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The Beloved’s Garden – A Communion Message

Posted on September 17, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

Sermon Notes: Isaiah 5:1-2 (KJV) Now will I sing to My Well Beloved a song of My Beloved touching his vineyard. My Well Beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: [2] And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes …

and it brought forth wild grapes.

Today we will take the Lord’s Table. This is a time of self inspection and recognition of God’s love to us. God’s people are called by God to be God’s people. I’ll say that again:

God’s people are called by God to be God’s people!

The Bible uses the image of the grape vineyard to describe God’s people.
In the Old Testament the people of God were called Israel.
In the New Testament the people of God are called the Church.
God’s people – whether Old or New Testament – are likened to God’s Vineyard.

Isaiah 5:1 (KJV) Now will I sing to my Well Beloved a song of My Beloved touching his vineyard.

God sings to His Well Beloved a song about the Well Beloved’s vineyard.
Who is the “Well Beloved”? It is Jesus Christ.

The Father spoke of Jesus at His baptism, saying:

Matthew 3:17 (CSB) … This is MY BELOVED Son, with whom I am well-pleased …

While the Pharisees plotted His death, God declared of Christ:

Matthew 12:18 (CSB) … Here is my servant whom I have chosen, MY BELOVED in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations.

As Peter tried to decide whether to hear Jesus, Elijah or Moses at the Mount of Transfiguration, the Father spoke from Heaven saying:

Matthew 17:5 (CSB) … This is MY BELOVED SON, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him! …

Christ is the Father’s Beloved, and the people whom He has saved His Beloved Garden. Throughout the Scripture the word “Beloved” is used either for Christ or for His People. God loves His Son. And if you love His Son and have received His Son as Lord and Savior, YOU are Beloved for His sake. You are …

Beloved of God, called to be saints (Romans 1:7)
Dearly Beloved, who runs from idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14)
Beloved brethren, abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Beloved who are made accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6)
Holy and beloved, merciful, kind, humble, and patient (Colossians 3:12)
Oh How The Beloved Loves His Garden!
Oh, How He Loves His People!

God plants His people. Christ plants His Garden. We read:

Isaiah 5:1 (KJV) … My WELL BELOVED hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill …

Christ’s Vineyard Is PLANNED

The Garden of God is planted in a place where it is to be very fruitful. Vineyards that are very fruitful are not accidents or come about by happenstance. God plants His Vineyard where it will be fruitful. The people of God are a people of purpose. The Bible says:

Ephesians 3:10-11 (CSB) This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. 11 This is ACCORDING TO HIS ETERNAL PURPOSE ACCOMPLISHED IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.

God places His Garden where He wants it to be, in a place that fulfills His Eternal Purpose.

2 Timothy 1:9 (CSB) He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but ACCORDING TO HIS OWN PURPOSE AND GRACE, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.

The purpose of every believer is to bring forth fruit for God.

The purpose of every Church is to magnify and show our love for our glorious Savior.

Christ’s Vineyard Is PURCHASED

When we think of “purchase” we think of money and inflation. When I was a boy I could purchase a Marathon Bar – a caramel and chocolate candy bar that was about 1 foot long – for about 10 cents. Today the candy bars are tiny. I bought a small Snickers bar the other day and paid $1.38 for it! I remember gas being 35 cents a gallon. No more. That’s inflation.

What purchased us? The Bible tells us:

Titus 2:14 (CSB) … {Jesus} gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself A PEOPLE FOR HIS OWN POSSESSION, eager to do good works.

Jesus purchased us. He did not purchase us with money subject to inflation, but purchased us with His own blood and His own body. He died for us on Calvary, suffering the shame and agony. He paid for our sins on that tree, that Bloody Tree. Christ chose the nails so that we could receive His Heaven. Jesus paid for our sins in His own Body on the Tree. The Apostle declares:

1 Peter 2:9 (CSB) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, A PEOPLE FOR HIS POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

When we eat the Bread of this table and drink the Cup of this table we are reminded that

His Body was broken for me
His Blood was shed for me

As His Child I am His Purchased Possession. The Bible tells us that Christ made peace with God through His Blood shed on the Cross (Colossians 1:20).

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (CSB) …. You are not your own, 20 for YOU WERE BOUGHT AT A PRICE. So glorify God with your body (KJV adds “and in your spirit, which are God’s”)

The Vineyard belongs to the Beloved. He purchased us with His Blood. We are called to live for Him.

Christ’s Vineyard Is PLANTED And PROTECTED

Christ bestows a five-fold Grace on His Garden, His people. We read …

Isaiah 5:2 (KJV) And he FENCED it, and GATHERED OUT THE STONES thereof, and PLANTED IT WITH THE CHOICEST VINE, and BUILT A TOWER in the midst of it, and also MADE A WINEPRESS therein: and HE LOOKED that it should bring forth grapes

God loves His Garden, His Church. Purchasing it with His own Blood (Acts 20:28) Christ FENCES or BUILDS A HEDGE around His Church. God protects His Vineyard with His Word. The Church that departs from the Word of God clearly presented is the Church endangered. Jesus told us:

Matthew 7:15-16 (CSB) Be on your guard against FALSE PROPHETS who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. 16 You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?

There are false prophets today who teach that a person can go to Heaven without Christ, that any old god will do. This is wrong. There is no other name given under Heaven by which a person can be saved (Acts 4:12). Jesus stated:

John 14:6 (CSB) Jesus told him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME.

There are false prophets that teach that which Christ did not teach. Christ said:

John 13:34 (CSB) I give you a NEW COMMAND: LOVE ONE ANOTHER. JUST AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, YOU ARE ALSO TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

The false prophets teach racism, division, and hatred. The Garden of God is called to show forth love, just as Christ loved us. Back biting and bickering are foreign to God’s Garden. These are wild grapes which do not please our Master. The Lord:

… gathers out the stones thereof …

Removing that which is non-productive. Sometimes we wonder why trials come in our lives. Trials come because God stirs the soil, pulling out the non-productive. We are told in …

1 Peter 1:5-7 (CSB) You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials 7 so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Someone once said “An untried faith is an uncertain faith”. It is through the trials that God brings to us that we are made more fruitful. The Garden must be weeded, and the soil stirred. Rocks must be removed, and branches pruned. Only then are we able to – relying upon our Christ – bring forth fruit to the glory of Christ our Lord. Christ …

… planted it with the choicest vine …

Do not let the Devil tell you you are unworthy.
You were unworthy, but now in Christ are made worthy.
His Blood cleanses you.
His Spirit indwells you.
God called you to be part of His Garden – He chose you.

John 15:16 (CSB) You did not choose me, but I CHOSE YOU. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.

The Devil and his evil agents – often so called “Brother” or “Pastor” or “Reverend” or even “Doctor” – have many times slandered my calling and my fruits. Yet Christ tells me “Keep your eyes on Me. I called you, not these satans. I called you to my Vineyard, not to a thorny rose patch. Satan is the accuser of the brethren. They accused Me, and they will accuse you. Lived for Me. Bring forth fruit to Me. Abide in Me.” Christ tells us:

Romans 16:17-18 (CSB) Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to WATCH OUT FOR THOSE WHO CREATE DIVISIONS AND OBSTACLES CONTRARY TO THE TEACHING THAT YOU LEARNED. Avoid them, 18 because such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.

2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14 (CSB) Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to KEEP AWAY FROM EVERY BROTHER OR SISTER WHO IS IDLE AND DOES NOT LIVE ACCORDING TO THE TRADITION RECEIVED FROM US. 14 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take note of that person; don’t associate with him, so that he may be ashamed.

Oh how the devil loves to attack the Garden of God. Keep your eyes upon Jesus. Do as the Scripture says and our Lord declared:

John 15:1-6 (CSB) I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

Cast aside the accuser and his disciples. Bear fruit for Jesus. Abide in Him. Cling to Him. Trust Him. He is our Beloved, and we His Garden.

