What Are You Looking For?

Posted on February 17, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Саша Лазарев: https://www.pexels.com/photo/toddler-wearing-floral-dress-holding-doll-3578326/

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The Bible talks a lot about the glory of God. John saw the glory of God. The glory of God is the love of God. God loves us so much, that “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us”. God became Man – Perfect Man – so He could save us from our sins.

Kids Illustration: You might wonder what “sin” is. Sin is something that our God says NOT to do. Sin is an act that shows you don’t love God and don’t love others. Blow up a red balloon & draw a smiley face on it. Jesus came to this earth to teach us that sin is bad, and that God doesn’t want us to sin because it is bad. Sin hurts us. It pushes us away from God. Sin hurts our families. Pull a pin from the Cross, & pop a balloon. Sin is like this pin. It’s never good. But Jesus came to show us what God thinks about sin, and about us.

When Did We First See “The Word Become Flesh?”

When John the Baptist – the Herald of Jesus (we studied him last week) first announced Jesus to the world, what did he say and where did he say it? Read with me:

John 1:28-29 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Define Bethabara: The area called “Bethabara” (means “Place of the Crossing”) where John is baptizing is today known as Al-Maghtas. When the second generation of Israel crossed the Jordan, it is believed they crossed at this place into the Promised Land led by Joshua (Joshua 3:14-17). Later the Prophet Elijah accompanied by his disciple Elisha would cross the Jordan at this place after Elijah commands it to part. After he crosses the Jordan with Elisha, God takes Elijah up into Heaven by a chariot of fire and a whirlwind. When Elisha heads back home he commands the water to part (2 Kings 2:8-14) just as Elijah did, and began to preach God’s Kingdom. John is baptizing in this same Bethabara when Jesus comes up. John declares:

Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world

Word Study: The glory of the Lord is that God became flesh to “take away the sin of the world”. The words “take away” (Greek airō) means “to lift or bear up, to raise off of”. Sin is seen as a terrible burden that crushes the people it afflicts. The Word of God became flesh and showed us His glory. The Word of God became the Lamb of God, to pay for and lift up our sins. But Jesus didn’t just come to pay for our sins.

Jesus came to pay for our sins and to walk with us in life!

Jesus came to see John the Baptist baptizing one day, and John said “Behold, the Lamb of God”. John introduced Jesus. Well, Jesus walked away and no one followed Him! Even though John said:

John 1:34 I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

Jesus is not only the Word become flesh, and God become Man. He is the Son of God, and the Lamb of God. As Jesus walks away you would expect someone to follow Him – but none do! They stay with John. A lot of times I tell people about Jesus, and Jesus comes into our midst, but no one sees Him nor accepts His invitation. But Jesus will come back (praise God). This is another part of Jesus’ glory.

The glory of Jesus is that He is persistent. He keeps on calling us, and keeps on bidding us to follow Him!

John 1:35-36 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking upon Jesus as He walked, he {John} saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

The phrase “the next day after” shows us that Jesus came back. No one followed Him the first time John introduced Him, so Jesus comes back again. Two of John’s disciples respond to Jesus:

John 1:37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

These “two disciples” were not abandoning John the Baptist. They were doing what John wanted them to do – what any Christian wants you to do. We want you to follow Jesus. We want you to be saved. The only way you can be saved is to Follow the Lamb of God. Jesus said:

Luke 9:23-25 (ESV) If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Later on in this Gospel Jesus will tell us:

John 14:6 (ESV) I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Several years ago Kyle Idleman wrote a book called not a fan. I thought it was a pretty good book. He wrote this:

“So in case someone left it out or forgot to mention it when they explained what it meant to be a Christian, let me be clear: There is no forgiveness without repentance. There is no salvation without surrender. There is no life without death. There is no believing without committing.”

Jesus calls us to follow Him. This is what John the Baptist wanted his hearers to understand. This is what Jesus wants us to understand. When you follow Jesus, you are blessed. When these two followed Jesus, what did He do?

John 1:38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye?

As they follow Jesus He asks them, “What are you looking for?” In “The Gospel of John – A Commentary” by Frederick Dale Bruner he notes that these are the first words Jesus utters in the Gospel of John. Jesus asks, “What are YOU looking for?” The entire Gospel of John asks this question. What are YOU looking for in following Jesus?

Some people are looking for temporary blessing. That’s all they want. They are encountering sickness in their life, and want Jesus to take away that sickness. There’s lots of stories like this in the Bible. There was the story of Blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus. We are told in …

Mark 10:46-48 (NIV) {Jesus} came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Blind Bartimaeus followed Jesus, crying out for mercy. Jesus asked Bartimaeus, “What do YOU want Me to do for YOU?” Bartimaeus told Jesus, “Teacher, I want to see”. And Jesus let him see – and Bartimaeus “followed Jesus along the road” (Mark 10:52). But he just followed Jesus a little way down the road. He got what he wanted, his eye sight. But Bartimaeus is lost to us after this. Will he be in Heaven? I don’t know.

There were some two other blind men that called out to Jesus, “Have mercy on us, O Lord” (Matthew 20:31). Jesus asked them, “What do YOU want Me to do for YOU?”, to which they replied, “Lord, open our eyes”. The Bible says:

Matthew 20:34 (NKJV) So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

Jesus healed their eyes, and “they followed Him”. Will they be in Heaven? I don’t know.

But I think if you follow Jesus, you’re pretty sure
you’re going to end up where He is!

A few chapters later in John we’ll read about a pitiful, crippled man who lays every day by a Pool called Bethesda. Jesus came up to him one day and asked, “Do you want to be made well?” (John 5:6). Though the man did not give Jesus a strictly “yes” or “no” answer, Jesus heard him out – then healed him. The man picked up his bed and walked – but he did not follow Jesus. Later Jesus came back to that man and said,

John 5:14-15 … “you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” 15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

The man did not follow Jesus. He got what he wanted from Jesus, and told the Pharisees that Jesus healed him. Will he be in Heaven? I don’t know. But I’ll tell you, the best place to be is following Jesus.

Two Disciples Get It Right

John 1:38-39 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

Jesus asks the two that follow Him (only TWO?), “What are YOU looking for?” Some follow Jesus for healing or good health. Some follow Jesus for a full belly. Some follow Jesus for a nice home, or money, or a good car. These two disciples of John got it right. Jesus asks them “What are YOU looking for?” and they say, “where dwellest thou?”. They want to see where Jesus lives. That’s the best place to be.

Throughout the Gospel of John Jesus describes Himself as “I AM”. He says,

I AM The Bread of Life (John 6:35).
It is Jesus Who supplies us with life.
I AM The Light of the World (John 8:12).
Jesus gives us light to see right.
I AM The Door of the sheep (John 10:7).
You cannot enter Heaven without Jesus.
I AM The Good Shepherd (John 10:14).
Jesus protects His sheep, His followers.
I AM The Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25).
Jesus has destroyed death for us.
I AM The Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).
Jesus teaches us the Way of God, the Truth of God, and the Life that leads to God.
I AM The True Vine (John 15:1).
As the grape clings to the vine, the Christian clings to Jesus.

If you are saved, you follow Jesus. But you do something else. Up to this point we don’t know who the two disciples are that follow Jesus. But now we read:

John 1:40-42 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias {Hebrew word messias transliterated by the KJV. Refers to the Greek Christos or Christ, the Savior}, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

Andrew went and got his brother “Simon Peter” and told him “We have found the MESSIAH or the Christ”. This is the Savior that God promised would come into the world in the Old Testament. Andrew “brought his brother to Jesus”. He just showed him Jesus. This is what we are called to do.

Closing: When Sherry and I were stationed in England for the United States Air Force we had the wonderful opportunity of riding the big red double decker buses in London. As a family (we had our three kids with us) we’d always go to the top of the bus – the upper “uncovered” floor, and enjoy a wonderful view as we rode around town. There were many times when we as a family were at a bus stop and, much to my dismay, the bus passed us by without stopping. Someone complained about this to the London Transit Authority, the organization that maintains the London City Buses. The London Transit Authority issued a public paper that stated the following: “It is impossible for us to maintain our schedule if we are always having to stop and pick up passengers”.

Obviously, the London Transit Authority forgot what its purpose is. Sadly many Christians have forgotten their purpose.

Without passengers the Transit Authority is unprofitable. Without passengers you need no buses. The business of the London Transit Authority is to take people around town in buses. The business of the Church is to lift up and glorify Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior. We are to follow Jesus. We are to kill sin in our lives, and shine as lights, glorifying Jesus as we follow Him. We are to bring others into proximity with Jesus. If you are saved, you are to live for and with Jesus.

May God touch your hearts with this devotional. Amen and amen.

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From Gilgal To Bochim

Posted on February 13, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Johannes Plenio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/green-rice-field-1146708/

We saw last week how Israel, under the leadership of the Kenite turned Judite Caleb, followed God and was blessed. Before Joshua died he encouraged Israel to say true to God. Tonight let’s turn to Judges chapter 2 (though we will go back and finish Judges chapter 1). Read with me:

Judges 2:1-5 And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. 2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? 3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. 4 And it came to pass, when the angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. 5 And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the Lord.

From Victory To Defeat

an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim

An “angel of the Lord” came to Israel with a message direct from God. The Angel spoke from God just as our Bible speaks from God. What caused the Angel to come? Because Israel had gone “from Gilgal to Bochim”. You read this as a Gentile and think, “so what?”. You have to look at the places, and see what happened in the contexts. The Angel came “from Gilgal”. The Bible tells us that ..

Gilgal (also called Bethel) is the place where the second generation of Israel crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land.

It was at Gilgal that God had Israel cross into the Promised Land. The Priests were to go first, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, a holy box that contained manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the Ten Commandments on stone (Hebrews 9:4). As the Priests stepped into the Jordan, the Bible says:

Joshua 3:13 … when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.

God replicated what He did at the Red Sea with the first generation of Israel. While Moses (a Priest) held his rod over the water, the Red Sea parted and the people went through on dry land. As the second generation of Israel crossed the swollen Jordan River, the Priests step in carrying the Ark of the Covenant. As they step in the water, the water retreats, and stands up on both sides like it did with Moses 40 years before. Israel obeyed God, and started rolling forward.

Gilgal (the transliterated Hebrew word Gilgāl) means:
“a ROLLING WHEEL”.

Israel was on the move. Following God, they would be a juggernaut that nothing could stop! To help Israel remember this time, Joshua had every tribe pick set up a memorial stone at Gilgal (Joshua 4:19-20). When you follow God, you can do the impossible. The Scripture says:

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Jesus told us,

John 15:5 (ESV) I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

After Israel first entered the Promised Land at Gilgal, the Israelite men proved their faith by being circumcised at Gibeath-haaraloth (Joshua 5:3). The name Gibeath-haaraloth means “Hill of the Foreskins”. A circumcised warrior has trouble walking, much less fighting. Being circumcised by flint knives (Joshua 5:2-8), the nation of Israel – an estimated 6 million men – “remained in their places in the camp until they were healed” (Joshua 5:7). Had the enemy attacked, Israel would have been slaughter. But Beloved, if God tells you to do something, He will protect you while you do it.

God told Israel, “today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you” (Joshua 5:9). Israel was no longer enslaved to Egypt, sin, nor self. They followed the Living God. Israel celebrated the Passover at Gilgal (Joshua 5:10). On that same day God stopped providing Manna to Israel, as their sustenance would come from the Promised Land as they followed the Lord.

Israel went from Gilgal to “Bochim”. Gilgal means “a rolling wheel”. Israel was moving on and couldn’t be stopped. But “Bochim” (a transliteration of the Hebrew Bōḵîm) means
“Place of WEEPING”.

How did Israel come from a place of victory to a place of defeat, from a place of fullness to a hungering place, from a place of joy to a place of misery? Let’s go back and finish Chapter One.

Israel Started Great, But Began To Drift

Judges 1:17-18 And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah. 18 Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof.

Judah, led by Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite (Numbers 32:12; 34:19) utterly destroyed the Canaanite city called “Zephath” (which means “Watchtower”). I’m guessing this was a key stronghold of the enemy. After destroying the city it was called “Hormah” (Hebrew ḥārmâ) which means “devoted to destruction” or “broken rock”. Judah was on the roll. Why? Because we read:

Judges 1:19 And the Lord was with Judah; and he drove out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.

God was with Judah. Judah found it easy to drive out the Canaanites in the mountains, BUT “could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley”. Those in the mountains had no iron chariots, as horse could only pull these heavily armored carriages on flat land. But in the valley they had “chariots of iron”. Why couldn’t Judah drive out the Canaanites in the valley? Was it because “iron chariots” are too strong for God? Is God like Superman – and IRON (the fourth MOST ABUNDANT element in the earth’s crust) just causes God to go, “Boy, that’s just too much for Me!” No, that’s foolish! “There is nothing too hard for God” (Jeremiah 32:17). The problem wasn’t God – it was Judah.

It was easy for Judah to defeat those in the mountains, but more difficult in the valleys. Too often Christians give up when things get hard. But God allows the hardness to grow our faith.

Joshua had told the Israelites, “You SHALL drive out the Canaanites, even though they have CHARIOTS OF IRON and though they are strong” (Joshua 17:18). It was not that Judah couldn’t do it. It was that it became what they thought was “too hard” or “too uncomfortable”. The Bible says in …

James 1:2-4 (ESV) Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

I’ll be the first to say I hate difficulties. I hate having to work things out. Once I get everything set up the way I want it, I want it to stay the way it is. But life isn’t this way. Life has ebb and flow. Life has high and lows. Life has good and bad. We are told in

Job 5:7 (ESV) … {people} are born to trouble, as the sparks {of a campfire} fly upward

Even Apostles had to learn that – though trials may come – we are to keep on following God one day at a time, one step at a time. Before the Apostle Paul said “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me”, he wrote:

Philippians 4:11-12 (ESV) … I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

Sometimes the Canaanites will be on the mountain, and we can easily knock them off, because God is on the mountain with us. But sometimes the Canaanites are in the valley in iron chariots. They can still be defeated, but we have to grit our teeth and do the unpleasant and difficult thing. And yet God has said,

Hebrews 13:5 (ESV) … “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Judges 1:20 … And they {Judah} gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak.

Was Judah’s failure to defeat the Canaanites in iron chariots Caleb’s fault? Absolutely not! Caleb was following God. The “three sons of Anak” were giants, of a race of giants called the Anakim (see Numbers 13:33; Deuteronomy 1:28; 2:21). The giant that the Shepherd David fought named Goliath was descended from the Anakim. One commentary notes:

“The Masoretic Text, the Hebrew text that has long been accepted by the Jewish people, states that Goliath’s height was “six cubits and one span.” Taking a cubit to be approximately eighteen inches and a span to equal six, this figures to a height of approximately nine feet, six inches. … His bronze armor alone weighed 125 pounds (1 Samuel 17:5)”

The iron blade of Goliath’s spear weighed 15 pounds. The man was a beast! And yet Caleb defeated three Goliaths. Why? Because Caleb trusted God, and kept striving to do what God said. Too often we give up too soon – and suffer for it! We need to keep on following God.

