As Dear Children

Posted on December 17, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash

Ephesians 5:1-2 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.

Are You A Disciple Or A Dabbler?

A Religious Landscape Study conducted by the Pew Research Center (February 26, 2025) notes that only 62% of Americans identify as “Christian”, which is a sharp drop from 2007, when 78% identified as Christians. However, only one third of U.S. adults attend services in person at least once a month. Some of that number – up to 16% – only participate in Church online or through the television. What about involvement in Church activities? Lifeway Research (an arm of the Southern Baptist Convention) notes:

When asked if they have served as volunteers (church or other organizations) in the past year, about 30% of churchgoers said yes, while 66% said they had not.

That is very strange, as the Great Commission our Lord Jesus gave us explicitly states:

Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV) Go therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES {mathēteuō} of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, [even] to the end of the age. Amen.

Word Study: Jesus did not say “Go out and save people from hell by preaching the Gospel I died for”. Jesus said, “Go and MAKE DISCIPLES”. The word mathēteuō means “to instruct others the teachings and precepts of the Master, to teach others to live according to the directives of Jesus”. It is certain that Jesus came into this world to “bring SINNERS to REPENTANCE” (Matthew 9:13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32). Jesus loved us so much that His foremost ministry was to reach sinners – people like us. But Jesus did not come to save sinners, and then leave sinners in their sins. As the blind man healed by Jesus told the Pharisees:

John 9:31 (NKJV) Now WE KNOWS THAT GOD DOES NOT HEAR SINNERS; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, HE HEARS HIM.

That’s a well established principle in the Scripture:

Proverbs 15:29 (ESV) The Lord is FAR FROM THE WICKED, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.

Micah 3:4 (ESV) they will cry to the Lord, but HE WILL NOT ANSWER THEM; He will hide His face from them at that time, because THEY HAVE MADE THEIR DEEDS EVIL.

Proverbs 1:28-29 (ESV) THEY WILL CALL UPON ME, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because THEY HATED KNOWLEDGE and DID NOT CHOOSE THE FEAR OF THE LORD

Salvation comes by faith in Christ Jesus. It is a free gift from God. But once you are saved, your status changes. You become a “DISCIPLE”, a student of the Kingdom of God. But more than this, you become something even greater.

You are not a “Child of God” because you are part of a group. Only those saved by faith in Christ, born again of the power of the Holy Spirit, are Children of God under the New Covenant of Christ.

I have heard leaders in the Church make outrageous statements that are not Scriptural. For instance, several years ago Pope Francis (the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church) said “There is only one certainty that we have for all: we are all children of God”.

United Methodist Bishop Gregory V. Palmer said, “Is there any more important message that the church has to commend to the world than every human being is a child of God?”

Anglican Bishop Jeremy Greaves wrote “We are ‘all children of God’”.

Those who say such things are defying Jesus. Jesus distinguished between those who received and did His Word, and those who did not. Jesus told the Pharisees who often attacked Him and His ministry:

John 8:42-47 (LSB) Jesus said to them, IF GOD WERE YOUR FATHER, YOU WOULD LOVE ME, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come of Myself, but HE SENT ME. 43 “Why do you not understand what I am saying? [It is] because YOU CANNOT HEAR MY WORD. 44 “YOU ARE OF YOUR FATHER, THE DEVIL, and YOU WANT TO DO THE DESIRES OF YOUR FATHER. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own [nature], for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 HE WHO IS OF GOD HEARS THE WORDS OF GOD; for this reason you do not hear [them], because YOU ARE NOT OF GOD.”

That is very specific and to the point. The characteristic of the Child of God is that they

(1) love Jesus Christ,
(2) understand that Jesus alone came from the Father as Messiah,
(3) hear what Jesus says, and seeks to do it
(4) desires the things of God, not of Satan
(5) lives to share LIFE with others, not murder
(6) speaks the Word of God in truth, not deceptively
(7) believes Jesus is sinless
(8) hears and appreciates the Word of God, the Bible

Being A “Child Of God” Is Uniquely New Testament

Ephesians 5:1-2 Be ye therefore followers of God, AS DEAR CHILDREN;

As I studied this passage, the first thing God led me to do is research and see where the phrase “Child (or Children) of God” is found. This phrase is unique to the New Testament. The Lord showed me that …

no individual Israelite under the Old Covenant
was ever called a Child of God

When Israel was referred to, God called the NATION. Israel was often called “Children of Israel” (see Genesis 32:32; 36:31; Exodus 1:1, 7). The phrase “Children of Israel” is used 644 times in 600 verses. Under the Old Covenant you were either “Children of Israel” or Gentiles. But Israelites were NOT individually called “children of God”.

God called the circumcised NATION of Israel “My Son”. Under the Old Covenant only the NATION was the son of God, the children of God.

When God sent Moses to Pharaoh, He said:

Exodus 4:22-23 (ESV) … you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, ISRAEL IS MY FIRSTBORN SON, 23 and I say to you, “LET MY SON GO THAT HE MAY SERVE ME” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I WILL KILL YOUR FIRSTBORN SON.'”

The designation “My Son” emphasized that God called the nation into a covenant relationship with Him (Deuteronomy 14:1; 32:6; Isaiah 1:2; 63:16). Israel was collectively God’s SON, as long as the men of the nation were under the mark of CIRCUMCISION (Genesis 17:10-11; Leviticus 20:26; Deuteronomy 10:16). God told His national Son:

Genesis 17:14 (AP) Any UNCIRCUMCISED MALE… SHALL BE CUT OFF FROM HIS PEOPLE; he has broken My covenant.

You will not find the phrase “Child of God” anywhere in the Old Testament under the Old Covenant for a singular Israelite. Children or sons of God refers to the nation of Israel as God’s corporate covenant people.

The first Jew to be called a “Child” of God and a “Son” of God Individually is the Messiah, The Lord Jesus Christ!

When God prophesied the coming of Jesus as Messiah, He said:

Psalm 2:7 (ESV) I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU …

That this is a prophecy of Christ Jesus is clearly seen when we read how the New Testament refers to this Psalm, saying:

Hebrews 5:5 (ESV) So also CHRIST DID NOT EXALT HIMSELF to be made a high priest, but was APPOINTED BY HIM WHO SAID TO HIM, “YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU” (see also Acts 13:33)

In the Old Testament God said of Israel, “This is My son Israel, My firstborn”. But in the New Testament the Father said, “THIS is MY BELOVED SON, in Whom I am WELL PLEASED” (Matthew 3:17). When God spoke to King David, He told him that he would have a Son, a special Son:

2 Samuel 7:13-14 (ESV) HE SHALL BUILD A HOUSE FOR MY NAME, and I WILL ESTABLISH THE THRONE OF HIS KINGDOM FOREVER. 14 I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to me a Son. …

This was not a reference to Solomon, who, like all of us mortals, would have a throne that would end when he died. This was a reference to the coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Angel Gabriel told Mary:

Luke 1:31-33 (ESV) And behold, you will conceive in your womb and BEAR A SON, AND YOU SHALL CALL HIS NAME JESUS. He will be great and WILL BE CALLED THE SON OF THE MOST HIGH. And the LORD GOD WILL GIVE TO HIM THE THRONE OF HIS FATHER DAVID, and HE WILL REIGN OVER THE HOUSE OF JACOB FOREVER, and of his kingdom there will be no end.

Jesus is THE Son of God prophesied in the Scripture! He is THE Child of God by supernatural birth.

Isaiah 9:6-7 (ESV) For to us A CHILD IS BORN, to us A SON IS GIVEN; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Jesus is the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, the only Son of God to be born into humanity. The Son became a Child, a Perfect Child.

This was NOT speaking about Israel, but about the Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus was born as a Child, a perfect and sinless Man born of a virgin.

Isaiah 7:14 (ESV) Therefore THE LORD HIMSELF WILL GIVE YOU A SIGN. Behold, the VIRGIN SHALL CONCEIVE AND BEAR A SON, and shall call his name IMMANUEL.

The SON OF GOD would be given to us. The SON OF GOD would come from glory, and be born from a virgin. Some have tried to twist this Messianic Prophecy, saying that the word “VIRGIN” should just be “YOUNG WOMAN”. What kind of “sign” would that be, o’ foolish unbeliever? The Angel of God quoted this very verse to Joseph, applying it to Jesus, saying:

Matthew 1:20-23 (NKJV) Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for THAT WHICH IS CONCEIVED IN HER IS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 21 And SHE WILL BRING FORTH A SON, and you shall call His name JESUS, for HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS. 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: {here quoting Isaiah 7:14} 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Israel as a nation was the son of God. No individual Jew was a son of God before the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus the Christ, the Eternal Son of God, left immortality, left Heaven and the adoration of Angels, to come to this earth. The immortal became mortal. The sinless came to this earth to walk among sinners.

Jesus Christ Brought In A New Covenant, And A New Way. Believing in Him Brings New Birth!

The perfect and pure Son of God lowered Himself to be with us, to save us, to make us individually the Children of God.

Oh the glory of what Jesus did for us! “CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS, according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). “But GOD DEMONSTRATES HIS LOVE FOR US, in that, WHILE WE WERE SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US” (Romans 5:8). Oh Beloved, unto us a Son was given. Unto us, a Child was born. He came to build a bridge through our sins to bring us to God. The Scripture says “Christ Jesus satisfied God’s justice ON OUR BEHALF. He is the PROPITIATION, the SATISFACTORY PAYMENT FOR SIN, not for ours only but ALSO FOR THE WHOLE WORLD” (1 John 2:2). That Baby, nondescript and undervalued, born a manger in Bethlehem would grow up to be the “Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29, 36). How would He do this?

1 Peter 2:24 (ESV) HE HIMSELF BORE OUR SINS IN HIS BODY ON THE TREE, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. BY HIS WOUNDS you have been healed.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) For our sake THE FATHER MADE HIM, JESUS, WHO KNEW NO SIN, TO BE SIN FOR US, so that IN HIM we might become the righteousness of God.

God could not call individuals “son” in the Old Covenant, because from Adam until today we are all born into this world as sinners. We are enslaved to sin. We are defined by sin. The Bible describes the state of every person before he meets the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scripture says:

Ephesians 2:1-6 (LSB) And YOU WERE DEAD IN TRANSGRESSIONS AND SINS, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom WE ALL FORMERLY CONDUCTED OURSELVES IN THE LUSTS OF OUR FLESH, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and WERE BY NATURE THE CHILDREN OF WRATH, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, MADE US ALIVE TOGETHER WITH CHRIST—BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED– 6 and RAISED US UP WITH HIM, and seated us with Him in the heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus,

Before Jesus came, Israel was the son of God. But after THE Son of God came and gave Himself for us, whosoever believes on Him individually becomes a child of God. We are “RAISED UP WITH HIM”, raised up by the Son of God to be a son of God – to the glory of God.

You are not born into this world a son of God, a child of God. You are born into this world separated from God. But once you receive Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, once you believe on THE Son of God, YOU become a son of God, a child of God. The Bible says:

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, THE LORD KNOWETH THEM THAT ARE HIS. And, LET EVERYONE THAT NAMETH THE NAME OF CHRIST DEPART FROM INIQUITY.

It is by faith in THE Son that you become A son. “But to all who did receive {Jesus}, who believed in His name, He gave the right to BECOME CHILDREN OF GOD, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13, ESV).

Children Of God Follow Jesus

Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore FOLLOWERS OF GOD, as DEAR {agapētos, Beloved} CHILDREN…

If you are a child of God by faith in Christ, if you have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, then it should show by your behavior. The history of Israel throughout the Old Covenant is the history of a disobedient people. God designated the nation itself as His “son”, but under the Old Covenant the average Israelite was spiritually dead. There were some who believed on the Coming Messiah, and were saved by faith as we are. The one that comes to my mind is Abraham. “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23). What Abraham believed is that which we believe today. Abraham did not believe in himself. Abraham did not believe in Israel. Abraham believed in the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord (John 8:56-58).

If you are a genuine Christian, someone “born again” because you have received Christ, then God calls you to accountability. God calls you to follow HIM, not the world. We are “Beloved Children”. God did the most for us at the Cross of Calvary.

When I read this passage, I thought about children. What are the characteristics of children? Children want to make up the rules, but they don’t. Poor parents allow them to do so, but that’s a poor parent. Parents set the rules, and children obey them. Children want to modify the rules, but they shouldn’t. A proper parent will punish the child that rejects the rules. A poor parent, not loving the child, will look the other way. Children want to imitate the grown up world. Children watch the adults, then imitate what they see whether good or bad. Children often don’t understand the why of the rules. Yet they must obey the rules anyway.

I remember one year at my house buying a present for my kids, something I just KNEW they would love. Imagine my surprise and disappointment when my kids, on unwrapping the present, played with the box. Children often undervalue that which is most valuable. The most valuable thing you have as a Christian is not heaven. The most valuable thing you have is that you daily walk with God. And may I say this:

If you’re not walking with God NOW, you may not be walking with God THEN. Your salvation may be a sham. Make sure you’re not playing with the box.

Children love their parents, and want their parents to be proud of them. Do you know what makes God our Father proud of us?

Ephesians 5:1-2 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And WALK IN LOVE, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.

The Child of God is a follower of God. The Child of God loves Jesus, God’s Only Begotten Son. Are you a Child of God? If you are not, what a wonderful day it would be to give yourself to Jesus! To be a Child of God was not offered to Israel under the Old Covenant. But being a Child of God is offered to ALL who will receive Jesus today. The Scripture says:

Galatians 4:4-7 (NKJV) But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that WE MIGHT RECEIVE THE ADOPTION AS SONS 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Only a Child of God can have the Holy Spirit. If you are not a Child of God, you are a slave to sin and the Law. Oh how I pray that you would give yourself to Jesus this very day!

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Living As Faithful Witnesses

Posted on December 12, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Gary Meulemans on Unsplash

Do You Love Jesus – Or The World?

Opening: I get a publication from the Colson Center called “Breakpoint Daily”. It keeps me up with trends and fads, and reminds us as Christians that our job is really never done. We are to be the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14), not our light, but like the moon we are to reflect the light of the Son (John 9:5), Jesus Christ our Lord. The most recent article was called “A Decade of “Words of the Year”. Every year since 2004, Oxford Dictionary has chosen a “word of the year”. The “word of the year” is not necessarily one word. It can be a popular phrase in American society. The “word of the year” shows how far our America has drifted from Biblical truth. Frankly, I had never actually heard these words. The list since 2016 is:

“Word Of The Year”What it means
2016post-truthFeelings matter more than truth
2017youthquakeYoung people can change society
2018toxicOften applied to perceived harmful relationships
2019climate emergencyTo describe the “dire” state our world is in
2021vaxTo be vaccinated
2022goblin modeYoung people can do nothing to change anything
2023rizzexciting others, being a personality
2024brain rotscrolling endlessly on social media
2025rage baitany content that provokes anger or discomfort

The “Word of the Year” has nothing to do with the True Word, the Word of God. It had everything to do with redefining truth, and the drifting hopelessness of the world in which we now live.

The Breakpoint article summed this up with:

“Truth is a Person. Jesus is the ultimate anchor for reality: unchanging, compassionate, and authoritative. He validates our feelings by bringing them into alignment with what actually is. He calls us to see the world as it is, not as the algorithms present it. He invites us to resist the cognitive and emotional conditioning of brain rot, aura farming, and rage bait.

The last decade of Words of the Year teaches us that when we try to feel our way into truth, our reality collapses. When we allow algorithms, outrage, or curated self-performance to define reality, we fragment into rage, passivity, and distortion. But when we anchor ourselves in the reality of God’s image, we reclaim the capacity for thoughtful engagement, creativity, and authentic relationships—both with Him and with others who share that image. ”

If we want to make a difference for the Kingdom of God, we who are saved by faith in Christ must live as faithful witnesses to the Gospel. We need to follow the pattern of Hezekiah!

Hezekiah Loved The Lord His God

Proverbs 25:1 These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the MEN OF HEZEKIAH King of Judah copied out.

Solomon was a flawed, but wise man whom the Lord used. When King Hezekiah came to the throne (about 270 years after Solomon’s reign), the King had his scribes search the royal vaults to collect additional sayings of Solomon. These words make up chapters 25-29 of this Book.

God used humans in writing His holy Scripture. He could have written the Scriptures through angels had He wanted, but God used man created in His image (Genesis 9:6) to relay His Word.

