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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!

Looking for a church? See if any of these 14 things will help you.

via 14 Keys to Church Shopping —

Earlier this afternoon I stopped to get a cold drink. The temps today are in the 90’s with humidity close to this mark as well. I exited the truck and began to walk across the parking lot int…

Source: Run Over

People do not read their Bibles anymore.

Now I’m not saying this of you. You are here on a Sunday night when you could be home watching Columbo reruns on television (I love Columbo! Does anyone know his name other than Columbo?). God bless you for being here!

But people – in fact many so called practicing Christians do not read their Bibles. Many Churches are formed where few people read their Bibles, where few people practice frequent prayer, where few people meditate on the Scripture and allow the Holy Spirit of God to guide them. This is the biggest problem we have in America today. There was a time when all Christians read their Bibles. I remember when I was saved the first thing I did was go to the local Christian Bookstore and find me a Bible. My first Bible was a Thompson Chain Reference Bible. I went through every one of those Chain References found in the back of that Bible, looking up Scripture after Scripture. Oh what a joy it was to learn the Word of God. My second Bible was a Dakes Annotated Bible, and my third a Scofield Reference Bible. Somebody once asked me why I had so many Bibles. My answer is “Because I love the Bible!”.

In our text tonight we’re going to start in:

1 Corinthians 2:14-16 (KJV) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

The “natural man” as opposed to the “supernatural man” is unable to receive the things that are of the Spirit of God. The natural man is spiritually dead. The natural man is the Child of Adam. Created in the image of God, the natural man is blinded by the flesh to seeing the things of God. The natural man will not receive the things of God because …

they are foolishness unto him

If you tell a natural man that his morality will not get him into Heaven he will say “that is foolish! What can God have against morality?” The natural man mocks the idea that Christ had to died on the Cross for the sins of the world.

1 Corinthians 1:18 (KJV) For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish FOOLISHNESS; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

To the world to hear preaching of the Cross is foolishness:

1 Corinthians 1:21-24 (KJV) For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the FOOLISHNESS of preaching to save them that believe. 22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

The natural man (and woman) cannot receive the things of God. But the Spiritual person can. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 2:10-13 (KJV) But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

God gave us the Holy Spirit at the point of salvation so that we can understand the deep things of God. The world has a mind of confusion, but we who are spiritual have the mind of Christ. We have access to His mind. We can know the things of Christ.

1 Corinth Is The Worst Church Mentioned In The Bible Because It Did Not Seek The Mind Of Christ. The Apostle says of the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 1:2 (KJV) Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

Notice what the Apostle says about Corinth:

• It is a Church of God. “Unto the CHURCH OF GOD which is at Corinth”. This was one of Jesus’ Churches. This is one of His congregations.

• This Church is “sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints”. These people were God’s Children just as you and I are. They are a set apart people.

• This Church “called upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord”. They were not worshiping Baal, Baliim, or one of the Gentile gods like Zeus or Jupiter.

They were saved by faith in Christ, and had the promise of God that He would …

1 Corinthians 1:8-9 (KJV) …. confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

But Corinth had a problem. They were not the united Church that God wanted them to be.

a Having The Mind Of Christ Avoids Divisions And Destruction. The House of Christ is not to be divided. The Apostle wrote:

1 Corinthians 1:10-13 (KJV) Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

The Apostle told the Corinthians “I beg you in the Lord Jesus Christ’s name that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you”. A divided Church – just like a divided army – loses power and effectiveness. The believers at Corinth had begun to split up under different leaders.

And this is very dangerous!

I read recently about a man who – on June 9, 2016 – fell into the Norris Geyser Basin at Yellowstone National Park. His body was never found. The 23 year old man ignored the clearly posted signs and wandered 225 yards from the Park’s boardwalk before he fell in the acidic hot spring. “They were able to recover a few personal effects,” park spokeswoman Charissa Reid said. “There were no remains left to recover.” The New York Times quotes Reid as saying there have been 22 recorded deaths involving Yellowstone’s hot springs since 1890, with the last occurring in 2000, when a 20-year-old Washington woman suffered third-degree burns after falling in.

If people paid attention to the signs there would have been no deaths.The Mind of Christ heeds the clearly presented Word of God.

When Jesus was about 12 years old His step parents – Mary and Joseph – accidentally left Him in Jerusalem as they headed back to Nazareth. When they discovered Jesus was missing they immediately headed back to Jerusalem – and found Him in the Temple teaching the Doctors of religion. When questioned about His disappearance our Lord said:

Luke 2:49 “How is it that ye sought me? Did you not know
that I must be about my Father’s business?

The Mind of Christ LOOKS UP and not AROUND. The mind of Christ follows God, doing His business. The Mind of Christ is not FLESH oriented but SPIRIT oriented.

Right after Jesus was baptized the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tested. After 40 days of fasting Jesus became hungry – and the Devil immediately attacked. The devil says:

IF You are the Son of God command that these stones be made bread!

Jesus without hesitation says:

IT IS WRITTEN (quoting Deuteronomy 8:3) man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4)

With every attack Jesus defended Himself with “It is written”. In fact, the Lord used the phrase “it is written” all throughout His ministry. His life was so defined by the Scripture that the Apostle John called Him “The Word of God”.

