Our dear friend and servant-leader Terry Oliver went to be with Jesus today. We will miss him. Though we know he is with Jesus, we will miss his sweet spirit and wonderful heart to serve. Our evening service today was dedicated to remembering Terry.
He leaves a big gap in our Church family, but I know he is at peace today. Oh, how I love Jesus!
Audio of Service:
Audio of 8:30 am Sermon:
Audio of 11 am Sermon:
Isaiah 11:1-5 (KJV) And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: [2] And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; [3] And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: [4] But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. [5] And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
June of 2016 A heavily armed gunman who had reportedly pledged allegiance to Islamic State stormed into a packed gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. It was early on a Sunday morning. He began rapidly firing into the crowd, killing 49 people and wounding 53 in the then “worst mass shooting in U.S. history”. The talking heads cry out, wondering what could cause this, and how to solve it.
October of 2017 a madman stashes guns at a Las Vegas motel, and on a Sunday evening from the 32nd floor of that place begins to fire. When he is finished he would kill 58 people, and wound 527 more before he was killed. This is the new “worst mass shooting in U.S. history”. Once more the political parties war over what causes such tragedy.
Colleges and universities are meant to be places of learning and growth. Recently students at Louisiana State University text one another about a “Bible Study” that is going to be held at a fraternity. Coming together for the so called “Study” where there was no Bible they begin drinking until one young man dies from alcohol poisoning. University officials wring their hands and wonder what caused such a travesty.
I find it interesting – and tragic – that the two “worst mass shootings in U.S. history” all occur on a Sunday, a day set aside to recognize the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Coincidence? Maybe, but I don’t think so. Not too long ago a Muslim wearing a ski mask carried a gun into a Nashville Church, killing one and wounding eight. This happened on a Sunday. People wring their hands during every tragedy that happens. Politicians point, blaming guns, and calling for greater government regulation. Human government cannot fix what ails us. You could take away every gun from every person worldwide and there would still be killing. The first murder recorded was between the brothers Cain and Abel, and they had no guns. Ancient wars like those of the Mongolian and Roman Empires claimed millions of lives with spears, swords, and arrows. The solution we need is not more human government.
We all need to submit our hearts to Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 11 begins with the picture of a cut down tree, a tree whose stump is all that is left.
Isaiah 11:1 (KJV) And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
A “Branch” doesn’t normally grow out of the roots of a tree, but grows out of it’s trunk.
Common sense tells us this. When you see a Branch from a tree, it comes from the trunk, and the trunk is attached to the Branch. The Branch has life in it. In a trunk only the outermost ring of that trunk has life in it, just a few centimeters. This is what we normally have seen. God speaks of a Branch coming from the roots of the tree. There are some trees, like the Oak, that if cut down will still continue to grow from the stump. I have seen trees cut down and, if the stump were not removed, a Branch would grow out of that stump, and the Branch would eventually become a tree. This is the picture the Lord gives us of Israel. Israel had drawn away from God. Judah – the House of Jesse – was supposed to rule Israel under the leadership of the Lord. But the nation departed from God because the leaders of that nation departed from God.
As goes the Head, so goes the Body.
Israel was fallen. It had fallen to sin, just as America has fallen to sin today.
Our marriages are in disarray because sin rules.
Our families are mangled because sin rules.
Our communities are in disarray because sin rules.
It’s Sunday, but many are in Casinos, at Country Music Festivals, on the Lake fishing.
God is not in their hearts, nor do they worship His rule.
Satan swings an ax on the trunk of the tree of America,
slowly chopping it down with evil while clueless people suggest useless remedies.
We need the Lord.
God gives us Bible prophecy not to just interest us, but to tell us the good that can come if we cling to Him. God tells Judah – the House of Jesse – that there are better days coming. It is in our passage today that God foretells the Coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the …
ROD out of the stem of Jesse
The ROD is symbolic of the governing power of the Savior.
Jesus Christ came to this world to save Sinners. How does Jesus save a sinner? Jesus first of all is the Good Shepherd Who lays His life down for the Sheep. This is what Jesus said.
John 10:11 (NIV) I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
The God Shepherd doesn’t lay His life down for the dogs, nor for the pigs, or even the goats. He lays His life down for the SHEEP. The Shepherd puts Himself between the sheep and danger. The Shepherd carries a ROD, a weapon by which He strikes the evil and punishes the bad. When King David saw Jesus Christ he said:
Psalms 23:1-4 (KJV) … The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. [2] He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. [3] He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. [4] Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
The Shepherd Jesus Christ carries both a ROD and a STAFF.
With the STAFF He reaches out and draws His sheep to safety and sustenance. With His ROD He punishes the wolf, destroys the viper, and prods the foolish wandering sheep. The Shepherd rules His sheep. “He MAKETH ME to lie down in green pastures”. The sheep follow the Shepherd.
John 10:27 (CSB) My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.
I was talking to a professing Christian the other day who told me that she loved Jesus, but would not do what He said. Her feelings were hurt, so she quit the Church rather than obey Jesus and go to the one who hurt her (see Matthew 18). She hops from Church to Church like a movable locust plague, absorbing resources but never being a real part.
This lady may PROFESS Christ, but she is not POSSESSED of Christ.
Jesus said My sheep HEAR My voice
I know them
They follow Me
Christ is the ROD out of the stem of Jesse.
He is the Ruler of His people,
the Shepherd of the sheep,
the Light in our days,
the Love of our lives.
We love Him for He laid His life down for us, and lays His life down even now. Christ died for me on Calvary, standing between me and the wrath of Almighty God:
1 John 3:16 (ESV) By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us …
1 John 4:9-12 (ESV) … In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
Jesus Christ laid His life down for us. He bore our sins on Calvary’s Tree. The Rod from the stem of Jesse and the Branch from the roots bound Himself to the Tree of Calvary. My sins were poured out on Him and judged. My failures were placed on Him. He died because of my wrongs. He rose again, show us all that His payment was received of God.
Isaiah 11:1 (KJV) And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
The Branch grew out of the roots, the stump of Judah. Everyone looked at the stump and thought it was dead, but Christ rose from the dead. He lays His life down for us even now. Having saved us by Calvary, He keeps on saving us as our Shepherd. Christ watches over us. Christ guards our souls. Christ makes intercession for us.
Romans 8:31-35 (ESV) What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Hebrews 7:25 (KJV) Wherefore {Jesus} is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
The Branch is a symbol of life from death. Jesus said:
John 10:28 (CSB) I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.
Christ lives, and we that love and follow Him live. Oh Beloved, if your life is a mess, if you feel like a stump, hopeless and without ability to move forward, come to Christ. He will bring life out of death, light out of darkness, good out of evil, and blessing from cursing. Jesus is able!
Isaiah 11:2 (KJV) … And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
The Spirit of the LORD, the Eternal God, rests on Christ. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, the Almighty I AM become Man. He is no mere prophet or teacher, but is Immanuel, God with us. Those who follow Christ and hear His Word will find wisdom and understanding, good counsel and might, knowledge and a healthy fear of the LORD. The reason our nation is staggering is because we have “In God We Trust” on our money but no God in our hearts. We run to educated politicians to find solutions for what is ailing us. What we need to do is run to Jesus. He will not lead us astray. Jesus trusted is sin busted. Jesus came preaching the Kingdom of God, and invited all who would come into His Kingdom.