King Hezekiah was a good and Godly King. He loved the Lord Christ. He wanted to honor God in his office. The Bible says:

2 Kings 18:2-7 (NKJV) {Hezekiah} was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name [was] Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And HE DID WHAT WAS RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, according to all that his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke the [sacred] pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan. 5 HE TRUSTED IN THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. 6 For HE HELD FAST TO THE LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses. 7 The LORD WAS WITH HIM; HE PROSPERED WHERE EVER HE WENT. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

Hezekiah (Hebrew ḥizqîyâ, meaning “Jehovah is my Strength”) was not the only good King Judah (Southern Israel) had. The Southern Kingdom of Israel had eight good Kings who loved God, who were saved by faith in Christ. The Northern Kingdom had NO good kings, for they departed from God’s Word and God’s Commandment. When Hezekiah became King, the wisest thing he did was seek out the Word of God, and expand the Book of Proverbs. The Bible tells us that Solomon wrote about 3000 Proverbs (1 Kings 4:32), and many of those had not been transcribed up to this point. If Hezekiah was going to be an effective King, he wanted to cling to the Word of God! We are told in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “all scripture is God breathed”. Further the Apostle tells us:

2 Peter 1:20-21 (ESV) knowing this FIRST OF ALL, that NO prophecy of SCRIPTURE comes from someone ‘s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but MEN SPOKE FROM GOD AS THEY WERE CARRIED ALONG BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Hezekiah did what every wise leader should do: he sought out God’s Word so he could live by it.

There Are Kings – Then There Is THE King

Proverbs 25:2-5 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter. 3 The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable. 4 Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. 5 Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

Our God is “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16). God does not tell us everything, but conceals certain things from us. Human kings, like us, are limited in what they can do, what they understand. But our God is INFINITE. We who are FINITE cannot fully understand the will of God, or His very nature. The Bible says in Romans11:33 (ESV), “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How UNSEARCHABLE ARE HIS JUDGMENTS AND HOW INSCRUTABLE HIS WAYS!”. God reveals some things to show us His glory. As David Rives quoted on Sunday,

Psalm 19:1 (ESV) The HEAVENS DECLARE THE GLORY OF GOD, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.

God reveals His glory in creation itself. But God does not tell us everything.

Deuteronomy 29:29 (ESV) The SECRET THINGS belong to the Lord our God, but the THINGS THAT ARE REVEALED BELONG TO US and to our children forever, that WE MAY DO ALL THE WORDS OF THIS LAW.

God knows all things. But the earthly King does not know all things. “But the honor of kings is to search out a matter”. Good rulers will seek out the truth. They will not rush to judgment, nor try to rule according to their opinions. Hezekiah ordered the proverbs of good King Solomon be researched and brought out of the vaults. Hezekiah was aware that (Proverbs 1:7, ESV) the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 25:3 The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the HEART OF KINGS IS UNSEARCHABLE.

The decisions that leaders make are often misunderstood by the populace. The people know that the Heaven is high, but not how high. They know that the earth has depth, but they don’t know how deep. The responsibility of a good leader is to protect the people while drawing them close to the Lord Who made them. What is the primary calling of the good King?

Proverbs 25:4-5 Take away the DROSS from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. 5 Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

The value of silver goes up when the DROSS, the pollutants are removed from the silver. No fine vessel can be made with DROSS or impurities in it. So the King should seek to remove the DROSS from the nation. “Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness”. Adam Clarke noted in his commentary:

“You cannot have a pure silver vessel till you have purified the silver; and no nation can have a king a public blessing till the wicked – all bad counselors, wicked and interested ministers, and sycophants – are banished from the court and cabinet.”

The first thing Hezekiah did when becoming King was to have scribes uncover more of the Word of God. The second thing Hezekiah did was:

2 Kings 18:4 He removed the high places and broke the [sacred] pillars, cut down the wooden image and BROKE IN PIECES THE BRONZE SERPENT THAT MOSES HAD MADE; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan {nᵊḥuštān}.

When Israel drifted from following God under Moses, the Lord sent fiery serpents into the camp to bite and kill the people (Numbers 21:6). The Bible tells us that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). God graphically and literally proved this by the fiery serpents. When the people REPENTED and came to Moses, saying “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us”, their leader Moses went to the Lord in prayer. God told MOSES:

Numbers 21:8 Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

God was teaching Israel – and us – what saving faith is. Every Israelite who stopped fighting the serpents, and who looked UPWARD at the Nehushtan, the bronze serpent, would be healed if they were bitten by the snakes (which represented the wages of sin).This is an Old Testament picture of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus said:

John 3:14-15 (KJV) And as MOSES LIFTED UP THE SERPENT in the wilderness, even so MUST THE SON OF MAN BE LIFTED UP: 15 That whosoever BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, but have eternal life.

Just as the Israelite under Moses’ leadership looked up in faith and believed and did not perish, those who look upward to Jesus – nailed to that Cross for our sins – will not perish!

Faith is to believe in the PERSON of God giving Himself for us. When Hezekiah came to office, the people had stopped believing in the PERSON of God, and began to believe in the POWER OF THE MAN MADE SERPENT. They began to worship the serpent, calling it Nehushtan, the bronze thing worthy of worship. They burned incense to it, something they were only to do with God Himself. They began to fall away from God, and they

Romans 1:25 (ESV) … EXCHANGED THE TRUTH ABOUT GOD for a lie and worshiped and SERVED THE CREATURE RATHER THAN THE CREATOR, who is blessed forever! Amen.

This same thing happened with the Ark of the Covenant. God caused it to be lost because Israel began to worship it, rather than the Savior God Who had it made. The Ark was a symbol of God’s presence (Exodus 25:22), but it had no power. At one time Israel said:

1 Samuel 4:3 (NKJV) … Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us IT MAY SAVE US it may save us from the hand of our enemies.

That did not work out well. The Bible says that Israel was defeated by the Philistines, and lost 30,000 foot soldiers. Also the High Priests sons Hophni and Phinehas died. When Hezekiah came to the throne, he had the revered Nehushtan destroyed so that people could not worship it. God says:

Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD: that is My Name: and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images.

Hezekiah knew that the best he could do for his Kingdom was to establish the throne in righteousness. God will not bless sin. He will not bless idolatry. God will not share His glory with any others. He is God!

God Will Not Bless Pride And Arrogance

Proverbs 25:6-7 Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: 7 For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be PUT LOWER IN THE PRESENCE OF THE PRINCE whom thine eyes have seen.

There are always those who feel they know better than the King. There are people – the created – who feel they know better than Almighty God! Hezekiah realized that he was on the throne of Israel because God allowed him to do so.

Romans 13:1-2 (NKJV) Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For THERE IS NO AUTHORITY EXCEPT FROM GOD, and THE AUTHORITIES THAT EXIST ARE APPOINTED BY GOD. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

Our Lord Jesus taught this same principle when He said:

Luke 14:8-11 (ESV) When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For EVERYONE WHO EXALTS HIMSELF WILL BE HUMBLED, AND HE WHO HUMBLES HIMSELF WILL BE EXALTED.

When we “humble ourselves in the sight of the LORD, He will lift us up” (James 4:10). It is better to be nobody that the King honors, than to think you are somebody and be called nobody publicly!

Proverbs 25:8-10 Go not forth hastily to STRIVE {rîḇ}, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbor hath put thee to shame. 9 Debate thy cause with thy neighbor himself; and discover not a secret to another: 10 LEST HE THAT HEARETH IT PUT THEE TO SHAME, and thine infamy turn not away.

Word Study: The word “STRIVE” is the Hebrew rîḇ, which means in this context “to conduct a case or a legal suit, to sue in court”. Various versions translate this as:

Do not go hastily to court (NKJV)
do not hastily bring into court (ESV)
Do not go out hastily to plead your case (LSB)

Before carrying the “case” to court, the Lord tells us to try and work it out at the lowest level possible. Talk to the neighbor first. Jesus taught this in:

Matthew 18:15-20 (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. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

If you rush to judgment, you may find yourself in a worst position than had you humbled yourself and talked it over with the neighbor. Adam Clarke wrote in his commentary:

“A man who deliberates about going to law should have, 1. A good cause; 2. A good purse; 3. A good skillful attorney; 4. Good evidence; 5. Good able counsel; 6. A good upright judge; 7. A good intelligent jury; and with all these on his side, if he have not, 8. Good luck… ”

Ending With A Good Word

Proverbs 25:11-13 A WORD FITLY SPOKEN is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. 12 As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a WISE REPROVER upon an OBEDIENT EAR. 13 As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a FAITHFUL MESSENGER to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.

The “WORD FITLY SPOKEN” is a beautiful thing. The “WORD FITLY SPOKEN” is not just an encouraging or complimentary word (for that is all that some wish to hear), but it is “WISE REPROOF” to the “OBEDIENT EAR”. Jesus did not speak all encouragement, but He rebuked as necessary, according to the Word of God. Jesus was a “FAITHFUL MESSENGER” Who spoke the Word of God (Hebrews 3:1-2). Jesus said, “Whatsoever I speak … I speak just as the Father has said unto Me” (John 12:49-50).

As believers in Christ, we live by His Word. We give an obedient ear to Him Who gave Himself to us. As Jesus is “the Faithful Witness” (Revelation 1:5), let us live for Him.

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Learning Christ

Posted on December 9, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Ephesians 4:17-20 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But ye have not so learned CHRIST;

There Is No “Vicarious” Christian Life

Opening: I heard a word several years ago – and when I heard it, I didn’t know what it meant. The word was “vicarious”. We all do it, whether we know what the word means or not. When some of you watch sports, you get a vicarious thrill when your quarterback runs a 60 yard touchdown, or your pitcher pitches a no hit game. Vicarious. When I saw Dale Earnhardt win a race, in my mind I was in the cockpit with him! Vicarious means to watch what another person is doing, then imagining that you are the one doing it. I get a vicarious thrill when I watch John Wayne or Clint Eastwood shoot a really bad guy. I didn’t do the shooting. I wasn’t in the scene. But watching it, in my imagination, I put myself there, and get a thrill out of it.

There was a song I grew up with called “Just My Imagination” sung by the Temptations. In the song they sang (and I sang along with them):

Each day through my window I watch as she passes by,
I say to myself, you’re a such a lucky guy.
To have a girl like her, is truly a dream come true.
Out of all the fellows in the world, She belongs to you.
But it was just my imagination, running away with me.
It was just my imagination, running away with me.

That’s vicarious. It’s imagined. It’s dreamed of. You do it when watching television, the movies, sports. You put yourself – in your imagination – in the place of the actor. But you’re really not there. It’s just your imagination.

The Christian way of life cannot be lived vicariously – yet many do so. They imagine they are believers in Christ, but never get in the game. They imagine living for Jesus, but do as little to nothing as they can. Why? Because “it’s just their imagination”. They never REPENTED and RECEIVED the Kingdom of God by faith.

The Saved Do Not Act Like The World

Ephesians 4:17 This I say {legō} therefore, and testify {martyromai} in the Lord, that ye henceforth WALK NOT as other Gentiles WALK, in the VANITY of their mind

In the beginning of Paul’s statement he says, “This I SAY therefore, and TESTIFY”. The Apostle is not repeating himself. He’s saying, “This is not something I just read and am telling you to do. This is not something I saw on television. I SAY it because I DO IT”. What Paul is getting ready to tell them, he experienced himself. This is not a vicarious statement. Paul says “I TESTIFY in the LORD”. The word rendered “TESTIFY” is the Greek martyromai. If you look at that word, the first part of the word spells a word you well know: “MARTYR”. A MARTYR is someone who suffers death or extreme persecution because of their faith. The word martyromai means “to be a public witness for that which you believe is true, no matter what the cost”. Paul spoke as a martyr “IN THE LORD”, that is, regardless as to consequence he virtually – not vicariously – stood up and professed Jesus before a non-receptive crowd. The phrase “IN THE LORD” is found 111 times in the Scripture, and it is a reference to genuine salvation. When Abraham believed in God, the Bible says:

Genesis 15:6 (KJV) And {Abraham} believed IN THE LORD; and {God} counted it to him for righteousness.

What Paul is going to say, Paul did. He says:

Ephesians 4:17 … that ye henceforth WALK NOT as OTHER Gentiles WALK, in the VANITY {mataiotēs} of their mind

The “OTHER Gentiles” that Paul walked among are like many in America today. They WALK, that is, live their lives not according to the precepts of God’s Word, but according to “VANITY” of their minds. This is the Greek mataiotēs, which means “a thought process devoid of truth, perverse or depraved, that which is lightless and lifeless”. This very word is used for ANIMALS and what happened to the ANIMALS when Adam fell in the Garden. The Apostle wrote:

Romans 8:19-21 (KJV) For the earnest expectation of the CREATURE waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For THE CREATURE WAS MADE SUBJECT TO VANITY {mataiotēs}, NOT WILLINGLY, but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also SHALL BE DELIVERED FROM THE BONDAGE OF CORRUPTION into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

When Adam fell, creation itself fell. Not because creation had anything at all to do with Adam’s sin, but because Adam and creation were a package deal. When he fell, the world fell. Animals became subject to the vanity of sin. Plant life became subject to the vanity of sin. The whole world was enslaved to the vanity – the depravity, the life choking force of sin. Our Lord Jesus said:

John 8:34-36 (LSB) Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, EVERYONE WHO COMMITS SIN IS THE SLAVE OF SIN. 35 “And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the Son does remain forever. 36 “So IF THE SON MAKES YOU FREE, YOU WILL BE FREE INDEED.

The Gentiles at the Church in Ephesus were saved by faith in Christ. Once saved, the Holy Spirit indwells you (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19). You become the property and possession of God, the Child of God by faith (2 Timothy 1:14). The “OTHER Gentiles” live their lives according to vanity, to emptiness, to untruth and ungodliness.

The godless walks according to three steps: ignorance, blindness, and self sensuality.

Ephesians 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them …

What causes an unbeliever to remain an unbeliever? To reject Christ as Lord and Savior? “IGNORANCE that is in them”. I am amused with the vast number of people who believe there are little green men or aliens from space. Every few years people will get a story going about how the U.S. Government in Area 51 is hiding alien stuff. People want to believe in aliens – but have alienated themselves from the God Who made them. Jesus said:

John 8:12 I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall NOT WALK IN DARKNESS, but have the light of life.

They are like the Pharisees who, looking diligently for the Messiah, rejected the True Messiah when He came because He was not what they had expected. Though they saw the miracles Jesus did, they discounted those miracles as works of the devil.

Ephesians 4:18 because of the BLINDNESS of their heart

Word Study: The word rendered “BLINDNESS” is the Greek pōrōsis, which means “to cover with a callus, to become hardened”. The word was used to describe the Pharisees when Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath day:

Mark 3:3-6 (LSB) And {Jesus} said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” 4 And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5 And after looking around at them with anger, grieved at their HARDNESS {pōrōsis} of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 And the Pharisees went out and immediately [began] taking counsel together with the Herodians against Him, [as to] how they might destroy Him.

Finally, being devoid of God and blinded to the Gospel, the lost person chases their own sensuality:

Ephesians 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto LASCIVIOUSNESS {aselgeia}, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Rejecting REPENTANCE, rejecting the Biblical Christ as REDEEMER, they throw themselves into themselves. The new thing today among “progressive” women is to have a “high body count”, that is, to see how many people they can conquer sexually. What a demonic thing this is! When I hear professing Christians say “I’m a homosexual” or “I sleep around”, my loving response must be “you are confused. I love you, but what you are saying is not supported by the Scripture”.

You can give yourself to God, or give yourself to yourself. The lost have “GIVEN THEMSELVES OVER TO LASCIVIOUSNESS” {aselgeia = unbridled lust or wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness}. Christians may be tempted. Jesus was tempted – this is not sin. Christians may struggle against desires. The struggle is not sin. Christians do not give themselves over to wantonness and unbridled sexuality. They REPENT and walk with the Lord.

The lost do not “WORK OUT their salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians2:12-13), but they “work all UNCLEANLINESS with GREEDINESS”. The lost work differently than the saved.

The Saved Are Not To Be Selfish, But Selfless

Ephesians 4:20-23 But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have HEARD HIM, and have been TAUGHT BY HIM, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye PUT OFF CONCERNING the former {WAY OF LIFE} THE OLD MAN, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And BE RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND

Every Christian has two characteristics that the unbeliever does not have:

you have HEARD Him, and
you have been TAUGHT BY Him

Jesus calls all people to come to Him. He said, “If anyone thirst, let Him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37). “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The Christian is “the CALLED of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:6). We heard His call, and responded. We as believers are called the “Church”, literally the Ekklesia, the “called out ones”. But not only are we “called”, but we listen to Him, we heed His commandments. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 1:9 (ESV) God is faithful, by whom YOU WERE CALLED into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ OUR LORD.

