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I don’t remember where I heard this – I am sure it was in a sermon I heard – but it came to my mind as I was praying over and studying this final chapter of Colossians.

One Sunday morning at a small church, the Pastor called on one of his older members to lead in the opening prayer. The member stood up, bowed his head and said,“Lord, I hate buttermilk.” The Pastor opened one eye and wondered if he had made a mistake. The older gentleman went on “Lord, I hate lard.” Now the Pastor was totally perplexed. The Elder went on, praying “Lord, I ain’t too crazy about plain flour. But after you mix ’em all together and bake ’em in a hot oven, I just love biscuits. Lord help us to realize when life gets hard, when things come up that we don’t like, whenever we don’t understand what You are doing, that we need to PRAY AND WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE MAKING. After you get through mixing and baking, it’ll probably be something even better than biscuits. Amen.”

As we come to this last chapter of Colossians I can tell you many people – preachers included – have skipped over this chapter. Yet the Bible tells us that all Scripture is given of inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Colossians chapter 4 is the shortest chapter in this Book, but it isn’t unimportant. The focus of this chapter is prayer.

Every time I turn around someone is coming out with another PROGRAM, something that is supposed to revolutionize the Church and turn our culture around.

We don’t need another PROGRAM, we need PRAYING PEOPLE.
We don’t need another CELEBRITY. We need to CALL ON CHRIST.
We don’t need another PERSON. We need the POWER OF THE SPIRIT.
We need the PRESENCE OF GOD.
We need to get serious about PRAYER.

The Church began with PRAYER and therefore began with POWER. Jesus told a little gathering of 120 people – about the size of most small churches today – to go into an Upper Room and PRAY. On the Day of Pentecost the Apostle Peter came out preaching Christ and the 120 became 3120. Three THOUSAND souls gave their lives to the Lord Jesus that day. Was it because Peter preached a phenomenal sermon? Absolutely not! If you read Peter’s sermon in Acts chapter you’ll see that the sermon was only about 25 verses long. It wasn’t a long sermon, nor was it particularly eloquent. But 3000 people came to Jesus in a Jesus hostile environment that day. Why? Why? WHY? Because the Church prayed. Let’s read our text today:

Colossians 4:2-18 (KJV) Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; 3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: 4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. 7 All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord: 8 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts; 9 With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here. 10 Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;) 11 And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you. 15 Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house. 16 And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it. 18 The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen.

1 Every Person Mentioned By Paul In This Text Is Someone Who Was Once Lost But Is Now Found. People Are Saved Only Through Prayer. No one is born saved. All are born needing to be born again. All are born in sin. King David – a man after God’s own heart – said:

Psalm 51:5 (KJV) Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

No one is born saved. Every person who enters this life enters it naked, but also dead in trespasses and in sins. The Bible unashamedly declares:

Romans 5:12 (KJV) Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned–

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

If all have sinned, and all are in darkness and in the death grip of sin, then how can any be saved? How can the dead live? How can the blind see? How can the deaf hear? Only God can open the eyes. The Apostle said:

Colossians 4:2-3 (KJV) Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; 3 Withal praying also for us, that God would OPEN UNTO US A DOOR OF UTTERANCE, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:

“Continue to pray, Church”. Pray that God will open the eyes of the blind. We are in a battle for men’s souls. Pray! The Bible says that Satan is continually standing against the Gospel, that Satan …

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

God must open the eyes. No one is saved because of the expertise of the preacher nor because of the beauty of the facility. The Pharisees were lost, and refused to come to Christ to be saved. They led the worship in a beautiful Temple. They followed hard after religion, and did all the acceptable rituals. No one but the Holy Spirit of God can open the eyes of the blind. The Apostle said “With all – with all other believers – PRAY FOR US that GOD would open unto us a DOOR OF UTTERANCE to SPEAK the MYSTERY of CHRIST”. Oh Beloved, I wish that you all understood how important your prayers are to the success of God’s Gospel.

Prayers open doors.
Prayers open hearts.
Prayers empower the preaching.
Prayer releases the Spirit.
Prayer opens the eyes of the heart and the ears of the soul.
I have heard people say “Oh that my child or my loved one would be saved”
Have you prayed for them? Do you continue in prayer for them?

The Gospel will save whosoever calls on His name – but THEY MUST CALL. We cannot save them, but God can. But their eyes must be opened.

• TYCHICUS came to Christ because God intervened. Tychicus was a Roman who gave his life to Jesus. The Apostle said of Tychicus that he …

Colossians 4:7-8 (KJV) … is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord: 8 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts;

Who was Tychicus? He was someone who was born into this world lost, but born again by faith in Christ. Saved by faith in Jesus, he became through the operation of God’s Spirit a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord. Tychicus was gifted with the ability to encourage and build up others. Paul sent him to Colossi to comfort their hearts.