… and built a tower in the midst of it …

God watches over His people.

The TOWER is a WATCHTOWER, a place to oversee the Vineyard. God paid so much for your salvation. He will not abandon you whom He has saved. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 121:3-8 (CSB) {God} will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. 4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep. 5 The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side. 6 The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night. 7 The Lord will protect you from all harm; he will protect your life. 8 The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever.

God looks after His people. His eye is on the sparrow – I know He watches me. He has promised:

Psalm 34:15 (CSB) The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry for help.

He will protect His own.

The Vineyard Is To PRODUCE For Christ

and made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes …
and it brought forth wild grapes

Christ expects His Vineyard to bring forth GRAPES … but not WILD GRAPES. What is the difference? A GRAPE grows from a cultivated plant on cultivated soil. A GRAPE comes from a domesticated vine. A WILD GRAPE grows without being planted or tended or overseen by the gardener.

Many today who call themselves “Christian” are wild grapes. Christ does not have to protect wild grapes. In fact, wild grapes are not valuable for anything. You will not find the fruit of wild grapes on supermarket shelves. They are often bitter, unstable, unusable.

The wild grape is not concerned over glory to God, but chases profit.

Isaiah 5:8-9 (KJV) Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth! [9] In mine ears said the LORD of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.

The wild grape cares not for the Lord nor His Vineyard, but cares for their own profit. God promises that in due time they shall be desolate.

The wild grape chases self pleasure rather than God’s pleasure.

Isaiah 5:11-12 (KJV) Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! [12] And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.

The wild grape is all about the party, the pleasure, themselves. The wild grape does not live nor love for the Lord.

Isaiah 5:18 (KJV) Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:

The wild grape pursues sin, drawing it to themselves.
The wild grape justifies sin and redefines sin.

Isaiah 5:20 (KJV) Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

God is the definer of sin. What He says is wrong will always be wrong. We who are His are to turn from sin as a destructive force, to love Him with all our hearts, and to love our neighbors as Christ has taught us how. We do not argue with our Lord, our Beloved. The wild grape does, but we do not.

Isaiah 5:22-23 (KJV) Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: [23] Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

We who are Christ’s love Him so we love His Word and stand in it, rejecting sin, knowing that, in the end, our Lord will triumph. Praise Him! Praise Him, oh Beloved’s Garden. We now come to the Lord’s Table. Prepare your hearts to receive His lesson.

Posted in Isaiah, Living God, Love One Another, obedience, praise, Sermons Preached | Tagged Christ, Church, Fruit, Garden, Israel, love, people of God | Leave a comment

LIVING IN HARMONY

Posted on September 15, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

great words. Love this!

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I press on

Posted on September 15, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

great words!

Fountains of hope poetry

I press on

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14 – (New American Standard Bible)

When my strength is seeping faster than I can walk

When it does not make sense to try anymore

When logic says it is OK to let it go

When no one is watching or , when no one notices or even cares

When the only eyes on me are Yours

When friends give their green light for me to go ahead and throw in the towel

When no one else knows the details of the story apart from You and myself

When doing the right thing will only rock the boat more fiercely

When my opponents make offers and are calling for a truce

When it is just easier to take the money and run

When fighting for the truth…

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Slave!

Posted on September 14, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

1_Corinthians_7_20-24_Amazing Grace

Audio of Sermon:

Sermon Notes: 1 Corinthians 7:20-24 (KJV) Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. 21 Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. 22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. 23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. 24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.

The Bible defines what is and is not sin. God gives us an extensive list of what He considers to be sin, and declares:

Ezekiel 18:4 (ESV) ….. all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.

Our text today speaks of the calling of God unto salvation:

1 Corinthians 7:20 (KJV) Let every man abide in the same calling
wherein he was called.

God calls people to Him from all walks of life.
He calls the rich, the poor, the red, yellow, black, or white.
He calls educated people and illiterate people.

God calls whosoever will to hear the Gospel, receive Christ as both Lord and Savior, and then to follow Him.

The unspoken question Paul answers today is …

“If I am a SLAVE and am called to serve Jesus, what should I do?”

The word “SERVANT” in verse 21 is the Greek δοῦλος doulos, which means “SLAVE”. It doesn’t mean “Servant” like a maid or a butler is a servant. It means someone who has lost their freedom, and who now MUST do as a master says. So what should a slave who is saved by the Grace of God do? The Apostle says:

1 Corinthians 7:21-22 (KJV) …. care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. 22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant.

The Apostle says “Don’t worry about it. If you are able to become free, do that. He who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freeman; and he who was called while free is Christ’s slave.”

The Apostle tells those who are in slavery that they are not to worry, but to serve Jesus where they are called. Now I ask you a loaded question:

Does God Define Slavery As Sin?

I’m not talking about human emotion here. People are having battles and riots over statues of people who owned slaves. Personally, I could never own a slave. I believe that every person is made in the image of God. God did not create us to be enslaved. The Bible declares:

Genesis 1:27-29 (NASB) God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and SUBDUE IT; and RULE OVER the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you …

Humanity was created to rule over creatures and plants, not to dominate other humans. As God ruled us, we were to rule creation for God. Slavery was not in God’s original intent in creation. However, God allows certain types of slavery.

God Forbids Chattel Slavery

What is “Chattel Slavery”? Chattel slaves are people who are conquered, kidnapped, and forced into slavery as property. Chattel slaves are owned forever. Their children, and children’s children are automatically enslaved at birth.

This was a common form of slavery in the ancient world, and the slavery that was shamefully prevalent in early America. Presidents ….

George Washington^{1st President}

Thomas Jefferson^{3rd President}

James Madison ^{4th President}

James Monroe ^{5th President}

Andrew Jackson ^{7th President}

Martin Van Buren^{8th President}

William Henry Harrison^{9th President}

John Tyler^{10th President}

James K. Polk^{11th President}

Zachary Taylor^{12th President}

…. all owned slaves, though George Washington freed his slaves following the Revolution. Slaves were captured from Africa, stacked like cordwood on slave ships, and brought into America for sale. All human rights were suspended.

This type of slavery is forbidden in Scripture as “kidnapping” of as the King James puts it “menstealing”. The Bible says:

Exodus 21:16 (CSB) Whoever KIDNAPS a person must be put to death, whether he sells him or the person is found in his possession.

People were not to be stolen, nor their will taken from them. God made us in His image to rule the earth, not to be enslaved against our will. Kidnappers were put to death in ancient Israel for forcing people into slavery. God told His people:

Deuteronomy 24:7 (CSB) If a man is discovered kidnapping one of his Israelite brothers, whether he treats him as a slave or sells him, the KIDNAPPER MUST DIE. YOU MUST PURGE THE EVIL FROM YOU.

In the New Testament the Bible declares kidnapping or chattel slavery to be equal to the sins of murder, patricide or matricide, homosexuality, and lying:

1 Timothy 1:9-10 (CSB) We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for SLAVE TRADERS, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching …

John Newton, the writer of that glorious hymn Amazing Grace was a former slave ship master. After he received Christ as Lord and Savior and ceased this horrible practice he wrote about it.

“There are three lodging-rooms below deck {of the slaver ship} (for the men, the boys and the women). The slaves lie close to each other, like books upon a shelf. The poor creatures are cramped for room and chained, two together, by their hands and feet. This makes it difficult for them to turn or move, to attempt to rise or lie down, without hurting themselves, or each other. Sometimes the weather keeps them below deck for a week and they have to breathe hot and corrupted air. Diseases often break out and I believe nearly half of the slaves on board have sometimes died. On one trip the ship, in which I was mate, left the coast with 218 slaves on board; and though we were not much affected by disease, 62 died on the journey.”

None of God’s creatures should be treated this way. Chattel slavery is still practiced today. According to the Walk Free Foundation there are some 30 million chattel slaves in the world today:

forced laborers
forced prostitutes
child soldiers
child brides

The West African nation of Mauritania has one out of every 25 people enslaved.
In Haiti and Pakistan more than 1% of the population lives in slavery.
In India there are 14 million slaves.
You could equate this to forcing all of Pennsylvania into slavery.