Jesus is the best King, the Great Shepherd. Led by God and in union with God – for He is God among us – He always leads us in the right direction.
Isaiah 11:3-4 (KJV) … he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: [4] But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
There is coming a day when Jesus will judge the earth, and rule over all creation. The Bible speaks of a Millennial Reign of Christ where He shall rule mankind, a thousand years of peace and prosperity. No earthly kingdom has ever brought peace and prosperity, because every earthly ruler has been plagued with sin in himself and in those around him. Other earthly rulers have judged “after the sight of their eyes” or after “the hearing of their ears”. Other earthly rulers pronounced judgments based on external or outward appearances. But Jesus will not judge this way.
Being God, Jesus judges the “thoughts and intents of the heart”.
1 Chronicles 28:9 (CSB) … the Lord searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will reject you forever.
When Jesus rules the poor are blessed, and the humble lifted up. Where Jesus rules His Word will punish the wicked, and bring peace to the world. Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Socialists, and Communists have all tried ruling mankind, yet each group has brought with it failure and harm. As human government grows, so grows corruption. But where Jesus rules there will be a unified peace.
Isaiah 11:5 (KJV) And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
Where Jesus reigns political correctness will not be the order of the day, but that which is right in the sight of the Father will be promoted. Human government demands that we become tolerant of everything regardless as to what God thinks. As a result our society is falling apart. And no wonder, for the wages of sin is always death (Romans 6:23). When we compromise with sin we invite the Grim Reaper in. But Christ shall reign in righteousness and faithfulness. The will of God will be the order of His Kingdom.
Isaiah 11:6-8 (KJV) The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. [7] And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. [8] And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.
During Christ’s future Millennial Reign the effects of sin will be diminished, even eradicated. Jesus ruling from Jerusalem will even effect the animal kingdom. The wolf which today looks for the young lamb as a tasty meal will lose its appetite for that weak critter. The wolf will not eat, but dwell with the lamb. The leopard that loves to prey on the young will lie down with the kid. The calf, the young lion, and the fat juicy young shall come together and a little child shall lead them. God in Christ will bring a worldwide peace. Every day we wake up and look in the newspaper or television and read of horrifying things that horrible people do to one another. But when Christ reigns the hearts of even the wildest beasts will be restrained. The cow and the bear will feed alongside of one another, the young ones of all types shall lie down together and rest. The lion shall not eat the weak, but will eat wheat. And the child yet on its mother’s breast will play in a sandbox where the deadliest snake rests and no harm shall come. The Lord says:
Isaiah 11:9 (KJV) They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
As the knowledge of the Lord increases, evil decreases. Where Jesus is and the knowledge of Him reigns sin diminishes. What is the solution the world desperately looks for. Will gun control fix things? No. Will more legislation fix things? No. Will a nanny government intruding into our every life fix things? No. What will fix things?
The knowledge of the Lord.
Salvation by faith in Christ.
Surrender to His Word and Will.
Christ reigning in the human heart.
The life in disarray is the life without Christ.
The marriage in a mess is the marriage without Christ.
The Church in confusion is the Church without Christ.
The community in the commode is the community without Christ.
The nation acting like a ninny is a nation without Christ.
We need Jesus. We need the Rod out of Jesse, the Branch from his stump.
Isaiah 11:10 (KJV) And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
Jesus Christ came to save all. He came for the Jew and the Gentile. He came for the male and the female. He came for the broken and the broken hearted. Jesus came for sinners like you and I. He came to save us, to rule us, to protect us, to make us stable and healthy and whole.
Jesus gave Himself for you.
Give yourselves to Jesus!
Audio of Sermon:
1 Corinthians 10:1-14 (KJV) Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; [2] And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; [3] And did all eat the same spiritual meat; [4] And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. [5] But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. [6] Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. [7] Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. [8] Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. [9] Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. [10] Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. [11] Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. [12] Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. [13] There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. [14] Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
Our God is faithful.
Tonight we’re going to look at what the Bible says about “trials” or “temptations”. We are told in Job:
Job 5:6-7 (KJV) Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; [7] Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
We live in a trying and a tried world. Affliction and pain is not something we inherit from the dust. When God made Adam in the Garden, He did not build into Adam affliction and trials. Adam was in a trial free Eden. But then Adam listened to the serpent rather than the Word of God. He heeded the hiss of the snake rather than the firm Word of the Savior. That was when evil came into the world.
vs 13 …There hath no temptation taken you but such as is COMMON to MAN
When we are tried, when bad things happen, when the storm comes into our lives we are tempted to think we are the only ones who have ever experienced such a thing. This is not true.
To believe that your trial is somehow special, that God is singling you out above all others, is a dangerous and destructive thing. No matter what you are going through your suffering is common to man. I don’t mean to diminish your pain, but this is what the Scripture teaches. Every temptation, every trial, every bad thing that comes your way is something that someone else has been through or is going through right now. The Prophet Moses said:
Psalms 90:10 (KJV) The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
We are born crying in this life for a reason. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote:
Ecclesiastes 5:15-17 (CSB) As he came from his mother’s womb, so he will go again, naked as he came; he will take nothing for his efforts that he can carry in his hands. 16 This too is a sickening tragedy: exactly as he comes, so he will go. What does the one gain who struggles for the wind? 17 What is more, he eats in darkness all his days, with much frustration, sickness, and anger.
We all suffer because we live in a fallen world. Every person has felt the pain we feel.
Have you gone through a bitter divorce, being betrayed by the one you loved?
So have others.
Have you lost a spouse, the love of your life to death?
So have others.
Have you battled alcohol or drug addiction, being afflicted yourself,
or suffered with a loved one?
Yes, others have gone through this too.
Have you been in a terrible accident, tearing your body apart?
Yes, others have suffered so.
Have you been betrayed by a trusted friend?
Did not Jesus have Judas?
Did not every one of His disciples deny Him?
Have you or a loved one been afflicted by disease, wasting away?
Yes, many have experienced the same thing.
I was at the hospital the other day ministering to a family going through a valley when a visitor came in. As we talked she mentioned she lost her son this year, a young man of only 25 years old. She was still grieving and missing him. I told her I still grieve and miss my young son who died at 17 years old. If you look around, you will find someone going through trials and temptations just as you are. Jesus told us His disciples:
John 16:33 (NIV) I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. IN THIS WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
In the world we live in you always have trouble, trials, tribulations. These things will come. Right after Jesus’ baptism the Bible tells us that:
Matthew 4:1 (CSB) Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
God the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness – a dry and parched land – to be tested by the Devil. Why did God do this? To show us that in this world the devil will test, but that Jesus is greater than any trial or temptation. Jesus was hungry when tested. He had fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. He was famished. His stomach was eating His backbone. And here comes the devil:
If You’re really the Son of God command these stones be made bread.
Go ahead, Jesus. I’m waiting.
