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Take Out The Trash, Son

Posted on December 8, 2024 by bibleteacherorg

Romans 6:9-12 (KJV) Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Review With Purpose

The last few weeks we have studied three doctrines that are extremely important to understand, if you will understand the Gospel. We looked at the Doctrine of Imputation, which teaches that Jesus died for our sins on Calvary, and rose again from the grave for our justification. When we receive Jesus as both Lord and Savior His righteousness is imputed to us, and our sins are laid on His finished work. Because of Imputation the Father looks at us as His sons and daughters.

We are saved by faith in Christ, not by works. We are saved because of Imputation.

Because of Imputation, God gives us the Holy Spirit. We spoke of His work in our lives as we studied the Doctrine of Baptisms. We learned that water Baptism is an outward symbolic ordinance that the believer willingly submits to after salvation. Water Baptism symbolizes what the Holy Spirit does to the believer, causing the old man to die, and the new creature to be born. The Holy Spirit causes us to be born again, made alive spiritually. The Holy Spirit baptizes us in Christ Jesus. We are united with Christ in His death and in His resurrection. We are raised to walk in newness of life.

We also studied the Doctrine of Original Sin. In this we learned that Adam, created perfect and without sin by God, willingly and willfully disobeyed the Word of God, bringing spiritual death on all his progeny. The first Adam failed in his stewardship, so God sent a second Adam, Jesus Christ, to redeem us from all sin. Here is the point:

The “Christian” Walks With Christ Daily

IF Adam sinned, and brought the world under the slavery of sin, and IF God sent His Son as the Second Adam to pay the penalty for sin for whosoever believes on Him, and IF God the Holy Spirit works in the life of the believer to free us from sin ….

… then sin is no longer the Christ follower’s master.
Jesus is our Master.
Sin and Satan has no real hold on the believer.
We are freed from sin to serve the Living God!

Paul goes back to the Cross to explain this. He says:

Romans 6:9 (KJV) … Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

Jesus very literally died on the Cross. He conquered death. Some liberals have advanced the argument that Jesus just swooned, and pretended to die, and that His disciples covered this up. If this is true then there is NO Gospel. The Gospel is that:

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (ESV) … Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures

Jesus died a horrible death to free us from death and sin.

Crucifixion was considered “the most cruel & hideous of tortures” (Cicero). Author Dr Alexander Metherell wrote, “The pain was absolutely unbearable. In fact, it was literally beyond words to describe it; they had to invent a new word: “excruciating”. Literally excruciating means ‘out of the Cross’”.

Before Jesus was removed from the Cross for burial a Roman guard, well versed in crucifixion, ensured that Christ was dead. The Bible says:

John 19:34 (ESV) … one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.

This was a clear forensic sign that our Lord had passed into glory. Jesus’ body was embalmed by washing and wrapping Him in myrrh and aloe – about 75 pounds in weight (John 19:39, ESV). He was then sealed into a tomb for three days and three nights (Matthew 12:40). Jesus died to sin. He died for your sin and mine. Our sins were paid for in full. The Bible says:

Acts 2:24 (ESV) God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

Jesus died for our sins, and will never die again. His death was sufficient to pay for our sins. God raised Christ from the grave, showing that His work was sufficient. We read:

Romans 6:10 (KJV) For in that He died, he died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God.

Jesus DIED ONCE TO SIN. Now HE LIVES UNTO GOD. Some say, “Jesus died so that we can freely sin”. This is a lie from the pit of hell.

His death was sufficient to pay the penalty for our sins. Being resurrected by God, Jesus now “LIVES UNTO GOD”. The Bible tells us that:

Mark 16:19 (KJV) {Jesus} was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

Why does Jesus sit on the “RIGHT HAND OF GOD”? We are told:

Romans 8:34 … It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

And again,

Hebrews 10:12 … after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Now the Bible ties what Jesus did into our salvation with the word “LIKEWISE”

Romans 6:11 LIKEWISE {in the same manner} reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD we are freed from the mastery of sin. God the Holy Spirit lives in us. We are not what we were, but are children of the “Dayspring from on High” (Luke 1:78). We who are saved are not what we were. We are to walk in victory because of Jesus.

The Christ Follower Has Power Over Sin

Romans 6:12-14 (KJV) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 BEITHER YIELD ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Christians are called to live in the light with God. We are not the servants of sin, but are sons and daughters of God. We are not to yield our body parts to sin, but to Christ’s control. We may desire to sin, but sin is not our master. We have ultimate authority over sin through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The new convert to Christ will find sin easy, for he will – like the toddler – often stumble as he takes his first steps. But as the convert studies the Word of God, and practices the Christian disciplines of prayer, fasting, and Biblical meditation, the stumbles will be less and less.

The mature believer, instead of running to SIN, runs toward the SAVIOR. We rest in Christ.

John 7:37-39 (ESV) … “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive …

Jesus did not die on the Cross for our sins so that we can continue to wallow in sin. Jesus died on the Cross so that the Holy Spirit could enter our lives and give us control over sin. We are called to choose to “yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God”

Let’s put this simply. If you are a Christian, you don’t belong to Satan nor to this world. You belong to God, to Light, to Jesus. Do that which Christ has called you to do. “sin shall not have dominion over you”. Grace has dominion over you. You are freed from sin.

But I Just Can’t Help Myself. Hogwash!
Christian, Take The Trash Out

If you are a Christian, yes, you can. We are told:

Romans 6:16-18 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye WERE the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

If someone comes to me and says,

I’m a Christian Homosexual, or
I’m a Christian Adulterer, or
I’m a Christian Murderer, or
I’m a Christian Gossip, or
I’m a Christian Racist, or
I’m a Christian Whiner & Complainer ….

I could go on and on. When they say this, my immediate appeal is the Scripture we are studying now. If you routinely surrender your members – your body parts – to sin, then you are servants of sin. And as we are told in verse 16 and elsewhere, “SIN is UNTO DEATH”. Sin leads to death, to darkness, to destruction. But if you are a Christ follower, you are “MADE FREE FROM SIN TO BECOME SERVANTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS”. You want to serve God, not the flesh. You choose Who you will walk with.

Choose wisely.
Sin kills.
Darkness causing Stumbling.
The Spirit of Christ gives LIGHT.

Galatians 5:16-26 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Is it a struggle at times? Absolutely. Anything worth doing in this life is a struggle. When we were lost in our sins, we “walked according to the ways of this world, following the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). But NOW we FOLLOW JESUS. We do not chase the darkness – we chase it away! We know that sin must not remain in our lives.

Illustrate: I remember years ago when I lived in Georgia, I needed to take the trash out – but I put it off. It was hot outside, and warm inside. I went to bed that night, and woke up the next morning. When I went in the kitchen I found tiny little critters crawling out of the garbage, and all over my kitchen. YUK! I took the trash outside, dumped it, and washed the can out. Then I went back in the house and with paper towels carefully gathered all the little critters and got them out of my home.

The Christian must daily do a negative thing and a positive thing. Daily we “take the trash out”. We eradicate sin from our lives. We toss it as unsuitable for a child of God. But we also encourage ourselves to do those things which glorify Christ and our Father. We are obedient children, doing the good for God’s glory.

Romans 6:19-20 … for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. 20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

God calls His Children to be as He is. He said:

1 Peter 1:14-16 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” …

We are not “holy” to retain our salvation, nor to gain our salvation. We are “holy” because we know that the do otherwise is to open the door to death and suffering. We are as Adam was. We are free to choose. Knowing this, we freely choose righteousness and Godly living over the way of darkness. That way leads only to death!

Romans 6:21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

There is no good “FRUIT” that comes from walking in the darkness of sin. Sin always leads unto death, sickness, and disease. God has opened the door to a better way.

Romans 6:22 (KJV) But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Christians do not normally walk in darkness. We walk with Christ in the Light of God. We love His Word, His Commandment, His Law. We choose to do the good, and walk with Jesus.

Closing Plea

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

The final sentence of this chapter is divided by a “BUT”. On the left side of the “BUT” is sin and dearth, darkness and pain. On the right side of the “BUT” is the gift of God, eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Those who love the Lord and submit to the Lord have the wonderful gift of salvation. It is a gift, but in order to receive it you must put down death and darkness. You must turn away from all other lords and gods, and turn fully to Jesus. You must move from the left side of the “BUT”, and run into Christ’s arms.

I pray you will. With. Delay. Today. Amen.

Posted in General, Romans, Sermons Preached | Tagged baptism of Spirit, born again, changed life, Faith, Following Christ, fruit of salvation, fruit of sin, God Is Faithful, Holiness, love, salvation | Leave a comment

Plain Truth About Righteousness

Posted on December 7, 2024 by bibleteacherorg

Proverbs 13:22 (KJV) A GOOD man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the SINNER is laid up for the just.

Leave Your Children A Godly Example

The Bible uses the word “GOOD” in a relative way. When humans are compared in the eyes of God, there are:

“Children of God” (Matthew 5:9) or
“Children of the Devil” (John 8:44)

Fruit bearing “Wheat” or
Poison bearing “Tares” (Matthew 13:24-30)

“Children of the Kingdom” or
“Children of the Wicked One” (Matthew 13:38)

“Children of Light” or
“Children of Darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:5)

“Sinners” or
“Righteous” (Luke 5:32)

“Good” or
“Evil” (Matthew 5:45)

Jesus told us “there are NONE GOOD but God” (Matthew 19:17). In relation to God, none of us are truly “good”. But among mankind there are “GOOD” people, those saved by the Grace of God through the Blood of Christ, and there are “SINNERS” or people who are unsaved, who seek only separation from God. We are told:

A GOOD man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children

This is not a reference to money or property. One of my favorite western movies has John Wayne in it, a movie called “McLintock!”. At one point in the movie the wealthy G.W. McLintock tells his daughter Becky:

“I own everything in this country from here to there. {People will} think you’re gonna inherit it. Well, you’re not. I’m gonna leave most of it to … the nation … for a park where no lumbermen will cut down all the trees for houses with leaky roofs. … What I’m gonna give you is a 500-cow spread on the Upper Green River. Now that may not seem like much, but it’s more than we had, your mother and I. … I want you and some young man to have what I had, ’cause all the gold in the United States Treasury and all the harp music in Heaven can’t equal what happens between a man and a woman with all that growing together.”

A “good” or saved person doesn’t give his family wealth. Our Lord Jesus spoke of the the evils of unearned money. He said that free wealth would lead people away from the Word of God:

Mark 4:19 … the DECEITFULNESS OF RICHES, and the desires for other things entering in CHOKE THE WORD {of God}, and it becomes unfruitful.

Unearned money is not a blessing to your “CHILDREN’S CHILDREN”, but can become a curse. When people inherit monetary riches it becomes their crutch, their God, rather than the God of the Universe. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 37:11 … the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Those who are humble unto God, who seek His face and not riches, will one day inherit all things. The Apostle said:

Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

The Gospel is not heard by those who have wealth, but by those who have little or nothing. Jesus said “the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM” (Matthew 11:5). What the “GOOD MAN” leaves as an inheritance to his children’s children is an honorable reputation and a good example. There are few Christians who are wealthy according to the standards of the world. Jesus tells us:

Matthew 6:19-20 (NKJV) Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

In contrast to the believer in Christ is the wicked person:

the wealth of the SINNER is laid up for the JUST

Eventually God will take away all the wealth of those who love sin and hate Him, and give it to His children in Christ.

The fool rejects God and eventually will lose everything. “In the pride of his face THE WICKED does not seek God; all his thoughts are, THERE IS NO GOD.” (Psalm 10:4). The righteous, however, love God and seek Him above all else. Money is not the god of the Christian, but is a stewardship to be used for God’s glory. The believer in Christ knows that you cannot out-give God.

Proverbs 11:25 (ESV) Whoever brings blessing WILL BE ENRICHED, and one who waters will HIMSELF BE WATERED.

Proverbs 19:17 (ESV) Whoever is GENEROUS TO THE POOR LENDS TO THE LORD, and He will repay him for his deed.

Illustrate: The wicked King of Judah, Coniah the son of Jehoiakim lost all of his riches when God sent the King of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar to conquer him. God told Coniah:

Jeremiah 22:30 (NKJV) Write this man down as childless, A man who shall not prosper in his days; For none of his descendants shall prosper, sitting on the throne of David, and ruling anymore in Judah.

God Wants No One Hungry. He Will Punish The Evil Who Hurt The Weak.

Proverbs 13:23 Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.

My commentary notes:

“This verse emphasizes the potential for prosperity even among those who seem to have little. It illustrates how hard work in agriculture can yield abundant food, reminding us that effort, regardless of one’s difficult circumstances, can result in a fruitful outcome. The verse also serves as a cautionary note about the dangers of mismanagement and lack of discernment; even those with wealth and resources can experience loss or ruin due to foolish decisions.”

When God made us in His image and placed us on this earth, He made us stewards of the planet. We are to be wise with the resources that God has given us. Evil people mismanage God’s resources, and enrich themselves while robbing those around them adding to their suffering. In America today the illegal immigrant is often exploited by farmers and politicians in order to increase their riches. In Georgia and North Carolina I know of farmers who paid poor immigrants under the table rather than give them a living wage. The stepbrother of Christ writes:

James 5:1-6 (ESV) Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

As James chastises those who tear down rather than support the poor, he reminds the believer that “the Coming of the Lord is at hand”. There is coming a judgment day for those who manipulated and hurt people in order to build their bank accounts.

Illustration:Wicked Queen Jezebel stole Naboth’s vineyard when he would not sell it to her husband King Ahab (1 Kings 21). When Naboth refused the sale, Ahab – like a 6 year old child – came home and sulked, refusing to eat. Jezebel did with Naboth as the Chief Priests and Pharisees did with our Lord Jesus (Matthew 26:59-63). Jezebel hired two false witnesses, saying …

1 Kings 21:10 (ESV) …. set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.

She manipulated the Law of God to steal poor Naboth’s land. Why? So spoiled Ahab could have a vegetable garden. God sent word to Ahab and Jezebel:

1 Kings 21:19 (ESV) Thus says the Lord, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ And you {Elijah} shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.”

