God’s Wisdom Not Man’s Wisdom

Posted on June 19, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Joel Heaps on Unsplash

Proverbs 8:1-7 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? 2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. 3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. 4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. 5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. 6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. 7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

To those who say “I didn’t know”, God says “You did know, but refused to listen”.

There will be many who stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment who will say, “I didn’t know”. In fact, I have heard people say “What about the people who never heard the Gospel, never heard the Word of God, never heard of the Old Rugged Cross? Will they get a free pass into Heaven because they haven’t heard?”

Short answer: NO!

Longer answer: God Himself has made clear and plain what He expects. No one leaves this life saying “I never knew”. Christians will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:20; 2 Corinthians 5:10) where our works for Jesus that we did in this life will be judged. I am sure there of some of you who will say,

“I never knew”

To which Jesus will reply “You were told, but would not listen”.

God’s Wisdom Is Not Hidden

Proverbs 8:1-3 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth (nāṯan, naw-than’, to give) her voice? 2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. 3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.

Where is God’s Word not revealed? His Word is “in the top of high places”. You can be in the Palace, the White House, the Congress. You can be a dictator like Putin, or a President like Biden. No matter how high you go, God’s Wisdom reaches there. Wisdom is by the way “in the places of the paths”. God’s Word is accessible to the common person like you and I. God’s Word “crieth at the gates”. In ancient times the “gates” was where merchants came to do their business, so God’s Word is accessible to major corporations and businesses, CEO and SEOs, Wall Street and Fortune 500 Companies. But God’s Word is also “at the coming in at the doors”. It comes into homes, no matter who you are. God makes sure His Word penetrates everywhere. There is no one who says, “I never knew”. Why is this?

Because God’s Word is embedded in our conscience, our creation.

When the Apostle Paul discussed the horrendous evil that was dragging the Roman Empire down, he wrote:

Romans 1:18-20 (ESV) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Inside of every human is the concepts of what is good and what is evil. In time we can convince ourselves that good is evil and evil is good. We can create a month where we celebrate sexual sin (like June) and then corporations can push sexual sin and acceptance of perversion until a fearful people decide they cannot speak out against it. It doesn’t make it right – but we know what is right.

God gave us all a conscience, but we can, through perversion and willfulness, harden that conscience.

Proverbs 8:4-7 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. 5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. 6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. 7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

When God says “my voice is to the sons of man”, that doesn’t mean He just speaks to MEN. The phrase “sons of man” is a reference to humans born in a human way.

God speaks right and wrong to every person. He clearly represents Himself and His desire for us in His Bible.

I got home from Church last Sunday to find an invitation to a new cult that is meeting in Columbia. It uses the Mulehouse on Sundays at 10 am, and has attracted a large crowd. Called the “Belonging Co” it is co-pastored by a man and his wife, Henry and Alex Seeley. Past of the “Word of Faith Movement”, they believe that since we as humans are created in the image of God, what we say has the power to change reality. From a recent sermon, Alex Seeley stated:

“God’s Word has creative power. It forms something out of nothing. We are made in the image of God, we have creative power, so we need to watch our words.”

We DO NOT HAVE CREATIVE POWER with OUR words. This is what the world believes. What do we hear in our society? “Live our YOUR TRUTH”. “You can BE WHATEVER you want to be”. Young people are told that they can be “furries” because they believe they are “furries” and purr like “furries”. That’s nonsense. God’s Word, Wisdom, says:

Proverbs 8:4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.

Wisdom comes from God. The Bible says,

James 1:5-6 (NKJV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting …

We are born with a knowledge of good and evil because God created us that way. If someone beats a kitten to death with a ball-peen hammer we don’t celebrate that. It is wrong to torture and kill something so soft and helpless. But if a person dismembers a tiny baby in its mother’s womb, and flushes the little body parts into the dumpster, we celebrate this. Why? Because we have convinced ourselves that the convenience of a selfish and self serving mother trumps the life which is within her.

And we are horribly wrong.

God’s Word is truth. God tells us:

Proverbs 8:8-9 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing FROWARD (pāṯal, unsavory or twisted, torturous) or PERVERSE (ʿiqqēš, crooked, perverse) in them. 9 They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.

God says “My Word is not torturous. What I say is not meant to make you suffer. What I speak, I speak in love, and want you to understand your life will not be blessed until you receive it”. For we who love the Lord have learned to trust the Lord, even if we do not agree at the time with what He has said. We know that, in time, God’s Word is ALWAYS right.

God’s Word, His Wisdom, Sets The Standard

The “Word of Faith Movement” is dangerous on many levels, for it elevates the Word of Man over the Word of God. They teach “our words have creative power”, a quotation from their female pastor Alex Seeley. Here’s my problem with these types of churches.

They are blatant about ignoring Scripture.

Let’s start with they have a female Pastor. What’s wrong with a female Pastor? What’s wrong is that it violates what God has established as the parameters of the Pastoral office. The Bible ties the office of Pastor back to the creation of humanity. The Apostle writes:

1 Timothy 2:11-15 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

When the qualifications for the office of the Pastor were established in the very next chapter, the Apostle wrote:

1 Timothy 3:1-5 This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

This is culturally offensive in our America today, but nonetheless what the Scripture says. God designed us and gave us value within our sexes. Adam was FIRST FORMED, then EVE. Eve was formed out of Adam. The leader in the family is to be the husband and father. The leader in the Church is to be male. PERIOD! It has been historically true that once women were introduced into the pulpits as Pastor, the mainline churches next normalized sexual perversion and began to celebrate “Pride”. That is the way to destruction.

We Are To Receive God’s Word, Not Man’s Word

Proverbs 8:10-13 Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. 11 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. 12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. 13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

It is God Who establishes the parameters of our faith. For instance, God defines EVIL and PERVERSION. We do not define it. God’s Word defines it.

The devil and his acolytes spend time debating what God has clearly said. The righteous just DO the Word. The saved by faith always seek to follow God.

Christians cherish God’s Word, even if we do not fully understand it. God says “wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it”. Wisdom is the most important thing in the world. Why? Because it lends toward “PRUDENCE”. God hates pride, arrogance, and evil ways. He hates these things for the harm they bring to His creation.

Proverbs 8:14-21 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. 15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. 16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. 17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. 18 Riches and honor are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. 19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. 20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: 21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

The way to blessing is to RECEIVE and OBEY God’s Word. You will never succeed in life until God’s Word guides it. God’s Word brings order out of disorder. It brings stability to nations. It is God’s Word that is the basis of the laws of nations. God’s Word goes on to say “Riches and honor are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness”. There are great riches in following God, in adhering to His Word. We are told in:

Ephesians 1:7-8 (ESV) In {Christ} we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight …

Through God’s Word we have the “RICHES OF GOD’S GRACE”. Through faith in the Gospel, we are promised the forgiveness of our sins, and redemption from eternal punishment. The “RICHES OF THIS WORLD” choke the Word of God from our lives (Matthew 13:22), and lead us to failure. But when we believe on and DO that which God tells us,

Romans 10:12 (ESV) …. the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

We who have believed on Christ have “THE RICHES OF HIS GLORIOUS INHERITANCE” (Ephesians 1:18). God brings us into His family, and guarantees that we are His children both now, and into eternity.

Again, compare this to the teaching of Alex Seeley (Belonging Co):

“God waits for our “yes”, and our “yes” brings increase in our lives. God is saying, “I never ask of you that which you are not able to accomplish. I’m never going to give you more than you can handle. But I do need to co-labor with you. If you say “yes” to God, you will always find increase”.

That’s not in the Scripture. God often puts more on us than we can handle, so that we can follow Him in faith. Further, when you say “yes” to God and live for His glory (and not for your pocketbook), you will find persecution. The Apostle write:

2 Timothy 3:12-17 (ESV) Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

There is ALWAYS going to be a new brand of toothpaste, and another cult like the Belonging Co. They were in the early Church, and they’re here now. Peter said:

2 Peter 2:1-3 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

They rise up, preach untruths that have no foundation in the Word of God, and live lives of luxury on your money. They do not preach a Gospel of salvation, but a false gospel, a social gospel, a prosperity gospel contrary to the Scripture.

If you turn to Jesus “the Wisdom of God” the Lord will bring you into His Kingdom. He will write His Law on your heart, and teach you to love His Word. God’s intent for His Church is not to re-write scripture, nor to twist what He has said, but to heed His Word and do what He says. We do not boast about ourselves, but about our Jesus. And we do what we can to please Him, loving God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and being …. and loving our neighbors the way we want to be loved.

We are not Gods.
We are God’s.
We do not speak as Gods.
Only God has the authority of God.

May God the Holy Spirit guide you into His truth.

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How We Got Our Bible #4: The New Testament Formation (Part 1)

Posted on June 10, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Kiwihug on Unsplash

The Bible that Jesus and the earliest Church had
was The Old Testament

As our Lord Jesus taught, He did not create new Scripture – but instead properly interpreted and taught Scripture to show its true intent. Groups like the Pharisees, though well meaning, had twisted the Scripture through their own opinion. Jesus chastised them for this, saying:

Mark 7:6-9 Well hath Esaias {Isaiah} prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Note that as Jesus chastised them, He referred back to the Old Testament prophesies of …

Isaiah 29:13 Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Though the words are not exactly the same, Jesus is quoting Isaiah 29:13 (which is originally Hebrew) in Koine Greek (the language of the people). Jesus is most likely quoting from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Every Scripture Jesus quotes in His ministry are Old Testament texts, The Bible of His day. These quotes are probably from the Septuagint.

Jesus was recorded as quoting from the Old Testament texts of:

Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:4-5,13, 16; 17:6
Exodus 20:13-14
Isaiah 29:13; 56:7; 61:1-2
Hosea 6:6
Genesis 2:24
Malachi 3:1
Psalm 8:2; 22:1; 31:5; 35:19; 69:4; 110:1; 118:22-23

Jesus made the claim that all the Scripture (the Old Testament) spoke of Him, the Messiah:

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

John 5:45-47 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. 46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

Again, the Scripture was just the Old Testament – and there was a need for a New Testament. Why? Because with Jesus’ death on the Cross, His resurrection on the third day, and His ascension into Heaven, the Old Covenant was passed – we are now under a New Covenant. This doesn’t mean that the Old Testament is of no use today. After His resurrection, Jesus taught His disciples:

Luke 24:44 These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

The Old Covenant foretold the coming of Christ, and Jesus in His lifetime fulfilled the Law, the Psalms and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17-18). No one else has ever done that, proving that Jesus is the Messiah, the One Who brought in the “New Covenant in His Blood shed for us” (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 12:24). The Old Testament is valuable to the Christian because it proves that Christ is Messiah. One of the early Reformers of the Church, Martin Luther said:

“The Old Testament is the swaddling clothes and the manger in which Christ lies” (Luther’s Works, 35:235)

Dr. Brian Tabb, the President of Bethlehem College & Seminary wrote:

“The great church father Augustine once wrote, “The New {Covenant} is hidden in the Old and the Old is revealed in the New {Covenant}” (Writings on the Old Testament, pg 125). Indeed, the two testaments hang together in a way that reveals God’s grand plan of redemption and confirms the complete reliability of God’s word. Readers would be hard pressed to find a chapter of the New Testament that does not explicitly or implicitly reference the promises, patterns, and principles of the Old Testament.”

When Jesus introduced Himself to Nazareth as the Messiah of the New Covenant, He quoted Isaiah 61:1-2 …

Luke 4:18-19, 21 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. … 21 This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

God ordained men wrote the New Testament. These were:

Apostles Peter, Matthew, John & Paul
Evangelist John Mark
Gentile Doctor Luke
Jesus’ stepbrothers James & Jude

The stepbrothers of Jesus did not believe Him to be the Messiah until after the resurrection (see John 7:5; Mark 3:31-35).

The New Testament Scriptures were written to pass on the Apostolic Teachings of men who learned at the feet of Jesus, and were leaders in the early Church. Dr. Brian Cunningham (MA in Apologetics from Biola University, and a PhD in Theology and Apologetics from Liberty University) wrote:

“At the crucifixion, I think it’s a very big deal that Jesus entrusted his mother to his disciple John (John 19:26-27). I’m assuming James is the oldest sibling after Jesus, since he is always listed first. And one would think that Jesus would have entrusted Mary to James.”

Jesus did not entrust Mary His mother to either James nor Jude, because as He hung on the Cross they in unbelief abandoned Him. As the believing Apostle John was standing at the foot of the Cross as Jesus died, Jesus entrusted His mother to him. However, the Lord always gives us a second chance. The Bible via the Apostle Paul tells us that after His resurrection,

1 Corinthians 15:7-8 {the resurrected Jesus} was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me {Paul} also, as of one born out of due time.

Through this visit James and Jude became believers – and ended up writing Scripture as God the Holy Spirit led them to do.

The First New Testament Scripture Written
Was Not The Gospels, But The Epistle Of James

In our Bibles the first New Testament Books are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts. The reason they are presented this way is because they cover the early ministry of Christ and the Church. However, none of these Books were the first Scripture written. That distinction goes to the Epistle of James. Though Mary was a virgin (Luke 1:27), after she had Jesus her husband Joseph loved her, and they had several children together (Matthew 1:25). Jesus had four half-brothers, as we are told in …

Matthew 13:55 (ESV) Is not this the carpenter ‘s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas (or Jude – not Iscariot)?

After Jesus resurrected and appeared to James, James along with Jude prayed in the upper room until the Day of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14).

James is one of the Pastors of the Church in Jerusalem, and was considered a “pillar of the Church”. When the Pharisee named Saul was converted on the Damascus Road to become Paul the Apostle, he wrote in his testimony:

Galatians 1:18-19 … after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. 19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.

