Being Born Again

Posted on August 7, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Thái Huỳnh: https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-of-newly-wedded-couple-3998365/

1 Peter 1:22-25 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Children of Adam are to act one way – but Children of God are to act another way. Children of Adam act the way they act because they are driven by the flesh. But Children of God act differently because they are driven by the Spirit.

Children Of Adam Are Born To Lust
Children Of God Are Born To Love

Though “Lust” and “Love” both have four letters and begin with the letter “L”, no two words could be more different. “Lust” is love INWARD, self satisfaction, self pleasure, self gratification. “Love” is love OUTWARD, doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, treating others with respect whether they deserve it or not. We read:

1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

What “purifies your soul”? It is to “obeying the truth through the Spirit”. What is “THE TRUTH”? It is what God has said. God is the Source of all Truth. When God passed by Moses He told that grand old Believer:

Exodus 34:6-7 … The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty …

Moses would later sing to Israel:

Deuteronomy 32:3-4 … I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

God is where TRUTH is. God knows what is right and wrong, good and evil. Man does not establish truth, but God does. His Truth is revealed in His Word, the Bible. “The Word of the Lord is RIGHT, and all His works are done in TRUTH” (Psalm 33:4). The devil and the worldly are constantly striving to twist and pervert the truth of God. “But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” (Psalm 86:15).

When God became Incarnate, when the Eternal Son of God became Perfect Man, the Bible says that “the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17). Jesus came to show us the Truth. He came to show us that, as sons of Adam, we were sinners far from God. Yet

John 3:16 God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Our sinfulness separated us from God. Even those who were careful followers of the Law of Moses were exposed as sons of Adam in their behavior. Last Wednesday in John Chapter 8 our Lord Jesus spoke to the Pharisees who thought that by keeping the Law they were right with God. They were not. Why? In the dialogue between Jesus and the Pharisees we read (if you wish, turn over to this text with me):

John 8:37-44 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. 38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. 39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. 41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Though the Pharisees were “Abraham’s seed”, that is, physical descendants whose lineage could be traced back to Abraham, they nonetheless were sons of Adam and not Sons of God. Why? Because:

(1) They did not believe on the Manifest Truth of God, the Living Word which is Jesus Christ, and because

(2) Their outward works were those things which sons of Adam would do, not Sons of God. Jesus spoke TRUTH to them, and they would not hear. They were LUST driven, and not LOVE driven. The lost son of Adam will do “the LUSTS of your father the Devil”. The Pharisees plotted murder against Christ. The Pharisees formulated lies against Christ. Religious, they had no relationship with God – they were divorced from Christ, and married to their own lustful pleasures.

Jesus set this criteria in John 8:42:

If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me

The output of LOVE is that which proves salvation or damnation! Jesus Christ came FROM God, the Manifest Truth of God, and so would be loved and treated with love by all those born of God. Those who are born of God, like Christ, proceed forth and come from God. Those who are “born again” are creations of God. Those who LOVE GOD will LOVE HIS CREATION.

Let’s go back to our focal text:

1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

Word Study: Those who are SAVED are saved “unto unfeigned love of the brethren”. Let’s break this down. The word “unto” is the Greek Primary Preposition eis {pronounced ice}, which means “with the RESULT OF or the PURPOSE OF”. Just as Jesus shared with the Pharisees, if you are “born again” the question is not “Am I religious enough?”, but rather “Do I love and care for my brothers and sisters in the Lord? Do other Children of God matter to me?”. If you have no concern for your fellow believers, then you most likely are NOT saved. If you are more focused on YOUR satisfaction than you are the glory of God and the care of others, then you more likely are NOT saved.

Word Study: The word “unfeigned” is the Greek Adjective anypokritos {pronounced an-oo-pok’-ree-tos}, which means “without hypocrisy or undisguised”. The Pharisees often went to Christ and said things like:

Matthew 22:16 … Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.

But after buttering Jesus up, they would ask Him trick questions, like “Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?” (Matthew 22:17). Jesus always saw through through this, just as God always sees through hypocritical love. Jesus told them, “Why do you test Me, you HYPOCRITES?” God knows your hearts, and whether your love is hypocritical or not. Jesus called out the hypocrites because He loved them.

If your heart is hardened toward other Christians, if you seek only to RULE rather than to SERVE in the Kingdom of God, you are not serving LOVE but LUST – and God knows it! SEEING you are “Born Again”, you are to be BEING “Born Again”!

1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

The sons of Adam love one another’s LUSTS, and endorse one another’s LUSTS, seeking to grow the godless darkness. But the Sons of God “love one another”. We don’t love sin, but we love our brothers and sisters in Christ. We care that our fellow believers grow in Christ and in the knowledge of His Word. The phrase “love one another” is found thirteen times in Scripture. Here are a few of these:

John 13:34 {Jesus said} A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

John 15:12 {Jesus said} This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

John 15:17 {Jesus said} These things I command you, that ye love one another.

Romans 13:8 {The Apostle Paul said} Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

1 Thessalonians 4:9 {The Apostle Paul said} But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

1 John 3:11 {The Apostle John said} For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

1 John 3:23 {The Apostle John said} And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

1 John 4:7 {The Apostle John said} Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

1 John 4:12 {The Apostle John said} … If we love one another, God dwelleth in us

If one professes to be saved, but does not love his or her fellow Christian, then that person’s salvation is suspect. The Bible tells us to “love one another with a pure heart fervently”. The word translated “fervently” is the Greek Adverb ektenōs {pronounced ek-ten-oce’}, which means “with an outstretched hand intently”. Various versions translate this:

NIV “love one another deeply, from the heart.”
CSB “from a pure heart, love one another constantly.”
NASB “fervently love one another from the heart.”
NLT “Love each other deeply with all your heart.”
BBE “see that your love is warm and from the heart.”

We never love sin. We as believers are to “hate even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jude 23). We are never to make peace with sin, as sin is an affront to our God. But we are to love our fellow believers – and treat all people the way that we want to be treated.

Am I A Child Of God?

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

The child of Adam is born of “corruptible seed”. The word translated “corruptible” is the Greek Adjective phthartós {pronounced fthar-tos’}, which means “that which is perishable”. God does not perish, but humans do. You who are here today are made of flesh and blood – and the scripture says:

1 Corinthians 15:50 … flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Jesus told Nicodemus, the Teacher of Israel:

John 3:3, 6 … Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Though Nicodemus, a Pharisee of Pharisees, was considered a “good” man, he could not enter the kingdom of God. Only those BORN to the Kingdom can enter the Kingdom.

That which is born of sperm and egg is a child of Adam. That which is born of Spirit and Gospel, the Word of God, is a child of God. One is temporary – the other not.

1 Peter 1:24-25 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.

“all flesh is as grass”. Grass comes, and grass goes. Grass grows, and is green and tall today. It has beautiful flowers for a season. But then time passes on. It’s like the little poem:

Old age is golden so I’ve heard it said,
But sometimes I wonder as I crawl into bed.
With my ears in a drawer, my teeth in a cup,
My eyes on the table until I wake up.
As sleep dims my vision I say to myself,
Is there anything else I should lay on the shelf?
How do I know my youth is all spent?
My get up and go has got up and went!
But in spite of it all I’m able to grin,
I belong to Jesus, for I’ve been born again!
Heaven’s my home, not a hole in the ground,
When you bury this body, I’ll not be around.
For face to face with my Savior I’ll be,
I sure hope you’ll receive the Gospel,
And join US in for all eternity!

Beloved, the “grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away”. Whatever green you have will turn brown. Whatever god you cherish will die away. I hear tell of these “Swifties” who worship the ground Taylor Swift walks on. Whatever talent she has will one day cease to be. Whitney Houston, a truly great artist, died as the grass withered for her at 48 years old. Michael Jackson, an award winning artist, died as the flower faded away at 50 years old. Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, met the King of Kings and Lord of Lords at 42 years old. Guitarist Jimi Hendrix died at just 27 years old.

You do not know when this life will end. But God’s promise is “the word of the Lord endureth for ever”. If you have received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have been “born again of the Spirit”. And if you are born again of the Spirit, you are a Child of God with purpose. Heaven is your home. But while on this earth, you will love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as you want to be loved.

1 Peter 1:22-25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Are you saved? Does your outward behavior reflect an inward Child of God? If not, TODAY is the day of salvation. REPENT. Turn from being your own god. Turn to the arms of Jesus. Jesus loves you, and gave Himself for you. Turn your life over to Him. Stop trying to be god, and let Him be God. Embrace Him Who embraced your sin on Calvary. Grab His nail scarred hand, and trust in Him. The Scripture promises:

Romans 10:9-13 (ESV) … if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

May God the Holy Spirit move on your hearts today. My hands are cleansed of your blood (Ezekiel 3:18). The ball is in your court. What will you do? What will YOU do? Amen and Amen!

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Disciples Indeed

Posted on August 4, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Oladimeji Ajegbile: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-man-reading-indoor-2325729/

John 8:31-36 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in My word, [then] are ye My disciples indeed; {32} And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. {33} They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? {34} Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. {35} And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: [but] the Son abideth ever. {36} If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Salvation Is A Free Gift That Changes You

Salvation is a free gift from God. But it is a free gift that, when it comes to you, changes you positionally and progressively. When you are saved, you are positionally a Child of God:

Romans 8:16 (ESV) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God …

When God looks at us, we ARE His Children, if we are saved. This is positional. We are not children of Adam, but of God. But we are also progressively changed, which is what we will look at today. We read:

vs 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him

Word Study: Jesus is addressing BELIEVING Jews. They have BELIEVED (past tense) on Him. The word translated BELIEVED is the Greek Perfect Active Participle of “pisteuō”, which means “to have faith in, to rest in, to place confidence in or rest upon”. According to my commentary:

“The Perfect Tense describes an action which is viewed as having been completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated. Jesus’ last cry from the cross, TETELESTAI (“It is finished!”) is a good example of the perfect tense used in this sense, namely “It [the atonement] has been accomplished, completely, once and for all time.””

Salvation is BOTH a GIFT and a PARTNERSHIP between God and man.

When we believe on Jesus for salvation, genuine faith plants the Holy Spirit within the life. Salvation causes a change. It is indeed a free gift. But it is a free gift that changes the recipient. You are familiar with the text:

Titus 3:5-6 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; {6} Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior;

It is not our good works, our “righteousness” or what we perceive as our good acts, that bring us into union with God. It is our faith in Him Whom the Father has sent. What are the “works of God that we are to do” (John 6:28)? Jesus said:

John 6:29 … This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Word Study: “The work of God” that pleases God, that brings us into salvation, is that we believe on Christ. When we believe on Christ the Scripture says we are “WASHED” by being born again. We are no longer sons of Adam, but are Children of God. We are “RENEWED” (Greek anakaínōsis, renovated, changed for the better). We are given the Holy Spirit. Not only are our sins removed, as God promises:

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

But out POSITION is removed. Whereas we were far from God as sons of Adam, we are in the family of God as sons and daughters of God. We previously quoted Titus 3:5-6 in support of salvation alone by faith in Christ alone. But the problem with most modern Preachers, Teachers, and Evangelists is they do not examine the full context of a scripture when quoting it. When you do this, false doctrines like “You can be saved, and be a racist, an adulterer, or a hetero or homosexual sinner”. This is not true. The continuing context of Titus is:

Titus 3:7-8 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. {8} [This is] a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

Did you carefully read the context? Those who are positionally saved by faith in Christ will also “be careful to maintain good works”. What are “good works”? It is to DO WHAT JESUS SAID, to LIVE ABIDING IN CHRIST AND HIS WORD.

Salvation is a free gift, but it is not a cheap gift. Positionally saved, you progressively act more and more like Jesus. You DO His Word.

Salvation is given freely, but, if you are saved, you will ABIDE in Christ. Consider this text:

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: {9} Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Salvation is a free gift, offered freely to whosoever will. You cannot be saved by your good works. But if you read the promise in Ephesians in context you will see:

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The whole purpose of our salvation is that we WALK IN GOOD WORKS. What are GOOD WORKS?
It is to DO what Jesus said do.

Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou our Potter; and we all are the work of Thy hand.

The Bible says that our God “is the Potter, and we are the Clay”. The vessel that Christ has put a hand on is the vessel destined and purposed for God’s service. The clay that the Master has put on the potter’s wheel is the clay that will be shaped and molded to His glory. If you are saved, God cares for you. He is a Potter with love as His purpose. God does not abandon us. Our Father SAVES, then COMMANDS, and OVERSEES. God does not call then, like some strange Child play hide and seek with those He called. He calls then He, the Infinite Creator of all that we see, begins to work in the life of those whom He loves.

Illustrate: We know that we are saved when God is at work in our lives. Our salvation is proved by our works! You shall be saved if you call upon the Lord. Some of you may say, “Oh, I wish my name were written down in the Bible, then I could know I was saved”. Listen Beloved, this would bring me no comfort at all. If you do an internet search for “David Buffaloe”, you will find 12,700 people with that name. One is the President of a company called “Vertical IQ”, based in my hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. Another is a “a senior-level marketing professional”. Another is a truck driver. David Buffaloe of Garner, North Carolina, is a participant in the 4-H Club swine program. David Henry Buffaloe died the year I was born, in 1958.

Having your name written in the Bible, or in some “Who’s Who”, will not bring you comfort. What brings every Christian who is genuinely saved comfort is that Christ is written, and because of this you want to continue in His Word. If you have come to Christ for salvation, but what you profess as salvation has not impacted your love for and obedience to the Savior, then Beloved, YOU MAY NOT BE SAVED.

Are You Continuing In His Word?

John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in My Word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed;

Word Study: Jesus is addressing Jews “which believed on Him”. He says, “If ye continue in My Word”. The word translated “continue” is the Greek menō, which means “to abide in, to dwell in, to make yourself at home in”. When John the Baptist baptized Jesus, he said:

John 1:32-33 … I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode menō upon him. 33 … {God} said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining menō on him, the same is {the Christ}…

The Holy Spirit did not just come to visit Jesus, but came and rested on Him and in Him. Jesus in the Parable of the Vine and Branches uses menō to describe our relationship to Him:

John 15:4-5 Abide menō in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it Abide menō in the vine; no more can ye, except ye Abide menō in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that Abide menō in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Saved by faith, the Christian abides – dwells in – makes themselves at home in the Word of Christ. It is not a chore or an irritation or an inconvenience, but a JOY the Christian experiences as they come to the Word of Christ, the Holy Bible.

