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Anathema Maranatha

Posted on May 2, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

1 Corinthians 16:22 (KJV) If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

Revivals Are For The Church, The Saved

It is such a joy to be invited to preach to you tonight. When invited, I told my brother “Do you know who you’re inviting? I’m nobody. I’m nothing, and happy to be nothing.” I pray that God use this unworthy servant for His glory, and for your growth.

Beloved, “Revival” is not primarily about saving souls. I pray souls are saved, but “Revival” means “an improvement in the condition or strength of something, to make something important again”.

A lost person doesn’t need revival. A lost person is dead in their trespasses and sins. You do not REVIVE a dead thing – it must be QUICKENED. A lost person must be born again. A lost person needs to be found of Jesus. A lost person needs to be found of the Holy Spirit. Like Lazarus, Christ must call them, and they must come! You MUST be born again before you can be revived!

One of the favorite verses of Scripture – one we al learned in Vacation Bible School – is John 3:16

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.

Those wonderful words are said by our Lord Jesus Christ to a man named Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, an important Pharisee, a “ruler of the Jews”.

– Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. That’s one of the signs you need to be “born again”. You’re interested by Jesus, interested in Jesus, but ashamed to be seen of Him in public. If people around you don’t know you’re a Christian, a Child of God, then you may not be saved.

– Nicodemus came to Jesus and bragged on Jesus – PRIVATELY. “Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” (John 3:2). Jesus didn’t want a spiritually dead man bragging on Him. Jesus told Nicodemus:

John 3:3 (KJV) … Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he CANNOT see the kingdom of God.

Lost people are blind – blind to their sin. They think they’re GOOD. They’re blind to Who Jesus is.

Nicodemus is standing before the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Nicodemus is in the Presence of the One that Colossians 1:16-17 tells us “by Him all things were made”. Nicodemus is spiritually dead. He sees Jesus as the lost world sees Jesus. Jesus is just a great Teacher, a miracle worker. Jesus is more than a miracle worker. He is CREATIVE GOD. He is the only hope for salvation. He is the Only Savior of mankind.

Jesus told Nicodemus “you cannot see the Kingdom of God”. Those who are saved, are saved by the love of God. “We love Him, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

– Lost people believe they can be saved, then live their lives without regard to God or man – live their lives selfishly – then will die and go to Heaven. Beloved, when we are saved, we are saved into God’s Kingdom. We are saved into a Kingdom run by Jesus. Jesus doesn’t just save you to get you to Heaven. He saves you to get Heaven into you. Jesus said,

John 10:27-28 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

When Jesus told Nicodemus “You MUST be born again”, Nicodemus asked Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” (John 3:4). That is so silly – but ..

– Lost people cannot understand the things of God, for they do not have the Spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 2:14 (KJV) … the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are FOOLISHNESS unto him: NEITHER can he know them, because they are SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED.

Jesus told Nicodemus:

John 3:5-7 (KJV) Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

What must a lost person know? What can they know?

First, the lost person must know they are lost. You cannot be found until you know you’re lost. When Jesus preached, He preached:

Matthew 4:17 (KJV) REPENT ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand …

Mark 1:15 (KJV) The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: REPENT ye, and believe the gospel.

The first thing the lost person must do is REPENT. That means to “agree with God on what God says”. What does God say about us humans? He says:

Romans 3:10-11 (KJV) … There is NONE righteous, no, not one: 12 They are ALL gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

People are fond of judging themselves against other people. Hitler is BAD, but compared to him, I’m GOOD. But Jesus told us “There are none good but One, that is God” (Matthew 19:17).

Compared to God, we are all bad. God is pure, holy – holy – holy. He is the only One without sin.

Born into this world as sinners, we must all be born again. We must realize our first birth made us human, but we need a SECOND BIRTH TO MAKE US HOLY. How can we be holy? Can we follow a Law, and live it perfectly to be holy? No! Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again of the Spirit”. How can a person be born again?

Love The Lord Jesus Christ, or be ANATHEMA

Sometimes preachers “chase rabbits”, lose their point, and run in circles. I’m not “chasing rabbits”. Everything I told you ties into this verse:

1 Corinthians 16:22 (KJV) If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

What makes a person a believer, saved in the eyes of God. It is that you love His Son, Jesus Christ. If you love Jesus, then you are “BELOVED”, because Jesus is God’s Beloved Son (Matthew 3:17; 17:5). But if you do not love Jesus, “let him be Anathema”. What does that word mean?

Our Bible was originally written – not in English – but in ancient languages. The Old Testament is translated into English from Hebrew and Chaldean, the New Testament from Greek and Aramaic. The two words we see are not translated here, but are the original Greek words.

Word Study: Anathema means to be “bound under a great curse”. The word is usually translated in our Bibles, but here it’s not. The word Anathema is translated in Acts 23:14. The Chief Priests and elders said…

Acts 23:14 We have bound ourselves under a great curse {Anathema}, we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.

They took a terrible curse upon themselves, and said that they would starve to death until they killed the Apostle Paul. It was a terrible curse, and a foolish curse, because Paul would not be slain until the Lord Jesus was done with him. Paul would stand in front of Caesar and fulfill the commission Jesus Christ called him to do,

Acts 9:15 … to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel

The word Anathema is translated in the Book of Galatians, where the Bible says:

Galatians 1:8-9 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be ACCURSED. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be ACCURSED.

The word “ACCURSED” is the translation of the word Anathema. If anyone preaches a Gospel that departs from that which the Apostles preached, the “Gospel of the Kingdom” (Matthew 4:23; 9:35; 24:14; Mark 1:14), then that person is ANATHEMA, condemned, cast out. There’s a lot of this preaching going on today, dear ones. The beginning of the Gospel is

REPENT!

Someone says, “I can be homosexual, and be a Christian”. This is an ACCURSED, ANATHEMA – a false Gospel. Homosexual behavior is sinful, evil (1 Corinthians 6:9). It is unrighteous, just as it is to live in sexual union with another to whom you are not married. Homosexuality and adultery, along with bestiality, were CAPITAL offenses in ancient Israel.

Another says, “I can be a Christian, and carry hatred in my heart toward another person”. Brother, you have been sold ANATHEMA.

Yet another says, “I can be a Christian, and live to please myself above all else”. Sister, you have a “made in China, fake gospel”. “Ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

We come to Jesus broken, and Jesus heals us. We are saved by Grace:

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

But once saved, you are brought into the Kingdom of Christ. Once saved, we are told,

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

We are not saved BY works, but BY faith in Christ. But once saved, we are born again. Once saved, God changes us. We do not become perfect, but meeting Jesus

“the blind see,
the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
to the poor the gospel is preached”
(Luke 7:22)

The ACCURSED false gospel says that if you send money to a preacher on television that God will give you much more back. Beloved, God does not promise you earthly riches. Your riches are with Jesus! “You cannot serve God and mammon, God and money/ riches” (Matthew 6:24).

The ACCURSED false gospel says that God’s Word is not true, not for today, but what God said in His Bible applied only to then, not to now. Beloved, our God is sovereign. He wrote His Book through men submitted to Him. God is timeless, and His Book is timeless.

The ACCURSED false gospel says that Jesus saves you to go to Heaven, but you can walk like a child of Hell on this earth.

That’s a lie. If you are saved, you follow Jesus, you love Jesus. I already quoted this – but let’s say it again:

John 10:27-28 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life…

If you belong to Jesus, you live for Jesus. Church, Jesus expects you to love Him, to SHINE for Him. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

If You Do Not Love Jesus, ANATHEMA!

1 Corinthians 16:22 (KJV) If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema

Do you know why the Church in America is having so little effect on the sin and darkness in America? It is because many Churches have committed the sin of Achan.

God told Israel that when they went into the Land, do not take the ACCURSED thing, the idolatrous THING, the evil of the world into their homes. God tells us in the New Testament:

1 Peter 1:13-19 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; [14] As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: [15] But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; [16] Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. [17] And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning [here] in fear: [18] Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers; [19] But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot …

When Israel went to battle, Achan (Joshua 7:1) brought the ACCURSED THING into his home. He buried it in the floor of his house. No one knew BUT GOD. But God knew. ANATHEMA!

The Church cannot change the world when it looks like the world. If we love Jesus, we will do as He says. Jesus said:

Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

And

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Church, do you love Jesus? Christian, do you love Jesus? Those who will not love Jesus will be ANATHEMA, under the curse. Let me tell you a true story.

Several years ago at our Church a fellow told me, “I want to join the Church”. I asked him, “Do you love Jesus. Have you given your life to Jesus?” He said, “Yes, I have”. I told him, “Next Sunday come forward, profess your love for Jesus, and we’ll receive you once you are baptized”. This man – his name too is David – looked at me and said “I don’t want to be baptized”. I told him, “You have to be baptized or you can’t join the Church”. He said, “You preached a few Sundays ago about the man who died next to Jesus on Calvary. That thief said,

Luke 23:42 … Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

Jesus told that man,

Luke 23:43 … Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise.

David said, “That man was never baptized”. I told him, “That’s true. But IF he could have gotten off that Cross and been baptized, HE WOULD HAVE DONE IT, because that man loved Jesus more than himself”. David couldn’t understand it. I told him, “Jesus commanded baptism. If you love Him, you KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS (Matthew 28:19)”.

I came in a Sunday School class, and the teacher came to me. Several men in the class told David that he didn’t have to be baptized to join the Church. I told them all that yes, he did. If you love Jesus, you will be baptized. “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be ANATHEMA. If any CHURCH love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let it be ANATHEMA, under the dark curse.”

We’re not here to please ourselves, or puff ourselves up, but to love Him that gave His life for us twice.

Jesus gave His life on Calvary as the Lamb of God, and gives His life now sitting on the right hand of the Father, making intercession for US.

About a year later, David walked the aisle at Church. When he came to me, I asked “Will you be baptized?” He said, “Preacher, you’re asking a hard thing.” I told David, “No, I’m not. Jesus is commanding you. Will you be baptized?” He said, “Yes, for Jesus”. When David went under the water, when he came up everyone who witnessed his baptism that night said “he literally glowed when he came up”.

1 Corinthians 16:22 (KJV) If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

Let me tell you another true story. Years ago I knew a very rich woman who was a member at our Church in Lexington Tennessee. God had been good to her. She had a nice home, and owned a thousand acres of land. Her husband left her with a full bank account. She had no want for anything.

I was cleaning up the basement of the Church when I came across a broken handled upright vacuum cleaner. It couldn’t be used, so I threw it away. Later that day I was at this lady’s home visiting with her, when I saw she had a brand new, top of the line Electrolux Vacuum Cleaner. I told her, “That’s the kind of vacuum cleaner our Church could use. I found an old broken one at the Church, but it was no good”. She looked at me and said, “All you had to do was get the handle fixed. I dropped that old one – it used to be mine – off at the Church when I bought this one. You had no right to throw it away!”

A few years later, I visited this poor old lady in the Nursing Home. She had lost her home. The Nursing Home took her money, and her lands. She could no longer walk. This lady looked at me, and said,

“Brother David, why does God hate me?”

Beloved, God doesn’t hate you. But His Word stands true.

1 Corinthians 16:22 (KJV) If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

As I close, I want to focus on the last word of this text, “Maranatha”. The word “MARANATHA” is two Aramaic words, marana tha. The word means “our Lord has come, and will come”. This word is only found here in the Bible. Marana tha reminds us that our God is returning, that He will “come quickly”. Jesus said,

Revelation 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

Revelation 22:12 behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

And our Bible ends with these words,

Revelation 22:20 … Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

We do not know when Jesus will return. It could be at any minute. Your last breath can be your next breath. Do you love Jesus? Oh, how I pray you do. We are all frail, all broken – but if we as His sheep follow Him, blessing is coming. But if not, ANATHEMA – you are under a curse.

Do you know Him? Do you love Him? If not, get right TONIGHT. Repent. Come to the King of Kings, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 16:23-24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Amen.

Posted in 1 Corinthians, Sermons Preached | Tagged Bible, born again, Faith, Following Christ, God, God Is Faithful, gospel, Jesus, loved of God, quickened, revival | Leave a comment

Is Your Inside Out?

Posted on May 1, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Proverbs 16:31 The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.

The words “HOARY HEAD” is the Hebrew śêḇâ (pro. Say-baw’) which means “grayed headed” or “one of old age”. The Bible celebrates not just the older person, but the elder who walks “in the way of righteousness”.

Old age has little to do with the crown of righteousness.

The “Crown of Righteousness” is given to those who live for and love Jesus, even into old age. The Apostle Paul wrote:

2 Timothy 4:6-8 (KJV) For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Paul lived his life for Jesus to the fullest. As an Elder, he never shirked his Lord, but “kept the faith”. The “Crown of righteousness” is only for those who love the Lord, and look with anticipation to His appearing.

There are many elderly people who pursued wickedness their entire lives, and actually grow old sinning. The Prophet Job asked his friends the same questions we have often asked:

Job 21:7-16 (NKJV) Why do the wicked live and become old, Yes, become mighty in power? 8 Their descendants are established with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes. 9 Their houses are safe from fear, Neither is the rod of God upon them. 10 Their bull breeds without failure; Their cow calves without miscarriage. 11 They send forth their little ones like a flock, And their children dance. 12 They sing to the tambourine and harp, And rejoice to the sound of the flute. 13 They spend their days in wealth, And in a moment go down to the grave. 14 Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us, For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways. 15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?’ 16 Indeed their prosperity is not in their hand; The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

God allows the wicked many times to live, even into old age, because:

2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

We do not understand it, but God is in control, and even uses the wicked for His own purpose. We read this at the beginning of this chapter:

Proverbs 16:4 The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

The wicked that the wicked do in this life often brings its own punishment. God “endures with much patience these vessels of wrath prepared for destruction” (Romans 9:22). No, the wicked elderly are not to be honored. But those who live in the Way of God are to be respected. The Bible says:

Leviticus 19:32 (ESV) You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

Those who live in the Way of God, pursuing righteousness, are to be respected. I heard someone say that “The Pastor knows more of the Bible than I do, but that doesn’t mean he’ll get to heaven any faster than I will”. That’s true. We are saved by Grace. The Bible tells us:

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

However, once saved by Grace you become the PROPERTY OF GOD. This is emphasized by the often ignored context of Ephesians 2:8-9.

Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The Christian is saved to “walk in the Light, as Christ is in the Light” (1 John 1:7).

You may never know as much as the Pastor, but you are created to walk in good works. “What good works”, you ask? The “good works” God commands you to walk in, to produce as you live out your life to old age. Finish well! It is not the runner in the race who is honored, but the one who finishes the race!

A Christian is not saved by works. But a Christian is commanded to work to the glory of God. The Christian who does so into old age is celebrated and revered.

Isaiah 65:20 (NKJV) … the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.

Many who grow to old age without the Lord in their lives, who lived lives of selfishness and greed, are bitter and miserable. The evil that they have done hardens their hearts. “Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what HIS HANDS HAVE DEALT OUT SHALL BE DONE TO HIM” (Isaiah 3:11, ESV). Every day the wicked lives without Christ, they are:

Romans 2:5-9 (ESV) … STORING UP WRATH FOR YOURSELF ON THE DAY OF WRATH when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render TO EACH ONE ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS: to those who by PATIENCE IN WELL DOING SEEK FOR GLORY AND HONOR AND IMMORTALITY HE WILL GIVE ETERNAL LIFE; but FOR THOSE WHO ARE SELF SEEKING AND DO NOT OBEY THE TRUTH. BUT OBEY UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, THERE WILL BE WRATH AND FURY …

In the final analysis there is a judgment of works before a righteous God. Those who were flippant in following the Way of Christ may either be deceiving themselves and are actually under the curse and not saved, or they will be severely rebuked before the King of Glory. The lost, though long lived, will one day stand before the WRATH AND FURY of God.

Those who finish well, those who live to glorify the Lord until He calls them home in old age, are to be celebrated.

Grace in action is the glory of old age.