• ONESIMUS is a runaway slave that came to God in Christ by faith.

Colossians 4:9 With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you.

Onesimus was a slave to a Christian named Philemon of Colossi. Only in America was slavery a white and black thing. In the ancient world conquered people were often made slaves. Onesimus was someone who had been conquered, and who ran away from his master Philemon.

Running Away From Philemon, Prayer Brought Onesimus Face To Face With Christ

When Onesimus gave his life to Jesus the Apostle sent him back to Philemon carrying a letter. That letter is found in our Bibles, and encourages Philemon to receive Onesimus as not a slave but now a brother in Christ, saved by the Blood of the Lamb. Tychicus went with Onesimus to Colossi to see Philemon. The Bible says:

Galatians 3:26-28 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Oh how I wish I had time to tell the story of each of these precious Saints that we will one day see in Heaven. Read with me:

Colossians 4:10-14 (KJV) ARISTARCHUS my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and MARCUS, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;) 11 And Jesus, which is called JUSTUS, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me. 12 EPAPHRAS, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis. 14 LUKE, the beloved physician …

• Aristarchus who was arrested with Paul for preaching the Gospel
• and Marcus or John Mark who abandoned Paul during his First Missionary Journey. The Bible says in Acts 13:13 that John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. John was uncomfortable with carrying the Gospel to the non-Jews so he abandoned Paul and Barnabas (his uncle). Eventually John Mark returned to the faith, and became a blessing to Paul and the Church.
• Justus is a converted Pharisee
• and Epaphras of whom little is known, but he is loved of God in Christ.
• Luke is a Gentile Doctor, the Blessed Physician, who accompanied the early Apostles and recorded the work of the Gospel in the books of Luke and Acts.

Prayer opens the heart doors. Oh that believers would pray! When we pray lives are changed. When we pray OUR LIVES are changed. When we pray our community changes. Prayer changes lives.

2 How Does God Ask Us To Pray? Prayer is not to be a spare tire that we pull out only when we get in trouble. We are told

Colossians 4:2 (KJV) CONTINUE in prayer …

a We Who Are His Children Are To DEVOTE Ourselves To Prayer.

The word translated “continue” is the Greek Present Active Imperative of προσκαρτερέω (proskartereō) which means “be steadfast in” or “devote yourselves to”. This is a command, not an option. The Bible says “keep on devoting yourselves to prayer”.

Be persistent. The Apostle commended Epaphras …

Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always LABORING FERVENTLY FOR YOU IN PRAYERS, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

Persistent prayer is like a wrestling match. It is a LABOR OF LOVE. Epaphras kept on praying for the Church at Colossi that the Church would succeed in the world, being the Light that Christ meant it to be.

Are you praying for your Church?
Are you praying for its workers?

The early Church grew by leaps and bounds because:

“They all joined together CONSTANTLY in prayer” (Acts 1:14).

“They DEVOTED themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).

Pastor S.D. Gordon wrote: “The greatest thing anyone can do for God and man is pray. It is not the only thing, but it is the chief thing. The great people of earth are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor yet those who can explain about prayer; but I mean those people who take time to pray.”

God loves to hear from His Children. We are told in …

Proverbs 15:8 (KJV) The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the PRAYER OF THE UPRIGHT IS HIS DELIGHT.

God loves to hear from His Children, adopted by faith in Christ. He “delights” in our prayer. We are told in

Isaiah 65:24 (KJV) And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

The Bible tells us in Revelation 5:8 that God keeps the prayers of His Saints in a golden bowl in Heaven. Oh how God would bless if we would but pray. God is glorified when He answers our prayers. His power is magnified. God wants us to understand that He is the El Shaddai, He is the God Who provides, He is the God Who Sees, the El Roi. When we pray we recognize that we are helpless but He is mighty to help. We recognize that we are powerless but He is Almighty.

b We Who Are His Children Are To BE ALERT In Our Prayers. We read:

Colossians 4:2 (KJV) Continue in prayer, and WATCH in the same with thanksgiving;

Be alert and pray. Pray frequently. Pray without ceasing. Pray!

Speak to Jesus your High Priest. If you are saved by faith in Christ He is our Advocate.

1 John 2:1-2 (KJV) My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, WE HAVE AN ADVOCATE WITH THE FATHER, JESUS CHRIST the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Jesus Christ died for our sins, and rose again to be our Advocate and High Priest. The Bible says that you are kings and priests unto God:

Revelation 1:5-6 (KJV) And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and PRIESTS UNTO GOD and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

You, dear Christ Follower, are a King because the King of Kings died for you. You are a Priest because Jesus Christ your High Priest has brought you into the Family of God. We pray because of who we are and because of Who He eternally is. Prayer keeps our eyes on the Lord Who loves us and protects us. One of the people that Paul mentions in this text is a man named Demas. Of the others mentioned in this text Paul commended nearly every one – but he had little to say of Demas. We read:

Colossians 4:14 (KJV) 14 …. and Demas, greet you.