What did Jesus do? He could have commanded the stones be made bread, fresh warm bread, and could have turned the grass into butter and honey. But Jesus didn’t listen to the whispers of the devil but instead heeded the Word of God. He looked upward rather than around. He didn’t use His abilities, but rested on God’s faithful word.
Man must not live on bread alone, but on every Word that comes from God’s Mouth!
Jesus trusted the faithfulness of God. He did not allow the darkness to control Him, but instead allowed the light of God to shine forth in truth.
Vs 13 … God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
No matter what the trial or temptation is you are going through, God is faithful. God is with His Children. God has proven that over and over again. Our chapter started with:
1 Corinthians 10:1 (KJV) Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
The “fathers” of our faith – the founders – all suffered terribly. God’s Israel suffered over 400 years in a pagan land called Egypt. Their children were killed. They suffered under the whip of the taskmasters, and were themselves slaves. But God is faithful. At the right time God moved, and caused Egypt to release Israel.
Our Fathers Were Under The Cloud …
When Israel came out of their trials, God led them out by a Pillar of Cloud by day and a Pillar of Fire by night (Exodus 13:21).
They out of their trials following God and His Word.
They listened to God and His Word.
They focused on God and His Word.
When Israel got the Red Sea and were unable to cross they cried out, not to God but against Moses.
Exodus 14:11-12 (CSB) Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt: Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.
They did not look up, but looked out and found fault with Moses, blaming God’s man. When trials come blaming someone for that trial does not help. Cursing Moses will not get Israel through the Red Sea. Being angry at others doesn’t fix the problem, dear One. No. But God is faithful! Moses looked upward, and told his people:
Exodus 14:13-14 (CSB) … Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation that he will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you must be quiet. …
Look up. Look up in the midst of the trial. God is faithful.
1 Corinthians 10:1-2 (KJV) …. all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; [2] And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
When Israel looked up, God parted the waters. When Israel trusted God, they ALL went through the sea. They ALL were BAPTIZED unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. What does that mean? It means they all went under the trial, they all looked up, and God took then through the trial. Not one Israelite was lost in the water. Not one little baby was left in the mud. The unbelievers were crushed, destroyed by the water, but God’s people were saved by the water. God is faithful. He is always faithful.
vs 13 …. God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it
I have heard people say:
God will not put more on you than you can bear.
That is a half truth. That’s really not what the Bible says. The Bible says “God will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, BUT WILL WITH THE TEMPTATION ALSO MAKE A WAY TO ESCAPE”. That’s the full promise. God watches you in trials and tribulations and ALWAYS provides an escape. What is that escape?
It is JESUS.
It is HIS PRESENCE.
Let’s look at the Fathers again. We read:
1 Corinthians 10:3-4 (KJV) {the fathers} … did all eat the same spiritual meat; [4] And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
Christ was with His people as they went through the wilderness. It was Christ Who provided spiritual meat and spiritual drink to Israel. As long as Israel looked upward our Lord blessed them. He gave them Manna to eat when there was no bread. He gave them Meat to eat when there was no meat. Christ was the Rock that brought forth water, satisfying the thirsty soul. When Israel came to a place where the water was too bitter to drink they grumbled, saying “What are we going to drink?”
Exodus 15:23-25 (CSB) They came to Marah, but they could not drink the water at Marah because it was bitter – that is why it was named Marah. The people grumbled to Moses, “What are we going to drink?” So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he threw it into the water, the water became drinkable. The Lord made a statute and ordinance for them at Marah, and he tested them there.
Moses tossed a Tree into the bitter waters of Marah, and the waters became sweet. What is our blessing in trials? It is Christ. It is that our Jesus loved us so much that He came to this earth. Born of a Virgin, He grew to manhood. He walked and talked amongst us. Then in the greatest show of love ever, Christ went to Calvary. The Bible declares:
1 Peter 2:21-25 (KJV) For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: [22] Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: [23] Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: [24] Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. [25] For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Jesus Christ allowed Himself to be nailed to the Tree. He died to pay for your sins and mine. The reason that we suffer death, disease, and the devil is because of sin in this terribly fallen world.
I was listening to the chorus of liberal newscasters once more talking about “the greatest mass shooting in American history”. Last Sunday night (October 1, 2017) a gunman killed 59 people and injured 527 people from a 32 floor window of the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Immediately the talking heads began their tired cries for gun control. Sadly, gun control isn’t the problem. People murdered one another long before there were guns. The first murder in the Bible – brother killing brother – did not have the smell of gun smoke to it.
The world has a heart problem.
It needs Jesus.
In the midst of every trial our escape is Jesus.
Colossians 2:13-14 (KJV) And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; [14] Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
What keeps my heart going in the trial and the temptation is that Jesus loves me and gave Himself for me. He blotted out my sins, and gives me a right relationship with God. I stand clean before my Lord, and He promises never to leave nor to forsake me.
Galatians 3:13-14 (KJV) Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: [14] That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Jesus Christ became a curse so that I might be blessed. In this world I will have trials, but my God in Christ has defeated this world. He watches over me, and you too. Oh how He loves us! When trials come we need to know that Jesus, like a Great Shepherd, watches over us. He said:
John 10:7-11 (KJV) Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. [8] All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. [9] I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. [10] The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. [11] I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Jesus is where our gaze should go in the trial. What caused an overwhelming trial in Israel? Israel fell under overwhelming trials! What caused that trial was a loss of focus on Christ. We read:
1 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV) But with many of them God was not well pleased: for THEY WERE OVERTHROWN IN THE WILDERNESS.
Can a trial come your way that is MORE THAN YOU CAN BEAR? Absolutely. If you take your eyes off of Jesus you can become overwhelmed, not because God is unfaithful, but because YOU are. When we take our eyes off of Jesus the trial becomes unbearable because of US. What are the things that people have done instead of looking upward?
1 Corinthians 10:6-11 (KJV) … we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. [7] Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. [8] Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. [9] Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. [10] Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. [11] Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and THEY ARE WRITTEN FOR OUR ADMONITION ….
The fathers who fell under temptation lusted after evil things. They did not “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33), but chased after things God told them not to chase.
The fathers who fell under temptation were idolators. They did not remember His Word that said “do not turn unto idols, nor make unto yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:4). When faith is placed in the wrong god, God will not bless it.
The fathers who fell under temptation committed fornication, sexual sin. There are many who profess Christ today who dishonor their bodies sleeping around rather than trusting God. They go from bed to bed, bringing trials into their own lives. Your body is not your own – you are bought with a price. Glorify God in your body, and your spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:20).
The fathers who fell under temptation tempted Christ. Jesus told the devil “You shall not tempt the Lord your God (Matthew 4:7). To tempt God is to do what He has forbidden, or to not do what He has commanded.
The fathers who fell under temptation murmured and complained. Murmuring is a sign of unbelief. God calls us to be gracious in our speech, loving Him, loving one another.
Christ is our Hope. He is our Lord, our Shepherd, our Redeemer, and our Friend. Let us look to Him and His Word in the trials of life, trusting God no matter what might come.
For God is faithful!
1 Corinthians 1:9 (KJV) God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
God is faithful!
