Keep Your Eyes On The Lord

Posted on January 6, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/human-standing-beside-crucifix-statue-on-mountain-415571/

The Psalms (called the Hebrew Hymnbook) is the longest book in the Bible. There are 150 Psalms, or songs. The Psalms are divided into 5 books that focus on God and His glory. One source suggests that the divisions be regarded as:

Psalm 1-41 Book 1 – God Beside Us
Psalm 42-72 Book 2 – God Before Us
Psalm 73-89 Book 3 – God All Around Us
Psalm 90-106 Book 4 – God Above Us
Psalm 107-150 Book 5 – God Among Us

Tonight we’ll be in Psalm 73, the first Psalm in Book 3, “God is All Around Us”. This Psalm was written by Asaph, one of the Choir Directors under King David:

1 Chronicles 25:1 Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals …

The Psalm Begins With An Honest Testimony From Asaph

Psalm 73:1-2 Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. 2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.

Asaph begins by remembering how good God has been to His people. He says that “God is good to Israel”, but he do9esn’t limit the goodness of God to just Israel. God is good to those who have a “clean heart”. How do you get a “clean heart”? It is by turning to God in faith. King David said:

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a CLEAN HEART, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Jesus told us that the evil that is done among humans comes from the unregenerate or unsaved heart. What is in the heart is shown by the hand. Jesus said:

Mark 7:21-23 … from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

When we come to God in faith He changes our hearts. Being led of the Holy Spirit to repent and rest in Him, God washes away our sin and gives us a new heart. God does as He promised in Ezekiel 11:19 and Ezekiel 36:25-27,

“I will give you a new heart, and a new Spirit will I put in you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and be careful to obey My rules.”

The Bible tells us that those who will go to Heaven one day are those whose hearts are being cleansed by God now on the earth!

Psalm 24:3-4 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? {Heaven} He who has CLEAN HANDS and a PURE HEART, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully.

Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

It is God Who purifies the heart of a person. When we REPENT, and turn to HIM and HIM ALONE, God moves on our lives and cleanses our hearts. This heart cleansing does not stop after salvation, but continues throughout our lives. God does not do this just for Israel, but He does it for any who believe on Him. When the early Church began to see Gentiles come to Christ (for the Church started out primarily Jewish), the Bible tells us that the Pharisees infiltrated the Church and demanded that the Gentiles be circumcised and made to keep the ceremonial laws of Israel (Acts 15:5). The Apostle Peter stood against this, saying:

Acts 15:7-9 (ESV) … “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and {God} made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.

It is God that cleanses the heart. It is God that saves by Grace when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. However clean our hearts might be, however, we must work with God to keep our hearts cleansed. Asaph brings this out. Though he speaks of the goodness of God to those “of a clean heart”, Asaph goes on to say:

Psalm 73:2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.

Asaph is doing what every believer should do. He is examining his faith in the light of the goodness of God. Asaph did not completely fall away from God, but he was starting to fall. He uses words like “ALMOST” (mᵊʿaṭ, a little bit) and “WELL NIGH” (‘în, just about)What caused this calamity?

Psalm 73:3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Asaph began to look at the lavish lifestyles of the lost, the “foolish”. The Scripture says, “the FOOL hath said in their HEARTS, there is NO GOD” (Psalm 14:1; 53:1). When the Bible uses the word “FOOL” it is always in reference to a lost person, a person with a corrupted heart. As humans, we divide people up by RACE and NATIONALITY. We speak of “red and yellow, black, brown or white”. But God divides people by their hearts. There are those SAVED BY FAITH or those with hearts being made pure, and those who REJECT SALVATION or those who hold onto their wicked hearts.

God looks at the INSIDE. Asaph started looking at the OUTSIDE, at what things the lost had – and he began to envy them.

Psalm 73:4-6 For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. 5 They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. 6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.

Note first “there are no bands in their death”. The word “” is the Hebrew chartsubbâh, {pronounced khar-tsoob-baw’}, meaning “fetters, chains, something which binds”. The wealthy lost many times come to death with minimal pain, minimal suffering. I have known of members who left this life – good Christians – whose family had to pay extensive medical and funeral expenses, often to the loss of the entire estate. The wicked live every day without a thought of God. They go about drugged up on Valium, liquor, or some other narcotic. They are not chained in their deaths, nor do they suffer as others do in this life. What chains do the wealthy wicked have? “Pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment”.

Psalm 73:7-9 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. 8 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. 9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

These people mock God’s people and mock God. In their wickedness they believe themselves to be gods. I heard a comedian the other day mock Christianity, saying that it is insane to believe that a virgin had a Child Who grew up to walk on water. As he said this, the audience laughed and hooted, having a great time. The wicked mock God and mock the Gospel. They mock the standards that God has set for morality, calling them outdated and unwarranted. Asaph wonders where God is while these people do these things. If God is true, then why does He allow this?