When Jesus affirmed John the Baptist as Messiah’s Messenger

He said “It is written” (Matthew 11:10)

When Jesus chastised the Pharisees as hypocrites

He said “It is written” (Mark 7:6)

When Jesus chased the moneychangers out of the Temple with whips

He said “It is written” (Matthew 21:13)

When Jesus was betrayed by Judas

He said “It is written” (Matthew 26:24)

When Jesus headed to Jerusalem to be crucified

He said “It is written” (Matthew 26:31)

Jesus Christ studied, meditated on, and revered the Word of God. If God’s people do this then they will never be divided. It is written.

b Having The Mind Of Christ Neutralizes Pride And Arrogance. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (KJV)1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

The Bible tells us that “God opposes the proud, but shows grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Pride is the chiefest of sins. It was pride that led Adam to partake of the forbidden fruit when he heard “You shall be like God”. Pride destroys what it touches. The Lord says:

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

Pride starts fights and ends relationships. The Bible says:

Proverbs 16:5 The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

The Apostle said “I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified”. The Cross of Christ is the foundation and all of our faith. Christ our Lord deserved to come to this earth and sit a throne. Yet He came through a simple virgin named Mary. He was born in a small town named Bethlehem. He grew up not in the metropolis of Jerusalem but in tiny Nazareth. His acquaintances were fishermen, Samaritans, publicans, and prostitutes. His entire life was lived in humility. He took in lepers when others would have chased them away. He wrapped His arms around children when others saw them as nuisances. He had one good garment – a covering without seams. He died on Calvary between two thieves, His only accusation that He was King of the Jews. Jesus was laid to rest in a borrowed tomb.

He was not proud, but humble. And through His humility He brought many children from the pit of Adam to the Paradise of God.

c Having The Mind Of Christ Leads You To Labor For God And With God. If we have the mind of Christ we are nor pride filled but Spirit filled. We are not ME centered but HE centered. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 3:6-8 (KJV) I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.

We labor together for God. We labor together with God. We labor together for God’s glory. But we labor knowing that “every man shall receive His own reward according to his own labor”. Every believer will stand before Jesus one day and have his or her works judged. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 (KJV)11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

For a work to be of value it must have Christ as its foundation. It cannot have Me as the foundation, but Christ. On that great Judgment Day

the Christian’s work will be MANIFESTED
the Christian’s work will be REVEALED
the Christian’s work will be TRIED
the Christian’s work will be REWARDED

Those who pursued the mind of Christ will receive a reward and be blessed.

2 The Mind Of Christ Is God’s Standard For Every Christian. Our lives are stewardships from God. We who are born again are to live as the Children of God. The Bible tells us that:

1 Corinthians 3:18-21 (KJV)18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. 21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;

Jesus Christ never lived for the approval of men, but for the approval of God. We who have the mind of Christ are to live for God’s approval, pleasing Him in all things. The world will mock us. Let it mock. “Let no man glory in men FOR ALL THINGS ARE YOURS”. One day we who are Christ’s shall inherit the earth and the Heavens. ALL THINGS are YOURS. One day Christ will come and conquer. ALL THINGS are YOURS.

We who are Christ’s are stewards of what He has given us. We own nothing but our God. We are owned of nothing but our God.

There are three things you can do to build the Mind of Christ in your life.

a Purposely Pursue The Mind Of Christ. The Bible says:

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

I heard one of the stupidest statements made the other day when a man was trying to justify incest in his life. He said:

You don’t choose who you love – it just happens

Hogwash! You do choose to love. Love is a commandment from God. We are commanded to love God:

Luke 10:27 … You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ….

and you are commanded to love others as Christ has loved you:

John 13:34 NLT …. I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

You choose to love. Only in this messed up, confused, sexually crazed America could anyone say with a straight face – and it not be challenged – “You do not choose who you love”. We are not animals – we are created by God. We choose.

Choose to love God. Choose where you “set your affections”. Take yourselves in hand and open the Good Book and …

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

Seek the mind of Christ. In another place we are told:

Romans 13:14 (KJV) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Put on Christ – the New Man – and let His Word dwell in your hearts.

b Purposely Reject The Mind Of The Flesh. The Bible says:

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

Put off the wrong and the sinful, the works of the flesh. Put on the NEW man, the Mind of Christ.

c Actively Run The Race With Christ. The Bible says:

1 Peter 1:13-16 (KJV) 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.

Choose to live your lives in step with Jesus regardless as to what anyone else does. Live for Him and in Him. Life for God, because one day you will live with God. Do not let the trials drive you – let the love of God drive you.

Pastor Steve Smith wrote:

“I read one time about how shipbuilders back in the days of sailboats would prepare the masts for their ships. They would go to the forest and find an appropriate tree, then they would clear out all the surrounding trees and leave that one standing, leaving it exposed to the wind and storms. As the tree continued to mature, it would gain strength. The kind of strength it would need to be able to stand up in the storms at sea while holding a large sail. But that tree would never gain that strength if it was just left among the other trees. It developed strength because of the storms. I believe that if we build our lives on the solid rock of Jesus and his words, then when the storms come, we will not only survive, we’ll gain strength.”

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Amos 7:7-8 (KJV) Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumb line, with a plumbline in his hand. 8 And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumb line. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:

The plumb line or plumb bob is one of the most ancient of tools. No one knows who invented the plumb line, but it can be traced back to ancient Egypt where it was used to insure that vertical walls were perpendicular or straight. The plumb line consisted of two parts – a supple line and a weight tied to its end. The plumb line relied on God’s Law of Gravity, as the weight (which later was a lead pointed “bob”) . With God’s Law drawing the weight to the earth, the line would be vertical to the ground. Later on in human history the plumb line was improved on by the spirit level, where an air bubble in a vicious spirit helped find the “vertical” and the “level”.

Without the plumb line or the level you cannot make a straight 90 degree wall.

