Good Customer Service

Posted on July 6, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Romans 14:7-12 (KJV) For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. 10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Whatever Happened To Good Customer Service?

I was having coffee with my brother Frank yesterday when I asked the question, “Whatever happened to good customer service?” It’s getting rarer and rarer today. No one wants to wait on you. When you go in a store, you are treated like an inconvenience. People want your money, but they don’t want your presence. For that matter, people want to be paid – but hate the fact they have to work.

I believe much of the problem has to do with 21st century parenting. Children are raised without responsibilities. They are given everything, whether they work for it of not. So the child grows up believing:

“I live TO MYSELF. If it’s not about ME, then I don’t care. My entire responsibility in life is to please MYSELF. I will live my life MY WAY, like Frank Sinatra, then when I die I will die TO MYSELF. Nobody else matters but ME.”

I can tell you horror stories, and you can probably tell me the same. I went to CVS with a coupon the other day, and the cashier treated me like dirt. People refuse to say “thanks for coming” or even “thank you”. It’s just, “Give me the money, get out!” I’ve had cashiers ring up my order wrong, and when I point it out they look at me like “What an inconvenience!” On one error I pointed out the young lady said, “Well, it’s just $2.00!” Yes, but it’s MY $2.00.

Let’s talk about turn signals. People refuse to use them. Turn signals prevent accidents, increase the smooth flow of traffic, and get us all home safely. But because everyone is so “It’s all about ME” no one wants to be courteous. And we all suffer.

Romans 14:7 For none of us liveth to himself, and NO MAN {oudeis} dieth to himself.

Word Study: The words translated “NO MAN” is the Greek oudeis, which doesn’t mean “NO MAN” but “NO ONE NOR ANY THING”. Children believe the world revolves around them. Some Democrats, Republicans, Socialists, Communists and Libertarians believe the world revolves around them. It doesn’t. I’ve seen people on television gluing themselves to highways, or throwing paint on priceless works of art in order to “protest” the flavor of the day. These children in adult bodies believe life is all about them. They stop traffic, keeping people from working and paying taxes so these lazy creatures can be social justice idiots.

Harsh? I mean to be. God created the world to where there is NO life where there is no give and take.

For years we let people come across our border, and enter our society, but imposed no liability nor taxation on them. This increased the tax burden for every person in America. It’s not all about you. If you live in this free country, you MUST pay taxes to maintain its infrastructure. If you don’t, then someone has to. When John F. Kennedy was Inaugurated, January 20, 1961, in his speech he said in part:

“We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom — symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning — signifying renewal, as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago. … The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavour will light our country and all who serve it — and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.”

In any nation when the people become self absorbed, “It’s all about ME”, I’m going to do it MY WAY, the anarchy of it will destroy that nation.

In any community where selfishness and self love prevails, lawlessness and flaming “mostly peaceful protests” will hurt everyone.

In any family where children are taught selfishness by selfish parents and grandparents, in time the children will grow into childish adults who live out their lives consuming rather than creating.

In any Church where we forget that we are to be the Light and the Salt – then in time God Himself will shut down that Church. We are called as believers not to seek our own, but to “Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33) if you expect to be blessed. Israel forgot this when the Messiah came. So Jesus told Israel:

Matthew 21:43 (KJV) … The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

God will close the doors of the nation that encourages selfish fools.
God will close the doors of the business that forgets its customer’s value.
God will close the doors on greedy cities.
God will close the doors on families that ignore His Word.
God will close the doors on Churches that do not glorify Him.

God Is The Customer Of This Church

What is the business of every Christian, the business of every Church?

Romans 14:8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

We as Christians live to please the Lord Who saved us. In that sense, God is our Customer. We are bought by the Lord. We belong to the Lord. We are members of His Kingdom. And God has expectations of us.

In the midst of all the “salvation is a free gift” preaching – and it is a “free gift” for we cannot earn nor deserve it – many “accepted Jesus” but were not told that there would be consequences of accepting the free gift. Now, let’s talk about that phrase “FREE GIFT”.

The phrase “FREE GIFT” is only found twice in the Scripture, ONLY in Romans chapter five.

Romans 5:15-16, 18 (KJV) But not as the offense, so also [is] the FREE GIFT {charisma}. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, [which is] by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. [16] And not as [it was] by one that sinned, [so is] the gift: for the judgment [was] by one to condemnation, but the FREE GIFT {charisma} [is] of many offenses unto justification. … [18] Therefore as by the offense of one [judgment came] upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came] upon all men unto justification of life.

Word Study: The words “FREE GIFT” is the Greek charisma, which means “a favor with which one receives without any merit of his own, divine gratuity and deliverance”. These words are used in verses 15-16, but not in verse 18. The King James translators added the words in verse 18 – though this is what the Apostle was talking about. Salvation is indeed a “FREE GIFT” in the sense that you cannot purchase it, you cannot earn it. You cannot work toward it. But it is a FREE GIFT WITH CONSEQUENCES.

When you receive the FREE GIFT of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, God sends the Holy Spirit to you, and as a consequence you are BORN AGAIN.

Receiving the FREE GIFT of salvation from Jesus Christ brings a change to the recipient. We are told in Romans 5:19 that “many are MADE RIGHTEOUS”. Whereas before you were selfish and self absorbed, now you live in love with God and your fellow believers. We are told in Romans 5:21 that for the believer, “GRACE REIGNS through RIGHTEOUSNESS unto ETERNAL LIFE by Jesus Christ our Lord”.

The world and the worldly LIVE FOR THEMSELVES. But for the Christian, born again of God’s Spirit:

Romans 14:8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

Christians belong to the One Who bought them.

1 Corinthians 6:20 (KJV) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

“FREE GIFT” doesn’t mean you are freely given salvation so you can live for the devil. We do not live to please the world. We live to please our Savior and lord.

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

We do not live our lives to please the lost world. We live our lives for Jesus. “whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”. Jesus did not die on the Cross and rise from the grave so we can be a selfish mess with the rest of the world. Jesus did not die on the Cross and rise again just so “I can go to Heaven”. No!

Jesus purchased a Kingdom with His Blood!

Romans 14:9 (KJV) For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that He might be Lord both of the dead and living.

Jesus is Lord of Heaven and Earth. He is Lord of all. He is Lord of His Kingdom. “That He might be Lord both of the dead and living”. What does that mean? Jesus told us:

John 5:22-29 (NKJV) For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, [23] “that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. [24] “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. [25] “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. [26] “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, [27] “and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. [28] “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice [29] “and come forth–those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

Jesus Christ is the “LORD of all”, the “LORD of the DEAD and of the LIVING”. Those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior are born again, quickened, made alive by the Spirit of God. They are “children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (John 1:12; Romans 8:16; 1 John 3:10; Philippians 2:15). The Bible says:

Philippians 2:9-10 (NKJV) Therefore God also has highly exalted {Jesus} and given Him the name which is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, …

Jesus is the LORD of the Living, of the Born Again, of the Church. But Jesus is also the LORD of the dead, the spiritually unborn, of the world.

Romans 14:11-12 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, EVERY knee shall bow to me, and EVERY tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then EVERY ONE OF US shall give account of himself to God.

Judgment Day is coming for every person, and Jesus Christ is the Judge. Some will stand before Jesus at what the Bible calls “The Great White Throne Judgment”. Those who refused His “free gift” of salvation, who refused to lay their lives down to follow Him, who refused to listen to what Jesus said:

Matthew 16:24-26 (ESV) Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

The lost gave their soul to self, to selfishness, to chase sin and sinful pleasures. These “lost souls” will one day stand before a Great White Throne. They refused to DENY THEMSELVES, TAKE UP THE CROSS, and FOLLOW JESUS. As they stand before this Throne, Jesus will tell them “I never knew you”.

Jesus is life and light. The sum of their lives on earth are selfishness and self service. He doesn’t know who they are.

That’s what Jesus is talking about in:

Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV) Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but He who does the will of My Father in heaven. [22] “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not PROPHESIED in Your name, CAST OUT DEMONS in Your name, and DONE MANY WONDERS in Your name?’ [23] “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

What is the “WILL OF THE FATHER IN HEAVEN”? It is to believe on Jesus, to give your life to Him. It is not occasional acts of good, but committing your daily walk to Him. Those who are nominal or occasional Christians may not be saved. I beg you – examine yourselves. There is no purgatory, and the Lake of Fire is forever (Revelation 20:11-15).

Jesus Will Judge Every Christian

Romans 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

With these words, the Apostle is not giving the Christian the right to sin. There are certain activities that the Bible clearly labels as “sin”. If we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we will warn them against sin. What the Apostle is talking about is something you find objectionable that is not clearly marked out in Scripture as “sin”. We’ve talked about this before.

Though we as Christians are to avoid what God has clearly defined as “sin”, there are other gray areas that are open to interpretation. Here’s the standard:

If you can find a Bible text that clearly states “this is sin”, then stand with the text. But if the Bible does not address what you find objectionable, let Jesus be the judge.

Romans 14:13-15 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. 14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.

In the early Church, Jewish Christians were taught that certain meats were “unclean” and should not be eaten. Gentile Christians were not raised in that culture, so ate all things. Paul said, “I am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself”. But even if its not forbidden, if I love my brother or sister in Christ and it might cause them to stumble in their growth, shouldn’t I practice self denial? My prejudices and upbringing should not cause another believer grief.

We are members of one another (Ephesians 4:25; Romans 12:5).

Give up your “sacred set” or your “parking place” to another. Deny yourself. Be encouragers, not discouragers. Keep your eyes on Jesus, and on Grace. Be charitable.

Romans 14:16-17 Let not then your good be evil spoken of: 17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

We are all different, with different backgrounds. As long as the Bible does not forbid it, love your fellow believer – even if you don’t agree. I close with this:

Romans 14:20-21 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offense. 21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

Let us love one another. In Christ’s name. Amen!

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Follow Your Leader

Posted on July 3, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Proverbs 18:1 Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.

Sin is a transgression against the clear commandment of God. The Apostle wrote:

1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Sin begins with the question, “Has God really said?”, and then moves from there to partaking of what is forbidden. Those who minimize sin are not Christian, though they may claim to be so. The person who blatantly and without regard to God sin is the enemy of God, and the partner of Satan. The Scripture tells us:

1 John 3:8 (ESV) Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

To “sin and grin” is to prove that you are not God’s child, but a lost person in need of the Savior. The Christian is called to willingly separate from anything that is “of the flesh” or sinful. God told the Old Covenant priest:

Isaiah 52:11 (NKJV) Depart! Depart! Go out from there, Touch no unclean thing; Go out from the midst of her, Be clean, You who bear the vessels of the Lord.

The New Covenant believer is a priest, and IS THE VESSEL of God. We are the possessions of Jesus.

We are indwelt by the Spirit of God. “You are not your own – you are BOUGHT WITH A PRICE” (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23)

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.”

False Professors Walk By Desire,
Not By The Word Of God

Proverbs 18:1 Through DESIRE {ta’ăvâ} a man, having separated himself…

The Christian is to be driven by the Word of God, but the world and the worldly are driven by the flesh, by desire. Our Lord Jesus had a very high view of Scripture, as well as the moral requirements of the Old Testament. False professors of Christianity claim that the Scripture, our Bible, is outdated and errant. An early Pastor named Augustine wrote:

“If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.”

Word Study: False professors are not walking in the Spirit of God, but in the flesh. What drives them is DESIRE {ta’ăvâ [pro. tah-av-aw’]}, “the longing of the heart, lust or greed”. This word was used in the Garden of Eden when humanity decided to sin against the goodness of God. We read:

Genesis 3:6 (KJV) the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was PLEASANT {ta’ăvâ} to the eyes, and a tree to be desired 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.

Knowing what God said, Adam used his own judgment, his own flesh, and did that which God forbade by His Word. The proper Christian is to separate himself from sin based upon the Word of God. The improper Christian relies not on the Word of God, but on his flesh, his compulsive desires.

Mixed Multitudes Often Visit Us

These people have always invaded God’s people. Jude speaks of these types, saying:

Jude 16-19 (NKJV) These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. 17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.

When Israel came out of Egypt, we are told:

Exodus 12:37-38 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot [that were] men, beside children. [38] And a mixed multitude {ʿēreḇ raḇ} went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, [even] very much cattle.

A “mixed multitude {ʿēreḇ raḇ}”, a mixture of other people, left Egypt with Israel. The Benson Commentary notes,

“Some perhaps willing to leave their country, because it was laid waste by the plagues. But probably the greatest part was but a rude, unthinking mob, that followed they knew not why. It is likely, when they understood that the children of Israel were to continue forty years in the wilderness, they quitted them, and returned to Egypt again.”

The Pulpit Commentary notes that “it is more probable that they consisted of fugitives from other subject races (as the Shartana) oppressed by the Pharaohs. We have again mention of this “mixed multitude” in Numbers 11:4, where we find that they were the first to regret the “flesh and the fish, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlick” which they had eaten in Egypt freely (ib. 5). They thus set a bad example, which the Israelites followed.”

Both the Church as well as Israel has always had an open door policy. Anyone can come and enjoy the services. But some come not to glorify God, but to twist the Scripture to make it fit their lifestyle choices. They …

Proverbs 18:1 seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.

Word Study: The “mixed multitude” that joins with us generally will be polite. But some – like Judas Iscariot – seek out and “INTERMEDDLETH” {Hithpael Imperfect gālaʿ}, that is to say, “they stand against or quarrel with ALL WISDOM”. Rejecting the Word and the Command of God, they seek to twist an pervert it in order to please their own desires. Some of this is even in our Baptist Churches.

I recently read in the Baptist and Reflector where Juan Sanchez, pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas talked about “his church’s “robust complementarianism,” with male and female deacons, stating, “Complementarianism frees women to minister in appropriate roles alongside men, not limit them.”

The last few years I’ve heard phrases bandied about that have not ties to scripture, especially phrases like egalitarianism and complementarianism. The problem with big words that are not found in Scripture (and I’ll talk more about this in a moment) is that these big words confuse people. Let me be very much to the point.

For a person to be installed in the OFFICE of Deacon, the Apostles very clearly laid out the qualifications in the Scripture.

1 Timothy 3:12 Let the deacons be the HUSBANDS of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

The OFFICE of Deacon is limited to men, just as the OFFICE of Pastor is limited to men. Why? Because God said so. Though there are many honorable and blessed women in the Bible, no Scriptural text, Old or New Testament, is written by women. In the early Church when the Apostles (all male) was founded, these representatives of Jesus Christ said:

Acts 6:3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

Not women, but men. Why? Because God said so. Does that offend you? I understand. But God said so. The Bible says so. Period.

