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Witnesses Of Jesus

Posted on December 30, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

2 Peter 1:13-18 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; 14 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. 15 Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. 16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary always announces it’s “word of the year”. This year the “word of the year” is “AUTHENTIC”, which means “not false or imitation, real, actual”. Sadly, I don’t think most people understand what the word actually means. What I’ve seen advertised is “be your AUTHENTIC self”, and they attach this to transgenderism or some other abnormal fetish. Being authentic today is subjective, meaning to be true to your feelings. John Stonestreet of Breakpoint notes:

“This new definition of “authentic,” that what I feel inside is the highest truth, would have baffled people in centuries past and still baffles many non-Westerners today. However, the real problem is that this new definition of “authentic” is utter nonsense. Truth is not primarily subjective but objective. Reality is not decided by individuals but given by a Creator. One of the things our Creator both demands of us and enables us to do through redemption is conform our inner selves to His will and design, which He reveals, objectively, in both creation and Scripture.”

Comedian and Author Brad Stein – also a conservative Christian – said he had no problem understanding the difference between male and female as a child. He had a sister, and one Christmas his parents got them both bicycles. The girl’s bike has a bar in front of the seat that goes downward to the lower frame, whereas his bike – a boy’s bike – has a bar that is horizontal in front of the seat. Brad said that the first time he was standing up and slipped off the petals – he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he was a boy!

That’s AUTHENTIC!

Of all the religions in the world, the Apostle wants us to know that Christianity is not based on myths or legend.

Christianity is GREATER THAN all these other religions, because Christianity was founded by God Himself, Who became the Messiah or the Christ.

The very “WORD” that created all things came into the world. The Bible says:

John 1:1-3 (ESV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.

But it doesn’t stop here. The text then tells us

John 1:14 (ESV) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us …

God became Man, Perfect Man, Sinless Man and dwelt among us. He was seen of others. The Bible tells us there is a God – and the Christ made flesh PROVES there is a God.

Jesus Proves There Is A God, And
Eyewitnesses Prove There Is A Jesus

Before Jesus came, people believed there was a God Who created all things. Yet there was much misunderstanding about this God. Then Jesus came – Perfect Man, God became Man. The Prophets foresaw the coming of God in the flesh, the “Immanuel”.

Isaiah 7:14 (ESV) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

The Gospels witness the coming of Christ. When God sent an angel to Mary to tell her that she had been chosen to carry the Messiah (Luke 1:26-35), Mary responded by saying “How can this be? I am a virgin.” Mary was betrothed to Joseph, and had yet to consummate their wedding. The Angel told her “The Holy Spirit will come to you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy child developing inside you will be called the Son of God.” (GWT). Mary agreed to this. But there’s one problem.

Joseph.
Joseph Witnesses That Jesus Is The Messiah.

When Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant – and he knew he wasn’t the father – the Bible says:

Matthew 1:19 (ESV) … her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Had Joseph raised a fuss – had he went to the High Priest and demanded that Mary be punished – under the Law of God Mary could have been stoned with stones until she was dead (Leviticus 20:10). I’m sure that Joseph was heartbroken at first. And yet, he was not vengeful. Joseph decided to “divorce her quietly”. When he went to bed that night the Bible says:

Matthew 1:20-25 (ESV) … an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, (meaning “God our Savior”) for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Here we have three witnesses to Christ. We have the Angel, who quotes the Prophetic Witness. Then we have Joseph Himself. Joseph had, as a young bridegroom, planned on taking Mary off on a honeymoon. He planned on being with her intimately. He hoped to raise a family. But Joseph surrendered his plans to God. The Bible says Joseph “knew her not until she had given birth to a son”. He put off his own intimate plans until the Messiah came into the world. Joseph would go on to have other children by Mary (see Matthew 13:55-56; Mark 6:3), so Jesus would have step brothers and step sisters.

After Jesus resurrected from the Grave He would make an appearance to His step brother James (1 Corinthians 15:7) – ANOTHER WITNESS. Jesus encouraged His other brothers to meet Him in Galilee (Matthew 28:10). Joseph both protected Mary and Jesus, and honored the Lord by being there through Jesus’ early years.

Had Mary been pregnant because of promiscuity, Joseph would have never stayed with her. This is a powerful witness to the Messiah. But we have greater witnesses.

We have the eyewitness accounts of the martyrs of our faith. Peter wrote:

2 Peter 1:13-14 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; 14 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.

skēnōma Peter speaks of being “in this tabernacle” in verse 13, and in verse 14 says “shortly I must put off this my tabernacle”. The word “tabernacle” is the Greek skēnōma, which means “a skin tent in which one dwells”. In the Old Testament the “tabernacle” – a manmade tent designed to worship God in – preceded the Temple that Solomon built. Peter is not talking about the Old Testament Tabernacle, but of his own body. The Apostle often spoke of the human body as a skēnōma or a temporary abode for the soul. The Apostle Paul wanted every Christian to know that our bodies that we now have are but skēnōma, temporary tents that our souls inhabit, until we get to Heaven. The Scripture promises:

2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle (skēnōma) were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house (oikia, a proper residence) not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Often “we groan in our present tent (skēnōma)” (2 Corinthians 5:4), and look forward to the time we can be with the Lord in Heaven. Peter said that “shortly I must put off this my tabernacle”, that is, his soul must soon leave his body. Why? He said “even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me”. Peter knew that he was going to be crucified for his faith in Christ. Jesus had previously told Peter:

John 21:18-19 (ESV) Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Peter was told to follow Jesus. Our Lord told Peter that “you will stretch out your hands”, a reference to his own crucifixion. Of all of the original disciples, only John (the brother of James the Greater, a son of Zebedee) died a natural death around 96 AD. Before he died, John was boiled in oil then exiled to a desert island called Patmos to die. Consider the other disciples:

Andrew was crucified, bound not nailed in Greece
Bartholomew was skinned alive and crucified in West Asia
James the Lesser (son of Alphaeus) was stoned and clubbed
Jude (Thaddeus) beaten with a club then crucified 72 AD Turkey
Matthew (Levi) staked and speared to the ground Ethiopia
Simon Peter crucified 68 AD
Philip tortured, impaled by iron hooks 54 AD in Egypt
Simon (The Canaanite) crucified 74 AD then sawn in half
Thomas (Didymus) speared to death in India
Mark (John Mark) dragged to death
Luke (The Physician) hanged on an olive tree
Paul (Saul) beheaded 66 AD
James (Christ’s stepbrother) thrown 100 feet off a wall, beaten

The two earliest martyrs (outside of Christ our Lord) was James the Greater (John’s brother) was stabbed and beheaded (Acts 12:2), and the Evangelist and Deacon Stephen (Acts 7:59) who was stoned to death. What does all this have to do with the proof of Christ. I’ll explain.

Many parents teach their children about the mythical Santa Claus and more recently the Elf on a Shelf. The concept of Santa Claus is actually based on a Christian Pastor called Saint Nicolas of Myra (March 15, 270 – December 6, 343 AD). The original Saint Nicolas preached in Turkey. The Santa Claus of the North Pole with all the elves is a myth, a fable parents tell their children. Certainly it is done in good fun, and I’m not trying to be a Scrooge, or to judge you parents. But I do have a point.

Would you die for Santa Claus?
Would you be skinned alive and crucified for Saint Nick?
Would you be hung on meat hooks, and beaten to death,
To preserve the myth of that jolly Fat Man?

Some people have died for a lie, not knowing that it was a lie. In World War II, Japanese Kamikati Pilots would take an aircraft loaded with explosives and fly them into ships. They were told by the Emperor of Japan that their actions would earn them “Paradise”. More recently, Muslim terrorists have become suicide bombers because some half baked holy “Ian” told them they would earn “Paradise”. They died for a lie – but they didn’t know it was a lie. A religious group called “Heaven’s Gate” committed mass suicide (39 people) March 22-23, 1997 when they were convinced by their leader that they had to leave their bodies to achieve a higher state of “being”. Or you may have heard of Jim Jones, leader of the People’s Temple, led 909 people to murder-suicide. The devil can convince people that evil is good. As Jesus said, “The devil is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44).

No one would suffer martyrdom knowing that
they were dying for a myth or a lie.

The Christian martyrs died willingly in horrific ways because they were eyewitnesses to the reality of Jesus Christ. This is Peter’s point here:

The Eyewitness Accounts Were Not Delusions,
But Reality That More Than One Saw

2 Peter 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

The Apostle tells us that what he has seen are not “cunningly devised fables”. This is the Greek sophizō mythos, which means “inventive or clever myths”. These are not delusions or visions from false prophets like Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. Smith said that in 1820 the Father and the Son visited him ALONE and told him that ALL CHRISTIAN CHURCHES were corrupt. Three years later, Smith declared that the Angel Moroni visited him ALONE and gave him an everlasting gospel on golden plates called The Book of Mormon.

The founder of Islam, Mohammad claimed that when he was in the Cave of Hira, three kilometers from Mecca, Saudi Arabia, that the Angel Gabriel came and told him ALONE that he was the true Messiah and prophet. Only Mohammad saw Gabriel in that cave.

Charles Taze Russell, the founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Ellen G. White the founder of the Seventh Day Adventists all had one on one ALONE “encounters with God”. Yet their assertions do not ring true, as there are no other witnesses that were there when an Angel or God spoke to them.

This is not the case with Christianity. Peter said, “we WEre eyewitnesses of his majesty”. The Law of God given in the Old Testament did not allow one person to establish something as truth. The Law stated:

Deuteronomy 19:15 (ESV) … Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.

The Apostle Paul, trained by the great Rabbi Gamaliel, well knew this requirement. He wrote:

2 Corinthians 13:1 (ESV) This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

Two or three witnesses was God’s requirement on the seriousness of anything. “Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of TWO OR THREE WITNESSES” (Hebrews 10:28, ESV). Peter says that they are not following cunning myths, but they “were eyewitnesses of his majesty”. Peter says of Jesus,

2 Peter 1:17-18 For He {Jesus} received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

What is Peter speaking of? Jesus had three disciples that He chose from out of the twelve for special training. These were Peter, James and John. James and John were brothers, the Sons of Zebedee (Mark 3:16-17), and friends of Peter. All three were fishermen who had worked together, and had been with Jesus the longest (Luke 5:4-11). When Jesus resurrected Jairus’ daughter from death, only Peter, James and John were with Him (Mark 5:37).

One day Jesus called these three to go with Him:

Mark 9:2-4 (ESV) And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

Three men saw Jesus transfigured, and saw Jesus speaking with Elijah and Moses. These three men would not only see this, but would hear God the Father speak from Heaven saying “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”. Peter, who would later become the leader of all the Apostles, and James the leader of the Church of Jerusalem, would both eventually suffer horrible deaths for preaching the Gospel of Christ. They would not recant. John would be horribly tortured and abandoned to die – but by the Grace of God he would live.

Christmas Is All About The Witnesses For
The Christ’s First Coming

On January 28, 1986 the US Space Shuttle Challenger was about to be launched. The engineer in charge of the rocket boosters, Alan McDonald, told NASA not to launch the Challenger. Though threatened and scorned, Alan stood his ground. The supervisors at NASA vetoed Alan. 73 seconds after launch Challenger exploded, killing 6 people. The University of Virginia noted that the disaster cost the United States over three BILLION dollars.

It didn’t have to happen.

Christmas is a time when we celebrate the coming of Christ – the one and only Messiah – into the world. God became Man, Perfect Man. His conception, His birth, and His later life was well documented by a might cloud of witnesses. The first witnesses were Shepherds, who were told by the Angel of the Lord:

Luke 2:10-12 Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

The Shepherds went to Bethlehem, saw Jesus, and went about the countryside telling others what they had seen. They saw “a Savior, which is Christ the Lord”. He is the Savior of His people. He came to the lowest to raise us to the highest. Eight days after His birth, Jesus was taken to the Temple to be dedicated and circumcised (Luke 2:21). There an old man named Simeon saw Jesus … for the Holy Spirit had promised that he would not die before he saw the Christ (Luke 2:26). Seeing Jesus, this old man …

Luke 2:28 (AP) … took Jesus up in his arms, and blessed God, saying, “Lord, let me now depart this earth in peace, just as You promised. My EYES have SEEN Your salvation, the Savior You sent for all people, both for the Gentiles and the Jews.”

Witnessing Christ, Simeon was prepared for death. You are not equipped for life until you are prepared for death. Are you prepared? Have you “seen” Jesus by the eye of faith? Have you received Him as Lord and Savior? If you have, you are ready for not just eternity – but for what tomorrow will hold.

Oh, how I pray that God the Holy Spirit touch your hearts, and lead you to Jesus. May God make it so. May God make it so. Amen and Amen.

Posted in 2 Peter, General, Sermons Preached | Tagged Bible, Faith, Following Christ, God, God Is Faithful, Jesus, salvation | Leave a comment

A Little Child Shall Save Them

Posted on December 22, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Habib Musliu: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-baby-in-yellow-swaddling-clothes-lying-on-white-fur-on-a-woven-basket-13670223/

Luke 2:1-7 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

In order to please God, we are told, we are to become like a little child. Jesus said:

Matthew 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

You cannot be saved unless you put off yourself, and become like a little child. The Bible says:

Mark 10:15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

The Bible tells us that in the Millennial Kingdom, the 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth, that

Isaiah 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

There is no blessing unless you become as a little child before God. You must lay down your self sufficiency, and come to His open arms, trusting in Him. The importance of being a little child is seen in the birth of Christ Jesus in a Manger in Bethlehem.

In order to be saved, you must become as a little child.
In order to save us, God had to become as a little Child.