Those who are the “called” of God are to “PUT OFF THE OLD MAN”. That old pre-salvation way of life, the things you used to do following the foolishness and darkness of the world, you put that away. You REPENT. The phrase “OLD MAN” is a reference to your old, sin driven way of life. The day that the Christian is publicly baptized in water, he is openly professing that his old self died, and that he is resurrected as a “new creature in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15). The Bible says:

Romans 6:3-6 (KJV) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, EVEN SO WE ALSO SHOULD WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our OLD MAN IS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth WE SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN.

When God the Holy Spirit indwells us, He leads us toward Christ and Life. We affix our minds on the Word of God, not on the ways of the world.

Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and TRUE holiness.

Christians are to walk WITH God, not against God. The unbeliever walks in ignorance, hard heartedness, and self sensuality. The believer walks in righteousness and TRUE holiness. What is TRUE holiness? True holiness is not something that we manufacture. This is what the Pharisees did. Jesus condemned them, saying:

Matthew 15:3, 6, 8-9 Why do you transgress the commandment of God by your TRADITIONS … you made the commandment of God of no effect by your traditions … God said this people draws near to Me with their mouth, but in vail they worship Me, TEACHING FOR DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN …

Marks Of Righteousness & True Holiness

Ephesians 4:25 Wherefore PUTTING AWAY LYING, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.

The Christian speaks the truth in love. We affirm the Word of God. We do not dumb it down, nor compromise its teaching. This is what the devil does. He did it in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. He told our fore-parents that “you will not die if you eat of the forbidden fruit. God knows that the day you eat of it, you will become gods like Him!” (Genesis3:4-5). Jesus told the Pharisees:

John 8:44-47 (NKJV) You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and DOES NOT STAND IN THE TRUTH, because there is NO TRUTH IN HIM. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF IT. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?

The believer in Christ stands strong in the truths of God’s Word. We do not compromise what our Lord has declared is truth! False teachers hide in deception (Ephesians 4:14). As God’s children we are commanded:

Colossians 3:9 (NKJV) Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds

Believers “speak each man truth to his neighbor” (Zechariah 8:16).

Ephesians 4:26-27 Be ye angry, and SIN NOT: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give PLACE {topos} to the devil.

The Christian can get angry. Our Lord Jesus got angry. He got angry at hardened hearts (Mark 3:5). He got angry when the Gospel was blurred by selfishness (John 2:15-16; Matthew 21:12-13). Jesus got angry at false teachers (Matthew 23:27). But Jesus always controlled His anger – He was not controlled by it. Anger has its place. When the sun sets, anger should be retired. Uncontrolled anger gives PLACE to the devil. The word “PLACE” is the Greek topos, which means “a room or space”. Pastor Adrian Rogers described it this way:

“Suppose you had a piece of property. Let’s say there are 50 acres in that piece of property. And you sell me an acre right in the middle of your 50 acres, and you give me a deed to it. And I have ingress and egress across your property to get to my 1 acre there, in the middle of our 50 acres. And let’s suppose all night long I’m playing loud music, and I’m throwing trash around. I’m just doing everything to desecrate your property, and, after a while, you say, “I want you out of there. Move out of there. You’re bothering the rest of my property. You’re desecrating my property. You’re defiling the area. Get out.” And I say, “I’m not going. I don’t have to go, and you can’t make me go. You gave me this piece of property. You sold this piece of property to me. I’ve got a legal right to it, and I am not moving. If you don’t like it, then that is your tough luck. I am not moving.” Dear friend, you would not be able to move me out, because you gave me a place there. Now some of you have done, particularly or almost, the same thing to Satan. You have given a place to the devil, and you cannot dislodge him unless you legally dislodge him.”

When anger consumes the Christian, when you do not put a time limit on your anger, then you lease your life to the devil. And he will trash your property unless you REPENT and RESIST him in Jesus’ name! Repent. Confess. Put it under the Blood of Christ. Cast the devil out with the old man. He has no right to your life – you belong to Jesus.

Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather LET HIM LABOR, working with his hands the thing which is good, that HE MAY HAVE TO GIVE TO HIM THAT NEEDETH.

Some people are outright thieves. They steal, they shoplift, they burgle what is not theirs. Other people are sneak thieves. They labor and labor, but do so to build their own wealth, to make their own prosperity. The Christian is to labor so that we can not just support ourselves, but so that we can bless others.

The purpose of getting is for giving!

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is GOOD TO THE USE OF EDIFYING, that it may MINISTER GRACE unto the hearers.

The Christian is to speak so as to edify or build up others in the faith of Christ. Our Lord Jesus told us:

Matthew 12:26 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

Our words should reflect the truths that God has placed in this wonderful Book, the Bible. We should always remember that there is a silent Witness to all we say, God the Holy Spirit:

Ephesians 4:30-32 And GRIEVE NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

The Christian can be the best advertisement for the Kingdom of God. The Christian can also be the worst advertisement for the Kingdom of God. We must remember that God is with us, and hears our every word. Let us speak, and live, as those who are the Children of the Most High.

Amen.

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The Way Of The Wise (Believer)

Posted on December 6, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

Proverbs 24:23-25 These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. 24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou are righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: 25 But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.

The Wise – The Children of God –
Judge Based On God’s Standard

The “WISE” (Hebrew ḥāḵām) are those whom “God has FILLED with the SPIRIT of WISDOM” (Exodus 28:3). God is the Giver of Wisdom. The Bible says:

Proverbs 2:6 (LSB) YAHWEH GIVES WISDOM; From His mouth [come] knowledge and discernment.

Job 12:13 (LSB) WITH {GOD} ARE WISDOM AND MIGHT; To Him belong counsel and discernment.

There are few “WISE” people in our world today. Since the time of Adam and Eve, we have been eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and considering ourselves gods. We are not gods. God is God, and we are not. God tells us:

Proverbs 24:23 It is not good to have RESPECT OF PERSONS in judgment

Our God has a standard, and His standard is revealed in the Bible, the Word of God. God judges by His standard, and wants us to do the same.

God does not use one standard for one person, and another standard for another person. When Peter was led to the Gentile Cornelius’ home, and shared the Gospel with him, he said:

Acts 10:34-35 (LSB) I most truly comprehend [now] that GOD IS NOT ONE TO SHOW PARTIALITY, but in every nation the one who fears Him and does righteousness is welcome to Him.

The Apostle Paul gave a stern warning in:

Romans 2:4-11 (NKJV) … do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are TREASURING UP FOR YOURSELF WRATH in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will RENDER TO EACH ONE ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness–indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For THERE IS NO PARTIALITY WITH GOD.

The Wicked Must Be Corrected
By God’s Standard

Proverbs 24:24 He that saith UNTO THE WICKED, THOU ART RIGHTEOUS; him shall the people CURSE {nāqaḇ}, NATIONS {lᵊ’ōm} Shall ABHOR {zāʿam} HIM

Some have tried perverting justice, being politically correct so as to please the people, but have discovered that this backfired on them. My commentary notes:

“Pilate, Felix, and Festus were all judges who perverted justice to please their Jewish subjects (Matt. 27; Acts 24; 25). Ironically, the Jews hated them all.”

Though it was the will of the people that these judges condemn the innocent, their error did not bless the Jews for long. The people “CURSE”, the Hebrew nāqaḇ which means “to mark or brand another, much like a cow”. Such a person is belittled as the property of the people, and not as if they were respected judges. They are mocked. C.S. Lewis said in his book “The Abolition of Man”,

“We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise”.

Those who twist righteous judgment, the nations ABHOR him, that is, he is “denounced angrily”. It is God’s design that government restrain evil, not promote it. When leaders are corrupt, both God as well as people notice it. In America today we are closer to Sodom and Gomorrah than we have ever been.

Illustrate: In my news feed this morning I came across two strange reports. First, there is a Catholic Church in Massachusetts whose “Father” or “Pastor” set up a nativity scene. Rather than celebrate Christ in the manger, this fellow set up a Nativity Scene where the Baby Jesus was missing, and a sign “I.C.E. Was Here” was put in the manger. Rather than rebuke the professing priest, the Catholic Church endorsed it. Second, a “pastor” from a Methodist Church in Rochester, New York rather than preaching the Gospel, “came out” as transgender during the Sunday service. His words were: “So I get to announce with joy that I’m transitioning. I’m affirming to all of you that I am transgender. The best way to put this is that I’m not becoming a woman, I’m giving up pretending to be a man. This is a process, and it may be shocking for some as to what this all means.”

The world does not rebuke evil, but celebrates it. Though both professing “churches” affirmed what their leadership is doing, there is ultimately no blessing in casting the Word of God away in order to please the darkness. The Scripture says:

Proverbs 24:25 But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.

Those who depart from the truth should be “REBUKED” {yāḵaḥ} when they depart from God’s clear standard. The wise are not to “sit in the gate of Sodom” as Lot did (Genesis 19:1), compromising with the darkness. There is no reward by going along with evil. Lot had become so accustomed to compromising with evil, that when the Sodomites came to rape the Angels whom God sent to the city, he said:

Genesis 19:8 (NKJV) I have two daughters who have not KNOWN A MAN; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may DO TO THEM AS YOU WISH; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.

What a curse Lot brought on his own life! Compromising with the darkness to be “politically correct”, Lot would end up losing his home, his business, and ultimately his daughters. Had Lot spent his time in Sodom standing in the wisdom of God PUBLICLY, he would not have PUBLICLY shamed his daughters when the mob came. When you compromise with evil, you bring a curse upon yourself.

Proverbs 24:26 Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a RIGHT {nāḵōaḥ} answer.

Word Study: The word “RIGHT” is the Hebrew nāḵōaḥ, which means “the correct or straightforward answer”. The Christian is called to be “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). The respecter of persons, i.e. the person who shows partiality, is eventually marked by the general populace as crooked. But the person who consistently speaks the truth in love, and who gives a proper Biblical response, that person will be respected. It is an act of love (KISSING THE LIPS) to clearly “GIVE A RIGHT ANSWER”.

Order Your Life With Wisdom

Proverbs 24:27 Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.

In the ancient world, most people farmed or were farmers. There were no “grocery stores” or markets except in the largest of cities, so people had to make sure they prepared the soil and planted food first. This proverb could be paraphrased as “First things first”. If you are going to build a house, a dynasty, and raise a family, you have to plan ahead. It would be foolish to move to a land and build a house before you made sure the land could be used to produce food. Once the fields are planted, and the crops have sprung up, then you can prepare the foundation of the house.

Our Lord Jesus tied the Christian way of life to being prepared. Jesus did not sugarcoat what being a Christ follower would entail. He asked each person to carefully consider the cost to salvation. THERE IS A COST.

Luke 14:26-33 (NKJV) 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and HIS LIFE ALSO, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE. 27 And whoever does not BEAR HIS CROSS AND COME AFTER ME Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and COUNT THE COST, whether he has enough to finish it— 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and CONSIDER WHETHER HE IS ABLE with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not FORSAKE ALL THAT HE HAS CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.

Salvation does not come to a person without REPENTANCE, that is, turning your life over to Jesus. There are many who PROFESS to be saved. They came to Jesus, and said “YES” to Jesus because He promises Heaven, or because He healed them or blessed them in some way. But salvation is a surrender to God, an unconditional surrender. Some say, “You can be saved, but NOT be a disciple”. This is not what Jesus taught, and cannot be substantiated by the Scripture. The Great Commission plainly states:

Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL THE NATIONS nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to OBSERVE ALL THINGS THAT I HAVE COMMANDED YOU; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

The ground must be prepared before the house can be built. Jesus compared the preaching of the Gospel to a Sower sowing seeds (Matthew 13). Where the ground was not prepared, where the Gospel seed …

… fell by the wayside (Matthew 13:4)
… fell on stony places (Matthew 13:5)
… fell among thorns (Matthew 13:7)

… where the ground was not prepared, the “House of Christ” (Hebrews 3:6) could not be built. But where the seed fell on good ground it yielded a crop (Matthew 13:8). Why? Because the field was prepared, the seed sown. The House could be built.

Illustrate: I walked into a Sunday School class one week years ago where the subject of discussion was “Can you join the Church and not be baptized?” Some thought that you could. I told the men that, no, you CANNOT be a part of the Church if you had not been baptized as our Lord Jesus directed. Why? The life surrendered to Christ will obey the things that Christ has directed. Jesus directs baptism by immersion. If the ground is not receptive to the Gospel seed, if there is no tilling of the life via REPENTANCE, then there can be no salvation. Period. God must be first!

The Bible tells us that King Solomon spent seven years building the Temple – and after the Temple was built he then built his own house (1 Kings 6:37-38; 7:1). We, like Solomon, are to put the House of Christ FIRST, not last.

The Wise (Believers) Always Return Good For Evil

Proverbs 24:28-29 Be not a witness against thy neighbor WITHOUT CAUSE; and deceive not with thy lips. 29 Say not, I WILL DO SO TO HIM AS HE HATH DONE TO ME: I will render to the man according to his work.

Under the Old Covenant God established the lex talionis or the “Law of Retaliation”. The word “LEX” means “Law”, and “TALIONIS” means “of the same kind”. God set forth the Law in several texts:

Exodus 21:23-25 (LSB) … you shall pay life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, bruise for bruise, wound for wound.

Leviticus 24:19-20 (LSB) If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him.

Deuteronomy 19:21 (LSB) Thus your eye shall not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

We started out talking about not being impartial in judgment, but to render equal judgment to all regardless of person.

The lex talionis was not about promoting vengeance, it was about proportional justice. It was a legal guideline not for believers, but for judges. No judge was supposed to impose a heavier penalty on the accused than what the person was found guilty of.

The lex talionis – unlike the pagan laws like the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi – required that offenses be equally penalized, regardless as to who committed the offense. Under Hammurabi, if you injured a nobleman, you suffered the same exact injury. But if you injured a commoner or a slave, in many cases only a fire was levied. The Bible views each person as made in the image of God, regardless of color or caste. Thus each person bore an equal punishment to what their offense was – which is fair.

Sadly believers under the Old Covenant took the Lex Talionis and turned it into something God never meant it to be. They began to use it for vengeance, contrary to the Holy Scripture. God has said,

Romans 12:19-21 (NKJV) Beloved, DO NOT AVENGE YOURSELVES, but [rather] give place to wrath; for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD.

Jesus addressed the false view of the lex talionis in His “Sermon on the Mount”. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:38-41 (NKJV) You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 “But I tell you NOT TO RESIST AN EVIL PERSON. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 “If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have [your] cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

Jesus was not erasing the lex talionis, but He was putting it back in its place. Believers are called to “See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all” (1 Thessalonians 5:15). We are called to pursue the good, not the evil.

Believers Learn From The Lazy, But Are Not Lazy

Proverbs 24:30-32 I went by the FIELD OF THE SLOTHFUL, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; 31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. 32 Then I saw, and CONSIDERED IT WELL: I looked upon it, and received instruction.

The fruit of the lazy person is thorns, nettles, and broken walls. The lazy person does not plant the thorns and nettles, nor did the lazy person deliberately break down the stone wall. But by being lazy, his actions aided the natural decay that is in this Adamic world. Solomon watched the lazy person and the fruit of the lazy life. He meditated on how that person lived, and saw the results of his laziness – and “RECEIVED INSTRUCTION”.

Illustrate: Recent changes in SNAP Benefits (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) have many liberal people up in arms. Under current guidelines if you are between 16-64 and are able to work, you must put in at least 80 hours a month labor. At present there are around 42 million people on SNAP, many of whom are able to work but will not. 42% of SNAP participants are 18-59 years old. People should work if they are able. Certainly if people need assistance, and are working but earning low wages, they should receive assistance. But the Bible tells us “If anyone is NOW WILLING TO WORK, LET HIM NOT EAT” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). God created us to work. Adam worked in Paradise – how much more should we work in this fallen world?The lazy person justifies their behavior. They say things like …

Proverbs 24:33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

“A LITTLE SLEEP”. The lazy person justifies their laziness by “we all need a little sleep. What’s wrong with slumber? Why shouldn’t we take it easy?” The truth is, a sleeping lamp cannot emit light – but by doing nothing contributes to the darkness. When Jesus spoke the Parable of the Kingdom of Heaven, He said:

Matthew 13:24-25 The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, HIS ENEMY CAME AND SOWED TARES among the wheat and went his way.