Illustrate: A very weak and sickly Christian withdrew from his Church and his family, and just wanted to die. Coughing, he often spit up blood. He prayed, and asked the Lord to take him home to Heaven. The Lord spoke to him. “There’s a boulder near the edge of your property. I want you to push on that rock every day. Push it because I said so. Keep pushing, and I’ll bring you home”. So every day the man would get up, and go out to push the rock. It didn’t move. He pushed and pushed, until sweat popped out of his body. He pushed every day for several hours, rain or shine, cold or hot. After a few years passed he was rocking on his front porch, about to go out and push the rock again, the Lord spoke to him. The man said, “Lord, I did what You told me to do. I pushed the rock – but I couldn’t get it to move. The Lord asked, “How are you feeling?”. The man said, I feel great. But I can’t move that rock. Jesus said, “Go look in the mirror, and tell me what you see”. The man looked – and he was no longer sickly and broken. He was strong, fit, and able to stand up straight. His cough was gone. Jesus said, “I never asked you to move the rock. I asked you to push the rock. While you obeyed me, your life changed. That rock made you stronger, made you a powerful son of God”.

Mark 11:22 (ESV) .. Have faith in God …

Some Quit When It’s Hard, Others Compromise With The World

Judges 1:21 And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.

The city of Jerusalem was on the border of Judah and Benjamin’s territory, but it was mostly inside of Benjamin’s lot. So the “children of Benjamin” were supposed to run the Jebusites out of that city. Yet the didn’t. Why? Was it because they couldn’t. Not, it was because they compromised with the unbelievers.

Churches today are encouraged by social media, network news, and other churches that have compromised with the world to “just go along to get along”. The Bible tells us to not compromise with the darkness. God had told Israel to run the Canaanites – including the Jebusites – out of the land. One commentary notes:

“As we go through this world, we will hear many calls to compromise. The “fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25), “hollow and deceptive philosophy” (Colossians 2:8), and “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16) all tempt us to compromise in areas we should not. Usually, the temptation to compromise is heightened by some type of fear, such as the fear of being rejected or criticized. What makes compromise so dangerous is the subtle way it approaches us. Compromise, by definition, doesn’t involve a wholesale capitulation to worldly ways or ideals; rather, it accommodates them. Most of us would recoil at the thought of tossing Jesus aside and embracing an idol, but compromise never asks us to do that. Compromise says that we can have the idol and keep Jesus, too. There’s room on the shelf for one more object of worship, right? And what’s the harm, since we still have Jesus?”

Compromise with the world will spread through the whole Church if unchecked. We read:

Judges 1:22-26 And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the Lord was with them. 23 And the house of Joseph (tribe of Ephraim & the half tribe of Manasseh) sent to descry (tûr, seek out, survey) Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.) 24 And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy. 25 And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family. 26 And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day.

The House of Joseph (Ephraim and the half tribe of Manasseh) goes to the House of Bethel (means “House of God”) to take it. Rather than trust in the Lord, the House of Joseph sees a man and tells him, “Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy”. Some have compared this to what Jacob did with Rahab the Harlot and her family in taking Jericho. Rahab was at one time a Canaanite Prostitute, but she came to believe in Israel’s God, the God of the Scripture. When Rahab hid the spies from the Canaanites, she turned on her own people to do what God put on her heart. As a result she was saved. When God praises the faith of the elders in

Hebrews 11:30-31 (ESV)By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

James 2:25 (ESV) … was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

Rahab and her family was not only saved by faith in God, but Rahab became part of lineage of Jesus Christ (see Matthew 1:5). The man that the spies questioned did not believe in God, but was compelled to tell them a secret way into the city in order to save his own life. Once the man was released, he went to the land of the unbelieving Hittites, and built a city there. Though the House of Joseph took Bethel, they did so in the power of man, not the power of God. They compromised their faith in God. This would come back to haunt Israel.

Instead Of Obeying God – I’ve Got An Idea!

Judges 1:27-28 Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. 28 And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out.

Israel’s tribes are compromising more and more with the Canaanites. Manasseh did not trust God, but instead made them their servants. The Canaanites were told to pay “tribute” or taxes to Israel. As long as they paid their taxes, they could keep on living in the land and in the various cities that were not conquered.

Judges 1:29-33 Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. 30 Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries. 31 Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob: But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out. 33 Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants of Bethanath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries unto them.

You see the words “Neither did” repeated over and over again. Have you ever seen dominoes, stood in lines on end, and when one domino fell, it knocked the other down, and so on and so forth until ALL the dominoes are laying flat on the floor in total disarray. That’s what this section of Scripture is like. One nation compromised with the world, and then another, and then another. This is how evil spreads.

Jesus said to His Church:

Matthew 5:13-16 (ESV) “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

We as God’s people are commanded to obey Him, to do what He has said do. Israel refused to do this. Instead they started a slow drift away from God. So the Angel of God comes and tells them:

Judges 2:1 And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

God is not the problem that Israel has. God led Israel to the Promised Land, just as He said He would. God never broke His word.

Judges 2:2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?

God was VERY CLEAR what He expected of His people. God is VERY CLEAR with us in the Church. He has given us two great Commandments:

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said unto {US}, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

That’s very clear. There is no ambiguity there. In fact, every Scripture that God gives us command is very clearly black and white. God is not hard to understand – unless our hearts are hardened. Israel knew EXACTLY what they were supposed to do. We read on:

Judges 2:3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.

God gives us a choice. The way to blessing and peace is to follow the Lord. You can’t take the Promised Land if you don’t listen to the Voice of the Maker of the Promised Land. There are consequences for disobeying God. You can be saved, and drift away from victory and blessing to defeat and misery. Have you drifted?

I was talking to someone the other day about their faith in Christ. They claim to love the Lord, to be saved – and yet have drifted away. So I asked them some questions to do a little spiritual triage. What is spiritual triage? Well, medical triage is “a preliminary assessment of patients or casualties to determine the urgency of their need for treatment”. Spiritual triage is similar to this. If you are born again – saved by faith in Christ – there are certain evidences that this is true. So let’s examine three questions.

1 Do you love and honor the Word of God? It is faith in the Word of God that leads you to a state of salvation. The Gospel is found in the Word of God. The truths of our faith are found in the Word of God. If you are born again by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you should love and adhere to the Word of God.

2 Do you love the God Who saved you? Do you care more about what He thinks and says than what the world thinks and says? Do you keep His commandments. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”. (John 14:15-24; 1 John 2:5-6). If you do not love God nor want to keep His commandments, then you are probably not saved.

3 Do you love the Church that Jesus died for? Jesus said, “Upon this Rock I will build MY CHURCH” (Matthew 16:18). Have you abandoned the Church to “do my own thing”? The Church is the Kingdom of God, the Family of God. If you do not love the Church, you may not be saved. What do you think Heaven will be, but a gathering of the Church?

I guess this could all be condensed to “Do you love?” Those who are saved love the Word of God. Those who are saved love God. Those who are saved love the Church, and truthfully, all people. Do not base your salvation on what the world says – but on what God says. Repent, and turn to Jesus Christ. Give your life unconditionally to Him, for He died unconditionally for you. Follow Him, for He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. May God the Holy Spirit draw you to a saving faith in God through Jesus. Amen and Amen.

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IF You Sin

Posted on February 12, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Mitja Juraja: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-skull-970517/

1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

The Devil Is A Deceiver

It wasn’t very long from the time that Jesus raised up from the grave that the devil began his attacks against the Church. Satan started with lying and open persecution, the exact same thing that he did with Jesus. Satan encouraged the religious establishment – the Chief Priests of Israel – to band together on a lie. The guard that was at the Tomb of Jesus …

Matthew 28:11-15 (ESV) … went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

Based on this lie, the Priests of Judaism began to present Christianity as a harmful and treasonous cult. When the Apostles went out preaching the Gospel, “{the Pharisees} beat them and {commanded} them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go” (Acts 5:40, ESV). The Leader of the Church in Jerusalem, the Apostle James, was killed by Herod the King (Acts 12:2). The Evangelist and Deacon Stephen was stoned to death with rocks, a brutal death! (Acts 7:59, 8:2). A Pharisee called Saul of Tarsus was hired to systemically seek out and kill Christians (Acts 9:1). This continued throughout much of the early Church years.

The problem with martyring a person is that it has a boomerang effect. When you kill someone for their faith, you can make them a hero. The last know gladiator fight was on January 1, 404 AD. A Christian simply called Telemachus (from Asia, the area of modern day Turkey) felt led of the Lord to visit the Coliseum in Rome. When he saw two gladiators fighting, he somehow got out into the midst of the Coliseum. Pushing between the gladiators, he shouted out,

“In the name of Christ, forbear {stop}”

Pushed to the ground, the furious crowd, angry that the event was interrupted, began to throw stones at Telemachus until he died. Shocked and convicted by this death, Roman Emperor Honorius put a stop to the gladiator battles forever (Theodoret’s Ecclesiastical History, Book V, Chapter XXVI). An honorable person being martyred can stop Satan’s plans.

The devil loves deception and lies. He twists the Scripture.

The other day I watched a live “Open Microphone” from First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Their Pastor, Dr. Heath Lambert, invited anyone in the audience to ask him questions about the “First Baptist Statement on Biblical Sexuality”. The statement requires a signature by all members of the congregation, to be returned NLT March 19, 2023 if you want to remain on the membership roll. Pastor Heath was very clear that whether you signed the statement or not you were free to attend every service of the Church. The statement is:

“As a member of First Baptist Church, I believe that God creates people in his image as either male or female, and that this creation is a fixed matter of human biology, not individual choice. I believe marriage is instituted by God, not government, is between one man and one woman, and is the only context for sexual desire and expression.”

Some pastors were quick to speak up and condemn the statement. Brian Lays, Senior Pastor at Riverside Presbyterian in Jacksonville said,

“We don’t think that anything other than faith in Christ should be what determines membership. To anyone who has been ostracized by their church on account of their self-understanding or sexual orientation, I would first offer an apology on behalf of my fellow Christians for the ways in which we have pushed people away.”

First Baptist is not OSTRACIZING {that’s a fancy word which means “to exclude from a society or group”} anyone. What did the Apostle Paul tell the Church at Ephesus?

Ephesians 5:1-12 (ESV) Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.

These are not MY WORDS, but the Words of God through the Apostle Paul. It is certain in my mind that homosexuality and transgender confusion is no worse than any other sins. Sin is sin. The Bible says over and over again:

Ezekiel 18:4 … the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Ezekiel 18:20 … the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Romans 6:23 … the wages of sin is death …

Illustrate: Throughout the Scriptures, you see over and over again that sin always brings forth death. Sin is a horrible thing. Sin is not like vitamin D. Not too long ago, my VA Doctor (Veteran’s Administration) told me that I was “vitamin D deficient”. She prescribed that I take 1000 IU (25 mcg) each day. I started out doing that, then I thought, “Hey, if 1000 IU is good, why not take 10,000? Certainly that would be better”. No, it wasn’t. The VA pulled me off of Vitamin D because I was taking too much in. A little sin is not like a vitamin. It’s not good. Sin is always bad. Pastor John Owen wrote in his book, “The Mortification of Sin”:

“Be killing sin or sin will be killing you!”

Pastor Adrian Rogers said:

“Don’t get the idea that Jesus died to save you from Hell. He died to save you from sin! If He doesn’t save you from sin – then He won’t save you from Hell!”

He also said, “Nothing is more destructive than sin. Sin fascinates – and then it assassinates. Sin thrills – and then it kills.”

One more. Adrian said, “I was born running TOWARD sin. But once I was BORN AGAIN, I started running AWAY from sin”.

As I listened the open mike, and the responses that Pastor Heath gave his people, it became evident to me that many (not all, but many) in the audience did not read their Bibles, but they sure loved Twitter and Facebook. Many were having a hard time understanding the difference between being a member of a Church, and professing salvation. I liked the illustration Brother Heath Lambert used. He said that the Head Coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars Doug Pederson has a standard that his players have to meet. ANYONE can come and watch a game, be in the stands, and cheer either for or against the Jaguars. ANYONE! But if you play on the team, there is a standard.

But I Thought All Christians Were Sinners

We saw in …

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Illustrate: John speaks in the present tense. We HAVE sin. While we are in this mortal flesh, we sometimes stumble, and do that which we should not do. Just the other day someone treated me disrespectfully. I don’t know if they knew they were disrespectful or not. But if I did to them what they did to me, they would have been angry with me. My initial response was to repay them in kind. That was in my heart. But after a little while, God the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart, and told me that such behavior is NOT indicative of a Child of God. I repented, and did the right thing the the one who wronged me.

We sin, and are scarred by sin. The Apostle Paul said of his life:

1 Timothy 1:15 (ESV) The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

The Stepbrother of Jesus wrote that when a brother or sister in the faith of Christ “wanders from the truth”, then we are to … well, let’s see what James says:

James 5:19-20 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

When believers “WANDER FROM THE TRUTH” (what the Bible says is true), we as Christians do not say “well you wander all you want – I’ll just be here loving you”. No, we are to “BRING THEM BACK” to the TRUTH. When you bring that believer, here called “A SINNER”, back to the Truth (as God has defined truth), then you “save his {or HER} soul from death”. Sin always brings about death. James said at the beginning of his Book:

James 1:14-15 (ESV) …. each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

This is why John starts Chapter 2 with:

1 John 2:1 … My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.

If you are God’s “LITTLE CHILDREN”, that is, “CHILDREN OF GOD BY FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS” (Galatians 3:26), then God’s standard for you and I is that “YE SIN NOT”. The Devil Lucifer is a master at twisting the truth, especially the truths of God’s Word.

Two of the ancient lies that the Devil has infiltrated into the Church from the beginning is Salvation By Works, and Saved Regardless Of Works. The first lie was brought in by Pharisees, and the second lie by those called Gnostics.

The Pharisees who infiltrated the Church said, “You can be saved by faith in Christ PLUS circumcision {or water baptism, or by tithing, or by Church membership, and so on}”. This is not true. Salvation is by FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE. The Bible says:

Ephesians 2:8-9 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.

It is God Who gives us Grace. It is God Who secured our salvation. It is God Who paid for our sins on the Cross. It is God Who opens our eyes to the Gospel of salvation. Jesus said,

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

God DRAWS us to Jesus so that we can walk with Him, not against Him. Salvation is a free gift that we receive upon repenting and receiving Christ as Lord and Savior. What does the Scripture say?:

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.”

We are saved when we – drawn by the Holy Spirit if God – respond by repenting of our past, and believing that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord. Saved, we now walk with Christ.

If you profess to be a Christian, but are ENDORSING sin instead of RUNNING AWAY from sin, then you have deceived yourself. Remember the Gospel that John shared in Chapter 1:

John 1:5-7 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But 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.