Demas says “Hi”.

That’s it. Who was Demas? Demas was called a fellow laborer by Paul in the Apostle’s letter to Philemon:

Philemon 24 (KJV) Marcus, Aristarchus, DEMAS, Lucas, my fellow laborers.

He’s mentioned with John Mark (the writer of the Gospel of Mark), Aristarchus (imprisoned with Paul for preaching the Gospel), and with Luke (the Gentile Physician who wrote Acts and the Gospel of Luke). Demas is in GREAT company. There are great believer’s with him. Yet when Paul writes to to the Colossians he merely says of Demas

Demas says “Hi”

Why was that? Because Demas had begun to backslide. Look around the Church of God and you’ll find someone whose name will begin with “whatever happened to”. You know what I mean. “Whatever happened to _____”.

I had a Deacon years ago at another Church that loved to come into my office on Monday morning. Every time I saw him I’d roll my eyes. Monday’s are hard days for Pastors. Some people make it harder. Nearly the first words he’s say every time he came was …

“Whatever happened to …”

then he’d throw a name in there. I’d tell him “I don’t know”. BUT I DO KNOW. They walked the walk of Demas. They professed Christ, they joined the Church, then they disappeared off the face of the map. What was the problem? I guarantee you the problem is they slipped away from God. They ceased praying. They stopped looking to the Master. When the Apostle wrote his letter to young Timothy he wrote:

2 Timothy 4:10-11 (KJV)10 For DEMAS HATH FORSAKEN ME, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica … 11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.

Demas hath forsaken me. He has wandered from the Church. He loved this PRESENT world. He is not living for the Master nor for His Kingdom, but for “THIS PRESENT world”. He stopped praying. He stopped seeking Christ’s face. He turned his eyes from Jesus and instead chose this world.

We need to watch and pray. If you are Christ’s then you need to watch and pray. Peter tells us that we need to be …

1 Peter 5:8-9 (KJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because YOUR ADVERSARY THE DEVIL, AS A ROARING LION, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom RESIST STEADFASTLY IN THE FAITH, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

The Devil is always looking for someone to destroy. He looks – like a roaring lion – for the sheep that have wandered from the Shepherd. If you stay close to Him, close to Jesus the Great Shepherd of the sheep, you cannot be harmed.

Prayer is the cry of the sheep.
Prayer is the call to the Great Shepherd.
Jesus will not chase you. He loved you, but He will not chase you.

God our Savior says in Jeremiah 33:3 :Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Be watchful. Pray. Keep your focus on Jesus, or else become a “Happy Meal” for the Devil!

c We Who Are Christ’s Children Are To Pray With THANKFUL Hearts.

Colossians 4:2 (KJV) Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

Prayer will fill your heart with thankfulness. Prayer will remind you – as it does me – that the trials of this life are only temporary. Prayer reminds us that this world is but a passing place. One day we will pass from Here to There,

from Corruption to Incorruption
from Sin Infested to Eternally Blessed
from Weakness to Power

One day we will be with our Jesus forever. One day we will be given glorified bodies, and sinless souls. One day we will walk in eternal day and leave this sometimes endless night.

Psalms 107:1 (KJV) O give thanks unto the LORD, for [he is] good: for his mercy [endureth] for ever.

Ephesians 5:20 (KJV) Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Hebrews 13:15 (KJV) By {Christ} therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name.

Swimmer Michael Fred Phelps II broke the world record in the 200 meter butterfly in 2001 when he was only 15 years old. Most recently he again made history as he won his 22^nd gold medal in the 2016 Olympic Games at Rio de Janeiro. Reporter Eric Metaxas noted that four years ago no one would have believed Michael would have made such a come back. Michael was without purpose. Though he had won many times in the Olympics, he said “I was a train wreck. I was like a time bomb waiting to go off. I had no self esteem, no self worth. There were times I didn’t want to be here. It was not good. I felt lost.” Michael became suicidal. Then his friend – a former All Pro Linebacker named Ray Lewis gave him a copy of Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life. After Michael read it he turned to the Lord. He turned to the Lord Jesus. Repenting and following the Lord turned his life around, and he is again winning medals.

We belong to the Lord.

The name of God we’re looking at tonight is in the Old Testament the Hebrew word ADONAI and in the New Testament KURIOS. Translated “Lord” in the King James this name of God emphasizes that God is owner of all that He has created. There’s a famous poem called Invictus that ends with these words:

I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

That is absolutely not true. We were all created by a Loving and All Powerful God Who gives us life day by day.

1 God Is Adonai (Kurios) – He Owns And Controls Everything That Is. The Bible says:

Psalm 24:1 (NASB) The earth is the LORD’s, and all that it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.