I found this out several many years ago as a young but foolish man. I tried building a wall in my back yard – I actually wanted the add a room on to our home – and figured I could build that wall straight with just my five senses. When I was done I saw how senseless that was. Building a wall on what we think is right will surely turn out wrong. That’s what’s wrong with our world today. Too many are trying to build their lives on what they think or feel is right – and the wall is crooked.

You’ve got to use a plumb line!

1 The Plumb Line Must Be Used In Construction. We read:

Amos 7:7-8 (KJV) Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand.

“The Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumb line”. I’ve said this before but it bears repeating: Any wall made must be made – if it’s going to be upright – with a plumb line. No builder slaps walls together then stands them up without relying upon measuring tools like the plumb line, the level, and the ruler.

That which makes the plumb line work is the Law of God. If there were no gravity – which is a Law of God – then the plumb line would be absolutely useless. God’s Law is always true. God’s Law is always righteous. God’s plumb line is always right.

“The Lord stood upon a wall made with a plumb line”. What was the plumb line that made that wall? What was it? In our world today we determine “upright” by a variety of weights. For instance,

• We Too Often Rely On The Plumb Line Of “Feeling”. Rather than take a string and a weight and allow it to drop according to God’s Law, we tie “feeling” to the end of the string. We “feel” that this is right or “feel” that that is right. Yet the problem with “feeling” is that this “feeling” can lead us into a spot far away from righteousness and God.

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

The heart left to itself is self seeking. It is not upright, but deceitful. How did man fall into sin in the first place? Rather than relying on God’s Word the Bible says:

Genesis 3:6 (KJV) …. the woman SAW that the tree was good for food, and that it was PLEASANT TO THE EYES, and a tree to be DESIRED TO MAKE ONE WISE, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Rather than use the Law of God and His Holy Word the weight on the plumb line is tied to the heart of man, a fallen and sinful thing. The Bible says:

Proverbs 28:26 (KJV) He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.

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

• Then There Is The Plumb Line Of Popularity And Public Opinion. Man’s opinions and fads change from year to year – but God’s ways are always right. He is the Master Architect, the Master of Space and Time. He never makes mistakes in His calculations. The Sun is where it is in relationship to the earth because God made it so. The moon is where it is because God holds the plumb line in His hands. The gravitational force on the earth is just the right size to keep the right amount of gases in our atmosphere while allowing those that are not beneficial to life to release into space. It is God Who knows what is best. God is the Master Builder.

• And God Stands Upon The Wall Built With A Plumb Line, With A Plumb Line In His Hand. It is God Who determines whether the wall is straight or not. There are some who say “I am upright. I am right with God. I know I will go to God’s Heaven when I die”. They often base this on the plumb line of feeling, or the plumb line of self righteousness, or the plumb line of comparison. They look about and compare the life of another with the plumb line of their hand. They are like the parable that Jesus spoke of:

Luke 18:10-14 (KJV) Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The PHARISEE stood and prayed thus WITH HIMSELF, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house JUSTIFIED rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

The Pharisee stood and prayed WITH HIMSELF. He was a congregation of one – and even God was not listening to him! He measured himself by himself. He measured his uprightness by the plumb line of WORKS and RITUALS and NOT BEING LIKE OVERT SINNERS. He held this plumb line up not reliant upon God’s Word or God’s Law but on his own FEELINGS and SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS. But the Publican, he was a different matter.

The Publican looked at his life, and saw the Lord holding the plumb line in his hand. The Publican realized when he saw the Upright and Holy God of Heaven holding that plumb line that:

Romans 3:10-12 (KJV) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

God stands upon the wall of human justification and – holding the plumb line in His hand – declares it to be untrue. Who is righteous within themselves? NO ONE! Whose wall is true and straight of it’s own accord? NO ONES! The Publican seeing that his wall is bent and twisted would not so much as look up unto Heaven but SMOTE HIS BREAST and cried out “LORD, be merciful to ME – a SINNER!”

Jesus said that this man went down to his house JUSTIFIED rather than the other. Do you know what the word “JUSTIFIED” actually means? It means “to be made UPRIGHT – to be made VERTICAL – to be declared RIGHT with God”

The first work of God is the destruction of the crooked before He builds the upright. God casts out every crooked stone from His works. If a person is to be saved, then human merit and human righteousness must be thrown out. All human pride and self righteousness is thrown out in the salvation of a soul.

The Person and the Church that God works in is torn down in pride …

…. and then the Cornerstone is laid.

The Cornerstone is the principle stone placed when the wall is first built. The Cornerstone is large, true, and solid – and all the wall is attached to it. God said in Isaiah:

Isaiah 28:16-17 (ESV) therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’ 17 And I will make justice the line,

and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”

What Is The Cornerstone That God Lays In Zion, In His Kingdom?
That Cornerstone Is Christ!

In the Old Testament all men gathered together and sought to build a tower that reached up to Heaven. When God saw this He confused their language, scattering people all over the earth. Our works cannot bring us to a right relationship with God. The Bible says that:

Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

My efforts cannot make me saved in the eyes of God. Salvation is all of faith in what Christ did on that Cross of Calvary. Jesus Christ is the Plumb Line in the hand of God. We are told in James (2:10) For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. There is no justification apart from absolute surrender and reliance upon Christ. The Scripture declares that …

Ephesians 2:14-22 (KJV) {Jesus Christ} is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 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 an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

When a person comes to God with their own plumb line God says “I cannot build My Kingdom with these crooked stones. I stand upon the wall and use My Plumb Line. The Crooked shall not be part of My Kingdom. His Kingdom is built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Corner Stone.

There is no entrance into Heaven unless the life pass the Lord’s Test. The Plumb Line is in His Hand. Are you in Christ?