The Farmer has His workers plant good seed in good ground. But while the Farmer’s men slept the enemy – Satan – crept in and sowed TARES. Tares look like wheat, but are poisonous, and can foul the harvest when they grow up among the true wheat. The Farmer – the Lord God – will one day separate the Wheat (the believer) from the Tares (the pretend believer), and only the Wheat will be gathered into His barn (the Kingdom of Heaven).

Proverbs 24:34 So shall thy poverty come as one that TRAVELLETH {hālaḵ}; and thy want as an armed man.

Word Study: The word “TRAVELLETH” is the Hebrew hālaḵ, which means “to wander about, to go to and fro”. The picture is of a wandering robber who seeks who he may destroy. Those who are lazy and will not work will find themselves robbed of the pleasures of life. I have seen young men and women on the Internet posting tantrums because their benefits were stalled or removed. Some justified receiving SNAP and other welfare assistance because “I’ve been receiving this for 10 years now”. Those who are able to work should work. This is how God designed us. We do not steal, but work and share with those truly in need. We are told in

Ephesians 4:28 (LSB) He who steals must steal no longer, but RATHER HE MUST LABOR, performing with his own hands WHAT IS GOOD, so that he will have [something] TO SHARE WITH ONE WHO HAS NEED.

We who are Children of God by faith in Christ “WORK HEARTILY, as for the lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23-24). The Apostle said “If anyone does not provide for his relatives… he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8). From Old to New Testament, those who are God’s people are to work, both spiritually and physically.

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The Mind Of Christ

Posted on December 3, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Tijs van Leur on Unsplash

Philippians 2:1-5 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus

What Is The Church?

I remember when I was pastoring in North Carolina, an older woman was talking about a previous Pastor their church had. She told me, “The Pastor really loved Jesus, but he didn’t love us”. That made no sense to me at the time. How is it possible for a Pastor to love Jesus, but not love the Church? If you love the Lord, you will love the Church. What became evident to me as I pastored this flock that the people of that Church defined “love” as the world defines “love”, a selfish, self serving thing. Many of the “members” there wanted to do whatever they wanted to do, regardless of what the Bible said. Many wanted the Pastor to endorse their desires and man made traditions as if they were Scriptural. That is something Aaron would do. You remember Aaron, the High Priest of Israel? We read about it in Exodus 32.

The people whom God saved out of Egypt came to Aaron and demanded, “Arise, make us ĕlōhîm Who will lead us”. Aaron made them an idol representing the triune god. Aaron did not love the people. He should have pointed them to Christ.

Ĕlōhîm, by the way, is the Triune Name of God, the first use of the word “God” in our Bible. The very first verse of the Scripture says:

“In the beginning GOD {Ĕlōhîm} created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1, LSB).

Israel demanded not God, but a replica of God. God made man “in His own image” (Genesis 1:27), and now at Sinai man returned the favor. Man made God “in his own image”. This is what had been going on in North Carolina. This is what is going on all over America. The people demanded that the Pastor take their gold and valuables, and fashion a god to lead them. If he wants to stay on the “payroll”, he’ll do it.

A false god didn’t work at Sinai, and won’t work now.

Paul is not a “hireling”, but a man who loves the Church. So he PLEADS with them.

Paul pleads with the Church not to trade the glory of God’s Gospel, the leadership of the Scripture and the Spirit of the living God for a golden calf.

IF there be therefore any CONSOLATION
{paraklēsis} in Christ

Word Study: The word “CONSOLATION” is the Greek paraklēsis, which means “to come alongside and comfort”. Every person who has been saved has called on Jesus, and felt Him come alongside us and comfort us. A golden calf cannot comfort you. The proof that Jesus is the Christ, God in the flesh, the Messiah, is that He comforts His people. The Christ is “the COMFORTER of Israel” (Luke 2:25). When you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, He sends the COMFORTER to us. Jesus promised:

John 14:16-18 (KJV) And I will pray the Father, and HE SHALL GIVE YOU ANOTHER COMFORTER, that HE MAY ABIDEWITH YOU FOREVER; 17 [Even] THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU COMFORTLESS: I WILL COME TO YOU.

A Church is not filled with perfect people. A Church is filled with people who have been and will be comforted by the Presence of Christ. We share a common contact with Him. The early Church grew not because it had big crowds, but the Bible says:

Acts 9:31 (NKJV) Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the COMFORT {paraklēsis} of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

The Church was built up because the people shared in “FEAR OF THE LORD”, a common respect for the command of Christ, and in the unifying “COMFORT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT”.

The Church Is Encouraged By God’s Word

if any COMFORT {paramythion} of love

Word Study: The Greek paramythion means to console or encourage, an encouraging word. The Christian shares the comfort of God’s Word with other Christians.

The comfort of the Word of God only comes to those indwelt and open to the Comforter of God, the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).

The godless are at war with the Word of God. But the Christian understands that:

Proverbs 30:5 (ESV) EVERY WORD OF GOD PROVES TRUE; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

We are soothed, consoled by it, encouraged by God’s Word.The lost person gains no comfort from the Word of God, but the Saint in Christ is blessed by it.

if any FELLOWSHIP of the Spirit

The reason the Christian is comforted by the Word of God and the unbeliever is not, is because the unbeliever does not have the Spirit of Christ. “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:9). The Scripture is clear,

1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV) The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are FOLLY TO HIM, and he is NOT ABLE TO UNDERSTAND them because they are SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED.

If there is no FELLOWSHIP of the Holy Spirit, there can be no understanding of the HOLY SPIRIT writings, the Bible. The Christian Post notes:

“With Millennials and Generation Z leading the way, particularly among men, Bible reading among U.S. adults in 2025 is at its highest level in the last 15 years, according to new data from the “State of the Church” initiative. … Despite more Americans reporting regular Bible reading, fewer maintain that the Bible is 100% accurate. Only 36% of Americans now hold that the Bible is 100% accurate.”

The only thing a lost person can understand is the Gospel, and only then if God Himself opens their eyes. Recently the Comedian Jon Stewart was asked if he had faith or religion, to which he said “I wish I could get there. I’m the guy who asks, ‘but if He’s all powerful, why do children die?’” It is not until the Holy Spirit comes to a person and does His work of regeneration and indwelling that a person will find confidence and comfort in the Holy Scriptures.

if any BOWELS and MERCIES

In Greek thought “BOWELS” referred to deep or heartfelt emotions. “MERCIES” is a reference to outward acts of good that benefit those in need. The Christian is not self focused, but has been deeply effected by the New Birth, and is indeed a New Creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). What drives the believer is not selfishness, but selflessness. If you were to put this into modern English, it would be “If there is any deep, heartfelt love and merciful giving among you”.

That which makes a Church is a (1) shared Gospel experience, the comfort of Christ, (2) a shared joy in hearing the Word of God as it ministers to us through His Spirit, (3) a shared Indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and (4) a shared heartfelt love that reaches out to help those in need.

Paul addresses the Church as the Church, IF they are the Church. He says:

The Church Must Seek To Have The Mind Of Christ,
Not The Mind Of The Lost World

Philippians 2:2-4 Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be LIKE MINDED, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let NOTHING be done through strife or vainglory; but in LOWLINESS OF MIND let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man ALSO ON THE THINGS OF OTHERS.

Paul is saying to the Church “if you have these four qualities, be on guard against the worldly mindset”. The worldly mindset is “life revolves around me and MY agenda”. You see the worldly mindset in the recent Mayoral elections in New York City, where an avowed Communist Zohran Mamdani was elected in November 2025 and will take office on January 1, 2026. Communism and Socialism has repeatedly failed and caused economic ruin because – though its intention is to give to all freely – it does not account for the sin nature in man.

Communism/ Socialism says “man is good, so let’s live to the betterment of mankind”. But it fails because man is NOT inherently good, but evil. Man without God, without Christ, is adrift in sin. But those saved by Christ are to have the mind of Christ, to give to the glory of God.

Paul calls the Church to be “LIKE MINDED”. Every believer is to have the mind of Christ. What does the mind of Christ look like?

Let NOTHING be done through strife or vainglory

The world wars against itself. Everything is a fight, everything is to be self serving, to be puffed up. God calls His Church to “SUBMIT TO ONE ANOTHER out of REVERENCE FOR CHRIST” (Ephesians 5:21, ESV). We are told:

Galatians 5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Illustrate: The only Person Who knows everything is GOD. We are all woefully broken, and subject to failure. In 1903 Samuel Langley attempted the first manned flight with his “Aerodrome” project. Langley’s Aerodrome cost approximately $70,000 to $75,000 (the modern equivalent of $2.74 million). Langley was the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute. He received funding for his project from the U.S. War Department (Army) and the Smithsonian. When the Aerodrome flight failed, the New York Times wrote an editorial on October 9, 1903 entitled “Flying Machines Which Do Not Fly”. The article went on to say:

“To build a flying machine would require the combined and continuous efforts of mathematicians and mechanics for one million to 10 million years.”

Lord Kelvin, the British Physicist and President of the Royal Society said in 1895, just 8 years earlier, “Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible”. No one thought that airplanes would ever exist. But 69 days after the New York Times editorial, on December 17, 1903 the Wright brothers (Wilbur and Orville) launched the first airplane from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Whereas Langley’s Aerodrome was government funded $75,000 the Wright brothers was personally funded at $1200 (modern equivalent $44,000 today). Langley worked from a government site. The Wright brothers worked from their own Bicycle Shop. This goes to show you that humans are frequently wrong.

in LOWLINESS OF MIND let each esteem other
BETTER than themselves

We are not to puff up ourselves, but we are to live so as to serve others. We are to be nobodies, nothings, zilch.

Look not every man on his own things, but every man
ALSO on the things of others

Those who are Christ’s should be like Christ. It is okay to be concerned about yourself – but not to the exclusion of others. I have watched with interest how some of our members have helped me reach out to the homeless and the less than in our community. This is what Christ desires we do. The reason we come together as a Church is to feed on the Word of God, and to tune our minds to be like Christ’s mind.

Let Us Look To Jesus

Philippians 2:5-8 LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU, which WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ was with the Father and the Holy Spirit at the beginning of Creation. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was WITH GOD, and the Word WAS GOD” (John 1:1-3). Jesus became Man and dwelt among us, but Jesus is BOTH GOD AND MAN. The Bible says “the WORD BECAME FLESH and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). When Jesus equated Himself to God, and He often did so (“I and My Father are ONE”, John 10:30), the Bible says:

The Jews, the Pharisees TOOK UP STONES TO STONE HIM.
John 10:31

They did this because, they said, “Jesus, YOU are BUT A MAN, and MAKE YOURSELF to be GOD” (John 10:33). They thought Jesus was robbing God of His glory by making Himself God. But Jesus went on to tell them:

John 10:37-38 (ESV) If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the FATHER IS IN ME, AND I AM IN THE FATHER.

Jesus Christ is eternal and everlasting God. But we are told:

made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF

Eternal God, but He lowered Himself to be born in a manger. Glorious God, but He put aside His Heavenly Throne to walk among us broken people. Made like us, Jesus was sinless and perfect. He showed us what God is like. The phrase “made Himself OF NO REPUTATION” is very interesting. This is the Greek kenoō, which means “to empty or void yourself, to make as if nothing”. Jesus is God, but He laid aside the privileges of God. He poured out Who He was, so that He could reach us. The Bible says that He …

became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus died for you. Jesus died for me. Jesus emptied Himself so that He could fill us up, so He could fix our deficiencies. Jesus put Himself LAST, so He could save us FIRST.

This is what God calls the Christian to. We are to pour ourselves out, so that others might be blessed. This is not so that you can be saved. It is so that others might be saved. We are called to live outside of the selfishness bubble, to live as ambassadors of Christ so that others might come to Him and be saved. We are not saved so we can be selfish and self serving. We are saved so that we might lead others to His Kingdom, for His glory.

Amen.

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With Fear And Trembling

Posted on December 3, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash

Philippians 2:12-13 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Why Is This Happening To Me?

One of the most common questions I am asked as a Pastor/ Overseer is “Why is this happening to me?”. The “this” that people are usually referring to is some trial of life. Everyone is tried. Everyone goes through mountains and valleys. The valleys can be quite dark at times. The valley could be disease, loss of income, personal conflict, persecution, the death of a loved one, persistent pain or one’s own impending death. It is not sinful to question why a trial is occurring. As long as we do not “curse God and die” (Job 2:9) as Job’s silly unbelieving wife suggested, questioning the trial is not sinful. The Prophet said:

Joel 3:14 (KJV) Multitudes, multitudes in the VALLEY OF DECISION: for the day of the LORD [is] near in the valley of decision.

God allows trials into our lives to bring us into the “VALLEY OF DECISION”, to cause us to examine our lives in the light of eternity. The big question in all of eternity is,

Am I Saved? Am I A Child Of God?

If you are a Child of God by faith in Christ, then trials come to grow our faith. Man has long known how to make pottery from clay. Years ago I tried my hand at pottery. When the clay is formed, you push any imperfections out of it before putting it on the pottery wheel. Once you’ve designed the vessel, it must be thoroughly air dried. But the pot is not ready for actual use until, it is kiln fired at high temperatures for a long period of time. It’s not a flash fire. The kiln or oven that the pottery is baked in is 1830-1940 degrees Fahrenheit. What you are firing must be in the kiln 8-12 hours, and cooled around 24 hours. It takes time. Once out of the kiln, the pot is hardened, but still needs to be glazed. Once glazed, it needs to be fired again, and cooled again. It is a process of tempering. The Bible says:

Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father; WE ARE THE CLAY, and Thou our Potter; and WE ALL ARE THE WORK OF THY HAND.

IF you are saved by God, by the Grace of Jesus Christ, THEN God has determined that you WILL be like Jesus. The Bible tells us:

Romans 8:29 For whom He did foreknow, He also did PREDESTINATE TO BE CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, that He might be the Firstborn among many brethren.

God has predestinated or predetermined that each and every Christian will be conformed to the image of His Son. It is God’s intent that you be like Jesus. We are promised “as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (1 Corinthians 15:49).

God originally made man in His own image (Genesis 1:26), but Adam fell, marring that image. Those who have been redeemed from the fall by the precious Blood of Christ the Lord has purposed they will be made into His image, the image of Him Who saved us. God, like a master Potter, is taking each one of us and, working in our lives, is slowly shaping us till we become like Him. This is to our benefit, not our detriment. The Bible says:

James 1:2-4 (LSB) Consider it all joy, my brothers, WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER VARIOUS TRIALS, 3 knowing that the TESTING OF YOUR FAITH BRINGS ABOUT PERSEVERANCE. 4 And let perseverance have [its] perfect work, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

The Lord PERSONALLY works in the life of each Christian. He uses the PROCESS of prayer and the Scripture to shape us into His image. When PROBLEMS and PAIN come our way, the Lord uses these circumstances to mold and make us as He would have us be. He loves us. He proved that love at Calvary, and proves it even now. The trials – the Valley of Decision – makes you examine yourself whether you are saved or not. If you are saved, it is because God saved you. If you are saved, it is because you were lead to REPENTANCE, and following REPENTANCE you RECEIVED the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Philippians 2:12-13 Wherefore, MY BELOVED, as ye have always obeyed, NOT AS IN MY PRESENCE ONLY, but now much more in my absence, WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION with fear and trembling.

As Paul addresses the Church, he is not doubting the salvation of those at Philippi. He calls the Church “MY BELOVED”. God the Father called Jesus “My BELOVED Son, in Whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). When we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Bible says “God has made us ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED” (Ephesians 1:6). We are “brothers and sisters, BELOVED BY THE LORD” (Ephesians 5:1). Of those who are saved the Bible says “May the beloved of Yahweh dwell in security by Him, Who shields him all the day, And he dwells between His shoulders.” (Deuteronomy 33:12). God carries those who love Him, His Beloved. Paul is not doubting the salvation of anyone in Philippi. But he goes on to say “as ye have always obeyed, NOT AS IN MY PRESENCE ONLY, but now much more in my absence”.

The genuine Christian behaves like a son of God not just in the assembly of the Church, but also outside that assembly. The genuine Christian knows that he is not impressing the preacher, but he works for God!

We who are saved by Grace in Christ do not work our way to Heaven. But once saved, we must work for God.

The Saved “Work OUT”

WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION
with fear and trembling

Let’s look at the first part of that command. It does not say “work FOR your own salvation”, but “work OUT your own salvation”. You do not have to work FOR your salvation. Jesus Christ did all the work that was necessary to earn your salvation. There is nothing within the fallen creation that is worthy of salvation. Like Jacob of old all we can do is cry out to God, saying:

Genesis 49:18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.