God demands the elder saint be respected, which explains a particularly difficult section of Scripture. The Bible says that the Prophet Elisha was traveling, when a group of teenage hooligans accost and mock him:

2 Kings 2:23-24 {Elisha} went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” 24 So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the Lord. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.

That seems harsh, but in God’s eyes that is right. The elder believer who walks in the way of Christ is honored by God, and should be honored by the younger.

Control Your Temper

Proverbs 16:32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

I have heard it said “It is easier to subdue an enemy without when you have no enemy within”. Alexander the Great conquered the world, but because of anger killed his best friend and confidant Clytus. When anger seizes a person, it often runs away from reason. The Bible says that one of the characteristics of our God is:

Psalm 103:8 (KJV) The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. (see also Psalm 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Nahum 1:3)

In his book “The Art of War”, (required reading in military academies) the Chinese military General Sun Tzu wrote:

“Anger may in time change to gladness … but a Kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being”

Anger is fleeting, and can lead to foolish decisions and silly actions.

There are only three times Jesus showed anger when He walked this earth.

1. Jesus showed anger at compassion-less religion. In Mark Chapter 3 Jesus was worshiping in the Synagogue of Capernaum. There was a man with a withered hand worshiping there that day. The Scribes and Pharisees “watched Jesus to see if He would heal on the Sabbath, so they could accuse Him” (Mark 3:2). Jesus asked them,

Mark 3:4 (KJV) … Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill?

They refused to answer Jesus. The Bible says:

Mark 3:5 (KJV) … {Jesus} looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

Jesus was angry with them, but did not attack them – but did good. They went off and plotted to kill Him. But Jesus controlled His anger – it did not control Him.

2. Jesus showed anger when people restricted the children from Him. In Mark chapter 10 people brought their children to Jesus, but His disciples refused them access. The Bible says:

Mark 10:14 (KJV) … when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

The words “he was much displeased” is the Greek aganakteō (pro. ag-an-ak-teh’-o) which means “to be indignant, greatly afflicted”. Jesus was “hot under the collar”. What did He do? He didn’t attack the disciples, but used this as a teachable moment. The Kingdom of Heaven is populated by those who love Jesus and want to be near Him with child like faith.

Jesus corrected the situation, He did not curse it!

3. Jesus was angry when His people seek profit from pilgrims rather than share the Gospel. This happened twice: once at the beginning of His earthly ministry (John 2), and once at the end just before He was crucified (Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 21). When Jesus entered the Temple at the Court of the Gentiles, the only space non-Jewish people were allowed to enter. Jesus saw the moneychangers profiting from the pilgrims, He formed a whip out of cords, and lashed out at the vendors, driving away all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers, saying:

Matthew 21:13 (NIV) “It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’ ”

Jesus treated the sellers as thieves or robbers, quoting scripture from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. Jesus used the minimum force necessary to run the thieves out of God’s buildings. Jesus did not want God’s facilities used in a way that limited the Gospel or His glory.

When the Gospel of God is misrepresented, the Glory of God is diminished. Jesus hated that!

We all get angry at times, but anger must not control us, but be controlled. The Bible says:

Ephesians 4:26-27 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.

The devil can inhabit our lives when we allow anger to control us. We must always remember that – no matter what – let God take vengeance. The Bible says:

Romans 12:17-21 (KJV) Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. [18] If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. [19] Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. [20] Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. [21] Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Evil will overcome us if we allow our anger to control us. Trust God, for …

God Is In Control

Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

In the Old Testament, people often made decisions by “casting lots”. This was like casting a die, or drawing straws and the short straw lost! When Jonah fled from God’s command and got on a ship headed toward Tarshish, a storm was sent by the Lord to toss the ship about. The sailors said:

Jonah 1:7 “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

God controls the outcome of the cast lot. He used this event to mark Jonah as a rebel, to get him cast off of the ship so He could get Jonah to Nineveh. You cannot outrun God!

My Commentary notes:

“ what human beings call “luck” is merely the sum of all the factors we cannot see or control. No dice roll, or casting of lots, ever takes God by surprise. Some things do happen “by chance,” from the human perspective, as even Jesus noted (Luke 10:31). That does not mean they are arbitrary or random from God’s point of view. Even those things we perceive as determined by chance are in the Lord’s control (Psalm 16:5). This proverb points out that even those things we think of as “pure chance” are still under God’s sovereign control.”

There is no such thing as “luck”. God controls all outcomes. In the Old Testament, the “lot was cast”:

1. To organize the service in the temple (1 Chronicles 24:5,31; 25:8)

2. To reveal the truth (1 Samuel 14:41)

3. To trace offenders (Joshua 7:16)

4. To stop disputes (Proverbs 18:18)

5. To divide Canaan among the tribes (Numbers 26:55)

The Christian does not cast lots, for we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19; John 14:17). Further, we have the completed canon of Scripture that we can refer to to determine right and wrong.

The Holy Spirit acts in conjunction with the Holy Scripture to guide the believer in life (John 16:13).

The Bible says:

2 Peter 1:19 (ESV) … we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts

The Bible is “a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path” (Psalm 119:105). “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:6). The Bridges Commentary notes:

“ The falling of a hair or a sparrow is directed, no less than the birth and death of Princes, or the revolutions of empires. (Matthew 10:29, 30) Everything is a wheel of Providence. Who directed the Ishmaelites on their journey to Egypt at the very moment, that Joseph was cast into the pit? Who guided Pharaoh’s daughter to the stream, just when the ark, with its precious deposit, was committed to the waters? (Exodus 2:3-5). What gave Ahasuerus a sleepless night, that he might be amused with the records of his kingdom? (Esther 6:1) Who prepared the whale at the very time and place, that Jonah’s lot was cast? (Jonah 1:17) Who can fail to see the hand of God, most wonderful in the most apparently casual contingencies, overruling all second causes to fulfill his will, while they work their own? ‘When kingdoms are tossed up and down like a tennis-ball (Isaiah 22:18); not one event can fly out of the bounds of his Providence. The smallest are not below it. Not a sparrow falls to the ground without it. Not a hair, but it is numbered by it.”

God is always in control!

Is Your Inside Out?

I have known those who profess Christ as Savior who are on anxiety medications – some on three or four types for nervous disorders. This isn’t sinful, I don’t believe, and mental illness is a reality that sometimes needs medical intervention. BUT many of those who are so afflicted need to learn of Christ, to realize that God is in control. There are two ancient words I want to leave you with:

Orthodoxy
Orthopraxy

Orthodoxy refers to “correct belief, based upon the clear teaching of Scripture”. What you believe is fine, but you must put it into practice. That’s what Orthopraxy is – “the outward action of faith based on the inward belief of faith”. One should lead to the other.

Orthodoxy is inward belief. Orthopraxy is outward expression of your faith in your daily life. The Bible demands that we have both of these things.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, “Take MY YOKE UPON YOU, AND LEARN FROM ME, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, AND YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS”. If you believe in Jesus, surrender your life to Jesus. Learn all you can about Jesus and the Word of God, and “YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS”. God said in …

Jeremiah 6:16 (ESV) Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

To know the Way, the Path of the Almighty, is fine. But to NOT WALK THE PATH will not bring “rest for your souls”. The Apostle wrote:

1 John 2:6 (ESV) whoever says he abides in {Jesus Christ} ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

What is believed inward is only effective if it is acted on. You must “WALK IN THE SAME WAY JESUS WALKED”. Jesus said, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’ and NOT DO WHAT I TELL YOU?” (Luke 6:46).

To be blessed, your INSIDE must be OUTSIDE. We are to follow in Christ’s steps (1 Peter 2:21-23). We are to obey Him above all else (Hebrews 5:9). We are to keep His commandments OPENLY, or else we do not enjoy His Presence (John 15:10-14). In short, our INSIDE (Orthodoxy) must be OUTSIDE (Orthopraxy).

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Posted in Proverbs, Sermons Preached | Tagged Bible, Faith, Following Christ, God, Jesus, living for Jesus, living for the world, Orthodoxy, Orthopraxy, salvation, Visible Faith | Leave a comment

The Way To God

Posted on April 28, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Proverbs 16:21 The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.

Gentle, Then Harder Is More Effective

Our Lord Jesus Christ is a perfect example of One Who is “wise in heart” and yet “sweet of the lips”. Jesus knew that most people responded easier to gentler teaching, or as the Apostle said,

Ephesians 4:15 … speaking the TRUTH in LOVE …

When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well our Lord knew that she was living in adultery. Jesus would later tell her,

John 4:16-18 (NKJV) .. Go, call your husband, and come here. 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.

Jesus did not begin with her sin, but with “Give Me some water from the well”. Intrigued, and knowing Jesus was a Jew, she said,

John 4:9 (NKJV) How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

The Samaritans had become used to the Jews spitting at them, reminding them they were inferior, telling them they were unworthy when compared to a Hebrew. It surprised this woman that Jesus would even talk to her!

Jesus turned the conversation back to Himself, the living Water of God. He said “If you knew the Gift of God, and Who I am, you would have asked Me for water”. Jesus was not ugly with the woman, but Bible based. He did not try and win an argument with the woman, but stayed with the Wisdom of God, the Word.

Proverbs 16:21 the SWEETNESS of the lips increaseth learning

Word Study: The word rendered “SWEETNESS” is the Hebrew meṯeq (pro. meh’-thek). It doesn’t mean sugar coated, like honey, but instruction that comes from a heart filled with compassion and love. We previously read in:

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

As Jesus did, we should seek to speak the truth without forcing confrontation. Jesus stood on the phrase, “it is written”. He referred to what the Scripture said. There were times when Jesus rebuked those who would not listen (such as the self-righteous Pharisees), but

Jesus’ intent was to lead others to the Word of God, the Wisdom of God. If He could teach others gently, He did so – but without compromising the Word of God.

Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

The intent of teaching others the Word of God is not to prove ourselves right and others wrong, but to lead as many as possible to life. God’s Word is Life. When the Apostle preached, he focused on:

Philippians 2:16 (KJV) Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.

As believers we want to lead others to Christ, to the teachings of the Scripture. “Pleasant words are as honeycomb”.

Illustrate: In the ancient world, people considered honeycomb as we think of so called “energy drinks” today. God’s Word is

Psalm 19:10 (AP) More to be desired than gold, yes, more desired than fine gold: sweeter than honey and the honeycomb …

It is God’s Word that gives life and joy for living. Those without hope are without strength. The word of man cannot bring hope and joy that lasts. Only God’s Word blesses us – but we must eat it. It must become part of us. The Prophet said:

Jeremiah 15:16 (KJV) Thy Words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by Thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

Proverbs 16:22 (KJV) Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.

The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary comments on this verse: “As ‘understanding’ or intelligence is its own reward to its possessors, so ‘folly’ is its own punishment to fools. Or, taking the English version, All ‘the instruction (i.e., the wisdom) of fools is (nothing but) folly;’ it is ‘a well-spring’ of folly, and therefore of death (the opposite to ‘of life’). Water cannot rise above its level. Not only in serious concerns does the wise man’s ‘understanding’ well forth, but even in his moments of relaxation. The fool’s wisdom, not only in ordinary concerns, but even in serious ones; as, for instance, his efforts by way of ‘instruction’ betray his ‘folly.’ ”

Right after Jesus fed the 5000, He sent His men to Capernaum by boat while He went into the mountains to pray. As Jesus set up camp the next day, crowds began to come to Him not to hear the Word of God, but to fill their bellies as they had the day before. This is foolishness! “The instruction of fools is folly”.

I saw a Jeep wheel cover today that had on it “Not all wanderers are lost”. People choose to wander, to forsake God and His Word. They don’t know they are lost!

You cannot teach a fool! The fool wants the temporal, the easy. The fool stands in the very presence of God Incarnate, and desires a fish and bread dinner rather than the wisdom of God. Jesus told these people:

John 6:26-29 (ESV) “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

These people came to Jesus because He filled their bellies the day before, and they were hungry again. They wanted a free lunch. Jesus wanted to teach them, to give them the “wellspring of life” that understanding of God’s Word brings. They wanted to know what the work of God is, and Jesus told them:

“This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

This is the well spring of life. To receive Jesus, to hear Jesus, to follow Jesus, to live for Jesus. His Kingdom is a Living Kingdom. And then these fools said this:

John 6:30-31 (ESV) “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Jesus, how do we KNOW You are the Messiah? We know that Moses was a Prophet of God because Moses gave us bread from Heaven to eat. This is the statement of a fool!

Moses did not give bread from Heaven.
Elijah did not bring fire from Heaven on Mount Carmel.
Mary did not make the Son of God in her womb.
John the Baptist did not bring the Holy Spirit down to Jesus.
God did those things!

God does the miraculous! Jesus Christ came into this world because God the Holy Spirit created His humanity through Mary, but the Eternal Son allowed the birth. Jesus told them:

John 6:32-33 “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

These people saw all the signs they needed to see the day before, when Jesus fed 5000 with a few biscuits and fish. They came to fill their bellies – but Jesus came to fill souls.

Jesus spoke harshly to the fools – and they departed, saying “This is a HARD SAYING – who can hear it?” (John 6:60). The foolish departed from Jesus, and never came back to walk with Him again. They came to Jesus for amusement, for selfish gain, but not to hear the Kingdom Gospel.

The Growing Christian Is A Disciple

Proverbs 16:23 (KJV) The heart of the wise TEACHETH his mouth, and ADDETH LEARNING to his lips.

Christians are called to be DISCIPLES, students, children of God who learn from His Word. Once we LEARN, we SPEAK what we have learned.

Jesus asked His disciples, “Will you leave Me as well?” They replied,

John 6:68-69 (ESV) “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

The genuine believer in Christ (not the ones who just want to fill their bellies) will learn with the intent of telling others. Jesus’ commission is for us to MAKE DISCIPLES or STUDENTS (Matthew 28:19) – then to tell others.

The Bridges Commentary notes:

“ The excellency of a believer is, not that he hath a large apprehension of things; but that what he doth apprehend (which perhaps may be very little) he sees it in the light of the Spirit of God, in a saving, soul-transforming light. And this is that, which gives us communion with God.’”

The genuine Christian never fully understands all the truths of God, but as God is infinite, our learning is infinite. We will always be learning – even into eternity. We learn to stay near the Shepherd of our souls:

1 Peter 2:24-25 (KJV) {Jesus} his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

The wise person is humble in the Presence of God. The wise person realizes that the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil belongs to God, not to us. We are truly ignorant – so we pursue learning through the Word of God.

The Christian Walks The Way Of Life, Of Christ

Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

This is a repeated Proverb, previously found in:

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Things may seem right to us, but we are not as God. God is OMNISCIENT, all knowing. We are told in:

Isaiah 46:9-10 I am God, and there is NONE LIKE ME. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.

We are limited by space and time, and sometimes something that seems a good idea will actually turn out to be a very bad idea. The Supreme Court upheld the right of marriage to same sex couples. The unintended consequence of this is that same sex couples are now legally able to adopt children, and raise them in homes where confusion reigns. When we depart from God’s design, people become confused about life.

Disease and sickness are spread by bad decisions. Death comes by by decisions. I remember years ago having to bury a child who, with his friends, went four wheeling on a farmer’s land. They were trespassing. At one point they ran into a barbed fence, and one child was garroted, killed by the wire.

The first murder ever committed in human history was when Cain killed his brother Abel. Why did Cain kill Abel? Because God accepted Abel’s sacrifice, but not Cain’s. God told Cain to repent, and to do the right thing. God told Cain:

Genesis 4:7-8 “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

When we do what God says not do, sin becomes our master. This is what happened with Cain. The Bible tells us that:

1 John 3:11-12 (ESV) For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.

Those who follow evil are the slaves of evil. We are saved by the Grace of God to be freed from sin. Paul makes this point in:

Romans 6:12-18 (ESV) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

We who love Jesus are to be slaves of righteousness, not of sin. We are to follow HIS ways, not our ways. This is the Way of Life and Peace. Who are those who pursue evil rather than Christ?