2 The Plumb Line Is Used For Testing The Construction. We cannot judge with our eyes nor use our feeble senses to determine whether the wall is justified or not. There have been many times when I have been traveling down the highway thinking I was doing the right speed when I look down and see the Speedometer and realize – to my dismay – that I am well above the posted speed. I thought I was RIGHT but I was WRONG. I thought I was IN THE LAW but I was a LAWBREAKER. I brake, and measure by the plumb line. Now I am right.

Oh how often we are tempted to get away from the plumb line. We must continually look to the Plumb Line in God’s Hand. We must continually look to God’s Word. The Bible says:

Christ is all (Colossians 3:11)

To me, to live is Christ (Philippians 1:21)

I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me (Galatians 2:20)

Saved by faith in Christ, we continually look to His Word. We are not just HEARERS of his Word, but we are DOERS of His Word. If you hear His Word but do not DO it then your house will not be perpendicular. Your walls will be out of true. Jesus calls every Child to salvation through “Repent” then “Come Follow Me”. Those who are saved are those who follow. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:21-27 (KJV) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

If you are only a hearer and not a doer of His Word then the walls may seem perpendicular and strong but when trials come you will realize that God is not in it because it will not stand. The faith that does not both HEAR and DO what Christ has said is the weak and pitiful faith. The Bible exhorts every professor of Christ to self examination.

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

God is the builder of His Church. Do not begin judging one another by our eyes or by our own standards. The Plumb Line is in the Lord’s Hand. We must continually judge ourselves and what we do by the Word of God. The Bible says:

Psalm 127:1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

God holds the Plumb Line in His hand. God stands upon the wall. Christ is the Builder of His Church, and His Word is that by which we measure our accomplishments. It is His Word that saved us, and His Word that keeps us plumb. God holds the plumb line in His hand. C. H. Spurgeon wrote:

“God will use the plumb line at the Last Great Day to test everything. How many of

us could hear, without a tremor, the intimation that God had summoned us to appear before His bar? O my Brothers and Sisters, if the great scales of Divine Justice were swinging from this ceiling right now and the Judge of All said to you, “Step in and let me see what is your weight,” is there one of us who could solemnly and sincerely rise and say, “Lord, I am ready for the weighing”? Yes, I trust that many could say, each one for himself or herself, “There is not anything good in me, but my hope is fixed on Christ alone. And though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I want to be, nor what I shall be, yet ‘by the Grace of God I am what I am.’ ”

To God be the glory! His Word is our plumb line, and we are in His hands. Anything that does not glorify God will eventually decay and rust and rot. Anything not according to the Plumb Line of God will fail. The Plumb Line is IN HIS HAND.

When Christ formed His Church in the Book of Acts there were many RELIGIOUS people who stood against it and many RELIGIOUS PRETENDERS that were hiding amongst the sheep. Ananias and Sapphira were mentioned in Acts chapter 5 as two pretenders who lied unto God. God held the plumb line in His hand. They did not measure up, and died because of it.

The Word of God increased.

Peter and the Apostles were imprisoned, and told not to preach the Word of God. Peter looked to the Plumb Line of God, saying:

Acts 5:29-32 (KJV) …. We ought to obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

The Pharisees plotted to kill them – but a Master Teacher of Israel named Gamaliel spoke up. He told them:

Acts 5:35-39 (KJV) …. Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. 36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. 37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. 38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: 39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

Any work that is a work in agreement with the Plumb Line in God’s Hand will come to pass. But that which is against God – that which is crooked and worldly – it will fail.

The Church stands if it looks to the plumb line of God.

3 The Plumb Line Is Used In The Work Of Destruction. When God goes to save a repentant sinner He goes with wings on His feet. But when God goes to destroy the unrepentant He goes very slowly. God warns, and warns, and warns again and again. God has said in His Word:

Ezekiel 18:23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

Ezekiel 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

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

God does not rejoice in the death of the wicked. We often sadly rejoice at the failure of our enemies, but God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son. God’s love is an ocean, and His mercy every sea. God wants no one to die in their sins without Christ.

But God has the Plumb Line in His hand.

Those who reject Christ in this life will find themselves measured by the Plumb Line of God’s righteousness. And every work shall come short. God will judge the sinner who died without Christ according to His standard of righteousness. And the verdict will be:

Revelation 22:10-11 (KJV) … the time is at hand. 11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

Those who stand before God without Christ shall go to hell because they deserve to be there. I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. What is His Plumb Line? What is that in His hand? And the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. Then I see the horrible words.

And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS

You lived justified according to your works. You lived with feelings and rituals and traditions and good works and morality and good citizenship and political correctness and tolerance and many other things as your Plumb Line. You compared yourself to others, and your works to what others did. And measuring yourself by yourself you said “the wall is vertical. The anchor sure. The Plumb Line is right. I will default to Heaven as I go”. So God says “Let’s measure you by the Plumb Line in MY Hand”. And the books of works are opened. And the works are not sufficient.

And they were judged every person according to their works.

And so God looks one more time. He knows the answer before He looks. He is, after all, GOD. He looks in the Book of Life.

And whosoever – WHOSOEVER – WHOSOEVER – WHOSOEVER
was not found written in the Book of Life
was cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15)

And I am sure the angels wept. I am sure that the Church wept. And I am sure that YOU, dear friend, if you have rejected the gospel of Christ, shall weep. You will meet the Devil face to face in that place. You will see the Rich Man who mocked Lazarus. You will see old Herod there who thought himself to be a god but who died corrupted, filled with worms. You will that almost Apostle Judas there who hung himself, his guts spilling out. He was sorry for his sin, but would not repent. You will see Hitler, and many hireling televangelists, and child molesters, and tyrants who murdered people. But if you have rejected Christ no matter how moral you are you will not see Heaven. Oh friends, turn your eyes upon Jesus. He is God’s Plumb Line. He is the Savior of all who believe. Look unto Him, and call on Him. Be the good WHOSOEVER WILL.