During a battle in the very next chapter of Scripture, Ahab is on the battlefield when an archer fires an arrow into the air – and God caused the arrow to strike “between the scale armor and the breastplate” (1 Kings 22:34), a very small target. Ahab died that evening, “his blood flowing into the bottom of the chariot” (1 Kings 22:35).

1 Kings 22:38 (ESV) And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, according to the word of the Lord that he had spoken.

What of Jezebel and her evil? She lived a little longer than Ahab. But we are told in 2 Kings 9 that Jezebel was thrown from the walls of Jezreel. The Bible tells us:

2 Kings 9:33, 35-37 (ESV) … some of {Jezebel’s} blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her. … 35 when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 36 When they came back and told him, he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite: ‘In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, 37 and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.

God will eventually balance the scales. Let us trust in Him.

How Do People Become Ahabs And Jezebels?

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

The Bible teaches corporeal punishment in relation to child rearing. In God’s Kingdom true love requires discipline. The best thing a parent can do is to raise the child righteously. The Apostle decreed:

Ephesians 6:4 … (KJV) fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

The parents are to set achievable standards, and then enforce them with appropriate physical discipline. The Scripture says:

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

Children do not need parents to be their “friends”. Children need guidance.

The act of discipline does not hurt a child – but failure to discipline sets up poor attitudes in the child that he or she will carry into adulthood. Just as a righteous parent will leave a good reputation and a good example to his children’s children, that righteous parent will instill the Word of God and the heart of a good citizen in his children.

The intent of discipline is to teach the child “the fear of the Lord” (Proverbs 1:7). Our God disciplines us as His children when we step out of bounds and will not repent. The Lord told Israel:

Deuteronomy 8:5 (ESV) Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you.

Jesus told the Church at Laodicea:

Revelation 3:19 (NKJV) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

And we are told in

Hebrews 12:5-8 (NKJV) “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

It is a poor parent that does not punish their children. To allow the child to run wild while they are young, when they grow older they will be like Ahab or Jezebel. My commentary notes:

“Discipline, when done appropriately and rooted in love, is meant to safeguard children from potentially harmful behaviors. Therefore, engaging in loving correction is fundamental to nurturing responsible and wise individuals, defining the dynamic that love connects with the responsible exercise of parental authority.”

Considering that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), it is a unloving, uncaring, and cowardly parent who will not discipline their child. The High Priest Eli failed to restrain his sons when they blasphemed God. Because of his failure God told Eli:

1 Samuel 3:12-14 (NIV) … I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them. 14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.

God Will Meet Our Needs

Proverbs 13:25 The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.

The belly of the wicked is never satisfied. But the righteous are satisfied, even with little. Notice it says:

The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his SOUL

It doesn’t speak of satisfying the BODY, but the SOUL. The righteous may hunger, and may suffer want. There are many times in my life that I suffered want in order to keep my family fed. Yet I was satisfied, blessed by my relationship with God.

I’ve seen rich people go to fancy restaurants, and get a little bit of food on a mostly empty plate. They eat it, and pay hundreds of dollars just so they can say they ate at a fancy, arrogant place. The righteous are satisfied with what God gives them. The Lord tells us:

Hebrews 13:5 (ESV)Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.

As believers in Christ, we don’t need fancy. We just need Jesus! What God has given us, we accept as God’s will for us. As the Apostle said:

Philippians 4:11-13 (NKJV) Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

The unrighteous, however, are never satisfied. I remember when the far left told us in America, “All we want is to be able to marry as we want”. So in 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court Case Obergefell v. Hodges ruled that all state are to license same sex marriages, and recognize same sex marriages performed out of state. All they wanted was to be married, like heterosexuals were married. But before the dust settled, they were demanding that businesses cater to their “marriage” regardless as to the religious conviction of the business owners. Rather than just seek marriage, sexual sinners {for God has decreed in His Word that their actions are sinful} pushed their beliefs on television, in movies, in libraries, and in public schools.

There are ungodly forces that seek to destroy Biblical marriage and Biblical families. These forces have been on earth since Eden, Sodom and Gomorrah and the Great Noahic Flood.

Abortions are hidden from the parents. Children are surgically and sexually altered without parental consent. Wokeness is paraded and parodied to our children in classrooms.

the belly of the wicked shall want

The wicked are never satisfied, never satiated. This is why the light must shine, and stand up for Biblical truth. Our children must be taught the Word of God. We need to be loving, but firmly truthful with all opponents to the Way of Christ. If we do not, Christianity will become criminalized in America, as it is in much of the world today.

May God touch your hearts!

Posted in Proverbs, Sermons Preached | Tagged be the Light, Following Christ, God Is Faithful, Light vs Darkness, salvation | Leave a comment

Doctrine of Baptisms

Posted on December 4, 2024 by bibleteacherorg

Romans 6:1-6 (KJV) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3 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.

Children Need To Be Shown

Our Lord Jesus knows that we are children, and knows that children understand spiritual truths better when there is a physical picture or demonstration we can see.

Jesus wanted us to understand the importance of His willing sacrifice and death, so He gave us the ordinance of the Lord’s Table (Matthew 26:19; Mark 14:16; Luke 22:13). The Bible also calls this Table:

The Breaking of Bread (Acts 2:42; 20:7)
Communion (1 Corinthians 10:16), and
The Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:20)

The Lord’s Table came at the end of the Feast of the Passover. At the Table, Jesus took bread, blessed it, and broke it saying “Take, eat, this is My Body broken for you”. The unleavened bread represented the reality of the Sinless Lord Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 3:5; 1 Peter 2:22). Jesus is God become Man, Perfect Man. He is unleavened with sin. He was willingly broken on the Cross for our sins. Jesus took the Cup of the Passover, saying:

Matthew 26:27-28 (ESV) … Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

The Bread symbolized the coming reality of the broken Body of Christ. The Cup symbolized the spilled Blood of the Savior, the covering for our sins. The fact that we eat and drink this Table symbolizes saving faith, available to whosoever will – that all are able to eat and drink. The Table reminds us that because of what Jesus did, our sins are covered and forgiven, and we are “new creatures in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The Lord’s Table is a symbol reminding us of the real spiritual blessing that God gives us through Jesus Christ.

Jesus Also Gave Us The Ordinance Of Water Baptism

Jesus not only gave us the Ordinance of the Lord’s Table, but He gave us the Ordinance of Water Baptism. Jesus told His disciples:

Matthew 28:19 (ESV) Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit …

Baptism, like the Lord’s Table, is symbolic of a real spiritual truth – one that few people talk about.

**Water Baptism is symbolic of the action of God the Holy Spirit on the life of the believer.**

When a person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, when that person surrenders their life to Jesus as Abraham did, then God the Holy Spirit comes to that believer and does very real, very spiritual works.

The Holy Spirit:

1 – Causes the believer to be “BORN AGAIN”. Jesus said, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God … you MUST be BORN AGAIN” (John 3:3-8).

2 – Moves on the believer, Spiritually Baptizing that believer. When John the Baptist spoke of the coming of our Lord Jesus, he declared:

Mark 1:8 (ESV) I have baptized you with water, but He {Jesus Christ} will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit was not available to the Church until after Christ ascended to Heaven. Jesus told His disciples that He had to go to glory before the Spirit could come to us. He said:

John 16:7-14 (ESV) I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on his own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

The day that Jesus ascended to Heaven, He told His disciples:

Acts 1:5 (ESV) John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is defined as:

“that work whereby the Spirit of God places the believer into union with Christ and into union with other believers in the body of Christ at the moment of salvation”

The Apostle Paul spoke of the Baptism, saying:

1 Corinthians 12:13 (NKJV) For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

The spiritual and real Baptism of the Spirit unites the Christian with Christ, and every Christian with every other true Christian. The Baptism of the Spirit happens to ALL CHRISTIANS. The Apostle said, “by one Spirit we were all baptized INTO ONE BODY”, and “have all been made to drink into one Spirit”.

Jesus gave us water baptism to show us what God does to us at the point of salvation. The text that we are studying today is one that I read from every time we do a water baptism. Water Baptism is an ordinance, not a sacrament. It is a command of Christ that shows us, just as the Lord’s Table shows us, a deeper truth few understand.

If You Are Saved, You Are Not What You Were

Romans 6:1-2 (KJV) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Some people believe that they were saved just to go to Heaven, that their salvation is just for a future event. That’s not Biblical. That is humanistic thinking, godless thinking, fleshly thinking. This is not the Way of the Master.

God saved us so that He could break us free from enslavement to sin. He redeemed us from the power of the flesh to walk in the Power of the Holy Spirit!

This was the prophecy of the Coming of Christ. “He shall SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS” (Matthew 1:21). The Apostle John said:

1 John 3:5 (ESV) You know that {Jesus} appeared in order to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin.

And again in Titus 2:14 (ESV) {Jesus} gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.

From the very beginning Satan sent agents into the Church, attempting to corrupt the Gospel of Salvation. These agents said, “Jesus died on the Cross so that you who believe on Him can freely sin without fear of retribution or punishment from God”. The Prophet Jude spoke of these devils, saying:

Jude 4 … (KJV) … there are certain men CREPT IN UNAWARES … UNGODLY MEN, TURNING THE GRACE OF OUR GOD INTO LASCIVIOUSNESS {works of the flesh}, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ …

It is these people whom Paul is addressing in our text.

Romans 6:1-2 (KJV) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid …

The Christian – born again and Baptized by the Holy Spirit – does not find sin satisfying. The Christian is dead to sin. We are told:

Romans 6:2 … How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Water Baptism reminds the believer that we are in union with Christ. Though the Christian can and does sin, we are “DEAD TO SIN”. Sin has no hold on us. It is part of the old, dead way of life we had before we came to Jesus.

Romans 6:3 (KJV) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Word Study: The day you are saved, you are “BAPTIZED INTO JESUS”. The Holy Spirit spiritually and eternally links your soul to Christ. You are IMMERSED {baptizō}, you are SUBMERGED, you are WASHED, you are CLEANSED by the Spirit in Jesus. When the Apostle addresses the Church at Corinth, he writes:

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NKJV) Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Word Study: The unbeliever is covered with sin. In contrast, the believer is apolouō, washed off, fully cleansed. The Baptism of the Spirit BAPTIZES US INTO JESUS CHRIST, fully identifying us with Jesus.

Water Baptism symbolizes the Baptism of the Spirit.

Romans 6:4 (KJV) 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.

Before we were saved we …

Ephesians 2:2 (KJV) WALKED ACCORDING TO THE COURSE OF THIS WORLD, according to the prince of the power of the air, the SPIRIT THAT NOW WORKETH IN THE CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE …

Before salvation, we walked with the darkness, and with the prince of darkness. Before salvation we focused on fulfilling the desires of our flesh. Now saved, we walk according to the Spirit of God.

We died with Jesus. We rise again with Jesus. We live for Jesus. We belong to Jesus.

Romans 6:5-6 (KJV) 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.

We are no longer servants of sin, but servants of the Living God.

If You Are Saved, Your Father Is Different

The Scripture does not teach the humanistic doctrine that there is a “General Fatherhood of God”. Our Lord Jesus was very specific when He addressed the unbeliever. He told the religious but unsaved Pharisee:

You are of YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL (John 8:44).

Our Lord taught that all of mankind is divided into two groups, the tares and the good seed:

Matthew 13:38-42 (KJV) The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; (39) The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. (40) As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. (41) The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; (42) And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The Christian is someone who was a child of wrath.

That was your state before you came to Calvary. On the day you saw yourselves as sinners in the hands of an angry God, sinners labeled by God as “Children of Wrath”, sinners in need of the Savior, you came to God on bended knee. Like the Philippian jailer you heard the Gospel of salvation and asked (Acts 16:30) “what must I do to be saved”? You heard the answer (Acts 16:31) “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” – and you believed in Him Who died for you on Calvary. Oh blessed Blood of Christ, how You cleansed me from all sin. Oh Precious Head now wounded, how you have washed us whiter than snow! On the day you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ your life changed, dear Christian. Before you were saved you were dead in trespasses and in sins:

Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins

Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

yet afterward you were made alive by the ever living and ever reigning Savior. By Grace ye have been saved. This is no symbolic salvation, no ritual, no pretend. Sin is no imaginary bogey man, but it is a real killing thing. The ancient Israelite sacrificed animal after animal, spilling blood that could only be a temporary covering for sin. Every shadow of the Old Covenant foretold of the day when Jesus Christ would come and, in a new and living way (Hebrews 10:20) Jesus would make offering for our sins. Unlike the shedding of animal blood the shedding of Christ’s Blood would be a permanent covering, a blotting out of the handwriting of ordinances against us. A real solution to our real monster would be given to all who believe in Him.

Saved by faith in the Gospel, Jesus baptizes us in the Holy Spirit. We are changed from children of this world to His people, purchased and prized possessions. Jesus said:

John 10:27-28 (KJV) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (28) And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Jesus calls His people “My sheep”. Break that down. First He said “My”. If you are saved, you belong to Jesus. As the Scripture says, “You are NOT your own – You are BOUGHT WITH A PRICE” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). You don’t belong to you. You belong to Jesus. Second, Jesus says that we are His “sheep”. He is the Shepherd, the Boss of us if we are saved. We follow the Shepherd.

And the Shepherd does not wallow in sin!

Romans 6:6-8 … knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him

If you are Christ’s possession, if you have given yourself to Him as Lord and Savior, neither sin nor death has any hold over you. Praise God! Heaven is the destination of the believer in Christ. Heaven in glory, and Heaven on this earth walking with Jesus.