In America it is popular to say “It’s my body, and I’ll do with it as I wish”. Yet God says:

Ezekiel 18:4 (KJV) Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

God gives you life. Every day He allows your heart to beat, your lungs to draw air, your liver to process and filter your blood, your kidneys to cast off pollutants. He is LORD. Everything belongs to Him.

In the King James we have discussed how the word YAHWEH (the I AM name of God) is translated L-O-R-D (all capital letters). But when you see the name L-o-r-d (Large L small ord) this is in the Old Testament “Adonai”, in the New Testament “Kurios”. The Hebrew Adonai is plural, but is translated singular or “Lord”. It is plural just as Elohiym is plural because the Godhead is One but Three (Father, Son, and Spirit). This is called the Trinity, and our Triune God is Lord of all. He owns everything. In the Old Testament Adonai occurs 434 times, 200 times in the writings of Ezekiel alone, and 11 times in Daniel chapter 9. The first use of Adonai is found in the life of Abraham in Genesis 15:2. Let’s start out there.

Genesis 15:2  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?

Genesis 15:6-18  And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.  [7]  And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.  [8]  And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?  [9]  And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.  [10]  And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.  [11]  And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.  [12]  And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.  [13]  And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;  [14]  And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.  [15]  And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.  [16]  But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.  [17]  And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.  [18]  In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

Two names of God are used throughout this Responsive Reading. Where you see the name LORD or the name GOD in all capital letters this is the eternal name of God YAHWEH. But every place where you see Lord (capital L small ord) this is the name of God ADONAI. Where Abram calls God “Lord GOD” in verses 2 and 8 this is actually ADONAI YAHWEH. Yahweh is normally translated LORD but the King James translators thought it would confuse people if they translated ADONAI YAHWEH as Lord LORD. So in instances like this they translated the name of God as Lord GOD. Here’s the key.

YAHWEH emphasizes that God is eternal without beginning or end. He is I AM.
ADONAI emphasizes that God is owner and controller of everything. He is Lord.

Notice Abram’s words. He says to the Eternal Owner of everything “What will YOU GIVE ME seeing I am without a child?” (verse 2). Then in verse 8 “how shall I know that I shall INHERIT it?” How do I know that I am going to have children and nations will come out of me? He says to God prove yourself. Promise this. And this is exactly what God did. God told Abram to take animals out of the herd:

a heifer (a female cow that has not bore a calf) of three years old
a she goat of three years old
a ram (a male sheep) of three years old
a turtledove (a dove)
a young pigeon

These were all creatures from Abram’s stock – but they were not Abram’s. God is Adonai, He is Lord. Everything that Abram had God allowed and gave. So when Abram took these animals from his herds he was giving back to Adonai what Adonai had given him. Abram took one of everything Adonai had given him. The larger animals were divided, that is they were killed and separated into two piles. The dove and the pidgeon were not separated, but they were killed. And then God told Abram what He promised to do.

God told Abram that his nation (Israel) would be in bondage 400 years
God promised Abram that his nation (Israel) would be freed from bondage
That Israel would prosper
God promised Abram that the land he stood in would be his people’s

God made all these promises to Abram because God is Adonai. God is Lord of all He created. He is owner of all that exists because God made it all. If you own it, you control it. God is Adonai. He is Lord.

2 Understanding The Lordship Of God Clears Up A Lot Of Confusion. God owns everything. He is ADONAI. He is Lord. He is the Maker and Designer. We get confused and wrapped around the axel when we don’t understand this.

God owns everything you think you possess

God owns you. There’s no need in arguing about “Free Will” verses “Sovereignty” because we are not gods. We are God’s. We are bought with a price. We belong to Him. Everything we own belongs to God.

Your homes belong to God.
Your bank accounts belong to God.
The cars you came to Church in belong to God.
The pews you’re sitting on belong to God.
The books in those book racks belong to God.
The ground you stand on belongs to God.
The air you breath belongs to God.
Your very flesh and soul belongs to God.

I have heard parents who have lost children say “I don’t understand why my baby had to die so young”. They become angered with God. I understand. I sympathize. I’ve been there. But He is Lord. He is Adonai. The soul of the child is His, not mine, and He has the right to take what He has given. He is Lord.

When God raised up the Prophet Malachi He was angry with His Old Testament people. The wife you have belongs to God. The husband you have belongs to God. The family in Israel had disintegrated. The parents were not teaching the children to love God as He commanded in …

Deuteronomy 6:5-7  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.  [6]  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:  [7]  And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

The LORD thy God – YAHWEH thy Adonai – was not being honored. The family was disintegrating. The worship was polluted. They robbed God of the TITHE, which was consecrated to God.

You know what a TITHE is?
It is giving back to God a small portion – a tenth – of what is really all His.