Change only comes from the Word of Christ.

When God saves you, you come from a life of emptiness and darkness and into the blessings of God. The shepherd boy called of Jesus did not stay in the field with the sheep, but through the Spirit our God changed him to be King David. The displaced Jew named Moses murders a man and, becoming a fugitive, is called by God from a Burning Bush. Through him, God writes Scripture, and leads Israel. Abram becomes Abraham, the father of many nations. A liar and a thief named Jacob meets God and is changed into Israel, the Prince of God and the father of the Chosen People. An unknown fisherman hears the Master call one day and, following Jesus, Peter becomes a fisher of men and an Apostle. Those who followed Christ found themselves molded by God, by the Word of Christ.

Illustrate: Several years ago a dear friend of mine Hoyt Wilson told this story. He said that someone offered to sell his dad a car one day and, after his dad looked it over quickly, he agreed to the sale because the price was so good. Hoyt said his dad paid the man off and then went back to work. Later on that day Hoyt said his dad went back to the car – a nice looking vehicle – and tried to start it. Nothing happened! When he opened the hood he discovered that the car had no engine. It looked good on the outside, but without an engine it was no more than a thousand pound paperweight! Beloved, if you are saved, God put an engine inside of you. That Engine is God the Holy Spirit. Jesus said of the Spirit:

John 14:16-17 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth …

Jesus told His listeners,

John 8:31 … If ye continue in My Word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed;

Word Study: The mark of the saved is that they CONTINUE or ABIDE or REST in Christ’s WORD. Jesus says that those who do so are His “disciples indeed”. The word “indeed” is the Greek alēthōs, which means “truthfully, surely, in reality”. Those who walk away from Christ’s Word do not bear the mark of the saved, but of the lost. The Child of God walks through this life while following Jesus.

Physical Birth Does Not Bring Spiritual Birth

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Word Study: In verse 31 Jesus uses the ADVERB alēthōs, which meant in context “Genuine or Certain Disciples”. But in verse 32 Jesus switches to the NOUN form of the same word, alētheia. If you are genuinely saved, you will be bound to the Word of Christ. If you are genuinely saved, you will NOT be bound to the Word of Man. Jesus said,

“You who are believers following Me are the only ones who will know absolute Truth, and this Truth shall make you free”.

The Jews do not argue with Jesus about truth, but about their freedom. They are filled with pride, and blind because of it. They say:

John 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

That which makes sin so insidious is that it loves to BLIND its recipient. Israel has been in bondage to Rome, paying taxes and tribute to Caesar, since the siege of 63 BC. An Idumean, a descendant of Esau and not Jacob, sat on the throne of Israel. The Jews were under Roman bondage. They were also under religious bondage, as the Pharisees and Sadducees twisted the Law of God to suit their desires. They are clearly ignoring their condition. Rather than debate them, Jesus obeyed the Word of God:

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

Jesus ignored the obvious, and spoke the truth.

John 8:34-36 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Sin enslaves a person. If you give yourself over to alcohol or drugs, it will enslave you, making you want one more drink. If you give yourself over to sensuality, you will chase the feelings of pleasure or pain. Those who find themselves in sexual sin are not happy, but miserable people chasing a high they can never replicate. Sin enslaves. Jesus said “the servant abideth not in the house for ever”, that is, the servant of sin may reign NOW. Bill Gates, Whoopie Goldberg, Mark Zuckerberg, RuPaul, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Elton John, Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton …. no matter how famous, how powerful, how great, no matter that they run the house NOW, “the servant abideth not in the house for ever”. Robin Williams is dead. Whitney Houston is dead. Michael Jackson is dead. These were all on top for a time.

but the son abideth (menō) ever

The son of God never dies. Those who follow Jesus, though they may be relative unknowns in this life, are known of God. Those who are sons or daughters of God “ABIDES or REMAINS in the House of God forever”. The pretend believer, like Judas Iscariot, is with Christ for a time. Then Judas, finding another god that satisfies his passion, departs from the Lord. They show up for a while, then leave. They love neither Jesus nor His Word. But to those who are genuinely saved,

John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

If you have received Jesus as Lord and Savior, you are not enslaved to sin or death. Jesus defeated both on the Cross and in the empty Tomb. These people are not free, but enslaved, blinded by sin. It is shown in their actions.

Physical birth as “Children of Abraham” does not make you a saved person. King Ahab (1 Kings 21:25) was the most wicked person who ever lived, and he was a child of Abraham. King Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:28) encouraged idolatry in Northern Israel. King Baasha (1 Kings 15:28-16:11) murdered all of Jeroboam’s children. King Ahaziah (2 Kings 1:1-2) taught Israel to worship Baal and Baal-Zebub, false gods. These were all sons of Abraham, and all terribly lost.

Physical birth as a son of Abraham does not make you a child of God. You must be born of the Spirit, born again. If you are born of the Spirit, you may sin at times. But you do not SERVE sin. Sin is not your master. Salvation in Christ breaks the chains of sin. The Apostle said:

Romans 6:20-22 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. {21} What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things [is] death. {22} But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

We who are Christ’s are saved to serve God. We are not saved to serve SELF, nor SIN, but the One Who saved us. May God draw you, through His Spirit, into a right relationship with Him this very day. Amen and Amen.

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Confess, Cover, and Correct

Posted on July 31, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/human-standing-beside-crucifix-statue-on-mountain-415571/

Turn with me in your Bibles to Judges chapter 21. Last week we saw Israel go against the Tribe of Benjamin, specifically over the problems that happened at Gibeah. During their third attack on Benjamin, the tribe was reduced to around 600 fighting men. We read:

Judges 21:1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.

“Mizpah” was the great Trial {Nuremberg}
Where Israel gathered to judge Gibeah.

When Israel judged Gibeah {and Benjamin}, they were to stay within the scriptural realm,that is, with what GOD has written to us in His Word. The Bible says that “Righteousness and Justice are the foundation of God’s Throne” (Psalm 89:14, AP*). “The very essence of God’s Words are TRUTH – all His just regulations will stand forever” (Psalm 119:160, AP). It is God Who establishes right and wrong. It was RIGHT for Israel to purge the sexual sin of Gibeah out of the land. However, Israel went too far.

Israel shut off Benjamin to where they could neither REPENT nor be RESTORED.

There are times when believers must stand against errant believers. When this is necessary, it is never done in a spirit of vengeance or self righteousness. The Bible says:

Galatians 6:1 (ESV)Brothers, if anyone is caught (prolambanō, surprised or overtaken by) in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

Word Study: Sin is like a net – it can “catch” us in its grip, and drown us in death. If a brother or sister is “caught in any transgression”, we are to lead them back to a right relationship with God through the proper application of God’s Word. We are not, as the Pharisees often did, become self righteous and overbearing.. We are to be humble. If someone’s sin is DIRECTLY against you as a believer, Jesus gave us steps to repair the breach. He said:

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

We usually do this in the reverse. If we are sinned against, we get on the phone and telegraph it throughout the Church, never speaking to the accused. But the accused cannot be corrected if that person is not informed. We must TELL them what they did wrong. We are not to allow sin to run rampant through the Church, effecting the fellowship of the believers. This is what happened in the Church of Corinth. Paul told them to address it because it was destroying the Church.

1 Corinthians 5:1-2 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. 2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

The Apostle told the Church to “deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus”. (1 Corinthians 5:5). Turning this lost person out of the Church, he later repented – and the Apostle said he was to be received again into the embrace of the Church.

2 Corinthians 2:6 Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. … 7 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. 8 Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.

The intent of punishing a brother or sister for violating God’s standard is NOT to destroy them, but to bring them to a state of repentance. Israel went too far when saying they would no longer allow their daughters to bind together in matrimony with a Benjamite man.

Do Not Blame God For Your Failure To Obey God

Judges 21:2-3 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore; 3 And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?

Israel was blaming God because they had made a foolish vow. It is certain, the Bible does tell us if we make a vow to God, it should be with the intent of following it through. We read:

Numbers 30:2 If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

To make a vow to God was a serious thing, as God never forgets. Yet our Lord knew that, at times, we would make vows that we would not keep. Humans are fallen and fallible. Therefore, God put a stipulation in the Law if someone made a foolish vow. God said:

Leviticus 5:4-6 … (ESV) if anyone utters with his lips a rash oath to do evil or to do good, any sort of rash oath that people swear, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, and he realizes his guilt in any of these; 5 when he realizes his guilt in any of these and confesses the sin he has committed, 6 he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation for the sin that he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin.

If a foolish oath is made, the first step is CONFESSION. To tell God that you messed up. We also call this REPENTANCE. We do not cover up the sin, but acknowledge it. This is the first thing that is ALWAYS done when someone sins against God – we REPENT. We acknowledge we should have never done that thing. Then we cover the sin with the blood of the innocent. In the Old Testament before Christ came the guilty brought a “TRESPASSor SIN OFFERING”, which was a “LAMB” or a “KID OF THE GOATS”, or “TWO TURTLEDOVES” or “TWO YOUNG PIGEONS”. If you were poor, you could bring “A TENTH PART OF AN EPHAH OF FINE FLOUR”, about 3 liters of flour to be burned on the altar. The blood shed represented the Blood of Christ. The flour represented the Person of Christ.

1 Peter 1:19 (ESV) {we are saved by} the PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot…

1 Corinthians 5:7 …. (ESV) Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed …

Revelation 7:14 (ESV) … They have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb …

The flour that the poorest were to sacrifice represented the humanity of Christ (John 6:35, “I am the Bread of Life”). The foolish vow could have been repented of, and covered by the Grace of God. As to vows, Jesus warned us against making vows in Matthew 5:33-37. Jesus said “Let your YES be YES, and your NO be NO. Avoid vows.

Judges 21:4 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

When you make a foolish vow, you are to CONFESS your sin, and then COVER your sin with the Blood. Israel is COVERING but not CONFESSING.

Israel will now seek a human solution to fix the “Problem with Benjamin”. There’s a problem with human solutions as opposed to God’s solution. Remember the Garden of Eden, and the fig leave wardrobe that Adam designed. Humanism and human solutions – though well intentioned – just lead to more problems.

Human Solutions Make More Misery,
And Fall Short To Fix Anything

Judges 21:5-9 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the Lord? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the Lord to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death. 6 And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 7 How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them of our daughters to wives? 8 And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the Lord? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly (of Mizpah). 9 For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.

Illustrate: Human solutions always start out with “I feel bad for what I did. So WHO did worse, and WHO can I punish in my place?” Again, this goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. When God asked Adam why he disobeyed a clear order, Adam said “The WOMAN whom YOU gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate” (Genesis 3:12). It’s not MY fault, God. YOU gave me a defective woman. When the woman was asked why she sinned, her response was “The SERPENT deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:13). God didn’t ask the serpent why he did what he did, because God knew the serpent had no one to blame!

Israel looks around to see WHO they can blame besides themselves. They then remember ANOTHER FOOLISH OATH they made, that “whoever does not come to Mizpah and participate, they shall surely be put to death”. They discovered that the men of Jabesh-gilead had not attended Mizpah.

Judges 21:10-14 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest (Hebrew bēn ḥayil, young men of valor), and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children. 11 And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. 12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. 13 And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, (600 hid here) and to call peaceably unto them. 14 And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.

The Soniclight Commentary notes:

“After having asked themselves (not the LORD), “What are we to do?” (v. 7; cf. v. 16). They should have confessed their mistake in making their “wife vow” (v. 1) and asked for God’s solution. They discovered that the men of Jabesh-gilead had not been present in the battle against Benjamin. Jabesh-gilead (meaning “Well-Drained Soil of Gilead”) was about 48 miles northeast of Shiloh, on the east side of the Jordan River. Next, the Israelites commanded 12,000 valiant soldiers to attack and completely destroy the uncooperative Israelite town (vv. 10-11). The only people to be spared were virgin females. This was another sinful plan born out of self-will and vengeance. Note that it was the decision of the whole congregation of Israelites.”

When the 12,000 “young men of valor” (Hebrew bēn ḥayil) went to “Jabesh-gilead” to destroy it, they were told “Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword”. The words “Go and smite” are the Hebrew yālaḵ (Qal Imperative) nāḵâ (Hiphil Perfect). The Free Bible Commentary notes:

“This is “holy war” terminology. The citizens of Jabesh-gilead, who were probably a mixture of Canaanite and Israeli backgrounds, will all be killed, except the virgin young women”.

Rather than repent of the foolish vow, and give their daughters to be wives of the Tribe of Benjamin, they murdered a city on the pretext of “punishing evil”. Yet there was a problem. “they sufficed them not”.

There were 600 Benjamite warriors in need of wives, but only 400 virgins to be wives. But not to worry – self righteousness and silliness will come to the rescue!

Judges 21:16-21 Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin? 17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. 18 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin. 19 Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. 20 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; 21 And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

The Tribes of Israel had made a foolish vow that they would not GIVE their daughters to Benjamin. But what if Benjamin TOOK them? Here’s a hypocritical loophole.

Every year in Shiloh there was a “Feast of Yahweh”, probably the Feast of the Passover. After the first Passover, when the Forces of Egypt were drowned in the Red Sea, Miriam the Prophetess (Moses’s sister) led the women out to dance and praise God for His deliverance, singing:

Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously;
The horse and his rider God has thrown into the sea!
Exodus 15:19-21

This had become a tradition among the women of Israel, to dance and praise God during the Feast of Passover. Since Israel could not GIVE daughters to Benjamin, they told Benjamin to lie in wait during the next Feast of Yahweh. When the women came out to dance, the 200 remaining Benjamites could TAKE the women as their wives. I do not believe this was a kidnapping per se. I suspect the women knew, and were willing to do this so that the remaining 200 Benjamites could get wives. “Rather than go through this charade, they should have simply confessed their sin of making a foolish oath and done the right thing instead of trying to make two wrongs equal a right.”