Salvation is a gracious gift from God. We ask God for salvation. We stand still and see His salvation:

Exodus 14:13 … stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD …

We praise our Lord, we glorify His Name, we work for Him once saved – but He alone must clothe us in salvation:

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh Himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

We cannot clothe ourselves. We can call upon the Name of Jesus and ask Him for salvation – but He is the Savior (Lamentations 3:26). We work out or exercise the salvation that God has given us, but we do not work for our salvation. God has decreed that no flesh should glory in His presence. (1 Corinthians 1:29) Salvation is all of God, all of what He has mercifully given us.

1 Corinthians 1:29-31 That NO FLESH SHOULD GLORY IN HIS PRESENCE. {30} But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: {31} That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him GLORY IN THE LORD.

None of us are saved by our own hand, or by our own assumed “goodness”. Our Lord Jesus said “There is NONE GOOD, BUT GOD” (Matthew 19:17). We do not work FOR our salvation. But once saved, we will work OUT our salvation.

WORK OUT your OWN salvation
with FEAR AND TREMBLING

Are you saved? Only YOU can answer that. “Work out YOUR OWN salvation”. Have you come to Jesus for salvation? Have you cast your life and hope upon Him? The Bible says:

Ephesians 2:8-9 (LSB) For BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED THROUGH FAITH, and this NOT OF YOURSELVES, [it is] the gift of God; 9 not of works, so that no one may boast.

You cannot work your way into salvation. But once saved, you WILL WORK THE WORKS OF THE SAVED. The Scripture goes on to say:

Ephesians 2:10 (LSB) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus FOR GOOD WORKS, which God prepared beforehand so that WE WOULD WALK IN THEM.

We are to “work OUT your OWN salvation with FEAR AND TREMBLING”. Jeffrey Smith is a Christian Cartoonist who does the “Prayer Pups” cartoons I often put in our bulletins. I recently came across this cartoon, and it expresses what the text is telling us.

When You Work For God, Is There FEAR AND TREMBLING? Or Are You Flippant?

Some who profess to be Christ never do anything for God. To them, God is a Big Buddy in the sky, a Santa Claus figure. The Bible says,

Psalm 2:11 (KJV) SERVE the LORD with FEAR, and rejoice with TREMBLING.

A person who is flippant in their relationship with God, has little knowledge of Who God is. When the Apostle visited the Church at Corinth, he said:

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (KJV) And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, DECLARING UNTO YOU THE TESTIMONY OF GOD. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 And I was with you IN WEAKNESS, and IN FEAR, and in MUCH TREMBLING. 4 And my speech and my preaching [was] not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Beloved, when you serve God, you are serving the Ultimate Master, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. There should be FEAR AND TREMBLING. We are told:

Philippians 2:13 For it is GOD WHICH WORKETH IN YOU both to will and to do OF HIS GOOD PLEASURE.

We serve at the pleasure of God. Once saved, God works in us and through us. We should humble ourselves before God. We must stay dependent upon God, and trust in His Word. There is a seriousness in serving God – and a serious consequence if we are NOT WILLING to serve Him. The Apostle said in another place:

1 Corinthians 15:10 (KJV) But BY THE GRACE OF GOD I AM WHAT I AM: and His grace which [was bestowed] upon me was NOT IN VAIN; but I LABORED MORE ABUNDANTLY than they all: yet NOT I, but THE GRACE OF GOD WHICH WAS WITH ME.

When Grace is experienced, we are bound to God. Once saved, God works IN us, and we work OUT our salvation. We are to be working for the glory of God, for “HIS GOOD PLEASURE”, not for ours. Our works for the Lord are to be:

Philippians 2:14 Do all things without MURMURINGS and DISPUTINGS

MURMURINGS and DISPUTINGS are the opposite of FEAR and TREMBLING. The latter will bring blessing to the work we do for God. The former will bring cursing and destruction.

Adrian Rogers once said:

“I’ll tell you, folks, there are a lot of things that I don’t want in life. I’ll tell you, number one on the list, I believe, is a church full of murmuring people. Don’t murmur: the Bible forbids it. You know what murmuring is? It’s half-concealed, half-uttered complaints. And the Bible teaches that is it a form of disobedience. “Do all things without murmurings.” Why? Because murmuring leads to disputing. No murmuring and no misunderstanding: that’s the spirit of obedience. Never, never murmur about what God lays on your heart to do. You see, the example is this: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5) And then it says that He laid down His life. (Philippians 2:8) He never murmured. He never disobeyed. And that’s the Christ that works in us: no murmuring, no misunderstanding. Jesus did not murmur, and the one who murmurs never really understands Calvary.”

Someone once said “If we do not humble ourselves before God and live for His glory, He will use circumstances and situations around us to humble us”. God allows trials to come to us to temper our faith. But if we do not work to glorify God, if we do not manifest good that blesses others, then God will humble us. Do you not remember Israel wandering 40 years in the desert, the Promised Land in sight most of the time. They wandered until they all died – and those of faith went into the Promised Land.

Illustrate: Adrian Rogers told a story about a farmer who made his sons work in the cornfields while their friends spent the afternoon at the swimming hole. Someone scolded the father saying, “Why do you make those boys work so hard? You don’t need all that corn.” The wise father replied, “Sir, I’m not raising corn. I’m raising men.” God the Father calls His children to work in the fields of the Lord for HIS pleasure, not ours. The farmer’s sons worked for their father because he was their father. We work for the Lord because He is our Father. As the Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 100:2-3 (LSB) Serve Yahweh with gladness; Come before Him with joyful songs. 3 Know that Yahweh, He is God; It is He WHO MADE US, AND NOT WE OURSELVES; [We are] His people and the sheep of His pasture.

We serve our Heavenly Father because we love Him. We love Him, because “He first LOVED US” (1 John 4:19). The Apostle goes on to say:

Philippians 2:15 That YE MAY BE blameless and harmless, THE SONS OF GOD, without rebuke, in the midst of a CROOKED AND PERVERSE NATION, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Word Study: I ask the question, “Are you saved?” Many of you answer, “Yes, I’m a member at such and such a Church”. I didn’t ask whether you were a member of a Church. I asked “Are you saved?”. Your works for Christ, your works for God’s Kingdom, prove your salvation. The words “That YE MAY BE” is the Greek ginomai, which means “be proved or proven, to be exposed as”. The Christian is NOT like the “CROOKED AND PERVERSE NATION”. We are not like the darkness around us. Those who have “FEAR AND TREMBLING” are “BLAMELESS AND HARMLESS”. We seek to do good in the midst of this present darkness, to the glory of God our Savior.

Philippians 2:16 Holding forth THE WORD OF LIFE; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.

What is “THE WORD OF LIFE”? The Apostle John used the same phrase that Paul uses when he wrote:

1 John 1:1 (KJV) That which was from the beginning, which we have HEARD, which we have SEEN WITH OUR EYES, which we have LOOKED UPON, and our HANDS HAVE HANDLED, of THE WORD OF LIFE;

The WORD OF LIFE is Jesus. We tell others what Jesus did for us. We HEARD Jesus when He called us to salvation, and responded with our repentance and faith. John and the other Apostles walked with Jesus, talked with Jesus, ministered with Jesus, and touched Jesus. We who are saved have experienced Jesus and His gracious salvation. This is what we tell others. It’s all about Jesus!

Pastor Bruce Goettsche wrote:

“ Our personal belief system ALWAYS affects what we do. This is especially true of Christianity. The Christian faith is meant to be intensely practical. It is meant to impact the way we live. Salvation is extended by a free act of God’s grace. We did not and cannot do anything to earn it. But . . . once we are saved, the new life that Christ plants in us should result in a new way of living. We have said it many times before. The unchanged Christian is a contradiction in terms. If a person is unchanged they are not a Christian. If they are a Christian they are in the process of changing.”

Are you saved? If you are, you are kept by God. You belong to God. You work for God. If you are saved, there is a visibility to your salvation seen through the good that you do for Christ. Trials will come your way, dear Christian. We do not live on the Mountain. When Moses received the Law from the Father on Mount Sinai, he had to come down the mountain into the valley to serve the Lord. Moses failed God in the valley – But God buried him, and raised him up to see Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration.

Christian, your salvation is secure – though you may fail at times. But as a son of God, YOU MUST CONTINUE TO SERVE HIM! The Apostle Peter wrote:

1 Peter 1:3-9 (LSB) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to [obtain] an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and unfading, having been kept in heaven for you, 5 who are PROTECTED BY THE POWER OF GOD THROUGH FAITH for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been GRIEVED BY VARIOUS TRIALS, 7 so that THE PROOF OF YOUR FAITH, [being] more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 And though you have not seen Him, YOU LOVE HIM, and though you do not see Him now, but BELIEVE IN HIM, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving as the OUTCOME OF YOUR FAITH THE SALVATION OF YOUR SOULS.

If you are saved, prove it by continuing to work for the One you love. Do so with fear and trembling. Do so because God is working in you. For if you will not work for the Kingdom … then you might not be saved at all. Think about it. Your salvation is secure, dear Christian, IF you are indeed saved. And if you are saved, it will show in your good works for God. Amen.

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What Makes The Church Right?

Posted on December 3, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Land O’Lakes, Inc. on Unsplash

Ephesians 4:9-12 (Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, THAT HE MIGHT FILL ALL THINGS.) 11 And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Jesus Christ Fills All Things

The Bible tells us that our Lord Jesus died on the Cross. He “descended first into the lower parts of the earth”. He came from glory, from Heaven, and was made like us. We are told in the Scripture that Jesus lowered Himself for our salvation:

Philippians 2:7-8 {Jesus}made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus came for the lowest and the least. He was often found sitting and eating with the dregs of human society. Jesus frequented with sinners, with tax collectors, with lepers, with crippled and broken people. The Bible says “you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich”. (2 Corinthians 8:9). Our Lord Jesus suffered. The Bible says “though He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). Jesus died among thieves, and was buried in a borrowed tomb.

Jesus Christ descended to the lowest parts of the earth so that He could DEFEAT sin, DISEMPOWER death, and DETHRONE Satan and his forces.

Hebrews 2:14-15 (NKJV) Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that THROUGH DEATH HE MIGHT DESTROY HIM WHO HAD THE POWER OF DEATH, THAT IS, THE DEVIL, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Three days and three nights after Jesus completed His mission on earth, He rose from the grave. Jesus walked and talked among us for forty days (Acts 1:3), being seen of many, before He “ascended up far above all heavens”. Why did our Lord ascend to Heaven, to the Heaven of heavens? The Bible says that Jesus fulfilled all Bible prophecy. Our Lord Jesus taught the disciples while He was with them that He and He alone is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. Following His resurrection Jesus told disciples on the Road of Emmaus:

Luke 24:25-27 (NKJV) “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 OUGHT NOT THE CHRIST TO HAVE SUFFERED THESE THINGS AND TO ENTER INTO HIS GLORY?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, HE EXPOUNDED TO THEM IN ALL THE SCRIPTURES THE THINGS CONCERNING HIMSELF.

When Jesus appeared to His disciples in Jerusalem, He appeared quite suddenly, frightening them. The Bible says:

Luke 24:36-39 (NKJV) Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” 37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. 38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

The disciples still did not understand. But Jesus, after proving He was not a “ghost” (not even the Holy Ghost), reminded them what He had taught them prior to His crucifixion:

Luke 24:44-49 (NKJV) “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that ALL THINGS MUST BE FULFILLED WHICH WERE WRITTEN in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might COMPREHEND THE SCRIPTURES. 46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus IT WAS NECESSARY FOR THE CHRIST TO SUFFER AND TO RISE FROM THE DEAD THE THIRD DAY, 47 and that REPENTANCE AND REMISSION OF SINS SHOULD BE PREACHED IN HIS NAME to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

Jesus’ descending to the lowest parts of the earth was necessary. Jesus’ death was necessary. Jesus’ defeat of death and resurrection was necessary. And Jesus’ ascension into the Heaven of heavens was necessary. Jesus left His Church on this earth to preach “REPENTANCE AND REMISSION OF SINS IN HIS NAME”. There are none other that can bring salvation and light to this world. There is “no other name under Heaven given among men, WHEREBY WE MUST BE SAVED” (Acts 4:12).

The Church Is A Key Part Of Christ’s
Fulfillment Of All Things

No one can be saved without Christ. No one can be redeemed from the devil, death, and damnation without Christ. To this end the Lord Jesus left His Kingdom on this earth. The Church is not a building of brick and mortar. The Church is a body of believers sharing the same Savior and Lord.

Ephesians 4:11 AND He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

The text begins with “AND”. This “AND” ties this verse with the verse we have been talking about, with the Descension and Ascension of Christ. Jesus left His Church on this earth with the mission of “fulfilling all things” as empowered by Jesus. We are not assistants to Jesus. We are servants to Jesus.

Jesus GAVE the Church APOSTLES and PROPHETS. The Apostles were hand picked by Jesus. They walked and talked with Him, and set at His feet as He taught. The Prophets, like the Apostles, were hand picked, called out by God our Savior. The offices of Apostle and Prophet were the first two set out by Jesus. We previously learned that these are foundational callings:

1 Corinthians 12:28 (NKJV) God has appointed these in the Church: first APOSTLES, second PROPHETS, third TEACHERS …

Ephesians 2:19-20 (NKJV) Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the FOUNDATION OF THE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone

The Apostles and Prophets did not create the Word of God. They SPOKE the Word of God as God gave it to them. The Apostles and Prophets wrote the Word of God into this Book we call The Bible, the Sacred Scripture. The Bible, the teachings properly applied of the Scripture is the foundation of the Church. When the Church was formed on the Day of Pentecost, the Bible says “And they {the Church} continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship” (Acts 2:42). The Apostles traveled from city to city sharing the Gospel of Salvation, preaching repentance and remission of sins through faith in Christ Jesus.

Jesus GAVE the Church EVANGELISTS. Evangelists are listed before Pastors, and after Apostles and Prophets for a reason. The word “EVANGELIST” is the Greek euangelistēs, which means “a bringer of good tidings, one who intentionally shares the Gospel”. I find it interesting when the Apostles set out the Office of the Deacon/ Servant in Acts 6, that two of the seven chosen to be deacons were:

Acts 6:5 (KJV) … STEPHEN, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and PHILIP

These men, though called to minister to the physical needs of the Body of Christ, were also Evangelists. Though Stephen was not specifically called an Evangelist in the Scripture, the Bible says:

Acts 6:8-10 (NKJV) STEPHEN, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were NOT ABLE TO RESIST THE WISDOM AND THE SPIRIT BY WHICH HE SPOKE.

The second Deacon chosen, Philip, was specifically named as an Evangelist in the Scripture:

Acts 8:5-6 (NKJV) PHILIP went down to the city of Samaria and PREACHED CHRIST TO THEM. 6 And the multitudes with one accord HEEDED THE THINGS SPOKEN BY PHILIP, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.

Acts 21:8 (NKJV) … we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of PHILIP THE EVANGELIST, WHO WAS ONE OF THE SEVEN {Deacons}, and stayed with him.

Before a Pastor can lead a Church, there must be a Church. Unless the Evangelist preaches the Gospel, and people are born again by faith in that Gospel message, then there can be no Church. The Evangelist comes before the Pastor. But …

Jesus GAVE the Church PASTORS and TEACHERS. Pastors, also called Elders, are Overseers called to share the Word of God to the Church. The Bible commands:

1 Peter 5:1-4 (NKJV) The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 SHEPHERD THE FLOCK OF GOD WHICH IS AMONG YOU, SERVING AS OVERSEERS, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 NOR AS BEING LORDS OVER THOSE ENTRUSTED TO YOU, but BEING EXAMPLES TO THE FLOCK; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

Pastors are SHEPHERDS. They watch over the Church, insuring that it attends to the Word of God, the Bible. Paul told the Pastors at the Church in Ephesus just before he departed there:

Acts 20:26-31 (NKJV) Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I have not shunned to declare to you THE WHOLE COUNCIL OF GOD. 28 Therefore TAKE HEED TO YOURSELVES and TO ALL THE FLOCK AMONG WHICH THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS MADE YOU OVERSEERS, to SHEPHERD THE CHURCH OF GOD which He purchased with His own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departure SAVAGE WOLVES will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from AMONG YOURSELVES MEN WILL RISE UP, SPEAKING PERVERSE THINGS, to DRAW AWAY THE DISCIPLES AFTER THEMSELVES. 31 Therefore WATCH, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.