God Chose The Messiah’s Birthplace

Around 700 years before Christ was born, God spoke to a Prophet named Micah and foretold the birth of the Savior:

Micah 5:2 (ESV) But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

The Ruler of Israel, the Messiah, would come forth from little Bethlehem. This Ruler’s “whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days (Everlasting)”. The Messiah would be from eternity, from God Himself. When Herod asked the Chief Priests and Scribes where Messiah would come from,

Matthew 2:5-6 (NKJV) … they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

A Baby would be born in Bethlehem of Judea. But He would be no ordinary Baby. The Prophet Daniel wrote some 500 years before Christ came:

Daniel 7:14 (NKJV) Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.

The scope of the Messiah’s power would be that “all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him”. He will one day rule the world. But

Before He could save the world or rule the world, Christ must first become a Baby in Bethlehem.

Our God controls all things. The Bible says in:

Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.

Just as a river winds to and fro, it’s course was ultimately charted by God. In the same way the heart of man – even if he is a King – is in the hands of God. God controls the heart! As Mary of Nazareth grew closer to her due date, God turned the heart of the King to issue a decree:

Luke 2:1-5 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary…

Caesar Augustus decreed that everyone return to their home town, so that a census could be taken, and a tax enacted on every person. Why couldn’t Mary stay in Nazareth near her family while Joseph made the trip? This was a difficult 80 mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Why not just stay home?

The genealogies of Christ are found in Matthew 1:2-16 and Luke 3:23-38. The two genealogies are different, as the one in Matthew traces Jesus’ lineage through His stepfather Joseph whereas the genealogy in Luke traces Jesus’ lineage through His mother Mary. One article I found noted:

“The lineage of Joseph and the lineage of Mary match with the same names from Abraham to David. Joseph and Mary were distant cousins. They each fulfilled the prophecy that the messiah would descend from the house and lineage of King David. Jesus’ legal title to the throne of King David was through Joseph, but his blood title to the throne was through Mary.”

BOTH Joseph and Mary were related by birth to King David, which required that BOTH return to Bethlehem. God moved the heart of Caesar to call for this taxing, that the prophecy of Christ’s birth be fulfilled in Bethlehem.

The Virgin Birth Makes Christ The “Only Begotten” Of God

Luke 2:5-7 … with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son

I want you to notice that Verse 7 states, “she brought forth HER firstborn son”. It does not say “THEIR firstborn Son” but “HER firstborn Son”. This was not her and Joseph’s son, but the Son of God given to her by the very power of God. This is the fulfillment of God’s promise to the Serpent, that old Devil:

Genesis 3:15 (AP) … the SEED OF THE WOMAN shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel …

as well as the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 (NKJV) “the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel”. This is uniquely Mary’s Son. God became Man – perfect and sinless Man – through the virgin Mary. It is, as the Scripture said:

Matthew 1:18 … When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

God became a little Child. God the Son became “begotten”, taking on flesh as we all do. And yet – within that baby – is all the infinite power of God. The Scripture says:

Colossians 2:9 For in [Christ] dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead. Jesus Christ is pure God, fully God, wholly God, with all the power and magnitude of God. But in Him is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Jesus is fully God in fully perfect Human form. He is fully God and fully Man. Eternal God would inhabit humanity, first of all, through the virgin birth. Why would God the Son do this? Why was this Baby from this virgin in this manger?

To save us from our sins.

Jesus did not consent to be born as a little Baby just so we could go to Heaven. Jesus consented to be born into His creation to save us from our sins. This is what Gabriel told Joseph:

Matthew 1:21 {Mary} will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.

The name “Jesus” means “Jehovah is salvation”. Humanity needs a Savior, One Who will save us from ourselves. Think of the most righteous men of the Old Testament. Think of Abraham, the man called “The Friend of God” (2 Chronicles 20:7; James 2:23). Abraham did many things of faith, and so impressed God that God considered him a “friend”. Yet Abraham went in to Hagar, and produced Ishmael rather than wait on the promise of God.

Or Noah, a faithful preacher of righteousness. He preached and waited many years while building an Ark to God’s specifications. When he got off the Ark, Noah got drunken and indecently exposed himself.

Or Moses, who faithfully led Israel for 40 years. Then one day he disobeyed God, struck the rock that was Christ, and lost his blessing into the Promised Land.

Or King David, a man after God’s own heart. David stood in front of Goliath and killed him with a stone from a sling and the devil’s own ax. And yet as King, David doubted God and numbered Israel, for which He was punished. David took Uriah’s wife, and had Uriah murdered.

I could go on and on. The story of Scripture is that we as humans constantly fall short of the glory of God. We may walk with God – but we really need God to come to us. This is why God became a little child, why God the Son took upon Himself humanity. The Scripture says:

Philippians 2:7-8 (Jesus) … took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Made of the Holy Spirit in the vessel of Mary’s womb, God became “the form of a servant”. Why was He born to a Carpenter’s household? Carpenters are builders. They take raw materials, and put them together into a beautiful finished product. My Dad was an upholsterer, and people often brought him couches and chairs to renew, recondition, and repair. When Daddy did so, it was like it was brand new. Jesus does the same thing with people. He was born into this world to take the broken, the weak, the least and the lesser than and make us into sons of God.

Jesus is more than just a name. Christmas is more than just a holiday. Because Jehovah agreed to become that little baby, He became as Romans 8:29 tells us “the FIRSTBORN among MANY BRETHREN”. Jesus came to bring us into God’s family. If you have received Him as Lord and Savior, God is your Father, the Spirit your Companion, and Jesus your Elder Brother and Lord.

That Baby in the Manger had a purpose, and that is to call us to a life of purpose. The Bible says that because of Christ you are …

Romans 8:29 … predestinated [you] to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

You are to be like Christ, to live like Christ, to speak like Christ, to represent Christ. This is not something you yourself can do, but something that God will accomplish in you as you seek His face. At the appointed time Mary brought forth Christ, not because of anything she did, but because of what God did in her.

The Way Of Christ Is Obedience And Humility

Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Many this Christmas will be focused more on the Christmas Tree and what’s under it, than on the Christ wrapped in swaddling clothes. That is so very sad. “swaddling clothes” are strips of cloth that were wrapped around babies to protect them from their environment. The clothes kept them from flailing their arms about where they might be hurt. They also kept the bugs and the sun off of the baby’s skin.

Mary laid Jesus in a “manger”, the Greek phatnē, which means “a crib or a stall, an eating place for animals”. In smaller towns like Bethlehem and Nazareth, many homes had lower levels where animals were kept at night. The humans slept in the upper rooms. Yet there was a reason for this. Jesus was born into the lowest of places, so He could be available for the least of people. The first visitors to the little Messiah were shepherds in the fields around Bethlehem. One commentary notes:

“God’s own Son made His appearance on earth in the lowliest of circumstances. This humble birth conveys an amazing message to creation: the transcendent God condescended to come to us. Instead of coming to earth as a pampered, privileged ruler, Jesus was born in meekness, as one of us. He is approachable, accessible, available—no palace gates bar the way to Him; no ring of guards prevents our approach. The King of kings came humbly, and His first bed was a manger.”

The manger was a borrowed crib, a place where creatures fed. Jesus would often use the symbolic language of eating to describe faith in Him. Jesus told those who followed Him:

John 6:54-56 (NKJV) Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

Later in His ministry, just before His death, Jesus would tell His disciples:

Matthew 26:26-27 (NKJV) … Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

That Baby lying in a temporary bed, a food trough, is the Savior of the world. If you intimately make Him a part of your life, He saves you from your sins and gives you entrance into Heaven. Jesus is wrapped in swaddling clothes, because this is what every parent did with their children. He was born into this world as you and I are. God told the Shepherds watching their flocks at night:

The Shepherds would see the ordinary (a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes) in an abnormal place (lying in a manger). Jesus Christ is the Bread of Heaven, the Manna that gives us life. He is the “Savior, which is Christ the Lord”. The Messiah would come, as Micah prophesied:

Micah 5:4-5 (NKJV) And He shall stand and feed His flock In the strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great To the ends of the earth; 5 And this One shall be peace.

Jesus Christ is our PEACE. He is the fulfillment of God’s promise to us all. The reason we celebrate Christmas is to recognize that only Jesus will meet our needs for peace. As another source states:

“who is there among us that doesn’t feel the need for peace? This babe, this Shepherd, Who has come forth from God to mankind, is the only source of lasting, eternal peace for the soul. As it is written, “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:13-14) …and speaking of God’s purposes in Christ, “and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His Cross” (Colossians 2:20)”

God became a little Child to save us. We must become little children to be saved. Oh, that God would lead you to believe on Him this very day. Only then will God bless you all richly this Christmas. Amen and Amen!

Posted in Christmas, Luke, Sermons Preached | Tagged Following Christ, God Is Faithful, gospel, Jesus Christ, salvation | Leave a comment

Divine Arithmetic

Posted on December 20, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Nothing Ahead: https://www.pexels.com/photo/monochrome-photo-of-math-formulas-3729557/

2 Peter 1:2-11 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Today I want to talk about the Divine Arithmetic Of Salvation. We see mathematical terms in our text today.

2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied…

2 Peter 1:5 add to your faith

Last week we discussed how GRACE is the engine that saves a person. We are saved by faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is very true. And yet, I do not think that many who PROFESS Christ actually POSSESS Christ. One acronym that explains the GOSPEL of salvation is:

	God created us to be with Him.
	Our sin separated us from God.
	Sins cannot be removed by good deeds.
	Paying the price for sin, Jesus paid the price.
	Everyone who trusts in Christ alone has eternal life.
	Life with Jesus starts now, and lasts forever.

It is the L in the acronym that too many people are confused about. Salvation is a free gift in that you cannot purchase it. But salvation cannot come unless you agree to follow Jesus. Salvation is a free gift, but it is also a commitment.

Salvation is not a “get out of hell” free card. It is an invitation to return to the Garden, to walk with the Lord.

Bible Scholar and Pastor Dallas Willard said,

“Most problems in contemporary Churches can be explained by the fact that members have never decided to follow Christ. We have taken His NAME, but have not taken His YOKE.”

There is no life with Jesus until you do a little DIVINE SUBTRACTION. There must be REPENTANCE.

I very rarely hear this preached, but it’s true. You cannot be saved – cannot receive the Gospel – unless you first REPENT. Our Lord Jesus preached:

Matthew 4:17 … REPENT, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand …

Repent = metanoeō, compound word, “meta” = to change; “noeō” = the mind. Repentance is to stop being your own god, and to choose through the power of the Spirit to follow Jesus. It is a subtraction of SELF.

When asked why He spent so much time with sinners, Jesus declared:

Luke 5:32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

Jesus did not say “I have called sinners to SALVATION”, but He said “I have called sinners to REPENTANCE”.

Repeatedly Jesus told those who would listen,

Luke 13:3, 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

Again, Jesus doesn’t say SAVED but REPENT. We do not save ourselves, but we do REPENT. Our Lord said in

Luke 15:10 … “there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Jesus sent His disciples out with the message “that people everywhere should REPENT” (Mark 6:12). The Apostle said that:

Romans 2:4 “it is the kindness of God that LEADS YOU TO REPENTANCE”.

Repentance is so very necessary to salvation. So what is repentance? It is Divine Subtraction. It is the removal of self from the equation. You cannot be saved on your own terms, but must be saved by surrendering yourself to God while seizing the Grace that He offers. There can be no half way.

2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord

Repentance means that you receive Jesus Christ as LORD. Jesus never offered the Kingdom of God apart from surrender to Him. He used statements like “Follow Me”, or “If you love Me, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS”, or

John 14:21 (NLT) Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.

We are not called to TOLERATE Jesus, but to LOVE Him. And that requires DIVINE SUBTRACTION. We surrender ourselves to God. The Bible says:

Luke 14:26-33 (ESV) If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

As believers in Christ we are called to love Jesus first and foremost. We are called to love Jesus more than our own lives. We are called to love Jesus no matter what life throws our way. And Beloved, if you are a Christian, we are told in our text that:

2 Peter 1:3-4 …His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature

God has given us all that we need for life and godliness. God Who saves us, “hath called us to glory and virtue”. We are not called to walk in darkness, but to walk in the light of Christ. God has called the Christian to be “partakers of the divine nature”. We are not saved just to go to Heaven, but we are saved to walk with Christ NOW and INTO ETERNITY. The Holy Spirit bids us REPENT. Jesus said, “Take MY YOKE upon you” (Matthew 11:29). We give our lives to Jesus, for He has given His life for us. This is REPENTANCE.

Walking With Jesus, God Will Teach You Divine ADDITION

The target of every Christian is to please God, to be like Jesus. Our faith is never stagnant. Having access to the Divine Nature, we are called of God to GROW.

2 Peter 1:5-7 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

We are told to be “giving all diligence”. The word “GIVING” is the Greek pareisphérō, which means “to contribute or bring in besides”. “DILIGENCE” is the Greek spoudḗ, which means “with haste or eagerness, to be earnest in accomplishing”. Faith is a wonderful thing – it is a gift of God. When we practiced DIVINE SUBTRACTION by repenting, God gave us faith in Christ.

God the Holy Spirit leads us to REPENTANCE:

Acts 11:18 (NASB) … God has also granted to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life … (also see 2 Timothy 2:25)

God the Holy Spirit grants us FAITH:

2 Peter 1:1 … to them that have obtained like precious faith with us

But the same God leads us to ADD TO OUR FAITH.

2 Peter 1:5-6 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance…

What do we ADD? We are called into partnership with God to seek out and ADD:

Virtue is the Greek ἀρέτη arétē, (pronounced ar-et’-ay) which means moral goodness. We are not to be like the fallen world. We are warned in Scripture:

James 4:4 (ESV) … Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

The world is constantly demanding that Christianity absorb its abnormalities, that the light become more like the darkness. But the only way that light can become one with darkness is to extinguish its energy. To absorb the world is to become something that Christ never intended. I have heard people argue:

Well, Jesus never said ANYTHING against transgenderism or LGBTQ+. If He never said anything against it, He wasn’t against it.