Those who ordain women to the OFFICE of Deacon point to Paul’s writing in:

Romans 16:1 I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, which is a SERVANT {diakonos} of the church which is at Cenchrea:

They say, “See, Phoebe was a DIAKONOS, the same word that was used by Paul in 1 Timothy 3:8 for “Deacons”. So we can ordain women as Deacons”. Did Paul lose his mind? Did he forget that God led him to write one thing in Timothy, and another in Romans? No. Here’s the thing.

Deacons {DIAKONOS} are servants of the Church. There is an OFFICE of Deacon. But when you study the word DIAKONOS, you find out that it does not just refer to the OFFICE. Biblically ..

1. Secular Rulers and Presidents are DIAKONOS. In Romans 13:4 the Apostle wrote, “he is the MINISTER {DIAKONOS} of God to thee for good”. President Trump is, by this Scripture, a SERVANT or DIAKONOS of God – but he is not an ordained Deacon – nor would he be qualified to be a Deacon in our Church. For that matter, since “the powers that be are of God”, then Putin and Zelenskyy are also DIAKONOS.

2. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is described as DIAKONOS.

Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a MINISTER {DIAKONOS} of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers.

Jesus came and ministered (DIAKONOS) to the Jews first – but He is not in the OFFICE of Deacon. No, in the Church JESUS IS THE HEAD (Colossians 1:18), the LORD, our BOSS.

3. The Apostle Paul himself, Apollos, and every believer who labors with him in the Gospel as DIAKONOS:

1 Corinthians 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but MINISTERS {DIAKONOS} by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

2 Corinthians 6:3-4 Giving no offense in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: [4] But in all [things] approving ourselves as the MINISTERS {DIAKONOS} of God …

4. The Lord Jesus Christ calls ALL His Children to be not masters but DIAKONOS or servants. He is not calling every Christian to the OFFICE of Deacon, but to serve one another in love:

Matthew 20:25-28 (KJV)But Jesus called them [unto him], and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. [26] But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your MINISTER {DIAKONOS}; [27] And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your SERVANT {DOULOS}: [28] Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto {diakoneō}, but to minister {diakoneō}, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Matthew 23:10-12 (KJV)Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, [even] Christ. [11] But he that is greatest among you shall be your SERVANT {DIAKONOS}. ..

What God has said in Scripture is very clear – but we often allow our desires color and contaminate what the Lord has told us. Phoebe, like all good Christians, served (DIAKONOS) the Church. But she was not in the OFFICE of Deacon. Feminism demands that we culturally toe the line, and say “Whatever men can do, women can do”.

Not if God says otherwise.

Pastor Harry Ironside wrote:

“To separate from apostasy is right and Scriptural. To separate from what is godly causes grievous division in the church. It is the human will setting itself above the authority of the Word and Spirit of God.”

We must not let desire, nor the whims of our culture to invade the clear textual teaching of the Scripture.

The Godless Pursue Self Satisfaction

Proverbs 18:2 A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.

Though highly religious, Jesus called the Pharisees “fools”. Why? Because they didn’t want to live by God’s Word, but twisted the Word to suit themselves. Read this and see if you understand why Jesus called them “FOOLS” or godless people:

Matthew 23:16-22 (ESV) “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

When people start using doublespeak – deliberately distorting the language to hide or twist the truth – you should immediately be suspicious.

The fool isn’t driven by a desire to understand truth, for all that matters to them is what’s on their mind. I heard a feminist say:

“The men you should avoid are those born on their birthday”.

That is about the stupidest statement I’ve ever heard. Or this gem:

“All white people are racist”.

That is, in and of itself, a racist remark. It makes no sense, for it is not based in truth. It is not a productive statement, but tears at the fabric of our nation.

Proverbs 18:3 When the wicked cometh, then cometh also CONTEMPT {bûz}, and with IGNOMINY reproach.

The word translated “CONTEMPT” is the Hebrew bûz, which means “that which shows disrespect, to despise or shame another”. Fools or godless people who reject Christ mock the Gospel of God and the lifestyle of the Child of God. The wicked disrespect the way of Christ. What do they get for this? In time, they suffer “IGNOMINY” the Hebrew qālôn means “shame, confusion, dishonor”. Eventually righteousness and the Christian way of life brings peace, whereas the wicked and disrespectful way of life brings dishonor. Why?

Proverbs 18:4 The words of a man’s mouth are as DEEP WATERS, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.

Human wisdom and human opinion is like “DEEP WATERS”. What does that mean? Think about “DEEP WATERS” for a minute. The deepest waters on earth are in our oceans. There are hidden treasure in the oceans. But the water itself is undrinkable. If you are caught in deep waters, you can be drowned. There are hidden dangers in deep waters, like sharks. Deep waters can be a blessing, or they can be a curse. You can get lost – or worse – in deep waters. If the words of a man’s mouth speak the Word of God, these deep waters are always beneficial, always a blessing.

Proverbs 18:4 … and the WELLSPRING {māqôr} of WISDOM as a flowing brook.

Word Study: The word “WELLSPRING” is the Hebrew māqôr, which means “the source, the fountain or origin”. Wisdom comes from God, from His Word. Wisdom comes from Jesus. Our Lord Jesus said:

John 7:37-38 (ESV) … Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

The flowing brook is drinkable water. It satisfies the thirsty soul. Man’s wisdom often leaves us wanting more, but God’s wisdom satisfies and blesses.

The “flowing brook”, fed from God the Son, never dries up.

When people heard Jesus speak, they professed “No one ever spoke like this Man!” (John 7:46). The words of man may sometimes be beneficial, but Christ’s Words are always a blessing. Jesus said:

John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

We who love the Lord must cling to His Word, regardless as to what the current culture says. It is God’s Word that saved us. It is God’s Word that keeps on saving us. I close with this:

Philippians 2:14-16 (ESV) Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life

May God touch your hearts with His Word!

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The Dangers Of Idolatry

Posted on July 1, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Erdei Gréta on Unsplash

Jude 3 BELOVED, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

If You Don’t Stand Strong For The Faith,
The Devil Will Damn You And Your Efforts

Word Study: As Jude writes the Church, he calls it “BELOVED”, the Greek agapētos. The Church is “BELOVED” of God. Why? The word agapētos is first found in the Bible – not to the Church – but it is what God the Father calls His Son Jesus at His baptism:

Matthew 3:17 (KJV) And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is My BELOVED {agapētos} Son, in whom I am well pleased.

The Old Testament Prophets spoke of God’s Beloved Son, Who would come into the world to save whosoever will. The Apostle Matthew quoted Isaiah 42:1 when he wrote of Jesus:

Matthew 12:18 (ESV) Behold, my Servant whom I have chosen, My BELOVED {agapētos} with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

Preach! Jesus is God’s BELOVED {agapētos} Son, in Whom He is well pleased (Matthew 17:5). He is the fulfillment of the prophecies of God, the one and only Messiah. The Church is BELOVED because we have received Jesus as He is, THE BELOVED of God. We are loved, because we love Him Who is loved. We are loved, because we have RECEIVED Jesus Christ as the One and only Savior and Lord.

As Jude writes the Church, he says “I gave all diligence to write unto you of the COMMON {koinos} SALVATION”. When he says “COMMON”, he does not mean it is mediocre or low quality. He means that this salvation is offered to ALL PEOPLE {koinos}. There is only one way that God offers a person to be saved. Or, as the Apostles preached, “Salvation is found in no One else, for there is NO OTHER NAME under Heaven GIVEN TO MANKIND by which we MUST BE SAVED” (Acts 4:12, NIV). When the Father looked at the earth, He sees nothing or no one worthy to enter His Kingdom. So He sends His Son to rescue humanity. There is no other way, no other Person Who is “BELOVED” but Jesus (John 14:6).

When you REPENT and RECEIVE Jesus as Lord and Savior, you become BELOVED because Jesus is BELOVED.

The devil knows this. The devil is constantly trying to find a way to draw people away from the common salvation in Jesus Christ, and into some idol. Jude warns the Church that to get away from the Beloved and into an idol, or a mimic of Christ rather than the True Christ – this will be disastrous. Idolatry is disastrous! Jude EXHORTS or COMMANDS the Church to

earnestly contend {epagōnizomai} for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints

When it comes to our Christian walk, God has commanded us to remember that we are not to take attacks against us and our faith personally, but to

2 Timothy 2:24-25 (NKJV) … not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth

The lost are to be encouraged – not brow beaten – into coming to Jesus. But when it comes to the faith once delivered, God tells us to “earnestly contend {epagōnizomai}”, to refuse to give in to, to set our teeth and say “absolutely NOT!”. In our world today the lost love to throw around phrases like,

“Don’t be hateful”
I was called “hateful” by a so called member who no longer comes when I pointed out scripture to her. She thought this made her sin right. It didn’t.

“Don’t be intolerant”
The world – and false pastors – will tell you there are many ways to God.
This is idolatry!

“Don’t be _phobic”
The world – and false pastors – will tell you to accept what God has forbidden, just as Satan did in the Garden of Eden.

“Don’t be ignorant”
The world – and false pastors – will have you deny the teachings of Scripture, calling it outdated, outmoded, or just out.

The Holy Spirit through Jude calls every Christian to carefully examine anything that comes into your life in the light of God’s Holy Word. We must EARNESTLY CONTEND (this is only found here in the Bible) or refuse to compromise …

Jude 3 for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

The faith that makes “SAINTS” or Children of God was “ONCE DELIVERED”. We did not earn our faith – it was DELIVERED to us. This Gospel and this Scripture is entrusted to the Church as a stewardship. False gospels either add to or subtract from what the Scripture has clearly stated. False gospels undervalue what Jesus Christ did for us on Calvary. False gospels present alternate views of Christ not supported by the Biblical text. Jude warns us, WATCH OUT for idolatry.

The Devil Introduced Idolatry In The Garden.
His Servants Introduce Idolatry In The Church.

Jude 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you ever wondered why the Devil assumed the guise of a “Serpent” in the Garden of Eden? The Bible says “the SERPENT was more CUNNING than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made”. We know this is the devil or Satan because the Bible calls him “that OLD SERPENT” (Revelation 12:9; 20:2). The snake is very cunning, very tricky. I have often been hiking in the woods, and stepped over a snake, not even seeing it. The serpent blends in with the creation.

The same thing is true of the devil’s servants. We are told that they have “there are certain men crept in unawares”. False teachers don’t wear a sign saying “I’m a false teacher”. They look good on the outside. They often have titles, and have gone to the best seminaries. They slither into the Southern Baptist Convention. They sneak into Baptist Churches. C.H. Spurgeon wrote:

“Satan knows right well that one devil in the church can do far more than a thousand devils outside her bounds.”

The phrase:

who were before of old ordained to this condemnation

Means that these people have been around from the very beginning. Their ways were condemned by God in the Old Testament (see Deuteronomy 13:1-11). As Solomon said, “there is NOTHING NEW under the Sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). These false prophets and false leaders sneak into God’s work, and the people of God often don’t see them – but God does. God knows what they are doing, and they will be found out and condemned. Their actions are not God honoring, but they are “ungodly men”. They do not live so as to bring glory to God, but to idols.

Illustrate: I was listening to a Church concert the other day, when the lead singer of the main group singing introduced another singer. He told the cheering audience, “Let’s give it up for so and so”, and the crowd went wild! I felt disgusted. Were they there to worship Jesus, or to worship this created being? This is idolatry, no different from what the world does.

ungodly men, TURNING the GRACE of our God
into lasciviousness

Word Study: The word “lasciviousness” is the Greek aselgeia, which means sensual pleasure. Grace is only received when you practice self denial. Jesus said: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24, ESV). Our Lord Jesus denied Himself in order to save us. Grace is not about your own sensual pleasure.

The more you are focused on yourself, the less you will be focused on God, and the further from God you will be. Lasciviousness and Grace do not mix!

The Apostle said in Philippians 3:7-8, “whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”

Godless men bring in idolatry, twisting Grace and making it something that blesses you and your pleasures. This is NOT Grace! It’s the opposite of Grace. The Bible says:

Galatians 5:24 (ESV) … those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires

Idolaters and false pastors tell you that God has saved you so that you can freely sin, and freely follow the desires of your flesh. But the faith once delivered to the Church is to remember that …

Colossians 3:3-5 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.

Grace does not bestow salvation on the believer so that we can sin freely, but so that we can serve our God freely.

We are told in Titus 2:11-13, (ESV) “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ”

God did not save us so that we can be like the world. God saved us so that we can “walk in the Light” (1 John 1:7; Isaiah 2:5).

Jude 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Idolaters and false pastors teach that we do not have to obey God, and that Jesus is not Lord. They make statements like “You only need to receive Jesus as Savior – then later you can choose to receive Him as Lord, if you want”. This is a lie from hell. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS” (John 14:15). Jesus said,

John 15:9-11 (KJV) As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. [10] If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. [11] These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and [that] your joy might be full.

We who are saved, are saved into the Kingdom of God. Jesus is LORD. There is no salvation to those who receive Jesus as “Savior”, but deny Him as “Lord”. This is clearly presented in

Romans 10:9 (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.

It is God’s will that “every tongue confess that Jesus Christ IS LORD, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11). The early Church preached “Believe in the LORD JESUS, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). It is the Holy Spirit of God acting in our lives that convicts us that Jesus is Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3). When the Apostle Thomas saw Jesus after His resurrection, he said “My LORD and my GOD” (John 20:26-29). In the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 13:1-11 God warned His people to avoid idolatry and those who are “filthy dreamers”. God told Israel:

Deuteronomy 13:1-4 (NKJV) If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.

Idolatry keeps people from salvation, and it keeps those who are saved from the blessings of salvation

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.

When God saved Israel from Egypt, when they left the Bible says “a mixed multitude went up with them” (Exodus 12:38, NKJV). The tares are often mixed in with the wheat. On the way to the Promised Land, the Bible says:

Numbers 11:4 (NKJV) Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat?

Those who were not believers continued to complain and murmur. Though God blessed Israel with the mixed multitude, the Bible says “In spite of all {God’s blessings}, they still sinned; despite {God’s} wonders, they did not believe” (Psalm 78:32, ESV). At Mount Sinai it became apparent that the unbelief had horribly infected Israel. When Moses went into the Mount to receive the Law from God, we read:

Exodus 32:1 (NKJV) when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “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.”