When Peter is imprisoned for the faith by King Herod, and an Angel released him from prison and two soldiers, the Angel of God recognized the authority of James, telling him …

Acts 12:17 … Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren.

James supported preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles. When God began to lead Gentiles into the Church under the preaching of Paul and Barnabas, James, the leader of the Jewish Church at Jerusalem, stood up for them. James quoted Amos 9:11-12 when he endorsed Gentiles becoming members of Christ’s Church, saying:

Acts 15:13-17 (ESV) … James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’

James was an Elder of the Church, a Shepherd (Galatians 2:9) at Jerusalem, and his endorsement of Paul and Barnabas to preach to the Gentiles carried a lot of weight.

Pastor John MacArthur notes that James wrote his Epistle sometime between 44-49 AD.

My commentary notes ..

“James’ speech at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15:14-21 reveals his reliance on Scripture, his desire for peace within the church, his emphasis of grace over the law, and his care for Gentile believers, although he himself ministered almost exclusively to Jewish Christians. Also worthy of note is James’ humility—he never uses his position as Jesus’ blood relative as a basis for authority. Rather, James portrays himself as a “servant” of Jesus, nothing more.”

The focus of the teachings of the Book of James is that those who are saved by faith in Christ will undergo internal spiritual changes that will effect their outward actions. “You MUST be BORN AGAIN”

James Epistle primarily addresses a Jewish Christian audience that was being persecuted by unconverted Jews and Gentiles.

James 1:1 (ESV) James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

James encouraged them to continue to follow Christ, regardless as to the cost. James does not preach easy believism, the nonsense that you heard from many pulpits today, but taught that trials are God’s way of purifying and guaranteeing the genuineness of our faith. Just as James went from unbeliever to the Pastor of the Church at Jerusalem on meeting Christ, the believer in Jesus undergoes a profound change. James points out that this is consistent from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. Those coming to Christianity from Judaism were being cast out of their families, treated as criminals, and sometimes killed by both Jews and Gentiles. James tells us today:

James 2:18-22 (NKJV) But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

James wanted the Christians in his charge to know that for a faith to save, that faith must stand. God will save anyone – but He saves from the inside out. You are not saved by good works, but by believing in the work that Jesus did on the Cross and at the empty tomb. But once saved, that which is in your heart will show in your hands, your feet, your lips. Faith without the proof of works is like a corpse – it is dead! “As the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26, NKJV).

James was martyred for his faith in 62 AD after writing his epistle. It is fitting that the Scripture God wrote through James was the first written book of the New Covenant.

The Second Book Of The New Testament Written Was By God Through Paul The Apostle

It is reckoned that the Book of Galatians was written from
49-50 AD by the Apostle Paul.

Paul was a Pharisee, a “hit-man” sent by the Sanhedrin or the Ruling Council of the Jews to round up Christians. Known then as Saul, he was present at the stoning to death of the Evangelist Stephen (Acts 7:58). After killing Stephen, Saul ravaged the Church, leading people into Christian homes to drag them off to prison (Acts 8:3). As Joseph told his brothers who had betrayed him to Egypt …

Genesis 50:20 (AP) … you meant evil against me, BUT GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD, to bring it about that many people would be preserved to life

Though Jesus had commanded His Church to go into

Acts 1:8 … (ESV) Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

The Church largely stayed in Jerusalem, and Jews were the primary ones saved. When God allowed Saul to rise up, it scattered the witness of the Church from the Temple in Jerusalem, throughout Samaria and into Damascus. This is what brought Saul to the Damascus Road. Here Jesus knocked Saul down, blinded him, and said …

Acts 9:5-6 (ESV) … I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city {of Damascus}, and you will be told what you are to do.

Jesus had a plan for Saul, the persecutor of the Church. Jesus told His disciple Ananias,

Acts 9:15-16 … {ESV} Go {to where Saul is}, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine to carry My name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.

Though Saul – later called Paul the Apostle – would preach Christ to Israel, his primary mission was to share Christ with Gentiles and Gentile Kings. Paul as a Roman citizen (though Jewish) would be executed by Emperor Nero after sharing the Gospel with him. Paul died under the sword shortly after Nero burned Rome, 67-68 AD.

Galatians was written to the churches of Southern Galatia, mixed audiences of both Jew and Gentile. One of the common problems in the early Church was that the saved Jews believed that the Gentiles, once saved, needed to keep the rituals and feasts of the Mosaic Law. In Galatians the Apostle addresses this, explaining that salvation does not come through outward ritual (like circumcision or the keeping of feasts) but by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As a “Pharisee of the Pharisees” Paul was well acquainted with the Law of Judaism. He wrote in

Philippians 3:4-7 (ESV) … If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

In Galatians Paul addresses why God gave the Law, and why the New Covenant supersedes the Old Covenant.

1 & 2 Thessalonians and 1 & 2 Corinthians

As an Apostle commissioned to go to the Gentiles, the Apostle Paul next wrote his letters to the Church at Thessalonica, 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Written between 51-52 AD in Corinth, the Bible says in

1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 (ESV) … not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

As Paul notes they “turned from IDOLS to serve the LIVING GOD”, those in Thessalonica were not converted Jews but GENTILES. The primary focus of 1 Thessalonians is…

“… to encourage Jesus’ believers to continue to progress in their faith” (Oxford Bibliographies)

The focus of 2 Thessalonians is the impending judgment of God’s enemies. As the Thessalonians were being persecuted for their faith, the Apostle wanted to encourage them. They were an example of how Christians are to stand up under persecution. The Apostle wrote:

2 Thessalonians 1:3-4 (ESV) … your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

As Paul wrote Thessalonians from Corinth, it makes sense that he wrote 1 & 2 Corinthians as God led him to establish Churches. The Corinthians Epistles were written 55-56 AD. Corinth was a large, international metropolis, filled with people from many different backgrounds. There was extensive idol worship and unrestrained sexuality in Corinth. This had crept into the Church, and brought division and fighting.

Paul chastised the Church on its compromise with the world, reminding its members that they were to be light, not darkness.

Paul wrote 2 Corinthians because many responded to his first letter by rejecting his Apostleship. Chuck Swindoll writes:

“Just as Paul wrote to the Corinthians in the wake of their repentance from divisions and quarrels, the message for today is clear: living in unity requires us to humbly forgive one another and to follow our leaders. Second Corinthians reminds us that even as Christians, we hurt each other and need to forgive those who wrong us (2 Corinthians 2:7). That Paul was willing to exhort the Corinthian believers to forgive those who had fallen away and repented, even as he defended his own apostleship against a vocal opposition”

Paul’s Epistle To The Romans – AD 57

Paul had not been to Rome when he wrote Romans. He wrote in:

Romans 1:9-12 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

Paul would end up in Rome a year later, but as a prisoner of Rome. This wasn’t his first imprisonment for preaching the Gospel. He was imprisoned in:

Macedonia (51 AD – Acts 16:23-34)
Jerusalem (Acts 21:11-23:11)
Rome (Acts 28:30-31)

Placed under house arrest in Rome, Paul was allowed to preach the Gospel. Every time he was imprisoned, Paul focused on his mission to preach the Gospel.

Paul wrote to the Roman Church just three years after Nero ascended to the throne as Emperor of Rome. At this time the Church was relatively safe. Nero wouldn’t sponsor attacks on the Church until he sets Rome on fire in 64 AD. Chuck Swindoll writes:

“The letter to the Romans stands as the clearest and most systematic presentation of Christian doctrine in all the Scriptures. Paul began by discussing that which is most easily observable in the world—the sinfulness of all humanity. All people have been condemned due to our rebellion against God. However, God in His grace offers us justification by faith in His Son, Jesus. When we are justified by God, we receive redemption, or salvation, because Christ’s blood covers our sin. But Paul made it clear that the believer’s pursuit of God doesn’t stop with salvation; it continues as each of us is sanctified—made holy—as we persist in following Him.”

We’ll continue this study in two weeks, after Father’s Day and our VBS Graduation. May God bless you all richly!

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The Old Covenant Is Gone Forever

Posted on June 10, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Artem Sapegin on Unsplash

Hebrews 10:8-10 Above when He {Jesus} said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin Thou {God the Father} wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9 Then said He {Jesus}, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He {God the Father} taketh away the first, that He {God the Father} may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

As we have come through the Book of Hebrews, we have seen the New Covenant that Jesus brought in, and have seen how it replaced the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant had animal sacrifices and ceremonies that were supposed to appease God. In verse 8 we see a conversation between the Son of God and God the Father. We can determine who is speaking in the text based on the context. In verse 8 we read:

Hebrews 10:8 ABOVE when He {Jesus} said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin Thou wouldest not …

The word ABOVE tells us to look at the previous text. In verse 5 we read:

Hebrews 10:5-6 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

Who is the One that “COMETH INTO THE WORLD”? Who is it Who had “A BODY PREPARED FOR ME”? It is Jesus. The Bible says:

1 Timothy 1:15 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners …

Mark 10:45 … even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

And again in John 6:38-39 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

Jesus specifically came into the world because animal sacrifices and feasts and circumcisions did not satisfy God, for these things did absolutely nothing … NOTHING to bring a person closer to God. So God Himself made Jesus a body (vs 5 a body hast thou prepared me).

God Was Never Pleased With “Looks Like” Religion

The reason God sent Jesus into the world – the reason He was “born of a virgin” (Luke 1:26-38; Matthew 1:18-25; Isaiah 7:14), is because God cares nothing for “looks like” religion. The first animal sacrifices were made in the Garden of Eden, when God covered the nakedness and sin of Adam and Eve with the fur of the innocent animal. But God never was pleased with animal sacrifices. He said in through the Prophet:

Isaiah 1:11 (ESV) “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.

The purpose of the animal sacrifices is to show us that we cannot work our way to God. I cannot stress this enough. You say to me, “But Pastor, we don’t have animal sacrifices today”. Don’t you?

Our Sacrificial Animals: When I first came to this Church, I called every name on the Church roll to see if I could get them back to the Church. One man I called said, “Well, I don’t go to Church anymore.” I then asked if I could have his name removed from the roll. His response: “Oh no! Keep it on the roll. My mamma would roll over in her grave if she knew I had my name removed from the Church roll”. The Church roll, to many, is much like an animal sacrifice. They have the idea that Jesus cares about the Church roll. No, He doesn’t. The Bible says what brings you into the Church is the Holy Spirit of God. Don’t believe me. Read this:

1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. 27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Church membership was not even a thing in the early Church. If you were saved by faith in Christ, you were a member of the Church. Membership rolls were not kept because to do so would be a death sentence! Christians were persecuted, and did not advertise where they met.

God wants you on the roll of the Book of Life. He wants you in a living, loving relationship with Jesus. He will not judge you based on whether you are on a human roll – but on the Roll up Yonder!

Other Animal Sacrifices: Baptism is a wonderful time in a Christian’s life, when you act obediently and do what Jesus said, publicly proclaiming your faith. But water baptism has become an animal sacrifice in many churches. Here’s the thing: is the person who was BAPTIZED now LIVING FOR JESUS. If so, praise God. But if the person baptized is THE SAME PERSON LIVING FOR THEMSELVES, then God is not pleased with the baptism.

When John the Baptist saw the Pharisees coming to his baptism in the wilderness, John didn’t welcome them in order to get more nickles and noses in the crowd. He publicly said:

Luke 3:7-9 … O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Now John preached in the transition between Old and New Covenants, but he spoke the truth. God is NEVER satisfied with the symbolic, the looks like, the pretend. God is calling a people to Himself that will love Jesus, love one another, and follow His commandments without debate.

God was never satisfied with just Israel, circumcision, and the symbolic feasts. The Old Covenant was ritualistic, closed, locked down. The New Covenant is life altering.

The Christian Is SANCTIFIED By The Body Of Jesus – Not By The Denomination He Attends

Hebrews 10:9-10 Then said {Jesus}, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first {Covenant}, that he may establish the second {Covenant}. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Word Study: Jesus came to this earth to set apart a people for God. The offering of the “BODY OF JESUS CHRIST” on the Cross of Calvary “sanctified” us. That is, once we receive what Jesus did for us by faith, believing on Him, God “SANCTIFIED” us. This is the Greek hagiazō which means “to be separated from the profane and the dark, and be dedicated to the service of God”. You are no longer what you were. You now belong to God. You are “SANCTIFIED” because you have believed on Christ. The Holy Spirit has come to you, and you are changed – internally – from what you were to now a Child of God.

Just as God is holy, we are holy. We do not chase after the darkness, because God has changed our perspective. We have …

Acts 26:18 (AP) … our eyes OPENED, we are turned FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT, from the POWER OF SATAN TOWARD THE POWER OF GOD. Our sins are forgiven, and we have an inheritance among all who are SANCTIFIED by faith in Christ …

We are not saved by calves, nor are we saved by golden calves. Some say “Unless you are a member of our Church, you cannot go to Heaven”. Hogwash! This is no more than repackaged Catholicism. We are SANCTIFIED by the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:16), SANCTIFIED by faith in the finished work of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2; 6:11), SANCTIFIED by the OFFERING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST ONCE AND FOR ALL.

My hope is built on nothing less

than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:

all other ground is sinking sand;

all other ground is sinking sand.

No “Church” went to Calvary to die for our sins, no animal, no ideology, no one but Jesus.