The GREEDY person:

Proverbs 16:26 He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him.

The believer in Christ is told,

1 Corinthians 10:31 … whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

The selfish person lives for themselves. They destroy churches with their complaints. Beloved, “Whatever you do, do it HEARTILY, as to the LORD and not men” (Colossians 3:23, NKJV).

The GODLESS Person:

Proverbs 16:27 An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.

The godless are always digging about, looking for new ways to blaspheme the Lord and to please their flesh. They use their lips to spread evil.

The PERVERSE Person:

Proverbs 16:28 A FROWARD {tahpukâh, perverse} man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

The perverse person, the person who wants to twist God’s design, and the murmurer or complainer are thrown in together in this parable. The intent of both the perverse and the murmurer are to destroy Godly order, while sowing confusion. In this sense God equates the murmurer who sows discord with the sexual pervert who sows confusion.

The ANGRY or ACTIVIST Person:

Proverbs 16:29 A VIOLENT {ḥāmās} man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good.

This person, much celebrated in America today, stirs up trouble, and destroys civil liberties. This type of crowd are found in ANTIFA, Black Lives Matter, and in rioters. Their way is not the way of Christ, but of disorder and disharmony.

May Christ lead us away from these evil ways! Come quickly Lord Jesus! Amen.

Posted in General, Proverbs, Sermons Preached | Tagged Bible, disciples, discipleship, discipling, Faith, Following Christ, God, Jesus, living for Jesus, living for the world, salvation, students | Leave a comment

The King’s Highway

Posted on April 16, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Proverbs 16:16-17 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver! 17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth His way preserveth his soul.

Do You Have The Right Treasure?

WISDOM – the ability to properly apply what you know – comes from God. We are told in …

Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Illustrate: The LORD is the Great I AM, the God Who created everything that we see. We cannot stare directly at His sun in the morning sky, but we take its light for granted. Did you know that the Sun loses 4 million TONS of mass EVERY SECOND due to nuclear fission – the equivalent volume of our Mount Everest! Our Sun is not the only star – God made all the stars. Stars like our Sun burn for about 9-10 BILLION years, according to scientists. Our Sun is due to burn out in about 5 BILLION years.

That’s Who God is! That’s what His wisdom and knowledge accomplishes.

As the economy bounces up and down, I hear people saying “You’d better buy gold and silver, for the dollar may crash”. So people are rushing to buy gold and silver. But, as my friend Pastor Edward Dickson said, “Gold and silver will only be good if people will trade for it. If the economy falls, who’s going to want gold and silver? We all want:

Basic Physical Needs (Air, Water, Food, Shelter, Clothing)
Safety & Security
Love & Belonging
Self-Esteem
Self-Actualization (Growth into Purpose)

Gold and silver are earthly things, temporary, and fleeting. They can help meet some of the needs that all humans have. But they cannot meet our greater needs.

Mammon or Money can be stolen, taxed, removed. It can fail or let us down. The LORD wants us to be fully vested in what is BEST FOR US and BEST FOR THOSE AROUND US. This is why Jesus said:

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV) Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

It is wisdom to choose desire for God over desire for the things of this world. The center of your life cannot be built on silver and gold, on temporary things. We place the crucifix in a prominent place in our Church, in the center, where your attention is drawn to it. We place the Word of God and the Communion Table, along with the pulpit, at the center of the room we call a sanctuary. We used to put the Churches at the center of our towns. Why?

PREACH! Psychologist Jordan Peterson said, “We used to understand that the proper foundation of the world is voluntary self sacrifice upward. If you understand that truth, your life becomes meaningful, even in its suffering, and you set things right around you.” Life has little meaning if you are living for the temporal, the fleeting. Life is a gift from God, and God gives us wisdom to live our lives best. Our desires are only fully filled when we fill them with the wisdom of God.

Proverbs 16:17
The highway of the upright is to depart from evil

A young lady asked a Pastor “How can I know that I am saved?

I often have bad thoughts, and sometimes allow myself to act on those thoughts?” A Christian is saved by Grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Once we are saved, we become the property of God, members of His Kingdom. The Bible shows this relationship in

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NKJV) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

We are saved BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH NOT OF WORKS. We bring nothing to the table of salvation but our broken selves. Pastor Jonny Ardavanis said, “We bring nothing to the table salvifically other than the sin that made Jesus’ death necessary.” But once we are saved, we are His workmanship. We are created to do good works for God, to be obedient children.

As God is Sovereign, the Christian who is not just a professor, but a possessor of salvation WILL DO GODLY WORKS. How can you know that you are saved? By your desires. Do you desire to obey Him as Lord? Do you desire to know God? Do you desire to have Him know you? Do you desire to honor God, to please Him? Do you desire to obey His Word?

The HIGHWAY of the UPRIGHT is to DEPART FROM EVIL

The HIGHWAY of the UPRIGHT is to DEPART FROM EVIL. The word HIGHWAY is the Hebrew mecillah, which means “the best way to go or travel”. Jesus talked of two ways –

“WIDE is the gate, and BROAD is the way that leads to destruction {but} STRAIT (stenos, narrow) is the gate, and narrow the way that leads to life” (Matthew 7:13-14)

The best way to travel if you are the UPRIGHT or saved person is WITH GOD. A person’s life is not a single step, but a journey. Once saved, we journey with the One Who saved us. When we walk with the Lord, we preserve our souls from damage. “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV). If saved, we no longer walk according to our whims and dictates. We are followers of Christ, imitators of God. The Apostle said:

1 John 3:9 (ESV) No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning

he that keepeth HIS way PRESERVETH his soul.

Word Study & Illustrate: The word translated PRESERVETH is the Hebrew šāmar, which means “to guard, to keep watch over, to protect”. When I wood work using my table saw, I’m always very careful around the spinning blade. Though I do not work with a blade guard, I always use a push stick to handle material close to the blade. The blade is made to cut wood, but it really doesn’t care if it cuts flesh!

As a saw blade can cut flesh or wood, sin can cut and damage the soul. The Bible truly said “the wages of sin is DEATH” (Romans 6:23). Consider the stories of the Scripture. Can a saved person sin? Absolutely! Samson was a Judge, chosen by God to represent Him to the people. But Samson did not walk the way that God would have him walk. Samson was prideful, and filled with lust for women. Samson dishonored his parents. The Bible promises us that:

Proverbs 19:16 (ESV) Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life; he who despises His {God’s} ways will die.

Samson brought death and misery on himself. Though he killed many Philistines as he died, he died tied to two pillars, his eyes burned from his head, and his body probably castrated. When you keep God’s Way and walk with the Lord, you “preserve your soul”. And what of King David? He stole another man’s wife, then took that man’s life. He thought he had covered his tracks until God sent Nathan to confront him. The Bible says:

Proverbs 10:9 (ESV) Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

David’s sins came to haunt him when his Beloved Son Absalom tried to take his throne, and eventually was killed in battle. When you walk the highway of the upright with the King of Kings, you are always blessed. But when you depart the King’s Highway, you open the door to destruction of your soul.

Compare the lives of David and Samson to the lives of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Though terribly tried in life, these four men lived their lives so as to please their God – even though they were in a foreign land. Consider the life of Paul the Apostle, who suffered horribly in order to share the Gospel of Christ. When the Apostle Paul stood bound before the Governor Felix, he said:

Acts 24:16 (ESV) … I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.

He sought to please God first, to love those around him, and put himself last. This is the way to blessing!

Humble Yourselves To Be Blessed

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

I am told in Clarkes Commentary that a notation in most Masoretic Hebrew Bible has a note is placed on verse 18:

chatsi hassepher: “the middle of the book.”

This verse is the middle verse of the Book of Proverbs. This is an anchor verse of Scripture.

When Adam desired to be as God, his pride brought destruction on all of humanity. The higher we seek to elevate ourselves, the farther we fall and the more damaging our landing. The Bridges Commentary notes:

“David gloried in the number of his people, and the Lord diminished them by pestilence. Hezekiah boasted of his treasure; and the Lord marked it to be taken away. At the moment that Nebuchadnezzar was proud of his Babel, he was banished from the enjoyment of it. “The vain daughters of Zion,” priding themselves on their ornaments, were covered with disgrace. (Isaiah 3:24.) Yet after all, the state of heart that prepares man for the fall, is the worst part of his condition. For what is our pride is our danger …”

Satan, the Arch Angel Who fell from pride, uses pride as a weapon against us all. Satan tried to trap our Lord Jesus with pride, saying:

Matthew 4:5-6 (NKJV) … IF You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

“I don’t believe you are the Son of God! Prove it! Throw Yourself down!” Jesus wouldn’t play his evil game, but stayed on the King’s Highway, saying:

Matthew 4:7 (NKJV) … It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.

When it came time for Jesus to go to the Cross, Satan again reached out through the Apostle Peter. Peter told Jesus,

Matthew 16:22 (AP) Peter rebuked Jesus, saying, this will never happen to You, Lord! It cannot happen!

Jesus replied, “Get behind Me, Satan! You offend Me. You do not savor the things of God, but the things of this world, of mankind!” (Matthew 16:23, AP).

The Bible is filled with accounts of men and women who were lifted up with pride – and who died horrible deaths because of it. Jezebel was eaten by dogs (1 Kings 21:23-24; 2 Kings 9:30-37). The Pharaoh of Exodus destroyed under a wall of water, his firstborn child killed (Exodus 14:5-29). Haman hung on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai (Esther 7:10). King Nebuchadnezzar ate grass in the field like a dumb ox (Daniel 4:25-35). King Herod was consumed by skin worms (Acts 12:20-23). Ananaias and Sapphira died for lying to God (Acts 5:1-11).

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an HAUGHTY spirit before a fall

Word Study: The word translated HAUGHTY is the Hebrew gobahh, which means “physical or spiritual HEIGHT”. We all have dignity and worth because we were created in the image of God – yet we are not gods. When Jesus Christ, the Beloved Son of God, walked among us, He walked in humility.

We are made in the IMAGE of GOD, but we are not gods.

The Bible says that Jesus literally: Philippians 2:7-8 (ESV) emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Jesus told us that the way to power with God was by humility. Just before He went to the Cross, Jesus gathered His disciples. The Bible tells us that:

John 13:3-17 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them…

Jesus took on the action of a lowly servant in washing the feet of His disciples. Throughout Jesus’ life on this earth, He humbled Himself in order to elevate others.

You cannot serve God and yourself. You cannot walk the King’s Highway in pride. Growth as a believer is self sacrifice UPWARD, love OUTWARD.

1 John 2:6 (ESV) whoever says he abides in Him {in Jesus} ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.

Our Lord Jesus “left us an example, so that we might follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21-23).

Proverbs 16:19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Those who “divide the spoil with the proud” will one day enter a terrible hell, either on this earth or in the Presence of God.

If your treasure is yourself and your things more than God and others, one day you will find yourself suffering eternal loneliness with this temporal trash. Jesus warned us:

Matthew 6:1-4 (ESV) Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

We are to seek “the honor that comes from God, not from men” (John 5:44).

Handle God’s Word With Respect

Proverbs 16:20 He that handleth A MATTER wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.

Word Study: Though I love the King James Version, there are times when the translators for whatever reason missed the mark. The words translated A MATTER is one word in the Hebrew, dāḇār. The most common translation for the word in the King James is WORD (807 times), though it is also translated CHRONICLES (38 times), SAYING (25 times), or COMMANDMENT (20 times). When I read “He that handleth a MATTER wisely” I have no idea what God is asking me to do. But when I read it as “He that handles the WORD wisely shall find GOOD”, I know exactly what it is that God wants me to do.

God wants us to trust in Him, to trust in his Word. His Word is always faithful. The Bible is TRUTH!

I checked the translation against how other word to word translations defined the verse. I found:

NKJV He who heeds the Word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

NASB One who pays attention to the Word will find good, And blessed is one who trusts in the Lord.

ESV Whoever gives thought to the Word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.

“The Word” listed here is the Word of God, as the second half of the proverb is introduced with AND. What someone thinks or has seen on the basis of human experience is always suspect. Just ask any policeman who is investigating a crime. Various witnesses will tell you what they saw, and often their description is very varied – even as to the color of the perpetrator!

Illustration: I was reading a “Biography” article the other day entitled “For Decades, Titanic Survivors Said The Ship Split In Half. Nobody Believed Them.” There was a lady named Eva Hart who was 7 years old when she boarded the Titanic. When the ship – supposedly unsinkable – struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912, Eva survived because she was on one of the few life rafts. Eva and several other survivors said the ocean liner broke in half, “with the bow section sinking away as the stern bobbed in the water for a few minutes before finally descending underwater”. For 73 years the survivors claims were dismissed, until the wreckage was discovered in 1985. The article states:

“The wreckage of the Titanic would not be discovered until 1985, when Bob Ballad and Jean-Louis Michel found it using the side scan sonar during a joint French-American expedition. The ship was found in two widely separated pieces, definitively establishing that the ship had indeed split.”

For years people have suggested that we “evolved” from lower life forms that somehow mysteriously became self-existent. We have heard scientists talk about a “Big Bang”, along with other strange theories. None of these so called scientists were there, neither are the skeptics who mock the idea of God. Yet Someone was there at the beginning.

John 1:1-3 (ESV) IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, and THE WORD WAS WITH GOD, and THE WORD WAS GOD. He was in the beginning withn God. All things were MADE THROUGH HIM, and WITHOUT HIM WAS NOT ANYTHING MADE THAT WAS MADE.

God was there at the beginning. Jesus Christ was there at the beginning. We have an Eyewitness Who can tell us exactly how all things were made, and Who can tell us how all things should be. We can trust God. We can trust His Word, both Living and Written. Let us strive to follow Him, to live confidently for Him.

As we approach Resurrection Sunday, the usual suspects will tell us that Jesus was a myth, that either He never existed, or if He existed, that He was killed and His body hidden. They will tell us that Jesus never rose from the grave. But there were eyewitnesses. The Apostles witnessed the resurrection, and wrote of it. Hundreds of people saw the resurrected Savior, and heard Him teach. When Chuck Colson was told “the Apostles made up the resurrection”, he replied:

“I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world — and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.”

The Word is true – and man often is not. Let us trust in Him, and live to learn more of His Word.

Posted in Proverbs, Sermons Preached | Tagged Bible, Bible is accurate, Bible is God's Word, Bible is true, christianity, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, King's Highway, Proverbs, salvation, Word of God | Leave a comment

Obeying The Gospel

Posted on April 14, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Romans 10:16-21 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias {Isaiah} saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. 19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. 20 But Esaias {Isaiah} is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. 21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.

The Glory Of The Gospel

There is nothing greater than the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ! The word “Gospel” is first mentioned in the Bible in:

Matthew 4:23 (KJV) … Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom ..

The word “Gospel” is the Greek euangelion, which means “good tidings or good message”. Some say it means “good news”. Jesus called the Gospel the “Gospel of the Kingdom”. The God Who created all that you see is the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16). To enter His Kingdom (not a democracy, but a Kingdom) you must heed His Gospel. Jesus preached:

Mark 1:15 (KJV) … The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

What does the Gospel teach us, the glorious Good News from God. The Gospel teaches us that The King of Glory left His Throne in Heaven, and came to this earth to become like us. Without sin, the King, the Great Shepherd laid His life down for the sheep, His Kingdom (John 10:15, 17). Our sins, our willfulness, our unrighteousness, our wickedness separated us from God. We were all hopelessly adrift, unfit for the Kingdom of God. The Prophet wrote:

Isaiah 64:6 (KJV) … we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Our sins and sinful desires took us all away from God. Born into this world as sinners, we all need another birth. We must be born again (John 3:3, 7; 1 Peter 1:23). We cannot make ourselves right before God. The animal sacrifices, the ceremonial laws, the Mosaic Code set a standard, a yoke that no one could bear (Acts 15:10).