Phariseeism says, “Work harder to be saved!” Gnosticism says, “Since you’re saved, sin all you want!” Neither teaching is compatible with the “Faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

The True Gospel Is God Balanced

1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

The FALSE Gospel is MAN balanced, but the TRUE Gospel is GOD balanced. What does this mean?

When you are saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you become a child of God. You are no longer your own – you are bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23). We are to glorify God, not please others. We are called by God as His Children to “stand in awe of Him, and SIN NOT” (Psalm 4:4). We are to “AWAKE to RIGHTEOUSNESS, and SIN NOT” (1 Corinthians 15:34).

God does not call us to be “woke in culture” but “awake to God”.

As Children of God we are to avoid sin. But if we sin (and we will) we cannot fix it in our own power. We are saved by the power of God. We are also “kept by the power of God THROUGH faith” (1 Peter 1:5). John said:

vs 1 we have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous

Word Study: I and every Christian has an “advocate”. This is a very interesting word in the Greek. It is paraklētos, which means “One Who comes alongside to aid or comfort, one Who pleads our case before a righteous Judge”. The word is used for our Jesus, and Jesus used the word for the Holy Spirit of God (see John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). When we sin the devil will whisper condemnation not only in OUR ears, but in the ears of those around us. “If she were a Christian, she’d know better!” The religious Pharisees did the same thing with our Lord Jesus (see Luke 7:39). We have a Savior Who – always righteous – nonetheless always stands with us, pleading our case, lifting us up. When we sin, we recognize and reject our sin. We then call upon the name of the Lord, and run into His arms.

Finally, we read:

vs 2 {Jesus} is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Word Study: The word “propitiation” is the Greek hilasmós, meaning “the atonement” or “that which appeases God’s wrath against sin”. God despises sin. Sin destroys, and brings the wrath of God on those who do it. It is only through faith in Christ our sins are covered. It is only by His Blood and His Representation that we stand in front of God as Children and not enemies.

Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile wrote:

“Only those who overcome, who persevere in faith until the end, will receive the Reward. We are kept by God’s power through faith. Our inheritance is preserved for us in heaven. But, forgive me, this is not easy. This is not achieved while rolling over again and again on our beds, while drinking in the poisons of sinful entertainments, or giving ourselves to unrighteousness. The one we serve is our master–whether mammon, sin, or Christ. We serve Christ by His grace through faith and in the power of His indwelling Spirit. He is our holiness with which we will see God. … We wage war in the power of Christ. We put to death the misdeeds of the flesh. We gouge out and cut off. We deny ourselves and pick up our cross and follow daily. We do not shrink back from death and persecution and starvation and the enemy’s assaults. We stand. And doing all, we stand.”

God’s people do not minimize nor normalize sin of any type. We cast it off. This is what the Lord’s Table is about. Being saved from sin, we are to walk with Jesus. Not just today, not just tomorrow, but forever. I loved an illustration that commentator Neal Foard made. He said:

“When Teddy Roosevelt, our 26th President, was 19 years old, his father sent him on a four month tour of Europe. Teddy was very diligent in sending back messages to his father about all the astonishing buildings and monuments and natural wonders that he’d seen. He was surprised … to get this furious response back from his father saying… ‘I did not send you across the ocean to get excited about seeing statues. I sent you there to learn about those people. What do they think? How do they think? What matters to them, country by country. You should share meals with them and speak their languages … their lives should be of keen interest to you. And through your interest and attention in them, you should leave them with a good impression of Americans.”

Do you know why God left us on this earth, dear Christian? It is so we could go out and show others how sons and daughters of Heaven live their lives. We are purposely NOT to be like the world. In fact, we should EXPECT to be hated. But we are to love others, and do good toward all. But here’s the truth:

We always love God first and foremost. And God despises sin.

Closing Illustration: When I was a little boy, I remember going to my Aunt Edna’s house with mama. While there, my brother Mark and I thought of a good joke we’d play on Aunt Edna. She hated bugs, so we went out in the woods, dug up some worms, cut them up, and put them on Aunt Edna’s door knob. When she saw it, sweet lady that she is, she was shocked. Mama yelled at my brother and I, and we cleaned the door knob off. I think we both felt ashamed, because we loved our Aunt Edna.

If you’re a Christian, quit rubbing cut up worms on Heaven’s Door Knob. God can’t stand sin. He proved that by killing His own Son for us. How dare we rewrite the Book of God in order to please the confused but lost? Let us live first and foremost for Jesus. Let us share the Gospel of salvation, that Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sins, but not only for ours, but for the sins of the whole world.

May God the holy Spirit draw your hearts to Christ and to salvation not to be repented of this very day. Amen and Amen.

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The King of Kings Becomes The Son Of Man

Posted on February 9, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Julius Silver: https://www.pexels.com/photo/landscape-of-brown-mountain-and-lake-753312/

Who Made God?

We started last week studying in the Gospel of John, and found out that Jesus had other names (we called them nicknames) – The first name we see for Jesus in this Book is “The Word”. There are other nicknames we’ll see for Jesus in this Book:

The Bread of Life
The Son of the Living God
The Only Begotten Son
The Christ or the Messiah
The Living Water
The Savior of the World
The Light of the World
The Door of the Sheep
The Good Shepherd
The Resurrection & The Life
The Way, The Truth, and the Life
The True Vine

Jesus is also called “God”. Now Jesus was made flesh by God, but Jesus was never made God. One of the questions I’ve often been asked by intelligent people is:

“I don’t know if I believe in God. If God made everything and everyone, who made God?

If someone made God, then you’d have to have Someone BIGGER than God to make God. Then you’d have to have Someone BIGGER than that God to make the bigger God. And you’d have to have a BIGGER God to make that big God. So the answer is this. God is the BIGGEST Person, and He was never made. No one is bigger than God. God made the human part of Jesus, and sent Jesus to the earth. But the Bible says that Jesus was in the beginning with god, and WAS God. Only CREATED THINGS have a CREATOR. Only God is eternal, self existent, without beginning or end.

No one made God, but God made everyone.
That’s why He’s God.

The Book of Psalms (90:2 – TLB) “Before the mountains were created, before the earth was formed, you are God without beginning or end.”

People make up or imagine gods that is not the God of our Bible. King David said,

Psalm 121:2 (TLB) “Shall I look to the mountain gods for help? 2 No! My help is from Jehovah who made the mountains! And the heavens too!”

God became a perfect Human in Jesus because He wanted to do this to save us. But God is not made, but He is the Maker. We are told in:

Hebrews 3:4 … many people can build houses, but only God made everything.

God made us to share some of His qualities – this is why the Bible says that “we are made in God’s image and after His likeness” (Genesis 1:26). We share some of God’s characteristics. God builds, and we build. God makes things, and we make things. But God never gets tired, nor hungry, and God never needs anything. If we don’t drink food and water we will perish – but God never gets thirsty. God is always satisfied. He never wants anything like clothing or cars. We live inside of time. We base everything we do on a clock and a calendar. I am 64 years old, which means I have lived 23,360 days or 560,640 hours. If I live until I’m 80, I will have lived 42,048,000 minutes. I will also be very tired and old! But God does not have a clock or a calendar. God created time, as time is a product of our sun. Isaiah said:

Isaiah 40:28 Don’t you yet understand? Don’t you know by now that the everlasting God, the Creator of the farthest parts of the earth, never grows faint or weary? No one can fathom the depths of his understanding.

God does not need us – but we need God. God is independent of the world, but we are very dependent on Him. Sadly the Bible says that when God chose to become Perfect Man and walked among us:

John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.

In John 1:10 we see that Jesus was IN the world, but Jesus is not OF the world.

You and I are OF this world. We were created because we had two people who came together in love, and we are products of that love. But Jesus Christ is unique. He was in the beginning with God and was God. But Jesus was made perfect human, and was born of the Virgin Mary. During Christmas we celebrated the birth of the human side of Jesus. The Angel Gabriel told Joseph of Nazareth, Mary’s husband,

Matthew 1:20 (TLB) “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “don’t hesitate to take Mary as your wife! For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit….

God the Holy Spirit made the humanity of Jesus. When Jesus was born into the world – a world made by Him – the world did not recognize that He was God become Man. The Bible says, “the world knew Him not”. This is so sad. Why is Jesus rejected by the world? Everywhere He walked the Glory of God shined round about Him. Jesus touched, caressed, loved, healed, replaced, raised the dead.

Jesus Christ walked this earth as a perfect
expression of God in the flesh.

Jesus did 37 miracles. He also did 26 specific healings and raised 3 from the dead while on the earth. Yet the Bible says:

John 20:30-31 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

When God Made Himself Into Man (The Messiah),
This Amazing Event Requires A Herald

Illustrate: A “Herald” is someone who goes before an important Person and announces they are coming. If the President of the United States was going to come to Riverview Baptist, the Secret Service would first come and let us know he’s coming. If the Governor of Tennessee were to visit, he would be proceeded by heralds.

When God chose to become perfect Man, this was a special event that required a Herald. God is the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14).

John the Baptist is that Herald. John was actually a cousin of Jesus. When Mary found out that she was going to bear Jesus, she also found out that her cousin Elisabeth (Luke 1:36) was going to have a child. The Angel said of John:

Luke 1:15-17 (TLB) {John} will be one of the Lord’s great men. He must never touch wine or hard liquor—and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from before his birth! 16 And he will persuade many a Jew to turn to the Lord his God. 17 He will be a man of rugged[a] spirit and power like Elijah, the prophet of old; and he will precede the coming of the Messiah, preparing the people for his arrival. He will soften adult hearts to become like little children’s, and will change disobedient minds to the wisdom of faith.

John was actually a special priest of God called a Nazarite. The Nazarites were described in Numbers 6:1–21. You could choose to be a Nazarite by dedicating your life to God, but a few great men in the Bible were chosen by God to be Nazarites from birth. The strong man and Judge called Samson and the Prophet Samuel, as well as John the Baptist were all Nazarites from birth (Judges 13:4, 5; 1 Samuel 1:11; Luke 1:15). The Apostle Paul took the vow of the Nazarite temporarily two different times. The Nazarite vow usually lasted 30 to 100 days, then you were to shave your head (Acts 18:18; 21:23-26) to show that your vow was ended.

John was a Nazarite for life. He never cut his hair, and turned away from anything fancy or civilized. His diet was locusts and wild honey, and his heart was dedicated to God.
John watched for the Messiah to come.

John 1:19 And this is the record of John {the Baptist}, when the Jews sent Priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

When John the Baptist came preaching, he went out from Jerusalem and from the Temple to “the WILDERNESS of Judea” (Matthew 3:1). John’s message was very simple. He said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”. The King of Heaven – God the Son – is coming. He is at hand. He is coming where He can be touched, and heard, and seen. The Bible says of John the Baptist:

Matthew 3:3 (ESV) For this {John the Baptist} is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”

God spoke through the Prophet Isaiah 700 years before John preached in the wilderness, prophesying that John would come before Jesus. Isaiah wrote:

Isaiah 40:3-5, 9 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. … 9 lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Israel’s priests and Pharisees knew that there were prophecies where God foretold the coming of the Messiah. God foretold in Numbers 24:17, 19 “a SCEPTER will rise out of Israel … a Ruler will come out of Jacob”. But one of the greatest signs was that God would send a Herald before the Messiah. When John the Baptist went out in the wilderness of Jordan to preach the coming of the King of Heaven, the priests and Pharisees sent a delegation to him. These were important people who demanded an answer! They asked John, “Who are you?”, wondering if John might be the Messiah.

John 1:20 And {John the Baptist} confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

Though John the Baptist is SPECIAL, a Nazarite from birth, he knows that he was made SPECIAL for a reason. You are special. Every human is a walking miracle. But no matter how pretty we are, no matter how talented, no matter how rich or famous ….

what matters most is JESUS CHRIST. He is the MOST SPECIAL of us all!

John told them he was NOT the Christ, the Messiah. Since John wasn’t preaching from the Temple or the Synagogue they DEMANDED to know by what authority he was doing what he was doing. They continued …

John 1:21-22 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

In the King James the translators brought the Greek name for Elijah into the English text (ēlias). They are asking, “Are you Elijah?” God promised in

Malachi 4:5-6 (TLB) “See, I will send you another prophet like Elijah before the coming of the great and dreadful judgment day of God. 6 His preaching will bring fathers and children together again, to be of one mind and heart, for they will know that if they do not repent, I will come and utterly destroy their land.”

Elijah was one of two men in the Bible who never died (the other was Enoch). Elijah preached for God until he retired, and passed the ministry of prophecy over to his follower Elisha. The Bible says in:

2 Kings 2:11 (TLB) As {Elijah and Elisha} were walking along, talking, suddenly a chariot of fire, drawn by horses of fire, appeared and drove between them, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven.

The Jews knew the prophecy of Malachi, so from the time that Elijah went into Heaven with God, they started looking for Elijah. The Pharisees ask John the Baptist, “Are you ELIJAH?”, that is, “Are you the Elijah that God took to Heaven?” John said that he was not Elijah. Then they ask, “Art thou that Prophet”? This is a separate question. When Moses got ready to leave Israel, He told them in:

Deuteronomy 18:15 (NASB 20) The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen; to him you shall listen.

They were asking if John the Baptist was the “Prophet like Moses” that they must listen to. John told them he was not that Man. The “Prophet like Moses” that Israel was supposed to listen to was Jesus Christ, the Man that John Heralded. Then they ask,

Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us.

John told them simply,

John 1:23-24 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. 24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.

Once more the King James does not translate the name ēsaias, which is the Greek for Isaiah. John quotes Isaiah 40:3-5 which speaks of the Herald of the Messiah. The Pharisees are not satisfied, for they now ask:

John 1:25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias {Elijah}, neither that prophet {Moses}?

They believe that John has no authority to BAPTIZE if he is not one of these great men. John ignores the slight and the insult that they give to him.

John does what we all need to do when we are insulted
– ignore the insult, and point to Jesus!

John 1:26-27 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

Why Is Baptism Important? Is It Important?

The Pharisees and Priests asked why John was baptizing in water if he was neither Christ (the Messiah), nor Moses or Elijah. Why would they care? It is because water baptism was considered very important by the Priests and Pharisees. In an article “The Jewish Roots of Baptism” we are told:

“The priests had to be ritually clean (tahor) in order to serve at the tabernacle, and Israelites who had become ritually unclean (tamay) had to restore their situation with the passing of time and bathing their whole body in fresh, ritually clean (tahor) water, according to Leviticus 15. Later, when the temple had been built, it was necessary for everyone to be immersed in a mikveh {a baptistery with with 40 se’ahs (300 liters) of water} to become ritually clean before entering the temple.

The Mishnah {Jewish commentary & teachings} specifies what makes the water clean or unclean, and expresses a preference for a larger, fresher body of water, “For in it persons may immerse themselves and immerse others”. So Yochanan (John the Baptist) immersing people in the “Living waters” of the River Jordan was perfectly within Jewish law and practice at the time.”