Judges 21:22-24 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favorable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty. 23 And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them. 24 And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.

If anyone did not “receive the memo” as to what was going on, if the fathers and brothers of the women abducted came to the leaders of Israel, they were to be told to look the other way. In this way, the 600 Benjamites received 600 wives, and the Tribe of Benjamin could recover from their catastrophic destruction.

Good And Bad Lessons Learned From Benjamin

Benjamin came from the youngest son of Jacob. Spoiled, Benjamin though that – as a tribe – they were impervious to destruction. Yet they were very nearly destroyed because they allowed unrepentant sin in their midst.

No one is too big to fail!

Because Benjamin worked together as a wolf pack would (Jacob prophesied “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf” – Genesis 49:27), though small the tribe was able to conquer much greater armies. But Benjamin, no matter how skilled, cannot defeat the God Who made it.

To be small is not a hindrance, but a blessing. Great people came from Benjamin. Judge Ehud, a great warrior who delivered Israel from Moab (Judges 3:12-30) came from Benjamin. The first King of Israel, King Saul, came from Benjamin (1 Samuel 9:15-27). When Israel was in danger of being destroyed by Persia, Mordecai and Esther – both of Benjamin – saved the day (Esther 2:5-7). One of the greatest of the Apostles, Paul was of Benjamin (Romans 11:1; Philippians 3:4-5). Benjamin as a tribe will grow. In Revelation 7:8, 12,000 mewn from Benjamin will carry the Gospel into the world during the Great Tribulation. When our Lord Jesus rules on this earth during the 1000 year reign we call the Millennium, one of the gates of the future city of Jerusalem will be called “Benjamin” (Ezekiel 48:32). When the New Heaven and New Earth are created by Jesus, the eternal New Jerusalem will have a gate called “Benjamin” (Revelation 21:12-13).

God doesn’t see as we see. We look outwardly, but God looks inwardly. God saw a Tribe of Warriors in Benjamin, a wolf pack. Israel saw a small tribe. Two Sauls came out of Benjamin. One Saul, King Saul, never learned to trust in God, and died a dishonorable death. The second Saul, known as the Apostle Paul, learned that there is great strength not in us but in God. So Paul, unlike the foolish King that was his namesake, said:

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 {God told me} “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Let us therefore put away our desire, our will, our glory, our desire – and cling to our God and His Word. When we cling to Him, we cling to infinite Power and Protection. Lord, teach us to follow you as our King. Let us not be as Israel during the Judges was:

Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

For that is the way of folly and foolishness! May God teach us these great truths. Amen and Amen.

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Are You Ready?

Posted on July 31, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/strong-sportsmen-ready-for-running-on-stadium-3764011/

Two weeks ago we studied:

1 Peter 1:13-16 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

During that sermon we discovered that – though a person is saved, in the words of

Titus 3:5 (CEV) {God} saved us because of his mercy, and not because of any good things we have done. God washed us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gave us new birth and a fresh beginning.

It is not the “good” things that we do or have done that save us. The “work of God” is that “You believe in Jesus, Whom the Father has sent” (John 6:29). It is the work of Calvary, the Cross of Christ that covers our sin. It is our belief in Jesus as He is that brings us into a right relationship with God. Once we believe in Christ, drinking of His mercy:

Psalm 116:13 (NKJV) I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the LORD.

REPENTING of our sins, we turn to Him Who alone can save us. But listen Beloved: Once saved, we are to live as “OBEDIENT CHILDREN”. We are not to be like the world. We are to live so as to please our Heavenly Father.

Jesus Christ died horribly to secure your salvation.
He took your hell so you can take His heaven.
The Holy Spirit came, and caused you to be “born again”

The Father, the Son, and the Spirit worked TOGETHER, and worked through HORRORS to bring you to the family of God. You are no longer slaves to sin, but SONS of God, and HEIRS of Heaven (Galatians 4:6-7).

Now we come to today’s text. Though we are not saved BY our works, once saved we are in God’s Family. We are saved TO work. Read with me:

1 Peter 1:17-20 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: 18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you …

Compare God’s Work With Your Work

In these verses, Peter compares the WORK that God did for you as Christians with the WORK that we as His Children do for Him. What did God do for you? Let’s start at the end first. We read:

1 Peter 1:20 Who {speaking of Jesus} verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you

I have had people ask me, “When God created people, did He create them defective?” The answer is, “No. God made man and woman VERY GOOD” (Genesis 1:31). God made man and woman “in His image, and in His likeness” (Genesis 1:27). Being in the image of God, man and woman had the power of choice, of free will. Billy Graham wrote:

“The opening chapters of the Bible tell us that the Garden of Eden was perfect, a place given by God to Adam and Eve so that their every need would be met. But listen: The reason it was perfect was because sin had not yet entered the world. When Adam and Eve listened to Satan and turned against God, however, then sin entered the world and their perfect Garden was no longer perfect. God banished them from the Garden, never to return. Since that time, the human race has been searching for the peace and perfection the Garden of Eden provided but without success. The reason is because sin, like a deadly cancer, has ravaged our world and our hearts. That’s why this world is not perfect and never will be. As Jesus warned, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33).”

God created the world “very good”, and made Adam and Eve like Himself. But was God surprised when Adam and Eve fell into sin, and dragged the world into a mess? No! The Bible tells us that Jesus was “foreordained before the foundation of the world”. Before the world was ever made (FOUNDATION – the Greek katabolē, the founding of, the conception or deposition), when God said on that first day “Let there be LIGHT” (Genesis 1:3), He knew that the man and woman He would create would fall away from Eden. God knew that Satan would tempt them, and that Adam would listen to that which is not god.

Jesus was with God the Father and God the Spirit from eternity, from before the katabolē, the conception of the world. Jesus was “loved of the Father BEFORE THE FOUNDATION (katabolē) OF THE WORLD” (John 17:24). Before the world was conceived by the Triune God (Ephesians 1:4) God knew what Satan would do, and knew what Adam would do. Before the world was created Jesus agreed to go to the Cross for man – before we were ever fallen.

God’s plan of salvation through Christ Jesus
preceded the creation of all things. Knowing man would fall, Jesus agreed to give Himself for us anyway.

Jesus Christ existed as God from all eternity (John 1:1-2, 8:57-58; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:6-7; Colossians 1:17; Revelation 13:8). God the Son became the Son of Man through Incarnation in Bethlehem according to Bible Prophecy (Micah 5:2). Jesus Christ came and died for “for ALL”, though He knows that not “ALL” will receive Him.

Romans 6:10-11 (ESV) … the death {Jesus} died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

God knew Adam would fall – and before ever creating anything, God the Son agreed to die for our sins. Jesus’ Blood was shed to cover the sins of those who believe in Him.

1 Peter 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

When Adam sinned – freely and willingly – he gave himself and all of creation over to sin. The Scripture says:

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

Adam’s poor choice brought sin into the world. Sin became mankind’s taskmaster, our slave driver. Sin brought with it death and destruction. “Death reigned by Adam” (Romans 5:17), for “Adam’s disobedience made us all sinners” (Romans 5:19). Jesus Christ died on the Cross for us to “redeem” us from sin and death. The word translated “REDEEMED” is the Greek lytroō, which means “to be released from a kidnapper because of a ransom paid, to be liberated from slavery by another purchaser”. When Adam sinned, he not only brought sin on himself, but on all his children. Sin then began to rule unto death. But Jesus freed us from sin and death. We who are saved are freed from a “vain conversation”, the Greek mataios anastrophē, “empty manner of life, poor and useless standard of conduct or deportment”.

We who are saved by faith in Christ are not sinners headed toward Heaven. We are sons and daughters of God, living in the light of our salvation.

The salvation you have is very costly. God purchased you from Satan. God purchased you from the slave master called “Sin”. You belong to God. Therefore,

1 Peter 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

Are You Prepared To Go To Heaven?

The Father expects you to live in a way that pleases Him. Beloved, if you are a Child of God, your every work and every word will be judged. We are “sojourners”, pilgrims and travelers on this earth. This earth is not our home, but Heaven is.

Illustrate: When I was in the military, we had to keep a “go bag” or a “mobility bag” on the base in our duty station. This bag contained toilet items, military and civilian clothing, rope, clothes pins, chemical warfare masks and gear … anything we might need at a moment’s notice. When I went to work each day I’d tell Sherry, “I’ll see you when I see you”, because there were times I’d get to work and have to get on a C130 with my mobility bag.

I had to stay ready to go. I didn’t just make up the bag, and forget it. Periodically I would add other items to the bag that would make my deployment better and more enjoyable (if you can call it that). If my bag wasn’t ready when I was deployed, THE PERSON THAT SUFFERED WAS ME.

Christian, are you ready to go?
Is your mobility bag ready?

You may be saved by Grace, but once saved God the Father expects you to work for His glory and His pleasure. The Father “without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work”. The works of the believer will be judged. While we are on this earth, we are to pass our time here “IN FEAR”. Some of you are entirely too cavalier about your walk with God. Some are so flippant it makes many wonder if you’re even saved in the first place.

Christians are called to live their lives for Christ. Not to please ourselves, but to please God. Jesus said:

Matthew 16:24 (KJV) … If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

If you’re going to “COME AFTER JESUS”, to go to Heaven, you “DENY YOURSELF”. You turn away from the flesh, and turn toward the One Who loves you and keeps on saving you. You “take up his cross”. I often have people say,

“I don’t want to give to that poor needy person, because they might take advantage of what I give them, and use it for the wrong thing.”

Well, haven’t we all done the same thing? When you should be willing to gather and praise God for His glorious gift of salvation, aren’t you often ignoring your obligations to God and pleasing yourselves instead of Him? We sit at home and watch television, storing dribble in our minds, instead of reading our Bibles, praying, and doing good to the glory of Christ. Don’t we all, at times, take advantage of God. And yet Jesus, knowing that a relative few would follow the narrow way to salvation that He alone would offer (Matthew 7:14; Luke 13:24), went to the horror of the Cross anyway. Why?

Because it pleased the Father. (2 Peter 1:17)

Saved by faith in Christ, we are “ordered to do good works”. This is what we are told in:

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Just as God FOREORDAINED that Jesus would go to the Cross for our good, God has FOREORDAINED that we who are saved WALK IN GOOD WORKS.

Illustrate: We are to live lives that please our God – not the world. I was mildly amused at the uproar over the Jason Aldean song, “Try That In A Small Town”. Some said the song was racist. It wasn’t. I took it to mean that we are to protect one another – that we should cherish life. If someone were to come into this Church to harm us, I will lay my life down to stop them. That was the sense I got from that song.

But others looked at the song as if it were promoting vigilantism. That is decidedly unChristian. The Bible tells us who are God’s Children:

Romans 12:17-21 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

As Jesus did, we are to do. Jesus spoke harshly, but lovingly when He had to. Yet Jesus “turned the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39; Luke 6:29) when offended. Jesus never justified sin, nor tolerated it. He turned over the moneychangers tables (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15) and cast out evil from the House of God. Jesus loved the least and the less, and always offered Himself as the Way to salvation for whosoever will.

Jesus was not racist. He loved all people, for as Creator God He had a hand in making all people. Jesus did good works where ever He went. He brought light into the midst of darkness.

We who are His are to do the same.

1 Peter 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

Your works will be judged. When the Apostle Paul was judged by others as he served God, Paul replied:

1 Corinthians 4:3-4 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

When the Lord comes for you, your works shall be judged. He will examine what you have done – and not done – for Him. The Apostle called this the “Judgment Seat of Christ”, and spoke extensively of it in:

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

It is required of stewards, that we be faithful. Are you? Are you ready to see Jesus? Are you prepared for His judgment, so you can “receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done”? Every day you live is a gift from God, another day in which we can please our Heavenly Father and glorify our Lord Jesus. He has been so good to us. Let us live for Him!

You Do Not Belong To The Devil Or The World.
You Belong To God!

1 Peter 1:22-23 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

The Christian works with God. When we “obey the truth through the Spirit”, our souls are purified from this world, and our lives protected. My commentary notes:

The Gospel is a PERSON (Jesus) to welcome,
The TRUTH about that Person (Jesus) to believe, and
A LIFE like that Person (Jesus) to live.

You can be saved by faith in Christ, but wander away from DOING what He says. When you do, you lose all the present benefit of salvation – as well as the opportunity to better glorify God in eternity. “Everyone who hopes in Jesus purifies themselves as Jesus is pure” (1 John 3:3).

The saved are called to walk in the Light with Jesus. We are to treat others with value, knowing that Jesus gave His life for all. And we are called to “love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again”. The “born again” love one another with a pure heart. The two words that describe Christian love is “unfeigned” and “fervently”. The word translated “unfeigned” is the Greek anypokritos, which means “without hypocrisy”. The word translated “FERVENTLY” is the Greek ektenōs, which means “to honestly stretch out the hand”. Christians are called to serve one another, to lift one another up to God. We are not called to endorse evil, but to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) so that our Fellow Believers and ourselves will grow to be more like Christ.

Are you ready to see Jesus? Is your bag ready? Or is your mobility bag empty. Life is so fleeting – learn to follow Jesus no matter what might come.

1 Peter 1:24-25 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

God’s Word and God’s Promises stand sure. Are you ready? Is your bag packed? Or will you arrive at your Heavenly destination with no works to commend your life … or worse! Make sure you are ready. Make sure daily. Amen and Amen.

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I Am He, The Light Of The World

Posted on July 28, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Ian Beckley: https://www.pexels.com/photo/scenic-photo-of-rocky-mountain-during-golden-hour-2440078/

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

God Is The Source Of All Light

“light” is a very interesting thing. Light allows us to see colors. Light is made up of different wavelengths or colors, and white light is the combination of every color. When sunlight lands on a colored surface, the reflected wavelengths are what cause us to see the color. For instance, if something is RED, the RED WAVELENGTH is reflected back to our eyes, but all the other colors of the light are absorbed. So you see RED. There are different forms of light, some visible and some not. When we think of light, we think of the SUN as it is the biggest visible source of light. One commentary notes:

“Light waves have different forms: radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays. Sunlight is a source of visible light and ultraviolet radiation. X-rays and gamma rays are used in medical diagnosis, cancer treatment, and security.”