Do you know Him? Oh Beloved, if you do not, may the Holy Spirit touch your hearts, and bring you from death to life this very day. Do not leave this place without Jesus. May God so secure your souls. Call upon the name of Jesus, surrendering to Him, and you shall be saved. Amen and Amen.

Posted in General, Romans, Sermons Preached | Tagged Baptism, Baptism of the Spirit, Following Christ, gospel, living for Jesus, Mere Christianity, Normal Christian Life, salvation, Spirit Works | Leave a comment

Doctrine Of Original Sin

Posted on November 24, 2024 by bibleteacherorg

Romans 5:12-17 (KJV) Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

Last week we looked at the Doctrine of Imputation. This is the Biblical teaching that shows us how Christ switched places with us by willingly going to the Cross of Calvary. The Apostle summarized this in:

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (NKJV) … we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

The Father allowed His Incarnate Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, a Person Perfect and Holy, only one of two people who have been without sin (Hebrews 4:15; 9:28), to BECOME SIN so that He could be punished in our place.

When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, resting fully on Him, God imputes righteousness, HIS righteousness, to our spiritual account. Abraham – the Father of Faith – met the pre-incarnate Jesus in Ur of the Chaldees (John 8:58), and the Bible tells us:

Romans 4:20-25 (NKJV) {Abraham} did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted {imputed} to him for righteousness.” 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.

When we believe the Father sent the Son to die to pay the penalty for our sins, and raised Jesus from the dead to lead and justify us, then God IMPUTES righteousness to us. This is fully a work of God. God looks at you differently once you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior because of Imputation.

Because of Imputation, the Holy Spirit can come to us and make us born again (John 3:3).
Because of Imputation, the Holy Spirit can indwell us permanently (John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Because of Imputation, we are changed in the Father’s eyes from sinners to Saints (1 Corinthians 6:11)
Because of Imputation, our destination in this life is changed from glory of self to glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Because of Imputation, our eternal destination is changed from eternal condemnation and hell fire to eternal glory with God in a Heavenly Mansion (John 14:3).

The Evangelist Billy Graham wrote:

“The moment we receive Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit and are given a new nature that contends with our old nature. By the old birth we are children of the flesh; by the new birth we are children of God.”

Today we’re going to look at the Doctrine that makes the Doctrine of Imputation necessary,

The Doctrine of Original Sin

Romans 5:12 (KJV) Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin

Only two people in all of human history were born perfect – and no, you’re not one of them! Jesus Christ was born into this world perfect. The Angel told Mary:

Luke 1:35 (ESV) The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

And the Angels told the Shepherds who watched their sheep in the field the night that Christ was born of the virgin:

Luke 2:11 (ESV) … unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Jesus was born of a virgin in fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). He was born perfect, without sin, as to be the Savior He must be without sin. The other perfect man was born not of a virgin, but of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). He was made perfect by God. We know this, because …

Our God Who is “holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8) looked at creation, complete with Man and Woman, and said “All that I have made is VERY GOOD” (Genesis 1:31).

God made man perfect, just as He made angels perfect and without sin. But God gave both angels and mankind the ability to choose. We were created with a freedom of will. When God made Adam and Eve, He gave mankind stewardship of the earth. God told the first couple:

Genesis 1:28 (ESV) … Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over {creation} …

Adam was given direction from God’s Word. God told him what He expected. God also told Adam:

Genesis 2:16-17 (ESV) … You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die …

Adam and Eve were created “VERY GOOD”, without sin, holy. Adam was given a specific, clear set of commands – and one negative command. What does the Bible tell us that Adam did?

Genesis 3:6 (NKJV) … {Eve} took of {the forbidden} fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

This is the “Original Sin” that brought sin and death into the world. Though Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, the Bible tells us that:

Romans 5:12 … by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin …

God did not create sin. Man created sin. God did not create darkness. The Bible says, “God is LIGHT, and IN HIM is NO DARKNESS AT ALL” (1 John 1:5). When God came to the malformed mess that was to become our world, the very first command God gave was “LET THERE BE LIGHT” (Genesis 1:3) “AND THERE WAS LIGHT”. God made Light before He ever made the Sun or moon or the stars. God is the Source of Light. Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, is the Source of Light. Jesus said:

John 8:12 (KJV) … I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life …

Man is the Source of darkness, of sin, of separation from God. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 15:45 (ESV) …it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

The first Perfect Man sinned against God. He didn’t commit murder. He didn’t commit adultery. Adam didn’t lie, or steal. But Adam disobeyed the clearly presented Word of God. God told Adam “in the day you eat of it, YOU SHALL SURELY DIE”. This is what happened:

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

The First Adam brought spiritual death on himself and on his wife and children. But not only this, Adam brought physical death on all of creation.

Because Adam transgressed the Word of God (do not eat the forbidden), he brought sin and death on the world. Next we are told:

Romans 5:13-14 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses …

The Bible tells us that “The wages of SIN is DEATH” (Romans 6:23). The God Who created all things did not “IMPUTE SIN” to people prior to the giving of the Law. Our God is fair. The people who died from “ADAM TO MOSES” died physical deaths because Adam brought physical death on all of his progeny. But where there is no Law, God does not take life. Sin created a ticking time bomb in everyone, but God allowed man freedom of choice. Humanity became worse and worse until God established Law through Noah, and later through Moses. Where God’s Word is spoken, this becomes Law by which sin is imputed. The Matthew Henry commentary notes:

“In proof of our union with Adam, and our part in his first transgression, observe, that sin prevailed in the world, for many ages before the giving of the law by Moses. And death reigned in that long time, not only over adults who wilfully sinned, but also over multitudes of infants, which shows that they had fallen in Adam under condemnation, and that the sin of Adam extended to all his posterity.”

Because Adam sinned, physical death comes to all. Because of Adam’s original sin, we are all born in trespasses and sin. As I have repeatedly told you for years now:

“all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)

We all need a Savior. We all need a Savior to save us from what Adam did, and to save us from ourselves! The First Adam in selfishness killed us all. But God sent a second Adam, without sin as Adam was once without sin, to be our Savior.

The Second Adam – Jesus Christ – Saves Us From Original Sin

Romans 5:15 But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

The “OFFENSE” brought universal sin and death to everyone. But the “FREE GIFT” that the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, brings is different. “through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God”. Adam’s sin brings automatic, involuntary, universal spiritual and physical death to all.

Word Study: On the other hand, the Second Adam, our Lord Jesus Christ, brings not death but “abound(ing) unto many”. The word translated “ABOUNDED” is the Greek perisseuō which means “to exceed in abundance, to overflow a measure, to excel above all else”. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you as Christians understand the application of this word. Jesus told us on the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:20 (KJV) I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall EXCEED (perisseuō) the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The Pharisees followed the Law of God perfectly. But Jesus said “You need a righteousness MUCH GREATER than that which the Pharisees have. As pure and perfect as they appear, their righteousness just doesn’t cut it with God”. What do you need to enter God’s Heaven, to be a part of God’s family?

You need the imputation of Christ’s righteousness. You need to believe in Jesus as both Lord and Savior. There is no “man made” righteousness that will get you to God. You need Jesus!

Romans 5:16-17 (KJV) And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. 17 For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

What God offers us through Jesus is called a “Gift” because it is something you cannot earn, something you cannot deserve, something you are not worthy to receive. The First Adam brought sin into the world, and DEATH REIGNED because of him. But Jesus, the second Adam, came into the world to free us from sin. We who have received Jesus have been given “abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness”. God sees you differently. You are no longer bound to Original Sin, but you are bound to God.

The lost are carbon based life forms bound to the flesh. They one day will be placed in a Lake of Fire that will trap them in their selfishness forever. The saved are Eternal Souls bound to God by Christ. We one day will leave our bodies to the earth, and soar in eternity with our Heavenly Father. We who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are Children of Light, not darkness. We are Ambassadors of Christ’s Kingdom, telling others to repent and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Romans 5:18-21 Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

The First Adam’s sin made people slaves to sin and death. The work of the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, freed us from sin and death so that we might follow God in this life, and in the life to come.

Dear friend, if you claim to be saved by Grace, but are not following the Light of God and doing His Word, then you are deceiving yourself. Your righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees.

Word Study: We are told that “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”. This is a fantastic statement. Whereas sin abounded, overflowed unto sin and death, the Grace of God “did much more abound”. This is the Greek hyperperisseuō, which means “to ABOUND BEYOND MEASURE” or “superabound”. The Apostle uses this word in only one other place in the Scripture, when he tells the Corinthian Church:

2 Corinthians 7:4 … I am EXCEEDINGLY {hyperperisseuō} joyful in ALL our TRIBULATION …

Knowing that trials and tribulation only prepared him for his future appointment with God in glory, the Apostle did not despair. His joy RAN OVER, was IMMEASURABLE, because he understood his place in the plan of God.

Do you? Is your hope in Jesus? Is your life in Christ? Do you live your life following the Master? In His is light, not darkness. My prayer is that every person, every professor of religion, everyone under the sound of my voice repent, turn from your dark way of life. Commit your life to Jesus, calling on Him to save you. Then live your life daily, reliant on Him. May God lead you to do so without delay.

Amen.

Posted in General, Romans, Sermons Preached | Tagged Calvary, Christ made sin, Following Christ, imputation, Jesus died for me, original sin, salvation | Leave a comment

Losing Your Soul

Posted on November 22, 2024 by bibleteacherorg

Proverbs 13:19 (KJV) The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil.

Desire Is Not Bad In The Right Context

Word Study:“DESIRE” is not a bad thing. The word translated “DESIRE” is the Hebrew ta’ăvâ which means “desires, wishes, longing for that which you do not have”. When used in a negative way, it can mean “lust or covetousness”.

God made humans with the ability to desire, to want something outside of ourselves.

When God made man and woman, the Bible says that God said “Let Us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let THEM have DOMINION over the earth” (Genesis 1:26). God gave man and woman the whole world and everything in it. Adam and Eve lacked nothing, but were told to dominate all creatures. God told them:

Genesis 1:28-29 (ESV) Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

Adam and Eve were to desire three things: one another, food, and to be good stewards of what God graciously gave them.

Adam and Eve were created with desires – needs that could only be fulfilled by relying on another. God gave Adam and Eve sexual desire, one toward another. Their desire was to be toward one another, which is the basis for Godly marriage. God demands that we direct our desires into Godly pathways.

Proverbs 5:18-20 (ESV) Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth. 19 As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love. 20 For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?

Sexual desire is fine, but only within the marital unit (one man, one woman). When you seek to fulfill desire outside of that union, this leads to evil. Thomas A. Tarrants of the C.S. Lewis Institute notes:

“The desires of one’s heart will determine the direction of one’s life and ultimately one’s eternal destiny. … Scripture shows us that desire is not inherently evil but is good or bad depending on whether it is God-centered or self-centered. God made us to be desiring creatures. His intention in doing so was for our desire to be focused upon Him and His will — for Him to be the freely chosen supreme love and desire of our hearts and the sole object of our worship and for His will to be our will. When our desires are God-centered, they are good and fulfill their intended role. But when they are self-centered, when our desires are captured by the things of the fallen world and the sinful nature (the flesh), they are evil. These have been called disordered loves.”

The fall of man came about because of misplaced desire. The devil is the Tempter, the one who whispers to our desires, trying to lead us away from the loving God Who made us. When Jesus was fasting in the wilderness prior to the beginning of His ministry,

“The TEMPTER came to Jesus and said, If You are the Son of God, command that these stones be made into bread” (Matthew 4:3).

Jesus was hungry – a normal human desire after 40 days of fasting – so the devil asked Jesus to make His own bread, to serve Himself rather than the Father Who sent Him. Jesus controlled His desire by quoting Scripture:

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God(Matthew 4:4).

As God become Man the Tempter sought to quote Scripture, to twist the Word of God, and to get the Son of God to live by the flesh and by self centeredness. This is where the devil always goes. He knows our desires, and offers us a way to be selfish and capitalize on our desires rather than desire God’s will. If we take the bait, we can easily be destroyed in our Communities, in our Churches, and in our Families. God tells us in The Shema, the Call To Hearing:

Deuteronomy 6:4 (Literally) Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord ALONE …

Our desires are not to be our gods, but the Lord ALONE is to be our God. When God spoke of King David, He called David “A man after My own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). Why did God regard David so? Because David understood that his foremost desire was to please the Lord Who saved him. David said:

Psalm 27:4 (ESV) One thing I have asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple

David’s desire was to focus on God, to meditate on God’s Word. There were times in David’s life when his desire went in an ungodly direction – and he suffered for it:

David’s desires led him to have an affair with another man’s wife, then have the man murdered in an attempt to cover up his evil ways. (2 Samuel 11-12)
David desires allowed pride to lift him up, and he numbered Israel and Judah (1 Chronicles 21)

David was punished for his sins, though he repented when confronted by the Prophet Nathan. Yet the consequences of his actions caused terrible repercussions in his family. God told David “the sword will never leave your house BECAUSE YOU DESPISED ME AND TOOK THE WIFE OF URIAH THE HETHITE TO BE YOUR WIFE” (2 Samuel 12:10). What was behind David’s egregious sins? We are told:

1 Chronicles 21:1 (NKJV) Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.

The Tempter comes to our desires, and strives to twist them to where we will do his bidding. When the Devil came to tempt Eve, the Bible says:

Genesis 3:6 (ESV) when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a DELIGHT {ta’ăvâ} to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

After the fall of mankind, God told Eve (and all women who are married) to direct your DESIRES to your husband.

Genesis 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

The wife should desire to follow the leading of her husband, and the husband should desire to give his life for his wife “just as Christ love the Church and gave Himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).

The Fool Refuses To Re-Train Desires

Proverbs 13:19 (KJV) The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil.