Baptism was, to the Jews, a ritual cleansing that was performed before you entered into
the Presence of God (the Temple).
John is nowhere near the Temple.

The Pharisees wonder why he is baptizing in the wilderness, and who authorized him to do so. John said:

vs 26 I baptize with water: but there standeth
one among you, whom ye know not

John is representing Jesus Christ, the Messiah, God become perfect Man. Jesus is standing there with them at the time, but they do not see Him, because they do not know Him. God is always around us. The Apostle Paul said that “in God we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). God’s handiwork is all around us in nature. And yet many times even religious people do not see God, because they do not know God.

John baptized with water because God commissioned him to do so. John is representing Jesus. Constable’s Commentary notes:

“John did not identify {Jesus} then. This would have exposed Jesus to the scrutiny of Israel’s leadership prematurely. John simply referred to this One here, and implied that he himself baptized in water under His authority. He stressed the great authority of Jesus, by saying that he himself was unworthy to do even the most menial service for Him.”

Baptism is important because Jesus commands baptism.

The last words Jesus said before ascending into Heaven is:

Matthew 28:18-20 … All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Why should one be baptized? Because Jesus commands it. Jesus is God the Son IN THE FLESH. John the Baptist baptized people in water at the command of Jesus. Jesus Himself came to John the Baptist to be baptized. We are told in:

Matthew 3:13-17 (ESV) Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Water Baptism is a visible witness of your faith in God. Jesus considered water baptism to be essential for the Child of God. He told John, “it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness”. It was after Jesus was baptized in water that the Father said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”. The Apostle Peter tells us in

1 Peter 3:21 (ESV) Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ

And the Apostle Paul showed water baptism to be a outward ceremonial washing that represented an inward real change of heart. He wrote in Romans 6:

Romans 6:1-4 (ESV) What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Baptism is a command of God. Baptism is a witness you have received Christ as both LORD AND SAVIOR. When God saves you, He changes you from the heart outward. If you are saved, you want to please your Savior. Jesus said,

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

If you are saved, you obey your Savior, for He is your MASTER. Baptism reveals your heart. Jesus was baptized – you should be, too.

John 1:29-34 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

John did not reveal Who Jesus was until after he baptized Jesus in water. Once Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended on Him, and the Father spoke from Heaven, declaring “this is My Beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11). Jesus Christ – the Son of God – was baptized. The believer should be baptized. He is our Savior AND LORD. I’ll close with a word from John Piper:

“… the thief on the cross was told by Jesus that that very day he would be with him in paradise. He was not baptized. I know he’s a special case. I don’t think you build a theology of baptism on the thief on the cross. But one thing it says is baptism is not an absolute necessity, because it wasn’t in his case. … Paul treats baptism as an expression of faith … expressed outwardly in baptism.”

May God touch your hearts with His Word. Amen and Amen.

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Lord, Give Me A Blessing

Posted on February 7, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Simon Berger: https://www.pexels.com/photo/scenic-view-of-mountains-during-dawn-1266810/

I thought we’d start our new study in the Book of Judges. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, JUDGES. Most people look at the Old Testament as old news and unimportant to our faith. That’s not true. The Bible tells us that:

2 Timothy 3:16 ALL SCRIPTURE is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable …

God gave us the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. There are some cults that ignore the Old Testament – but that’s what makes them cults. God gave us the WHOLE Bible. He gave us the Old Testament to show us that God is always faithful to His promises, and always does what He says. God also gave us the Old Testament to show us examples that we are to follow – and examples we are to avoid. We are told by the Apostle Paul, who was a highly regarded Rabbi before finding Christ as Savior:

1 Corinthians 10:6-11 (ESV) Now these things {recorded in the Old Testament} took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction

Why study the Book of Judges? Judges is very applicable to America today. When our nation followed some semblance of God’s Laws (the Ten Commandments), we prospered and were blessed to become one of the most powerful nations in the world. But when we wandered from God (and we have REALLY WANDERED), it was long before that nation started to cripple itself.

This is what we see in the Book of Judges.

Just before Judges, we see the Book of Joshua, and just before Joshua we see Deuteronomy. Let’s start with Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy was the second giving of the Law through Moses. God told Israel – through Moses – if they listened to His command, then as a nation they would be blessed. But Israel got away from God, and wandered for 40 years in the wilderness. At the end of 40 years, God had Moses turn over leadership of Israel to Joshua. Joshua himself made it a practice to follow the Lord, and because of this Joshua led Israel in successfully entering, conquering, and settling the Promised Land of Canaan. Before Joshua died, he gathered Israel together at Shechem. Shechem was where God first met and spoke to Abram, who would become Abraham. God told Abram, “Unto your seed – your children – I will give this land” (Genesis 12:7). As Joshua gathered Israel at Shechem he told them:

Joshua 24:14-15 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. 15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua had a long history of following the Lord. He along with his friend Caleb went into the Promised Land to examine it along with ten other “spies”. Only Joshua and Caleb encouraged Israel to enter the Promised Land (see Numbers 14:6-10). The first generation of Israel died in the wilderness because they would not obey God – but Joshua and Caleb survived to lead Israel. The people swore to Joshua:

Joshua 24:24 … The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.

Joshua had Israel set up a monument at Shechem to remind them of their promise (Joshua 24:25-27). Then Joshua died at the age of 110 years old, possibly the greatest military leader Israel ever had.

Coming into the Book of Judges we see that Joshua passes into glory, but Caleb his friend takes over leadership of the people.

Israel Starts Out In “Judges” Doing The Right Thing

Judges 1:1 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?

When Joshua died, Israel prayed and asked the LORD (the Great I AM):

Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?

God chooses leadership among His people based on personal
honesty and adherence to GOD’S will.

When Jacob (who was named “Israel” by God) was dying, he wanted his twelve sons to know who was going to lead them. The twelve sons would become the twelve Tribes of Israel. Though Reuben was the firstborn, and though leadership should have gone to him, Jacob said:

“Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel” (Genesis 49:4)

Unstable and wishy-washy people are not chosen by God to lead His flock. Jacob also refused to nominate Simeon (the second born, son of Leah) or Levi (the third born, also of Leah) because they were cruel and unforgiving. God does not want such people leading His flock. Instead, the fourth born child Judah (son of Leah) was chosen to lead:

Genesis 49:8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.

Though Judah was appointed leader of Israel’s Children by their father, Israel did not immediately call on Judah to lead them to battle. Israel had seen how Joshua led them through prayer and supplication to God, and knew that power comes in following the Lord. The Bible says:

Psalm 145:18 (ESV) The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.

Israel prayed, and God answered:

Judges 1:2 And the Lord said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.

Though Judah was called to lead Israel, Judah knew that they could not do the job alone. God’s people are always called to work TOGETHER for the glory of God. Jesus said:

Matthew 18:20 (ESV) … where TWO OR THREE are gathered IN MY NAME, there am I among them

Joshua and Caleb saw how God can use unity among His people to defeat the enemy. When Joshua led Israel against the Amalekite army in Exodus 17, as long as Moses held up his hands Israel was winning the battle. But when Moses’ arms fell, the Amalekites started winning. The Bible says that Aaron stood on one side of Moses, and Hur on the other side, and together they held up Moses’ arms.

God blesses unity.

Judges 1:3-4 And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him. 4 And Judah went up; and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.

“Judah said unto Simeon his brother”. In the text the tribes of Judah and Simeon are personified, treated as if they are one person. The Tribe of Judah asks the Tribe of Simeon to join with them in battle, and the Tribe of Simeon agrees. The two tribes are actually related by blood. Judah and Simeon were sons of Leah and Jacob. Judah is larger than Simeon.

Is there an application for the Church here? Yes. Though Christians may be in “denominations”, believers in Christ should unite together against the common enemy. We are all one through the Blood of Christ (Galatians 3:28).

Who are the “Canaanites” and the “Perizzites” that Judah and Simeon are battling? They are the people who inhabited Canaan before Israel. God told Israel that – when they entered the Promised Land – they were to cast out (Deuteronomy 7:1-3) “the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites”. These were all unbelieving people who worshiped false gods and goddesses and, as a result, violated the civil and moral laws of the True God of Scripture. God told His people to make absolutely NO COVENANTS with the unbelieving nations. To do so would compromise Israel’s faith in God.

Judges 1:5-7 And they{Judah and Simeon} found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6 But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. 7 And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.

“Adonibezek”is not a name, but a title. It means “The Lord or Ruler of Bezek”. They cut off his thumbs to keep him from ever wielding a sword or using a bow or spear. They cut off his big toes to make him lame, and to keep him from running. The ancient people would not accept a king who was lame or blemished, so by cutting off his fingers and toes it caused him to relinquish his throne. “Adonibezek” saw his mutilation as a punishment from God, as he had done the same thing to 70 other kings. This means that Bezek was a very successful warrior nation, and Israel defeated them by doing as God said. When we obey our God we have His promise:

Deuteronomy 20:4 (ESV) … the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’

Judges 1:8-11 Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. 9 And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley. 10 And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai. 11 And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher

Though Jerusalem will one day be the capital city of Israel, and the city where both the Temple and the Throne is kept, at this time Jerusalem (called Jebus. See 1 Chronicles 11:4) was occupied by the Jebusites. They worshiped the Canaanite god of the setting sun and the nether world called Shalim. Judah then went against the Canaanites “that dwelt in Hebron”, and destroyed its ruling lords “Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai”. To insure we understand these are literal battles and historically accurate, we are given alternate names to the cities that were conquered.

Lessons Learned From Caleb

Up to now we have seen nation Judah mentioned just as the nation Judah. But in verse 12 we are introduced to “Caleb”.

Judges 1:12 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.

I mentioned Caleb earlier as Joshua’s friend who went into the Promised Land as a spy. Of the twelve spies sent from Israel into the Promised Land, only Joshua and Caleb encouraged the first generation of Israel to enter the Promised Land. Caleb was actually given the city of Hebron (Joshua 14:13) by Joshua. The Bible says:

Joshua 14:14 (ESV) … Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel.

Though Israel had not yet taken over the city of Hebron, Joshua promised the land to Caleb once it was conquered because of his faithfulness to the God of Scripture. One thing that is interesting about Caleb was that he is the “son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite”, which makes Caleb a Kenizzite. Who were the Kenizzites?

The Kenizzites were the original inhabitants of Canaan who Israel was supposed to chase out. God gave the lands of the Canaanites (of which the Kenizzites were one group) to Abram or Abraham
(see Genesis 15:18-21). Caleb was a Kenizzite!

So how did Caleb get to stay in the Promised Land? And WHY is Caleb leading Israel – through Judah – in battle? It is because God is NOT RACIST. I want top say that again.

God is NOT RACIST.

Romans 2:6-11 {God} will render to every man according to his deeds: 7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life: 8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10 But glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

When God ordered the evacuation of the inhabitants of Canaan, it had nothing to do with their race, but everything to do with their godlessness. These people rejected faith in the God of the Scripture, and instead followed horrible gods and goddesses that endorsed sexual promiscuity and the murder of innocents. God punishes evil without discrimination. Those who do evil will suffer God’s wrath, but to those who repent, God will not only save but bless. The Bible says:

Colossians 3:23-25 (ESV) Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

God despises sin, because sin belittles the creation, and destroys the design of God. Sin always robs us of the image of God that He created us to be. The farther people get away from the God of Scripture, the more wicked they will be. When Israel refused to follow God, God allowed them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that first generation died off. People are SAVED BY FAITH, and people are BLESSED BY FAITH. But – hear me, dearly Beloved, “the wages of sin is DEATH” (Romans 6:23).

Caleb was a Kenizzite, but he believed in the Lord. Some commentaries note that the Kenizzites were descendants of Edom or Esau (see Genesis 36:40-43; 1 Chronicles 1:53). This just affirms what God tells us in the New Testament:

2 Peter 3:9 (ESV) … {the LORD is} patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Caleb – though a Kenizzite – has repented and received our God as Lord and Savior. His name means “Dog”.

Though he was considered a Gentile, by faith Caleb became a son of God, and a prince of Israel (see Numbers 13:6). Caleb was adopted into the Tribe of Judah (Numbers 13:6; 1 Chronicles 4:15).

We All Need To Help One Another

Caleb led Judah to attack “Kirjathsepher” (a.k.a. “Debir”), a location in Southern Canaan that was given to Judah. Though a mighty warrior and a great leader, he decided he needed some help. So Caleb issues a challenge to Judah:

Judges 1:12 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.

There are times as Christians that we are to do our work for Jesus. There are other times when we should challenge and encourage those around us to step out in faith. Great leaders challenge the people to stand up for the Lord. Caleb offered his daughter’s hand in marriage to the man brave enough to step out in faith and take the battle to Kirjathsepher. We read:

Judges 1:13-15 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. 14 And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou? 15 And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.

“Othniel” the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, takes up the challenge. Since Caleb is a Kenizzite (a Gentile), so is his younger brother and his son. These Kenizzites have all given their faith to the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. They are Children of God by faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26).

When Othniel conquered Kirjathsepher, Caleb gave his daughter Achsah (her name means “beautifully adorned”) to Othniel, along with the daughter came lands.

What can we see in this text that we can apply to our lives today? When we give ourselves to the Lord and live for Him, He “marries” us to His blessings.

Our sins are forgiven. We become members of His family. Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us. We have the surety of the Holy Spirit given to us. And we are predestined to be like Christ, to inherit a place in Heaven like Christ. Othniel received Achsah by stepping out in faith. He received lands, a great blessing. But he received more than that. Achsah went to her father, and asked

Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water.

What is land without water? It’s a desert! Achsah asked her father for greater blessing. The great preacher C.H. Spurgeon saw this as a pattern for Christian prayer (see Achsah’s Asking, A Pattern of Prayer”). She wanted to bring greater blessing to her family, so she went to her Father and asked for that greater blessing. She asked for springs of water. She went to her Father with a specific request, not just to bless herself, but to bless her family. Spurgeon wrote:

“As soon as she found that she had an audience with her father of the kindliest sort, she said to him, “Give me a blessing.” I like that petition it is a good beginning, “Give me a blessing.” I should like to put that prayer into every believing mouth here tonight “Give me a blessing. Whatever You do not give me, give me a blessing. Whatever else You give me, do not fail to give me a blessing.” A father’s blessing is an inheritance to a loving child. “Give me a blessing.” What is the blessing of God? If He shall say, “You are blessed,” you may defy the devil to make you cursed. If the Lord calls you blessed, you are blessed. Though covered with boils, as Job was, you are blessed. Though near to death, like Lazarus, with the dogs licking his sores, you are blessed. If you should be dying, like Stephen, beneath the stones of murderous enemies, if God blesses you, what more can you wish for? Nay, Lord, put me anywhere that You will, as long as I get Your blessing. Deny me what You will, only give me Your blessing. I am rich in poverty if You bless me.”

God loves to bless His children. The Scripture says:

James 4:6-8 {God} giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.