His sacrifice was so complete that the Bible says:

Hebrews 10:12-14 But this MAN, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Why does it call Jesus a MAN? Because “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). It was the sin of Adam that brought universal sin into the world. But the Scripture says:

Romans 5:19 as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Because Jesus OBEDIENTLY took on Himself manhood, because Jesus OBEDIENTLY went to Calvary for the sins of the world, because Jesus loved us so …. faith in Him makes us righteous before God. We come under the blessings of the Second Covenant, the Covenant of Grace.

The New Covenant Brings A Change
Of Heart And Mind

Hebrews 10:15-17 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

When the Old Covenant was given, it relied on the outward, the festival, the circumcision, the Sabbaths, the animal sacrifices. But the New Covenant brings something entirely new. God said,

I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them

God makes the Christian understand and want to do His Law, His moral code. Some today teach that once you are saved, you are free to do whatever you want, for the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses you of all sins.

This is hogwash!

Once saved, there is “no more offering for sin” (vs 18). But once saved, God puts HIS LAWS IN YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS. You know what pleases God.

1 As Children of God, we want to be closer to God. Under the Old Covenant people were frightened of God. From God’s mountain came thunder and lightening, and people trembled at the thought of getting too close to God. We who are saved by the Blood of Christ have an assurance. We read:

Hebrews 10:19-22 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Jesus’ death covers our sins, but Jesus’ resurrection assures us we have a High Priest over the House of God. Jesus saved us, and keeps on saving us. We are saved to the uttermost.

2. As Children of God, we want to serve God in unison. We read:

Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

If someone tells me that they are saved, but have no desire whatsoever to serve God in their salvation, I immediately suspect there is a problem. Salvation cannot be procured by works – but once you are saved, you will want to work for God. He has written His Law on your hearts. You have experienced His love.

Because Jesus took my sin, I can take His Heaven. Such a thought should bless you greatly. I owe Jesus everything. I owe Jesus everything.

Illustrate: I heard a great illustration the other day I thought I’d share with you. A preacher went to visit a friend of his, and his friend had a very big dog. He took his small daughter with him, and asked her to go back to the car and get something he had forgotten to bring in. His daughter started running toward the car – and the dog, growling – started to go after her. The dog’s owner called out: “You’d better not run, honey. He doesn’t like it when people run away from him. Walk with him. Put your hand on his neck. He won’t hurt you.”

God is like that. God doesn’t like it when we run away from Him. We should fear Him, that is, respect His Laws and Commandments. We should work together with other believers to serve Him. Pastor John Piper wrote:

“I picture myself climbing in the mountains, say the Himalayas. And I’m on these massive rock faces, and I see a storm coming. It is going to be a massive storm, and I feel unbelievably vulnerable on these mountain precipices. And so, I am desperately looking for a little covert in the rock where I won’t be blown off the side of the cliff to destruction.

And I find a hole in the side of the mountain, and I spin quickly, and suddenly the holiness, and justice, and power, and wrath, and judgment of God breaks over me like a hurricane, but I know I am totally safe, which means all that horrible danger is transposed into the music of majesty, and I can enjoy it rather than fearing it. And I think that is what the cross is. Jesus died for us to provide a place where we could enjoy the majesty of God with a kind of fear and trembling and reverence and awe, but not a cowering fear.”

Those under the New Covenant are protected by the Blood and Body of Christ. Those under the New Covenant are called into union with other genuine believers, to serve and glorify God in our lives. We are called as believers to together “consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works”.

Once you are saved, God writes His love on your hearts. You want to love Him, and follow Him. You want to love others, to love your local Church, and to serve the Lord for His glory.

What If I Reject The New Covenant
That Jesus Offers?

Hebrews 10:26-29 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Some have taken this verse to mean that you can lose your salvation. This is why we ALWAYS read scripture in context. “if we sin willfully” does not refer to just any sin. EVERY sin is a WILLFUL sin. You never accidentally sin – you will it. The WILLFUL sin in this text is the sin of rejecting the New Covenant, the sin of rejecting Jesus.

There is but one sin that sends a person to eternal damnation – that is the willful rejection of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Those who were under the Old Covenant who “despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses”. If you rejected what God commanded under the Old Covenant, there was no recourse. You were cut off from Israel. You died if you blasphemed what God said.

If you have heard of the Grace of Jesus, heard that He died for your sins, and rose again to be your High Priest. If you, on hearing this, reject Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you are willfully sinning against God. You’ve received the truth.

The Catholics believe if you leave this life without Jesus, that you will be in pergatory until you work your way out.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe if you die without Christ, your soul will be incinerated.

People think there will always be a second change after this life. The Bible doesn’t teach this. If God sent His Son to die for you, to take your hell so He could get you to Heaven, and you reject God’s provision …

you have no hope.

Word Study: If you mock and make light of the Cross of Christ, you walk on the Son of God. You have done despite to the Spirit of Grace. The phrase “DONE DESPITE” is the Greek enybrizō, which means “to insult”. To hear that Jesus died for you, but to cling to the Old Covenant, believing your human works will please God – it is a horrible insult to the Spirit of Grace. If there were a work that you could do that would save you, why on earth would God send His Son to the Cross? There wasn’t, and there never will be. God says:

Hebrews 10:30-31 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Those who are saved put their faith in Christ. We love Him, and surrender to Him. We trust Him. We believe that His sacrifice is sufficient to pay for our sins, and that Jesus and Jesus alone will get us into the family of God and Heaven. The chapter ends with these words:

Hebrews 10:38-39 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Those who are “JUST” live their lives by “FAITH” in Jesus Christ. Those who claim faith in Him but “DRAW BACK INTO PERDITION (apōleia, destruction, damnation)” are not saved at all. Judas Iscariot was called “The Son of Perdition” (John 17:12), a “devil” (John 6:70). He did not show evidence of salvation. Those who are saved have God’s Law and God’s Love written in their hearts. Judas had the external only, the ritual.

And he died in his sins!

Beloved, do not delay. Repent, and turn to Christ this day. Give Him all of your lives, and cling to Him Who died for you. This is where salvation is – the Author of the New Covenant, Jesus Christ. May God the Holy Spirit move on your hearts. Amen.

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God’s Wisdom and Understanding vs The Strange Woman

Posted on June 6, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by David Underland on Unsplash

Proverbs 7:1-5 My son, keep My words, and lay up My commandments with thee. 2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. 3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. 4 Say unto WISDOM {chokmâh pronounced khok-maw’}, Thou art my sister; and call UNDERSTANDING {bîynâh pronounced bee-naw’} thy kinswoman: 5 That they may keep thee from the STRANGE {zûwr pronounced zoor} woman, from the stranger which FLATTERETH {châlaq pronounced khaw-lak’} with her words.

In Proverbs Chapter 7 God contrasts two women, one called Wisdom who is to be your sister and her kinswoman Understanding, to one unnamed STRANGE woman who wants to take advantage of you. The word translated “STRANGE” is the Hebrew zûwr {pronounced zoor} which is used in Scripture for strangers, foreigners, enemies, profane people. The “STRANGE WOMAN” uses her words to “FLATTER” you. This is the Hebrew châlaq {pronounced khaw-lak’}, which means “to separate, to draw away, to divide from what God wants for you”. Let’s look first at

God’s Word is Wisdom, The Kinswoman Understanding
– Want To Bless You

Proverbs 7:1 My son, KEEP My WORDS, and LAY UP My COMMANDMENTS with thee.

Word Study: To “KEEP” {shâmar, shaw-mar’} God’s Word is to “guard it, to put a hedge about it, to treasure it, to protect it”. How do we guard God’s Word? We guard His Word by adding nothing to it (like our opinion) or by taking anything away from it. We consider God’s Word to be complete, something to be cherished and done. God said of His Word:

Revelation 1:3 (ESV) Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

We are not to be a judge of God’s Word, but are to guard it from opinion and cultural influence.

When we cease guarding God’s Word and instead begin to judge His Word, it is not long before we find ourselves, like Adam and Eve, in a very bad situation. Our Lord Jesus said:

Luke 11:28 (ESV) Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and KEEP {phylássō, foo-las’-so – guard it, preserve it, obey it} it!

Jesus chastised the Pharisees for, though they knew the Word of God, they allowed their opinions to enter into what God clearly said. In so doing they violated the commands of God, but established their own golden calves that they expected others to follow. Jesus told the Pharisees:

Mark 7:6-9 (ESV) Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” 9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!

When we fail to GUARD and DO the Word of God, and instead begin to twist it and add what suits our sensibilities to it, we lose the protections that the Word of God gives us. Take for instance the Social Gospel, a nonsense preached from many pulpits today. When the Social Gospel replaces the Gospel of Repentance and Obedience, virtue signaling people begin to think they are saved and Heaven bound because the have appeased the culture. When we love and support the culture more than we do the Word of God, we become part of the darkness. Jesus said:

John 14:23 (ESV) If anyone loves me, he will KEEP {tēréō, tay-reh’-o, to OBSERVE or HOLD FAST TO} my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

The Genuine Christian is the one who “Hears the Word of God, and HOLDS ON TO IT with honesty and sincerity, bearing fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15).

Word Study: We are to “LAY UP” {tsâphan, tsaw-fan’, to TREASURE} God’s Word. What the Lord has said to us is valuable, more precious than gold or silver. Why? Because we are told:

Proverbs 7:2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.

It is the Word of God that brings life, and light. It is the Word of God that brings us from Satanic Darkness and into the Light of God. We who are saved by the preaching of the Word are resurrected beings.

Our Lord Jesus said in

John 8:12 … I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

And again in John 12:46, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”

Those who walk in the darkness, walk apart from God and stumble through life. Those who walk with the Lord walk in the Light of His Word. We have eternal life because of His Word. We guard and treasure God’s Word. HOW we do so is next very graphically described:

Proverbs 7:3-4 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. 4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:

The Word of God is bound on your fingers. Does this mean to write Bible verses on your hands? It could. God told His Israel:

Deuteronomy 11:18-20 (ESV) You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes …

Deuteronomy 6:8-9 (ESV) You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

The Word of God is to be treasured. It should drive what you DO with your hands. It should direct your heart to the things that are pleasing to God. Write God’s Word on your heart, then follow what God has said.

God’s Word will …

Proverbs 7:5 … keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.

The Strange Woman Lies In Wait
For The Simple Minded

Proverbs 7:6-10 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, 7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, 8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, 9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: 10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtile of heart.

Word Study: God now gives us an illustration through King Solomon. Solomon said that he was looking out his window, observing “SIMPLE ONES” {pᵉthîy, peth-ee’, “foolish, naivete, simple or open minded”}. We have some “SIMPLE ONES” like this not far from this Church. On their church sign they have:

“Open HEARTS, Open MINDS, Open DOORS”

What’s wrong with that? The Bible calls “OPEN MINDEDNESS” simple minded, foolishness, ignorance. The Bible says that as God’s Children:

1 Corinthians 2:16 … But WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST …

The believer is not called to have “Open MINDS”. Our minds are to be on Christ and God’s Word. Our focus is on “with ONE MIND GLORIFYING GOD, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:6). Our minds are to be closed to the world, closed to darkness, closed to Satan, but filled with the Word of God. The Bible commands us:

1 Corinthians 1:10 … 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.

Philipians 1:27 … stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel

1 Peter 1:13-15 (ESV) … preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct …

It saddens me that professing Christians and so called pastors have succumbed to the culture, and departed from the Word of God. No good ever comes of it.

We who are Christians are to “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:5-7)

Where does the “STRANGE WOMAN” lurk?

Proverbs 7:9-10 … In the TWILIGHT, in the EVENING, in the BLACK AND DARK NIGHT: 10 And, behold, THERE MET HIM A WOMAN with the attire of an harlot

The devil and his agents hide in the darkness. They whisper lies over the phone, gossiping, murmuring. Here you meet the “WOMAN WITH THE ATTIRE OF A WHORE”. In the Book of Revelation, God calls the false religions of the world

Revelation 17:5-6 … MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

The Whore does not want to bless you, but to curse you. The Whore of false religion is “drunk with the blood of the Saints”. Who was instrumental in killing Jesus? Was it not the false religion of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Herodians? Was it not a vile judge Pilate who, though he found no fault in Jesus, sentenced Him to a criminals death? Who was the first Martyr in the Church after Christ our Lord? Was it not STEPHEN (Acts 7:54-60). And who killed Stephen. Was it not Pharisees, hypocrites, religious self righteous bigots? Who was the second martyr in the Church? It was Herod the King (Acts 12:1-3) who wanted to please the Jews, the Pharisees.

The whore walks in darkness, not light. The whore is part of the culture. She is not quiet, but LOUD and INSISTENT.

Proverbs 7:11-12 (She is LOUD AND STUBBORN; her feet abide not in her house: 12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

Word Study: The whore is “LOUD AND STUBBORN”. The word “LOUD” is the Hebrew hâmâh, {pronounced haw-maw’}, which means “to RAGE, to CLAMOR, to make a scene, to be in an uproar”. She is not just noisy, but “STUBBORN”, the Hebrew çârar, {pronounced saw-rar’} which means “to be rebellious, against that which is civil”. She has no shame. She may go about shouting at diners, ruining their meals while demanding “Say BLACK LIVES MATTER”, or angry because you did not use her pronouns of choice.

Proverbs 7:13-18 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, 14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. 15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. 16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. 17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.

The whore offers peace and love if you will compromise with her. She claims to want nothing from you. She is no whore for profit. She says “I HAVE PAID MY VOWS”. She is wed to another, and does not want to marry you, but to be with you. She is not seeking wealth from you. She says, “I have decked my bed” with the finest weaving, the finest linen. The bed itself is top of the line.