But then came Jesus. Prophesied in the Old Testament, the Messiah came. The Law said “Do this, and live!” (Romans 10:5). The Law became the king to Israel, but as king it’s purpose was to lead us all to understand how badly we need Jesus. The Bible tells us:

Galatians 3:22-26 (KJV) But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

What is “FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS”? It is to turn to Him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are told:

Romans 10:9-13 (KJV) That if thou shalt CONFESS (homologeo, say the same thing about yourself) with THY mouth the LORD Jesus, and shalt BELIEVE in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

To be saved, you must AGREE with God that you are a sinner, lost and desperately need to be saved. We all need Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. We are told that “there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek”. The Jew believed that because they as a nation were “God’s Chosen People” that they needed no salvation. Beloved, “there is no difference”. To prove this to the Jew, the Apostle quotes:

For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed

a quotation from Isaiah 28:16 (NASB) “… this is what the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested stone, A precious cornerstone [for] the foundation, firmly placed. The one who believes will not be disturbed”. The promise of the Gospel is that:

whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord SHALL BE SAVED

What Causes A Person To Be Cursed?

What causes a person to stay lost, separated from God? To whom is the Kingdom of God shut? We are told:

Romans 10:16 (KJV) But they have not all OBEYED THE GOSPEL. For Esaias {Isaiah} saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

To help the Jew understand the Gospel – as well as us – the Apostle quotes the Prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah chapter 53 the Prophet foretells the coming of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. He starts with this statement:

Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

The “ARM OF THE LORD” or the POWER OF GOD is not REVEALED or MANIFESTED to those who do not believe the Gospel.

When the Messiah came, He did not come to rule over an earthly kingdom. When Jesus came, He was born in Bethlehem, of lowly parents. He was raised up in Nazareth, a small town. Isaiah wrote:

Isaiah 53:2-3 (KJV) For He {the Messiah} shall grow up before Him {God the Father} as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

The Messiah would not be a movie star. He would not be a beautiful Person. In fact, when He revealed Himself, He would be “despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief”. The Lord of Glory, God Incarnate, He came to this earth to reveal the heart of God to us. He walked among us, healed and did good. But the main thing Jesus showed us is that we are all – even the Pharisees and Chief Priests – totally lost and undone without the Gospel! The Pharisees attacked Jesus. The Herodians mocked Him, and treated Him as a threat to the Roman throne. The Sadducees despised Jesus because He taught that there was a resurrection coming.

Isaiah went on to prophesy, Isaiah 53:4-6 Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The King of Kings came to this earth, and was rejected by the world He made. He died on a terrible cross on a hill called Calvary. “He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death” (Isaiah 53:9). Jesus died as a sinner, between two other sinners. He died a criminal’s death. Yet it was not a martyrdom, for Jesus said:

John 10:15-18 (AP) .. I LAY MY LIFE DOWN FOR THE SHEEP. Other sheep I have who are not of this fold: them I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; there shall be one fold, and one Shepherd … No man takes my life from Me, but I choose to lay it down …

The Father laid on Jesus the INIQUITY of US ALL! He paid for our sins in full. Jesus Christ is the Key to Heaven, our only Hope.

A person goes to hell, eternal damnation, when they will not obey the Gospel. To obey the Gospel is not just to hear it. You have to hear it. We are told:

Romans 10:17-18 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

Israel heard the Gospel. You can HEAR the Gospel, even from the lips of Jesus as Israel did, and yet just hearing will not save you. You must OBEY. The ARM OF THE LORD is ONLY REVEALED TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE. The Messiah came, and reached out to Israel.

But they did not believe.

John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

Israel rejected the prophesied Messiah, the Messiah of Isaiah 53

Israel wanted a Messiah that would fix their immediate needs. They wanted a Messiah that would help them overthrow Rome. This happened when Jesus fed the 5000 with two small fish and five little biscuits. They thought, HERE IS THE MESSIAH! Let’s declare Him to be King … and we’ll overthrow Rome! The Bible says:

John 6:15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take Him by force, to make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain Himself alone.

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords did not come to this earth to be another political appointee, a replacement for Herod or Caesar. The King of Glory (Psalm 24:8-10) came to bring us into His Kingdom, to save us by Grace.

Whosoever shall CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD shall be saved!

We OBEY THE GOSPEL by receiving Jesus Christ as He is, not as we want Him to be. Israel wanted Jesus to be a Roman Replacement. He is not a Roman Replacement. We today often try and make Jesus to be what we want Him to be. I was listening to a song today called “No Strings Attached”. It is a pretty song written by Kevin Winebarger. The song puts these words in God’s mouth:

Stop with the striving
Just start being
Stop with the reaching
Just start breathing
No need to try to earn affection
Just listen
Child just listen
You have purpose
You have meaning
For I have loved you since the beginning
You’re my beloved
Always been wanted

It doesn’t matter if you ever love Me back
Still I love you
No strings attached

I liked the song up to those last few lines:

It doesn’t matter if you ever love Me back
Still I love you
No strings attached

I don’t believe that’s Biblical. Listen Beloved,

You don’t know God if you don’t love Christ!

The Apostle wrote:

1 Corinthians 16:22-23 (NKJV) If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come! 23 The grace of our LORD Jesus Christ be with you.

If you do not love the Messiah, the LORD Jesus Christ, YOU ARE NOT SAVED. If you do not love God, YOU ARE NOT SAVED. When asked the question, “What is the first and great commandment?”, Jesus answered:

Matthew 22:37 (ESV) You shall LOVE the Lord your God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul and with ALL your mind

Later Jesus would tell His followers:

Matthew 10:37 (ESV) Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of me.

That doesn’t sound like the song said, “It doesn’t matter if you ever love Me back, Still I love you. No strings attached.” No, Jesus loves you. But to be saved, you must love Him back. You must surrender your life to Him. You must listen to Him. Where does Grace come from? The Apostle said:

Ephesians 6:24 (ESV) Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.

And Jesus said,

John 14:21 (ESV) Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves Me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.

Oh Beloved, you are “Beloved” because Jesus Christ is God’s Only BELOVED Son. You are BELOVED because you love the BELOVED. And why would we not love Him?

The Apostle wrote, 1 John 4:19 “We LOVE HIM because He FIRST loved us”. Jesus loved us enough to die for us. He loved us enough to redeem us, though we were far from God, dead in trespasses and sins. Once God opened our eyes, and we CONFESSED that we were sinners, we REACHED OUT in surrender to Him Who loves us, to Jesus Christ. Our love for Jesus defines us as Children of God. Pastor John Piper writes:

“Listen: one of the big issues we face over and over again in a multicultural situation, where lots of religions are coming together, is, “Don’t we all worship the same God? And you go through Jesus; I go through another prophet.” Loving Jesus is the test of whether you love God. Here’s what Jesus says. In John 8:42, Jesus looked right into the eyes of the Pharisees, the Jewish leaders, and said, “If God were your Father, you would love me.” He’s saying to the most religious, the most God-oriented, Old Testament–saturated people on the planet, “You don’t know him. He’s not your Father.” In fact, he goes so far as to say, “You are of your father the devil” (John 8:44). … What’s the litmus paper for knowing whether somebody is a lover of God? Answer: Do they love Jesus? Do they embrace Jesus for who he really is — not just some human teacher, not just some prophet alongside other prophets, but as the Son of God?”

To Obey The Gospel Is To Surrender
To Christ’s Love

Christ offered His love to Israel – but they rejected Him. But again, this was according to prophecy. We read again:

Romans 10:19-21 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. 20 But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. 21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.

God knew that Israel would have their Messiah crucified, that they would reject Him. God knows everything.

Isaiah 46:9-10 (NKJV) Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure …

God knew when Messiah came that Israel, a stiff necked and disobedient people, would have Him crucified. The Apostle quotes what God said in:

Deuteronomy 32:21 They have made Me jealous with what is no god; they have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are no people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

Israel’s disobedience did not thwart the love of God, but He fulfilled His Promise to Abraham that in him the whole world would be blessed. The Gentiles – that’s you and I – Jesus reached out to the Gentiles when Israel rejected Him. The Church became the Kingdom of God, because of Israel’s rejection. God’s people became the whosoever will love Jesus, love the LORD Jesus CHRIST, the One and Only Messiah.

In the Old Testament, God always intended to reach out to the Gentiles. Jesus was to be:

Luke 2:32 A LIGHT TO LIGHTEN THE GENTILES, and the glory of Thy people Israel …

God was always going to save Israel, and through Israel save the believing world. When Peter spoke to the Church, he said:

1 Peter 2:10 (ESV) Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

How is one saved? By falling in love with Jesus. By submitting to Him as Lord and Savior. When you stop following yourself, stop trying to re-make God or make a golden calf of Jesus, and surrender to His love, He changes you.

Titus 3:3-7 (NKJV) For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

God will one day save Israel. One day, in the midst of GREAT TRIBULATION, a time called “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble”, that nation will repent and cry out to Him. He loves Israel still. When Israel calls out to the Messiah, loving God, surrendering to God, they shall be saved.

What of you? Are you saved?

Not if you don’t love Jesus. If you love YOU more than you love Jesus, you are lost. A golden calf will not save you. Only Jesus. Only Jesus. Oh Beloved, fall in love with Him! Loving Jesus is the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Or suffer eternal damnation. Amen.

Posted in Romans, Sermons Preached | Tagged Bible, Faith, Following Christ, God, God Is Faithful, gospel, Gospel truth, Idols Need Not Apply, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Only, love God, No Golden Calvers, salvation | Leave a comment

Godly Leadership Blesses A People

Posted on April 14, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

I preached this truth last Sunday morning:

“You CANNOT work your way to Heaven,
but you CAN work your way to Hell”

This is true not only for people, but for nations. For several years now America and the American Church has labored hard to get to hell. We have compromised the Word of God in order to make Christianity relevant to our “please me” society. We have redefined marriage, human sexuality, and even basic grammar (pronouns) in order to please the lost.

The light can only compromise with the darkness by dimming itself. We dim the light when we depart from the clear teachings of the Scripture. It’s time we stopped dimming the light, and letting Satan get victories.

God Blesses A People With Godly Leaders

Proverbs 16:10 A DIVINE SENTENCE is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.

Word Study: The first three words of our text is but one word in the Hebrew: qesem. This is a very interesting word, because it is often used in Scripture of divination or witchcraft. God forbade divination – seeking wisdom apart from Him – as evil:

Deuteronomy 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth DIVINATION, {qesem} or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch …

Qesem – the seeking of guidance apart from God, is a devilish and idolatrous thing.

It is rebellion against God (1 Samuel 15:23), and leads to the abortion and destruction of the nation’s children (2 Kings 17:17). The Godly Leader does not focus on ungodly methods, as King Saul did when he sought out the witch of Endore (1 Samuel 28:7-20). Saul would not repent, and bring his heart back to the Lord. Instead he asked the witch to let him speak with the Prophet Samuel, who had gone into the next life. Samuel told Saul from beyond the grave:

1 Samuel 28:17-18 (ESV) The Lord has done to you as He spoke by me, for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. 18 Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord …

King Saul was no longer fit to be a king, especially of Israel. Why? Because he would not obey the voice of the Lord, the Word of God. The King who “transgresseth not in judgment” is the one who heeds the Word of God, and does as the Lord says. God considers this to not be optional, but absolute!

When a King or a Leader departs from God’s Word to follow his whims, or the whim of the people, it has a destructive influence on the people.

When Israel divided into North and South under the bad leadership of Solomon’s son Rehoboam, the rebellion’s leader King Jeroboam turned from God to idolatry out of pride. Jeroboam did not want the Ten northern Tribes going to Jerusalem to worship God, lest the rebellion end. So Jeroboam:

1 Kings 12:28-32 (ESV) … made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one. 31 He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites. 32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made.

Jeroboam did want unity – he wanted to be King. Jeroboam cared nothing for God – he wanted to be god. Jeroboam departed from the Word of God, and created his own man-made religion, and his own man-made priests. This is extremely dangerous, for it set up a precedent where one bad King after another ruled Northern Israel.

Jeroboam’s son Nadab ruled in evil for two years.
Baasha killed Nadab, and Jeroboam’s family.
Elah killed Baasha, and ruled 2 years.
Zimri ruled one week before committing suicide.
Omri was incredibly evil, ruling for 12 years.
Omri’s son Ahab married Jezebel, and spread Baal worship.

The only King of Northern Israel who may have been righteous was Jehu. Jehu suppressed the Baal worship, but did NOT stop the worship of the golden calves in Bethel and Dan. Bad king led to bad king, and the people of Northern Israel suffered greatly!

Proverbs 16:11 A JUST weight and BALANCE are the Lord’s: all the weights OF THE BAG are His work.

It is God Who determines right and wrong, good and evil. It is not what we think, but what God thinks. Though King David was not perfect (we all remember his horrendous sins in murdering Uriah, and taking Bathsheba Uriah’s wife to be his queen), David nonetheless repented when confronted with his sins. David wrote:

2 Samuel 23:3-4 (NKJV) The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God. 4 And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, Like the tender grass springing out of the earth, By clear shining after rain.’

Illustrate Poor Leadership: When Leaders cease to be governed by the Word of God, and begin to follow their own desires or the desires of the people, it is not long before the body is diseased. The White House Faith Adviser, Prosperity Televangelist Paula White said on March 23, 2025 that if you send her $1000 before Easter:

“I believe that when you honor God on Passover starting on April 12th at sundown through Good Friday on the 18th and concluding on Easter Sunday, you can receive these seven supernatural blessings for you and your house. … God will assign an angel to you. He’ll be an enemy to your enemies. He’ll give you prosperity. He’ll take sickness away from you. He will give you long life. He’ll bring increase in inheritance, and He’ll give a special year of blessing.”

But wait! There’s more! If give the $1000, you will also receive a “beautiful 10 inch Waterford Crystal Cross”. If you don’t have $1000, for $125 you can have an “Olive Wood Communion set from the Holy Land, including unleavened bread and grape juice”.

We need to be in prayer for our President! A ruler is only as effective as he allows the Lord to lead him.

Proverbs 16:11 A just weight and balance are the Lord’s: all the weights of the bag are His work.

The King, the President, the Governor, the Pastor or the Head of the Household are all overseers of God’s weights and measures. The Apostle Paul told the Pastors at Ephesus:

Acts 20:28 (KJV) Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Godly leaders are to first TAKE HEED UNTO YOURSELVES. God has made the Leader. The Scripture says, “There is NO POWER BUT OF GOD: the POWERS THAT BE ARE ORDAINED OF GOD” (Romans 13:1). Leaders rule at the stewardship of God. To lead contrary to His directive is very dangerous to the leader. Secondly, the godly leader “TAKES HEED TO ALL THE FLOCK”. The leader represents God to the Sheep, to the Followers. Then the godly leader “FEEDS THE CHURCH OF GOD” not with what the leader thinks, but with what God has determined. The Bible says:

Proverbs 14:34 (NKJV) Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.

As the leader goes, so goes the people.

Evil Leaders Lead A People To FAIL

Proverbs 16:12 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.

When a leader – particularly a high profile leader like a King or a President – COMMITS WICKEDNESS – God says that this is an “abomination”. When the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar attacked Judah to destroy it, it was God Who sent Nebuchadnezzar because of evil King Manasseh:

2 Kings 24:3-4 Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord would not pardon.

I was intrigued by the phrase “he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood”. What did God mean by “INNOCENT BLOOD”? Looking through the Scripture, I came on this text:

Psalm 106:36-38 (ESV) They served their idols, which became a snare to them. 37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; 38 they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.

Under the godless leadership of Manasseh, not only was Baal and Asherah worshiped, but the cult of Moloch, which involved sacrificing children and burning their little bodies. God will not long tolerate the leader who departs from His Word.

“the throne is established by righteousness”

The leader who follows the LORD and does the best he can will find this is his best security. God protects the people who follow Him, who love His Word. The Bible says:

Psalm 125:1-3 (NKJV) Those who trust in the Lord Are like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved, but abides forever. 2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the Lord surrounds His people From this time forth and forever. 3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest On the land allotted to the righteous, Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.