If we will draw near to God and, in faith, follow Him as Joshua and Caleb did, God will bless us both spiritually and physically. If we will glorify and praise our God by believing and acting on what He has said, He will give us greater grace.

God is not done with Othniel. Othniel will be the first Judge God calls (Judges 3:7-11) to lead Israel back to a right relationship with Him. This Gentile Kenizzite convert and younger brother of Caleb is adopted into Judah. We’ll read about him more later. May God bless you as we go through Judges. Please pray with me that God will give us a blessing, and grow us as His Children in Christ. Amen!

Next Week: Israel Begins To Drift

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You DON’T Do You

Posted on February 5, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Cxpturing Souls: https://www.pexels.com/photo/unrecognizable-woman-with-horrible-makeup-pointing-at-camera-from-darkness-3151266/

1 John 1:1-4 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

The Apostle John wrote more of the New Testament – by word count – than any other Apostle. Last Wednesday we started looking at the Gospel of John (chapter 1 verses 1-14) where John spoke of the Incarnation of Jesus. The word “Incarnation” means to “come from a higher state where you are God into a lower state where you are perfect Man”. Only Jesus is in this unique state. We found out in

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is “the WORD that was WITH GOD, and the WORD Who WAS God”. Jesus Christ was with the Godhead from the beginning. We saw that Jesus Christ is also CREATOR God. “All things were made by him”. John said this in two different ways so that we can understand that Jesus is not just ASSOCIATE Creator, He is THE Creator of all things.

This Creator, this God Who made all things in six days, Who made all things “very good”, this God came to earth. He interjected Himself into the Creation proper. Why would God the Son become incarnate, lower Himself to be part of His creation?

Because “You Do You” Doesn’t Work.
It Is The Devil’s Lie.

One of the things I hear over and over on television shows, in the media news, and on the internet is “You do You”. People say this phrase as if it’s a new thing that someone made up, but it’s not new. Writer Colson Whitehead wrote an article back in March 31, 2015 entitled “How ‘You Do You’ Perfectly Captures Our Narcissistic Culture”. I like this paragraph:

“You will recall the fable of the Scorpion and the Frog. The Scorpion needs a ride across the river. The waters are rising on account of climate change, or perhaps he has been priced out of his burrow, who knows? The exact reason is lost in the fog of premodernity. The Frog is afraid that the Scorpion will sting him, but his would-be passenger reassures him that they would both die if that happened. That would be crazy. Sure enough, halfway across, the Scorpion stings the Frog. Just before they drown, the Scorpion says, “Aren’t you going to ask why I did that?” And the Frog croaks, ‘You do you.’”

This is exactly the problem with the concept of “You do You”. It makes “You” out to be god, or a type of god. When “You do You”, it becomes self destructive to society itself. It is “You do You” mentality that is erasing the police and bail for criminal acts. It is “You do You” that is causing local churches to normalize sexual sin. It is “You do You” that is secularizing our nation.

“You do You” is also killing people. Over the last few years there has been a rise in suicide rates among 15-24 year olds. These “deaths of despair” are many times brought about by alcohol or drug poisoning. Social media does not help us, by makes us more alone. Humans were not designed by God to be alone. God created Adam, and not long after that created Eve so Adam and Eve would have fellowship with one another, and fellowship with God. The phrase “You do You” may not have been uttered by the serpent in the Garden of Eden, but the thought is there. Listen to what that old serpent the Devil says:

“Go ahead and eat that which God forbade. You shall not surely die. God knows that in the day you eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, your eyes shall be opened. You shall be like gods!
You’ll know good and evil!”
(paraphrase of Genesis 3:4-5)

Doesn’t that sound like “You do You”? It won’t hurt you. If God loves you, He wants you to be happy. Just do whatever makes you feel good. Do your drugs. Seek sexual pleasure with who you want. Ignore what the Bible says – it was written by old men who have long since died. Nothing matters in life BUT YOU.

But that’s not true.

When John wrote the Gospel of John (under inspiration of God, 2 Timothy 3:16), He wanted us to see how God stepped away from His Throne and came down to this earth to show us how to live. When John wrote 1 John, the intent of the Book is thus:

1 John 1:4 And these things write we unto YOU, that YOUR JOY may be full.

John 1:16 (KJV) And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.

Joy does not come automatically to the Christian. It is God’s desire that we have fullness of joy as believers. How do we have fullness of joy? We imitate Jesus.

Jesus Lowered Himself To Us To Show Us
The Love Of God

1 John 1:1 That which was from the BEGINNING, which we have heard …

When John spoke of the Word being “in the beginning with God”, he was speaking of something he had never seen, but had heard from Jesus. John was not there with God the Father and God the Son as the world and our solar system was being created. But John was with Jesus “from the BEGINNING” of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

John, along with all of Israel, looked for the coming of the Messiah. Israel hoped that the Messiah would come and free Israel from Roman bondage. But Israel was in greater bondage than Roman bondage. Israel was in bondage to themselves. Israel believed in the devil’s doctrine, “You do You”. God had told Israel:

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

God loved His people. He saved them from Egypt so that they could “worship the God Who saved them” (Exodus 8:1). God calls His people to “worship Him in the wilderness” (Exodus 7:16). God did not save Israel so that they could be just like the rest of the world. God saved Israel so that they could worship God, and have fellowship with God.

When God became Man, He did not seclude Himself away in a palace. Where did God put Himself? Right where sinners were. Where the lowest person was.

We could not reach God, but God could reach us.

The High Priest went into the holy of holies after covering his sins with the blood of a blemishless animal. He went into the presence of God cleansed, wearing specialized clothing, and following prescribed formulas. Why is this? Because God wanted to emphasize that our sins separate us from God. God spoke in the Old Testament:

Isaiah 59:1-3 (ESV) Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness.

God is holy, just, and righteous. God is without sin. Man, however, believes in “You do You”. When God became Man, He did not do “You do You”, but He lowered Himself so we could HEAR Him. He sat with us so we could SEE Him. He allowed us to touch Him.

1 John 1:1 that … which we have HEARD, that which we have SEEN WITH OUR EYES, which we have LOOKED UPON, and our HANDS HAVE HANDLED …

The IMMORTAL became MORTAL. But He did not go to a Palace, but to parlors and homes everywhere. The Pharisees couldn’t understand Jesus, because they thought that only sinners sat with sinners. They asked,

“Why does {Jesus} eat with TAX COLLECTORS and SINNERS?”
(Mark 2:16, ESV)

When God the Son heard this, He said to these confused people:

Mark 2:17 (ESV) … “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Illustrate: Let me see if I can simplify this. When you go to take a shower, do you go off and clean yourself up before you take the shower? No! You are dirty, so you come to the shower and allow it to clean you up. So it is with Jesus. Jesus came to heal us. Jesus came to cleanse us. Jesus came to save us.

God the Son did not segregate Himself from sinners, but came down and sat with them, reasoning with them from the Scriptures. Just as He did when He was twelve years old and in the Temple, Jesus “listened and asked them questions” (Luke 2:46).

You will NEVER find a place in the Scripture
where Jesus minimized sin.

Sin is a horrible thing that God came from Heaven to save us from. When Jesus healed the crippled man by the pool of Bethesda, our Lord told him, “Get up. Take up your bed and walk. But then Jesus said:

“You are now well. SIN NO MORE, that nothing worse may happen to you”
(John 5:14, ESV)

What is Jesus implying? It is that SIN – the desire to “You do You” – brings sickness upon us. It can cripple. It can kill. Sin destroys lives. When Jesus spoke to a woman caught in the act of adultery, by His actions He chased away the self righteous.

Beloved, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We cannot fix what ails us. However, Jesus can fix us. After Jesus chased off the self righteous, He told this woman:

“I do not condemn you; GO, and from now on SIN NO MORE”(John 8:11)

He doesn’t say “You do You”. No. Jesus says, “You do GOD. You do what GOD says!” John tells us:

1 John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

We cannot have fellowship with the Apostles, nor with God, unless we approach fellowship through faith in Christ. John will tell us later in this Book:

1 John 5:11-12 … God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

We can only appropriate life as God intended
it by appropriating the Son as our own.

Without Jesus, our status before God is that our every work is unclean and unworthy.

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

What Is My Hope And Joy?
Jesus Is BOTH My Sinbearer & My Risen Savior

My hope and joy is not to hear “You do You”. It is first of all to acknowledge that – left on my own – I am a sinner, lost and undone. We read:

1 John 1:8 If we say we have NO SIN, we DECEIVE OURSELVES, and the truth is not in us.

We all can so easily fall into sin. We do not rely on ourselves, but on Jesus. We realize that our “You do You” mentality is wrong. We stop trying to be our own God. Jesus is the Word of Life (vs 1). We come to Him, and CONFESS our sins.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Word Study: The word translated “CONFESS” is the Greek homologéō, {pronounced hom-ol-og-eh’-o} which means “to agree with God, to assent to the truth as God has presented it, [by extension] to agree with God that you are guilty”. This word is used frequently in the Scripture. Jesus said:

Matthew 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall CONFESS (homologéō) me before men, Him will I CONFESS (homologéō) before My Father which is in Heaven.

Luke 12:8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall CONFESS (homologéō) Me before men, him shall the Son of Man {that’s Jesus} CONFESS (homologéō) before the angels of God.

When you REPENT, and turn away from “You do You”, giving yourselves to Jesus, He FORGIVES you from all sin in the eyes of God. He also CLEANSES you from all works of evil. Those who belong to Jesus, walk with God.

I used to have a picture that was given to me of the place where the Twin Towers in New York City used to stand. On September 11, 2001, Muslim terrorists took control of two aircraft, and flew them into the Towers, destroying the building and killing thousands. The picture that was given to me was a fenced off area where the Towers used to stand, and a monument called the World Trade Center Cross stood there. Though Atheists tried to get rid of that Cross, it is still – to my knowledge – in the National September 11th Memorial and Museum. That’s interesting, don’t you think, that in even New York City, one of the most liberal cities in the world today, the only comfort that any can draw from 9-11 is the Cross of Christ!

The Cross is in the heart of mankind. It is written into our DNA just as surely as our height and natural hair color is. We instinctively know that the Cross was necessary. The Cross itself stands as a proof that Jesus Christ came as sinless Man to die for our sins. Since spiritual and universal death came on all creation because of Adam’s sin, it required that a Second Adam make payment for what the first Adam did in offending God.

The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (ESV) For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

The first Adam, a flesh and blood creature made from the dust of the ground, caused all humanity to fall into sin. A Second Adam, Jesus Christ – sinless and perfect – would come in the flesh and make payment for our sins.

Romans 8:3-4 (ESV) For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

God lowered Himself – in the flesh – to make payment for our sins. Now that we have believed on Christ we are saved – and are expected to walk as Children of God.

1 John 1:5-6 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

You are not saved by your works. But if you are a Christian, you are saved by the Blood of Christ. You are saved to walk – NOT in the darkness – but in the light of God. God’s way is not “You do You”. God’s way is, “You do JESUS. You IMITATE GOD”.

This is why we come to Church. We come to Church to praise God. We come to Church to learn a deeper walk with God. Then we leave Church and practice walking as Jesus walked. Dr. Thomas L. Constable writes in his commentary:

“If I were to boil down the message of this epistle into one sentence it would be this. Fellowship with God is the essence of eternal life. Both the Gospel of John and the First Epistle of John deal with eternal life. John wrote his Gospel so his readers might believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that believing they might have life through His name (John 20:31). John wrote this epistle to Christians so we might enter into the fullness of the eternal life that we possess (1 John 1:3; John 10:10). However the subject of this letter is not eternal life but fellowship with God. Fellowship with God is the essence of eternal life (1:3-4; John 17:3).”

That is a wonderful summation: Fellowship with God is the essence of eternal life. Modern evangelistic thought has produced a byproduct of Christianity that professes Jesus but does not live in Jesus … and this is a travesty. If our Christianity has absolutely no impact in our real world, then what value is it? Is this the type of Christianity that Christ taught? No, it isn’t.

Jesus Christ gave us a pattern of life that He first of all modeled for us. The Christian lives their life surrendered not to self, but to Christ. You will never be joyous as Christ wants you to be until you are walking with Him day by day and moment by moment. Pastor R.A. Torrey wrote:

“If we try to fight sin in our own strength, we are bound to fail. If we just look up to the Risen Christ to keep us every day and every hour, He will keep us. Through the CRUCIFIED Christ we get deliverance from the guilt of sin, our sins are all blotted out, we are free from all condemnation; BUT it is through the RISEN Christ that we get daily victory over the power of sin. Some receive Christ as a sin bearer and thus find pardon, but do not get beyond that, and so their life is one of daily failure. Others receive Him as their RISEN Savior also, and thus enter into an experience of victory over sin. … There is nothing more important in a right beginning of the Christian life than an unconditional surrender, both of the thoughts and the conduct, to Jesus. Say from your heart and say it again and again, “All for Jesus.” Many fail because they shrink back from this entire surrender. They wish to serve Jesus with half their heart, and part of themselves, and part of their possessions. To hold back anything from Jesus means a wretched life of stumbling and failure. The life of entire surrender is a joyous life all along the way.

May God lead us as His Church to live our lives daily for Him and through Him. The fate of our country depends upon our surrender. Amen and Amen.

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Why Follow Jesus?

Posted on February 3, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by solod_sha: https://www.pexels.com/photo/footprints-in-the-brown-sand-7663152/

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

When we come to John chapter 1, the Apostle John wants to tell us why its so important to follow Jesus. As an “Apostle” John walked with Jesus. This is what the Apostles did. Apostles were hand chosen by Jesus to walk with Him as He walked on this earth. The Bible says:

Ephesians 2:20 (TLB) What a FOUNDATION you stand on now: the APOSTLES and the Prophets; and the cornerstone of the building is Jesus Christ Himself!

Christians love the Bible, and trust the Bible because it was written by APOSTLES like John who walked with Jesus, touched Jesus, and listened to Jesus teach. John was not only called “The Apostle John”, but he had other names he was called.

How Many Of You Have A Nickname?

When I was in the service (I am retired Air Force), my nickname was “Buff”. I was called other things as well. Most people have nicknames, or names that they are called other than their primary name. A few of John’s nicknames were:

John of Patmos, (he was imprisoned on Patmos for talking about Jesus)
John the Evangelist, (he loved talking about Jesus)
John the Elder (he walked with Jesus the longest)
A son of thunder (Mark 3:17 he & his brother James were outspoken)

But John’s favorite nickname was “The one Jesus loved” (He uses it five times in his Gospel. See John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7; 21:20). Why did John love this nickname the best? I believe it’s because John was looking for love.

