understand the will of God, or His very nature. The Bible says in Romans11:33 (ESV), “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How UNSEARCHABLE ARE HIS JUDGMENTS AND HOW INSCRUTABLE HIS WAYS!”. God reveals some things to show us His glory. As David Rives quoted on Sunday,

Psalm 19:1 (ESV) The HEAVENS DECLARE THE GLORY OF GOD, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.

God reveals His glory in creation itself. But God does not tell us everything.

Deuteronomy 29:29 (ESV) The SECRET THINGS belong to the Lord our God, but the THINGS THAT ARE REVEALED BELONG TO US and to our children forever, that WE MAY DO ALL THE WORDS OF THIS LAW.

God knows all things. But the earthly King does not know all things. “But the honor of kings is to search out a matter”. Good rulers will seek out the truth. They will not rush to judgment, nor try to rule according to their opinions. Hezekiah ordered the proverbs of good King Solomon be researched and brought out of the vaults. Hezekiah was aware that (Proverbs 1:7, ESV) the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 25:3 The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the HEART OF KINGS IS UNSEARCHABLE.

The decisions that leaders make are often misunderstood by the populace. The people know that the Heaven is high, but not how high. They know that the earth has depth, but they don’t know how deep. The responsibility of a good leader is to protect the people while drawing them close to the Lord Who made them. What is the primary calling of the good King?

Proverbs 25:4-5 Take away the DROSS from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. 5 Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

The value of silver goes up when the DROSS, the pollutants are removed from the silver. No fine vessel can be made with DROSS or impurities in it. So the King should seek to remove the DROSS from the nation. “Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness”. Adam Clarke noted in his commentary:

“You cannot have a pure silver vessel till you have purified the silver; and no nation can have a king a public blessing till the wicked – all bad counselors, wicked and interested ministers, and sycophants – are banished from the court and cabinet.”

The first thing Hezekiah did when becoming King was to have scribes uncover more of the Word of God. The second thing Hezekiah did was:

2 Kings 18:4 He removed the high places and broke the [sacred] pillars, cut down the wooden image and BROKE IN PIECES THE BRONZE SERPENT THAT MOSES HAD MADE; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan {nᵊḥuštān}.

When Israel drifted from following God under Moses, the Lord sent fiery serpents into the camp to bite and kill the people (Numbers 21:6). The Bible tells us that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). God graphically and literally proved this by the fiery serpents. When the people REPENTED and came to Moses, saying “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us”, their leader Moses went to the Lord in prayer. God told MOSES:

Numbers 21:8 Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

God was teaching Israel – and us – what saving faith is. Every Israelite who stopped fighting the serpents, and who looked UPWARD at the Nehushtan, the bronze serpent, would be healed if they were bitten by the snakes (which represented the wages of sin).This is an Old Testament picture of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus said:

John 3:14-15 (KJV) And as MOSES LIFTED UP THE SERPENT in the wilderness, even so MUST THE SON OF MAN BE LIFTED UP: 15 That whosoever BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, but have eternal life.

Just as the Israelite under Moses’ leadership looked up in faith and believed and did not perish, those who look upward to Jesus – nailed to that Cross for our sins – will not perish!

Faith is to believe in the PERSON of God giving Himself for us. When Hezekiah came to office, the people had stopped believing in the PERSON of God, and began to believe in the POWER OF THE MAN MADE SERPENT. They began to worship the serpent, calling it Nehushtan, the bronze thing worthy of worship. They burned incense to it, something they were only to do with God Himself. They began to fall away from God, and they

Romans 1:25 (ESV) … EXCHANGED THE TRUTH ABOUT GOD for a lie and worshiped and SERVED THE CREATURE RATHER THAN THE CREATOR, who is blessed forever! Amen.

This same thing happened with the Ark of the Covenant. God caused it to be lost because Israel began to worship it, rather than the Savior God Who had it made. The Ark was a symbol of God’s presence (Exodus 25:22), but it had no power. At one time Israel said:

1 Samuel 4:3 (NKJV) … Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us IT MAY SAVE US it may save us from the hand of our enemies.

That did not work out well. The Bible says that Israel was defeated by the Philistines, and lost 30,000 foot soldiers. Also the High Priests sons Hophni and Phinehas died. When Hezekiah came to the throne, he had the revered Nehushtan destroyed so that people could not worship it. God says:

Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD: that is My Name: and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images.

Hezekiah knew that the best he could do for his Kingdom was to establish the throne in righteousness. God will not bless sin. He will not bless idolatry. God will not share His glory with any others. He is God!

God Will Not Bless Pride And Arrogance

Proverbs 25:6-7 Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: 7 For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be PUT LOWER IN THE PRESENCE OF THE PRINCE whom thine eyes have seen.

There are always those who feel they know better than the King. There are people – the created – who feel they know better than Almighty God! Hezekiah realized that he was on the throne of Israel because God allowed him to do so.

Romans 13:1-2 (NKJV) Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For THERE IS NO AUTHORITY EXCEPT FROM GOD, and THE AUTHORITIES THAT EXIST ARE APPOINTED BY GOD. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

Our Lord Jesus taught this same principle when He said:

Luke 14:8-11 (ESV) When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For EVERYONE WHO EXALTS HIMSELF WILL BE HUMBLED, AND HE WHO HUMBLES HIMSELF WILL BE EXALTED.

When we “humble ourselves in the sight of the LORD, He will lift us up” (James 4:10). It is better to be nobody that the King honors, than to think you are somebody and be called nobody publicly!

Proverbs 25:8-10 Go not forth hastily to STRIVE {rîḇ}, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbor hath put thee to shame. 9 Debate thy cause with thy neighbor himself; and discover not a secret to another: 10 LEST HE THAT HEARETH IT PUT THEE TO SHAME, and thine infamy turn not away.

Word Study: The word “STRIVE” is the Hebrew rîḇ, which means in this context “to conduct a case or a legal suit, to sue in court”. Various versions translate this as:

Do not go hastily to court (NKJV)
do not hastily bring into court (ESV)
Do not go out hastily to plead your case (LSB)

Before carrying the “case” to court, the Lord tells us to try and work it out at the lowest level possible. Talk to the neighbor first. Jesus taught this in:

Matthew 18:15-20 (ESV) If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

If you rush to judgment, you may find yourself in a worst position than had you humbled yourself and talked it over with the neighbor. Adam Clarke wrote in his commentary:

“A man who deliberates about going to law should have, 1. A good cause; 2. A good purse; 3. A good skillful attorney; 4. Good evidence; 5. Good able counsel; 6. A good upright judge; 7. A good intelligent jury; and with all these on his side, if he have not, 8. Good luck… ”

Ending With A Good Word

Proverbs 25:11-13 A WORD FITLY SPOKEN is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. 12 As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a WISE REPROVER upon an OBEDIENT EAR. 13 As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a FAITHFUL MESSENGER to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.

The “WORD FITLY SPOKEN” is a beautiful thing. The “WORD FITLY SPOKEN” is not just an encouraging or complimentary word (for that is all that some wish to hear), but it is “WISE REPROOF” to the “OBEDIENT EAR”. Jesus did not speak all encouragement, but He rebuked as necessary, according to the Word of God. Jesus was a “FAITHFUL MESSENGER” Who spoke the Word of God (Hebrews 3:1-2). Jesus said, “Whatsoever I speak … I speak just as the Father has said unto Me” (John 12:49-50).