The believers in Israel had kept quiet in the face of false religion, so the whole congregation became flooded with unbelief and godlessness. They demanded idols to follow, rather than God Himself. Aaron, who should have stood up for the Lord, instead refused to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered. He made them their golden calf.

Aaron and Israel compromised with idolatry. Their doom was sealed long before they reached Canaan.

What happened in Numbers 14 is explained in

Hebrews 3:16-19 (NKJV) … who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Idolatry kept the first generation of Israel out of the Promised Land. Believer and unbeliever died in the desert because of unbelief.

Jude 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

Idolatry not only keeps unbelieving HUMANS out of the Promised Land, but keeps unbelieving ANGELS out of Heaven, the ultimate Promised Land. When Satan turned against God, making himself an idol, the Bible says:

Revelation 12:4 (ESV) His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth.

A third of the angels rebelled against God, and were cast down to this earth. Though Satan sometimes goes into the Throne room of God (Job 2:7), the other fallen angels are not allowed back into Heaven. They will be judged one day by God(Revelation 20:10)– but for now they are confined to this earth. Why? Because they made an idol of Satan. They afflict us on this earth (Ephesians 6:12), but one day will be judged by Jesus Christ (Matthew 8:29)

Jude 7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Though Lot went to Sodom and …

2 Peter 2:8 … dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds

The people refused to turn from idolatry. They chased after sensual sins, heterosexual and homosexual, until God destroyed those cities. The three things that these idolaters did are …

Jude 8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

My commentary notes:

“Jude calls the apostates “dreamers,” perhaps because they dreamed about ways to indulge their sinful appetites. They may also have claimed spiritual visions as an excuse for their action. Like the wicked inhabitants of Sodom, Gomorrah, and surrounding towns, the apostates disregard the harm their wicked habits cause their bodies. They reject authority, just as the rebellious Israelites rejected Moses’ authority. They especially reject the authority of Jesus Christ, the head of the church (Colossians 1:18). It follows that they also reject the authority of those whom God has placed in the churches to teach His Word and to guide His people. Instead of bowing to the authority of God’s Word, these apostates teach falsehood.

First Timothy 4:1–2 describes the source of the apostates’ evil teachings

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, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared.”

Satan Is The Source Of Idolatry

Jude 9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

The Prophet Moses was unable to enter the Promised Land because he made himself equal to God. When Israel was in Kadesh there was no water, and the people began to murmur and complain once more. The Bible says:

Numbers 20:6-9 (NKJV) Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” 9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him.

Moses moved to do as God told him. However, he let his temper get the best of him. Rather than obey the Lord, we read:

Numbers 20:10-12 … Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. 12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

Moses departed from God’s will. He added to the Word of God, and lost the Promised Land – though not the love of God – for his disobedience. The Bible tells us that when it came time for Moses to die, that the Lord let him see the Promised Land. We read:

Deuteronomy 34:4-7 (NKJV) the Lord said to {Moses}, “This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” 5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. 6 And {God} buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day. 7 Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.

God caused Moses to go into the wilderness, and there he died, and was buried by God. Why did God bury Moses, and hide his grave site?

Because of idolatry.

Jude 9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

No human knew where Moses was buried, but the devil did. The devil tried to take the body of Moses. Why? Because many false religions worship the bones of leaders, idolatrous statues, and human things. The Catholic Church keeps the bones of those they consider “saints”. Every Catholic altar contains “relics” or bones of the “saints”. The Second Vatican Council wrote:

“The practice of placing relics of Saints, even those not Martyrs, under the altar to be dedicated is fittingly retained. Care should be taken, however, to ensure the authenticity of such relics.” – Roman Missal (302)

They twist the Scripture to make these things not seem idolatrous, but they are. Catholicism worships bones, as do Tibetan Buddhists, Hindus, and other pagan religions. God forbids the worship of anything, human or human made. God says:

1 John 5:21 (ESV) Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Beginning with the Law of Moses at Sinai (Exodus 20:3-6), God forbade idolatry. I have often been asked, “Why are there no original, signed copies of the writings of the Bible?” I believe it is because – if we had signed copies or autographa, then we would put them in cases and in churches and worship them. We have 25,000 manuscripts of the Bible, 5800 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, 10,000 Latin manuscripts, and 9,300 manuscripts in various ancient languages. There are so many copies that we are assured that we have ALL of the original Bible that was given by the Prophets and Apostles. But there is no original.

The devil tried to get the body of Moses. If we had the bones of Moses today people would make pilgrimages to the “Holy Land” to worship them. God hid Moses body so it could not be misused. My commentary notes:

“There are invisible, angelic beings all around us. There are ministering spirits sent by God to assist us, and demonic spirits who want to defeat us. The devil can’t unsave a saved person; but through his deceptions he can corrupt and defile a Christian who is supposed to walk in purity and freedom. To the devil, we are time bombs, ready to wreck his work – bombs that he would like to defuse and make ineffective.”

Let us reject idols, and follow the living God!

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You Are Not gods

Posted on July 1, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Marek Piwnicki on Unsplash

Romans 14:1-3 (KJV) Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, [but] not to doubtful disputations. (2) For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. (3) Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.

Grace Is Terribly Hard To Understand

The Bible has many difficult concepts for us to believe. Consider The Trinity of God. Yes, it’s hard to understand that God is One in Essence, but Three in Person. We are told in John 1:1-18 that Jesus Christ, The Word of God, is identical to the Father in some ways and distinct from Him in another. Our Lord Jesus told us:

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV) … All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Jesus said “Baptizing then in the NAME”, not “in the NAMES”. There is one “NAME”, one authority, but “three PERSONS”.

The Trinity is very difficult to understand – but very clearly Biblical, so we MUST receive it by faith.

What about the free will of man and the Sovereignty of God? The Bible teaches that the Triune God is “all knowing, all powerful, and everywhere present”. The Bible says “Our God knows everything” (1 John 3:20), that

Psalm 139:4 (ESV) Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.

God knows everything, and “declares the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done” (Isaiah 46:10).

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.

John 1:16 And of HIS FULLNESS have all we RECEIVED (lambano, Aorist), and GRACE for GRACE.

Break that verse down. “Of HIS fullness”. Salvation is based on what our Lord Jesus Christ did on the Cross and at the empty tomb. He fulfilled the Law of animal sacrifice. He paid our penalty. It is “HIS fullness have ALL WE RECEIVED”. Jesus paid it all, and we receive the benefit. We receive “GRACE for GRACE”. We don’t deserve it. But when we recognize our brokenness and come freely to Him, surrendered to His Lordship, we receive “GRACE for GRACE”.

Grace Is Hard To Understand Because Of Our Nature

In the Garden of Eden Adam brought humanity into darkness and out of Paradise because of greed and pride. Made in the image of God, Adam wanted to BE God. This is what Satan told Adam and Eve:

Genesis 3:4 (NKJV) {If you eat what God forbade} You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

The lie that Adam was sold is that (1) God is a liar, and (2) You yourself can be God. It is insane that the created can become the Creator, but this is what Adam bought. We’ve been paying for it ever since.

We’re born wanting to be God. It starts in the crib. Cry, demand satisfaction, and someone will run to you. As children, we always knew better than our parents. Some parents – wanting to be gods – ignore the Word of God in child rearing. The Bible says in Proverbs 22:15, “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him”. Children want to be gods. Children that grow up to be adults, are adults that want to be gods.

gods don’t understand Grace!

Grace begins when you submit to God, when you admit you are not a god. Grace can only be received when we “deny ourselves, take up the Cross, and follow Him” (Mark 8:34; 10:21). Listen to me, Beloved. The TRIUNE GOD asks that you do three things:

– DENY YOURSELF: I am not god
– TAKE UP THE CROSS: Make it yours. Jesus died for me.
– FOLLOW HIM: Jesus rose from death, and leads us through the Spirit and the Scripture

Jesus saved us by denying Himself, going to the Cross, and obeying the Father. We who are His are to do the same thing. We deny ourselves, take up the Cross, and follow Jesus.

God gave Israel the Law to teach them that they are not gods, that we need the Messiah, the Son of God. When Jesus came to this earth, He came with the intent of saving us from our wrongheadedness. The Law was to teach us that we cannot be good enough on our own to get to a right place with God. We’ve previously read in Romans:

Romans 7:4 (ESV) … my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

The Christian is saved by Grace so that we might SERVE God,
not BE gods!

Romans 6:10-11 (ESV) For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

The Christian is dead to sin, but alive to God – just as Jesus is. Jesus denied Himself for us. We deny ourselves for Him. We do not belong to sin anymore, but to God.

Romans 6:12-14 (ESV) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Grace is not a license to sin, but frees us from our desire to be gods, a satanic doctrine. We are freed to serve God.

Preach: Our Lord Jesus chastised the leaders of Judaism, the Chief Priests, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes, because they did not follow God, but tried to be gods. They added things to God’s Word that were not there. Jesus harshly told them:

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!

We Must Not Have The “I Am god” Mentality Among Us

Romans 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. 2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.

In the Church at Rome there were Christians who were Gentile in background, and there were Christians who were Jewish in background. Both had different cultures. Gentiles either worshiped no god, or worshiped false gods. They may have made animal sacrifices to their gods – but not like the Jews.

God taught the Jews to bring clean animals to the priests to be sacrificed. God told Adam that “the day you disobey Me, you shall surely die”. When Adam sinned, God covered his sin by sacrificing a clean animal. When God saved Israel from Egypt, He commanded animal sacrifice. Sins could only be covered by the Blood of the clean sacrifice (Hebrews 9:7, 18). God commanded “a sin offering for ATONEMENT” (Exodus 29:36), the offering taken from the animals that God called “clean”.

The CLEAN animals that could be sacrificed were any animal with divided hooves that chewed the cud. God also specified to the Israelite that they themselves could only eat CLEAN animals. This included not only the animals I previously mentioned, but (1) Everything in the water that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or streams (2) Winged insects that walk on all fours, such as Locust, Katydid, Cricket, and Grasshopper. The Israelite could not eat the UNclean animals (everything NOT in the above list). Leviticus chapter 11 specified clean and unclean animals. To eat an unclean animal made the Israelite ritually impure. They could only restore their purity before God through REPENTANCE and RITUAL CLEANSING.

The Old Covenant with its laws of sacrifice looked forward and introduced the Coming of the Messiah, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Once Jesus came, He died in the place that the clean animals temporarily held.

1 John 1:7 … the BLOOD of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

The animals were temporary. What Jesus did in bringing us to God is permanent. Once Jesus fulfilled the Law by becoming “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:19), there were no more clean and unclean animals. God clearly demonstrated this when He spoke to Peter:

Acts 10:9-16 (ESV) Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” 16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

Jesus’ death on the Cross ended the animal sacrifices. It also ended the restrictions on clean and unclean animals.

Jewish Christians, raised in a culture of “clean and unclean”, came into the Church with those thoughts still in their heads. Gentile Christians were not raised with the concept of “clean and unclean”, so they would eat a variety of meats. The Jews refused to eat the unclean, the Gentiles saw all things as clean.

Romans 14:1-2 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. 2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.

When the Church came together for fellowship meals, the Gentiles (having never heard of clean and unclean animals) would eat whatever smelled good. The Jews, however, though born again by faith in Christ would be very uncomfortable eating at a Gentile table. They would eat the vegetables, but not the pork.

Romans 14:3 Let not him that eateth DESPISE {exoutheneō} him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not JUDGE {krinō} him that eateth: for God hath received him.

Word Study: The Gentile believer who ate all things would have a tendency to exoutheneō, to consider the believer who would not eat “of no account, to be contemptible”. The Jewish believer, raised under the dietary laws of Judaism, would see the Gentile believer eating something “unclean” and krinō, declare that this believer is actually unsaved. God’s response to both Jew and Gentile is “I have RECEIVED them”. Though from different backgrounds, both are children of God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Going back to verse 1,

Romans 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.

Word Study: The phrase “DOUBTFUL DISPUTATIONS” is the Greek dialogismos diakrisis, or “human judgmentsand traditions”. We are not to use our backgrounds, our human teachings, to weigh or judge another person as to whether they are worthy to be in the family of God. God received them. God received them. Their dress may be different from yours. Their mannerisms, their raising, their background may be different.

You are not god. You have no right to impose your opinions, your cultural differences, your background, your raising on other Christians. If the Bible does not forbid or encourage it, then chill out!

Now, should judgments be made in the Body? Absolutely! When a professed brother or sister in Christ moves into that which God has said is sin, we are to quietly show them the Scripture, and lovingly tell them to cease.

1 John 3:2-9 (ESV) Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.

Is what your fellow Christian doing “sin” as defined by God, or is this “human judgments and traditions”? Let your standard be “What does GOD say?”, not “What do I as a god think?”

The Bible is very clear on what IS and IS NOT sin. Here’s a few texts:

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (ESV) 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.

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

That last phrase, “whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine”, means “whatever the BIBLE directs”. I do not set the standards, and neither do you. God does. Jesus does. The Church and the Christian belong to Jesus. “God hath received him”. So I need to love him, and put away my prejudices and opinions.

The Christian belongs to God.
The Christian is Christ’s servant.

Let The Word Of God Be The Judge

Romans 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

You do not belong to me, nor do I belong to you. We belong to God. I believe in the Doctrine of Eternal Security. Those who have come to God and surrendered their godness, who deny themselves, take up the Cross, and surrender to following Jesus – these people are born of the Spirit. The Bible is clear that the genuine believer shall endure to the end. The Apostle wrote:

Romans 8:38-39 (NKJV) I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God is able to make you stand!

2 Timothy 1:12 (NKJV) I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

God is able to make you stand!

John 10:27-30 (NKJV) 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.”

God is able to make you stand!

John 6:39-40 (NKJV) This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

God is able to make you stand!

Romans 14:5-6 (KJV) One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

Again, the Gentiles had certain calendar days that they were raised to respect, whereas the Jews had certain feast days and holy days that they culturally upheld. The Apostle tells us, don’t worry about it. “He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it”. As long as the person is honoring the Lord Jesus in the keeping of that day, then it does not matter. For instance, for the Jew the Sabbath is on Saturday. But we Gentiles have kept Sunday as the Lord’s Day. Does it matter? No, not at all. As long as you are honoring the Lord Jesus one day in seven, you are pleasing to God.

The Church that Jesus is building is a mix of different cultures, different backgrounds, but one Shepherd, one Savior and Lord. Let us love Him and serve Him. We are not gods. What does the Scripture teach us? I end with this:

Romans 14:7-8 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

Live your life so as to honor the One Who saved you. You and I belong to Him. Let us act like it. Amen!