1 Samuel 2:30  Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

A woman named Hannah wanted a child. Her husband Elkinah loved her, and she loved him, but for some reason they just could not have any children. So one day Hannah prayed to the Lord and she told Him (1 Samuel 1:11 NLT):

… “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime ….

God heard her prayer and gave her a child. How happy Hannah was! She had promised the Lord to give that child to Him, so Hannah started by naming him “Samuel” which meant in the Hebrew language “God answered my prayer”. Hannah bore Samuel and raised him to be a toddler. But when he was old enough Hannah honored her promise to God. She took Samuel to the Temple and asked the Priest Eli to raise him. When Hannah took her child to the Lord and turned him over to the High Priest Eli she honored God by praising Him. She prayed:

1 Samuel 2:1-10 …. My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn^strength is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.  [2]   There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.  [3]  Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.  [4]  The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.  [5]   They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.  [6]  The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.  [7]  The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.  [8]  He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.  [9]  He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.  [10]  The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.

What a wonderful prayer! You may not have understood every word in this prayer, but you must have understood that Hannah honored God. She was not like the Pharisee praying to be heard of men, but she prayed and loved and glorified the Lord her God. So she left little Samuel with the High Priest Eli, trusting that God would raise her son.

Eli raised and trained Samuel – Hannah’s son – but he had two sons himself who he had NOT raised. While Samuel ministered to the Lord, honoring God the Bible tells us the Eli’s own sons were sons of Belial – sons of the devil – for they knew not the Lord nor honored Him (see 2 Samuel 2:11). These two young men were called Hophni and Phinehas.

Whereas “Samuel” means “God has heard my prayer” the name “Hophni” means “a fighter” and “Phinehas” means “smart mouth”. What did God say about these young men?

1 Samuel 2:17-18  Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.  [18]  But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

So you have a picture here of two young men and a child. The two young men “abhorred or despised the offering of the Lord” but Samuel though a child ministered before the Lord. Two who were older mocked God, but the child Samuel loved God.

When The High Priest Eli heard what his sons were doing he tried talking to them but they would not hear. They kept on dishonoring God – and rather than disown them Eli tried covering up or ignoring their wrong. So one day God sent His Word to Eli. God asked:

1 Samuel 2:29  Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honor your sons above Me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?

God told Eli “I made you the High Priest. You were supposed to honor me – but you did not. You honor your sons above Me.” God went on to tell Eli:

1 Samuel 2:30 … I said indeed that your house, and the house of your father, should walk before Me for ever: BUT NOW THE LORD SAITH, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

God told Eli “I told you I would bless you and your family BUT NOW that is not the case. THOSE THAT HONOR ME I WILL HONOR, but THOSE THAT DESPISE ME SHALL BE LIGHTLY ESTEEMED.” Another version – the New Living Translation – puts it this way:

I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me.

God went on to tell the High Priest:

1 Samuel 2:34-35  And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.  [35]  And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.

Just two chapters later we read that the sons of Eli both die in the same day – and Eli also dies that day from a tragic accident. Those who despised the Lord were despised. But Samuel the young child of Hannah loved the Lord, and fulfilled the prophecy God made of him. He became the greatest Priest of God in that era, the priest that anointed the first King of Israel Saul and the Messianic King of Israel the Shepherd David.

Samuel honored God and was blessed. Those who honor God will be blessed.

1 We Honor God By Loving Him Above All Else. The very first commandment of the Scripture is:

Exodus 20:3 You must not have any other god but Me.

We dishonor the God of the Bible when we put any other god before Him. It is God Who made us. Each person is created by God. God made each and every one of us, and made us unique. Your DNA is like no other person’s DNA. Your fingerprint is like no other person’s fingerprint. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 199:3 Know ye that the Lord is God; it is He that has made us, and not we ourselves. …

You did not make yourself – God made you. The Doctor may have delivered you, but “you are fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). We owe the life we have to God. He made us and sustains us. This is why God tells us in ..

Deuteronomy 6:5 (ESV) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

And in the New Testament, our Lord Jesus declared:

Matthew 22:37 (NLT) You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.

You are to love God first and foremost, and all others as secondary loves. We are to love and honor our parents, our spouses, our friends – but we are to love God most. We honor Him when we love Him.

a We Love God By Serving Him With Our Hands. The Bible says:

Colossians 3:23-24 (NASB) Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

Ephesians 6:7-8 With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord…

God said “If you will honor Me I will honor you”. We honor God by doing everything for HIS glory, not for ours. Hophni and Phinehas did what they did for themselves – not for God. Eli did what he did for his sons – not for God. In the end they received what God promised. Dishonor God, be dishonored. What you reap you will sow.

b We Serve God By Using Our Tongues To Praise Him. The Third Commandment of the Scripture is:

Exodus 20:7 (NLT) You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

God gave us tongues to praise Him not to curse Him. He gave us tongues so that we could pray to Him and talk with Him and have a relationship with Him. To paraphrase ….

Psalm 91:14-15 … Because {you have} set your love upon Me {says the Lord}, therefore will I deliver {you}; I will set {you}on high because {you have} known My Name. {You} shall call upon Me and I will answer {you}: I will be with {you} in trouble; I will deliver {you} and honor {you}.