When God’s people look to Him and His Word, He will eventually break the evil ruler to protect His own. When the ruler does right, even when doing right costs him, God promises blessing on his stewardship.

Proverbs 29:14 (ESV) If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever.

The Leader should be committed to Divine good, and despise evil. Evil destroys a nation.

A Right People Will Love The Leader
Who Speaks RIGHT

Proverbs 16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and THEY LOVE HIM THAT speaketh right.

The wise and godly leaders are careful in how they speak. Their lips are to speak righteous words. There is always a temptation to modify the message, to be “politically correct” so as not to harm your base. The wise king will seek out the one that “SPEAKETH RIGHT” and not the “Yes Man”. When King Nebuchadnezzar had a strange dream (Daniel 2), he called his “wise men” to get them to tell him what it meant. The wise men said, “Tell your dream to us, and we’ll tell you what it means”. Nebuchadnezzar was wise, so he told these charlatans “YOU TELL ME what I dreamed, and if not, I’ll have you CUT IN PIECES”. They told the King that what he asked was impossible. So Nebuchadnezzar ordered all the wise men in Babylon to be killed.

Why would Nebuchadnezzar order the wise men to death? Because he understood that godless leadership dooms a people.

The Prophet Daniel prayed, and God told him Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Daniel sought the King of Kings and Lord of Lords before approaching Nebuchadnezzar. When God answered his prayer, Daniel praised God, giving Him the glory for all. Hear his prayer:

Daniel 2:20-23 (ESV) … Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. 21 He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; 22 He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him. 23 To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the king’s matter.

When Daniel shared what God told him about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the Bible says:

Daniel 2:46-47 (ESV) … King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. 47 The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a Revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.

Foolish leaders want “yes men” , but those who are wise and good leaders rejoice in hearing Godly counsel.

Wise leaders must also learn to
control their tempers.

Proverbs 16:14 The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.

In ancient times, kings had absolute power. It was a wise person who avoided “poking the bear”. When Nehemiah wanted to be released from his duty as a cup bearer in order to lead an expedition back to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall, he sought God first in prayer:

Nehemiah 1:5-11 (ESV) “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

God answered Nehemiah’s prayer by softening the heart of King Artaxerxes. The King blessed Nehemiah, and provided a guard as well as supplies for the journey. As we close, we read:

Nehemiah 16:15 In the light of the king’s countenance is life; and his favor is as a cloud of the latter rain.

When your heart goes to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords first, He will bless your pathway. May God richly bless us as we discuss the business of His Church. May He lead us to growth and blessing. Amen, and Amen.

Posted in Proverbs, Sermons Preached | Tagged Bible, Following Christ, God, Godly Leaders, Godly Man, Jesus, Jesus loves you, Proverbs, salvation, wisdom | Leave a comment

The Real “Word Of Faith”

Posted on April 9, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Romans 10:4-8 (KJV) For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. 5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach…

There Is A False “Word Of Faith”

For everything that God has, the devil has an imitation, a forgery, a lie. Take, for instance, the phrase above: “The WORD OF FAITH”. There is a Charismatic “Christian” movement called “Word of Faith”. Started by television evangelists Oral Roberts and Kenneth Hagin, the movement teaches that God promises healing and prosperity to believers. Preachers like Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, and Kenneth Hagin teach that God wants you to be healthy, happy, and have a large bank account. The “Word of Faith” preachers want you to have “your best life now”.

What’s the problem with this? After all, everyone wants to be healthy, happy, and have a big bank account. It also would be great if we could all be famous. It’s in our national constitution that we have “the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (from the Declaration of Independence). Why wouldn’t God want us to have nothing but butterflies, peaches and cream?

The problem with the “Word of Faith” preachers is more than one level deep. I know of a lady who, years ago, was diagnosed with cancer. Her “Word of Faith” preacher told her that “if you believe hard enough, you’ll be healed”. She died of cancer anyway. Her “Church” blamed he faulty faith for her death. She just didn’t “believe hard enough”.

If you start to believe that God’s great plan for you is that you be HEALTHY, WEALTHY, INFLUENTIAL and IMPORTANT, then when you aren’t such then you begin to think that God doesn’t love you.

There have been a fair number of people who bought into the “Word of Faith” movement who got sick, were financially challenged, or never gained a famous name. These people, disillusioned, walked away from Christianity. They thought that God hated them, or else that the faith was just a pipe dream. On the day that I prepared this sermon, my office computer died, and my wife (who has Lupus) called me, out of breath. Our refrigerator died, and our milk is clabbered.

Maybe God hates me?
Maybe my faith just isn’t strong enough?

Hogwash! In Matthew 26:6-13 (also repeated in Mark 14:3-9) an unknown woman anointed Jesus with expensive perfume while He ate with Simon the leper, a resident of Bethany. Some Bible scholars have suggested who the thought this woman was, but the Bible never tells us this woman’s name. Jesus was impressed by her act of faith, and said “where ever this Gospel is preached, what this woman has done shall be told for a memorial of her”. Wonderful Jesus! So WHO is this woman? Bible scholars have guessed it to be Mary Magdalene or Mary of Bethany, but THE TEXT DOESN’T TELL US TWICE. What kind of fame is that?

Or consider Jesus as He watched the Pharisees giving at the Treasury of the Temple one day. The Court of Women had 13 offering receptacles that people could cast their money in as they passed by. The Bible says:

Mark 12:41 (ESV) {Jesus} sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a POOR widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And He called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this POOR widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.

Jesus was impressed with this woman. What was her name? She impressed God, but never got famous. Also, she was POOR. Jesus didn’t run to alleviate her poverty. He was impressed with her, though no one knew her name.

The “Word Of Faith” movement is humanism re-branded, a false Christianity. Jesus said “you will ALWAYS HAVE THE POOR with you” (Matthew 26:11). If you read the Scriptures, you will know that God never promised us WEALTH, HEALTH, or FAME. Do you know what God wants for us? We are told in today’s text.

Romans 10:4-6 (KJV) For Christ is the end of the law for RIGHTEOUSNESS to every one that believeth. 5 For Moses describeth the RIGHTEOUSNESS which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 6 But the RIGHTEOUSNESS which is of faith…

You see the word “RIGHTEOUSNESS” repeated three times in our text. God’s plan for your life is not that you be HAPPY or HEALTHY or WEALTHY. God’s plan for your life is that YOU BE RIGHTEOUS.

What does it mean to be RIGHTEOUS? It means to honor God above yourself. The Word of Faith movement, like the world that it glorifies, teaches that life is about US. That’s not what impressed Jesus. What impressed Jesus was when God was put first.

When Jesus went to eat at Simon the Leper’s home, Simon didn’t treat Jesus like the Son of God. Oh, he fed Jesus, but he did little else. When the unknown woman came in where Jesus was, she denied herself, and honored God by honoring the Messiah. This is why Jesus said that her act would be told every time the Gospel was told.

To be saved, you must glorify God, and deny yourself. To love God supremely whether you are poor, unknown, or even sick.

The same is true of the widow who gave all she had. She did what she did because she loved the Lord with all her heart. That impressed Jesus, that she denied herself. She could have made excuses. “Well, God knows I’m a poor widow lady. If I can’t give Him anything, then He’ll forgive me”. But no, she gave all that she had – and blessed God.

That is righteousness.
To deny self.
To give God your best!

Here Is The True “Word Of Faith”

The only time the phrase “Word of Faith” appears in the Bible is in our text today.

Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach

What God wants to produce in those who believe is not HAPPINESS, HEALTH and WEALTH. What God wants to produce in us is RIGHTEOUSNESS. Not self righteousness. The world has plenty on man made, man pumping up, virtue signaling self-righteousness. No, God wants us to be RIGHTEOUS. What does it mean to be RIGHTEOUS?

Think about the word itself. It begins with RIGHT. That means CORRECT, REAL, the actual truth. Who is RIGHT? “The LORD is righteous” (Exodus 9:27). The LORD, the Creator of all things, sets the standard of RIGHT and wrong. When we follow God RIGHTEOUSLY, God watches over us.

Psalm 1:6 … the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Those who follow God, God watches them. Again,

Psalm 5:12 (KJV) For thou, LORD, wilt BLESS THE RIGHTEOUS; with favor wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

God loves the RIGHTEOUS. He loves those who follow Him. But what of those who refuse to follow Him, who wander their own path? The Bible says:

Psalm 7:11 (KJV) God judgeth the RIGHTEOUS, and God is ANGRY WITH THE WICKED every day.

The RIGHTEOUS are those who follow the LORD, who heed His instruction, His RIGHT instruction. God is always RIGHTEOUS, always RIGHT. He is the Great Shepherd, and He watches over His Sheep who follow Him.

Psalm 34:17, 19 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

God delivers those who are righteous. The righteous are those who love and trust God, who follow Him. “The RIGHTEOUS shall be GLAD IN THE LORD, and shall TRUST IN HIM” (Psalm 64:10). “Rejoice in the LORD, you RIGHTEOUS” (Psalm 97:12). “The LORD is RIGHTEOUS: He cuts the cords of the wicked in two” (Psalm 129:4). And I’ll stop with:

Psalm 145:17 (KJV) The LORD is RIGHTEOUS IN ALL HIS WAYS, and HOLY IN ALL HIS WORKS.

God is always RIGHT. We are subject to failure, but God is not. When you follow God, you are RIGHTEOUS because you are following Him Who is RIGHT.

Romans 10:5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

Now we’ve defined that RIGHTEOUS, or BEING RIGHTEOUS, is to follow God. When Israel left Egypt after 430 years of slavery, they FOLLOWED GOD. When God told them to kill a lamb without spot or blemish, and put its blood on the doorway of their homes (Exodus 12:13-28), Israel didn’t argue with God. They did what God said. When God told Israel to follow Him, as a manifest Pillar of Cloud by day and a Pillar of Cloud by night (Exodus 13:21), Israel didn’t argue with God. They did what God said. When Israel got to the edge of the Red Sea, and were pursued by the Egyptian Army, Moses told them:

Exodus 14:13-14 (ESV) Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which HE WILL WORK FOR YOU TODAY. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.

What did God want Israel to do? FOLLOW HIM. TRUST HIM. HEED HIS DIRECTIVE. God is righteous. He is always right. Do what GOD says. Israel was saved apart from the Law. They had no Law but one – follow God. Honor God. Do what God says. God is always right.

But Israel had a divided loyalty. After they were saved at the Red Sea, the Bible says:

Exodus 14:31 (ESV) Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses.

Israel “believed in the LORD”. But they also believed in “His servant Moses”. Now Moses was a fine man, but he isn’t the LORD. He isn’t perfect. Moses was righteous, because he followed the LORD. But Moses wasn’t the LORD. But the people put their faith not solely in the Lord God, but in MOSES. As a result, when Israel got to Marah, where the water was bitter, they grumbled (Exodus 15:22-25). Moses did the right thing. He went to God, and asked, and God told him what to do.

Moses was RIGHTEOUS, following God. Israel grumbled, following their own desires and wants.

God told Israel “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer” (Exodus 15:26).

God said, “Follow Me. I know what’s right. I am righteous. Just follow Me. Do what I say.” But Israel didn’t do that. They grumbled at Moses and Aaron every time something happened that they didn’t like.

– They grumbled because they had no bread – and God gave them bread.

– They grumbled because there was no water at Rephidim – and God gave them water.

– They grumbled and grumbled until the LORD gave them the Law.

Israel couldn’t keep the Law at all. But God never wanted His people to follow the Law. He wanted His people to follow HIM.

The Law said “the man which doeth those things shall live by them”. Since Israel would not follow the LORD, the LORD gave them the Law. The Law required absolute obedience, and was often quite harsh. But God never wanted His Children to follow a Law. God wants us to follow HIM. The Apostle wrote:

Galatians 3:24-25 (KJV) Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

The whole purpose of the killing of animals, the feasts and festivals, the dietary restrictions and other such things was to teach us that we cannot save ourselves – that we must DENY OURSELVES and come to God the Son for salvation.

We Cannot Fix Ourselves – We Need Jesus

Romans 10:6-7 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

We live before God by faith. Neither I nor you can go up to Heaven and bring Christ down again. We are called to believe on Him Who is “our HIGH PRIEST, seated at the right hand of the THRONE OF THE MAJESTY IN THE HEAVENS” (Hebrews 8:1). It is Jesus Who is the Key to Heaven. It is Jesus Who God the Father sent to this earth for us. It is Jesus Christ, the One and Only Messiah, that our Hope is on. He lives, and represents those who have given their lives to Him.

We cannot “descend into the deep, to bring up Christ again from the dead”. Jesus Christ died for our sins on the Cross of Calvary. He paid the penalty of sin in full. The Father “worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church” (Ephesians 1:20-23, NKJV).

What is “The WORD OF FAITH that we preach”? We are told:

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt CONFESS with thy mouth THE LORD JESUS, and shalt BELIEVE in thine heart that GOD HATH RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, thou shalt be saved.

WORD STUDY: Let’s break this verse down. To be saved, a person must “CONFESS with thy mouth”. The word rendered “CONFESS” is the Greek homologeō, which means “to say the same thing as another, to agree with another, to concede or admit”.

To “CONFESS” means to openly and publicly say the same thing about yourself, about God, and about Jesus that God Himself says.

Jesus said,

Matthew 10:32 (KJV) Whosoever therefore shall CONFESS {homologeō} Me before men, him will I CONFESS {homologeō} also before My Father which is in heaven.

And again,

Luke 12:8 (KJV) Whosoever shall CONFESS {homologeō} Me before men, him shall the Son of man also CONFESS {homologeō} before the angels of God …

What are you to confess or declare publicly about Jesus?

CONFESS with thy mouth THE LORD JESUS

Openly agree that Jesus is your Savior and your Lord. Publicly state that Jesus is your Shepherd (John 10:10) and your Messiah. The Jews told their followers that if ANYONE “CONFESSED that Jesus was the CHRIST” (John 9:22; 12:42), that that individual would be cast out of Judaism and out of the Temple. It will cost you to follow Jesus.

Jesus is not just your Savior if you have believed in Him, He is also your LORD. You follow Him. You follow His Book.

There were some in the early Church who “PROFESSED {homologeō} that they KNOW GOD, but IN WORKS THEY DENY HIM” (Titus 1:16). God said of these people that they were abominable reprobates. The person who is righteous follows Jesus, and loves the Word of God.

You must also believe in your heart that

GOD HATH RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD

God has not promised you HEALTH and WEALTH and FAME. He has promised you RIGHTEOUSNESS. He has promised, if you come to Him surrendered, that He will walk with you from the day of your salvation into eternity. Beloved, you know that you are saved because the Word of Faith is in your mouth and in your heart. You have agreed with God that you are unable – but that Jesus is able. You have agreed that you need Him desperately.

The day that you called on the Lord Jesus Christ – believing on Him – the Incarnate God became incarnate in your very heart. Because you are changed from the inside out your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees. Because you are changed by God Himself – Who gave Himself for you on Calvary’s Tree – the very righteousness of God is on your life. Oh the joy of being in Christ! It begins by calling on Him. Confessing with the mouth the Lord Jesus Christ. Receiving Him as both Lord and Savior. Believing that He died for your sins. But

more than that, believing in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead. He is risen. He is Lord. He is your Lord – if you have given yourself to Him.

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Posted in Romans, Sermons Preached | Tagged Bible, Faith, Following Christ, God, God Is Faithful, Jesus, salvation | Leave a comment

Christ Is The Living End

Posted on March 31, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Romans 10:1-4 (KJV) Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. (2) For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. (3) For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. (4) For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

I remember several years ago in another town in another Church, I was asked to speak at a “See You At The Flagpole” event. I prepared for it, was even up late the evening before in preparation. I was supposed to be there at 7:30 am.

I forgot to set my alarm, overslept, and woke up at 8:00 am.