Chattel slavery is evil, and forbidden. The 13^th Amendment to our U.S. Constitution states:

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

The Bible makes allowances for BOND Slavery. Bond slavery is not based on skin color nor is it forced on anyone. In the book Hard Sayings Of The Bible (Kaiser, Davids, & Brauch) we are told:

“A fellow Israelite who needed to raise money to pay for debts (could) … sell the only asset he possessed: his labor power. However, there were strict rules that governed his or her treatment during the maximum of six years that such a relationship could be entered into with another Israelite. Should any master mistreat his slave with a rod … the owner forfeited his whole investment (Ex 21:20–21, 26) and the slave was immediately released, or if the master caused the slave’s death, the master was subject to capital punishment.”

The Bible allowed “Bond Slavery”, where a person willingly sold themselves to another to work off a debt. The Bond Slave entered into a contract with another, promising to labor for that person until the debt was paid.

If you’ve ever been in the United States Military you were a type of bond servant. I remember one young man telling the Sergeant that he wasn’t going to do what he was told to do. The Sergeant replied:

You’ll do what I say NOW, or take an all expense paid holiday to For Leavenworth

The young man did what he said. Every four years I signed a contract with the US Air Force, raised my right hand, and swore to obey all lawfully given orders. When I was newly wed I was sent to Saudi Arabia for 90 days, minus my wife. The Commander told me when I complained:

The Air Force didn’t issue you your wife!

I’ve been all over the world, worked in sub zero temperatures and in heat up to 140 degrees. No one asked me if I wanted to go or not. No one asked my preferences. I was a bond slave to America, and would do it all over again if I could. I loved doing what I did, though it was harsh and hurt my body. But it was my choice.

The Bond Slave makes the choice.

In Israel the Bond Slave could only serve up to 6 years, then was released on the year of Jubilee. The Bond Slave could decide to “join up again” or could “Put his ear against the post” (see Exodus 21:6) and have an awl placed through the ear id he wanted to be “slave for life”. This was a person’s choice.

Bond Servants were not abused. God told His people:

Leviticus 25:38-41 (CSB) I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. 39 If your brother among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, you MUST NOT FORCE HIM TO DO SLAVE LABOR. 40 Let him stay with you as a hired worker or temporary resident; he may work for you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 Then he and his children are to be released from you, and he may return to his clan and his ancestral property.

Brothers and sisters in the faith were not to treat one another as slaves, but as children whom God has saved. No one saved by the Blood of Christ is to treat another brother or sister as anything but precious in the sight of God. Dead people do dead things, but believers consider every life to be precious.

A man was feeling terribly sick, so he finally went to the family doctor. “Doctor, I just feel terrible. What’s wrong with me?” The doctor examined him, took some blood samples, and the next day called him into the office. “Were you bitten by an animal lately?” the doctor asked. “Why yes, about a month ago a stray dog came in my yard. He bit me as I was trying to run him off.” The doctor said, “I have some really bad news. You have rabies. If you had come in earlier, I could have helped you, but it’s now in your blood stream. You’re dying, and will be gone in perhaps another week.” The man though about this for a minute, pulled out a pieces of paper and a pen and started writing. “What are you writing?” the doctor asked. “I’m making a list of everyone I want to bite before I go.”

This man is a slave. Facing eternity, he is a slave to his hatred and grudge carrying. He willingly sells himself into this type of slavery, just as the addict willingly enslaves himself to the pill or needle, or the alcoholic to the bottle. These are willing slaves, bond slaves.

God Wants The Christian To Be
The Bond Slave Of Christ

1 Corinthians 7:20-22 (KJV) Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. 21 Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. 22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant.

Paul tells those who were enslaved or in bad or less than desirable situations to:

1 Don’t worry or obsess about your situation. “Care not for it” or better “Don’t let it overwhelm you”.

2 Seek betterment, or an upward path from where you are if you can. “If you mayest be free, use it” or better “if you can become free, by all means take the opportunity”.

3 Remember WHOSE you are. Not WHO you are, but WHOSE you are. I am Christ’s slave.

These are three goods pieces of advice. Dear Christian – if you are a Christian –

1 Corinthians 7:23 (KJV) Ye are bought with a price;

You were the slave of sin and of Satan. You used to belong to his evil kingdom of darkness. But you are now translated because of the Blood of Christ. Jesus died on Calvary for you. He purchased your salvation. He knew who you were when He called you to salvation. He said to you:

Ephesians 2:12-15 (CSB) At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been BROUGHT NEAR BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. 14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, 15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.

The Bloods of Jesus Christ shed for us purchases us from Satan and this evil, fallen world. We were the devil’s chattel but are now Christ’s Bond Servants. The Blood of the animal sacrifices saved no one, but the willingly shed Blood of our Savior brought us to God.

Hebrews 9:13-15 (CSB) For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God? 15 Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

We are not defined by our life status, but by our God. We belong to God. Does your situation look bad? Look up. God owns you. He purchased you, not with silver or gold, but with the Precious Blood of Christ. This makes you precious to Him. Christian, you belong to God.

1 Peter 1:18-19 (CSB) For you know that you were REDEEMED from your empty way of life inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.

Whatever your situation, it is not bleak because you belong to God. Do not become overwhelmed by what faces you, but serve Him in all that you do. If God opens a door of opportunity to better yourself, then take it. But do not forget that:

Colossians 3:23-24 (CSB) Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, 24 knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. YOU SERVE THE LORD CHRIST.

Life is short.

Psalm 102:11-12 (CSB) My days are like a lengthening shadow, and I wither away like grass. 12 But you, Lord, are enthroned forever; your fame endures to all generations.

Whatever is today shall not be forever. Serve the Lord. Praise His name when you move into the valleys of life, and He will light your pathway. God called you to salvation for a reason. He left you where you presently are for a reason. Serve Him.

I have been in many miserable jobs in my lifetime. I choose to serve Him and glorify Him where ever I may be.

Psalm 145:14-21 (CSB) The Lord helps all who fall; he raises up all who are oppressed. 15 All eyes look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all his acts. 18 The Lord is near all who call out to him, all who call out to him with integrity. 19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry for help and saves them. 20 The Lord guards all those who love him, but he destroys all the wicked. 21 My mouth will declare the Lord’s praise; let every living thing bless his holy name forever and ever.

The Lord looks after His people. We belong to Him.

1 Corinthians 7:24 (KJV) Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called,
therein ABIDE WITH GOD.

There is an old saying:

Bloom where you are planted.

Do all things WITH God. Abide IN Christ. Trust God, and serve God with all your heart. God will bless you in due season. God can and will change your situation, but serve HIM in what you do. Let others see the Gospel worked out in you. This is the greatest witness that you have, the life witness of Christ in you.

1 Peter 1:23-25 (CSB) …. you have been born again—not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this word is the gospel that was proclaimed to you.

God will transform the world through His Gospel, but it must be seen in us first. Let us live for our Jesus!

Posted in 1 Corinthians, Cross of Christ, Sermons Preached, Slave For Christ | Tagged amazing grace, grace, serving christ, slavery | Leave a comment

Charlottesville Wake Up Call

Posted on September 11, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

Great post, sweet Sister!

BeautyBeyondBones

I didn’t want to write this post.

A topic of this magnitude, and the tragedy that befell our nation on Saturday was something that I cannot find the adequate words to describe.

I was asked by numerous readers to write about Saturday’s Charlottesville terrorism, and truthfully, I’m sick to my stomach thinking about the grossly pathetic and ignorant behavior displayed by the white supremacist group. And it shocks and saddens me to think that this benighted ideology is still present in our 2017-America.

And as I sat there, gape-mouthed, in horror at what I was watching on TV, the only thing I could think about was one word:

Evil.

There is evil in the world.