This is hogwash. Jesus saidGod’s Word was TRUTH (John 17:17). When Jesus walked the earth, the Bible the Jews had was the Old Testament we have today. Jesus said that He did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). When asked about marriage, Jesus said:

Mark 10:6-9 (ESV) … from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

Though Jesus never specified that one type of sexual sin was more evil than the other, He did specify that what God designed and decreed was male to female marriage. Jesus came for the Jewish people first (Matthew 15:24; Romans 1:16; 2:9-10), and the Jews that Jesus preached to were well acquainted with the Bible (our Old Testament). The Law of Moses was VERY SPECIFIC about sexual immorality (Leviticus 18 & 20), and the punishment that God levied on those who did so.

For Jesus to talk about every sexual sin to a Jewish audience familiar with the Law of Moses would be like coming to America and telling everyone to drive on the right side of the road. You already know that.

We not only add to our faith virtue or moral goodness, but we also add:

KNOWLEDGE. Learn of Christ. Study Him. Focus on Him. You cannot read and study your Bible enough. You cannot read and study what Christ said enough. Jesus said:

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

Watch what Jesus did. Note how He responded to others, especially those who were critical of Him. Follow in Christ’s steps, imitating Him. “Be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Ephesians 5:1). Add to this knowledge,

TEMPERANCE (ἐγκράτεια enkráteia, eng-krat’-i-ah), also known as SELF CONTROL. The word “temperance” refers to how you control your body, your passions and your expression of passion. Christians are to be self controlled as temperance is within the Fruit of the Spirit. Jesus was self controlled. He controlled His anger, His tongue, and His appetites in a way that glorified God.

We are not to fill ourselves with ourselves. We are to become open vessels that God can use. Temperance is a crucifixion of the flesh, with its passions and desires:

Galatians 5:22-24 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: (enkráteia) against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

2 Peter 1:6-7 … and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

Add to temperance, PATIENCE (Greek hupŏmŏnē). We are impatient people, but God is patient. He allows the world to make bad decisions day after day without dropping the hand of judgment on the earth. We are to be patient, what the Scripture often calls “longsuffering” (2 Corinthians 6:6; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 1:11; 3:12).

Add to patience GODLINESS (Greek eusébeia). To be godly is to seek to please God.

The Scripture says,

1 Timothy 6:6-8 (ESV) … godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

Add to godliness BROTHERLY KINDNESS (Greek philadelphia). Be kind to others. When they mess up, be kind. If you must correct someone, be kind. To be kind is to be gentle.

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Proverbs 15:1-2 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. [2] The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.

Finally, the Apostle says:

Add to brotherly kindness CHARITY. Love all. Let love rule your lives. The word translated CHARITY is the Greek agapē, which means “Godlike, selfless love”. The Scripture says:

Romans 13:8-10 (ESV) Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Why I Must LIVE My Faith While I Can

2 Peter 1:8-10 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

The Apostle tells us to “give diligence to make your calling and election sure”. Do you KNOW that you are saved? How do you KNOW? God has “called us to glory and virtue” (verse 3). If you have no desire to serve the Lord – if to you Jesus is just a means into Heaven – then you may not be saved. You are to make sure that you were called of Christ. As the old saying goes:

If you were put on trial to determine if you are a Christian – is there enough evidence there to convict you? If not, you may not be saved. Do not allow Satan to delude you. Make your calling and election SURE.

May God bless you richly with His Word.

Posted in 2 Peter, Sermons Preached | Tagged Following Christ, God Is Faithful, gospel, Jesus Christ, living your faith, love, salvation, true faith works | Leave a comment

God’s Blessings Come Through Little Things

Posted on December 15, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/flying-yellow-bird-459198/

Luke 1:39-46 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. 46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord ..

I have a video from Homicide Detective J. Warner Wallace. He is a Senior Fellow at the Colson Center and an Adjunct Professor of Apologetics at the Talbot School of Theology. It’s only about three minutes – but it answers the question “Are there many ways to God?”

What makes Christianity unique is Christ Jesus Himself.

He was uniquely born into this world, unlike anyone who has ever been born. It was prophesied of God in the Old Testament that the Messiah or the Christ was going to come into this world uniquely through the Prophet Isaiah. Of all the Prophets of the Old Covenant, ALL heard the Voice of God but very few looked into Heaven. Ezekiel saw into Heaven, and Elijah was snatched up by a chariot of fire. I may be wrong, but the only other Prophet I can think of who saw into Heaven in the Old Testament was Isaiah. Having seen into Heaven, Isaiah was given a special glimpse at the coming Messiah or Christ. He saw the Messiah as the Coming King in:

Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

The “CHILD” would be born, but the “SON” would be given. As the co-eternal Son of God Jesus could never be “born”, as God is never born but has always existed. The Scripture equates Jesus with God. He is “The mighty God”, God become Perfect Man. Jesus is “The everlasting Father”. He said “If you have seen ME, you have seen THE FATHER” (John 14:9). Jesus said, “I and the Father are ONE” (John 10:30). Jesus prayed for His Church, prayed to the Father that “the Church MAY BE ONE and WE ARE ONE” (John 17:22). The Father recognizes the Son as God, saying:

Hebrews 1:8 … THY THRONE, O GOD is forever and ever: the scepter of Thy Kingdom is a right scepter …

And as God is the Great “I AM”, the Eternal Present Tense, the Scripture says of Jesus,

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Isaiah also saw Jesus coming through a virgin named Mary. He wrote of this in:

Isaiah 7:14 (ESV) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

The King James renders the Greek ʿalmâ as “A virgin”, but the New American Standard, the Holman Christian Standard, the English Standard, the New International Version, the New King James Version, and the Amplified Bible all render it as “THE virgin”. I think the latter is better. God hand chose Mary to be the mother of Christ’s humanity. The child born of the virgin would be called “Immanuel”, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

When the Angel came to Mary to tell her that she would have a unique Child – the Messiah – she was told that her cousin Elisabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy. Following the announcement that

Luke 1:39-43 And Mary AROSE in those days, and WENT INTO THE HILL country WITH HASTE, into a city of Juda; 40 … entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

As Mary left Gabriel and traveled to her cousin’s home, the Messiah within her was but a tiny thing – no bigger than the dot at the end of a sentence. God uses little things to do great works!

The fertilized egg begins to divide into groups of cells. There are no distinguishing features to that future child as of yet. And yet when Mary walks into Elisabeth’s home, and as soon as she says “Hello” tiny John the Baptist – six months old still in his mother’s womb – leaps! Elisabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of God overflows her life. And immediately Elisabeth begins to worship God. She recognizes that God has blessed Mary.

Luke 1:42 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

Elisabeth does not exalt Mary, but recognizes that God has blessed her by using her to fulfill Messianic Prophecy.

Why did God choose Mary?

First, God chose Mary to fulfill the promise He made through Isaiah and to King David. We have already seen that God promised in Isaiah that the Messiah would come of a Virgin. But God also promised King David as well as Isaiah that the Messiah would come through his lineage:

To David God said (2 Samuel 7:12-13, ESV) “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever”.

To the Prophet Isaiah God said, (Isaiah 11:1, ESV) “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.”

And to the Prophet Jeremiah God said, (Jeremiah 23:5-6, ESV) “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’”

The Messiah MUST come from the lineage of David.

But here is the problem. Among the Jews, the lineage of the children was traced through the male line. Yet the Messiah would be born of a virgin, so there would be NO MALE LINE. How would God resolve this? He did so through BOTH Mary as well as Joseph her fiancee.

My commentary notes that the lineage of Christ in Matthew 1:1-16 is traced through Joseph’s line, the man who would be our Lord’s stepfather. The lineage of Christ in Luke 3:23-38 traces Jesus’ ancestry from MARY’S line.

Second, I believe that God chose both Mary as well as her relative Elisabeth to fulfill Bible Prophecy because both women were humble, God fearing people. Elisabeth, though she will bear a Nazarite Priest from her womb, was not pride filled. She was humbled that God would use her so. God outlined the strict requirements that the Nazarite Priest had to follow (Numbers 6:1-21), but

To my knowledge, there were only THREE Nazarite Priests from the womb: Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist.

It would be easy to be prideful over what God had done with Elisabeth, but she was not so. She recognized that God had blessed Mary, and humbly asked:

Luke 1:43 …. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

God will not save the arrogant, nor will He bless the pride filled. Elisabeth humbled herself before God as all Christians should do. She said:

Luke 1:44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

Elisabeth not only recognized Mary as the mother of the Messiah, but encouraged Mary to believe that God was faithful, and would do as He has said. When believers come together, we do so to encourage one another in our faith. We are to point to the faithfulness of God, just as Elisabeth did with Mary.

Mary Sings In Response To Her Faith

Luke 1:46-47 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.

This portion of Scripture is often called “Mary’s Song” or “The Magnificat” (Which means “My Soul Magnifies”). The books The History and Use of Hymns and Hymn Tunes David R. Breed, 2009 & Favorite Hymns Marjorie Reeves, 2006 states that the following Scriptures were one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns.

Singing is not just a time filler in a service, but is a part of Christian worship. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

The Apostles taught the Church to sing. Paul said:

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Ephesians 5:18-20 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Singing does not have to be perfect, but it is to be “to the Lord with your heart”. God does not care if your singing is perfect, Pharisaical perfect, but that you sing to Him WITH YOUR HEART. One Author noted:

“We’re not called to sing because we’re great singers. We sing because God is great and greatly to be praised! And, by God’s design, one of the chief ways we praise him is through song. He is worthy of our song, so we sing! And as we sing, especially for those not naturally gifted, we exercise faith. As we open our mouths to sing, we must believe the truth that God is pleased with us. We trust that because of Jesus’s work for us, our Father loves us and wants to hear our voices. Because he is good and tender and faithful, he won’t turn away if we can’t carry a tune. In a world where we rely on our senses and instincts, this will take some adjustment. We must believe the Bible over our impulse to hide. We need to trust God that our relationship with him does not depend on our performance.”

There will be many things NOT in Heaven. There will be no SIN, no PRIDE, no DEATH, no GRAVES nor HOSPITALS. But most of all, there will be NO DISOBEDIENCE to God. Singing is an act of obedience to God. The Bible says:

Psalm 95:1-2 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

Singing spiritually strengthens us, reminding us that our circumstances are not outside the control of God.

When Paul and Silas were imprisoned for preaching Christ in Philippi, the Bible says:

Acts 16:25 (ESV) About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them …

It was when they were PRAYING AND SINGING HYMNS TO GOD that God sent an angel to knock down the prison doors. Even released, Paul and Silas stayed where they were, ministering to the other prisoners.

Mary Praised God With All She Had. Mary was raised in a poor but God fearing home. She didn’t have much to give God, but she gave God what she had. She gave herself.

Mary honored the Lord with her BODY. Our text says “And MARY SAID”. You ARE what you DO. A lot of people SAY they are Christian, but their actions do not back up their words. MARY SAID. She spoke her faith. She was NOT ASHAMED. When God blesses you, you are NOT ASHAMED of what He has given.

King David was NOT ASHAMED of God’s statutes and laws (Psalm 119:80)
The Apostle Paul was NOT ASHAMED of the Gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16)
The Christian is NOT ASHAMED to proclaim Christ (1 Peter 4:16)

Mary’s song of praise was not just external, but INTERNAL. She said:

Luke 1:46-47 … My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.

Mary humbled herself before the Lord Who blessed her so. Mary took no credit for her blessings. She said:

Luke 1:48-49 For {God} hath regarded the LOW estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

Word Study: Mary sang of her LOW ESTATE, the Greek tapeinōsis. The word tapeinōsis means “spiritual abasement, moral poverty, the fact that she was, in her eyes, unworthy and filled with guilt before Almighty God. The Apostle Paul used the same word in:

Philippians 3:21 Who shall change our VILE (tapeinōsis) body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

And James used it to describe the eventual humiliation of the proud but rich person who will stand before God unjustified and lost:

James 1:10 But the rich, in that he is made low: (tapeinōsis) because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

The Catholics consider Mary the Mother of Christ to be the “Queen of Heaven”, saying:

“Understanding Mary as queen mother sheds light on her important intercessory role in the Christian life. Just like the queen mother of the Davidic kingdom, Mary serves as advocate for the people in the Kingdom of God today. Thus, we should approach our queen mother with confidence, knowing that she carries our petitions to her royal son and that he responds to her as Solomon did to Bathsheba: “I will never refuse you.”

Any student of Christ knows that our Lord Jesus taught us to pray not to Mary, but to say:

Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

The Scripture says that we have “peace with God THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THROUGH WHOM WE ALSO HAVE ACCESS” (Romans 5:1-2). Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). We are told in Ephesians 2:18, “THROUGH JESUS we both HAVE ACCESS in one Spirit TO THE FATHER”. The concept that we address God through anyone … ANYONE outside of Christ … is foreign to the Scripture, a fabrication of religion. It is Jesus Christ Who is our “HIGH PRIEST FOREVER” (Hebrews 6:19-20). We as believer-priests “have confidence to enter the Holy Place BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS … we HAVE A GREAT HIGH PRIEST over the House of God” (Hebrews 10:19-22).

Mary added nothing to her calling, but honored God for it. We need not add a layer of intercessors – Mary or the Saints – that the Scripture never added. Mary was blessed not because she was sinless, the “Queen of Heaven” so called of Christ. Mary was blessed because God – in His infinite Grace – is pleased to use the humble but broken who will heed His word and His glory.