As believers in Christ, we live by His Word. We give an obedient ear to Him Who gave Himself to us. As Jesus is “the Faithful Witness” (Revelation 1:5), let us live for Him.

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Learning Christ

Posted on December 9, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Ephesians 4:17-20 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But ye have not so learned CHRIST;

There Is No “Vicarious” Christian Life

Opening: I heard a word several years ago – and when I heard it, I didn’t know what it meant. The word was “vicarious”. We all do it, whether we know what the word means or not. When some of you watch sports, you get a vicarious thrill when your quarterback runs a 60 yard touchdown, or your pitcher pitches a no hit game. Vicarious. When I saw Dale Earnhardt win a race, in my mind I was in the cockpit with him! Vicarious means to watch what another person is doing, then imagining that you are the one doing it. I get a vicarious thrill when I watch John Wayne or Clint Eastwood shoot a really bad guy. I didn’t do the shooting. I wasn’t in the scene. But watching it, in my imagination, I put myself there, and get a thrill out of it.

There was a song I grew up with called “Just My Imagination” sung by the Temptations. In the song they sang (and I sang along with them):

Each day through my window I watch as she passes by,
I say to myself, you’re a such a lucky guy.
To have a girl like her, is truly a dream come true.
Out of all the fellows in the world, She belongs to you.
But it was just my imagination, running away with me.
It was just my imagination, running away with me.

That’s vicarious. It’s imagined. It’s dreamed of. You do it when watching television, the movies, sports. You put yourself – in your imagination – in the place of the actor. But you’re really not there. It’s just your imagination.

The Christian way of life cannot be lived vicariously – yet many do so. They imagine they are believers in Christ, but never get in the game. They imagine living for Jesus, but do as little to nothing as they can. Why? Because “it’s just their imagination”. They never REPENTED and RECEIVED the Kingdom of God by faith.

The Saved Do Not Act Like The World

Ephesians 4:17 This I say {legō} therefore, and testify {martyromai} in the Lord, that ye henceforth WALK NOT as other Gentiles WALK, in the VANITY of their mind

In the beginning of Paul’s statement he says, “This I SAY therefore, and TESTIFY”. The Apostle is not repeating himself. He’s saying, “This is not something I just read and am telling you to do. This is not something I saw on television. I SAY it because I DO IT”. What Paul is getting ready to tell them, he experienced himself. This is not a vicarious statement. Paul says “I TESTIFY in the LORD”. The word rendered “TESTIFY” is the Greek martyromai. If you look at that word, the first part of the word spells a word you well know: “MARTYR”. A MARTYR is someone who suffers death or extreme persecution because of their faith. The word martyromai means “to be a public witness for that which you believe is true, no matter what the cost”. Paul spoke as a martyr “IN THE LORD”, that is, regardless as to consequence he virtually – not vicariously – stood up and professed Jesus before a non-receptive crowd. The phrase “IN THE LORD” is found 111 times in the Scripture, and it is a reference to genuine salvation. When Abraham believed in God, the Bible says:

Genesis 15:6 (KJV) And {Abraham} believed IN THE LORD; and {God} counted it to him for righteousness.

What Paul is going to say, Paul did. He says:

Ephesians 4:17 … that ye henceforth WALK NOT as OTHER Gentiles WALK, in the VANITY {mataiotēs} of their mind

The “OTHER Gentiles” that Paul walked among are like many in America today. They WALK, that is, live their lives not according to the precepts of God’s Word, but according to “VANITY” of their minds. This is the Greek mataiotēs, which means “a thought process devoid of truth, perverse or depraved, that which is lightless and lifeless”. This very word is used for ANIMALS and what happened to the ANIMALS when Adam fell in the Garden. The Apostle wrote:

Romans 8:19-21 (KJV) For the earnest expectation of the CREATURE waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For THE CREATURE WAS MADE SUBJECT TO VANITY {mataiotēs}, NOT WILLINGLY, but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also SHALL BE DELIVERED FROM THE BONDAGE OF CORRUPTION into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

When Adam fell, creation itself fell. Not because creation had anything at all to do with Adam’s sin, but because Adam and creation were a package deal. When he fell, the world fell. Animals became subject to the vanity of sin. Plant life became subject to the vanity of sin. The whole world was enslaved to the vanity – the depravity, the life choking force of sin. Our Lord Jesus said:

John 8:34-36 (LSB) Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, EVERYONE WHO COMMITS SIN IS THE SLAVE OF SIN. 35 “And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the Son does remain forever. 36 “So IF THE SON MAKES YOU FREE, YOU WILL BE FREE INDEED.

The Gentiles at the Church in Ephesus were saved by faith in Christ. Once saved, the Holy Spirit indwells you (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19). You become the property and possession of God, the Child of God by faith (2 Timothy 1:14). The “OTHER Gentiles” live their lives according to vanity, to emptiness, to untruth and ungodliness.

The godless walks according to three steps: ignorance, blindness, and self sensuality.

Ephesians 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them …

What causes an unbeliever to remain an unbeliever? To reject Christ as Lord and Savior? “IGNORANCE that is in them”. I am amused with the vast number of people who believe there are little green men or aliens from space. Every few years people will get a story going about how the U.S. Government in Area 51 is hiding alien stuff. People want to believe in aliens – but have alienated themselves from the God Who made them. Jesus said:

John 8:12 I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall NOT WALK IN DARKNESS, but have the light of life.

They are like the Pharisees who, looking diligently for the Messiah, rejected the True Messiah when He came because He was not what they had expected. Though they saw the miracles Jesus did, they discounted those miracles as works of the devil.

Ephesians 4:18 because of the BLINDNESS of their heart

Word Study: The word rendered “BLINDNESS” is the Greek pōrōsis, which means “to cover with a callus, to become hardened”. The word was used to describe the Pharisees when Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath day:

Mark 3:3-6 (LSB) And {Jesus} said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” 4 And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5 And after looking around at them with anger, grieved at their HARDNESS {pōrōsis} of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 And the Pharisees went out and immediately [began] taking counsel together with the Herodians against Him, [as to] how they might destroy Him.

Finally, being devoid of God and blinded to the Gospel, the lost person chases their own sensuality:

Ephesians 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto LASCIVIOUSNESS {aselgeia}, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Rejecting REPENTANCE, rejecting the Biblical Christ as REDEEMER, they throw themselves into themselves. The new thing today among “progressive” women is to have a “high body count”, that is, to see how many people they can conquer sexually. What a demonic thing this is! When I hear professing Christians say “I’m a homosexual” or “I sleep around”, my loving response must be “you are confused. I love you, but what you are saying is not supported by the Scripture”.

You can give yourself to God, or give yourself to yourself. The lost have “GIVEN THEMSELVES OVER TO LASCIVIOUSNESS” {aselgeia = unbridled lust or wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness}. Christians may be tempted. Jesus was tempted – this is not sin. Christians may struggle against desires. The struggle is not sin. Christians do not give themselves over to wantonness and unbridled sexuality. They REPENT and walk with the Lord.

The lost do not “WORK OUT their salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians2:12-13), but they “work all UNCLEANLINESS with GREEDINESS”. The lost work differently than the saved.

