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Psalms 146:1-9 Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. [2] While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. [3] Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. [4] His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. [5] Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: [6] Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever: [7] Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners: (8) The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous: (9) The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.

Baseball legend Yogi Berra (Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra) passed away September of 2015. He was a professional baseball catcher, manager, and coach who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball, and an 18-time All-Star and 10-time World Series champion. Whether you followed his career or not I’m sure you’ve heard some of his “Yogisms”, cute little sayings he made. He made statements like:

“A day without sunshine is like night”
“Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool”
“If the shoe fits, get another one just like it”

He was burning leaves one day when the fire got out of hand. He ran into the house and called the fire department, telling them that his yard was on fire and he needed help. The dispatcher asked, “How do we get to where you are?” Yogi responded, “Don’t you guys still have those little red trucks?”

Here’s a Yogism that is one of my favorites:

“Light travels faster than sound.
That’s why some people appear bright until you hear them speak”

I’ve never heard an atheist speak where I wasn’t astounded by his ignorance. The Bible says that the atheist is a fool. We are told twice in the Scripture “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalm 53:1; 14:1). Because he has said in his heart “there is no God” the atheist is corrupt, and he himself – like the leper of old – corrupts those whom he touches.

In a world without God there are no moral absolutes.
Without moral absolutes there is no agreed on right or wrong.

It is God – not democracy – that tells us what is right and what is wrong. The farther we draw away from the God of the Bible the more we are imprisoned by our lusts. The farther we draw away from the God of the Holy Scripture the farther we are from the light of truth. The more we try to carry our own burdens apart from the God Who loves us the more bowed down we are by the weight of life. We need God. We need to turn to God and trust Him with all our hearts. We need to love Him, and love the Lord Jesus Christ His only Begotten Son.

When I drive at night I can only see the few feet that are illuminated in front of my headlights. Sometimes when I’m driving and on a curvy, Tennessee road I want to tense up. I’ll begin to think “What about the road ahead? Is it there. Will it make a sharp turn or a twist too quickly for me to navigate? What if there’s a bridge that’s out?” As these thoughts pass through my mind I find myself riding the brakes and tensing up more and more. At those times I have to tell myself that it is not my job to build the road, nor is it my job to place signs along the side of the road. I must trust the road builders that they maintained the road I’m traveling. I must trust the sign builders that they will have a warning posted in advance of a stop or a sudden turn. In short, my job is to stay in the light and drive between the lines.

I didn’t build the highway or the terrain, nor even the car I’m in. But if I stay in the car and keep between the lines I am assured of a safe trip.
It is foolish to turn off the headlights and drive!

In our text today the Psalmist begins by praising God. Then the name of God, LORD, is used in FIVE STATEMENTS that I want us to briefly examine. There is a God, and we need Him!

1 Psalm 146:7 The LORD Looseth The Prisoners. The Great I AM Through Jesus Is The GREAT EMANCIPATOR. Our LORD Frees Us From Sin. We saw earlier in the text that man is temporary and created, but our God is the Creator. He is the One who “made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is” (vs 6).

The word “looseth” is the Hiphil Participle of the Hebrew NATHAR (pronounced naw-thar’), which literally means “keeps on causing to be set free”. The Bible tells us that the Lord – the Eternal I AM – keeps on causing the prisoners to be set free”.

Are you in bondage to moral slavery? Come surrendered to the Lord and He will set you free. In our world today people have redefined “sin” to be “disease” or “a life style choice”. Alcoholism is no longer sin, but it is a disease. Homosexuality is no longer sin, but it is a lifestyle choice.

Sin is not a disease, but it leads to disease. Sin cannot be treated with medicine. Only God can loose a person from the bondage of sin.

The Bible tells us that man is bound by chains of sin.

Romans 3:9-12 …. both Jews and Gentiles …. are all under sin; [10] As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: [11] There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. [12] They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Both Jew and Gentile are under sin. Sin covers man, woman, and child. We are born totally without goodness. Our God through Jesus Christ His Son entered this world to:

Matthew 1:21 …. save His people from their sins.

Jesus saves His people. He saves His people from their sins. He saves and keeps on saving. Those He saves do not stay in their sins. Jesus declared ….

John 8:34-36 … Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. [35] And the servant abideth not in the house forever: but the Son abideth ever. [36] If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Those who sin and keep on sinning are the servants of sin.
The LORD – the Great Emancipator – FREES His people from sin.

2 Psalms 146:8 … The LORD Openeth The Eyes Of The Blind. Our Jesus Is The Great Illuminator. Man has never needed MORE LIGHT. Man needs MORE SIGHT. America needs to be made able to see.

You can put a blind person in a room and put as much light on him as you want, he still will not see it. We don’t need LIGHT. We need SIGHT.
We don’t need RELIGION. We need a RELATIONSHIP with Christ.

Jesus told the very religious Pharisees:

John 8:43-44 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because YE CANNOT HEAR MY WORD. [44] Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. ….

The unbeliever apart from God’s intervention cannot hear nor see the things of God. The Lord must open his spiritual eyes so that he can make a choice for or against Christ. Man is blind.

The great need of man is not more light. Man needs sight.

We have light, but light to a blind man means nothing. Hold the bulb to his eyes and – no matter how bright – the blind man cannot see. The God Who commanded the light to shine out of darkness must open your eyes if you will ever see the things of God. The Bible declares that the

2 Corinthians 4:4 … god of this world (that’s Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

The little “g” god Satan, also called the Devil, he and his minions love to blind.

They blind through advertising.
They blind through the sitcom.

Adrian Rogers once said that – and I paraphrase him – the sitcom (situation comedy) is the greatest tool that Satan uses against the Kingdom of God.

• Will and Grace taught us that homosexuality is good.

• The Modern Family that same sex couples can raise children in a humorous balanced household

• Through Cosby we were taught that men are idiots and women the head of the household

• And through Cheers (which is now on the children’s network Nicolodian) that drinking and drunkenness are not only acceptable, alcoholism is humorous!

The Devil, like Moe on the old Three Stooges programs,
is going around poking people in the spiritual eyes.
America needs SIGHT. It needs The Great Physician, Dr. Jesus!

3 Psalms 146:8 … The LORD Raiseth Them That Are Bowed Down. God Is Our COMFORTER. We are told in …

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (KJV) Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

God is the One to Whom we run for comfort in our troubles. Our LORD Jesus Christ raises up those who are bowed down. We have all had times when trials seem to crush us. From the pauper to the prince, from the least to the most, from the famous to the infamous all have been tried by life. King David cried out:

Psalms 57:6 They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.

That which bows down our souls is the circumstances and people that come in contact with us every day. Every attack can make us better or make us bitter. If we cling to God in the attack we will be made better.

David cried before God. But in the very next verse he said:

Psalms 57:7 … My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

Yes life sucks us down. It crushes our spirits. What shall we do when it seems as if all is falling down around me? Look up. Look to Jesus. Look to the LORD. He is The Comforter Who promises to be with us. Jesus invites the weary …

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU, AND LEARN OF ME; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Sadly, most who are burdened the most stayed home from Church tonight
They thought “I’m just too tired to go”
Yet staying home, they did not open their Bibles.
They did not seek The LORD’s Face.
They did not go to Him in prayer.
They turned the television on and lost themselves in the foolishness of it.

They forgot the trouble, rather than letting Christ solve the trouble. There is no blessing in this! Remember you have no better friend than the LORD. Remember those words of that great old song:

I have found a friend in Jesus, He’s everything to me,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
The Lily of the Valley, in Him alone I see
All I need to cleanse and MAKE ME FULLY WHOLE.
In sorrow He’s my COMFORT, in trouble HE’S MY STAY;
He tells me every care on Him to roll.
He’s the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

4 Psalms 146:8 … The LORD Loveth The Righteous. The LORD Is The Great Lover Of His People. He gave us His righteousness through that Bloody Cross of Calvary. The Bible says that Jesus was

Romans 4:25 …. delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.

When you see a wormhole in an apple it’s there not because the worm is eating its way into the apple. The worm is eating its way out of the apple. The worm got in the apple because its egg was laid in the apple blossom. The apple forms around the worm egg. Humans are born into this life with sin in their core. The worm of sin is there when we are born. The problem is in our hearts.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

God knows the heart, and God can fix the heart, broken as it is, if we bring it to Him.

The Bible declares that in His love …

Romans 5:8-9 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. [9] Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Galatians 4:4-7 …. God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, [5] To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. [6] And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. [7] Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

God loves the world – but will not allow the unsaved worldling into His Heaven. God is redeeming a people to Himself through the Cross of Christ. If you are His by faith, He loves you. If you are not His then I tell you He died for you because He loves you. Come to Him surrendered and be saved, you and your whole household!

5 Psalms 146:9 … The LORD Preserveth The Strangers. This Has A Double Meaning.

a God Preserves Those Who Are Strangers To Him. God wants every person to be saved. He gives the wicked one more day of life because He wants that person to come to know Him through Christ. God wants those who are strangers to Him to come to Him and be saved. The Scripture says:

Ezekiel 33:11 (KJV) Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

2 Peter 3:8-10 (KJV) But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

God will judge the wicked. Those who die rejecting Christ will go to a Devil’s Hell and be judged before a Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-15). “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Damnation will come – but God preserves the strangers, giving them one more day, one more invitation, one more second to call on the name of Jesus.

b God Preserves His Church.

He Preserves His Church. The Bible says that we who are His are saved are …

Ephesians 2:19 (KJV) …. no more STRANGERS AND FOREIGNERS, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

We are not strangers to God. We are sons of God. But we are strangers to this world. We are a people set apart from this world because of Christ. God tells us as His Children to not minimize our distinctions, but CAPITALIZE and MAGNIFY them. Jesus tells us:

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (KJV) Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

If you are born again you are not like you were before. You do not belong to Satan’s World, but to God’s Kingdom. You are strangers on this earth. God wrote in Peter …

1 Peter 2:9-12 (HCSB) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Dear friends, I urge you as STRANGERS and TEMPORARY RESIDENTS to abstain from fleshly desires that war against you.

We are “strangers and temporary residents or pilgrims” on this world. The world does not understand us. The world will not embrace us. But Beloved, The LORD will take care of us. He will “preserve” us as we cling to Him.

The word “preserves” is the Hebrew SHAWMAR (XNY pronounced shaw-mar’), which means, “to set a watch over, to guard round about, to set a protective hedge of thorns around”.

God cares for His Church. God watches over His Church. But His Church, His people, must stay in the boat with Him. We must walk with Him. We must talk with Him. We must magnify Him. Too many Churches have lowered the standard and let the darkness in in order to placate the world. This world and Christ’s Kingdom will always be at odds. Relax. God is always right. Stay on His straight and narrow.

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Preached To The Saints at Riverview Baptist August 7, 2016

I like the old television shows, those produced when t.v. had a conscience. I was watching one of those old shows on Netflix the other day – the Dick Van Dyke Show – when I noticed it was written, produced, and directed by Carl Reiner.

The show was made in the ’60s, and I thought at first Reiner might be deal. So I looked up Carl Reiner. Reiner not only produced Dick Van Dyke, he also produced a number of other comedies. He has won 15 Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and was elected to the Emmy Hall Of Fame and the Television Hall of Fame. When asked about God, Reiner said:

“I am a Jewish Atheist. I have a very different take on who God is.
Man invented God because he needed him. God is us.”

How sad that is. Carl Reiner has been given everything by God. God made him “fearfully and wonderfully”. God gives us life. God gives us talent. “It is He that made us, and not we ourselves”. With all his fame Reiner, now 94, is looking backward over a wonderful career. But what of eternity? The Atheist has no belief that there is a tomorrow beyond this. This life is all you get. Carl – if he leaves this life without Christ – will regret forever his decision.

Carl Reiner’s God is Himself
Many are like Reiner, whether they acknowledge this or not

The following are quotes from the late Chuck Colson. He noted that a Fifth Grade Social Studies book stated …

“Today, when people lose their jobs, they can get some money from the government.” A few pages later the book says, “Today, families who do not have enough money for food can get money from the government.” And a few pages later we read, “Today families who cannot afford to pay their rent can get help from the government.”