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Don’t Be A Fool!

Posted on June 27, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Rachel on Unsplash

Proverbs 17:21 He that begetteth a FOOL (kᵊsîl [pro. kes-eel’]) doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a FOOL (nāḇāl [pro. naw-bawl’]) hath no joy.

If Possible, Lead Your Children From Foolishness

Word Study: The Hebrew has two different words for “fool”, both of which are found here. The first word translated “fool” is the Hebrew kᵊsîl [pro. kes-eel’], which means “someone who is a dullard, mentally challenged, simple of mind, born stupid or silly”. My mama used to call such people as those who “didn’t have the sense that God gave a billy goat”. These are children born without common sense, who will not receive instruction, nor will they learn from their mistakes. This type of fool is likely to die at a younger age from bad decisions made in their lives.

Psalm 49:10 (KJV) … the FOOL {kᵊsîl} and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.

Children are naturally born with little knowledge of the world around them. Good parents strive to teach their children right and wrong, good and evil, smart and stupid. Good parents will punish their children, if necessary, to take away kᵊsîl and instill good sense in the child. We are told in:

Proverbs 22:15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

Proverbs 13:24 (ESV) Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

Children are born without wisdom – and some children are born resistant to wisdom. They are kᵊsîl, liable to do foolish things. Foolish children got on the Internet back in 2018 and ate Tide pods. Those who did so suffered chemical burns on their throats, esophagus or lungs. There is intense abdominal cramping and diarrhea. The lungs can be damaged by breathing the powder, and they can have trouble breathing for the rest of their lives. Some suffered and died. All because someone they did not know challenged them to do so.

He that begetteth a FOOL (kᵊsîl [pro. kes-eel’]) doeth it to his sorrow

Parents must teach their children not to do dangerous, foolish things. Disobedient children who will not heed the Law of God, to do as …

Matthew 15:4 … God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

Proverbs 17:21 He that begetteth a FOOL (kᵊsîl [pro. kes-eel’]) doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a FOOL (nāḇāl [pro. naw-bawl’]) hath no joy.

Word Study: The second word translated “FOOL” is the Hebrew nāḇāl (pro. naw-bawl’). Whereas kᵊsîl refers to the mentally challenged, nāḇāl refers to the person who is spiritually ignorant. It is this type of person that the Psalmist spoke of in:

Psalm 14:1 The FOOL {nāḇāl} hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

Psalm 53:1 The FOOL {nāḇāl} hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

The kᵊsîl lacks common sense,
the nāḇāl spiritual sense.

Parents are to do their best to prayerfully and Biblically raise their children in a Christ-like environment. My commentary notes:

“When a child is born, the parents rejoice. Later, if the child becomes a disobedient child, teenager, or adult, he not only disappoints his parents but also grieves them deeply. They will not—hopefully—stop loving that son or daughter. But a wayward child causes their parents tremendous pain. King David’s son Absalom’s name literally means ‘my father is peace,’ but Absalom brought David nothing but trouble. He rebelled against David, stole the hearts of the people from David, and tried to overthrow David and take his place as king (2 Samuel 15:10–14). David grieved over this betrayal and sobbed when his son was killed (2 Samuel 18:33). Many godly parents do their best to guide a son or daughter into being someone who loves and obeys the Lord, but they encounter grief when the child goes a different way.”

Love your children by intentionally discipling them, guiding them in their faith, and correcting their misconceptions. Teach them how to live carefully and successfully in this present world.

Our Heavenly Father disciplines us when we head toward foolishness and darkness. He does this from love.

Christians, children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, are “disciples”, which means “those under discipline or instruction, students”. Pastor John Piper said:

“A disciple in the New Testament is simply a Christian: “And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26). Everybody that was converted to Jesus was a disciple. Everybody that was converted to Jesus was a Christian.”

Parents are to actively teach their children – training cannot be farmed out to godless public schools. We are under the command of God to train our children (Ephesians 6:4; Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Yet sometimes, though parents do all they can, the child pursues a way of life that is destructive, without common sense.

Proverbs 17:25 A FOOLISH {kᵊsîl} son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.

We love the child anyway, and continue to model Christ so as to draw them from destruction and toward Christ.

Everyone Has Two Hearts, One Physical
And One Spiritual

Proverbs 17:22 A MERRY {śāmēaḥ, joyful} HEART doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

The PHYSICAL heart is that pump in your chest that circulates your blood, keeping the various organs and limbs of your body in good condition. A diseased physical heart will have an impact on your breathing, your strength, your whole body.

The SPIRITUAL heart is the control center of your soul, that part of you that is inside your body. In the Old Testament, God gave Israel the Mosaic Law to show them how broken they were spiritually. Israel promised to live by God’s Laws, but inevitably failed, just as God knew that they would. Our Lord Jesus said that we are all born with a broken spiritual heart. He said:

Mark 7:21-23 (ESV) For 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.

Godless people make a god out of the law, believing that more laws will make better civilization. People do not need new laws, but new hearts, God focused hearts.

Where does the evil among us come from? The unrestrained and unspiritual heart in the soul of humanity. Humanity has a heart problem, and needs a heart transplant. This is what God promises us in His New Covenant:

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (ESV) And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Under the Old Covenant God gave His Law, but not the indwelling Holy Spirit. People had spiritually atrophied hearts. Though they meant well initially, in time they drifted back into stony living. Under the New Covenant, purchased by the Blood of Christ on the Cross:

Hebrews 12:24 (KJV) to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling …

Matthew 26:28 (ESV) … for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Luke 22:20 (ESV) … This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

When Jesus died on the Cross, this brought in the New Covenant. Those who receive Jesus as Lord and Savior are BORN AGAIN, indwelt by the Spirit of God. God gives them a NEW HEART, and writes desire to follow His Laws in our new hearts, to the glory of God.

Those who are saved by Grace in Christ should have a heart responsive to God. Pastor John Gill noted that the Christian should have …

“a heart full of spiritual joy, peace of conscience, flowing from the blood of Christ, joy in the Holy Ghost, a rejoicing in Christ Jesus and his righteousness, and in hope of the glory of God, much affect even the outward man.”

Watch your heart. Don’t let anyone
or anything infect it.

The Bible warns us to “guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). What your heart believes, your body will do. I have heard it said:

Sow a thought, reap a deed.
Sow a deed, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.

When the heart is unrestrained and unspiritual, it can lead to the destruction of a nation, or even to the destruction of the world itself. When “God saw that the wickedness of man was great, that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was evil” (Genesis 6:5), at that point God destroyed all but eight by great flood.

Proverbs 17:22 A merry HEART doeth good like a medicine

Illustrate: Have you ever driven your car in a FOG? If you turn up your lights it does not help. What is the safe thing to do? Slow down. Keep your lights focused on the ground in front of you. FOCUS. When bad stuff comes, remember:

F – FOCUS
O – ON
G – GOD

The Christian protects his heart by directing the heart toward the Biblically positive. We focus on the promises of God, on the light and not the darkness. Slow down. Look to the Savior. Believe that “God is able to make you stand” (Romans 14:4). He will take you through the trial. Believe that “God is able to make all grace abound toward you” (2 Corinthians 9:8). Be like the Hebrew children confronted by an angry king. Do not worry about the threats of the darkness, but look to Jesus.

Or you can rob yourself of victory and peace by focusing on what you don’t have.

Proverbs 17:22 … a broken spirit drieth the bones.

If your focus is on the darkness, it will suck the life out of your time on this earth. This is a common theme throughout Proverbs:

Proverbs 15:13 (ESV) A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.

Proverbs 12:25 (ESV) Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

Proverbs 18:14 (ESV) A man’s spirit will endure sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?

You control the direction of your heart. Not your situation, but YOU. Look unto Jesus. Look unto the Word of God. Focus on the Promises of God. The Apostle said:

Romans 12:2 Be not conformed to this world; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind

Don’t follow the paths of this world, but the Promises that the God Who made the world has given you. Read the Book! Study the Book!

Psalm 119:11 (ESV) I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:9 (NKJV) How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.

Direct your thoughts not toward the negative, but to what God has said and promised you.

Philippians 4:4-8 (ESV) Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

If you think negative, and let your heart be filled with darkness, your life on earth will be miserable. But if you control your thoughts, and focus on the Word of God, rejoicing that “all things work together for good to those who love the Lord, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). The Bridges Commentary notes:

“A broken spirit in an evangelical sense is God’s precious gift. It is stamped with his special honor. But here a crushed spirit describes a brooding spirit of despondency that always looks on the dark side of things. If this is linked to religion, it flows from a narrow and perverted view and a spurious humility centered on the self. It has the effect of drying up the bones”.

Those Who Foolishly Twist Justice Will Suffer

Proverbs 17:23 A wicked man taketh a GIFT {šōḥaḏ, bribe} out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.

Pastor Bruce Waltke notes:

“The corrupt official defies God who has placed him over the community to protect the poor. He shows he is conscious of his guilt by accepting the sly bribe, which is concealed from public scrutiny and opprobrium, but it is not concealed from God.”

Sometimes bribery is not in the form of money, but of favor. The Prophet Samuel was raised up in the Tabernacle by Eli the Priest. When Eli became older, he appointed his two sons Hophni and Phinehas as priests. The sons of Eli were unqualified and uncalled. They did evil to the people of Israel, and God told Samuel:

1 Samuel 3:13 (ESV) … declare to {Eli} that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them

This eventually happened when Israel went to battle with the Philistines. The Ark of God was captured, and Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas died (1 Samuel 4:17). When Eli heard this, he fell backward, broke his neck, and died (1 Samuel 4:18).

What Eli did when Samuel was a child growing up in his household, Samuel later duplicates. He appoints his sons – though unqualified – to be judges in Israel.

1 Samuel 8:1-6 (ESV) When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord.

Samuel was a mighty Prophet of God, dedicated to serve the Lord from his mother’s womb. But when Samuel became too old to be effective at serving God and overseeing Israel, “he made his sons judges over Israel”. In the days before there were Kings in Israel (for only God was the King of Israel), “Judges” were men of God who oversaw the people and maintained stability in the land. The only problem was that Samuel did not choose his sons as Judges because they were qualified or called by God, but because they were HIS SONS.

Nepotism is a form of bribery. It is the appointment of the unqualified and uncalled because it suits YOUR will, not God’s.

We are told that “his sons did not walk in Samuel’s (or God’s) ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice”. When justice is perverted and God’s laws are not followed, civilization becomes unstable. Up to this time Israel followed God as King. But now Godly leadership is gone. The Elders of Israel came to Samuel and said, “you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations”.

This displeased Samuel. But part of the problem was what Samuel did. He should have NEVER made his sons to be Judges. Samuel’s bad appointments led to the people demanding:

1 Samuel 8:19-20 … there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.

Israel became like the rest of the world! The THEOCRACY became a MONARCHY.

The Fool Looks Everywhere For Wisdom
Which Is Nearby, In God’s Word

Proverbs 17:24 Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.

Fools are constantly casting about, looking all over the earth for wisdom. Yet “Wisdom is before him that hath understanding”. Those who are born again of the Spirit know that wisdom comes from God and His Word.

Proverbs 2:6 the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding

James 1:5 if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

God is everywhere. You need only seek Him through Jesus Christ. God’s Holy Bible gives us wisdom for life. Seek Him. Don’t be a nāḇāl, a godless fool. May Jesus speak to your hearts through the mighty Spirit of God! Amen.

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Wake Up And Shine

Posted on June 23, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Jordan Wozniak on Unsplash

Romans 13:11-14 (KJV) And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.

Wake Up! Judgment Is Coming. Be The Light.

“It is high time to AWAKE out of sleep”. I preached this text years ago in Lexington, Tennessee, and a young man named “Brent” got upset with me. His mother was on medication, and often went to sleep when attending our services. Young Brent thought I was talking about his mother going to sleep while I was preaching, and later led an attack against me because of it.

I’m not talking about anybody going to sleep in the service. If you need to sleep, go ahead … just don’t snore! This text is not about something as simple as napping during the preaching. The Apostle speaks to the Church:

vs 11 KNOWING the time, that now it is HIGH TIME
to awake out of sleep

As the Apostle looked at what was going on in Rome, he knew that Rome was not far from collapse. Any nation that wanders far from God’s Laws will eventually crumble.

The Roman Empire, started as a Republic (much like America), had degraded further and further from Biblical morality. Homosexual and Heterosexual sin was winked at, and Pedophilia as well as bestiality was not even considered criminal. The morals and the morality of the nation moved closer to Sodom and Gomorrah, and the judgment of God was at hand.

Israel had moved away from Yahweh, and thought that Jerusalem would stand forever. Judaism put its faith in the priests and the sacrificial laws. How did God respond? In 70 AD Rome would sack Jerusalem, and destroy the Temple! Even today the Temple is not rebuilt, but the Muslim Mosque Al-Aqsa (Dome of the Rock) stands on the ground that the Jewish Temple used to be.

vs 11 KNOWING {eidō} the time, that now it is HIGH TIME
to awake out of sleep

Word Study: If the judgment of God came on Rome, and on Israel, won’t the same judgment come on America? Paul said “KNOWING the time”. The word translated “KNOWING” is the Greek eidō, which means “to see or perceive with the senses”. Our nation has turned from following the Spirit of God, and chases after the flesh, after sin and self. Flesh is everywhere. Nothing is withheld from the imagination. Darkness seems to reign. Those who are supposed to be Christian icons are exposed as Judas Iscariots, wolves in sheep clothing. The Christian sees the darkness, and says with the Apostle:

1 John 5:19 (ESV) We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

The devil is in the world, and working hard through the lost to further his kingdom of darkness. But we who are Christians have seen the SON RISE. Not SUN but SON. Jesus is the Light of the world. His people are to be the Light of the world. Jesus told us …

John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

How fo we bring Jesus into the world? We walk with Jesus. We let Jesus Christ shine through us. If you are born again by the Blood of Christ and by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, you are NOT part of the darkness. You “HAVE THE LIGHT OF LIFE”.

John 8:12 (KJV) I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

We do not walk in the flesh and in the darkness. We walk in the light with our God. Our God is a Light Bringer. The very first command that God gave in human history was “Let there be LIGHT”, and there was LIGHT (Genesis 1:3). The enemy satanic forces want to bring darkness, and will bring darkness if they can. We who are Christians indeed are “delivered from the power of darkness, and are translated into the Kingdom of Christ” (Colossians 1:13). The Son has risen. We who believe on Him are His children. We are called to speak and act so as to …

Acts 26:18 (KJV) … 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 …

We are called to SHINE in this dark world, to let the light of God shine through our words and actions.