The Saved Are Not To Be Selfish, But Selfless

Ephesians 4:20-23 But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have HEARD HIM, and have been TAUGHT BY HIM, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye PUT OFF CONCERNING the former {WAY OF LIFE} THE OLD MAN, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And BE RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND

Every Christian has two characteristics that the unbeliever does not have:

you have HEARD Him, and
you have been TAUGHT BY Him

Jesus calls all people to come to Him. He said, “If anyone thirst, let Him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37). “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The Christian is “the CALLED of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:6). We heard His call, and responded. We as believers are called the “Church”, literally the Ekklesia, the “called out ones”. But not only are we “called”, but we listen to Him, we heed His commandments. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 1:9 (ESV) God is faithful, by whom YOU WERE CALLED into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ OUR LORD.

Those who are the “called” of God are to “PUT OFF THE OLD MAN”. That old pre-salvation way of life, the things you used to do following the foolishness and darkness of the world, you put that away. You REPENT. The phrase “OLD MAN” is a reference to your old, sin driven way of life. The day that the Christian is publicly baptized in water, he is openly professing that his old self died, and that he is resurrected as a “new creature in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15). The Bible says:

Romans 6:3-6 (KJV) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, EVEN SO WE ALSO SHOULD WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our OLD MAN IS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth WE SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN.

When God the Holy Spirit indwells us, He leads us toward Christ and Life. We affix our minds on the Word of God, not on the ways of the world.

Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and TRUE holiness.

Christians are to walk WITH God, not against God. The unbeliever walks in ignorance, hard heartedness, and self sensuality. The believer walks in righteousness and TRUE holiness. What is TRUE holiness? True holiness is not something that we manufacture. This is what the Pharisees did. Jesus condemned them, saying:

Matthew 15:3, 6, 8-9 Why do you transgress the commandment of God by your TRADITIONS … you made the commandment of God of no effect by your traditions … God said this people draws near to Me with their mouth, but in vail they worship Me, TEACHING FOR DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN …

Marks Of Righteousness & True Holiness

Ephesians 4:25 Wherefore PUTTING AWAY LYING, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.

The Christian speaks the truth in love. We affirm the Word of God. We do not dumb it down, nor compromise its teaching. This is what the devil does. He did it in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. He told our fore-parents that “you will not die if you eat of the forbidden fruit. God knows that the day you eat of it, you will become gods like Him!” (Genesis3:4-5). Jesus told the Pharisees:

John 8:44-47 (NKJV) You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and DOES NOT STAND IN THE TRUTH, because there is NO TRUTH IN HIM. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF IT. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?

The believer in Christ stands strong in the truths of God’s Word. We do not compromise what our Lord has declared is truth! False teachers hide in deception (Ephesians 4:14). As God’s children we are commanded:

Colossians 3:9 (NKJV) Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds

Believers “speak each man truth to his neighbor” (Zechariah 8:16).

Ephesians 4:26-27 Be ye angry, and SIN NOT: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give PLACE {topos} to the devil.

The Christian can get angry. Our Lord Jesus got angry. He got angry at hardened hearts (Mark 3:5). He got angry when the Gospel was blurred by selfishness (John 2:15-16; Matthew 21:12-13). Jesus got angry at false teachers (Matthew 23:27). But Jesus always controlled His anger – He was not controlled by it. Anger has its place. When the sun sets, anger should be retired. Uncontrolled anger gives PLACE to the devil. The word “PLACE” is the Greek topos, which means “a room or space”. Pastor Adrian Rogers described it this way:

“Suppose you had a piece of property. Let’s say there are 50 acres in that piece of property. And you sell me an acre right in the middle of your 50 acres, and you give me a deed to it. And I have ingress and egress across your property to get to my 1 acre there, in the middle of our 50 acres. And let’s suppose all night long I’m playing loud music, and I’m throwing trash around. I’m just doing everything to desecrate your property, and, after a while, you say, “I want you out of there. Move out of there. You’re bothering the rest of my property. You’re desecrating my property. You’re defiling the area. Get out.” And I say, “I’m not going. I don’t have to go, and you can’t make me go. You gave me this piece of property. You sold this piece of property to me. I’ve got a legal right to it, and I am not moving. If you don’t like it, then that is your tough luck. I am not moving.” Dear friend, you would not be able to move me out, because you gave me a place there. Now some of you have done, particularly or almost, the same thing to Satan. You have given a place to the devil, and you cannot dislodge him unless you legally dislodge him.”

When anger consumes the Christian, when you do not put a time limit on your anger, then you lease your life to the devil. And he will trash your property unless you REPENT and RESIST him in Jesus’ name! Repent. Confess. Put it under the Blood of Christ. Cast the devil out with the old man. He has no right to your life – you belong to Jesus.

Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather LET HIM LABOR, working with his hands the thing which is good, that HE MAY HAVE TO GIVE TO HIM THAT NEEDETH.

Some people are outright thieves. They steal, they shoplift, they burgle what is not theirs. Other people are sneak thieves. They labor and labor, but do so to build their own wealth, to make their own prosperity. The Christian is to labor so that we can not just support ourselves, but so that we can bless others.

The purpose of getting is for giving!

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is GOOD TO THE USE OF EDIFYING, that it may MINISTER GRACE unto the hearers.

The Christian is to speak so as to edify or build up others in the faith of Christ. Our Lord Jesus told us:

Matthew 12:26 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

Our words should reflect the truths that God has placed in this wonderful Book, the Bible. We should always remember that there is a silent Witness to all we say, God the Holy Spirit:

Ephesians 4:30-32 And GRIEVE NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

The Christian can be the best advertisement for the Kingdom of God. The Christian can also be the worst advertisement for the Kingdom of God. We must remember that God is with us, and hears our every word. Let us speak, and live, as those who are the Children of the Most High.

Amen.

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The Way Of The Wise (Believer)

Posted on December 6, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

Proverbs 24:23-25 These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. 24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou are righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: 25 But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.

The Wise – The Children of God –
Judge Based On God’s Standard

The “WISE” (Hebrew ḥāḵām) are those whom “God has FILLED with the SPIRIT of WISDOM” (Exodus 28:3). God is the Giver of Wisdom. The Bible says:

Proverbs 2:6 (LSB) YAHWEH GIVES WISDOM; From His mouth [come] knowledge and discernment.

Job 12:13 (LSB) WITH {GOD} ARE WISDOM AND MIGHT; To Him belong counsel and discernment.

There are few “WISE” people in our world today. Since the time of Adam and Eve, we have been eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and considering ourselves gods. We are not gods. God is God, and we are not. God tells us:

Proverbs 24:23 It is not good to have RESPECT OF PERSONS in judgment

Our God has a standard, and His standard is revealed in the Bible, the Word of God. God judges by His standard, and wants us to do the same.

God does not use one standard for one person, and another standard for another person. When Peter was led to the Gentile Cornelius’ home, and shared the Gospel with him, he said:

Acts 10:34-35 (LSB) I most truly comprehend [now] that GOD IS NOT ONE TO SHOW PARTIALITY, but in every nation the one who fears Him and does righteousness is welcome to Him.