We were not given tongues to curse nor to backbite, but to use that tongue in giving glory to God. We are told in:

1 Peter 3:10 (ESV) Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;

God will not bless those who misuse their tongues. Honor God by loving God with all that you have.

2 Honor God By Living With God. Hophni and Phinehas lived in the Temple just as Samuel did, but they did not live with God. They failed to believe God. They refused to try and have a relationship with God. The Bible tells us that we are all broken things – but God loves us all. He calls us to walk with Him.

There’s an interesting story about Samuel’s life. His mother Hannah had turned him over to Eli the High Priest to be raised. The Bible tells us that:

1 Samuel 3:1  And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

Eli had grown old, and he was nearly blind. Samuel laid down to sleep one night and the Bible says:

1 Samuel 3:4  That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

Samuel ran to Eli, thinking it was Eli calling him. He woke Eli up and Eli said “I didn’t call you – go back to sleep!” So Samuel went back to bed. But then God called him again, and Samuel cried out “Here I am!”. But he ran to Eli because he thought it was Eli calling. Eli told him again “It wasn’t me … go back to sleep”. The third time this happened Eli realized it was God calling Samuel. He told the child “If you hear the call again say ‘Speak Lord, for Your servant hears’ “. Sure enough God called again, and the Lord spoke to Samuel.

God calls to people today, but many refuse to hear His Voice. They are so busy listening to their own voice or to the voices of the world aroud them. God calls each and every one of you to come to Him. He says:

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

God doesn’t say “Come unto Me just in the bad times”. He doesn’t say “Come unto Me like you come unto a Doctor and get a shot or some medicine”. Jesus says “Come unto Me – take My Yoke upon you”. A “Yoke” is something that binds two together. A Yoke was put on a horse or a mule long ago to help control it.

You honor God when you recognize that God is God and we are not. You honor God when you trust Him with your life, and promise to follow Him and hear His Word, the Holy Bible.

Little Samuel followed God and, following Him, was blessed. God called Samuel and Samuel came. I love that Word of God “Come”. I end with the words of a great preacher called C.H. Spurgeon, who said:

“I love that word “Come.” To me it seems full of grace, mercy and encouragement. “Come now,” says the Lord in Isaiah, “and let us reason together: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.”

• Come is the word put in the mouth of the king’s messenger in the parable of the guest-supper: “All is now ready; come unto the marriage.”
• Come is the last word in the Bible to sinners. “The Spirit and the Bride say, Come.”
• Jesus does not say, “Go and get ready.” This is the word of the Pharisee and self-righteous. “Go and work out a righteousness. Do this and that and be saved.” Jesus says, Come.
• Jesus does not say “Send.” This is the poor Roman Catholic’s word. “Put your soul in the hand of the priest. Commit your affairs to saints and angels, and not to Christ.” Jesus says Come.
• Jesus does not say “Wait.” This is the word of the enthusiast and the fanatic. “You can do nothing. You must not ask; you cannot pray; you must sit still.” Cold comfort for troubled souls. Jesus says come.
• Come is a word of merciful invitation. It seems to say, “I want you to escape the wrath to come. I am not willing that any should perish. I have no pleasure in death. I would gladly have all men saved, and I offer all the water of life freely. So come to Me.”
• Come is a word of gracious expectation. It seems to say, “I am here waiting for you. I sit on my mercy-seat expecting you to come. I wait to be gracious. I wait for more sinners to come in before I close the door. I want more names written down in the book of life before it is closed forever. So come to Me.”
• Come is a word of kind encouragement. It seems to say, I have got treasures to bestow if you will only receive them. I have that to give which makes it worth while to come: a free pardon, a robe of righteousness, a new heart, a star of peace. So come to Me.

Brethren, I ask you to hear these words and lay them to heart. I plead for my Master; I stand here an ambassador; I ask you to come and be reconciled to God. I ask you to come with all your sins, however many they may be. If you come to Him they will be taken away. I ask you to come as you are. You feel unfit; you say you are not good enough. The worse you think yourself, the better prepared you are. Christ is not a Savior of those who think they are righteous—but of sinners. I ask you to come now. No other time is your own. The opportunity past, the door will be shut, and yourself dead. Come now. Come to Christ.”

May God touch your hearts with His Word!

Years ago I heard of a method of Bible Reading that I added to my daily devotions. That method was called “Proverb a Day”. There are 31 chapters of Proverbs in the Bible, and no more than 31 days every month. So every day I read one chapter of Proverbs corresponding to that day’s date.

For instance, on June 1 I read Proverb 1.

This morning – June 5 – I read Proverb 5.

Next Saturday – on June 11^th – I will start my day with Proverb 11.

Though we’re not there yet, let’s look at next Saturday’s reading:

Proverbs 11:27 He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.

I like that Proverb. In modern language what it’s saying is “You get what you look for”. If you diligently look for good you will find good and be blessed. But if you seek mischief – it will come to you. Jesus put it this way in Matthew 6:22 ..

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.^HCS

If you’re focused on the GOOD you will find the GOOD and be blessed with the GOOD. But if your focus is on MISCHIEF (trouble making) you’ll find trouble. It will find you out!

Proverbs 11:28 He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.

There’s another good word from God. God doesn’t care if you have riches – but if you trust in your riches you shall fall. Joseph of Arimathaea was a rich man who loved and followed Jesus. He was willing to go to Pilate and get the body of Christ off of the Cross (see John 19:39-40) and helped prepare our Lord for burial. Joseph donated the Tomb that Christ was laid in. There is nothing wrong with riches as long as you do not love them. Jesus counseled the rich to ….

Luke 16:9 (NLT) Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.

