The Beginning Of Christmas

Posted on December 7, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

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The Book of Luke was written by a Gentile Physician who accompanied the Apostle Paul on many of his missionary journeys. He writes to Theophilus, which may not have been a person but the Church. The word “Theophilus” literally translated means “Friend of God” and may remind us of the words of our Beloved Jesus:

John 15:15-17 (NKJV) No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.

The writer of Luke is also the writer of Acts. As He writes, he doesn’t write as an eyewitness, but as someone who took eyewitness accounts from the Apostles. He starts with – if you’ll read with me …

Luke 1:1-4 KJV1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, {2} Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; {3} It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, {4} That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

The message of Luke is a delivered message – “Even as they delivered them unto us”. It was delivered by “eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word”. Luke gathered this information for the Church, and wrote it in order. He writes of the beginning of the ministry of Christ to the end. Christ had no beginning in eternity. He is very God of very Gods. He is the One of Whom the Apostle John declared:

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  [2]  The same was in the beginning with God.  [3]  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Jesus is not first made in Christmas – Christ is re-made. He does not enter EXISTENCE but enters HUMANITY. God the Father sends His eternal, pre-existent Son to earth not in a space ship but through the Holy Spirit. The Bible declares:

Galatians 4:4-6 But when the fullness2 of the time3 was come, God sent forth his Son, made4 of a woman, made under the law, {5} To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. {6} And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

The Holy Spirit would bring Christ into the world. But His coming would not be through the rich or famous, the well known or the powerful. The Holy Spirit would send Jesus into the world through hyphenated people. Who are the hyphenated people? You might be one of them. I’m one of them. People ask who I am and I say “I’m David Buffaloe”, and they reply “David – Who”. I’m one of the unknowns. If you say Warren Buffet or Bill Gates everyone knows who they are. No one knows much about David Buffaloe, Luke, or perhaps even you. Yet God uses the hyphenated. God uses the little person who will do as God says. That’s why the first account in Luke is not about Herod or Caesar, but about a priest we will call Zacharias – Who?

Zacharias Who?

Luke 1:5-7 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife [was] of the daughters of Aaron, and her name [was] Elisabeth. {6} And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. {7} And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were [now] well stricken in years.

The Old Testament story of the Fall begins with Adam and Eve, but the beginning of Christ does not start until you get to Abraham and his wife Sarai. Abraham was an old man who had an old wife, and both were without children. But God promised to bless Abraham – and the entire world – to give him a child and a Nation, if he would but follow God. God can bless you if you follow Him. God will not bless you if you won’t.

The New Testament lineage of Christ is no different. There is a priest called Zacharias who is married to Elisabeth. They were both childless, and past child bearing age. They were living out the life that God gave them. Though things had not worked out as they wanted them to, they nonetheless served God to the best of their ability.

they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

This is a good lesson for all of us. They kept on serving God to the best of their ability, honoring Him with their lives. They could have become bitter over what they didn’t have but refused to do so. Every day is a gift from God. Live for God. Love for God. You may not be rich or famous. So what? God will use you.

I was watching a little 8 year old girl – a singer – in a video recorded from America’s Got Talent. The little girl came up and the judges asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. Without hesitation the little girl said:

“I want to be a superstar!”

Here she is, 8 years old, and chasing fame. Her mother named her Celine after Celine Dionne wanting her to succeed. But what if she does? How many child superstars are now lost, cast aside after being eaten up with Hollywood and fame?

a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife [was] of the daughters of Aaron, and her name [was] Elisabeth.

In the timer of King David the priests were divided into 24 different orders or courses, and they all rotated so that sacrifices could continually be made for sin. The course of Abia was the eighth course, descended from Eliazar, Aarons’ eldest son. Without a child their course or line would die out. God told His people when they went into the Promised Land:

Deuteronomy 7:14 Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you…

Yet Zacharias and Elisabeth were barren. Was God punishing them? No. Sometimes God withholds the GOOD from us to bring to us the BETTER. God had something BETTER for this precious couple.

We Are To Glorify God

God wants the BEST for our lives. When things do not go the way we want them to go, we should serve the Lord all the more. We are to love God not for what He gives, but because of WHO HE IS. We are to trust God’s love. We are to serve Him. This is what Zacharias did. We read:

Luke 1:8-9 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, {9} According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

What do we see in this text? Obedience! Serving God. Not serving self. Not sulking because he didn’t get what he wanted. No, Zacharias executed the priests office BEFORE GOD. He knew that God was watching him. He did so in the order of his course. Zacharias was not – as we called it in the military – absent without leave or AWOL. He did what he was supposed to do. The Bible commands us to trust in God, and to serve Him with all out hearts. We read:

1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: {7} Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Don’t worry – serve!
Don’t fret – live for Him!

God will not bless you when you do not do what He asks you to do. If you are not happy with how life has played out for you, then as the old Poker Players used to say:

Play the hand you’re dealt!

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV) Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Colossians 3:17 (ESV) And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Zacharias was doing what God told him to do. He was being obedient, glorifying God, magnifying His Name. Oh Beloved, are we not to do the same? When one of us does not glorify God in opur lives, does this not act as a cancer in the Body, spreading outward, killing worship? But notice that as Zacharias was doing what He was supposed to do:

Luke 1:10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.

Zacharias shows us something. When WE are obedient to God, we lead OTHERS to be obedient to God. There was a multitude of people praying that day, following what Zacharias was doing.

Those who watch you follow your leadership – what are you showing them? Are you yawning through the sermons? So are those around you. Are you self centered and selfish? So are those around you. Your children and grand children will follow you. Your friends will imitate what you do.

his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord

The incense, as it burned, smoked, and that smoke symbolized prayers going up to God. The Psalmist said:

Psalms 141:2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee [as] incense; [and] the lifting up of my hands [as] the evening sacrifice.

Revelation 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer [it] with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

When God’s people are obedient, worshiping and glorifying Him, then great things will come.

We cannot come to Church and be focused on what others are doing or not doing and expect to be blessed. We cannot come to Church for our own entertainment, nor to be lifted up above God.

God is God, and when we meet we are supposed to worship and glorify Him. As everyone was serving God, we next see this:

Luke 1:11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

The Angel Gabriel appears on the RIGHT SIDE of the altar of incense. The RIGHT side is the position of bestowed authority. In ancient times the one who had the closest confidence with the King sat on His RIGHT hand.

When the inheritance was given, the RIGHT HAND was laid on the blessed.
Exodus 15:6 Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power
Luke 20:42 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand
Acts 5:31 Jesus hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins

Gabriel is on the RIGHT HAND of the altar to show us that GOD BLESSES OBEDIENCE. If Zacharias had not been doing as the Lord said, he would not have been blessed.

Luke 1:19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.

Obedience In Little Things Brings Big Blessings

Gabriel that stand in the presence of God emphasizes that this is one of the mightiest of angels. If this angel stands in the presence of God then he must be one of the chief angels, a cherub, a guardian in the throne room of God. This Gabriel is a powerful angel, and he brings a powerful message. You see, in the Old Testament God gave certain key prophesies that would show us when the Messiah had come. One of these key prophesies in The Herald of the King. 700 years before Christ came Isaiah prophesied:

Isaiah 40:3-5 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. {4} Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: {5} And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see [it] together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].

And four hundred years prior to the first Advent of Christ the Prophet Malachi said:

Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

When the King of Kings entered this earth, He would have a Herald of Heralds, someone well suited to be His announcer. This would be the child of Zacharias and Elisabeth, a child named John. Gabriel tells Zacharias:

Luke 1:13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias..

Don’t be afraid. If an angel were to walk in this place tonight we would probably all be afraid. These are immense creatures composed of light, creatures that have stood in God’s presence. Don’t be afraid. This is only good news, the beginning of God’s Gospel.

Luke 1:13 .. for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

John had never stopped praying for a child. Though he and his wife were well past child bearing years, they never gave up on God. They kept praying for a miracle, and God blessed them. Oh, that we would trust God as this man did.

Luke 1:13-17 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. {15} For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. {16} And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. {17} And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of (Elijah), to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

John would be one of the greatest Prophets of Israel. John would be born a Nazarite Priest. The Nazarites were a special type of priest in the Old Testament. God established this priesthood in:

Numbers 6:2-8 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate [themselves] to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate [themselves] unto the LORD: {3} He shall separate [himself] from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. {4} All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk. {5} All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth [himself] unto the LORD, he shall be holy, [and] shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. {6} All the days that he separateth [himself] unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body. {7} He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God [is] upon his head. {8} All the days of his separation he [is] holy unto the LORD.

Most of the Nazarites chose to be so. God chose John from his mother’s womb to be a Nazarite. The Hebrew word NAZIR, simply means “to be separated or consecrated” to God. John would be so consecrated his entire life. Smith’s Bible Dictionary states:

“Of the Nazarites for life, three are mentioned in the Scriptures — Samson, Samuel and St. John, the Baptist. … We do not know whether the vow for life was ever voluntarily taken by the individual. In all the cases mentioned in the sacred history, it was made by the parents before the birth of the Nazarite himself.”

What a glorious promise had been made to Zacharias. Christ was coming, and his son John would make ready a people prepared for the Lord!

Faith births faith.
Obedience leads to obedience.
God blesses obedience!

Then Zacharias stumbled. And He suffered for the stumble.

Luke 1:18 (KJV)  And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.

He asked for a sign when no sign was needed. Here is the Chief Messenger of God, Gabriel, standing before him. Gabriel has just spoken. So Gabriel tells him:

Luke 1:19-20 (KJV)  And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.  [20]  And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

Zacharias lost his voice because he did not believe. God will do what God has promised He will do. Trust God, or lose your voice! Trust God, live for Him. What He has said, He will do. God is faithful.

May God bless us as we enter into this Holy Season of Christmas!

1All Scripture quoted is King James Version, Unless otherwise noted

2 G4138, πλήρωμα, plērōma, play’-ro-mah, From G4137; repletion or completion, that is, (subjectively) what fills (as contents, supplement, copiousness, multitude), or (objectively) what is filled (as container, performance, period): – which is put in to fill up, piece that filled up, fulfilling, full, fulness., (Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries)

3 G5550, χρόνος, chronos, khron’-os, Of uncertain derivation; a space of time (in genitive case, and thus properly distinguished from G2540, which designates a fixed or special occasion; and from G165, which denotes a particular period) or interval; by extension an individual opportunity; by implication delay: – + years old, season, space, (X often-) time (-s), (a) while., (Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries)

4 Aorist Deponent Participle, G1096, γίνομαι, ginomai, ghin’-om-ahee, A prolonged and middle form of a primary verb; to cause to be (“gen” -erate), that is, (reflexively) to become (come into being), used with great latitude (literally, figuratively, intensively, etc.): – arise be assembled, be (come, -fall, -have self), be brought (to pass), (be) come (to pass), continue, be divided, be done, draw, be ended, fall, be finished, follow, be found, be fulfilled, + God forbid, grow, happen, have, be kept, be made, be married, be ordained to be, partake, pass, be performed, be published, require, seem, be showed, X soon as it was, sound, be taken, be turned, use, wax, will, would, be wrought., (Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries)

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Short Bed Narrow Cover

Posted on December 4, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. (or “will not act hastily” or “will not be disturbed”)

Isaiah 28:20 For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.

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Audio of Sermon: 

Sermon Notes: If you have ever had a loved one in the hospital and you had to stay with them you’ve been introduced to discomfort. Hospital food is rough. If you stay overnight with a loved one you have enjoyed those torture devices they call a pull out bed. The pull out bed is made for a small child or a tiny human. The bed is too short to rest on without bumping your head or your feet hanging off. It’s miserable. And the blankets the hospital gives you to cover yourself with are just too short. You stay uncomfortable the entire time. If you happen to fall asleep, don’t worry – someone will come in and wake you up to see if you’re sleeping.

God uses an example like this today in our text.
Circumstances sometimes force you into a short bed and narrow covers.
You can’t help what circumstances force upon you.