The Apostle Paul gave a stern warning in:

Romans 2:4-11 (NKJV) … do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are TREASURING UP FOR YOURSELF WRATH in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will RENDER TO EACH ONE ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness–indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For THERE IS NO PARTIALITY WITH GOD.

The Wicked Must Be Corrected
By God’s Standard

Proverbs 24:24 He that saith UNTO THE WICKED, THOU ART RIGHTEOUS; him shall the people CURSE {nāqaḇ}, NATIONS {lᵊ’ōm} Shall ABHOR {zāʿam} HIM

Some have tried perverting justice, being politically correct so as to please the people, but have discovered that this backfired on them. My commentary notes:

“Pilate, Felix, and Festus were all judges who perverted justice to please their Jewish subjects (Matt. 27; Acts 24; 25). Ironically, the Jews hated them all.”

Though it was the will of the people that these judges condemn the innocent, their error did not bless the Jews for long. The people “CURSE”, the Hebrew nāqaḇ which means “to mark or brand another, much like a cow”. Such a person is belittled as the property of the people, and not as if they were respected judges. They are mocked. C.S. Lewis said in his book “The Abolition of Man”,

“We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise”.

Those who twist righteous judgment, the nations ABHOR him, that is, he is “denounced angrily”. It is God’s design that government restrain evil, not promote it. When leaders are corrupt, both God as well as people notice it. In America today we are closer to Sodom and Gomorrah than we have ever been.

Illustrate: In my news feed this morning I came across two strange reports. First, there is a Catholic Church in Massachusetts whose “Father” or “Pastor” set up a nativity scene. Rather than celebrate Christ in the manger, this fellow set up a Nativity Scene where the Baby Jesus was missing, and a sign “I.C.E. Was Here” was put in the manger. Rather than rebuke the professing priest, the Catholic Church endorsed it. Second, a “pastor” from a Methodist Church in Rochester, New York rather than preaching the Gospel, “came out” as transgender during the Sunday service. His words were: “So I get to announce with joy that I’m transitioning. I’m affirming to all of you that I am transgender. The best way to put this is that I’m not becoming a woman, I’m giving up pretending to be a man. This is a process, and it may be shocking for some as to what this all means.”

The world does not rebuke evil, but celebrates it. Though both professing “churches” affirmed what their leadership is doing, there is ultimately no blessing in casting the Word of God away in order to please the darkness. The Scripture says:

Proverbs 24:25 But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.

Those who depart from the truth should be “REBUKED” {yāḵaḥ} when they depart from God’s clear standard. The wise are not to “sit in the gate of Sodom” as Lot did (Genesis 19:1), compromising with the darkness. There is no reward by going along with evil. Lot had become so accustomed to compromising with evil, that when the Sodomites came to rape the Angels whom God sent to the city, he said:

Genesis 19:8 (NKJV) I have two daughters who have not KNOWN A MAN; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may DO TO THEM AS YOU WISH; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.

What a curse Lot brought on his own life! Compromising with the darkness to be “politically correct”, Lot would end up losing his home, his business, and ultimately his daughters. Had Lot spent his time in Sodom standing in the wisdom of God PUBLICLY, he would not have PUBLICLY shamed his daughters when the mob came. When you compromise with evil, you bring a curse upon yourself.

Proverbs 24:26 Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a RIGHT {nāḵōaḥ} answer.

Word Study: The word “RIGHT” is the Hebrew nāḵōaḥ, which means “the correct or straightforward answer”. The Christian is called to be “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). The respecter of persons, i.e. the person who shows partiality, is eventually marked by the general populace as crooked. But the person who consistently speaks the truth in love, and who gives a proper Biblical response, that person will be respected. It is an act of love (KISSING THE LIPS) to clearly “GIVE A RIGHT ANSWER”.

Order Your Life With Wisdom

Proverbs 24:27 Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.

In the ancient world, most people farmed or were farmers. There were no “grocery stores” or markets except in the largest of cities, so people had to make sure they prepared the soil and planted food first. This proverb could be paraphrased as “First things first”. If you are going to build a house, a dynasty, and raise a family, you have to plan ahead. It would be foolish to move to a land and build a house before you made sure the land could be used to produce food. Once the fields are planted, and the crops have sprung up, then you can prepare the foundation of the house.

Our Lord Jesus tied the Christian way of life to being prepared. Jesus did not sugarcoat what being a Christ follower would entail. He asked each person to carefully consider the cost to salvation. THERE IS A COST.

Luke 14:26-33 (NKJV) 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and HIS LIFE ALSO, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE. 27 And whoever does not BEAR HIS CROSS AND COME AFTER ME Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and COUNT THE COST, whether he has enough to finish it— 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and CONSIDER WHETHER HE IS ABLE with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not FORSAKE ALL THAT HE HAS CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.

Salvation does not come to a person without REPENTANCE, that is, turning your life over to Jesus. There are many who PROFESS to be saved. They came to Jesus, and said “YES” to Jesus because He promises Heaven, or because He healed them or blessed them in some way. But salvation is a surrender to God, an unconditional surrender. Some say, “You can be saved, but NOT be a disciple”. This is not what Jesus taught, and cannot be substantiated by the Scripture. The Great Commission plainly states:

Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL THE NATIONS nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to OBSERVE ALL THINGS THAT I HAVE COMMANDED YOU; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

The ground must be prepared before the house can be built. Jesus compared the preaching of the Gospel to a Sower sowing seeds (Matthew 13). Where the ground was not prepared, where the Gospel seed …

… fell by the wayside (Matthew 13:4)
… fell on stony places (Matthew 13:5)
… fell among thorns (Matthew 13:7)

… where the ground was not prepared, the “House of Christ” (Hebrews 3:6) could not be built. But where the seed fell on good ground it yielded a crop (Matthew 13:8). Why? Because the field was prepared, the seed sown. The House could be built.

Illustrate: I walked into a Sunday School class one week years ago where the subject of discussion was “Can you join the Church and not be baptized?” Some thought that you could. I told the men that, no, you CANNOT be a part of the Church if you had not been baptized as our Lord Jesus directed. Why? The life surrendered to Christ will obey the things that Christ has directed. Jesus directs baptism by immersion. If the ground is not receptive to the Gospel seed, if there is no tilling of the life via REPENTANCE, then there can be no salvation. Period. God must be first!

The Bible tells us that King Solomon spent seven years building the Temple – and after the Temple was built he then built his own house (1 Kings 6:37-38; 7:1). We, like Solomon, are to put the House of Christ FIRST, not last.

The Wise (Believers) Always Return Good For Evil

Proverbs 24:28-29 Be not a witness against thy neighbor WITHOUT CAUSE; and deceive not with thy lips. 29 Say not, I WILL DO SO TO HIM AS HE HATH DONE TO ME: I will render to the man according to his work.

Under the Old Covenant God established the lex talionis or the “Law of Retaliation”. The word “LEX” means “Law”, and “TALIONIS” means “of the same kind”. God set forth the Law in several texts:

Exodus 21:23-25 (LSB) … you shall pay life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, bruise for bruise, wound for wound.

Leviticus 24:19-20 (LSB) If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him.

Deuteronomy 19:21 (LSB) Thus your eye shall not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

We started out talking about not being impartial in judgment, but to render equal judgment to all regardless of person.