Mary Acknowledges The Proper State Of The Christian

Luke 1:50-53 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. 51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. 53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

God blesses only those who HUMBLE themselves before Him. Jesus came for whosoever will humble themselves to Him and His Gospel.He “scatters the proud” and “puts down the mighty”. Those who self sufficient, “rich in themselves” God “sends away empty”. But those who humbly follow Him will be blessed.

Illustrate A husband wanted to give his wife the perfect gift for Christmas, so he bought her the finest diamond ring he could afford. He knew she would guess what the gift was if he just wrapped the jewelry box and put it under the tree, so he put her gift inside a box of cereal and wrapped it up. The Monday before Christmas while her husband was at work she picked up the box that held her gift. Shaking it she heard what sounded like cereal. Quickly tearing the box open she saw “Kellogg’s Corn Flakes” and she went livid. Without opening the box, she took it outside, tossed it in the trash, and went inside fuming Outside she heard the sound of the garbage truck making it’s pickup. She had no idea what she had done.

Mary humbly followed God and was blessed with His mercy and grace. God uses the little things. He uses the broken, the humble, the willing but weak. Will you follow Jesus? Oh, how I pray you will! Oh Holy Spirit, drive Your wedge into the heart, and bring all souls to Christ. For God’s glory I pray. Amen and Amen. May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Posted in Christmas, Christmas Sermons, Sermons Preached | Tagged Advent, Bible, Christmas, Christmas Story, Faith, Jesus, love God, no works no salvation, obedience, salvation | Leave a comment

The Nurture Of The Christian

Posted on December 13, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Tim Mossholder: https://www.pexels.com/photo/green-leaves-2336117/

Turn with me in your Bibles to 2 Peter chapter 1.

I heard a preacher tell a story to illustrate a point – and I liked the story at first, but now don’t know about it. A young man wanted to be a dealer in Jade, so he went to an expert in Jade to learn all he could about it. He asked this wise old Jade dealer to apprentice him – and the old man agreed. He asked the young man to come back the next morning. When he did, the old man put a piece of Jade in the young man’s hand … then he began to talk about his life. As the old man rambled on as old people often do, the young man became impatient. “What does this have to do with Jade?”, he asked. The old man assured him that, in time, it would all make sense. He then began to ramble on about his life. At the end of the day, the young man returned the Jade to the old man, and went home, promising to return the next day.

Day after day the same thing happened. The young man would come to the old man’s business, he would hand him a piece of jade to hold tightly in his hand. Then the old man would ramble, telling stories about his life. This went on for about three weeks, and the young man had become so frustrated that he was about to quit. But one day he went in and the old man slipped a piece of Jade into his hand …. but it WASN’T. It didn’t feel right. The weight was off. It was too porous

The moral of that story – so the preacher said – was Jade and the Gospel Salvation offered by Christ are the same. Like Jade, you need to receive the Gospel, and hold on to it to know its truth. There is some truth to this, for you will never know the blessings of Christ unless you follow Christ. You must receive Him and love Him.

Prior to salvation we must submit to Jesus when He calls us, saying “Follow Me”. We surrender to Him. We GRASP THE CROSS and hold it in our hearts.

We willingly become “slaves of God”, as we studied last week. However, once we are saved we are NURTURED and GROW as Christians THROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. That’s what we read in our text today.

2 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

The Believer in Christ HAS BEEN Saved,
IS BEING Saved, and WILL BE Saved.

Return to the first words of our focal text. Read:

2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord

What does God offer to us in the glorious Gospel, this “Amazing Grace”? God offers us GRACE and PEACE. The order of these words is important. It is always GRACE first, THEN PEACE. You will never see PEACE then GRACE – ever! This is a common theme in Scripture. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 1:3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:2 Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,

Ephesians 1:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I could go on and on. Seventeen times in the New Testament this pattern is repeated. There is first GRACE, then PEACE. Now what does it mean by PEACE?

I was listening to some of the newer, modern day “Christian” songs the other day when I spotted numerous errors. I love the music of artist Tauren Wells. His recent song “Crazy About You” is a love song to God. Some of the lyrics are:

“He’s crazy about you
Died so you didn’t have to
Tore your failure apart
Now He wears your scars
That’s how much He loves you
He’s never been mad at you
He’s only been madly in love
And it’s never been about what you do
It’s always been about what He’s done
It’s something you just can’t hear enough
Oh, He’s crazy about you
Didn’t wanna live without you
He traded the stars for a chance at your heart
Just to show you it’s true”

Is that what the Bible says? No, I’m sorry, but that’s not what it says. The Bible does say:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God gave us GRACE through His Son’s death and resurrection. But why was GRACE necessary if “God’s never been mad at you, He’s only been madly in love”? Why did Jesus suffer so horribly on Calvary if God has been happy with us all? What a cruelty that would be. The very next words of Jesus to Nicodemus are:

John 3:17-18 (ESV) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Another artist named Zach Williams sang Heart of God:

“I know you’re hurtin’, I can see it in your eyes
So pull back the curtain and take off your disguise
Whoever told you, you ain’t worth the fight
The cross tells a story that’ll change your mind
‘Cause there’s only love in the heart of God
No room for shame in His open arms
There’s beauty from ashes, so come as you are
And there’s only love in the heart of God
Come, prodigal children, it’s never too late
Run home to the Father,
let Him clothe you with grace
And bury your burdens, break free from your fear
Step out of the shadows, there’s no judgment here”

So close to being true … but THERE IS JUDGMENT HERE. The Bible depicts God as a HOLY God Who is ANGERED by sin. The Bible tells us that God is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY. The Prophet Isaiah looked into Heaven and saw the Angels flying about the Throne of God, crying …

“Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of Hosts: The whole
earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3)

and John the Revelator looked into Heaven and saw four powerful angels that never rested night nor day, but said,

“Holy, Holy, Holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is,
and is to come”. (Revelation 4:8)

God is Holy, and Righteous, and Just – and we are NOT. We are all unnaturally separated from God by our sins. We are born broken. This is the bad news. But the good news is that our God has made a way for all through Christ. The Bible describes salvation as an act of GRACE that even Abraham, that grand Old Testament Saint, enjoyed. The Bible says:

Romans 4:20-5:1 (ESV) No unbelief made {Abraham} waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Illustration God does have judgment against sin. But rather than destroy us, He gave His Son in our place. He could have drowned us, but He gave us an Ark. He calls us to come, to get on that Ark, to surrender our lives to the Ark. When Noah got on the Ark, God sealed it. Noah couldn’t steer it – he could only remain in it, trusting, waiting. Noah couldn’t escape judgment by swimming next to the Ark. He had to be IN the Ark.

You are either IN the Ark, IN Christ, or you are UNDER the condemnation of God!

Christ came to Abraham and said, “Follow Me”, and believing the Pre-Incarnate Christ Abraham was saved by Grace. When Jesus comes to the person and says “Follow Me”, when we hear His Voice and follow Him, surrendered as Abraham was, we are justified by faith. We are made right with God because of our faith in Jesus. And Beloved, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. No longer are we at war with God. No longer do we walk in darkness as a normal way of life. Spirit indwelt, we seek to follow Jesus daily.

One day at a time, one step at a time. Back to our focal text.

2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord

Grace and peace are not stagnant. You don’t just get saved, then drift your way to Heaven.

Salvation is a POSITION.
Salvation is a PROGRESSION.
Salvation is a PROMISE.

When you are SAVED – that is, when you hear Jesus say “Follow Me” and you begin to walk with Him in the Light of God, then your POSITION changes. Like Simon Peter, we are now “Servants – Doulos – of Jesus Christ”. We once served sin – we now serve our Savior. We seek to please Him. We are also sons of God. The Scripture says:

Galatians 4:6 (NKJV) And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

The Christian has a unique relationship with God because of Jesus Christ. We are no longer servants of sin, but are servants and sons of the Most High God. Those who profess to be saved but revel in sin and darkness are only deluding themselves. The Bible says:

Romans 6:16-18 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.

If a person say “I am a Christian” and yet refuse to obey God, but choose to act as a lost soul, that person is still a lost soul. The Christian wants to grow in grace and peace. How do you grow in Grace and Peace? Again, our focal text:

2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord

Word Study Grace and peace are MULTIPLIED (Greek plēthynō, to increase or abound) THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE of God and of Jesus. We gain this knowledge through the Bible, God’s Word. Jesus prayed for His Church in

John 17:17 Sanctify your Church through YOUR TRUTH, O God: Your Word is TRUTH.

As God the Son never second guessed His Father, neither do we second guess our Father. What He has said is TRUE. We need to study this Book, and let it have its effect on us to make us more like sons of God. God wants us to be STRONG in our faith.

As the salmon swims upstream to get to its birthplace to spawn and die, the Christian will swim against the currents of this world to get to Him Who gave us life!

I heard Adrian Rogers put it this way:

“The faith that FIZZLES before the FINISH
was FALSE faith from the FIRST!”

If you are truly in Christ, you will remain with Christ. HE IS YOUR LORD.

Our Father Has Given Us All That We Need To Grow

2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

God did not call us to salvation, then leave us on our own. God our Father “hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness”. Now some would read this text and add “Eternal” before the word “life” had God not added the words “and godliness”. Pastor Paul Tripp stated:

“This passage is describing the ‘here and now’ benefits of our salvation. Listen, it’s not enough for us to believe in life after death – we need to start believing in life before death. If we understand our identity that we’ve been given in Christ, we can live filled with hope and courage. Christ has not just forgiven you. He has completely and fundamentally changed who you are, and because of that, you can live in a very new and different way.

If you remember that in your marriage, if you remember that in your job, if you remember that as you face the situations and relationships of life, it will make a tremendous difference in the way that you live. You’ll begin to produce new and surprising fruit, and you’ll be used by God to help others remember their identity.”

What did the Old Testament Saint have under the Law of Moses? When they sinned, they had to take an animal sacrifice to the Temple – often several days journey – and have a priest kill it, and sprinkle its blood over them. But the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ did not enter the Temple in Jerusalem, but entered into Heaven itself. Jesus did not enter with the blood of animals, but

Hebrews 9:12 … He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.

You cannot learn this by feelings, but by knowledge of God’s Word. It was no fallen man who stood before God for you, but the Son of Man, the Messiah, Jesus Christ the Son of God. The Scripture says:

Hebrews 9:24-28 (ESV) Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

If you are IN CHRIST, you have been given a COMPLETE SALVATION. “Sin has no dominion over you – YOU ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE” (Romans 6:14). You have a complete salvation.

You not only have a COMPLETE SALVATION, but you have an INDWELLING SPIRIT, a partnership with God.

It is the Holy Spirit Who causes the believer to be “born again”. As we are told in verse 3, “his divine power hath given unto us all things”. We are not Christians because we know more than others. We are Christians because God has made us Godly. The Bible says:

Romans 8:9 (AP) … if ANY PERSON DOES NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST, they do not belong to God

Christians are saved by faith in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We As Believers Can Rest In The Promises Of God

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

I am told there are some 300,000 promises of God in the Scripture for His Children. He saved us so that we might make a difference in the world. Jesus said in:

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

Jesus Christ called us into the Family of God to shine for Him, to make a difference. We are not called to be a part of the fallen world, but to be a grace oriented people. We can give by teaspooons, or we can give by gallons. The more you follow Christ, reaching out, loving, being the Children of God, the greater blessing you will bring yourself and others.

J Hudson Taylor felt led of God to bring Christ to inland China. Church Times notes:

“IT WAS in June 1865, while walking alone on the Brighton {Beach in England}, that Hudson Taylor, as he later wrote, “surrendered myself to God for this service” – to lead the mission to Christianise inland China. “I told {God} that all the responsibility must rest with Him.” He prayed for 24 fellow workers, two for each of 11 inland provinces that were without a missionary, and two for Mongolia. He then opened a bank account under the name “China Inland Mission” with “ten pounds and all the promises of God”. The {China Inland Mission} was born.”

Are you saved? God wants to nurture you, to use you to bring ligjht into this dark world. Theologian J.I. Packer said:

“There’s a difference between knowing God and knowing about God. When you truly know God, you have energy to serve Him, boldness to share Him, and contentment in Him.”

Do you know Him? If you do not, today is the day to come follow Christ with us. Do not delay. God has given you time to choose – choose Jesus Who gives life. May God the Holy Spirit move on your hearts this day. Amen and Amen.

Posted in 2 Peter, Sermons Preached | Tagged Christ, Following Christ, Jesus Christ, prayer, salvation | Leave a comment

God Used A Little Old Couple

Posted on December 8, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Gustavo Fring: https://www.pexels.com/photo/happy-senior-couple-in-love-with-bunch-of-fresh-flowers-in-nature-4148984/

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Luke Chapter 2, though we will largely be in Luke Chapter 1. I thought as we came toward Christmas that I would talk about the holiday. What about Christmas? It might interest you to know that the earliest Church – the Church formed by the Apostles that Jesus hand picked – this Church did not celebrate Christmas.

The birth of Jesus is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:1-20. And yet …

In the record of Christ’s birth we do not know the time when Christ was born, for the Scripture does not say.

The early Church put more emphasis on the death and resurrection of Jesus than it did on His birth. Jesus’ birth in a manger in Bethlehem is certainly a very important part of our faith. When Christ was born, the Bible tells us that the first announcement of His birth was to the shepherds:

Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

How did we come by December 25^th as the time to celebrate Christ’s birth? The earliest Pastors believed that Christ was crucified on the 15^th of Nisan, 33 AD. Many Bible scholars consider this to be March 25^th. Around 300 years after Christ’s crucifixion the Church came to believe that Jesus was concieved 9 months from March 25^th, the day that He died on the Cross.