God in our text today isn’t talking to people who are – by want of circumstance – forced to lie on a short bed and cover themselves with a narrow sheet. In our text today the Lord is talking to His Old Testament people. Israel had become worldly. They had drifted away from God’s Word.

Her rulers and priests gave lip service to God but in practice had nothing to do with God. God draws a picture that is quite disgusting. When a people get away from God things become ugly. The Lord said:

Isaiah 28:8 (KJV)  For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

The Leaders, both religious and secular, became worldly. The Lord charged:

Isaiah 28:7 …. priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

The farther a people turn from God and His Word, the dimmer the vision and judgement gets.

Israel departed from the Word of God. By departing from God’s Word, they could not find rest. Any nation and any person who departs from God’s Word will not find rest.

God is our rest. His Word is our strength. Oh, that we would all cling to Him! As Jesus formed His Church He told us

Matthew 5:13-16 (NKJV) You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

God’s believers are the salt of the earth.
Salt is not only a seasoning, it is also a preservative.
Salt shakers on the table are there so that bland food can be seasoned for better taste.
Salt in larger quantities is injected into meats as preservatives to keep mold and bacteria at bay.
You who believe are God’s salt.

You who believe are the Light of the world.
Christ shines through us as we cherish His Word.
God’s people are to be God’s salt and light in America,
just as Israel was meant to be God’s salt in Canaan.

When the salt of God’s people becomes corrupted by the Word of Man and does not stay in the Word of God then it is good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. We must not emulate the darkness, nor befriend the evil. We must shine as God shines through us, reflecting His glory to a lost and dying world.

Worldliness Makes A Short Bed With A Narrow Cover

The group Focus on the Family noted that:

“A recent nationwide survey completed by the Barna Research Group determined that only 4 percent of Americans had a “biblical” worldview. … Barna says, “Although most people own a Bible and know some of its content, our research found that most Americans have little idea how to integrate core biblical principles to form a unified and meaningful response to the challenges and opportunities of life.”

God gave us His Word as a cherished Treasure, as a most Dangerous Book that the world despises. The world offers no solace to people, but God’s Word does. The Prophet said:

Isaiah 28:20 For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.

To depart from God’s Word and God’s Leadership brings us into an uncomfortable state. From the beginning of human history there has been a battle for the mind. The devil and his worldlings teach one set of ideas, the Creator Who loves us another. Jesus prayed for us before His crucifixion, saying:

John 17:14–15 (ESV) I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because THEY ARE NOT OF THE WORLD, JUST AS I AM NOT OF THE WORLD. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

The Devil and his followers are always twisting the truths of God.
God’s children are called to teach His truths to their children,
and their children’s children.

Isaiah 28:9 (KJV)  Whom shall he teach KNOWLEDGE? and whom shall he make to understand DOCTRINE? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

Those children that God gives us – precious children – must be taught the knowledge and doctrines of God. Before Israel went into the Promised Land God told His people:

Deuteronomy 6:1-10 (NKJV) Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 10 “So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build,

A loving God gave Israel Canaan, and a loving God gave us our America. Do we teach our families about the Lord Who loves us so? Is our priority God’s Word, or a football game? Is our priority showing our children the truths of Scripture, or teaching them the latest Grand Theft Auto video?

We are in the Christmas Season.
Do our children know why this is such a special season?

Do we speak in this blessed season of the miracle that Christmas is, that the Eternal Christ, the Son of the Living God, and how He lowered Himself to be born of a Virgin? Do we speak of His Manger, that food trough He borrowed to be His crib. What great love is this that Christ came from the palace of Heaven to this fallen earth. Do we share with our children and grandchildren the immense love of God revealed to Shepherds, to Wise Men, and to Angels on the day of His Virgin Birth – a birth prophesied throughout the Old Testament.

Or is all of our talk of Santa, of The Elf On The Shelf,
of lit trees and presents greedily opened?

There is nothing inherently wrong with imagination and fantasy.

One of my favorite movies is the original Miracle On 34th Street, and right behind that It’s A Wonderful Life with the great Jimmy Stewart. And I certainly do not mean to be the Grinch Who Steals Christmas (which was a delightful Dr. Seuss movie). But the reason many young people today have forsaken God and His Church is because all they were taught growing up was worldly video games. The television was their baby sitter, and they heard nothing of Christ or of our Creator.

The child must be made still to hear of the Lord Who loves them.
Biblical thought is taught – passed on – from parent to child.
God must be preeminent in our families first, then He will be preeminent in our Churches.

The Bible is a miraculous Book written by a miraculous and very real God.
Do we believe what He says, or what man says?

  • Do we believe that the earth was created in six literal 24 hour days? Few people believe this anymore because more time is being spent watching what misinformed scientists have said rather than focusing on the Book. As you read the Creation Account in Genesis it clearly states:

Genesis 1:1-5 (KJV)  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.   [3]  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  [4]  And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.  [5]  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. AND THE EVENING AND THE MORNING WERE THE FIRST DAY.

Throughout the account God uses language to show us the six steps of creation are literal days. “And the EVENING and the MORNING were the FIRST DAY”. He repeats this formula for every day of creation. The earth was created in six literal days – 24 hour periods of time. “But Pastor, the scientists said on television last night …” I don’t care. I believe God and His Word. Do you?

  • Do we believe that God created all things according to His standard? Man was formed, then the anilals. Eve was formed from Adam’s rib. This was the prototype of marriage. Do you believe this, or what the LGBT crowd has told you? The Bible says:

Genesis 2:21-24 (KJV)  And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;  [22]  And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.  [23]  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.  [24]  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Marriage is of God, not of man. Adam was first formed, then Eve. On the basis of this doctrine is what God used to form a family. They were to “multiply, and fill the earth”, not hop from bed to bed. It is not all right to sleep with someone to whom you are not married.

The world says sexual sin is “complicated”.
God says it is a short bed with a narrow cover.

  • Do we believe that morality begins with God? Have you ever thought about the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden? What was it? Were Adam and Eve forbidden to eat of the Tree of Life? No. They could eat of life all they wanted. God wanted them to have eternal life. But what tree was forbidden?

Genesis 2:16-17 (KJV)  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  [17]  But of the TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Why THAT tree? Because God determines right from wrong, good from evil. God establishes the standards, not the majority nor the consensus. God does.

The child must be taught the Word of God, and we must learn His Word. It must be the filter on all our thoughts. What did the Apostle say?

Romans 3:4 (NKJV) … let God be true but every man a liar.

His Word is to be cherished. We need to HEAR and DO His Word.

  • Do we understand that disobedience to our loving Creator leads to discomfort?

Isaiah 28:11-12 (KJV) For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. (12) To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: YET THEY WOULD NOT HEAR.

Israel rejected God’s Word and lost her nation. The stammering lips that God spoke of was the Assyrians – the barbarians who would come in and take over their nation. When I think about stammering lips today I think of the nonsense you see on television. The newscasters, the talking heads, they have no solutions to the problems that ail us. The doctors have not a clue. But God knows. God is able.

God spoke to His people, and speaks to us today. Do we want a short bed and narrow covers, or do we want the REST that only God can provide. God offered a rest for the weary, a refreshing. The first use of the word “rest” is is the Hebrew MENOQAW (Word: מנוחה Pronounced men-oo-khaw’) which means “a place to recline”. The second use of the word “rest” is the Hiphil Imperative NUAQ (Word: נוח Pronounced noo’-akh), which means “to be caused to rest”. God said “I offered you a double rest – a place to recline, to lay down your burdens.” But Israel would not hear, so disaster struck.

It is not God’s fault when you reject His offer and drown in your sins. You can choose to curl up on a short bed of worldliness and under the narrow cover humanism, but in time you will be uncomfortable. You draw the cover to your chin and your feet will be left cold. Or else he will shift and portions of his body will drape from the bed. So it is with the wisdom of this world. It may seem satisfactory at first, but in time it is a miserable mess.

Isaiah 28:15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

We cannot compromise with the darkness. We must remain in the light that is our Christ. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and we are not to be employed by sin or satan. We are to love our Lord.

Our Rest Is Jesus And His Word

Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

The Scripture God spoke through Isaiah is repeated by the Chief Apostle Peter, who said:

1 Peter 2:5-6 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (6) Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

This is how we know this text speaks of Christ. Let’s break down what God said:

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone

God speaks to us with His Covenant Name. He is Lord GOD, ADONAI YAHWEH (אדני Pronounced ad-o-noy’ + יהוה Pronounced yah-weigh). This is the same name God used in:

Genesis 2:4 when it says He created the Heavens and the earth
Genesis 2:16 when God warned Adam not to eat of the forbidden fruit
Genesis 2:18 when God made woman to be a helpmeet for man
Genesis 3:21 when God clothed fallen Adam and Eve with the fur of animals

This great Covenant Name of God is used throughout the Scripture every time God does a great thing for mankind. It is the Adonai Yahweh, the Eternal God, Who lay in Zion for a foundation a stone. God says “There is but one foundation by which you can have a relationship with Me, and that is the foundation that I have laid”. That foundation is Jesus Christ.

Zion is the city of God, and the foundation of that city is Jesus Christ. The foundation of God’s Church is Christ. This is the Rock upon which His Church was formed. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 3:11 (NKJV) For no other FOUNDATION can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

The Father lay in Zion the foundation, a Stone that is Christ. He is what His Church stands upon.

The foundation of the Church is not human opinion, but Divine Ordinance. We are built upon the writings of the apostles and prophets, built upon this Book of Books, this Sacred Text, this Holy Work. Christ is the Chief Cornerstone holding foundation to walls. His Spirit binds us together. His Blood brings us into His Family. His sacrifice cleanses us from sin. His resurrection stands as a guarantee of Heaven.

Jesus Christ is the sure Stone we stand upon. It is He Who is …

Revelation 1:17-18 …. the first and the last: (18) I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Jesus Christ is the Foundation Stone of His people.
He is also the Tried Stone.
a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation

  • Jesus Christ is the Tried Stone.

Hebrews 4:15 (NKJV) For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus suffered what we suffer, and more. But He stayed the course and kept His eyes on the Father. He was tried. Though Pilate agreed to execute Jesus he did so saying (Matthew 27:24) “I am innocent of the blood of this just person”. As the Scripture says:

1 John 3:5 (NKJV) And you know that He {Jesus} was manifested to take away our sins, and IN HIM THERE IS NO SIN.

Jesus Christ has also been tried by many believers over thousands of years. They have found Him to be the rest for their souls. People who have trusted in Him have found that He is indeed a bed that they can stretch out on, and a cover they can rest comfortably under.

  • Jesus is the Precious Cornerstone. The Scripture declares

Ephesians 2:19-21 (NKJV) Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF BEING THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

Those who are truly saved see Jesus as “precious”, (Word: יקר Pronounced yaw-kawr’), costly, highly prized, a pearl of great price. This is what Peter says in:

1 Peter 2:7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

We know that we are saved by faith in Him, and that we keep on being saved by faith in Him. He is Precious. But Jesus is also our Precious Cornerstone.

  • Jesus Is The Sure Foundation.

We have the promise of God that all who believe in Jesus “shall not make haste”. Another version puts it this way, “He who believes in it will not be disturbed”, or “the one who trusts will never be dismayed”.

Those who trust in the provision of God in Christ Jesus have found a sure rest for their souls. Let life throw its worst at you. If you are trusting in Christ then you know that everything will always come out just fine.

Isaiah trusting in Christ was protected, though Israel fell. Daniel trusting in Christ was safe in the lion’s den. David trusting in Christ stood over a dead Goliath. Joseph trusting in Christ rose from slavery to second in command of mighty Egypt. Moses trusting in Christ led God’s people from Egypt through the Red Sea, while the enemies of God drowned. Paul trusting in Christ preached and established Churches throughout the pagan Roman empire.

The believer trusting in Christ will be blessed. He will never be discouraged and never be disturbed.

Those who trust in Christ will ultimately triumph!