Though I rushed to get to the school, I was so embarrassed! Everything I prepared was wasted, as most of the students and adults had left the flagpole to go into the school. I was very embarrassed – and was never invited to speak at such an event again.

What happened with me was accidental, a human mistake. Our Lord Jesus told a parable once about being prepared and ready. We read:

Matthew 25:1-11 (NKJV) Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the Bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

To this day I regret missing my opportunity at “See You At The Flag”. But the world continued to turn. My face was red, but years passed, and I’m sure no one today even remembers that event but me. But there’s another event that’s coming – the return of Jesus. Jesus Christ is the Bridegroom, the Head of His Church. He warned us to be ready for His return. The Bible says:

1 Thessalonians 5:2 (NKJV) the DAY OF THE LORD so comes as a THIEF IN THE NIGHT …

We are to watch for Jesus. To be ready for His coming. The virgins in Jesus’ parable all went to sleep. We are all human and subject to failure. But the foolish virgins took no OIL FOR THEIR LAMPS. In the Bible, olive oil was used in lamps to light up the darkness. The oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit’s Presence, Power, and Anointing. When Kings were chosen by God, the LORD had the Prophet anoint them with oil (1 Samuel 16:1, 13) to show that God empowered their ministry. When Prophets were chosen by God, they too were anointed with oil (1 Kings 19:16), as were Priests (Exodus 28:41) and altars (Exodus 29:36).

Five of the virgins had lamps with oil (the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, see Psalm 43:3; 18:28; 119:105; Proverbs 6:23). But the five foolish virgins had the equipment – but none of God’s Word or Spirit.

If you’re going to be ready for the coming Jesus, you need to do more than look like a Christian. You need to be ready. You need to feed on God’s Word, and submit to God’s Spirit.

Israel Should Have Been Saved

If anyone should have been ready for the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, it should have been Israel. And yet, they were NOT saved. Oh, many Jews met Christ as Savior since His coming. But the nation of Israel as a whole generally rejects the Lord Jesus Christ as Messiah. Paul laments the state of Israel, saying,

Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

Word Study: The phrase “heart’s desire” is the Greek kardia eudokia. The word is often translated “good pleasure”. Though Paul had been sent primarily as the Apostle to the Gentiles, his heart was hungry to see Israel come to Christ. But they would not. What was the problem? God throughout the Old Testament, the Scriptures that God entrusted to Israel, repeatedly prophesied that the Messiah would come through that very nation.

Bible scholar J. Barton Payne lists 574 verses in the Old Testament that reference the coming of Christ.

Theologian Alfred Edersheim counts at least 456 passages in the Old Testament.

Jesus fulfilled at least 300 prophesies in His earthly ministry.

The Jews knew that God was going to send the Messiah through Israel. Why did they miss Jesus? Because they were busy being religious. The Apostle says of Israel:

Romans 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a ZEAL OF GOD, but not according to KNOWLEDGE.

Word Study: Israel had a “ZEAL OF GOD”. The word ZEAL is the Greek zēlos, which means “to be on fire for, fervent, driven and devoted to”. It’s a good thing to have zeal, to have excitement of mind or fervency for something. God loves it when we are passionate about Him. When Jesus went into the Temple and cast out the money changers (John 2:15-16), His passion was such that the disciples saw this as the fulfillment of a Messianic Prophecy:

John 2:17 (quoting Psalm 69:6) (KJV) The ZEAL (zēlos) of thine house hath eaten me up.

Jesus’ ZEAL or PASSION when protecting the faith of God proved He was the Messiah. Zeal is wonderful. But it must be backed by the Word of God. Israel had ZEAL, but we are told:

“but not according to KNOWLEDGE”

Word Study: The word “KNOWLEDGE” is the Greek epígnōsis, which means “full discernment, precise and correct knowledge”. Israel had drifted away from the Word of God, though they were keepers of the Word of God. It was the Word of God that chose Israel to be God’s people. God told them:

Deuteronomy 7:6-8 (KJV) … thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. (7) The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: (8) But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers…

By the time that the Messiah came to this earth through the little virgin called Mary, most of Israel had forgotten how to read Hebrew. As the Old Testament Text was written in Hebrew and Aramaic, this was a problem. Though some Jews read Hebrew, most spoke and read Greek. This led the Scribes to create a Greek translation of the Bible called the Septuagint (meaning 70, as there were 72 translators, 6 from each tribe of Israel). It was thought that by doing this, more would read and mediate on the Scripture.

Sadly, Israel didn’t then, and they don’t today. Israel relied on religious leaders like the Scribes, Pharisees, Chief Priests, and Sadducees to tell them what was Biblical and what was not. When the Messiah was born, the Angel of God told the shepherds watching their sheep at night (Luke 2:10-12). The Angel was specific:

Luke 2:11 unto you is born this day in the city of David a SAVIOR, which is CHRIST the LORD.

The shepherds were told that the long awaited SAVIOR had come. That this SAVIOR is CHRIST, which literally means THE MESSIAH. And finally the Angel said that this child born is THE LORD. The shepherds quickly went to see the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the Messiah. From that point they went and told THOSE IN THE SURROUNDING AREA about the Messiah. Did anyone else come to see Jesus?

No!

The Bible tells us that “people wondered about it” (Luke 2:18), but no one went to see Him nor worship Him. When Jesus grew up and began to minister, He started in Nazareth. Jesus came UNTO HIS OWN. This was His home town. How did they treat Him?

John 1:11-12 (NKJV) He came to His own, and His own did not RECEIVE Him. 12 But as many as RECEIVED Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who BELIEVE in His name…

They would not RECEIVE Him. Why? Because Israel had her own righteousness.

Your Own Righteousness Does Not Impress God

Romans 10:3 (KJV) For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Israel was ignorant of God’s righteousness, just as many people today are ignorant of God’s righteousness. The late President Jimmy Carter made the statement:

“Homosexuality was well known in the ancient world, well before Christ was born, and Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. In all of His teachings about multiple things – He never said that gay people should be condemned. I personally think it is very fine for gay people to be married in civil ceremonies.”

Many have pointed to this and said “This is what real Christians sound like”. No. Jimmy Carter had zeal, but NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE. The Bible that Jesus quoted defined the homosexual lifestyle as an abomination (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13). The Bible written by the Apostles states:

1 Corinthians 6:9 (NKJV) Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites …

1 Timothy 1:9 (NKJV) … the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine …

Jesus defined “marriage” as a union between “male and female” (Matthew 19:4). Our Lord quoted the Genesis text of the creation account when doing so. As to the statement, “Homosexuality was well known in the ancient world, well before Christ was born, and Jesus never said a word about homosexuality”, I might point out this is the very reason Jesus never spoke against it. As an Orthodox Jew, Jesus knew the penalty for homosexuality. Further,

Jesus never spoke about sex with a child or sex with a close relative. He did not address things that everyone knew was evil.

When people are ignorant of God’s righteousness, when they do not read and meditate on the Word of God, they “go about trying to establish their OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS”. That’s a dangerous path to be on! Zeal without Biblical knowledge leads to damnation. We today do the very same thing that Israel has done and continues to do. We are ignorant of God’s righteousness, but zealous, passionate, sincere, so we establish our own standards. The first time we did that in the Garden of Eden, it cost us Paradise!

There is no blessing apart from what God offers through His Word.

Romans 10:3 (KJV) For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Salvation comes only by submitting yourselves to the righteousness of God. Is a “Homosexual” condemned before God because they are homosexual? No, a person is condemned because they “established their OWN righteousness, but would not submit themselves to the righteousness of God”. God doesn’t care what Jimmy Carter thinks, nor what the Pope thinks, nor even what you and I think. God cares about what He has commanded.

The Righteousness Of God Comes By Submitting To
& Receiving Jesus As He Is

Romans 10:4 (KJV) For CHRIST is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

The Jews rejected Christ as Lord and Savior – though He was the promised Messiah – because they thought that their own righteousness, their own traditions, their own denominations made them acceptable in the eyes of God. What makes us acceptable in the eyes of God?

We are told in:

John 1:11-13 (ESV) He came to His own, and His own people did not RECEIVE Him. 12 But to all who did RECEIVE Him, who BELIEVED in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, 13 WHO WERE BORN, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, BUT OF GOD.

I often hear the statement – wrongly said – that you must “ACCEPT Jesus as Lord and Savior” to be saved. I hear people say this with PASSION, and “they have a zeal of God, but NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE” (vs 2). First of all, to “ACCEPT” and “RECEIVE” are related, but they are not synonyms. To “ACCEPT” means “to agree to or with, to approve or consent to”. But to “RECEIVE” simply means “to get or be given something”.

God does not ask that we agree with Him, which is what “accept” implies. God asks that we “surrender” to Him. We are told that “all who did RECEIVE Him, who BELIEVED in His name, He gave the right to become children of God…”

When the Shepherds heard that the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST was born, they rushed to see Him. Once they worshiped Him, they went out and told others about Him. The others “pondered” what they heard, but certainly didn’t go to see the LORD Messiah. They accepted, perhaps, but did not receive. Pastor John Piper notes:

“John puts believing in Jesus’s name in apposition with receiving him. “All who did receive him, [that is,] who believed in his name . . . .” Receiving Jesus is one way of describing believing in Jesus in a saving way.”

When you RECEIVE Jesus, taking Him to yourself as YOUR OWN, then you RECEIVE all that Jesus has. Jesus said “I and the Father are ONE” (John 10:30). When you RECEIVE Jesus as Lord and Savior, bending the knee to Him, you RECEIVE the Father as well. Jesus said when we who believe in Him share His Gospel:

John 13:20 (ESV) Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever RECEIVES the one I send RECEIVES Me, and whoever RECEIVES Me RECEIVES the One who sent me…

Matthew 10:40 (ESV) Whoever RECEIVES you RECEIVES Me, and whoever RECEIVES Me RECEIVES Him who sent me.

To enter the Family of God, you must receive the Gospel Jesus has given, a Gospel you heard through another believer who received Him. The righteousness of God is based on RECEIVING Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, on RECEIVING the Word of God as it is.

Will someone who was a homosexual, or a child abuser, or a murderer, or a rapist, stand condemned before God because of their sin? No. They will stand condemned before God because they – though zealous, passionate about what they believed, rejected the righteousness of God, and substituted their own righteousness. Those who stand before God will have this in common. They will have:

(1) Rejected the clear teachings of the Scripture, the Truth of God (John 17:17), for man made religion, and

(2) Refused to RECEIVE the Lord Jesus Christ as the One and Only Savior.

You misplaced zeal does not impress God. When Cain decided God would accept HIS sacrifice HIS way, and God refused, in zeal he killed his brother (Genesis 4:6-8). God was not impressed.

When King Saul turned to the Witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28:7) in his zeal to keep his throne, (1 Samuel 28:7) God was not impressed.

When Peter zealously tried to keep Jesus from going to the Cross, Jesus was not impressed. He said, “Get thee behind Me, Satan – you offend Me. You cherish the things of MANKIND, but not the things of God” (Matthew 16:23, AP).

Passion without the anchor of God’s Word does not impress God! You must come to God’s Word. You must RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Salvation is based on your reception of Christ. The Bible says, “The Father has life in Himself. He has granted the Son to have life in himself.” (John 5:26, AP). Therefore,

1 John 5:12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

You only HAVE the Son if you RECEIVE the Son.

PREACH! When you RECEIVE the Son…

…you RECEIVE forgiveness of sins (Acts 26:18).
…you RECEIVE the Father.
…you RECEIVE the Holy Spirit.(John 7:39).
…you RECEIVE the Kingdom of God (Mark 10:15).
you RECEIVE forgiveness of sins (Acts 26:18).
… you RECEIVE joint-heirship with Christ (Romans 8:17).
you will one day RECEIVE a mansion in glory (John 14:2-3).

We often as believers fail the Lord. I know I do almost daily. I think or say the wrong thing – and then repent and place it under the blood of Christ.

Those who have RECEIVED Jesus as LORD and SAVIOR are certainly not perfect – but we cast our imperfections upon Him.

The Scripture says:

Colossians 2:6-7 (ESV) As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so WALK in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving …

Christ dwells in our hearts BY FAITH (Ephesians 3:17). As Pastor John Piper said:

“… saving faith is both the first RECEIVING of Christ (John 1:12; Colossians 2:6), and the ongoing spirit of glad welcome to Him and dependence on him hour by hour (Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 3:17).”

My salvation is not secured by how perfectly I live for Christ. My salvation is secured by RECEIVING HIM as LORD and SAVIOR. He relied on the Scripture – the Old Testament text – and often quoted it with “it is written”. He chose Apostles to write the New Testament text. When you receive Him, you receive ALL of the Scripture – not just the parts you like. And in receiving Him, you receive the Spirit and the Scripture which grow you to be more like Christ daily. To believe SAVINGLY is to RECEIVE and HAVE Christ as He is, not as you think He should be.

Romans 10:4 For Christ is the END (telos) of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Word Study: The word that is used to describe Jesus in our text is the Greek Noun telos, which means “the termination, the limit at which a thing ceases to be, the last in succession”. The last words that Jesus said on the Cross before He died were:

John 19:30 … IT is FINISHED

This is only one word in the Greek, the Verb teleō. FINISHED! Your sins were paid for. FINISHED! The Messiah has come. FINISHED! Come, imperfect ones, to the foot of Calvary. FINISHED! There is nothing you need do to add to it. FINISHED! Christ is the Key to salvation, the Key to glory. May God lead you to receive HIM. Not a man made righteousness, but a righteousness based on faith in HIM. In Christ name I pray – Amen!

Posted in Romans, Sermons Preached | Tagged Christ the end, Cross of Calvary, Following Christ, God Is Faithful, It is FINISHED, receiving is believing, receiving Jesus, salvation | Leave a comment

Please God By Realizing He Is Sovereign

Posted on March 28, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Tonight we’ll be beginning a new section of Proverbs, chapter sixteen.

By Way Of Introduction

My wife and I love to watch certain shows from The History Channel like “Mountain Men” and “Ax Men”. I don’t know what it is about it, but I like seeing reality shows where people are struggling against nature. One of our favorites is “Swamp People”. One of the characters on there is Glenn Guist. Glenn lives off of what he can find in the swamp. Several years ago his brother Mitchell died while working on a houseboat. In remembrance of his brother, Glenn and several others finished the project that Mitchell was working on when he died. Glenn said:

“I know my brother is looking down from Heaven smiling, happy that we finished this project for him.”

I’m now speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). I’ve watched the show since it came out in 2010. At no point has either Glenn or Mitchell acknowledged the God of the Scripture, nor His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. When they were able to trap squirrels (and other things) to eat, they made statements like “That was lucky”, never “We were blessed”. Perhaps they are believers in Christ. Perhaps the network cut that part out when airing it. If so, I praise the Lord. But what Glenn said echoes what many people tell me every day. When the lose a loved one they say,

“At least they are not suffering now.”

or “I know Heaven gained another Angel.”

or “I know that ____ is looking down on me right now.”

Those are foolish and unbiblical statements. If the person who left this life without faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, they are not in a “better place now”. When the self involved rich man died, and was buried, “he lifted up his eyes in HELL, being in TORMENT” (Luke 16:23-24). He was not in a better place. When Lazarus died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s Bosom (Luke 16:22), he was in a better place.

Neither Lazarus nor the rich man “looked down from Heaven” to see their earthly families.

Lazarus did not become an angel, but was carried by the angels.

How does one get to Heaven? You must “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved” (Acts 16:31). The God Who owns Heaven, and all things (even us) has made faith in what His Son did on Calvary the key to Heaven. I believe much of our problems come about because we misunderstand the nature of God. God is not a “Big Man in Heaven”. He is IMMENSE, SOVEREIGN. The King James, along with the New King James, the New Living Translation, the New International Version, the English Standard Version, The Christian Standard Bible, the New American Standard Bible all translate YHWH or Yᵊhōvâ [Strong’s Concordance] into English as LORD (all capital letters).