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This is not going to be a fun post. I’m telling you that right now. And frankly, I’m getting heart palpitations thinking about the direction I feel the Holy Spirit leading me, but Saturday…

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Go Out With Joy, Be Led By Peace

Posted on September 11, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

Audio of 8:30 AM Sermon:

Audio of 11 AM Sermon:

Sermon Notes: Isaiah 55:1-11 (KJV) Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. [2] Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. [3] Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. [4] Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. [5] Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. [6] Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: [7] Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. [8] For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. [9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. [10] For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: [11] So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Isaiah 55:12-13 (KJV) For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. [13] Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

You were given a lot of literature when you came to Church today. In addition to your weekly bulletin, you received the 2017 Prayer Guide for the Tennessee Golden Offering for Missions. You also received a “Cowboy Up” Suicide Prevention handout. Today is also the day before the Anniversary of 9/11, a terrible time in our country’s history.

Cowboy Up focuses on Suicide Prevention and Education. In my ministry I have had to bury the remains of several suicides. In every case I had people tell me “They said they were going to kill themselves, but I thought they were just fooling around”. They weren’t. These precious souls spoke out to those around them, telling others that they thought their lives were no longer worth living. They were wrong, but no one shared why they were wrong with them. What a terrible waste this is!

The Golden Offering for Missions focuses on reaching Tennesseans with the “Good News of Christ”, sharing the love of God with our neighbors. Every life is precious to God. People need to know that God loves them, and that God has a plan for their lives if they will only listen to Him.

And the horror of 9/11 happened because at least 19 terrorists from al-Qaeda heeded a false god, committed suicide and in so doing murdered 2997 innocent citizenswhile causing billions of dollars in damage.

In our text today God addresses the horrors of suicide and murder, and reaches out in love to everyone who will hear.

The suicide believes that no one cares.
God cares.
Jesus Christ cares.
God so loved the world that He sent His Son Jesus to tell us that.
Jesus became man to walk among us, to show us the love of God.

God Did Not Make The Thorns – We Did And Do

At the end of our text today we read this together. Let’s read it again:

Isaiah 55:12-13 (KJV) For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. [13] Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

What does God – the God of the Bible, not that false god the confused follow …. The God that sent Jesus – want for us?

To Go Out With JOY.
To Be Led FORTH With PEACE.

Joy and Peace are what God wants for us all. And yet it seems at times that life is filled with thorns and briers. Bad things seem to happen all around us. Bad things happen to those we know. We hear it on the news. Hurricane Harvey has just destroyed a lot of Texas and damaged Lousiana. Hurricane Irma is due to hit Florida this morning – perhaps even now – and destroy much of that state. Bad things are coming, have come, and will come. Is that what God wants for us?

Absolutely not. The Bible tells us that when God made creation:

Genesis 1:31 (ESV) God saw everything that he had made, and behold, IT WAS VERY GOOD. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

God is GOOD, and everything He made was VERY GOOD. It was the best that God could make. It was beautiful. It was a Garden called Eden, and in it there was no sickness, no sadness, no death. The trees grew fruit, and there were no weeds, nor thorns, nor briers nor thistles. It was pure Paradise. The weather was perfect, so perfect that clothing was no invented. No one got up with a head cold or allergies. It was P.A.R.A.D.I.S.E. It was gorgeous. Man and woman lived at peace with one another and with God.

Then the Serpent came into Paradise.

Quit thinking about God.
Think about yourself.
Quit obeying God.
Do what you want.
It’s your body, do what you want.
Take, eat, enjoy the forbidden.
Ignore God and become your own gods.
It will be all right.

But it wasn’t. When Adam and Eve walked away from God the Lord:

Genesis 3:16 (ESV) …to the woman He said …. “in pain you shall bring forth children ..”

Genesis 3:17-19 (ESV) … to Adam He said … “cursed is the ground because of you;

in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

With God there was Paradise. Without God Eve found pain in childbearing, and Adam found thorns and thistles. God did not make the thorns and thistles but man did. The thorn and thistle, brier and bane are the children of the curse. We are born under sin and in a fallen and broken world because of what we did and do. Though we blame Adam for the initial sin that caused the Fall of Creation, the Bible is quick to point out:

Romans 5:12 (ESV) …. sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men BECAUSE ALL SINNED

Sin was brought into the world by Adam, but we ALL sin, we ALL are under the curse, and we ALL have done wrong. That’s the bad news. But there is good news.

God wants us to be blessed.
God wants us to go forth with peace.
God wants to bring about a spiritual transformation in every person.

Isaiah 55:13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Instead of the useless and damaging thorn God wants to bring up the useful fir tree. Instead of the vain and vulgar brier God wants to bring the blessing of the myrtle tree. How can this change come to us?

We Need To Invest Ourselves In God

The promise of blessing is at the end of this chapter, but we cannot get to the blessing unless we heed what comes before it. God said:

Isaiah 55:1 (KJV) Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

If you are thirsty, come to the waters. Quit trying to satisfy your thirst yourself. You were made in the image of God. You were made by God for a purpose. Come to Him to satisfy your thirst. Jesus told a woman at a well one day:

John 4:13-14 (my paraphrase – MP) … whoever drinks of this well water shall thirst again … but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst …

Jesus calls to the thirsty, calls us to Himself. He cries out:

John 7:37 (MP) … if anyone thirsts, let them come to Me and drink …

John 6:35 (MP) … I am the Bread of life. The one who comes to Me shall never hunger, and the one who believes on Me shall never thirst…

The Lord will transform our lives from thorns to fir trees and from briers to myrtle trees if we would come to Him. The Lord says:

he that has no money, come, buy and eat

The Lord has provided the way of blessing and salvation in Himself. We cannot earn it. We do not deserve it. None are worthy in themselves, but it is the free gift of God. The Lord says:

Romans 5:15-17 (ESV) But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. [16] And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. [17] For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Adam brought thorns and briers into the world, hunger and want. But Christ came to give us life and purpose. He came to bring us into union with God, to give our lives purpose. We do not have to purchase what Christ has purchased – we just need to come to Him and invest ourselves in Him. To trust Him, to believe in Him. God asks:

Isaiah 55:2 (KJV) Wherefore do ye SPEND MONEY FOR THAT WHICH IS NOT BREAD? and your LABOUR FOR THAT WHICH SATISFIETH NOT? hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

Why do we spend money seeking happiness, spending money for that which is not bread – and yet find no happiness there. The life without Christ is an empty life. The life without God is purposeless. People frantically search for happiness in …

Sex
Money
Power
Employment

But the life without God is unsatisfying. God says “listen to Me, let Me lead you to the good, and your soul will delight itself in the overflow”. Oh, how horrible the empty life is! But if you fill your life with Christ and His Word and Work, how blessed you will be!

God Calls Us Into Partnership With Him Through Christ

Isaiah 55:3-4 (KJV) Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. [4] Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

The Lord calls out to whosoever will. He says “incline your ear, and come to Me”. Not lower your ear but lift UP your ear. Listen to God, not man.

Stop listening to the world and its foolishness, and focus on the call of God in Christ. We are all broken, but God can fix us. We are born wandering, but God can take us into the Promised Land. God says:

If you’ll hear Me and come,
I will make an EVERLASTING COVENANT with you.

Jesus said in 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.

Life with God is EVERLASTING. He calls us to come to Him, to trust Him, to turn from being our own gods and follow Him as Lord God.

John 3:35-36 (KJV) The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. [36] He that believeth on the Son hath EVERLASTING life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Oh how God wants to covenant with you, to make a contract with you. How God wants to be part of your life. The life in Christ, receiving Him as Lord and Savior, is a life of purpose and joy. Christ was given by the Father to be …

I have given Him for a WITNESS to the people,
a LEADER and COMMANDER to the people

Christ is the Witness of God. We are told in:

Revelation 1:5 (KJV) … Jesus Christ, WHO IS THE FAITHFUL WITNESS, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Jesus came to tell us that God loved us.
He told us – then He showed us.
He went to the Cross for our sins.
He ATONED for our sins so that we can be AT ONE with God.