The Bible tells us that God created light before He created the sun or the stars. God did not create the darkness, but the Light.

Genesis 1:3-5 (ESV) And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

God did not make the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars until the FOURTH DAY of creation (Genesis 1:14-19). Light existed apart from these objects because God is the Source of Light. This is why God made LIGHT first, then the stars and heavenly light sources 4 days later. God did not make the darkness, but controlled the darkness with HIS LIGHT.

There were people who have worshiped things they see in nature. Ancient unbelievers worshiped the SUN and the MOON, believing that these were gods who gave us light and life. In ancient Egypt the sun god Re was a primary god who was born, grew, and died every day. The Sun worshipers believed that “the sun sets out as the young god Kheper; appears at noon in the zenith as the full-grown sun, Re; and arrives in the evening at the western region in the shape of the old sun god, Atum”. The true God of the Scripture creates LIGHT apart from the heavenly bodies so that His people do not confuse the created with the Creator.

1 John 1:5 … God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

God is LIGHT apart from the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. God is the Source of all Light. No plant will grow without LIGHT. Plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and sugars so they can live. Things did not evolve – they were created by God, Who is …

James 1:17 … the Father of Lights, with Whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning …

Psalm 18:28 For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.

God Is Also The Source Of SPIRITUAL
And MORAL Light

When Jesus said:

John 8:12 I am THE light of the world…

He was claiming to be the only unique Spiritual Light in this entire world. Jesus did not say “I am A Light”, that is, one Light among many. Jesus said “I am THE Light”. There are no other Lights, no other Spiritual powers in the world. Jesus was claiming something for Himself that only God can do. In the Old Testament, the True Light is God and the false light is satan. The Prophet said:

Micah 7:8 … the LORD will be my LIGHT

The ancient Jews knew that spiritual LIGHT comes from God, not from man. The Shepherd David stood strong before Goliath because he affirmed:

Psalm 27:1 (ESV) The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Jesus Christ – the Son of God, Incarnate among us – declared that “I am THE light of the world”. When Jesus came into the world, many who loved the darkness began to reject Him and find fault with Him. The last words our Lord Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, a high ranking Pharisee, was…

John 3:16-21 (ESV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 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. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Illustrate: I was sharing with a Pastor friend the other day more of my checkered youth. I remember when I and my friend decided to break into a grocery store at night to rob it. We did break in, but tripped an alarm, and got away in the dark with nothing but misery. Why do I tell you this? Because the devil and his children do what they do IN THE DARK. When Jesus came, they hated Him because He shined the light of God on their evil deeds. The devil and his kind will cloak sinfulness in one of two ways:

1. Do it in the dark, or,

2. Lie, and convince everyone that darkness is actually light.

When I and my friend went to rob that store, we didn’t set up lights around the store. We didn’t do it in the light of day. We waited until a moonless night, snuck in under darkness, and crept about quietly. Those who do evil DO NOT want the Light of God shined on what they are doing. It is so much better for their conscience if they can,

Convince you to be “woke”,
Coerce you to “join the dark crowd”,
Call you to deny God’s Light, and
Croon you into the darkness.

The Bible warns us that …

Isaiah 5:20-23 (KJV) Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (21) Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (22) Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: (23) Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

Illustrate: It is dangerous to walk in the darkness. The other day our electric power went down at our home – throughout our neighborhood. Suddenly everything that was familiar was dangerous and unfamiliar. I carefully felt my way through the house until I got to my closet where I keep my lanterns and flashlights. What a relief it was when I got the lanterns turned on, and I could walk safely.

The lights are out in our nation, and in many of our local Churches. When a nation and a people can no longer distinguish between good and evil, that people are quickly on their way to destruction. Any nation that is no longer a nation today started on a pathway of destruction when it’s people ceased to recognize the difference between good and evil. We must have a way to determine good from evil. We must have a rule that we live by, a standard, else we are no more than

Matthew 15:14 (KJV) … blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

Jesus Christ is “THE light of the world”. Just as God was THE LIGHT of the world before there was any Sun, Moon, or Stars, Jesus christ is THE MANIFEST LIGHT of the world. Jesus told the woman taken in adultery:

John 8:11 (KJV) … Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

Christ forgave her for her sin because she was REPENTANT. So Jesus told her GO, but not “GO BACK TO YOUR PREVIOUS LIFESTYLE”. Jesus told her “go, and sin no more”. Those who are in Christ walk in the Light. Those who are saved are called to walk in proximity to the will and Word of God. King David said:

Psalm 56:13 (ESV) For You {O God} have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

God saves His people by faith from the bondage of sin and darkness. “Blessed are the people … who walk, O LORD, IN THE LIGHT OF YOUR FACE” (Psalm 89:15, ESV)”. “Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.” (Isaiah 50:10, ESV). The world walks in the darkness of sin, rejecting Christ and God’s Word. Jesus said of Himself:

John 11:10 (ESV) … “if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

John 12:35 (ESV) … “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.”

Jesus came to this earth to “call sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). Repentance means to TURN from following what YOU think is Light, and to BEGIN following the Light of God in Christ. Jesus said:

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

Word Study: The word translated “have” is the Greek echō, which means “to have, hold, possess as one’s property”. The Christian is a creature of LIGHT. We walk TOGETHER in the LIGHT OF CHRIST. “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 Corinthians 1:7).

The Devil Challenges Christ

John 8:13-14 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. 14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record {martyria, witness}is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.

The Pharisees challenge Jesus, claiming that He is a liar! They refuse to receive Jesus as “The Light of the World”. If Jesus is “The Light of the World”, this would make Jesus out to be God. The Pharisees would not receive Jesus as God, but instead said that “He did the miraculous by the power of Beelzebub (Matthew 12:24), the prince of demons”. Jesus challenged the Pharisees, and said “my record {martyria, witness} is true”. Jesus knew from where He came, and where He was going. Jesus knew the scope of His power. The Pharisees did not know this. Jesus told them:

John 8:15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.

The Pharisees judged from the outward appearance. They saw Jesus in His earthly flesh. The Pharisees did not actually keep the Law of God, but kept the portions of the Law that suited them. The Pharisees amplified the Law in areas, and twisted the Word of God out of shape, so as to justify doing what they thought was right. But Jesus came to perfectly carry the Word of God to our world. Jesus Christ is the “Faithful Witness”:

Revelation 1:5 … Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead

Why is Jesus called “THE Faithful Witness”? John Watson said:

“No one has yet discovered the word Jesus ought to have said, none suggested the better word he might have said. No action of his has shocked our moral sense. None has fallen short of the ideal. He is full of surprises, but they are all the surprises of perfection.”

Jesus did not come to this earth with His own agenda, but came to do what the Father sent Him to do. Jesus frequently told His listeners:

John 5:19 Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

Jesus was not limited by POWER from doing anything, but He was limited by PURPOSE. Jesus came to this earth to represent the Father. He told His disciples:

John 14:9 (ESV) … Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

The Pharisees didn’t like Jesus because He shined the Light of God the Father on them, proving that they were NOT following God but themselves. Every human who entered humanity – from Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Isaac, to Israel – every human has fallen short of God’s glory and standard. But when Jesus entered this earth through a Virgin, God became Man, and God the Father was visible to fallen man. We are told:

Hebrews 1:3 (ESV) {Jesus Christ} is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high …

Jesus could say “I judge NO MAN” because He did everything according to the directive of the Father. Jesus then said:

John 8:16-18 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. 17 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

The FATHER that sent Jesus BORE WITNESS OF HIM. How did the Father witness that Jesus is THE One and Only LIGHT of the World?

1. The Father bore witness through John the Baptist, who said of Jesus “This is THE Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29, 36). John the Baptist was God’s Ambassador to present the Messiah to the world (see Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1).

2. The Father bore witness through the works that Christ did. Jesus said, “the works which the Father has given Me to finish–the very works that I do–bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me” (John 5:36). Even Nicodemus – a Pharisee – admitted this.

John 3:2 … “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

3. The Father DIRECTLY testified that Jesus Christ is THE One and Only Christ. At His Baptism the Father said:

Matthew 3:17 (NKJV) … “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Later, at the Mount of Transfiguration, the Father said:

Matthew 17:5 (NKJV) … “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”

4. Finally, the Old Testament Prophesies of Who the Messiah would be affirmed Jesus Christ as the Light of the World. Jesus said:

John 5:39 (ESV) You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me …

The Pharisees studied the Scriptures diligently, “but were not willing to come to Jesus to have life” (John 5:40). The reason people are not saved is because they are comfortable in their sin. They do NOT want to change. Everyone wants to go to Heaven – but no one wants to walk with God. Everyone wants to live forever – but no one wants to work for God.

To Know Jesus Is To Know The Father

John 8:19-20 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. 20 These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.

You cannot know the Father unless you know Jesus. Jesus is the ONLY CONDUIT by which you can come to the Father. Jesus is THE LIGHT of the World. Because these Pharisees would not receive Jesus as the Messiah, they were shut off from God.

John 8:21-24 Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. 22 Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. 23 And He said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Jesus made some very profound statements above. The main point Jesus was making is this:

If you are not walking with Jesus NOW,
You will not go where Jesus BELONGS.

Jesus told them, “I am from above: ye are of this world”. Jesus came from a totally different realm. Every human who was ever born came from this world. We were replicated by sexual activity. But Jesus is unique. Jesus is born of a virgin, born through the power of God the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). Jesus’ Father is God Almighty. Jesus told the Pharisees,

if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins

What was Jesus saying? In the Old Testament one of the Names God used to define Himself was “I am he”. God told Israel:

Deuteronomy 32:39-40 See now that I, even I am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. 40 For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.

When Israel asked the question, “Who is the One and Only God?”, God spoke up and said “I Am HE”.

Isaiah 41:4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

Isaiah 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

Isaiah 43:25 I, even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. (see also Isaiah 48:12; 46:4; 52:6).

“I am he” is one of the primary names God used for Himself, particularly through Isaiah the Prophet. Jesus told His disciples “Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he” (John 13:19, KJV). When Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Temple soldiers came to get Him. Jesus asked them, “Who are you seeking?” They replied, “Jesus of Nazareth”. The Bible says:

John 18:5-8 … Jesus saith unto them, I am he. … 6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

Jesus Christ is God Incarnate, God in the flesh, God become Man to save sinful man by His death and resurrection. Unless you believe that Jesus is “I AM HE”, then you will die in your sins.

The Pharisees were yet blind to Who Jesus is. Puzzled, they approach Him again:

John 8:25-28 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. 26 I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. 27 They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. 28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

It was only after Jesus was “lifted up” on the Cross of Calvary that many of His detractors realized Who He is. Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Jesus Christ is The Light of the World. Jesus Christ is the Faithful Witness from the Father. Jesus Christ is The Savior of those who believe in Him. I pray that you know Him, for TODAY is the day of salvation.

Amen and Amen!

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Who Is The Boss?

Posted on July 25, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Philippe Donn: https://www.pexels.com/photo/lightning-strike-on-city-1114688/

Judges 19:30 And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.

Last week we studied the horror that occurred at Gibeah, how homosexual crowds attacked a Levite Priest’s party in an attempt to “know” that Priest. The end result of this sad encounter is that the Levite’s Concubine was molested, raped, and murdered while the men of the family hid behind a locked door. The Levite afterward dismembered the Concubine, and sent the twelve parts to each tribe of Israel. What happened shocked the nation. We are told “no such deed {was} done nor seen” in Israel from the time it was freed from Egypt to that moment. The period of the Judges spans 400 years from the rise of Moses as Israel’s leader to the end of the period. So for 400 years Israel had never seen a thing so shocking and horrid.

But WHAT was shocking to Israel? Was it the open and aggressive homosexuality in Gibeah, the murder of the Concubine, or the fact that a Priest even had a Concubine in the first place?

The reason that Israel got to this horrible place is mentioned four times in the Book of Judges:

Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Judges 18:1 In those days there was no king in Israel …

Judges 19:1 … it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel …

Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

There was “NO KING IN ISRAEL”. There was no ruling Authority. God had been abandoned. It was a repeat of the Garden of Eden. God and His Word were available, but “EVERY PERSON DID WHAT WAS RIGHT IN THEIR EYES”. Man and not God established what was right and wrong. I watched a video this morning where a Pastor from Apologia Studios

honestly tells an irate college student “You’re not a Christian. You do not believe in God’s Word. You believe our ancestor’s were fish, and yet you think Christ is your Savior? You don’t believe the Bible. You don’t believe Jesus’ Word. You don’t believe the Word should be the STANDARD.” The young lady was convinced she was a Christian based on what her parents had told her, based on what her church and friends had told her. But she totally rejected the standard of God’s Word.

When every person does what is right in THEIR own eyes, you are not following the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus said of the Bible:

John 17:17 (AP*) Father, set Your people apart from the world THROUGH YOUR TRUTH. YOUR WORD IS TRUTH.

Israel Gathers To Judge Gibeah

Judges 20:1-3 Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord in Mizpeh. 2 And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword. 3 (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?

Regardless as to what action actually shocked Israel, the Tribes come together “unto the Lord in Mizpeh”. Mizpeh or Mizpah means “a place of witness”. The Tribes gathered together to judge Gibeah for what happened, and the courtroom was a place in land owned by the Tribe of Benjamin called “Mizpah”. Later on in its history the Prophet Samuel will erect an Ebenezer Stone, a monument in Mizpah to remind Israel how God allowed them to overcome the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:5-6, 11-12). The first human King of Israel will be Saul, a Benjamite. He will be chosen by Samuel and the people in Mizpah.

Mizpah is, in this case, like the Nuremberg Trials
held by the Allies against Nazi criminals.

20:2 … the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.