Quoting a Junior High Civics Textbook he read:

“People were no longer content to live as their forefathers had lived. They wanted richer, fuller lives. They wanted the government to help make their lives rich and full.”

Our Children are being taught that The Government is God

The Government is limited. Politicians have promised to balance the budget since the 70’s, but we go more and more in debt every day. Governments rise and fall. People, no matter how talented they are, rise and fall. But God is forever. He is not a figment of our imagination. He was not created by man. God created us. It is His design we see all about us. And it is God Who made us.

God is El Shaddai, the God of All Provision

In His Name El Shaddai God declares that He is able to fix the broken. The first time this name of God is mentioned is to Abram, the model of faith. Turn with me to Genesis 17.

Read Together Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

I want you to pay careful attention to this text, for God said three things to Abram:

1. I Am The Almighty God (אֵל שַׁדַּי El Shaddai).
2. You Are To “Walk Before Me” (פָּנִים paniym, literally “In My Presence”).
3. You “Are To Be Perfect” (תָּמִים tamiym, to be “Whole” or “Complete”).

Let’s look at these three statements from our Creator God.

1 The God Of Our Bible – The God Who Came To Abram – Is The Almighty God, the El Shaddai. Each Name that God gives us for Himself tells us something about Himself. Abram is 99 years old, long past child bearing years. For 24 years he has trusted the promise of God. Why did God wait so long before giving Abram a child?

Because God reveals Himself to us in our brokenness.

I agree with Reiner that we need God, but we did not invent God because we needed Him.

God is always there but we often do not know Him as He really is until we are in a state of complete surrender. C.H. Spurgeon said:

“Whether we know him as Jehovah, Elohim, Shaddai, or Lord, or by whatsoever other name he has been pleased to manifest himself, that title becomes the ground of our confidence, and is the means of fostering faith in his people’s minds, when they come to understand its meaning. To a trembling people the Lord enlarges on his wonderful names. I think he also does it to excite our wonder and our gratitude. He that loves us so much as Jehovah: he that can create and destroy; he that is the self-existent God; he, even he, has set his heart upon his people, and loves them and counts them precious in his sight. It is a marvelous thing. The more one thinks of it, the more shall he be overwhelmed with astonishment, that he who is everything should love us who are less than nothing. It is the Holy One who has deigned to choose, and to love unholy men, and to look upon them in grace, and save them from their sins. That you may bow low in loving gratitude, God lets you see who He is.”

God was God Almighty, El Shaddai, long before Abram walked the earth, and He will be El Shaddai long after Abram leaves this earth as Abraham. He is El Shaddai. This name means that God is the “All Sufficient Provider”.

He is all that we need, all that we should need … yet there are too many who chase after happiness and satisfaction without Him. Our God is able to overcome any obstacle, any threat, anything whatsoever. He will provide for those who are His.

When Isaac (the son that Abraham would have) blessed Jacob (the grandson that Abraham would have) before he left home Isaac told him:

Genesis 28:1-3 (ESV)…. You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. 2 Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. 3 GOD ALMIGHTY {EL SHADDAI} bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a {multitude} of peoples.

In essence Isaac was saying: “Do not try and find a blessing from among the unbelievers. Seek your blessing from El Shaddai Who alone can prosper you as He prospered Abraham”. We can hunt among the lost of this world for blessing, but true and everlasting blessing can only come through El Shaddai, our Almighty God.

When God changed Jacob from a weasel to a prince of God at Bethel the Lord told him:

Genesis 35:10-11 (NASB) God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; You shall no longer be called Jacob, But Israel shall be your name.” Thus He called him Israel. 11 God also said to him, I am God Almighty {El Shaddai}; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from you.

All of Jacob’s tricks brought him prosperity, but every trick also came with cursing. He had alienated his brother Esau and his uncle Laban. But now God came to a crippled Jacob, a broken man, and promised that He would lift him up and help him. From Jacob would come Israel. Jacob would call on El Shaddai once more (see Genesis 43:14) when famine was in the land. He would send his sons to Egypt, not knowing that Joseph was the Prince of Egypt. El Shaddai had placed Joseph in that place in order to bring blessing on Israel, and to change his little family into the nation promised Abraham.

In the Book of Ruth – truly a Book of Blessing – Naomi loses her husband and Ruth her husband, who was Naomi’s son. Naomi was destitute. Naomi says to Ruth:

Ruth 1:20-21 (KJV) And she said …. Call me not Naomi (which means “Pleasant”), call me Mara (which means “Bitter”): for the Almighty (El Shaddai) hath dealt very bitterly with me. [21] I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD (Yahweh) hath testified against me, and the Almighty (El Shaddai) hath afflicted me?

Naomi was saying what many people often say when life gets hard. “El Shaddai let me down”. Yet God did not let Naomi down. God left Naomi was a great daughter in law named Ruth, and God sent Boaz to Ruth and Naomi to care for them both.

God is faithful to His people. God provides for His children. The Bible promises:

James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

2 El Shaddai Told Abram “You Are To Walk Before Me”.

Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God (El Shaddai); walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Word Study When you read the command that God gave Abram “Walk Before Me” you may not understand it. The Hebrew word (פָּנִים paniym) literally means “Abide In My Presence”. In fact, the Hebrew is reflexive, and is best translated “You yourself abide in My Presence”. To receive the blessing of El Shaddai, live your life as if God IS El Shaddai. There are many people who SAY they believe God can meet their needs, but God is often the LAST Person they turn to. God will not take second place. The Bible tells us:

James 1:2-7 (NASB) Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

When tried do you immediately doubt El Shaddai? God never said there would be no trials – He just said that He was El Shaddai whether trials came or not.

When trials come our way (and they will) they are but tests to strengthen us, tests to let us see whether our reliance is on El Shaddai or on ourselves or some other lesser god. The times change. Things happen. God is still El Shaddai, still our provider.

It is fear and a misunderstanding that God is ALWAYS El Shaddai that leads us to do the WRONG thing. Rest in El Shaddai. Trust Him. He has said …

Jeremiah 32:27 (KJV) Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

There is nothing that our El Shaddai cannot do. When God asks us to walk before Him, it is not because God needs our help. It is because

God wants to bless us, to show us His Power and His Might
He wants to show us how He loves us and will provide for us against all odds

God came to Rebekah (Abraham’s future Daughter in Law), the mother of Jacob and Esau, and told her:

Genesis 25:23 (NASB) The LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger.”

El Shaddai did not ask for her help in this matter. He would bring this to pass. So what happens?

• Father Isaac sends Esau out for meat and promises that he will give him the blessing when he returns.
• Rebekah, not understanding that God is El Shaddai, decides she must tell lies and teach Jacob to tell lies, too.
• Jacob covered in sheepskin creeps in to his blind father, and lying, tells Isaac that he is Esau.
• Esau returns and finds out that his family has betrayed him, and the blessing has been stolen by his brother

God is not honored in any of this.

God is not glorified when man in his foolish and feeble way tries to help out El Shaddai.

God can keep the Ark from falling off the ox cart without Uzzah’s hand. When we try to help God, when we do not walk before Him and accept Him as He is then we bring death to ourselves, to our dreams, to our family, to our friends.

• It was the will of God that Nineveh be evangelized, that Christ be preached among the lowest of the low. El Shaddai decreed it. But Jonah decided he knew better than El Shaddai and thus he ran. He ran and ran until he found himself in the belly of a fish. Then he repented, and agreed (howbeit sullenly) to do as El Shaddai said he should do. God could have killed Jonah and killed another, but loved Jonah enough to use his broken life to bring other broken lives to Him. When Jonah asked why El Shaddai cared for Nineveh the Lord told him:

Jonah 4:11 (NASB) Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand ….

Those who “do not know their right hand from their left” are children.

There were 120,000 children in Nineveh, little broken babies the Lord wanted to save.

El Shaddai doesn’t tell us WHY or ASK US PERMISSION, He just says “walk before Me knowing I am El Shaddai. Live your life knowing that I am El Shaddai, and that what I ask you to do is for your good and for My glory”.

Our Great God put it this way when He walked the earth. He said:

John 15:4-8 (KJV) Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. [5] I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. [6] If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. [7] If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. [8] Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

When we abide in God our Savior we bear much fruit. But if we do not abide in Him we take ourselves out of the shadow of El Shaddai. We cease bearing fruit. We become cast forth as a branch, withered, and MEN gather us up and cast them into the fire. HOW MANY PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS DOES THIS DESCRIBE?

How many times have the children of El Shaddai trust a politician over Himself? And how many times HAVE WE BEEN BURNED? WHEN WILL WE EVER LEARN? WHEN WILL WE EVER LEARN?

Quit listening to the flesh, to the world, to the chatter of darkness. Walk before El Shaddai, be in His Presence. He has said:

Job 5:19-27 (ESV) {El Shaddai} will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no evil shall touch you. 20 In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword. 21 You shall be hidden from the lash of the tongue, and shall not fear destruction when it comes. 22 At destruction and famine you shall laugh, and shall not fear the beasts of the earth. 23 For you shall be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you. 24 You shall know that your tent is at peace, and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing. 25 You shall know also that your offspring shall be many, and your descendants as the grass of the earth. 26You shall come to your grave in ripe old age, like a sheaf gathered up in its season. 27 Behold, this we have searched out; it is true. Hear, and know it for your good.”

God tells Abram “walk before Me, your El Shaddai. Trust Me. You are my Child. I have got your back!”

3 God Tells Abram “You Are To Be Perfect”.

Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

The word “Perfect” is the Hebrew (תָּמִים tamiym) which means “to be “Whole” or “Complete”.

When I first read that I said “whoa God. Perfect? I’m broken. How can I be “Perfect”?” But that’s not what God is saying. He’s saying “be complete IN ME. Find your COMPLETION in Me”. I could preach a whole sermon just on those words. In the morning sessions we have been studying in Colossians. Do you remember studying this?

Colossians 2:8-10 (KJV) Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

We are “complete in Him”. We find our fulness “in Him, in Christ”. Jesus told the Pharisees:

John 8:56 (KJV) Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

When El Shaddai spoke to Abram it was Jesus Christ Who spoke. We are complete in Christ. Our sins are covered completely in Christ. We are forgiven in Christ. In Christ we bear much fruit. In Christ, the El Shaddai, we are blessed. Our Jesus told us:

Matthew 5:48 (KJV) Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

How can I be perfect. I cannot by myself. I cannot be complete by myself. But I can in Christ. When I come to Christ and believe on Him God counts that for righteousness. Let’s look back at our Genesis text. Abram is standing before El Shaddai.

Genesis 17:3-5 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, [4] As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. [5] Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

Abram stopped trying to be El Shaddai. Knowing he was broken Abram “fell on his face before God”. He surrendered. He rested in God. And once he rested in God then El Shaddai was free to bless him. Abram waited 24 years for this blessing.

Surrendered he went from Abram to Abraham
Willing he went from “High Father” to “Father of Many Nations”

God is El Shaddai, but God cannot bless you while you are trying to be your own god. You cannot make your own Isaac. Only Christ can bless you. Only Christ can make you complete. And you will not be complete while you are standing belligerent and demanding before God. You and I are but dust. Cast yourselves into the hand of El Shaddai.Do as He says. Let His Word be your life.

We who have believed on Him are Kings and Priests in His Kingdom – but we are not the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Live for Him. Love through Him. Let others see Jesus in you. That is, IF Jesus is in you. Let His love shine through you. That is, IF Jesus is in you. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:43-48 (KJV) Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Love the unlovable, just as El Shaddai loves you and I when we were and still are unlovable. That is, IF Jesus is in you. For if God has not changed you from Abram to Abraham, then you are still Abram, listening to your Sarai rather than your Savior. Is Jesus in you? Is Jesus in you? Has He marked you as His own? If not, today would be a great day to get on your face, and seek El Shaddai.

Oh how He loves you and me.

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Preached to the Saints at Riverview Baptist, August 7 2016, Columbia, Tn

Colossians 3:1-4 (KJV) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Mrs. Jones was 92 year old. Legally blind, she was forced to move to a nursing home when her husband of 70 years passed away. When she was helped into her new small room she said “I love it”. The attendant said “Love it? You really love this?” She said “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged. It’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and thank my Lord Jesus for the ones that do“.