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Posted in Isaiah, Sermons Preached | Leave a comment

Five Fingers Of Grace

Posted on December 4, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

Audio Of Sermon: 

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1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (KJV) Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 14 Let all your things be done with charity.

As the Great Apostle closes his first letter to the divided Church of Corinth he wants the Church to understand … they are not alone. No Church ever stands alone. The Church belongs to Jesus, and Jesus will be glorified in His Church. There are many religious groups in the world, but only one Church. The Church is marked by unity and love in Christ Jesus. The Church is MADE by the Grace of Christ. A Church formed by Grace is marked by five things. We are to …

Watch (γρηγορέω grēgoreō)
Stand Fast In The Faith (στήκω stēkō)
Quit You Like Men (ἀνδρίζομαι andrizomai)
Be Strong (κραταιόω krataioō)
Do All Things With Charity

You are not saved by works, but once saved you DO WORK. Your life is changed. Your priority aligns with that of Christ. We have FIVE things the Apostle commands the Church. Five is the number of Grace. You have five fingers on your hands, and it is with your hands you work. So today we’re going to look at what the Apostle said as if it were five fingers on a hand.

Grace leads to work. These are the five fingers of Grace!

God’s Children Are To WATCH

onefingerWe are to WATCH (γρηγορέω grēgoreō) for our Lord. Jesus told us:

Matthew 24:42-44 (NKJV) Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour YOUR LORD IS COMING. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Jesus is coming again, and He comes for His child. We do not know when our Jesus is coming again, and we do not know when He is coming for us.

Matthew 25:13 (NKJV) Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

Jesus is coming again to receive His Church to Himself. We do not know when that day will be. We know that Jesus will come and receive each of us one day into His Heaven.

We do not know when the final day of our life will be upon this earth.
So we WATCH.
We live our lives as those under His constant care.
We do not want to be found of Him when He comes to be doing that which is unworthy.
We WATCH.

We do not want to be like Peter, who claiming that he would never deny our Lord, could not stay awake in Gethsemane. Jesus asked Peter:

Mark 14:37 (NKJV) Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour?

Watching means to pray, and keep your eyes open to opportunities to honor our Lord. I’m reminded of a story a missionary told me one day. He said that he spoke to the children at an orphanage overseas, a poor place, and told the children that Jesus was coming again. After that moment the caretaker of the orphanage said that every morning those precious children would get up from their beds, run to the window, and look out at the sky, trying to see Jesus.

Are you WATCHING for Jesus? The Apostle said in:

Colossians 4:2-6 (KJV) Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; 3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: 4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

The devil is lulling the world to sleep in sin. The devil has, from the beginning, tried to lull the Church of Christ into a sleep. But God tells us …

1 Thessalonians 5:6 (KJV) Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

Watching means to stay sober, to be alert. We are to WATCH for our Jesus is coming again!

God’s Children Are To Stand Fast In The Faith

twofingersThe Apostle said: Stand Fast In The Faith.
The Greek (στήκω stēkō) implies a troop
of soldiers bracing themselves against the enemy assault, holding the high ground. We are to “stand fast – hold the high ground – of FAITH”.

What is “the faith” that we are to stand fast in? We studied this just a week or so ago.

1 Corinthians 15:1-5 (KJV) 15 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve..

When we abandon the Gospel of Christ we abandon the faith.

It is the Gospel that gives us strength. There are people today who cherry pick what they want to believe in the Scripture. The Bible is not a buffet where we pick what we want, and turn up our noses at what we don’t want.

If I throw away the text that says:

1 Timothy 3:2 (KJV) A bishop (overseer, Pastor) then must be blameless, THE HUSBAND OF ONE WIFE,

and ignore this text – a requirement from the Apostles – then what value the rest of Scripture? If we read:

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NKJV) Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither FORNICATORS, nor IDOLATERS, nor ADULTERERS, nor HOMOSEXUALS, nor SODOMITES, 10 nor THIEVES, nor COVETOUS, nor DRUNKARDS, nor REVILERS, nor EXTORTIONERS WILL INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

Do we toss this text out in order to be politically correct, or do we accept it as truth? The Gospel brings with it conversion and agreement to the Way of God. If a kleptomaniac comes to me and says:

“Preacher, I used to love to steal. Now that I’m saved, I love to steal, but don’t feel guilty about it”.

What should I say to that person? Good job? Absolutely not. Salvation brings conversion. So why is it that when people claim to be saved but still live in lifestyles frowned upon by God do we say it is all right. I submit to you, we are not being God’s Church. God saves completely. When Zacchaeus the Tax Collector was saved how did he respond to Christ?

Luke 19:8 (KJV)  And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

Jesus told the crowd “this day is salvation come to this house”. Salvation comes when there is evidence of CONVERSION, and this only comes by the Holy Spirit of God.

The Scripture says:

Galatians 5:1 (ESV) For freedom Christ has set us free; STAND FIRM therefore, and DO NOT SUBMIT AGAIN TO A YOKE OF SLAVERY.

We are not called to be religious nor self righteous, but to love God and His Word and stand together, believing what He has said. The Scripture says:

Philippians 1:27-28 (NKJV) Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

Converted Believers Are To “Quit You Like Men”

threefingersThis is the Greek ἀνδρίζομαι (andrizomai). What does this mean? It means MAN UP. Or as some have said, COWBOY UP. Be brave, not a coward. Be brave, not a coward. Jesus told His disciples:

John 15:18-20 (NKJV) If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

In is in the atmosphere of easy believism, the gospel so readily preached from pulpits today, that people profess Christ but have the stamina of a snowflake.

The darkness always hates the light. Those who sin in darkness do not want a light turn on them, for their sins to be exposed for all to see. No, the darkness bids us not be light, but dim our light, be like the world. Jesus sent His disciples out into the darkness with full knowledge of what they were facing. He said:

Matthew 10:21-28 (NKJV) Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! 26 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 27 Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Jesus did not want His disciples to be fearful, but to go forward with the Gospel of God no matter who it might offend. We live in a day where the greatest offense is to offend in any way, to go against the established wisdom of the world. Beloved, the darkness will always hate the light.

The first murder in Scripture was when believing Abel
offered a sacrifice to God, offending his brother Cain.
Joseph was sold into slavery because he spoke God’s Word to his brothers.
Jesus Christ was executed, not for treason, but for being Light.

We who are Christ’s are not to speak to please the world, but to please our Father Who is in Heaven. We are to magnify our Lord and be obedient to His Word in all things. We are to MAN UP and obey Him and His Word whether or not anyone else agrees with us or not. Many Churches are compromising the truth of God’s Word because they feel that they will lose their audience if they don’t mellow the message down.

I read an interesting article in The Baltimore Sun this past Monday. The article was entitled “Churches Merge, close: We no longer live in Christendom. We really have to accept that it’s a thing of the past’”. Yes, that was actually the title. The article was published October 10, 2017, and was an op-ed piece written by journalist Jonathan M. Pitts. Is Christ and His Church dead in America.

Absolutely not! Here’s a few pieces from the article:

“For a decade and more, Govans Presbyterian Church and Brown Memorial Woodbrook Presbyterian Church have labored in the manner of many mainline Protestant congregations: Working ever harder to provide spiritual resources for a dwindling number of congregants.

… Brown Memorial Woodbrook (Presbyterian Church), about two miles from Govans (Presbyterian Church) on North Charles Street, has been running its busy Sunday school and community garden and working on LGBT equality and other social justice issues. … But with attendance stagnating, maintenance costs rising and the population of Christians from which to draw shrinking, the two have decided to join forces. … they’ll become one congregation before the end of the year … The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland has closed a net eight churches since 2007 and plans to shutter one more ….. if the congregation can’t present a feasible financial plan by January.

Listen Beloved – these are all liberal, not Bible believing Churches. But hear what the article says next:

… A few faith traditions have fared better… evangelical Christianity’s numbers are holding steady.

The Bible believing and Bible preaching and teaching Churches are holding steady. The numbers are not dropping. Why? It’s only spiritual common sense.

When the Church decides to compromise with the darkness to reach the darkness, that Church loses those members who were walking in the light. People of faith are bailing out of Churches that adopt the darkness of the world.

Christ is still alive and well – and so is His Church. Jesus said:

Luke 9:62 (NKJV) No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

We are not to look back to Egypt, but to look upward and forward as we follow our Jesus. Israel looked back, and that entire generation died out, never taking the Promised Land. God’s people are to be committed to God’s Word. We are not to be obnoxious, but we are to be clear.

Christ died for our sins so that we would live in a right God approved manner.
Christ died to take us out of sin’s control, not to make us compromisers.

1 Peter 2:21-25 (NKJV) For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

God’s purpose for us is that we follow in Christ’s steps. Jesus died so that we might live to righteousness – not self righteousness, but God’s righteousness.

Children Of God Are To Be Strong In The Lord

1 Corinthians 16:13 … be strong

fourfingersThe Apostle Paul exemplified what God said through Him:

Ephesians 6:10 (NKJV) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

God never asks us to be strong in ourselves, but to be strong in the Lord. To take our weaknesses and our fears to God, and let Him transform us into the powerhouse that He wants us to be. God watches over His Children. God’s strength comes to us when we trust and live in His promises.

As Moses prepared to die, and to pass over into Heaven, he called Joshua to his side. Moses told both Joshua and the people:

Deuteronomy 31:3-8 (NKJV) The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the Lord has said. 4 And the Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them. 5 The Lord will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. 7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. 8 And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.

What gives us who are His the strength to continue on is to know that God goes before us. He is greater than anything that comes against us. God is always with His people. He has said:

Hebrews 13:5-6 (NKJV) … “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Our strength is knowing that our Savior is near. And He is, and will always be.

The Thumb Of Grace Is LOVE

1 Corinthians 16:14 (KJV) Let all your things be done with charity.

fingers-mdOn every hand there are five fingers, but I submit to you the most important finger is the THUMB. Without the thumb it’s hard to pick up anything. You can lose a finger and continue life relatively normal. You can even lose three fingers and still function. But if you lose the thumb the hand becomes largely useless. The Apostle spoke on love in 1 Corinthians 13, ending up by saying:

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NKJV) And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Our faith is built on love. We are saved by the Gospel because “God so LOVED the world”. We are born of the love of Christ, Who willingly and without reservation went to the Cross of Calvary for us. Love defines us. You cannot love as Godf wants you to love until you have experienced His Love in Christ. Jesus said:

John 15:13 (NKJV) Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Jesus did that for us. Since He did this for us, we who are loved into Heaven are to do the same. The Apostle said:

1 John 3:16 (NKJV) By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

You cannot love as God wants unless you have experienced His love in Christ. Have you? Have you heard His Gospel, and believed on Christ as Lord and Savior? Do you lay down your life for Him as He laid down His life for you? If you have not, make today the day you meet my precious Savior Jesus Christ. Call on Him. He will receive you as He received this worthless man, and He will make you ready for life and God’s Heaven – Praise His Holy Name!

Posted in 1 Corinthians, gospel, grace, Great Commission, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Coming Ressurection

Posted on December 3, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

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We have a double responsive reading tonight, because what we are discussing tonight is a big subject. We will be talking about the Coming Resurrection of Christ’s Children. Let’s start in:

2 Corinthians 5:1-9 (KJV) For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. [2] For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: [3] If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. [4] For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. [5] Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. [6] Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: [7] (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) [8] We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. [9] Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

These Earthly Bodies Are But Tents

There will come a day when our bodies cease to function. Yet that will not be the end of our lives. When we draw our breath for the very last time on this earth we do not cease to be. The Apostle declared in our first responsive reading:

2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

As the Apostle speaks of THIS TABERNACLE he is referring to our earthly bodies. Invested by the Holy Spirit, the Apostle chooses his words carefully. He calls our bodies “our earthly house of this tabernacle”. The “tabernacle” or the Greek σκῆνος skēnos means “a tent, a temporary home”. The soul is housed in a tent or a temporary home while on this earth.

