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 Job 6:6  Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

When I first started studying my Bible over 40 years ago I thought Genesis was the oldest Book in the Bible. Now Genesis does report on the oldest events. Genesis – written by the Prophet Moses – tells us all about the Creation of the world as our God tells it. But Genesis is not the oldest Book. The oldest of the 66 Books in this Book of Books is the Book called simply “Job”. Job was written around 1500 B.C. I think it’s fitting that Job is the oldest book, because the Book of Job discussed the oldest problem that man has.

The problem of suffering.

People in America today view God as entirely a God of love. They quote Scripture like:

1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for GOD IS LOVE.

Now that is absolutely true. God is love – but God is also HOLY and JUST and POWERFUL. God is God. If people view God as ONLY love then that causes a problem. The problem is this:

If God is LOVE then why does a loving God allow SUFFERING?

When you study the Book of Job you find something out. God is NOT only love. In fact, God not only allows suffering – but sometimes He DIRECTS it.

1 Job Loved God Before All Things. The Book of Job begins with a man named Job. Now Job was a wealthy man, with a prosperous family. Job was proof of what Jesus said – you remember Jesus don’t you? Jesus said:

Matthew 6:32-33 (ESV) For {unbelievers} 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.

Christian Philosopher C.S. Lewis put it this way, saying:

“Aim at Heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither”.

Job aimed at Heaven. He sought the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and God covered him up with blessings. Job had everything – and more besides. Yet the Bible says of Job:

Job 1:1 …. that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and {turned away from} evil.

Job loved God and hated evil. God loved Job and hated evil. And then one day the greatest Evil of all entered into the Presence of God. That Evil was the Devil. The Devil loves to slither in anytime things are going well.

• Noah builds an Ark to save the world – then gets nekkid drunk (I meant to spell it and say it that way) on his vineyard right after they make landfall.

• Moses leads Israel for forty years through the wilderness, then the Devil leads him to lose his temper making him die with the unbelievers on the wrong side of the Jordan.

• King David is defeating enemy after enemy in the power of God, then the Devil encourages him to “number his troops” taking the glory of God to himself.

• Jesus chooses 12 Apostles – but one Judas Iscariot is a Devil

I could go on and on.

Anytime there is good, there is evil.

Anytime we start making progress the Devil gets hold of somebody and makes a mess.

Job is doing wonderful things for God. He loves the Lord. The Devil comes into the Presence of God.

Job 1:7  And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

The Devil is not sleeping nor is he retreating. He keeps moving forward. He walks up and down “like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may DEVOUR” (1 Peter 5:8). He is never at rest. A fallen Arch Angel, he does not weary of sowing evil and darkness. He looks for and finds the worst in man in the best of places, whether it be Congress or the Church, the White House or the Crack House. The Devil seeks and as Johnny Appleseed sowed apple trees the Evil One sows bad trees.

Job 1:8  And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

God starts “bragging” on Job. Oh that we would all live lives that God would brag on us! We get God’s attention for the good when we love Him and obey Him. Job loved God and hated evil. Satan, look at Job! See Him! But then Job challenges God.

“Of course he follows You. You made a hedge about him. You blessed his works.”

“Put forth Your hand and curse him and he will curse you.”

Now here we learn something about pain. God does not touch His child to curse him, but ALLOWS Satan to do so. God said:

Job 1:12  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

Satan could touch Job’s STUFF but not Job’s SELF. He could take away all of his things, but not physically hurt Job. Job lost it all in one day. What happened next? Did he curse God? No, for Job loved God. The Bible says:

Job 1:20-21  Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,  [21]  And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Job did not love God to get stuff. Job loved God IN SPITE of the stuff. The stuff didn’t define Job – GOD defined Job.

But it gets worst. In round 2 the Devil comes back to God and, since Job did not falter, the Devil decided to (as Chef Emeril Lagasse says) “Take it up a notch”. Job did not falter, so the Devil tells the Lord:

Job 2:5  But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and HE WILL CURSE THEE TO THY FACE.

The Lord allows the Devil to bring disease on Job but says “do not take his life”.

Job didn’t deserve this – but deserve has nothing to do with it.

God is God and God can do what He will with what He has created.

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

Psalm 100:3 (ESV) Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Romans 14:8 (ESV) For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

It is the height of arrogance and sin to believe that we have “rights” before God. God is our right. God owns us – not we ourselves. And He can do what He wants with what He owns.

God allowed Satan to bring disease on Job. How did Job react? His shrew of a wife told him “Curse God and die”. Job replied:

Job 2:10  But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? IN ALL THIS DID NOT JOB SIN WITH HIS LIPS.

2 What The Devil Could Not Do, Job’s “Friends” Did.

 It is interesting that “Satan” (שָׂטָן satan, “Accuser”) is mentioned fourteen times (14) in the Book of Job – but only in the first two chapters.

Lucifer’s name – “Satan” – means “Accuser Of The Brethren”

In Revelation 12:10 we learn that Satan “is the accuser of our brothers and sisters in Christ, accusing them before God day and night”.

Christ Jesus makes intercession for us.
The Holy Spirit makes prays for us.
Satan on the other hand ACCUSES us before God DAY AND NIGHT.

Job is in horrible suffering, a suffering he did not deserve. Satan has afflicted him. And Job cries out under the suffering. He says:

Job 3:3-4  Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.  [4]  Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

a Now It Is Quite Normal To Cry Out When Suffering, When In Pain, When In Loss. King David was a man after God’s own heart (see Acts 13:22), someone of whom God said he is the Apple of My eye (Psalm 17:8). Yet even David cried out in times of suffering:

Psalm 13:1-2 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

When we suffer there are times when – as the suffering seems overwhelming – that we may even wish we had never been born. We cry when we hurt. God understands this. God the Son came to this earth specifically to suffer for us. The Bible says that:

1 Peter 3:18 (ESV) For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit,

Jesus suffered. Jesus suffered in Gethsemane, KNOWING that He came to die for us. Knowing it! He prayed:

John 12:27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

Jesus knew why He was on the earth.
He knew why He had to suffer.
He knew why He had to be whipped.
He knew why He had to be beaten.
He knew why He had to be shamed.
He knew why He had to be nailed to that tree of Calvary.
He knew why He had to thirst.
He knew why He had to be abandoned.
He knew why He had to die between two thieves.
He knew why He was forsaken.
He knew why He cried “Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabathani”
– My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me.
He knew.

And the Bible says that …

Hebrews 5:8 (NASB) Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

But Job didn’t know why he was suffering – and neither did Job’s friends.

Jesus knowingly suffered and cried out in the midst of His suffering in the midst of unloving accusers. Job unknowingly suffered and cried out in the midst of His suffering in the midst of unloving “friends”. Rather than comfort Job and direct his gaze Godward – to the Source of Loving Mercy – his friends begin to accuse him.

As Dr. John Piper wrote:

“Job cannot see any reason now for why he should have ever been given life or why his life should be preserved if there is going to be so much misery. And so he protests that the day of his birth should never have been. And of course this is a protest against God, because, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away” (1:21).”

b It Is NOT NORMAL To Add To Someone’s Suffering By Being “Satan”. We who have experienced the mercy of God’s salvation should be encouraging and pointing those in pain to the Lord Who loves them. We should not be adding to their pain.

 I remember back in 1983 when my left leg was crushed in a motorcycle accident. As I lay in the hospital room struggling against the pain – struggling to breath – my Commander and my Supervisor came to visit. As soon as the Commander started talking he began to chew me out. “Didn’t I tell you motorcycles were dangerous? Why didn’t you listen to me?” He went on for about a minute when my Supervisor – a GS 20 something named Mr Greenhill – stepped forward. He grabbed my Commander’s shoulder, pulled him back, and said “Stop that! He doesn’t need this right now!”

And I didn’t.

His presence did not help my situation. He hurt me more by rebuking me, much more than the leg itself hurt. As I lay in the bed bewildered by my accident:

I had followed all the rules.
I was going the speed limit.
I was properly equipped.
I was an exemplary airman, decorated many times.
I was a Christ follower who loved the Lord.
I didn’t feel that is “deserved” any of what I was going through.
And I certainly didn’t deserve a “dressing down” in the midst of my suffering.
I needed love and mercy.
I needed someone to redirect my eyes upward, to remind me that God loved me.
And that God is in control even in the midst of the suffering.

Rather than minister to Job his friends begin to condemn him. HE must be the problem. His suffering must be because HE was not a good servant of the Lord. One friend said:

Job 4:7-8  Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?  [8]  Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

The implication is “Job, you are getting your just desert. The innocent do not perish”. Is that true?

WAS JESUS INNOCENT? Did He not PERISH on that Cross?

The innocent do suffer. Babies die because bad parents shake them. Drunkards drive cars and kill law abiding citizens. Landfills are full of little arms and legs, ripped from a selfish mothers womb. The innocent suffer, and Job is innocent. Job cries out in his suffering:

Job 6:4-5  For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.  [5]  Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?

Job knows his heart. He knows that he is in a right state with God. He knows that he has tried to honor God. And yet God’s arrows are striking him. And Job doesn’t know why.

He needs friends to lift him up to the Lord in the midst of this suffering. But all his friends do is either sit silently, or else accuse Job of doing something to cause this horrible state. Every week I publish a prayer list with addresses and phone numbers. Are you encouraging the suffering?

The Bible tells us that God’s people – His Church – are to be in harmony and love, so much so that …

1 Corinthians 12:25-26 …. the members should have the same care one for another.  [26]  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

We are called to love those suffering, not to take the part of Satan in accusing. We are to – even in the midst of suffering – to remember that …

1 Corinthians 12:27  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

3 What Is The Proper Response To Suffering? How Do We Minister To The Suffering? As Job suffers and his friends find fault he tells them:

Job 6:6  Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

I love that statement! Job speaks of the “tasteless white of an egg” and refuses to hear his “friends”. Think about this, an egg has three parts – the shell, the white, and the yolk. What gives the egg flavor is the YOLK, the part that is in the center. You can cook with the white of the egg, but generally you have to add something to it to make it more edible (salt, sugar, something).

It is the YOLK in the middle that gives flavor, the BROKEN YOLK that flavors the whole.

When someone is suffering they do not need our …

They need the Center of the Egg broken, infused through the yolk.
WE NEED TO BE BROKEN WITH THEM, TO POINT TO CHRIST.
They need Jesus Christ Who died for them.
They need to know the love of God, and know that He has not abandoned them.
They need Jesus.
They need you to be Jesus to them.

Adrian Rogers said:

“As a young boy in Florida, I loved to collect coconuts and sell them. One day while up a tree, I was using my right hand to disconnect a coconut when the palm frond let go. I fell on the grass, but my left arm fell on the sidewalk. It was a bad situation. My brother was there, and he saw what happened to me. As I was lying there, having fallen, what did I need? Well, I didn’t need a lecture. I didn’t need my brother to go around to the community and say, “Did you hear about Adrian?” I didn’t need for him to come along and shoot me to put me out of my misery. What I needed was restoration.”