God made us with desires, but the wise person directs their desires Godward and not toward the flesh. When King David gave in to the wrong desire, and pursued the wife of another man, David became enslaved by what he started. In time the sinful path he started on made him look like a fool. The Apostle Paul warns us:

Romans 6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

Sin enslaves those who dabble in it. The Christian is told to turn away from any desire that does not glorify God, for misplaced desire leads to a destroyed sin riddled life. Again we read:

Romans 6:12-18 (ESV) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

“FOOLS” or unbelievers cling to sin, for they seek to satisfy their desires regardless as to what God has said.

The Christian is called to not just restrain, but to RE-TRAIN their desires godward. We submit to the Lordship of Christ. As my commentary notes:

“Yielding to the sinful desires of the fallen world results in disordered loves, which draw us away from wholehearted love for God and into idolatries of various kinds. These idolatries corrupt and distort our lives and take a heavy toll on us and our families.”

Again, the lost person or what the Bible calls “the FOOL” is enslaved to sin. They cannot see the truth of God’s Word, but only the god, the desires that rule them. When the Christian seeks to glorify God and His Kingdom, that person “lays up for themselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20, AP). Contract this to the Fool, of whom God says:

Proverbs 11:7 (ESV) When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too.

The desires that the lost chase in this life leads to nothing but anguish in the next life, coupled with eternal separation from God. How horrible to “gain the whole world, but lose your own soul” (Matthew 16:26)!

The Best Way To Control Desire Is To Choose Good Companions In Life

Proverbs 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Choose your companions carefully in life. God certainly expects the Christian to reach out to and share the Gospel with the lost.

We who are saved are called to be friendly with the lost, but NOT FRIENDS of the lost.

Matthew Henry in his commentary states, “Multitudes are brought to ruin by bad company. And all that make themselves wicked will be destroyed”. The Bible is very clear that believers are not to bind themselves together with unbelievers. The Apostle told the Church at Corinth – truly one of the most liberal and sin infused Churches of the ancient world:

1 Corinthians 15:33 (ESV) Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”…

Of course, the Corinthian believers didn’t listen to Paul in his first letter to them, so he wrote again:

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

The best way to destroy a Church is to lower the standards of righteousness so as to appeal to the unbeliever – then allow that unbeliever to “yoke” or join himself with that Church. Again, God wants us to reach out to all with the Gospel of Christ. But we must be careful lest we begin to compromise with the darkness, letting it rub off on our lives.

Our desire is to be toward our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are told:

a companion of fools shall be destroyed

A good example of this is found in the life of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Lot ignored the desires of God, and following his own heart ended up in Sodom.

Genesis 13:10 (NKJV) Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord

Lot did not desire God’s will for his life, but his own will. Was Lot a saved man? Yes, the Scripture says:

2 Peter 2:7 (ESV) … righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked …

Lot did not like the condition of Sodom, but he continued to hang out with and do business with the lost of Sodom. The Bible tells us that “Lot SAT IN THE GATE OF SODOM” (Genesis 19:1). This was where the business of the ancient world was conducted, “in the gate” (2 Samuel 19:8; 2 Kings 7:1, 18; Amos 5:12, 15). Lot knew that Sodom was horrendous with sexual sin, but he maintained a residence in that city, and routinely traded “in the gate”, because that satisfied his desire for prosperity. He should have known better. Yet Lot compromised his faith, and yoked himself to the godless.

When Sodom was destroyed, so was Lot’s family and Lot’s wealth.

Proverbs 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a COMPANION of fools shall be destroyed.

Lot, though saved by faith in God, made himself “a COMPANION of fools”, and as a result he lost everything. Walk with the wise. Walk with the Christian who lives their faith out loud. Other than to share Christ with them, avoid intimate contact with fools, the godless, the self serving and selfish.

God is watching you!

Proverbs 13:21 Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed.

Evil, like a wild animal, chases down and eventually destroys those who do not direct their desires Godward. Those who are righteous, however, will be blessed. The Bible tells us:

Proverbs 22:8 He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity …

and again,

Galatians 6:7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

We must control our desires, and point them Godward. If not, we lose our blessings in this life, and perhaps enjoy damnation in the next life. Adam was made the dominate the earth, not to be a slave of his sins. Let us look to Jesus, honoring Him. Let us crucify ourselves daily, making ourselves “living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1).

For the glory of God.
For the growth of Christ’s Kingdom.
For the good of God’s people.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Posted in Proverbs, Sermons Preached | Tagged crucified daily, desire, Following Christ, glorify God, Holiness, idolatry, living for Jesus, love, salvation | Leave a comment

Doctrine Of Imputation

Posted on November 18, 2024 by bibleteacherorg

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (2) By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (3) And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; (4) And patience, experience; and experience, hope: (5) And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

The Doctrine Of Imputation

I want to talk to you today about The Doctrine of Imputation. Unless you understand this Biblical truth, you will NEVER understand your salvation. We are able to “STAND in GRACE” (verse 2) before God because of imputation. The pattern for our salvation is Abraham, as we saw in the previous chapter. We are told in:

James 2:23 (KJV) … the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was IMPUTED {Greek logizomai} unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Word Study: Because Abraham believed God – following God where He led – God IMPUTED righteousness to him. The word translated “IMPUTED” is the Greek logizomai, which means “to reckon, to compute, to calculate, to make an account of, to number among”. The Bible tells us that God is holy, holy, holy. Though God is LOVE, the Bible never says that God is LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. Though God is MERCIFUL, the Bible never says that God is MERCIFUL, MERCIFUL, MERCIFUL. Likewise, God is all powerful. God is all knowing. These are the attributes, the characteristics of God. But God is not THRICE these things. The angels of God that Isaiah saw round about the Throne of God cried out:

Isaiah 6:3 (KJV) Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

And when John the Revelator saw the Throne of God, He saw the four angelic beings crying out:

Revelation 4:8 (KJV) Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

When we sing of God in our worship, we sing:

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

So how can we – fallen and broken creatures – find friendship with this God Who is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY? When Adam sinned, his action IMPUTED the sin of Adam to all of his children. The Bible says:

Romans 5:12-14 (NKJV) … just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned … death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned {as Adam did}…

Though we did not sin as Adam did (by eating the forbidden), sin was passed down to us. We sinned against God in other ways. God allowed us to temporarily cover our sins by animal sacrifices, and through those sacrifices showed us what Jesus would one day do for us. Jesus came to this earth to save those who have the imputation of Adam’s sin.

Jesus went to the Cross of Calvary, and while on that Cross God IMPUTED the punishment for our sins on Jesus.

Jesus was not a sinner as we are. He was born of a virgin, born pure and holy and without sin. The Bible says that Jesus was

“holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26). When Jesus went to the Cross, the Bible says:

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) … {God the Father} made {Jesus Christ} who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

God IMPUTED our sins to Jesus as He hung on that Cross. Though Jesus is one part of the HOLY, HOLY, HOLY that the angels sing of, God the Father put His Son on the Cross as if He were a sinner. And on Jesus our sins were poured out and judged.

Jesus had sin imputed to HIS person, so that the Father could impute righteousness to OUR persons. Our text again:

Romans 5:1-2 (KJV) Therefore being JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, we HAVE {Greek ECHO, έχω) PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH our Lord Jesus Christ.

Literally, “We keep on having and holding peace with God”. Our peace with God is not temporal, but eternal. Why? Because

GOD IMPUTED OUR SIN TO JESUS, SO HE COULD IMPUTE JESUS’ RIGHTEOUSNESS TO US.

We are told in:

Ephesians 2:14-16 (KJV) For {Jesus} is our peace, who hath MADE BOTH ONE {Jesus took unholy man, and united us with the God Who is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY}, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us {a reference to our sins}; Having ABOLISHED IN HIS FLESH THE ENMITY, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, HAVING SLAIN THE ENMITY thereby …

We were enemies of God before we came to Christ by faith. Adam’s sin IMPUTED to us set up a barrier between us and God. But because of Jesus, because He gave His sinless life for us, the Father IMPUTES RIGHTEOUSNESS TO US. We are told in:

Colossians 1:19-23 (ESV) For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard …

We are made right with God BECAUSE OF CHRIST, because His righteousness is IMPUTED TO OUR SPIRITUAL ACCOUNT. Before Christ we were enemies of God, reveling in and enjoying sinfulness and wickedness. After Christ we are new creatures. We are reconciled to God. But now hear these words. We are reconciled to God:

Colossians 1:23 (ESV) …if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard

Those who are saved by God, by faith in Christ, will CLING to Jesus. Our hope is not in us, in our flesh, in our abilities. Our hope is in God.

We Stand In This Grace, Even When The Bad Stuff Happens!

Romans 5:3 … And not only so, but we GLORY IN TRIBULATIONS also…

Word Study: The word translated “GLORY” is the Greek kauchaomai, which means “to REJOICE, to CELEBRATE, to BOAST”. This same word is used in verse 11:

Romans 5:11 And not only so, but we also JOY {kauchaomai} in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

We CELEBRATE the fact that God is not our Enemy, but our Friend. We PRAISE GOD that He is our Father, not our Punisher. As Paul writes in another place,

1 Corinthians 1:31 (KJV) … He that GLORIETH, {kauchaomai} let him GLORY {kauchaomai} in the Lord.

When we think about what Jesus did for us on the Cross, that our sins were IMPUTED to Him so that His righteousness could be IMPUTED to us, we CELEBRATE. There is much to celebrate in what Jesus did. But the Apostle says that …

we who are saved “GLORY IN TRIBULATIONS also”

We don’t GROAN. We don’t GRIT our teeth. We don’t GRUMBLE. We GLORY. We BOAST. We CELEBRATE. Why in the world would ANYBODY CELEBRATE TRIALS? Let me put it this way.

Preach this: God did a TREMENDOUS THING for you when He IMPUTED righteousness to your life. You are saved because the righteousness of Jesus is imputed to you. But God doesn’t stop there. God wants you to BE LIKE JESUS. He wants you to be a SON or a DAUGHTER of Heaven. So God sends trials, just as He sent trials to Abraham. Trials SHAPE and PROVE your faith. Those who can be MOVED from faith by a trial were NEVER SAVED IN THE FIRST PLACE. Jesus made this clear in the Parable of the Sower:

Matthew 13:19-21 (ESV) When any one hears the WORD OF THE KINGDOM {The Gospel} … {if he receive} the SEED on stony places, this is he who HEARS THE WORD and immediately RECEIVES IT WITH JOY, YET HAS NO ROOT IN HIMSELF, but endures ONKLY FOR A WHILE. For WHEN TRIBULATION OR PERSECUTION ARISES BECAUSE OF THE WORD, immediately he stumbles….

Trials prove our faith. When trials come to the fleshly religious person, that person focuses on the trial rather than on the Trier. God sends trials our way to shape us. Read the text again:

Romans 5:3-5 (KJV) we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed

God did the greatest thing He could do for us on the Cross. When tried, we know that the trial has a purpose. TRIBULATIONS work out in our lives and make us MORE PATIENT. We wait upon God when tried.

When Joseph was cast in a pit, and later falsely accused, he patiently endured, trusting God. In time God used the trials to make him second in command of a world empire called Egypt.

When Noah was told to build an Ark, he patiently did so for 120 years, enduring the mocking and ridicule of his neighbors. In time God awarded Noah, saving his family and the entire world through him.

When Daniel was enslaved to Babylon, he patiently served God. When his prayer life got Daniel thrown in a lion’s den, he patiently looked up. In time, his enemies were destroyed, and Daniel became the chief wise man in three kingdoms.

When David was anointed King of Israel, he patiently played a harp for the man he would replace. Though Saul sought his life, David patiently looked to God, and eventually was elevated from the field watching sheep to the Kingdom of Judah.

Trials bring patience. But “patience brings experience”. As you, like the Hebrew Children Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are tried and accused, the Christian learns to look toward God no matter how bad the trial. When told the bow down to the King’s godlike statue, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego told King Nebuchadnezzar:

Daniel 3:17-18 (AP) O Nebuchadnezzar, our God is able to deliver us from your fiery furnace. If He wants to, He will. BUT even if He does not deliver us, WE WILL NOT BOW DOWN to nor serve your false gods, nor worship that golden statue!

Those who are saved do not focus on the trial, nor on the fire or even the heat of the fire. Those who are saved FOCUS ON JESUS. Those who are NOT saved will quickly crumble under the strain of the trial, but the Christ follower will be REFINED by the trial.

You “experience” the presence or absence of God in the trials of life. Presence if you are saved. Absence if you are not.

As you EXPERIENCE the presence of God, dear Christian, we see:

Romans 5:4 … and experience {leads to}, HOPE …

As the Christ follower clings to the Master, we experience the love of God in our hearts.

Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

When the Christ follower is going through trials, we look to Jesus. As we look the Jesus the Holy Spirit of God comes along side of us, and fills our hearts with the love of God. Jesus called the Holy Spirit “The Comforter”. When you are at your weakest, dear Christian, look to Jesus. Cast every burden on Jesus. And the Comforter will come alongside of you, and sustain you through the trial.

Salvation Is A Sweet Surrender To Jesus

Romans 5:6-8 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

When we were lost and totally without hope, Jesus Christ gave Himself for us. God comes to us in our helplessness and saves us. God comes to us in our helplessness after salvation, and shapes us. Because each believer is a purchased possession of God, because Jesus Christ as our Federal Head has stood in our place and paid the penalty that we should have paid, because His righteousness is imputed or credited to our account – then we know that tribulations come to increase the bond between the son and the Father.

Tribulations (pressing together, oppression, distress, affliction) are the hands of the Potter pressing in on this vessel of clay.

Illustrate Do you glory in tribulations? Do you praise God when times of suffering come? Perhaps you do not because you fail to understand that that which God has imputed to you – His righteousness – is also that which He wants to impress upon you. That which has been imputed to you is that which God – through His sanctifying hand – wants to form in you. Salvation does not come by your works, but once you are saved it is God’s desire to work through you.