When you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior – as Commander and Leader – God promises to come be with you. He enters your life through faith and His Spirit.

BUT WE CANNOT SERVE GOD AND SERVE THE GODS!

Isaiah 55:6-7 (KJV) SEEK YE THE LORD WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND, CALL YE UPON HIM WHILE HE IS NEAR: [7] Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and HE WILL HAVE MERCY UPON HIM; AND TO OUR GOD, FOR HE WILL ABUNDANTLY PARDON.

When we come to God we forsake the other gods. We seek Him while He is near. We forsake wickeness, forsaking the ways we used to walk. We come to Him by faith trusting Christ, knowing that Jesus paid for my sins, and that God forgives me for Christ’s sake.

I am pardoned because of Christ.
I am now a Child of God because of Christ.
My purpose is no longer myself, but found in God’s Word.
I am no longer a useless thorn or brier.
I belong to God!

I forsake the thoughts of the world.
The world says “You are useless. Your life has no meaning.”
God says “You have meaning in Me. I love you, and make an everlasting covenant with you. You are mine, and I am yours.”

When we started in verse 1 God called the THIRSTY to Himself. Now He says:

Isaiah 55:8-11 (KJV) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. [9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. [10] For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: [11] So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Words come from thoughts. Thoughts are the clouds that words come from. Rather than fill our heads with the world, let us drink in the Word of God. His Word is life. His Word satisfies our thirst. His Word “accomplishes what God pleases”. Just as God gave us rain and snow that waters the earth, God gives us His Word. Please hear His Word. Please receive Christ to yourselves. Please hear the Word of God, and know that God saves by it.

Titus 3:4-7 (KJV) But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, [5] Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; [6] Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; [7] That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

God loves you and wants you in His family. Receive Him today. Live for Him. Your life is precious – do not waste it, but live it in Him.

May God lead someone to Christ through His Word.

Posted in Isaiah, Sermons Preached | Tagged Christian, life, obey God, salvation, saviour jesus christ | Leave a comment

It Shall Be Well

Posted on September 11, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

Audio of Sermon:

Sermon Notes: Isaiah 3:10-11 (KJV) Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. [11] Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

When we find divisions among mankind we divide along the lines of economy, or skin color, or gender, or persuasion. But when God looks at humanity He divides according to His Kingdom:

The Righteous
The Wicked

God’s People Are To Be Righteous Like God Is Righteous

Not long after Adam lost the Garden we find two brothers, one righteous and the other wicked. Cain was wicked. His brother Abel was righteous. Abel was righteous because he sought to please God, whereas Cain was wicked because he sought to please himself. When Cain brought his offering to God the Lord refused it. The Lord spoke to wicked Cain saying:

Genesis 4:6-7 (ESV) … “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? [7] If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

The righteous “do well”.
The wicked “get by”.
The righteous seek the image of God in their lives.
The wicked seek their own image.
The righteous do what God says because they love God.
The wicked do what they want to do.

The Scripture declares in 1 John 3:10-12 (KJV) In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. [11] For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. [12] Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.

Cain refused to do righteousness, and refused to love his brother.
Cain was of the wicked one, a child of the devil.

Rather than repenting and aligning himself with God he murdered his brother Abel. The wicked despise the righteous. The darkness hates the light. And yet the darkness cannot silence the light, for the Light lives on forever with God Who is light. We are told in …

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

Even though Cain took Abel’s life, Abel lived on with Christ. Why? Because God has made a precious promise to those that are His:

It Shall Be Well With The Righteous

Isaiah 3:10 (KJV) Say ye to the RIGHTEOUS, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

In all of our lives – whether righteous or wicked – we have times where we are in the valleys. Pain takes the child of God and the child of Satan. We age. We hurt. We have times that are bad along with the good times. But God has promised to those who are His:

… It SHALL be WELL with him …

God watches over His people, those made in His image. Though a Great Flood takes all of the earth Noah and his family rise above the disaster. Why? Because Noah was righteous. The righteous “shall eat the fruit of their doings”. The righteous DO righteousness. God looked over the world and throughout all the world He found only Noah. The Bible says:

Noah found Grace in God’s eyes (Genesis 6:8)

Noah was made in the image of God, and though all around him people chased after their own image Noah loved God. God came to Noah.

“Noah, build Me a boat.”
“Noah, make it this size.”
“Noah, do exactly as I say.”

How did Noah reply?
If he were WICKED he would have said:

“Lord, that seems a little too much for me.”
“Lord, my friends will laugh at me”
“Lord, does it need to be that big?”

Noah didn’t do any of those things.
Noah did not argue with God.
God’s Word came to Noah, and God bestowed Grace on Noah.

Genesis 6:22 (KJV) Thus did Noah; according to ALL that God commanded him,
SO DID HE.

Noah was righteous, and enjoyed the fruit of his righteousness. When the rains came, the world died, the wicked drowned, but Noah and his family rose above the disaster.

Say ye to the RIGHTEOUS, it SHALL be well with him!

God had told Pharaoh to “Let My people go, so that they can worship Me in the wilderness”. Pharaoh refused. He is the King of Egypt, a God unto his people. He will not let them go. So God’s Word came to His people.

“Take a lamb without spot or blemish.”
“Bring it in your home the 10^th of this month.”
“Kill it on the 14^th of the month.”
“Put it’s blood on the doorposts and lintel of the home.”
“Eat the lamb roasted, and prepare unleavened bread”
“Be ready to go, for the Destroyer is coming”

How did Israel respond?
If Israel were WICKED they would have said:

“Why does it need to be without spot or blemish?”
“Any lamb will do.”
“Why keep the lamb in the home?”
“Blood is messy – let’s not put it on the doorway”

No, Israel did not debate with God. The righteous do as God says do.

Exodus 12:23 (KJV) For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

Isaiah 3:10 (KJV) Say ye to the RIGHTEOUS, that it shall be well with him:
for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

Though it may seem at times as if the wicked is winning, God has promised those who love Him that it “shall be well with them”. There is a crimson line that stands between the righteous and the wicked. The righteous have faith in God. The wicked have faith in themselves, in their abilities, in what they can do. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV) PURGE OUT therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

God’s people realize that they are made in God’s image, and realize that only God can give light and life.

2 Corinthians 4:3-6 (KJV) But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: [4] In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. [5] For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. [6] For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the very image of God. When we see Him, we see what God wants us to be. We were saved the day we realized we were wicked sinners, deserving of eternal damnation. But then we saw Jesus. We saw Jesus perfect and holy. We saw Jesus born of a Virgin, entering into humanity for us. We saw Jesus, Eternal God made flesh, coming to earth to save us because God loved us. We saw Jesus high and lifted up, suffering and bleeding on Calvary’s Cross. Jesus died, not because He had sinned, but because we had sinned. We had departed from the image of God but Christ, the expressed Image of God, died for us.

1 Peter 3:18 (ESV) For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God …

The Image of God became the Image of Man so that He might bring us to God. The Righteous died for the unrighteous, the Christ for the wicked.

Romans 5:6-10 (CSB) For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. 8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 How much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath. 10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.

It Shall Be Well With The Righteous ALWAYS

There are times when darkness threatens us. Our loved ones may betray us, as Joseph’s brothers betrayed him. But is SHALL BE well with the righteous. Thrown into prison, Joseph was enslaved in Egypt. Falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife because he would not sleep with her, Joseph was thrown into prison for 13 years. I am sure those were dark and terrible years. Yet Joseph knew that God loved Him. God loves His Children. God protects His Children. When the time was right, God brought Joseph out of prison, and made him vice-ruler of Egypt.

The darkness may come, but God has promised us that it SHALL be well with the righteous.

It shall be well in sickness.
It shall be well in suffering.
It shall be well in betrayal.
It shall be well though the darkness toss us in a pit of lions,
Or in a fiery furnace.
It shall be well.

