Tag Archives: unity

The Second Parable To Simon

Posted on June 9, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

(Matthew 18:21-23 KJV) Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? [22] Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. [23] Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.

Introduction

Last Wednesday we examined a parable that Jesus spoke to Simon the Pharisee. Tonight we’re looking at another parable spoken to a Simon. This time it’s Simon Peter, one of Jesus’ hand picked Apostles.

Jesus had just finished binding the effectiveness of prayer to the necessity of unity with one another in the Kingdom of God.

The Church represents the Kingdom of God on the earth. The Bible says that the Christian is one who is …

Colossians 1:13 (AP) DELIVERED from the power of darkness, and is TRANSLATED INTO THE KINGDOM of GOD’S DEAR SON

When a person is saved by faith in Christ, God moves them into His Kingdom. The Holy Spirit comes to live inside you. Jesus said:… Continue reading →

Posted in Matthew, Parables of Jesus, Sermons Preached | Tagged Bible, community, Following Christ, forgiveness, God, Jesus, love, love enemies, love God, love of Christ, salvation, unforgiveness, unity | Leave a comment

Business Meetings are To Glorify God

Posted on March 8, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Acts 1:4-8 And, being assembled together with them, {Jesus} commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but WAIT FOR THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but YE SHALL BE BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY GHOST NOT MANY DAYS HENCE. 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is NOT FOR YOU TO KNOW THE TIMES OR THE SEASONS, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But YE SHALL RECEIVE POWER, AFTER THAT THE HOLY GHOST IS COME UPON YOU: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Jesus’ instructions were very clear. The disciples were to WAIT. He did not ask Peter to go about replacing Judas. He did not ask Peter to do anything but WAIT, to PRAY, and to trust that God would do what He promised to do. The Power of the Church had not come.

God would not send the Holy Spirit to the Church until the Day of Pentecost (Jewish Shavuot [pronounced shah-VOO-oht]). God chose that day because Shavuot was when God gave Israel the Law at Sinai (Exodus 19-20), establishing her as God’s Covenant Nation. The Church would be empowered that very day.

Shavuot or the Feast of weeks was 50 days after Passover (Leviticus 23:15-21). During Shavuot Jews from all over the world would come to celebrate the founding of Israel at Sinai. God had a plan, and Peter as well as the other disciples were to wait on that plan. But Peter didn’t. Continue reading →

Posted in Acts, Sermons Preached | Tagged Business Mtg, community, Following Christ, salvation, unity | Leave a comment

Paul’s Second Amen

Posted on August 18, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

To be honest with you, there are parts of the Bible that I skim through, parts that I find difficult to read. Those parts are what I call the phone books of the Bible. Younger people have no idea what a “phone book” is, but when I was growing up you had phone books. These were thick, alphabetized books where everyone who had a phone number was placed in it. Unless you paid the phone company extra, everyone had access to your phone number. It was in the Phone Book!

As you go through the Bible, there are lists of names, often hard to pronounce, written in the Book. You find lists like this in Genesis, Exodus, Chronicles, Nehemiah, Matthew and Luke. One of the greatest lists of names is in the Book of Numbers. Name after names is listed, like: Continue reading →

Posted in Romans, Sermons Preached | Tagged Bible, christianity, community, Faith, Following Christ, God Is Faithful, Gospel truth, Jesus, Loving God, loving Jesus, loving One another, salvation, unity | Leave a comment

You Are Not gods

Posted on July 1, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

The Sovereign God has decreed that “whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:15-16), and “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). The decree of God calls us to come.

The Bible says that God gives us freedom to choose or reject Christ. We can repent, and receive salvation – or die in our sins and receive judgment. How free will and predestination work together is a mystery – but we must receive it by faith because the Bible says so.

We are saved by Grace – and this is hard for us to understand.

Salvation is by GRACE.
New Birth is by GRACE.
Eternal Life is by GRACE.
Forgiveness is by GRACE.

Preach! GRACE tells us to come with God with the faith we have, whether little or big, and God will bring us into His family. Grace rests entirely on the work of Jesus Christ at Calvary. Grace is possible because of the work of God the Holy Spirit. Grace is granted because of the will of the Father. Continue reading →

Posted in Romans, Sermons Preached | Tagged Bible, born again, christianity, Church, cultural difference, Faith, Following Christ, Jesus, Jesus is Lord, not gods, salvation, unity, we belong to God | Leave a comment

Working For God

Posted on July 16, 2022 by bibleteacherorg

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 2. 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah. Nehemiah is the Cup Bearer or the Butler of the King Artaxerxes (a Persian King and conqueror of Judah). God has moved on the heart of Ezra and Zerubbabel to lead Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. Some 12 years later some of these exiles return to King Artaxerxes palace and tell Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem are destroyed, and the gates burned with fire.

When the walls of the nation are fallen and the gates burned, the criminal element rule the nation. The walls must be rebuilt if righteousness will return!