The size of the trial can only be guessed. There are “four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword”, a massive army and a show of force. Humanly speaking there is enough power here to punish the criminals of Gibeah. Following Jewish Law, the Leaders ask “Tell us how this wickedness happened”. The Levite now tells a partial story as to what happened:

Judges 20:4-6 And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. 5 And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead. 6 And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.

The Levite doesn’t lie – but he doesn’t tell the whole truth. He tells them that the men of Gibeah tried to kill him, but didn’t clearly declare that their intention was homosexual. Further, the Levite did not mention how he cruelly, cowardly, and callously pushed his Concubine out into the enraged crowd to be raped and murdered. He hid behind a locked door while she was horribly abused unto death. The charge the Levite brought specifically was:

vs 6 they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel

Word Study: “lewdness” is the Hebrew zimmâ, which means “a heinous or wicked crime, a wicked sensual act”. This word is used for incest (Leviticus 18:17; 20:14) , for child prostitution (Leviticus 19:29), for adulteries and whoredom (Jeremiah 13:27), for idolatry (Ezekiel 23:49), and for false priests (Hosea 6:9). The word translated “folly” is the Hebrew nᵊḇālâ, which means “disgraceful or profane actions, criminal immorality”. This is the word that the Master of the house in Gibeah told the homosexual mob when they wanted to “know” the Levite:

Judges 19:23-24 And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly {nᵊḇālâ}24 Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so VILE {nᵊḇālâ} a thing.

The Master of the home would rather the crowd rape his daughter and the Concubine than the Levite male. Why? Because God told Israel that homosexuality could cause them to lose the Promised Land. God told Israel:

Leviticus 18:22-25 (ESV) You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. 23 And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion. 24 Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, 25 and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.

God said “I cast out the Canaanites because of their sexual sin. If you do this, the land will vomit you out when you make it unclean, and those who do so shall be CUT OFF FROM MY PEOPLE. I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD” (see Leviticus 18:27-30). The Levite has charged Gibeah with doing the thing which God said would cause them to lose the Promised Land. These sexual sins were so forbidden that (Leviticus 20:13-16) the act brought with it the death penalty. To those who believe that this lifestyle is today blessed by God because of Grace and the Cross, I refer you to Jude 1:7; Romans 1:26-28; Mark 10:6-9; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Timothy 1:8-11; and Hebrews 13:1-5. The Levite now puts the matter before Israel:

Judges 20:7 Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.

We Must DO SOMETHING About This NOW!

Judges 20:8-11 And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house. 9 But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it; 10 And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the FOLLY {nᵊḇālâ} that they have wrought in Israel. 11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

Following the trial Israel does a “good” thing and a “bad” thing. First the “good” thing. Israel does not procrastinate. They realize that what was done in Gibeah could cause them to be cast out of Canaan by God. God said that such behavior should be punished. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because their sin was VERY GRAVE (Genesis 18:20). The Lord rained sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24). Israel did not want to be in this position with God, so they said “WE’VE got to DO something NOW!”

Israel did not pray and seek God. Israel approached the matter “religiously” but not “relationally”.

Israel bound together “as one man” with one another, but not with God as their King. They decided to “go up by lot against” Gibeah. They cast lots (like rolling the dice or having a lottery) to see who would confront Gibeah. This is not what God told them to do in the Scripture. In

Deuteronomy 13:12-16 (ESV) If you hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to dwell there, 13 that certain worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, 14 then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you, 15 you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction, all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. 16 You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again.

It was not 10% by lot who were to destroy the city, but ALL of Israel. So Israel came together – but not in accordance with the authority of God’s Word. The Leaders of Israel then reached out to the Tribe of Benjamin, asking them to examine themselves, and turn over the children of Belial who committed the evil in Gibeah.

Judges 20:12-14 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you? 13 Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel. 14 But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.

The Tribe of Benjamin came from one of Jacob’s (also known as Israel) favorite children because his mother was Rachel, not Leah. Jacob prophesied of Benjamin:

Genesis 49:27 (ESV) Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.

Benjamin was filled with pride. Though the smallest of the Tribes, Benjamites were skilled warriors who worked together like a wolf pack to destroy the enemy. Benjamin should have remembered the Biblical warning, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2). “The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished” (Proverbs 16:5). “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Because Benjamin will not do an internal audit and turn over the homosexual mob, there will be over 65,000 deaths in chapter 20.

Judges 20:15-17 And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men. 16 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men left handed; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss. 17 And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.

As the sides gathered, there were 26,000 Benjamites who gathered with the 700 inhabitants of Gibeah – a total of 26,700 warriors who rejected God’s Word completely. These could be compared to “woke” Social Justice Warriors who ignore the parts of Scripture that does not suit their feelings. I like what the Free Bible Commentary states:

“God’s people are to live their lives within covenant guidelines which encourage and support long term societal stability, not instant personal gratification!”

Benjamin’s forces are dwarfed by the opposition from Israel, “four hundred thousand men that drew sword”. Benjamin is outnumbered approximately 15 to 1! Humanly speaking, they should easily be crushed. As Israel prepares to go to battle, they finally pray:

Judges 20:18 And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up first.

It’s good Israel prayed, and God answered their prayer. “Who shall go first?” God replies, “Judah”. But there’s so much more they should have asked God. When should they go? How many should go? Where should the battle be? When you do a right thing the wrong way, you will make a mess that the preacher will turn into a message! It is good to go to God, but not AFTER but BEFORE.

God will use Benjamin to punish wayward Israel.

Judges 20:19-22 And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah. 20 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah. 21 And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men. 22 And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.

Israel comes to the battlefield like Goliath before David. There are 400,000 of them, all seasoned warriors. What will 26,700 Benjamites do against such a force! At the end of the day Israel lost “twenty and two thousand men” – nearly as many men as there were Benjamites. But Israel shook it off. They “encouraged themselves”. After all, there were still 378,000 of them left. But now they go to God again. We read:

Judges 20:23 (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until even, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the Lord said, Go up against him.)

They pray. But notice the timbre of their prayer. “Shall I go up again to battle”? Not “Lord, shall WE go to battle – You and I”, but “Shall I”? This is the Church of America today. Let’s see what I can do. Let’s get several I’s together, DO SOMETHING, then ask God about it later. Israel wept crocodile tears, but was not where they needed to be in Christ.

Are you?

Judges 20:24-25 And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day. 25 And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.

The Keil and Delitzsch Commentary (pg 452) notes, “The congregation now discovered … that the Lord had withdrawn His grace, and was punishing them. Their sin, however, did not consist in the fact that they had begun the war itself … but rather in the state of mind with which they had entered upon the war, their strong self-consciousness, and great confidence in their own might and power. They had indeed inquired of God (Elohim) who should open the conflict; but they had neglected to humble themselves before Jehovah the covenant God, in the consciousness not only of their own weakness and sinfulness, but also of grief at the moral corruption of their brother tribe.” (emphasis mine)

If you are keeping track, God is speaking through these defeats. Israel lost 22,000 the first battle, and 18,000 the second battle. That’s a total of 40,000 armed warriors, or 10% of the 400,000 that Israel started out with.

God was telling Israel, “You started out with your human solution, 10% by lot. You cut Me out of the process. So I’ve taken My 10% – WAKE UP!

Judges 20:26-28 Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the Lord, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 And the children of Israel inquired of the Lord, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the Lord said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.

Now Israel gets right with God. They “came unto the house of God, and wept”. They repented of what they had done before. They came into the Presence of God. We are told “the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days”. The Ark of the Covenant was a chest carried by the priests that represented God and His glory. When Moses led Israel we are told:

Numbers 10:35 (ESV) … whenever the ark set out, Moses said, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” 36 And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.”

God was in every battle Israel fought then, for there WAS a King in Israel, and it was YHWH. Moses gave God the glory, as did Israel. It was only when Moses failed to glorify God that he was denied the Promised Land (Numbers 20:9-12). God will not share His glory with any (Isaiah 42:8). The battle is HIS, not Israel’s. Because Israel honors God this time, the Lord for the first time promises:

Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.

The horror of the crime of Gibeah is not just Gibeah’s fault. It is the fault of the nation. Israel has no King in it, having rejected the Authority of God and His Word. The Lord will not bless this. Israel had to be humbled to learn the lesson.

Judges 20:29-35 And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah. 30 And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. 31 And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel. 32 And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways. 33 And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah. 34 And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them. 35 And the Lord smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.

The results were much different this time. The Benjamite Army lost 25,100 men. The men of Israel, using subterfuge, drew the Benjamites away from Gibeah so it could be attacked (Judges 20:37-46) and destroyed. We are told:

Judges 20:48 And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.

Benjamin did not just lose Gibeah, but over a period of several months lost most of their cities. “As a result of the battle, there remained only a 600 man remnant from the Tribe of Benjamin” (Enduring Word Commentary). Though Benjamin will recover during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7:8), Benjamin will for a time become a part of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. One commentary notes, “After Judah was destroyed by the Babylonians in the early sixth century BC and its population deported, Benjamin as an organized tribe faded from history”. So shall all fail who do not glorify the Living God! May God touch your hearts with His Word. Amen and Amen.

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Temptation And Trials Bring Us To The Target

Posted on July 23, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Afif Ramdhasuma on Unsplash

1 Peter 1:5-9 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 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.

Trials come to everyone. If you breath, you will be tried. It is only in a fantasy – or in Heaven in the Presence of God – that you will be free of trials. In our bulletin today we have a grateful note from a member who was tried. It was nothing the member did that brought the trial, but as the member’s Church we reached out and ministered in the midst of that trial.

God allows trials so that we can learn to trust Him, and so that His Church can minister and NOT BE SELFISH.

Another family was tried when a loved one unexpectedly died. Again, this trial came without preamble or foretelling. It was not earned nor deserved, but came anyway. The trial again gave our Church an opportunity to “wash the feet of those in need”. This is what Jesus was illustrating when He, the Lord of Glory (1 Corinthians 2:8; James 2:1) knelt down and washed His disciples feet. Jesus asked His disciples,

John 13:12-15 “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

We wash one another’s feet when one of our members suffers, and we minister to that suffering. We are most like Jesus when we – like our Lord – lower ourselves to serve those in need. This is what Christ calls us to do every day. We are tried if we breath.

Many times trials come because of the evil of others. I’m sure you all heard how three black Churches and at least one business had KKK fliers placed on them. I never saw the flier, but I understand it was very upsetting. July 13, 2023 two individuals were arrested in connection with those fliers. They could face from 2-12 years in prison for posting the fliers. The adult male suspect claimed he thought he had a First Amendment right to post them. If so, he is ignorant. You do not have a First Amendment right to invade private property, nor to destroy public property. The man also claims that “he is a Christian”, which is a lie. The Bible says:

1 John 4:20 (NLT) If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?

This man “trespassed” to hang those fliers. Trespassing is a sin. This man “hated” to hang these fliers. Hatred is a grievous sin. The Bible uses the term “trespass” to describe the act of stepping outside of rightful boundaries into Another’s territory. There is physical trespassing, and spiritual trespassing.

When we violate God’s Law, doing what He says we ought NOT to do, we are trespassing. This is what unbelievers, not believers, do. In Ephesians 2:1 we as Christians are told “you WERE (past tense) dead in the trespasses and sins”.

It Is The Power Of God And His Word That Saves

Let’s go back and look at verses 5 and 9 of our text:

1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

This text says a lot about who is saved. We are saved “THROUGH FAITH”. Through faith in what? This fellow who posted those hateful fliers said he is a Christian – but his faith is not in the Bible. The practicing homosexual or heterosexual sinner – violating God’s Word – profess to be saved by faith. By faith in what?

I believe part of the confusion has to do with so called, self professed PASTORS. A recent study found that only 37% of American Senior Pastors believe the Bible is God’s Inerrant (without error) Word. That’s nonsense! It is the Word of God that saves the Christian. James the Stepbrother of Jesus did not believe his brother to be the Messiah until after the resurrection. Once saved, James wrote:

James 1:21 (ESV) Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Salvation comes when you HEAR the Word of God, the Bible, and REPENTING of your sins “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls”. It is the Gospel in this grand old Book that saves us. When the Apostle wrote to the Church at Thessaloniki, he said:

1 Thessalonians 2:13 (KJV) For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

When the Word of God is RECEIVED as it is, the WORD of GOD, then it “effectually worketh” (Greek energeō, empowers) in us. We are told in:

Romans 10:17 (KJV) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

It is the HEARING of God’s Word that saves us. Oh, that glorious Gospel, that Christ died for our sins! Oh, that wonderful truth, that God so loved us that He sent His Son:

Galatians 4:4-7 … born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

But once saved, brought into the Family of God, the Bible says:

1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith …

Word Study: Once saved by receiving God’s Word, the Christian is “kept” (the Greek phroureō), literally “GUARDED from hostile invasion, PROTECTED by careful watch, PRESERVED by a Greater Power”. If you are saved you are GUARDED how? By the “power of God”.

God watches over what He has so preciously purchased. You cost God the Blood of His dear Son. Jesus laid His life down for you. The Bible, God’s Word, says so.

You are saved by His Blood, by His Trials, by His Suffering (that is, if you are saved). And if you are saved you know that your salvation is in progress. Look at the last part of verse 5:

1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Your salvation is NOT COMPLETE. If you are saved by faith in Christ, you are on a path we will study about in Sunday School. Salvation starts when you receive the Word of God and turn away from the word of man. Let’s look at verse 9:

Those Who Are Saved OVERCOME

1 Peter 1:9 Receiving the end {télos} of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Word Study: The word “end” (the Greek telos) means “the TERMINATION, the limit at which a thing ceases to be, the GOAL, the FINISH LINE”. Salvation is not ended, but started on the day that you – believing God’s Word – received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Salvation started that day that you were received into the Family of God by the Holy Spirit, being BORN AGAIN. But the TERMINATION or the GOAL has not been reached.