The Pastors, along with the TEACHERS, are to preach the “WHOLE COUNCIL OF GOD”. Paul knew that some Pastors would rise up and depart from this, “SPEAKING PERVERSE THINGS, to DRAW AWAY THE DISCIPLES AFTER THEMSELVES”. You don’t have to go very far to find this, whether on the Internet or on the Television. There are many “SAVAGE WOLVES” who pretend to be Pastors and Bible Teachers, but like wolves they do not want to bless the flock of God, but to EAT IT or as the Apostle Peter warned:

2 Peter 2:1-3 (LSB) But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be FALSE TEACHERS AMONG YOU, who will SECRETLY INTRODUCE DESTRUCTIVE HERESIES, even DENYING THE MASTER who BOUGHT THEM, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 And many will FOLLOW THEIR SENSUALITY, and because of them the WAY OF THE TRUTH WILL BE MALIGNED. 3 And in [their] GREED THEY WILL EXPLOIT YOU WITH FALSE WORDS, their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Whether Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor or Teacher, each gift that Jesus gave the Church were given to promote the Word of God, the Bible – not the culture or the darkness.

The Offices Given The Church Has Three Goals

Ephesians 4:12-13 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

The offices of Apostle and Prophet, being foundational to the Church, are not with us anymore other than through this Bible. But the Offices of Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher are still with the Church. They are ongoing. Evangelists are primarily concerned with the message of the Gospel to the lost. Pastors oversee the flock of God, sharing the Word of God and its proper application. Teachers ensure that the whole Word of God – without human perversion – is taught. Let’s break down these verses:

Ephesians 4:12 For the PERFECTING of the saints

Word Study: The word “PERFECTING” is the Greek katartismos, which means “to completely furnish or equip”. Every person who is born again of the Spirit of God, blood bought by the Son of God, every person is a “saint”, someone set apart by God. I want to talk to you about what Theologians call “The Doctrine of Sanctification”, or the making of Saints. Sanctification has three phases:

1 The day you were saved by faith in Christ, the day you were “born again of the Spirit of God”, you were POSITIONALLY SANCTIFIED. What does this mean? Before your salvation God viewed you as a condemned person, a sinner, someone due eternal damnation because you fall short of God’s glory. A sinner without Christ is separated from God (Isaiah 59:2). A sinner without Christ is under the adverse judgment of God. “Whoever does not believe in the Son SHALL NOT SEE LIFE, BUT THE WRATH OF GOD REMAINS ON HIM” (John 3:36). A sinner without Christ is spiritually dead, and out of touch with God Himself. “The god of this world – Satan – has blinded the minds of the unbeliever” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The lost are in the POSITION of being in the darkness, far from the light of God. But once you are saved, your POSITION changes. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 1:2 (LSB) To the CHURCH OF GOD which is at Corinth, to those who HAVE BEEN SANCTIFIED in Christ Jesus, CALLED AS SAINTS, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours:

Because you are POSITIONALLY Sanctified, in God’s eyes you are SAINTS not sinners, SONS OF GOD not sons of Satan, CHILDREN OF LIGHT not children of darkness. Your status is changed … FOREVER! We are told that “We are SANCTIFIED through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL” (Hebrews 10:10).

2 However, once saved and POSITIONALLY Sanctified, God begins to work in you, making you more like Jesus each day. This is called PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION. I preached this text this morning:

Philippians 2:12-13 (LSB) So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING; 13 for IT IS GOD WHO IS AT WORK IN YOU, both to will and to work for [His] good pleasure.

If someone says that they are “saved”, then there should be some ongoing evidence of the hand of God in their life. God saves us by Grace, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But once saved, He possesses us. He indwells us. He draws us to Him through His Word. The Prince of Preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, stated:

“The mere profession of religion will never save a man; faith without works is dead… Try yourselves by the Word; see whether you have a new heart, new loves, and a new spirit. Without these, your claim to salvation is vain. … A man’s conversion is nothing. His believing is nothing. His profession is nothing unless he is made a new creature in Christ Jesus.”

Though a Christian is POSITIONALLY Sanctified, God wants to work in him to make him more like Christ. We do this in cooperation with the Holy Spirit and the application of the Word of God, the Scripture. We are told in:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (LSB) All SCRIPTURE is GOD-BREATHED and PROFITABLE for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, 17 so that the man of God MAY BE EQUIPPED, having been thoroughly EQUIPPED FOR EVERY GOOD WORK.

3 When the genuine Christian reaches eternity, we will experience ULTIMATE SANCTIFICATION. We will be like Jesus! We are told:

1 John 3:2 (NKJV) Beloved, NOW WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, for we shall see Him as He is.

Philippians 3:20-21 (NKJV) For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who WILL TRANSFORM OUR LOWLY BODY that it may be CONFORMED TO HIS GLORIOUS BODY, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

We will one day be like Jesus. Cleansed from sin, holy and complete. Praise His holy Name!

Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the WORK OF THE MINISTRY

The offices that Jesus gave to His Church are NOT the only ones to do the “WORK OF THE MINISTRY”. The Church – that is, every saved member in the local Church – does the “WORK OF THE MINISTRY”. A Church that does not work is NOT a Church. Jesus said to His Church:

John 9:5 (NKJV) As long as I AM IN THE WORLD, I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

Matthew 5:14-16 (NKJV) YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE BEFORE MEN, that they may SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS and GLORIFY YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN.

The Church does not work to glorify itself, but Jesus. We represent the hands and feet of Christ on the earth. We are light in the midst of darkness. We stand separate from the culture, being the Kingdom of God on this present earth.

Ephesians 4:12-13 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST: 13 Till we all come in THE UNITY OF THE FAITH, and of the KNOWLEDGE OF THE SON OF GOD, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the FULLNESS OF CHRIST:

The offices Jesus gave to the Church are there to INCREASE THE LIGHT of Christ in the world. The Church is not “EDIFIED” or built up through selfishness, but through selflessness. We live so that others may find fullness in Christ. We are not defined by the culture, but by the proper application of the Holy Scripture through the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:14-15 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

The world is constantly being tossed to and fro with silliness and darkness, with strange teachings taught by shady people. The Church stands firmly on what the Bible has said. I was listening to a young black woman today talking about the LGBTQ crowd. She said,

“My skin is brown … Let me let y’all in on something. The founder of Chick-Fil-A was a Southern Baptist up until he passed away. That means he followed the Bible. The Bible specifically told him no gay sin. So the founder said, okay, we’re not putting up no Pride Parade flags. We’re not supporting the Pride Community. Y’all can’t get mad! It literally says in the Bible … if you want to be mad at Somebody, go be mad at God. He can handle it. But you getting mad at people for following the Bible is ridiculous. Yes, there are other sins. But you don’t see murderers, thieves, tax collectors, prostitutes … you don’t see none of them people having parades around town. You don’t see none of them people putting flags up. You don’t see none of them other sins doing that.”

I don’t know if this woman’s a Christian or not – but she’s absolutely right! The Bible is very clear on sexual sins (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 18-20; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5; Leviticus 18:22; Galatians 5:19-21; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Timothy 1:9-10), that such things are to be repented of and not done by a professing Christian. The Church must stop being tossed around by the culture, taking the low road so that we can keep our tax exempt status, so that we can drift through life in the darkness. The Church is designed by Jesus Christ to promote Jesus Christ to the world.

The Gospel is not fire insurance. It is a life changing message, backed by the very power of God.

The Church that is right will be led by leaders that are Biblical, unashamedly Scriptural. It will not compromise, no, not one little bit. Before one of my favorite Pastors, Adrian Rogers, went to be with the Lord Jesus, he said:

“I’m willing to compromise about many things, but not the Word of God. So far as getting together is concerned, we don’t have to get together. The Southern Baptist Convention — as it is — does not have to survive. I don’t have to be the pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church. I don’t have to be loved; I don’t even have to live. But I will not compromise the Word of God.”

Adrian went on to say “It is better to be divided by truth than united in error”. This is where I’m at in my walk with Jesus. I invite you to walk with me, with Jesus and His Word. May Christ draw you daily to His Word – IF you are saved!

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The Righteous Fall But Rise

Posted on November 21, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by insung yoon on Unsplash

Proverbs 24:15-16 Lay not wait, O WICKED {rāšāʿ} man, against the dwelling of the RIGHTEOUS {ṣadîq}; spoil {šāḏaḏ} not his resting place: 16 For a JUST {ṣadîq} man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the WICKED {rāšāʿ} shall fall into mischief.

Word Study: God addresses the wicked here with a warning. The warning is that God Himself looks after the RIGHTEOUS or the JUST person, but the WICKED will fall and stay fallen. Let’s look at a few of these words in their original text. Let’s start with the words RIGHTEOUS and JUST. This is the same word in the Hebrew, the word ṣadîq (pro. tsad-deek’) which means “the lawful or right walking, the one justified and vindicated by God”.

The Righteous or Just Are Declared So By God Based On Faith In Christ

When a person repents and receives God as Lord and Savior, as Abraham did, the Bible says:

Genesis 15:6 {Abraham} believed in the LORD; and He COUNTED IT {ḥāšaḇ} to him FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

This scripture is quoted numerous times throughout the Bible. In

Romans 4:3-8 (NKJV) For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” 4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5 But to him who does not work but BELIEVES ON HIM WHO JUSTIFIES THE UNGODLY, HIS FAITH IS ACCOUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom GOD IMPUTES RIGHTEOUSNESS apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8 BLESSED IS THE MAN TO WHOM THE LORD SHALL NOT IMPUTE SIN.”

The RIGHTEOUS person is the one who has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who has unconditionally surrendered to God and have placed themselves fully in His hands. God IMPUTES RIGHTEOUSNESS, that is, He considers we are a righteous because we have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The person who says “I am good enough for God’s presence” is usurping the authority of God. Only God can impute righteousness. Only God can declare us right in His eyes.

It is presumptuous and impetuous to say “this is what God likes or endorses”. God sets the standards. God declares the right and the wrong. No one can BE righteous in their own power. We must trust in Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote as an ex-Pharisee with impeccable credentials:

Philippians 3:4-9 (LSB) although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I FAR MORE: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation 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 the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. 7 But whatever things were gain to me, THOSE THINGS I HAVE COUNTED AS LOSS FOR THE SAKE OF CHRIST. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss because of the surpassing VALUE OF KNOWING CHRIST JESUS MY LORD, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, NOT HAVING A RIGHTEOUSNESS OF MY OWN which is from [the] Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS FROM GOD UPON FAITH

A person is RIGHTEOUS because that person came to God BROKEN, REPENTED, and cast themselves on the Gospel of salvation. A person is righteous because they do as God says, and trust in Jesus, committing their lives to Him. A person is righteous when they realize that “there is salvation in no one else: for there is NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN TO US WHEREBY WE MUST BE SAVED” (Acts 4:12). When you “call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus (Genesis 4:26; Romans 10:13) then you SHALL BE SAVED”.

The “WICKED” (Hebrew rāšāʿ, pro. raw-shaw’) is the person who has rejected repentance and faith in the Lord. This person is hostile to God and the Gospel, and stands condemned before God. Though Lot had compromised with the city of Sodom, Lot was still considered “righteous” and the Sodomites “wicked” (Genesis 18:23; 2 Peter 2:7-8).

What is the characteristic of the RIGHTEOUS
Or JUST person?

a JUST {ṣadîq} [man] falleth seven times, and riseth up again

First, the JUST person (the word “man” is not in the original text) will fall at times. The Bible does not say that person “may” fall, but “FALLETH”. No Christian is perfect while in this life. Search the Scriptures, and you will see many examples of believers who fell:

Noah was just (Genesis 6:9) but became drunken (Genesis 9:20-21)
Abraham was just (Romans 4:3) but lied (Genesis 12:10-20)
and went in to Hagar (Genesis 16)
Elijah withstood a mob of false prophets at Mount Carmel, then
fell into depression and suicidal thought (1 Kings 19:4)
David was just (Acts 13:22) but committed adultery
& murder (2 Samuel 11)
Solomon was just (2 Samuel 12:24) but fell into idolatry (1 Kings 11:1-10)
Jonah was just but ran from God’s call (Jonah 1:1-3)
Hezekiah was just (2 Kings 18:5) but became proud (2 Kings 20:12-19)

Our God is all knowing (omniscient). When He calls a person to salvation, and that person repents and receives Him as Lord and Savior, God knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:9-10; Psalm 147:5). He knows that His child by faith is not perfect, and knows that we will misstep.

a JUST {ṣadîq} [man] falleth SEVEN TIMES

Explain “Seven”: This doesn’t mean we will fall JUST 7 times. The number “SEVEN” is the number of God. Our God created all things, then rested on the SEVENTH day. God is in the making of the just or righteous person. It is God the Holy Spirit Who causes us to be regenerated or born again (John 3:3, 5-7; 1 Peter 1:23; James 1:18; Titus 3:5). Once saved, the Holy Spirit indwells the believer (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; John 14:16-17; Ephesians 1:13). The righteous person is PURCHASED of God, POSSESSED of God, PURGED of God, and PROMISED of God. The righteous person, saved by faith Christ, will fall. But that person …

riseth up again

The righteous person is the Child of God, the Son of Light. The Prophet said:

Micah 7:8-9 (NKJV) Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; WHEN I FALL, I WILL ARISE; When I sit in darkness, The LORD WILL BE A LIGHT TO ME. 9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD, Because I have sinned against Him, Until He pleads my case And executes justice for me. HE WILL BRING ME FORTH TO THE LIGHT; I WILL SEE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

The Righteous is God’s prized possession. Though we fall, we WILL rise. Again the Scripture says:

Psalm 37:23-24 Though he FALL, he SHALL NOT BE UTTERLY CAST DOWN: for the LORD UPHOLDETH HIM WITH HIS HAND.

Psalm 145:14 The LORD UPHOLDETH ALL THAT FALL, and RAISETH UP all those that be bowed down.

The Wicked Fall, But Do Not Rise.
They Sink To Deeper Evil.

But what of the wicked, those who do not believe on the Lord Jesus? We are told:

Proverbs 24:16 … but the WICKED {rāšāʿ} SHALL FALL into MISCHIEF {raʿ}.

Word Study: The word rendered “MISCHIEF” is the Hebrew raʿ, which means “something malignant, bad, injurious, distressful, evil, wrong”. The righteous will fall, but God will lift them up afterwards. The wicked will fall into a pit and stay there. They have no power to rise out of the darkness, for they have rejected the very Source of Light, the Lord Jesus.

Proverbs 24:8-9 He that DEVISETH {ḥāšaḇ, to account or impute} TO DO EVIL shall be called a mischievous person. 9 The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.

Word Study: The word “DEVISETH” is a very interesting word. It is the same word we saw a little while ago when talking about Abraham’s righteousness:

Genesis 15:6 Abraham believed in the LORD; and GOD COUNTED IT {ḥāšaḇ} to him for righteousness.

When we trust in the Lord and give our lives to Him, He COUNTS IT or RECKONS IT as righteousness. But the wicked, rejecting God, instead seek out ways to ATTRIBUTE EVIL to others. They plot. They plan. They sneak about, seeking to cast down the Kingdom of God. You see this in the mass gatherings of the lost, seeking to bring others into the darkness. You see this in “Gay Pride” parades. You see this in “mostly peaceful protests” that burn down businesses.

God looks at our faith in Him and gives us righteousness. The unbeliever looks at our faith in God and tries to impute evil to us, to upend the Kingdom of God.

The devil and the darkness will tempt us to evil rather than the good. They plant “thoughts of foolishness” which is sin. The devil and his agents are continually seeking to destroy Christ’s Kingdom and Christ’s Church. These people mock the Way of Christ. “THE SCORNER IS AN ABOMINATION TO MEN”. They lead the other lost farther away from salvation.

Proverbs 24:10 If thou FAINT IN THE DAY OF ADVERSITY, thy strength is small.

The righteous are to remember that we will be attacked – even in the midst of the congregation of the righteous. Yet when we fall, we do not FAINT. We keep our eyes on the Lord Who saved us. Those who FAINT, Who want to quit when adversity comes, are relying not on God but on themselves. We who are righteous by faith in Christ should be fully resting in our God. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 86:7 In the day of my trouble I CALL UPON YOU, for You answer me.

Our faith is not in ourselves, but in God Who saved us. Jesus said:

John 16:33 (ESV) I have said these things to you, that IN ME YOU MAY HAVE PEACE. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.