Our God is SOVEREIGN. He is YHWH, LORD. As we come into Proverbs 16 we’re coming into a collection of scriptures that emphasizes the SOVEREIGN NATURE of our God. Eight of the first nine verses are YHWH sayings. Often translated into English as Yahweh or Jehovah, this name of God was considered so holy that the ancient Jews from around 300 BC refused to say it out loud. They substituted the name of God ADONAI in its place.

The God Of The Bible Is Sovereign,
Ruling All That He Has Made

Proverbs 16:1 The preparations (maʿărāḵ) of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.

Word Study: The word translated “PREPARATIONS” is the Hebrew maʿărāḵ, which means “the mental planning, arrangements, calculations, plotting in the mind”. Found only here in the Scripture, this word emphasizes that even our “free-will” can be over ruled by God.

Illustrate: Humans are often arrogant, speaking big plans. We are much like those at the Babel, originally founded by a mighty hunter named NIMROD. A powerful and charismatic man, he built a kingdom beginning with Babel, Erech, Accad and Calneh (Genesis 10:10). That Kingdom was so prosperous that they thought they could build a tower to Heaven (Genesis 11:4).

The plan of man at the Tower of Babel was to defy God (Genesis 1:22 compared with Genesis 11:4), to NOT fill the earth, but to stay in one place.

God confused their language at Babel, and they scattered. “The answer of the tongue, is from the LORD”. God gives us air to breath, and a tongue to speak. Man may plan his words, but God controls the outcome of our words and plans.

The Sovereignty of God gives the believer comfort:Jesus told us that we as believers would be hated in this world. Jesus said:

Luke 21:12-15 (ESV) … {unbelievers} will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

Though we will be tried, we are to rely on God. Evil may abound, but God SUPER ABOUNDS. The Joel Osteen of the Old Testament, Balaam, was hired to curse Israel (Numbers 23-24). Though he tried, God would not allow him to curse His people. Balaam found out through a talking donkey that God is in control. “The answer of the tongue, is from the LORD”.

Again Jesus said, “When they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do NOT be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but SAY WHATEVER IS GIVEN YOU IN THAT HOUR, FOR IT IS NOT YOU THAT SPEAK, BUT THE HOLY SPIRIT” (Mark 13:11, ESV).

God is in control. Let HIM LEAD. Rest in His power, not in yours. Skipping down to …

Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart DEVISETH (ḥāšaḇ) his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

Word Study: God is saying the same thing here. Though the word maʿărāḵ is only found once in Scripture, the word translated “DEVISETH”, ḥāšaḇ is used 124 times. ḥāšaḇ means “to reckon, calculate, to determine”. The very first time the word is used is when God shows Abraham the stars of Heaven, and says “as the stars are, so shall your children be”. We are told:

Genesis 15:6 (KJV) {Abraham} believed in the LORD; and HE (the LORD) COUNTED {ḥāšaḇ} it to him for righteousness.

We may pray, but God has the final say. God has given us freedom of will, but God’s will is always greater. Praise God for that! If God not exercised control over human history, we would more than likely have destroyed ourselves and the planet long ago.

The Sovereign Nature of God is displayed in the work of salvation. We do not work our way into Heaven. We believe on the Lord Jesus, surrendering our lives to Him. When that happens God changes the believer, just as He promised through the Prophet:

Ezekiel 36:26-28 (ESV) I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be My people, and I will be your God.

God opens our eyes to our sinfulness, our hopeless estate, and calls us to salvation. We REPENT, and surrender to Him. He SOVEREIGNLY effects a change in us.

God changes us from the heart outward. The Christian obeys God because the Christian has a changed heart. This is illustrated in an early disciple called “Lydia”:

Acts 16:13-14 (ESV) … on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.

Going back to what Glenn Guist said earlier – and what many others tout – those we consider good people do not automatically go to Heaven. Who makes the determination of Heaven of Hell? Not my opinion, not your opinion. God’s determination. We read:

Proverbs 16:2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.

Everybody believes themselves to be better than the one next to them. Those in the most egregious sins justify their actions by comparing them to the actions of others in humanity. We consider ourselves “clean” or “unclean” based on our judgment. But “The LORD weighs the spirits”. The LORD examines the soul, because He made the soul, and owns the soul. The LORD defines right and wrong.

The LORD Weighs The Soul

It is so sad that so many are headed toward hell fire and eternal damnation, believing themselves to be “good, moral people”. We make excuses for our sin. We minimize our sin. We imitate the sin of Adam and Eve, and blame others – even God – for our failures. We pass laws that make our evil seem righteous, murdering children or twisting God’s standards. “The LORD WEIGHETH the SPIRITS”. It is God Who determines right and wrong.

God Looks At The Heart: The Pharisees thought that they were the ones who determined what was right and wrong. They fasted. They prayed. They were quite open in their religious acts. Yet Jesus called them “hypocrites”, people with two faces who did their acts of religion to please people, not the Lord. Jesus said:

Matthew 6:1-6 (ESV) Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Jesus was not saying that we should not do good in public. Far from it. In another placed Jesus told us as the Children of God “Let your LIGHT SHINE BEFORE MEN that they may SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS, and GLORIFY your Father which is in Heaven” (Matthew 5:16, KJV). What Jesus – and the Bible – is telling us is that God knows the state of your heart. You are to do good to please God and bring glory to His Name. But you are not to do good to be seen of men so that YOU will be glorified.

God knows what YOU are DOING.

The Pharisees were not impressing God, for they were doing what they did so others would praise them. It was for THEIR gain, not for the glory of God. One commentary notes:

“Jesus told a Samaritan woman that the Father seeks those who worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). An outward practice of religion is worthless unless it is motivated by love for God and done in accordance with the truth of God’s Word. It is God, not man (1 Samuel 16:7), who is the perfect measure of our morality.”

To Please God, Do All With God In Mind

Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Give your life to God. Don’t let it be about you, but for God’s glory. To be self seeking and narcissistic is to ultimately come to vanity. The happiest and most joyful life is the one of service, surrendered to Christ. Jesus said:

John 16:33 (ESV) I have said these things TO YOU, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

You may be in a bad job. I’ve often been in bad jobs, bad places, bad assignments. But when I gave the job to Jesus, and did as best as I could for His glory, and not mine, I was able to overcome. In God, in Christ, you have peace. Do what you do for God’s glory. When your efforts are fully entrusted to God’s will and God’s control – you will have good results.

Psalm 37:5 (ESV) Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act.

Illustrate: A good example of this was when Abraham sent his trusted servant to find a bride for Isaac. This was a tall order! God had promised Abraham his son Isaac. Through Isaac, the line of the Messiah would go. Through Isaac, God would “bless all the nations of the world” (Genesis 12:3). Abraham was “well advanced in years” (Genesis 24:1), and unable to find a mate for his son. So he asked his trusted servant to go. Abraham told the servant:

Genesis 24:3-4 (ESV) swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.

Abraham knew that the Canaanite women would lead Isaac away from God, for they were idolaters. So he sent his servant back to Ur of the Chaldees to find a bride. Traveling for many miles, the servant sought God in prayer. He prayed:

Genesis 24:12-14 (ESV) O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.

When Rebekah, the future wife of Isaac came to the well, she did exactly as that servant prayed for. Rebekah was to be Isaac’s bride! Finding Isaac’s wife, that precious servant said …

Genesis 24:48 (ESV) I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son.

Every great work that has been done for God, has been done through God. The Bible says that “when PRIDE COMETH, then COMETH SHAME” (Proverbs 11:2), and “PRIDE GOETH BEFORE DESTRUCTION, and an ARROGANT SPIRIT BEFORE A FALL” (Proverbs 16:18). Put your life and its outcome in God’s hands – and you will be blessed with success.

Illustrate: When Nehemiah wanted to leave his master to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, he prayed and asked God to guide the King in sending him (Nehemiah 2:4). Following his prayer and request, King Artaxerxes not only blessed Nehemiah’s mission, but he also supplied the building materials.

God controls the heart of the King (Proverbs 21:1). Our God is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16).

The LORD God Owns EVERYTHING

Proverbs 16:4 The LORD hath made all things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

God owns everything, and controls everything so that ultimately HE WILL BE GLORIFIED. The wicked often think that they have gotten away with their evil – but a day of reckoning is coming. God said in His Word …

Romans 14:11-12 (KJV) … As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

What we have, we have on loan from God. God did not make people wicked, but He foresaw their wickedness, and permitted it to a point – but He controls the outcome. When our Lord Jesus came into the world the Bible says:

John 3:19 … (NKJV) the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than Light, because their deeds were evil.

Jesus came unto His own, but His own would not receive Him. Crucifying Jesus, the wicked thought that they were destroying Jesus Christ, and hiding His influence from the world. Instead, evil and wicked people caused Calvary, which in turn provides salvation to whosoever believeth in Him. God says:

Ezekiel 33:11 (NKJV) ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?

God bids the wicked to REPENT and TURN BACK to Him. But whether they will or will not, it has no effect on the final outcome. God uses the wicked.

When the wicked enter into Hell forever, they will be monuments to the JUSTICE and LONG SUFFERING of God. The Bridges Commentary notes:

“ {God} can decree nothing but good. If he permits evil, so far as not to hinder it, He hates it as evil, and permits it only for, the greater good – the greatest of all good – the more full manifestation of His own glory in it, and out of it. He will be glorified in, or on, all his creatures. ‘All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord!’ (Psalm 145:10). His retributive justice, no less than the riches of His grace, sets out His glory. (Romans 9:22-23)”.

Wickedness comes about when we set ourselves above God. We end with:

Proverbs 16:5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

God has a special distaste for the arrogant, the pride filled person. When God spoke of the seven deadly sins:

Proverbs 6:16-17 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 A PROUD LOOK (rûm ʿayin)..

The very first of these is PRIDEFULNESS. Pride is the sin of the devil. Made beautiful by God, the Arch Angel Lucifer began to become pride filled and narcissistic. Filled with pride he forgot that what he had, he had from the Lord. The Prophet declared:

Isaiah 14:12-15 (KJV) How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Lucifer the Arch Angel, through pride, became the devil, the Red Dragon, that Old Serpent. He entered the Garden of Eden and introduced pride to Adam and Eve. Pride is the chiefest of sins, the root of all other sin. The step brother of Christ wrote:

James 4:6 (AP) God resists the PROUD, but GIVES GRACE to the HUMBLE.

You cannot be saved in your pride. Pride led man to eat of the forbidden tree, and to walk away from the Tree of Life. Pride leads people into damnation today. Many are proud of how good they feel they are. They virtue signal, but refuse to come to the Tree of Christ, that Old Rugged Cross. Hear the words of King David:

Psalm 51:17 (ESV) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

God will not bless the prideful. God will not save those who will not bend the knee to Him. We are told:

Proverbs 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.

Grace is not available to the prideful. God says, “He that worketh PRIDE SHALL NOT DWELL IN THE MIDST OF MY HOUSE” (Psalm 101:1-2). By the mercy and truth of God in Jesus Christ, the sins of the believer are taken away. The power of sin over the life is destroyed by the mercy of Calvary. Christ bids us to bring our lives, broken and confused, to Him. Surrendering to Him as Lord and Savior, we humble ourselves before God’s Word and God’s Command. The Father sent His Son into the world to atone for our sin. Jesus Himself, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, humbled Himself. Jesus …

Philippians 2:7-9 (KJV) made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. [9] Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

God humbled Himself to save you. You must humble yourself to be saved. If you are saved, it is “BY MERCY AND TRUTH”. I have been asked the question before, “When I sin, I ask God to forgive me for Christ’s sake … and yet I still feel there is something else I must do. Why do I still feel at odds with God?” Beloved, this is PRIDE.

It is PRIDE that says, “I must do this penance, I must count these beads, I must pray to this saint, I must flagellate myself emotionally to please God”.

Salvation is all of humility, not pride. The proud Pharisees would not follow the path of Christ, the path of “MERCY AND TRUTH”. Jesus told them:

Matthew 21:31 (ESV) Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.

Who shall enter into Heaven? The religious? No, but “the one who DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN” (Matthew 7:21). What is the will of the Father? Jesus said, “This is the Work of God, that YOU BELIEVE ON HIM WHOM HE HATH SENT” (John 6:29).

It is not by our efforts that we are saved, by by the finished work of Christ. Once saved, we follow Him, and do His will. When we fail, we REPENT, and put our sin under His Blood and His Work – not ours. It is abnormally normal to want to “pay back” God, or to “make good” our bad. It is also prideful, foolish, and ineffective. The Christian way of life cannot be lived in the power of the flesh. It must be lived out through the mercy and truth of God’s Sacrifice, of God’s Savior. May God touch your hearts with his Word. Amen.

Posted in Proverbs, Sermons Preached | Tagged Following Christ, God Is Able, God Is Faithful, God is God, God is good, God is in control, salvation, Sovereign God | Leave a comment

Do Not Modify God’s Word

Posted on March 23, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Romans 9:13-16 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

We Must Stay Within The Context
To Understand The Bible

We are coming through one of the most hotly debated Chapters of the Bible as we study Romans Chapter 9. A lot of “isms” were formed in the Christian Church because Bible Scholars practiced eisegesis instead of exegesis.

Eisegesis BAD, Exegesis GOOD

I just used two words you probably don’t understand, but you will. Eisegesis starts with what sounds like the pronoun “I”. Eisegesis is when you look at a text of Scripture and think, “How can I make this text satisfy my wants and desires? How can I make this text about ME?” The other word, Exegesis, comes from the Greek word exēgéomai (Strongs 1834), which means “to lead out or draw out of a narrative, to unfold a teaching, in particular the things related to God”. The word was used in Luke when the disciples from Emmaus met Jesus on the road home right after the Passover. They had seen Jesus die a horrid death on the Cross. Jesus met with them, and they didn’t know Who He was. They invited Him to supper, and as Jesus broke bread with them their eyes were opened … and He vanished out of their sight! (Luke 24:31). They immediately headed back to Jerusalem, and the Bible says:

Luke 24:35 (KJV) and they TOLD {exēgeomai} what things [were done] in the Way, and how {Jesus} was known of them in breaking of bread …

They SAW Jesus, and added nothing to or took nothing from that encounter. They EXEGETED the experience. The same word is used to describe the ministry of Christ:

John 1:18 (KJV) No man hath seen God at any time; the only Begotten Son {Jesus}, which is in the bosom of the Father {He is loved of the Father}, He hath DECLARED exēgeomai Him.

Jesus added nothing to or took nothing away from the Word of the Father. He said, “If you have seen ME, you have seen the FATHER” (John 14:19). Jesus said, “I came not to do My will, but the will of Him Who sent Me” (John 5:30; 6:38). Jesus added nothing, but spoke “it is written”, declaring the Word and Will of God without modification.

This is what we are supposed to do when we EXEGETE the text. We draw from the text, we do not impose our will on it. We ask the Father, “What would YOU want me to learn?”, then apply it to our lives.

This chapter is not about God programming some to salvation and some to damnation. In the first five verses we see the chapter is about ISRAEL:

Romans 9:2-4 (KJV) I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 4 Who are Israelites …

As I said when we started this text, this Chapter is not about individuals, but about the nation Israel.

Paul laments how the Messiah came to Israel, but Israel as a nation rejected Him. The Apostle told us:

John 1:11 (KJV) “Jesus came unto HIS OWN (the Jews, Israel), and HIS OWN RECEIVED HIM NOT”

Jesus was a Jew. He came to the Jews first as Messiah. Jesus came to fulfill God’s promise to Abraham:

Genesis 18:18 … (NKJV) Abraham SHALL SURELY BECOME A GREAT AND MIGHTY NATION {this will be Israel}, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in Him {this is the promise of the Messiah through Israel}?

God didn’t say that Abraham might become a great nation that would bless all the other nations. God said, “Abraham SHALL SURELY BECOME A GREAT AND MIGHTY NATION”. Why “SURELY”? Because God is in control. God is sovereign. The Messiah will come into human history through Israel.