Your Salvation Demands You Walk In The Light

Paul next says something than many do not understand. He says …

Romans 13:11 for now is our SALVATION NEARER THAN when we believed

“OUR SALVATION IS NEARER”? What do you mean, Paul? I thought when I was “saved”, that this was what happened the day I believed on Jesus. That’s true.

Acts 16:31 (KJV) … Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved …

Romans 10:9 (KJV) 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.

When you repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ YOU ARE SAVED (at that moment). You are actually SAVED from the wrath of God.

You see, God HATES sin. God must JUDGE sin. Jesus told us:

John 3:17-19 (KJV) 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.

God sent Jesus Christ, His Eternal Son, into the world to be our SAVIOR and LORD. When you receive Jesus as such, believing that His death on the Cross paid for YOUR sin, believing He is resurrected from the dead and your LORD now, then YOU ARE SAVED from the WRATH OF GOD.

God SAVED Israel from Egypt when He parted the Sea for Israel, but drowned the enemy army in it.

Exodus 14:13 (KJV) Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

God SAVED Hannah from childlessness, giving her the ability to birth the Prophet Samuel:

1 Samuel 2:1 … My heart rejoices in the LORD … because I REJOICE IN YOUR SALVATION

God saved Israel from the armies of the AMMONITES:

1 Samuel 11:13 … to day the LORD hath wrought SALVATION in Israel

Before His crucifixion an unknown woman came and bathed the feet of Jesus with her tears, and dried His feet with her hair. She anointed His feet – feet that would be nailed to the Cross – with precious ointment. Jesus told this woman:

Luke 7:49-50 (NKJV) Your sins are forgiven …. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.

It is God Who saves. “Salvation belongs to the Lord” (Psalm 3:8). God saves people from sickness, and suffering, from the enemy. But the greatest gift of salvation is when God saves us from His wrath when we believe on Jesus.

But when we read:

for now is our salvation NEARER THAN when we believed

This speaks of salvation as future tense. We are nearer to salvation – at this point – than when we first believed. You were saved – but you are not finished. God is working in you. Every day you as believers are closer to your final salvation. That is the day that we stand before Jesus, and see our Lord face to face. In that glorious place we call “Heaven” we will not sin, nor suffer, nor sigh. We will stand in the perfect Light of God, and we ourselves will be one with the Perfect Light. Oh, glorious day! My commentary notes:

“Salvation is the entire process by which God rescues sinful human beings from their bondage to sin, and gives them an overhaul from the inside out. Salvation is accomplished {by God} in three tenses—past, present, and future.”

Preach This! Every Christian HAS BEEN saved, IS BEING saved, and WILL BE SAVED. When you REPENT and RECEIVE Jesus as Lord and Savior, you are SAVED. The wrath of God is removed from your life, because what Jesus did on the Cross JUSTIFIES you, makes you right with God. But the Bible goes on to say:

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV) … we are {God’s} workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Once SAVED, God begins the process of SANCTIFYING us, making us more like Jesus. He does this through the Holy Spirit and the Holy Bible. We are BEING SAVED.

Our final salvation, GLORIFICATION, comes when we meet Jesus face to face in glory. This is what Paul was talking about when he wrote for now is our salvation NEARER THAN when we believed. Christians, our time is limited on this earth. We are to be “redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). The darkness is great, but God’s Light is greater. You do not know when your assignment on this earth will end! Further, you do not know when the judgment of God will come on this earth, or on this nation.

The Saved Walk With God In The Armor Of Light

Romans 13:12 (KJV) The night is far spent, the DAY is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

The problem with evil and darkness is that it destroys all that it touches. The works of the flesh, also known as sin, bring death (Romans 6:23). Wise King Solomon wrote:

Proverbs 10:16 (KJV) The labor of the righteous leads to life, the wages of the wicked to sin.

Nations that reject God and cling to the flesh will ultimately find destruction! The Prophet said:

Isaiah 2:12 (KJV) For the day of the LORD of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty

All who are arrogant, pride filled, me focused. All who rebel against God and believe themselves immune to punishment.

God will destroy sin by the Cross, or by His wrath!

Isaiah 13:6, 9 (KJV) Wail, for the day of the LORD is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. … He will destroy its sinners from it.

A judgment day is coming. It came on Rome, and the empire that ruled the world fell into ash and ruin. Oh Beloved, if America does not return to the Lord, or to some semblance of Godly morality, we shall fall as well.

Joel 1:15 (KJV) Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty.

In Noah’s Day, to get on the Ark was to rise above judgment. In our day we “CAST OFF THE WORKS OF DARKNESS”. We realize the danger of sin. We walk as children of Light:

Ephesians 5:6-9 (ESV) Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true)

If Noah had not gotten on that Ark, he would have drowned with the lost world. Beloved, we must not be in the darkness with the lost. The Scripture says:

Ephesians 5:11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

Shine for Jesus! Shine the light of God’s Word on the unfruitful works of darkness. Do not be like the lost, but like Children of Light. Our Vacation Bible School was based on these verses:

Ephesians 6:11-18 (ESV) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

You Are Either Light Or Dark

Romans 13:13 Let us walk HONESTLY, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

Word Study: The word translated “HONESTLY” is the Greek euschēmonōs, which means “in the proper or prescribed way”. I remember the hardest part of basic training as an airman was to learn to march in formation. As the drill instructor called out the cadence, “Left, Right, Left, Right”, we were supposed to rhythmically keep step with the instructor and with one another. If you went against the instructor’s call, you didn’t just hurt yourself, but you hurt the unit. If the clown in front of me was walking “Left” when he was supposed to be “Right”, I’d step on his heel, stumble, and the guy behind me would step on my heel. The whole group got out of step!

We are children of Light, children of the Day. Get in step with Jesus. Not with the darkness, but with Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:5 (NKJV) You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

You need to be what you are. If you are children of the night, then be that. Stop pretending. Judgment is coming your way. You are of the darkness. As Jesus said:

John 3:19-21 (NKJV) … 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.

You cannot be saved, and act lost. This is double mindedness. There is no such thing as a

Christian Thief
Christian Drunkard
Christian Pervert
Christian Whoremonger
Christian Pedophile
Christian Murderer

Yes, Christians do sin. There are times when we let the flesh have its way. But when this happens, the Holy Spirit convicts us. We CONFESS our sin to Him, REPENTING, placing it under the Blood of Calvary. Oh, praise God, we are being saved, but our salvation is not yet complete.

1 John 1:7 (NKJV) … if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

The Armor of Light is the Lordship of Christ,
Not The Lordship Of ME!

Romans 13:14 (KJV) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.

We are told “PUT ON the ARMOR OF LIGHT”. We are told “PUT ON the LORD JESUS CHRIST”. If you have on the Armor of Light, if you are imitating the Lord Jesus and obeying Him, you need not fear the darkness. You are “more than conquerors through Jesus” (Romans 8:37).

Let me close with a Bible story that illustrate this. In 1 Samuel chapter 17 we hear about a young shepherd boy named David. King Saul and the Army of Israel were encamped in the Valley of Elah. A giant by the name of Goliath comes out and challenges the Army of Israel to a duel. Every soldier looked at Goliath – and put on the armor of fear and darkness. No one, not even the King, wanted anything to do with Goliath. King Saul was afraid to fight Goliath, and promised if someone would fight Goliath, “the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel” (1 Samuel 17:25). What a prize! Riches. A beautiful daughter. Tax exempt status. What’s to be hated? But no one wanted to fight Goliath.

Then David came up.

“I will fight this Philistine”. King Saul told David, “You are just a young man. This is a seasoned warrior. You can’t do it!” Saul was dressed in the Armor of Humanism, the Armor or Relativism, the Armor of Doubt. David told Saul,

“As a shepherd, I’ve been attacked by lions and bears. The LORD Who DELIVERED ME from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, will deliver me from the paw of this Philistine!”

David had the Armor of Light on him. He had put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Then Saul told David, “I have some armor, human made armor, that you need to wear while fighting Goliath.

David told Saul, “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ve got my armor on. I’ve never used your armor before, but I have used the Armor of Light. I’m going to trust in that.” You all know the story. David went out to battle Goliath, knocked him down with a sling and a stone, then cut Goliath’s head off with Goliath’s own sword (verse 51).

Fast forward a few years.

King Saul, who rewarded David for killing Goliath, now hunts down David. (This story is in 1 Samuel 21). David is a wanted man on the run. He goes to the Tabernacle, and asks the priests for some shew bread, aged bread that only the priests were supposed to eat. They give David the consecrated bread. Then David asked, “Do you have any weapons here?”

1 Samuel 21:9 (KJV) And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

When David fought Goliath, he fought him wearing the Armor of Light. He put on the Lord Jesus Christ. But now David chooses humanism, man made armor. “Give me Goliath’s sword – there is no other one like it!” The sword was made for a giant, not for David.

David traded the Armor of Light for a human weapon. David traded the Armor of Light for fear. David “fled that day for fear of Saul, and ran to Achish the King of Gath” (1 Samuel 21:10). When his life was threatened, the David that was fearless before Goliath “changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard” (1 Samuel 21:13). He who would one day be the King of Israel lost his courage, and looked like an utter mad man.

He put on the wrong armor. The armor of flesh will not save you. The Armor of Light will. Children of light, walk as children of light. God protects His children. But if you are lost – REPENT. Turn and run into the arms of Jesus. Judgment day is coming. God’s wrath is not far from falling. Make sure you are on the right side.

Give yourselves to Jesus. For God’s glory, I pray. Amen.

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Salvation Changes Things

Posted on June 23, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Jude 1-3 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: 2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. 3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

When we read our Bibles, we tend to skip the little books. Many people have read and re-read the Book of Revelation, and a lot of Christians have never paid much attention to the little book just before Revelation, the Book of Jude. The Book of Jude is very important because it teaches us that

Genuine Salvation Changes a Life

Evangelist Paul Washer (a wonderful, Spirit filled fire and brimstone Preacher) preached a message to Pastors called “Ten Indictments Against The Modern Church In America”. In that sermon Paul encouraged Pastors to be clear on the utter necessity of the New Birth. Religion will not save a person. When Nicodemus, a highly religious man, came to Jesus, our Lord told him “you MUST be born again of the Spirit” (John 3:3-7). When told this for all his education Nicodemus was puzzled. The unsaved are NOT born again, and cannot perceive nor understand the truths of the Kingdom of God. Paul Washer truthfully said:

“Men today are trusting in the fact that at least one time in their life they prayed a prayer, and someone told them they were saved because they were sincere enough. And so, if you ask them, “Are you saved?” they do not say, “Yes, I am, because I am looking unto Jesus, and there is mighty evidence giving me assurance of being born again.” No! They say instead, “One time in my life I prayed a prayer.” Now they live like devils, but they prayed a prayer! I want you to know, my friends, salvation is by faith alone! It is a work of God. It is a grace upon grace upon grace. But the evidence of conversion is not just your examination of your sincerity at the moment of your conversion. It is the ongoing fruit in your life.”

If being a “good person” is all that’s needed to be saved, then Jude would have been that “good person”. Jude was one of the step brothers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was born of Mary while she was yet a virgin, born by the supernatural power of God the Holy Spirit. Once Mary had Jesus in Bethlehem she did not remain childless, for Joseph loved Mary, and had many more children by her. The Scripture says that the people of Nazareth knew the family of Jesus. They said:

Matthew 13:55-56 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, JAMES, and Joses, and Simon, and JUDAS {JUDE}? {56} And his sisters, are they not all with us?

Though Jude grew up beside Jesus, the Bible says:

John 7:5 For neither did His brethren believe in Him.

They lived side by side with Jesus. Jesus was the Elder Brother they saw each and every day, the Messiah promised throughout the Old Testament scriptures. Jesus “came unto His own, but His own would not receive Him” (John 1:11).

Though James and Jude would later come to believe in Jesus, and receive Him as Lord and Savior – and write scripture about Him – when He was first revealed they did not believe Him. Why? They were not born again. You cannot “see” or perceive the Kingdom of God – nor its King – unless you are born again!

You MUST be born again. This is not something you can possibly do. Those who are lost are spiritually blind. Unless God intervenes and opens their eyes, they will never believe in Jesus Christ. When people are saved the Bible says:

Acts 2:47 …the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Jesus said “No one CAN COME TO ME, UNLESS THE FATHER which has sent Me DRAW HIM: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44).

We are given a choice once God opens our eyes. Our choice is either full surrender to Christ – or walk away.

To those who say “You certainly wouldn’t walk away if your eyes were opened”. Yes, you can. Adam was sinless and perfect, and chose to walk away from God and into sin. You must choose. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). Once God opens your eyes and you call on the Name of Jesus willingly, repentantly, then God causes you to be born into the Family of God. At one time in His earthly ministry, James and Jude came to see Jesus. We read:

Luke 8:20-21 And it was told {Jesus} by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. {21} And {Jesus} answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.

Jesus said “Those who receive Me as Messiah, who hear the Word of God AND DO IT … these are my family”. Raised up with Jesus, neither James nor Jude … though blood related to Jesus – believed on Him. As a result, they were not born again. But once Jude was born again, we read:

Jude 1 (KJV) Jude, the SERVANT {doulos} of Jesus CHRIST, and brother of James

Word Study: Both James and Jude were brothers to Jesus. But Jude does not say that he is Jesus’ brother. He says, “James is my brother”. When Jude was lost, though he grew up near Jesus, to him Jesus was his brother, and just as ordinary as James is. Jude did not see Jesus as the Messiah because he was not born again. But once born again, Jude sees things differently. He says “Jude, the SERVANT of Jesus CHRIST”. The word rendered as “SERVANT” is the Greek doulos, which means “a bond slave, a slave, one who gives up his will to serve a higher power or a greater Person”.

Those who are born into the Family of God recognize Jesus is LORD. We serve HIM.

Before he was born again, Jude thought Jesus equal to himself. But now Jesus is LORD. And what of the other brother, James? How does James regard himself? Is he just the brother of Christ. James came to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior later, and wrote in scripture:

James 1:1 James, a SERVANT {doulos} of God and of the LORD Jesus CHRIST

James equates Jesus not to himself, but to God. As he serves God, he serves Jesus as LORD. Both Jude and James are servants of “the LORD Jesus CHRIST”. That word “CHRIST” literally means “the Messiah”. When you are born again, your view of Who Jesus is radically changes.