The early Church Pastor known as Saint Augustine (Augustine of Hippo, born November 13, 354 died August 28, 430) wrote in his Sermon 202 “On The Trinity”:

“For he [Jesus] is believed to have been conceived on the 25th of March, upon which day also he suffered; so the womb of the Virgin, in which he was conceived, where no one of mortals was begotten, corresponds to the new grave in which he was buried, wherein was never man laid, neither before him nor since. But he was born, according to tradition, upon December the 25th.”

Though we don’t know for certain what day Jesus was born, it could have been in December.

Some have said that Jesus could not have been born in December, because neither shepherds nor sheep would be out in the winter. That’s not true. The Weather Channel reports that temperatures in Jerusalem in winter range from 47.12°F to 57.2°F. The WeatherBase notes that the average December temperature in Jerusalem is 49°F. Those who have visited the Holy Land in winter have seen sheep out in the snow.

So it is possible that Jesus was born in December – though we do not know for certain. Neither the Bible nor early Church writings specify a date for His birth. We do know this:

Before Jesus Could Be Born, God Had
To Create His Herald

When God promised to send the Messiah to save us, He promised that He would be “the SEED of the WOMAN” (Genesis 3:15). Women do not have SEED, but EGGS. So God was foretelling a birth that would be accomplished WITHOUT the intervention of man. Jesus Christ – God Incarnate – would be begotten of the Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.

Luke 1:35 (NKJV) The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

As the Son of God, Jesus Christ is “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16). This is no mere mortal. He is the SON OF GOD! He is the One that the Father addressed, saying

Hebrews 1:8 … unto the Son {the Father} saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

The Immortal will become Mortal. The Unchangable will change Himself into something “lower than the angels”. He is “Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us”. (Matthew 1:23).

God must have a Herald.
The King must have a spokesman.

It was prophecied 430 years before the Christ came that God would send His messenger:

Malachi 3:1 (NKJV) “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the LORD of hosts.

It was prophecied 700 years before Christ’s birth that God would raise up a herald. His job was to be the VOICE for the King. The Scripture prophesied:

Isaiah 40:3 (ESV) A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Where would this Messenger come from? Would he come from the Palace as Moses did? Would he come from Ur of the Chaldees as Abram did? Would he come from the sheepfold as David did? Yes and no. Moses, Abraham, and David all came from different places physically, but spiritually they all came from the same place.

They were all broken. They believed in God, and served Him to the best of their abilities, but they were broken. Abram was named “The Father of”, though he and his wife were childless – and beyond having children. Moses murdered a man, and fled to the desert of Midian for 40 years, a fugitive from Pharaoh. David was the smallest and least of Jessie’s children, often ignored and put down by his family.

All of the people God used were NOT famous, NOT powerful, NOT rich. They believed in God, though they were broken. The herald of Christ will come from a LITTLE old broken couple.

Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

The herald of the King of Kings will not come from the palace. “Herod, the king of Judaea” is a greedy thief, a gold digger who stole the Throne of David. An Idumean, Herod is the ancestor of Esau, not Jacob. As an Idumean he has no right to sit on the Throne of David. Only those descended from Jacob – who would later be named Israel or Prince of God – have that right. The Bible says:

James 4:6 (ESV) … God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

1 Peter 5:5 (ESV) … God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Proverbs 3:34 (ESV) … Toward the scorners {God} is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.

Herod stole what was not his, and received accolades and bows over that he stole. But Zacharias and Elisabeth his wife kept on believing in God even when things did not go their way. The Scripture says:

Luke 1:6-7 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. 8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course …

Zacharias was in danger of losing his lineage. He and his wife were childless, and not likely to have children because of their advanced age. Yet these people loved the Lord. Though things were not going their way, “they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless”. They did not depart from their faith. They were always “before God”. They obeyed God though they were shamed that they had no children. It was a common belief among the Jews that “God closed the womb”. When Rachel got upset with Jacob in that she was without children, the Scripture says:

Genesis 30:2 … Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?

The Jews believed that it was God Who gave “blessings of the breasts, and of the womb” (Genesis 49:25). It is “God Who fashions us in the womb” (Job 31:15). So as Elisabeth aged without children, the other wives began to believe and perhaps whisper how God was punishing her or Zacharias for some sin.

I am sure Zacharias was tempted to walk away from God and his calling. His duty was to light the incense (Luke 1:9-10) that burned while the people prayed – and yet God had not answered his prayers.

Yet the couple did not. They trusted God, and served Him faithfully even though their lives were broken and empty. Zacharias and Elisabeth remind us that God has a right time to do what He does. He wanted Jesus to be born around six months after the herald. God had a plan. As Zacharias was serving the Lord we read:

Luke 1:11-13 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

The “altar of incense” represented the prayers of God’s children rising up to Him. As the Angel of the Lord appears to Zacharias, he stands “on the right side of the altar”. God has heard his prayers – that is – though Zacharias is in a hopeless situation, he has never stopped praying.

Oh that we would praise God in the dark, and praise God in the light. Praise Him in the valley, and praise Him on the mountaintop.

We are frail creatures subject to failure ands breaking, but we have a God Who loves us and will be faithful to us. As a priest Zacharias was familiar with the Law which promised:

Deuteronomy 7:9 (KJV) Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, THE FAITHFUL GOD, WHICH KEEPETH COVENANT AND MERCY WITH THEM THAT LOVE HIM and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

God will not be unfaithful to His people. He watches what we do. He had watched Zacharias for years as both he and his wife aged. God watched their faithfulness in service, and came to offer a child to Zacharias at a time when only God could have made a difference. Why did God wait? Because God knows the best time. We are to rest in God’s timing, knowing that He knows best.

It is not faith to move forward when you have a road map.
It is not faith to do a thing when you have all the resources at hand.
It is not faith to serve Him only when the bank account overflows.
Faith is to trust God no matter what.
Faith is to believe that God is able.
Faith is to do your part, and trust God to do His part.

2 Corinthians 9:8 (KJV) And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

Luke 1:12-13 (KJV) … when Zacharias saw {the angel}, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. [13] But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

God has heard your prayers Zacharias. The child you have long waited for is coming through Elisabeth. This should have caused Zacharias to jump for joy. God heard your prayers. Praise Him! Praise Him! Zacharias, you shall name this baby “John”.

“John” means “God is Gracious”!

Zacharias, name the baby “John” to remind yourself daily that I the LORD am “gracious”, filled with mercy. I love to fix the broken. I love to use the faithful.

Luke 1:14-16 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. [15] For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. [16] And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

The baby John would bring a blessing to those around him, and would grow up to be blessed and bless others. John would be the greatest Herald ever known.

John would be “filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb”. This shows us that the filling of the Spirit is not something we earn or deserve, but it is a gracious gift from God.

Luke 1:17 {John} shall go before him {the Messiah} in the spirit and power of {Elijah}, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

John would be as great in ministry as was Elijah, one of the few people in the Scripture that never experienced death.

God Can Bless Little Strength,
But Cannot Bless Unbelief

Things were going quite well up to this point when Zacharias did something God cannot stand. He disbelieved God. He should have praised God for this wondrous answer to prayer, but instead said:

Luke 1:18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an OLD MAN, AND MY WIFE WELL STRICKEN IN YEARS.

Zacharias made his inabilities and his wife’s shortcomings greater than the power of God. The Scripture tells us:

Hebrews 11:6 But WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE HIM: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

We must trust in our God even when things seem impossible. “With God, all things are possible” (Genesis 18:14; Luke 1:37)

When LITTLE David stood before Goliath he saw a big man but a bigger God. Taking a LITTLE stone, God defeated Goliath. Nothis is impossible wioth God.
When LITTLE Daniel stood before a GREAT lion’s den he did not focus on the lions but on The Lion of Judah, God Almighty.

Conversely, God will not bless the faithless.

When the first generation of Israel stood before the Promised Land they saw a big people – the children of Anak – but a little god. They could not enter until God weeded out the faithless. Then and only then the second generation entered the land.

But God is faithful.
God will keep His Word.
The Herald must come so that the Messiah can come.

If Zechariah will not honor God with his lips, then the Lord will take away the power of his lips.

The angel tells him:

Luke 1:20 (KJV) … And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, BECAUSE THOU BELIEVEST NOT MY WORDS, WHICH SHALL BE FULFILLED IN THEIR SEASON.

The believer loses his voice when faithlessness reigns. The Church loses its audience when it will not speak life and light to a dying and dead world. Many Churches today do not have a Voice because they do not speak God’s Word but a twisted version of it. God will remove your Lampstand and your Light if you will not speak Christ.

God took Zacharias’ voice away so that he could not minister in the Temple until John was born. Yet God was gracious. Zacharias repented of his unbelief, and named his boy John just as God decreed. God could have taken Zacharias’ life but instead just took his voice.

2 Timothy 2:13 If we believe not, yet HE ABIDETH FAITHFUL: he cannot deny himself.

God is faithful! So how is your faith? Remember that God will not bless faithlessness. He that wavers is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. Let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord! (James 1:6-7). Do not be double minded. Be single minded for God. Or as Joshua told Israel:

Joshua 24:15 (KJV) … choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

I choose the Lord Jesus. I choose my Heavenly Father. I choose the blessed Spirit. I choose to believe God is able, regardless as to the state of my life.

What do YOU choose?
May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Posted in Christmas Sermons, Luke, Sermons Preached | Tagged Bible, Christ, christianity, Faith, God, God Is Faithful, gospel, Jesus, photography, prayer, salvation, writing | Leave a comment

Nature Of The Christian

Posted on December 6, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Cindy Gustafson: https://www.pexels.com/photo/macro-photography-of-butterflies-perched-on-lavender-flower-675313/

2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ

Why Is There A 2^nd Peter?

Peter wrote 1^st Peter, but God compelled him to write a 2^nd Peter. Why?

To understand this, go back to the third time Jesus appeared to His disciples, as they fished on the Sea of Tiberias (John 21). Peter and the other ten Apostles are out fishing (Judas Iscariot has hung himself, see Matthew 27:1-10) when Jesus calls to them from the shore, inquiring as to whether or not they had caught any fish. They tell Jesus “No”, and He tells them to “cast the net on the RIGHT side of the boat” (John 21:6). Doing so, they gather so many fish that the net nearly breaks. The Bible says:

John 21:11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.

I have often wondered why there were “one hundred and fifty-three” fish in the net. Why did God make this observation? When Jesus initially met Simon Peter, his brother Andrew and James and John Zebedee, they were fishing at the Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:5-8), and just like at the Sea of Tiberius had been fishing all night and caught nothing. Jesus told them then to “let down your nets” and, on doing so, caught so many fish that their nets nearly broke. Jesus told these men,

Luke 5:10 (NKJV) Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men…

Jesus said “Follow Me, and I will make YOU fishers of men”. 153 fish represent the diverse types of people that the Gospel will net. Jesus came for ALL people. Those who have been saved toss the Gospel net for all!

After the Apostles draw the 153 fish from the Sea of Tiberius at Christ’s Word this symbolized the effectiveness of the Lord Jesus. When we do as He says, we will always produce spiritual fruit. Following this miraculous catch, Jesus three times asks Peter:

John 21:15 (NKJV) … “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”

Are you SAVED Simon? Am I your life? Three times Jesus asks this – and three times “Simon, The son of Jonah” replies, “Yes Lord, You know that I love you”. Simon is affirming his salvation in his love for Jesus. Loving Jesus, our Lord tells Simon:

John 21:15 “Feed My lambs.”
John 21:16 “Tend My sheep.”
John 21:17 “Feed My sheep.”

If you’re saved by the Gospel net, YOU BELONG TO JESUS! 2 Peter examines the NATURE and the NURTURE of the Christian.

The Christian is Christ’s possession.

You belong to no man but the Son of Man. You were purchased by the Blood of Him Who saved you. “Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate” (Hebrews 13:12, NKJV). Jesus died on a “t” shaped gallows to purchase you from Satan. Jesus “ loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5, NKJV). The Scripture says that “your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NKJV). It is the Blood of Christ that saved you. It is the Blood of Christ that redeemed you from sin and Satan.

Someone let down the Gospel net at Christ’s Word – and you were caught! You are part of the 153. You no longer belong to the world.

In 1^st Peter the Apostle addresses “Satan as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). This is the enemy from WITHOUT, the lost world that continually attacks the Church, watches the Church, seeks to destroy the Church. The roaring lion watches from the outside, seeking to destroy the weak and the stragglers that are pitiful in their faith. Just as the roaring lion attacks and kills the slow, the sheep that drift from the watchful eye of the shepherd, that wander away from the flock, Satan will kill the faith and the life of those who wander from Christ’s Church. He attacks by the world and the fallen flesh. He attacks from without.

In 2^nd Peter the Apostle addresses “Satan as a serpent in the Garden of Eden, the enemy from WITHIN” (Genesis 3:1; 1 Corinthians 10:9; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 12:9). The greatest danger to the Church is not Satan the Lion from without, but Satan the Serpent from within.

Illustrate: Satan from without can be defeated much in the same way that the three little pigs defeated the big bad wolf. When the little pigs built their houses of straw and sticks, they were easily destroyed. But when they built their homes out of ROCK, the big bad wolf had no effect. He could huff and puff, but could not come in. Isn’t this what Jesus said in:

Matthew 7:25 (NKJV) … and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

The net let down at Christ’s Word will bring in 153 varieties of people. The Church focused on the Word of Christ cannot fall, for it is built upon the Rock that is Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). The big bad wolf or the Roaring Lion cannot get through the door where God’s people are.

Christians, To Defeat The Lion & The Serpent,
We Rely On The Savior And The Spirit

2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ…..

Let’s start with these ten words. C.H. Spurgeon noted that one of the signs of spiritual maturity is to realize how weak you are, but how great Christ is. He said:

“Get to Christ somehow, anyhow, for if you get to Him you shall live. It is not the greatness nor the perfection of your faith, it is His greatness and His perfection which is to be depended on.”