Those who are suffering need to love of God. They need our love and support. They need Jesus! May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Colossians 1:9-18 (KJV) For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

How many of you have a “Stuff Drawer”? I have several. This is a drawer filled with “stuff I thought I needed” at one time, “stuff” I paid money for, “stuff” I just had to have, but now it’s in a drawer occupying space. Let’s see what I’ve got. I’ve got a fire alarm that worked too good. It went off every time Sherry cooked, so one day I went off and threw it across the room. Don’t want to throw it away, though. It cost about $10. I’ve got a wireless mouse that doesn’t work anymore, but since I paid $20 for it I keep it just in case I ever need it. I’ve got an ink refill kit that doesn’t work, though it did reduce my wallet about $5. I’ve got refills for a pen I’ve long since lost but I keep it just in case I ever find the pen. I’ve got a holster for a knife that I broke but – who knows – I may find another knife just like that again. I’ve got a money clip with no money, a note card holder, a passover guide from a Rabbi (not a rabbit, a Rabbi), cards my wife has given me, and a thumb drive or ten. If you looked at all the “stuff” in my “stuff drawers” it would probably be several hundred dollars of junk I ought to just toss out. But I hold on to it because and just in case. And before you judge me, I know that many of you have – like I do – “stuff closets” filled with clothes that you keep just in case a miracle happens and you go back to the size you were when you were 18 years old. Some of you have “stuff garages” filled with anything but your cars. At our Church we have a “stuff building” where things magically appear from week to week. Please, quit bringing us your stuff!

In America we are “stuff” and “thing” oriented. We love our things. Our economy is staggering because we place such a high value on things.

I have people call me on their cell phones – fancy cell phones – who cannot pay their utility bill but they have cable television, wifi, and wireless phones. Credit card debit is at it’s highest because we like our things. To many people things are gods. The other day I saw a truck with a four wheeler in it’s bed – and the four wheeler took up every bit of space there was. I asked my wife Sherry “Why do you think he has that?” and Sherry, ever generous, said “deer hunters use them”. My next question was “If he killed a deer, where would he put it? Sitting up in the cab next to him?” We are stuff oriented.

Listen Beloved – THINGS cannot make us HAPPY. They may bring temporal pleasure, but tomorrow many of those THINGS will be in the “stuff drawer”, taking up space (and money) and forgotten.

1 Things Are Temporary, But Jesus Is Before All Things. We are told:

Colossians 1:17 And he – CHRIST – is before all things …

The Greek text is καί αὐτός ἐστί πρό πᾶς which is He IS before ALL. Jesus Christ is before all. He should be before all in the life of every person.

He is preeminent.
He is in control of.
Christ rules!

We have VICTORY IN Jesus – not in spite of Jesus!

“Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory Of THE COMING Of The Lord”

“There Is Power, Power, Wonder Working Power In The Blood Of The Lamb!”

“Onward Christian Soldiers, Marching As To War.
With The Cross Of Jesus, Going On Before”

“Sing The Wondrous Love Of Jesus, Sing His Mercy And His Grace!”

a Jesus Christ Is BEFORE Death, Much Greater Than Death. He Conquered The Grave! The Bible tells us in …

1 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV) …. Christ OUR PASSOVER is sacrificed for us:

I could preach a whole sermon on just this verse.

Why is Christ “our Passover”?

The explanation goes all the way back to the Old Testament. Israel was in Egypt, a godless nation that enslaved the people of God. The Lord heard the cry of His people so He raised up a man named Moses to lead His people. Moses went to the King of Egypt and – under God’s direction – demanded that he “Let My people go that they may serve Me in the wilderness” (Exodus 7:16). The King of Egypt refused to let the people of God go. Finally Moses warned that the death angel was coming this very night. The death angel would come and, where he did NOT see the Blood of the Lamb he would enter that house and death would reign! God told His people to sacrifice a Lamb without spot or blemish, and to take the Blood of that Lamb and put it on the door posts of the house. God said:

Exodus 12:13 … the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

“When I see the Blood. When I see the Blood. When I see the Blood.
I will pass, I will PASSOVER You!”

It happened just as God said. When those who believed took the Blood of the Lamb and put it on the doorposts of their homes the death angels passed by. Why? Because God promised. But God was also showing something in the Old Testament that He would make visible in the New Testament. God sent His Son to this earth. Jesus was not just another man, not just another prophet. No! The Bible tells us that:

God was showing us His Love in the Exodus. He showed His Love by the slain Lamb. He showed His love by BEING the Lamb. Jesus Christ IS God revealed. He IS Sacrificed For Us. He died and in so doing defeated death!

Colossians 1:15 {Jesus} is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

He is God the Son. He is God Himself, God in the flesh. He is the only Begotten of God, born to this earth for one reason – He came to be preeminent over death. Jesus Christ is what the Passover Lamb of the Old Testament represented. Jesus Christ is the “Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). He died because our forefather Adam brought death into this world by his sin. Jesus died on Calvary to pay for your sins and for mine. He is the One of Whom John said:

John 1:36 BEHOLD THE Lamb of God!

He is the Lamb of God …..

…loved of the Father before the foundation of the world (John 17:24)
… Chosen of God to die for us before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20)

The Wages of Sin is death – and every person is due a payday!

We are all sinners, lost and undone without Christ. We are all worthy of death. We are all born into this world self centered and sin oriented. From the cradle to the grave we are – if without Christ – me oriented, godless, prone to evil and death.

But Jesus Christ came to this earth to make a way in His flesh for us. He lived a perfect life, a sinless life, a life that only God could have lived. Then when the time was right:

Romans 5:8 God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 …. we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Jesus died so that we do not have to die. Jesus Christ tasted death

Hebrews 2:9-10 But we see Jesus, who was MADE A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS FOR THE SUFFERING OF DEATH, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Jesus tasted death so that we would not have to taste death. Dying on Calvary, He rose again on the third day. Living today He promises those who look to Him that:

John 3:15 Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 11:26 Whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die!

b Jesus Christ Is BEFORE Satan And The World. He REDEEMS Us From Sin And Empowers Us To Be Sons Of God.

Colossians 1:14 In whom (Christ) we have REDEMPTION through his Blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

When Adam sinned, Satan took over the human spirit. We were sold into sin.

What you DO shows WHOSE you are.
The throne you follow is the Kingdom you are in.

When Christ went to Calvary He did something that not one of us could do. He purchased us with His Blood. Those who believe on Him are Redeemed from sin. When the virgin Mary was with Child of God the Angel told Joseph:

Matthew 1:21 … she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people FROM their sins ..

People say “I can be saved IN my sins”. HOGWASH. If I were late to Church today – coming to the pulpit 10 minutes late – and Jerry asked me later “Why were you late”. I respond, “Well on the way to Church I had a flat tire. When I was changing it a lug nut rolled out into the highway. I went out and picked it up and looked! There was an 18 wheeler bearing down on me! All 18 wheels ran me over. That’s what made me late to Church.” If I said that Jerry would look at me like I was crazy. He wouldn’t call me a liar – but I would be a liar. Everyone knows you cannot have a confrontation with an 18 wheeler and not be changed. And Beloved, you cannot have a confrontation with the Infinite and Almighty God of all creation and not be changed. It doesn’t happen. You lie if you say it did and you did not change.

Jesus died on that Cross to save us from our sins.
Sin is not a trifle.
Sin is awful.
Sin is an awful offense against a Law Filled God.

The Bible says that God cannot look upon sin, and that is bad news to people who sin. Yet the Bible tells us that:

Ephesians 1:6-7 (KJV) {The Father} hath made us accepted in the Beloved. 7 In Whom (Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Oh the JOY of being REDEEMED from the WRATH of God.
Oh the PEACE of knowing I am RECONCILED to God!

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 (KJV) And all things are of God, who hath RECONCILED us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.

We have been redeemed from the slave market of sin to the Kingdom of the Savior. We are not members of the Kingdom of Darkness, the Kingdom of Sin, the Kingdom of Satan, but we are purchased, prized possessions of the Kingdom of Light!

Hebrews 9:11-15 (KJV)11 But Christ … 12 … but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of His people. For those who look unto Him, they shall be saved, all the ends of the earth (Isaiah 45:22). His Blood purchased us from Satan. His Blood purchased us so that His Spirit can indwell us.

2 Jesus Christ’s Kingdom Is BEFORE All Other Kingdoms. Our God REIGNS!

Colossians 1:13 {God} hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

The problem with America is that we have too many gods.

We come to Church and witness one God. And if the Preacher goes too long we get irritated because he’s keeping us away from the buffet god. We skip Church so we can watch the football god. We ignore evening services because we have family visiting and our children are gods to us. We don’t tithe because money is tight, and we would rather go out and satisfy our belly god rather than give the Lord our 10%. Besides, we need that second fishing boat and four wheeler so we can worship the recreation god on the True God’s Day.

God’s Children belong to God’s KINGDOM. This means that HE is to be greater to us than ANYTHING or ANYONE.

We are a DELIVERED people, those of us who love Jesus. We are DELIVERED from the power of darkness, and are TRANSLATED into the kingdom of Christ. The word translated TRANSLATED is the Greek μεθίστημι (methístēmi, pronounced meth-is’-tay-mee) means “to transfer or carry away”.

You who are His should be “carried away” by God.
Let’s get “carried away”.
Let’s praise Him. Let’s live for Him. Let’s let Him occupy the Throne.

Jesus Christ is before all things. Those who stand with Him will still be standing after all things are gone. Stay the course. Stand with Him. Follow His Rule!

a Let Christ CARRY Your Needs And CARRY AWAY Your Worries. When I was a child I never doubted that – when I sat down to the table – there would be food on it. There might be things I didn’t want to eat (like liver, spinach, greens), but I knew I would not go away hungry. If our parents – imperfect as they were – cared for us will not Jesus Who is perfect take care of His Children. Christ is ALL! He said

Matthew 6:25-33 (KJV) I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU.

If you are God’s Child then God gave the MOST for you at the Cross. Will He not care for you now? Dying for your sins, will He not now risen make provision for your sustenance? Seek ye first the Kingdom of God AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS and all these things shall be added unto you. Even Israel murmuring and complaining in the desert did not starve, for God provided Manna and Doves, Water and Shade. Their clothing nor shoes never wore out though their bodies did, as all bodies will. A little poem called Overheard In An Orchard by Elizabeth Cheney says:

Said the robin to the sparrow,
“I would really like to know
Why those anxious human beings
rush around and worry so.”
Said the sparrow to the robin,
“Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
such as cares for you and me.”

b Let The Church Be CARRIED AWAY By Christ And His Spirit.

Let us Covenant Together to love the Lord and His Word – not just HERE but also THERE. Israel lost all things when they placed things first and Christ last.

Christ is never to be last place. He is never to be “next”.

Solomon the richest and wisest man in the world – at one point put Christ last. That which had been pleasure to him became terrible. Solomon said “I hated life …. all is vanity and vexation of spirit … I hated all my labor that I had taken under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:17-18). Why?

Because Solomon tried living his life without putting Christ FIRST.

Christ is the salt on your food.
Christ is the sun on the green leaves.
Christ is the whispering wind on a hot July day.
Christ is the joy that cannot be destroyed.

Colossians 1:16-18 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And HE IS THE HEAD OF THE BODY, THE CHURCH: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Jesus Christ is the Head of His Church, and we as His Church are of His Kingdom. Follow Him.

c Let Your Souls Be CARRIED AWAY From Hell To Heaven By The Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot gain Heaven by your good words or your good works. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of the Only Begotten Son. Salvation is available to all …. have you made yourself available to Christ? Christ is all. May God touch your hearts with His Word!