The lex talionis was not about promoting vengeance, it was about proportional justice. It was a legal guideline not for believers, but for judges. No judge was supposed to impose a heavier penalty on the accused than what the person was found guilty of.

The lex talionis – unlike the pagan laws like the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi – required that offenses be equally penalized, regardless as to who committed the offense. Under Hammurabi, if you injured a nobleman, you suffered the same exact injury. But if you injured a commoner or a slave, in many cases only a fire was levied. The Bible views each person as made in the image of God, regardless of color or caste. Thus each person bore an equal punishment to what their offense was – which is fair.

Sadly believers under the Old Covenant took the Lex Talionis and turned it into something God never meant it to be. They began to use it for vengeance, contrary to the Holy Scripture. God has said,

Romans 12:19-21 (NKJV) Beloved, DO NOT AVENGE YOURSELVES, but [rather] give place to wrath; for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD.

Jesus addressed the false view of the lex talionis in His “Sermon on the Mount”. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:38-41 (NKJV) You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 “But I tell you NOT TO RESIST AN EVIL PERSON. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 “If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have [your] cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

Jesus was not erasing the lex talionis, but He was putting it back in its place. Believers are called to “See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all” (1 Thessalonians 5:15). We are called to pursue the good, not the evil.

Believers Learn From The Lazy, But Are Not Lazy

Proverbs 24:30-32 I went by the FIELD OF THE SLOTHFUL, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; 31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. 32 Then I saw, and CONSIDERED IT WELL: I looked upon it, and received instruction.

The fruit of the lazy person is thorns, nettles, and broken walls. The lazy person does not plant the thorns and nettles, nor did the lazy person deliberately break down the stone wall. But by being lazy, his actions aided the natural decay that is in this Adamic world. Solomon watched the lazy person and the fruit of the lazy life. He meditated on how that person lived, and saw the results of his laziness – and “RECEIVED INSTRUCTION”.

Illustrate: Recent changes in SNAP Benefits (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) have many liberal people up in arms. Under current guidelines if you are between 16-64 and are able to work, you must put in at least 80 hours a month labor. At present there are around 42 million people on SNAP, many of whom are able to work but will not. 42% of SNAP participants are 18-59 years old. People should work if they are able. Certainly if people need assistance, and are working but earning low wages, they should receive assistance. But the Bible tells us “If anyone is NOW WILLING TO WORK, LET HIM NOT EAT” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). God created us to work. Adam worked in Paradise – how much more should we work in this fallen world?The lazy person justifies their behavior. They say things like …

Proverbs 24:33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

“A LITTLE SLEEP”. The lazy person justifies their laziness by “we all need a little sleep. What’s wrong with slumber? Why shouldn’t we take it easy?” The truth is, a sleeping lamp cannot emit light – but by doing nothing contributes to the darkness. When Jesus spoke the Parable of the Kingdom of Heaven, He said:

Matthew 13:24-25 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.

The Farmer has His workers plant good seed in good ground. But while the Farmer’s men slept the enemy – Satan – crept in and sowed TARES. Tares look like wheat, but are poisonous, and can foul the harvest when they grow up among the true wheat. The Farmer – the Lord God – will one day separate the Wheat (the believer) from the Tares (the pretend believer), and only the Wheat will be gathered into His barn (the Kingdom of Heaven).

Proverbs 24:34 So shall thy poverty come as one that TRAVELLETH {hālaḵ}; and thy want as an armed man.

Word Study: The word “TRAVELLETH” is the Hebrew hālaḵ, which means “to wander about, to go to and fro”. The picture is of a wandering robber who seeks who he may destroy. Those who are lazy and will not work will find themselves robbed of the pleasures of life. I have seen young men and women on the Internet posting tantrums because their benefits were stalled or removed. Some justified receiving SNAP and other welfare assistance because “I’ve been receiving this for 10 years now”. Those who are able to work should work. This is how God designed us. We do not steal, but work and share with those truly in need. We are told in

Ephesians 4:28 (LSB) He who steals must steal no longer, but RATHER HE MUST LABOR, performing with his own hands WHAT IS GOOD, so that he will have [something] TO SHARE WITH ONE WHO HAS NEED.

We who are Children of God by faith in Christ “WORK HEARTILY, as for the lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23-24). The Apostle said “If anyone does not provide for his relatives… he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8). From Old to New Testament, those who are God’s people are to work, both spiritually and physically.

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The Mind Of Christ

Posted on December 3, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Tijs van Leur on Unsplash

Philippians 2:1-5 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus

What Is The Church?

I remember when I was pastoring in North Carolina, an older woman was talking about a previous Pastor their church had. She told me, “The Pastor really loved Jesus, but he didn’t love us”. That made no sense to me at the time. How is it possible for a Pastor to love Jesus, but not love the Church? If you love the Lord, you will love the Church. What became evident to me as I pastored this flock that the people of that Church defined “love” as the world defines “love”, a selfish, self serving thing. Many of the “members” there wanted to do whatever they wanted to do, regardless of what the Bible said. Many wanted the Pastor to endorse their desires and man made traditions as if they were Scriptural. That is something Aaron would do. You remember Aaron, the High Priest of Israel? We read about it in Exodus 32.

The people whom God saved out of Egypt came to Aaron and demanded, “Arise, make us ĕlōhîm Who will lead us”. Aaron made them an idol representing the triune god. Aaron did not love the people. He should have pointed them to Christ.

Ĕlōhîm, by the way, is the Triune Name of God, the first use of the word “God” in our Bible. The very first verse of the Scripture says:

“In the beginning GOD {Ĕlōhîm} created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1, LSB).

Israel demanded not God, but a replica of God. God made man “in His own image” (Genesis 1:27), and now at Sinai man returned the favor. Man made God “in his own image”. This is what had been going on in North Carolina. This is what is going on all over America. The people demanded that the Pastor take their gold and valuables, and fashion a god to lead them. If he wants to stay on the “payroll”, he’ll do it.

A false god didn’t work at Sinai, and won’t work now.

Paul is not a “hireling”, but a man who loves the Church. So he PLEADS with them.

Paul pleads with the Church not to trade the glory of God’s Gospel, the leadership of the Scripture and the Spirit of the living God for a golden calf.

IF there be therefore any CONSOLATION
{paraklēsis} in Christ

Word Study: The word “CONSOLATION” is the Greek paraklēsis, which means “to come alongside and comfort”. Every person who has been saved has called on Jesus, and felt Him come alongside us and comfort us. A golden calf cannot comfort you. The proof that Jesus is the Christ, God in the flesh, the Messiah, is that He comforts His people. The Christ is “the COMFORTER of Israel” (Luke 2:25). When you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, He sends the COMFORTER to us. Jesus promised:

John 14:16-18 (KJV) And I will pray the Father, and HE SHALL GIVE YOU ANOTHER COMFORTER, that HE MAY ABIDEWITH YOU FOREVER; 17 [Even] THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU COMFORTLESS: I WILL COME TO YOU.

A Church is not filled with perfect people. A Church is filled with people who have been and will be comforted by the Presence of Christ. We share a common contact with Him. The early Church grew not because it had big crowds, but the Bible says:

Acts 9:31 (NKJV) Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the COMFORT {paraklēsis} of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

The Church was built up because the people shared in “FEAR OF THE LORD”, a common respect for the command of Christ, and in the unifying “COMFORT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT”.