Psalm 73:10-12 Therefore His people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. 11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High? 12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.

On top of all that the wicked get away with, they also negatively impact God’s people. Though God’s people get a full cup, it is “wrung out to them”. The righteous receive little, but the unrighteous seem to prosper. The wicked asks, “How doth God know?”. The Jewish Study Bible notes:

““There was no atheism in ancient times, only the notion that God lacked knowledge and power” (cf. Ps. 10:4,11,13; 94:7; and similar phrases in Ps. 59:7; 64:5; Isa. 29:15; Ezek. 8:12).”

They believe that – IF there is a God – He is ignorant of what is going on, or asleep at the helm. As Asaph looks at the life of the wicked, he begins to think that he would be better off on “the other team”. He says:

Psalm 73:13-16 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. 14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. 15 If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children. 16 When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me…

Comparing his life with the life of the wicked, outwardly Asaph begins to wonder if he has done right with his life. He begins to drift in his faith. Rather than be light, he becomes part of the darkness. Asaph begins to lose his divine perspective when he remembers,

The Strength Of The Believer Is Only Maintained By
Uniting With God In His Sanctuaries

Psalm 73:17-18 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. 18 Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.

The faith of the believer is only maintained by going “into the sanctuary of God”. The word translated “sanctuary” is the Hebrew miqdāš, which means “the holy places”. A “sanctuary” is both a place and a time when you get away from the things of this world to focus on God. Christians drift from a right relationship with God and into the darkness when they do not spend time in the Tabernacle, Temple, or Church. The professing Christian that spends great amounts of time in social media and worldliness and little time in prayer or God’s Word will soon find themselves acting like unbelievers.

As Asaph got back into a right relationship with God, he realized that these rich wicked people he admired were “in slippery places”. Though they may have much now, they have little to look forward to in eternity. The wicked rich are like those Jesus spoke of in Luke 16, the Rich Man and Lazarus. Though the Rich Man had fine clothing and the best housing and nourishment anyone could have, and though Lazarus had nothing but the crumbs the dogs didn’t eat, what happened after death? Jesus said:

Luke 16:22-23 (ESV) The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in {HELL}, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

Though Lazarus lived a lonely life, in death he was heralded into Heaven by the angels. The rich man who had a full and wicked life in death died alone. In hell, he had no companionship, nor and compassion. Asaph says of these wicked ones:

Psalm 73:19-20 How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. 20 As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.

Their life, which seemed so wonderful, “in a moment” dissolved into terror. In this life they were made in the image of God, but would have nothing to do with God. In the next life God “despise(s) their image”, their pridefulness.

Dear ones, it is so necessary that we who belong to God by faith in Christ continue in doing that which feeds our souls. We can live without television. We can live without social media. We can live without worshiping the gods and goddesses of this world. But we cannot live without God.

The secret of happiness is not a large bank account or a large home or even great health. The secret of happiness is to know God, and to know that He is your Father, your Savior, your Help and guide.

When Asaph compared his life to the life of the lost world, he began to cherish what they had. Then he realized what they have is NOTHING. Asaph repented:

Psalm 73:21-22 Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins. 22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

Asaph states that “I was as a beast before thee”. Animals have no moral sense. Humans only are created in the image and likeness of God (see Genesis 1:26-27), and only humans have a moral sense or a conscience. The farther we wander from God, the more brutish and animal like we become. Our Lord Jesus told us:

Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV) “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

God wants us as focused on Him as He is on us. What you have been given, dear Christian, are things that you should be using to serve the Lord Who saved you, who laid down His life for you. Jesus laid His life down for us:

John 15:13-14 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (14) Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Jesus Christ laid down His life for us on Calvary, and He expects us to lay down our lives for Him.

If you are saved – and I pray that you are – you are only saved because you surrendered all of your life to God.

There came a point in your earthly existence when you surrendered all idols, all treasures, all things and came to the Lord on bent knee. On that day you entered into a growing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. God laid His life down for you when He was nailed to that Cross. If you are His friend, if you find that God is your desire, then you must lay down your life for Him daily.

God Allows Hard Things In Our Lives To Grow Our Faith,
To Make Us More Like Jesus

Psalm 73:23-26 Nevertheless I am continually with Thee: Thou hast holden me by my right hand. 24 Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. 26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

The power of the believer is that God is with us – not just now, but into eternity. Each and every one of us are mortal, frail, and subject to fail. The joy of salvation is not found in the stuff that we have, but in the constant Companionship of God. As Asaph thought upon this, his love for God began to be greater than his love for any one else. “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.” As humans, our bodies fail. Our flesh weakens, and our physical hearts suffer deprivation. These bodies will not exist forever. However, “God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever”.