Illustrate: The most expensive bed in the world today is the Baldacchino Supreme Bed. There are only two of these in the world. Hand built by Italian furniture makers, it is intricately carved. The canopy over the bed is 250 pounds of 24 carat gold, silk and cotton sheets, and diamonds adorn the headboard. It’s value? $6,300,000. This woman’s bed is much like this. Very expensive – she claims to want nothing of you but your presence.

But she wants your soul.

She claims her husband is not at home – that he has sufficient funds to stay away, and will not return until the appointed time (verses 19-20). Because the young and simple man did not have God’s Word in his heart, we are told:

Proverbs 7:21-23 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. 22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; 23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

The devil knows how to entice you into his trap. And when you fall into the trap, it is like “an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks”. In ancient times (and I wish they would bring it back) they would take criminals who broke the Law (but not a CAPITAL offense) and put them into the public stocks. It was for misdemeanor crime. Your hands and feet were bound in front of you, and you were publicly ridiculed – and sometimes pelted with food – until your time in the stocks was passed. This is where we get the noun “laughingstock”. You were in the stocks, and people made fun of you, and laughed at you, mocking you, up to and even after the time you were released.

The point: If you do not store the Word of God in your heart, and instead follow after the whore, the least you can expect is to be made a laughingstock of. At the most – it will KILL you!

You can be trapped as a bird in the snare, or have a “dart strike through his liver”. If you are shot in the liver you have a 40-60% chance of death, even with emergency treatment. Rejecting God’s Word and chasing after the cultural whore can not only kill you – but send you to damnation. We end with these words:

Proverbs 7:24-27 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. 25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. 26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. 27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

Nothing good comes of following the ways of this world. The best thing you can do is store God’s Word in your heart – then run from the cultural whore. Going into her house will lead to – at the least – shame, but at the most – death and damnation.

Cling to God’s Word, His Wisdom, and do as He says for abundant life. May God touch your hearts with His Word.

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How We Got Our Bible #3: God Gave Us Translations

Posted on June 5, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

When I was being examined by the Pulpit Committee in view of becoming the Pastor of this Church, one member asked me

“What Version of the Bible do you preach out of”?

I explained that I preach primarily from the King James Version (what many called the “Authorized Version”), but that I also referred to the original language of the Scriptures (the manuscripts) as well as other versions.

Since I’ve been at this Church, I found out that – though many use the King James Version – others use other versions. I have had people call and ask me if we were a “1611 King James Only” Church, and when I told them “No, I’m sorry, we’re not” they hang up. Sadly most people who are in the “1611 King James Only” camp have never studied nor even thought about what they believe. Let me ask this question:

If the 1611 King James Version is the only real Bible that there is, what did people use for Bibles before 1611?

Slide One Picture of my 1611 KJV

Did no one have a Bible before 1611? Did God deprive His people of the Scripture until King James came along? No, He did not. God has always given His Word to His people. God has given His Church two gifts:

1 God gave us the HOLY SPIRIT to guide us into His Word.

Slide 2

John 16:13-14 (NKJV) However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

Slide 3

John 17:17 (NKJV) Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

The Word of God – the Bible – is the TRUTH the Church is built on. God has always given His Church the Bible, a Bible we can understand. God gave His Old Testament people a Bible they could understand. Therefore,

2 God gave BIBLE TRANSLATIONS to His people.

I Love The King James Bible

Lest you think I have a “problem” with the King James Bible, I don’t. But if I love you, I will “speak the truth in love so that you will become more like Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). I was saved under the preaching of thew King James Bible – the version many of you are using today. The original 1611 King James was translated by 47 scholars. All scholars were members of the Church of England and all except Sir Henry Savile (a scholar and mathematician, Warden of Merton College & Oxford) were clergy. The Bible was commissioned in 1604, and published in 1611. It was sponsored by King James VI and I. Known as King James VI from July 24, 1567 as King of England and Ireland. When the Scottish and English crowns united he was called King James I until his death in 1625.

My commentary notes that the King James Version was the third translation of the Bible in English approved by the Church of England.

The first translation of the Bible into English approved by the Church of England was the Great Bible (1539). The Coverdale Bible (1535) was the first complete English Bible printed on a press (1535). Incorporating the Matthew 1537 Bible into his work, Miles Coverdale produced the Great Bible (1539).

Slide 4 The Great Bible (1539)

Though the Coverdale Bible was the first whole Bible printed in English, it was never “Authorized” by the King or the Church England. The Great Bible – which incorporated Matthew’s 1537 Bible,

Slide 5 Matthew’s Bible 1537

The second “Authorized” translation into English was The Bishop’s Bible (1568), though in Switzerland the “Reformers” translated the Geneva Bible (1560) from the original Hebrew and Greek Scriptures.

The King James translators referred to the Geneva Bible as they worked – and it influenced the translation.

Slide 6 Bishop’s Bible & Geneva Bible

Though the Geneva Bible (1560) was more popular than the Bishop’s Bible, the translators of the Geneva Bible translated the word KING as TYRANT some 400 times. This is one reason the King refused to “Authorize” the Geneva Bible.

The original King James text (1611) contained a number of differences from the King James text you have today. Though you may or may not have the 1611 Preface in your King James Bible,

Slide 7 KJV 1611 Preface

The King James Bible you have is NOT a 1611 version. The original 1611 Version had a monthly Moon Chart and Prescribed Prayers for each day of the week:

Slide 8 Moon Chart and Prescribed Prayers

The original KJV had a much older English than what you see in your King James. Here we see a “Table and Kalender” that gives an order to read the Psalms and lessons to be learned. You can easily see this is very old English.

Slide 9 Table And Kalendar
Slide 10 Proper Psalms On Certain Days

The original 1611 KJV did not just contain the 39 Books of the Old Testament and the 27 Books of the New Testament (the 66 Books of our Bible), but also contained the false scriptures known as the Apocrypha.

Slide 11 The Apocrypha

These are the 14 books rejected by the Protestant Church as Scripture, though the Catholic Church still holds these books to be part of the Bible. Though the Church of England broke from the Catholic Church, the translators kept the Apocrypha in place in the 1611 King James. The Apocrypha:

1 Taught a person was saved by their good works and not by faith in Christ:

Slide 12

Tobit 12:9 For alms giving saves from death and purges away every sin. Those who give alms will enjoy a full life …

2 Taught that a person who was not good enough for Heaven could go to “PURGATORY”, and could be bought out of Purgatory if enough good was done on the earth by their relatives:

Slide 13

Second Maccabees 12:41-45 The noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened as the result of the sin of those who had fallen. He also took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. … Therefore he made atonement for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin …

3 The Apocrypha taught that God hears the prayers of the dead:

Slide 14

Baruch 3:4 O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, hear now the prayer of the dead of Israel, the children of those who sinned before you, who did not heed the voice of the Lord their God, so that calamities have clung to us …

There are many other reasons the Apocrypha was rejected as Scripture. It teaches that souls preexist before a person is born (Wisdom 8:19-20), that God created things out of preexistent matter (Wisdom 11:17), that the body weighs down the soul (Wisdom 9:15), and on and on. The Apocryphal writings are false scriptures that the Church rejected.

Slide 15 The Changing English Language

Thankfully we do not have a 1611 King James Bible now, because frankly, I don’t think we could read it. On your screen you see a page photographed from my 1611 King James Bible, John 3:14-17. Notice how much the language has changed from 1611 to the version of the King James you currently have. Notice the spelling of the words in the Book of Proverbs:

Slide 16 Prouerbes

The 1611 King James underwent two major revisions in 1629 and 1638, courtesy of Cambridge University in England. Thomas Nelson Bible Publishers note:

“Two of the leading universities in England—Cambridge (again) and Oxford—began work on updated standard editions. Francis Sawyer Parris oversaw the Cambridge edition, and Benjamin Blayney oversaw the Oxford edition. The Cambridge edition was finished first, in 1760, but the Oxford version, which was finished nine years later, superseded it.

Blayney’s exacting work on the Oxford revision calls to mind Psalm 12:6: “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”

His revisions fall into five categories. The first is the use of italics. Blayney used italics to identify words that are inserted into a passage to make the meaning clear but aren’t found in the original Hebrew or Greek text.

The original 1611 version used small “roman” type to identify such words. Because of printer’s errors and other factors, however, not all of those words were properly identified. The 1769 Oxford edition is much more heavily italicized than the original.

The second category of revisions involves very minor changes to the text itself. For example, in the 1611 version, Matthew 13:6 contains the phrase “had not root.” In the 1769 version, the phrase is changed to “had no root.”

The third category involves spelling (“sinnes” is changed to “sins”), capitalization (“holy Ghost” is changed to “Holy Ghost”), and punctuation. In the century and a half since the original version was written, the rules of writing had changed. Spelling, capitalization, and punctuation had become more standardized. Blayney attempted to introduce this standardization into the Bible text.

The fourth category involves changes to the margin notes, including removing references to the Apocrypha. The fifth category involves correcting a handful of printing errors, including changing “might” to “night” in Matthew 26:34.”

The version of the King James you are using today is the 1769 Oxford edition. You have the essence of the 1611 King James – a wonderful translation – but it has gone through updates that are necessary because of the changing nature of language. It is indeed a Biblical masterpiece of translation. However, it is not the only translation God has given us.

People Change, And All Languages Change

The first translation of the Bible from the original manuscripts into the people’s language was not the King James, but the Septuagint. The Encyclopedia Britannica notes:

Slide 17 Hebrew Language Bible

“The Septuagint was presumably made for the Jewish community in Egypt when Greek was the common language throughout the region. Analysis of the language has established that the Torah, or Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament), was translated near the middle of the 3rd century BCE and that the rest of the Old Testament was translated in the 2nd century BCE.”

Slide 18 The Septuagint

The Septuagint (so called because there were supposed to be 70 or 72 translators) translated the Hebrew text of the Old Testament into Koine or Common Greek, the language of the people of that day. One article I read noted:

“The Septuagint is quite possibly the most important translation of the Bible. It is the oldest translation of the OT into another language. It was considered by Philo and Josephus to be on an equal footing with the Hebrew Bible. It was preferred to the Hebrew by the Early Christian Church. And it sheds much-needed light on the development of the New Testament. …

Hebrew ceased to be a spoken language as early as the exilic or post-exilic period (cf. Nehemiah 13:24), and Aramaic became the {language} of the Jewish people. With the rise of Alexander the Great and the Greek empires, the Jews in the diaspora were Hellenized, and for some Jews, especially those living in Ptolemaic Egypt, Greek became the primary language. Thus, it became necessary for the Scriptures to be translated into Greek.”

God will not leave His people without His Word, so He raises up translators to insure that we have access to His Word. Languages change over time, and God wants His people to know His truths.

As I preach through the Bible, you may have noticed that there are times I allude to “the original text”. In my office and online I have access to lexicons, which are a type of dictionary that ties the Bible translated word back to the original manuscript that it was translated from.

Slide 19 Lexicons and Greek New Testament

Now I’m no expert Theologian by any means, but if you are using a King James Bible there are a number of Lexicons out there keyed to the King James text. There are a number of online resources as well that help you find the original language word. These resources are very helpful. Even though your King James is the 1769 Oxford edition, English has undergone many other changes since 1769. For instance, when people brought their children to Jesus to bless, but the disciples tried to stop them. What did Jesus tell them?

Slide 20

Matthew 19:14 … Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

The word translated “SUFFER” is the Greek aphiēmi (pronounced af-ee’-ay-mee) which means “allow, permit, do not hinder”. The same word is used when Jesus told John the Baptist to baptize him, and John initially refused. Jesus told John:

Slide 21

Matthew 3:15 … SUFFER (aphiēmi) it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he SUFFERED (aphiēmi) Him.

In our day to “suffer” means to hurt. But in the Greek aphiēmi means “to allow, to not hinder”. But depending on the context, the word can mean “to leave one place for another”, as in:

Slide 22

Matthew 4:22 And they immediately LEFT (aphiēmi) the ship and their father, and followed {Jesus}.

It can also mean to ABANDON SOMETHING, as in the Lord’s Prayer:

Slide 23

Matthew 6:12 And FORGIVE (aphiēmi) us our debts, as we FORGIVE (aphiēmi) our debtors.

Jesus intends that we ABANDON VENGEANCE against others when we are offended. That is the way that aphiēmi should be translated in those instances. Now, why did I show you all these illustrations from this one word?

Because study of the Scripture is not merely MECHANICAL, but it is SPIRITUAL. Bible translators – who are God given people – come together to translate the Scripture from the original text to our language. Yet English and all languages are constantly growing and changing.

Let’s go back to my beloved King James text. Is the Third Person of the Trinity the Holy GHOST or the Holy SPIRIT?

You will find the Third Person of the Trinity referred to as “Holy Ghost” 183 times in 89 verses, but as “Holy Spirit” 44 times in 21 verses.

Is there a different word used in the original text for “Ghost” and “Spirit”. No, it’s the same word – Pneuma – which means “Spirit”. The Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible tells me that Pneuma is translated:

“Spirit (111x), Holy Ghost (89x), Spirit (of God) (13x), Spirit (of the Lord) (5x), (My) Spirit (3x), Spirit (of truth) (3x), Spirit (of Christ) (2x), human (spirit) (49x), (evil) spirit (47x), spirit (general) (26x), spirit (8x)”

It’s all the same word. In modern English when we speak of a “ghost”, we think about a disembodied soul that is roaming the earth. God is not a ghost, but a “Spirit”. Our Lord Jesus said:

Slide 24

John 4:24 God is a Spirit (Pneuma): and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

God is not a disembodied soul, but a Spirit. God took upon Himself flesh and bones so that He could save us, but God in His essence is Spirit. God is everywhere, not localized as we are. The theological term for this is OMNIPRESENT. The Bible says:

Psalm 33:13-14 (ESV) The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,

God as a Spirit is immense. The Prophet wrote:

Isaiah 40:12 (ESV) Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?