The Church Is Encouraged By God’s Word

if any COMFORT {paramythion} of love

Word Study: The Greek paramythion means to console or encourage, an encouraging word. The Christian shares the comfort of God’s Word with other Christians.

The comfort of the Word of God only comes to those indwelt and open to the Comforter of God, the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).

The godless are at war with the Word of God. But the Christian understands that:

Proverbs 30:5 (ESV) EVERY WORD OF GOD PROVES TRUE; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

We are soothed, consoled by it, encouraged by God’s Word.The lost person gains no comfort from the Word of God, but the Saint in Christ is blessed by it.

if any FELLOWSHIP of the Spirit

The reason the Christian is comforted by the Word of God and the unbeliever is not, is because the unbeliever does not have the Spirit of Christ. “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:9). The Scripture is clear,

1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV) The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are FOLLY TO HIM, and he is NOT ABLE TO UNDERSTAND them because they are SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED.

If there is no FELLOWSHIP of the Holy Spirit, there can be no understanding of the HOLY SPIRIT writings, the Bible. The Christian Post notes:

“With Millennials and Generation Z leading the way, particularly among men, Bible reading among U.S. adults in 2025 is at its highest level in the last 15 years, according to new data from the “State of the Church” initiative. … Despite more Americans reporting regular Bible reading, fewer maintain that the Bible is 100% accurate. Only 36% of Americans now hold that the Bible is 100% accurate.”

The only thing a lost person can understand is the Gospel, and only then if God Himself opens their eyes. Recently the Comedian Jon Stewart was asked if he had faith or religion, to which he said “I wish I could get there. I’m the guy who asks, ‘but if He’s all powerful, why do children die?’” It is not until the Holy Spirit comes to a person and does His work of regeneration and indwelling that a person will find confidence and comfort in the Holy Scriptures.

if any BOWELS and MERCIES

In Greek thought “BOWELS” referred to deep or heartfelt emotions. “MERCIES” is a reference to outward acts of good that benefit those in need. The Christian is not self focused, but has been deeply effected by the New Birth, and is indeed a New Creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). What drives the believer is not selfishness, but selflessness. If you were to put this into modern English, it would be “If there is any deep, heartfelt love and merciful giving among you”.

That which makes a Church is a (1) shared Gospel experience, the comfort of Christ, (2) a shared joy in hearing the Word of God as it ministers to us through His Spirit, (3) a shared Indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and (4) a shared heartfelt love that reaches out to help those in need.

Paul addresses the Church as the Church, IF they are the Church. He says:

The Church Must Seek To Have The Mind Of Christ,
Not The Mind Of The Lost World

Philippians 2:2-4 Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be LIKE MINDED, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let NOTHING be done through strife or vainglory; but in LOWLINESS OF MIND let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man ALSO ON THE THINGS OF OTHERS.

Paul is saying to the Church “if you have these four qualities, be on guard against the worldly mindset”. The worldly mindset is “life revolves around me and MY agenda”. You see the worldly mindset in the recent Mayoral elections in New York City, where an avowed Communist Zohran Mamdani was elected in November 2025 and will take office on January 1, 2026. Communism and Socialism has repeatedly failed and caused economic ruin because – though its intention is to give to all freely – it does not account for the sin nature in man.

Communism/ Socialism says “man is good, so let’s live to the betterment of mankind”. But it fails because man is NOT inherently good, but evil. Man without God, without Christ, is adrift in sin. But those saved by Christ are to have the mind of Christ, to give to the glory of God.

Paul calls the Church to be “LIKE MINDED”. Every believer is to have the mind of Christ. What does the mind of Christ look like?

Let NOTHING be done through strife or vainglory

The world wars against itself. Everything is a fight, everything is to be self serving, to be puffed up. God calls His Church to “SUBMIT TO ONE ANOTHER out of REVERENCE FOR CHRIST” (Ephesians 5:21, ESV). We are told:

Galatians 5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Illustrate: The only Person Who knows everything is GOD. We are all woefully broken, and subject to failure. In 1903 Samuel Langley attempted the first manned flight with his “Aerodrome” project. Langley’s Aerodrome cost approximately $70,000 to $75,000 (the modern equivalent of $2.74 million). Langley was the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute. He received funding for his project from the U.S. War Department (Army) and the Smithsonian. When the Aerodrome flight failed, the New York Times wrote an editorial on October 9, 1903 entitled “Flying Machines Which Do Not Fly”. The article went on to say:

“To build a flying machine would require the combined and continuous efforts of mathematicians and mechanics for one million to 10 million years.”

Lord Kelvin, the British Physicist and President of the Royal Society said in 1895, just 8 years earlier, “Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible”. No one thought that airplanes would ever exist. But 69 days after the New York Times editorial, on December 17, 1903 the Wright brothers (Wilbur and Orville) launched the first airplane from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Whereas Langley’s Aerodrome was government funded $75,000 the Wright brothers was personally funded at $1200 (modern equivalent $44,000 today). Langley worked from a government site. The Wright brothers worked from their own Bicycle Shop. This goes to show you that humans are frequently wrong.

in LOWLINESS OF MIND let each esteem other
BETTER than themselves

We are not to puff up ourselves, but we are to live so as to serve others. We are to be nobodies, nothings, zilch.

Look not every man on his own things, but every man
ALSO on the things of others

Those who are Christ’s should be like Christ. It is okay to be concerned about yourself – but not to the exclusion of others. I have watched with interest how some of our members have helped me reach out to the homeless and the less than in our community. This is what Christ desires we do. The reason we come together as a Church is to feed on the Word of God, and to tune our minds to be like Christ’s mind.

Let Us Look To Jesus

Philippians 2:5-8 LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU, which WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ was with the Father and the Holy Spirit at the beginning of Creation. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was WITH GOD, and the Word WAS GOD” (John 1:1-3). Jesus became Man and dwelt among us, but Jesus is BOTH GOD AND MAN. The Bible says “the WORD BECAME FLESH and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). When Jesus equated Himself to God, and He often did so (“I and My Father are ONE”, John 10:30), the Bible says:

The Jews, the Pharisees TOOK UP STONES TO STONE HIM.
John 10:31

They did this because, they said, “Jesus, YOU are BUT A MAN, and MAKE YOURSELF to be GOD” (John 10:33). They thought Jesus was robbing God of His glory by making Himself God. But Jesus went on to tell them:

John 10:37-38 (ESV) If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the FATHER IS IN ME, AND I AM IN THE FATHER.

Jesus Christ is eternal and everlasting God. But we are told:

made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF

Eternal God, but He lowered Himself to be born in a manger. Glorious God, but He put aside His Heavenly Throne to walk among us broken people. Made like us, Jesus was sinless and perfect. He showed us what God is like. The phrase “made Himself OF NO REPUTATION” is very interesting. This is the Greek kenoō, which means “to empty or void yourself, to make as if nothing”. Jesus is God, but He laid aside the privileges of God. He poured out Who He was, so that He could reach us. The Bible says that He …

became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus died for you. Jesus died for me. Jesus emptied Himself so that He could fill us up, so He could fix our deficiencies. Jesus put Himself LAST, so He could save us FIRST.