Israel did not take animals without spot or blemish to the Temple for sacrifice. They did not take the FIRST FRUITS to God. They went through the herds and gathered out the blemished, the crippled, the blind, the diseased, the broken and brought these to the Temple. They took the least to Adonai and kept the best for themselves.

When I was at another Church we had a clean up day, hauling off all kinds of broken stuff that had accumulated in the Church. Mismatched plates and silverware that people “donated” to the Church when they bought themselves new stuff. Broken baby swings in the Church nursery. I found a vacuum cleaner that could not be used because the handle was broken off. I found out later that one of our little old ladies “donated” this vacuum when she couldn’t use it and bought herself another. God got the broken, she the new. Israel did the same thing at the altar. Crippled cattle. Blind sheep. Diseased goats. Birds that wouldn’t fly. They brought this to the altar for sacrifice – a sacrifice that was no sacrifice at all – and expected blessing from God. The Lord told Israel – let’s read this responsively:

Malachi 1:6-13  A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?  [7]  Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.  [8]  And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.  [9]  And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the LORD of hosts.  [10]  Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.  [11]  For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.  [12]  But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible.  [13]  Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD.

What a sad statement this is! God is ADONAI, He owns everything. He raised up Israel out of nothing. From Abram and Sarai came Israel by His promise. God blessed His people, and is a Father and a Master to them. We honor Him when we give Him the best. We do not give God our leftovers and our broken, but the FIRST FRUITS, the best that we have. His name is to be honored by His people.

IIf you are parents or grandparents you have seen children at play. Two children are playing in a sandbox that they did not make. In the sandbox are toys they did not purchase nor deserve. One child sees a bright toy truck. He grabs it, saying “Mine!” The other child ignored the truck until then, but now reaches out. “No, it’s mine!” It is “mine” because the parent loved the child and gave it, but the child doesn’t own the toy. And neither do we.

We all have the mistaken idea that we own this or we own that. With ownership comes frustration. The air conditioner goes out at “my house” and then it costs more of “my money” to get it fixed. Roofs leak. Toilets plug up. We get frustrated when what is mine doesn’t go they way I want. But we are looking at things wrong.

God is ADONAI. He is Lord. He owns it all. We are simply STEWARDS of what He has let us hold. I read this suggestion in Ken Hemphill’s book The Names of God and really liked it. He wrote:

“Sit down during your devotional time, take out a piece of paper and make up a deed signigover everything to God, the rightful owner. Say ‘Lord, this has never been mine. Somehow I just took over what is yours by creation. I am excited to acknowledge that I am a steward and that You are Owner of all the possessions represented on this deed”.

When we understand that we are STEWARDS and God is ADONAI (Lord) then things get much better.

One man said that when his family washing machine quit working he and his wife knelt and prayed in front of that machine. They prayed “Lord, your washing machine has broken down. What do You want to do about it?” After praying they were told the Lord needed a new washing machine. They thanked the Lord for His provision and, instead of frustration, joy flooded their lives. God is Adonai. He is Lord!

3 If God Is Lord (Adonai) And We Are His, We Are To Serve Him Where And When He Says. When God called Moses to follow Him and to go to Pharaoh, Moses began to argue with God. Let’s read this

Exodus 4:10-16  And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.  [11]  And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?  [12]  Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.  [13]  And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.  [14]  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.  [15]  And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.  [16]  And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.

Moses was frightened, and did not want to do what God wanted him to do. So God told Moses that he could speak through Aaron his brother because Aaron was eloquent. This ended up being a hindrance to Moses rather than a help. If Moses had trusted the God Who made him there would have never been an Aaron making a golden calf in the wilderness, nor an Aaron heckling him about his Ethiopian wife. In many ways Aaron was a hindrance to Moses’ ministry.

Throughout this reading we see the word LORD and Lord. Where you see LORD this is YAHWEH, the Eternal Name of God. The other occurrence – Lord – is ADONAI. Moses said to God in verse 10:

YAHWEH – Oh my ADONAI
Great I AM – My Lord

He recognized God as the Eternal Creator of all. But then Moses immediately capitalized on his perceived inabilities. Listen Beloved, what God calls you to do, God equips you to do. God told Moses “Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?”

God made us on purpose the way we are. God calls us to do what He has equipped us to do. Our purpose is found in Him Who made us, not we ourselves. Our purpose is not defined by what PEOPLE think of us, but what ADONAI requires of us. Our disabilities are abilities when we live for Him. If God gave us life, He can use the lives He gave.