Let me quote our Jesus very carefully. Jesus said:

Matthew 10:17-22 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Christian, you will be persecuted. You are light in the devil’s dark world. You believe the Word of God as opposed to the word of man. Your faith cannot be skin deep. “he that endureth to the end {télos} shall be saved”. The proof of salvation is that you are tried, and continue in your faith with Jesus.

Though what that man did to the three black churches was horrid, on a scale of 1 to 10 it’s no more than a 1 when compared to what other Christians have endured!

In Matthew 24:13 Jesus against said, “he that shall endure unto the end, télos the same shall be saved”. True salvation endures trials. True salvation holds onto what God has promised, as God holds onto us. True salvation proves itself by the fruit of the life. We who are saved no longer serve darkness, but we serve the LIGHT of God:

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

Illustrate True Suffering: On July 22, 1209 a false prophet called Pope Innocent III sent a howling mob through the French city of Béziers (pronounced bes-E-ehh). When the Catholic inspired crusade came to the city, Catholics of that city were told to hand over Protestants. They refused. The Christian History Institute notes:

“Arnald-Amaury, the pope’s representative, wrote complacently to {Pope} Innocent, “Our men spared no one, irrespective of rank, sex or age, and put to the sword almost twenty-thousand people.” A popular account asserted that he was asked at the height of the slaughter how the killers should distinguish Catholic from {Protestant}. He is supposed to have replied, ‘Kill them all; God will recognize his own.’”

Illustrate True Suffering: On July 17, 180 twelve Christians stood in front of the Roman administrator of North Africa, Proconsul Saturninus. They were told that they were supposed to publicly declare the Emperor to be god. Our Lord Jesus said “everyone who denies Me before men, I will deny before My Father in Heaven” (Matthew 10:33, NLT). The Proconsul demanded that the Christians publicly say that the Emperor is equally god with Jesus and with the Heavenly Father. The leader of the group of Christians, Speratus said “We have never done ill, we have not lent ourselves to wrong, we have never spoken ill, but when ill-treated we have given thanks; because we pay heed to our Emperor.” Refusing to declare the Emperor as god, the twelve Christians were beheaded for their faith.

Those who are genuinely saved are “kept by the power of God through faith”. Those who are genuinely saved are not in unity with the world, but are OVERCOMERS:

1 John 5:4-5 … (ESV) everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

If your faith can be deconstructed, and detached from God and His Word – then you were NEVER SAVED. The SAVED are KEPT! The SAVED OVERCOME.

Every Trial Has A God Designed Purpose

The Christian is KEPT by God. The Christian will OVERCOME. The Christian will not be FULLY SAVED until we get to glory. Understanding these truths, how do we deal with trials?

1 Peter 1:6-7 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

There are some Christians who never get very far in their walk with God because they whine about everything. They whine about the temperature of the building they are sitting in. They whine about the slightest discomfort. They whine if the Church service goes overtime.

And they miss a great blessing.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:4 (NKJV), “Blessed are those who mourn, for they SHALL BE COMFORTED”. Trials drive us into the arms of Christ. Trials prove our salvation. Several years ago a faithful member of this Church – in the dark valley of death – looked at me and said, “I’m beginning to wonder if I’m really saved”. I came alongside him in that valley – and told him to reach out and, by faith, hold onto the hand of Jesus. He reached out, grabbed that hand, and was carried by the Master beyond the valley of the shadow of death. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear NO EVIL”. Why will you not fear evil, even as the specter of death looms. “For YOU, My God, ARE WITH ME. YOUR Rod, and YOUR staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

The trial drives us into the hands of our life’s authority. What is your authority? Is it money? Self pleasure? Fame? Good health? Or is your Authority God in Christ?

Illustrate: I love the fairy tales my mama read to me when I was a child – and many of these tales (which are fantasy) relate to the reality of life. Do you remember the Three Little Pigs? That’s a great story! The first Little Pig built his house of straw, the second Little Pig of sticks, and the third Little Pig of brick or Rock. When the “big, bad wolf” came, he said:

“Little pig, little pig, let me come in.”
“No, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin.”
“Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in.”

He makes good on the boast of the house of straw and of sticks – but when the “big, bad wolf” comes to the house of brick or Rock, he has no success. No matter how that wolf huffs and puffs, the house will not fall in. Isn’t this what Jesus told us? He said:

Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV) “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Where have you built your life? If you have built your life on Jesus and His Word, then:

1 Peter 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

You “greatly rejoice” (Greek agalliaō), “are exceedingly glad” when you walk through the valleys of life. Yes, it is HEAVY. Yes, there are MANY TYPES of TRIALS. But what you are going through is not without purpose. It comes “for a season”, and with the purpose of making you more like Christ. God is at work in you, dear Christian.

1 Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Did you read this. Your FAITH is MORE PRECIOUS than GOLD. Gold, like all money, comes and goes. But your faith in God GROWS, bringing you closer to God every day. As you go through this life, every trial whittles on your soul, taking away impurities, and making you the child of God the Father wants you to be.

And one day Jesus will comer and get you! When He does, your faith will be found “unto praise and honor and glory” when you meet Jesus on that grand day!

There Will Be Joy Unspeakable When We Are Glorified

1 Peter 1:8 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:

The day we see Jesus face to face – be it through death or through Rapture – will be a day so joyful that words cannot describe it. It will be glorious.

I hope to see you there.

If your salvation will not OVERCOME whatever life throws at you, then you’re not a child of God. A child of God OVERCOMES. What has God declared? I will let Jesus preach the end of this sermon:

Revelation 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Revelation 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Revelation 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Revelation 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Will you be in glory with Jesus? What is the Authority of your life? What is the Authority of your life when tried? If it is Jesus, Beloved, the best is yet to come. But if not, all that is left is an empty faith and a burning eternity. I beg you, call upon the Name of Jesus and be saved. Amen and Amen.

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In The Very Act

Posted on July 21, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Spencer Davis: https://www.pexels.com/photo/mountain-peaks-covered-in-snow-5772681/

John 8:1-4 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. {2} And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. {3} And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, {4} They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

Our Background Is Found In Nicodemus

After Jesus presented Himself as the Messiah, the Savior of Israel and the Sender of the Holy Spirit, the Chief Priests and Pharisees sent the Temple soldiers to arrest Him for blasphemy in chapter 7. When the soldiers returned to the Temple without Jesus, they were asked “Why didn’t you bring Him?”. The soldiers replied,

John 7:46 (AP*) No one ever spoke like this Man!

As the powerful leaders of Israel condemned Jesus, and mocked the soldiers, a member of that group named Nicodemus spoke up.

Nicodemus came to see Jesus by night – we read about him in John chapter 3. It was to Nicodemus that Jesus told him in John 3:7, “You must be BORN AGAIN”. Jesus told Nicodemus,

John 3:3 (ESV) … “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He covers your sins with the Blood of Calvary. Jesus then sends the Holy Spirit to your life to change you, to make you into a child of God. Once you are a child of God, you stand up for Jesus and for His Kingdom. You do not hide your faith, but you are “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). You cannot be an undercover Christian. When Jesus comes to you and you to Him, He saves you. You become “children of God by faith in Christ” (Galatians 3:26). You are different from the lost of the world. You are saved.

Salvation Is Like A Seed – It Must Be Planted!

When Nicodemus met Jesus in John chapter 3, the seed of salvation was planted. When Nicodemus left Jesus, he kept their meeting quiet. He told no one. But now that the Chief Priests and Pharisees are condemning Jesus, Nicodemus speaks up:

John 7:51 Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?

The Pharisees and Priests were mad at Jesus because they believed He was breaking the Law by healing people on the Sabbath. However, as Nicodemus pointed out, the Pharisees and Priests were violating the Law by condemning Jesus without a proper trial.

The basis of stability in a nation is the Law. In the Old Testament, when God led Israel out of Egyptian slavery, and He led them to the base of Mount Sinai. There was a reason for this. Israel was no longer just a family with twelve sons, but it was to be a Nation under God. To be a Nation under God Israel had to have a Law. At Mount Sinai God called Moses to come up the Mountain to receive that Law.

The Chief Priests and Pharisees claimed to live by the Law of God. They weren’t living by God’s Law, but by THEIR Law, THEIR Traditions, THEIR Feelings. This is a dangerous path for a people to take.

God’s Law demanded fair justice. He said in:

Deuteronomy 1:16-17 (ESV) ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him. 17 You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

The Law that God gave at Sinai was not Moses’ Law, but God’s Law through Moses. God said …

Deuteronomy 19:15 (ESV) A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.

Nicodemus reminded the Levites and the Priests that Jesus needed a fair hearing. That is what caused the events of chapter eight.

Chapter Eight Is A Picture Of Mount Sinai

John 8:1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.

The “mount of Olives” is also called OLIVET. Olivet is a ridge that runs outside the city walls east of Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:7). When King David’s son Absalom chased him from Jerusalem, the Bible says “David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up” (2 Samuel 15:30). David’s son King Solomon built an altar to “Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek, the detestable god of the Ammonites” (1 Kings 11:7). When Israel fell to idolatry, the Prophet Ezekiel (11:23) saw the glory of the Lord depart from Jerusalem and rest ON THE MOUNTAIN EAST OF IT (Mount Olivet or the Mount of Olives). The Mount of Olives was a place where God rested, and watched over Jerusalem.

The Mount of Olives was a favorite place that Jesus visited, usually to rest and talk to the Father. As Moses went up Sinai to talk to the Father, Jesus went up Olivet.

John 8:2 … And early in the morning He came again into the Temple, and all the people came unto Him; and He sat down, and taught them.

Jesus returned to the Temple, probably in an area called Solomon’s Porch (John 10:23). He taught “early in the morning”, right after His time of prayer.

– When God sent Moses to the Pharaoh, saying “Let My people go”, God always told him to go “early in the morning” (Exodus 8:20; 9:13; 24:4; 34:4).

– When God sent Joshua to fight the enemy in the Promised Land, it was often “early in the morning” (Joshua 3:1; 6:12; 7:16; 8:10).

Israel has been taken over by the false religion of the Chief Priests and Pharisees, so Jesus goes to battle it “early in the morning”. He will eventually defeat Satan and false religion on the Cross of Calvary, and rise from the grave “early in the morning” on the first day of the week. As Jesus came to teach “all the people came unto Him”. They wanted to hear a Word from God, and were hungry – not for the swill of the Pharisees and Priests, but for the “Words of Eternal Life” (John 6:68; Philippians 2:16; 1 John 1:1).

Jesus has come down from Olivet with the Word of Life, just as Moses came down from Sinai with the Law.

John 8:3-4 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto Him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

Word Study: Nicodemus has called on the Priests and Pharisees to bring Jesus to a proper trial. Instead of doing this, they set a trap for Him. They bring a woman into Jesus’ classroom “taken in adultery”. The word “taken” is the Greek katalambanō, which means “to lay hold of, to seize, to take possession of”. The word is used of the boy possessed of a demon, who …

Mark 9:18 … wheresoever {the demon} taketh katalambanō him, {the devil} teareth {the boy}: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away…

This woman was GRABBED and DRAGGED into to presence of Christ. She was forced into the middle of this group of people, probably her clothing torn, her nakedness exposed. They tell Jesus:

Master, this woman was taken in adultery,
in the very act

Word Study: They are first of all HYPOCRITES. They call Jesus “Master”, the Greek didaskalos, which means “Master Teacher or Scholarly Rabbi”. They often called Jesus “MASTER”, though they did so out of sarcasm or avarice (Matthew 12:38; 19:16; 22:16; 22:14; 22:36; Luke 19:39, et. al.). They used shock and inflection to try and get Jesus to expose Himself. Then they drop the bomb:

John 8:5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

The thing about traps and bait is that the hunter will put out something that looks obviously GOOD, hoping the quarry will take it and be trapped. The Bible says …

1 Timothy 1:8 … we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;

The Law of God is not a bad thing, but a good thing. The Law of God points out that which is SIN, and SIN is a bad thing. The Law of God said that adultery is terrible evil, because adultery tears at the civilized fabric of community by attacking Biblical Marriage. For this reason God decreed:

Leviticus 20:10 (ESV) If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

Adultery is a sin that tears up marriages. It is not a ONE PERSON sin. If this woman was caught “in the very act” there should be a man with her. The Bible tells us:

John 8:6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

These men were not seeking to give Jesus a fair trial, but were baiting Him, trying to find something, anything that would make Him look guilty. But as They spoke to Jesus, the Bible says “with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not”. In the Old Testament when Moses was with God, it was …

God Himself Who wrote the Ten Commandments with His finger on tablets of stone.

Exodus 31:18 (ESV) {and God} gave to Moses, when He had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

Deuteronomy 4:13-14 (ESV) … {God} declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14 And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and rules, that you might do them in the land that you are going over to possess.

The Ten Commandments were written by the finger of God, but the rest of the Law was told to Moses by God, and Moses wrote the Law as God gave it.

Exodus 24:3-4 (ESV) … Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 31:24-26 When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book to the very end, 25 Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, 26 “Take this Book of the Law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against you.

Moses went to Sinai and received the Law from God. He wrote it down and gave it to the people. As the Scribes and Pharisees demand an answer from Jesus, our Lord – fresh from Mount Olivet – begins to write God’s Law down on the ground. As they continue to demand an answer, our Lord looks up from His writing:

John 8:7-9 So when they continued asking him, He lifted up Himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

When Jesus said “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her”, He was repeating what the Law of God said. Two or three witnesses were required to put someone to death. God decreed through Moses:

Deuteronomy 17:6-7 (ESV) On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. 7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

The one who was “WITHOUT SIN” – someone who was a witness who was guiltless in the violation of the Law – was to be the FIRST to cast the stone of death. After this witness did so, THEN and only then were the people to cast stones until the lawbreaker was dead. God said “So you shall purge the evil from your midst”.

These men were conspirators. At the least, they allowed the male adulterer to escape punishment. At the most, they were guilty of conspiracy against Jesus. They were not guiltless!

Jesus returned to writing on the ground – I believe – the Law of God. The Bible says that these men departed, “convicted by their own conscience”, starting at the eldest. After they had all left, Jesus looked at the woman.