Nehemiah seeks first God’s permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. Receiving permission from God, Nehemiah asks King Artaxerxes for help – who willingly gives it! Nehemiah travels to Jerusalem, surveys the damage done, then gathers the refugees in exile to present the facts to them. We read:… Continue reading →

Posted in Nehemiah, Sermons Preached | Tagged Following Christ, God Is Faithful, love, prayer, serving God, unity | Leave a comment

God Is With His People

Posted on July 9, 2022 by bibleteacherorg

Last Sunday we started in the Book of Nehemiah. To review, Nehemiah and Ezra were considered one book by Israel and by Judaism. Ezra tells the story of the first return of Israel from exile to Jerusalem. Ezra and Zerubbabel led a team to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, and to introduce Israel to the Law of God once more. After Ezra’s team had been in Jerusalem 12 years or so, some of the exiles returned to the winter palace of the Persian King Artaxerxes, and met the Cupbearer (the Butler) of the King named Nehemiah. These exiles told Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem were down, and its gates burned with fire.

So Nehemiah prayed.

If you want to be used of God, you cannot be in bondage. The reason God gave us who are Gentiles the Old Testament is to show us that God can only use a liberated people. When Israel was in bondage to Egypt, God raised up Moses to go to Pharaoh, demanding:… Continue reading →

Posted in Nehemiah, Sermons Preached | Tagged community, gospel, reaching the world, restore America, salvation, serving God, shining, unity | Leave a comment

Loving Hands, Loving Lord

Posted on February 6, 2022 by bibleteacherorg

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit had not come on the Church at Samaria as of yet. You who are Bible Scholars know that the Holy Spirit comes on every believer at the moment of salvation. Jesus told Nicodemus:

John 3:3-7 … Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

The Holy Spirit gives life to the believer. The Holy Spirit also indwells the believer. The Apostle told Timothy:

2 Timothy 1:13-14 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy {Spirit} which dwelleth in us.

And told the Church at Rome:

Romans 8:9 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.

The Holy Spirit baptizes every believer at the moment of new birth. The Apostle wrote in:… Continue reading →

Posted in Acts | Tagged community, God's Love, love, love Jesus, Love One Another, unity | Leave a comment

What’s Your Power Source, Part 3

Posted on January 9, 2022 by bibleteacherorg

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter four.

I have a workshop outside my home, one that I love to go and tinker in. I love woodworking. I love taking raw wood, and turning it into attractive and useful things. There’s a pleasure in working with your hands and your mind. Anyway, I have three basic types of tools in my shop.

• I have tools that require no external power source, things like chisels, hammers, screwdrivers, hand crank drills, hand saws, etc. These tools are ME powered. It takes MY energy to drive them, and they stop working when I myself get tired.
• I have tools that are battery operated. I love these things, because they have no power cord to get in my way. They run off of lithium batteries, which store a charge for a long time, and are able to deliver a lot of power to my tools. When the battery dies, that is, runs out of charge, it stops quickly. When this happens I have to put in another battery that is charged, or let this battery charge before I can continue my work.
• I have tools that are power cord operated. Though the cord limits my freedom of movement, the tool will keep on running as long as I have it plugged into the wall AND pay my electric bill.

What does any of this have to do with the Christian way of life? Our God has given us resources to enable us to live in this world, but empowered by His Kingdom. Sometimes we want to live out our lives in our own power. We use our strength, just as I use hand tools in my shop. Sometimes this is effective – but after a while we just run out of energy. The Lord said:… Continue reading →

Posted in Acts, Sermons Preached | Tagged community, Love One Another, obey, obey God, prayer, unity | Leave a comment

Laborers Together With God

Posted on December 10, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

God’s people are supposed to be “laborers together with God”. We have a wonderful application of this truth in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus chose 12 disciples to walk with Him, and these 12 grew into a greater group of believers. Our Lord Jesus did not do all of His ministry by Himself. Though God in the flesh, He called these people to follow Him. “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).

Christians are called to follow Jesus, to work
with Jesus. Jesus had NOTHING but God.

Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”. To “come after Jesus” is to do the things He did, to live with HIS purpose. Jesus said in John 14:9, “Whoever has seen Me, has seen the Father”. Jesus told His mother in Luke 2:49, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”. Though Jesus’ stepfather Joseph was a carpenter, this was not the business Jesus was about. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians, Sermons Preached | Tagged . God's building, Church, God's garden, unity | Leave a comment

Laborers Together With God

Posted on December 6, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

Matthew 18:2-4 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

No one enters the Kingdom of God full grown.

We humble ourselves as little children, and run into the arms of Jesus. We obediently follow Jesus, knowing that in His footsteps is where safety is. “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21 ESV). We are to stay close to Jesus, as a child might stay close to it’s mother while out in the harsh world. The Christian has a purpose greater than “going to Heaven”. Christians are to grow in their faith, becoming more like Jesus every day…. Continue reading →