God’s anger burned against Moses when he kept making excuses. When we call Him Lord we are to obey Him. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:21-23   Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.   [22]   Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?   [23]   And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

There will be many who will leave this life thinking they deserve Heaven because they did good things. But did they do what the LORD told them to do? If not, we work iniquity. We are called to obey the ADONAI, the Lord Who saved us. Jesus went on to say:

Matthew 7:24-27   Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:   [25]   And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.   [26]   And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:   [27]   And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

If you have received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior then you belong to God. God is our Adonai, our Lord. Our strength is found in following Him. Greatness in His Kingdom is only achieved by serving the Lord in the capacity He has made you. Jesus promised:

John 12:26   If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

He is Lord. He is Adonai. When we call Jesus our Lord we surrender to His ownership and commit ourselves to serving Him in the ways He has said. We are bondslaves to God in Christ. His Lordship is seen in how we live our lives.

We who are saved are to live as His Stewards.
He is Lord!

Adrian Rogers put it this way:

“Well, suppose I perform a wedding ceremony and say to the young man, “Would you take Susan to be your lawfully wedded wife?” And he responds, “Well, I’ll take Susan as housekeeper.” And then I say to her, “Would you take John to be your lawfully wedded husband?” And she says, “Well, I’ll take him as provider.” We can’t pick and choose what we want from Jesus. We take Jesus as Lord over all!”

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

The one thing that is great about preaching through a Book of the Bible is that you must preach the next thing. The one thing that is uncomfortable about preaching through a Book of the Bible is that you must preach the next thing. You can’t skip the hard stuff. The tough sayings are to be examined. But the one thing the Lord has put on my heart over the years of pastoring and preaching is that we are always to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) even if the truth hurts, even if the truth is not politically correct. So brace yourself. This is going to be a bumpy ride. Keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times!

Colossians 3:11-25 …. there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. [12] 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. [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. [17] And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. [18] Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. [19] Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. [20] Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. [21] Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. [22] Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: [23] And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; [24] Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. [25] But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

Introduction When a person is saved, that person is saved by receiving Christ as Lord and Savior. Christ Is All, and In All. God will save everyone freely if a person would be saved. Jesus Christ is the

“Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Jesus Christ is the Son of God Who

“is the satisfactory payment (propitiation) for our sins;
and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2).

He is the Son of God sacrificed for us who would be sons of God. In that famous verse that every grade school child used to know we read together:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son,
that WHOSOEVER believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Emphatic! Christ died for all. Christ died for all. He did not just die for one or two, or some imagined group. He died for all. He died for all.

He died for the RICH.
He died for the POOR.
He died for the BROKEN.
He died for those BLINDED BY SIN.
He died for the SEXUALLY ENSLAVED.
He died for the HETEROSEXUAL AND THE HOMOSEXUAL.
He died for the LOWEST PERSON who ever lived.
Believe it or not, He died for
POLITICIANS, for PREACHERS, for PEW WARMERS,
for PRESIDENTS and PEASANTS
Jesus died for PEOPLE OF ALL COLORS.
If there are RACISTS among us, Jesus died for you.
There will be people of ALL COLOR in Heaven.
None will be at the back of the bus.
There are no segregated water fountains in Glory.
All can drink from that River,
And the fruit of that Tree of Life is for the healing of NATIONS.
Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him He died for all us broken down people.

Colossians 3:11 …. there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. 

Jesus died for the Jew. He came unto His own and His own would not receive Him. He was made a Jew so He could fulfill God’s promise to Father Abraham. But Jesus did not just come to the Jews. He came to the Greeks, the inventors of sodomy and sexual sin. The Jews practiced circumcision, for God commanded Abraham and his seed to be circumcised, but the Gentiles were not circumcised.

When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well He shocked the world around Him. The Samaritan woman said “Why do you speak to me, a Samaritan? Don’t the Jews despise the Samaritans?” Jesus came for the Samaritans. When the lepers ran to Jesus saying “Lord Jesus, have mercy on us” Jesus shocked the world around Him. How dare He touch those lepers! But Jesus came for the lepers. “You are healed. Go and show the priest.” When this Gentile woman – a Greek, hated of the Jews, came to Jesus saying “Please cast the demon out of my daughter” Jesus replied:

Mark 7:27 (ESV) ….. Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

Those who were Jews hearing this, I know, stood there thinking

Uh huh! “That’s right. Messiah came for US, not for THEM PEOPLE”.

Then the woman in broken humility and with broken heart said …

Mark 7:28 (ESV) Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.

and Jesus healed her daughter. Oh dear ones, Jesus came for everyone. He came for “Barbarian, Scythian, bond and free”. He came for all. He came equally for male and female:

Galatians 3:28 (KJV) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Giving Himself equally for all. He gave Himself to free us from our sins. He gave Himself to restore us to the image of God. The Bible says:

2 Corinthians 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should NOT HENCEFORTH LIVE UNTO THEMSELVES, BUT UNTO HIM WHICH DIED FOR THEM, AND ROSE AGAIN.

Jesus Christ gave Himself to us so that we could be His and so that we could be part of His Kingdom. We are citizens of His Kingdom if to us “Christ is all, and in all”. If “Christ is all and in all” then we acknowledge His rule. His salvation permeates every facet of our lives.