Exodus 17:14-16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. [15] And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: [16] For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

The word “Jehovahnissi” in the King James is the Hebrew יְהֹוָה נִסִּי Yĕhovah nicciy which translated literally means “The LORD Is My Banner”. Think about that word “Banner”. When we think of “Banners” I often think of Jerry Bridenbaugh. When we have special events like Memorial Day or the Fall Blood Drive for the Cure Jerry and his helpers hang banners all over the Church. I always like it because it seems to enhance the services. I’ve been in Church services where colorful banners are displayed representing the glory of our Lord and His Grace. When we think of banners we think of promotion or decoration.

Banners were not originally designed to decorative. Banners were used in ancient times to designate the loyalties of an armed force. Banners flew over troops as they marched into battle. They identified who was who on the battlefield, just as uniforms do so today. When someone asked “Whose Army is that?” the question was answered by the banners that were displayed.

Ken Hemphill wrote in his book The Names of God:

“A banner in ancient times was not always a flag as we think of a banner today. Often it was a bare staff with a shiny metal ornament that would glisten in the sun. In fact, the word translated banner means “to glisten”.

1 A Banner Represents A Larger Thing. When you see a banner flying over an Army of people the banner represents something greater. The United States Flag when flying does not represent just some cloth and colors, it represents a people and a Constitution. It represents this nation. Israel had a banner that they were supposed to look to as they moved and marched. Their banner was a staff held in the hand of Moses, but that staff represented so much more than just a piece of wood.

That staff represented the God Who saved Israel from slavery.

Israel had been in bondage in Egypt for over 430 years (see Exodus 12:41). What ended Israel’s bondage? God ended Israel’s bondage! God raised up a man named Moses and told him to represent YAHWEH before both Pharaoh as well as Israel. When God spoke to Moses at the burning bush in Midian the Lord told Moses:

Exodus 3:7-10 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry … I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land … flowing with milk and honey… I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Moses told God “They will not believe that You have sent me.” God told Moses “What is that in your hand” to which he replied “a rod”. This “rod” would become the “rod of God”, the Banner of Israel as they followed Moses. The rod itself was just a staff – shepherd’s tool for guiding sheep.

God made this the banner of Israel, representing the greater truth that God is with His people. Before God blessed Moses staff it was just a stick. Once God blessed that staff it became the “Rod of God”.

When Moses went to do as God told him to do the Bible says:

Exodus 4:20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

That “rod” stayed in Moses’ hand when he led Israel from Egypt. When Israel got to the Red Sea the Lord told Moses:

Exodus 14:16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

There was no magic in the banner. The banner represented God, and lifting that banner up over the sea in obedience to God is an act of faith not in the rod but in God. God watches over His people. God loves those whom He saves, and provides for their needs. After Israel watched God destroy the armies of the enemy in the Red Sea the people sang and rejoiced, not to the Banner but to the Lord that the Banner represented.

Exodus 15:1-11 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. [2] The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him. [3] The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. [4] Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. [5] The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. [6] Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. [7] And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. [8] And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. [9] The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. [10] Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. [11] Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

It was a wonderful day! God’s people praised their Savior. But when they got to Marah and found the waters bitter there, the children of God began to complain rather than praise the Lord. The bitter waters of Marah showed the weak and bitter faith of the children of God. The Lord gave them water, and warned them that ….

Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, … I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

To be blessed God’s people must keep sin out of the camp.

2 Sin Inside AND Outside The Camp Troubles And Can Defeat The People Of God. As Israel moved from place to place sin nibbled on them both inside as well as outside the camp.

a Sin INSIDE The Camp Is Represented By The Murmuring And Complaining Of The Israelites. As Israel traveled they did not march to the tune of a band, but grumbled and complained as they went. A grumbling and complaining heart is representative of spiritual immaturity.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Grumbling and complaining is NOT a fruit of the Spirit

The Bible tells us that when things are NOT going our way, we should not grumble but look to the Banner of Yahweh.

Philippians 2:14–15 (ESV) Do ALL THINGS WITHOUT grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Grumbling and complaining causes us to get our eyes off of God, and dims our lights. God is in control of all things. He saved us from slavery to sin and death just as He saved Israel from Egypt. God loves us, and will provide our needs in due season. We are called to:

1 Peter 4:9 (ESV) Show hospitality to one another WITHOUT GRUMBLING.

To lift one another up. To encourage one another in the Lord. After all, He saved us TOGETHER. Israel did not do this. Israel did not understand the words of our Lord that “it is better to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). The Bible says:

Exodus 16:2-3 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: [3] And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

The Israelites targeted Moses, but their complaint was not against Moses but against God. It was God that led them through the Red Sea. It was God who gave them fresh water at Marah. It is God leading Israel. Moses is merely the Banner Bearer. God leads His people. God heard their words, and immediately told Moses:

Exodus 16:4-5 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. [5] And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

God would feed Manna – Bread from Heaven – to His people. His people were to gather just enough for each day, and enough on the day before the Sabbath to last through the Sabbath. Moses told the people “God hears your murmuring, and your murmuring is against God”.

God hears your murmuring, and your murmuring is against God.
God hears your murmuring, and your murmuring is against God.
God hears our murmuring, and our murmuring is against God.
God hears our murmuring, and our murmuring is against God.
God hears our murmuring, and our murmuring is against God.

Then God said:

Exodus 16:12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.

God fed Israel quail in the evening, and bread in the morning. And for forty years God provided Manna to His people – provisions until the day that they entered the Promised Land. God cares for His people. God cares for you!

Yet Israel would not hear. Listen Beloved, it is possible to be saved, to be blessed with Eternal Life by Jesus Christ, and yet still live a miserable life. Israel is proof of that.

Israel used their lips not for prayer and praise, but for complaint and cursing. They would not get under the Banner of YAHWEH but stayed under the banner of Egyptian idolatry and greed. God will not bless sin in the camp!

When Israel got to Rephidem they once more murmured against Moses and against God. God told Moses:

Exodus 17:5-6 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. [6] Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

This time the Elders or Leaders of the people saw the Banner of God strike the Rock. When it struck the Sea the Children of Israel were saved while the sinners of Egypt sank. Now it strikes the Rock and water comes out – living water – the Water of Life. What was this Rock? What did this Rock represent? We are told in the New Testament:

1 Corinthians 10:4 … (Israel) drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

When Moses took the Rod of God, the Banner of Israel, and struck that Rock the Banner represented YAHWEH the Father. The Rock represented YAHWEH the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The Father sent the Son to die for our sins.

2 Corinthians 5:15 (Jesus) died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

1 Thessalonians 5:10 (ESV) (Jesus) died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

1 Peter 2:24 (NASB) .. and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

Jesus Christ is the Living Water of God. When you repent of sin and come unto God by Him He satisfies your thirst, blesses your life, brings you into the Family of God. Jesus promises to care for His people. Sin in the camp kept Israel from enjoying all that salvation had to offer. Sin in the camp kept them from experiencing the utter JOY OF SALVATION.

Psalms 60:4 Thou (O Lord) hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.

Song of Solomon 2:4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

Oh how He loves us! Let us forsake sin and cling to Him in love!

b Sin OUTSIDE The Camp Is Represented By The Amalekites. There was a group of people who followed after Israel as they moved. Like wolves around a flock of sheep these people picked off the stragglers. These were the Amalekites – and the Amalekites represent the sin filled world. God said of Amalek …

Deuteronomy 25:17-18 Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; [18] How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.

Amalek and his people had no fear of God. They attacked God’s Israel, and attack God’s Church today. Who was Amalek? He was the grandson of Esau, the elder brother of Jacob who would become Israel. Esau was greedy, self focused, and had no love of God. He sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil soup. He thought he could renege on his promise, but Jacob through deceit still received the birthright.

And Esau hated him for it.

Esau’s children and grandchildren came to hate Israel, and none hated Israel as badly as Esau’s grandson Amalek and his descendants. Right after God fed His Israel water from the Rock the Bible tells us that:

Exodus 17:8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

Would Israel learn the lesson of Massah Meribah? Or would Israel continue in disobedience and be destroyed by the forces of Amalek?

Exodus 17:9-10 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. [10] So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

Moses is standing on the hill above this great battle. What is Moses’ job? He is to hold the Banner of God – the Rod of God – high above the crowd. Israel is God’s Army, just as the Church is God’s people.

Zechariah 4:6-7 … Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. 7 Who art thou, O great mountain?

It is not Moses that will win the battle. It is not the Rod of God that will magically win the battle. It is not the people of God that will win the battle. It is the people of God trusting in Jehovah Nissi – God Our Banner – that will win the battle.

Exodus 17:11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

When Moses held up his hand – with the Rod of God in it – Israel prevailed. When God’s people hold up the Cross of Christ and the Word of God we cannot be defeated. The Lord our Banner will rule and reign. But when Moses let down his hand, Amalek – the world – prevailed. Because the Church has so compromised the Word of God and the Gospel message the world seems to be winning. Jesus said:

Matthew 18:20 (ESV) For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

No one person can do it alone. The Banner of God requires that we together lift Him up. The Banner of God requires that we together look to Him.

Exodus 17:12-13 But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. [13] And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Amalek was defeated because God’s people rallied under the Lord our Banner. The world will always be defeated when God’s people follow the Lord.

3 What Banner Are You Flying Over Your Life? Why Not Try Yahweh Nissi?

Bubba had problems, so he decided to visit a psychiatrist. He told the doctor, “I’ve got problems. Every time I go to bed I think there’s somebody under it. I get scared. I’ve tried everything. I take a flashlight to bed with me and when I panic, I shine the light under the bed and look. Nobody’s there! When I go back to bed and close my eyes, it starts all over again! I think I’m going crazy.” The psychiatrist said, “Just put yourself in my hands for one year. Come talk to me three times a week, and we should be able to get rid of those fears.” Bubba asked “How much do you charge?” The Doctor said “Eighty dollars per visit.” Bubba thought a while and said, “I’ll think about it.” Six months later the psychiatrist saw Bubba in town and asked him, “Why didn’t you ever come to see me about those fears you were having?” Bubba said “Well eighty bucks a visit three times a week for a year is an awful lot of money! So, I shared the problem with my barber, and he cured me for $10.” The perplexed psychiatrist said, “Is that so! How did your barber cure you?” Bubba smiled and said, “He told me to cut the legs off of the bed. Ain’t nobody there anymore!”

If your life is falling apart the solution is not that difficult. Cast sin out of your life as soon as you see it. Do as God says. Live your life with Him and for Him. Read His Word. Seek His face. And gather together with your fellow Christians at least weekly.

May God touch your hearts with His Word!

Ephesians 4:14-16 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; [15] But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: [16] From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

We live in a loveless and often disrespectful world.

I was reading an article the other day entitled “What Jesus Said About Homosexuality”. It was a well written article by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr. He’s got an alphabet soup of letters following his name showing the man is well educated and has been an Associate Professor of Ministry and Biblical Studies at Heritage Christian University. As I read the article it seemed very well balanced. Here’s a quote:

“ … the claim is still made: “Jesus never spoke about homosexuality.” While the Lord never directly addressed homosexuality, his statements about marriage clearly rule out homosexuality. When asked about marriage, the Lord said, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:4-6). … Did Jesus ever say anything about homosexuality? Maybe not directly, but his statements concerning marriage unmistakably prohibit same-sex relationships.”

That’s very clear. It’s very truthful. Furthermore, it’s very Biblical. And yet as I read the “reader’s comments” following the article I noticed several comments that attacked the author. One such comment was:

“How can anyone who pretends to be so religious, or christian^sic, or whatever other label you place on yourself, be filled with such hate?”