As one commentary notes:

“He fills all things with His presence (Colossians 1:17) and upholds everything by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3) – yet He is not necessarily everywhere to bless. … Just as God is sometimes separated from His children because of sin (Isaiah 52:9), and He is far from the wicked (Proverbs 15:29) and orders the godless subjects of darkness to depart at the end of time to a place of eternal punishment, God is still there in the midst. He knows what those souls suffer who are now in hell; He knows their anguish, their cries for respite, their tears and grief for the eternal state that they find themselves in. He is there in every way as a perpetual reminder to them of their sin which has created a chasm from every blessing that might be otherwise granted. He is there in every way, but He displays no attribute other than His wrath.”

It is God the Holy Spirit Who inhabits the Christian, guiding us in the Scripture, teaching us the deep things of God. God the Holy Spirit is not limited by the translation of Scripture you use. If we will diligently seek His truth through a decent translation of the Scripture, God will guide us into all truth.

What Bible Translation Should I Use?

Slide 25 Types Of Bibles Available

If you are comfortable with the King James text, I recommend you stay with it in studying your Bible. I’ve stayed with the King James text as my foundational study Bible because it has been around so long, and there are many original language helps that are keyed to the King James. However, I am not afraid of other Bible translations, and turn to some of them if I seek a deeper understanding of the text.

There are three types of Bibles available in English:

1 Word for Word Translations (Literal)

2 Thought for Thought Translations (Dynamic)

3 Idea for Idea PARAPHRASES

If a Bible is a PARAPHRASE, it is NOT a translation. Someone read a Bible Translation, then re-wrote that translation in the way they understood it. A Paraphrase may be easy to read, but I would not recommend doing any serious Bible study with it. Some of the Paraphrase Bibles are:

Slide 26 Paraphrases

The Living Bible: Kenneth N. Taylor used the American Standard Version of the Bible (1901), and re-wrote it in his own words and interpretations.

The Message: Written by Eugene H. Peterson. My commentary notes:

“The Message has engendered more criticism for its lack of serious scholarship and outright bizarre renderings than just about any other Bible version to date. One common complaint from many who read The Message or hear it read aloud is “I didn’t recognize it as the Bible.” Other critics declare The Message to be not a paraphrase of what the Bible says, but more of a rendering of what Eugene Peterson would like it to say. In an interview with Christianity Today, Peterson described the beginning of the creative process that produced The Message: “I just kind of let go and became playful. And that was when the Sermon on the Mount started. I remember I was down in my basement study, and I did the Beatitudes in about ten minutes. And all of a sudden I realized this could work.”

I wouldn’t recommend it – I don’t believe it is the Word of God, but the Word of Man. Be careful when dealing with Paraphrases. The Good News Bible or The Passion Translation may be easy reading. But what you’re reading may be man’s traditions and thoughts – not God’s Word!

Slide 27 Word For Word

Word for Word (or Literal) Translations attempt to be accurate to the original text, but for this reason are often harder to read than Thought to Thought Translations. Some of the more popular versions are:

KJV – King James Version
NKJV – New King James Version
NASB – New American Standard Bible
ESV – English Standard Version
NRSV – New Revised Standard Version
ASV – American Standard Version
AMP – Amplified Bible

Slide 28 Thought For Thought

Thought for Thought (or Dynamic) Translations respect the original language, but place a high emphasis on conveying the thought of what the text conveys. It is easier to read than the Literal Translations. Some of the more popular of these are:

CSB (used to be HCSB) – Christian Standard Bible
{A Southern Baptist Translation}
CJB – Complete Jewish Bible
CEV – Contemporary English Version
NCV – New Century Version
NLT – New Living Translation

Though this is not all the Translations and Paraphrases available today, this graphic shows where these versions rate on the Biblical Translation Spectrum:

Slide 29 Where The Versions Rate

I personally prefer focusing on the “Word for Word” (Literal) translations, though I will sometimes read the text in the “Thought for Thought” (Dynamic) versions to help get a better understanding of what God is trying to tell me. But as I said before – Bible Study is not MECHANICAL, but SPIRITUAL. As I read and study the texts, I pray and seek God’s direction. May God bless you as you study His precious Word!

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To Serve The Living God

Posted on June 5, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Mario Dobelmann on Unsplash

Hebrews 9:11-14 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The act of God saving Israel from Egypt is a type or a shadow of the salvation we have in Christ.

When Israel cried out to God (Exodus 2:23-25) the Lord heard them, and raised up a Redeemer. “The people groaned because of their slavery, and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery went up to God.” While we are satisfied with our lives, satisfied that “we are gods” or that the gods we have created are sufficient, God will not help. But when we realize that we need the True God, the Power of God Himself, and cry out, God will raise up the Redeemer.

God raised up a Redeemer in Moses for Israel. Moses is a type or a shadow of Christ. Moses goes to Egypt – the Lost World – and demands that Pharaoh release God’s people. Why? God told Moses to say:

Exodus 7:16 … The Lord God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let My people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness …

Exodus 8:1 … Let My people go, that they may serve me.

Exodus 8:20 … Thus saith the Lord, Let My people go, that they may serve me.

God saved Israel from Egypt so that “they might serve God”. This is a pattern of salvation. God saves us, rescuing us from Egypt or the World, so that we might serve Him. We are not to serve ourselves, but Him Who saved us. We live for Him.

Under the Old Covenant People Served God
By Eternally Striving To Be Saved

Israel was saved to serve. We are saved to serve. What was the difference between the service of the believer under the Old Covenant as compared with the service of the believer under the New Covenant? That’s where the Lord is taking us today. Read with me:

Hebrews 9:1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.

Under the Old or the First Covenant, service to God was accomplished mainly in a worldly sanctuary. All service to God was mainly accomplished in the Tabernacle (the Tent of Meeting) or in the Temple. These were “ordinances of divine service”. The word “ordinances” is the Greek dikaíōma, {pronounced dik-ah’-yo-mah}, which means “deeds required for justification or righteousness, laws established that ensured salvation”. There were things that you had to strictly adhere to to retain your salvation before God. This was a works salvation.

The Law governed what you are as clean or unclean.
The Law required frequent animals sacrifices to cover sin.
The Law required ceremonial washings and cleansings.
The Law required set feasts and celebrations.
The Law controlled who approached God, and who did not.

We read:

Hebrews 9:2-5 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the sanctuary. 3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; 4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

Breakdown of the Temple: Under the Old Covenant when you entered the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and looked left you would see the Golden Candlestick. This Candlestick was pure gold, beaten and made of one piece. It had a main light, but also six branches of lights meaning there were seven lamps in total. The Golden Candlestick cast light on the Table of Shewbread. The Table of Shewbread had twelve loaves of bread – one for each Tribe of Israel – to show God’s provision for His people. These were shadows of what would come under the New Covenant.

The Golden Candlestick represented the Holy Spirit of God, and Table of Shewbread the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus told us:

John 6:32-35 (ESV) Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

As the Golden Candlestick illuminated and revealed the Table of Shewbread, the Holy Spirit illuminated and revealed Jesus as the Messiah, the Savior of the world. In the inner most part of the Temple – called here the “Holiest of all” – was the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant represented God.

Who served God in the Temple? The people who brought the sacrifices, but also the Priests that killed the sacrifices. Blood was shed, and carried into the Holy of Holies, making Atonement for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 9:6-7 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. 7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

The PRIESTS or Levites served God in the first part of the Tabernacle, “accomplishing the service of God”. The HIGH PRIEST or the sons of Aaron served God in the Holiest part of the Tabernacle, the Holy of Holies. The people brought sacrifices for their sins, and the priests and the High Priest made the sacrifices and made the offerings.

Under the Old Covenant, the works of the Law were accomplished to insure your place as an Israelite, and as a saved believer in God. The intent of the Law was to show that we could not save ourselves no matter how hard we tried.

While the Holy of Holies stood, the “WAY INTO THE HOLIEST OF ALL”, the Way into Heaven, was not manifested.

Hebrews 9:8-10 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: 9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

The earthly Tabernacle and the human priests could not make the worshipers perfect or right with God. “The Way into the holiest (God’s Heaven) was not yet manifest while the first Tabernacle was standing”. Man cannot save himself. We cannot make ourselves right with God by any work that we do. We can go through the motions – but it is highly ineffective. God must save us!

What is “The WAY unto the Holiest of All”? It is JESUS. Jesus said (John 14:6) “I AM THE WAY, the Truth, and the Life: No man or woman cometh unto the Father BUT BY ME”.

The New Covenant Saves The Believer
So We Can Serve God

When the Gentiles began to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the question came up as to circumcision. We are told in the Book of Acts:

Acts 15:5-6 (ESV) some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” 6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.

A sect of believing Pharisees rose up in the Church, people who did not understand the fullness of the grace of the New Covenant. They wanted to impose the Old Covenant requirements on the Gentiles. They wanted to require circumcision on every male believer, and require the keeping of the Law of Moses, the feasts and sacrifices, the holy days and sabbaths, the laws of food and drink. As the elders (the Pastors) of the early Church deliberated on this, the Apostle Peter spoke up, saying:

Acts 15:7-11 (ESV) Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.

The concept that salvation is by works is a yoke on the neck of the believer. It is a yoke that, in time, you cannot bear. Salvation has always been a free gift of God.

Noah, who lived long before the Law, was saved by Grace.
Enoch, who lived long before Sinai and Moses, was saved by Grace.
Abraham, the father of faith, was wholly saved by Grace.

The New Covenant was not God’s “Plan B” because mankind failed the Old Covenant. God saved Israel from Egypt BY GRACE before He ever gave them the Law.

Why did God institute the Law? Because Israel kept making golden Calves. Israel kept trying to save herself. Only God can save. Only God is God.

Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

The Levitical High Priest served God in a worldly Tabernacle or Temple. But Jesus Christ serves God not in an earthly Temple, but in the “perfect tabernacle” of Heaven, that place which is “not made with hands”. Heaven is God’s structure, God’s construction. No man laid the street of gold. No man put up the gates of pearl. No man builds mansion in that place, but the God-Man Christ Jesus. He builds mansions there. He, the Son of God, reigns in that place.

Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

The Bible says:

Galatians 3:19 (ESV) Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.

Why did God give the complicated, convoluted, crippling Law at Mount Sinai? It was added “BECAUSE OF TRANSGRESSIONS”, because Israel would not listen to or obey the voice of God by faith. The Law was like a king over Israel. When Israel had God as its King, it needed no other King. God is the Perfect King. But Israel wanted a King so they would be like the other nations – so God stepped down and gave them a king.

They traded the King of Kings for a king. But God promised in David that He would send a King of Kings once more (2 Samuel 7:8-29).

The Law was given “until the offspring should come”, the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. When the Lord Jesus Christ came, He came to offer Himself for His Sheep. He said:

John 10:11-15 (AP) … I am the Good Shepherd – not a hired hand. I know My Sheep, and they know Me. I know the Father, and He knows Me. I lay down MY LIFE FOR THE SHEEP…

No one took Jesus’ life – He laid it down of His own will (John 10:18). The Eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ, was “made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death” (Hebrews 2:9). Jesus TASTED DEATH FOR EVERYONE. The Bible says that Jesus did not take the blood of the Old Covenant, the blood of animals that were without spot or blemish, into the Holy of Holies in the Temple. Jesus BYPASSED THE TEMPLE. The Bible says:

by his own blood he entered in once
into the holy place

The priests entered into the Holy of Holies years after year, sacrificing frequently for the sins of man. But Jesus carried HIS OWN BLOOD into the Holiest of All, into Heaven itself. His Blood was efficacious and effective. He entered ONCE into Heaven, paying for our sins. How effective was the Blood of Christ. We are told that Jesus:

obtained eternal redemption for us

Read the text carefully. It doesn’t say that Jesus obtained eternal LIFE for us, but that He obtained ETERNAL REDEMPTION. The word rendered REDEMPTION is the Greek lýtrōsis, {pronounced loo’-tro-sis}, which means “deliverance from the penalty of sin”. The believer in Christ is no longer enslaved to sin. The believer in Christ is no longer bound to the darkness. The believer in Christ is now a purchased possession of God. As the Scripture says:

1 Corinthians 6:20 {you} are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 7:23 {you} are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

You who are saved by faith in Christ belong to Him Who saved you. You are children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You were redeemed from Egypt, from the world, so that you can serve the Living God.

Hebrews 9:13-14 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The blood of bulls, goats, the heifer all sanctified to the purifying of the flesh. It outwardly cleansed the offerer, but did nothing for the soul or the spirit. Just as the High Priest going into the Holy of Holies was a shadow, the sacrifices were shadows, without any real substance. The offerer had to constantly be examining himself to see if he fulfilled every jot and tittle of the Law. What was the net effect? Under the Old Covenant people were constantly sacrificing and keeping the Law in order to stay in God’s graces. But under the New Covenant, Jesus did the work.

There is no more sacrifice for sin.
The work is done, so we as children of God can focus on serving our Lord. Not to be saved – but because we are saved. Having Eternal Redemption, we also have an Eternal Inheritance.

Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

We who are saved have an “ETERNAL INHERITANCE” waiting for us. We who are saved by faith in Christ are promised that when we leave this life, we will enter another life where our Father is God, our Brother is Christ, and the Holy Spirit will be with us forever. We are not just given forgiveness now – but that state continues into eternity because of Christ. We stand right with God because of Jesus.

Are You Ready For Your Appointment?