Wealth and riches are fleeting – and will not bring the deep blessings that come from following Christ. The righteous shall flourish as a branch. Those who are followers of Christ will be blessed. The Psalmist said …

Psalm 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

There is strength and blessing in righteousness, and righteousness is available to all who trust in Christ.

Proverbs 11:29 He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.

Those who bring trouble to their own house – whether family home, business, or Church – will inherit the wind. There is no benefit to the troublemaker. The fool – the godless person – shall be servant to the wise of heart. Those who chase after God’s Wisdom shall one day rule the world.

The fool (the godless) shall be servant to the WISE

This Proverb springboards into the next Proverb:

Proverbs 11:30 (KJV) The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

Those who are righteous produce a fruit. Adam and Eve were allowed to eat from the Tree of Life – but were forbidden to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. When Adam failed God and ate of the wrong tree the Lord cast him out of Eden saying:

Genesis 3:22-24 …. “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”– therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

The Tree of Life is the possession only of the Righteous. Those who hear God and obey have the right to eternal life.

Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.

Heaven and Eternal Life only belong to those who love the Lord, who have called on the Name of Jesus believing and who are saved. The fruit of the righteous is A TREE OF LIFE. Not THE Tree of Life but A Tree of Life. The fruit of our lives, dear Christian, should lead others to the eternal life we possess. He that winneth souls is wise. It is God’s intent that we win others to Jesus, that we share Jesus with others.

He that winneth souls is wise. If you have been won to Christ by the witness of another, then you want to win others to Him. In order to win others you need to be able to explain the Gospel to others. So I want to share something with you. I have given you a sheet with three circles on it. As I discuss these three circles I want you to “fill in the blanks” so that you can do this with others.

1 God’s Design. The first circle I want to talk about is the upper left circle, “God’s Design”. In our world today the idea that “Man is an animal” and “We evolved from lower forms” is a popular thought. Yet it is not true.

Mankind as we stand now has Devolved, not Evolved. Humanity has Devolved from what it was intended to be by our loving God.

The Psalmist asked the question:

Psalms 8:4-6 (KJV) What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. 6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

King David – once a Shepherd – asked God “Why do You even care about us? We are lower than the angels, those Heavenly Creatures that stand around Your Throne. Yet Angels have not been placed in dominion over the earth. Only mankind dominates this Good Earth You made.” The Bible answers David’s question this way …

Because You Are Made To Bear The Image Of God

The truth is that God made man in His own image, and after His own likeness (Genesis 1:27). God created Adam in His Image and in His Likeness.

Genesis 1:26 …Let us make man in our IMAGE, after our LIKENESS ..

Word Study The Hebrew word “Image” is צֶּלֶם tselem (pronounced tseh’-lem) “a resemblance of, a representative figure”. The word translated “Likeness” is the Hebrew דְּמוּת dmuwth (pronounced dem-ooth’) which means “a model or shape of”.

• Bible Scholar Wayne Grudem wrote that these words “refer to something that is similar but not identical to the thing that it represents or is the “image of” “.
• Theologian Anthony Hoekema wrote that the image of God “describes not just something that man has, but something man is.”

Man was made to be the Image Bearer of God. Jesus said in …

John 4:24 (NASB95) “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

• God is Spiritual – we are Spiritual. We were designed by God to connect to the Spiritual Creator.

Matthew 28:19 (KJV) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

2 Corinthians 13:14 (KJV)14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

• God is Triune – We Are Triune. The Bible says:

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (KJV) …. I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are of three parts. We are personal beings created by a personal God. God made us to be relational, and put in each of us a conscience which – if not hardened, draws us toward morality. God is creative – we are creative.
2 Sin And Brokenness. We were designed to be the image bearers of God. We walk with God and talk with God. This is how we are designed. Until sin entered in. When man chose sin rather than God he brought brokenness into the world. Anytime you see a broken person, a broken family, a broken community, a broken Church, a broken Country … brokenness is brought about by rejection of all or part of God’s design.

Illustration On December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japanese planes, killing more than 2400 people. The Flight Leader of this invasion was Captain Mitsuo Fuchida. After the bombing of our Naval Base Fuchida was hailed as a hero in Japan. But when the war ended with Japan defeated 4 years later Fuchida was angry, disillusioned, and broken. In 1950 he met a former American POW turned Missionary named Jacob DeShazer, and Jacob shared the Gospel of Christ with Mitsuo Fuchida. Mitsuo was not only saved – but later was called by our Lord to become an Evangelist. He wrote “Jesus is the only One Who was powerful enough to change my life”.

Illustration Nicolle Cliffe became an Atheist when she was in college. She thought her Christian friends were suffering a benign delusion that helped them deal with life – a supernatural crutch if you will. One day she was surfing the Internet and came across the obituary of Pastor and Author Dallas Willard. In his obituary was this quote:

“I believe that every human being is sufficiently depraved that when we get to Heaven,
no one will be able to say, ‘I merited this.’ ”

When she read these words she broke into tears. John Stonestreet of the Colson Center wrote:
“Later that day,” she writes, “I burst into tears again. And the next day. While brushing my teeth, while falling asleep, while in the shower, while feeding my kids, I would burst into tears.” Stunned by these sudden, uncontrollable emotions, Nicolle tried to get to the bottom of them. So she bought a book by Willard—and cried again. She read another one, by Lewis Smedes—and wept. Knowing that this couldn’t go on, Nicolle emailed a Christian friend to talk about Jesus, who of course said yes. …. in the hour before the two would talk, she knew that she believed in God, in fact—that she was a Christian. When the call came, Nicolle told her friend what had happened, the two laughed and prayed, and the atheist who was, was no more.