You are saved by believing “Christ Is All”. Once you believe in Him “Christ is in All”

1 If Christ Is All And In All Then “How We Be” Will Be Under His Rule. We are not saved by our works, but we are saved when we in our hearts declare “Christ is all”. We realize our brokenness, and cling to His wholeness.

IAn Air Force Drill Instructor stood in front of a new group of recruits. He hollered out “Who thinks he can whip me! Step out right now!” Out of the group stepped a huge young man. He was about 6′ 5” and looked like he was as wide as he was tall. The Instructor said “What’s your name, boy?” The monster said “My name’s Jimmy, and I think I can whoop anyone here”. The Instructor said “All right Jimmy, you come up here and stand next to me.” Once Jimmy got there he looked at the new recruits again and said, “All right now. Who thinks he can whip me and Jimmy?”

That instructor knew his limitations, and we should know ours.
A broken person cannot make themselves right with a perfect God.
Salvation does not come to us because of our abilities and strengths.

The Scripture says ..

Titus 3:3-7 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5 NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH WE HAVE DONE, BUT ACCORDING TO HIS MERCY HE SAVED US, BY THE WASHING OF REGENERATION, AND RENEWING OF THE HOLY GHOST; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Salvation is all of grace. Christ is all. He is all of Who saves us. It is His work on Calvary and on the basis of the empty tomb we are saved. Christ is all. But once saved Christ is in all. The proof of salvation is what is in the glass!

(Holding up an empty glass) I have some really good tea in this glass. It is some of the best I’ve ever tasted. And in a Masob Jar, which is how every Southerner should drink Southern Ice Tea. You’ve got to taste it to believe it! And the glass is full of it (well, one of us is full of it). Jerry would you taste this tea and tell me what you think? No, it is the best tea! What do you mean there’s nothing there? I tell you, it’s there. And it’s good. No? You don’t believe it? Well, neither do I. I forgot something. There’s no tea in the glass – and it shows!

If Christ is all, then Christ is in all. If you were saved by believing Christ is all, then He is in all. He is in all of you. He is not just in your Sunday, but He’s in your Monday too. He permeates you. He changes you.

I like my coffee, but I don’t usually drink it black. I can, but it’s a bit bitter to me. So I put a little cream and sugar in my coffee. When I put cream and sugar in my coffee it blends with ALL the coffee, it effects ALL the coffee. You don’t look in the cup and see half black and half with cream. It is ALL in ALL.

If Christ is all to you, then you have been saved. But JESUS has come inside. He is all in all. He’s not just with you sometimes, but He’s with you all times. He changes you. You become different. We read:

Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the ELECT of God, holy and beloved

God changes you. When Christ is all and in all then you become elect. That word “elect” means “chosen, people of purpose”. You are “chosen” of God. God chose to shine though you. Jesus said:

John 15:16,19 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. … [19] If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

Jesus is the Chosen of God, and He is all and in all of you. You are Chosen for He is chosen. You are not of the world but you are in the world. We are told in

1 Peter 2:9-10 But ye are a chosen (or elect) generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: [10] Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Christ is all and in all. He is chosen, His people are chosen. He has Kingdom purpose, His people have Kingdom purpose.

As His Chosen we are to exemplify …. meditate on these words with me …

Colossians 3:12-15 … mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long suffering [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.

Just as Father, Son, and Spirit worked together for our redemption Christ is all and in all, producing in our hearts

Mercifulness
Kindness
Humility
Meekness
Patience
Forbearance
Forgiveness
Love
Peace – oh thank God for peace in His kingdom,
that peace of God that passeth all understanding
Unity
and Thankfulness

Where Christ is all and in all these qualities will always be. And where these qualities are, God’s Kingdom is.

2 If Christ Is All And In All, Then He Will Permeate Our Worship. His Children Love His Word. We read:

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

When Christ is all and in all the Word of Christ dwells in us richly. The poorest congregations are the weakest in the Word of God. The power of the Christian life is only attained by the Word of Christ in us. The Bible says:

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

God’s Children love God’s Word. The Bible tells us that while Annas and Caiaphas were High Priests in the Temple of Jerusalem, the Word of God did not come to them. They had ceremony. They had the building. They even had the Holy of Holies, the sacrifices, and the feasts. But Annas and Caiaphas turned their hearts from God, while a simple man named John the Baptist preached in the wilderness.

Luke 3:2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

Multitudes came to hear John preach the Word of God, but few came to Annas and Caiaphas, these wolves in sheep’s clothing. Where Christ is all and in all the Word of Christ dwells richly. Behold, there is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world! Where the Word of God indwells there the Word of God works. The Church is a people filled with His Word. And because we are filled with His Word His Spirit manifests Himself. There is “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”.