May someone draw closer to Christ, the Light of God, in the midst of your trial.
Love this! It all goes “back in the box”. Great Blog!
Today I heard a story about the game Monopoly. I remembered playing the game many times in my life. Sometimes it was fun and sometimes it was not. Very much like life! It’s not always fun!
We all gather around the table and set the board up. Someone is the banker and they hand out the money. As the game goes on we can buy and sell property. It’s a great feeling to own Boardwalk, Park Place and to trade in those tiny green houses for red hotels. Since the hotels were red you know that’s what I wanted.
As the game goes on it’s fun if you’re the one buying the red hotels and winning the game. But the game comes to an end at some point. It isn’t very long and it’s time to put the game away. As the story I heard this morning was told, the…
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great blog
Do you ever let an issue play on your mind? Do you waste your time and your energy thinking it over and over…….and then over and over again? Do you ever find it hard to let things go? You want to let it go, of course you do, but for some reason that nagging thought or issue will just not shift no matter how hard you try to forget about it? It’s stuck in your head like chewing gum on your shoe!
I’ve experienced this very recently. I don’t really need to share the intimate details of the situation but needless to say the whole situation had left me feeling frustrated, angry and as though an injustice had been done.
Apart from this isolated incident, life is good. I’ve married my best friend this year, back in April (Yes, I know….yawn…..I’ve mentioned this a trillion times in previous blogs….old…
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Isaiah 10:10-25 (KJV) As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; [11] Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? [12] Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. [13] For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man: [14] And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped. [15] Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood. [16] Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. [17] And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; [18] And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth. [19] And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them. [20] And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. [21] The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. [22] For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. [23] For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land. [24] Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt. [25] For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.
Audio of Sermon:
I have heard of preachers plagiarizing sermons, stealing from other pastors for one reason or the other. I have been tempted at times to do so myself, though I have never done so. A sermon must come from God through the heart of His preacher. God must speak to me, so I can speak to you. To plagiarize a sermon is to take another man’s voice and lift it up. The preacher is to lift up God’s Voice, to speak the hard things though none want to hear it.
Tonight’s text is a difficult text. It deals with something that plagues all of us. It deals with PRIDE. God despises PRIDE. God says:
Proverbs 8:13 (ESV) The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
Pride takes the glory that should belong to God alone and places it on frail and fallen man. Pride treats the Scripture as if it were not, as 1 Peter 1:25 tells us …
The Word of the Lord which endures FOREVER!
Pride treats God’s Word as if it were printed on Select-A-Size perforations like paper towels. Pride is Thomas Jefferson’s Bible – the one he made by cutting out all passages he didn’t like, and retaining the portions he agreed with. Pride ignores what God says unless it pleases us, saying “That was THEN but this is NOW”, as if the Eternal and Immovable God of the Scripture changes with the times as we do.
There was a meaning THEN, and there is a meaning NOW.
There was a point THEN, and there is a point NOW.
What was happening THEN?
God’s people whom He had established had ceased glorifying Him.
They became prideful, idolatrous.
God was going to sent a lost nation against them called Assyria.
But Assyria was also prideful and idolatrous.
And God HEARD it.
God hears what you say.
God knows what you think.
Isaiah 10:12 (KJV) Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon MOUNT ZION AND ON JERUSALEM, ….
God was going to do a “work” on His people. What was that “work”? God was going to send affliction because they had ceased glorifying Him. His people stopped living for the Lord Who saved them. The Bible warns us:
Proverbs 16:18-19 (ESV) Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. 19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.
This is not just true for the unbeliever, but for the believer as well. Pride robs God of His glory. God was going to use the nation of Assyria to punish His people, to cause them to cease their pride and look up, to glorify the Lord their God.
But God also will punish Assyria because of their pride.
Isaiah 10:12 (KJV) … I will PUNISH THE FRUIT of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.
What is “the FRUIT of the STOUT HEART”?
That fruit is arrogance against God.
God said “After I use Assyria as an ax against the tree of Judah, I will punish the pride of the Assyrians.” God would punish the King who made himself a god over the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
Lucifer – God’s Chief ArchAngel – lost his job in Heaven because of arrogance.
Isaiah 14:12-15 (NKJV) How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.
The Bright Star and beautiful Lucifer allowed pride to creep in, and rejecting the Grace of God he said “I will”. He placed his will above the Lord’s will, and lost everything.
Adam – who was God’s prototype Man – lost his job in Eden because of pride. Pride is self worship. Pride takes that which is God’s, and places it on man. We skirt pride when we glorify man. The current controversy concerning NFL athletes kneeling during the National Anthem is both caused and fueled by pride. God alone is to be glorified. God alone is to be knelt to.
The King of Assyria emulated both Lucifer and Adam in his thoughts and pride. The Lord heard him that King, just as He hears your hearts today, and broadcast why this nation would fall. It was because of pride.
Isaiah 10:13-14 (KJV) For HE saith, By the strength of MY hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a VALIANT man: [14] And MY hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.
The King of Assyria boasted, over and over again, that it was HIS prowess and HIS power and HIS purpose and HIS engineering that caused HIM to rule the world. He placed HIMSELF at the center of all things. He was LIFTED UP with PRIDE, powerful PRIDE. He knew better than God Himself. As a matter of fact, He was, in His estimation, GOD HIMSELF.
Isaiah 10:15 (KJV) Shall the AXE boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the SAW magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the ROD should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the STAFF should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.
God said to the Assyrian king:
You are just an Ax in My hands.
The Ax has no right to boast that it cuts down the tree.
You are just a Saw in my hands.
The Saw has no right to boast in how much wood it cuts.
You are just a Rod lifted up.
No Rod can lift itself up.
I lifted you up.
You are just a walking stick, a staff.
God does not lean on you, but uses you.
You are nothing without God.
And you are certainly NO GOD.
Oh, how dangerous is pride and it’s twin arrogance. Good people become evil people through pride.
It was pride that caused the first fall of man. It was pride that said to Adam:
You will not surely die if you eat the forbidden.
God is just depriving you.
He knows the day you eat of it you will be like Him.
A god of gods. (Genesis 3:4-5)
It was pride that caused the first murder, when Cain killed Abel.
It was pride that caused the wickedness that led to the Noahic Flood.
It was pride that caused Lot to go to Sodom and Gomorrah,
And pride that caused the destruction of those magnificent twin cities.
It is pride that will cause the Lake of Fire to be packed with citizens,
But only a few by comparison to enter into God’s glorious Heaven.
Isaiah 10:10-11 (KJV) As My hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; [11] Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, SO DO TO JERUSALEM AND HER IDOLS?
It is pride that says “God will punish the sinner for his or her sins, but will overlook mine”. Pride is a trap that says to it’s victim “God will hold THAT PERSON accountable, but I am cherished, and I have a free pass”.
God despises favoritism and racism!
God despises favoritism and racism!
God despises favoritism and racism!
He says (2 Chronicles 19:7 (ESV)) Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking bribes.