The silversmith must carefully hold that which he is firing in the flame. His steady hand feels the heat that the silver goes through. His watchful eye watches dross rise to the top as the silver is tried. When the silversmith can see his face in the molten metal he knows that it is purified. When God sees His face in you He knows that the trials of life have done their work. Tribulation worketh patience, patience brings experience, and experience brings hope.

How foolish for the Christ follower to fear the trial! Our Lord Jesus said:

Matthew 10:28-31 (NKJV) And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

The Christ follower who focuses on the tribulation rather than the God Who saved us is in collusion with Satan. Worry, fretting, anxiety are the devil’s greatest tools. Believers in Christ should expect tribulation as God works in our lives. Our souls are saved from eternal punishment, and Heaven is our home. We know, as did the Apostles, that trials make us more like Jesus. We read:

2 Corinthians 4:7-10 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

There is a reason for your trials. Your trials, dear Christian, prove your faith. Your trials shape your faith. Your trials make you more like Jesus.

The little Church at Macedonia (2 Corinthians 8:1-4) was tried, given much trials. Rather than break the church down, the trials built it up. Though the poorest of all the local Churches, Macedonia gave the most to the Lord and the Apostles. Why? They knew that – no matter what might come – God was overseeing their trials and God was in control!

Do you belong to Jesus? If so, trials are not your enemy, but your friend. They prove your faith. I pray that you are Christ’s, and Christ is yours. Amen.

Posted in General, Romans, Sermons Preached | Tagged Following Christ, God Is Faithful, Jesus Christ, salvation, trials | Leave a comment

Being Faithful Ambassadors

Posted on November 15, 2024 by bibleteacherorg

Proverbs 13:16 Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.

Christians Do Not Make Their Own Truths

One of my favorite Presidents was Ronald Reagan. I never thought he was much of an actor (I liked John Wayne or Clint Eastwood), but he made a great president. He knew how to say things gently, humorously, and in a way that even made his enemies laugh. During one speech he said:

“Anytime we question the schemes of the do-gooders, we’re denounced as being against their humanitarian goals. They say we’re always against things, we’re never for anything. Well, the trouble with our liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant, it’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.”

You might not have liked Reagan, but I liked how he gently said things, but clung to the truth. Truth is not malleable. Truth is absolute, just like gravity. You can, by human invention, go against gravity as you go against truth. But truth will be truth no matter what you believe. I saw a picture on the internet the other day where a woman – obviously overweight – was standing and looking down at a calculator. The calculator was set to the numbers 130, and the caption on the picture read “create your own truth”. You can believe yourself to be 130 pounds, and pretend that you’re standing on scales if you want. But the reality is you weigh what you weigh. If your chromosomes are XY, you can pretend you’re a woman – but you are a man. If your chromosomes are XX, you can pretend that you are a man – but you’re a woman. Facts are facts and truth is truth.

Every PRUDENT man dealeth with knowledge

The British Nonconformist (Protestants who rejected the state Church of England) Minister Matthew Henry wrote in his commentary:

“The rule by which the wise regulate their conduct, is a fountain yielding life and happiness. The way of sinners is hard upon others, and hard to the sinner himself. The service of sin is slavery; the road to hell is strewed with the thorns and thistles that followed the curse. It is folly to talk of things of which we know nothing, and to undertake what we are no way fit for. Those that are wicked, and false to Christ and to the souls of men, do mischief, and fall into mischief; but those that are faithful, find sound words healing to others and to themselves.”

Word Study: The “PRUDENT” person is the Hebrew ʿārûm (pro. Aw-room’) means “the shrewd, sensible, or crafty”. This word is first used in the Bible for the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, which we are later told is actually a personification of Satan, the fallen arch-angel (Revelation 12:9; 20:2). When Satan came into the Garden of Eden, he studied the facts that were established by God. He then determined how to subvert Adam, to get him to go against the facts and into the folly of sin.

The “PRUDENT” or sensible person looks at and understands the facts, the truth at hand. The “FOOL” on the other hand ignores the facts, and bases his or her actions on feelings or folly. One Commentary notes:

“In life, wisdom is an asset that shapes how we navigate decisions and interactions. The nature of our actions often reflects our understanding and discernment. A knowledgeable individual will act based on informed reasoning rather than impulsive feelings, showcasing wisdom in their responses. Conversely, those lacking such insight may display foolish behavior, undermining their potential to achieve meaningful outcomes.”

It is sad when children must be separated from their law breaking parents. It hurts our hearts to see it. But to violate the Law of the land is a criminal act – and one that is forbidden by the Scripture. The Bible says:

Romans 13:1-2 (ESV) Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

Illustrate: In 2019 a Border Agent was being questioned by a member of a House Oversight Committee on child separation from those who illegally enter the United States. When pressed on the policy of “family separation”, Agent Tom Homan said, “In any criminal arrest, if the criminal has a child they are separated from the parent. If I get arrested for DUI and I have a young child in the car, I will be separated (from my child). If I am arrested for domestic violence, I will be separated from my child.” Entering the United States illegally – without going through a port of entry – is a violation of statute 1911.8 U.S.C. 1325. As citizens we do not violate the Law of our land. As citizens of the Kingdom of God, Christians obey the Law.

The Word of God establishes the groundwork of knowledge that the prudent or sensible person follows.

But a FOOL layeth open his folly.

The “FOOL” is the person who rejects authority, rejects God ordained leadership beginning with God. God says:

Psalm 14:1 (KJV) The FOOL hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

Those who reject authority reject the absolute state of TRUTH. These people are ANARCHISTS. They want their way, their truth, regardless as to what actually is real. As we read in the previous chapter:

Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

The “FOOL” or the confused lost person who rejects any higher authority but themselves will not heed reason. They are always right “in their own eyes”. It is best to not argue with the “FOOL”, but to pray for them, BUT get as far away from them as is possible. Foolishness destroys nations, communities, and churches. Moses led the Israelites as God directed him to do. When Korah rose up to subvert the leadership of Moses (Numbers 16:1-3), Moses asked God to vindicate him. Let’s read what happened as you turn with me to …

Numbers 16:20-35 (NKJV) And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 21 “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” 22 Then they {Moses and Aaron} fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and You be angry with all the congregation?” {Moses and Aaron interceded for the Congregation, the Church} 23 So the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’ ” 25 Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.” 27 So they got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little children. 28 And Moses said: “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. 29 If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord.” 31 Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. 33 So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. 34 Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up also!” 35 And a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.

God’s Kingdom is built on God’s truth, not on our feelings. The “PRUDENT” or sensible person heeds God’s Word, and follows Godly leadership as long as that leadership is following God. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV) FOLLOW my example, as I FOLLOW the example of Christ.

Stay True To What God Has Said

Proverbs 13:17 A WICKED MESSENGER falleth into mischief: but a FAITHFUL AMBASSADOR is health.

We live in a day where “Tolerance” is the most important thing, in a day where God’s truths are being sold for popularity. This verse contrasts the “WICKED MESSENGER” with the “FAITHFUL AMBASSADOR”. An “AMBASSADOR” is a foreigner living in a country not his own, but that foreigner represents his country. Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.

2 Corinthians 5:30 (ESV) Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Ambassadors are not self-appointed, but are appointed by a sovereign King or President. Jesus appointed us who are Christians as Ambassadors when He gave us the Great Commission:

Matthew 28:20 (NKJV) {You are to be} … teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you

Ambassadors do not create their own policies, but are given instruction in written form. The Ambassador adheres to the directives sent from the sovereign nation. We adhere to the Bible and its teachings, whether the world agrees or not.

Ambassadors are often at odds with the country they are deployed to. The Bible says that every Christian is temporarily in this world, but …

Philippians 3:20 (NIV) … our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ

The “WICKED MESSENGER” lives for his or her self, putting their flesh above the needs and directives of their sending Kingdom. The “FAITHFUL AMBASSADOR” lives not for themselves, but for their nation and their Leader. The Christian is called to:

Colossians 1:10 (ESV) so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

Jesus warned us that living for Him would be costly (Luke 14:26-33). The Apostle writes:

Ephesians 6:19-20 {Pray for me} that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Ambassadors do not treat insults to themselves personally, but remember that they represent a greater nation. The world we live in is powered by darkness. We as Christ’s Ambassadors represent the LIGHT OF GOD, which stands in opposition to the darkness. Our Lord Jesus told us:

Matthew 5:11-12 (NKJV) Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The great Puritan Preacher Jonathan Edwards wrote in his book “Charity and Its Fruits”:

“Men that have their spirits heated and enraged and rising in bitter resentment when they are injured act as if they thought some strange thing had happened to them. Whereas they are very foolish in so thinking for it is no strange thing at all but only what was to be expected in a world like this. They therefore do not act wisely that allow their spirits to be ruffled by the injuries they suffer.”

When God created this world He created LIGHT, not darkness. God said “Let there be Light”, and there was light. Though God recognized the darkness as “night”, He did not create the darkness.

Christ’s children are to imitate Him, to be LIGHT. Our job is to represent the Kingdom of God on earth, and to imitate Christ in so doing. One article I read noted:

“Our Lord was slandered and falsely accused of all kinds of offenses, but He opened not His mouth in protest (Isaiah 53:7). Like a lamb, He accepted these vitriolic attacks, and, in the very moment of His passion, He prayed for the forgiveness of those who were attacking Him (Luke 23:34). This is how we are called to react to our enemies (1 Peter 4:13). Therefore, every false accusation, every slander, every ill word spoken about me is an opportunity for me to grow in my sanctification.”

When the Ambassador is recalled to his country, this is tantamount to a declaration of war. There will come a day when Christ will call His Church to Himself from this earth. At that time, the Great Tribulation will begin, a terrible time on the face of the earth. Until that time comes, the Ambassador is to speak the Gospel and uphold the Word of God in the way we live our lives. The Wicked Messenger will twist the Gospel and/ or the Word of God, seeking to remove the elements of the Kingdom Message that are repugnant to this world. The Apostle told the Church at Galatia:

Galatians 1:6-9 (NKJV) … I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

It is a Wicked Messenger that will preach Grace without Repentance, Salvation without Sanctification, Heaven without New Birth, Resurrection without the Cross, or Christianity without Christ.

We are called to be Faithful Ambassadors, just as Jesus is the “Faithful and True Witness” (Revelation 1:5; 3:14). Christ left us on this earth to represent Him and His Kingdom. We cannot earn nor deserve our salvation, but we can honor Jesus by faithfully sharing the Gospel of the Kingdom to whosoever will.

Proverbs 13:18 Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.

You cannot be a Faithful Ambassador if you will not LISTEN TO THE DIRECTIVES OF THE KINGDOM. The Faithful Ambassador reveres the Word of God, and fears the King of Kings. The Prophet wrote:

Isaiah 33:5-6 (NKJV) The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. 6 Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength of salvation; The fear of the Lord is His treasure.

The Wicked Messenger cares only for themselves, not for the Kingdom. They bring “MISCHIEF” and trouble on the land. God told Israel:

Jeremiah 6:12-15 (NKJV) I will stretch out My hand Against the inhabitants of the land,” says the Lord. 13 “Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is given to covetousness; And from the prophet even to the priest, Everyone deals falsely. 14 They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace. 15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the Lord.

The Faithful Ambassador brings HEALTH, blessing to the world around him, whereas the WICKED MESSENGER brings mischief and trouble. Let us strive to live for Christ’s Kingdom – and for the future of America. There are only two choices, light or darkness. Let us live for the LIGHT, being Faithful Ambassadors. Amen and Amen.

Posted in Proverbs, Sermons Preached | Tagged ambassadors, ambassadors for Christ, building the Kingdom, Following Christ, Kingdom of God, living for Jesus | Leave a comment

At Peace Or In Crisis?

Posted on November 12, 2024 by bibleteacherorg

Romans 5:1-3 THEREFORE being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also …

Do You Have PEACE, Or Are You In CRISIS?

Our text begins with “THEREFORE”. When you read your Bible and encounter the word “THEREFORE”, you should ask yourself,

“What is it THERE FOR?”

This “THEREFORE” is pointing backwards to what we learned about Abraham last week. Abraham is called “our father”, because his life is the pattern of saving faith. The Bible says,

Romans 4:3 (AP) … Abraham BELIEVED GOD, and HIS BELIEF was counted or IMPUTED unto him for righteousness …

God came to a broken man, and called him to follow Him, to be a follower of Christ. Abraham followed. He believed in Jesus, and followed Jesus – even when he did not understand where he was going or what he was going through. Abraham was saved by believing in Jesus (John 8:58). Abraham was saved apart from ritual, apart from Church, apart from Law, apart from good works, apart from any human agency whatsoever. Abraham cast his broken life on Jesus, and followed the Great Shepherd where ever He led.

Period.

God imputed or accounted righteousness to Abraham. God covered Abraham’s sins with His hands, which would one day be nailed to a cross on Calvary.

When Jesus Christ – God’s Only Begotten Son – ministered on this earth He did two things throughout that ministry. Jesus preached the “Gospel of the Kingdom and healed all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23).

The only people who ever met Jesus and went away unchanged were those who rejected His help. Unlike Abraham, they would not follow Jesus in faith.

The Pharisees – in love with themselves and in love with self righteousness – were the greatest persecutors of the Lord. They found fault with Jesus because He spent time reaching out to “publicans and sinners”. Jesus told these self deceived people:

Matthew 9:12-13 (KJV) … They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. {13} …. I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Jesus is not looking for numbers. He doesn’t care if you “Like” Him on Facebook or Instagram. Jesus is looking for BROKEN SOULS that will follow Him.

Illustrate: No one goes to a doctor when they are well, but when they’re sick. When someone goes to a doctor they do what the doctor says if they want to get well. We go to the doctor’s office and take off our clothes. We then sit on a little metal cold table in a little cold room in this state of undress until the doctor comes in. He says “stick out your tongue” and we comply. He says “cough” and we do it. We want to get better, so we do what the doctor says. The Pharisees, the self righteous Scribes, and the rulers of Jesus’ day didn’t know that they were sick, so they rejected the doctor. They refused to hear Jesus. They loved themselves and thought they were right with God, but for all their good works they were at war with the Almighty. A disease called sin ate not only on their bodies, but also ate on their souls.