This is what God calls the Christian to. We are to pour ourselves out, so that others might be blessed. This is not so that you can be saved. It is so that others might be saved. We are called to live outside of the selfishness bubble, to live as ambassadors of Christ so that others might come to Him and be saved. We are not saved so we can be selfish and self serving. We are saved so that we might lead others to His Kingdom, for His glory.

Amen.

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With Fear And Trembling

Posted on December 3, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash

Philippians 2:12-13 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Why Is This Happening To Me?

One of the most common questions I am asked as a Pastor/ Overseer is “Why is this happening to me?”. The “this” that people are usually referring to is some trial of life. Everyone is tried. Everyone goes through mountains and valleys. The valleys can be quite dark at times. The valley could be disease, loss of income, personal conflict, persecution, the death of a loved one, persistent pain or one’s own impending death. It is not sinful to question why a trial is occurring. As long as we do not “curse God and die” (Job 2:9) as Job’s silly unbelieving wife suggested, questioning the trial is not sinful. The Prophet said:

Joel 3:14 (KJV) Multitudes, multitudes in the VALLEY OF DECISION: for the day of the LORD [is] near in the valley of decision.

God allows trials into our lives to bring us into the “VALLEY OF DECISION”, to cause us to examine our lives in the light of eternity. The big question in all of eternity is,

Am I Saved? Am I A Child Of God?

If you are a Child of God by faith in Christ, then trials come to grow our faith. Man has long known how to make pottery from clay. Years ago I tried my hand at pottery. When the clay is formed, you push any imperfections out of it before putting it on the pottery wheel. Once you’ve designed the vessel, it must be thoroughly air dried. But the pot is not ready for actual use until, it is kiln fired at high temperatures for a long period of time. It’s not a flash fire. The kiln or oven that the pottery is baked in is 1830-1940 degrees Fahrenheit. What you are firing must be in the kiln 8-12 hours, and cooled around 24 hours. It takes time. Once out of the kiln, the pot is hardened, but still needs to be glazed. Once glazed, it needs to be fired again, and cooled again. It is a process of tempering. The Bible says:

Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father; WE ARE THE CLAY, and Thou our Potter; and WE ALL ARE THE WORK OF THY HAND.

IF you are saved by God, by the Grace of Jesus Christ, THEN God has determined that you WILL be like Jesus. The Bible tells us:

Romans 8:29 For whom He did foreknow, He also did PREDESTINATE TO BE CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, that He might be the Firstborn among many brethren.

God has predestinated or predetermined that each and every Christian will be conformed to the image of His Son. It is God’s intent that you be like Jesus. We are promised “as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (1 Corinthians 15:49).

God originally made man in His own image (Genesis 1:26), but Adam fell, marring that image. Those who have been redeemed from the fall by the precious Blood of Christ the Lord has purposed they will be made into His image, the image of Him Who saved us. God, like a master Potter, is taking each one of us and, working in our lives, is slowly shaping us till we become like Him. This is to our benefit, not our detriment. The Bible says:

James 1:2-4 (LSB) Consider it all joy, my brothers, WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER VARIOUS TRIALS, 3 knowing that the TESTING OF YOUR FAITH BRINGS ABOUT PERSEVERANCE. 4 And let perseverance have [its] perfect work, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

The Lord PERSONALLY works in the life of each Christian. He uses the PROCESS of prayer and the Scripture to shape us into His image. When PROBLEMS and PAIN come our way, the Lord uses these circumstances to mold and make us as He would have us be. He loves us. He proved that love at Calvary, and proves it even now. The trials – the Valley of Decision – makes you examine yourself whether you are saved or not. If you are saved, it is because God saved you. If you are saved, it is because you were lead to REPENTANCE, and following REPENTANCE you RECEIVED the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Philippians 2:12-13 Wherefore, MY BELOVED, as ye have always obeyed, NOT AS IN MY PRESENCE ONLY, but now much more in my absence, WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION with fear and trembling.

As Paul addresses the Church, he is not doubting the salvation of those at Philippi. He calls the Church “MY BELOVED”. God the Father called Jesus “My BELOVED Son, in Whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). When we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Bible says “God has made us ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED” (Ephesians 1:6). We are “brothers and sisters, BELOVED BY THE LORD” (Ephesians 5:1). Of those who are saved the Bible says “May the beloved of Yahweh dwell in security by Him, Who shields him all the day, And he dwells between His shoulders.” (Deuteronomy 33:12). God carries those who love Him, His Beloved. Paul is not doubting the salvation of anyone in Philippi. But he goes on to say “as ye have always obeyed, NOT AS IN MY PRESENCE ONLY, but now much more in my absence”.

The genuine Christian behaves like a son of God not just in the assembly of the Church, but also outside that assembly. The genuine Christian knows that he is not impressing the preacher, but he works for God!

We who are saved by Grace in Christ do not work our way to Heaven. But once saved, we must work for God.

The Saved “Work OUT”

WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION
with fear and trembling

Let’s look at the first part of that command. It does not say “work FOR your own salvation”, but “work OUT your own salvation”. You do not have to work FOR your salvation. Jesus Christ did all the work that was necessary to earn your salvation. There is nothing within the fallen creation that is worthy of salvation. Like Jacob of old all we can do is cry out to God, saying:

Genesis 49:18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.

Salvation is a gracious gift from God. We ask God for salvation. We stand still and see His salvation:

Exodus 14:13 … stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD …

We praise our Lord, we glorify His Name, we work for Him once saved – but He alone must clothe us in salvation:

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh Himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

We cannot clothe ourselves. We can call upon the Name of Jesus and ask Him for salvation – but He is the Savior (Lamentations 3:26). We work out or exercise the salvation that God has given us, but we do not work for our salvation. God has decreed that no flesh should glory in His presence. (1 Corinthians 1:29) Salvation is all of God, all of what He has mercifully given us.

1 Corinthians 1:29-31 That NO FLESH SHOULD GLORY IN HIS PRESENCE. {30} But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: {31} That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him GLORY IN THE LORD.

None of us are saved by our own hand, or by our own assumed “goodness”. Our Lord Jesus said “There is NONE GOOD, BUT GOD” (Matthew 19:17). We do not work FOR our salvation. But once saved, we will work OUT our salvation.

WORK OUT your OWN salvation
with FEAR AND TREMBLING

Are you saved? Only YOU can answer that. “Work out YOUR OWN salvation”. Have you come to Jesus for salvation? Have you cast your life and hope upon Him? The Bible says:

Ephesians 2:8-9 (LSB) For BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED THROUGH FAITH, and this NOT OF YOURSELVES, [it is] the gift of God; 9 not of works, so that no one may boast.

You cannot work your way into salvation. But once saved, you WILL WORK THE WORKS OF THE SAVED. The Scripture goes on to say:

Ephesians 2:10 (LSB) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus FOR GOOD WORKS, which God prepared beforehand so that WE WOULD WALK IN THEM.

We are to “work OUT your OWN salvation with FEAR AND TREMBLING”. Jeffrey Smith is a Christian Cartoonist who does the “Prayer Pups” cartoons I often put in our bulletins. I recently came across this cartoon, and it expresses what the text is telling us.