God is not a Crooked Judge, and does not tolerate crookedness in any, whether unsaved, Israel, or the Church. God expects His people to DO GOOD. God judges NOT DOING and DOING WRONG. Pride whispers:
“Because you are a Child of Christ you have a pass.”
“Because you are God’s Israel, you can have idols”
“God punished Samaria and her idols”
“But God will not punish yours because YOU are SPECIAL”
Oh Beloved, this is so wrong. Our God is even handed. We are told in …
Romans 2:6-11 (ESV) {God} will render to each one ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS: 7 to those who by PATIENCE IN WELL-DOING seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for THOSE WHO ARE SELF-SEEKING AND DO NOT OBEY THE TRUTH, BUT OBEY UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, THERE WILL BE WRATH AND FURY. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but GLORY AND HONOR AND PEACE FOR EVERYONE WHO DOES GOOD, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For GOD SHOWS NO PARTIALITY.
Salvation is by faith in the free gift of Christ our Lord, but whether you suffer the paddling of God or enjoy the promise of the Father is based on WHAT YOU DO. It is pride that says “we do not have to do what He says, but we are saved nonetheless”. You may be saved but to ignore God’s Word is to do so perilously. God is faithful to Himself, and expects our unquestioned obedience!
Samaria or Northern Israel was punished by God because of pride, because His people did not honor Him and Him alone. Will not God punish equally all wrong doing?
Last Thursday Hugh Hefner – the founder of the Playboy Magazine – died at 91 years old. He made millions of dollars, riches untold, by objectifying women and treating them as objects rather than God’s creatures. He led the way in the so called sexual revolution, enslaved millions to pornography, and was instrumental in destroying marriage as God intended. And the world celebrates his life. Though what he did filled his pockets, he sold his soul and the souls of countless others who followed his dark path.
Pride and selfishness caused God to take away the blessings that He had bestowed on His people. He said:
Isaiah 10:16-19 (KJV) Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. [17] And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; [18] And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth. [19] And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.
The Bible tells us in
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.
Those who are “poor in spirit” or humble will be blessed of God. God blesses those who love Him, who glorify Him, who live for Him. But God says to the arrogant and prideful “I will send leanness, and burning. My glory shall consume your glory. The forest that you thought you were, I will burn it down until it has so few trees that a little child can count them”.
I’ve been watching the PBS Special on the Vietnam War on PBS. Actually I’m using Netflix, but it’s the same thing. It’s a great special, and I’ve learned a lot I never knew about that war. I found out that it was a war we inherited from the French, and a war that none of the United States Presidents thought we could ever win. President John F. Kennedy didn’t think the war was winnable, but continued to publicly support it because, in his words, he didn’t think he could be re-elected if he pulled troops out of Vietnam. JFK never got a chance to be re-elected, as a sniper assassinated him on Friday November 22, 1963. The Presidency passed to Lyndon B. Johnson who felt that he would not be re-elected unless he supported the war. After re-election Johnson often told his closest friends that he thought the war was not winnable. But Presidential pride and ambition for office kept him publicly supporting a war that would eventually kill 58,000 of our brave troops. LBJ told one friend:
“I feel like a Texas mule in a hailstorm. I can’t run.
I can’t hide. I can’t back up. All I can do is stand still and take it.”
There was something he could have done – he could have sought the Lord in prayer.
He could have repented of his pride.
He could have pulled our brave troops out of Vietnam.
He could have done the right thing.
Our President could – and SHOULD—just as any of us –
seek the Lord in prayer, read His Word, do His will.
One of the most telling moments that I saw in the PBS special was one Marine who said – and I paraphrase from memory his words …
“When I came to Vietnam I killed a person, and for nights afterwards had nightmares. It is horrible to kill a person. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t kill any more people, and I didn’t kill any more people the whole time I was in Vietnam. I killed gooks. I killed slants. I killed sub-humans. I didn’t kill people. That’s what racism is for. It makes people not people.”
People are people, and every person is made in God’s image. Pride tells one people that they are greater than other people. Pride tells us that that other person doesn’t matter, though they do. All people matter to God. Red, yellow, black, or white, they are precious in His sight. No person is worthless, but none of us are gods. There is but one God, and He sets the standard by which we are to live.
We read:
Isaiah 10:20-23 (KJV) And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. [21] The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. [22] For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. [23] For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.
God promised His people that “a remnant shall return to the land”. Who is this “remnant”? It is those “who STAY upon the LORD”. Those who seek God and make Him first in their lives will be the remnant that God will bless. This remnant will be consumed with God, the mighty God. They will be focused upon Him.
Do you know what breaks the hold of the enemy? It is our loving relationship with God. The Lord says:
Isaiah 10:27 (KJV) And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.
The burden of the enemy is taken away, and his yoke is broken from our necks, when God is with us and God is pleased in us. The word “anointing” in the above text is the Hebrew שֶׁמֶן shemen, which means “to let the fat or oil run down”. There is a beautiful picture drawn by the Lord where. A yoke is placed around the neck of an animal to control it. When we depart from glorifying God and make life about ourselves, being lifted up with pride, God takes away His blessing and we get thinner for it. The enemy then slaps a yoke around our thin and emaciated necks. But when we love God and glorify Him first and always. When we:
Matthew 6:33 (ESV) …. seek FIRST the kingdom of God AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE ADDED TO YOU.
When we put God first God puts us first. The yoke is around our scrawny necks when we depart from God. But when we – like a remnant – return to Him, God brings fatness back to our lives. Our necks swell, and under His blessing the yoke of the oppressor breaks. One translation puts it this way:
and the yoke will be broken because of the fat (ESV)
or even better
the yoke will be broken because your neck will be too large (CSB)
God will bless you, dear One, if you will put away pride and love Him with your whole heart. Do not delay. Love and trust Him. Live for Him. Follow Christ and love one another. May God lead you to a deeper relationship with Him through this Word.
Audio of Sermon:
Isaiah 9:6-7 (KJV) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this
In the darkest night the Light of God shines the brightest.
Isaiah lived in a day where there was nothing but corruption in government. The nation had wandered from God. Even God’s Church no longer seemed to love the Lord nor His Word. But God was not giving up. God never gives up on us. The L ord said:
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this
Anytime you see “LORD of hosts” in the Bible you see the title God takes as the Commander in Chief of the Angelic Armies. The “Lord of hosts” is a war title of God. It is like saying “The Five Star General”. What does a Five Star General do? He leads His troops to conquer the enemy. God is the “Lord of hosts”, and it is with “zeal” that He shall “do this”. What is “zeal”?
The definition of “Zeal” is “enthusiastic devotion to a cause, ideal, or goal, and tireless diligence in its furtherance”. A “Zealot” was passionate about what he did, and would do anything … ANYTHING … to accomplish his goal. ZEAL is something you see among humanity.
When God created the worlds and all that is in it, the universe and countless galaxies there is no mention of “Zeal”. When God rescued Israel from Egypt by a mighty hand, parting the Red Sea and crushing the enemy, there is no mention of “Zeal”.
What is it that God will do with “Zeal”? What is it that will cause the Maker to:
Isaiah 59:17 (KJV) …. put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.