For those who are lost, Jesus is a ticket to Heaven, a Heaven without God. I’ll never forget when the whoremonger Huge Hefner, founder of Playboy, and disseminator of godless pornography died, newspapers ran cartoons showing Hefner walking into Heaven between two Playboy “Bunnies”. The Bible is very clear that whoremongers and sexual deviants do NOT go to Heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Revelation 21:8). The lost want to go to Heaven, but have no love for the God of Heaven. If they could go to Heaven without God, they would be perfectly content. Beloved, let me ask you,

Do you love God?
Do you want to see God?
Do you love God’s Law?
Is Jesus Christ precious to you?
Do you desire to know more of Him?

The Church up the street has on its sign, “Open doors. Open hearts. Open minds.” But is that of God? Phil Robertson (Duck Dynasty) recently went to be with Jesus. He said (and I paraphrase), “People say I have a narrow mind, that I’m narrow minded. But doesn’t Jesus say ‘the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life’ (Matthew 7:14, ESV). If the gate is narrow, my focus, my mind must be narrow.”

Pastor Greg Morse wrote:

“if {Pastors} preach cheap salvation — skipping conditions, muting warnings, and reducing salvation to etiquette and learning the lingo — they blur vital distinctions. Suddenly, everyone’s “on a Christian journey,” no matter the evidence to the contrary. And the church embraces “easy believism,” the idea that one can be saved without true repentance, real love for God, or a changed life. … Saints, don’t be satisfied with a cheap salvation, a shallow gospel, a false assurance.”

New Birth Not Only Changes How You View Jesus,
But How God Views You. You Are SANCTIFIED.

Jude 1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father

Word Study: Those who are born again are SANCTIFIED by God the Father. The word rendered “SANCTIFIED” is the Greek hagiazō, which means “to set apart as consecrated or dedicated, to be marked or made holy, acceptable to God”. The same word is used in the Lord’s Prayer:

Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be {hagiazō} thy name.

When you were born a son of man, God looked at you and saw a sinner. But when you received the Gospel of salvation, repenting and calling on Jesus, God’s view of you changed. You were born into the family of man. But NOW through the Holy Spirit you are born into the Kingdom of God. You used to walk in darkness. But God changed you. Scripture says:

1 Corinthians 6:11 (ESV) you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

And again,

Titus 3:3-7 (ESV) For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, SLAVES to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us RICHLY through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The Father has declared us JUSTIFIED, righteous in His eyes because of our New Birth. We are not perfect, but we are being changed daily as we “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

A Christian is not like the lost person – you have been SET APART by the Father because of the Blood of Christ. God does not love sin. God does not love the world. The Bible says:

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

We are not to love the lost world. We are to shine in it. We are to do good in it. But we are NOT TO LOVE IT. Why? Because GOD DOES NOT LOVE THE WORLD. The Bible doesn’t say that. Do you know what the Bible says?

John 3:16 (KJV) 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.

There is no phrase throughout all scripture that says “God LOVES the world”. No, Beloved. It is “God so LOVED {Greek Aorist Active Indicative of the verb agapaō} the world”. The Aorist Tense indicates that the action has happened, not that it is happening. How did God love the world? God sent His Only Begotten Son to the Cross of Calvary. People quote “God is love” and “God so loved the world” as if God loves the world as it is RIGHT NOW. Nothing is further from the truth. The Bible says:

Psalm 5:4-5 (NASB) For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You. The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity.

Psalm 11:5 (ESV) The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

I’m sure you have all heard the phrase, “God loves the sinner, BUT hates the sin”. That statement is not Biblical, as I have shown you. God hates sin, and hates the sinner. But God LOVED (past time) all sinners by sending Christ to the Cross to pay for our sins. People read and misinterpret John 3:16, but it makes better sense if you read beyond John 3:16.

John 3:17-18 (KJV) 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.

The lost person who believes on and receives Jesus as Lord and Savior is moved from the “hated” category into the “loved” category. When you surrender to and fall in love with Jesus, the Father SANCTIFIES you, He separates you from the condemned and brings you into His family. Jesus tells us:

John 16:27-28 (KJV) For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. [28] I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.

We were enemies of God when we were without Christ. But once we said “yes” to Jesus, and gave our lives to Him, the Father “sanctified” or set us apart from the world. He changes our status forever! The Scripture says:

Ephesians 2:4-7 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us {speaking of the cross of Christ}, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with Him {with Jesus} and seated us with Him {with the Father} in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Receiving Christ as Lord and Savior, the born again person is a new creature. We are raised with Christ. We are seated with the Father. We are eternally loved!

Most Christians do not fully grasp how fully blessed we are. We are not of the darkness. We are not mediocre. We are loved with an infinite love. Puritan Pastor John Owen wrote in his book Communion with God:

“The greatest sorrow and burden you can lay on the Father, the greatest unkindness you can do to Him, is not to believe that He loves you.”

The Christian is a Child of God, loved eternally because we love Jesus, raised to sit in Heavenly places. Praise His holy Name. But Beloved, those who have rejected Christ are rejected themselves, condemned of God at this very moment. To die without Jesus is to incur the eternal condemnation and wrath of God.

Christian (If You Are Indeed One), You Are Preserved

Jude 1 … to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and PRESERVED in Jesus Christ….

Word Study: The word translated “PRESERVED” is the Greek tēreō, which means “to GUARD, to KEEP, to WATCH OVER, to KEEP ONE IN THE STATE that he is in, without change”. Those who love Jesus will heed Jesus, and serve Jesus. Jesus said:

John 14:21, 23-24 (KJV)He that hath My commandments, and keepeth {tēreō} 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. … [23] Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep {tēreō} My words: and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. [24] He that loveth me not keepeth {tēreō} not My sayings: and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father’s which sent Me.

John 15:10 (KJV) If ye keep {tēreō} My commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept {tēreō} my Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.

Jesus watches over and guards those who are His. He is the “Good Shepherd” Who gave His life for the sheep (John 10:11). As a “Good Shepherd”, Jesus knows His sheep, and His sheep know Him (John 10:14). He watches over us with an infinite love. We are children of the Family of God. Jesus guards us.

Do we sometimes sin? Yes, sometimes. But if we sin and do not repent then, as a good Father will do, God will punish us.

Hebrews 12:5-8 (NKJV) And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; [6] For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” [7] If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? [8] But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

There are many who are illegitimate pretenders to Christianity. They walk in darkness, not in light. To them, sin is not an aberration, but a pleasurable way of life. Some have titles, like “Pastor”, “Elder”, “Deacon”, “Bishop”. They are hypocrites. I recently heard of Michael Tait, the famous lead singer of “The Newsboys”. The band became famous through the movie “God’s Not Dead”. I read with horror how Tait was complicit in enticing other people into Cocaine and Alcohol Parties, and even went so far as to move into sexual perversion with men and women he drugged. This has been going on for YEARS, and the band knew it, but hid it from public view until now.

A child of God cannot sin and walk in darkness without the punishing hand of God falling on them. Be sure, your sin will find you out! The same is true of other so called “great men of God” who fell into sin, and brought disgrace to the Church of Christ. Those who belong to God will be redeemed, even from heinous sins. Remember King David, Uriah, and Bathsheba. But remember that David not only lost his firstborn son, but his actions brought a permanent curse to his family.

The Good Shepherd carries both a rod to discipline, and a staff to guide. If you are Christ’s, you WILL follow Christ.

Jude 1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:

Word Study: Let us not forget that you are “SANCTIFIED” by the Father, and “PRESERVED” by the Son. But there is one other thing that is true. YOU ARE “CALLED”. The word translated “CALLED” is the Greek klētos, which means “to be under divine selection and appointment”. God “calls” every Christian to a unique place of service. The Apostle Paul was “CALLED to be an Apostle” (Romans 1:1), but he quickly points out to the Church

Romans 1:6 (KJV) Among whom are ye also the CALLED {klētos} of Jesus Christ:

Your calling is not to live in selfishness, but to honor the God Who saved you.

Romans 8:28 (KJV) And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the CALLED {klētos} according to [his] purpose.

Let us live our lives to glorify the Lord Who saved us. Let us be LIGHT, and not darkness. Let us shine to glorify Him. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalms 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

The thief of LEGALISM robs God of His glory by making salvation of us and not of Christ. The thief of LIBERALISM comes whispering that Christ died to give you entrance to Heaven – even though you still live as if you are a twofold child of hell! The thief of LICENTIOUSNESS mocks God by telling us we are saved so we can freely ignore the Word of God.

We are called to serve our Savior, to walk with Him in the light of God. “Open Doors. Open Hearts. Open Minds” is a satanic counterfeit. You are called to serve Jesus, even if the whole world hates you!

Colossians 3:1-8 (KJV) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. {2} Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. {3} For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. {4} When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. {5} Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: {6} For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: {7} In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. {8} But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Sheep follow the Shepherd. He gave Himself for us, so we who are His give ourselves to Him! I close with this. Pastor W.A. Criswell said:

“One time I looked through a magazine and followed a series of pictures of one of the saddest stories that one could imagine. The first picture was of a vast wheat field in Western Kansas. The second picture was of the distress of the mother who was in a farmhouse in the middle of the wheat field. She had a small boy who had somehow wandered away from the house and into the wheat field. She could not find him, so she called for her husband, and together they searched for the lad. They finally called for the neighbors, who all began looking … they could not find him. The next picture depicted all of the people who heard of that little boy being lost, joining hands in a great sweep as they said, “Let us join hands and let us go through this wheat field … until we find that little boy.” The last picture would break one’s heart. It was a picture of the father standing over the body of his little boy. … Underneath the picture were the words, “Oh God, that we had joined hands before!”

If you are His, get out of the world, and into His will. May Jesus Christ touch your hearts with His Word. Amen.

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True And False Friends

Posted on June 20, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Chang Duong on Unsplash

Proverbs 17:17 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

What Is A True Friend?

In my lifetime I’ve had a number of people who said they were my “friends”. Some of these friends got me in trouble. They would say things like, “Let’s go out drinking”, or “Let’s vandalize something”. They used me for excitement – but when trouble came, they were no where to be found. They were “fair weather friends” that used me, took my company and money – then abandoned me.

I’ve also had so called “Christian friends”, even Pastors that I’ve sought out to pray with and fellowship with. Sadly, I found out that many of these “friends” were just as bad as the lost people that I hung out with when I was a child of darkness. At one Church I pastored years ago, I had five “friends” who were pastors also, who often met at my Church for prayer and fellowship. At one point in my ministry there I was confronted with a decision to make. Deciding one way, I shared what I thought with these “friends”. Without exception every one of them told me “I think that you’re making the right and godly decision”.

Proverbs 11:14 (ESV) … in an abundance of counselors there is safety …

It turned out to be a horrible decision, one I have regretted ever since. Yet God is faithful (2 Thessalonians 3:3), and will guard you against the evil one. Further, “all things work together for good to those who love the Lord” (Romans 8:28). God used the bad toward my good, and I grew in my Christian faith and ministry.

A few years later one of my pastor “friends” told me “I knew you were making a bad decision, but I never said anything. Maybe I should have.” Beloved, that is NOT a friend.

A true friend is defined by Jesus Christ:

John 15:13 (KJV) Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

A true friend will lay down his life for his friends. That doesn’t necessarily mean a friend will die for another friend, but it does mean that a friend indeed will put his friend first. Our Lord Jesus Christ laid down His very life for us. This is true friendship!

1 John 3:16 (ESV) By this we know love, that {Jesus} laid down his life for us…

Jesus laid down His life for us. As the Son of God, Jesus is co-eternal with both the Father and the Holy Spirit.

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.

Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God, was God, is God, and will always be God.

Enthroned in Heaven, Jesus is the co-Creator of all that we see in Heaven and on the earth (see Colossians 1:16-20). Jesus became incarnate, that is, God became Man so that He might pay for our sins. The Scripture says:

Romans 7:4 (ESV) Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

Jesus did not just die for us to take us to Heaven, but to change out status from lost to found, darkness to light, child of Satan to child of God. Saved people are to lay their lives down for Him Who died for them.

Romans 8:3 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

Jesus laid down His life for us, and we are saved when we lay our lives down for Him. This is what friends do for one another. The Bible says that:

James 2:23 (ESV) … Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness — and he was called a friend of God.

If you would be a friend of God, you must be willing to follow God. Jesus said:

John 15:14 (KJV) Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I COMMAND {entellomai} you.

Word Study: The word translated “COMMAND” is the Greek entellomai (pro. en-tel’-lom-ahee) which means “whatever I ask you to do, command, charge you to do”. Jesus Christ is a wonderful Friend Who laid His life down for us. But He does not call us to be “fair weather friends”. A friend of God will follow God.

I was talking with another Christian the other day about “Eternal Security”. This Christian – and he is a good Christian man – had questions about Eternal Security. He asked, “What about somebody who walks the aisle, says they are saved, are baptized – then a few years later walks away from God and Christ? Did they lose their salvation?” My answer is quite simple:

That person was never born again, never indwelt of the Spirit, never a child of God in the first place. That person was a “fair weather friend” to God, a fake, a counterfeit, a Judas Iscariot.

The Bible says:

2 Timothy 2:19 (ESV) God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

I can’t tell for sure “WHO ARE HIS”. The professor may actually just be a fair weather friend. But those who are His, are His because He laid His life down for them … and they lay their life down for Him. Those who are saved by Grace are eternally secure because:

1 Peter 1:2-5 (KJV) Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

If you are saved, you are saved by laying your life down for Him Who laid His life down for you. You are a friend of God, and God is your Friend.

You do what God calls you to do because of true friendship. Jesus said:

John 15:15 (KJV) Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

We serve God not as slaves, but as friends serving our dear Friend. What a friend we have in Jesus!

The Kingdom Of God Is A Kingdom Of Friends
That Help One Another In Christ

Proverbs 17:17 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

When we believe and receive Jesus Christ as God Incarnate and Savior, then God imputes righteousness to us and befriends us. The Bible tells us in:

James 2:20-24 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

Abraham was not called the “Friend of God”
(2 Chronicles 20:7) until he offered Isaac to God.

Understanding friendship with God helps us understand Abraham’s decision to “offer Isaac his son upon the altar”. When God came to Abraham and said, “take now thy son, THINE ONLY SON ISAAC, whom thou lovest … and offer him for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2). Abraham did not hesitate.

IF Abraham’s Friend is a True Friend, a Right Friend, a Good Friend “in Whom there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5); and IF God as Abraham’s Friend told him to sacrifice Isaac, THEN his Friend would not knowingly harm either Abraham nor Isaac.