That’s a Kingdom Mind Set!

When Jesus came to this earth, God came bringing His Kingdom of God. Sixty nine times Jesus tied His Gospel to the Kingdom of God. Here’s just a few examples:

Matthew 6:33 (KJV) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 12:28 (KJV) But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

{To the Pharisees} Matthew 21:31 (KJV) …. Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

Mark 1:14-15 (KJV) Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

The Gospel is very much about the Kingdom of God. God is calling a people to Himself, a people that He died for and rose again to lead. Salvation is not about fire insurance. It is about God coming to earth to bring His Kingdom to earth.

Jesus changes those He touches. Jesus elevates those He blesses. Salvation is about ELEVATION. It is about change.

When Jesus touched the leper that person – once estranged from his family and unclean to the world, was restored. He did not go back to the leper colony. He was elevated. He was restored.

When the blind beggar was healed he did not continue begging in the street. No, he did as Jesus said. “Take up your bed, rise, walk!”. The man was restored to where he should be. He was elevated.

When the woman taken in adultery was tossed to the ground in front of Jesus no man stood in self righteousness over her. Jesus said “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one condemn you?” She replied “No, Lord!” and Jesus said “Neither do I condemn you. Go and SIN NO MORE”. She did not leave that place and go back to sexual sin. She left that place elevated, blessed of God, a member of His Kingdom.

Jesus did not come this earth to slap a band-aid on our boo boos. He came to elevate us. We were made in the image of God, but following Satan we marred that image. Jesus came to lift up the broken. He came to restore to prodigal. He came to make darkness into light.

Jesus came to change those who were …

Colossians 2:13 (KJV) ….. being dead in your sins ….

and to make them alive.

The Bible tells us that Jesus came as a Light into the world, but the Darkness did not comprehend Him (John 1:5).

1 IF You Are Risen With Christ God Commands You To Seek Upward, Not Downward.

Colossians 3:1 (KJV) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

The first word of our text is IF.

• IF you are risen with Christ.
• If you were sin sick, and the Savior saved you.
• IF you were the Prodigal Son who came home and Jesus embraced you.
• IF you were that man hopelessly laying by Siloams Fountain, unable to get to the healing waters.
• IF you were the woman of Samaria in sexual sin, drawing water when the Water of Life came.
• IF you are saved by faith in Him – if you have believed the Gospel, that Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again for your salvation – then you are not a pauper or a stranger to Heaven. The Kingdom Gospel declares:

Romans 10:9-13 (KJV)… IF thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 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.

Our Jesus came to save everyone who would be saved. When the Leper, broken by his disease came to Jesus pleading Jesus said “be thou clean” and he was healed. When the blind man stumbled toward the sound of his voice crying “Thou Son of David, have mercy on me” Mercy reached out and gave him sight. When the widow cried because her only living relative – a son – lay dead Jesus said “Rise” and that young man lived. And when the sinner comes to Jesus He touches that broken life, raising that person up from darkness, death, and depression.

If You Are Risen With Christ, Seek Upward, Glorifying God.

Lift your hands and hearts in praise to Him.

Colossians 3:1 (KJV) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Do you notice that the text says “Christ SITTETH on the right hand of God”. The Right Hand is the place of honor and power. The Right Hand is the place of preeminence. Jesus Christ is alive, the Risen Savior, and we who are His look upward to Him.

Are you saved? The proof is in the LOOK, in the SEEKING. We LOOK upward. We SEEK upward. We glorify Jesus by obeying Him as King of Kings. What has our King decreed?

John 13:34-35 (ESV) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

The dark unsaved world loves downward.
The world asks “What’s in it for me?”

… but we who are His cherished Children are to love as He loved. We are to love one another. We are to love our enemies. We do the hard thing. We do the God thing.

Luke 6:27-28; 32-36 (ESV) … But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. …. 32 If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and YOU WILL BE SONS OF THE MOST HIGH, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

We who are saved do not love alone. God the Holy Spirit is in us and with us. Together with Him we do not ACT UP but we LOOK UP. We live for our King. We let His light shine through us. He is the S-O-N and we are His moon. His light reflects from us. Every saved is God’s Child in the midst of the Devil’s world.

You say “But I am human, and I often fail at this”.
Even the sun seems to dim as it sets each day.
God tells us “SEEK anyway”.

Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV) Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Do not seek to be like the world, nor even like your old you, but seek upward, seek to imitate Christ. Be like Him Who saved you. Live for Him. Be like the Apostle Paul who said ..

Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

You are not who you were. God lives in you now. You are a new creature in Christ – old things have passed away, behold, BEHOLD, ALL THINGS are NEW (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I love to go swimming. As a fat man, I often go swimming with a shirt one – that’s all I’ll say about that. One thing I like about swimming is that the fat that binds is a blessing in the water. You can’t hold a fat man down! I love to go underwater (especially if we’re at the beach) and look around if I have my goggles or swim mask on. I can only stay underwater for about a minute, maybe a minute and a half. After just a little while my body will start telling me it’s time to get up ABOVE the water, to get my head in the light and the air. If you get in my way I’ll hurt you trying to get to the top, to get air. Why? Why do I do that, and yet the fish do not. If you take a fish out of the water and darkness the fish will fight you to get back in the water. It will spear you. It will struggle to get back to what is to me a watery grave – but to the fish it is HOME. Yet I struggle to get up. Why? Why? Because I was made for the air and the light, the fish was made for the water and the dark. If you are saved by faith in Christ God has made you His Child. You are no longer a child of darkness and of Satan, but you are a Child of God. The Bible declares:

Ephesians 2:8-10 (KJV)8 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. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

If you are risen with Christ – if you are born again, saved by faith in Him – you are designed to do good, to glorify God, to magnify Christ. To look upward, for our Savior is watching you.

Christ sitteth on the right hand of God –
for His Church is to be His Hands and Feet on the earth

2 We Who Are Saved Are Not Only To SEEK Upward, We Are To SET Our Affections Upward.

Colossians 3:2 (KJV) Set your affection on things above, NOT on things on the earth.

Those who are saved are RISEN with Christ. We are LIVING creatures, the SONS of God. We are told in …

Ephesians 2:1-6 (ESV) And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were BY NATURE CHILDREN OF WRATH, LIKE THE REST OF MANKIND. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus

The mark of the unsaved person is that they are enslaved to their own affections “by nature the children of wrath like the rest of mankind.” But now as children of God you are no longer enslaved to this world.

We are to “set our affection” on things above and not things on the earth. The words “set your affection” is the Greek Present Active Imperative of φρονέω (pronounced phroneō). YOU are to control your desires. YOU are to seek to do the things that God says are best. YOU are to be active members of His Kingdom, knowing that Christ’s Spirit is in you. This is an IMPERATIVE in the Greek, a COMMAND.

God would not command us to do something that we could not do

• God sent Israel out of Egypt – but controlled the Red Sea.
• God sent Israel into Canaan – but gave them the power to defeat the giants.
• God sent David to Goliath – but controlled the throw.
• God sent Peter to Pentecost – and brought 3000 to salvation in one day.

What God commands, He controls. Trust in God! SET your mind!

Colossians 3:3 (KJV) For ye are dead{to the world},
and YOUR LIFE is hid with Christ in God.

We are dead to the world but alive to God in Christ. Our lives are hid with Christ in God. We are His Children, citizens of His Kingdom. His Word governs our actions, and His Spirit guides us into His Word.

Through the power of the Spirit and the spiritual disciplines of prayer and meditation of His Word we turn from the darkness and fully to His light. We …

Colossians 3:5-7 (KJV) Mortify (put to death) therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

Believers are not to be involved in:

• Fornication – the Greek πορνεία (porneía) which describes all types of sexual sin outside of Biblical Marriage: adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, and so forth.
• Uncleanness – the Greek ἀκαθαρσία (akatharsía) which refers to physical of moral impurity.
• Inordinate Affection – πάθος (páthos) which is lust that leads to suffering.
• Evil Concupiscence – κακός ἐπιθυμία (kakós epithymía) or worthless desires or cravings that dishonor God.
• Covetousness – πλεονεξία (pleonexí) a greedy desire to have more, which leads to idolatry.

God’s wrath comes on people who do these things. We all used to be involved in these dark things at one level or another. However, if you have received Christ as Savior and Christ has received you as His Child, God has changed your hearts. We put off these old things. The Apostle says:

Colossians 3:8-10 (KJV)8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

We put off those old dark ways:

Anger
Wrath
Malice
Blasphemy
Filthy Communication
Lying

These things are not pleasing to God our Father, nor do they glorify Jesus Christ our Lord. Put them away. But put on the new man.

Colossians 3:12-15 (KJV) Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Make a HABIT of doing the God thing and not doing the Dark. Let the Light of Christ shine!

If you belong to God you are holy and beloved. God loves you so much. Be like Jesus.

Be MERCIFUL as Jesus is merciful.
Be KIND as Jesus is kind.
Be HUMBLE as Jesus is humble.
Be MEEK as Jesus is meek.
Be PATIENT as Jesus is patient.
FORGIVE as Jesus forgave you.
Put on LOVE.
Let God’s PEACE rule in your hearts.
Be THANKFUL.

God will bring all these characteristics to the forefront in your lives, dear Christians, if you will seek and set upward. Look to Christ’s Scripture. Look to Christ’s Spirit.

3 Live Upward, For Jesus Is Coming Again.

Colossians 3:4 (KJV) When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Our Jesus is coming again. When He comes again He is coming for His Church, the people He loves and the people He died and rose again for. Jesus washed us from our sins in His own blood and has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father (Revelation 1:5-6). He saved us by His Gospel, and left us on this earth to be His hands and feet, His Church.

Be faithful, dear Church. Be faithful to love one another, to love the unlovable. Be faithful to read and heed His Holy Scripture, doing as He has commanded. Remember that you are citizens of His Kingdom. He has promised:

Matthew 6:31-33 (ESV) Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE ADDED TO YOU.

If you live for the Lord as a good Child and a good Citizen the Lord will take care of you. God has never abandoned one of His little ones. Keep your lives focused on Him.

IF you are risen with Him.

There are two major bodies of water in the land where Jesus walked: the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is the place where Peter, James, and John were fishing when Jesus told them “Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men”. Jesus walked on the Sea of Galilee. He taught while on Peter’s boat on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is a place where life is, where fish are, where blessing has been. The Dead Sea, on the other hand, is a place of death. The Dead Sea is saturated with salt – the water is up to 35% salt. Both the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee are fed by the Jordan River. But what makes the Dead Sea dead is that there is no outlet. It receives water from the Jordan, but water never runs out. The sun evaporates the water in it, and it kills everything that accidentally gets in it.

If you belong to God He – the Living Water – has come into your life. But He came to change. If you are alive, that Water flows out of you. You live for Jesus. You love for Jesus. You know He is coming soon. Be like Him until the day He receives you into glory.

May God touch your hearts with his Word.

James 5:12 (ESV) But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

Matthew 5:33-37 (ESV) Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

Acts 18:18 (ESV) After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow.

How important is it to keep your word? If you tell someone you will do something is it particularly important that you do what you said?

I was raised in a generation of people who were taught the importance of keeping your word. If you told someone you were going to do something, you just flat out did it. You didn’t hem and haw. You didn’t make excuses. You just did it. If something occurred that prevented you from keeping your word (what we called “Being Providentially Hindered”) we called or contacted the person we gave our word to and explained that we could not do as promised. In such a case both parties understood, and all was forgiven. The word was not broken.

This actually happened to me recently. A good Christian friend and I go walking several times a week, something we started because we both need more exercise. After we finished our last walk my friend had told me “I’ll see you at Church Wednesday night”. Wednesday afternoon he calls me. He’s started his job, and it has worn him out. His wife is also under the weather. He says: “Brother, I’m exhausted. I’ve got to get some sleep. I hate going back on my word, but I’m not going to be able to make it tonight”. My response? “I understand brother. Come if you can, but if you can’t that’s ok”. Most of America today would mock this exchange, but not those who were raised to respect integrity. Integrity is important.

Keeping your word is important. When you give your word but fail to follow through, and fail to contact those who have given your word to, then you break trust.