It is with ZEAL that God reaches out to humanity to save us. It is with ZEAL that God – the LORD of hosts – comes to do battle with evil, Satan, and sin. It is with ZEAL that God enters humanity, broken humanity.
Consider the zeal of the Lord, His great passion for “us”. Who is the “us” for whom the Child was born? Jesus Christ was born into this world for every person who would receive Him. He was born for the broken, the blind, the deaf, the crippled. Jesus was born into this world of the Holy Spirit, born if a Virgin, God with us.
He Who is holy, without sin, enthrone in Heaven even now came to this earth to seek and save that which was lost. We are all born apart from God. We are all born broken. Whether red, yellow, black, or white, the Bible says …
Romans 3:9-10 … both Jews and Gentiles, that THEY ARE ALL UNDER SIN; 10 As it is written, There is NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE …
Jesus Christ came unto US, both Jews and Gentiles. We are all sinners in need of the Savior. There is no one that stands before God pure and clean. The Lord says of us all that
Romans 3:22-23 …. there is no difference: 23 For ALL HAVE SINNED, AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD;
When Jesus entered this world through Mary He Himself was without sin. But God came to earth to save us. Unto us a Child was born. Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God, the …
Colossians 1:15-17 … image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Very God of Very Gods came to this earth in zeal, in passion. He was born in a manger in Bethlehem so that He could go to a Cross on Calvary.
Philippians 2:6-7 {Jesus} 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.
God became child for US. God lowered Himself FOR US. God cared FOR US. God’s passion was FOR US. He gave up everything and came to this earth, writing Himself into His own creation. He lowered Himself to be like us in every way but in sin. Our Christ never sinned. This Child never sinned, from cradle to grave. Though tempted as we are tempted:
Hebrews 4:15 (ESV2011) {Jesus} who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
It was with zeal that God the Son became the Son of Man, because He wished to bring us to Himself. Satan robbed us and continues to rob humanity of the glory of God. Christ came as a Child because only by becoming like us could He pay for our sins. The Scripture declares:
Hebrews 2:14-17 (KJV) Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For verily he took not on [him the nature of] angels; but he took on [him] the seed of Abraham. 17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto [his] brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to God, to MAKE RECONCILIATION FOR THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE.
Romans 5:19 (KJV) For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
By Adam’s sin the world fell into sin. Jesus Christ came and, in the fullness of time He was born of a woman (Galatians 4:4) so that He could make payment for your sins and mine.
Galatians 1:4 Who GAVE HIMSELF FOR OUR SINS, THAT HE MIGHT DELIVER US FROM THIS PRESENT EVIL WORLD, according to the will of God and our Father:
Praise Him! Praise Him for His zeal. Be zealous for Him, for He is surely zealous for you!
Notice that the CHILD is BORN, but the SON is GIVEN. As the Son of God Jesus Christ the Messiah has no beginning or end. He entered humanity through a virgin birth, but as God He has no beginning nor end. God the Father gave the Son to us all. As the well known verse states:
John 3:16-17 (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.
We are promised “everlasting life” in Jesus because He is the Source of Life. He is God among us, God with us. The imminent R.G. Lee said:
“Jesus is the only one born with no earthly father but an earthly mother. He had no heavenly mother but a heavenly Father. He was older than His mother and yet as old as His Father”.
The Child was born but the Son of God GIVEN. Christ is – by His declaration –
Revelation 1:8 (KJV) I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Revelation 22:12-13 (KJV) And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. [13] I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
The one who receives Christ receives God and God’s Promise. The one who receives Christ comes under the care of Christ.
The one who receives Christ receives a great blessing. Those who are His are under His control. He governs us. He watches over us. He loves and cares for us with an eternal zeal. We who are His live our lives following the Lord Jesus. We live our lives letting Him live through us. The “Government SHALL be upon HIS shoulder”. Jesus is big enough for anything that comes our way. He is greater than the Goliaths of life.
1 John 5:4-5 (CSB) …. everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. 5 Who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Jesus Christ is the Son Given. Believing that God gave His Son for us, His Beloved Son, we believe that God’s overcoming love can never leave us nor forsake us. God sent His Son to this earth to bring us into His triumphal, always overcoming, family. Oh how short sighted the racist that does not understand that every Christ follower is my brother or sister. The declaration of Scripture is that there is …
Galatians 3:28 (KJV) … neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
We are not overcome of sin or of this world, but we are overcome by His love. He has promised:
Revelation 2:7 (KJV) … To him that OVERCOMETH will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
and again,
Revelation 2:11 (KJV) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that OVERCOMETH shall not be hurt of the second death.
Eight times in Revelation the Lord addresses His Church as an overcoming Church, and His people as overcoming people. Is that because we are to be strong in ourselves? Absolutely not! We are strong because the Son was given to us.
We will follow Him, not the world. We will heed His Word, not man’s word. We will obey Jesus Christ, bowing the knee to Him and Him alone! He will rule our lives. The government – the Kingdom – shall be upon His shoulder. Jesus Christ bears up those who bow down to Him! He is God, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and He is worthy.
The NAME or AUTHORITY of Jesus has four distinct qualities.
Isaiah 9:6 …. and his NAME shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Notice that it says “His name”, singular, not “His names” plural.
Dr. Danny Akin wrote:
“With more than 250 names and titles of our Lord scattered from Genesis to Revelation, Isaiah brings together 4 in a tight, concise package that appear no where else in the Bible. More names of Messiah are crowded together here than any where else in Holy Scripture. Taken together they encapsulate the totality of the person and work of Jesus, who He is and what He does.”
The King James incorrectly separates these two words with a comma. Jesus is wonderful, but the Hebrew tells us that He is “Wonderful Counselor”.
Human history and perhaps your life is filled with bad counselors.
Adam listened to the bad counsel of Satan.
(“You shall not surely die” – Genesis 3:5)
Cain listened to the bad counsel of pride (Genesis 4:7)
and murdered his brother.
A young girl will listen to the bad counsel of her friends,
and finds herself with child.
Another will listen to the bad counsel of his peers
and head down the road of drug addiction.
Too many people today listen to the bad counsel of the world, and die in their sins.
2 Corinthians 6:2 (KJV) …. behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
A good Counselor is someone we go to for advice and comfort. But Jesus Christ is more than a good Counselor – Jesus is a WONDERFUL Counselor. He never gives bad advice.
His Word is always just the right word. He gave Himself for my sins, so I know He has my best interests at heart. He loves me, and He loves you. As our Wonderful Counselor He directs our path.
John 14:6 (KJV) …. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
He saved us by His Blood. He guides us by His Spirit. He gives us eternal life. He is the sure path we walk on. Jesus Christ is truly Wonderful Counselor.
Jesus Christ Is Our Mighty God
He doesn’t just listen to our needs, but He is able to respond and meet our every need. King David trusted Jesus, and said:
Psalms 40:2-5 …. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 3 And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. 4 Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust
As our Wonderful Counselor we share our hearts with Him, but as our Mighty God we trust Him to meet our needs, to save us, to be our Hero. Christ is a Hero to His people. He loves and protects us.