It may not seem well now, but it shall be well. Has not God said:

Romans 8:28-32 (KJV) And we know that ALL THINGS work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. [29] For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. [30] Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. [31] What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? [32] He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

If you have received Christ as Savior and Lord, all things work together for good.
If you love God, all things work together for good.
The Bible does not say that all things are good,
but that they all WORK TOGETHER for good.

God delivered His Son to death for you, dearly Beloved – how shall He not freely give us ALL THINGS.

Lazarus may lie on a dunghill and eat the crumbs that fall from the table of the master. He may lay in dirt, with only the tongues of the dogs nursing his wounds. But when Lazarus dies the angels carry him to Heaven, to where he rests in the arms of Abraham. The rich man who had not Christ lifted up his eyes in hell, being in torments.

Oh Beloved, you may suffer now, but look up and trust Him Who loves you. It SHALL be well with you. Though Job suffered he trusted God, saying ….

Job 5:19-27 (KJV) {God} shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. [20] In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword. [21] Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. [22] At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. [23] For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee. [24] And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin. [25] Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth. [26] Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season. [27] Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.

The Bible tells us that Job’s ending was more blessed than his beginning.
What a great testimony this is! Praise Him forever!
Walk WITH God, IN God, and FOR God. Don’t be as the wicked.
Do NOT be a pebble in God’s shoe!

It Shall Be Well With The OBEDIENT Righteous

Salvation is all of God. Disobedient Jonah cried out from the belly of the Great Fish:

Jonah 2:9 (KJV) But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. SALVATION IS OF THE LORD.

He was in the belly of the fish because, though righteous, he behaved as if he were wicked. God called, and he ran. Salvation is a free gift of God, but once saved you must do as He says if you wish to be blessed. The Bible tells us who are His that we are

Romans 8:29 … predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son …

We are to be like Jesus. We are to be like the One Who saved us.

Romans 12:2 (KJV) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Our text tells us:

Isaiah 3:10 (KJV) Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him:
for they shall eat the fruit OF THEIR DOINGS.

The word “DO” is found 416 times in the New Testament.
Those who are righteous – saved by faith – DO as our Lord says.
Israel was in a bad state because they were NOT DOING what God told them to do.

If you read Isaiah 3 – the rest of the text – you’ll find it to be quite dark. For instance:

Isaiah 3:1-4 (KJV) For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water, [2] The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, [3] The captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. [4] And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

Jerusalem is the city of David.
Judah is the tribe of David.

But God has said to His Beloved:

I will take away your bread.
I will take away your water.
I will take away your military leaders.
I will take away your law enforcement.
I will take away your preachers.
I will take away the wise, and the talented.
And I will put babies in charge of your nation.

Why was God not blessing His people? Their DOINGS were against God! God will support NOTHING that is not in His character.

Isaiah 3:8-9 (KJV) For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and THEIR DOINGS ARE AGAINST THE LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory. [9] The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for THEY HAVE REWARDED EVIL UNTO THEMSELVES.

God promises to bless the righteous. He said “it shall be well with them … they shall eat the fruit OF THEIR DOINGS.”

The righteous are to DO righteousness, not evil. The righteous are to follow the Lord our God, to heed His Word, to lift His banner high. As C.H. Spurgeon said:

“The Christian has a bank that never breaks … the believer has an arm to lean on that is never weary, never feeble, never withdrawn …”

God loves us, but calls us to love Him, to commit to do for Him. What we sow we shall reap. The Scripture says:

Galatians 6:7-10 (KJV) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. [8] For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. [9] And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. [10] As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Salvation is all of Christ, but once in Christ we are to DO for Christ. We are to be light in the Lord. Though we have not touched upon it, let us look at the second part of our text:

Isaiah 3:10-11 (KJV) Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. [11] Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

The righteous who do well will eat the fruit of their doings. You will one day be with Jesus in glory forever. But the wicked it shall be ill with them, for the reward of his hands will be given him. God gives to each person according to their doings. If you do wickedly, you will receive the curse of wickedness. The unbeliever may seem to prosper now, but it SHALL BE ILL with him. Judgment day is coming. When the righteous die, we receive the fruit of our doings.

If you did little, you will receive little.
If you did much, you will receive much.
If you did nothing, you will receive nothing.
If you did wickedness, you will receive wrath.

Oh Beloved, come to Christ. Give yourselves to Him. Live for Him, and let Him live through you. There will be a payday someday. Live for HIM!

Posted in Belong To God, Blood of Atonement, Communion, Cross of Christ, Isaiah, Law Of God, Living God, Love One Another, Sermons Preached | Tagged bad behavior, Christian, christianity, God In Control, love, truth | Leave a comment

I Am Part Of God’s Symphony

Posted on September 7, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

Audio of Message:

Sermon Notes: 1 Corinthians 6:12 (KJV) All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

We live in a country of unprecedented freedoms. You can go where you want, when you want. You can do what you want as long as it is LAWFUL.

You can LEGALLY be a cross-dresser.
You can LEGALLY date a man if you are a man.
Or a woman if you are a woman.
In many states, you can LEGALLY marry someone who is the same sex as you are.
You can LEGALLY go to nightclubs, and “pick up” someone.
You can LEGALLY be sexually immoral, and ruin someone’s marriage.
You can LEGALLY go to Las Vegas and hire a prostitute.
You can go to Colorado and LEGALLY smoke marijuana.
You can LEGALLY go to Oregon and help someone kill themselves.
You can LEGALLY drink alcohol until you are unable to stand.
You can LEGALLY go to the local Walmart, buy a U.S. Flag, and desecrate it.
In many states you can LEGALLY murder an unborn child.
You can LEGALLY despise another person’s color as long as you do not act on it.
You can LEGALLY destroy public monuments because of their history.
In Florida you can LEGALLY enter this country illegally.
And in certain cities illegal immigrants LEGALLY use healthcare facilities.
You can LEGALLY use foul and blasphemous language.
You can LEGALLY record a song that glorifies rape and gangsta life.

We have unprecedented freedoms in our country. The Apostle Paul had unprecedented freedoms as well. He said:

All things are LAWFUL unto me

Paul was in a unique position. Rome ruled the world, and Roman citizens had unprecedented freedoms. Most Roman households owned more than one slave, and Roman citizens had access to all kinds of free slavery. Every conquered people were subject to enslavement. The Romans could do just about anything they wanted to do. The Jews were enslaved, in bondage as a nation.

Paul was a Jew. Paul said “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city” (Acts 21:39). Before Paul was Paul he was SAUL, a high ranking Jew. He testified:

Philippians 3:5 (NLT) I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.

Saul was a full member of Israel, a ruling elite, a man with power. But Paul was also a Roman Citizen. Paul told the Centurion Commander in Acts 22:28:

“I was BORN a CITIZEN of Rome”

Paul was born in the city of Tarsus in the Province of Cilicia. Tarsus was one of the few cities of Rome that was considered a “Free City”. Those born in that city – even if Jewish – were considered Roman Citizens with all the rights of the Roman citizen.

Paul was a free man. He was free to enter the Temple, free to go where he wished as a free man. He was free as a Roman citizen. A mere Jew could be conscripted to carry a soldier’s pack, and his home could be commandeered and taken over. The Roman citizen could not be commanded. The Roman citizen had freedom to move about the empire unhindered. When Paul said:

“all things are LAWFUL unto me”

he wasn’t boasting, but being truthful. Paul could do ANYTHING a Jew or a Roman could do. EVERYTHING was LAWFUL to him. Yet Paul said:

All things are lawful unto me, but ALL THINGS ARE NOT EXPEDIENT:

The word translated “EXPEDIENT” is the Greek συμφέρω sympherō, a very interesting word. The word means “to bring together so as to make beautiful”. If you listen to the word you’ll note it sounds like “Symphony”, and there’s a reason for that. The word “Symphony” comes from the Old French “Symphonie” which came from the Latin “Sumphonia” which means “to be harmonious”, which the Romans took from “Symphero”. Our word “Symphony” comes from this Greek word. Paul said:

All things are LAWFUL to me, but not all things ARE IN HARMONY

If you’ve ever seen a Symphony you know that it is PLAYED by a collection of musical instruments operated by skilled musicians. No one musician follows his own path, but each member of the Orchestra follows the Conductor. Every musician has the ability and the right to play his or her instrument any way they want to – but not as part of the Orchestra or as a contributor to the Symphony. If you would be part of the Orchestra and thus part of the Symphony you must follow the Conductor. To not follow the Conductor is to play out of tune, and such playing not only DISTRACTS but DESTROYS the Symphony that is being presented. It is much like it was when I marched in the military. If I did not keep time with those around me, I caused the entire flight to stumble.