The way that people attack truth today is to call truth hate. As a Christian I believe the Bible to be the Word of God, and it’s teachings to be “truth”. It is no surprise to me that our Lord Jesus describes marriage as between one man and one woman – after all, He is the God Who created all things:

Colossians 1:16 (ESV) For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

So if this is true, what should I do and how should I respond when any expression of Biblical Truth is labeled hate by a lost and dying person? I must nevertheless speak the truth in love.

1 What Is “Truth”? If we are to be “speaking THE TRUTH in love” then we need to know what truth is. When our Lord Jesus Christ stood before Pilate – accused of treason – Pilate asked Jesus “Are you a King?” Our Lord replied:

John 18:37a… THOU sayest that I am a king.

“YOU say I am a King – I’ve not declared this just yet.”

There will be a day when Jesus Christ is revealed as “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:16). Jesus Christ IS King of Kings and Lord of Lords. To Him “every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father” (Romans 14:11). But Jesus did not come the first time to be the King. People tried to make Him a King, but He refused. Jesus said …

John 18:37b …. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

Jesus Christ came to “bear witness to the Truth”. Jesus told His disciples:

John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; [32] And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Jesus bears witness to the truth. Jesus calls a people to Himself that will hear the truth. Jesus frees people by their hearingand doing of the truth. What is the Truth? The Truth is the Word of God. The Truth is what God says is True in His Word!

People today think that “truth” is what feels good or what we think. God says NO! Truth is His Word. The Bible declares “Let God be true, and every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).

My wife and I love to hike, to walk through the woods and enjoy nature. We haven’t done much of this lately because it is so hot ….. darn this global warming (yes, I am being sarcastic). We usually follow the well worn paths and the posted signs in the natural parks where we hike, but sometimes we go off the path. When we do that I do not just use my judgment! Before we go off path I take out my compass and see which direction I am going. If I leave the path going NORTH I know that to return to the path (and safety) I need to go SOUTH on my exit. The compass insures that I do not get dangerous lost. Now there are times when I think that this way or that way is the right way, but when I look at the compass I realize I am terribly mistaken. My focus is on the compass. The compass tells me true. Not what I feel, but what is true.

The Bible is the compass of the Christian and of the Church.

We are told in

Ephesians 4:11-12 And he (God) gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; [12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

God gave to His people – to His Church – Apostles and Prophets. These are individuals that God spoke His Word through. The Prophets spoke God’s Prophetic Word. The Apostles spoke and recorded God’s Revealed Word. The Scripture says that the Church of Christ is built …

Ephesians 2:20-21 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; [21] In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord:

The writings of the Apostles and the Prophets – collected and presented to you in this Holy Book – are the foundation of the Church. A “foundation” is what something is built on. The Church is built on – not FEELINGS – not OPINIONS – but on the Word of God. The Word of God is from God. The Scripture confidently declares:

2 Peter 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. [21] For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

God inspired men in both Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament was written by Prophets, men moved by God who looked forward to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The New Testament was written by men that Jesus Christ, the Revealer of Truth, hand picked to be His Apostles. Apostles and Prophets wrote Scripture. Then God gave His Church Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers who do not INVENT the Truth but who DECLARE the truth that is written. Evangelists focus on the Truth of Salvation. Pastors and Teachers on sharing the Truth of God’s Word with His Beloved Church.

Truth does not come from us, but from God’s Word.
Truth is not devised by us, but by God’s Word.

Psalm 33:4 (NIV) For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.

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

The Bible, the Word of God, is True and Right and Pure.

a It Is The Word Of God In The Heart That SAVES The Soul. The Word of God informs us that we are sinners in need of a Savior. The Word of God tells us that Christ is the Only Savior (John 14:6).

Acts 4:12 There is NONE OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN UNTO MEN whereby we might be saved.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the GOSPEL OF CHRIST, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

James 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted Word (of God), which is ABLE TO SAVE YOUR SOULS.”

Psalms 19:7 The LAW OF THE LORD IS PERFECT, CONVERTING THE SOUL; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;”

The Word of God must be spoken in love to those who are without, lost and strangers to God. They must hear that God loves them. They must hear that Heaven is not the default destination of every soul. They must hear that salvation comes only by hearing God’s Written Word, and by believing on God’s Living Word. They must be told – speaking the truth in love – that

John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. [18] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

b It Is The Word Of God That SANCTIFIES The Soul. Jesus prayed to the Father …

John 17:17 (KJV) SANCTIFY them (the Church) through Thy Truth: Thy WORD (O Father) is Truth.

A Christian does not grow spiritually unless the Word of God is in his HEART and HAND. The Bible declares without apology:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

You cannot do the deeper things of God until you do the simpler things. You cannot be “perfect” or “mature” as a believer until you hear, understand, and DO the Word of God. You cannot “speak the truth in love” if you do not KNOW the truth. The Holy Spirit of God is promised to every believer. Why? The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is the SEAL of salvation.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (ESV) And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and Who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

But the Bible also tells us that Christ gave us His Spirit to guide us in the Truth, the Word of God. Jesus said:

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

The Word of God is the Truth of God. The Holy Spirit is in you (if you are saved) to guide you in the Truth of God’s Word. If you’re not IN God’s Word you are wasting the resources of the Spirit.

Let me give you an example. When Sherry and I and our kids were stationed overseas in England we wanted to go to London and see the sights. So I picked up a guidebook on London, read it, studied it, and carried it with us when we went to London. We didn’t just go to London and wander around until we chanced on the Tower of London. We looked at the guide book. We took the train to Kings Cross. We got off the train, went to the subway, and heeded the guidebook. Every step of the way we followed what was said until we got to our destination. We never got lost in London because we followed the Book.

God gave His people His Holy Spirit to guide us in His Book. His Bible is His directions for life. He knows what is best for us, and if we want to grow up to be like Christ then we need to heed the Book!

2 As Believers We Are To Be Speaking The Truth In Love Even When It Is Not “Politically Correct”. The Word of God is the standard of the believer, but it is not the standard of the world. Yet we are to be “speaking the truth in love” even when it is unpopular.

Jesus spoke the truth in love. When a woman was brought before Him – taken in adultery – Jesus said:

John 8:7 (NLT) … let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!

Every one of her accusers went away that day dissatisfied, but Jesus spoke the truth. And when He told the woman “I do not condemn you” He followed up with this statement:

John 8:11 (NLT) … Go and sin no more..

Jesus did not justify her sinful lifestyle, but told her “what you were doing was a sin. STOP IT!” Jesus did the same thing with the Woman of Samaria, a woman at a well. As He is talking to her about salvation He tells her ..

John 4:16-18 (ESV) … “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

Jesus did not justify her sinful lifestyle, or modify the Word of God so as to not offend. The Word of God, pure and holy, is an offense to a sin sick world.

There was a man who was crippled who lay near a pool for thirty eight years. Time and time again he tried to get into the pool when the waters stirred, believing that those stirred waters would heal him. Jesus passed by and asked “Do you want to be healed?” The man said “Yes, I do”. And Jesus told him

“Get up, take up your bed, and walk”.

The man was healed that very day. Later on Jesus found the man in the Temple and told him:

John 5:14 (ESV) … “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”

The reason you were sick – debilitated for 38 years – was because of sin. SIN NO MORE. STOP IT! Lest something worst come on you. Our Lord NEVER justified sin. He NEVER said that a wrong thing was right.

I love the story of USAF pilot Captain Lou Curdes. Captain Curdes flew a P-51 Mustang in World War II, and he was what was known as a Flying Ace. An “Ace” is someone who has five or more kills – downing enemy aircraft. Each time a fighter pilot shoots down the enemy he is allowed to paint the flag of that enemy on the side of his cockpit. I was looking at a picture of Curdes sitting in his cockpit, and looking at the “enemy flags” painted on the side. He had:

Seven SWASTIKAS for seven German aircraft destroyed
One Wing Roundel for an Italian aircraft destroyed
One Rising Sun for a Japanese aircraft destroyed

But then there was something I’d never seen on an Allied Aircraft. There was ..

One American Flag for an American Aircraft destroyed

Was that an accident? No, it wasn’t. It was deliberate. Was the aircraft hijacked? No, it was being flown by American Forces. Curdes not only shot down an American C-47 Transport Plane – he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross – the only one EVER issued for shooting down an American aircraft. So what happened?

On February 10^th 1945 the Philippine Island of Bataan was under Japanese control. Captain Curdes and three others were flying over Bataan destroying enemy landing strips. Out of the afternoon haze an airplane appeared – a C-47 transport plane – and it was headed toward a Japanese airstrip. Curdes came alongside the aircraft, warning them that the island was occupied by the enemy, but received no response. Curdes knew if the aircraft landed that all aboard would be killed or, at best, made POWs. Having been a POW before he knew the horror of that fate. The pilot would not reply nor respond. So Captain Curdes opened fire on the unarmed transport, systematically taking out first the left then the right engine. The plane splashed down in the water, and all 12 men aboard made it into inflatable dinghies to be rescued by Allied Amphibious planes. The C-47 was low on fuel, and thought they were landing on an Allied Airstrip. At first they were FURIOUS at Curdes. But after learning the truth they heralded his actions.

He knew the truth, and acted accordingly.

We live in a lost and fallen world that cares nothing for the Cross other than as jewelry. The Gospel is foolish to the lost. The preaching and teaching of God’s Word is archaic and outdated to the sinner. They hate the Word of God, and disagree with it’s precepts.

Yet we are nonetheless to stand on the truth. Having been a POW of Satan, I want no man to go down that dreadful path – and neither should you! If you love people you will stand on God’s Truth even if you are the only one in the room that believes it.

God’s Word is always TRUE!

3 It Is Our Calling And Our Commitment As Christians To “Be Speaking The Truth In Love”.

The word “speaking” in verse 15 is the Present Active Participle of ἀληθεύω alētheuō meaning “to speak and keep on speaking”. The Christian Standard is to keep on speaking TRUTH in LOVE.

When challenged (and we will be challenged) we must not forget neither the “Truth” nor the “Love” part of this command. The Apostle stated at the beginning:

Ephesians 4:1-2 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, [2] With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

I love this. Paul said “I am a prisoner OF THE LORD”. Imprisoned, heading toward certain death in Nero’s Court for preaching the Gospel the Apostle said “I’m not a prisoner of ROME. I’m a prisoner OF THE LORD”. He was doing God’s Work in a world filled with Satan’s works. Yet Paul was not bitter at those who imprisoned him. He looked beyond this and, believing that God is in control, kept on doing that which God commanded him to do.

If you are walking worthy of the vocation to which you are called then you will be speaking the truth in love. You will not compromise the Truth because you love Christ. You will never make it about yourself, but about God. Speaking the truth in love means to avoid arrogance. To speak with all lowliness and meekness, with LONGSUFFERING or PATIENCE knowing that God is with you.

And God is with us.

Let love be our standard as we share God’s Gospel with others. Let us live according to God’s standard regardless as to whether it is popular or not. Let us keep on loving God and others enough to keep on speaking the truth in love.

And let’s quit WHITEWASHING THE GOSPEL!

God is calling as many as will SURRENDER to Him to Eternal Life. Adrian Rogers once said:

“After a splendid victory at sea, Lord Nelson confronted the French admiral who was surrendering. Dressed in all his regalia, the French admiral approached Nelson to surrender. With his sword swinging by his side, the admiral put out his hand to the British commander.

Lord Nelson stepped back and said, “Your sword first.”