As Peter begins this letter, let’s note how he begins it:

2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter

When Peter opened his first letter, he wrote:

1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ

But now in this second letter he starts with “Simon Peter” – but this is not actually correct. In the Greek manuscripts it is actually “SIMEON Peter”.

Word Study: We’re used to calling him “Simon”, the Greek form of his name Símōn which we transliterate into “Simon”. But Simon was not born a Greek, but a Jew, a Hebrew. His Hebrew name is (in the Greek Text) Symeṓn, the Hebrew Shimʻôwn. This was his fleshly name, the name his father gave him. In John 1:42 Jesus addressed the Apostle, saying…

John 1:42 … when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon (Greek Símōn) the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

Word Study: Jesus gave Simeon a second name, Kēphas which is transliterated “Cephas”, the Aramaic form of Petros or “Peter”. Peter or Cephas is the spiritual name Jesus gave Simeon/Simon. As Peter begins this 2^nd letter, he begins with “SIMEON PETER” – his birth name and his born again name. When Jesus looked at Simeon and called him, he called him from where he was to where the Christ is.

Every Christian has a birth name, a fleshly past that you came from. You were named a human name like “SIMEON” by your parents. You were born of the flesh, and have a past history where you did not know Christ. But every Christian not only has a “SIMEON”, but when Jesus calls us, He calls us from “SIMEON” to “PETROS” or “PETER”. Jesus changes us from what we were to what we will be.

Jesus meets SIMEON, and says “Follow Me”. SIMEON becomes PETER, just as SAUL became PAUL. Christians are changed creatures.

The Scripture says in Romans 11:30 (AP) … in times past you did NOT BELIEVE GOD …

Not believing God, the Scripture says in Ephesians 2:2-3 (ESV) … you once walked, following the {ways} of this world, following the prince of the power of the air {that’s the devil}, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Every Christian was once a lost creature, made by God, but at war with God. We wanted to be our own god. But when we met Jesus we, like Peter, said “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful person” (Luke 5:8). We realized – through the power of God’s Holy Spirit – that we were not where we needed to be.

Every Christian is a “new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come”. (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV). We are a work in progress, the people of God. We are called to follow Christ. The Scripture says in Romans 6:4 (ESV) … “just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life”.

It is God Who makes the godly …. godly.
It is God Who makes the Christian.
It is God Who says “Follow Me” – then leads us.

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by Grace are ye saved through FAITH, AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES – it is the gift of God, NOT OF WORKS, lest anyone should boast ….. FOR WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has ORDERED we walk in them!

Christians grow by intentionally partnering with God, seeking out His Word, feeding upon it, and following Christ. We realize we are not perfect – the Christian walk is not a cake walk, but a surrendered walk. The Apostle Paul said:

Romans 7:22-25 (ESV) For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

We are delivered from sin by the Blood of Christ – but we war with sin in these fallen bodies. Yet we battle that sin. How? In our own strength? No! But as both Peter and Paul learned, The Gospel that saves us is the Gospel that keeps us. We follow Jesus to be saved. We keep on following Jesus, surrendered, to have an overcoming faith. Powerful faith is not accidental, but incremental. Overcoming faith is not stumbled upon, but sought out by prayer and following. We as Christians serve our Savior.

The Christian Is First And Foremost
A SERVANT Of God

In 1^st Peter the Apostle started with “Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ”. But in 2^nd Peter we read:

2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ…..

As Simon Peter addresses the Christian, he does not first list himself as “an apostle”. The Apostles were hand picked by Jesus, and given special powers to do what Jesus wanted them to do.

Matthew 10:1-2 (ESV) … And {Jesus} called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these …

Word Study: These twelve “apostles”, the Greek apóstolos, were delegates or ambassadors of the Kingdom of Christ. These ambassadors were sent out to represent Jesus. They had authority from Jesus to not only cast out unclean spirits (fallen angels), but they had the power to heal EVERY disease or affliction in Jesus’ name. They were second only in authority to Jesus Christ Himself. Apostles helped establish the early Church, to organize its business, and to keep the Church spreading the Gospel.

As Peter applies the term “Apostle” to himself, it is a term of POWER. You would think Peter would call himself an APOSTLE first. But He didn’t. Though an “APOSTLE”, empowered of Christ to do magnificent things, He is first a “SERVANT”. Again, this is not the best translation of the word.

Word Study: The word “SERVANT” is the Greek “doûlos”, which is derived from the Greek δέω which means “to tie, bind, ensnare, capture”. A Doûlos was a slave, as opposed to a Paîs which was a hired servant. The hired servant could quit his employer, and seek a better salary elsewhere. The Doûlos or slave could not quit his job at will. In the ancient world a person could sell themselves into slavery, giving themselves to a master in order to receive sustenance, shelter, and protection. Under the Jewish law in Deuteronomy 15:12-18 God told His people that “If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. 14 You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him.” But if this man decided he did not want to leave the master, then “if he says to {the master}, ‘I will not go out from you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you, 17 then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever.”

This is the state of the Doûlos of Christ. When the Christian comes to Christ, Jesus says “Come, follow Me”. We do not rent ourselves out to Jesus. We become His possession. Jesus said:

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

The Christian has placed his or her ear on the doorpost of the Cross. We love Him because Jesus His all for us.

We are sons and daughters of God because of what the Son of God did for us. We are adopted into the family of God because God’s only begotten Son entered into the human race. Saving faith is not just a mental exercise where one says, “I believe”. To believe in Jesus is to put everything aside, and to follow Him. To trust or commit your life to Jesus.

Saving Faith Is A PRECIOUS Gift From God

2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

Word Study: The word translated “OBTAINED” is the Greek lanchánō, which means “to receive by divine allotment”. Every person who has ever been saved have been called to salvation by Christ. Jesus called you. Jesus died for you. Jesus rose again, and called to you. Just as Peter, James, John, and every Apostle was called to salvation by Christ, the saved are called to salvation. We “Receive by divine allotment a LIKE PRECIOUS faith”, the same faith that saved Peter. Our salvation is “through THE righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ”. Jesus Christ is God and our Savior. He has provided precious faith to us.

Word Study: “like precious” is the Greek isótimos, which means “equally precious, of equal value or honor”. As Peter speaks of faith, we are tempted to say “Well, that’s easy for YOU to say, Peter. You walked with Jesus. You sat at His feet. You touched Him. Jesus called you as an Apostle, the highest power and gift in the early Church. But look at me. Compared to YOU, I have little from God!” Peter says, “No! Your faith as a gift from God is of equal value and of equal honor”.

Peter loved to use the word PRECIOUS. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is PRECIOUS. He is PRECIOUS because He alone is chosen of God to redeem mankind:

1 Peter 2:4, 6 To {Jesus} coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious … 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

If you believe on Jesus, you will not be “confounded” or “ashamed”. To believe on Jesus is to give your life to Him, to rest in Him and His words. Jesus is PRECIOUS because He gives us confidence before God – for He is the Chief Corner Stone of the Kingdom of God. When you believe on Jesus then to you He is PRECIOUS (1 Peter 2:7). Because Jesus is PRECIOUS, His Blood which was shed for us is PRECIOUS:

1 Peter 1:18-19 You were not redeemed with corruptible things, things like silver or gold, from your empty way of life received by tradition from your forefathers. You were redeemed with the PRECIOUS blood of Christ, like a lamb without spot or blemish.

The Blood of Christ is PRECIOUS, because it is the only ticket into the Kingdom of God. The Blood of Christ not only guarantees us a place in Heaven, but secures for every Christian a PRECIOUS faith that cannot be defeated. Purchased of God, the Holy Spirit indwells every Christian. And every trial that comes our way are but tests that prove the genuiness of our faith.

1 Peter 1:6-9 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Heaven is yours, dear Christian, because of Christ. But much greater than Heaven – because Christ is Precious, because His Blood is Precious, because your salvation is Precious, God gives us PRECIOUS PROMISES:

The Christian is destined to be a “partaker of the divine nature”. The world says “Follow YOUR heart”. Jesus says, “Follow Me”. The world says “Be true to YOURSELF”. Jesus says, “I am the Truth. Follow Me”. The world says, “Believe in YOURSELF”. Jesus says, “Believe in ME. Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The world says, “You deserve to be happy. Do what makes you happy.” Jesus says, “What does it profit you if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul? Deny yourself, and follow Me.”

If you follow the world, you will only find sadness and insecurity, sin and death. If you follow Jesus, you will find life, eternal life in Him. Will you not follow Him, one day at a time, one step at a time?

Posted in 2 Peter | Tagged art, books, Christ, Faith, Following Christ, food, love, love God, photography, poetry, travel, writing | Leave a comment

The “S” Word

Posted on November 20, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/blue-and-red-superman-print-tank-top-shirt-38630/

1 Peter 5:5-7 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

I remember very vividly the day I got off the bus at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. The drill instructor got onto the bus, and looked us over. As he did, he said “I see you all are in different clothing, and with different lengths of hair. We want to make your stay here as peaceful as possible. I’m your drill instructor, but I want you to regard me as your friend and momma. For the next 8 weeks I’m going to do my best not to hurt your feelings. If you’ll get off the bus, I’ll show you where the accomodations are. And if at any time you feel uncomfortable, let me know – and we’ll do everything we can to accommodate you.”

Did you believe anything I just said? If you did, you are warped!

When the drill instructor got on the bus, he started yelling. He didn’t care if he hurt our feelings. We were told to get off the bus. We were told we were so stupid, that over the next 8 weeks he’d teach us how to stand, how to walk, how and when to talk, how to run, and how and when to sleep. We were told when we could eat, and how long we were allowed to eat. We learned how to fold our clothes – not how we wanted to do so, but how we would do so. And never, never, never did the instructor care about our feelings. You see, he had a mission to accomplish.

He was trying to save our lives.

If you could not learn to work with other people in one accord, as directed by the leader, then you and others would die on the battlefield. Your life depended on your ability to submit to lawful authority, and to work as a cohesive part of a larger group.

Or you and others would die.

The Basis Of Life Is Submission

In America today, on college campuses students are told to shout down speakers that may not conform to their ideaology. They are taught that their feelings are more important than any truth whatsoever. These kids on college campuses are not taught submission, but that they are the center of the universe. As a result, these kids graduate college, apply for jobs, and are rejected by employers because they have not learned to work within a group. Crying over their large college loans that they themselves chose to create, they demand that the government pay off their student loans. Why? So the blue collar worker who paid taxes and did not go to college can pay for their mistake.

These same kids grew up in families where they were told they were the center of the universe, and that the world revolved around them. They were given to “chores” and no discipline for failing to submit to authority in the family. They grew up believing what they feel is more important that anyone or anything else.

Submission. It is not a dirty word, but the basis of
an orderly and a good life.

1 Peter 5:5 … LIKEWISE …

Word Study LIKEWISE: Last week we saw that the ELDER (presbyteros) was to SUBMIT himself to the Word of God. Now we see the word LIKEWISE, the Greek homoiōs, which means “in the same way”. As the Elder or the Pastor of the Church submits not to feelings or opinions but to the Word of God,

1 Peter 5:2-3 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

“In the same way the younger is to submit to the Elder’s leadership”. As the Elder follows the Word of God, so the younger follows the Elder. The flock is fed the Word of God as the Will of God. Why can’t we all just do what we want to do?

We all can’t have our own way, because this is anarchy!

The devil is always looking around, seeking to destroy the creation of God. We are told that in today’s text:

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Everytime God does something good, the devil comes along to try and disrupt it. When God created the angels and mankind, He created us all with free will. We were given the ability to choose. The Bible says that when God made the devil, he was initially called “Lucifer”, which means “the bright and shining one”. Lucifer was an ArchAngel, along with Michael and Gabriel one of the three Chief Angels the Bible speaks of. The Prophet Isaiah saw that Lucifer misused his free will, and decided to try and take over the Throne of God. The Scripture says …

Angelic Background

Isaiah 14:12-14 (NKJV) “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’

Rather than submit and follow his Creator, Lucifer led “a third of the Stars of Heaven {the Angels} and threw them to the earth” (Revelation 12:4). When God put Adam in the Garden of Eden, Lucifer listened. When God directed Adam, we read:

Adam’s Directive

Genesis 2:15-17 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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.”

Lucifer revolted against God and was cast out of Heaven. Watching God create Adam and put Adam in a perfect earthly Paradise, he heard what God told Adam. Adam was to SUBMIT to God, and tend to the Garden. He could eat of ANY tree’s fruit, BUT “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat”. Let me point out that ,,,

Eve was not yet created when the command was given to Adam. Adam was created FIRST, and was to lead in the family. When God said “YOU shall not eat of it”, the direct meaning was “YOU ADAM shall not eat of it”. No such command was ever given to the woman, but to the man. Why?

Because God made MEN and WOMEN different. Eve could have made a fruit salad of that forbidden tree, and it wouldn’t have mattered. The command was given to Adam.