I remember as a young man taking my wife and children camping in England on the weekends. We would take out our tent, erect it, set up camp, and stay in that tent like it was home. Yet this tent wasn’t home – it was but a temporary dwelling place, a place to accommodate us while we traveled and pilgrimaged. When our time was ended we folded up the tent and moved on. We did not cease to be, but where we were ceased to be for us.

Our bodies are but tents. Temporary, fragile. Our home was made of stick and brick, with a shingle roof and doors that could lock. Our true home was substantial, but our tent while camping was flimsy, portable. It could keep the rain from us, but was not meant to be forever. It was only temporary.

If and when our bodies break down God has a more permanent building for us, a house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens. We have a Heaven that we go to when we die. And we who are saved …

2 Corinthians 5:2-4 (NKJV) For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

When we packed up our tent to go home it was often with a bit of sadness, for we had a good time while we were camping with the kids. We made memories. We had a great experience. But though there was some sadness, we looked forward to home. At home we could shower, and sleep in our beds, not on the ground. At home we had a stove to cook on, not a camp fire. And at home the bugs didn’t bite us. We had air conditioning and heat. Home was much better.

I woke up Thanksgiving Day after a bad night, tossing and turning throughout the night. And I groaned, wishing that I was in that place where mortality might be swallowed up of life. Oh Beloved, no Christian in his or her right mind is afraid of death. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). We are in tents now. But we wish to be clothed upon, that God would give us our resurrected bodies, that our aches and pains would be no more. We are on a journey now, and are pilgrims living in tents, fragile and flappable tents.

These bodies hold our souls, but these bodies were never meant to be permanent. Our God and our Father is immortal, and our bodies must be as our souls are, immortal, substantial, better than they are now.

2 Corinthians 5:6-9 (NKJV) Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

While we are in this body we are on mission for our Father. Ambassadors of Heaven, we are not in Heaven proper. We know this because sin, like a forest fire, is all around us. But when we vacate this tent – when we are absent from this body – we are present with the Lord. Not sleeping. Our souls do not sleep. The Apostle John looked into Heaven and saw:

Revelation 6:9-11 (KJV) And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the SOULS of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: [10] And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? [11] And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

John saw SOULS gathered around the Throne of the Lord. These SOULS were not sleeping, but knew what had happened to them, and cried out to the Lord Jesus. These SOULS were given white robes to show that they were redeemed of Christ (for has not Jesus promised …

Revelation 3:5 (KJV) He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. )

Oh praise His Name, His Children shall be with Him when they leave this tent. Praise His Name, we shall be clothed in white, for we have washed our robes, and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14). Praise Him!

We are in tents that we must leave, and our souls must fly to the Jesus Who we love and Who loves us. We leave here, and go home. We leave these tattered rags, these broken bodies, but we do not remain without clothing.

There is a coming Resurrection. For those who are Christ’s this resurrection will be a reward. For those who are not Christ’s this will be a terrible day of judgment.

Christ Is The Prototype Of Our Future Resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:12-22 (KJV) Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? [13] But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: [14] And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. [15] Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. [16] For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: [17] And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. [18] Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. [19] If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. [20] But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. [21] For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. [22] For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

There is a Coming Resurrection. There is a Coming Resurrection for God’s Children, and a Coming Resurrection for Adam’s Children. The Prophet Daniel wrote:

Daniel 12:2 (KJV)  And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Those who have received Christ shall live forever. But those who will not receive Christ – they are under condemnation.

John 3:16-18 (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.   [17]   For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.   [18]   He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

In Adam all die, but in Christ shall all be made alive. This is what God wants for all, if you will but receive Him as Lord and Savior.

When Christ died, He died for our sins. But when Christ rose from the grave, this was proof that God accepted the sacrifice that Christ made. Christ rose again to show us that we must rise again. When Jesus died on that Cross, He did not sleep or cease to be conscious for three days and three nights. We are told in Ephesians that Christ presented Himself to the Old Testament Saints.

Ephesians 4:8-10 (NKJV) … “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

Jesus Christ came to undo all the wrong that Adam brought. Dying on the Cross, His soul left His earthly tent in order to share Himself with the saints of old. He descended to where they were, then ascended into Heaven with them, that He might fill all things. But Jesus did not stop here. He returned to earth in His resurrected body, a glorious permanent home that was different from what He had before. The Apostle says:

1 Corinthians 15:12-15 (KJV) Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? [13] But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: [14] And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. [15] Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

Jesus died. He left His tent. But He rose again to show us what God has in store for His Children. Jesus gave us everlasting life. Not just as souls, but has promised us bodies that will be as permanent and lasting as the souls He has given us. Christ was buried and rose from the dead, and as He was so shall we be. We are tied to our Savior. He saved us from sin. He saved us from hell. He saved us from death. And He saved us so that we can be permanently clothed upon, that our mortality can we swallowed up by the immortal.

1 Corinthians 15:16-18 (KJV) For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: [17] And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. [18] Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 

The Apostle tells us that the dead must be resurrected, for Christ was resurrected. If Christ was not resurrected, then they which are fallen asleep in Christ – those who have left their tents sleeping in the earth – are perished! The two go together.

1 Corinthians 15:20-22 (KJV) But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. [21] For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. [22] For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Jesus is the firstfruits of them that slept. He is the prototype of what God has in store for us. Jesus was born into a temporary tent. He lived. He died. He left that tent. He was buried – His body slept. And three days later He rose from the grave, ever to live immortal, undying. And so shall we who have received Him be!

In Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive!

We are born into this life children of Adam, offspring of the first man and woman, steeped in sin. When Adam sinned by eating the forbidden fruit he and his wife were not only cast from Paradise, they lost the Tree of Life. Death entered the world. But Christ came to conquer sin and death. Those who “die” now in Christ but sleep. Their bodies go to the ground, and their souls go to the Christ Who loves us so. The resurrected body has not yet been given to the saints, saved by the Blood of Christ. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 15:23-26 (KJV) But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. [24] Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. [25] For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. [26] The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Christ is the firstfruits, the first One Who has a glorified body. But the Lord promises that each and every one of us will also be as Christ is. Christ the first fruits, afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming. When Jesus comes again in an event we call “The Rapture” Jesus will return with the souls of His saints. We are told in:

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (KJV) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. [14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. [15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. [16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: [17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. [18] Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

What a glorious day that will be. Jesus the firstfruits will come, and the Scripture says even so them also which sleep in Jesus WILL GOD BRING WITH HIM. Those whose bodies “slept” in the ground will be the first ones resurrected. Jesus will bring the souls of the dear departed Saints with Him, and these Saints will be the first to get their resurrected bodies. But then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, ever to be with the Lord. If you are fortunate enough to be alive when Christ comes, you will not experience the leaving of this tent, but the changing of the tent. But it does not matter, precious Child of God. For each and every Christian is on a journey that will ultimately end up with you and I having a glorious, incorruptible body.

Leaving Our Bodies Is Not Unnatural But Necessary

1 Corinthians 15:35-37 (KJV) But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? [36] Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: [37] And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:

Death is not an evil thing, but it is a part of this present life.

There will be a day when all death ceases. Jesus will destroy all death, and all death shall be placed into the Lake of Fire, along with the corrupt and the unbelieving, the cowardly, the fearful, the sinner who refuses the Christ. Paul uses a beautiful image here, the image of planting. A seed does not grow unless it is buried. The seed, when buried, does not resemble what it will one day be. Whether it be a seed of corn or of wheat or of okra or of squash, the seed may look like PART of what it will one day be – but not the whole.

To leave this tabernacle is not unnatural. To plant this tabernacle is not unnatural. It is a part of the process that Christ showed us in Himself. When Jesus died, He did not die fearful. As He died He forgave those who killed Him. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” our Savior said. As He died, He tended to His earthly responsibilities. “John, My mother is now your mother. Mary, John is now your son.” He was matter of fact. He suffered in death. “I thirst”. But Jesus never feared death, for He is the Conquerer of Death. “It is finished” He declared. Jesus killed the killer. Jesus conquered the grave. Buried, He came back to this earth on the third day, the number three being the number of the Triune God. Jesus died, defeated death, then rose again. Praise His holy name!

Our corrupt bodies, like the seed of the plant, must die. We must leave these tents to get our eternal tent. The Apostle goes further:

1 Corinthians 15:39 (KJV) All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.

Here is God’s answer to the Darwinian nonsense we call evolution. “All flesh is not the same flesh”. We are not descended from animals, but were made of God in His image. There is the flesh of mankind, the flesh of beasts, the flesh of birds, and the flesh of fishes. Each flesh is different.

Now hear me, Beloved.

The flesh you now have CANNOT inherit God’s Heaven!
That broken body you have – that gets more broken daily –
Cannot live in God’s glorious presence!

You need the glory of the resurrected body – and God will take care of this. God is able. The God Who made all the heavenly bodies we see about us in the night sky:

1 Corinthians 15:40-41 (KJV) There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. [41] There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

When you see all the glorious things that God has made, the limitlessness of space, the sun, the moon, this earth. You can only imagine how glorious the glorified body will be. What will be best about our future bodies is this …

1 Corinthians 15:42-46 (KJV) So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: [43] It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: [44] It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. [45] And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. [46] Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

The body that is buried is buried because it is corruptible, cancerous, broken. It has sin in it. It is weak, frail. But the body that God will give us at Christ’s coming is incorruptible, immortal, glorious, powerful, supernatural. The body we have now we inherited from that sinner Adam. The body we will one day have we will inherit from the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. And it will be perfect, eternally perfect. It will be a body suited for Heaven.

1 Corinthians 15:49-54 (KJV) And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. [50] Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. [51] Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. [53] For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. [54] So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

Oh Beloved Child of God, the best is yet to be. The dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. This is what Christ purchased for us with His Blood. This is what Christ promises to us with His resurrection. Death is not our enemy, but a home going for the Child of God. Praise Him! Praise him! It is this knowledge that leads us to be faithful in serving Him. The Apostle ended with:

1 Corinthians 15:57-58 (KJV) But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. [58] Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

What we offer in Christ is immortality to whosoever will. So we we are stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. We do what we do so that others can come into His Family. We are blessed, and thankful, and want others to be blessed as well.

Christ is the door of the sheep! Let us lead others to our Great Shepherd! For His glory. Amen.

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Trusting God

Posted on November 27, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

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Isaiah 26:3-9 (KJV)  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.  [4]  Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:  [5]  For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.  [6]  The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.  [7]  The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.  [8]  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.  [9]  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Audio of Sermon: 

When I was a young Christian my mentors – several other Christians I met in the Air Force – taught me the value of not only studying but memorizing Scripture. When you memorize Scripture it is like carrying a warm coat to stay warm, or an umbrella to stay dry. It’s like having a hidden emergency meal in case you are without food, or even better, a friend who keeps the loneliness and fear away. One of the first texts I memorized was John 3:16. You know this, don’t you?

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.

I love that text because it reminds us God is the Gospel, and receiving Christ as He causes God to receive us as His everlasting children. That is so beautiful. But the second text I remember memorizing is the one we have before us today:

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon Thee,
because he trusteth in Thee – Isaiah 26:3

God Promises Double Peace IF

It almost reads like a poem, doesn’t it? What does God promise us in this text? The King James says “perfect peace”. That’s not exactly what the Hebrew says. In the Hebrew the word שָׁלוֹם shalowm – which means “peace” – is used twice. “Thou wilt keep him in SHALOWN SHALOWN whose mind is stayed upon Thee, because he trusteth in Thee”. God promises to His Children – to whosoever will – a DOUBLE Peace, a double portion of peace. God wants us to have not just SHALOWN, but SHALOWM SHALOWM. He wants us all walking in peace, not in fear or anxiousness. That is what is normal for the Christian way of life. The Apostle said it this was in:

Philippians 4:4-9 (NKJV) Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

If God wants to give us a double portion of peace why is it that so few seem to have it? It is because we are not meeting the condition of the promise. Read the text again:

Thou wilt give him SHALOWM SHALOWN

but it doesn’t stop here. It goes on to say:

Whose mind is STAYED UPON THEE

“Stayed upon” is the Hebrew סָמַךְ camak which means to be upheld by, to lean or lay upon, to rest in or be born up by. The mind that is totally reliant upon God experiences the double peace of God. The faith that is 100% committed to Him results in the life that is filled with the double peace of God. Trusting in God is a surrender to God. The text even tells us this.