I do not trust a liar, nor any person who gives their word then repeatedly breaks it. And neither does God.

When our Lord walked the earth He was often surrounded by people who were called “Pharisees and Sadducees”. Not all of these people were bad. Some were trustworthy, like Nicodemus who helped bury the crucified Savior (John 19:39). But many of them were unfaithful to their word. Jesus called them “hypocrites” or “two faced people”. These so called religious people were supposed to be committed to the honor of God. Yet they were deceitful, untrustworthy, two faced.

They did not keep their word to God.

Christ follower, when you came to God it was with the promise that you would love Him and love others. It was with the promise that you would follow Jesus. Jesus told those who came to Him to “count the cost”. He said:

Luke 14:26-33 If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

To be saved by Christ means to give your word to Him, to surrender to Him. Your word matters. When you come to Christ you commit all that is you to all that is He, and He promises to never leave you nor forsake you. He promises eternal life. He promises undying love. He promises to be with you.

Are you with Him?

Not too long ago I endorsed a man to pastor a local Church not far from ours. He was called to the Church based on my recommendation. This man made a commitment to God and to the Church- and to me! After he was dismissed from his posting I found out from His Church members that he never visited, never ministered to those in need. When he went to the hospital to see a member he had little care for the sick. He could preach, but he would not minister. He broke his word to both God and his Church, and hurt others in the process.

This is not an isolated incident. I know of many “leaders” in the Church – pastors, deacons, elders, teachers – who have given their word but are (as we used to say in the military) A.W.O.L. (Absent Without Leave). There are a lot of professing Christians who do not keep their word. I meet them in the market. “Sorry I missed Church last Sunday, but I’ll see you this Sunday”. Sunday rolls around and they are not even in my dreams. People join the Church, making a commitment to the fellowship. I know one couple who joined but never returned. When I saw them at the market they tried hiding from me. Two weeks later they’re joining another Church.

Their word is untrustworthy.
They get angry, deflecting their sin on others if confronted.
But God knows what you did.

Not too long ago a well known politician stood in front of the Republican National Convention. Earlier in the year he promised in the debates that whoever won the Convention would be the person he endorsed. He said this live and on recorded television. From UsPresidentialElectionNews.com …

“On March 12, three days before the Florida primary, Cruz said he would support the nominee. . . “I committed at the outset, I will support the Republican nominee, whoever it is.” Cruz told reporters at a suburban St. Louis high school. A day later, he made a similar comment to MSNBC’s Chuck Todd:

Todd: “You’ve said some tough things on Trump. Why are you comfortable supporting him as the nominee if he ends up the nominee.”

Cruz: “Well, listen, I pledged at the outset I will support the Republican nominee, whoever it is … when I give my word for something, I follow through and do what I said.”

There were caveats there, no “but ifs”. It was a straight out promise, a giving of his word. When the Convention came and he had lost he was given an opportunity to speak. He refused to endorse the candidate that won. When asked later his remarks – again recorded on national television – he stated – and I quote: “I am not in the habit of supporting people who attack my wife and attack my father”.

But what of your word?

Frankly, Trump says things he shouldn’t say. I get that. Sometimes he’s like a six year old kid on pop rocks. There’s been a lot of mud slinging this election year, entirely too much. But if you’re in a public office (or running for one) you will be attacked, and so will your family. People have attacked my wife, one of the sweetest people I know. But those who attacked her and mocked her are still people. Loving your neighbor means doing good to those who do bad to you. We are to love others for Christ’s sake. We are to love God by keeping our word.

We are in quite a quandary this election year and, frankly, I like none of the candidates. When push comes to shove I will vote for the candidate that is least pro-abortion and most pro-family. And no, I do not buy into the weird sexual revolution that is going on right now in America. Jesus said:

Matthew 19:4-6 … Have you not read that He Who made them in the first place made them man and woman? 5 It says, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will live with his wife. The two will become one.’ 6 So they are no longer two but one. Let no man divide what God has put together.”

Enough said. Having said that, I will not tell you who to vote for. My vote is between my God and myself. But I am frightened, and I think we who are Christ followers should be praying daily for our country, for our Churches, and for our communities. A failure to keep your word in a small area is to be considered untrustworthy in a larger thing.

In our day many Politicians are not keeping their words.
In our day many Pastors are not keeping their words.
In our day many Church leaders are not keeping their words.
In our day these breaches are teaching the people
that they do not need to keep their word.
And this is destroying America.

From a President who ran on family values and traditional marriage, but who “changed his mind” once he got into office to the Pulpetteer who will not love God and love his neighbor, our nation is rotting from within. Are you keeping your word? Are you keeping your word in your marriage, to love, honor, and cherish one another? Are you keeping your word at work, at home, at Church? Does your word matter? The Bible says that those who are excluded from Heaven are …. now read this carefully …

Revelation 22:15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

It does matter. It matters in the marketplace, in the media, in the marriage, every moment of where ever you are. If your word is no good, you are not good. Think about it. Think about it.

May God the Holy Spirit touch your hearts and guide us into all TRUTH.

It is my estimation that 90% of the people who clicked on this link did so to openly mock and ridicule the redneck, Biblically illiterate, idiot who would dare to put the words, “Bible” and “Trump”…

Source: To The “Never Trumper”- A Biblical Case For Trump

There was a time in my life when prayer was just a thing I did at certain times. I prayed over my food (if I thought about it). I prayed before big tests. I prayed before going out on the battlefield. Prayer was one of those things that I knew I should do as a Christian, something like tithing. Then I read where God said:

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

1 Prayer Is Not To Be A Sometimes Thing, But A Way Of Life For The Christ Follower. You don’t sometimes breath, and you don’t sometimes pray. If you stop breathing for just a little while your physical body gets weak. If you stop praying or make prayer less than a priority in your spiritual walk then you will get weak spiritually.

Those who bring trouble into the House of God do not make prayer a priority.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; [13] And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

The Church that fights is the Church that has abandoned prayer. As we pray we are reminded who is God and who is NOT. We are reminded in our prayers that we are not the center of the universe, but God is. When we pray we are reminded of our sinful tendencies, and our hearts are softened.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. [15] See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

If you have little prayer, you will have little joy. You cannot …

1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice evermore.

If you do not …

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

Prayer reminds us of why we should be thankful. A cold and bitter outlook on life occurs when we do not pray. The Bible says:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

How can you do that without prayer?

It is God’s will that we give thanks to God for EVERYTHING.

Everything. EVERYTHING!

We are to thank Him for the cancer. We are to thank Him for the Alzheimer’s. We are to thank Him when loved ones go to glory. We are to thank Him for the aches, the pains, the heat, the things that are there but are not pleasant. As we pray God speaks to our spirits, showing us His Will even in the midst of the trials of life.

In our Training Union classes we have been discovering Biblical and practical truths about the Holy Spirit. Did you know that you can GRIEVE THE SPIRIT BY SINNING?

Ephesians 4:26-32 (ESV) Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

You can grieve the Spirit by willful sinning and you can quench the Spirit by failing to pray.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 Quench not the Spirit.

When you fail to pray, the Holy Spirit will not guide you into understanding the Holy Scripture. This is His duty, His commitment to the Lord. Jesus said

When He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth (John 16:13)

Father sanctify them through the Truth. Thy Word is Truth (John 17:17)

When our Lord Jesus went to the Jordan to “fulfill all righteousness in baptism” the Bible says that He was led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil (Matthew 4:1). No matter what the devil threw at Jesus our Lord replied in the Power of the Spirit:

It is written …

Jesus prayed. Though God Almighty in human form He prayed. Jesus prayed without ceasing. Jesus made prayer a priority. He prayed unashamedly and constantly. The Bible says that …

Luke 11:1 (KJV) And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

2 Lord, Teach Us To Pray! What can we learn about prayer from the life of Christ?

a For Jesus, Prayer Was Deliberate And Intentional. The Bible says:

Mark 1:35 (KJV) And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

He made an appointment at the beginning of His day to pray. Jesus made prayer a priority. I know we all live busy lives, and lots of things tug at us. Whether going to school or work, Church or home, it seems like there’s never enough time. I ran across this little poem – I don’t know who wrote it, but it says it all!

I got up early one morning
and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish
that I didn’t have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,
and heavier came each task.
“Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered.
He answered, “You didn’t ask.”

I wanted to see joy and beauty,
but the day toiled on, gray and bleak;
I wondered why God didn’t show me.
He said, “But you didn’t seek.”

I tried to come into God’s presence;
I used all my keys at the lock.
God gently and lovingly chided,
“My child, you didn’t knock.”

I woke up early this morning,
and paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish
that I had to take time to pray.

Jesus Christ of Whom the Scripture says (John 1:3) “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made” – this same Jesus started His day by prayer. We need to do the same.

b Jesus Prayed In Times Of Busyness, Exhaustion And Depletion. Sometimes we use busyness (not business, but busyness) to explain why we cannot pray like we ought to do. I want you to see a “normal” day in the life of Jesus.

Luke 5:12-14 (ESV) While {Jesus} was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

Jesus was wore out from healing people. Everywhere He went people accosted Him saying, “Lord, heal me!”. And Jesus loved people, so He wanted to heal. But even the Son of God has a breaking point. When He heals the leper He tells him, “Don’t spread this around. Go to the priest as the Law requires, but say nothing of this”. Why? Because the Scripture tells us only God can heal leprosy (see Leviticus 14). The healing of leprosy was a God thing. Jesus healed the leper, thus Jesus is GOD! So he tells this person “Don’t tell anyone I did this”. And what did the leper do? He told EVERYONE. And what does the Bible say?

Luke 5:15 (ESV) But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities.

There’s an old saying “No good deed goes unpunished”. That’s what happened. Jesus did good, and MORE people came to Him. How did the Lord handle this?

Luke 5:16 But (Jesus) would withdraw to desolate (solitary) places and pray.

Jesus teaches us that there are times we need to just put the world on “pause” and pray. Turn off the cell phone. Send the kids to their bedroom and lock the door. Go to a place where no one can get to you and PRAY.

• If Moses had prayed when He stood in front of the Rock at Kadesh he wouldn’t have struck the Rock, dishonoring God and losing his place in the Promised Land.
• If Elijah had prayed when Jezebel threatened his life, he wouldn’t have become depressed and unable to continue as God’s Great Prophet.
• If Samson had prayed when he met Delilah he wouldn’t have been bound with chains and with a bad haircut in Philistia.
• If Peter had prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus he wouldn’t have cursed God and lied in front of a milk maiden.

c Jesus Prayed Before Choosing Who He Would Work With. Jesus knew that He was going to establish the Kingdom of God on earth, and He wanted twelve men to fill this position (though one was to be a betrayer). The Bible says:

Luke 6:12-13 And it came to pass in those days, that {Jesus} went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. [13] And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;

Jesus prayed at all times – but prayed intensely before making life altering decisions. He continued all night in prayer before choosing His Apostles. But what about Judas Iscariot? Was he a bad choice? No. Jesus knew that Judas was “a devil” …

John 6:70 … Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

Judas was chosen because prophecy demanded it (see Psalm 41:9; Matthew 26:14, 48-49; Zechariah 11:12-13; Matthew 27:3-5). Nothing surprised Jesus because Jesus Christ prayed and stayed in communion with the Father and the Spirit.

d Jesus Prayed When Confronted By Seemingly Impossible Situations. His friend Lazarus was dead. Jesus asked the crowd to roll the stone of his tomb away. Then Jesus prayed:

John 11:41-44 (ESV) … So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Jesus prayed. He prayed not because He couldn’t raise up Lazarus, but prayed so that the people knew that it was of the Father that He did this. Jesus prayed when facing what others would consider impossible situations. He prayed in Gethsemane, just before He surrendered to the Cross of our salvation.

Matthew 26:36-46 (ESV) Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

How hard it must have been for Jesus! He came to this earth to go to the Cross for us. He knew what was necessary. Yet as He prayed, He knew that He would have to go to the Cross. He knew that was the only way that our sins could be covered. And yet He prayed “Father, if it is possible, let this Cup pass from Me – nevertheless not My Will but Your Will be done!” Three times He prayed this in the darkness of that night. His soul was heavy. He knew what was coming. But He Tread the winepress alone! He gave Himself for us. And I believe it was the three prayers that gave Him the courage to go forward and do the unthinkable.