There are a lot of people who think they can walk up and glad-hand the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, “Your sword first.” Surrender first! Jesus is not an appeaser, and He will never make a truce with sin. Never! We have to abdicate the throne. We have to surrender.”

May God touch your heart with His Word.

Isaiah 40:28-31 (KJV) Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God , the LORD , the Creator of the ends of the earth , fainteth not , neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

I was watching a BBC (British Broadcasting) Show on Netflix, a nature show called Inside Nature’s Giants. It’s a fascinating series that I generally enjoy. On this particular show they were looking at the camel. The camel is a fascinating creation of God. I learned that the camel can go six months without water in climates hot as up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists were looking at this half ton creature to see why it can do this. Human blood cells are round, so as we lose water our blood thickens and can clot and kill us. Camel blood cells are oval and thinner, and do not clot when the blood thickens. When we get hot it can cause brain damage, but the camel nose has a special device in it that in essence refrigerates the air breathed in. This cooled air crosses over the artery that provides blood to the brain protecting the creature from overheating. The camel’s legs are designed so that they store energy. A camel can run longer and farther than a human without breaking a sweat. Even the camel’s urinary system is designed to use only the amount of water necessary to remove toxins. No water is wasted. And camels – when near water – can drink up to 30 liters per hour, storing water in their tissues – NOT in the hump. The hump(s) is where fat is stored for energy. A camel can go a long time without food!

As I was watching this show I thought

“How fantastic our God is. This creature is obviously designed, and God is the Designer”

But then the Atheistic Scientist Christopher Hitchens came on the screen and explained – and I paraphrase here because I cannot find a transcript of the show –

“It is amazing how NATURE and EVOLUTION designed this fantastic creature!”

Sadly this foolish man is now gone from this earth, taken by esophageal cancer. God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11), but wants all to be saved. If anyone should have seen the design of God through nature, it should have been this man.

Our God is the Everlasting God, El Olam, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning of all things, the first cause of life.

Isaiah 40:28 (KJV) Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

This is not the first time that this name of God – The Everlasting God – is mentioned. It is first mentioned in:

Genesis 21:33 (KJV) And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.

God had promised Abraham that “I will make your name great” (Genesis 12:2). Abraham followed and loved the Lord. Though Abraham was not perfect (the story of Hagar is mentioned in this very chapter, one of the low moments of Abraham’s life) he loved God. And God loved Abraham. Though Abraham was a stranger among the Canaanites he was respected and well treated.

While in Canaan a band of soldiers from Philistia took one of Abraham’s wells by force. Abraham called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God and the Lord caused Abimelech, and Phichol his prime-minister of state and general of his army to come and see Abraham – not to attack him but to return what was taken, and to surrender to him.

The King said:

Genesis 21:22-23 …. GOD IS WITH THEE IN ALL THAT THOU DOEST: 23 Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.

Abraham had a large household and many camels and men, but he did not have near the volume of what the Philistines had. Yet the Philistines approached Abraham and – on bended knee – sought a treaty with him.

They treated Abraham as if he were Alexander the Great or Genghis Khan, a world conquerer. Why? Because Abraham loved the Everlasting God, and El Olam loved Him.

1 Our God Is Bigger Than We Can Even Imagine. We don’t read much anymore, but we as Christians should. I read a lot – not just Scripture, but books that teach on Scripture. Years ago I read a book that really revolutionized the way I thought about God. It was by a man named J.B. Phillips called Your God Is Too Small. In that book he noted that people often develop an unbiblical view of God.

• To some God is a Policeman who only steps in when the law is broken. Otherwise He remains in the background.
• To others God is a Grand Old Man or, as one child put it, “God is a very old gentleman living in Heaven”.
• Some think God to be Meek and Mild – Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, look upon a little child.

God is often thought of as a Cross you wear around your neck, a rabbit’s foot or buckeye in your pocket, or a pocket sized god you can pull out and pray to when needed, but hide when you don’t. Our God is the Everlasting God. Phillips wrote:

“God will inevitably appear to disappoint the man who is attempting to use Him as a convenience, a prop, or a comfort – for his own plans. God has never been known to disappoint the man who is sincerely wanting to co-operate with His own purposes.”

Our God is EVERLASTING. He is the FIRST CAUSE of all things.

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that INHABITETH ETERNITY, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

The world loves to speak of a tiny god and a BIG HUMAN. The world thinks that God should be little “g”, non-intrusive but always at Mankind’s (BIG M) beck and call. Yet the God of the Scripture “inhabits eternity”.

He is high and lofty, but we are not. He is eternal, but we are not. God came to Abraham because Abraham was contrite and of a humble spirit. Abraham knew himself to be mortal and fallible, but God to be EL OLAM, the Everlasting God.

Abraham was great because he was not defined by those fallen creatures around him. He was defined by EL OLAM. He moved forward on the promises of EL OLAM. He listened to the Word of EL OLAM. He obeyed what EL OLAM said.

a Are You Living Life DEFINED By God? How Big IS Your God? (Follow The Commas)

Isaiah 40:28 (KJV) Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

“Everlasting God” in Isaiah 40:28 is not EL OLAM but in the Hebrew ELOHIM OLAM. You might ask what the difference is. EL is the singular name of God, but ELOHIM is the plural or Triune name of God. EL would be used to describe God the Father OR God the Son OR God the Holy Spirit. But ELOHIM OLAM refers to the Trinity of God (Father-Son-Spirit) working together. We are told several things about the Everlasting God – ELOHIM OLAM – in this Scripture. Notice that right after “Everlasting God” we see several commas with statements within the commas.

The Everlasting God , the LORD

• The Triune God Is Everlasting Because He Is LORD. Anytime you see LORD in all capital letters in the King James this is the name of God YAHWEH, the Most Holy Name of God. This is the name that God gave to Moses at the burning bush. “Who shall I say sent me?” Moses asked God. ELOHIM told Moses in Exodus 3:14 “I AM that I AM. Tell them I AM sent you”. From this phrase the eternal name of God YAHWEH developed. God is the Everlasting God because He is the Eternal I AM. God has no beginning and no end. Moses prayed:

Psalm 90:1-2 LORD, Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born, Or Thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, Even from EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING, Thou art God.

A child asks “If God made all things, who made God?”
The answer is “No one made God. God IS God.”

As humans we think in terms of time. But God is outside of time. He is the I AM from Everlasting to Everlasting. When space was nothing, and no planets were, God was there. When space dissolves under the judgment of God, and

2 Peter 3:10 … the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

God will still be there. God is ever constant, never changing. The world changes, but ELOHIM does not.

b God Is The Creator. Not evolution, Not nature, but ELOHIM OLAM. We see now the second comma:

The Everlasting God , the LORD , the CREATOR of the ends of the earth

When we open our Bible to its very first page we read:

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

In the beginning of human and angelic history God (ELOHIM) created. There is no explanation as to where God came from, because God IS. Man is created. The planets and stars are created. The things on this earth are created. Space itself is created. Animals are created. Angels are created. Everything is created ….. but God. God existed before all things, and He Himself brought something out of nothing. God is eternal. ELOHIM is self existent. He is the ONLY Being who does not owe His existence to another. God has life in and of Himself. Our Lord Jesus said:

John 5:26 (NET) For just as THE FATHER HAS LIFE IN HIMSELF, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself …

Only God has live in Himself. When He creates, He creates from out of Himself. We are because God is. It was ELOHIM OLAM who said in

Genesis 1:26 “Let US make man in our own image and after our own likeness”.

The ancient world believed that the universe was eternal and whatever gods existed were finite parts of this universe. The modern world also believes much of this absurd and untrue claim.

Job 38:4-5, 8-11 (ESV2011) Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements … Or who stretched the line upon it? … 8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, 9 when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, 10 and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, 11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

It is ELOHIM OLAM Who …

Isaiah 40:12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

God “measured the waters”, the oceans and all large bodies of water. He holds all the seas in the hollow of His hand.

To God, Heaven is but a “span” – the distance between your thumb and the middle of your middle finger.

ELOHIM knows how much dust there is in the earth because He made it. God knows the weight of the mountains, the size of the hills. Nothing is randomly made. God deliberately made all things.

Isaiah 40:13-14 Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counselor hath taught him? 14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

No one had to tell God how to do anything. From the tiniest ant to the camel of the desert or the huge sperm whale of the sea, God made it and founded it. God wrote the book on everything, but needed no tutorial. He knows, He is everlasting in knowledge. He is EL OLAM.

Isaiah 40:15-17 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. 16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. 17 All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

The works of man – the size of our technology, the precision of our sciences and our medicines, our sky scrapers and super computers. God looks at these things and says “So what?” It is to Him as sophisticated as is a 4 year old child’s crayoned drawing is to an MIT graduate!

Isaiah 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

El Olam “Sits on the circle of the earth”. He is everywhere at the same time, and man is to God “like grasshoppers”.

Isaiah 40:26 (KJV)26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

God makes every star – and calls them by name. Scientists have counted as many as a “septillion stars” – that’s a 1 with 24 zeros behind it. By the way, no human can count that high in their lifetime. It takes a human counting one number a second nearly 32 years to count to to a billion. A quintillion is a million billions.

c God MUST Be Tired After All This Creation. No, He’s not! Look at the third and fourth commas:

The Everlasting God , the LORD , the Creator of the ends of the earth
, fainteth not , neither is weary

The “God Who is our God for ever and ever (Psalm 48:14) does not get tired or wore out. God established the Sabbath for us, not for Himself (see Jesus’ words in Mark 2:27).

The Everlasting God – Elohim Olam – does not go to bed at night because He can’t keep His peepers open! God is sufficient in Himself, limitless in power, immense and immeasurable. Richard L. Strauss writes:

“God’s self-sufficiency has practical application to our lives. If He possesses everything needful, and He has offered to come into our lives and share Himself with us, then obviously we can find all that we need in Him. That is exactly what the Apostle Paul stated about Him. Speaking of God the Son, he said, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete” (Colossians 2:9-10).”

2 El Olam – The Everlasting God – Is Big Enough To Bless Us If We Will Come To Him.

Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.

Our God “gives power to the faint”. What has God done for us? The Bible says:

Romans 5:6-11 (KJV) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 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. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

When the time was right God sent forth John the Baptist to announce the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord. He is the one mentioned in our text at:

Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (see also Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23)

John came preaching that the Messiah was coming. Man is a sinner in need of the Savior. Man is temporal in need of the EL OLAM, the Everlasting God. Our condition is that …

Isaiah 40:6-8 (KJV) The Voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: 7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. 8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

This life shall fade, and surely pass.
Yet the life lived for Jesus shall ever last!

God sent His Son to us while we were yet sinners. God sent salvation through Jesus Christ to all who will believe on Him. God sent His Son saying “In Him I am, well pleased – believe on Him”. God loves ever person, and wants to save us from broken an imperfect lives. Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd, call whosoever will come to Him to rest in His arms, to lay our burdened lives down before Him.

Isaiah 40:11 (KJV) He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Oh, how Christ loves! Oh how He would cherish every soul that came to Him in faith. God has promised salvation to all who come to Him through Christ. He has promised everlasting life, and everlasting strength, and everlasting love to those who follow Him. He has promised:

Isaiah 40:30-31 (KJV) Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Oh how I wish I had time to preach this. Those who WAIT upon the Lord – expectantly looking toward Him, seeking His face, turning from their own resources to God’s Resources – “they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”.