Thou wilt give him SHALOWN SHALOWN whose mind is stayed upon Thee,
BECAUSE he TRUSTETH in THEE

Trusting in God means to lean upon Him, to put all your weight on Him. And God is able to take your weight. He is able to take your pain. God is able to hold you up.

Back in 1983 I had an accident that crushed my left leg. Though rebuilt, there are times I need to walk with a cane. When the leg is not able, I lean my weight on the cane. The cane is able to carry my weight. Imagine how foolish it would be if you saw me coming in with a pool noodle, leaning on this. You see me coming in with the pool noodle and say “Brother David, why do have that under your arm?” I reply, “Because my leg hurts today, and I’m leaning on it for support.” You might not say anything, but you’d walk away thinking the Pastor has gone crazy. Why am I relying on something pitiful and weak to put my trust in? Why not get a real cane, or find a better support? Yet many people are this way. They are staggering through life, leaning on different broken things.

Too many lean on the GOVERNMENT,
or on HUMAN INSTITUTIONS.
Or they lean on MONEY,
Or HOSPITALS and DOCTORS.
Some lean on GOOD LOOKS,
and some even lean on the CHURCH.

But everything in this life is broken. We need to lean on the eternal God and His provisions!

Our Trust Is To Be In God

So many people approach life, trying to do everything themselves. We cannot rely on our own strength if we want to be blessed. We are to rely on God. We are told:

Isaiah 26:4 (KJV)  Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

If you have a King James version you’ll notice that the names of God are CAPITALIZED in this text. The word LORD is the Hebrew YAHWEH, which is the Eternal Name of God, the Great I AM. We are to trust in the Eternal God Who created all that you see. We read:

in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength

In YAH YAHWEH – the EVERLASTING AND ETERNAL I AM is everlasting strength. I told someone the other day …

When I was young my feet ran and my nose didn’t.
Now that I am old my nose runs and my feet don’t!

When we trust in man – even in ourselves – we trust in something that is fallable. But God is infallible. God is eternal. The God Who created the heavens and the earth, the animals, the plants, and all that is within it can not fail. Life is fragile, but God is a faithful. God does not change. God keeps His promises, and we can rely on Him. The Scripture says:

Deuteronomy 7:9-10 (NKJV) Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; 10 and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face.

Psalm 119:90 (NKJV) Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides.

God is faithful, but we are fragile. God never fails, but we are subject to fail. Those who exalt themselves and rely on themselves will find themselves cursed in time. We read:

Isaiah 26:5-6 (KJV)  For {God} bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.  [6]  The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.

Those who are arrogant and prideful are eventually brought down. They may mock God today, but there will come a time when God will cause the proud to fall. But those who are poor … even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy …. those who rely upon Him shall be exalted in due time. There will come a day when every arrogant, prideful person will fall. But those who had nothing but God will triumph. What did Jesus say?

Matthew 5:3 (NKJV) Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Those who trust God are blessed, even when times seem bad.

There Is Power In A Singular Focus On God

First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, was recently attacked by an atheist with a gun. Killing 26 people the world cried out “Where was God”? But God was and is there. You won’t hear this story widely published for its not bloody enough, but just this week Pastor Frank Pomeroy was interviewed by NBC news. Pomeroy, who lost a daughter in the massacre, said:

“I knew everybody who gave their life that day. Some of them were my best friends and my daughter. I have no doubt they’re dancing with Jesus today.”

He also noted that though 26 were martyred, more than 26 have contacted him and said that they are recommitting their lives to the Lord, seeking Him out daily. Listen Beloved, trials come our way to tempt us and test us. God calls His people to keep their minds “stayed” on Him. To live to please Him. To live to glorify God.

When tried does your faith stand the trial?

Isaiah 26:7 (KJV)  The way of the just is uprightness: thou, Most Upright, dost weigh the path of the just.

God is called “The Most Upright. When a trial comes, do you collapse or are you held upright by Him? If you are saved, He will hold you up no matter what may come.

Those who belong to God are called the “Just” or the “Justified”. If your mind is stayed on God then your actions will reflect your mind. The way of the just is UPRIGHTNESS. Those who belong to Christ are His Disciples. We follow Him. We love Him. We trust Him. We do the right and godly thing at all times, glorifying our Lord. God says of us “I created you for My glory” (Isaiah 43:7). We are told:

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV) Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Psalm 86:12 (NKJV) I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore.

God can take the broken life and make it whole if we would be faithful in filling our minds with Him. To stay our minds on Him. To focus on His Word. To be obedient to Him. Remember that Adam and Eve lost Paradise and brought sin into the world when they “stayed their mind” on the wrong thing. God warned Adam:

Genesis 2:17 (NKJV) … but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Compare Adam to Abraham. Adam thought he knew better than God, this is when sin and death came into the world. If you want to be blessed you need to understand that God knows what is best. We are to cast all of our trust upon Him and His promises. Our Father Abraham was powerful in faith and much blessed because he “stayed his mind” on God. The Bible tells us that:

Romans 4:19-22 (NKJV) And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Abraham trusted God, casting himself upon God, believing God would keep His promise. And God did. God always keeps His promises. God is faithful! We have a dearth of faithful and powerful Christians today in America because our faith, sadly, is often not in God but in other things. Not too long ago Pastor Lentz of Hillsong Church – a huge congregation – sat in a television studio as a guest on The View and was asked whether abortion is sinful. His reply was typically that of his father Adam:

“That’s the kind of conversation we would have finding out your story, where you’re from, what you believe. I mean, God’s the judge,” … “People have to live to their own convictions,” Lentz continued. “That’s such a broad question, to me, I’m going higher. I want to sit with somebody and say, ‘What do you believe?’”

Like Adam, he spoke with a view toward pleasing the world. I did not say this to malign my brother in Christ, for peer pressure is indeed a strong thing, and many of us would be tempted to go for the applause rather than the boos when addressing such a liberal audience. Yet what does God expect of His Children, His Whom He has justified by His Blood?

Isaiah 26:8 (KJV)  Yea, in the WAY OF THY JUDGMENTS, O LORD, have we waited for thee..

We ask ourselves what has God said? What does the Scripture say? What has the Church historically supported based on His Word? Those who wish to have the double peace of God must let God speak rather than political correctness or what we feel. Strength for the justified is in Him. God is above it all. God made us, and God knows us, and God knows what is best for us. As the Apostle said:

Ephesians 6:10 (NKJV) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Our power is not in ourselves, but in God and what God has provided us.

You go outside, and find you have a flat tire. What do you do? If you are prepared, you go to the trunk of your car. You get out your spare, your jack, and your tire iron. In a few minutes you change your tire, then head to the Tire Shop to get the flat fixed. No problem. But let’s imagine another way. You go outside and see you have a flat tire. So you try and pick up your car rather than use the jack. You don’t trust the jack. You trust yourself. So you strain, and pull, and try and lift. As you do so you harm your body. Your heart rate goes dangerously high. Your blood pressure shoots up. Your mouth begins saying things that add to the problem. You begin to feel defeated, and you are certainly not at peace. You should have relied upon the jack.

You say, “But Brother, I would never do that!” But that’s what you do when you worry and fret and obsess rather than casting your cares upon God.

Isaiah 26:8 (KJV) …the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.

We love the Lord and thank Him for His faithfulness. God is so good. The unbeliever does not recognize the faithfulness of God, nor does the unbeliever than Him for His good provision. The way of the unbeliever is to ignore God. To take God’s bounty and yet never appreciate it. This is what you who are unbelievers do.

Isaiah 26:10-11 (KJV)  Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.  [11]  LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.

The way of the unbeliever is self and selfish, arrogance and pride. They do not see God’s hand. They do not praise Him for the strength that He gives them. They do not thank Him for the sun, the moon, the rain in due season. The more God gives, the more they demand, and yet never praise. In time such ways all lead to self destruction.

If you belong to God, you are not to walk in their way but in His Way. Christ is the WAY, the Truth, and the Life. We are to follow Him. We are to love God. We are to cast our concerns and our burdens on His broad shoulders. Stay your mind upon Him.

1 Peter 5:6-7 (NKJV) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

The God Of Scripture Is Who I Love

Isaiah 26:9 (KJV)  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

When trials come – the dark nights and the valleys – we need the Lord. But if we want His Presence in the darkness, we need to follow Him in the light. “with my spirit will I seek Thee early”. We must love and trust God daily. Our days are to begin by praising Him and thanking Him for loving us so. We thank God for the salvation we have through Christ. We thank Him that He sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins, to be buried, and to rise from the grave on the third day. I am not ashamed to say that …

Acts 4:12 (KJV)  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

That faith alone in Christ alone saves a person. I am not ashamed of the Word of Faith that we preach:

Romans 10:9-11 (ESV) because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Salvation comes when you trust yourself to God in Christ, believing He paid for your sins in full. But blessing comes when you follow Him, trust Him, stay your mind on Him.

Isaiah 26:12 (KJV)  LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.

God has a double peace for His people. It is God’s will that you live in SHALOWM SHALOWM. It is God’s Will that He work among us. But we must be wholly devoted to Him. We must not live with one foot in the world and one foot on heaven. We must confess Him and Him alone. As Isaiah wrote:

Isaiah 26:13-14 (KJV)  O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.  [14]   They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.

God wants our 100%. He saved us so that we could have perfect peace, SHALOWM SHALOWM. He saved us so that we can live victorious lives in Him. Oh, that God the Holy Spirit would partner with me as I preach His Word. Oh that God would touch many through this text! If you do not know Christ, run to His waiting arms this very day!

Posted in Faithfulness of God, Following Disciples, Following Jesus, God's Children, gospel, Isaiah, Sermons Preached, Trusting God | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Nail In A Sure Place

Posted on November 19, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

Isaiah_22_23t25

Isaiah 22:23-25 (KJV)  And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.  [24]  And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.  [25]  In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

Audio of Sermon: 

Where Is Your Nail Driven?

Well it happened once again. A small Church had a gunman go in, an Atheist who mocked Christians and yet once purportedly assisted in Sunday School at that very Church. A disgraced Airman, which terribly hurts me as a retired Air Force Technical Sergeant. The man enlisted in my Beloved Air Force and smeared it by his conduct. He was dishonorably discharged from the service that I so loved, and dishonorably discharged his weapon in a little First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. The man killed children as young as 18 months old. He killed the Pastor’s 14 year old daughter. He killed 26 people. The news media promote the man’s name. The talking heads ask “Why” but provide no answers.

There is no answer unless you look up.

The last shooting in a Nashville Church was from a confused person wandering in the darkness. This shooting in a Texas Church is from a confused person wandering in darkness. In both cases it was a person who thought their life was in order. They fastened a nail in what they thought was a sure place. One was an atheist, a person that God calls “A Fool”.

Psalms 14:1 (KJV)… The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

God did not call the atheist a fool to mock him, but to speak truth.
The atheist is a “Fool” because the “sure place” he puts his nail is NOTHINGNESS.
That is stupid, foolish!

To deny that there is a Creative and Loving God with all the evidence we see around us, the beauty of creation, the joys and wonders within it, is indeed foolish. Though the book of nature is soiled by sin and corruption it I evident through common sense as well as experience that God is.

Job 12:7-12 (NIV) But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; 8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. 9 Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? 10 In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. 11 Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food? 12 Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?

To say there is no god is to drive a nail in a non-existent wall, then to hang all your hopes and dreams on it. How futile that is! But then, as the other confused killer, to believe in the false gods of this world. So many chase after false gods, idols, beings that truly are not. God has revealed Himself in the Scripture. The God of the one and only Holy Bible has said:

Isaiah 45:5-8 (ESV) I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, 6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7 I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things. 8 “Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the Lord have created it.