All things are LAWFUL, but all things do not make a SYMPHONY.
I can do what I want, but I detract from what God wants, and ruin what He is doing.
No member of the Orchestra wants to ruin the Symphony.
The Corinthians were ruining God’s Symphony.

The Corinthians Were Not Showing The Love Of Christ To A Watching World

The Apostle said 1 Corinthians 6:1-5 (KJV) Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? [2] Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? [3] Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? [4] If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. [5] I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?

The Church is called by Christ to be a body of believers who glorify God. Jesus said:

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

Someone once said that God gave Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai, but Jesus gave the eleventh commandment to His Church on Mount Calvary. Jesus said that a lost world would see the validity of the faith of Christ through the love that we show to one an other. God expects us to love our enemies. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:44-45 (KJV) But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; [45] That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

We are to love those who do evil to us. But in the Church we must ESPECIALLY love one another. The Corinthians were not doing this. When they got into arguments among themselves (and this will happen) they began to bring civil law suits against one another. They carried their cases before unjust or unrighteous judges, worldly men in worldly courts, who saw the battles going on in the Church.

You say “But I would never do that”! Maybe not. But how many of us have been in Church fights or disagreements where we went home, got on the phone, and told our unbelieving friends about it? Then we later invite them to Church and wonder “Why won’t they come to Church?” Perhaps it is that you have played out of tune and ruined God’s Symphony, hitting sour notes or going off on your own score.

The Symphony of Grace is only beautiful when it is in one accord
and under One Conductor, Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Bible says of Jesus:

1 Peter 2:23 (NIV) When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

Jesus focused on staying in tune with God’s Order and God’s Orchestra. By carrying their dirty laundry out of the house the Corinthians made the Grace of God seem to be nothing but vain wishes and hopeful thinking. The Apostle told them:

1 Corinthians 6:7-8 (KJV) Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? [8] Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

If someone in the Orchestra plays a sour note, do not step away from the Orchestra nor follow that person. Instead keep your eyes on the Conductor. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Though it may be LAWFUL to take a fellow believer to court, it is not in harmony with God’s Symphony. Suffer (or allow) yourselves to be defrauded, trusting God. God will sort it out. God will fix the problem. Just love, and keep loving. Serve, and keep serving. Do not become part of the problem, because you then rob yourself and your Church of the blessing.

There is a blessing in following God.
But there is a curse in NOT following God.

The Apostle warns: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (KJV) Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, [10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Those who do evil – as God defines evil – SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD. Those who reject the Law of God which is the Law of Love will be cast away from God’s Presence at His Judgment. Who shall not enter Heaven?

Fornicators – the sexually immoral
Idolators – worshippers of false gods
Adulterers – those who destroy marriages
Effeminate – those who prostitute themselves
Abusers of Mankind – those engaged in same sex
Thieves – those who steal
Covetous – the stingy or greedy
Drunkards – abusers of drugs or alcohol
Revilers – troublemakers
Extortioners – hold up artists

God knows who these people are, and will lead them to conversion or will remove them from the Orchestra. God will fix the problem. We are not to be part of the problem, though we are legally able to do so. Of everything listed above as sins that damn a soul, most of this list was legal in Rome and is legal in America today.

Yet these things bring bondage.
Sin binds the soul.
Sin harms the body.

Though it might be LEGAL, it is not part of God’s Symphony.
We should not play with it.

The Apostle said: 1 Corinthians 6:11 (KJV) And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

God indwells His Children. He washed us from His sins in His own Blood. He sanctified us, setting us apart as His people. He justified us, making us right with Him. We are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus. He is or Lord, our Conductor, our Leader, our King.

I Am To Be Christ’s

Corinth was the capital city of the so called goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love. The prostitutes worked in that temple gathering funds for their goddess. Greek Geographer Strabo wrote around 20 AD:

“The temple of Aphrodite was once so rich that it had acquired more than a thousand prostitutes, donated by both men and women to the service of the goddess. And because of them, the city used to be jam-packed and became wealthy. The ship-captains would spend fortunes there, and so the proverb says: “The voyage to Corinth isn’t for just any man.”

The Corinthians had fallen prey to this evil. The Apostle wrote:

1 Corinthians 6:13-17 (KJV) Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. [14] And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. [15] Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. [16] What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. [17] But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

It was lawful and even encouraged to visit the Temple of Aphrodite. But Paul said “though it be lawful, it is not part of God’s symphony”. It is darkness, and evil. The day the Christian becomes a Christian God indwells our bodies. We are in union with God. Therefore we are no longer to be in union with darkness. We are:

Colossians 1:13-14 (KJV) Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: [14] In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

We no longer belong to the devil, but belong to God. God lives inside us. We are to live with Him and with one another, glorifying Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:18 (KJV) Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

Sexual immorality – called “fornication” in our above text – is a sin that destroys our bodies. The sexually immoral contract diseases that the sexually righteous do not. The Bible says:

Proverbs 6:32 (NKJV) Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; He who does so destroys his own soul.

Sexual immorality is winked at in America today, but it is destroying our society. It is destroying families. It is destroying Churches. The Apostle encourages the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (KJV) What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? [20] For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Your body belongs to God. Though it may be LEGAL, ask yourself “Is it part of God’s Symphony?” If not, put it away. Love Him Who loves you. Glorify God in your Body and in your Spirit, because we who are saved belong to God. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. He is our Conductor, our Lord, our God!

May Jesus touch your hearts with His Word.

Posted in 1 Corinthians, Belong To God, Blood of Atonement, Sermons Preached | Tagged bad behavior, unChristlike | Leave a comment

FIVE SIMPLE STEPS TO SHARE THE GOSPEL.

Posted on September 5, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

great article from a wonderful Christ follower

jesus-social.com

Like the early church we still have have the momentum of the Holy Spirit in us to keep flying the flag of Christ high by continuing in their prompt willingness to share the Gospel.
Irrespective of the age we find ourselves in, ie in terms of the technologies available today we can still keep up and share the Gospel with those around us beginning with family and friends. What great joy and privilege to share the greatest gift of love with people around us, on a personal one on one basis. Here are some five (5) simple steps to follow.
1. ASK PERMISSION
It could be on a bus, train, mall or even on a picnic, and you can start a simple conversation with a smiling ‘Hello’ , be polite and ask , ” Can I share a GoodNews with you? Just five minutes of your time please” or ,”…

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Walk In The Light Of The Lord

Posted on September 4, 2017 by bibleteacherorg

Isaiah_2_2t5_Walk_In_The_Light

Audio of Sermon:

Sermon Notes: Isaiah 2:2-5 (KJV) And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. [3] And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. [4] And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. [5] O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Audio of Message:

Israel was in bondage because she had drifted from God. Northern Israel had fallen to Assyria, and Southern Israel was about to fall to Babylon. How did God encourage His people?

He told them of better days to come. He spoke of the Coming Millennial Reign of Christ, a time when peace would rule on the earth.

Let’s meditate on what our Lord said:

Isaiah 2:2 (KJV) And it shall come to pass in the last days,

the latter days, at the end of the Age
when the old passes and the New King reigns

that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills;

the “High Places” will be reserved to our God.
In the Millennial Reign of Christ God will not be incidental, but the focus of our lives.

and all nations shall flow unto it.