We all need the Lord. Turn to Him. Wait on EL OLAM, the Everlasting God. Trust Him. Obey Him. Love Him. Follow Him.

May God touch your hearts with His Word!

Colossians 1:1-5 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, [2] To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. [3] We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, [4] Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, [5] For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

A little boy who lived out in the country had never seen a circus. You can imagined how excited he was when one day his school teacher told the class that the circus was coming to town. He ran home with the good news. “Daddy, can I go to the circus?” Although the family was poor, his daddy sensed how much his child wanted this. “If you’ll get your chores done early this Saturday I’ll see to it you have the money to go”. That Saturday the child finished his chores early. He put on his good clothes and went to his daddy. Daddy gave him the fifty cents needed for admission, and the little boy ran all the way to town. As he entered town he noticed people lined up and down the street. He worked his way through the crowd and saw the approaching Circus Parade. It was the grandest thing he had ever seen. Caged animals snarled as they passed, bands beat their rhythms and sounded shining horns, midgets performed acrobatics while flags and ribbons swirled overhead. Finally, after everything had passed where he was standing, here came the clowns! With floppy shoes, baggy pants, and a brightly painted face, they rolled and roared and brought up the rear. As the last clown passed by the little boy reached into his pocket and took out his fifty cents. Handing the money to the clown, the boy turned around and went home. What had happened? The boy thought he had seen the circus when he had only seen the parade! He missed the best part. There are many people today who are exactly like this little boy. They are missing the best part.

The Christian Life is to be lived, enjoyed day by day.

We are starting a series of studies through the Book of Colossians. When the Apostle Paul wrote this letter (around 60-62 A.D.) he had never been to the Church at Colosse. Paul could not visit this Church as he was imprisoned at the time. However the Apostle heard of this Church through his son in the faith Timothy. This was a Church that had heard ….

vs 5 … the word of the TRUTH of the GOSPEL

They heard the Gospel, the Good News sent from a Great God. The Church at Colosse believed in our Colossal Savior and became a lamp of Christ, a light unto the world. What does it mean to “HEAR the word of the TRUTH of the Gospel”? There are three key words found in our focal text:

Colossians 1:3-5 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, [4] Since we heard of your FAITH in Christ Jesus, and of the LOVE which ye have to all the saints, [5] For the HOPE which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

The three words we need to focus on are FAITH, LOVE, and HOPE. These are the three things that the Scripture says abide forever.

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity (love) …

These three things always go together. What you have FAITH in you will LOVE. What you LOVE will fuel your tomorrow’s HOPE. Let’s look at each of these three words – they are very important.

1 We All Have Faith In Something Or Someone. The Bible defines “FAITH” as …

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

It is not FAITH to have something in hand, as in “I have faith that I now have a pen in my hand”. The reality is I do have a pen in my hand. It is not FAITH to say I have a wallet in my back pocket. I feel that lump there – I KNOW it is there. It is not FAITH to say there are people in the Church building right now, nor is it FAITH to say I see _____ in the audience. This is truth. This is what is. But that’s not FAITH.

Faith is the SUBSTANCE of things HOPED FOR.
Faith is the EVIDENCE of things NOT SEEN.

Faith is to believe something that isn’t right there in front of you.

• The Evolutionist has faith. Evolutionary Scientists – relying on carbon dating – believe that the earth is billions of years old. They were not here when the earth was made, but they use methods to check fossils then declare truth based on what they find. They have FAITH in their carbon dating methods. They have FAITH in what they call the fossil records. They believe that things started with a big bang, then man was created by time and chance. First we were goo, then globs, then fish, then something else, then apes, then man. They place FAITH in HUMAN TOOLS and HUMAN REASONING. But they are operating on faith.
• The Abortionist has faith. The Abortionist believes that life does not actually begin until the baby leaves the womb. The Abortionist places FAITH in HUMAN REASONING and HUMAN FEELINGS. Though the baby in the womb reacts to pain and to other stimulation the Abortionist denies all but the FAITH of their position.
• The Socialist had faith. The Socialist – along with the Humanist – believes that all people are at heart just good. The Humanist says along with Santa Claus …

“just be good for goodness sake”

I could go on and on.

• The Atheist has faith that there is no Creator, though all of creation shows a design in it.

• The Prosperous have faith in wealth, though the Scripture says:

1 Timothy 6:10 (KJV) For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil…

• Beautiful people have faith in their own beauty yet the Bible warns …

Proverbs 31:30 (NET) Charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.

• Others place their faith in power or human sexuality.

Where you place your faith matters. If you place your faith in a broken thing, then you will not in the end be blessed. The broken thing not only cannot save you – it can actually hurt you more!

One day Jesus and the disciples saw a fig tree, and Jesus went up to it to get figs from it. Finding it totally barren Jesus said “no one will eat fruit from you from this day forward” (Mark 11:14). The next day Jesus and His disciples pass by this fig tree once more and it was rotted from the ground up. Peter said “Master, the fig tree You cursed is withered away” (Mark 11:21). What did Jesus say to Peter?

Have FAITH IN GOD.

Don’t invest your faith in broken things. Don’t invest your faith in the things that are rooted in this world. Put your faith IN GOD. If you put your faith in anything OUTSIDE of God you will eventually go hungry.

God is available.
God’s Word is available.
God’s Gospel is available.
God’s Power is available.
God’s Christ is available.
Have Faith in God.

There was once a man who was very well educated. He studied at the finest schools of his time. He was well pedigreed. He came from the finest family. He was super conservative, and well to do. The man worked for the highest office in his nation, and was a type of detective with wide reaching powers. When he was told that a terrorist organization had arisen that was committing acts of treason against his beloved people he went out, broke up many of these groups, and was responsible for “neutralizing” many. As he was heading down an interstate road on day something happened.

Saul met Jesus.

Saul had his faith in the Statutes, the Sanhedrin, the Sacrifices, the Studies.

He had his faith in everything BUT the right thing. On the Damascus Road a Loving Jesus knocked down Saul, breaking him. It was on the Damascus Road that this allegedly good man realized that he had his faith in the wrong thing. It was only when Saul asked …

Acts 22:10 …. What shall I do, Lord?

that he went from Saul the Detective to Paul the Apostle. It was only after Paul said:

Philippians 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

and went all in for Christ that he could be saved.

God will not save those who put their faith in the wrong thing. God will not bless those who invest their faith in anyone outside of Christ. For faith to be valid and valuable it needs to be solely vested in Christ!

We are all broken things. The Bible declares:

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

That is the BAD NEWS. But the GOOD NEWS is this:

Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

Think on this, dear ones, and let it sink deep within your soul. “When we were yet without strength”. None have the power to save themselves. Have faith in yourself to be saved, and be ye damned! But like the leper come to Jesus seeking cleansing. Like the blind man come to Jesus seeking sight. Like the cripple come to Jesus seeking legs. Like the deaf come to Jesus seeking sound. When we were without strength – unable to help ourselves – unable to get in the healing waters on our own – Jesus passed by. He said take up your bed and walk. And being saved, we did!

2 Faith Is The Foundation, Love Is The Wall. Genuine Faith always leads to Godly Love.

Colossians 1:2, 4 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. … [4] Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,

The Apostle Paul had never met the members of the Church at Colosse – and yet he loved them enough to write a letter to them. Having never met them, the Apostle prayed always for them. Why? Because they are saints (set apart by faith) and faithful brethren (family members by faith in Christ).

When a person places faith in Christ, faith is the foundation but LOVE is the walls that God builds on that life. A born again on the inside believer has an outward love toward God, toward fellow believers, and toward other humans in general.

There are many who say “I have faith in Christ” and yet their lives show no evidence of this. The Scripture declares:

1 John 4:7-13 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. [8] He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. [9] In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. [10] Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. [11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. [12] No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. [13] Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

Outward love is the proof of an inward faith. Periodically I have people call me up and say “I’m just not satisfied at the Church I’m at”. May I ask you this: what does SATISFACTION have to do with it? If you are born of God, you are marked by love. If you DO LOVE then you will be satisfied. What was it Jesus taught?

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

John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

1 Thessalonians 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

I heard a preacher remark about me one day that “You teach too much about love”. But Beloved, Love is the mark! If God is in you, then you love God. If God is in you, then you love others. You love sacrificially as Christ loved. Now you may not always hit this target (and I sympathize, because some people are hard to love) but love is nonetheless the target. We are told in another place:

1 John 2:9-11 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. [10] He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. [11] But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

You have no saving faith if there is no sovereign love. One follows the other, just as one link in a chain is attached to another. We who are His love as He did. Sacrificially. For the undeserving. Wholeheartedly. Rejecting the flesh, but reveling in the Spirit. C.H. Spurgeon once preached:

“We have a common hope, let us have a common affection: we are on our way to God, let us march in loving company; we are to be one in heaven, let us be one on earth. One is our Master and one is our service; one is our way and one is our end; let us be knit together as one man. We all of us expect to see our Well-beloved face to face, and to be like him; why should we not even now love all those in whom there is anything of Christ? Brethren, we are to live together for ever in heaven: it is a pity we should quarrel. We are for ever to be with Jesus Christ, partakers of the same joy, of the same glory, and of the same love; why should we be scant in our love to each other? On the way to Canaan we have to fight the same enemy, to publish the same testimony, to bear the same trials, and to fly to the same helper: therefore let us love one another.”

Oh what wonderful words! Let us dwell on them.

3 Faith And Love Leads To HOPE.

Colossians 1:5 .. For the HOPE which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

We misunderstand the word HOPE. In our world today HOPE means “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen”. Let me illustrate this.

When I was a young boy I came home from school one day and I could smell momma cooking in the kitchen. Oh it smelled so good! It was fried – and it smell like steak. As I walked toward the house I could imagine a big hunk of country fried steak, a large baked potato with a huge glob of butter on it, and some home made biscuits. I come through the back door screened porch and the smell just overwhelmed me! I was drooling like a dog with rabies! I walked in the kitchen, looked in the big old cast iron frying pan …. and saw several of the nastiest looking pieces of fried liver I had ever seen. On top of that there were no baked potatoes, but spinach. And old white bread! Oh how my little heart (and stomach) crashed!

That’s the way that the human world defines hope. That is not the way that God defines hope. God’s Hope is “laid up for you in Heaven”. It is a tangible thing based on the promises of our Jesus. Heavenly hope has substance because it is based on the promise of God in Christ.

Jesus told us:

John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. [2] In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

You see, there is a place beyond this place that our Jesus has gone to. He died on that Cross of Calvary, rose again the third day, and ascended unto the Father in Heaven. Jesus died for us. And this same Jesus that we place ALL our faith in has promised us that there is a blessed hope LAID UP FOR US IN HEAVEN. Jesus does not nor cannot lie.

Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. It is a place where those who have surrendered to the Lordship of Christ will go. Those who are in Heaven love God and love one another. Hope is not a make believe, should have been steak but is only liver place. Hope is the certain promise of God. We don’t have it yet. We must walk and live through this veil of tears first. But one day we who are His will receive that Blessed Hope.

Titus 2:11-14 (NLT) For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

Faith, love and hope. Faith saves. Love proves. Hope is our promised Destination, a Heaven where love, peace and joy rule. Praise the name of the Lord!

I’ll hope you’ll stay with us as we go through this series. May God touch your hearts with His Word.

1 Peter 1:13-16 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; [14] As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: [15] But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; [16] Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

God says of Himself “I am HOLY”.