Abraham laid down his life, and the life of his son, trusting the friendship of God. Beloved, what Abraham did is what we all are called to. The Kingdom of God is a Kingdom based on true Friendship between us and God. We lay down our lives for Him Who laid down His life for us.

Jesus laid down His life for us. We are saved when we lay down our lives for Him. Once saved, we are brought together into the Family of God.

I Don’t Have To Go To Church
To Glorify God

I’ve heard this quite a bit from professing “Christians”, that they need not go to a “Church” to worship God. They forget that the Church belongs to Jesus (Matthew 16:18). Jesus calls His children by faith to band together, and help one another through adversity.

Proverbs 17:17 … a brother is born for adversity

A true Friend lays down his life for you – and a true Brother “helps in trying times”. Within the Church that Jesus is forming, we are called to lift up and support one another.

1 John 3:16 (ESV) By this we know love, that {Jesus} laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

God laid down His life for us.
We are saved when we lay down our lives for God.
Our proof of salvation is that we willingly lay down our lives for our brothers.

We are not saved to be selfish, but selfless. We are to love within the Family of God unconditionally. The Church is a body of believers who are friends with God, and friends with one another.

1 Corinthians 12:24-26 (ESV) God has so composed the body … that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

“A brother is born for adversity”. We encourage our brethren in Christ as they go through the trials and tribulations of this life. A verse that comes to mind is:

Galatians 6:1-5 (ESV) Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load.

This sounds contradictory. It says “bear one another’s burdens”, but then says “each person will have to bear his own load”. As a brother or sister in Christ, we should help our fellow believers when they are burdened and suffering.

Though I am your friend and brother in Christ, I cannot live the Christian way of life FOR YOU. I can encourage you – but YOU must walk with Jesus!

Believers sometimes make foolish decisions that they will have to pay the consequences for. I can help those who make bad decisions -but only so far. Believers need to understand that actions have consequences that another believer cannot correct.

Proverbs 17:18 (KJV) A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend.

Word Study: The word translated “STRIKETH” is the Hebrew tāqaʿ (pro. taw-kah’) which means “to reach out and strike or slap hands together”. This is a reference to making a covenant or contract with someone in a hasty manner.

A “man VOID OF UNDERSTANDING”, someone who acts hastily or without wise and careful scrutiny will “become surety” {ʿărubâ, make a contract for another} “in the presence of his friend”. Even though you are friends with others, be very careful and wise when stepping in to help another – especially if they have made bad financial decisions.

Illustrate: Years ago at another Church I pastored, a man named “Robert” came to see me in tears. He was married to “Kathy”, and Kathy had some serious mental issues. She was manic depressive, on lithium, and prone to doing foolish things though she said she was a Christian. Kathy had spent Robert’s entire paycheck foolishly, and Robert didn’t have the money to pay his utility bills that month. They were members of my Church.

My heart melted. I didn’t have the money to help Robert and Kathy out, but put over $800 on my credit card. It was enough to bail them out. I advised Robert to take away Kathy’s access to the bank and credit cards in the future. Less than two months later Robert was back at my door, begging for help again. Kathy did the same thing again. The Church agreed to help, but only if both Kathy and Robert be scheduled for financial counseling.

They refused.

I never got my money back, money I desperately needed for myself and my family. Both Kathy and Robert wandered off to other churches, probably looking for other hand outs. Beloved, you can help a friend – but be CAREFUL about BECOMING SURETY or signing contracts hastily for them. I’ve been burned by this several times in my Christian walk. As friends, we lay our lives down for one another. But sometimes it is best to love a friend by letting them suffer the consequence of their foolishness. The Bible says:

Romans 6:23 … the wages of sin is death

Be careful that you do not destroy your life or the life of your family reaching out to fair weather friends. Do not make hasty contracts to help a “friend” out. Be prayerful, scriptural, and remember that you cannot save others from foolish decisions that they have made.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is say “no, not today”. And make sure that you are friendly with all, but do not befriend trouble makers.

There Are Some People I Love From Afar

Proverbs 17:19 (KJV) He loveth transgression that loveth strife: and he that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction.

The “gate” was the place in ancient times when people gathered to conduct their business, and to make money. Some people love power. They “exalt their gate”, are focused on doing whatever they can to be the top dog, the boss of the crowd. Those who follow this path often destroy businesses and communities – even Churches.

There are also people who “love transgression”. The word “transgression” is the Hebrew pešaʿ (pro. peh’-shah) which means “rebellion against God given authority”. Avoid those who are narcissists. Avoid those who stir up trouble. Never befriend people like these. Share the Gospel with them – with everyone – but do not hang out with them. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 15:33 (ESV) Bad company ruins good morals.

If you walk with demons, you will begin to think like the devil. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 26:4-5 (ESV) I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.

Come to Church. Fellowship with Christians who are friends with God. They will grow your faith. If you fellowship with those who are friends with the world, they will draw you away from God (James 4:4). Prayerfully choose your friends wisely.

May God bless you all. Amen.

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How Do You Smell To God?

Posted on June 18, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Bryan Padron on Unsplash

Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Are You A Pleasing Smell To God?

Opening: I have never understood why a person would purposely run over any creature – especially a skunk. If I see a skunk, or a possum, or a raccoon, or even another human on the highway, I always feel it’s best to avoid running them (or it) over. If I see a turtle crossing the road I pull over, and help it across. I know if I don’t, a mean spirited person will run it over just for the heck of it. You have an added incentive to not run over a skunk. If you smash that little stinker, its evil odor comes out, and lingers for days. I’ve passed over a dead skunk and found out that the spirit may have departed, but the smell lingers on.

We are made in the image of God. Do you know that GOD SMELLS US? You can smell good to God – or you can STINK! How do YOU smell to God?

Obedient Love Pleases God: When Noah got off the Ark with his family – oh how empty the earth was – the Bible says the very first thing he did was:

Genesis 8:20 … Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

God showed us in the Garden of Eden that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and that the covering for sin is the blood. The blood of the innocent animal was shed on the altar under the Old Covenant to make “atonement” for sin. This animal sacrifice was a shadow, a “type” or pattern of what God would one day do in the death of His Son Jesus on the Cross of Calvary. The Bible says that Jesus is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29, 36; 1 Peter 1:19).

When Noah got off that Ark he loved God by obediently covering his sins with the Blood of the Lamb. How did God respond? By loving us all!

Genesis 8:21 (KJV) And the LORD smelled a sweet savor {rêaḥ}; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake

Word Study: Noah’s act of love and obedience caused God to SMELL A SWEET SAVOR. The word translated “SAVOR” is the Hebrew rêaḥ which means “odor, scent”. When the “ram is burnt on the altar to the LORD, IT IS A PLEASING AROMA” (Exodus 29:18, 25). The animal sacrifice of the Old Covenant looked forward to the New Covenant, where we would be under the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ our Lord. If saved, Christians are called to …

Ephesians 5:1-2 (ESV) … be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering {euōdia osmē} and sacrifice to God.

When Jesus went to that Cross out of love for us, He did the horrible for our sake! He DENIED HIMSELF for our sake. His action was euōdia, a beautiful fragrance. His action was osmē, a diffusion rising up to God. This is why we are saved. When we receive Christ as Lord and Savior, His glorious fragrant sacrifice – like Heavenly perfume – is put on us. By denying Himself Jesus fulfilled the Law of Blood Sacrifice.

Matthew 5:17 (NKJV) “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

The Old Covenant of animal sacrifice, a work of God, was eradicated when Jesus died for us.

Hebrews 10:10 (KJV) … we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Christ came to fulfill the Law of Blood Sacrifice. He “loved us, and gave Himself up for us”. Laying His life down willingly, His sacrifice was and is a “fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”.

We imitate God by offering ourselves up to Him as living sacrifices. We give ourselves to God without coercion, because He gave Himself for us. This is a FRAGRANT SMELL to God.

2 Corinthians 2:14-15 (NKJV) Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

When you imitate God, offering yourself as living sacrifices, you are the “FRAGRANCE OF CHRIST”. When you deny yourself and put God and others first you become …

Philippians 4:18 (AP) A FRAGRANT OFFERING, A SACRIFICE ACCEPTABLE AND PLEASING TO GOD

Jesus denied Himself for you. You are to deny yourself for Him. God does not call us to RELIGION, but to a surrendered RELATIONSHIP with Him and His Children by faith. When we gather, we gather to glorify Him Who loved us, and gave Himself for us.

God tells those who live selfishly:

Amos 5:21 (HCSB) I hate, I despise your feasts! I can’t stand the STENCH of your solemn assemblies.

God tells those who live self righteously:

Isaiah 65:5 (ESV) {Those} who say, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.” These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all the day.

When we come to God broken, surrendered, calling upon the Name of Jesus, the Lord delights in this. It is obedient. It is loving. When we as His Children imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1) God smells this, and it is a pleasant aroma, a blessing to the Father. But when we make ourselves first, and focus on being like the world instead of Children of the Kingdom, to God we stink. Beloved, do you stink, or is your life a pleasing aroma to God?

What The Fragrant Life Looks Like

Romans 13:8 OWE {opheilō} no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

God did not save you so that you can live selfishly. God saved you to be LIGHT and LOVE. You are to be imitators of God. You are to be led of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says that “If you are LED OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, YOU ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW” (Galatians 5:18). The Christian is saved by surrendered faith in Christ Jesus, not by his good works. But once saved, supernaturally saved, gloriously born again, the Holy Spirit of God indwells you. If you are saved and following the Spirit, you are not following the Law like Israel did. You are walking through this life empowered and led by God. You are not saved from the condemnation of the Law so that you can be selfish and sinful. You are saved from the tyranny of sin.

Romans 6:14-15 (NKJV) For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!

Saved, you are called to the standard of Christ. What does that look like?

Romans 13:8 OWE {opheilō} no man any thing

Word Study: The word translated “OWE” is the Greek opheilō, which means “to be indebted to another”. If you owe someone something, as a Child of God you are expected to pay your debts back. We previously read “Pay to all what is owed to them”. Evil and lost people will connive and borrow without any intent of returning the funds. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 37:21 (ESV) The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives

It is a shame when a Child of God borrows, but will not repay what is owed. We represent Jesus in all our doing. Don’t be a bum. If you borrow, pay it back! If you are given a paycheck, work for it. Don’t be a slacker. Owe no one anything – pay your debts. But there is one debt that you will ALWAYS owe.

Romans 13:8 OWE {opheilō} no man any thing, BUT to love one another..

PREACH THIS – Eternal love saved you. Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. “Being in agony, He prayed earnestly. His sweat, like GREAT DROPS OF BLOOD fell to the ground” (Luke 22:44). He prayed, “If possible, let THIS CUP pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). He had to go. Beaten, His Blood fell to the ground. Nailed to that Tree, His Blood fell to the ground. When He died, even in death He had no respite. A “soldier pierced His side, and out came Blood and water” (John 19:34). His Blood fell to the ground. He died by denying Himself. Eternal Love saved you. Beloved, do you not know that you are indebted to Him forever.

You were not saved so you can be SELF AFFIRMING, but SELF DENYING.

1 John 4:7-12 (ESV) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation {that which satisfies God, a covering for sin, hilasmos} for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

What is the proof that we are children of God? “if we love one another, God abides in us”. I heard a horrible thing the other day that happened in our Southern Baptist Leadership. A mega-church pastor abused one of his flock – I’ll not go into details – then told her to “repent, confess her sin, and tell no one about it”. Beloved, this is of Satan, not of God. You cannot twist the Scripture and use it for perverted reasons. That which is Godly, is Loving.

If you are selfish and self serving, if you will not love sacrificially, then GOD IS NOT IN YOU. Period!

The Law Is About Self Denying Love

When Moses went up into Mount Sinai God gave Israel the Law, beginning with the Ten Commandments. People misunderstand the moral Law of God. The Apostle exposes the TARGET of the Law.

Romans 13:9 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.

When God gave the Ten Commandments, the first four commandments spoke to loving God. God is to be put above all others. You are not to worship false gods. You are to respect God in how you address Him. You are to set aside one day in seven to gather and worship God (Exodus 20:3-11). Loving God comes first in the Ten Commandments. Then you are to love your family.

Exodus 20:12 (KJV) Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Love begins with God, then with family. Being taught love, we become good citizens. The Apostle doesn’t quote the first five commandments, but starts with the seventh commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery”. Sexual sin destroys a nation. Do you know what else destroys a nation? A lack of respect for life. “Thou shalt not kill”. This is not what God said in

Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not KILL {rāṣaḥ}

Word Study: The word rāṣaḥ {here in the Qal Imperfect} does not mean to just kill, but to assassinate or murder. There are times when life should be taken. God told Noah and us:

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.

Life is sacred, because each person is made in God’s image. Those who take life without justification, those are to be executed. God made no exception.

Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet

The Apostle quotes the eighth, ninth, and tenth commandments (Exodus 20:15-17). What your neighbor owns, be it his goods or his reputation, you have no right to take it from him. “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). God takes care of His children. We need not resort to theft, or to slander of another. The godless world does this – but God’s children are to be “the LIGHT of the world” (Matthew 5:14).

if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Beloved, we are to follow His Commandments. We are not lawless, but Spirit indwelt, Spirit led. The command to “love your neighbor as yourself” is first found in:

Leviticus 19:18 (ESV) You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

When a Church or a community begins to promote anarchy and self interest rather than loving others, respecting others, it is not long before it fails. We are saved by the Blood of the Lamb, saved by Christ’s self denial, so that we might lift others to Christ. We are told in another place:

Galatians 5:13 (ESV) For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

The proof of your salvation is that you love. You love God, and you love your brothers and sisters. You do not love the world and its godless ways.

1 John 2:15 (KJV) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

If you are saved by faith in Christ, you are saved to love God and to love your brothers and sisters. Jesus Christ Himself placed this obligation on us. This obligation is first of all placed on us as a Command. Our Lord said:

John 13:34-35 (KJV) A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. (35) By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

This is not an option, nor are any qualifiers placed on it. Jesus did not say “love one another when they speak well of you”. In fact, our Lord warned us in another place:

Luke 6:26 (KJV) Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

We’re not to be people PLEASERS, but God PLEASERS. We’re to love people, but to speak the truth of God’s Word.

When everybody speaks well of you, it may be because you are a false prophet. Though no one likes friction – we all like to be well thought of – I praise God that not everyone always agrees with me. If you preach the truth you will have your detractors. People will not always agree with you or with me. As our world becomes more post modern and as the worldly begin to consider truth to be more fluid and disingenuous you can expect more and more people to disagree with you. Love one another anyway. I heard a sad girl the other day say “Mathematics is racist! 2 + 2 doesn’t have to be 4. White supremacy makes it 4. 2 + 2 can equal 5”. May I say this – truth is not what you make it. Truth is truth. People want to twist truth because they think it will make them happy. It won’t.