A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
A wonderful Savior to me;
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
Where rivers of pleasure I see.
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life in the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.
Philip told Jesus one day ….
John 14:8-10 (KJV) …. Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou [then], Shew us the Father? 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
One of the mysteries of our faith is the Trinity of God. That God is One, but in Three Persons. Jesus Christ is God the Son, but He works so perfectly in harmony with the Father that He could say “I am in the Father and the Father is in Me”. When Jesus spoke of our salvation He said:
John 10:27-30 (KJV) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and [my] Father are one.
There is perfect agreement between God the Father and God the Son and God the Spirit. If you call on the name of Jesus, you shall be saved. If you repent, turn, and come to Christ, your salvation is assured. Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Romans 5:1 (KJV) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
We only have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Once you come to Him you are no more sinners but Sons, destined to enter glory as a part of His Heavenly Family. Glory! Glory! Knowing this
Philippians 4:7 (KJV) … the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
The peace of God fills the hearts of those who love the Lord. Do you have that peace of God that guards the heart and mind? If not, repent. Turn from following yourself and come to follow Him.
May God touch your hearts with His Word.
wonderful blog. Very insightful, truthful, and blessed.
How could any religion claim to be the one true religion to the exclusion of all others?
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Audio of Sermon:
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. (25) And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. (26) I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: (27) But I keep under my body, and bring [it] into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
We are born into the “Human Race”, but that’s not the race we should be most concerned with. We are born into this life “racing” after things, but things will not bless us.
The Apostle Paul wanted us to know that we were not born into this life without purpose. God made us on purpose for a higher calling.
The greatest thing you can do is surrender your life to the Lord then run with Him, follow Him, live your life in Him and for Him. To illustrate this, Paul talks about a race and a prize.
Parents today have confused their children in the area of sports. When I was growing up trophies were given out for First, Second, and Third place. The others who did not run and did not cross the finish line did NOT get a prize. But the newest thing today is this … everyone gets a prize for just showing up. That’s not a good idea, because life doesn’t operate that way.
If you just show up at school you don’t get good grades.
If you just show up at work you don’t get promoted or higher pay.
If you just show up even in High School sports, you’ll get cut from the team.
Anytime you just show up and don’t strive, nothing positive happens.
God Wants Us To Run With Jesus
Before Paul ran with Jesus he ran to be well respected. He was the youngest person ever to serve on the Jewish Council called the Sanhedrin. As Saul (which is what he was known by then) he was a driven person. He worked really hard to earn respect and power among his fellow man.
Then Saul became Paul on the Damascus Road. He met Jesus Christ.
Jesus turned Saul’s life around. Where he was previously self driven, he then turned to living his life with Jesus. Christians are saved by faith in God. We trust God to be saved. We believe that we are sinners, and that Jesus Christ died for our sins, paying for our errors. We receive Jesus as Lord and Savior and on receiving Him we trust Him to give us access to God.
We have no reason to BOAST as Christians that we are better than anyone else. The Bible says:
Romans 3:27-28 (NLT) Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
It is Christ Who gave Himself for us. It is His Love that makes salvation possible. God saves us.
Titus 3:5-7 (CSB) {God} saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
God saves us. Not through our goodness, but through Christ’s goodness. God saves us by simple confession – by crying out to Him! The Bible declares:
Romans 10:9-13 (CSB) If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, 12 since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Salvation is a free gift from God.
But once saved, God wants us to be more than mere spectators.
We are not called to the AUDIENCE, but are called to serve our Lord.
We are to run our race with Jesus.
If we are saved by faith in Him, we are to live with Him.
We are not to be like the FALLEN world, but to be like God’s FUTURE world.
We are to be children of God, not children of Adam.
We have “put on” Christ.
Galatians 3:26, 28 (CSB) for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus. 28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.
God calls each person to treat this life like a race, and to remember that at the finish line there is a prize. If we want to earn the prize we have to first enter the race. Then if we want to win the prize, we must RUN that race.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
Saved by faith, we are now in a race for a Future Tense prize.
What you do TODAY effects your TOMORROW.
If you run after the devil, you will get the devil’s prize.
If you chase the things of this world – drugs, sex, power, money – there will be its own reward.
Run that you may obtain.
Run the right race, so you can be blessed.
My best friend growing up was my next door neighbor Joey. Joey was about 2 years older than I was, and I looked up to Joey. His family had a large fenced in back yard right next to ours. Joey taught me how to play Badminton. I loved playing that game. We would hit the little Badminton “Bird” over the fence between our back yards, and Joey often won. I admired Joey. Joey’s parents had more money than we had. I remember when Joey got a small dirt bike for Christmas, and how jealous I was. Joey let me ride his dirt bike a little, and it just made him a bigger hero in my mind. Then one year his parents bought Joey and his sisters (Cherie and Cheryl) a pony. I got to ride Joey’s pony, and again I was just blown away by it. My parents never bought us ponies or dirt bikes – we just didn’t have the money. I remember one day Joey was riding his pony when it bucked, and Joey fell off face first onto one of those old time Coca Cola wooden crates. It branded Joey with a check mark on his face, but it just made him look more heroic. He was like a pirate! Joey went into the Marines when I was in High School, and went to Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Passing Basic Training he was inducted into the Marines. Joey came home from training and while on leave took his own life. I don’t believe he left a note. But depression was certainly the reason for what he did.
The world would have us believe that the best race to run is the things the world loves. The best race to run is God’s Race, with Jesus. Every day you live is precious, and what you do or do not do today will lead to your tomorrow. The world and the devil will want you to run your race selfishly, or not at all.
1 Corinthians 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
If you want to win the prize you must be TEMPERATE in all things. A runner has a goal. A runner has a purpose. The Christian is to listen to God as He or she runs their race. We are not to heed the world, but the Lord Who saved us. The Scripture says:
1 John 5:3-4 (CSB) For this is what LOVE FOR GOD IS: TO KEEP HIS COMMANDS. And his commands are not a burden, 4 because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.
We run for our God because we love our God. We praise Him for what He has done for us. We know that He knows what is best for us.
We RUN so that we might receive His smile of approval.
We RUN because our efforts are important to Him.
We RUN with Jesus, our living Savior.
1 Corinthians 9:25-26 … Now they [do it] to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. (26) I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
The most precious thing you have is your SOUL.
The devil and the world wants us to WASTE OUR SOULS.
Mark 8:34-37 (KJV) … Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [35] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. [36] For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? [37] Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
I watched some little kids play soccer one time, and one of the little girls got confused and started running in the wrong direction. The opposing team gathered around her and protected her as she ran all the way to the wrong goal. The world and the devil want us running in the wrong direction, doing the wrong thing. We are to run our race with Jesus, living our lives each day in His embrace. Jesus said:
John 16:33 (CSB) I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
When we run the race with Christ we run with an Overcomer.
Though tribulation will come the closer you are to Him the more you will see Him and the less you will see the trial. Death is no enemy to the believer focused on Christ. Though a crown awaits the runner in Heaven, the greater crown is the crown of peace that encompasses him who is focused on the Savior.
If you are not running with Jesus, take heed, for you may not be saved.