I started to call this sermon “A Four Letter Word Beginning With ‘H’” because we very rarely hear the word holiness any more. Preachers don’t preach it, many in the pulpit won’t bear it, and the world doesn’t care about it.

America has gone from a moral nation to an immoral nation to finally an amoral nation. We have eaten the Scientific Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We no longer believe that morality is defined by God but by us who, if truth were spoken, have become our own gods.

Yet God is HOLY. We may have changed but the God Who created all things has not. The Holiness of God is not confined to just a few pages of Scripture, but is found throughout all of the blessed Bible. The Apostle Peter under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit quotes Leviticus 11:44 in our text tonight, saying:

Leviticus 11:44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: …

1 One Of God’s Names Reflects His Holiness. Christians in today’s world very rarely read the Old Testament, but it would behoove us to do so. The Bible tells us that “all Scripture is God breathed, and is profitable … that the man of God may be complete, furnished to do good works” (2 Timothy 3:16). Peter both read and quoted from the Book of Leviticus, the third book of the Old Testament. The Book of Leviticus tells us much about the nature of God. It is in Leviticus 20:7-8 that we find one of the many Scriptural names of God:

Leviticus 20:7-8 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.

God says “I Am YAHWEH Qâdash (kaw-dash’)”, the “Eternal God Who Sanctifies or Makes Holy” (יְהֹוָה קָדַשׁ). God SANCTIFIES those whom He SAVES. He never SAVES then leaves a person to drift in the waters of damnation. God SAVES then SANCTIFIES. You need to understand this in order to share His Gospel with others.

I have heard people twist the Gospel of Salvation – particularly in modern day amoral America. They say “Salvation is a free gift of God. Since salvation is a free gift, and I need do nothing to stay saved, then once God saves me I can live as I wish. I can’t be lost no matter what I do!”

This is the strange logic of many of the Contemporary Christians in America today. They are like people drowning in the sea who, seeing the salvation of a fishing vessel cry out “Help, Save Me”. The Captain of that vessel named Jesus pulls along side and, bending down, dips His arm in the sea of damnation then draws that drowning soul into His beautiful Ark. The nail scars of His hands leave bloody prints in the saved. Once inside the one “saved” says “Thanks for the ride, Jesus. Now I’m going to go back to the sea of sin and damnation for a little swim – but you hang around just in case I need you”. You will not find this type of doctrine anywhere in Scripture, though many preach and teach that this is the true outgrowth of Grace.

That is hogwash!

Our God is the “YAHWEH Qâdash (kaw-dash’)”, the “Eternal God Who Sanctifies or Makes Holy” (יְהֹוָה קָדַשׁ).” When God gives life, He establishes order. When God saves a life, God takes control of that life.

Leviticus 20:7-8 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.

Those who are SAVED pursue SANCTIFICATION because God changes their want to’s. God said to Israel “Sanctify yourselves and be holy” (separated unto God). God’s Children are under God’s command to avoid things that are offensive to God. Then He says “I am the Lord Who Sanctifies you”. God sets us apart AND we are to set ourselves apart. Those Whom YAHWEH Qâdash (kaw-dash’) creates are to follow Him, to be set apart unto Him.

Illustrate When God made Adam and Eve what did He do afterward? We read …

Genesis 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and SANCTIFIED (קָדַשׁ qâdash kaw-dash’) it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

God is the Sanctifier!

Illustrate When God saved Israel from Egypt, destroying the enemy army in the Red Sea, the Lord commanded those He saved:

Exodus 13:2 SANCTIFY (קָדַשׁ qâdash kaw-dash’) unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: IT IS MINE.

God is the Sanctifier! Those Whom He Saves Are HIS!

Illustrate When Hannah was blessed of God with the child Samuel she prayed:

1 Samuel 2:2 (ESV) There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.

Hannah proved the she understood the nature of Salvation and Sanctification when she gave her child to the Temple. God is the Sanctifier! Those Whom He Saves Are HIS! And He sets HIS apart from the others.

a God By His Very Nature Is Holy, And His Holiness Sets Him Apart From All Other False Gods In The World Today. The world likes to think of God as LOVE. In fact, this is the favorite verse of the lost:

1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Like that old Beatle song, All You Need Is Love. The world loves to trumpet this.

There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done

Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung

Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game

Nothing you can make that can’t be made

No one you can save that can’t be saved

Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time

All you need is love

All you need is love

All you need is love, love

Love is all you need

What a confused mind boggling bit of nonsense. Paul McCartney said “The chorus, ‘All you need is love’, is simple, but the verse is quite complex; in fact I never really understood it, the message is rather complex.”

All you need is NOT love. All you need is God, and God is primarily HOLY. Nathan Stone wrote in his book Names of God:

“IT IS THE BALANCE . . . OF ALL THE ATTRIBUTES OF DEITY. POWER WITHOUT HOLINESS would degenerate into CRUELTY; OMNISCIENCE WITHOUT HOLINESS would become CRAFT; JUSTICE WITHOUT HOLINESS would degenerate into REVENGE; and GOODNESS WITHOUT HOLINESS would be passionate and intemperate FONDNESS DOING MISCHIEF rather than accomplishing good.” It is His holiness which gives to God grandeur and majesty, and more than anything else constitutes His fullness and perfection.”

Our God is Holy – Holy is His Name. (Isaiah 6:3) The Angels of Heaven cry out “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory”. God is HOLY. In fact the Apostle John wrote:

1 John 4:12-13 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. [13] Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because HE HATH GIVEN US OF HIS SPIRIT.

b How Do We Know That We Are Saved? The Marker Of God’s Holiness Is In Our Lives. We Are Set Apart For HIM.

John tells us that there are two markers of salvation. First, If we LOVE ONE ANOTHER God dwells in us. We are saved if we love. Secondly, “If He has given us of His Spirit”. You are indwelt by the HOLY Spirit. Think about that. If you are saved you are indwelt by the HOLY Spirit. You are the Temple of God. And HOLINESS is where God will draw you to.

Illustrate Pastor J. D. Jones illustrated the holiness of God this way. He said:

“the most striking feature in Swiss scenery, the glory and boast of Switzerland, is the vision of its mighty mountain peaks clothed ever in their mantles of snowy white. Take the mountains away, and you have destroyed the beauty of Switzerland. And in much the same way you destroy the ‘beauty of the Lord’ if you forget His holiness. … We need to lift our eyes to these shining and snow clad peaks of the divine holiness if we are ever to be moved to say, ‘How beautiful God is.’ “

2 YAHWEH Qâdash Saves His Children From Sin Then DEMANDS That His Children BE HIS CHILDREN. Peter wrote:

1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ

Let’s look first at the command “Wherefore GIRD UP”. This is the Aorist Middle Participle of αναζωννυμι, anazonnumi, (pronounced an-ad-zone’-noo-mee) which literally means “to gird, lift, or bind up”. In the ancient world people wore long, flowing robes to protect their bodies from the heat of the day. But when they prepared to fight these long robes and overgarments would become tripping hazards. So warriors would gird up or lift up these robes and tuck them into their outer belts. Then they could fight without tripping.

We Are To GIRD UP The LOINS Of Our MINDS

“Gird up the loins” emphasizes that we are in a fighting war, “of your mind” emphasizes where the battle is won or lost.

Wars are won or lost in the mind before they ever become a reality on the battlefield.

If a people begin to believe that they are inconsequential, unable to stand in the presence of a numerically superior enemy, then that people will be defeated before they ever enter battle. God had commanded Israel to enter in and possess the Promised Land, but her people refused to do so. Why? Because ten of the twelve spies who returned said:

Numbers 13:33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and WE WERE IN OUR OWN SIGHT AS GRASSHOPPERS, and so we were in their sight.

When confronted with a more powerful enemy, Israel focused on the enemy rather than on God their Savior. Because they were small in number, and small in stature, they believed themselves to be powerless against these Philistines. The battle was lost long before it was ever fought.

Lost in the mind is lost in the battlefield!

a God Sanctifies Us With His TRUTH. In Ephesians 6:14 we are told that the Belt that is wrapped around us – the Belt that we who are Christ’s wear – is truth:

Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with TRUTH, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

What TRUTH wraps the Christ Follower? Our Lord Jesus said to the Father:

John 17:17 SANCTIFY them through thy TRUTH: THY WORD IS TRUTH.

Our God is YAHWEH Qâdash – the God Who sanctifies or makes holy. The Belt that holds the robes of the believer’s mind is the Word of God. We are to gird up the loins of our minds.

The Devil is at war with us, and he will do everything he can to get us off course of God. He will tell us that “You’re saved … so go ahead and compromise with sin and the world. You’ll be more popular that way. You may even bring more people into the Church!”.

Gird up emphasizes that we are in a battle – and we ARE in a battle. Sadly, many of the soldiers of God are A.W.O.L. – Absent Without Leave. Many of God’s Children have so wandered into worldliness that only the Lord knows who are the Wheat and who are the Tares. We are to gird up the loins of our mind because we belong to God, not to Satan. We belong to Heaven, not to this world. The Apostle says:

WHEREFORE Gird Up

The word WHEREFORE means “look at WHERE we are at and see what came BEFORE”. What did Peter say in the preceding context.

1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, TO THE STRANGERS scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

• We who belong to God are strangers to this world. We should not blend in – we should stand out.

1 Peter 1:2 ELECT according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

• We who belong to God are chosen of God. We are the Children of the God Who Sanctifies, and we are Sanctified by the Holy Spirit UNTO OBEDIENCE. We are recipients of God’s Mercy through Jesus Christ our Lord:

1 Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, [5] Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

• We who belong to God in Christ are recipients of abundant mercy. We have a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We have an inheritance INCORRUPTIBLE, UNDEFILED, that WILL NOT FADE AWAY RESERVED IN HEAVEN for us. Oh how I wish I could preach! We belong to God, and are kept by the power of God THROUGH faith UNTO salvation. We belong to God and cannot belong to this world, to that devil, or to those walking dead who have none of God’s salvation.

b God Sanctifies Us With His TRIALS. Trials test the value of our faith. Peter wrote:

1 Peter 1:6-7 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: [7] That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Our Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan, and defeated every temptation with “It Is Written”. Jesus relied on the Word of God in the midst of the trial – and we must do the same. Trials test us. There are many who say “I am a Christian” but whether they are or not is proven after the storm of tribulation has passed.

The Three Hebrew Children girded up the loins of their minds when tempted by the King. When the King demanded they worship a false god Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said:

Daniel 3:16-18 (NLT) … O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.

I want to remind you that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not see the Son of God OUTSIDE of the furnace. It was only when they were IN the furnace that the Son of God was seen standing with them.

It was only when Stephen was being unjustly stoned to death that he looked upward and cried out:

Acts 7:56 (ESV) …. Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.

The trials of God and the temptations that come fire our faith, purging all of us out and fusing more of God’s Image in. While you’re being petty and are refusing to do God’s Will because you are NOT center stage you will never experience the majesty of God’s power and holiness. It is only when you become less, and you become least, that God will become majestically holy to you – and you will become holy unto God.