There are confused atheists who have driven a nail in what they thought was a sure place, and there are confused polytheists who have done the same. The atheists foolishly believe in NO god, but the polytheists believe in MANY gods. They foolishly say “there are many ways to heaven” and in their seeker sensitivity would have man to believe that faith in a squirrel is as good as faith in a stone statue or in some perception of God. “As long as you’re sincere you shall all get to Heaven”. Is this true? Is sincerity the test of truth? If I sincerely believe 1+5=3 is it true because I believe it so? Is gravity suspended if I step off a cliff believing myself to be weightless? The atheist puts a nail in what he considers a sure place, but it is nothing. A polytheist puts a nail in a sure place – so he thinks – and it is also nothing. There is but one God, and He is the God Who reveals Himself in the Scripture.

Who Drives Your Nail?

In our text today God speaks of two nails driven. The first nail is driven by God. He says:

Isaiah 22:23 (KJV)  And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.

The person who has their faith in God will be blessed by God. God says “I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place”.The life that God blesses will also bless others. God says of this person “he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house”. In ancient times the inheritance was passed from father to son. The child that loved the Lord was promised to be a glorious throne to his father’s house. The one who trusted in God would be a blessing because God would strengthen him. God would make his life a blessing. God would insure that he was a “nail in a sure place”.

Who drives your nail?

In many cases we ourselves drive our own nail. We do not rely upon God, but upon ourselves and our own strengths and abilities.

In the background of this passage there was an important man who was necessary for the function of God’s Israel, a man named Shebna the Scribe. The Scribes were very important in the days of Israel. The Scribe not only faithfully copied Scripture so the people could have access to God’s Word, but they also spoke the Word and pointed to the Word. The Scribe was not to be lifted up with pride, but to realize that he was but the messenger of God. Shebna became arrogant, became willful, and began to promote himself rather than the Word of God.

He was the “Nail fastened in a sure place” that God was going to remove. He was the one spoken of in verse 25 of whom God said:

Isaiah 22:25 (KJV) In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

The nail fastened by man’s hand would be removed, and all that was placed upon it would fall to the ground.

God would raise up another Scribe to be in Shebna’s place, a man by the name of Eliakim. Shebna, the religious pretender, was out, and all who trusted in Shebna were out. But Eliakim, the Nail fastened by the Lord, would be in a sure place. Everything that rested on Shebna would fall to the ground, but Eliakim would be sure because God made him sure.

Oh My Beloved, In Order For God To Bless Your Life
Shebna Must Die And Eliakim Must Rise

So many people are like Shebna. They trust in themselves. They are puffed up over themselves. They think their righteousness will be the train that takes them to Heaven.

Before salvation comes Shebna must fall, so that Christ can rise.

The Old Testament Scribes were marked by self righteousness. So many of them thought themselves the oracles of God because they memorized vast portions of Scripture. So many today believe that they will enter Heaven upon their death because:

They were uncommonly MORAL
They took the SACRAMENT of bread and cup weekly
They gave faithfully of their TITHE
They were never absent from SUNDAY SCHOOL
Though they skipped the Worship Services
They PRAYED meticulously, counting BEADS

My Beloved, Shebna must fall, and self must die before salvation can come. It was to His disciples, along with the Scribes and Pharisees that Jesus said:

Matthew 16:24-26 … 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?

Salvation is a surrender of self to God. Salvation is to stop being your own hammer and nail, and to turn yourself over to Him Who loves you and gave Himself for you. Salvation is to say to the Lord “I am unrighteous. I am undone. I am but a rusty nail. Use me, dear Lord, as you would.”

Salvation is a changing from Saul to Paul, not based on what we have done, but on what God will do. There was no greater religious creature than Saul of Taurus. Saul was

Philippians 3:5-6 (ESV) circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

This man, a leader in Israel, a nail fastened by his hand in what he thought was a sure place, chased Christians to murder them in their churches. Then one day Jesus Christ struck him down on the Damascus Road. God pulled that nail out of that unsure place and made Saul see himself as he was … lost, undone, a fool without God. On that day the fool was raised up and fastened by those nail scarred hands into a sure place. The Apostle said:

Philippians 3:7-8 (ESV) But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 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 …

Whereas before his life was based on his power, now his life was based on God’s power. God raised Saul and changed him to Paul, and God wishes to do the same for you. The Bible says of us all:

Romans 3:23 (ESV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

A sinner cannot make himself better. A sinner needs the Savior, and the Savior wants the sinner. Jesus Christ declared:

Luke 5:32 (ESV) I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

Mark 2:17 (ESV) … Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus came for sinners. He came to save Shebna, but Shebna must die. He must give himself over to Christ if he would be made a Child of the King.

You have pains in your arms, your chest. You go to the doctor. You hear the bad news. “I’m sorry, but it seems as if you have a blockage in your heart. I will need to operate. You will have to trust yourself to me, to rest on my table, allow me to do what I do.” No, Doctor, I will not do this. I believe I will get better on my own. Continue this pathway and there will be consequences. No, Doctor, I will lay upon your table, but I wish to assist in the operation. Beloved, continue this way and there will be consequences. The Physician must be allowed to work, else you will die. The great Physician must be allowed to work, or you will die in your sins.

You cannot be saved unless Christ save you. You cannot slay a single passion toward evil unless Christ be in charge of the operation. He has said:

John 10:8-9 (ESV) Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

You use a door by going through it. Christ bids we cease trying and start following. We are to knock at mercy’s door and then enter. When we do He has promised to never leave nor forsake you. Jesus shed His Blood so that He could purchase you. Kill Shebna. Let Him have you all.

Christ Promises To Fasten You In A Sure Place

The person who is saved relies upon Christ and Christ alone. We are those who are continually …

Hebrews 12:2-3 (ESV) looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

What has God said of the one He saved, of Eliakim? He says:

Isaiah 22:23-24 (KJV)  And I WILL fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.  [24]  And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.

The one who entrusts his life to God is fastened as a nail in a sure place. The hands that made the Heavens and earth embrace you. God sustains those whom He saves. God ensures the future of His Beloved. Yes, a madman – a sad, misplaced and confused Shebna – came into a Church with a semi-automatic rifle. He killed many saints, many children, a few babies. Then this man died, going into an eternity without God and without hope. But Beloved, every person who died by his evil act did not die. Those who were nails hung by the hand of God were in a sure place. Though attacked and killed for their faith, the first century Christian did not despair. Believers in the first century Church knew that their faith could lead to their deaths. The Apostle Paul as he headed toward a sure Roman execution said:

Philippians 1:18-21 (ESV) What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

The nail driven in the sure place by God’s hand will endure. The life that ends here in eternity’s grasp will never end, for God has promised it. My dependance is on Christ and Christ alone. The dependance of Christ’s Church is on Christ and Christ alone. When I sin my hope is not on my penance, but on returning to Christ and Christ alone. And if I have wandered as a Prodigal Son away from the Father, my only hope for restoration is to return to Him and Him alone.

There is no other hope but Christ. There is no other salvation but the Old Rugged Cross. There is no Heaven without the Body and the Blood of Christ. Spurgeon wrote:

I’ll go to Jesus though my sins,
Have like a mountain rose!
I know His courts I’ll enter in,
Whatever may oppose.
Prostrate I lie before His Throne,
And there my sin confess.

{and I write}

I am but a wretch undone,
Without Him my life a mess!

{Hymnal}

All to Jesus, I surrender,
All to Him I freely give.
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live!

Is your nail in a sure place? Is your life in his hand? May God lead you to Christ this very day to save you and glorify His Name.

Posted in Blood of Atonement, Cross of Christ, Isaiah, preaching the Gospel, pride, salvation, Sermons Preached, sin | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Those Who Are Asleep

Posted on November 19, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

Audio of Sermon: 

1 Corinthians 15:1-6 (KJV)  Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;  [2]  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  [3]  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  [4]  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:  [5]  And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:  [6]  After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

restAs a Church, a group of believers in Jesus Christ, we come together every Sunday and Wednesday to worship God. We sing. We pray. But most of all we focus on a Book called The Holy Bible.

We do not focus on the Muslim Quran
or the Buddhist Tipitaka
or the Hindu’s four Vedas
nor on the Mormon Book of Moroni.

We do not care what the Jehovah Witness Watchtower has to say, nor are we interested in the musings of confused meanderings of the Shepherd’s Chapel, or any of the other thousands of pseudo religious cults.

We are not focused on politics
or political correctness.

We are not here to please the world,
But we are focused on pleasing God,
So we turn to His Bible.

What makes the Bible different? What makes it special?
It is Jesus Christ.
It is the fact that the Bible alone contains the Gospel of Christ.
Our Bible was written by people who no longer walk this planet.
This Bible is the writings of people who are no longer with us.
People who saw Jesus crucified.
People who took His broken and dead body down from the Cross.
People who saw Jesus buried.
People who saw Jesus rise from death, like a person rises from sleep in the morning.
These people heard Jesus proclaim that He gives eternal life.
Then these people saw Him rise from death.
He walked and talked among us for forty days and nights.
People saw the nail scars, the empty tomb.
Many of these people died martyr’s deaths because of what they saw.
But would not deny Jesus.
Of all the man-made religious writings in the world, the Bible alone contains Christ.
It speaks of His Gospel. His “Good News”.
Paul Is Headed Toward Sure Death But Is Unafraid

The Apostle Paul was imprisoned, headed to Rome and toward a sure death when he was to be brought before Caesar. Paul knew that he was headed toward death. He knew that the King of Rome would remove his head for daring to stand up and preach about Christ. And yet the Apostle was not ashamed and not afraid. He said:

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

The Apostle talked to resurrected Christ. He heard the Gospel from Christ’s own lips. He knew that the world would not like the Gospel of Jesus. The world loves the idea of eternal life, but hates the idea of obedience to God. Jesus Christ is a stumbling stone to the unbeliever, but a solid Rock on which every Christian is saved.

Romans 9:33 (KJV)  As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling-stone and rock of offense: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

The Gospel is what this Bible preaches from cover to cover.
The Apostle was unafraid of death because of this glorious Gospel. He said:

1 Corinthians 15:1-2 (KJV)  Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;  [2]  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

In order to be saved, you must receive the Gospel.
In order to be saved, you must stand in the Gospel.
In order to be saved, you must keep the Gospel in your memory.
Receiving the Gospel is not just a few seconds of your life and a faint sinners prayer.
Receiving the Gospel is not a mere walking the aisle and
shaking the preacher’s hand.
Receiving the Gospel is not just Church membership.
Receiving the Gospel means to grasp it with all your heart.

To grab it, as a drowning person might grab a life preserver. To hold on to it. Once you receive the Gospel, you stand in the Gospel, you keep it in memory, you believe and follow Christ.

What Exactly Is The Gospel?

1 Corinthians 15:3 (KJV) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 

The Gospel is passed down from generation to generation. It is not to be changed. The Apostle says:

I delivered unto you first of all that which I ALSO RECEIVED

Paul was saved by the Gospel. Who told him the Gospel? Jesus Christ Himself shared the Gospel to Paul when he was on the Damascus Road. Christ is the Gospel. He is the Messiah, God in the flesh Who came to save us. Many people today pass on a false Gospel because they have never been told the true Gospel. We are to pass the Gospel on. Paul passed the Gospel on as it was given to him. Too often we hear the Gospel, but hear a perverted Gospel. Preachers too often preach a perverted Gospel, a Gospel that has their own additions to it. What is the beginning of the Gospel?

Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures

Jesus Christ died for our sins. It is He and He alone Who made payment to God for our sins. Sin causes us to be separated from God. The Scriptures declare of God …

“..You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; no evil dwells with You” (Psalm 5:4).