God will be revered under the Leadership and Throne of Christ.
Those of His Church shall receive glorified bodies at the Rapture
So that we are able to glorify our God forever!

The Bible speaks of the coming of our Lord and His Rapture of His Church:

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 (NKJV) For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 (NKJV) Behold, I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

What a glorious day that will be! In those coming days of glory the world will be changed.

Isaiah 2:3 (KJV) And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob;

People will want to gather together in love, glorifying God.

and he will teach us of his ways,

During the Millennial Reign of Christ people will want to hear the Word of God.
They will be taught of God.

and we will walk in his paths:

During the Millennium people will not walk in the paths of darkness nor sin.
We will walk in HIS paths, where our God leads.

for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

And Jesus will rule from Jerusalem.

How will the world be during that wonderful time? The Lord tells us:

Isaiah 2:4 (KJV) And He {Jesus Christ our Lord} shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people:

Jesus said in John 5:22-23 (NKJV) For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

All Judgment belongs to the Son. He will rule the world.
What is the result of His righteous rule?

and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

War will be ended during the Millennial Reign of our Lord.
Israel was in bondage, first to sin, then to the sinful pagan.
But where God reigns there is nothing but peace.
Where God rules there is fairness.
Where God rules racism is gone.

Looking forward to this great day, God issues a command to His people. He says:

Isaiah 2:5 (KJV) O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

If during the Millennial Reign Christ brings peace,

If in Heaven there is no domination of sin nor or hatred,

If these things are true because we walk in the light of the Lord,

Then let us NOW walk in the light of the Lord.

IF what blesses the world THEN is obedience to the Lord,
THEN what blesses the world NOW is obedience to the Lord.

God’s People Are To Walk In LIGHT, Not Darkness

On Wednesday nights we are working our way through the Book of 1 Corinthians, one of my least favorite books of the Bible to preach through. I didn’t say I didn’t wholeheartedly agree with it – and love it – because My Lord wrote it. But it is a hard book to preach.

The Church in America today is like Corinth, and no one wants to hear the truth.
That makes it hard to preach. But I’ll preach it anyway.

The Corinthian Church had gotten away from Walking in the Light of the Lord and began to let worldliness creep into the Church. The Apostle told Corinth – and the Church today …

1 Corinthians 5:9-11 (NKJV) I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with SEXUALLY IMMORAL PEOPLE. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or COVETOUS, or an IDOLATER, or a REVILER, or a DRUNKARD, or an EXTORTIONER—not even to eat with such a person.

Sexual immorality is darkness. God calls His people to one man – one woman marriages, just as it was with Adam and Eve. His people are to walk in LIGHT, not darkness. God calls His people away from homosexual, lesbian, transgender, or promiscuous heterosexual relationships. These things are darkness, not light. Come, let us walk together in the light of the Lord.

No believer is to be SEXUALLY IMMORAL – a violation of the 7^th Commandment.
No believer is to be COVETOUS – greedy, a violation of the 10^th Commandment.
No believer is to be IDOLATROUS – worshiping false gods,
a violation of Commands 1&2.
No believer is to be a reviler – hateful to others. This violates the Law of Love.
No believer is to be a drunkard – a misuser of alcohol or drugs.
And certainly no believer is to be an extortioner – manipulating others for gain.

You say “But truly no believer would do these things”. Believers have, and did. The Corinthians did so. A famous Old Testament example of such things was God’s own King David. David was “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22). And David is a perfect example of why we do not walk in darkness.

David COVETED.
He saw another man’s wife.
David EXTORTED.
He took that man’s wife.
David was SEXUALLY IMMORAL.
He slept with that man’s wife.
David was IDOLATROUS.
He worshiped himself and his power.
He did not glorify God.
Then David MURDERED the man from whom
He coveted, extorted, took.

But God punished David.

2 Samuel 12:10 (ESV) Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.

the Lord told David.
If you walk in darkness, you will stub the toe of your soul.
If you walk in darkness, you will hurt yourself.
If you walk in darkness, it will hurt others around you.
Remember what you learned in Bible School, that precious Song …

O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little ears what you hear
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little hands what you do
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little feet WHERE YOU WALK
O be careful little feet WHERE YOU WALK
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little feet WHERE YOU WALK

Worldliness has crept into many Churches today.
Worldliness has crept into many of our beloved Baptist Churches.
Worldliness has crept into our beloved Convention.

The world has taught the Church how to compromise with the darkness, and the Church has listened. Oh Beloved, if you do darkness you will reap darkness. If you do light, you will reap light.

The Church – just like Israel – is called to look forward, to be prophetically minded.
The Church – just like Israel – is called to walk in the light of the Lord.

If we will THEN rule and reign with Him, we must NOW walk with Him.

Walking In Light Is The Normal State Of The Believer

Isaiah 2:5 (KJV) O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

As someone once said:

There is a big difference between an EMPTY profession and a GRACIOUS reality!

The dangerous “hope so” salvation is often prompted by the double minded person. God tells us:

1 John 1:6-7 (NKJV) If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

God saves us from the dark world to walk in His world. We who are His are translated beings.

Colossians 1:13-14 (NKJV) {God} has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

The Redeemed are Translated, and the Translated are Redeemed.

And we who are His are Redeemed to walk with Him. “Let us WALK in the Light of the Lord”. Walking implies activity and union. If we walk in the Light we walk WITH GOD and WITH OTHER BEINGS OF LIGHT. As we walk with God, we walk with God TOGETHER.

He said “Let us WALK”. Walk implies continuous activity. The Bible does not say “let us SIT in the Light of the Lord”, but “Let us WALK in the Light of the Lord”. Jesus said “My Father works, so I work”. We walk – we work – with our Father.

We Walk ONWARD With Light There may be times when darkness and depression come in our lives, but we do not live in darkness. Children of light may have times of sorrow.

Psalm 30:5 (NKJV) …. Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

The believer is not to focus on the darkness, but on Christ, our “Dayspring from on High” (Luke 1:78). We lose loved ones. We all suffer the pangs and sorrows of death. But those of ours who have gone on ahead into His Presence are not lost, but held in the arms of Christ. We do not sorrow as the unbeliever does who has no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13), but our focus is on Christ. Jesus told us:

Matthew 6:22-23 (NKJV) The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Where is your spiritual “eye” focused? If on the darkness, you will be in darkness. “Come, let us walk in the Light of the Lord”. Has He not promised

John 11:26 (NKJV) And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.

Then asks …

“Do you believe this?”

If you believe this, then focus on this. Let your life be all of

Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV) … 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 has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

We Walk Onward In The LIGHT OF GRACE And LOVE

Isaiah 2:5 (KJV) O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

The unbeliever is in the state of darkness.

Ephesians 4:18 (NKJV) … having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;

This is where you were, dear believer, but no longer are.

Ephesians 5:8 (NKJV) For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

2 Corinthians 4:6 (NKJV) For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

We no longer hesitate between two opinions, but we desire to walk with our God in His light.

We are to walk loving one another as Christ has loved us.
We are to walk in love with our God, praising Him, magnifying His Name.
We glorify Him, not ourselves, but Him.

We know that the Lord’s Prayer:

Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV) …Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. [10] Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread. [12] And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. [13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

The Kingdom of God cannot come while His people are walking in darkness. We must walk in the light of His love, caring for one another, loving one another. We are a forgiven people. We are purchased by the Blood of His dear Son. We are His Children. Sin to us is a horror, a killer, a murderer of the innocent, a terror that we will not walk by. As C.H. Spurgeon once said:

“We are no longer bound to this earth! We are borne along by the irresistable force of eternal love. God has achieved His purpose in our blood washed souls; walking in the light we are now in harmony with His master purpose, and we cry,

Father, glorify Your Son!

May the Spirit of God bring you to know the joy of walking in His Light. May God bless you all!