I want to close by skipping down to the last two verses in this text:

Hebrews 9:27-28 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Each and every person in this place – on the face of the earth – has an appointment with death. It is sure, and it is certain. You will ONCE DIE. But will you just ONCE DIE, or will you DIE TWICE? If you are in a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, you will only DIE ONCE. But if you have no relationship with Jesus – if you are not one of His Sheep, His Followers – then you will DIE TWICE. The Bible speaks of this in:

Revelation 20:11-15 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

God will judge every person who stands before Him at this Great White Throne. As we read in this text, “they were judged every man according to their works”. What is “The Work of God” that God is looking for when He judges their works? Jesus said:

John 6:29 (AP) THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD, that you BELIEVE ON HIM WHOM GOD HAS SENT …

You have an appointment with God, with judgment, coming. Have you believed on Jesus? Or are you relying on your good works to get you into Heaven. They will not. What will get you into Heaven is the WORK OF GOD which is to BELIEVE ON JESUS. To give your life to Him. To trust Him, and follow Him as your Good Shepherd. When you do so, your name will be written in the Book of Life. But if you will not surrender to Him, following Him, loving Him, then the Bible says:

whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire

This is the SECOND DEATH. Oh Beloved, do not put it off. Recognize yourself as a sinner in need of the Savior. REPENT of be8ing your own God, and turn to Him Who is God the Son, Who died on Calvary for your sins and mine. Turn to Him Who today sits at the right hand of God the Father, Whose Blood cleanses us from all sin.

Do not delay. Come to Him today! Your works will ever fall short if you put them BEFORE Jesus. Once saved, you will work for Him. Not to BE saved, but BECAUSE you are saved.

May God speak His Word deep into your heart. Amen and Amen.

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Seven Sins God Hates

Posted on May 31, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Tom Winckels on Unsplash

Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Have You Heard Of “The Seven Deadly Sins”?

I’m sure many of you have heard of “The Seven Deadly Sins”. As I studied our text tonight, I thought about what people call “The Seven Deadly Sins”. Where did the concept come from?

This is a concept that crept into Christianity
by way of the Catholic Church.

Illustrate: The concept of “Seven Deadly Sins” has been pushed as Biblical through television and the movies. Do you remember the show Gilligan’s Island? Not many young people today know this show, but I grew up watching it. The show’s creator Sherwood Schwartz (the head writer for The Red Skelton Show and producer of The Brady Bunch) wrote a book called “Inside Gilligan’s Island” where he stated that each of the characters on the show represented one of the so called “deadly sins”.

The Professor – Pride
Thurston Howell III – Greed
Ginger – Lust
Mary Ann – Envy (of Ginger’s looks)
Mrs. Lovey Howell – Gluttony
The Skipper – Anger or wrath
Gilligan – Sloth

The concept of “The Seven Deadly Sins” came from the writings of a Catholic Monk named Evagrius Ponticus, who called it “The Eight Evil Thoughts” (addingsadness as a sin). In the Sixth Century Pope Gregory I wrote a Commentary on Job, rearranged the list from Ponticus, and gave it the name “The Seven Deadly Sins”. A later Catholic Leader named Thomas Aquinas created the list of Seven Deadly Sins we have today.

The Catholic Church today teaches that these “Deadly Sins”, also called “Capital Vices” or “Cardinal Sins” are mortal or deadly because they lead to the death of the soul. Professor of English at Arizona State University Richard G. Newhauser stated:

“Committing one of these mortal sins and not confessing {to your priest}, not doing penance and so on, will result in the death of the soul. And then you’ll be in hell for eternity, or your soul will be in hell for eternity”.

Does the Bible just list “Seven Deadly Sins”?

No, it does not. In fact, the Bible teaches that ALL sin is “Deadly”. I have often quoted:

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sin Defined: Sin is – properly defined – “a work of the flesh and of self satisfaction, separated from the glory of God”. The Apostle Paul told us that when we walked apart from God that we would default to “the works of the flesh” or sin:

Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV) 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.

This list contains 15 types of sin, “works of the flesh” that destroy the Kingdom of God. This list is not extensive. We are told in …

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (ESV) Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

In this list Paul addresses 9 sins – and clarifies the sexual sins of adultery and homosexuality. In the text the Apostle sent to his student Timothy, he wrote:

1 Timothy 1:9-10 (ESV) … the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine

Again getting more specific into sins like striking your parents, homosexuality, the sin of enslaving others (chattel slavery is a sin to God), lying, and so on. There are much more than “Seven Deadly Sins” – much more.

Any work of the flesh where you put yourself above God or above respect of others is a deadly sin. If unrepentant, it will lead to some form of death in your world.

The Sins Of Proverbs 6 Are Sins God HATES

Read the text again:

Proverbs 6:16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto Him:

Word Study: This is not about “The Seven Deadly Sins”, but it is about “The Seven Sins God in Particular Hates”. We are told that these “seven are an abomination” to God. The word “abomination” is the Hebrew tôʿēḇâ (pronounced to-ay-baw’), which means “disgusting, unclean, idolatrous”. To get an idea of how God views these sins in Proverbs 6, we can see how the Lord uses the word tôʿēḇâ in other contexts. On sexual perversion God decreed:

Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination [tôʿēḇâ (pronounced to-ay-baw’)]

Concerning idolatry God said:

Deuteronomy 7:25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination [tôʿēḇâ (pronounced to-ay-baw’)] to the LORD thy God.

And on giving God less than your best, He said:

Deuteronomy 17:1 Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination [tôʿēḇâ (pronounced to-ay-baw’)] unto the LORD thy God.

God also despises cheating your neighbor:

Proverbs 11:1 A false balance is abomination [tôʿēḇâ (pronounced to-ay-baw’)] to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.

That which God considers an ABOMINATION makes little of Him, and little of those around us. Our Lord Jesus said that the entire Law could be boiled down into two points:

Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV) … “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

What are the sins that God HATES? It is the sins that destroy love for God and love for others. We are to “love the Lord your God with all” that we have, above all else – and “love your neighbor as yourself”. Love for God must be FIRST. But since mankind is created in the image of God, we are also to love other humans (Genesis 1:27).

Down the street there is a church with a sign out front that says “Open minds, open doors, open hearts”. What’s wrong with that? We are to have the MIND OF CHRIST (1 Corinthians 2:16), not a worldly mindset. We love God FIRST.

Defining The Sins God Hates

The Bible says “Hate what is evil; cling to that which is good” (Romans 12:9). As believers in Christ we are to hate what God hates, and love what God loves.

The “Hateful Seven” sins are all tied to the misuse of what God has given you. He has given you life. He has given you a body. You did nothing to earn nor deserve that body, but it is a grace gift. Thus, God wants you to use your body in a way that glorifies Him and blesses others. When you do not, then God HATES what you are doing.

Proverbs 6:17 … A proud look (rûm ʿayin)

God starts with our EYES. This is literally “PRIDEFUL EYES”. A departure from the ways of God always comes when we reject His clearly taught Word and begin to examine the sinful with our eyes. This is what happened in the Garden of Eden. The Serpent (the devil, see Revelation 12:9; 20:2) tempted Eve, saying “If you eat of the forbidden fruit, you will not die. God knows that in the day you eat of it, you’ll be just like Him, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). What happened next? The Bible says:

Genesis 3:6 … the woman SAW that the tree was good for food, and THAT IT WAS PLEASANT TO THE EYES …

This is the way that sin always entraps us. It starts with the eyes. You reject the Word of God, and then the devil parades out a good looking LAND MINE. Look in our context:

Proverbs 6:23-26 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: 24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. 25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. 26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.

God hates it when we ignore His Word, and look longingly at something He has forbidden. That is an ABOMINATION to God.

Proverbs 6:17 … a lying tongue

We go from the eyes, next to the MOUTH as we see that God hates lying. Our Lord Jesus told the Pharisees who told lies about Him and His ministry:

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The Devil – a.k.a. Satan – is the inventor of lies. He lied in the Garden of Eden when he told Adam and Eve “You will not die!”. The devil uses lies and trickery to get the righteous to fall, and to keep the unrighteous hell-bound. Lying is foreign to God. The Bible says “God NEVER LIES” (Titus 1:2). Believers in Christ are to be “speaking the TRUTH in LOVE” (Ephesians 4:15).

It was the lie of Satan that destroyed Paradise, and lies in the so called Churches that are leading the lost to greater lostness. God says:

Proverbs 12:22 Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight

We are to cling to His Word and faithfully speak His Word – for His Word is TRUTH (John 17:17).

Proverbs 6:17 … hands that shed innocent blood

Eyes, mouth, and now to the hands. God established the death penalty for shedding the blood of someone who did not deserve to die. He first established this when Noah left the Ark:

Genesis 9:6 Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

Life is sacred because God made us in His image. In fact, God states that “we are gods” (Psalm 82:6; John 10:34) – not in the sense that God is God, but we are little “g” gods because we are made in His image. God gave man dominion over the earth and all that is in it. Animals are animals but humans are NOT animals – we are in God’s image. That makes human life supremely sacred, and this is why God demands “life for life” (Exodus 21:23) if innocent life is taken.

Not too long ago Comedian Bill Maher stated “abortion is murder, and I’m okay with that because there’s 8 billion people in the world. We don’t need you.” God hates the shedding of innocent blood (which is what abortion is) and finds it abominable.

Proverbs 6:18 … An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations

The heart is next. The heart of a person is the control center of the soul. God hates the heart that focuses not on His Word, but on “wicked imaginations” because of the evil it introduces into the world. It was the heart focused on evil that caused God to flood the entire world with water in the days of Noah:

Genesis 6:5-7 … (ESV) The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land

The reason there is rampant crime and pain on this earth is because of the wicked imagination of the heart. Jesus said:

Matthew 15:19-20 (ESV) For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person.

Proverbs 6:18 … feet that be swift in running to mischief

God calls His people to be “Light” and “Salt”. Jesus said:

John 8:12 (ESV) … “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Where we go, we are to bring the LIGHT OF CHRIST with us, not the darkness of sin. God hates when people run to an area to tear down rather than build up. It is contrary to the Christian way of life.

Proverbs 6:19 A false witness that speaketh lies …

God despises the “lying Tongue” (verse 16), that is, the Tongue that speaks against His Word. But God also hates the tongue that bears FALSE WITNESS. The Ninth Commandment of the Law is:

Exodus 20:16 (ESV) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Numerous times in the Book of Proverbs the Lord speaks out against the False Witness. We are told:

Proverbs 19:5 (ESV) A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.

Proverbs 19:9 (ESV) A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.

It was the lies of the False Witnesses that brought Jesus to the judgment seat of Pilate (Matthew 26:59), and the lies of False Witnesses that caused the unlawful execution of the Evangelist Stephen (Acts 6:13). God condemned the False Witness under the Law, warning “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.” (Exodus 23:1). Under U.S. Law perjury is punishable by imprisonment of 5-7 years. Under the Mosaic Law, the false witness would receive the punishment he intended to bring on the falsely accused, up to and including capital punishment.

The Worst Sin Is Sowing Discord

In the first part of this text, we read:

Proverbs 6:16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

All of the sins mentioned are hated by God – but the SEVENTH sin puts the cap on it. God particularly hates DISUNITY. The Seventh HATED sin is:

Proverbs 6:19 … he that soweth discord among brethren

God particularly hates those who run around behind the scenes stirring up trouble among His people. Previously God spoke of the worthless man in:

Proverbs 6:12-14 A NAUGHTY {bᵊlîyaʿal, son of Belial, worthless} person, a wicked man, walketh with a FROWARD {ʿiqqᵊšûṯ, perverse} mouth. 13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; 14 FROWARDNESS {ʿiqqᵊšûṯ, perversity} is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

A worthless person tears down the work of God. Jesus said “where two or three are gathered TOGETHER IN MY NAME, I am in their midst” (Matthew 18:20). It pleases God when His Church is in one accord, glorifying Him. God HATES it when a member of the body, like a cancer, goes rogue and begins to destroy the unity that Christ purchased with His own blood.

Shame on you!

The Apostle told the Church at Corinth to handle the young man spreading discord in the harshest of ways. Paul said:

1 Corinthians 5:5 … deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Turn that person out. “Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, for Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Our Lord Jesus said:

Matthew 12:25 … Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand…

Division destroys the Work of God, and hinders the growth of the Kingdom of God. May God teach us to stand together, loving God with our all, and loving one another the way we want to be loved. Pastor Scott L. Harris of Grace Bible Church, NY writes:

“God’s desire is for brothers to dwell in unity (Psalm 133:1). Such unity is even more important for those who are spiritual brothers. It is our love for one another that demonstrates we are disciples of Jesus (John 13:35). There is not to be divisions among us (1 Cor. 1:10) for we are to be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 3:6). That is done by having the humility to regard others more important than yourself and look out for their interests and not just your own (Philippians 2:3-4).”

For Christ’s glory. For the advancement of His Kingdom. Amen and Amen.

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How We Got Our Bible #2: Do We Have All Of The Scripture?

Posted on May 27, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by John Spalding: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-lighthouse-on-a-coast-5425672/

Isn’t There Bible Texts That Are “Lost”?

When we talk about “How We Got Our Bible”, one of the questions that I’ve been asked is:

“I’ve heard there are books that should have been included in the Bible, but were excluded. How do we know we have ALL of the Bible available to us – that portions weren’t taken away or hidden.”