John heard a preacher called “John the Baptist” who preached that the Messiah – God our Savior – was coming. John talks about John the Baptist in …

John 1:6-8 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

John’s Pastor Was John The Baptist: John the Baptist was a wonderful preacher. The Bible tells us that John the Baptist was born to preach about Jesus, telling people that Jesus was coming to be with them. The Bible said that John the Baptist wouldn’t preach in a Church building like we have here, but John would go out “into the wilderness” (Matthew 3:3; John 1:23) and tell people to get ready to meet Jesus. Why did John go out into the wilderness? I believe it was to test the people.

People who wanted to meet Jesus would have to get out of their comfortable homes and get out of their comfortable lives, and go out to a rugged place to hear about Jesus. Following Jesus can be uncomfortable, because the world itself offers the easy way, the wide way. Following Jesus means to believe what He says regardless as to what anyone else says. And that’s hard.

When you’re in a tough place, this is where you’ll find Jesus. John is listening to John the Baptist preach out in the wilderness one day when Jesus comes up.

John 1:15-16 … This was He of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for He was before me. 16 And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.

Let’s look at what John the Baptist told John in verses 15 & 16. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said that “Jesus is PREFERRED BEFORE me” and “Jesus WAS BEFORE me”. Let’s talk about “Jesus is PREFERRED BEFORE me”. Jesus is more special to God that John the Baptist is. John was a great preacher who shared the Word of God. But Jesus is THE Word of God. We’re told in …

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John the Baptist is just a man. The Apostle John is just a man. I am just a man. But Jesus is “The WORD”. When I speak, my words come out of my mouth. When JESUS SPEAKS, it is God’s Word that comes out of His mouth.

The SAVIOR (the One Who saves us)
The REDEEMER (the One Who covers our mistakes)
The BREAD OF LIFE (the One Who blesses our lives)
The Only Begotten SON OF GOD (He is God’s Child)

John the Baptist was a preacher, but Jesus is much MORE than a preacher. We read:

John 1:2 The same {Jesus} was in the beginning with God.

Jesus is called “The WORD of God”. Jesus “was in the beginning with God”. He was there in the Book of Genesis when God made everything. In fact, Jesus was necessary to the actual Creation of the earth and all that is in it. Jesus wasn’t standing by watching God the Father make everything. Jesus was active in the creation of this earth, and in the creation of every one of us.

Jesus Is Not Only God’s WORD Speaking,
He Is God WORKING

John 1:3 All things were made by {Jesus}; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Jesus was “in the beginning with God”, and Jesus was involved in making EVERYTHING. Jesus as God the Son worked with God the Father to make the world.

John 1:10 He {Jesus} was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

The world was “MADE BY JESUS”, but most people “The WORLD” doesn’t know who Jesus really is.

This is very sad. Jesus is the One Who made everything – the planet, the animals, the sea, the atmosphere, the humans, the trees and grass, the bugs. Jesus made it all. Jesus knows how everything works best. Our problems grow greater when we try and solve them without Jesus. The reason we have so many problems in America today is because …

the world was made by him, and the world knew him not

We have RACISM and HATRED where people treat one another badly because of their color. This is because people do not know Jesus. Jesus made every color of people. There was a song I was taught when I was a little boy in Bible School. It was called “Jesus Loves the little children”. Maybe you know it:

Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
You are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Jesus loves what He made. When He made humans the Bible says:

Genesis 1:27 God created us in His own image, in the image of God He created humans; male and female God created humans

God made animals, those that walked on the earth, swam in the ocean, or fly in the sky. God made creatures so small that we cannot see them without a microscope. God made “birds and the bees, and the flowers and the trees”. He made planets so far away that we need a telescope to see them. God made so many stars that even the smartest scientist cannot count them all. But of all these things God created, when He created humans, He made them all – you and I – in “the image of God”.

This means that every person has value. Sadly, many people do not know Jesus. They are living their lives without the words of Jesus, without His help. It is Jesus Who made us. As our Maker, He knows what is best for us. It is Jesus Who gives us life. We read:

John 1:4-5 In Him {Jesus} was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Many people today try to live their lives without Jesus. But Jesus is the Creator of Life. We read, “In Him {Jesus} was life”. Then John write, “and the life was the light of men”. What does this mean? Simply,

Life Can Be Bright And Blessed When You Follow Jesus

Jesus tells us what makes life good. Jesus told us to “REPENT, for the KINGDOM OF GOD is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Now what does it mean to “REPENT”? This is a word you’ll hear if you go to Church very often. Preachers use this word, John the Baptist used this word, and Jesus used this word.

Repent: “Repent” is a misunderstood word – hard for adults to understand, much less young people. Let me describe it this way. I used to have a little dog named Scooter that I loved very much. When we bought our house, I bought a house with a fence around it so Scooter could run and play. Before we bought that house we had a home that we rented that had no fence. So I would tie Scooter to a tree out in the front yard with a long leash. Do you know what Scooter did? He would run around the tree – round and around – and each time wrap more and more of the leash around the tree. At the end of the day I’d go out and find Scooter wrapped tightly to the tree! I’d tell him, “Scooter, go the other way sometimes!” But he wouldn’t listen. Scooter refused to repent! He’d keep going in the same direction till he wrapped himself up on the tree.

The word “REPENT” means to stop going in the same direction that ties you up, and to hear the voice of Jesus and go in the OTHER direction!

Since Jesus is the CREATOR and the SOURCE of LIFE, Jesus knows the right way to live. When we follow Jesus and do the things Jesus tells us to do, we have good lives, or LIGHT. But when we don’t follow Jesus … when we hear what He says, then continue to go live our lives in the same way we always lived them – then we hurt ourselves.

And that makes life DARK.

People go through depression when they walk away from Jesus. People become hate filled of others when they are without Jesus. They walk in darkness. You can be overwhelmed, or confused, or have a poor self image. Without Jesus you walk in fear rather than in confidence. A Christian is a person who has realized that Jesus is Creator God, and that Jesus knows what is best for us. Christians follow Jesus. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 8:6 (TLB) … we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created all things and made us to be his own; and one Lord Jesus Christ, who made everything and gives us life.

Jesus Came From God To Bring Us Into God’s Family

John 1:11-13 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Jesus came to this earth a Man, a Perfect Man, God Who became Man. Jesus came to save the Jews first, or “his own”. The Jews were God’s Old Testament people, and God promised His Old Testament people that Jesus would one day come and bless them. Though Jesus came to Israel, a large part of Israel refused to receive Him as the Word of God or as the Working God. The Bible says:

Colossians 1:16 For by {Jesus} were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Jesus Christ came to bless everyone, but He came to the Jew first (Romans 1:16). But most of the Jews – not all but most – rejected Jesus. The Bible says:

as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name

What does it mean to “receive” Jesus? It means to believe what the Bible says about Jesus. To believe that Jesus is the Creator of all life, and that, as the Creator, Jesus knows what is best for us. To “receive” Jesus is to believe that Jesus is the Way to God, and that what Jesus says is more important than what anyone else says – or what I think.

When Jesus made everything, He put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The Bible says that when the Lord looked at all He made, He said:

Genesis 1:31 … it was very good.

Adam and Eve were made with a free will, the ability to choose to follow the Lord to to go their own way.

Adam and Eve were supposed to look after the Garden of Eden. But Adam listened to a fallen angel named Lucifer and did not listen to the Word of God. Adam ignored what Jesus said, and ate the wrong thing (Genesis 2:17), disobeying the Lord. The Bible says:

Romans 5:12 (TLB) When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. His sin spread death throughout all the world, so everything began to grow old and die, for all sinned.

When we do not listen to God, when we do not hear “The Word of God”, then we hurt ourselves. Jesus came from God, and is God. He came to show us the right way to live. He came to save us. Jesus told us:

Matthew 7:13-14 (TLB) Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate! The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes who choose its easy way. 14 But the Gateway to Life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.

The Way to Heaven is to believe in Jesus. The Way to Heaven is to trust Him, to hear what He says. The Way to Heaven is to ask Jesus to walk with you every day. Jesus came to bring as many as will come into the Family of God. That’s what He tells us in this verse.

as many as RECEIVED Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that BELIEVE ON HIS NAME

Jesus wants you to be in the Family of God. He is the Source of Light. He is the Source of Life. Jesus is the Light of the world. Jesus is the Word of God.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

To prove that Jesus is the very Word of God, He “was made flesh, and dwelt among us”. As we study through the Book that John the Apostle wrote, we will read about the wonderful things that Jesus tells us. I hope that you will come back each Wednesday as we talk about Jesus. But most of all, I hope that each and every one of you “receive” Jesus as He is. He is the Creator. He is the Word of God. Jesus is the Light of God. Jesus enables us to live life the way that God intended.

Without wrapping ourselves around the tree.
Walking in Joy, serving the Lord.

Human Laws Can Only Limit Human Flaws

How can we fix the problems in America? For years, the U.S. Government has waged a “war on crime”. President Lyndon Johnson declared a national War on Crime” March 8, 1965, when I was only 7 years old. Laws can put people in prison, but it can’t fix the human heart. Jesus said:

Matthew 15:19-20 … out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a {person}

We need Jesus to take over our hearts. When you let Jesus come into your life, He changes your heart, and changes how you look at things. He brings you into the Family of God, and teaches you that love is the greatest strength we can have. In the Old Testament God gave us the Law to live by. The Law given by God didn’t fix what was wrong with us. If the Law given by God didn’t fix us, why do we think human laws will fix us.

We all need Jesus. I’ll end with these words:

John 1:17-18 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Jesus is close to the heart of God. That’s what it means when we read, “the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father”. The “bosom” is right here on your chest, right where your heart is. The Bible says that Jesus is in the heart of God. And Jesus speaks to us, inviting us to believe in Him, to invite Him into our lives. This is my prayer, that each one of you will know that God loves you, and God wants you in His family. Give your lives to the Lord Jesus. Ask Him to be your Savior and Lord. Let Him be a part of your daily life. May God the Holy Spirit lead you to Him! Amen and Amen.

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Blessed And Prosperous

Posted on January 31, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
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Turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 112.

Psalm 112:1-10  Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.  2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.  3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.  4 Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.  5 A good man sheweth favor, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.  6 Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.  7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.  8 His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies. 9 He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honor.  10 The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.

I was in Ollie’s – a local discount store – with a 15% off coupon. I love coupons! What was great about this coupon is that it was for the entire sale – whatever I had in the shopping cart. Boy, do I love free. I stopped by the “Books” section to check out the Bibles and Bible study books when I saw a book on Psalm 112 written by an “Apostle”. Anytime someone takes the title “Apostle” to themselves, I’m immediately suspicious. The Apostles were appointed by Jesus, and were eyewitnesses of His earthly ministry. The Apostle Paul notes in:

Ephesians 4:11-13   And {Jesus} gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;  12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:  13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith

The Apostles and Prophets were appointed by God, along with the Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. Some say that this verse teaches there are Apostles today. That would be true if you read no other Scripture. Though there are Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers today, the Bible goes on to say in that same Book of Ephesians:

Ephesians 2:19-20  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;  20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 

The Apostles and Prophets were the FOUNDATION of the Church, and Jesus Christ is the Chief Corner Stone. When Paul was writing Ephesians (as an Apostle appointed by Jesus. See 1 Corinthians 15:8-11; Galatians 1:17, 19; Acts 9:15-16) there were still Apostles who were alive, and writing Scripture as God led them to do. The last living Apostle was John the Revelator, who wrote the Gospel of John, 1-3 John, and Revelation. The Office of Apostle closed with the death of John. God did set some in the Church Apostles and Prophets (1 Corinthians 12:28), but they were the foundation of the body. The Apostles saw Christ (1 Corinthians 9:1), and had the power to perform signs and wonders (Acts 2:43; 2 Corinthians 12:12). As one commentary notes, 

“The responsibility of the twelve apostles, laying the foundation of the church, would also argue for their uniqueness. Two thousand years later, we are not still working on the foundation. … There are some today who are seeking to restore the position of apostle. This is a dangerous movement. Frequently, those claiming the office of apostle seek authority equal to, or at least rivaling, the authority of the original twelve apostles. There is absolutely no biblical evidence to support such an understanding of the role of apostle today. This would fit with the New Testament’s warning against false apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13)”

Our foundation is the Scripture, what the Bible says. Why did I take the time to explain to you the Office of Apostle? Because there are people out there who will twist the Scripture for personal wealth and gain. There are no Apostles today – but God DOES want you to be prosperous.

Psalm 112 IS about achieving PROSPERITY, but it is not about having great health nor large amounts of money in the bank. It speaks to a different type of prosperity. 

Psalm 112 Focuses On SPIRITUAL Prosperity As Opposed To SPIRITUAL Bankruptcy

Psalm 112:1 Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.

Psalm 112:10 The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.

The “wicked” find their blessings in the things of this world. This is the Hebrew rāšāʿ {pronounced raw-shaw'} which means “the ungodly, the one guilty of sin, the morally wrong (as judged by God)”. Righteous Abraham called the Sodomites “rāšāʿ” (Genesis 18:23). Those who disrespect life and murder others are “rāšāʿ” (Numbers 35:31). We are told in:

Job 18:5  Yea, the light of the wicked {rāšāʿ} shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine.

To be “wicked” is not to be just immoral, but to approach life without God in view!

We are told in Solomon’s writings:

Proverbs 21:4  An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked {rāšāʿ}, is sin.

When I think of WICKEDNESS, or UNGODLINESS, I do not think about tilling your garden. But God says that very act of tilling the garden for the godless is sinful. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 10:4  the wicked {rāšāʿ}, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

To violate the Ten Commandments is wicked. But to live your life without a thought to God is also wicked. Our Lord Jesus spoke the parable of the wealthy farmer in:

Luke 12:15-21 And {Jesus} said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.  16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:  17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?  18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.  19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.  20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?  21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. 

The rich farmer had a good season, and made so many crops that they were overflowing. So what did he do with his crops? Did he give the excess to the poor? He ponders. Did he give the excess to God – along with his praise for the great bounty? No! He asks himself, “What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?”. Why, since God is not in all his thoughts, and he has too much to store, he decides:

I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods

Many people say “But what’s wrong with that?” What is wrong is that he has cut out from his life anything to do with God. God made him. God gave him life. God gave him the good seasons that allowed him to have a record bumper crop. Yet he has no thought of God. He has no thought of those less fortunate. His universe is himself.

Then God says, “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee”. That word “fool” is used in the Scripture for the unbeliever, such as in:

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

Those who cut God out of their thoughts are fools. They may have great physical prosperity. They may be:

Beautiful
Rich
Powerful
Famous

But without God they are spiritually bankrupt. Eventually well known stars Elvis Presley, Prince, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Whitney Houston, Steve Jobs, George H.W. Bush, Tom Petty, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Rivers, John McCain, Muhammad Ali … I could go on and on. Eventually you must meet your Maker and your God. 

Will you be spiritually prosperous when you meet the Lord? Or will He be a Stranger Who says, “Depart from Me, I never knew you”? (Matthew 7:23)

Psalm 112:1 Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.