God is holy, without sin, without evil. The world will have you believe that God has no standards, that He loves you no matter how or when you sin. Beloved, sinners are separated from God. God said:

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2)

God made us to walk and talk with Him, to love Him as He loves us, but sin makes us love only ourselves. Sin puts us in the fore front. Sin makes us self focused rather than God focused. And being self focused we are not happy. We are miserable. This year at Christmas people will run around seeking to buy happiness, to find joy in stuff and self pleasure. There is no joy in this.

Joy is in love.
Joy is in sharing.
Joy is in giving.
And Christ gave everything.
Jesus Christ died for our sins.

He did this not coincidentally, but according to the Scriptures. The Bible tells us from the very beginning, from the Fall of man from God in rebellion, that God would one day send a Redeemer Who would love us enough to pay for our sins. Hear this my little poem:

Jesus took my punishment.
Jesus took my pain.
Jesus died for me and you,
And He would do it all again!
Oh what love our Savior has,
For every Child of Sin.
He calls us to His bleeding side,
To receive Him and enter in.
Eternal life is where God is,
And death is where God ain’t.
Come to Christ Who loves you so,
And He will make you into a Saint!

If you believe that you are not a broken sinner Christ cannot save you. If you do not see yourself as hopelessly lost, adrift in a sea of sin, in desperate need of Christ, then He cannot save you. Christ was asked once “why do You spend time with these sinners?” Our blessed Savior said:

Mark 2:17 (NLT) “Healthy people don’t need a doctor–sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Jesus Christ died for our sins.

1 Corinthians 15:4 (KJV) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:  

The Gospel tells us that Christ died for our sins. Is this a metaphor? No, but the Apostle says:

And that he was buried

You don’t bury a living person. Jesus was dead. The Bible tells us:

John 19:30-37 (KJV)  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.  [31]  The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.  [32]  Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.  [33]  But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:  [34]  But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.  [35]  And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.  [36]  For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.  [37]  And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

The last thing Jesus tasted on this earth was not cool water. They couldn’t even allow Him a moment of pleasure …. but receiving the vinegar, He said “it is finished”, and bowed His head, and gave up the ghost. That is an old time way of saying Jesus died. He relinquished His life. Few noticed His death, but the religious crowd noticed that the sun was setting, and the next day was a special Sabbath. So the religious crowd demanded that those on the Cross be tortured further so that they might remove from the Cross.

Religion goes to the state and says “Let’s break the legs of those on the Cross so we don’t mar one of our holy days.” Religion makes nothing better, but often intensifies suffering in order to look good. A sinner cannot make themselves right with God. Christ died for our sins. There is no other resolution.

So now they come along, and in the name of God (forgive us, Lord) they break legs.
I have seen people break legs in business meetings (forgive us, Lord)
I have seen so called deacons break legs in the name of God (forgive us, Lord).
I have seen so called preachers break legs in the name of God (forgive us, Lord).

Much of the evil in the midst of many so called churches today is based on religion, not on Christ nor His Gospel. And as they come to break Christ’s legs they found Him dead. To prove His death, a soldier pierced His side with a spear, and out ran blood and water. Jesus Christ was dead. His Blood had begun to separate, proof of death. These things were done according to the Scriptures, according to this Bible, which prophesied that He would be pierced, and not a bone of His body would be broken.

Jesus died.
Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb.

1 Corinthians 15:4 (KJV) and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures

And Jesus rose again. Death could not hold Him. Jesus said before He died:

Matthew 12:40 (KJV)   For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jesus died. He was buried. For three days and three nights He was sealed in a blocked and guarded tomb. Jesus knew that this would happen. The Lord’s Table was Jesus’ declaration of what He would do for us. “Take, eat, this is My body broken for you. Take, drink, this is My blood of the New Covenant, shed for you.” The Gospel is that Jesus would die. But the Gospel is also that Jesus would live.

Jesus would die on the Cross, brutally tortured, brutally killed. He would be handled, embalmed according to the standards of that day. Jesus would be sealed in a tomb, and guards placed about it. Had He been alive when placed in that tomb He would have been dead after three days from lack of oxygen. Jesus was dead. Then He rose from the sleep of death.

Jesus is alive! He lives! He reigns over His people.

Are You Sleeping … Or Will You Sleep?

1 Corinthians 15:5-6 (KJV) And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:  [6]  After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

When Paul wrote this text he was still walking this earth. So was Cephas or Peter, and so were most of five hundred brethren who saw Jesus … but some are FALLEN ASLEEP.

That is an interesting metaphor – falling asleep. The Christian doesn’t die. Christ has given the Christian eternal life. Jesus has said:

John 12:26 (ESV) If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

And

John 11:26 (ESV) … everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Christians do not die. Those who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, believing He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again NEVER DIE. Our bodies stop functioning, but Christians SLEEP. Our bodies SLEEP, whereas our souls go to be with Jesus.

The world SLEEPS. It sleeps in sin, believing it will never die.
The unbeliever SLEEPS. He drowses in life, believing death will never come.
The sinner SLEEPS.
Some Churches SLEEP.

Romans 13:11-14 (NLT) This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. 13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

A gunman enters a Texas Church. The news reports that 26 people were killed. The atheist and agnostic find this to be an opportunity to mock and question God. Where was God during this event? God was there. He was there when Paul was martyred, and Peter was nailed to a Cross, and the early Christians were stripped naked and killed by wild beasts in the Roman Coliseum. But these believers did not die. They slept. Their bodies slept. Those killed by earthly standards sleep in the dust of the ground, but their souls are with Jesus. As Paul declared,

2 Corinthians 5:8 (KJV) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

The world can make our bodies “sleep” but it cannot kill us. Christ has promised us life. Do you know Him? Have you received Him?

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Tongues and Edification

Posted on November 16, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

1_Corinthians_14_Tongues_And_Edification1 Corinthians 14:21-25 (KJV)  In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.  [22]  Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.  [23]  If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?  [24]  But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:  [25]  And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

Audio of Sermon: 

A careful reading on the Scripture is generally all that is necessary to clear up any confusion. So it is with the Gift of Tongues.

Several many years ago – back in the 60s in America – a group of Christians did not read the Scriptures and began to push speaking in tongues. A Wikipedia article notes that:

“The Azusa Street Revival was a historic revival meeting that took place in Los Angeles, California, and is the origin of the Pentecostal movement. It was led by William J. Seymour, an African American preacher. It began with a meeting on April 9, 1906, and continued until roughly 1915. The revival was characterized by spiritual experiences accompanied with testimonies of physical healing miracles, worship services and speaking in tongues. The participants were criticized by the secular media and Christian theologians for behaviors considered to be outrageous and unorthodox, especially at the time. Today, the revival is considered by historians to be the primary catalyst for the spread of Pentecostalism in the 20th century.”

An entire denomination of Christianity believes that you are not baptized in the Holy Spirit unless you speak in tongues. They did not carefully read what the Apostle wrote. Hear his Words:

Tongues are FOR A SIGN,

NOT to them THAT BELIEVE,

BUT to THEM THAT BELIEVE NOT (vs 22)

We use “signs” every day. If you had never been to my house I give you specific instructions on what street to turn on, and how to notice 308 Evergreen when you go there. But once you come to my home a few times you no longer need the signs. I no longer need the signs. I’ve been there. I live there I can get home several ways, and at no point do I need the signs.

Tongues Are A Sign For Unbelievers, Not For Believers

You can disagree with this if you want, but this is what the Apostle states. If you are a Christian – saved by the glorious Grace of Christ and the Indwelling Spirit – you do not need the Gift of Tongues to affirm your salvation. Read it again with me.

1 Corinthians 14:22 (KJV) Wherefore tongues are for a sign, NOT TO THEM THAT BELIEVE, BUT TO THEM THAT BELIEVE NOT: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.

Tongues were given as an evangelistic tool to share the Gospel with the lost. Prophesying or Preaching – the sharing forth of God’s Word – was given to those who believe. Though Jesus could have spoken in tongues – for He is the God Who created the many languages of the Tower of Babel …

Jesus never spoke in tongues throughout His entire earthly ministry
Jesus never spoke in tongues throughout His entire earthly ministry
Jesus never spoke in tongues throughout His entire earthly ministry

Jesus spoke in Koine Greek (the language of the people) and Aramaic (the language of the Jews). How do we know this? Because Jesus’ words are recorded in the New Testament in Koine Greek and Aramaic.

Jesus spoke to be understood. God gave us our tongues so we can communicate, so we can speak to one another. Jesus shared the Gospel – prophesying – preaching – calling people to follow Him. Jesus often spoke in parables not to make things easier understood, but to shut off deeper Biblical truth to those who were unsaved. A person must understand the GOSPEL before a person goes into the deeper truths of God.

Matthew 13:10-13 (NKJV) And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

The unbeliever cannot understand the deeper truths of God until they have been saved. It is for this reason I do not preach messages like the one tonight on a Sunday morning. Sunday mornings we have a higher likelihood of having unbelievers in our midst. They need to hear the Gospel, and it doesn’t hurt us either.

Tongues Were Prophesied As
A Sign To Unbelieving Israel

Tongues were given as a sign to fulfill the prophesy of Scripture. The Apostle says …

1 Corinthians 14:21 IN THE LAW it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.

This is a quotation of …

Isaiah 28:11-12 (NKJV) For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, 12 To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear.

Christ came to Israel FIRST. He came to save His Old Testament people FIRST. God called Israel to salvation. God sent the Messiah to Israel first. Yet Israel rejected Christ.

John 1:10-13 (NKJV) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Christ came to the Jews first.
Though many Jews received Christ as Savior,
Israel as a nation rejected Christ, and rejects Him today.

Fifty (50) days after His resurrection on the Jewish Fourth of July called The Day of Pentecost the Apostles along with 113 others were gathered in an upper room praying. The power of God descended, and those in the upper room went out speaking in many different tongues. The unbelievers in that festival at first thought these people were speaking from drunkenness. Peter replied:

Acts 2:14-21 (NKJV) … Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: (quoting Joel 2:28-32) 17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’

Tongues were a sign for not believers but UNBELIEVERS. Tongues go the attention of the unbeliever. The unbeliever heard the Gospel in their own language. Through the gift of tongues the Gospel was shared on Pentecost, and on that day 3000 came into the Church not by roll but by faith in Christ.

The Tongues that were effective to save souls on the day of Pentecost were effective because the unbeliever understood what was being said. On the Day of Pentecost people from many different countries and in many different languages heard the proclamation of Christ.

Uninterpreted Tongues Serves
No Purpose But Confusion

What happens if an unbeliever comes to the assembly of the Church and many people are speaking many tongues that the unbeliever does not understand? The Apostle says:

1 Corinthians 14:23 (KJV) If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? 

To come together and speak a Word that people do not understand does not bless the unbeliever, but drives them away. They leave the assembly saying “These people are mad, or drunk with wine” as some purported on the Day of Pentecost. But then the Apostle says:

1 Corinthians 14:24-25 (KJV) But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:  [25]  And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

But if everyone prophesies – shares the clear Word of God so that all can understand -the unbeliever or unlearned can hear what is being said. The speaking of unknown tongues is not a blessing to the Body of Christ. None are saved where the Gospel is not clearly presented and the Word of God is not clearly expounded.

There must be clarity in what we say. We must be clear, and give a clear report of what God has given us, if the world will have a chance of being saved. The Apostle chastises the Corinthians, saying:

1 Corinthians 14:26 (KJV)  How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

Everything that is done in a Church is to be done unto edifying. Everything! That word “edify” is the Greek οἰκοδομή oikodomē which means “to build up or promote spiritual growth in the body”. Everything that is done in God’s Church should be upbuilding, nourishing.

To come together just to speak in tongues builds up no one. To come together to share the love of God and to witness of the glorious Gospel of Christ builds up everyone. Paul goes on to say:

1 Corinthians 14:27-31 (KJV)  If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.  [28]  But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.  [29]  Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.  [30]  If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.  [31]  For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.

Every person is to work together in every way possible to aid in the Word of God going forth in an orderly and well understood manner.