Teaching His Word – not our opinions.
Admonishing or encouraging one another to shine for Him
Singing Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs

I was talking with a young man the other day about whether we should be using hymnals or praise songs, whether we should be singing our of books or looking at the powerpoint on the wall. I do not think God cares which way we worship. He just bids us to worship.

If Christ is all and in all we WILL be filled to overflowing with praise for Him

This world is not my home
I’m just a-passing through
My treasures are laid up
Somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me
From heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home
In this world anymore.
Oh Lord, you know
I have no friend like you
If heaven’s not my home
Then Lord what will I do.
The angels beckon me
From heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home
In this world anymore.

Colossians 3:16 …. singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

If Christ is all and in all the singing is to the Lord, from Whom we get our Grace. Grace, grace, glorious Grace! We sing with GRACE in our hearts to the Lord. If Chrisy is all and in all we live for Him, we love for Him, we praise Him! He is in our hearts.

Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

We are not here because we HAVE to be here. Because Christ is all our Savior and Lord, and because Christ is IN all, He is in our hands, our feet, our hearts, and our heads. And whatsoever the whosoever will does we do it for Jesus.

3 Finally, If Christ Is All And In All Then This Not Only Effects Your Church Life, It Effects Your Home And Your Work Life.

Two elderly, excited Southern women were sitting together in the front pew of church listening to a fiery preacher. When this preacher condemned the sin of stealing, these two ladies cried out at the tops of their lungs, “AMEN, BROTHER”. When the preacher condemned the the sexual sins of homosexuality and casual living together, they yelled again, “PREACH IT, REVEREND”. And when the preacher said how the Scripture condemned the sins of lying and hatred, they jumped to their feet and screamed, “RIGHT ON, BROTHER TELL IT LIKE IT IS… AMEN”. But when the preacher condemned the sin of gossip, the two got very quiet. One turned to the other and whispered, “He’s quit preaching and now he’s meddlin’.”

If Christ is all and in all, then it effects your home life. These are not my words, but God’s Words. We read:

Colossians 3:18-21 …. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. [19] Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. [20] Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. [21] Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The reason America is in disarray is because the devil has convinced our families to be dysfunctional. Shows like Modern Family celebrate this dysfunctionality. I don’t have time to beat this to death, so I’ll just say it.

God created Adam, and then Eve.
Adam was created to lead, Eve to assist Adam.
Children were to honor their parents, not run the household.
Fathers are to instruct their children, not discourage them or anger them.

What got humanity into trouble in the first place was when Eve did what Adam was suppose to be doing, and Adam meekly followed. Yet God blamed Adam and not Eve for the Fall. The Bible says “By one Man sin entered into the world, and death by sin” (Romans 5:12). Woman is not blamed because man was to be the leader in the marriage. Eve took the forbidden, gave it bto her husband who was with her, and he ate (Genesis 3:6).

• Ladies, you are to SUBMIT to the Godly leadership of your husbands. SUBMIT is not a bad word, regardless as to what feminism may say. Submission is the basis of order. Even in the Godhead there is submission.

The Father sent the Son to die for us.

God so loved the world that HE GAVE His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON

The Father said “Son, go redeem My people. Go die for My Beloved. Go suffer on that Cross for the sins of the world.” And Jesus went. Jesus submitted. Jesus follows the Head.

Our Lord Jesus said:

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

When Jesus died on that Cross and rose again, He went to sit on the right hand of God the Father. He said “Father, send the Holy Spirit for My sake to My people”. The Father said, “Spirit, Go”, and the Holy Spirit submitted. Submit is not a bad word, it is a God Word. Wives, submit to the Godly leadership of your own husbands.

• Husbands, you are to love your wives and not be bitter for them. You are to love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). If Adam had loved his Eve he would not have allowed the devil to talk to her in the first place. He would have led and not been led. He would have loved her and cherished her,

1 Peter 3:7 (KJV) …. giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

You will not be the man that God wants you to be unless you are cherishing and not crushing your wife!

• Children, you are to “obey your parents in ALL things”. You may not understand this right now, but you are children. CHILDREN. You are CHILDREN not ADULTS. And parents, quit letting your CHILDREN make all the decisions. A little discipline goes a long way. You are the PARENTS, they are the CHILDREN.
• Fathers, you are NOT to provoke your children. You are to love them, and train them. The Bible says:

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. [6] And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: [7] And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Finally we read:

Colossians 3:22-24 …. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: [23] And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; [24] Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

In the workplace, in the marketplace, where ever you are, if Christ is all and in all “you serve the Lord Christ”. One day we who are His shall see Him face to face. We shall know Him as we are known. We who love Him now will love Him then. We who are saved by Him now shall be saved of Him then.

We shall inherit all things, because Christ is all and in all.
What a glorious promise awaits the Children of God!

May Christ touch your hearts with His Word.

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.