The sinless would bear the sins of the world.
The Almighty would be cast down into the pit of evil.
But He would rise triumphant!

Beaten, bruised, His flesh torn from His precious back and His beard from His face, Christ looked Heavenward. Naked and nailed on that Tree I suspect every angel in Heaven waited for the Father to say “Go get My Son”. Had He done so the oceans of our world would have run with blood in an instant, the Rivers of every land as bloody as the Nile in Moses’ day. If the Father had released Heaven’s Hosts the earth would become desolate. Yet the foolish crowd mocked:

If You be the Son of God, save Yourself!

Suffering and naked the guards who drove the nails into His hands and feet cast lots for His clothing. What did Jesus do?

He prayed.

Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

When He said “I thirst” they put a sponge filled with vinegar in His torn mouth.

He prayed.

When God seemed far away from His Son, Jesus prayed.

Matthew 27:46 My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?

and as Jesus ended His life on the Cross (for no man took it, but He laid it down willingly for us) Jesus prayed:

Luke 23:46 Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit.

Our Lord prayed. He spoke His heart to the Father, which is what God expects of us. We are to pray in the good times, and pray in the bad. We are to pray, for prayer connects us to our High Priest (Jesus), our Comforter (the Holy Spirit), and our Father in Heaven. We are to pray. Prayer connects us with power that cannot be denied. Pray! Pray! Make prayer a priority in your lives.

If Jesus did, we must do so as well!

3 Jesus’ Model Prayer Has Five Smooth Stones. Some Churches pray the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday. There’s nothing wrong with doing this, but the model that Jesus gave us was to be personalized. The model states:

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

Jesus taught us to pray honoring the Father. This is the start and end of the model.
Jesus taught us to pray that His Kingdom come to this earth.
Jesus taught us to pray for our daily sustenance.
Jesus taught us to pray for forgiveness while forgiving others.
Jesus taught us to pray against evil and Satan.

Every God honored prayer has these five elements present – and five is the number of Grace. The Shepherd David put five smooth stones in his pouch before going out to fight Goliath. You need these five smooth stones in your prayer. Honor the Father. Pray that His Kingdom be established on this earth. Look to God for your sustenance. Forgive as you seek forgiveness. Pray against the darkness.

And your Goliaths will be defeated through Him Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you can ask or think! May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Job 28:23-24 God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. [24] For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; Job 34:21-22 For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings. [22] There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. Psalms 33:13-14 The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. [14] From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. Matthew 6:4 … thy Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly. 2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. …

When we study the names of God, it is not strange that many of His revealed Names come to us through the life of Abraham. It was:

YAHWEH who came to Abram with a promise in Genesis 12:6
EL ELYON who gave Abram power to defeat Cherdorlaomer in Genesis 14:14

God revealed Himself to Abram because Abram walked with God. God did not have to chase him nor plead with him. Abram loved the Lord. He moved when God said moved, and stopped waiting while God was silent. His life was surrendered to the Lord. Tonight we will see two more names of God.

Turn with me in your Bibles to Genesis 15.

Abram had been promised by God a child in Genesis 12. Abram was 75 when God made His promise (Genesis 12:4), and now in chapter 15 ten years has passed. Abram is now 85 and getting a little nervous. The Lord knows what Abram is thinking – just like He knows what YOU are thinking. He says:

Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

God said “I am your Shield”. I am the One Who protects you – I watch over you – I SEE YOU. I am “your exceeding great Reward”. Time may have passed, but time is nothing to the Great I AM. God is the Eternal, All seeing God. And God is able. Abram replies to God:

Genesis 15:2-3 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? [3] And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

I want you to notice the Name by which Abram calls God. Lord GOD. This is the Name אֲדֹנָי (‘Adonay) יְהֹוָה (Yahweh), which is translated Lord GOD in the King James. He is the RULER of all, the Eternal I AM. God is able. Yet even as Abram makes this statement, that God is the Ruling I AM, in his next breath he offers to help God out. He says in effect

“God you promised me a child, but here I am childless. Eliezer of Damascus was born in my house – how about we make Eliezer my heir (just trying to help, Lord)”

The Lord GOD then took Abram by the hand. The Bible says:

Genesis 15:4-6 And, behold, the word of the LORD (YAHWEH, the I AM) came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. [5] And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. [6] And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

God speaks to His Child. God didn’t tell a priest to tell Abram – He told Abram. And God brought Abram forth and said look now to Heaven and see the stars – number them if you can (and you can’t). So shall YOUR seed be. Abram believed God and God counted this belief to Abram for righteousness.

God is bigger than any problem we have. He is the Lord GOD, Adonai YAHWEH. He is able. He is in control. God made a covenant with Abram that very day, a promise that would be kept. But we humans are frail. There are times when we are less than faithful – but God is faithful.

1 God Is El Roi, The God Who Sees Me. The Adonai Yahweh has told Abram that he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. More time passes, so Sarai comes to Abram with a plan.

Genesis 16:2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

In ancient times it was not uncommon for barren women to use their slaves as surrogates. The husband went in to the slave and through that union a child was produced. When the baby was born it was turned over to the master. Sarai had seen this done many times and, though God certainly didn’t approve of the custom, Abram agreed.

Now Hagar the slave had nothing to say about this process. She had been robbed of her God given freedom, and was in a terrible place. She was a chattel slave, not a bond slave. In ancient times people were conquered or kidnapped and placed in forced slavery. The Bible recognized these human customs, but required that every person be treated with dignity – even if slaves.

Colossians 4:1 (ESV) Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

The Bible does not condone chattel slavery, though it recognizes the practice existed. Slaves were to be treated fairly, and were to be released during the Year of Jubilee (see Leviticus 25:10). Masters were to treat their servants:

Ephesians 6:9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

What Abram and Sarai did to Hagar was wrong. God loves all people, and wants all people to be treated as His image bearers for we are all made in the image of God. Abram went into Hagar because his faith wavered, and he heard the whisper of Satan and the encouragement of his wife.

Maybe God has forgotten about you
God said your child would come from you
God didn’t say you couldn’t use Hagar
Sarai is all right with this – go ahead and do it!

Abram had been faithful to God, and loved the Lord. But now he steps outside of his place and tries to assist God. That’s not a good place to be. Why did he do it? We are told:

Genesis 16:3 And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

Another ten years have passed. Abram has waited patiently, but God has done nothing. Let’s help God out. Maybe I misunderstood God. Let’s do this. But there’s a problem. Mistreated people often strike back at those who mistreat them. As soon as Hagar got pregnant she despised Sarai her master. I heard Michelle Obama the other day make the remark at the Democratic National Convention:

“I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves ..”

Though Michelle never experienced the lash of the whip, those who have been hurt often hurt back. Hagar – an Egyptian slave – was misused. So there is no surprise that she mocks her barren mistress. As a result Hagar is abused by Sarai – and Hagar runs away. Alone and frightened, the Lord comes to Hagar saying:

Genesis 16:8 …. Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? …

How does God identify Hagar? Hagar, Sarai’s maid. This is her place in life. Socialism and Humanism says “Let everyone be the same”. The truth is, we are not all the same. We are all made in the image of God and in His likeness, but we all have different position, potentials, and promise. I wish I could play like Kathy Oliver does, but after a year of lessons by my dear friend Robbie Rhodes we both agreed it would be easier to train a monkey. I wish I could do or be a lot of things. I have seen people born to power, born to money, born to talent. I will never drive a high end sports car. I’ll never live in a mansion in this life. I’ll never have millions in the bank. We’re all different.

Hagar is Sarai’s maid. But even so, God sees her just as He sees you. The Bible says:

Romans 2:9-11 (NASB) There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.

God loves every person, regardless as to whether we are MENSA smart or “Special Needs”. God loves us all, and calls all to salvation in Him. The Lord speaks to Hagar saying “Where did you come from?” and “Where are you going?”. God doesn’t ask these questions because He is ignorant of her intentions. The Lord can see our hearts. He knows our very thoughts.

Jeremiah 17:10 (HCSB) I, the LORD, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve.

God asked Hagar these questions not because He didn’t know what went on, but because God wanted Hagar to examine herself. Why are you doing this? Where are you going?

I am concerned about you, and I do not want you to perish. God seeks to save the lost. What a beautiful and familiar pattern.

• God found Hagar by a fountain. “What are you doing here? Where are you going?”.
  

• The Lord found the Samaritan woman drawing water at a well (John 4:9 ff). “If you knew Who you were speaking to, you would ask Me for My living water”.
  

• The Lord looked for a tax collector called Zacchaeus and found him sitting in a tree (Luke 19:2). “Hurry up, Zacchaeus, get out of that tree. I plan on going to your house today!” and brought salvation to the household of a hated tax collector.
  

• God found a man possessed of a thousand devils in a graveyard and, casting out Legion (Mark 5:9), said:

Mark 5:19 … Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.

“Before you met Me you lived for the devil. Now that I’ve found you, live for ME! Go and tell others about Me!” Jesus is the Great Shepherd Who watches over His sheep. Are you one of His? Can you say with David:

Psalms 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 God Is El Roi, The God Who Sees. He Wants Us To Repent, To Submit, To Follow Him.

Pastor John MacArthur wrote in The Gospel According to Jesus:

“The Bible does not recognize ‘conversion’ that lacks {a} radical change of direction (Luke 3:7-8). A true believer cannot remain rebellious – or even indifferent. Genuine faith will inevitably provoke some degree of obedience …. salvation is a sovereign work of God … But true salvation wrought by God will not fail to produce the good works that are its fruit…” (Pg 48)

God told Abram “Go where I tell you and I will make of you many nations, and all the world will be blessed.” Abram could not stay where he was and be blessed. He had to follow God. The Lord now tells Hagar:

Genesis 16:9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.

“Don’t go back to Sarai bragging or boastful, but SUBMIT”. Now that’s a dirty word in our world today. The Bible says:

Wives are to submit to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22)
Employees are to submit to their employers (Colossians 3:22)
Citizens are to submit to their leaders (1 Peter 2:13)
Each member in the Church is to submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21)
and we ALL are to submit to God (James 4:7)

Submission is not a bad thing, but a good thing. Pride is a bad thing. The Bible says of pride:

Isaiah 2:12 The LORD Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled),

James 4:6 … God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.

Proverbs 8:13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.

I could go on and on with the Scripture, but you get the point. El Roi, the God Who Sees Us does not like pride and arrogance. The Lord told Hagar that when she submitted to Sarai that:

Genesis 16:10 (KJV) And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. {11} And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.

The Lord said “Return to thy mistress and submit yourself under her hands, and I will bless you”. Repent. Turn away from where you are and go where God says go and you will be blessed.

Quit living your life for Hagar, and start living your life for God. When your child is born don’t name him Don or Larry or Frank or David. Call him Ishmael (which means “God has heard”) because

Genesis 16:11 …. because the LORD hath heard thy affliction

We don’t hear much of repentance nowadays because this is a bit inconvenient. Our God sees. He looks at the heart. God will save, but He always saves from the inside out. Before He would save Hagar she must repent. Dear friends,

God will never save you in your sins. He can only save you from your sin.

Hagar must return to her mistress, and submit herself to the Lord. Obedience – REPENTANCE – is required before the blessing is given. RETURN and THEN I will multiply thy seed. Name the Child “The Lord has heard” because the Lord said so. OBEY!

When the Scribes and Pharisees murmured against Jesus, saying “this Person receives sinners and eats with them” our Lord Jesus responded:

Luke 15:4-7 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? {5} And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. {6} And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. {7} I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over ONE SINNER THAT REPENTETH, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Jesus does not chase sheep. He does not beg His people to be His people. God seeks out the Hagars, the Abrams, the Lots. He seeks out the lost. And if they will submit to Him, will allow Him to carry them on His shoulders, then they will be blessed. Christ is building His Kingdom with the broken who will surrender to Him. Hagar must return to her mistress. Abram must leave Ur of the Chaldees. We must all surrender to the God Who Sees, El Roi, so that He can redeem us.