What happened? Lucifer came to the WOMAN (not to man) and tempted her to eat of the forbidden. The WOMAN WAS CREATED OUT OF MAN, and was supposed to follow his leadership. But he must lead. Lucifer told Eve “If you eat of that forbidden fruit …

You Will Be Like God

Genesis 3:4-5 (ESV) … “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Lucifer was thrown out of Heaven for trying to take God’s Throne. Now Lucifer encourages the WOMAN to eat of that which is forbidden so that “you will be like God”. The Bible says that …

Eve Gave To Adam

Genesis 3:6-7 (NKJV) … she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened …

Nothing happened when Eve ate of the forbidden. It was only when Adam ate that “the eyes of both of them were opened”. Why? Because the command to submit was given to Adam. Adam was to submit to God, and trust God, not eating of that which was forbidden. The Scripture says:

Repercussions Of Adam’s Sin

Romans 5:15 (NKJV) … by ONE MAN’S OFFENSE many died …

Romans 5:17 (NKJV) … by ONE MAN’S OFFENSE death reigned …

Romans 5:19 (NKJV) … by ONE MAN’S DISOBEDIENCE many were made sinners…

Adam was to submit to God, not Eve. Eve was to submit to her husband, not Lucifer. The Bible says that “the serpent {Satan} DECEIVED EVE by his craftiness” (2 Corinthians 11:3). The Apostle Paul would later write:

1 Timothy 2:13-14 (NKJV) … Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

Adam was not deceived. He knew full well that his actions were clearly against the directive of God. Jesus looked him in the eyes and told him “do not eat the forbidden fruit”. But Adam made a choice, a conscious choice, to refuse to submit himself to God – while submitting himself to Eve and Lucifer.

His free will actions cost us all Paradise!

Submission Makes An Orderly & Healthy Families

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

The basis of a healthy family is submission. The Christian family is a picture of submission:

Ephesians 5:21-23 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. (22) Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. (23) For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the Savior of the body.

The husband is to lead the wife, and the wife to submit to the godly leadership of the husband. But the husband ALSO submits:

Ephesians 5:25-28 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, … 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

The husband, like Christ for His Church, is to be willing to DIE for his wife. We are to “love their wives as their own bodies”. Had Adam loved Eve, he would not have eraten that which was forbidden. Had Adam loved Eve, he would not have put Eve above what Christ had said. We are first and foremost to submit all that we have and hope to be to our Lord. The “Great Commandment” is:

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

What does “with all” mean? It means that we are to love God so much, and submit to Him so much, that our love for others might even be misinterpreted as hatred. Jesus said:

Luke 14:26 (NKJV) … If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

In submission, we give our all to Jesus first. And in submitting to Christ, we love others all the better!

Beloved, you cannot even be saved from damnation without humility and submission.

1 Peter 5:5-6 …. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God

Word Study: Humility is to be the clothing of the saint. Why? Because we are told “God resisteth the proud”. This is the Greek antitassō, which means “to oppose or stand in battle against”. God stands up AGAINST those who are proud, who will not bend the knee to Him. Though the Bible tells us that salvation is a free gift from God:

Romans 5:18 … as by the offence 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.

Adam through his pride and arrogance brought sin on the whole world. But Jesus Christ, humbling Himself on Calvary, offers the FREE GIFT of salvation to whosoever receives Him. But this FREE GIFT MUST BE RECEIVED.

You must REPENT!
You must BEND THE KNEE to Christ!

Jesus preached,

Matthew 4:17 … REPENT, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand …

Mark 1:15 … REPENT, and believe the Gospel …

Luke 13:3 … unless you REPENT, you will all likewise perish!

The early Church preached:

Acts 2:38 … Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

And Jesus even told the early Church:

Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from where you are fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto YOU quickly, and will remove YOUR candlestick out of it’s place, except thou repent.

You cannot enter the Family of God without repentance. You cannot remain an operational Church of Christ without repentance. God ACTIVELY STANDS AGAINST those who are proud, but God GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. There is no grace without humility. There is no blessing without humility.

Jesus told us:

Matthew 20:25-28 (ESV) “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Within the Trinity of God, each Member of the Trinity – though God – practices submission. The Father sent the Son to save us:

1 John 4:14 (ESV) And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

When we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Son sends the Spirit to sanctify us:

John 14:25-26 (TNIV) … the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things

Luke 24:49 (NRSV) … I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high

and yet, the Father humbles Himself in that He has placed all judgment into Christ’s hands:

John 5:22 (NLT) … the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge,

If the Godhead practices humility and submission, then you are most like God when you are humble and submissive to the plan of God. Let us follow the Lord in humility, loving one another, lifting one another up.

In closing, I heard this story.

Many years ago Spain would put convicts on Spanish Galleys, in chains, and under the whip they were made to toil until they died or their sentence was commuted. Such a punishment was hard, very harsh, a veritable hell on earth. Those who died at the oar were tossed overboard to feed the fish. The King of Spain was onboard one of these Galleys when he decided to visit below deck and see these convicts. As he walked past these convicts, he asked one after the other how they came to be in such a horrible place.

One man said “a false witness lied, and said I stole that money”. Another said, “the judge was wrong – I never did any evil that deserves this”. On and on as the King walked the aisle, each man plead innocent. As he neared the end of the line of human misery, he saw one man hunched over the oars. “Why are you here?” The man replied, “I am ashamed, your Majesty, to even be seen by you. I deserve this. I robbed and hurt someone. As I have sat here this past year, I realize I deserve what is happening. In fact, it is a gift that I was not executed outright! If it were not for the magistrate’s mercy, I would have been hung long ago!” The King stopped as he listened to this man, then called for the Master of the ship. “Release this man! I will not have such an awful creature sitting in the midst of these other fine, upstanding citizens! Let him go!”

Such is Grace. God resists those who are lifted up and arrogant, but God blesses those who, in repentance, cast themselves upon His mercy. Have you cast yourself upon Him?

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for He careth for you.

If not, today is the day of salvation. May God lead you to surrender to Him Who gave His all for you on Calvary. Follow Him. Follow Jesus. Here is the way of glory! Amen and Amen.

Posted in 1 Peter, Sermons Preached | Tagged Faith, Following Christ, Jesus Christ, prayer, salvation | Leave a comment

Christ’s Golden Prayer

Posted on November 17, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Rodolfo Clix: https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-image-of-person-praying-1615776/

John 12:26-30 If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honor. 27 Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28 Father, glorify Thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. 29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. 30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

Israel Is Faithless, But God Is Faithful

When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the word spread that the Messiah had come. The people of Israel celebrated! As Jesus rode into Jerusalem during the Feast of the Passover the people cried out:

John 12:13 … Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.

The word “Hosanna” is a contraction of three Hebrew words in …

Psalm 118:25 SAVE NOW, I BEG YOU, O Lord which is the Hebrew yāšaʿ nā’ ‘ānnā’ (pronounced yaw-shah’ naw awn-naw’)

The crowd was crying out to God to save them, and believed that the salvation would come through Jesus Christ, the King of Israel!

Jesus could have easily provoked the crowd into rising up, and help Him throw Rome out of Israel. Jesus could have saved Israel from Rome. But Rome wasn’t Israel’s enemy. Israel’s enemy was SIN. God had promised Israel many years before:

1. Prominence above all other nations. God told His people.

Deuteronomy 28:1 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth ..

2. God promised prosperity, both urban and rural.

Deuteronomy 28:3 … You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country

Deuteronomy 28:8 … The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you

3. God promised healthy families.

Deuteronomy 28:4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks

4. God promised the destruction of all enemies.

Deuteronomy 28:7 … The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven

Deuteronomy 28:10 … Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you ..

5. God promised Israel would be a world leader.

Deuteronomy 28:13 The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom

Israel was not fallen to Roman rule because God is faithless or because God has forgotten His people. Israel is in bondage to Rome because Israel CHOSE to be in bondage to Rome. Israel turned away from faith in God, and began to intermingle with the world. As Israel became more secular and worldly, God withdrew His hand of blessing. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the population wanted relief from Rome. They needed a solution for sin.

Jesus Christ Kept His Focus On His Purpose

Jesus is the solution for sin. Jesus will have to go to the Cross and make payment for your sins and mine – yes, for the sins of the whole world. This is why Jesus says:

John 12:27 (KJV) Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

Word Study: The word translated “troubled” is the Greek tarassō, which means “to be agitated, to have inward commotion, to be struck with fear and dread, to be anxious or distressed”. This was not the first time that Jesus was tarassō, so stirred up emotionally. The word was used of our Lord as He stood at the grave of Lazarus:

John 11:33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled {tarassō} …

Later when Jesus would contemplate Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Himself, we read:

John 13:21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled {tarassō} in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

Jesus told us in John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled {tarassō} ye believe in God, believe also in me.

We are not to be troubled – disturbed – discouraged – or filled with dread or fear, because Jesus would take our burdens upon Himself. Our escape is Jesus. But Jesus has no escape. There is NO …

Acts 4:12 … salvation in any other: for there is NONE other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

As God, our Lord Jesus knows what He must do. But as Perfect Man, Jesus dreads what is coming. The Scripture says:

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

Because of what Jesus was going to do during this Passover Feast, we would be REDEEMED from sin, REDEEMED from Satan, and RETURNED to Sonship with God if we receive Him. What Jesus was going to do would be unimaginable. As we could not pay for our sins, Jesus would pay for them. The Psalmist foresaw what Jesus would do on the Cross:

Psalm 22:1-8 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving Me, from the words of My groaning? 2 O My God, I cry by day, but You do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 In You our fathers trusted; they trusted, and You delivered them. 5 To You they cried and were rescued; in You they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see Me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 “He trusts in the Lord; let Him deliver Him; let Him rescue Him, for He delights in Him!”

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew that the Father would turn His back on Him, as our sins were poured out on Him on Calvary. Jesus will groan from the Cross, but the Father will not answer! Though others like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have cried out to God, and God has answered them, God will not answer Jesus’ prayers. Why? Is it because the Son is not loved? Is it because the Son does not please the Father? No, for God has said:

Matthew 3:17 … This is My BELOVED Son, with whom I am well pleased.

The Father calls Jesus “BELOVED”. The Father says of Jesus that “with whom I am well pleased”. There is nothing Jesus did in His earthly life that would have displeased the Father. Jesus said,

Luke 2:49 … I MUST be about MY FATHER’S BUSINESS

John 6:38 (NLT) For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.

John 14:9 (NKJV) … He who has seen Me has seen the Father;

Jesus was always about the Father’s business. He is the “faithful and true witness” (Revelation 1:5; 19:11). He has never let the Father down, and will not do so now. This is why Jesus says:

John 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

Though He knew the horror before Him, Jesus kept His focus on Hs mission. Let’s do a bit of application.

When we as believers suffer, do we keep our eyes on our PURPOSE in being here, or on OURSELVES? I must admit that many times when suffering, I beg God to remove the suffering. Yet we should, as believers, be more focused on our continued purpose in being here until the Lord calls us home. Though Jesus prayed, and even sought relief (Father, let this cup pass from me – NEVERTHELESS not my will but THINE) – He never gave up. The Bible says:

Hebrews 5:7-9 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Father, Glorify Your Name

There are many great prayers in the Bible. The greatest prayers are those which the Father answers. Jesus’ prayer was not long – just four words:

John 12:28 Father, glorify Your name …

Though a short prayer, God the Father IMMEDIATELY responded with:

John 12:28 … I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

Jesus prayed but 4 words, and the Father answered with but 11. Jesus prayed that the Father would GLORIFY HIS NAME through the Son’s sacrifice. The Father immediately replied, “I have BOTH glorified it, and WILL GLORIFY IT again”. Jesus entered this world to bring glory to the Name of God. God will always glorify His Name. And we, no matter what we are going through in life, should seek to glorify God’s Name. When Jesus taugvht us the Lord’s Prayer, He taught us the need to make the Glory of God the center of our prayer. Jesus taught us

Matthew 6:8-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer begins with glory to God, and ends with glory to God. Any prayer is golden that seeks to bring glory to God’s name!

People Have Absolutely NO ACCESS
To God Without Christ

John 12:29-30 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to Him. 30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of Me, but for your sakes.

The reason that the Father spoke was NOT so that Jesus could hear Him, but so that we could see how desperately we need Jesus. There were three sets of ears listening when Jesus prayed this day. One set of ears, the sons of God, heard what the Father said. The sons of God heard:

John 12:28 … I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

They heard the Father and what He said. Those who are saved by faith in Christ have access to the Father, because of the Son and the Spirit. The Son has paid for our sins, so that the Holy Spirit can “guide us into all truth” (John 16:13). A son of God by faith in Christ has access to the Father. God can speak, and we can hear.

But the lost only heard “thunder”, whereas others thought “an angel spoke to Him”. The lost cannot hear the message, for they have turned away from the Gospel. Jesus had to go to that Cross to make other sons of God. Mankind without Christ are utterly without God! Jesus is going to the Cross to make a way for us to become sons of God, so that we might serve God in this life.

Sons of God glorify God in their lives. We live for Him, not for ourselves. We previously read Jesus’ statement:

John 12:26 If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honor.

I’ll close with these words from C.H. Spurgeon, from a sermon entitled “The Rule and Reward Of Serving Christ”:

Learn hence, then, all of you who would have Christ as your Savior, that you must be willing to serve Him. We are not saved BY service, but we are saved TO service. When we are once saved, thenceforward we live in the service of our Lord. If we refuse to be his servants, we are not saved, for we still remain evidently the servants of self, and the servants of Satan. Holiness is another name for salvation; to be delivered from the power of self-will, and the domination of evil lusts, and the tyranny of Satan,— this is salvation. Those who would be saved must know that they will have to serve Christ, and those who are saved rejoice that they are serving him, and that thus they are giving evidence of a change of heart and renewal of mind.

May God bless us as we learn to glorify Him and do service to Christ while we walk this earth. Amen and Amen!