Romans 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

You work ill to your neighbor when you say a lie is true. You work ill to your neighbor when you go along with their delusion. You work ill to your neighbor when you do not stand firm on Biblical truth. Truth is truth. What God has said is true, and will always be true.

It’s Time To Wake Up

Romans 13:11-14 (KJV) And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.

We cannot be part of the darkness. We can’t. We are the Church of Jesus Christ. We preach the Gospel, not just for a Sunday exercise, but as away of life. What protects us is the “ARMOR OF LIGHT”. Please hear me:

put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof

God gives you a positive, and a negative. Put on the LORD Jesus Christ. Is Jesus your Savior? Then He must be your LORD. The “ARMOR OF LIGHT” is that Jesus is your Savior AND YOUR LORD. The world is not my Lord. You are not my Lord. I am not my Lord. JESUS IS MY LORD. That’s the positive. Put on the LORD Jesus Christ. Immerse yourself in His will. He died for you – now you live for Him.

“Do not make provision for the flesh”. You are not God. Jesus is God. Jesus is Lord. Your desires are not to be your Lords. You have but one Lord, and He is Jesus. What did Jesus say:

Matthew 16:24 (KJV) If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Mark 8:34 (KJV) Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Luke 9:23 (KJV) he said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

If you will not follow Jesus now, you will not follow Him to Heaven then. Those who are His deny themselves, as He denied Himself for us. I pray that God brings conversion to your hearts. Amen.

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Standing For Jesus

Posted on June 3, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Hanna Lazar on Unsplash

Opening: Standing for Jesus will cost you something. And Beloved, you MUST stand for Jesus if you’re saved. Our Lord Jesus made that plain. He said:

Matthew 10:33 (ESV) whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

To deny Jesus is to lose the key to Heaven. To deny Jesus is to lose the blessing of His Presence when tried. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, the life. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER BUT BY ME” (John 14:6). Peter denied Jesus three times (Matthew 26:70ff) when pressed by the crowd, but afterward “wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:75). Peter repented, and lived out his life standing up for Jesus. Peter was eventually crucified, giving his life for Jesus.

Beloved, if you’re saved, your faith may hiccup. BUT you will not deny Jesus and keep on denying Him no matter how hard pressed!

Polycarp, a disciple of the Apostle John was a Pastor in Smyrna. Roman authorities arrested him for preaching the Gospel of Christ, preaching that Jesus alone was Lord. When brought to trial, Polycarp was told to take an oath to Caesar, revile Christ, and he would be freed. Polycarp told the court:

““86 years have I have served him, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”

Tied to a stake naked and set on fire, the executioner tired of waiting for the fire to burn his body. So he stabbed Polycarp to death. After his death, Christians celebrated to day he died as his “birthday”. They did not mourn him, but rejoiced. Polycarp finished well.

The Proof Of Your Salvation Is Your Response When Pressed. Look At Stephen’s Faith

Mark 8:34 (KJV) Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Salvation is a gift from God. But once you are saved, you MUST follow Jesus. You MUST stand for Jesus. What does it look like to follow Jesus? Let’s look at the example that a young man named Stephen gave us. Turn with me in your Bibles to:

Acts 6:8-10 (KJV) And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. 9 Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.

Do you love Jesus – or YOURSELF?

Stephen is a believer who loves the Lord Jesus. When trouble reared its head at the widow’s tables of the early Church, the Apostles (who were the Pastors) told the Church to “choose men who are honorable, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3). The Church didn’t hesitate. The first man chosen to wait on the widows was Stephen.

Acts 6:8 (KJV) And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

Why was Stephen so effective in His walk? The Bible says he was “full of faith and power”. Stephen wasn’t full of HIMSELF. He was full of faith. He loved Jesus. He loved the Kingdom of God. He loved the Church.

Stephen vs Judas Iscariot: Compare Stephen to the Apostle Judas Iscariot. Judas was filled with greed. He loved money. Judas was filled with himself. He was focused on his wants and needs. Eventually, Satan entered Judas (Luke 22:3), and did the unthinkable – he betrayed Jesus with a kiss.

Beloved, we’re like cups, cups with choice. We can choose to allow the wrong to fill us, or we can submit to God and allow God to fill us. We are saved by faith, but we control what’s in the cup. As Paul told Timothy,

2 Timothy 2:19-21 (KJV) … the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

Those who are of the House of Christ (Hebrews 3:6) are to let God fill their cup. The secret to power with God is SURRENDER to God. The Bible says “Without FAITH, it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6).

The Apostle said, “I DIE DAILY” (1 Corinthians 15:31). Stephen died daily. He realized that “my life is not my own, I am bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 16:20). Stephen lived for Jesus. Stephen loved Jesus.

Religion Hates When You Live For Jesus

Acts 6:9 (KJV) Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing (syzēteō) with Stephen.

When Jesus did great works on this earth, it wasn’t long before the Pharisees and Sadducees rose up against Him. Religion hates Jesus.

Who’s Who: The Jewish Libertines were former slaves who came to Jerusalem and formed their own Synagogue or Church. The Cyrenians were Greek speaking Jews. The Alexandrians were Jews from Alexandria, Egypt, and were creators of the Greek Translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. These three groups of Jews formed their own Synagogue or Church in Jerusalem. They were very conservative, very Pharisee in their beliefs.

And they did not believe Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

Word Study: These people “DISPUTED” with Stephen. This is the Greek syzēteō, which means “to examine in minute detail, to put under a theological microscope”. The Pharisees did the exact same thing with Jesus (see Mark 8:11; 9:14).

Acts 6:10 And they were not able to resist the WISDOM and the SPIRIT by which he spake.

Though they attacked Stephen from all sides, they couldn’t win. Why? Because “Greater is HE THAT IS IN YOU, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).Stephen spoke in the power of God from the WISDOM of God. The Bible says that “wisdom comes from God” (Proverbs 2:6; James 1:5).

Stephen was not working from his opinion, but from what the Word of God said. Stephen was not powered by his desires, but by the Holy Spirit of God.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 (KJV) … Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness

When the devil and his crew get their claws into religion, if they lose a debate, they will always resort to lies for Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). These religious unbelievers couldn’t stand up to Stephen, for Stephen was standing with Jesus. So what do they do?

Acts 6:11 Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.

Word Study: The word translated “SUBORNED” is the Greek hypoballō. It means “to instruct privately, to coach and bribe someone to give false testimony”. The unsaved religious crowd cares little for God and His Word, though they claim to love both it and Him. The ninth Commandment specifically states, “you SHALL NOT bear FALSE WITNESS against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). We are told in Proverbs 6:16-19 that “God hates a false witness who speaks lies”. When our Lord Jesus was on trial before the Sanhedrin we are told “the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none” (Matthew 26:59-63). They now do the same thing to Stephen. The worst sort of person is a religious unbeliever!

Acts 6:12-13 And they stirred up (sygkineō, agitated, incited to riot) the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him (synarpazō, seized by force so as to carry away), and brought him to the council, 13 And set up (histēmi, put in place with conspiracy) false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

Preach! They incited the people. Like the network news does today, Satan did back then. Twist someone’s word. Tell lies loudly. Shout at people. Get the people incensed. If we can’t prove this Stephen is a liar, let’s smear his character, and make him out to be a blasphemer. Let’s say Stephen hates the Church and the Word of God. When I was cast out of my first Church for bringing black children to Church, the Church leaders called every Church in that area and painted me as a disruptor, a troublemaker. If you stand for Jesus, expect this kind of thing – especially from the religious unsaved. These are not strangers to the Temple, Gentiles doing this to Stephen. These are Church going leaders, Temple movers and shakers. They are lost, but wolves in sheep clothing(Matthew 7:15; 10:16).

Falsely Accused, beaten up, dragged to Jewish court, all alone in a crowd of irritated, lying religious people, Stephen must have been a nervous wreck. Right? Wrong! We read:

Acts 6:15 And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

They claimed he was a devil, that he blasphemed God’s Word – but Stephen kept his eyes on the Lord. False witnesses have smeared his character. They have told lies about Jesus. But Stephen kept his eyes on the Light of God. This is what the Bible tells us to do:

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV) 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.

Illustrate: The powerful prophet Elisha asked his mentor, Elijah, “please let a DOUBLE PORTION of your Spirit come on me” (2 Kings 2:9). Elijah told him, “Keep your eyes on me as I go to God”. When Elisha kept his eyes on Elijah as he went up by whirlwind into Heaven, he caught the mantle or cloak that Elijah tossed down to him. He had power because he kept his eyes on Elijah. Stephen did the same thing with Jesus. He kept his eyes on Jesus – and Jesus threw the Mantle of God, the Holy Spirit down on him.

The High Priest gives Stephen an opportunity to speak. Stephen doesn’t defend Himself, nor does he immediately correct the lies they have told about Jesus.

A Vessel Of Honor Speaks Jesus

The religious unbelievers have twisted Scripture, and violated God’s Law by seeking out false witnesses. But Stephen goes straight to the Bible. I don’t have time to go through all that Stephen spoke – it’s rather lengthy. In Acts 7:2 Stephen starts with the called of Abraham. God gave Abraham the Promised Land, and the Covenant of Circumcision. Stephen talks about the birth of Isaac, and of Jacob and the twelve tribes of Israel. Stephen talks about the rise of Joseph, and the growth of Israel in Egypt. He continues with Israel becoming enslaved in Egypt, and how God raised up Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt. Stephen talked about God’s calling of Moses at the burning bush, and how God used Moses to lead Israel to Mount Sinai. I want to touch on

Acts 7:37 This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.

Israel continually rejected Moses, making golden calves and false gods. But Moses spoke of a Messiah Who would come, Someone Who would replace him when he died. God gave Israel His love, and a land, a Law, and a Temple. And yet Israel continued to reject God’s grace.

Giving the history of Israel, and how good God had been with Israel though they often moved into idolatry, Stephen now speaks the truth. God is faithful, but religious Israel is faithless.

If you’re going to stand up for Jesus, you have to speak the truth. Stephen doesn’t temper what he has to say.

Acts 7:51-53 Ye STIFFNECKED and UNCIRCUMCISED in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: 53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

The men that Stephen is standing before have not acted honorably. God promised the Messiah in the Garden. God promised the Messiah to Abraham. God promised the Messiah to Isaac. God promised the Messiah to Jacob. God raised up Israel as a nation. God saved Israel from Egypt. God brought Israel to the Mountain of God, and gave them the Law. God used Israel to write the Scriptures. Though Israel was faithless, God was faithful. God preserved Israel, because Messiah must come through Israel.

Then when Messiah came, Israel through its Temple leaders betrayed and murdered the Promised JUST ONE, the Messiah.

Stephen doesn’t sugar coat it. Stephen isn’t nice about it. He is speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). A lie will not bring repentance. A lie will not lead to salvation. These people are drinking the poisoned Kool Aid in Jonestown. These people are like the Ten Spies who incited the people of Israel to stay out of the Promised Land. These people are not righteous, but colorful but poisonous “broods of vipers” (Matthew 3:7). They are Satan’s children dressed up in Church clothes, with titles like “Elder” and “Priest”. Stephen tells them the truth. They are …

Acts 7:51 … STIFFNECKED and UNCIRCUMCISED in heart and ears,

STIFFNECKED is what God called the Israelites that would not follow Him (Exodus 32:9; 33:3; Deuteronomy 9:6). Why did God call Israel STIFFNECKED? They were lifted up with pride. They would not bow down to God. They thought they made the rules. They thought they were better than others. They refused to repent or change. They were focused on themselves and their pleasure, rather than God’s glory. And though often chastised of God, they would not admit wrong.

Stiffnecked people have a lot of drama. Something’s always going on in their lives, and something’s always wrong. They’re in trouble, but the trouble is none of their making. Drama kings and queens make things miserable for everyone. We lose the Promised Land because Drama kings and queens cry over the giants instead of glorifying God.

Stiffnecked people are always in conflict. They have problems with everybody all the time. They hop from Church to Church, never examining their lives, but use their conflicts to seek control of their environment. They may say they don’t like conflict, but there’s always conflict around them because they have created that pattern of behavior.

Stiffnecked people are complainers and blamers. They don’t take accountability for their actions. Nothing is their fault. They are perpetual victims, but never victors. If you have a goal in life, complaining and blaming keeps you from achieving your goals. Why? Because it’s this person’s fault, that person’s fault … but never YOUR fault. This person does not go into the Promised Land – then blames God for withholding the land.

Stephen also called them “UNCIRCUMCISED in heart and ears”. They had the outward marking as God’s people. Their foreskin was removed, just as God decreed (Genesis 17:14). They did the OUTWARD, but the INWARD they refused.

Their hearts were not TENDER toward God. Their ears were not TUNED to God’s Word.

Again, this was Scripture. God said in

Jeremiah 6:10 (KJV) To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.

Jeremiah 9:26 (KJV) all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.

The Righteous Would Have Responded To Rebuke. The Religious Will Not

Stephen used the Scripture. He spoke the truth in love. What was the result? These people were instrumental in killing Jesus, Who is God incarnate. They can’t kill God again – so they shame and seek to kill Stephen. Chewing on him like rabid dogs rather than repenting with the mouth (Romans 10:9). What does Stephen do?

He finishes well.

Acts 7:54-56 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

The Word of God circumcised their hearts (they were “cut to the heart”) but rather than repent they attacked Stephen. Stephen didn’t notice. You see,

Stephen wasn’t full of himself. He was full of faith. He was full of the Holy Spirit. He was fully committed to glorifying the Lord Who saved him.

Stephen didn’t feel their teeth on his flesh. He didn’t feel the stones as they beat him to death. Stephen looked up. What did he see? Jesus told us following His resurrection:

Luke 22:69 (KJV) Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.

Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father, “making intercession for us” (Romans 8:34; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 12:2). But as Stephen looks into Heaven, Jesus is standing on God’s right hand. Our Lord stood up, and gave Stephen a standing ovation. He lived for Christ, and he finished well.

How about you? Will you finish well? Oh Beloved, the strength of your faith and obedience to Christ proves your salvation. As Stephen died, he

“called upon God, saying,
Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”
(Acts 7:59)

May God draw us all away from surface nominal Christianity, into a supernatural daily walk with Him through His Word. May God the Holy Spirit take His Word deep into your hearts. Amen.

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