We are to gird UP the loins of our minds. Our focus must be on Him Who saved us. God has …

2 Peter 1:4 … given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

We are not to be part of this MESS of sin, but we are to carry the MESSAGE or redemption, as Children of the Living God. We are to be holy as God our Father is holy. We are to be Holy as Christ our Savior is holy. We are to be Holy as the Spirit of God indwells us is holy.

c God Sanctifies Us TOGETHER. Peter writes the Church saying:

1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your MIND …

He doesn’t say “Gird up the loins of your MINDS” (plural) but “Gird up the loins of your MIND” (singular). We must, as individual Christians and as a Church of one mind. A battalion goes into battle with one Commander. If you are double minded then you are unstable and unusable in this battlefield which we now live. God needs warriors who are …

Romans 15:5-7 …. likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: [6] That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. [7] Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

Our Holy God has set us apart to be together in Him. We are His people, saved by Grace and destined to victory. Satan may win a battle here and there, but our God reigns and we will win the war! Peter said:

1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober ….

Note the words “be sober”. Sometimes people come to me with “suggestions” and my first thought is are you drunk? I may not SAY it, but I often THINK it. When people get drunk they get out of line. They do foolish things. In fact, I don’t know of too many people who like to be around drunks. They can be loud and obnoxious!

We who are Christ’s are to “be sober” – to be watchful and intelligent. Process what is going on around you through the lens of God’s Holiness. We are to be …

1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: [15] But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; [16] Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

The proof that you are God’s is that you walk in obedience to God. The proof that you are God’s is that you – like God – are Holy. Not holier than thou as the Pharisees were, but holy. Set apart unto God. A Child of the King.

Are you growing to be more like your Jesus every day? The only way to growth is to abide in Him.

Abide in Position – You are a Child of the King.

Abide in Prayer – You are a Priest of God

Abide in Purpose – Labor together with God

Abide in Purity – You belong to God

May God touch your hearts with His Word!

Amos 9:13 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.

I have enjoyed coming through the Book of Amos. We have learned some great Bible truths as we have gone through this wonderful Book.

• In Chapter One we learned that God expects EVERYONE to both HEAR and OBEY HIS WORD, the Holy Bible. The Herdsman Amos heard and obeyed God, and so was blessed when all others were cursed.
• In Chapter Two we saw that God loves His Children whom He has saved – but if our hearts are thankless and wandering then we press Him down like a loaded wagon – though He loves us still.
• In Chapter Three God asked the question “Can Two Walk Together Except They Be Agreed?” It Is God Who must lead us in this dance we call “life” if we want to be blessed.
• In Chapter Four God asked “Are you prepared to meet your God?” Are you? Are you ready?
• In Chapter Five God declared “Seek ye me, and ye shall live”. There is no real life outside of a living relationship with God the Father through Christ our Lord!
• In Chapter Six God showed us the difference between Mount Zion (the City of God) and Mount Samaria (the city of idols).
• In Chapter Seven we saw God’s Plumb Line, and learned that it is He that sets standards of right and wrong, of good and evil.
• In Chapter Eight God showed us a Summer Bowl of Fruit. We as God’s Church are to be fruit producing for our Lord.

Today God as a Disciplining Father is the main subject of the text. Most people today don’t know what the word “discipline” means.

1 God Disciplines His People. As a child I hated “discipline”. My parents believed the Bible – at least the part of the Bible that said:

Proverbs 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

Now that’s Old English, so let me put it into Modern English. If you don’t corporeally punish your child you don’t love your child. If you love your child you will often (that’s what “betimes” means) discipline your child. Now I know there is a whole chorus of people – educated, smart, many with doctorates, who say that to raise a hand to a child is abusive and unnecessary. We prefer “time out” where the child is sent to a room to meditate on what they did, a room filled with toys, televisions, and technological games. Yet the Bible declares:

Chasten your son while there is hope, and do not set your heart on his destruction. Proverbs 19:18

The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. Proverbs 29:15

Correct your son, and he will give you rest; yes, he will give delight to your soul. Proverbs 29:17

and even tells us in Hebrews:

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:5–11)

When I was a child I hated curfews. I hated that I had to be home by dark when I was a preteen, and had to be in bed by 8:30 PM. I hated having to be home by 9 PM as a teenager, and in bed by 10:30 PM. I never enjoyed the chores. I hated working the garden, shelling peas, or washing dishes. Raking leaves was horrible. And when I wanted to go swimming and mom said “no” I hated that, and her too! I didn’t know God, but my Father was SOVEREIGN in our home, and his word was law. I particularly hated being whooped.

Regardless as to what the educated people say, and regardless as to what you do or don’t do to discipline your children, God disciplines His children. Israel forgot that. The Church in North America has largely forgotten this. Chapter Nine starts out:

Amos 9:1 (KJV) I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them ….

God is standing upon the altar. He is deconstructing the Temple. Israel thought that because the Temple or House of God was where they were, and thought that because they occasionally came to that place, that they were invincible. The Temple – but a building – had become an idol to the people. They thought “because my name’s on the roll God won’t punish me like He punishes others”. Yet Peter warns us all:

1 Peter 4:17-18 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

God the Father disciplines His Children first. We must all remember this. Few Churches today have Sunday night or Wednesday night services. Why? Because many would rather go to ball games or watch television. Few Christians read their Bible daily, or even pray. Why? Because many have placed their jobs or family lives over the life of faith in Christ. When we lose reverence for God then the Lord takes action.

God disciplines or judges His people to wake us up to His Presence, to remind us that He is there and He is not silent. God disciplines or judges nations to wake them up and make them realize that WE ARE NOT OUR OWN GODS. There is a God in Heaven and a Savior to this earth.

2 God Is Sovereign Over All.

Too many people today believe that God lives in the Church building and that we visit Him just once in a while.

Yet that is not true. We have already read of the Lord standing on the altar. Because of disobedience He will destroy the Temple. But after destroying the Temple what happens?

Amos 9:1b (KJV) …. I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.

The Judgment of God takes life. I know what you’re thinking. Many people ar thinking “this isn’t the God of Love of the Bible!”. The same thought went out after the terrorist attacks of 9-11, and the more recent terrible attack that killed 49 in Orlando Florida just the other week. When these tragedies occur people cry out:

How could a Loving God have allowed this?

God does love His creation. He loves all that He has made. The Bible says:

Psalms 24:1-2 (KJV) The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

Those who cry out against the discipline of God NOW had no thought of God in their hearts THEN. People are not looking upward with reverence to the One Who made them, saying “Lord, what would You have me to do?” They are living their lives without any thought of God. They think they can hide from the Sovereign God, yet He says:

Amos 9:2 (KJV) …. Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down:

God says “you cannot hide from My Judgment”. You can did a hole deep enough to go down into Hell, and there God will be. You can climb to the highest penthouse, the highest Heaven, and there the Judgment of God will find you.

Amos 9:3 (KJV) …. And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them: 4 And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

Oh My Beloved, there is never any good that comes of angering God. The Bible tells us that:

Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

I have had people say “Well, you’re a Preacher, so you have to talk about Hell and the Judgment of God. You’re trying to scare people into Heaven.” If I could scare you into Heaven I would. You cannot hide from God’s Sovereignty in the midst of your idols. Hide yourself in the top of Carmel, and the Sovereign God will find you there. Hide in the sea, and He will send the Sea Serpent to bite you!

Amos 9:6 (KJV) It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name.

God is Sovereign. He is Lord. He made you, and He made me, and He has the right to what He has made.

God tells His people:

Amos 9:8-10 (KJV) Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD. 9 For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. 10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

God uses the trials of life to sift His people – to remove the wheat from the chaff – but not to harm those who are obedient to Him. God’s sifting is very selective.

When I was a little boy I remember my Grandma Lillian making biscuits for breakfast. Grandpa Joe bought flour by the barrel, and grandma would take the lid off the barrel and take a big cup and reach down and fill it to overflowing with flour. There was usually something else besides flour in the barrel. Little critters would get in there. Flies. Weebles. Other stuff. Now grandma made wonderful biscuits – big as a cat’s head – but there was never any trash in the biscuit. You know why? Because she sifted the flour through a very fine screen. The trash stayed in the screen, the flour went to the bowl, and the biscuit went to our bellies. If she hadn’t sifted the flour the biscuits would have been ruined.

You can’t make good biscuits with buggy flour! The evil must go!

When God’s people are saved God wants them to walk with Him. When God’s people fall into sin God calls them to come out from sin, to bind to Him and be blessed. God cannot bless you with sin in your life. God tells His Church, just as He told His Israel:

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (NLT) Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 15 What harmony can there be between Christ and the Devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? 16 And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. 18 And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.

3 The Purpose Of God’s Sifting Is To Restore And Bless. God loves His Creation and loves His Children. He genuinely wants the best for us all. This is why He directs us to flee from sin. When we become willful and unrepentant then God has to address that – because God loves us. The Scripture says:

Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV2011) Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Sin is a verb, a bad verb. It is a hurtful verb. Pharaoh sinned against God, and the Bible says that the Lord sent locusts to consume all the green things in the land. What did Pharaoh do?

Exodus 10:16-17 (KJV)16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. 17 Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only.

Sin brings death. Sin brings a curse on the land and on the people. It is sin that wraps God’s creation in it’s cold dead hand. Sin is not a dalliance. Sin is death. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). And God tells us to reject sin and run to His arms. God tells His Israel that once the judgment was past that …

Amos 9:11-12 (KJV) In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: 12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.

Separated from the fallen God’s people are restored. Listen Beloved – we cannot compromise with sin. We cannot mix light with darkness. God calls His people to be members of HIS Kingdom, not members divided between Heaven and Hell.

Our allegiance is to Him Who died for us, and rose again, bringing us into His glorious Kingdom. Salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone – but there is never any blessing without obedience. Let me say that again:

There is never any blessing without obedience.
But with obedience comes tremendous blessing!

God tells His people:

Amos 9:13 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.

Look what God promises those who follow Him:

The plowman shall overtake the reaper

You cannot outgive God. Generally you reap, then the plowman tills the field and plants a new crop. But to those who obey the Lord the plowman will overtake the reaper. God will bless abundantly, as the Scripture says:

Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Give the leftovers to God, get only leftovers. But give God your all and God will give all to you.

… the treader of grapes him that soweth seed

Give God your broken lives, and God will mend them and make you kings and priests unto Him. You cannot out give God. Give Him your all! Give Him your love. Give Him your prayers. Give Him your allegiance.

… the mountains shall drop sweet wine

Mountains normally drop rocks – no vineyard grows on a mountaintop. But God will bless, if you will give your lives to Him.

… all the hills shall melt

The mountains that were against you shall supply your needs, and even the hills will be level ground when the Lord is your God. Obey the Lord!

I want to end with this quote from Dr. Charles Stanley’s Life Application Bible: “One day a large crowd pressed around Jesus while He preached (Luke 5:1-11). The Lord wanted to use Peter’s boat as a floating platform from which to address the multitude, so He asked the future apostle to push the vessel out a little way from shore (v. 3)—not in itself a particularly remarkable request. But Peter’s compliance to His request paved the way for a life-changing blessing. From his example, we also learn how essential it is to obey God in even the smallest matters.”

What if Peter had not allowed Jesus on his boat – nor pushed it off shore so that Jesus could speak? If he had not, then the crowd would not have heard His Word – and we would not have this Scripture in our Bibles. After Jesus finished speaking He told Peter in Luke 5:4 “Go out further and cast your net”. Peter said – and I paraphrase him – “Lord we have fished all night and found nothing. Nevertheless we will do what You say.” The Bible says that when Peter did as Jesus asked “they enclosed a great multitude of fishe – and their net broke!” Peter called out to his partners but there were so many fish that both boats nearly sank.

God will bless you – but only if you obey Him. Obey the Lord in all things. Give your lives to Him.

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Excellent post. God Bless this Brother!

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