My commentary notes:

“Everyone, including believers, encounters adversity. Adversity is a normal part of life. For the Christian, adversity can be a good thing. James writes, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:2). His words were addressed to Hebrew Christians who were experiencing intense persecution. But why should adversity cause Christians to rejoice? James also gives the answer: “for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:3). Further, steadfastness can make believers spiritually mature and “complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:4). The apostle Peter also wrote to persecuted Hebrew Christians about the value of adversity. He said trials prove the genuineness of one’s faith (1 Peter 1:3–9). Believers under pressure of adversity are encouraged to steel themselves and trust in Christ’s power (Hebrews 12:12–13)…

God Expects The Righteous To Stay Gospel Focused,
To Keep On Telling Others Of Jesus

Proverbs 24:11-12 If thou forbear to deliver them that are DRAWN UNTO DEATH, and those that are READY TO BE SLAIN; 12 If thou sayest, Behold, WE KNEW IT NOT; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he RENDER TO EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS?

The unbeliever is someone who is “DRAWN UNTO DEATH”. The Bible says:

Romans 6:23 (NKJV) For THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, but the gift of God [is] eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It is so sad that many who profess to be “believers” and the “righteous” refuse to reach out to the lost and tell them of the Savior. There are opportunities that God gives us to witness to the lost. We have experienced loved ones in the hospital. Have you asked that loved on about their relationship to Jesus? Have you prayed for them in Jesus’ name? Some professors of Christ say “WE KNEW IT NOT”, that is, “We really didn’t know if they were saved or not. We turned a blind eye to their need”. But God is the One Who ponders the heart. God is the One Who watches over our souls. He knows what we did, and did not, do. God will “RENDER TO EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS”. To those who have received Christ as Lord and Savior, God will give them life – eternal life – and reward for living for Him. But to those who reject Christ, they also will receive according to their works. The Scripture says:

Romans 2:6-11 (NKJV) who “will render to each one ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient CONTINUANCE IN DOING GOOD SEEK FOR GLORY, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are SELF SEEKING AND DO NOT OBEY THE TRUTH, but OBEY UNRIGHTEOUSNESS – INDIGNATION AND WRATH, 9 TRIBULATION AND ANGUISH, on every soul of man WHO DOES EVIL, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who WORKS WHAT IS GOOD, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For THERE IS NO PARTIALITY WITH GOD.

The righteous will fall, but will rise again. The unrighteous will fall, and will not rise. They will stay in sin, and one day gain the fruit of their godless labor in the eternal judgment of God.

The Righteous Love The Word Of God
(Even On Wednesday)

Proverbs 24:13-14 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste: 14 So shall the KNOWLEDGE OF WISDOM be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then THERE SHALL BE A REWARD, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

As honey is good because it is sweet, and honeycomb even better, so is the Word of God. God has provided us with pleasurable things, like honey and honeycomb. God wants the righteous to have good things. When God took Israel to the Promised Land, He said:

Exodus 3:8 (ESV) I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, A LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

God gives us good things, and gives us trials. The greatest thing God gives us is His Word, the Holy Bible. The righteous cherish the Word of God.

It is the Word of God that saves us, and promises us that, though we fall, God will raise us up. The Christ follower is not to be as the wicked. We are told:

Proverbs 24:17-18 REJOICE NOT when thine ENEMY FALLETH, and LET NOT THINE HEART BE GLAD WHEN HE STUMBLETH: 18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

There is a psychological term for gloating and celebrating the fall of an enemy – schadenfreude. The word means “to take pleasure in another person’s misfortune, to be glad, amused, or satisfied when another person falls”. God rebuked the Edomites for gloating over Judah’s suffering:

Obadiah 1:12 Thou shouldest not have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction…

The Lord wants us who are righteous by faith to lead others to Christ, to be light in the midst of darkness. Our response when an enemy attacks needs to be like that of the Apostle Paul who wrote:

2 Timothy 4:14-15 (NKJV) Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. MAY THE LORD REPAY HIM ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS. 15 You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words.

When our enemies fall, we should not rejoice, but redouble our efforts to lead them to Christ. Paul went on to say:

2 Timothy 4:17-18 (NKJV) But the LORD STOOD WITH ME AND STRENGTHENED ME, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and [that] all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. 18 And THE LORD WILL DELIVER ME FROM EVERY EVIL WORK AND PRESERVE ME for His heavenly kingdom. To Him [be] glory forever and ever. Amen!

There is a payday coming someday – but we who are righteous want to see no one go to eternal damnation. We should not rejoice when an enemy falls, but continue to serve the Lord with all our hearts.

Proverbs 24:19-20 FRET NOT thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked: 20 For there shall be NO REWARD TO THE EVIL MAN; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

Do not FRET because of the wicked. Do not be ENVIOUS of those who do wrong. In the end, those who live wickedly will be punished. They may be rich temporally, but damned eternally. Their CANDLE, that is, their strange fire WILL BE PUT OUT in time. But let us cling to the Gospel, to continue to tell others about the faithfulness of God. The Apostle wrote:

1 Corinthians 15:1–4 (ESV) Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, WHICH YOU RECEIVED, IN WHICH YOU STAND, and by which YOU ARE BEING SAVED, IF YOU HOLD FAST TO THE WORD I preached to you — unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

Those who reject the Gospel and the Word of God will find their candle blown out. That fleeting light they cling to shall be put out by their very breath. But those who have trusted in Christ will continue onward forever. That’s where I want to be – with Jesus. Not just in eternity, but now on this earth.

Amen.

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Walking Worthy To Glorify God

Posted on November 19, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Thibault Mokuenko on Unsplash

Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye WALK WORTHY OF THE VOCATION WHEREWITH YE ARE CALLED

Only Those Who Are “Born Again” Can Walk Worthy

“WALK WORTHY OF THE VOCATION WHEREWITH YE ARE CALLED”. This is a command that the Apostle issues to the Church, the Body of believers who are “born again of the Holy Spirit” (John 3:3-5). Why must you be “born again”? Because in your first birth, your physical birth, you were born enslaved to sin. You walked according to your desires and to darkness. The theological term for this is TOTAL DEPRAVITY:

The Bible says that “ALL HAVE SINNED, and have fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The Apostle summarized this when he wrote:

Romans 3:10-12 (NKJV) As it is written: “There is NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE; [11] There is none who understands; There is NONE WHO SEEKS AFTER GOD. [12] They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is NONE WHO DOES GOOD, NO, NOT ONE.”

Pastor John MacArthur called this “The most hated Christian doctrine”. We are born into this life separated from God. God must work a supernatural work in us – He must cause us to be born ….. AGAIN. How are we “born again”? The Bible says:

1 Peter 1:23 (LSB) … for YOU HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN not of corruptible seed but INCORRUPTIBLE, [that is], THROUGH THE LIVING AND ENDURING WORD OF GOD.

You believed the Gospel of salvation that is in this grand old Book we call the Bible. You heard that “Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). That Jesus gave Himself for whosoever will come to Him. That Jesus died for us, though we were unworthy. Being born again, God justifies us, makes us right with Him. The Good News of the Scripture is that:

Romans 5:8-10 (LSB) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US. 9 Much more then, having now BEEN JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD, WE SHALL BE SAVED FROM THE WRATH OF GOD THROUGH HIM. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, WE SHALL BE SAVED BY HIS LIFE.

When a person realizes that they are lost and headed toward eternal damnation and separation from God – when that person realizes that there is NOTHING they can do to avoid hell and a hellish life – and that person REPENTS and RECEIVES Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God the Holy Spirit causes that person to be “born again” into the Family of God.

The Bible describes this as a WASHING of the soul that makes it into a new creature:

Titus 3:5-7 (LSB) {God} saved us, not by works which we did in righteousness, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs according to [the] hope of eternal life.

An unbeliever cannot “Walk Worthy” in God’s eyes, but a believer MUST “Walk Worthy”. Once in God’s Family, you are to walk following Jesus. This is walking worthy.

To “Walk” Means To Live Your Life
Following Something

Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye WALK {peripateō} WORTHY OF THE VOCATION WHEREWITH YE ARE CALLED

Word Study: The Bible uses the word “walk” in two ways. One way it means what we commonly mean, “to advance or travel on foot”. But the other meaning of “walk” (peripateō) means “to live or conduct yourself”. Every person “walks” one way or the other. People either “walk in the flesh”, that is, they do what suits them, acting as their own gods. Or they “walk in the Spirit”, that is, they suppress their own desires and follow the directives of God. There are two types of people in the world: the lost and the saved. Or you may say those who ARE born again, and those who ARE NOT born again. The Bible says:

Romans 8:5 (LSB) For those who are ACCORDING TO THE FLESH set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT, the things of the Spirit.

The lost – those who need to be born again – are fleshly, self seeking, focused on their own satisfaction. They care nothing for the glory of God. Their glory is in their own desires. But “those who are Christ’s have CRUCIFIED THE FLESH with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24)

The saved walk following God and His Word. A great picture of this is found in the Exodus from Egypt. Israel was enslaved in Egypt. They were not guests – they were objects, things kept for the pleasure of the lost. But God raised up Moses, and sent Moses to Pharaoh with the demand that Egypt:

Exodus 5:1 (NKJV) Let My people go, that THEY MAY HOLD A FEAST TO ME in the wilderness.

Exodus 7:16 (NKJV) Let My people go, that THEY MAY SERVE ME in the wilderness …

God wanted His people released so that they could glorify Him in the wilderness. You know the story. Pharaoh refused to release Israel. Then God told His people to take a sacrificial Lamb …

Exodus 12:5-7 (NKJV) Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take [it] from the sheep or from the goats. 6 ‘Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. 7 ‘And they shall take [some] of the blood and put [it] on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.

The Lamb is a picture of Jesus Christ dying on the Cross for His people. Jesus is the “Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, NKJV). The Exodus Lamb was a picture of the Messiah slain. It was the Blood of the Lamb that “redeemed enslaved Israel, and redeemed us who were enslaved to sin and this world” (1 Peter 1:18-19). God told Israel that the Destroyer would pass over Egypt that night. If the Destroyer saw the Blood of the Lamb, he would pass over that home, and death would not enter it. But if the Destroyer saw NO BLOOD, then death would come into that home (Exodus 12:23).

That night, it happened just as God said. Where the Blood of the Lamb was NOT, death came. But where the Blood of the Lamb was, there was life and peace. Because the Israelite obeyed the Word of God and did as He said, they were freed from Egypt.

Psalm 17:4 (NKJV) Concerning the works of men, BY THE WORD OF YOUR LIPS, I HAVE KEPT AWAY FROM THE PATHS OF THE DESTROYER.

That morning Israel was freed from Egypt. Israel WALKED AWAY from Egypt, and followed God. This is a picture of salvation. If you are saved, you WALK AWAY from Egypt. If you are saved, you WALK following God. You do not walk in darkness, but in Light, because God is Light. You walk following Him daily, hourly, moment by moment.

Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, THE PRISONER OF THE LORD, beseech you that ye WALK {peripateō} WORTHY {axiōs} OF THE VOCATION {klēsis} WHEREWITH YE ARE CALLED {kaleō}

The Christian WALKS following God, even when it is difficult. Paul calls himself “THE PRISONER OF THE LORD”. When Paul was imprisoned for preaching about Jesus, the Bible says:

Acts 16:22-24 (NKJV) Then the multitude rose up together against {Paul and Silas}; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and COMMANDED THEM TO BE BEATEN WITH RODS. 23 And when they had LAID MANY STRIPES ON THEM, they THREW [them] into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having received such a charge, HE PUT THEM INTO THE INNER PRISON AND FASTENED THEIR FEET IN THE STOCKS.

Though Paul and Silas were unable to walk (for their feet were in stocks), they still “walked worthy”. They sang and prayed and glorified God, even in prison. Though God sent an earthquake to break their prison open, Paul and Silas stayed where they were, and glorified the Lord Who saved them.

When God called Israel out of Egypt, He called them out of slavery. God called them into His Family. God called them to follow Him, to glorify Him by being obedient to His Word. The Christian is not an Egyptian. The Christian is not a worldling. The Christian is a Child of God, adopted into the Kingdom of God. We are not of the world, but are above the world. Our calling is HOLY:

2 Timothy 1:8-10 (ESV) Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, NOR OF ME, HIS PRISONER, but SHARE IN SUFFERING FOR THE GOSPEL by the power of God, 9 who saved us and CALLED US TO A HOLY CALLING, not because of our works but BECAUSE OF HIS OWN PURPOSE AND GRACE, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel

When Israel came out of Egypt, they walked following the Lord. Yet they did not walk worthy. They continued to murmur, to complain, and refused to glorify God. Israel made a golden calf while Moses was on Mount Sinai, receiving the Law. We read:

Exodus 32:9-10 (NKJV) And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it [is] a stiff-necked people! 10 “Now therefore, LET ME ALONE, THAT MY WRATH MAY BURN HOT AGAINST THEM AND I MAY CONSUME THEM. And I WILL MAKE OF YOU A GREAT NATION.”

Israel was not glorifying God. Israel was walking not worthy, not following the Lord Who saved them, but their own fleshly desires. So God told Moses “Don’t pray for them, or intervene for them. I’ll destroy that nation entirely, and make another nation FROM YOUR LOINS Moses”.

Wow! That was a powerful statement. These people had harassed Moses, mocked Moses, made light of Moses almost from the first when they left Egypt.

The people MURMURED against Moses (Exodus 15:24)
The whole congregation MURMURED against Moses (Exodus 16:2)
The people MURMURED against Moses (Exodus 17:3)
The children of Israel MURMURED against Moses (Numbers 14:2)

Paul and Silas were beaten with rods, thrown into prison, and walking worthy stayed where they were to glorify God. What would Moses do?

God said what He said to show us a “worthy walk” through His servant Moses. Moses cared more for God’s glory than for himself.

Exodus 32:11-14 (NKJV) Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: “LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 “WHY SHOULD THE EGYPTIANS SPEAK, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. 13 “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit [it] forever.’ ” 14 So THE LORD RELENTED FROM THE HARM WHICH HE SAID HE WOULD DO TO HIS PEOPLE.

Moses walked worthy of the Lord. He wanted God to be glorified, no matter what might come. These Israelites will NOT go into the Promised Land, for they have not learned to walk worthy of their calling. Beloved – hear me:

The unbeliever cannot walk worthy in God’s eyes. The believer is commanded to walk worthy, to live so as to glorify God in the life He has given you. And no body of believers, Israel or the Church, will be blessed of God if those believers will not walk worthy, glorifying God.

What Glorifies God Is When We Imitate Christ:
The Three Virtues Of Walking Worthy

Ephesians 4:1-2 (KJV) I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all LOWLINESS and MEEKNESS, with LONGSUFFERING, forbearing one another in love;

God is not calling us to be effeminate. I am fed up with sissy, prissy, tolerant preaching and posturing in order to please the dark fantasies of this present world. The three virtues that God is calling us to are not effeminacy, for the Bible says:

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (LSB) 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 EFFEMINATE {malakos}, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor [the] greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

Word Study: The word “EFFEMINATE” is the Greek malakos, which means “a soft male”. The dictionary defines “effeminate” as “a man or boy having traits, habits, etc traditionally considered feminine, as softness or delicacy”. To walk worthy of your calling is to “be followers of God, as dear children; and WALK IN LOVE, as Christ has loved us, and gave Himself as a sacrificial offering to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2). To walk worthy as believers is to FOLLOW CHRIST:

Luke 9:23 (KJV) {Jesus} said to them all, IF ANY MAN WILL COME AFTER ME, LET HIM DENY HIMSELF, and TAKE UP HIS CROSS DAILY, and FOLLOW ME.

“LOWLINESS and MEEKNESS, with LONGSUFFERING” are all marks of Jesus Christ – but our Lord was never effeminate. Christianity is not effeminate. God made men to be men, and women to be women. God made us in our roles, and equipped us with distinct characteristics.

Moses stood up for the glory of God, though he was attacked by Israel. Paul and Silas were beaten with rods – yet continued on so that God’s glorious Gospel could go forth. Whipped, Peter and the Apostles declared “we will obey God rather than man”. And Jesus was no effeminate wimp. Jesus cast the money changers out of the Temple – TWICE. Jesus stood up to crowd of Pharisees who declared He was a blasphemer.

And yet – Jesus and the men of the Bible were LOWLY. Jesus and the men of the Bible were MEEK. Jesus said:

Matthew 11:28–29 (KJV) “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I AM MEEK AND LOWLY IN HEART: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

Word Study: The word “LOWLINESS” is the Greek tapeinophrosynē, which means “to have humility of mind”. The Bible says for the Christian:

Philippians 2:5-11 (KJV) LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU, WHICH WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF, and BECAME OBEDIENT UNTO DEATH, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; 11 And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

To be LOWLY means to realize that God is above you, and that His will is greater than your will. Though Jesus is God – God in the flesh – Perfect Man born of a virgin – Jesus LOWERED HIMSELF so that others might be blessed. To be LOWLY is to stop putting yourself first, and TO PUT GOD FIRST. God’s Way is always the best way.