Those who refused to give themselves to Jesus, to follow Him, were sincere in what they were doing. They thought they were doing right, but they weren’t. They were in CRISIS.

What they did, they did apart from God. They thought they belonged to God, but were deceived, because they would not follow Jesus. God told us previously:

Romans 3:24-25 (NKJV) being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood …

The only Person God has ever “set forth” as a means to Himself is “Christ Jesus”. Those who claim to be “Christian” but are NOT Christ FOLLOWERS are not God’s Children.

The Scribes & Pharisees & Priests refused to follow Jesus. They refused to believe His testimony, and refused to surrender to His leading. Jesus told them:

John 5:39-40 (KJV) Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. {40} And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Jesus was clear in what He said. “Look in the Scriptures – and I am there. The Scriptures testify of Me. The Bible told you that I was coming, and now that I am here you will not hear Me.” Dear friends, the Bible says that there are many who, like those Pharisees, they will not come to Jesus. The Scripture says:

John 3:18-19 (KJV) He that believeth on {Jesus} is not CONDEMNED: but he that believeth not is CONDEMNED already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. {19} And this is the CONDEMNATION, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Word Study:The word rendered “CONDEMNED” in verse 18 is the Greek word “krinō” which means “to be under the judgment of God as a criminal”. If you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior you are not under the adverse judgment of God, for God applies the work of Christ to your soul. Your status changes from criminal of Heaven to citizen of God’s Kingdom because of Jesus. BUT …The word “CONDEMNATION” in verse 19 is a different Greek word, one you are familiar with. It is the word “KRISIS”. This word is pronounced like CRISIS but beginning with a “K”.

Without Jesus, You Are In CRISIS!

The big CRISIS everyone is upset about today is the election results. I have never seen so many people crying, throwing tantrums, screaming, making threats, promising revolution – any manner of weird and childlike – yes, like a 6 year old child – threats. Why is this? Because their faith is not in Jesus Christ, but in a god of this world. Misplaced faith brings a crisis. And before anyone in this room begins to feel superior,

If YOUR candidate had lost, and the OTHER candidate had won, if the tables were switched, would YOU being throwing tantrums too?

I said this before the election, and I’ll say it again. Regardless as to who won the Presidency, the Senate, and the House, Jesus Christ will still be on the Throne! It is Jesus Christ Who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords (1 Timothy 6:15). It is God Who is ultimately in control. It is in Christ we who are His put our faith, not in the gods of this world. The great “CRISIS” in America today is not inflation, high interest rates, the borders of our country, the increasing gas prices, nor global warming. The great “CRISIS” according to God is that “Light came into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light”. The great “CRISIS” is that many would rather hold on to their sins than bow their knee to the Lord Jesus.

You can only have peace with God THROUGH our LORD Jesus Christ. The CRISIS is that people today want to be cured, but don’t want to take the Cure. If you want to be cured from sin and to find peace with God you can only do this through our Lord Jesus Christ. You must come to Him, surrendering yourselves to Him. Those who put aside their pride and came to Jesus were changed when they walked on this earth, and they will be changed now. Lay down your lives at His feet, and He will give you true life.

We Need To Be Aligned Spiritually With God

Romans 5:1 (KJV) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

You cannot have peace with God before you are justified. To be “justified” is to be brought into spiritual alignment with God.

Before a person surrenders their lives to Jesus Christ they follow one of two Biblical patterns. We either act like Pharisees, that self righteous crowd who felt that they were good enough in their own power to please God, or else we act like Sadducees, the liberal crowd that only accepted the portions of the Scripture that they liked. Nothing has changed from the beginning of the world unto today. We may have …

cars instead of carts
motorboats instead of paddle boats
electricity instead of kerosene and candles
calculators instead of fingers and toes
television & internet instead of common sense

… but humanity has not changed one little bit. As God tells us in

Ecclesiastes 1:9, “there is no new thing under the sun”. Unchanged man never changes. We may develop greater technology, but at heart we are born into this world self righteous Pharisees and Herodians, or liberally humanistic Sadducees and Scribes. We easily see other people’s shortcomings but never see our own.

Illustrate: We’re like the woman who said: “I don’t know what this world is coming to. Someone broke into my house and stole all my Holiday Inn towels!”

Apart from Christ we are at war with God. He is truly righteous, but we are naturally not. He is holy, we are filled with holes. He is always good and giving, but we are always grasping.

The Devil’s great trick is not to make us more evil, but to make us worship the wrong gods.

We cannot justify ourselves, but the devil convinces us we can do so. The Devil promised Jesus riches and fame, power and world domination. Jesus told that fallen critter:

Matthew 4:10 (AP) …. Get away from Me, Satan! The Bible says, “You shall WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, and YOU SHALL ONLY SERVE HIM”.

The devil offers us substitutes for Jesus. He says “You are good enough. Follow another god, not the God of the Scripture”. But The Bible tells us:

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

When we believe on Jesus, following Him as Abraham followed Him, God considers us spiritually aligned with Himself. He imputes or credits righteousness to us for Christ’s sake. We cannot justify ourselves. The Scripture says:

Romans 8:33 (NKJV) … It is God who justifies.

God must justify or declare a person righteous. God alone is always right, always righteous. We are not always right, no matter what you might think. The Bible says that all of us are naturally sinners, naturally wrong, and naturally apart from God. God must supersede our natural wrongness.

We can’t make ourselves right by doing good religion (like the Pharisees) or by doing good acts of humanism (like the Sadducees). These are false gods. We must surrender to and follow Jesus.

All have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). God must intervene – and He has through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. The Scripture says that God did not arbitrarily justify people, but that Jesus “was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25).

Jesus paid the penalty that we couldn’t pay to give us a righteousness that we couldn’t earn. God is eternal. Every sin committed against God brings an eternal punishment. Yet we are but mortals. How can we pay for our sins? We cannot. We must believe what the Bible says. We must surrender our lives – our very intellect – to the truth that Jesus was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification.

Grace is free, but it’s not cheap. Grace cost God the Father the life of His Only Begotten Son.

Grace caused Jesus Christ our Lord to hang, naked and bleeding, before a jeering crowd as He cried out under the weight of our sin. Grace costs the believer everything as he lays his life down at the foot of the Cross. Jesus Christ died for our sins, and was raised again for our justification. Jesus alone made full payment for the sins of “whosoever will”.

So many “Christians” miss the glory of the Christian life because they refuse to surrender their lives to the Lord.

They think that they can work their way to God, or be good enough to get to God. They miss the miracle of new birth because they – like all Pharisees – hold on to the Law with one hand while trying to please God with the other. We cannot please God until we submit to His resources. We must deny the flesh and submit to the Spirit. We must give our lives to Jesus Christ, so He can give life to us.

Romans 8:5-8 (KJV) For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. {6} For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. {7} Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. {8} So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Those who follow the gods of this world – the flesh – “CANNOT PLEASE GOD”. The power of our salvation is in Jesus Christ, not in our own strength. We follow Jesus, just as Abraham followed Jesus. We are flawed in our following, but we follow knowing that in Him and Him alone is life. By Jesus …

Romans 5:2 … we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

We “STAND” in Grace. We “REJOICE in hope of the glory of God”. We know that God is faithful, and will do as He has said He will do.

Those who worship the gods of the flesh, whether it be politics, money, fame, whatever, those gods shall fall. But our God shall never fall. As Christ followers we do not despair.

Christians do not live in CRISIS. We live looking toward the CROSS. We follow the CHRIST no matter what comes our way.

Whatever “Faith” You Have Will Be Tested

Romans 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also …

What is the difference between the Christ Follower who, like Abraham, keeps their eyes on Jesus, and the “Christian” who has put their faith in the flesh?

When someone turns off the lights, the Christ Follower gives GLORY TO GOD. The “Christian” has tantrums, pity parties, and relying on the flesh literally goes all to pieces. They have no peace with God. The Bible says:

“WE (Christ Followers) GLORY IN TRIBULATIONS”

Word Study: The word translated “TRIBULATIONS” is the Greek thlipsis, which means “afflictions, troubles, anguish, persecution, something that presses down on our spirits and our bodies”. Jesus warned His followers that “they shall deliver you up to be AFFLICTED” (thlipsis). Those who follow Christ can expect the pains and failures of this world, but also the attacks of the darkness. Those who profess to be “Christian” but who are yet in the flesh “have no root in themselves. They endure for a while, but when affliction (thlipsis) comes they are offended – and leave the faith” (Mark 4:17; Matthew 13:21). The heretic Charles Darwin, the inventor of that idiocy we call human evolution, was once a minister of the Gospel. There are other people, pastors and ministers, who look “Christian” but are not Christ followers.

How you respond to trials and tribulations proves whether you are a born again Christ follower, or a follower of the flesh.

When I was younger I read a book written by Corrie Ten Boom called “The Hiding Place”. As Christ followers, Corrie and her family hid persecuted Jews from the Nazis during that terrible time called the Holocaust. When Corrie and her family were discovered they were all imprisoned. Her father and her sister Betsy died in prison. Corrie was supposed to be executed by the Gestapo, but due to a “clerical error” was released. Corrie remarked,

“God does not have problems. Only plans.”

Before she left this life in 1983 to be with Jesus, Corrie wrote:

“Often I have heard people say, ‘How good God is! We prayed that it would not rain for our church picnic, and look at the lovely weather!’ Yes, God is good when He sends good weather. But God was also good when He allowed my sister, Betsie, to starve to death before my eyes in a German concentration camp. I remember one occasion when I was very discouraged there. Everything around us was dark, and there was darkness in my heart. I remember telling Betsie that I thought God had forgotten us. ‘No, Corrie,’ said Betsie, ‘He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word:

“For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him.”

“There is an ocean of God’s love available—there is plenty for everyone. May God grant you never to doubt that victorious love – whatever the circumstances.”

God did the greatest thing He could do for you at the Cross and the empty Tomb. Would God save you, dear believer, then abandon you to the darkness? Absolutely not! We have peace with God. We who follow Jesus are God’s Children. No good Father will abandon His children. We are “His Workmanship” (Ephesians 2:10). God is at work in our lives through tribulations and tests, making us more like Jesus. Our faith is not in our flesh, but in Him, the Spirit of God. Our hope is not in fallen man, but in Perfect Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Do you know Him? Are you following the flesh, or the Holy Spirit? Oh Beloved, whether you follow the god of the world, or the God of the Bible, you will be tried. Whether you prosper, whether you grow, or crash and burn – depends on where your faith is.

My faith is in Jesus Christ, and in the promises of this glorious Bible. How about you? May God pierce your heart with His glorious Gospel. Amen.

Posted in Romans, Sermons Preached | Tagged "Christian" or Christ follower?, false faith, Following Christ, God Is Faithful, gospel, Jesus Christ, salvation | Leave a comment

Cherish God’s Word

Posted on November 7, 2024 by bibleteacherorg

Proverbs 13:10 Only by PRIDE {zāḏôn} cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.

The source of man’s fall from Paradise, the source of every war or division in the history of mankind is “PRIDE”.

Word Study: The word used for “PRIDE” here is the Hebrew {zāḏôn}, which means “pride, insolence, presumptuousness, arrogance”. Pride always looks for something shinier and prettier than the glory of God, and seeks to secure it for oneself. My commentary notes:

“The word translated “insolence” comes from a Hebrew verb literally meaning “to boil.” This suggests a kind of inward, bubbling pride that refuses to learn anything from anybody … An insolent person is a contentious, know-it-all, egotistical individual with a superior attitude. He is quick to quarrel and unwilling to agree with anyone with a different view. Such persons create a great deal of drama but accomplish little else.

The Apostle advises us:

Titus 3:9-11 (NKJV) But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. 10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.

When someone in their arrogance has their heart and mind hardened to any discussion, to any other thought than what pumps up their self, the Apostle said to REJECT THAT DIVISIVE PERSON. Love them, but do not spend time in argument with them. They will deflect and find fault, and in short do anything and say anything in order to cause you to lose your composure.Get away from that person before they draw you into their web.This is akin the what the Scripture says:

Proverbs 26:4 (NKJV) Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him.

Proverbs 13:10 Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.

Word Study: The person who is “WELL ADVISED” {yāʿaṣ} is the person open to receiving counsel from various others, then reaching your own conclusion. In our day Satan has taken over the airwaves, leading reporters and social media activists to spout either far right or far left propaganda. In chapter six of Adolf Hitler’s book Mein Kampf he explained how he used propaganda to manipulate the German people. He wrote:

“The function of propaganda is, for example, not to weigh and ponder the rights of different people, but exclusively to emphasize the one right which it has set out to argue for. Its task is not to make an objective study of the truth, in so far as it favors the enemy, and then set it before the masses with academic fairness; its task is to serve our own right, always and unflinchingly.”

Our greatest Advisor if God. The well advised or well counseled person will examine all worldly “truths” through the lens of God’s Holy Word. God has given us His Holy Spirit to not only SAVE us, but to SANCTIFY us with the truths of God. Jesus said:

John 17:17 Sanctify them by Your Truth. Your Word, dear Father, is Truth.

John 14:16-17 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 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.

We have the counsel of God’s Word and the guidance of God’s Spirit – a PERSON and not a FORCE. We also have the counsel of God through other persons called Pastors and teachers that we can heed. The Bible says:

Romans 12:16 (ESV) Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

The arrogant will never learn – but the humble will. May God lead us all to humility.

Cheap Riches Quickly Lost

Proverbs 13:11 Wealth gotten BY VANITY shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labor shall increase.