We are all broken without God. Sin breaks us, but brokenness becomes a blessing when it leads us to the foot of that Old Rugged Cross. When brokenness comes, rather than repent people will often adopt a “fix it yourself” mentality. Some theologians call this a “frantic search for happiness”. Solutions are sought through fleshly sins – sex, sensuality, alcohol, drugs.

Illustrate Brokenness is the place where we can meet with the lost and share the love of Christ. In the world we throw broken things away. Just the other day my Internet Router broken and I had to get a new one. The old one went into the garbage. I have thrown away broken stoves, broken tools, broken bulbs, broken furniture, broken cars. We throw away broken things. But God does not throw away broken people. It is through brokenness that God approaches the lost. He says in His Word:

Psalm 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Brokenness is the opposite of arrogance and pride. Actor Lionel Barrymore once said …

“The greatest disappointment of my career on the stage in the theater is that I could never step beyond the footlights and sit in the audience watching me”. Brokenness comes when pride and arrogance are shattered. It is the broken ground that will take the seed and allow it to grow. The rocky soil – hard and proud – will not bear fruit. Brokenness is God’s blessing on the unrepentant life.

The vain and arrogant person wants to be the center of the universe and the center of the stage. If he goes to a christening, he wants to be the baby. If he goes to a wedding, he wants to be the bride. If he goes to a funeral, he wants to be the corpse. He wants center stage – and God cannot use nor help that person. Until Jacob is crippled he cannot be Israel. Until Peter is mocked by the crowing Rooster he cannot be the Chief Apostle. In order to be used of God a person must repent. That person must turn from self solutions to the Savior and Lord Jesus. God has said:

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabits 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.

God does not want to throw away the broken – He wants to restore them. Saul on the Damascus Road cried out to God “Who art Thou?” and “What do You want me to do?”. It is in brokenness that God does His work. When your unbelieving friend in the hospital asks “Why has the God you serve allowed this to happen to me?” tell that dear soul “It is to get your attention. You have run without God for many years. You are running broken. Now in the well of your despair LOOK UP – for there is the Lord Who loves you. Surrender to Him”.

I have long visited broken people at home, in hospitals, and in jails. If they will not hear of Jesus I ask if I can pray with them anyway before I go. In nearly every case that person allows me to pray for them – and in praying I always ask God’s Holy Spirit to touch their lives. I cannot make them repent and turn to Jesus … but their brokenness can.

When daddy came home at the end of his workday his two young boys ran to him. One wrapped his arms around his daddy’s leg. “I’ve got all of daddy” he cried out. The other little boy put out his arms, and his daddy bent down, wrapped his arms around him, and lifted him up above the floor. That little boy said “You may have all of daddy, but daddy has all of me!”^{by Harold Vaughan} .

When God presents you with a broken person this is His way of helping you as believers do what you should do. Share Jesus with the broken. Share Jesus with the blind. If you have a friend crippled with sin, bring that person to Jesus. Quit worrying about being politically correct and personally offended and remember what God expects of you.

Proverbs 11:30 (KJV) The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.
We know Christ and are to share Christ with others. He that winneth souls is wise.
3 We Who Believe Are Operating In Our Divine Design When We Tell The Broken To Come To Jesus. Those whom God has saved through Christ are drawn back to the Divine Design. God gives us of His Spirit, just as Jesus promised. The Holy Spirit guides us – through His Word and prayer – to be closer to God’s design every day.

“The fruit of the righteous is a Tree of life”.

The fruit of our lives is to offer life through Christ to others. We are not the Source of Life – but connected to the Source we share our faith with others.

A store manager hear his clerk tell a customer, “No, ma’am, we haven’t had any for a while, and it doesn’t look as if we’ll be getting any soon.” Horrified, the manager came running over to the customer and said, “Of course we’ll have some soon. We placed an order last week.” Then the manager drew the clerk aside. He snarled, “Never, never, never say we’re out of anything–say we’ve got it on order and it’s coming. Now, what was it she wanted?” The clerk replied “Rain” .

You cannot give what you do not have. The reason why many who profess Christ as Savior never share their faith is because they have no faith. Faith means doing the hard things because God said so. In 1924 Missionary and Runner Eric Liddell went to Paris for the Summer Olympics. Eric loved the Lord. He told his sister:

I believe that God made me for a purpose …But he also made me fast.
And when I run I feel his pleasure.

When he was told that the qualifying heats for the 100 meter race was on Sunday he refused to go. When confronted by the Prince of Wales – the future King of England who demanded that he change his mind – he said:

“God made countries, God makes kings and the rules by which they govern. And those rules say that the Sabbath is his. And I for one intend to keep it that way.”

He withdrew from the race. But this wasn’t the whole story. Having withdrawn from the 100 meter race, Liddell trained instead for the 400 meters race. Unfortunately, he consistently turned in sub par times. And so, when the day of the 400 meters finally arrived – July 11, 1924 – he was not expected to win. As he stepped toward the starting blocks, a trainer from the American Olympic Team, inspired by Eric’s faithfulness, handed him a piece of paper with Scripture from 1 Samuel 2:30 …

“It says in the Old Book: He that honors me I will honor”

With paper folded in hand, Eric ran the 400 meters race. His time was 47.6 seconds, a new world record.

Our God is able. We who believe need to trust Him and share His Gospel. We who are to be “A Tree of Life” must be what God has designed us to be.

Read and meditate on His Word. Pray. And look for the broken. God will put them in your path.

Tell them about Jesus. Pray with them. Share what Jesus has done for you. May God touch your hearts with His Word.