Here is the way to true prosperity. “Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord”. What does it mean to “fear the Lord”? The Psalmist tells you. It is to “delight greatly in His commandments”. To love the Word of God. The wicked care nothing at all for God’s Word, for His Bible. But the one who is blessed knows that God’s Word is a treasury. There are great things in this wonderful old Book. The truths taught in this Book are not only the foundation of the Church (as we’ve previously noted), but they are the foundation for living the good life.

So many people think that vast riches and power are the ways to a good life. If that were true, then we wouldn’t see celebrities killing themselves. Marilyn Monroe, Charles Boyer, Kurt Cobain, Robin Williams, Ernest Hemmingway, Brian Keith, are just a few of those who thought the good life could be found outside of God. There is no good life outside of God. When we depart from God’s Word and ignore His commandments, it’s like trying to use a lawn mower in water! It just doesn’t work! Life doesn’t work without God!

When you “delight greatly in God’s commandments”, His Word to you, then God assures you that your legacy will endure. We read:

Psalm 112:2  His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.

When you love the Word of God and teach your children to cherish the Word of God, they will be better equipped to live successful lives on this earth. Jesus loved the children. When the disciples tried to keep the parents from bring the children to Him, He rebuked them, and said:

Matthew 19:14-15  … (ESV) “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them …

Before God sent Israel into the Promised Land, He told them:

Deuteronomy 6:4-7  (ESV)  … “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children…

If you love God’s Word, and teach it to your children, your children will grow up to be successful and productive citizens in the Kingdom of God and in the nations of man. 

Psalm 112:3  Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

The “Name it and Claim it Prosperity Preachers” will tell you that this verse is proof that God wants all Christians to be physically wealthy. That’s not true. The Apostle Paul said of himself and the other Apostles:

2 Corinthians 6:4-10  (ESV) … as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

A “servant of God” is often going to be at odds with this world. Jesus warned us that “the world will HATE YOU, because it HATED ME” (John 15:18). If you are serving God, do not expect the world to cheer you on. If you are serving God, do not expect great wealth or fame. Yes, there are people like Adrian Rogers, Billy Graham, Charles Stanley, and others who are famous and well known. But I’ll guarantee you these same men went through hell on earth and the attacks of others. 

What do all Christians have that no one else has? Look at the phrase:

his righteousness endureth for ever

When you believed on Christ as Lord and Savior, God imputed His righteousness to your spiritual bank. 

We are born with NO RIGHTEOUSNESS of our own. The Bible is quite clear that:

Isaiah 64:6 … we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Romans 3:23 … all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus corrected our ideas concerning holiness. He said “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). He said “except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). Holy Cow! The Pharisees were outwardly SUPER-righteous. They prayed at the right times, they were flawless in dress and decor, they tithed regularly, and were ALWAYS in Church. How can we – how can I hope to be BETTER than a Pharisee? How can we hope to be as perfect as God our Father?

It is only through Christ that we can achieve this excellence. Jesus Christ took OUR SIN on Himself, and paid the penalty of sin for us. The Scripture says:

Romans 5:9  (ESV) … Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

We who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are under the Blood of Christ. Jesus took our penalty, so we can take His righteousness. One of my favorite passages is in:

2 Corinthians 5:20-21  … we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

God has credited the righteousness of Christ to YOU, to your spiritual bank account. “his righteousness endureth for ever”. The salvation we have in Christ saves us, and keeps on saving us. This is the message the Apostle gave us:

Romans 3:21-25, 28  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;  22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:  23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:  25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;  … 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

The Christian stands right and righteous before God because of Christ. We have “riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). 

Saved By Faith, The Righteous Walk With God

Those who are saved by faith in Christ are changed, from inside out. We become very much the “Children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26). The Holy Spirit enters our lives in a very real way. Jesus sends the Spirit to His Children. 

John 14:16-17 … 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.

The Spirit Filled Christian does not walk in darkness, but in the light of God. “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth” (1 John 1:6). 

Psalm 112:4-5  Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.  5 A good man sheweth favor, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

Those who are God’s Children walk in the light of Christ no matter how dark the day. God’s Children are grace oriented – the saved are to treat others graciously. They are “full of compassion” for others, but they do not compromise the commands of God. God’s people are not stingy with compassion or sharing. They are imitators of Christ. Jesus was always careful to be “about His Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). Those who are Christ’s “guide {their} affairs with discretion”. Those who are saved by Grace are “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20). We represent not ourselves, but our Lord. We are stewards of the life He has given us.

Psalm 112:6-7  Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.  7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.

The saved are “OVERCOMERS”. We cling to God. We have no choice! Yes, doubts may come. Yes, we are frail. But those who are saved are bound to God. When John the Revelator wrote to the Churches, he repeatedly said:

1 John 5:5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Revelation 2:7  … 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 overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

We do not overcome in our power, but in HIS. Jesus said, “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”. I don’t know about you, but I have no choice but to cling to my Jesus! My heart is fixed. I’m going to trust in God, for this is where my riches are. 

Psalm 16:5; Psalm 73:26  The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup … My flesh and my heart faileth: but GOD is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever!

What a joy it is to be in Jesus! Let’s finish with these words:

Psalm 112:8-9  His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.  9 He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honor.

The believer in Christ is to make a difference where he or she is. Are you Christ’s? Then live for Him. Shine where you are. Let God be a part of your daily walk. If you consider yourself saved, but never consider the desires of God unless you are in Church or in pain – then perhaps you are NOT saved. Beloved, know that Christ died for you. Give your lives unto Him, believing Him to be both Lord and Savior. “Whosoever calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Amen and Amen!
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Following Christ

Posted on January 31, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Priyanshi Garg: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-trekking-following-a-trail-14970832/

This morning we will go to Luke chapter 9:

Luke 9:57-62 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

No one has ever been as misunderstood as the Lord Jesus is. One of the reasons Jesus is misunderstood is because Satan is battling against His Kingdom message. I was thinking about wars and thought, “What war has cost the greatest number of American lives?” It wasn’t World War I, the war to “end all wars”, or World War II. The war that caused the greatest number of deaths in America was the American Civil War. This war cost us 620,000 soldier’s lives, whereas World War II cost 405,399 military deaths. Those are horrible wars, and tragic deaths.

There is another war waging, a war between the Kingdom of God and the darkness of Satan. This is a war for the minds of people. The darkness redefines words, changes meaning, and does whatever it can do to confuse and enslave us to sin. Five black police officers recently were charged with murder, assault, kidnapping, official misconduct, and oppression in Memphis, beating a black man named Tyre Nichols to death. The officers knew they were wearing body cams, and knew they were being recorded. This is not the first time this has happened. Over and over we see more and more disregard for life – even among the police. The answer is not to defund the police. The answer is not “Pride Month”, or some special program by the Federal Government.

We need to get back to God.
We need to get back to what is important.
God is the Author of Life.
And God establishes what is GOOD and EVIL.

The government can tell you what is “legal” and “illegal”, but the government does not establish good and evil. God does.

Why Did Jesus Come?

Why did God the Father send God the Son to this earth? Did Jesus come to erase the Law of God – that which God has said is good and evil? No, He didn’t. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:17 (ESV) Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

The “Law” and the “Prophets” is what the Jews called the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, God prophesied that the Messiah would come and lead His people to a right way of life. God called this a “New Covenant”. God said,

Hebrews 8:8 … Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah …10 I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people …

When Jesus prepared to go to the Cross, He said of His upcoming Cross “THIS is MY BLOOD OF THE NEW (COVENANT), which is SHED FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS”. Jesus did not come to allow us to sin more and reject God more.

Jesus came to FREE US FROM SIN and to BIND US TO LOVE.

Jesus came to heal us of our sin and confusion. He came to bring us to God. When we become self absorbed, making life about ourselves, we not only violate the Command of God, but we do evil. Jesus said:

Matthew 22:37-40 … Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Jesus said we are to love God with “ALL OUR HEART”. God is to be first in our emotions. We are to love God with “ALL OUR SOUL”. I’m supposed to love Him MORE than I love ME. We are to love God with “ALL OUR MIND”. Regardless as to what MY reason may say, I love God more. Why is this so important? Because the farther you get away from God, the more awful your life gets.

Illustrate: I was reading where Actor Paul Newman bragged in a book written about him as to how his year long love affair with Joanne Woodward, “Betraying my marital vows to [my wife] Jackie [and children] seemed insignificant”.

He justified the evil that he did based on the satisfaction he had of his lusts. When we drift away from God, it isn’t long before we become monstrous. When I was reading in the Old Testament the other day about the Battle of Jericho, God promised ONE PERSON – a Harlot named Rahab and her family – that they could live. Why? Because Rahab turned to God in love, and looked after God’s “spies”. But what did God say of the rest of Jericho?

Joshua 6:17, (ESV) … the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live … 21 Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.

When many read those words, they try and “justify” what God did that day. May I say that we do not justify God, nor does God answer to us. I firmly believe the Scripture that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). I believe Jericho got so far away from God that, in the horrible grip of sin, God said “I want that nation gone”.

Jesus came to be the cure for sin.

Luke 9:1-2 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

Disease, devils, and sickness are the side effects of sin. Sin entered the world, and brought death and destruction with it. Jesus came to this earth to show us the love of God. Jesus often said, “he that comes to Me, I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). Jesus Christ is the King of His Kingdom, the King of the Kingdom of God. The Father said of the Son,

Hebrews 1:8-9 (ESV) … Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness…

Jesus came to defeat evil, to destroy sin, and to create a Kingdom of right thinking and right behavior.

Jesus sent out His disciples to invite others into His Kingdom – but none were forced into it. Jesus told them:

Luke 9:4-5 And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. 5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.

People have a choice. They can hear the call of Christ to His Kingdom and come – or they can refuse to receive Him. Jesus told His people, “Whoever receives YOU, receives ME, and whoever receives ME receives the FATHER WHO SENT ME” (Matthew 10:40). Jesus told His disciples, “If they will not RECEIVE you and the message I have given, then leave there and shake the dust off your feet”. The way of salvation can only be found through Jesus. You must RECEIVE Him as He is. We are told in:

John 1:11-13 {Jesus} came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

When you RECEIVE {lambanō, take what He offers} Jesus, you receive all the benefits that come with Jesus. One commentary put it this way:

“When we “receive” a package, we take it to ourselves. When a running back “receives” the football, he pulls it to himself and clings to it. When we “receive” Jesus, we take Him to ourselves and cling to the truth about Him. To receive Jesus as our Savior means we look to Him and Him alone as the One who forgives our sin, mends our relationship with God, and provides us entrance to heaven. To reject Him as Savior means we either don’t believe we need salvation or are looking to another deliverer. Scripture is plain, however, that “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).”

Did Jesus Come To Make Us Prosperous?

There are several false preachers today who tell us that “Jesus came to make us rich and wealthy”. That’s not true. Jesus Christ came to make us GODLY, more like God and less like the lost. Once Jesus proved Himself to be “The Christ of God” (Luke 9:20), He told His disciples that:

Luke 9:22 … The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

“Son of Man” was Jesus’ favorite nickname for Himself. He is referred to as “Son of Man” 88 times in the New Testament. In Daniel 7:13, the Prophet saw the Messiah, Whom he called the “Son of Man”, come from Heaven to earth. Why did Jesus Christ the “Son of Man” come to this earth?

The Son of Man came to forgive sin (Matthew 9:6).
The Son of Man came to be our Sabbath rest (Mark 2:28).
The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10).
The Son of Man came to pay for our sins (Luke 9:22).
The Son of Man laid His life down for us, and tells us to do the same for one another.

The Son of Man came calling sons of men to His side. He came to show us the way that God means life to be. Jesus said:

Luke 9:23-25 And {Jesus} said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

Dear friends, do not believe that you can hold on to your old life and be saved. Jesus calls us into a RADICAL RELATIONSHIP with Him. Salvation occurs when we:

DENY ourselves
TAKE UP the CROSS DAILY
and FOLLOW JESUS

If you’re one of God’s sheep, you belong with the Shepherd. Jesus Christ is the Great Shepherd (John 10:10-11). When Jesus laid His life down for us, He showed us what love looks like. Love is self sacrificial. Love does not embrace sin. It embraces God. The Prosperity that Jesus offers us is not full bank accounts, good health, and the best foods.

The Prosperity that Jesus offers us is peace with God, and union with others in the family of God. We are promised Heaven. We are promised love. We are promised to be like Jesus.

Luke 9:57-58 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. (58) And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

This is a very interesting passage. In this day of mega-Churches and “Seeker Sensitive” Churches where the most important thing is to get “nickles and noses”, what Jesus said sounds strange. “Lord, I’ll follow you”. Will you?

Will you follow Jesus when the world hates you?
Will you stand with Jesus, and declare the Scripture true?
When they call you”homophobic” or “demon possessed”,
will you walk with Him?
Or will you sleep soundly in Gethsemane?
Or hide in the crowd while He’s being nailed to the Cross?

Jesus gave up EVERYTHING in order to save us and to bring us to God.

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: … 17 … if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Before you can be saved, you must be lost. If you come to Jesus lost, He will guide you to where life is – in self sacrifice and love.

ILLUSTRATE A little boy had come forward at the end of a worship service, professing to have been saved. The preacher sat down with the parents and the child to make sure he understood what he was doing. The preacher asked the child, “How do you know that you’re saved?” The little boy replied, “I know because I did my part, and the Lord Jesus did His part”. The preacher said, “Can you explain what you mean by that?” The little boy said, “Sure! I did all the sinning, and the Lord Jesus did all the saving!” That is an excellent description of salvation. We are all sinners, all lost, all unable to fix this terrible condition we’re in. My salvation is not based upon what I did, but on what God must do. The Scripture says “We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19). Oh how God loves you and I! “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8)”.

I have no choice but to follow Him. Without Him I have no hope. So I will follow Him, though none go with me. Adrian Rogers once said, “Americans are by and large, proud peacocks strutting their way to hell”!

Billy Graham wrote before his departure from this earth:

“ In every newspaper or magazine that we pick up, and in every newscast that we watch, we see a picture of hate and lust and greed and prejudice and corruption—manifested in a thousand ways. The fact that we have police and jails and military forces indicates that something is radically wrong with human nature. The Bible teaches that the human race is morally sick. This disease has affected every phase of our life in society. The Bible calls this disease by an ugly, three-letter word: sin. The Bible teaches that the only cure for sin is the blood that Christ shed on the cross. Christ became the Lamb of God who bled and died on the cross for our sins.”

This is not a popular truth in the progressive madness of our day. Beloved, if Jesus was hated, we who are His will be hated. He said:

Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head

The Bible doesn’t say whether the man followed or not. Beloved, I MUST follow. Life is tough, but without Jesus life will be unbearable. If you follow Jesus, rarely does it lead to the PENTHOUSE, but usually to the PRISON. If you follow Jesus there will be few CHEERS, but many JEERS. But bear in mind you will never have the CROWN unless you first have the CROSS.