This proverb compares the wealth that a person gathers “BY VANITY”. The Pulpit Commentary notes:

“literally, wealth by a breath; i.e. wealth obtained without labor and exertion, or by illegitimate and dishonest means, is soon dissipated, is not blessed by God, and has no stability. {the Latin}Vulgate {translates this as}, ‘riches acquired hastily’; {whereas the Greek Translation of the Old Testament, the}Septuagint {translates this as}, ‘substance gotten hastily with iniquity’.”

Money represents an expenditure of your life, invested in work. God commissioned work in the Garden of Eden. Though creation was perfect, God created Adam to work. We are told in:

Genesis 2:15 (KJV) the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

Even in a perfect environment God required WORK. When Adam and Eve were not doing that which God ordered, it wasn’t long before Satan came in and offered prideful sin. Proper Work always honors God. Jesus said:

John 5:17 (ESV) My Father is working until now, and I am working.

Believers are to honor God in their work, whether secular or religious.

God does not honor welfare for those who are able bodied but lazy. When we honor ourselves but ignore God, the Lord will not bless it. He spoke through the Prophet Haggai:

Haggai 1:6-10 (NKJV) “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! 8 Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord. 9 “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. 10 Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit.

Wealth gained through God honoring labor increases, and establishes a lasting legacy. “he that gathereth by labor shall increase”. A person unashamed to work and glorify God in that work shall increase their soul, and appreciate the things that they have. The magazine Business Insider did an article on purchasing Lottery Tickets.

William (Bud) Post won Pennsylvania Lottery 16.2 million
but was 1 million in debt within a year.

Evelyn Adams won $5.4 million, but gambled it all
away in Atlantic City.

Pentecostal Preacher Billy Bob Harrel, Jr. won the Texas Lottery $31 million dollars. He died penniless, saying “Winning the lottery is the worst thing that ever happened to me”.

Janite Lee won $18 million lottery jackpot in 1993, but filed for bankruptcy in 2001 – about 7 years later.

This is just a few of the over 20 cases that Business Insider spoke of. This secular publication concluded with, “While it may be tempting, buying a lottery ticket is almost certainly not worth it. History has countless examples of winners whose lives took a turn for the worse after hitting the jackpot.”

That which we earn with honest work, and that which we do which glorifies God, will certainly last. When Satan offered Jesus the whole world if He would bow down and worship him (Matthew 4:5), Jesus quickly replied:

“It is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve” (Matthew 4:8)

We All Need Blessed Hope

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

A life without hope is a miserable life. I see so many today walking around with dead eyes. They are ciphers, just existing, because they have wandered from the Source of Hope. The Source of all hope is God.

One of the main teachings in Scripture concerning Christianity is “HOPE”. The hope of the Christian is not in the flesh, nor in our abilities. Our hope is in the Lord. The Bible says:

Psalm 31:24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

Psalm 33:18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;

Our God is actually called “The God of Hope” (Romans 15:13). Hope for the believer in Christ is not wishful thinking, but a calm assurance that God is in control, and that our loving God will work all things out for our good. When the Apostle wrote about love, and described how great and persistent love is, he wrote:

1 Corinthians 13:13 and now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

An article in “Our Daily Bread” the devotional notes:

“Hope that is reduced to the level of wishes and dreams can be like soap bubbles that look beautiful to the eye but disappear at the slightest touch. … One of the Bible’s most comprehensive statements on hope is Paul’s crowning comment on the subject in Romans 15: ‘Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit’ (v. 13). This marvelous prayer reveals … God is the God of hope. Our joyful expectation isn’t without foundation. Hope’s foundation is not a theory or a philosophy; it is a Person. Paul wants us to embrace hope as a reality rooted in God Himself, not as something we have to work up in our own strength.”

God is the foundation of our hope. Not our abilities, but God’s empowerment. The lost put their hope in insecure and unable things and people. I have heard this quoted:

“For those who don’t know Jesus, ‘hope’ is a verb. For the Christian, ‘hope’ is a Noun. Hope IS God. We possess hope because the God Who possesses us is the God of Hope.”

How Do We Respond To God’s Word?

Proverbs 13:13 Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

Those who turn away from the teachings of God’s Word are on a pathway that will ultimately lead to destruction and death. When the Prophet Jonah heard the Word of God directing him to go to Nineveh and preach the Gospel,

Jonah 1:2 (KJV) Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

Jonah despised God’s Word. We are told:

Jonah 1:3 (KJV) But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD …

God sent a GREAT WIND, a Hurricane to attack the ship, and a GREAT FISH to swallow Jonah and bring him to Nineveh. What is our takeaway on this? If you will not heed God and His Word, you can expect misery, darkness, and eventually you will be swallowed by the darkness until you REPENT or DIE.

The blessing or the cursing of every person – saved or unsaved – depends on their positive response to or rejection of the Word of God. Those who respect God’s Word and do that which He says “SHALL BE REWARDED”. But those who “DESPISE” God’s Word {Hebrew bûz, pro. Booz}, “those who hold it in contempt or as insignificant, unworthy of consideration”, their reward shall be destruction. God considered the rejection of His Word so severe that He told His Israel:

Numbers 15:30-31 (NKJV) ‘But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the Lord, and he shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has despised the word of the Lord, and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be upon him.’

The Israelite that despised God’s Word were “cut off from among his people”. They were not killed, but exiled for rejecting the clearly presented Word of God. This did not apply to accidental or unintentional sin, but to deliberate rejection of what God said. Israel did not follow this rule. As a result, wickedness grew in Israel.

In 2 Chronicles chapter 36 our Lord gives us the account of various kings who – though they sat on the Throne of David – did not honor God.

The King of Egypt put Jehoiakim on David’s Throne (2 Chronicles 36:4-5). Jehoiakim “did evil in the sight of God” and God caused him to be overthrown by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon. Then Jehoiachin sat on David’s Throne (vs 9), but “did evil in the sight of God”. Once more God used Nebuchadnezzar to dethrone the king. Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon put Zedekiah on David’s Throne (vs 10-12), but once more “Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord” (vs 12).

God tells us:

2 Chronicles 36:15-17 And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy. 17 Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand.

God is serious about His Word, and we need to be just as serious. To reject His Word, to belittle what He has said, to refuse to obey Jesus Whom God has sent, is a terrible error in judgment. We are told by the LORD:

Isaiah 66:1-2 (ESV) Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? 2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at My Word.

What impresses God, the Creator and Savior of all, is that we HUMBLE ourselves and HONOR His Word!

Proverbs 13:14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

The reason I believe that many who profess Christ as Lord and Savior and yet are frightened to death of death is because they have not fed their faith the Word of God. A person may be saved by simple faith in Christ, but sanctification and the calm assurance of STRONG FAITH only comes by reading, studying, and meditating on God’s Word. The phrase “a fountain of life” reminds me of what our Lord Jesus said in:

John 4:14 (NKJV) … whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.

The Christian who holds God’s Word in low regard never grows into the “FOUNTAIN OF LIFE”. To this sad creature faith in Christ is a ticket to a paradise one day. It is like the traveler who buys a ticket to Hawaii or the Caribbean, then puts it into a drawer, pulling it out occasionally to look at it and dream. If you are doing this, you are robbing yourself of the quiet joy of God’s Kingdom RIGHT NOW IN YOUR HEART. That is what the Apostle called “receiving the Grace of God in vain”:

2 Corinthians 6:1 (AP) We then, as WORKERS TOGETHER WITH CHRIST, plead with you to NOT RECEIVE THE GRACE OF GOD IN VAIN …

The Christians at Corinth received God’s Grace, but fed their flesh rather than feeding their spirits. Compare them to the Church at Thessalonica, who:

1 Thessalonians 1:6 (AP) … RECEIVED THE WORD {of God} in MUCH AFFLICTION, with the joy of the Holy Spirit ..

and again, Paul told Thessalonica:

1 Thessalonians 2:13 (AP) … when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers

The lazy believer, the believer who will not heed God’s Word will not grow in their faith. They will not find the favor of God, but darkness and tribulation. Whether you claim to be a Christian or not,

Proverbs 13:15 Good understanding giveth favor: but the way of transgressors is hard.

Jesus said:

John 7:37-38 (Amplified) “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink! He who believes in me, who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me, as the Scripture has said (some believe Jesus is referring to Isaiah 58: 11), from his innermost being shall flow continuously springs and rivers of living water”. But He was speaking here of the Spirit, Whom those who believed, trusted, had faith in Him were afterward to receive”

Pastor Sam Storms writes:

Perhaps receiving the grace of God in vain pertains not so much to salvation per se, or its forfeiture, but to the loss of potential blessings related to spiritual growth, knowledge, and joy that they would suffer by rejecting Paul as their apostle. In other words, the people are truly saved. They have genuinely received the gospel and believed it, but they have failed to progress in their Christian growth and stand in danger of losing those spiritual blessings and rewards they otherwise might have obtained. Philip Hughes embraces a similar view and suggests that “for them to receive the grace of God in vain meant that their practice did not measure up to their profession as Christians, that their lives were so inconsistent as to constitute a denial of the logical implications of the gospel, namely, and in particular, that Christ died for them so that they might no longer live to themselves but to His glory”.

Salvation is given by Grace. But once saved, we HEED AND OBEY the Word of God. We do not minimize it or consider it inconsequential, but cherish God’s Word. We seek to understand it through prayerful meditation and careful observance.

May God bless you as you grow into Christ’s image. Amen.

Posted in Proverbs, Sermons Preached | Tagged Bible is God's Word, Do The Word, Following Christ, God Is Faithful, Honor the Bible, salvation, Word of God | Leave a comment

Living By The Flesh Or The Spirit?

Posted on November 5, 2024 by bibleteacherorg

Romans 4:1-3 (KJV) What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

A Quick Review To This Point

As God talks to us about genuine salvation, we have learned in Romans so far that:

Chapter 1: God is LOVE, but God is also WRATH. God offers us His love through the “Gospel of Jesus Christ”. But if we reject His love, and instead focus on satisfying ourselves through the flesh or “vile passions”, God will let us burn ourselves out. If God calls us, but we reject His Gospel, He will leave us to our own destructive ways.

Chapter 2: We are all sinners. God gave us an external diagnostic tool called “The Law” to show us how broken we are. The Mosaic Law declares that we need to repent, and come surrendered to God in faith. We need God to write HIS LAW in our hearts so that we might want to serve Him and not our flesh. In the end, God will judge the fruit of our lives. If that fruit was God honoring, we will be rewarded. If that fruit is flesh honoring, we will be damned (Revelation 20:11-14).

Chapter 3: God determined to send His Messiah and His Gospel to this world through a chosen nation called “Israel”. Though God used and will use Israel (for Israel shall be saved, Romans 11:26), a Jew is not automatically saved because they are ethnically from Israel. The Bible establishes that “there is NONE righteous, NO NOT ONE. ALL are UNDER SIN” (Romans 3:10-18). God has a purpose for Israel, and this purpose will not be fulfilled until the Messiah sits on the Throne of David in Jerusalem during the Millennial Reign. The Jew, just like the Gentile, is saved by “the Law of Faith” (Romans 3:27-28). Once a person is saved by faith in Christ, God writes His Law in that person’s heart. As we are told in the last verse of this Chapter:

Romans 3:31 Do we then make void {katargeō, render useless or abolish} the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish {histēmi, abide or uphold} the law.

When a person comes to God by faith, heeding His call, He causes that person to be “born again of the Spirit” (John 3:3, 7; 1 Peter 1:23). As God prophesied of the New Covenant in the Old Testament, “I will make a NEW COVENANT … writing My Law on their heart” (Jeremiah 31:31; Hebrews 8:8). Salvation is a supernatural event that is enjoyed when we surrender by faith to God.

So now we come to Chapter 4. And as we enter Chapter 4, God wants to give us an example of what He’s discussed in the first three Chapters.

The Example Of Saving Faith Is Abraham

Romans 4:1 (KJV) What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

There are a lot of great characters in the Bible: Enoch who walked with God until God took him to Heaven (Genesis 5:22-24), or Noah who built the Ark and saved humanity when he was 500 years old (Genesis 5:32; 6:8-9). There are many others who were great believers. But God chooses to explain salvation by introducing us to Abraham. Why Abraham? Because Abraham is distinct in that he shares a title with Adam:

Adam is our FLESHLY father, the head of the human race. But Abraham is our SPIRITUAL father, the prototype of faith.

In verse 1 he is called “Abraham OUR FATHER”. How did Abraham get this distinction? Abraham was a broken man from a broken background. Broken people are in a perfect place to need Jesus!

Abraham’s daddy was named Terah, the son of Nahor (Genesis 11:24). The name Terah means “to breathe”, and that pretty much summed up Terah’s life. He just lived, and he died. Terah had no more influence on the world than a hand dipped in the Atlantic would change to ocean. Terah and his wife are like so many people today. They’re born, they grow up, they meet, they mate, they have children, they work, and they die. Terah and his wife have three children: Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Abram was his firstborn, and Terah hoped that Abram would bring blessing to his life. The name Abram means “High Father”. Terah had high hopes for Abram, but Abram married a barren woman named Sarai (meaning Princess).

The “High Father” was laughable. He had no children, and wasn’t likely to have any children. Terah did not know God. The Lord tells us in:

Joshua 24:2 … Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods.

Terah is like so many today. Their lives are empty. Rather than turn to the God of the Universe, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, they “serve other gods”. People today serve the flesh, rejecting the Spirit of God. They try to fix themselves with doctors, designers, and devilish idols. Terah and his family lived in Ur of the Chaldees (Genesis 11:28) until his youngest son Haran died, then Terah moved to Canaan. Terah had experienced so much heart ache and disappointment that perhaps a move would do him good.

Yet Terah’s heart was focused on the flesh, on false gods.