If there’s a screaming baby, don’t just stare – BE THE CHURCH.
If there’s a ringing phone, don’t just stare – BE THE CHURCH.
If there’s a flying wasp, don’t just stare – BE THE CHURCH.
Listen. Learn. Grow. Share.
Work together to be a blessing by sharing the Word.

Paul did not forbid speaking in tongues or prophesying in the Church. But if there was no one who could interpret – convert into the understood language of the audience – then the Apostle said “let him keep silence in the Church”.

Without the interpreter present the person so gifted with Tongues was supposed to speak to himself and to God. He was to keep silence in the Church. Why? Because the uninterpreted tongue blesses no one.

And even in prophesy or preaching, teaching, witnessing not everyone was to go at the same time. The Apostle said let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge (listen). What is the point of this?

Can you imagine during the Worship Service I’m preaching, and dear Ruby jumps up and faces the audience. Interrupting what I’m saying she says “and that’s what our Sunday School lesson is going to be on today.” Then Ruby takes off, and starts teaching her Sunday School lesson.

As she gets into her lesson Jimmy jumps up and begins to share what he has for Sunday School. Now he’s trying to over-speak Ruby.

Then Beth Kirby stands up and starts putting her lesson before the Church. If someone were to walk in as a guest it would not be understandable, but confusion.

God does not want His Church confused, but comforted, blessed by the Word of God. All of you who are so gifted are to speak the Word one by one, that all may learn and all may be comforted.

The intent of the Spiritual Gift is never to confuse nor harm, but to build up. This is one of my favorite texts of Scripure, on I wish you all would take to heart:

1 Corinthians 14:32-33 (KJV)  And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.  [33]  For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

A Spiritual gift is operated in union with God. The spirits of the prophets are subject to the Prophets. God gives us Spiritual gifts, but we control their use. I control my gift every week. If I didn’t, you would get out of Church Assembly for several hours. I try to monitor my time, and do God’s will within the allotted amount of time we have scheduled. When you are restless and fidgety I know it’s time to close.

And it’s about that time … because we have a Business Meeting to attend to. May God bless your hearts with His Word!

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Mike Buffaloe preaching at Crosspointe Sunday November 12 2017 – Giving

Posted on November 14, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

IMG_3270

Audio of Sermon: 

A powerful sermon that every Church and every Christian needs to hear. We live in prosperity in America. Let’s live for Jesus!

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Love! Love! Love!

Posted on November 14, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

1_Corinthians_13_1t13_LOVE_Riverview_BIBLENOTES

Audio of Sermon: 

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (KJV)  Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.  [2]  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.  [3]  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

When we hear the word “Charity” we think of giving to someone in need. The word translated “Charity” in our text today is the Greek word AGAPE, which should be translated not so much “Charity” as “Love”. Our New Testament was originally written in Koine Greek, and the ancient Greeks recognized four types of Love.

  1. There Is φιλέω Phileō Or Companiable Love. This is not the highest form of love, but a love based on affection or feeling, a fondness of, a liking. You can see how this love is by reading it in context. For instance, Jesus said:

Matthew 6:5 (NKJV) And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they LOVE {φιλέω Phileō} to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

Matthew 10:37 (NKJV) He who LOVES {φιλέω Phileō} father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who LOVES {φιλέω Phileō} son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

Luke 20:46 (NKJV) Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, LOVE {φιλέω Phileō} greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts,

Phileō is based on feelings, friendship. People bond together because of Phileō, the forge unions because of Phileō, but Phileō is an ever changing love based on how you feel at the moment. People fall into Phileō and fall out of Phileō. It is a very weak form of love.

  1. There is Στοργή (Storgē) or Natural Affection or Obligation. This is the kind of love that is found between parent and child because of their genetic or spiritual bonding. The word is compounded with Phileō in ..

Romans 12:10 (NKJV) Be KINDLY AFFECTIONATE {φιλόστοργος philoSTORGOS} to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

To show that Christians – all born into God’s family by the Grace of God – should show family love to one another. We are supernaturally brothers and sisters in Christ. My own brothers and sisters are related to me by blood. We have Στοργή (Storgē) for one another.

  1. There is Εροσ (Eros) Or Sexual Love. This type of love is king in America today. It says “I love you because you satisfy me sexually and make me happy”. What does God think of this type of temporal love? Though it was a word known to the ancient Greeks, the word Εροσ (Eros) is not used in the New Testament at all. What we in America so highly prize, God distains as the least of all loves.
  1. Then There Is Ἀγάπη Or Ἀγαπάω (Agapē Or Agapaō), God’s Standard Of Love. Agapē is the word translated “Charity” in our text today. It is God’s love. When the Bible says:

1 John 4:8 (NKJV) He who does not LOVE does not know God, for God is LOVE.

It is not saying that God is EROS or God is STORGĒ or even God is PHILEŌ. The love that God has is not sexual, familial, or even companiable. God is Agapē. Divine love is in no way selfish or self centered, self pleasing. It is a type of love that does good even when bad is done to it. It is a type of love that suffers for the good of others.

As creatures created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) we were designed to best operate from AGAPE, the love of God. Though we love in other ways we do not profit personally nor as a people unless AGAPE in what we operate by.

1 Corinthians 13:1 (KJV)  Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not AGAPE, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

In 1 Corinthians 12 the Apostle spoke of Spiritual Gifts in the Church, and noted how these gifts are actually manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle told us that the Gifts are given to profit the WHOLE CHURCH. Now the Apostle tells us if the gift in operation does not come from AGAPE, God’s love, then that gift itself is just NOISE. Let me put it this way. If you sing a special song for the Church but are doing so for the applause of man (PHILEO) then it is PROFITLESS to either you, or to those who heard you. If you preach a sermon to gain a smile of approval, or to please a parent (STORGE), then what you preached is no more than noise.

AGAPE is for God, from God, to God, and because of God.
AGAPE glorifies God.

1 Corinthians 13:2 (KJV)And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not AGAPE, I am nothing.

Without AGAPE, the love of God that God gives, no matter how spectacular the gift you may display, it is as if there was nothing. AGAPE is what gives the gift power. AGAPE is like salt on a bland food. Without salt it is all as the tasteless white of an egg.

1 Corinthians 13:3 (KJV) And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

I can give it all and leave it all on the table, but without AGAPE there is no profit to me or to others. Anything we do that has self as the motivator is useless. We gain no reward from God for our acts if they are not AGAPE, from the Love of God.

What Does AGAPE Look Like?

This past Tuesday, October 31st of 2017 a misguided Muslim rented a Home Depot van. He drove down the Hudson River Park bike path and ran over 23 people, killing 8 and injuring 15. As he did so he shouted “Allahu Akhbar”—“God is Great” in Arabic. His action was useless. The love He showed did not come from God, but from a demon and a demon possessed heart. The love of God – AGAPE – changes things. Nothing is changed by hatred and hateful acts, nor by love of self or a deluded religion.

What does the Love of God look like?

1 Corinthians 13:4 (KJV) AGAPE suffereth long, and is kind; AGAPE envieth not; AGAPE vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

The love of God is long suffering, patient, kind. The love of God does not envy nor become green eyed over what someone else has. And the love of God is not puffed up, arrogant, or prideful. The Bible says of God that …

Psalm 86:15 (NKJV) But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

God is longsuffering, patient, and kind. The love that comes from God does not seek to destroy an enemy but does good to those who do badly. God tells us to show love even to our enemies. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:43-48 (NKJV) “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall LOVE {ἀγαπάω agapaō} your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, LOVE {ἀγαπάω agapaō} your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you LOVE {ἀγαπάω agapaō} those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

The lost soul and the pretender of religion twists AGAPE, God’s Love. But those who are the Children of God show AGAPE – Divine Love – to our enemies. We do good to those who do bad to us. We pray for those who despitefully use us. We emulate our God Who blesses both good and evil with sun and rain. And God rewards us for doing good even when others do bad to us. He rewards us with blessings, better health, and a crown that fades not away, reserved in Heaven for us (1 Peter 5:4).

How can we do this? When someone beheads a Christian with a dull knife, or rapes a child, or backbites us and smears our reputation, how can we show AGAPE to these MONSTERS? The truth is, they are not monsters. Every human was created in the image of God for more. Every human is precious. How do I know? Because Jesus Christ …

1 John 2:2 (NKJV) … is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but ALSO FOR THE WHOLE WORLD.

1 John 4:9-10 (NKJV) In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son INTO THE WORLD, THAT WE MIGHT LIVE THROUGH HIM. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

John 3:16 (NKJV) For GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God sent the Christ into the world to save the world, because every human is precious. So God does good to those who do bad. God sends His Sun on the good and the bad, and offers His Son to all. We must not dehumanize the sinner, but always remember that the sinner that is unsaved is bound by chains of darkness to the devil and his lost world. Christ’s Gospel is for every person who will receive it.

1 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV)  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

AGAPE or God’s Love “does not behave itself UNSEEMLY”. It shows respect to others, and does not conduct itself in a rude or mean way. God’s Love is always Godward. It “seeketh not her own”. It is not in it for itself. Today people ask the question:

“What’s in it for ME?”

AGAPE or the Love that God expects of His Children doesn’t ask this question. The greatest illustration of Love as God wants us to live it is in Jesus Christ. We read:

Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (6) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Love does not seek itself, it is not selfish but is willing to give up all in order to better its object. Jesus is very God of very God, yet He humbled Himself and took up the Cross of shame. In so doing He purchased salvation for each and every one of us who believe.

Love kneels and serves as Jesus served. In the ancient world of Christ only a slave washed another person’s feet. One day Jesus knelt and washed His disciple’s feet. He told them:

John 13:13-15 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for [so] I am. (14) If I then, [your] Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. (15) For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

Love is not easily provoked. It does not wear a chip on its shoulder. As Jesus hung suffering on the Cross He said:

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do
Luke 23:34

Jesus tells us that when offended we are to …

Matthew 5:39-41 (NKJV) But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

Love is patient with those in darkness. Love does not think evil. It does not spend its nights dreaming of harming those who harmed you, of being hateful.

1 Corinthians 13:6 (KJV)  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

When you were a little child your momma would come in the room and put a thermometer in your mouth. You’d want to talk but momma would say, “Now hush! Keep this under your tongue until I tell you.” You’d sit for what seemed an eternity until momma came back and, pulling the thermometer out, she’d hold it up to the light and look. Momma was looking to see if the mercury – the colored stuff in that glass tube – was lined up with 98.6 degrees. If it was you were fine. Your temperature was normal, and you could resume your life as a kid. You could go back to school (yuk) or go outside and play. That thermometer governed what you did with your life. So it is with love. If you’re where you need to be with God, if your temperature is fine, then love will show in your life. You will be willing to work for God through His Church, just as He has commanded you to do. You will follow your design, not your own whims, knowing that your cooperation with with God and others will be instrumental in winning others to Christ.

The love that God would have us have does not secretly chuckle when our enemy falls. It does not dance on that poor person’s grave. But love does love the TRUTH. It loves the Word of God, because the Word of God is the blessing of God on His people. The Apostle says that Agape …

1 Corinthians 13:7 (KJV)  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Agape looks up, not down. It looks Godward, not fleshward.

And because of this Love – God’s Love – endures. Everything we have now will pass away or cease to be. There will be a day in Heaven when we have no more Bible, for on that day we will stand before the Living Word of God.

1 Corinthians 13:8, 13 (KJV) AGAPE never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. …. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, AGAPE, these three; but the greatest of these is AGAPE.

An ancient preacher named Jerome said:

“The church of Christ has been founded by shedding its own blood, not that of others; by enduring outrage, not by inflicting it.”

Our world desperately needs to see Christian love. They will never see that Love unless they see it through you. The success of the local Church is found on its ability to love like Jesus – no matter what may come. I encourage and exhort you to this type of True Love.

This is what Christ wants for His Church.

Posted in 1 Corinthians, Church, Cross of Christ, Faithfulness of God, Following Disciples, Love One Another, Men and Women, obedience, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , | Leave a comment