Isaiah 44:22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: RETURN UNTO ME; FOR I HAVE REDEEMED THEE.

3 To Submit To El Roi Is To Be Blessed. God watches His people. We read:

Genesis 16:13 And she called the name of the LORD that spoke unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

Hagar calls God El Roi אל ראי, ‘êl, (pronounced ale) rŏ’îy (pronounced ro-ee’) meaning Almighty God Who Watches Over Me (or Sees Me).

Hagar did not fear going back to Sarai because God was watching over her. No longer would abused by Sarai, and no longer would she mock her mistress. God’s children are under His all seeing eyes. We are to trust in God knowing that He watches over us. We are not to take vengeance against those who do us wrong,

Romans 12:19-21 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.

Do not stoop to the level of the unsaved when you are attacked. Live as if God is watching you – because He is! You are children of the Kingdom. Live knowing that God watches over you. When temptation and trials come your way know that God watches over you. He is faithful to His people:

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

We who belong to Jesus are to live our lives for Him. Having been justified (declared righteous) by faith, we have peace with God through our LORD Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). It is through our LORD Jesus Christ that we have received the atonement (Romans 5:11). We who are saved are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). We are not saved by our works, we are saved by God. But we are only saved when we repent, turning away from the evil and turning toward the Lord Who loves us.

Have you believed in Him? If so, then like Hagar you are called to live for Him. Do not believe for one moment that you can say “I’m a Christian” and live like the devil. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, {10} Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. {11} And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

If you’ve been born again then you are washed. You are one who has repented, and has turned from this evil world and toward God by faith. When you sin – and you will sin – you will not wallow in it. Children of the King belong in the Kingdom. Children of the King – like Hagar – obey their Heavenly Father. Children of the Kingdom are lights in this present world, living for Jesus. May God lead you all to seek His face as He seeks you in love.

(A sermon delivered July 31st 2016 at Riverview, Columbia, Tn)

Colossians 2:9-15  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.  [10]  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:  [11]  In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:  [12]  Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.  [13]  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;  [14]  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;  [15]   And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

I find it interesting the number of people who now wear crosses as jewelry. I saw a fellow the other day who was obviously from his speech not a Christ follower, and yet around his neck on a golden chain hung a simple golden Cross. Why?

People do not understand the Cross of Christ. The people of today have no reference nor understanding of the Cross. But they do understand the Electric Chair. Sometimes called “Old Sparky” and at other times “Old Smokey”, the development of the Electric Chair was financed by Thomas Edison. It was claimed that the Electric Chair was to be a more humane method of executing criminals but that wasn’t why it was developed. Edison and his company built DC or Direct Current generators, but throughout much of the country AC or Alternating Current was becoming popular because of George Westinghouse and his company. Edison wanted to show that AC current was much more dangerous than the DC current his generators produced, so secretly funded the AC powered Electric Chair. At the first execution the convicted killer William Kemmler was not quickly put to death. At the end of the day it took some time to end Kemmler’s life. George Westinghouse reportedly said “They could have done better with an ax”.

Between 1890 and 2002 I am told there were 4458 deaths by Electric Chair, and none of those executed were wholly innocent. I’ve never seen anyone wear an Electric Chair on a chain or on a bracelet. It is a means of execution of criminals. And so was the Cross. The Cross was the Electric Chair in ancient Rome. It was a place where criminals and traitors were sent, for felons and unrepentant thieves, for the very worse sort of persons. No one who was innocent of crime ever was executed on the Cross. The Cross was not developed to be more humane, but it was certainly LESS humane. It was a tool that the Romans did not invent, but one they revised and improved on.

• Before someone went to the Electric Chair they were allowed to bathe, to change their clothes, to have a last meal.

• Before someone went to the Cross they were beaten, their beard ripped out. Isaiah saw a vision of an innocent Man going to the Cross and wrote:

Isaiah 50:6 (NLT) I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting.

• No purely innocent Man ever endured the Electric Chair, but a purely innocent Man was placed on the Cross.

His Judge said to the people:

John 18:38 (KJV) …. I find in Him no fault at all.
John 19:4 (NLT) …. understand clearly that I find Him not guilty.

And when the crowd would not relent Pilate called for water. Washing his hands, he turned an innocent man over to execution. “I am innocent of this man’s blood – it is on your heads” (Matthew 27:24). The crowd cried “On our heads, and on our children’s heads”.

Jesus was not given a last meal. He was not allowed to be bathed, and was not placed in clean clothing. They placed a king’s robe on Him so they could mock Him. Beating Him with a staff, they jammed that rod into His hands and knelt before Him mocking.

Mark 15:17-19 (ESV) 16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

To worldly eyes the Crucifixion of Christ was a horrible, low event in human history. An innocent man was unjustly but knowingly executed in one of the most gruesome methods available at that time. And yet even the world sees the Cross of Christ not as an Electric Chair (else they would wear one as jewelry) but as something else.

Every Thug, every Rapper, every Worldling, every Christ Follower wears the Cross as Jewelry but not the Electric Chair because the Cross was NOT the Electric Chair for Christ.

The Chair says “This one we are executing has a life that cannot be redeemed”.

The Cross says “This One we are executing is redeeming lives that were unredeemable”.

The Chair says “The one dying is dying for his sins”.

The Cross says “The One dying is dying a hero’s death for the sins of others”.

The Chair says “This life is ending because he stole the life of others”.

The Cross says “This life is ending because He is giving life to others”.

The Chair says “This one will die, never to live again”.

The Cross says “This One will die to defeat death, to live again and give us life in Him”.

Christ is the original and genuine Superman, the Hero of Heroes, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Look to His Cross not in defeat, but in victory.

1 Look To The Cross, For It Is Here That Jesus Defeated “Principalities And Powers”. That’s what our text tells us:

Colossians 2:15 And having SPOILED (past tense) principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

From the very beginning of Creation – a Creation made by our Triune God – Satan sought to spoil mankind. God in love made Adam and Eve, the first Man and the first Woman. God placed them in a perfect place, an Eden, the Garden of God. There was no hunger there, for every tree was fruited. There was no thirst there, for all water was pure. There was no death there, for the Tree of Life was in their midst. God told Adam:

Genesis 1:29  And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

Genesis 2:16-17  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  [17]  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

“You can have everything, Adam, everything but the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good And Evil. God alone – your Maker – determines good and evil. Leave that fruit alone, and trust Me for that knowledge. The day you eat of it you shall SURELY DIE.”

Satan who rebelled against God and convinced a third of God’s Angels to revolt with Him – these “Principalities and Powers” – came down to the earth. Satan slithered into the Garden as a serpent, a dragon, a Beelzebub. He whispered to Eve

“You shall not surely die. God knows that the day you eat of it you shall become like gods, knowing good and evil (see Genesis 3:5)”.

so Adam ate of that forbidden Tree, and mankind died.

What God promises He must keep. God’s Word is sure, man’s word is wavering.

The day you eat of it You shall surely die” was a promise of God. Satan knew this, and with this fall it seemed as if his evil Principalities and Powers would triumph. Evil came into the world.

Romans 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

There were times when it seemed as if the evil principalities and powers would win. The world became corrupted, so much so that God decided to destroy it by flood. Yet God saw Noah, a man who loved the Lord. The wages of sin is death and the world was on fire with sin. The good mingled with the bad. The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair (Genesis 6:2). When light and darkness combine, the salt water with the fresh, all is corrupted. But Noah found grace in God’s eyes (Genesis 6:8). God saved creation through Noah and his ark.

Evil battled good, but then God sent His Son.

Galatians 4:4  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

The Devil saw the Son of God come to this earth. Here was the Infant Conquerer, just a tiny Baby not much bigger than a hand’s breadth.

The Wise Men said “Where is He that is born King of the Jews? We have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:2)

This troubled Herod. That old Serpent the Devil whispered to the heart of Herod when the Wise Men came, saying “Kill Him”. Herod told the Wise Men

“Go and search diligently for that Child. When you find Him let me know so I can go worship Him” (Matthew 2:8).

He didn’t want to worship Jesus, but wanted to murder Him. He murdered a village full of babies striking out at the Savior. (That’s nothing compared to the number of babies we have murdered by abortion – but that’s another message.) But Jesus’ time was not come. His earthly parents took Him to Egypt where they stayed until Herod was dead and they could return home.

Satan was not done striking at Jesus. He sought out Jesus through Organized Religion, the worship of the Pharisees. Throughout His ministry Satan used the Pharisees to attack Christ. It is always easy to see the difference between organized religion and the True Faith of the Christ Follower. The Pharisees sought to stone Christ, to throw Him off a cliff. They plotted His murder, and, like Satan, accused Him of the most awful things. But they could not get Him – until the Cross.

Man denied God in the Garden of Eden and found death and sin. Religion seized God in the Garden of Gethsemane to kill Him -but Christ triumphed!

When they seized Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus told them:

Luke 22:53   When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.

Our Jesus went to the Cross to battle Satan and his forces. The first volley was when Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss. The second volley when all His friends abandoned Him. Then Jesus was tried, but found and declared innocent by His judge. He was beaten with whips, bruised with rods, nailed to the Cross between two thieves, spat on and reviled by all men. C.H. Spurgeon said:

“He Who is fighting for His people begins to shout, but it is a shout that makes the Church tremble. He cries ‘I thirst’! The battle is so hot upon Him and the dust so thick that He is choked with thirst! He cries “I thirst” …. surely He is about to be defeated. But wait … do you see yon heaps? … Listen how the Conquerer cries ‘It is finished!’ Where are His enemies now? They are all dead.”

Jesus fulfilled prophecy by taking this battle alone. He tread the winepress alone.

Isaiah 63:3-4  I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me …

Satan’s back was broken on the Cross. Death is defeated. Damnation is destroyed. The Devil has no hold on Him nor on His people. God did the impossible on the Cross that day, for God the Son died for His people.

Colossians 2:9-10 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.  [10]  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

We are complete in Him and Him alone! Satan no longer has title to the souls of those who belong to Christ. We belong to Him. We are purchased and prized possessions:

1 Corinthians 6:20 You are BOUGHT WITH A PRICE: Therefore glorify God in your body and in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 7:23 You are BOUGHT WITH A PRICE; be not the servants of men.

Jesus Christ is now the Head of all principality and power. Satan is defeated. He is still dangerous, dear friends, but Satan has no power over the Children of God. Just don’t play with him.

I heard an interesting thing the other day. People have been killed by dead snakes, for a snake can inject venom even after it has died. An Asian Chef was preparing cobra for his guests to eat – a delicacy in that area. He went to throw the cobra’s head into the trash – and the head bit him. Many people die every year touching the heads of venemous snakes! Jesus has defeated Satan – but we must not play with that dead snake! Resist the Devil and he will flee from you! (James 4:7) His bite is still lethal!

2 Look To The Cross, For Only Here Is Our Sin Debt “Paid In Full”.

Jesus paid it all!
All to Him I Owe.
Sin Had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow!

Colossians 2:13 And you, being DEAD in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he QUICKENED together with him, having FORGIVEN you all trespasses;  [14] BLOTTING out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

God promised man death upon disobedience. Man tested God and found that it is true. We are all born into this world dead in sins and in the uncircumcision of our flesh. What does that mean?

When God called father Abraham to salvation Abraham was to follow God where ever He led. One day God told Abraham to circumcise himself and every male in his household. God told Abraham:

Genesis 17:14 (ESV) Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.

Circumcision was a hidden sign that a person was of the Family of God.
It was an intimate sign. It was a painful sign. But it was also a selective sign.

Only the male was circumcised, the female was not. But the fallen world did not come about because of woman, but because of Man.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as SIN CAME INTO THE WORLD THROUGH ONE MAN, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.

One man sinned and all fell. One man sinned and the painful sign of circumcision was placed on all men. But then One Perfect Man, Jesus Christ our Lord, went to the Cross for our sins. We were dead in our sins and in the UNCIRCUMCISION of our flesh. By our very nature we separated from God and His Family. But Christ came for us. His Blood blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that were against us,

which were contrary to us
and took it out of the way, nailing it to His Cross.