Illustrate: You’ve all seen elevators. I used one just the other day at the hospital when I went to visit a Church member. We get on the elevator, punch a button, and then get off on the floor we want. I was on the elevator one day with another lady, and we were both heading toward the fifth floor. As is often the case, the elevator stopped on another floor, and the doors opened. No one was there. Perhaps they pushed the button, and got tired of waiting. Anyway, this lady that was with me stepped off the elevator and I called out “Ma’am, this is the fourth floor – you said you wanted the fifth.” Red faced, she got back on the elevator. We’ve all done that.

Terah had a broken life, and sought to fix his life through his children. When his children didn’t bless him, he changed his location. He was pushing different buttons on the elevator of life – using everything humanly possible to make things better. But you’re not going to find blessing and peace until you get off on the right floor.

You need Jesus.

Romans 4:1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

What did Abraham discover about human ability and human blessing? What did he discover “as pertaining to the flesh”? God the Son – Jesus Christ our Lord – came to Abraham in Genesis 12. How do I know that this was Jesus Who spoke to Abraham? Because Jesus told the Pharisees in:

John 8:56 (NKJV) Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.

Jesus came to Abraham as “The Great I AM” (John 8:58). He spoke to Abraham, just as He speaks to hearts today. Jesus told Abraham:

Genesis 12:1 (NKJV) Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.

Abraham is the Father of faith – and here is the saving pattern of faith. Jesus told Abraham “Leave the false gods. Leave every tie that holds you down. Leave every empowerment of the flesh, and go WHERE I SHOW YOU TO GO”. There is a technical term for this. It is called:

“REPENT and BELIEVE”

That was the Gospel Jesus came proclaiming. Jesus said,

Mark 1:15 (KJV) The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Abraham, life has dealt you nothing but misery. Do you want blessing? Acknowledge what Terah would not acknowledge. You can’t fix yourself. Leave the false gods and goddesses. Leave the false spirituality. Leave the self help nonsense that does no good. Follow Jesus. Go where He says, and do what He says. Why? Because that’s where the blessing is. Jesus told Abraham:

Genesis 12:2 (NKJV) I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.

When you surrender the direction of your life to God, He blesses you in your brokenness. Jesus told Abraham “I will make you a great nation”. You had no children before, but if you follow Me, I will create a NATION out of you. Further Jesus said, “I will bless you And make your name great”. Born “Abram” or “High Father”, Abram was unknown, as useless as Terah was. But following Jesus Abram will become Abraham, the Father of All believing. But Jesus didn’t stop here. He told Abraham:

Genesis 12:3 (NKJV) I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

God told Abraham “I will protect you if you follow Me. And through you, ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED”. What did Abraham do?

He followed Jesus!

Abraham believed the call of God, responded to that call, and was saved. Abraham had highs and lows in his life, but whether up or down he kept looking UP. He kept his eyes on the Lord Who loved Him and Who gave Himself for Him. The Bible calls Abraham the father of faith and the father of us all:

Romans 4:16-20 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, 17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God

God chose Abraham to be the father of faith, for Abraham was both sexually dead as well as spiritually dead. God said “believe Me, and I will give you life”. Abraham believed the promise of God and, stepping forth in faith, the righteousness of God was credited to his life. God will not save any person on the basis of their works.

We must, like Abraham, cast ourselves fully upon God’s Grace, believing that He will keep His promise and save us. The Lord must empty us of self and pride before He can do any great work in us.

The first emptying of pride comes at the point of salvation. Are you willing to admit that you are a sinner, lost and undone, as the Scripture has said (Romans 3:23)? Are you willing to rest on God’s promise that He has provided the perfect and only Way of Salvation in the Person of Jesus Christ (John 14:6)? Are you willing – like the Publican in Jesus’ parable (Luke 18:13) to admit your defeat in righteous, to cry out to God in the Name of Jesus “God be merciful to me a sinner”? Are you willing to put down all your gods and goddesses and turn to the Only True God, trust in Him and Him alone for salvation? If so, dear one, you have the key to Heaven, the Gospel. You are prepared to see Him face to face one day in that sweet and beautiful place called Heaven.

Terah Is The Flesh, Abraham Is The Christ

The way of Terah leads only to disappointment and judgment. The way of Abraham is the Way of Faith. May God draw you to Him with His Word and His Spirit. Saving Faith Believes In The Person of God, in Jesus Christ our Lord.

The difference between Terah and Abraham was that one “believed in a god” whereas the latter “believed in Jesus Christ”. Many people believe in God. If you ask most of the people in any given city today you will find that most believe in God. Yet the Scripture says:

James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

To say “I believe in God” is fine. Thou doest well. But the devils, the fallen angels who rebelled against God, they believe and tremble for they know the person of God. God is immense – awesome – everywhere – and able to do that which He has promised.

Belief surrenders to God. To work for salvation is not surrender, but faith in self.

Romans 4:2-3 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

What “work” did Abraham do to be saved? He believed in Jesus. Under the Old Covenant God gave the Law on “Tables of Stone”:

Exodus 32:16 … the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

The Law that God gave us could not save us, but it established a standard of living. It diagnosed us as sinners, but could not fix us. Abraham was saved prior to the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. There were no tablets of stone. There was no Moses. Abraham was prior to that giving of the Law. And yet “Abraham believed God, and God counted it for righteousness”. Abraham believed on Jesus. Someone asked Jesus one day:

John 6:28 (NKJV) … What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?

How can WE work our way to Heaven? How can WE please God with our lives? Jesus responded:

John 6:29 (NKJV) … This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.

What “work” did Abraham do to be saved? It was not the work of the Law, for the Law was not given. It was not circumcision, for Abraham was counted righteous before he was told to submit to circumcision. It was belief in Jesus Christ, the One Whom God hath sent. When Jesus said “Believe in Me”, the Pharisees refused to do so, wanting to see Jesus do another miracle to prove Himself the Messiah. But Jesus reminded the Pharisees:

John 6:32-33 (NKJV) … Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

Jesus Christ is God’s Manna, God’s Bread of Life. It is He we must believe in, He we must follow – or we have no life!

Abraham did not earn righteousness by doing anything. He HEARD the call of Christ, then FOLLOWED Him where He said. We are told:

Romans 4:4-5 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

If I get a job working for, say, “Smith Construction”, once every week or so I expect a check for my labor. If I work for a company, that company owes me what they said they would pay me upon hiring me. We are in a contract. If I don’t do my job, Smith’s is justified in firing me. Abraham was given not a job but GRACE. Abraham came to God broken. He was sexually broken, and spiritually broken. Jesus told him, “Follow Me”, and Abraham followed Him. Did Abraham do so perfectly? No. He made numerous errors in judgment. But Abraham heard the Word of the Gospel:

Matthew 16:24 (NKJV) If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

If you want the blessing of God, DENY YOURSELF. Put away the flesh. DENY YOURSELF, let no earthly treasure come between you and following Jesus (Matthew 19:21). DENY YOURSELF and become like a “little child” (Luke 18:17).

Once you have denied yourself, “TAKE UP HIS CROSS”. Make HIS Cross YOUR Cross. Believe that Jesus did the work of salvation for you on the Cross of Calvary. Let the Cross be YOUR CROSS. Jesus died for Me. And third “FOLLOW ME”. Jesus is not dead and gone, but resurrected. He is the GREAT I AM Who appeared to and called Abraham, and the GREAT I AM Who rose from the grave and sits on the right hand of the Father.

Before Or After The Law, Salvation Has Always Been By Faith In Jesus

Romans 4:6-8 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

The greatest blessing in life is not money, fame, power, health, status, or anything that is tied to the flesh. The greatest blessing is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ offers. God covers our sins, and receives us into His Family when we – broken as Abraham – heed the call of Christ.

Are you broken? We all are. Will you repent, turn from chasing the flesh, and turn fully to Jesus? Will you believe in Him as Abraham believed in Him. Will you turn your back on whatever gods and goddesses you are following, and decided to follow Christ?

There is no other way to blessing. There is no other way to salvation. May God draw you to His side through Jesus Christ this very day. Amen

Posted in Romans, Sermons Preached | Tagged Abraham, belief, follow Jesus, Following Christ, God Is Faithful, gospel, Jesus Christ, obey God, pattern of faith, repent, salvation, surrender to God, weakness is strength | 1 Comment

Today The Day of Salvation
October 2026

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Review With Purpose

We are saved by faith in Christ, not by works. We are saved because of Imputation.

The “Christian” Walks With Christ Daily

Jesus died a horrible death to free us from death and sin.

Jesus DIED ONCE TO SIN. Now HE LIVES UNTO GOD. Some say, “Jesus died so that we can freely sin”. This is a lie from the pit of hell.

The Christ Follower Has Power Over Sin

The mature believer, instead of running to SIN, runs toward the SAVIOR. We rest in Christ.

But I Just Can’t Help Myself. Hogwash!Christian, Take The Trash Out

Closing Plea

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Leave Your Children A Godly Example

Eventually God will take away all the wealth of those who love sin and hate Him, and give it to His children in Christ.

God Wants No One Hungry. He Will Punish The Evil Who Hurt The Weak.

How Do People Become Ahabs And Jezebels?

Children do not need parents to be their “friends”. Children need guidance.

God Will Meet Our Needs

There are ungodly forces that seek to destroy Biblical marriage and Biblical families. These forces have been on earth since Eden, Sodom and Gomorrah and the Great Noahic Flood.

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Children Need To Be Shown

Jesus Also Gave Us The Ordinance Of Water Baptism

Water Baptism is symbolic of the action of God the Holy Spirit on the life of the believer.

If You Are Saved, You Are Not What You Were

Water Baptism symbolizes the Baptism of the Spirit.

If You Are Saved, Your Father Is Different

The Christian is someone who was a child of wrath.

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The Doctrine of Original Sin

The First Adam brought spiritual death on himself and on his wife and children. But not only this, Adam brought physical death on all of creation.

The Second Adam – Jesus Christ – Saves Us From Original Sin

You need the imputation of Christ’s righteousness. You need to believe in Jesus as both Lord and Savior. There is no “man made” righteousness that will get you to God. You need Jesus!

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Desire Is Not Bad In The Right Context

Adam and Eve were to desire three things: one another, food, and to be good stewards of what God graciously gave them.

After the fall of mankind, God told Eve (and all women who are married) to direct your DESIRES to your husband.

The Fool Refuses To Re-Train Desires

“FOOLS” or unbelievers cling to sin, for they seek to satisfy their desires regardless as to what God has said.

The Best Way To Control Desire Is To Choose Good Companions In Life

We who are saved are called to be friendly with the lost, but NOT FRIENDS of the lost.

When Sodom was destroyed, so was Lot’s family and Lot’s wealth.

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The Doctrine Of Imputation

Jesus went to the Cross of Calvary, and while on that Cross God IMPUTED the punishment for our sins on Jesus.

GOD IMPUTED OUR SIN TO JESUS, SO HE COULD IMPUTE JESUS’ RIGHTEOUSNESS TO US.

We Stand In This Grace, Even When The Bad Stuff Happens!

You “experience” the presence or absence of God in the trials of life. Presence if you are saved. Absence if you are not.

Salvation Is A Sweet Surrender To Jesus

Tribulations (pressing together, oppression, distress, affliction) are the hands of the Potter pressing in on this vessel of clay.

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Christians Do Not Make Their Own Truths

The Word of God establishes the groundwork of knowledge that the prudent or sensible person follows.

Stay True To What God Has Said

When God created this world He created LIGHT, not darkness. God said “Let there be Light”, and there was light. Though God recognized the darkness as “night”, He did not create the darkness.

It is a Wicked Messenger that will preach Grace without Repentance, Salvation without Sanctification, Heaven without New Birth, Resurrection without the Cross, or Christianity without Christ.

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Do You Have PEACE, Or Are You In CRISIS?

God imputed or accounted righteousness to Abraham. God covered Abraham’s sins with His hands, which would one day be nailed to a cross on Calvary.

The only people who ever met Jesus and went away unchanged were those who rejected His help. Unlike Abraham, they would not follow Jesus in faith.

Jesus is not looking for numbers. He doesn’t care if you “Like” Him on Facebook or Instagram. Jesus is looking for BROKEN SOULS that will follow Him.

Those who refused to give themselves to Jesus, to follow Him, were sincere in what they were doing. They thought they were doing right, but they weren’t. They were in CRISIS.

The only Person God has ever “set forth” as a means to Himself is “Christ Jesus”. Those who claim to be “Christian” but are NOT Christ FOLLOWERS are not God’s Children.

Without Jesus, You Are In CRISIS!

If YOUR candidate had lost, and the OTHER candidate had won, if the tables were switched, would YOU being throwing tantrums too?

We Need To Be Aligned Spiritually With God

The Devil’s great trick is not to make us more evil, but to make us worship the wrong gods.

We can’t make ourselves right by doing good religion (like the Pharisees) or by doing good acts of humanism (like the Sadducees). These are false gods. We must surrender to and follow Jesus.

So many “Christians” miss the glory of the Christian life because they refuse to surrender their lives to the Lord.

Whatever “Faith” You Have Will Be Tested

What is the difference between the Christ Follower who, like Abraham, keeps their eyes on Jesus, and the “Christian” who has put their faith in the flesh?

How you respond to trials and tribulations proves whether you are a born again Christ follower, or a follower of the flesh.

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Cheap Riches Quickly Lost

Believers are to honor God in their work, whether secular or religious.

We All Need Blessed Hope

How Do We Respond To God’s Word?

What impresses God, the Creator and Savior of all, is that we HUMBLE ourselves and HONOR His Word!

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A Quick Review To This Point

The Example Of Saving Faith Is Abraham

Adam is our FLESHLY father, the head of the human race. But Abraham is our SPIRITUAL father, the prototype of faith.

We must, like Abraham, cast ourselves fully upon God’s Grace, believing that He will keep His promise and save us. The Lord must empty us of self and pride before He can do any great work in us.

But I Just Can’t Help Myself. Hogwash!
Christian, Take The Trash Out

**Water Baptism is symbolic of the action of God the Holy Spirit on the life of the believer.**