When You Work For God, Is There FEAR AND TREMBLING? Or Are You Flippant?

Some who profess to be Christ never do anything for God. To them, God is a Big Buddy in the sky, a Santa Claus figure. The Bible says,

Psalm 2:11 (KJV) SERVE the LORD with FEAR, and rejoice with TREMBLING.

A person who is flippant in their relationship with God, has little knowledge of Who God is. When the Apostle visited the Church at Corinth, he said:

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (KJV) And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, DECLARING UNTO YOU THE TESTIMONY OF GOD. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 And I was with you IN WEAKNESS, and IN FEAR, and in MUCH TREMBLING. 4 And my speech and my preaching [was] not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Beloved, when you serve God, you are serving the Ultimate Master, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. There should be FEAR AND TREMBLING. We are told:

Philippians 2:13 For it is GOD WHICH WORKETH IN YOU both to will and to do OF HIS GOOD PLEASURE.

We serve at the pleasure of God. Once saved, God works in us and through us. We should humble ourselves before God. We must stay dependent upon God, and trust in His Word. There is a seriousness in serving God – and a serious consequence if we are NOT WILLING to serve Him. The Apostle said in another place:

1 Corinthians 15:10 (KJV) But BY THE GRACE OF GOD I AM WHAT I AM: and His grace which [was bestowed] upon me was NOT IN VAIN; but I LABORED MORE ABUNDANTLY than they all: yet NOT I, but THE GRACE OF GOD WHICH WAS WITH ME.

When Grace is experienced, we are bound to God. Once saved, God works IN us, and we work OUT our salvation. We are to be working for the glory of God, for “HIS GOOD PLEASURE”, not for ours. Our works for the Lord are to be:

Philippians 2:14 Do all things without MURMURINGS and DISPUTINGS

MURMURINGS and DISPUTINGS are the opposite of FEAR and TREMBLING. The latter will bring blessing to the work we do for God. The former will bring cursing and destruction.

Adrian Rogers once said:

“I’ll tell you, folks, there are a lot of things that I don’t want in life. I’ll tell you, number one on the list, I believe, is a church full of murmuring people. Don’t murmur: the Bible forbids it. You know what murmuring is? It’s half-concealed, half-uttered complaints. And the Bible teaches that is it a form of disobedience. “Do all things without murmurings.” Why? Because murmuring leads to disputing. No murmuring and no misunderstanding: that’s the spirit of obedience. Never, never murmur about what God lays on your heart to do. You see, the example is this: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5) And then it says that He laid down His life. (Philippians 2:8) He never murmured. He never disobeyed. And that’s the Christ that works in us: no murmuring, no misunderstanding. Jesus did not murmur, and the one who murmurs never really understands Calvary.”

Someone once said “If we do not humble ourselves before God and live for His glory, He will use circumstances and situations around us to humble us”. God allows trials to come to us to temper our faith. But if we do not work to glorify God, if we do not manifest good that blesses others, then God will humble us. Do you not remember Israel wandering 40 years in the desert, the Promised Land in sight most of the time. They wandered until they all died – and those of faith went into the Promised Land.

Illustrate: Adrian Rogers told a story about a farmer who made his sons work in the cornfields while their friends spent the afternoon at the swimming hole. Someone scolded the father saying, “Why do you make those boys work so hard? You don’t need all that corn.” The wise father replied, “Sir, I’m not raising corn. I’m raising men.” God the Father calls His children to work in the fields of the Lord for HIS pleasure, not ours. The farmer’s sons worked for their father because he was their father. We work for the Lord because He is our Father. As the Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 100:2-3 (LSB) Serve Yahweh with gladness; Come before Him with joyful songs. 3 Know that Yahweh, He is God; It is He WHO MADE US, AND NOT WE OURSELVES; [We are] His people and the sheep of His pasture.

We serve our Heavenly Father because we love Him. We love Him, because “He first LOVED US” (1 John 4:19). The Apostle goes on to say:

Philippians 2:15 That YE MAY BE blameless and harmless, THE SONS OF GOD, without rebuke, in the midst of a CROOKED AND PERVERSE NATION, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Word Study: I ask the question, “Are you saved?” Many of you answer, “Yes, I’m a member at such and such a Church”. I didn’t ask whether you were a member of a Church. I asked “Are you saved?”. Your works for Christ, your works for God’s Kingdom, prove your salvation. The words “That YE MAY BE” is the Greek ginomai, which means “be proved or proven, to be exposed as”. The Christian is NOT like the “CROOKED AND PERVERSE NATION”. We are not like the darkness around us. Those who have “FEAR AND TREMBLING” are “BLAMELESS AND HARMLESS”. We seek to do good in the midst of this present darkness, to the glory of God our Savior.

Philippians 2:16 Holding forth THE WORD OF LIFE; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.

What is “THE WORD OF LIFE”? The Apostle John used the same phrase that Paul uses when he wrote:

1 John 1:1 (KJV) That which was from the beginning, which we have HEARD, which we have SEEN WITH OUR EYES, which we have LOOKED UPON, and our HANDS HAVE HANDLED, of THE WORD OF LIFE;

The WORD OF LIFE is Jesus. We tell others what Jesus did for us. We HEARD Jesus when He called us to salvation, and responded with our repentance and faith. John and the other Apostles walked with Jesus, talked with Jesus, ministered with Jesus, and touched Jesus. We who are saved have experienced Jesus and His gracious salvation. This is what we tell others. It’s all about Jesus!

Pastor Bruce Goettsche wrote:

“ Our personal belief system ALWAYS affects what we do. This is especially true of Christianity. The Christian faith is meant to be intensely practical. It is meant to impact the way we live. Salvation is extended by a free act of God’s grace. We did not and cannot do anything to earn it. But . . . once we are saved, the new life that Christ plants in us should result in a new way of living. We have said it many times before. The unchanged Christian is a contradiction in terms. If a person is unchanged they are not a Christian. If they are a Christian they are in the process of changing.”

Are you saved? If you are, you are kept by God. You belong to God. You work for God. If you are saved, there is a visibility to your salvation seen through the good that you do for Christ. Trials will come your way, dear Christian. We do not live on the Mountain. When Moses received the Law from the Father on Mount Sinai, he had to come down the mountain into the valley to serve the Lord. Moses failed God in the valley – But God buried him, and raised him up to see Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration.

Christian, your salvation is secure – though you may fail at times. But as a son of God, YOU MUST CONTINUE TO SERVE HIM! The Apostle Peter wrote:

1 Peter 1:3-9 (LSB) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to [obtain] an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and unfading, having been kept in heaven for you, 5 who are PROTECTED BY THE POWER OF GOD THROUGH FAITH for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been GRIEVED BY VARIOUS TRIALS, 7 so that THE PROOF OF YOUR FAITH, [being] more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 And though you have not seen Him, YOU LOVE HIM, and though you do not see Him now, but BELIEVE IN HIM, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving as the OUTCOME OF YOUR FAITH THE SALVATION OF YOUR SOULS.

If you are saved, prove it by continuing to work for the One you love. Do so with fear and trembling. Do so because God is working in you. For if you will not work for the Kingdom … then you might not be saved at all. Think about it. Your salvation is secure, dear Christian, IF you are indeed saved. And if you are saved, it will show in your good works for God. Amen.

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