Our sins (if we receive Him as Savior and Lord) are taken away from that Heavenly Account. The God Who is thrice Holy,

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty (Revelation 4:8)
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is filled with His glory
(Isaiah 6:3)

can now look upon those who have believed on Christ and their sins are blotted out, their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. We who are His are no longer lost, but found. No longer defeated by sin and death, but are more than conquerers through Him that loved us.

Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

To those who have received Christ as Lord and Savior God has quickened us together with Him. We are no longer children of the world, but we are sons and daughters of God. Death and the grave is no longer our destination, but we are headed from life to eternal life, from this weak place to an eternal strong place.

When little Moses was placed in the River Nile by his mother, the waves of that mighty River did not bring him death, but carried little Moses into the Palace of the King. When life places us into the River of Death it’s waves shall not wash over us. Just as Moses was placed in a little ark that saved him and carried him to a Palace, Christ is the Ark that will take us – peaceful and rested – into the Arms of our Loving Savior.

Sin and death are defeated by the Cross of Christ. All trespasses are forgiven the Children of God, those saved by faith in Him. Jesus was condemned so I would not have to be condemned. Jesus suffered so I would not have to suffer. Jesus died so that I will not have to die. God says to all who will hear

Isaiah 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

God the Son is on that Cross. God the Son has made full payment for sin. Those who receive Him as Lord and Savior shall be saved.

3 Look To The Empty Cross, For Christ Has Defeated Death.

Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

When you called upon Christ to be your Savior He calls upon you to be His Follower. I was listening to a preacher I have long admired the other day when he said something that is oh so wrong. He said “Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you everything”. Only in America do we separate Salvation from Discipleship. Only in the rich and coddled Church of the Land of the Free and the Home of the brave do we say you can be saved and not be a disciple. The Bible doesn’t teach this. Jesus never taught this. And it is not true.

Salvation is a free gift from God, a gift you cannot buy. But to be saved you must surrender your life to Christ. You cannot be saved by Jesus and still follow the Devil. Buried with Him in baptism – when you were saved you obeyed Him and were baptized in water and in the Spirit of God.

Luke 14:26-27   If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.   [27]   And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

People come to Christ in foreign lands and are forsaken by their families and friends. Christians are murdered for following Him. Christians lose jobs for following Him. There are several businesses in even America that have been lost because the owners belonged to Christ and followed Him. You know you are born again because you are in His Kingdom, His Family, following Him no matter what the cost.

Fire insurance salvation has nearly destroyed the Church in America. Jesus calls you, just as He has always called people:

Repent
Follow Me
I will make you fishers of men
I will make you the salt of the earth
I will make you the light of the world

Those who follow Christ are “risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God”. You are not like you were, dear believer. You are new creatures in Christ:

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

And as Christ was raised from the dead, you will raise from the dead. That Cross is empty. That Tomb occupied only by spiders. Jesus is alive, and you who are His will be with Him one day soon. O glorious day!

May God touch your hearts by His Word.

Jeremiah 23:1-6 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. [2] Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. [3] And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. [4] And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD. [5] Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. [6] In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

I used to never read the obituaries, but I do now … sometimes looking for my name. A few years ago – March 15, 1998 – I read an article written by a columnist that worked for the Indianapolis Star called Lori Borgman. The article was called “Death Of Common Sense”. The article has been plagiarized, rewritten, and attributed to many, but it is Lori Borgman’s work. She wrote (and I just quote in part. You can go to her website to read the full article):

“…. Common Sense, aka C.S., lived a long life, but died from heart failure at the brink of the millennium. No one really knows how old he was, his birth records were long ago entangled in miles and miles of bureaucratic red tape. Known affectionately to close friends as Horse Sense and Sound Thinking, he selflessly devoted himself to a life of service in homes, schools, hospitals and offices, helping folks get jobs done without a lot of fanfare, whooping and hollering. … A most reliable sage, he was credited with cultivating the ability to know when to come in out of the rain, the discovery that the early bird gets the worm and how to take the bitter with the sweet. C.S. also developed sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adult is in charge, not the kid) and prudent dietary plans (offset eggs and bacon with a little fiber and orange juice). …. C.S.’s health began declining in the late 1960s when he became infected with the If-It-Feels-Good, Do-It virus. … C.S. was sapped of strength and the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, criminals received better treatment than victims and judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional baseball and golf. His deterioration accelerated as schools implemented zero-tolerance policies. Reports of 6-year-old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing classmates, a teen suspended for taking a swig of Scope mouthwash after lunch, girls suspended for possessing Midol and an honor student expelled for having a table knife in her school lunch were more than his heart could endure. … Finally, upon hearing about a government plan to ban inhalers from 14 million asthmatics due to a trace of a pollutant that may be harmful to the environment, C.S. breathed his last. Services will be at Whispering Pines Cemetery. C.S. was preceded in death by his wife, Discretion; one daughter, Responsibility; and one son, Reason. He is survived by two step-brothers, Half-Wit and Dim-Wit. …”

America lost her common sense, and has been losing ground morally each and every year since. What is necessary to get the country back in line is for God’s people to “speak the truth in love” (see Ephesians 4:15). America was founded by Christians and Christ friendly unbelievers. We were greatest as a nation when we as a people and our leaders were looking upward, not downward. The Bible says:

Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

In our text today we see a nation much like ours, a nation called Israel. The leaders of that nation were supposed to lead that nation as God led them. Rather than do this, those who should have been leaders did the opposite. That’s why God declared:

Jeremiah 23:1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. 

It was God Who formed Israel. The civil rulers and magistrates, the kings and princes of the land – the LEADERS – were supposed to remember as they were leading Israel that these were “the sheep of God’s pasture”. When the wicked kings Manasseh and Amon ruled Israel the nation suffered. But when the good king Josiah ruled the nation was blessed.

What established blessing or cursing on the nation was whether it’s LEADERSHIP did good in the eyes of God, or did evil in the eyes of God. It is interesting that in all our political debates we always question WHAT a candidate will do …. but never examine their CHARACTER. But Character matters to God. Character determines action. If a person is wicked, their actions will be wicked, and God will not be pleased.

Like America today, Israel had a few good rulers. But by and large these “Pastors” did not do what God called them to do. They were not honest in their dealings. God warned numerous times what would happen if bad leadership continued. God told Israel:

2 Kings 23:27 (ESV) And the LORD said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.”

The spiritual decline of a nation does not happen overnight. The people begin to drift from honoring God in small ways. Churches become more entertainment oriented than Bible oriented. The members stop reading their Bibles and stop bringing their Bibles to Church. Prayer becomes occasional, and not as the Scripture says “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Bible study is put to the side so television can be watched. Children are not taught the basic truths of God in the home, but schools focus on evolution, Darwinism, and the so called Fossil Records. Church attendance drops. Tithing becomes optional rather than a command of God. The light dims, the salt loses it’s savor,

Matthew 5:13 (NIV) …. if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

1 Mercy And Grace Are Free Gifts Of God … But Judgment Is Earned. Israel forgot God. When you forget God or make God a last resort in your life, things get rough – especially for a nation. The King of Israel (Southern Israel or Judah) at this time was King Zedekiah. His name, “Zedekiah”, is very interesting, because it means literally “The Lord is my Justice”. With a name like that you would think Zedekiah was a good king, but you’d be wrong. Every time someone called his name it was like saying “The Lord is my Justice”, but Zedekiah did not honor God. Zedekiah had been placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon, after a siege of Jerusalem in 597 BCE, to succeed his nephew Jeconiah. Rather than totally destroy Jerusalem God moved Nebuchadnezzar to place Zedekiah in charge and to leave the city standing. How did Zedekiah repay God’s mercy? The Bible says:

2 Kings 24:19-20 (NIV) {Zedekiah} did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. 20 It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence.

Our God is so merciful! He is so very merciful. He is gracious and kind. The Bible says:

Psalm 103:8 (ESV) The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Psalm 145:8 (KJV) The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

Israel and her leaders had defied God time and time again, and yet, when conquered by Babylon God moved Nebuchadnezzar to let them keep their own king. Rather than destroy the Temple and the Holy City, God gave them one more chance. Oh, how good is our Great God, and His ways past finding out. We in America have aborted millions of innocent babies and called it legal, and yet God has been merciful. We have taken His concept of marriage and turned it into sexual convenience, and God has withheld His judgment. We have chosen frivolous leaders who have governed foolishly, and God has still loved. God is so compassionate, and does not destroy until it is absolutely necessary.

And yet, God will eventually judge. He warned of the flood for 120 years, then judgment came, and that without mercy. The Bible tells us:

2 Peter 3:9-10 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10 BUT the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.

Zedekiah and Israel were given one more chance by God, but Zedekiah did evil in God’s sight. So Zedekiah sent two of his “house priests” to the Prophet Jeremiah, saying:

Jeremiah 21:2 Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.

“Jeremiah, YOU pray for us. See if God will intervene on our behalf”. Zedekiah wasn’t about to repent nor to seek God’s face himself. He wanted JEREMIAH to do it for him. What reply did God send back through Jeremiah? God told Zedekiah:

Jeremiah 21:5-7 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. [6] And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence. [7] And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.

Oh, dearly Beloved, it is not a good place to be in to stand against God! The Bible declares:

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God! (Hebrews 10:31)

To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10)

God’s mercy and Grace are His gifts to us. But if His mercy and Grace are rejected, then justice and punishment are sure to follow. God warns of what is coming, but even then gives Zedekiah one more chance. In the next chapter God says:

Jeremiah 22:3-4 Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. [4] For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.

God said in essence “bring forth the fruit of repentance Zedekiah, and you and this nation shall be blessed”. This is the same thing John the Baptist preached, “Bring forth fruits meet for repentance”. A person who repents will ACT that way. How did Zedekiah act?

He imprisoned Jeremiah.

He rejected the mercy and Grace of God.

He clung to his sin.

And he would lose everything because of it.

2 Would Israel Be Utterly Destroyed Because Of Bad Leadership? Was this the end of Israel? Would God cast off the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because of Zedekiah’s evil? And what of the faithful? Not all of Israel was faithless. There were good and Godly people in that nation who loved the Lord and served Him with all their hearts. As Abraham asked God one time:

Genesis 18:25 Far be it from You {O Lord} to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”

God will punish the wicked. Israel will fall. But God is in control. The Prophet Jeremiah will not suffer the fate of King Zedekiah. The righteous will be protected. When Israel falls to Babylon God remembers His people Who are faithful to Him. God is in control!

Proverbs 11:21 (KJV) Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

For those who “mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and misused His prophets, the wrath of the Lord rose against them until there was no remedy (2 Chronicles 36:14-16). Yet the faithful were taken care of. God blessed His remnant, His people, His children. A young man named Daniel, with his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were taken into captivity and thrived. The Prophet Ezekiel preached for 20 years, thriving during the exile. The Prophets Zephaniah and Habakuk prospered. The exile was actually good for the people of Israel. J.B. Tidwell wrote in his book Introducing The Old Testament (page 178) that the captivity benefitted the faithful by:

• Making them give up idolatry completely.
• Causing them to return to the Word of God completely.
• They repented of their sins, and became devoted to Yahweh.
• Synagogues were created where people worshiped God while focusing on His Word, prayer and praise.
• The faith became more personal and less ritualistic.
• They longed for the Coming of the Messiah, and lived looking for Him.

It has been said that the greatest danger to God’s people has always been PROSPERITY, not adversity. Though God promised punishment to both Zedekiah and Israel, the Lord promised that this would not be forever. He said:

Jeremiah 23:3-4 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. [4] And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.

When God’s people got off of the throne of their lives and returned God to the Throne, He would regather the people. He would return them to their folds. And God would set up Shepherds (civil leaders, magistrates, kings and princes) over them “that shall feed them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall there be lacking”. This takes us back to the promise that Christ has made to us:

Luke 12:29-32 (KJV) 29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

God loves to bless His Children! When God is on the throne and we are not then He is free to bless us richly. God promised His Israel that not only would the day come when they would be restored, but He also promised that the Messiah would come through Israel.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. [6] In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

God promised that there would be a time when THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS would reign on the earth. Here He is referring to “The Lord our Righteousness”, one of the names given to the Messiah Jesus Christ. He is YAHWEH TSIDKENU, the Righteous Branch from the stock of King David.