John 8:10-11 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

At this point many people misunderstand what Jesus is doing. They believe that Jesus is condoning sexual sin, looking the other way on adultery, a horrible sin. Our Lord is not doing this. The charges against this woman were trumped up, and unfairly levied. Where was the MAN? Was the unnamed woman guilty of sin? Yes, she was! At no point did she protest her innocence, nor did she declare herself innocent after her accusers left. Our Lord Jesus told her, “go, and sin no more”. Jesus believed that she committed the crime she was accused of, and at no point did He excuse her guilt. She was a sinner, a sexual sinner, else our Lord would have not said go and sin no more.

Sin Is Horrid! Go And Sin NO MORE.

Jesus told this woman, “go, and sin no more”. We are given a very DETAILED DEFINITION of what SIN is in the Scripture, and sin is NOT something a Child of God should wallow in. The Bible says:

1 John 3:2-8 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

The Bible tells us that SIN is bad – and children of God purify themselves of sin (verse 3). Sin is “the transgression of the law” (verse 4), to reject what God has said and what is written in the Holy Scripture. Sin is no trifle, but a hateful and deceptive thing. The Bible tells us that “Jesus was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin”. Jesus is not looking the other way on this woman’s sin, her hateful sin! God became Man – Perfect and Sinless Man – to take away our sins.

Jesus came not only to purge the record of our sinfulness so we might have access to God, but also came to make sin distasteful to us. Sons of God hate sin! Period.

If you can commit sin without any remorse over it, then you do NOT belong to God. We are told that “He that committeth sin is of the devil” (vs 8). Jesus came to this earth to destroy the works of the devil.

Jesus “made us alive with Him, and forgave us ALL our trespasses. He erased our certificate of debt … taking out of the way by nailing it to the Cross” (Colossians 2:13-14, HCSB). If you are yielding your lives to sin, then you are servants of sin, not sons of God (Romans 6:15-18).

You are saved to follow not sin, but the Savior. You are saved to walk with Jesus in the Light of God. The day you received Christ as Savior and Lord, He told you:

Neither do I condemn thee.
Go.
And sin no more!

Are you saved? Are you washed by the Blood of Christ, born again of His Spirit? If you are, you will not walk in darkness with the world. You will walk in the Light of God with Christ and your brothers and sisters in the Church. May God cause you to examine your lives, and be saved from sin this very day. Receive Jesus. Believe Jesus. Call on Jesus. Trust Jesus. Follow Jesus. This is the Way of the Master. Amen and Amen.

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Gibea, Gomorrah & Sodom

Posted on July 19, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Rene Asmussen: https://www.pexels.com/photo/grayscale-photo-of-woman-peeking-on-planks-25757/

Turn with me in your Bibles to Judges chapter 19. An ancient preacher named Miguel Molinos stated:

“There are two kinds of darkness, an unhappy darkness and a happy darkness. The {unhappy} darkness is that which arises from sin. … The second type of darkness is darkness which the Lord allows within our inward part in order to establish and settle virtue …”

When I thought about that statement, I thought about what our Lord Jesus told us. Jesus said,

Matthew 16:24-25 If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

When we who love the Lord follow our Jesus, we climb Mount Sinai up steep walls and loose rock, shifting sand. We find our God on Mount Moriah, and are told to willingly give up our Isaac on an altar we build there. We are called to walk the Via Dolorosa – the dusty path our Lord Jesus carried His Cross – as the crowds around us mock and jeer and toss stones. We are called to go “outside the camp and bear the reproach He bore” (Hebrews 13:13). Christians are not called to a life of compromise, pleasing the world around us. We are to stand in the shadow of our God, knowing that the darkness is but brief, and that our God watches over “those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). This is why the Scripture tells us who are saved:

James 1:2 (ESV) Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Your faith will be tested as you go through this life. Is your faith genuine? Trials will prove your faith, or trials will disprove your faith.

There Was No King In Israel

Judges 19:1-2 And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem Judah. 2 And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Bethlehem Judah., and was there four whole months.

God’s Old Testament people is Israel, just as God’s New Testament people is the Church. When Israel was saved from Egypt by God through Moses, Israel was supposed to follow God as their King. God told His people:

Leviticus 26:12-16 (ESV) I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. 13 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect. 14 “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, 15 if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

Israel continued throughout her history – and even today – to reject God as her King. And God recognized this. He said, “Israel has rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7).

Israel rejected God’s decree in FAITH and DESIGN

Judges 19:1 And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem Judah.

Background: We are introduced to “a certain Levite”. The Levites were a special tribe among the Israelites. The Levites could trace their heritage back to Moses. God called Moses up into Mount Sinai to receive the Law. While he was on that mountain listening to God, Israel was in the valley worrying and fretting. After Moses had been gone forty days, Israel demanded that Aaron, Moses’ brother, make a golden calf (Exodus 32:1) to worship instead of God. On hearing this, Moses comes down the mountain and cries out,

Exodus 32:26 (ESV) … “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me.” …

Those who came to Moses were the Levites, Moses’ family. From that moment on the Levites were supposed to inherit no land, but the Lord Himself was their inheritance (Deuteronomy 18:1-2). Yet Israel in the time of Judges has gone so terribly far from God, that even the Levites are tainted. In Judges 17-18 we read of a false Levite who became “Micah’s Priest” in Mount Ephraim. As we come into this chapter we once more see a Levite who has drifted from God. My commentary notes:

“Webster’s dictionary defines “immoral” as: “contrary to the moral code of the community.” The erroneous notion that man sets his own standards of morality goes all the way back to the Fall (Genesis 3). Actually God sets these standards. He does so based on His love and His desire for the welfare of humanity, and He reveals these standards in His Word. When people abandon God’s standards, life breaks down, unravels, and disintegrates.” (emphasis mine)

Application: The Levites are God’s Priests. If they do not hold to God’s Standard, then the people that are taught by them will not follow God either. Christians are also Priests before God (1 Peter 2:5-9; Revelation 1:6).

The Levite in chapter 19 is not behaving as a priest of God. Priests are to honor God’s Word. God established marriage when He made Eve out of Adam’s rib. The standard of marriage is was set in Eden:

Genesis 2:24 (ESV) Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Our Lord Jesus affirmed this “design” in marriage. He said:

Matthew 19:4-6 (ESV) “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

God set the standard for marriage, and the Levite, representing God, should adhere to God’s standard. But this Levite, we are told,

Judges 19:1 … took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem Judah.

A “concubine” was a slave woman who was taken into possession by a man. Concubines were legal mistresses. If they had children, their children had no rights of inheritance when the Master of the house died. The Enduring Word Commentary notes that:

“Many prominent men in the Old Testament had concubines. .. Abraham (Genesis 25:6), Jacob (Genesis 35:22), Caleb (1 Chronicles 2:46), Saul (2 Samuel 3:7), David (2 Samuel 5:13), Solomon (1 Kings 11:3) …”

Yet this does not justify the behavior. Because Abram went in to Hagar, he brought a curse on Israel through Ishmael – a curse that has lasted to this day! God never blessed concubine arrangements. This woman was forced!

Judges 19:2 And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Bethlehem Judah, and was there four whole months.

The KJV Bible says that the concubine “played the whore against him”, the Hebrew Qal Imperfect zānâ, which means “committed sexual sin against, was unfaithful to”. This woman was in a forced relationship, and perhaps she was forced away from someone she actually loved. We don’t know, but we do know she went back to Bethlehem to her father’s house. Why? Because a charge of adultery could cause her and her lover to be killed (Genesis 38:24; Leviticus 20:10; 21:9).

Judges 19:3-4 And her husband {the Levite} arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father’s house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. 4 And his father in law, the damsel’s father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there.

The Levite “Husband” went after his concubine. He spoke friendly to her, and offered to bring her back home with him. Did he love her? No, he just sought to entice her back, to use her as a thing and not a person made in God’s image. Outwardly what the Levite did looked noble. He went after his concubine, taking two donkeys and a male servant. The choice of the DONKEY was very interesting. If a king rode into a city on a STALLION, it was to conquer and destroy. But on a DONKEY, it was a sign of peace. The Levite is virtue signaling – but is not sincere as we later will see! We read that “when the father of the damsel {concubine} saw him, he rejoiced to meet him {the Levite}”. The “father of the damsel” treats the Levite as if this was a wedding feast.

Judges 19:5-6 And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel’s father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way. 6 And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel’s father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry.

As the fourth day comes, the Levite tries to leave, but the concubine’s father wants the feast to continue. The Levite stays until late in the day – then decides that he MUST leave. The father begs them to “tarry all night”, and start out fresh in the morning. The Levite takes him up on this.

Judges 19:7-9 And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again. 8 And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel’s father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them. 9 And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel’s father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home.

The Levite tried to leave on the FOURTH day, but the father talked him into staying the night. When he rose up on the FIFTH day, the father once more showed GREAT HOSPITALITY, and held the family till the evening. When “the man {the Levite} rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant”, the father tried to get them to stay just one more night, and to leave on the sixth day. Had the Levite done this, the trip would not have descended into horror. But he had been held two days beyond what he wanted to be gone, and so demanded that they depart as the sun set. This was a bad decision. The devil does some of his most evil work in the darkness.

The Devil Does His Best Work In The Darkness!

Judges 19:10-12 But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him. 11 And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. 12 And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah.

As the Levite, his male servant and his concubine travel, the sun is quickly setting. They come first to Jebus or Jerusalem. When Joshua went into the land, God decreed that the Jebusites – the descendants of Jebus, the third son of Canaan – be cast out of the land.

When Joshua entered the land the children of Judah fought and took Jerusalem or Jebus (Judges 1:8), but the Jebusites would later take it back. King David would totally conquer Jerusalem (see 2 Samuel 5:6-10) in time, and would buy the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (2 Samuel 24:16-25) as land for his son Solomon to build the Temple on. The male servant tells the Levite, “let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it”. This was sound advice. It is possible that the male servant came from that area, and knew some people there. But instead of turning into Jebus, the Levite says “we will pass over to Gibeah”. Gibeah is about 3-5 miles further away – and the sun is setting fast!

Judges 19:13-15 And {the Levite} said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah. 14 And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin. 15 And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.

The sun has set, and the Levite takes his small group into Gibeah. His servant had begged him to spend the night in Jebus, but the Levite was certain he’s get better treatment from the Jews of Gibeah. We are told “there was no man that took them into his house to lodging”. The Levite had food and supplies. He just needed a place to shelter, to get out of the dangerous streets. But these Benjamites refused to help him.

The Levites had compromised their faith in God, and this compromise, like poison, leached out into Israel.

Leviticus 19:33-34 (ESV) When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34 You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself… I am the Lord your God.

Throughout the Bible the believer is commanded to show hospitality.

1 Peter 4:9 (ESV) Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Hebrews 13:2 (ESV) Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Strangers in our midst might be ANGELS UNAWARES. The inhabitants of Gibeah were supposed to show hospitality to strangers – and certainly to show hospitality to the Levitical Priests. Yet they were turned away.

Judges 19:16-20 And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. 17 And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? 18 And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehem Judah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehem judah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house. 19 Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing. 20 And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.

The Levite sees an old man coming home from his work, who was “also of mount Ephraim”. These two men are from the same area. The Levite explains that he only wants lodging for the night, that he has all the sustenance he needs for himself and his group. The Levite highlights this by saying, “I am now going to the house of the LORD”. That is, he is returning to Shechem where the Tabernacle is. The old man invites them into his home.

But the story doesn’t end here, but gets very sickening very fast!

Sexual Sin Is Devilish, Destructive And Deadly!

The Levite took a concubine, a mistress, in the midst of his marriage. This is sin. The concubine was sexually unfaithful to the Levite, and ran away from him. This is sin. Now we see something that rivals Sodom and Gomorrah:

Judges 19:21-22 So {the Old Man} brought {The Levite} into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. 22 Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.

Word Study: In the darkness of the night, the “men of the city, certain sons of Belial” come up and start pounding on the door of the old man’s home. This mob of men want to rape the “man that came into thine house”. They said, “that we may know him”. The word translated “know” is the Qal Imperfect of yāḏaʿ, literally “to know CARNALLY”. This is almost exactly what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis chapter 19.

In that story, God sent two angels to Sodom in the evening to meet with and rescue Lot and his family. When the angels – which looked like handsome men – went into the home of Lot, homosexuals demanded:

Genesis 19:5 (ESV) … “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them….”

This is the exact same Hebrew Word used for “know”, the Qal Cohortative of yāḏaʿ. Though Lot offered his two daughters to these perverted men, they demanded the “men” to rape them. The Enduring Word Commentary notes,

“The picture is clear: During the time of Judges, Israel was as bad as Sodom and Gomorrah.”

The Bible is very clear that homosexuality and lesbian behavior is a product or offshoot of idolatry. The Apostle Paul spoke of this evil sexual sin in:

Romans 1:24-28 (ESV) Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

The Progressive, Liberal, Humanist mindset pushes sexual sin as something to be “PRIDE” filled over. We should NEVER show PRIDE over SEXUAL SIN.

Judges 19:23-25 And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly. 24 Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing. 25 But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.

Neither the father, the head of the household, nor the Levite loved the Lord. Had they loved the Lord, they would have fought to the death to protect the women. Instead, the women were offered up for degradation and evil. The Levite pushes the concubine outside like an animal offered up to be sacrificed.

Word Study: The Bible says, “they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go”. They “knew” her, the Hebrew Qal Imperfect yāḏaʿ. They “abused” her all night long, the Hithpael Imperfect ʿālal, which means “to severely defile, to ruthlessly abuse”. They tormented and beat on this woman until the sun rose, satisfying their perverseness.

This is murder, a violation of God’s 6th commandment. This is fornication and rape, a violation of God’s 7th commandment.

Judges 19:26-30 Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was, till it was light. 27 And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. 28 And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. 29 And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel. 30 And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.

The God Who loves us recorded this event to tell us how horrible sexual sin is. It is no trifle, no “lifestyle choice”. It is a black, dark road of perversion that destroys its vessel. Flee fornication (1 Corinthians 6:18). Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you (James 4:8). Do not be deceived! Amen.