The salvation that is mere lip service, a salvation that never runs, never grows, never reads and studies God’s Word, that never testifies of the Risen Savior is a dead salvation. The great preacher C. H. Spurgeon stated:
“Although we are sure that men are not saved for the sake of their works, yet are we equally sure that no man will be saved without them; and that he who leads an unholy life, who neglects the great salvation, can never inherit the crown of life which fadeth not away. In one sense, true religion is wholly the work of God; yet there are high and important senses in which we must ourselves “strive to enter in at the straight gate”. We must run a race, we must wrestle even to agony; we must fight a battle before we can inherit the crown of life.”
Those who are saved by faith in Christ are in a heavenly race. Run, that you may obtain. Fight, but with the right focus. Guard your lives, lest you become a castaway.
1 Corinthians 9:25 …. they [do it] to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
The rewards of this life are fleeting. The Apostle said:
1 Peter 1:24-25 (KJV) For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: [25] But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
Many people run for a temporary, fleeting reward. But when you run the race of life with Jesus your reward is eternal, and your blessing great.
1 Corinthians 9:26-27 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: (27) But I keep under my body, and bring [it] into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
Running is not an easy thing. Think about it – when you run, you are moving at a faster than normal pace. Your heels are striking the ground, your body is jarring, you are under tension. There is stress involved in running. Your heart rate increases, and your breathing increases as your lungs try to draw in enough air for your muscles. You may cramp up and have to run through the pain. Running is also repetitious. One foot follows the other in an even rhythm. There must be a steady method in running even as you train. If you are not consistent in training, you will not be effective in the race.
Listen Beloved, Bible reading and study is not easy.
It requires a prayerful consistence, a paying attention to the text, a communion with the Spirit in order that you receive the teaching of the text. The Christian way of life is not easy.
The human race and the Christian race are at odds with one another.
The enemy does not want you running.
John 15:18-19 (CSB) If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you.
The world hates the Biblical Jesus. The world hates the Jesus Who spoke of God’s righteousness. The world loves the silly, sentimental sappy lowercase jesus that is not found in the Bible. The lowercase jesus who saw the woman taken in adultery and said “Neither do I condemn you”. This lowercase jesus is very popular. But the Jesus who told the woman taken in adultery:
John 8:11 (CSB) “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”
The Jesus of the Bible Who spoke against sin is not wanted by the world. The world doesn’t like this Jesus. The world likes the loving, miracle giving Jesus Who wants everyone saved, but rejects the Jesus of the Scripture Who said:
Luke 5:32 (CSB) I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
The word “repent” means to turn from doing it your way and to come to Christ.
The world hates REPENT like a Mongoose hates a Cobra.
If you run for Jesus you will be despised of men.
Your own children may mock you and misunderstand you.
Your co-workers will make fun of you and look for any stumbling in your stride.
You will even have other runners in the race who will sit in judgment on you.
The self righteous have always attacked the Children of Faith. The Pharisees and Scribes attacked our Lord Jesus – don’t you think that they will attack you as well? Running is not easy. But we are to run.
A runner is not a swimmer, nor is a runner a sleeper. The runner must be wide awake, and moving in the right medium. The good runner does one thing well – he runs! The tortoise won the race against the hare because the tortoise kept moving at the utmost of his ability. Keep running, keep your eyes on the Word of God, your heart attuned to the leading of the Spirit of God.
The Bible warns the Christian:
James 1:8 A double minded man [is] unstable in all his ways.
Make up your minds that you run for Jesus. When Moses came down from the Mountain of God and saw the children of God worshiping naked around the false golden god that great Prophet cried out:
Exodus 32:26 … Who [is] on the LORD’S side? [let him come] unto me. ….
If you are on the Lord’s side, in the heavenly race, then let your mind be single on running for Him. Study His Word, attend His Services, be frequent in both public as swell as private prayer. It may be hard to be at Church after a long day’s work in the marketplace yet – if you are Christians – run the race.
The runner does not choose his track, but goes to the track created. If the marathon is set to start at a certain place in New York city, and to end at another place, you must start where you are told to start and finish where the finish line is drawn. You cannot decide to run the New York marathon in Lexington, Tennessee and expect to win it.
You’re on the right track if you are following Jesus!
Jesus told His disciples (Matthew 4:19) “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”. To the young man absorbed in his family Jesus said, (Matthew 8:22) “Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead”. To a despised tax collector named Matthew our Lord said (Matthew 9:9) “Follow me” – and Matthew joined the heavenly race. To each and every Christian Jesus says (Matthew 16:24) “If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”. To the rich man chasing after money Jesus says (Matthew 19:21) “If thou wilt be perfect, go [and] sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come [and] follow me”. Get on the right track, man, get on the right track woman. The runner must get on the right track. Jesus said:
John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will [my] Father honor
Jesus will not follow you on the wrong track. You must follow Him – and if you follow Him then the Father will honor your lives.
A runner does not run the race for the pleasure of the crowd, of the bystanders, or of the cheering fans. I remember watching a Marathon where the runner who was winning started bowing as he ran to a cheering crowd. As he did so the man behind him caught up, passed, and won the race.
The one who was winning lost the race and was humiliated because he forgot an important rule of the runner: the runner endures for the sake of the Judge.
We do not run the race for the applause of the watching crowd.
We run the race with Jesus and for God.
Hebrews 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (2) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The runner must lay aside every weight. Lay aside what others think of you. Lay aside your pride. Lay aside the sin that so easily weighs us down. Lay aside even your focus on life itself. Look to Jesus – it is He Who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Look to His Word. Look to Him in prayer. Look to Him in Christian fellowship. Keep your eyes on Him. The Apostle Paul, one of the greatest Christians who ever lived, said:
1 Corinthians 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring [it] into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
I have seen so many terrible wrecks in my life.
One of my dearest friends who used to be a pastor wrecked because he took his eyes off of Jesus. Even today he wanders aimlessly through life, a man who led countless others to Christ is no better than a homeless vagabond. I know a preacher who preached one of the best sermons I ever heard “Above The Snake Line” who ended up killing a man. Oh, the lives wasted because people, precious people, take their eyes off of Christ.
The Apostle’s secret to a happy and productive Christian life is outlined here. He ran the race with all certainty. He was focused on His purpose, His calling, and His Master. Paul knew He was saved, knew He was an Apostle, and knew Who called him to salvation and to purpose. The Apostle Paul stayed focused on the disciplines of his faith. He did not beat the air like a shadow boxer, but everything he did was an act of following Jesus.
The Apostle did not want to become disqualified, unapproved, or worthless in the race.
He was saved for a purpose.
It is not how well you are running right now that matters.
It is not how well you are running tomorrow that matters.
It is that you keep on running with Jesus.
An unfinished race is a lost race.
Drive forward so you can finish well.
Keep on running that you may obtain. We who believe run for an incorruptible crown. Keep your eye on the prize, and one day you will hear the voice of your Beloved:
Matthew 25:23 … Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
May God touch your hearts with these words.
Sinner now Saint because my
Savior and Lord Jesus loves me
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