Jesus Christ is the Lord our Righteousness. He is the Lord of His people. He is our Righteousness. Our own righteousness is as filthy rags:

Isaiah 64:6 (KJV) But 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.

We all fall short. We all fail God. But though we are faithless, our God abides faithful. If we surrender to Him and give Him the throne of our lives, He in turn gives us His righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (KJV) … we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For {God the Father} hath made {Jesus Christ} to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.

1 Corinthians 1:30 (KJV) But of {God} are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

God gave His Son for us.

In the midst of Israel’s greatest disobedience and God’s greatest punishment is the beautiful diamond promise of God. In the end Christ will rule. In the end God’s people shall inherit the earth. In the end The Lord our Righteousness would reign in our hearts and over the earth. There will come a day when sin will be completely destroyed.

And that will come only through Christ Jesus. The more Christ is on the Throne of our lives, the more He will be seen in us and in our actions. This is why the Apostle Paul said:

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”.

The Lord is our Righteousness. The Lord makes us right with God. The Lord will rule and reign.

Yahweh Tsidkenu. May God touch your hearts with His Word!

Colossians 2:6 ^[KJV] AS ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, SO walk ye in Him.

A man who had seldom been at Church and who had often been know in the community as a troublemaker passed away. At the funeral the minister started with a eulogy. As he spoke of the recently departed, he began to tell the crowd how the man had so loved Jesus, how he had been a blessing to the Church and a pillar of the community. As he went on and on the wife of the deceased leaned over and whispered to her son, “Would you slip up there and look in the casket? I think they’ve got the wrong man!”

It’s not uncommon for ministers to want to console the family at the death of a loved one. I have actually heard preachers preach people into Heaven, people who had no time for the Church nor for it’s Christ in this life. I saw bumper sticker one time that read “Live Like You’re Saved So The Preacher Won’t Have To Lie At Your Funeral”. I like that. Every Christian (if you are a Christian) is supposed to be like a little Christ.

We are to Imitate Christ – But we are not to Irritate God.

We who are saved are to be a people whose

Colossians 2:2 …. their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

Though I am a judge of no person, I suspect that people who PROFESS Christ but do not live as if they are POSSESSED of Christ are at least mistaken, and at most deceptive. If you belong to God then God is in you. If you are saved of God then His fingerprints will be all over your life.

Our text today

As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.

… emphasizes the LIFE of faith, and the WALK of faith. AS and SO. AS you have received Christ Jesus the Lord – this is the way to life. SO walk in Him – this is the proof of genuine faith.

1 AS you have RECEIVED CHRIST JESUS the LORD. Salvation only comes by receiving Christ Jesus as Lord. God chooses His words carefully.

a Salvation Is A Thing RECEIVED.

The Scripture says “as you have RECEIVED”. The word translated “Received” is the Greek παραλαμβάνω paralambanō (Second Aorist Active Indicative) which means to take to oneself. Frequently I see Church signs with the statement:

ACCEPT Jesus as your Savior

You may think I’m splitting hairs, but there is NO place in Scripture where we are told to ACCEPT Jesus, but several where we are told to RECEIVE Him.

What’s the difference? The word ACCEPT implies AGREEMENT WITH whereas RECEIVE means SIMPLY TO TAKE TO ONESELF. If you were drowning and someone tossed you a life preserver you would not debate on whether you agreed with life preservers or not, if they were fashionable, or even if they were politically correct to the world at large. If you were sucking in water instead of air you wouldn’t be concerned about the color of the life preserver, nor would you care if they killed a tree to make it. Drowning you would reach out and RECEIVE the preserver, even if you didn’t understand it’s workings.

There are a lot of people who don’t understand God nor His ways. God has said:

Isaiah 55:7-9 (NASB) Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. 9“ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

God does not ask for your concession or agreement. You are not to ACCEPT Christ – you are to RECEIVE His Christ. God looks at each and every one of us and declares:

Romans 3:9-12 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; [10] As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: [11] There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. [12] They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

All are condemned as sinners. All have been born with wandering hearts. God is holy, just, and pure, but we are born enslaved to sin. This is why God came to this earth. This is why Christ – the Messiah – came to us. The Bible tells us that:

Romans 3:23 …. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

We add nothing to salvation, but see Him as the only means of salvation. We RECEIVE Him. We grab on to Him and in desperation hold only to Him. This is the way of salvation – to RECEIVE Him and Him alone. C.H. Spurgeon said thus:

“Whatever Jesus says, I believe Him, and receive Him as true. I make His word so true to myself that I act upon it as being true, and regard it not as a word that may possibly be true, but which must be true, even if heaven and earth should pass away.”

b We Receive Salvation Through CHRIST. He is God’s gift to us. There are no other Christs, no other Messiah’s, no other ways to God. It is so sad that today Churches have turned away from the Christ of Scripture to be beguiled by enticing words (verse 4) contrary to the historic faith. The Apostle warned:

Colossians 2:8-10 Beware lest any man spoil you through PHILOSOPHY and VAIN DECEIT AFTER THE TRADITION OF MEN, AFTER THE RUDIMENTS OF THE WORLD, and NOT AFTER CHRIST. 9 For IN HIM dwelleth ALL THE FULNESS OF THE GODHEAD BODILY (in human form). And 10 YOU ARE COMPLETE IN HIM which is the Head of all principality and power.

The Devil and the dark world would have you believe there are many Christs, many Messiahs, many ways unto God. This is absolutely not true. Jesus warned us that …

Matthew 24:4-5 (NLT) … Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.

There is no other Christ, no other Anointed of God. When John the Baptist was wrongfully imprisoned he sent a messenger to Jesus asking:

Luke 7:20-23 (NLT) ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’ …. Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind. Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the {Gospel} is being preached to the poor. And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me’”

There is but One Christ, One Anointed of God, One Redeemer, and He is Jesus. Author Lee Strobel said:

“The uniqueness of Christianity is rooted in the uniqueness of Jesus himself. Other religious leaders say, “Follow me and I’ll show you how to find the truth.” But Jesus says, “I am the truth.” Other religious leaders say, “Follow me and I’ll show you the way to salvation.” But Jesus says, “I am the way to eternal life.” Other religious leaders say, “Follow me and I’ll show you how you can become enlightened.” But Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” See the difference?”

Jesus is uniquely the Christ. When He was born of the virgin Mary he was taken on the eighth day to the Temple to be circumcised. The Bible tells us that:

Luke 2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

This old man had been told by God that the Messiah was coming.

Luke 2:26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

When Mary brought Jesus into the Temple Simeon went to Mary. Gathering the Baby Jesus into his arms he rejoiced:

Luke 2:29-32 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: [30] For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, [31] Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; [32] A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

There is but one Christ, and that is Jesus. He is God’s Christ and there is no other. He is – as He Himself has said:

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The foundation that the Church is built on is that there is but One Christ, Jesus our Lord. Jesus asks us like He once asked His disciples “Who do YOU say that I am?” Was Jesus a Great Teacher? Yes, He was the Greatest. Was Jesus a Wonderful Role Model? There is no better. But what Jesus is above all else is …

Matthew 16:16 …. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

c We Receive Salvation Through Christ JESUS. We call Him CHRIST because He is the Lord’s Anointed. We call Him JESUS because He saves His people from their sins. God became man. As Christ …

John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

but as JESUS ….

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Jesus entered this life and became human, just as human as you and I. Jesus wept:

John 11:35 Jesus wept.

when His friend Lazarus died. Jesus slept ..

Mark 4:38 {Jesus} was in the stern of the ship asleep on a pillow …

Jesus was hungry and thirsty ..

John 4:6-7 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. [7] There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

Jesus suffered in Gethsemane, and experienced the loneliness of abandonment. Jesus knows the pain of being human. He was like us, but without sin.

Hebrews 4:15 (NASB) For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus suffered temptation just as we do, but never bowed to it’s pressure. He committed no sin, nor was and deceit found in His mount (1 Peter 2:22). He suffered on Calvary as a man paying the penalty of mankind’s sin. The Bible declares that:

2 Corinthians 5:21 For {God} hath made {Jesus} to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

As Jesus, He took my PENALTY. As Jesus He took my PUNISHMENT. As Jesus, He took my PLACE. He died for me and for you so that we do not have to suffer the penalty of our sin.

d We Receive Salvation Through Christ Jesus THE LORD. There is no salvation to those who do not receive Him as Lord. When Jesus was born the Angel Gabriel told the Shepherds:

Luke 2:11 …. for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

The central teaching of salvation is that The LORD will save His people. Heaven is a place ruled by the Lord. God has decreed that:

Philippians 2:9-11 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus Christ defeated death and sin on the Cross. He rose again as Victor. If you are saved by believing on Him:

Colossians 2:13-15 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened (made alive) together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His Cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

If you are born again, a child of God by faith in Christ, you are no longer under the pseudo lordship of Satan and evil. You belong to Jesus – and HE IS LORD. I am no longer Lord of my life. Jesus is Lord of my life. His Word is what I must behold.

1 Peter 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

1 Corinthians 8:6 …. yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

Jesus is Lord of His Church.

Colossians 1:18-19 ^(KJV) {Jesus} is the head of the body, the Church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all [things] he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased [the Father] that in him should all fulness dwell;

It is Jesus Who paid for my sins, and for the sins of every believer. He owns us, Beloved. He owns His Church! He directs His Church. His Word is our Law. What He has said, we must do. If Christ is not Lord of your life then you are headed down a bad path. Jesus is Lord. He is God in the flesh.

I kiss My Master’s Nail Scarred feet, embracing Him as my Savior,
Yet these feet were Lord over water, for He walked on the sea.
I look by faith to those nail scarred hands pierced for me,
Yet these Divine Hands multiplied
a few fish and five loaves feeding five thousand.
He is Lord!
I see Him, broken and bleeding, with His last breath saying “It Is Finished”
and “Father into Thy Hands I commend My Spirit”
Yet three days later I see Him walking and teaching, resurrected God Almighty!
Suffering on the Cross He is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.
Dying for me and for you.
But now on God’s right hand the Father cries,
“Let All The Angels worship Him”
“Thy Throne, O God, Is forever and ever”
He. Is. Lord.

We now come to the second part of our text …

2 SO Walk ye in Him.

Colossians 2:6 ^[KJV] AS ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, SO walk ye in Him.

Walking implies action. You cannot walk and stand still at the same time. You can walk in place – we used to march in place when I was in the military – but you are still moving.

When you walk, you put one foot ahead of the other, taking one step at a time. As Christians we are to heed Christ’s Word, doing what He tells us to do. We can only walk today.

• We walk in the LIGHT, not in the DARKNESS. Our actions should reflect Christ in us. If you are saved you:

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Ephesians 5:8 For ye were {previously} darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

• We walk in NEWNESS OF LIFE, not like we are DEAD.

Romans 6:4 …. like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

• We walk in GOOD WORKS not in WORLDLINESS

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 walk in the WISDOM OF GOD and the TRUTH of His Word

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

• We walk in LOVE

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

In short, if we are saved and members of the Family of God – if His Blood was shed for us – we walk under His direction for His glory.

A farmer and his farmhand went duck hunting. The farmer said to his friend, “You’re always talking about fighting with the devil. I’m not a Christian, and I never have to fight with the devil.” The farmhand answered, “Boss, if you and I shot two ducks, one was wounded and one was dead, which one would you go after first?” The farmer said, “Well, I guess the wounded duck.” The farm hand replied, “That’s right. The devil knows you’re a dead duck, so he never comes after you!”

If the devil doesn’t bother you, it’s because he doesn’t have to bother you since you and he are traveling in the same direction. If you’re not walking with Jesus you’re in collusion with the Devil!

If you have received Christ you are His – walk in Him. The minister can lie at your funeral but that will not take you into His Kingdom. Jesus declared:

Matthew 7:13-14, 17-23 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: [14] Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

If you have known Christ Jesus the Lord by faith then He plants His Spirit in your life. You turn from a corrupt tree into a fruitful tree. You are not what you were, but you are His and His alone. He is the Narrow Way unto God, and those who belong to Him live fruitful lives with Him.

AS you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, SO walk ye in Him.

May God touch your hearts with His Word.