God sent the lineage of Christ from Abraham, to Isaac, and at Isaac’s twins the lineage of Christ branched off. The physically superior and first born Esau would have been the expected line of the Messiah. Instead, God chose a broken branch called Jacob. God decreed that “The Elder (Esau) shall serve the Younger (Jacob). Esau thought this was unfair. People have accused God of being unfair or unjust since the formation of Adam.

Is God Unrighteous Or Mean Spirited?

Romans 9:12-14 (KJV) It was said unto {Rebekah, Isaac’s wife}, The elder shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

When God told Rebekah “The Elder twin Esau shall serve the Younger twin Jacob” (Genesis 25:22-23). Around 430-480 years would pass from Jacob’s birth to the rise of Moses. When God called Moses to write the Book of Genesis, it would be another 1000 years before Malachi would write “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated”.

Esau & Edom Hated God: God sent the line of the Messiah through Jacob, who would become Israel. The line of Esau, though blessed of God, would become thoroughly pagan, rejecting God. The national God of Edom was QOS, along with Baal and Asherah.

Esau & the Edomites Hated Israel: When Israel left Egypt under God’s leadership – the Exodus – they were led by God through the King’s Highway. Israel asked Edom:

Numbers 20:17 (ESV) Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, or drink water from a well. We will go along the King ‘s Highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.

Edom refused their request. “You shall NOT PASS THROUGH MY LAND, or I will COME OUT WITH A SWORD” (Numbers 20:18). Edom not only stood against the will of God in sending the Messiah through Jacob, but did what she could do to destroy Israel. God told Israel:

Deuteronomy 23:7 You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother.

“Is your life miserable because misery is baked into the structure of the world, or is your life miserable because you do stupid things and refuse to learn and bring endless misery on yourself in your presumption?”Jordan Peterson

The Edomites did stupid things, but blamed God. The Edomites believed that the God of the Jews was unrighteous, mean spirited. Yet this is not true. God gave Edom a land of their own, and blessed that nation richly though they would not acknowledge Him, but only idols. God determined that the line of the Messiah would go through Jacob, or Israel – not Esau. God knows best. And God is GOOD!

Why did God choose Jacob over Esau?

Joseph over his other brothers?
David over his other brothers?
Israel over the other nations?
Peter to lead the Apostles?
Paul to be Judas Iscariot’s replacement?

Romans 9:15 For {God} saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (a quote from Exodus 33:19)

Because God is God.

God showed Canaan to Abraham.
God gifted Canaan to Abraham.
God told Israel to go into Canaan, casting them out.

God told Israel in Exodus 33:2 (NKJV) … I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.

How dare God do this? Beloved, God is God. He owns it all. God owns the earth and all that is in it. God gives us life, light, loot, love. God chooses what is right and wrong. He will not give up His GODNESS in order to please you or me. He said “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy”.

This is my Father’s world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas–
His hand the wonders wrought.

God made it. God made us. Are you afflicted. Seek Him in humility. Pray! Focus on His glory. Trust in His mercy and love. We are not God. We cannot choose our sex. We cannot choose our pronouns. We cannot make anything that He will not allow us to make.

To Our Merciful God Be The Glory

Romans 9:16 So then it is not of him that WILLETH, nor of him that RUNNETH, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Some of you still think you are gods. You are not. Some of you are like Pharaoh, trying to stand against God. How many Pharaohs do we have here today? God laughs!

Romans 9:17-18 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew My power in thee, and that My name might be declared throughout all the earth. {quoted from Exodus 9:16-17} 18 Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth.

If you are Pharaoh, it is because God raised you up. If you are Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, John Lennon, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, it is because God raised you up. Whether you be Taylor Swift or Joel Osteen, God raised you up.

God raised up Pharaoh. He raised up Egypt. Egypt could have died out during the Great Famine, but God sent Joseph to Egypt to guide them through the years of want. God used Egypt to shelter and grow Israel, from a small family, to a great nation. God demanded that Pharaoh “Let My people go”, but Pharaoh refused, believing himself to be a god. He was not a god, and neither are we.

Illustrate: Everyone knows the name Billy Graham, but few today know the name of Charles Templeton. Before Billy became a household name, Templeton preached nightly revivals to stadium crowds of up to 30,000 people. Templeton in 1957 renounced his faith in God, and wrote a memoir “Farewell to God: My Reasons For Rejecting The Christian Faith”. I’ve never read it, and never will. When Templeton asked Billy Graham why he believed in God with all the bad in the world, Billy said:

“I believe the Genesis account of creation because it’s in the Bible. I’ve discovered something in my ministry: When I take the Bible literally, when I proclaim it as the word of God, my preaching has power. When I stand on the platform and say, ‘God says,’ or ‘The Bible says,’ the Holy Spirit uses me. There are results. Wiser men than you or I have been arguing questions like this for centuries. I don’t have the time or the intellect to examine all sides of the theological dispute, so I’ve decided once for all to stop questioning and accept the Bible as God’s word.”

God raises up, and puts down. God was going to bring the Messiah into the world through Israel – and did. God wants whosoever will to be informed of the Gospel, to know that salvation will only come through faith in the Messiah – not in our good works or powers.

God Is The Potter, We The Clay
God’s aim is His Glory & His Mercy

Romans 9:19-21 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted His will? 20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto HONOR, and another unto DISHONOR?

God made both Jacob and Esau, Israel and Edom. God has control over the nations that He has made. God has control over America, and the Church. God controls your life, and mine.
His will WILL be DONE!

God raised up Israel, and raised up Edom and Egypt to build up His nation Israel. God cast out the Canaanites so that Israel could have the Promised Land. God endures a lot from humanity. Now Paul asks us a question:

Romans 9:22-24 What if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, ENDURED with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23 And that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory

24 Even us, whom He hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Israel was God’s Chosen that would bring forth the Messiah. But Israel was not chosen to be the only ones saved. By the time Christ came through Israel, that chosen Nation had forgotten that God told them that He wanted to REACH THE WHOLE WORLD THROUGH ISRAEL. It was never God’s intention to just share the Gospel to the Jews only …. but also to the Gentiles.

God’s goal was always two-fold: Bring a nation out of Abraham, and a Messiah out of that nation for the WHOLE WORLD.

When the Messiah came, He initially told His disciples:

Matthew 10:5-6 (ESV) … Go NOWHERE among the Gentiles and enter NO TOWN of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

The Messiah came through Israel, and His initial ministry was to Israel. This would not last His whole ministry. About the middle of His ministry Jesus would send His disciples to the Gentiles as well. The Gospel of Christ …

Romans 1:16 … the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

While ministering in Tyre and Sidon, a Canaanite woman – a Gentile – came begging Jesus. She had a demon possessed daughter, and wanted Jesus to heal her. Jesus said:

Matthew 15:24 … I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Jesus was not rejecting the Gentiles, but to fulfill God’s Promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Israel was to be saved first. Israel suffered under godless leadership for many years, and godless preachers. The Lord said:

Jeremiah 50:6 (ESV) My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains {where the idols were, the high places}. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold.

Israel repeatedly wandered from God, but God endured their wandering in order to keep His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God endured their idolatry so that – at the right time – the Messiah, Jesus Christ, could come. The Messiah would gather the lost sheep of Israel (Ezekiel 34:23-24; Micah 5:4-5). Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the Savior of Israel, the Savior of the world (John 10:11-16).

When the Canaanite woman persisted, Jesus said:

Matthew 15:26 (ESV) … It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.

The woman, humbling herself, replied:

Matthew 15:27 (ESV) … Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.

Jesus declared, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour (Matthew 15:28). Humility and submission to the Messiah brings saving Grace. It was always God’s intention to save the world through Christ, through Israel.

God Is Not Done With Israel

Paul is now going to go to Old Testament Scripture to explain that Israel’s rejection of Christ is not a horrible failure, but something that God planned for. He quotes first the Book of Hosea:

Romans 9:24-26 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? 25 As he saith also in Osee {Hosea 1:10}, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

Our God is in the SAVING business. When the Jews as a nation rejected Christ, this became the opportunity for the Gospel of Christ to go out to the Gentiles. But God is not done with Israel. Though Israel today rejects the Messiah, there is coming a day when that nation will come to God.

Romans 9:27-29 Esaias {Isaiah} also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. {quoting Isaiah 10:20-23; 11:11} 29 And as {Isaiah} said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom, and been made like unto Gomorrha. {quoting Isaiah 1:9}

God will not abandon His people. God has a remnant. Israel shall be saved. In the future Christ will rule and reign on this earth from Jerusalem. Israel shall be saved.

What can we who are Gentiles
learn from Israel?

When the Messiah came through Israel and to Israel, Israel wanted a Messiah Who would conquer Rome and restore their national power. Israel wanted God on their own terms, not on His. Many today who call themselves “Christian” are not Christ followers, but people who follow an idol tacked to a gold cross. When you kneel to kiss the ring of a man called “Pope”, or “Cardinal”, or “Father”, or kneel to worship at a statue or the “Queen of Heaven”, you are worshiping a golden calf. When you do religious things to please God rather than worship and follow Jesus, you are not saved. You can call yourself “Israel”, or “Baptist”, or “Non-Denominational”, or “Pentecostal”, or “Methodist”, or “Presbyterian”, or “Church of Christ”, or “Christian Church”, or “Episcopal”, or “Lutheran”, or “Wesleyan”, or “Nazarene”, or …. you get the point?

Romans 9:30-32 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law.

Salvation does not come about by your works, but by CHRIST’S WORK. What must you do to be saved? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you SHALL BE SAVED”. What did Jesus tell us?

Matthew 16:24-26 (NKJV) If anyone desires to come after Me, let him DENY himself, and TAKE UP HIS CROSS, and FOLLOW Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Do you want to come after Jesus? To live the life God wants you to live? To inherit eternal life? DENY yourself. Take up the Cross as YOURS – Jesus died for ME! And FOLLOW Jesus. Salvation is all about Jesus, all about the Messiah, all about God’s Word and Promise. To those who refuse to follow Jesus, we read:

Romans 9:33 … As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offense (quotation of Isaiah 8:14-15): and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. (quotation of Isaiah 28:16)

Jesus is the solid ground Rock on which you can stand – or a Rock that you will stumble over and fall. Will you follow Him? Will you give your life to Him? May God the Holy Spirit move in your hearts this very day. Amen.

Posted in Romans, Sermons Preached | Tagged Eisegesis vs Exegesis, Following Christ, God Is Faithful, God is merciful, God the Potter, salvation, We the Clay | Leave a comment

Today The Day of Salvation
April 2026

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Revivals Are For The Church, The Saved

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.

Lost people are blind – blind to their sin. They think they’re GOOD. They’re blind to Who Jesus is.

Love The Lord Jesus Christ, or be ANATHEMA

The ACCURSED false gospel says that Jesus saves you to go to Heaven, but you can walk like a child of Hell on this earth.

If You Do Not Love Jesus, ANATHEMA!

Jesus gave His life on Calvary as the Lamb of God, and gives His life now sitting on the right hand of the Father, making intercession for US.

Beloved, God doesn’t hate you. But His Word stands true.

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Old age has little to do with the crown of righteousness.

Grace in action is the glory of old age.

Control Your Temper

There are only three times Jesus showed anger when He walked this earth.

When the Gospel of God is misrepresented, the Glory of God is diminished. Jesus hated that!

God Is In Control

Is Your Inside Out?

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Gentle, Then Harder Is More Effective

Jesus’ intent was to lead others to the Word of God, the Wisdom of God. If He could teach others gently, He did so – but without compromising the Word of God.

I saw a Jeep wheel cover today that had on it “Not all wanderers are lost”. People choose to wander, to forsake God and His Word. They don’t know they are lost!

The Growing Christian Is A Disciple

The Christian Walks The Way Of Life, Of Christ

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Do You Have The Right Treasure?

A young lady asked a Pastor “How can I know that I am saved?

The HIGHWAY of the UPRIGHT is to DEPART FROM EVIL

Compare the lives of David and Samson to the lives of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Humble Yourselves To Be Blessed

This verse is the middle verse of the Book of Proverbs. This is an anchor verse of Scripture.

We are made in the IMAGE of GOD, but we are not gods.

You cannot serve God and yourself. You cannot walk the King’s Highway in pride. Growth as a believer is self sacrifice UPWARD, love OUTWARD.

Those who “divide the spoil with the proud” will one day enter a terrible hell, either on this earth or in the Presence of God.

Handle God’s Word With Respect

God wants us to trust in Him, to trust in his Word. His Word is always faithful. The Bible is TRUTH!

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The Glory Of The Gospel

What Causes A Person To Be Cursed?

The Father laid on Jesus the INIQUITY of US ALL! He paid for our sins in full. Jesus Christ is the Key to Heaven, our only Hope.

Israel rejected the prophesied Messiah, the Messiah of Isaiah 53

You don’t know God if you don’t love Christ!

Oh Beloved, you are “Beloved” because Jesus Christ is God’s Only BELOVED Son. You are BELOVED because you love the BELOVED. And why would we not love Him?

To Obey The Gospel Is To SurrenderTo Christ’s Love

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God Blesses A People With Godly Leaders

Qesem – the seeking of guidance apart from God, is a devilish and idolatrous thing.

Evil Leaders Lead A People To FAIL

A Right People Will Love The LeaderWho Speaks RIGHT

Why would Nebuchadnezzar order the wise men to death? Because he understood that godless leadership dooms a people.

Wise leaders must also learn tocontrol their tempers.

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There Is A False “Word Of Faith”

To be saved, you must glorify God, and deny yourself. To love God supremely whether you are poor, unknown, or even sick.

Here Is The True “Word Of Faith”

Moses was RIGHTEOUS, following God. Israel grumbled, following their own desires and wants.

Israel couldn’t keep the Law at all. But God never wanted His people to follow the Law. He wanted His people to follow HIM.

We Cannot Fix Ourselves – We Need Jesus

Jesus is not just your Savior if you have believed in Him, He is also your LORD. You follow Him. You follow His Book.

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Israel Should Have Been Saved

Your Own Righteousness Does Not Impress God

Jesus never spoke about sex with a child or sex with a close relative. He did not address things that everyone knew was evil.

The Righteousness Of God Comes By Submitting To & Receiving Jesus As He Is

God does not ask that we agree with Him, which is what “accept” implies. God asks that we “surrender” to Him. We are told that “all who did RECEIVE Him, who BELIEVED in His name, He gave the right to become children of God…”

Passion without the anchor of God’s Word does not impress God! You must come to God’s Word. You must RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

You only HAVE the Son if you RECEIVE the Son.

Those who have RECEIVED Jesus as LORD and SAVIOR are certainly not perfect – but we cast our imperfections upon Him.

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By Way Of Introduction

“I know my brother is looking down from Heaven smiling, happy that we finished this project for him.”

The God Of The Bible Is Sovereign,Ruling All That He Has Made

God opens our eyes to our sinfulness, our hopeless estate, and calls us to salvation. We REPENT, and surrender to Him. He SOVEREIGNLY effects a change in us.

The LORD Weighs The Soul

To Please God, Do All With God In Mind

The LORD God Owns EVERYTHING

It is PRIDE that says, “I must do this penance, I must count these beads, I must pray to this saint, I must flagellate myself emotionally to please God”.

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We Must Stay Within The ContextTo Understand The Bible

Eisegesis BAD, Exegesis GOOD

Is God Unrighteous Or Mean Spirited?

To Our Merciful God Be The Glory

To Obey The Gospel Is To Surrender
To Christ’s Love

A Right People Will Love The Leader
Who Speaks RIGHT

Wise leaders must also learn to
control their tempers.

The Righteousness Of God Comes By Submitting To
& Receiving Jesus As He Is

The God Of The Bible Is Sovereign,
Ruling All That He Has Made

We Must Stay Within The Context
To Understand The Bible

God Is The Potter, We The Clay
God’s aim is His Glory & His Mercy

What can we who are Gentiles
learn from Israel?