God gave us the Scripture through the Prophets and the Apostles. The “Prophets” were specifically chosen by God to carry His Word to the people. God said of the Prophets:

Numbers 12:6-8 … Hear now my words: If there be a prophet (Hebrew nāḇî’, pronunciation naw-bee’) among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. 7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. 8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

Moses was a prophet of God, a Premier Prophet. God spoke to Moses not in dreams, but in an audible voice. God spoke to the Prophets through dreams and visions, but Moses directly. The Prophets wrote the Old Testament as God gave them direction – and Moses wrote the Pentateuch, also called the Torah or the Books of the Law. These first five Books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy give the history of the founding of creation and the founding of Israel. These Books also set out the ceremonial, civil, and sacrificial laws that are unique to Israel, as well as the moral laws that apply to all people.

The office of the Prophet elevated and glorified God. The Prophet did not exist to make people feel good about themselves, but to point them to God as Savior and Lord.

God told His people:

Deuteronomy 13:1-3 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

If a Prophet rises up who tries to draw God’s people away from God, that Prophet is to be ignored. The Prophet existed to glorify God, not man. God went on to say:

Deuteronomy 13:5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

God raised up a number of Prophets to write Scripture, the Old Testament that we have in our Bible. But Moses was a special Prophet of God. As Moses life came toward it’s end on this earth, he prophesied:

Deuteronomy 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto Him ye shall hearken;

God would raise up another Prophet like Moses. This Prophet would hear God audibly – not in visions and dreams, but directly. Moses went on to prophesy:

Deuteronomy 18:18-19 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

Who was this unique Prophet Who was like Moses in how God approached Him? It is none other than Jesus Christ. We are told in:

Hebrews 1:1-2 (NKJV) God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds…

Jesus is the Prophet Who spoke to God face to face. Jesus told us:

John 8:28 … (ESV) I do nothing on My own authority, but SPEAK JUST AS THE FATHER TAUGHT ME.

John 12:49-50 (ESV) … I have not spoken on My own authority, BUT THE FATHER WHO SENT ME has Himself given Me a commandment – WHAT TO SAY AND WHAT TO SPEAK … What I say, therefore, I SAY AS THE FATHER HAS TOLD ME

When Jesus began His ministry, He hand picked men whom He called “Apostles” (Matthew 10:2). Apostles (the Greek apostolos, pronunciation

ap-os’-tol-os) were delegates or messengers specifically chosen by Christ, commissioners of Heaven. Apostles were “called or appointed by God, just as Old Testament Prophets were called of God” (Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1; 9:1).

Apostles And Prophets Wrote Scripture. False Apostles And Prophets Wrote Pseudepigrapha, or false scripture.

When early Christians were gathering the Scriptures – the Old Testament writings and the New Testament letters that the Apostles had written to the Churches – the devil tried to flood the Word of God with the word of man. He did this in the Garden of Eden when he questioned God’s Word to Eve. “Has God really said”? The devil asked (Genesis 3:1). The devil tried flooding both Old and New Testament Scriptures with false scripture, technically called Pseudepigrapha (meaning “false writings”). Some people have said that these are “lost books of the Bible”. That’s untrue. These books were rejected because they taught false doctrines rejected by the Biblical text. Some of these books are:

3 Maccabees
4 Maccabees
Assumption of Moses
Ethiopic Book of Enoch (1 Enoch)
Slavonic Second Book of Enoch
Book of Jubilees
3 Baruch

and so on. There are many more false writings that were rejected from the Canon of Scripture. One false writing called The Gospel of Thomas contains statements like:

Saying 114: Simon Peter said to him, “Let Mary go forth from us, for women are not worthy of life.” Jesus said, “Look, I myself will lead her in order to make her male, so that she too might become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who makes herself male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

That is absolute nonsense, and not something that the Jesus represented in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John would have said. Another false writing called …

“The Infancy Gospel of Thomas is a narrative account of periods in Jesus’ childhood, including legendary episodes in which Jesus strikes dead another boy who bumps into him, miraculously lengthens a wooden beam to help his stepfather, Joseph, with his carpentry, raises from the dead his friend who falls off a roof on which they were playing, and makes live sparrows out of clay. ”

Another false scripture called “Acts of John” tell the reader that Jesus is only a spirit who left no footprints when He walked, could not be touched, and did not really die on the Cross but just appeared to die. The Acts of John taught the false doctrine called Docetism, which claims that Jesus’ earthly form was just an illusion.

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Churches, he had to deal with forgeries that were going out in his name. One false writing that went out, a forgery with Paul’s name on it, claimed that the Rapture had already occurred:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 (ESV) Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

The devil has actively sought to twist, dilute, or counterfeit the Word of God from the beginning of human history. To counter the evil, Paul would write:

2 Thessalonians 3:17 (ESV) I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.

Though Paul had a secretary that wrote for him as he dictated, he always closed the letters with his own signature (see 1 Corinthians 16:21; Galatians 6:11; & Colossians 4:18).

Determining “Canon” Or The Rule Of Scripture

The false writings or Pseudepigrapha were rejected by the early Church as Scripture because they did not fit the “canon” or “rule” of Scripture. My commentary notes:

“The term pseudepigrapha comes from the Greek pseudo, meaning “false,” and epigraphein, meaning “to inscribe,” thus, “to write falsely.” The pseudepigraphical books were written anywhere from 200 BC to AD 300. They are spurious works written by unknown authors who attempted to gain a readership by tacking on the name of a famous biblical character. Obviously, a book called the “Testament of Abraham” has a better chance of being read than the “Counterfeit Testament of an Unknown Author.”

Rules Of Canon

There are three basic rules that determine the Canon or Rule of Genuine Scripture:

1 Scripture is clearly INSPIRED OF GOD. It is not the opinion of man, but a direct Word from the Creator. For instance, in

Exodus 24:3-4 (NKJV) So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

2 Once a clear Word of God was received through the Prophet, that Word is recognized by other men of God.

Deuteronomy 31:24-26 (NKJV) So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: 26 “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a witness against you …

Joshua 1:7-9 (NKJV) Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

God’s people are led by God our Savior. God leads His people to affirm His Word.

2 Kings 23:3 (NKJV) Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant.

God’s people knows what is right and wrong, for God stays with His people. “The LORD is My Shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). The Shepherd makes sure His sheep hear His Voice. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). God makes sure that His people can hear His Word, and not a false word.

3 The Word of God was collected and preserved by the people of God. Every Book included in the Canon of Scripture was carefully scrutinized. Was the Book written by a Prophet of God? Did that Prophet do acts that only God could have done? Did the Book speak truthfully about God, and have through its text the power of God? What the unbelieving world has called “The Lost Books Of The Bible” were routinely rejected by the early Church.

The Canon of Scripture the Church accepts as Biblical, the Word of God, is:

  • Books of the Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
  • Historical Books (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I & II Samuel, I & II Kings, I & II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther)
  • Poetic Books (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon)
  • Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel)
  • Minor Prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obediah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi). These are called “Minor” because the books are comparatively short, though just as important as the “Major” prophets.

These all comprise our OLD Testament, or books written under the Old Covenant that God gave to Israel. The last Old Testament Book was written about 400 BC, 400 years before Christ became incarnate, perfect Man.

The NEW Testament, books written when the Prophet Who would succeed Moses came – our Lord Jesus Christ. The New Testament Canon that the Church agreed on is:

  • The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
  • The History (Acts)
  • The Church Letters (Romans, I & II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, I & II Peter, I, II, & III John, Jude
  • The Future (Revelation)

The Devil Wants To Deny The Church God’s Word

The early Church was heavily persecuted by both religious Jews as well as Roman Emperors. The Church flourished under persecution. However, in 325 AD Roman Emperor Constantine called together the Council of Nicaea (the modern Turkish city of Iznik). The purpose of the Council was to establish a state religion – Roman Catholicism. As with anything that is politicized, it wasn’t long until corruption crept into the Catholic Church. As the priests began to drift away from the Scripture, they began to hide the drift by forbidding the masses access to the Scripture.

This was absolutely foreign to the teaching of the Bible. Moses organized public reading of the Scripture:

Exodus 24:6-8 (NKJV) Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”

In Deuteronomy 31 God commands the Israelites to read the entire Law every seven years:

Deuteronomy 31:10-12 (NKJV) Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law

When Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land, the Bible says:

Joshua 8:34-35 (ESV) {Joshua} read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them.

When King Josiah was reigning in Israel the Word of God – thought to be lost – was found in the Temple. As soon as it was found Josiah …

2 Kings 23:2 … (ESV) read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord

When Jesus started His public ministry, He went to the Synagogue in Nazareth and read Scripture:

Luke 4:16 (ESV) as was His custom, {Jesus} went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and He stood up to read.

God has always wanted His Word to be shared with His people. He specifically commanded this in Deuteronomy 6:1-9 when He told His Israel “these Words I command you shall be in your heart. You shall teach them to your children, talk of them while at home whether at rest or at work. You shall even put these Words on the doorposts of your homes.” God wants His Word to be given to His people. He wants His people to know what He has said, and to DO what he says.

As the Catholic Church became corrupted, it began to hide the Scripture from the people. Services were held, and preachers read scripture in Latin, a language the people did not know. People were not allowed to have Bibles. The Decree of the Council of Toulouse (1229 AD) stated:

“We prohibit also that the laity {those that are not priests}should be permitted to have the books of the Old or New Testament; but we most strictly forbid their having any translation of these books.”

The Ruling of the Council of Tarragona (1234 AD) decreed:

“No one may possess the books of the Old and New Testaments in the Romance language, and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the local bishop within eight days after promulgation of this decree, so that they may be burned”

In 1380 AD Oxford Professor and Theologian John Wycliffe translated the New Testament into English. He wrote that this would “helpeth Christian men to study the Gospel in that tongue in which they know best Christ’s sentence.” Though Wycliffe was deceased when they met, the Ecumenical Council of Constance (1415 AD) said that he was a heretic. His bones were dug up and publicly burned, and the ashes were thrown into the river!

English Bible Scholar and Linguist William Tyndale translated most of the Bible into English, though forbidden to do so by the Catholic Church. Tyndale was burned at the stake in 1536 AD for the sin of making the Scripture available to the people in their own language.

The devil tried twisting the Word of God. Then he tried counterfeiting the Word of God. Then the devil got religious leaders to forbid the Word of God to the people. They hid the Word of God in languages the people could not understand, so they could control the people and have power over the so called Church.

The Protestant believers rose up against Catholicism, and stood strong against the false teachings of that Church. Martin Luther, one of the first Protestants, was a Catholic Monk that was troubled over the Catholic Priests selling of “Indulgences”. An “Indulgence” is when you gave the Priest money to “forgive” the sins of a loved one, so they could go to Heaven. No one has the power to forgive sin but God, and there is no forgiveness of sin outside of faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Once believers separated from the then false church, people began to translate the Bible into the language of the people.

Though today we have the whole Bible translated in 736 languages, and the whole New Testament is available in 1658 languages. There are portions of Scripture in 1264 languages. This means that there are 3658 languages with at least some access to the Bible – about 49.5% of all languages. Many still have no access to the Bible, as there are7394 living languages in the world. In America, most people have more than one Bible. They are not restricted from the Scripture. But the devil encourages people to ignore the Word of God and the Biblical Church.

That is very sad, as the only way to grow as a Christian is through study and reading of the Word of God. God has – in His love – provided us with various translations of the Scripture in our language in North America. May God lead us to cherish the Word He has given us. Next session we shall discuss Bible Translations. May God touch your hearts with His Word!

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Three Great Truths

Posted on May 25, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

As we come to Proverbs chapter 6, Solomon introduces us to several truths that a Wise King led by God wants us to know. John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible notes:

“In this chapter the wise man dissuades from rash suretyship; exposes the sin of idleness; describes a wicked man; makes mention of seven things hateful to God; exhorts to attend to parental instructions and precepts, and cautions against adultery.”

We’ll look at the first three of these truths tonight. We’ll start with:

The Dangers Of Rash Suretyship: Verses 1-5

Proverbs 6:1-3 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, 2 Thou art snared (yāqōš [pronounced yaw-koshe’], caught in a trap) with the words of thy mouth, thou art TAKEN (lāḵaḏ [pronounced law-kad’], captured) with the words of thy mouth. 3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.

I’m sure Jerry our Lawyer knows what “Suretyship” is, but for the rest of us I’m going to give you the Merriam-Webster Legal Definition:

“the contractual relationship in which a surety engages to answer for the debt or default of a principal to a third party”

To put that in simpler terms, you have a person come to you in financial trouble. Say that person is your “friend”, someone you have known for a long time. This “friend” says, “I need your help. I’m in trouble, and I desperately need a loan, but I can’t get one on my own. Will you co-sign my loan?” Since he’s your friend, and you’ve known him for a long time, you go ahead and co-sign.

Six months later you’re on the hook for a pile of money!

The Bible places a high value on something the world cares little about, and that is keeping your word. As believers in Christ we represent the Kingdom of Heaven. Our word should be our bond. The writer of Proverbs writes in another place:

Proverbs 5:2-5 (NKJV) Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few. 3 For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool’s voice is known by his many words. 4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed— 5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.

God holds us accountable for how we live our lives. We need to be very careful about what we say we will do. We read:

Proverbs 6:2 Thou art snared (yāqōš [pronounced yaw-koshe’], caught in a trap) with the words of thy mouth, thou art TAKEN (lāḵaḏ [pronounced law-kad’], captured) with the words of thy mouth

When you have promised to do something – become surety for another – God expects you to follow through on that promise. If it is a matter of Law, then the Law expects you to follow through on that promise. Your word is to be your bond.