Posted in John, Sermons Preached | Tagged Following Christ, God Is Faithful, salvation | Leave a comment

To The Elders

Posted on November 15, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/bible-blur-christ-christianity-372326/

1 Peter 5:1-4 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

When I came across this the other day, I thought of Jerry Bridenbaugh, our Worship Leader and resident Lawyer. The man who told it to me started out with, “This is a true story, and there are court records that prove it”. This is from the British Newspaper, The Guardian:

“A lawyer in Charlotte, North Carolina, bought a box of very rare and expensive cigars, then insured them against fire. A month later, after smoking all the cigars, he filed a claim against the insurance company, claiming that the cigars had been destroyed “in a series of small fires”. Naturally, the insurance company refused to pay, arguing that he had consumed the cigars in the normal way. The lawyer sued and won. The judge concluded that, on the wording of the policy, the insurance company was liable – it had failed to limit its liability by defining what would amount to an “unacceptable fire”. .. The company, rather than incur the costs of appeal, paid up $15,000, whereupon it reported the lawyer to the police. He was arrested and subsequently convicted on 24 counts of arson – intentionally burning insured property – and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and a fine. “This is a true story,” the report goes on, ‘and was the first-place winner in the recent Criminal Lawyers Award Contest’.”

When I first heard this it made me smile. The story first came out in 1996, and in 2003 Country Music singer and songwriter Brad Paisley wrote a song about it called “The Cigar Song”, which released on his 2x Platinum album “Mud On The Tires”. The cigar story is actually fake. Insurance policies are written so that deliberate actions of destruction by the policy holder cannot trigger payouts. For instance, if I get a life insurance policy then take my own life, the policy would be null and void. But I did think it was interesting that in the cigar story the lawyer ended up suffering from his poor decisions. Isn’t that what the Bible says?

The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

Here is a story I had hoped was an urban legend. In an article entitled “SBC Pastor Found Dead After Apparent Suicide Days After Secret Life Exposed” I read:

“On November 3rd 2023 at approximately 4:14 PM , the Lee County (Alabama) Sheriff’s Office received information that a welfare check was needed for Mayor Fred ‘Bubba” Copeland from Smiths Station. Deputies located Mayor Copeland in the Beulah community of Lee County and a slow pursuit was initiated. Mayor Copeland turned off of Lee road 279 on to Lee road 275 just north of Yarbroughs Crossroads and pulled over. He exited the vehicle, produced a handgun and took his own life. An ongoing investigation is being conducted by Investigators at the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. … Copeland was the pastor of First Baptist Church of Phenix City, a Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) church in Alabama; the mayor of Smiths Station, a town of less than 6,000 in Lee County, Alabama; and a convenience store owner.”

What caused this dear man – a Pastor, the Mayor of his town, a business owner, a married man with three children – to kill himself? He had a secret life as a transvestite. He had an online presence as Brittini Blaire Summerlin, posting sexually explicit content, images, and other forms of erotica. When his activities came to light Mr Copeland said that what he did was a “hobby to relieve stress”. If it were no more than a hobby or play, then why would he kill himself?

As I thought about these two things today – the Internet Legend of the false Lawyer, and the news story of the sad end of a man’s life – both have one thing in common.

When we depart from the Word of God and God’s Standard of what is right and wrong, we begin to walk a self destructive path. This was true with Adam and Eve, true in Noah’s day, and true even in the 21^st century!

God’s Leaders Must Adhere To The Word Of God

1 Peter 5:1-2 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2 Feed the flock of God which is among you

Word Study: As the Apostle Peter enters this final chapter, he “exhorts” the “elders” which are among the Church. Let’s start with the word “exhort”, which is the Greek parakaleō. This is an interesting word, because it is a compound: para which means “alongside” and kaleō which means “to call”. Peter is not talking down to the Elders, as if in a position of authority. He is calling them alongside. He is saying to every Pastor, Preacher, Evangelist, Teacher “Come here, let me put my arm around you and tell you something very important that I have been taught by Jesus”. Parakaleō. The word encourages (Luke 3:18). Parakaleō. The word comforts (Matthew 5:4). Parakaleō. The word pleads (Matthew 14:36; Mark 1:40).

Word Study: As Peter speaks to the “ELDERS” he says, “I am also an elder”. That word “ELDER” is the Greek presbýteros, which can mean “someone advanced in years”. But in this application presbýteros is a reference to a rank of office. The Jews had

Matthew 21:23 … Chief Priests and ELDERS {presbýteros}

Matthew 26:3 … Chief Priests, and the Scribes, and the ELDERS {presbýteros}

When the Church was formed, the Apostles …

Acts 14:23 … ordained them ELDERS {presbýteros} in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

Elders are those who have believed on the Lord, who have sat at the feet of Jesus, and who are ordained of God to speak the truths of Scripture. The offices of Apostle and Elder (Acts 15:2) ruled on what was Biblical, taught of Christ (Acts 15:2, 4, 6, 22-23; 16:4). When the Apostle Paul went to Ephesus and called together the Pastors/ Elders of that Church (Acts 20:17), the Bible says that he encouraged those preachers, saying:

Acts 20:27-30 (NKJV) For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.

Paul as an Elder did not “shun to declare to you the whole counsel of God”. He spoke the truth of God’s Word in love. Now Paul encourages these Elders, these Pastors to take heed or watch over the Church, that “the Holy Spirit has made you overseers”. The Pastor is to OVERSEE the Church, to ensure that it operates according to the rule of God’s Word. The Pastor is to “shepherd the church of God” for Christ, for it is Christ’s Blood bought possession. The Church does not belong to the Pastor, but to the Lord Who died for you. The Pastor is to stay on the lookout for “savage wolves {that} will come in among you”, those who “speak perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves”.

The Pastor, every Pastor of every Church that belongs to Jesus has one overwhelming commission. As Elders the Pastor is to FEED THE FLOCK the WORD OF GOD.

1 Peter 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you

The Pastor is to FEED THE FLOCK OF GOD. He is to FEED THE FLOCK “which is among you”. The Pastor is not called to entertain goats, but to feed sheep, to feed the children of God so that they might grow up to be like Christ.

When Peter encourages the elders, again, he is not speaking from a position of perfection. Peter has learned from his own life experiences that the Word of God is ALWAYS RIGHT. Let me say that again.

The Word of God is ALWAYS RIGHT!

Peter, like us all, had to learn the hard way. The Bible tells us that Jesus began to share with His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem to die for us all. The Scripture says:

Matthew 16:21 (NKJV) From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

As Jesus is teaching this, Peter interrupts. “Not so, Jesus! This will NOT happen to You!” How did Jesus reply? He told Peter in His stinging rebuke:

Matthew 16:23 (NKJV) “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

The Simon the son of Jonah that Jesus had given the name Peter (the Rock – John 1:42), now Jesus calls him another name. He is “SATAN”, for Peter is acting like the devil. The devil doesn’t MIND THE THINGS OF GOD, but is more satisfied with THE THINGS OF MEN.

Just as Adam was following the serpent Satan in the Garden of Eden, Peter is following Satan in Caesarea Philippi.

Peter was not an Elder then. He was learning to rest at the feet of Jesus. I don’t care what Seminary you went to. I don’t care how many doctorates you have in Theology or Ministry. I don’t care if you were on staff with Adrian Rogers, Charles Stanley, or Billy Graham. If you have not learned to rest at the feet of Jesus, to hear Him speak, to follow His commandments loving Jesus, then you are not an Elder.

The Elder heeds the Word of God. Not opinion, not that which satisfies the world, but the Word of God.

On another day Jesus was preaching the Word of God, and told the Disciples what the Bible prophesied of the Messiah in …

Zechariah 13:7 (NKJV) Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.

Jesus – the Living Word of God – was preaching this Written Word of God in:

Matthew 26:31-32 … “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

It was prophesied in Zechariah, and “scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). Jesus told His disciples that this hard Scripture was about to be fulfilled. The Shepherd, Jesus of Nazareth, will be captured, and tried before both religious as well as secular courts. Though no fault would be found in Him, He would nonetheless be killed. But Jesus will rise after three days. As Jesus says this, Peter speaks:

Matthew 26:33 … “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”

Here Peter reminds me of many believers in this present age. “I know what the Bible says – but not ME, it doesn’t apply to ME!” Jesus looks at Peter, and says:

Matthew 26:34 (NKJV) … “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

Peter denied Bible prophecy. Peter denied the Living Word of God. Now Peter declares:

Matthew 26:35 … “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”

But what happened? Peter went to Gethsemane with Jesus and the other Disciples. Jesus asked that they pray with Him – but they all fell asleep. Even Peter. Peter denied Jesus in the Garden in prayer (Matthew 26:44). Then when Judas Iscariot leads the Temple Guard to capture Jesus, Peter draws his sword, and cuts off the ear of one of the servants of the High Priest (Matthew 26:51). Jesus rebukes him, then “all the disciples run away” (Matthew 26:56). Peter follows from a distance, and outside of the trial of our Lord Peter denies Jesus three times (Matthew 26:70, 72, 74). When the rooster crows, the Bible says that “Peter went out and wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:75).

The Word of God is always true.
The Word of God never leaves fashion.
“God’s Word is Truth” (John 17:17)

God’s Leaders Must Share the Word Of God

1 Peter 5:2-3 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock.

Those who are Elders are to adhere to the Word of God, not to opinion nor political persuasion. It SICKENS me and I’m sure SICKENS Jesus when Pastors allow their Churches to become platforms for some political party. The Pulpit is for preaching the Word of God, for Feeding the Sheep.

After Peter denied Jesus three times – just as the Word of God said he would do – Peter took the disciples out on a fishing trip on the Sea of Tiberius. As they were fishing, Someone from the shore called out and asked “Have you caught anything?” They shouted back, “No”, so the One on the shore said, “Cast your net on the right side of the boat, and you’ll do better” (John 21:6). When they did so, the nets filled to overflowing! It was Jesus!

After they ate breakfast (John 21:12) our Lord Jesus spoke to Peter. He didn’t call him “Peter”, which means “The Rock”, but asked:

John 21:15 “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”

Do you love Me more than these other disciples? Do you love Me more than this great catch of fish – worth quite a bit of money? Do you love Me more? Peter replies, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” Jesus said,

“Feed My lambs”

These are the young Christians, those who will come to believe on Jesus. Jesus isn’t talking about feeding them FISH, but feeding them the WORD OF GOD. Feed My lambs. Jesus asks a second time:

John 21:16 … “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”

Peter replies, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” Jesus told Simon,

“Tend My sheep”

Look after My people. Make sure that they hear the Word of God. Keep the wolf at bay. Care for them. Then Jesus asked the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”. Peter was grieved, and said, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” To which Jesus once more said,

“Feed My Sheep”

The Elder, the Pastor, the Overseer of the Church is to care for his charges. He is to do so “not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind”. The Pastor should not have to be coerced into sharing the Word, but to do it willingly. The Elder should not be sharing the Word for “filthy lucre”, the Greek aischrokerdōs which means “from eagerness for base gain”. These deceivers have been around from the beginning of the Church Age, who creep into Churches to draw members away for their own gain. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Elders/ Pastors saying:

Titus 1:9-11 (NKJV) {The Elder/ Pastor must be} holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. 10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.

There are many in the “Love Me” cults of today who subvert Churches, and draw God’s people away from God’s Word. The Elders are encouraged to stay strong in the Word of God, upholding what the Scripture has said regardless of popularity or polarity. Pastors are not to be “lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock”.

As the Pastor follows Jesus, the flock is to follow the Pastor. I’ll end with these words – though we’ll be back here next week:

The Pastor leads, following the Word of God. The Church follows, following the Word of God. God will not bless the Church that is not following His Word. Let us follow, loving Jesus. Amen and Amen.

Posted in 1 Peter, Sermons Preached | Tagged Christ, Following Christ, God Is Faithful, gospel, love, salvation | Leave a comment

Today The Day of Salvation
February 2026

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The Believer in Christ HAS BEEN Saved,IS BEING Saved, and WILL BE Saved.

You are either IN the Ark, IN Christ, or you are UNDER the condemnation of God!

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Before Jesus Could Be Born, God HadTo Create His Herald

God must have a Herald.The King must have a spokesman.

All of the people God used were NOT famous, NOT powerful, NOT rich. They believed in God, though they were broken. The herald of Christ will come from a LITTLE old broken couple.

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Why Is There A 2nd Peter?

The Christian is Christ’s possession.

Someone let down the Gospel net at Christ’s Word – and you were caught! You are part of the 153. You no longer belong to the world.

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Father, Glorify Your Name

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When we depart from the Word of God and God’s Standard of what is right and wrong, we begin to walk a self destructive path. This was true with Adam and Eve, true in Noah’s day, and true even in the 21st century!

The Pastor, every Pastor of every Church that belongs to Jesus has one overwhelming commission. As Elders the Pastor is to FEED THE FLOCK the WORD OF GOD.

The Word of God is ALWAYS RIGHT!

Just as Adam was following the serpent Satan in the Garden of Eden, Peter is following Satan in Caesarea Philippi.

God’s Leaders Must Share the Word Of God

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David Buffaloe

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Today The Day of Salvation

Jesus Proves There Is A God, And
Eyewitnesses Prove There Is A Jesus

No one would suffer martyrdom knowing that
they were dying for a myth or a lie.

The Eyewitness Accounts Were Not Delusions,
But Reality That More Than One Saw

Christmas Is All About The Witnesses For
The Christ’s First Coming

The Believer in Christ HAS BEEN Saved,
IS BEING Saved, and WILL BE Saved.

Before Jesus Could Be Born, God Had
To Create His Herald

God must have a Herald.
The King must have a spokesman.

God Can Bless Little Strength,
But Cannot Bless Unbelief

Why Is There A 2^nd Peter?

Christians, To Defeat The Lion & The Serpent,
We Rely On The Savior And The Spirit

The Christian Is First And Foremost
A SERVANT Of God

Submission. It is not a dirty word, but the basis of
an orderly and a good life.

People Have Absolutely NO ACCESS
To God Without Christ

When we depart from the Word of God and God’s Standard of what is right and wrong, we begin to walk a self destructive path. This was true with Adam and Eve, true in Noah’s day, and true even in the 21^st century!