In a world of lost people who want to set the standard, the Christ follower adheres to God’s standard. We lower ourselves and elevate Him and His Gospel. If none go with us, we stand firm unto the death. We will glorify God!

Word Study: The word “MEEKNESS” is the Greek praotēs, which means “Christlike gentleness”. Meekness is not weakness. Meekness is strength under control. Meek people trust God to defend them – they do not fight for their own way. The Bible says of Moses:

Numbers 12:3 Now the man Moses was VERY MEEK, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.

He wasn’t WEAK, he was MEEK. He lived a life surrendered to God. When Jesus was attacked, beaten, nailed to a Cross for us, the Bible says:

1 Peter 2:23 When he was reviled, he reviled not again… but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously.”

Meekness trusts God, yields to His Word and His will, and treats others as Christ would have them treated regardless as to what they do to us.

Meekness does good to the enemy, without justifying the sin of the enemy. When Stephen was being stoned to death, he cried out “Lord, do not lay this sin to their charge” (Acts 7:59-60). When Jesus hung dying on the Cross, He cried out “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”. Meekness never justifies sin, but does not return sin for sin. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:5 (KJV) Blessed are the MEEK: for THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH.

LONGSUFFERING {makrothymia},
forbearing one another in love

Word Study: The word “LONGSUFFERING” means to put up with something that makes you uncomfortable. This is the Greek makrothymia, which means “to patiently endure, to persevere, to be slow in avenging wrongs done against you”. Longsuffering in the Church is tied to the love we are to have for one another. Jesus said:

John 13:34-35 (KJV) A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE ONE ANOTHER; as I HAVE LOVED YOU, that ye also love one another. 35 BY THIS shall ALL MEN KNOW that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.

The mark of a worthy walk is that there be “LOWLINESS and MEEKNESS, with LONGSUFFERING, forbearing one another in love”.

Ephesians 4:3 (KJV) Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The Family of God is not about getting your way. It is not about getting my way. It is about getting GOD’S way, glorifying Him in all we do.

It is about glorifying the Father Who planned our salvation. It is about honoring the Son Who gave His life for our salvation. It is about not quenching the Holy Spirit Who supernaturally made us into children of God.

The first generation of Israel kept ignoring the worthy walk, and ended up losing the blessings that God had reserved for them. Frankly, I want God’s best for my life. How about you?

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To Live Is Christ

Posted on November 19, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is CHRIST, and to die is GAIN.

I’d like to take our scripture today, and take out two words: “CHRIST” and the word “GAIN”. The text would read this way:

Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is __________, and to die is _____________.

What you put in that first blank will determine what goes in the second blank.

Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 7:1, “A good name is BETTER than PRECIOUS OINTMENT; and the day of DEATH than the day of ONE’S BIRTH”.

To have a good name – a good reputation – is better according to God than the most expensive perfumes. I am told that the most expensive perfume in the world – Clive Christian No. 1 Imperial Majesty – is around $12,721.89 per ounce. But a good reputation is better than that. How many people name their children Judas or Adolf? The Bible goes on to say that the day you die is better than the day you were born. Why would it say that?

Beloved, that’s not true for everyone. Going back to our fill in the blanks Scripture, most people – even professing Christians – put the wrong word in that first blank. Most people fill in the blanks like:

Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is _for myself_, and to die is _____________.

If you are living for yourself, when you die then it is certainly not gain, but loss. When you die, then it is the ultimate loss of self. When you die, if you have lived your life for YOU, then you will go to a horrid place called HELL where you can be you forever. God is not in hell. Our Lord Jesus did not live for Himself, but for the salvation of whosoever would believe in Him. As Jesus prepared to go to Jerusalem during the Last Passover, the Bible says:

Matthew 16:21-23 (LSB) From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that HE MUST GO TO JERUSALEM, and SUFFER MANY THINGS from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and BE KILLED, and BE RAISED UP ON THE THIRD DAY. 22 And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “GET THEE BEHIND ME, SATAN! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are NOT SETTING YOUR MIND ON GOD’S INTERESTS, BUT MAN’S”

The devil wanted Jesus to put Himself in that first blank. “To live is Jesus”. The Apostle doesn’t write “To live is JESUS, to die is gain”. No! He says “To live is CHRIST, to die is gain”. Had Jesus put Himself first, then He could not have fulfilled His ministry. Peter said earlier about Jesus:

Matthew 16:16 (LSB) You are the CHRIST, the Son of the living God.

Had Jesus put Himself first, then His death would not have been gain, but loss. The proof that Jesus is the CHRIST, the Son of the Living God is that He laid down His life for us, He laid down His life as Messiah, He was, as JESUS, in that first blank. We’re told in the next chapter:

Philippians 2:6-8 (LSB) {Jesus}, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF BY BECOMING OBEDIENT TO THE POINT OF DEATH, EVEN DEATH ON A CROSS.

Jesus did not put His humanity, His will and desire in that first blank. Our Lord Jesus said,

John 10:17–18 (KJV) “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I LAY DOWN MY LIFE, that I might take it again. NO MAN TAKETH IT FROM ME, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.”

Jesus did not put Himself in that first blank. Jesus laid His life down. For Jesus,

Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is _CHRIST_, and to die is __GAIN__.

When Jesus laid down His life as Christ, as Messiah, He brought gain to every sinner who will believe. Not only this, “God also highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW” (Philippians 2:9-10). Jesus Christ is Lord of all, and Lord of the saved. Had Jesus lived for Himself, and not laid His life down as the Christ, then His death would not have been gain, but infinite loss.

As Jesus is, so are we to be. We cannot put ourselves in that first blank.

Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is _for ME_, and to die is __LOSS__.

The Apostle wrote “If you LIVE ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, you WILL DIE” (Romans 8:13). Our Lord Jesus taught us that to live for yourself is to suffer ULTIMATE LOSS. We read:

Matthew 16:24-27 (LSB) Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone WISHESTO COME AFTER ME, let him DENY HIMSELF, and TAKE UP HIS CROSS and FOLLOW ME. 25 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he GAINS THE WHOLE WORLD AND FORFEITS HIS SOUL? Or what will a man GIVE IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS SOUL? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay each one according to his deeds.

If you live this life putting yourself in that first blank, then death is a loss, not a gain.

Christians Will Experience Bondage And Hatred

Paul started out this chapter calling himself and Timothy “the SERVANTS of JESUS CHRIST”. This was where his identity was. He and Timothy lived to serve Christ, the Kingdom of God. When Paul was imprisoned for preaching the Gospel, he wrote:

Philippians 1:12-14 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the THINGS WHICH HAPPENED UNTO ME have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13 So that MY BONDS IN CHRIST are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; 14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

When Paul was imprisoned, he could have put himself in that first blank. He could have said:

Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is _for ME_

The suffering of the prison would have been magnified, as there is nothing worse that suffering without good cause. But Paul knew that He was God’s own possession. Paul wrote that:

Galatians 2:20 (LSB) I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but CHRIST LIVES IN ME. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, WHO LOVED ME AND GAVE HIMSELF UP FOR ME.

Christ lived in him, just as Christ lives in each Christian through the indwelling Spirit of God. “If anyone DOES NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST, he DOES NOT BELONG TO HIM” (Romans 8:9). Paul knew that Christ lived in him. Paul imprisoned was not defeated, not discouraged, not downtrodden, not in despair.

Paul regarded his present body as an earthen vessel, something that can be broken, but something that held a treasure. Paul wrote:

2 Corinthians 4:7-11 (LSB) But WE HAVE THIS TREASURE IN EARTHEN VESSELS, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 8 in every way afflicted, BUT NOT CRUSHED; perplexed, BUT NOT DESPAIRING; 9 persecuted, BUT NOT FORSAKEN; struck down, BUT NOT DESTROYED; 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh

For Paul, to live was CHRIST. He knew that he could die at any moment, but living for CHRIST, not for himself, he knew that the next chapter would be GAIN. As Paul gladly wore his chains for the glory of Christ, others were encouraged to step forward and step up to live for His glory. He said, “many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear”. The great Evangelist Billy Graham said:

“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened”.

And author C.S. Lewis said, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point”. When you live for Christ, for His glory and gain, for God’s Kingdom, then evil is defeated.

Live For Christ, Not For Fame Or Praise

Philippians 1:15-18 Some indeed preach Christ even of ENVY {phthonos}AND STRIFE {eris}; and some also of good will: 16 The one preach Christ of CONTENTION, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: 17 But the other of LOVE, knowing that I am set for the DEFENSE OF THE GOSPEL. 18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, CHRIST IS PREACHED; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

Paul was called to preach the Gospel. He wrote:

2 Timothy 1:10-11 (NKJV) … our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light THROUGH THE GOSPEL, 11 to which I WAS APPOINTED A PREACHER, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

Paul considered his calling to preach to be an even greater calling than that of Apostle, for he listed Apostle as second. He did the same thing in 1 Timothy 2:7, and even told the Corinthian Church “Christ SENT ME NOT TO BAPTIZE, BUT TO PREACH THE GOSPEL” (1 Corinthians 1:17). Paul loved preaching the Gospel. But here’s the thing:

Preachers can be so very human!

Paul founded the Church at Corinth during his second missionary journey. He PLANTED the Church (1 Corinthians 3:6), and he LAID THE FOUNDATION (1 Corinthians 3:10) over an 18 month period of his life (Acts 18:1-11). And yet the Corinthians compared Paul to other preachers like Apollos and found him wanting.

Many who preached at the same time Paul preached preached from good hearts. These preachers preached the Gospel, and did so “of LOVE, knowing that I am set for the DEFENSE OF THE GOSPEL”. They did not try and tear down Paul’s ministry. But there were other preachers who preached “Christ even of ENVY {phthonos}AND STRIFE {eris}”. These preachers were preaching insincerely. Behind their preaching they were trying to tear down Paul’s ministry. They desired the blessings that God had given Paul, and set about in a very human way to take those blessings from him. They were contentious, mocking of Paul’s ministry. Paul said that these preachers were “supposing to add affliction to my bonds”, to make things harder for him. They perhaps were saying things like, “Yes Paul is imprisoned – it is a judgment for God for the horrible job he is doing as an Apostle. I should have been an Apostle, not Paul”.

When W.A. Criswell resigned from First Baptist Church, Dallas Texas, a 29,000 member Church at that time, the Church called Joel C. Gregory to be his replacement in 1990. In September 1992 Gregory quit abruptly in the middle of a sermon. He claimed there were power struggles in the Church between him and Criswell, and with Criswell’s wife. Gregory’s wife left him, and he remarried. Leaving the ministry, a man once the Pastor of one of the largest Churches in the United States began a career selling cemetery plots door to door in Forth Worth, Texas. God redeemed him, and blessed him, and Gregory is today a professor of Preaching at Baylor University. But he lost his Pastorate, one that O.S. Hawkins went on to fill from 1993-1997.

We lose God’s best for our lives when we put anything but CHRIST in that first blank!

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

Though others attacked Paul and his ministry, he praised God that even the attackers were preaching Christ. Paul wrote:

Philippians 1:18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, CHRIST IS PREACHED; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and WILL REJOICE.

Are You “Heaven Ready”?

Paul knew that, as a prisoner of Rome, that his days were numbered. But he was not frightened at the prospect. He wrote:

Philippians 1:22-24 But if I LIVE IN THE FLESH, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a DESIRE TO DEPART, and TO BE WITH CHRIST; which is far better: 24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

Every year we take a couple of weeks “vacation”. In preparation my dear wife will make lists, pack bags, and do everything she can to make our trip joyful. We all do that when preparing for a trip. Beloved, one day we are all going to take a trip. For those who love Jesus, the trip will take us to where Christ is. For those who love themselves, the trip may not be where you want to be.

Paul wanted to stay on this earth as long as “to LIVE is CHRIST”, as long as the Lord wanted him to be here. But Paul was ready. His bags were packed. He wanted “TO DEPART, and TO BE WITH CHRIST; which is far better”. Paul knew a lot about Heaven. At one point in his earthly life, the Bible says that:

2 Corinthians 12:4-5 (LSB) … was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which A MAN IS NOT PERMITTED TO SPEAK. 5 On behalf of such a man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in weaknesses.

Paul didn’t brag about the things he saw in Heaven. When Christ let him go to Heaven, he saw things that the Lord told him “keep it between us”. We get little glimpses of Heaven in the Bible. Adrian Rogers said:

“God showed {Paul} some sacred secrets about heaven, and God said to Paul, “Don’t you tell anyone.” There are a lot of things I don’t know about heaven. Even the Apostle John in 1 John chapter 3 and verse 2 said, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2) John said, “There are some things we can’t be dogmatic about. We don’t know what we’re going to be like. But,” he said, “there are some things we can be bull-dogmatic about. We’ll be like Jesus.”

Before the great preacher Dr. Robert G. Lee passed into glory, Billy Graham and Adrian Rogers went to see him. He was thought to be in a coma at the time, and was not responsive when they first got to his home. These preachers stood around his bed and sang:

My latest sun is sinking fast,
my race is nearly run;
my strongest trials now are past,
my triumph is begun.
O come, angel band,
come and around me stand;
O bear me away on your snowy wings
to my immortal home.
O bear me away on your snowy wings
to my immortal home.
I’ve almost reached my heav’nly home,
my spirit loudly sings;
your holy ones, behold, they come!
I hear the noise of wings.
O bear my longing heart to him
who bled and died for me;
whose love now covers all my sin,
and gives me victory.
O come, angel band,
come and around me stand;
O bear me away on your snowy wings
to my immortal home.
O bear me away on your snowy wings
to my immortal home.

After singing this, Dr. Lee opened his eyes, reached out, and hugged Billy Graham. Adrian Rogers wrote:

“Dr. Lee didn’t die right then; he lingered for a while. I went back to see him, and {his daughter} Hildred said to me, “Do you know what happened?” I said, “What?” “Papa told me—he’d had a vision of heaven.” I said, “Tell me about it.” “Well,” she said, “that’s what I told him: ‘Tell me about it.’” {Dr Lee} told her, “Hildred, I didn’t do it justice in my sermon—I didn’t do it justice.” And she said, “Well, tell me.” He said, “I can’t tell you. I don’t have the words to tell you.”

Word Study: Because Paul put the right thing in that first blank, he wasn’t afraid of dying. He wrote that he had “a DESIRE TO DEPART, and TO BE WITH CHRIST”. If you are living for Christ NOW, when it is time to depart this earth you will not see this as a loss, but a great gain. The word “DEPART”is the Greek analyō. This word was used by sailors when a ship left port. It was released from the dock so it could set sail – but it had a destination. The word was also used as a military term when soldiers pulled up the stakes of their tents to move on. While on this earth we fight for our Lord – not against flesh and blood, but against forces of darkness. The battle one day will be over for you, dear Christian. Don’t put your tent stakes down too deep in this earth – for this is not our home!

Too often I have preached funerals for professing Christians where they grieved as hopelessly as any lost person. The question is – WHY? The answer is quite simple.

Either that person was never born again, never a child of God by faith in Christ, or that person lived their lives with the wrong thing in the first blank.

The Bible tells us in

Colossians 3:1-4 (ESV) IF then YOU HAVE BEEN RAISED WITH CHRIST, SEEK THE THINGS THAT ARE ABOVE, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 SET YOUR MINDS ON THINGS THAT ARE ABOVE, NOT ON THINGS THAT ARE ON EARTH. 3 For you have died, and YOUR LIFE IS HIDDEN WITH CHRIST in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

What awaits the Christian is indescribable. I heard the story of a little girl who was born blind. The surgeons studied her case, and by the Grace of God were able to perform surgery on her eyes. They hoped it would be successful. When the doctors unwound the gauze from her head, this little girl opened her eyes and saw for the first time. She saw the doctors, saw her mother. She went to the window and looked out. For the first time she saw the green grass, the blue sky. She saw birds in the trees, and saw a cloud pass by, and the wincing shine of the sun. The little girl said, “Mommy, why didn’t you tell me it was so beautiful?”. Her mother said, “Honey, I tried to tell you. But you had to see for yourself.”

The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV) Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

A glorious place waits for those who live for Christ. Beloved, let us not live for self. Let us not live for sin. Let us not live in darkness. Let us live to the glory of God, so that we too can say:

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

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