Word Study: There are many times when people approach me about someone else. “Will you help them – I understand they need help”. My response is always the same. “I need to talk to that person first, and insure that what I’m promising I can do – and I want to do”. To immediately say “yes” because a friend asks me is foolish. You may find yourself like a wild animal, caught in a cage that you can’t get out of. That’s the sense of the two words used in verse 2, yāqōš [pronounced yaw-koshe’] and lāḵaḏ [pronounced law-kad’]. Because you were hasty in becoming surety for another, you are now on the hook. You are stuck in a trap of your own making. What does God tells us to do before giving our word?

Proverbs 6:3 Do this now, my son, and deliver (nāṣal, [pronounced naw-tsal’], rescue) thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure (rāhaḇ, to strengthen or ensure, to press) thy friend.

To protect yourself from entrapment, do not allow a friend or a loved one to coerce you into suretyship. Go and talk with them plainly. Ask direct questions. The New American Standard states “be urgent with your neighbor”, the English Standard to “plead urgently with your neighbor”. Ask questions. You may have others around you pleading that you help this “poor unfortunate”, and who will malign you when you hesitate to do so. The text says,

“Humble yourself!” Make sure you know what you’re saying yes to – because God expects you to keep your word. Don’t worry about pleasing others. Focus on pleasing GOD!

The last two verses of this Proverb read:

Proverbs 6:4-5 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. 5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

Do not procrastinate in sitting down with your neighbor or “friend” before you give your word or sign the contract. Not too long ago someone came to me for something – I forget what – but I remember saying, “I’m not saying no – but I want you to explain to me carefully what it is you want me to do. Until I fully understand your request, my answer has to be emphatically “no”!” Don’t beat around the bush – communicate. If you can’t get a good answer from the “friend”, then,

Do what the “ROE” or deer does with the hunter: RUN!
Do what the “BIRD” does when it spots the gun: FLY AWAY!

Some may claim you’re stingy, or mean, or hard hearted. Tough! Do not let anyone lead you into a quicksand pit!

The Danger Of Laziness – Verses 6-11

Proverbs 6:6-8 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

God speaks to us through His Bible, but He also has given us teachings in His nature. God designed nature. He made every creature as He wants it to be. God made the tiny ant – and teaches us the value of preparedness and work. Every ant colony has one or more Queens. As God speaks of the worker ant, He calls that ant a “her”(consider her ways). Harvard University has a 4000 acre laboratory & classroom they call Harvard Forest. They note about the ants:

“Every ant colony has one or more queens. Even though the worker ants are female, the queen is the only ant that can lay eggs. … They have highly evolved social systems with three different castes ~ queens, males, and workers. The workers are female, but cannot reproduce. Most of the eggs the queen lays hatch into workers. Workers are specialized. Some spend their lives tending the eggs and larvae. Other workers forage for food. ”

The worker ants are “she” ants, and they leave the nest to gather food. The “Queen” does not direct them, but they work diligently and TOGETHER to get the job done. Ants know that winter is coming when there will be little food, so they gather and store what they can when food is available.

God wants us to be like the ant. We should not wait until we are in a desperate situation, then try and fix the problem. We are to look for opportunities to serve God and bless the Church and the Community. The ants have “no guide, overseer, or ruler”. They don’t have anyone chasing them around, telling them what to do.

There are many people today – and even some in this Church – that are sluggards. They know what they need to do, but would rather be entertained by television and social media, on the golf course or at the park. God has many things that He wants His people to do, to help facilitate the spread of the Gospel. Sluggards do nothing but drag their feet and complain. The Bible speaks of these people:

Philippians 3:17-20 (NASB) Brothers and sisters, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even as I weep, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who have their minds on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ …

The sluggard cares nothing for the Colony – the Church. The ant works together with other worker ants, doing what they are called to do, to expand the Kingdom. The sluggard sits at home in a darkened room watching television, never thinking of the coming winter, just satisfying himself for “his GOD is his BELLY”.

If you’ve ever noticed the common American field ant, it can carry up to 350 times its body weight. Why? Because God designed it to do so. An ant will work – in unison with others of its colony – within its design.

What God calls us to, He will equip us to do. You have probably seen ants carrying leaves or dead bugs many times their size. They can do so because God makes them do so. When we are serving God and doing that which pleases Him, He will enable us to do.

Psalm 147:5-6 (ESV) Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure. 6 The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked to the ground.

The ant is HUMBLE, not arrogant. It is willing to be nameless, to simply do the job that God has made it to do. King David said:

Psalm 84:10-12 (NKJV) I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.

The ant knows that it cannot do the entire job of the colony, just its part. So the ant labors on, trusting in God’s calling, doing what it is designed to do. Ants will not fight within their colony, but will battle other colonies if they invade their nest. Ants seem to understand that any disharmony in the colony can lead to its death.

Would that local Churches understand this concept!

God calls us to unity, to work together for the glory of Christ and the salvation of mankind. We are not to allow false teachers to invade our colony, nor are we to compromise with the godless and their ideologies. The Bible says:

Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV) … walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

And again,

Philippians 2:2-5 (NKJV) … fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus …

There is another reason not to be a sluggard. If you fail to serve the Lord like the ant serves the colony, if you lay about and do little – what you fail to sow, you will reap. We read:

Proverbs 6:9-11 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth {hālaḵ, [pronounced haw-lak’], sense wanders away from the colony}, and thy want as an armed man.

The above slide shows a sloth traveling from his normal habitat. When sloths travel, they are often run over on the highways. The sluggard traveling will often end up dead. Even so, the ant that wanders away from the colony and its calling will find itself in a threatening situation. Other ant colonies are antagonistic toward any ant outside that colony. An ant that wanders away invites quick death or worse, slow death by starvation.

I often meet with homeless people who have decided to be sluggards, to rely on others for their sustenance. I can feed them, but never really help them.

Their failure to prepare and laziness has put them in a situation that may eventually kill them. I try to help those I can, but unless they repent and turn to a better lifestyle, they will find themselves in an early grave. The average lifespan of a homeless person is 17.5 years shorter than that of the general population.

Laziness kills. Just as an armed man will kill you, laziness kills.

The Danger Of Wickedness – Verses 12-15

Proverbs 6:12-15 A NAUGHTY person, a wicked man, walketh with a FROWARD mouth. 13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; 14 FROWARDNESS {perversity} is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. 15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

Word Study: The word “NAUGHTY” is the Hebrew bᵊlîyaʿal, which means “One like Belial, someone who is worthless or good for nothing”. Good for nothing people will drag you down to their level. Where ever they go, they have a “FROWARD” (Hebrew ʿiqqᵊšûṯ (pronounced ik-kesh-ooth’), that is a “crooked or perverse” mouth. The Bible says that they do three things:

winketh with his EYES,
speaketh with his FEET,
teacheth with his FINGERS

They make suggestions to see what you’ll say, then do the old wink wink at you. Where they take themselves speaks volumes about their lives. What they do teaches you whether they are light or dark. Their hearts are devoted to perversity. They are constantly planning mischief, sowing discord where ever they go.

People like this think they will never be hurt – but they will. Those who sow discord will find themselves – in time – without friends. Some people call this “karma”. The Bible calls it “reaping what you sow”. As believers in Christ we are commanded to not allow the worthless person to drag you down to their level. They will, in time, meet their doom. Our calling is to do good, even to the evil.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-48 … Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Keep doing good. Keep being the light. Do the right thing even if all the world attack you. God will one day level the field – and your reward will come. May God touch your hearts with His Word.

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What Is A Pastor? What Is a Church?

Posted on May 22, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Maxime Gauthier on Unsplash

It is a honor and a privilege to be here tonight, recognizing the ordination of a man into the Gospel Ministry. I remember when I was ordained into the Gospel Ministry, August 22, 1999 at Greenwood Baptist in Valdosta, Georgia. It is a blessing to have God call a Pastor to a Church. It is my prayer that both Mission Chapel Baptist as well as Brother Ronnie Burns grow spiritually and physically, glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ by spreading His Gospel.

Jesus said “Upon this Rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). It seems that today the gates of hell IS prevailing against the church, but I don’t believe it is prevailing against Jesus’ Church. As long as the Church belongs to Jesus it has power. As long as the Church and it’s Pastors believe that “Jesus is THE Christ, THE Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16), that Church will stand strong though all the world stand against it.

My prayer for Mission Chapel Baptist and Ronnie Burns is that you grow together over the coming years to celebrate and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and the written Word of God, the Bible.

The Pastor Is A Shepherd Of God’s People

God loves His Church, and calls men out to serve His Church. God first called Apostles and Prophets. These men wrote the Scripture – the Word of God – that our Churches are built on. Once the Scripture was given, God gave the Church Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers (Ephesians 4:11).

The title Pastor (Greek poimēn) means “A Shepherd”.

God often uses Shepherds in His Work. God Himself is our Great Shepherd:

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

Those who have believed on Christ for salvation are God’s Sheep. In the Old Testament, the people chose Saul to be the first King of Israel. The Bible says of Saul:

1 Samuel 9:2 (AP) There was not a more HANDSOME PERSON than Saul among the children of Israel …

He was a movie star – a celebrity – someone that, if he ran for President of the United States, he’d be a “shoo-in”. There was only one problem. As talented and beautiful as Saul was, Saul cared little for the glory of God, the Word of God, or for His people. Saul wanted to do things his own way. Finally God told Saul through the Prophet Samuel:

1 Samuel 15:23 (ESV) … rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.

God chose another man, a lowly shepherd boy named David to be the next King of Israel. David was a “man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22) because, God said, “he will do everything I want him to do”.

David heeded God’s Word. Though he failed God at times as all humans do, he loved the Lord and His Word. God promised that through David, God would send another to Shepherd His people. On the night that Jesus came into the world, faithful shepherds were watching their sheep at night. The Angel of God came and told them,

Luke 2:10-12 (ESV) … Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord.

God used a Shepherd called David to lead His people under the Old Covenant. Now God sent another Great Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, to lead His people under the New Covenant. And God announced the coming of the Chief Shepherd through lowly but faithful Shepherds, watching their flock by night.

Our Chief Shepherd or Pastor is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said:

John 10:11, 14-15 (ESV) I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 14 I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, 15 just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

Jesus loves His Church. He suffered, bled and died for His Church. He rose from the grave, and sits on the right hand of the Father making intercession for His Church.

Just as God called David from the fields,
And God announced the Chief Shepherd to those faithful unnamed men.
Just as Christ was called to lay down His life for the sheep,
God calls unnamed and unknown men to watch over His Church.
The Pastor is a Shepherd. His primary calling is to share God’s Word.

The Bible says that the Pastor is to …

Ephesians 4:12-16 equip the Saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ… making the Body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Pastors are to work with the Word of God and in the power of His Spirit to equip the Saints, to help each believer grow to be more Christlike in their walk of faith. Every believer in the Church Age is a PRIEST. Your Pastor is a priest, but he is not YOUR priest. In the Church every believer is a priest with direct access to God. The Preamble to the Baptist Faith and Message states:

“We honor the principles of soul competency and the priesthood of believers, affirming together both our liberty in Christ and our accountability to each other under the Word of God.”

Each local Church is a kingdom of priests, and each person – whether male or female – has direct access to God. The Scripture says:

Revelation 1:5-6 (ESV) {Jesus} … loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood. And made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The function of the Pastor – the Shepherd is to feed and equip every believer in his charge so that they will grow into Christian maturity, to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is not the Pastor’s opinion that matters, but what the Word of God has said. When Jesus prayed for His Church prior to going to the Cross, Jesus prayed for the UNITY OF THE FLOCK, saying “Father, let My Church be ONE, even as WE ARE ONE” (John 17:11). Jesus went on to say, “Sanctify them in the TRUTH – YOUR WORD IS TRUTH” (John 17:17).

The Pastor has oversight of the Church, leads the Church through preaching and teaching the Word of God. He is not LORD of the Church, but the under-shepherd of the Lord. The Chief Apostle said:

1 Peter 5:2-4 (ESV) … shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

The Pastor is an “overseer”, that is, you “exercise oversight” on the Church. The Church belongs to Jesus – you all belong to Jesus. The Pastor is to “LABOR IN PREACHING AND TEACHING”, as the Scripture says:

1 Timothy 5:17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

Pastors are called to “Oversee” the flock, to insure it adheres to the Word of God. When the Apostle Paul got ready to leave Ephesus, he warned the Pastors in that city, saying:

Acts 20:27-30 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. 28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

You are called of God to lead the Church, to feed the Church, but always to remember to not be “domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock”. Live out your faith. Be patient with the Church. Love it, and lead it toward Christian unity. Glorify God in all that you do. Remember, this is Christ’s Church. When you serve the Church, you serve Jesus.

The Church Is Christ’s Prize Possession

Just as the Pastor has a calling, the Church has a calling. Your Pastor is human, and as all humans do, he will make mistakes. Church, if you want a better Pastor, help him. The Bible says:

Hebrews 13:7 (ESV) Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

As your Pastor leads you, follow him. Imitate his faith. Pay attention to the Word of God that he shares with you, and do Christ’s Word. The Bible says:

Hebrews 13:17 (ESV) Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Love the Pastor that God has given you, and lift him and his family up in prayer daily. Realize this, too …

Your Pastor and his wife are human.
They, like you, will make mistakes.

The devil will do his best to bring disharmony to the flock, to scatter it if he can. Do not allow him to do so. As a Pastor, I have made many mistakes in my lifetime. When your Pastor makes a mistake, do as Jesus said in:

Matthew 18:15-17 (ESV) If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.

Try and handle any division in the Church at the lowest and most private level. Our Lord Jesus said:

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

As Christians we are to love the Lord Jesus with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. We are also to love one another. My prayer is that you will grow in love, both for God and for one another.

As we prepare to lay hands on Brother Ronnie, praying for Him, let me pray for Mission Chapel Baptist as well as for its new Pastor.

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