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I’d Rather Fight Than Trip

Posted on July 16, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Alexey Demidov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/german-shepherd-dog-playing-on-white-sand-10897093/

1 Peter 1:13-16 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (14) As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: (15) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; (16) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

The past couple of weeks we have been in 1 Peter, reading the Apostle’s directives to the “strangers scattered”, that is, to the Christian, the person saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ and the operation and movement of the Holy Spirit. We have seen that Christians are:

Chosen and called of God (verse 2),
Set apart by the Holy Spirit (verse 2),
Saved by the Sprinkled Blood of Christ (verse 2),
Born again and adopted of God (verse 3),
Given an eternal relationship with God (verse 4),
and are guarded by God as precious (verse 5).

God paid much for you, dear Christian.
You belong to Him! (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23)

God has given you everything you need to be stable, happy, wholesome, and holy in this present world. But as believers you need to understand this: the battle is not over until we reach Heaven. We have an enemy who stands against us.

That enemy is NOT Republican, Democrat or Libertarian.
The enemy is NOT Liberal or Conservative.

The enemy is the same Serpent that enticed Adam to disobey God in the Garden (Revelation 12:9). The enemy is that same Tempter who came to Jesus in the wilderness, twisting the Scripture (Matthew 4:1-11). The enemy is the same one called Legion, who entered into a madman and a herd of swine (Luke 8:30-33). The enemy is the same Satan that entered into Judas Iscariot (John 13:27), enticing him to sell our Lord for 30 pieces of silver.

Though it was “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all” (Romans 5:12), it was Satan and his forces that opened the door. As Christians we are in a battle – not against “flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).

We have an enemy who will stop at nothing to stop at nothing. His name is Satan. He is a real Being, a fallen Angel, and he has one play: defeat Christ. Satan will do all he can to bring confusion and mayhem into the world. The nonsense that we see in our world today is Satanic, devilish, evil, inhuman, spiteful, wicked. We are in a battle, dear Christians.

And we’d best wake up!

The Apostle Peter (and Peter was NOT a Pope, but an Apostle. Peter had a wife according to Matthew 8:14 and 1 Corinthians 9:5) gives us three commands today as Christians, things that we must do.

Realizing We Are In A Battle, We Must
“Gird Up The Loins Of Your Mind”

1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind

Word Study: Peter uses a familiar term to his audience, though it is not familiar to us. “Gird up” is the Greek anazṓnnymi (pronounced an-ad-zone’-noo-mee) which means “to gather and bind long and flowing garments closely to your body with a leathern girdle”. In the ancient world people wore robes and overcoats that hung down around their ankles, covering their bodies from sand, biting insects, and heat. When a farmer or a warrior went to work, they would gather their robes and pull them up to their loins, binding the clothing under the leather belt. This freed their legs so they could move without tripping.

If you did not prepare yourself for the battle by binding those robes, you could end up tripping and dying foolishly.

If you did not prepare yourself for work by binding up your robes, you could trip and die under the feet of the oxen.

Peter tells the Christian to “gird up the loins OF YOUR MIND”. Take charge of your mind. Take charge of your thoughts. Protect the LOINS of your mind. Gather your thoughts. Can you answer the question

“Why do I believe what I believe?”

Illustrate: The devil is constantly attacking and influencing the world around us. The devil is constantly attacking Christ and His Church. Radio Host Jesse Lee Patterson was interviewing an atheist, and asked him, “What is a man?” The atheist replied, “I don’t know. What is a man?” Patterson asked him “Are you a man?”, and he replied, “Yes, I am”. So Patterson said, “If you don’t know what a man is, how can you say you’re a man?”. His reply was, “The word ‘man’ is very vague. It’s not just what our culture has said it is. … You have caught me in this. I am trapped. I’m a man, and I have no idea why.”

If you were interviewed by Patterson, and asked the same question, “Are you a man?”, how would you answer it? How would you justify your answer? If someone says, “gender is fluid – a man can be a woman, and a woman a man”, how would you respond to that? Today people respond with FEELINGS, and they trip over the ROBE of their FEELINGS. Are you a man? Are you a woman? How do you know?

Illustrate: I was listening to Nick Freitas (R), a member of the Virginia House of Delegates since 2015. I like Nick. He was a member of the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) and served two tours in Iraq before being honorably discharged. He was talking to a young woman about her upcoming marriage, about how he raised his son to cherish and protect women,when she stopped him and said:

“We don’t subscribe to those types of traditional gender roles”.

He asked her what she meant. She said, “We don’t believe in this whole idea that a man has to PROVIDE and PROTECT”. Nick said, “Oh, okay. Let me ask you a question. You’re leaving dinner with your fiancee, and as you’re walking to the car someone jumps out of the alleyway with a knife. In one of the scenarios {your fiancee} jumps behind you, in the other scenario {your fiancee} jumps in front of you. Which scenario are you more attracted to your fiancee?” She replied, “That’s not fair”. Nick told her, “I think you just inadvertently answered the question”.

Why do we believe what we believe? Is it because of feelings, peer pressure, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In? Why does a Christian believe that there is even life beyond this one?

It is because of WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS.

You are a Christian because you believe what the Bible says. You believe Jesus died for your sins. You believe you are broken, and are broken because Adam failed to obey God and to protect his wife. You believe the Word of God is TRUE. Either the Word of God is TRUE, or the Word of God is FALSE. There is no in between.

If Radio Host Jesse Lee Patterson was interviewing ME, and asked me, “What is a man?”, I would say “I am a man”. If he asked me, “How do you know you’re a ‘man’”?, my reply would be “because Jesus said:

Matthew 19:4-6 (ESV) “Have you not read that HE {God} who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two {male and female} shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Illustrate: I can answer with confidence “I am a MAN” because of what the Bible says, and what my Lord Jesus affirmed. If Sherry and I were walking down the street and some idiot jumped out with a knife, I can say with CERTAINTY that I WOULD JUMP IN FRONT OF HER and then SHOOT THE KNIFE WIELDER DEAD. Why? Because the BIBLE says:

1 Peter 3:7 (ESV) Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

If you’re not caring for your wife, YOUR PRAYERS ARE HINDERED. God will not hear you! Period.

In every case where men who claim to be women enter into women’s sports, they dishonor the women, and those who support that nonsense dishonor the women. Period. You may say, “Well, Preacher, that seems a bit extreme. After all, so and so and the Twitterattie have said that …. blah blah blah”. I could care less. I have “girded up the LOINS of MY MIND”.

You can go insane if you want to. I refuse to smile and say you’re sane when the Bible says OTHERWISE.

Illustrate: Someone asks me, “Why can’t WOMEN Pastor Churches? After all, it’s the rage! The Methodist Church down the road thinks it’s a great idea. Look at their sign! Let’s just get WOKE and go with the BROKE.” I say, I’m sorry, but NO! The BIBLE SAYS:

1 Timothy 3:1-5 … If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?

I as your Pastor am to “care for God’s church”. Why? Because it’s what the BIBLE says.

In every instance where foolishness and confusion prevail, it is because people departed from the Word of God. When Israel was caused by God to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, it was because they rejected the Word of God in place of their feelings. It was by God’s Word that Israel was freed from Egypt. It was by God’s Word that Israel went through the Red Sea. It was by God’s Word the Lord told Israel to send out spies into the land (Numbers 13:1-3), and then God told them to take the land. But Israel refused to obey God’s Word (Deuteronomy 1:28-33). Because of that, Israel wandered for 40 years until that unbelieving generation died out. When Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land, God told him:

Joshua 1:5-9 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law {God’s Word} that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. {Gird up the LOINS of your MIND!} 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

The reason the Church is failing in free America but PROSPERING in Communist China is because the Christians THERE are MEDITATING ON and DOING ALL that God said. The Christians here are COMPROMISING and CONFUSED!

Illustrate: The world wants the Church to join the madness – and many are complying. The Christian group Turning Point USA recently asked college students, “Should we allow adult men who identify as toddlers to compete in preschool soccer? No? Why not? They identify as a child. We want them to be comfortable. That’s a real thing. Having people think they are in a different body is a real thing. People think that they’re dogs. People think that they’re cats. And some people think they’re children still. They never grow out of it. … So shouldn’t we accommodate fully grown 50 year old men who want to play t-ball?” The college students couldn’t answer the question. I can. No! Grow up. Turn to Jesus, and give Him your brokenness. Let Him take possession of your life, and quit being the devil’s stooge!

1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind

View all things through the lens of Scripture. Ask yourselves, “What has GOD said”?

It doesn’t matter what AI thinks.
It doesn’t matter what a GUY thinks.
It doesn’t matter what the CROWD thinks.
It matters what GOD OUR CREATOR thinks.

Illustrate: One of my favorite Bible stories is one I rarely hear – and it’s not about a Christian or a great Israelite. It’s about a Syrian Army Commander – a Gentile like us – named Naaman. Naaman was a great general that God used to give victory to Syria (2 Kings 5:1). But Naaman had a problem.

Naaman was a leper.

I love that picture, because it’s a picture of all humanity. I don’t care how much money you have, how much fame, how beautiful you are, or how powerful: everyone has some brokenness. Naaman was a leper. But Naaman had a servant girl who cared for him, and told him to contact God’s Prophet Elisha – that Elisha would fix him. When Naaman went to Elisha’s home, Elisha would not even come to the door, but sent his servant to tell Naaman:

2 Kings 5:10 “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.”

That upset Naaman! Naaman is an IMPORTANT person, a DECORATED General, and that Elisha would not even come to the door to greet him … how dare he! But here’s the thing. What Elisha told Naaman to do was not HIS opinion, but what GOD told Elisha to tell Naaman. Well, Naaman went away mad – and leprous! When he went home Naaman began to nitpick the Word of God:

2 Kings 5:12 … “Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.

Naaman did what so many people do today. They want to ADVISE God, instead of OBEYING God.

And Naaman was still leprous. Nothing was changed – nothing at all. Then some people who loved him came to Naaman and said,

“it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” (vs 13)

Have YOU done what God said? Have you “GIRDED UP the loins of your MIND”? God has given you a promise. YOU ARE SEVEN DIPS FROM RELIEF. Won’t you just try it? So Naaman went to the Jordan. “Plunk!” he dips himself the first time – he’s STILL LEPROUS. “Plunk!” There is no change. “Plunk – Plunk – Plunk – Plunk”. Six times and no change. If Naaman FEELS it won’t do any good, and stops here, he will remain LEPROUS. But then Naaman goes down for the last time.

Goin’ down for the last time,
That’s how You found me,
Let Your love surround me,
I was, goin’ down for the last time,
Then You came, Callin’ my name.

You got the power to save me,
And it’s made me love You so much,
Well I’m learning to live, You’ve got so much to give,
Lord You fill me up,

You show me the right direction,
And there’s nothing that I won’t do,
Cause with every hour,
I know that You got the power to save me. (Evie)

Naaman was healed on that seventh dip. Every person is seven dips from salvation. Are you there? Have you trusted Him?

Realizing We Are In A Battle,
We Cannot Be Drinking The Devil’s Liquor

1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober…

Word Study: The Christian is commanded to “be sober”, the Greek nēphō means “to not lose your wits, to abstain from alcohol, to be calm and collected in spirit, temperate, dispassionate, circumspect”. The world is drunken on feelings and humanism and false gods and foolishness. If you go into battle drunken, you will be killed! This word is used frequently throughout the New Testament. Later on in this Book the Apostle will say,

1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch nēphō unto PRAYER.

While the world listens to the talking heads who care nothing about you, the network media that makes merchandise of you – ignore them and SPEAK TO HIM WHO LOVES YOU. Pray! Talk with your Father. Talk to Jesus. Call on the Holy Spirit. Ask God to rally around you, and protect you as His Child. Peter says:

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

The devil is always wandering around looking for someone who is DRUNK, who has gotten away from the FLOCK. He loves that! The devil loves to eat up professing Christians who have wandered off the reservation. He loves to watch their lives go up in smoke, while they stagger about with the devil’s crew. The Apostle Paul said:

1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. {nēphō} 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober {nēphō}, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

The world drinks the devil’s liquor, and loves the devil’s love. We who belong to God have a different standard. We are told:

1 Peter 1:15-16 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: (15) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; (16) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

We who are Christians are born again children of God. We are to be OBEDIENT children.

We are to be HOLY, as God is HOLY. We are to imitate God. If God says it’s bad, it’s bad. If God says it’s good, it’s good. Peter is not talking about working your way to salvation. He is talking about living within your Divine Design. You became a Child of God, according to the Scripture, by faith in Jesus.

Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

We who are saved are Children of God, not Children of Adam. We are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Now saved, now justified, now born again, we as Christians are to live within our Divine Design. God made you to be a world changer, not to be changed by the world. You do not fashion yourselves according to the former dead life, but live sanctified, separated, or holy lives as the Spirit and the Word directs you. Are you saved? Then the proof of your inward change is your outward dedication to the Lord. The focus of the Christian must be soundly on His Lord Jesus, and on the Word of God. We are told in:

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The Christian feeds on the Word of God, and imitates the God Who saved us. We affirm what Word God has given us. We live for His glory. “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear Children, and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us” (Ephesians 5:1-2).

As Christians, We Place Our Hope
In The Lord Who Saved Us

1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ

We do not quit. We do not cave. We keep trusting the Word of God, and doing as our Lord has bid. We remember the Scripture:

Galatians 6:7-9 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

In “due season we shall reap, if we faint not”. We as Christians are to “not be weary in well doing” (2 Thessalonians 3:13). In the Parable of the Sower, our Lord Jesus spoke of a man who, in Matthew 13:3-9 “went out to sow his seed”. He sowed the Gospel seed regardless as to the ground or weather condition. The sower just sowed, in hope that his sowing would put seed on fertile ground (Matthew 13:23). We are to trust in God, and keep on sowing. We are NOT to depart from God’s Word for a “better result”. That is foolishness. We are to hope in God, trust His Word, and Sow. May God guide us to do so, for His glory. Amen and Amen.

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