The Saved Must Put The Shepherd First

Luke 9:59-60 And {Jesus} said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

For years I misunderstood this text. It seemed to me that the second man asked a quite reasonable request. You see, Jesus commanded him “Follow Me”, but this man said “I’ll follow You Lord, but let me first go and bury my father”. I was researching this text when I came across a commentary by G. Campbell Morgan, a great Bible Teacher of the nineteenth century. Dr. Morgan said that a friend of his was trying to get a young Arab to come with him to be an interpreter as he preached in Arabia. Dr. Morgan said:

“At last the Arab looked at him, and said, “Suffer me first to go and bury my father,” in the very words of Scripture; and the old man was sitting by his side when he uttered them. What he meant was, “I have a filial obligation that prevents my coming.” (Westminister Pulpit, Volume IV, pg 164) The father wasn’t dead, but the man refused to go with Jesus because – perhaps as the older son – he had an obligation to his father’s house. He wanted to remain with his parents until his father died.”

Jesus expects us to put Him first. This should be no surprise. As the GREAT COMMANDMENT is to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:36), and as Jesus Christ is GOD THE SON, then we are to put Him first. Jesus said:

Luke 14:26-27, 33 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. … 33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Your greatest treasure is to be Jesus. We are to put Him first, and everything else second. But here’s the interesting truth: When you put Jesus first, following Him first, then you will become BETTER. You will be a BETTER husband if Jesus is first. You will be a BRAVER man if Jesus is first. Your live will be BOLDER. You will hold others in greater esteem.

There are so many good things that we can and should do. But we must never let a good thing keep us from doing the best thing. The best thing is to follow Christ, preaching by your life the Kingdom of God!

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God must be preached! God’s people must stand with and follow the Lord Jesus. The best thing you can do for your children is to put Christ first, to tell them of Jesus, to call them to salvation. The best thing you can do for your aged parents is to tell them that Jesus Christ died for their justification, and rose again for their sanctification. The best thing you can do for your job is to tell those you work with that you are a Christ follower, not a world compromiser. America has fallen because the Church has fallen, and the Church has fallen because the Christian has fallen.

The Gospel is the flag of the Church, and it flies proudly over the Kingdom of God. We who belong to Jesus must put Jesus first for our own sakes, and for the sakes of those we love. His Kingdom must take precedent, or we will lose America – and all we hold dear!

Do Not Allow The Enemy To Turn Your Attention
To The Dark Rear

Luke 9:61-62 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. (62) And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Sherry laughs at me while I watch “scary” movies. You know the kind. The killer is coming, and you know he’s coming because of the eerie music. Then they start running, and as they run, they look backwards … and inevitably FALL DOWN. And the monster gets them.

If you are saved, don’t look back. Look at Jesus. Imitate Jesus. Follow Jesus. He is your Guide in life and into eternity.

Illustrate:A missionary group wanted to go to the Far East, but had never been to the area they wanted to visit. So they made an arrangement with a reputable, well known guide. When they arrived at the train station the guide told them, “Give me everything: Your luggage, your purses, your wallets, your passports. Hold nothing back.” Some of the women in the group wanted to keep their purses. The guide said, “Your possessions are far more secure with me, and you’ll be far safer without these possessions – we will be in some rough territory.” The guide took their possessions, and left them so he could secure their luggage. A train came in, and all the missionaries got on it. The guide came up and said, “Will you please come out of there?” Once out of the train, the guide said “This is the wrong train, headed in the wrong direction. Will you please be kind enough to not go before me, but follow after me?”

We get in trouble when we get ahead of our Guide. Jesus Christ is our Guide. He is our Savior, our Lord. We are to follow Him, and to read His Word daily. What God has said, we will cling to. The devil will call us to compromise, but that is the way of destruction. Don’t look back. Look up. Look to Him Who alone knows the way. Amen and Amen.

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IF

Posted on January 24, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Trinity Kubassek: https://www.pexels.com/photo/sheep-288621/
Turn with me in your Bibles to Leviticus chapter 1. 

Leviticus 1:1-4  And the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,  2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.  3 If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord.  4 And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

Leviticus 1:10  And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish.

Leviticus 1:14  And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons.

When Gentiles come across the Book of Leviticus in the Bible, many skip it over. What does Leviticus have to do with Christianity? I think is short sighted, and foolish.

The Bible says in:

2 Timothy 3:16-17  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 

When the Apostle Paul was writing the Book of Timothy, his Bible was the Hebrew Old Testament. Leviticus is part of that “all Scripture” that God has given us, and it is profitable. You cannot be a mature Christian unless you understand the truths in every Book of Scripture.

Leviticus is a book God wrote to the Priests of the faith. In the Old Testament, the Priests were of the Tribe of Levi. In the New Testament, every Christian is a priest before God. The Apostle said:

1 Peter 2:9  … ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light

And again in:

Revelation 1:4-6  John to the seven churches ….  5   from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,  6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

I could go on, but I don’t have the time. You as believers in Christ are priests unto God. You will never – as the sons of Levi did – offer an animal sacrifice to God. We are not cleansed from sin by the blood of an animal. It is the “the blood of Jesus Christ {God’s} Son {that} cleanseth us from all sin.” The Bible further tells us of the Old Testament Sacrifices that the Old Testament sacrifices were a SHADOW of things to come. Comparing the Old Testament Law to the New Testament Jesus, the Apostle said that the Levitical priests:

Hebrews 8:5 … serve{d} unto the example and shadow{σκιά skiá, [pronounced skee'-ah], something formed by interception of light}  of heavenly things …

Hebrews 10:1-4  For the law having a shadow {σκιά skiá, [pronounced skee'-ah], something formed by interception of light} of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.  2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshipers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.  3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.  4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 

When the Light of God shined in the Old Testament, Jesus stood in front of it and cast a shadow represented by the animal sacrifices. If animal sacrifices could make people right with God, then Jesus would never have had to go to the Cross. But animal sacrifices were done, repeatedly done, from when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden and until that Hill we call “Calvary”. 

      What Can Israel & The Church Learn From The Shadow Sacrifices?

1 First of all, we can learn of the holiness and majesty of God. When God made Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden, God told Adam:

Genesis 2:16-17  … Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 

Though God put man and woman on the earth to “dress it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15), God is still very much King over His creation. As King, God established a standard as to what man should do and not do. God gave Adam free will, and Adam was free to obey or disobey God – but if he disobeyed there were consequences. What were they? God said, “in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”. God did not make death optional. He said “surely die”. God is holy, righteous, and just. There is no sin in God. God establishes the standards. Not us, but God.

When the Prophet Isaiah was allowed to look into Heaven, he saw the holiness of God revealed. We read:

Isaiah 6:1-3   … I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up… 2 Above {His Throne} stood the {angelic} seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.  3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

God is King, and God is Holy. The holiness of God speaks to the truth that He is ABSOLUTELY MORALLY PURE in all that He says and thinks. God gave Adam a very reasonable command. He has access to eating 99% of every fruiting plant in the Garden. Adam knew the consequence – and yet, he still ate of the forbidden. By rights, Adam should have died. But what happened?

Genesis 3:21  Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
 
Adam led Eve into sin. He was now spiritually separate from God. Adam and Eve should have died. But they didn’t. Why? Because:

2 God loves His human creation. God would have been totally justified in destroying Adam and Eve. But God didn’t. The death that Adam and Eve deserved was put on an animal. This is the very first animal sacrifice in the Bible, and God is the One Who made the sacrifice. The animal that died covered Adam and Eve’s nakedness, their sinfulness. The Bible says:

Hebrews 9:22  … almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission {of sins}.

Fast forward through the Bible to the saving of Israel from Egypt. God’s Israel had been held in bondage by a Pharaoh who though he was a “god”. God sent word to Pharaoh through Moses:

Exodus 4:22-23 … Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:  23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

Just as it was in the Garden of Eden with Adam, God gave Pharaoh a choice. You can either “let Israel My son go”, or God said “I will slay thy son”. Because God is LOVE (1 John 4:7-21), He did not IMMEDIATELY bring death on the firstborn in Egypt. God brought 9 plagues to Egypt, each attacking a different aspect of Egyptian life. One source notes:

“Just as the "Ten Commandments" become symbolic of the fullness of the moral law of God, the ten ancient plagues of Egypt represent the fullness of God's expression of justice and judgments, upon those who refuse to repent. Ten times God, through Moses, allows Pharaoh to change his mind, repent, and turn to the one true God, each time increasing the severity of the consequence of the plagues suffered for disobedience to His request. Ten times Pharaoh, because of pride, refuses to be taught by the Lord, and receives "judgments" through the plagues, pronounced upon his head from Moses, the deliverer. ”

Pharaoh ignored the nine plagues, then God told His people to take a lamb without spot or blemish, sacrifice it, and put its blood on the entry of your homes. God said:

Exodus 12:13 ... when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy [you], when I smite the land of Egypt. 

If the lamb died, and its blood was placed on the home, then the death that was coming would “Pass Over” that home. Israel did as God said, and on that day the firstborn of every home in Egypt not under the blood of the lamb experienced sure physical death. Israel walked out of Egypt because of the blood of the lamb.

God led His Old Testament people to the base of Mount Sinai, and here God gave the five books of the Law to Moses on that mountain. It was through the Law that God established the animal sacrifice to temporarily cover the sins of His people. When Moses was on the mountain with God, the children of Israel made a golden calf to worship – a bloodless, man made thing. When Moses came down the mountain and entered the camp, he cried out:

Exodus 32:26  … Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

Because the “sons of Levi” or the “Levites” heard Moses and gathered together with Him, God set the Levites apart to be the Priests of Israel. 

The Book of “Leviticus” was given as a guidebook for the Levites, to tell them how sinful mankind can approach the Holy God of the universe. Animal sacrifices were temporary, shadows that would be fulfilled in Christ. What can we learn from these shadows?

        No One Approaches God Without The Blood Of The UNBLEMISHED

Leviticus 1:1-4  And the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,  2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord…

The first thing we need to notice is the little word “If”. No one was made to come to God. This was a free choice that each person made. This is true under the Old Covenant or the New. No one was ever forced to worship God. God calls “whosoever will” to come to Him. Salvation has always been a choice to you must enter into willingly. Jesus said:

Matthew 16:25  WHOSOEVER will save his life shall lose it: and WHOSOEVER will lose his life for MY SAKE shall find it.

Romans 10:13  For WHOSOEVER shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (also Acts 2:21). 

Sin is so terrible in God's sight that it can only be covered with the shedding of Blood. In the Old Testament the animal had no free will to choose, but the person wanting an audience with God chose. Under the Old Covenant:

Leviticus 1:2-3   … ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.  3 IF his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish

The Israelite had a choice as to the type of animal that they brought before God. If “of the cattle”, then the creature chosen was YOUR BEST animal. It was a “male without blemish”. Why a male, and not a female? The Bible tells us that:

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

Sin came into the world “by one man”, by Adam. So when an animal sacrifice was to be made, the animal chosen had to be a “male without blemish”. It had to be a perfect specimen of the herd. This is a shadow that looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The Bible says:

Romans 5:17-19  … if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)  18 Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.  19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 

The creature was “WITHOUT BLEMISH” because the One Who would pay for our sins, the Christ, would be “WITHOUT BLEMISH” of sin. Though the creature sacrificed under the Law was the owner’s creature, when Jesus came, sinless Jesus came of His own free will. Our Lord taught His disciples "how He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day" (Matthew 16:21). The Lamb of God must die in our place. Jesus was without blemish. The Scripture says:

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: 

God told His Old Covenant people:

Leviticus 22:20  You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.

If the creature had a blemish, it could not be accepted as a covering for sin. A sinner cannot pay the penalty for another sinner. The Christ would be completely without sin. Jesus is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). 

When Jesus died, it was the Blood of God’s Son (Acts 20:28) that paid for our sins. 

The blood of the unblemished male bullock temporarily covered the Israelis sin. But the Blood of Jesus Christ covers our sin once and for all (1 John 1:7).  The Scripture says:

Hebrews 10:4, 9-10, 12  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. … 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.  10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 12  … this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 

    There Is No Atonement If You Do Not Put Your Hand On The Head

Leviticus 1:4  And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

The Blood of the perfect bullock, lamb, or bird could not make a permanent atonement for our sins because the bullock, lamb, or bird did not cause the sin that brought mankind into its fallen state. Man did this. We have seen before that “By ONE MAN sin entered the world”. But here’s something we can see from the shadow. The sinner must:

          PUT HIS HAND UPON THE HEAD OF THE BURNT OFFERING

The person for whom the Atonement would be made would personally touch the creature that was to be sacrificed. If you did not “put your hand upon the head”, there was no Atonement. By putting your hand on the head of the Atonement, you recognized that you are a sinner, and the penalty of your sins are being transferred to the creature for judgment.

This is what happened with Jesus. When Adam sinned, his action not only plunged the world under the fountain of sin's corruption, but his foolishness also cut off any hope of rescue. Because of Adam we are ALL fallen away from God’s holiness. But God rescued us. God must rescue us – if we will be rescued! We know that Jesus came forth from God. We know that in Christ:

1 Timothy 3:16 … God was MANIFEST in the flesh

Jesus Christ – God the Father’s Eternal Son – lowered Himself for us. The Father said of Jesus:

Hebrews 1:8  … Thy Throne, O God, is forever and ever: a scepter of RIGHTEOUSNESS is the scepter of Thy Kingdom …

Jesus is pure. He is holy, He is God. And yet, 

Philippians 2:6-8 … being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

Jesus Christ became our “BURNT OFFERING”. He died for our sins. Jesus, Who entered this world through a virgin, Who remained untainted by sin, died to redeem us from sin. The Bible says:

Revelation 5:9  … {Jesus was} . slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 

Hebrews 9:12-14 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us]. {13} For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: {14} How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 

The Old Testament Saint followed God through a temporary atonement. But Jesus brought a once and for all atonement. Jesus Christ paid for our sins so we can have access to God. Our works cannot save us. The animal sacrifices proved this over and over again. It is the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus that saves us. 

However, once saved, we are saved “to serve the living God”. We are told:

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 

The Christian has been “BROUGHT TO GOD”. We no longer chase after the false gods of this world, but we serve a Risen Savior.

         Jesus Gave Himself So That ANYONE Could Come To God

Leviticus 1:3If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish...

Leviticus 1:10  And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish.

Leviticus 1:14  And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons.

Under the Old Covenant, a person could come to God with a creature “without blemish” that was a “male”. But you could bring a bullock, a sheep, a goat, or a bird. What does this speak to? Jesus Christ came to make payment for every person. He is not out of reach of anyone. Do you know the Lord Jesus? If not, today would be a great day to run to His arms. The great Pastor C.H. Spurgeon said:

“An awakened conscience will never be quieted with anything less than the blood of the Lamb: it rests at the sight of the great Sacrifice, but nowhere else.”

It is only by the Blood of the unblemished Lamb, Jesus Christ, that we have peace with God. Once we enter into His Kingdom, we work for Him, for His glory. May God touch your hearts with his Word. Amen and Amen.
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