The commentator Matthew Henry said: “…. Those who have God for their Inheritance and their Portion for ever, ought to look with holy contempt and indifference upon the possessions of this world. …”

What we have in God is greater than anything else. As the Apostle Paul began to look at his infirmities and failures, he like Asaph went to God in prayer. God spoke to Paul as he spoke to Asaph, saying:

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 … My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (10) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

The weaker the Christian is, the closer to God we need to get. Our power is in God. Our strength is in surrender to Him. We end with:

Psalm 73:27-28 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. 28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.

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Wise Men Look For The True King

Posted on January 1, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Ron Lach : https://www.pexels.com/photo/ornamental-iconostasis-in-orthodox-church-10618214/

Matthew 2:1-2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

“Now WHEN”

Our text starts with

Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem

WHEN was Jesus born? When we celebrate the holiday we call “Christmas”, we are celebrating the unique birth of the Son of God. First off, we do not know exactly when Jesus Christ was born. The Christian History Institute notes:

“{Church Pastor} Hippolytus, writing around 200, set 25 December AD 8 as Christ’s birthday, but he mentioned no celebration. Early in the third century, {Pastors} Africanus and Evodius both gave 25 December {as His birthday}. Apparently the date {of December 25th} was already an old tradition … Around AD 350, {Roman Catholic} Pope Julius I declared December 25 the official date for Christmas.”

December 25th is a tradition the that most of the Church follows. I believe this is a good tradition. America needs more of Jesus, not less. When we celebrate Christmas as Christians, we are not celebrating the birth of Jesus as we might celebrate your birthday or my birthday.

What we are celebrating at Christ is called “The Incarnation”

The word “Incarnation” speaks to “when the Holy Son of God became Perfect Human”. Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, is like no other Man who has ever lived. The Apostles believed that Jesus was – prior to His birth – co-equal and co-eternal with the Godhead. The Scripture says:

John 1:1, 14 (ESV) … In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. … 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Colossians 2:6, 9 (ESV) Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, … 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily

That Baby in the Manger that we celebrate is “JESUS, Who shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Jesus is “Emmanuel, which means, God with us” (Matthew 1:23). This is no ordinary man. Jesus is God become Man. He is the One Whom the Holy Spirit brought to us through a virgin named Mary. He was “Mary’s firstborn Son, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger” (Luke 2:7).

When the Wise Men came looking for Jesus, it was not on the same night that He was born. There are a few clues to this in our focal text.

Matthew 2:11 … when they {the Wise Men} were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother

When the shepherds came into the Manger, they saw a BABE {Greek βρέφος brephos} (see Luke 2:12), an infant. The Wise Men came into a HOUSE, not a manger. Jesus was laid in a manger the night He was incarnate. The Wise Men saw the “young child” {Greek παιδίον paidion, little boy}. These words tell us that an indeterminate amount of time has passed between the shepherds visit and that of the Wise Men. How much time passed?

The Timeline: After Jesus the Messiah was born in Bethlehem as prophesied in Micah 5:2 & Jeremiah 23:5, Mary and Joseph did not immediately return home to Nazareth. They stayed in Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem in the first place because Caesar ordered all to go to their ancestral homes to be counted (Luke 2:1-4). Mary and Joseph stayed in Bethlehem after the census. Why? Because of the Law of God. The Bible says:

Leviticus 12:2-4 … If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. 3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.

The Temple is in Jerusalem, about 7 miles from Bethlehem, whereas Nazareth is about 91 miles away.

A healthy man could walk from Jerusalem to Bethlehem in about 3 hours, whereas a trip to Nazareth would take about 30 hours, ten times as long. As Mary and Joseph wanted to keep the Law of God, it made perfect sense that they stay in Bethlehem until the Law was fulfilled. Jesus is “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29-32). Mary and Joseph were following God’s leadership, so that …

Galatians 4:4-5 when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Mary was – according to the Law – unclean for forty days following the birth of Christ. Jesus was to be circumcised on the eighth day following His birth, or He would have been – under the Law – “cut off” from Israel (Genesis 17:14). Then after Jesus was circumcised, Mary and Joseph stayed in Bethlehem for another 33 days until she could return to the Temple …

Leviticus 12:6 … when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest

The fact that Jesus is God Incarnate does not erase the Law of God. Mary and Joseph still had to do this. We are told:

Luke 2:21-24 when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; 23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) 24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

We are told in Luke 2:39 that Mary, Joseph, and Jesus did not return to Nazareth until they fulfilled “all things according to the Law of the Lord”. The Wise Men visited Jesus sometime after the 40 days of Mary’s purification according to the Law of God.

Who Were These “Wise Men”?

Matthew 2:1-2 … there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

The Bible tells us that these Wise Men are coming “from the east to Jerusalem”. Who exactly are these “wise men”? To answer that, we need to look at Israel’s history.

Israel’s history begins with a man named Abraham. God promised Abraham that – if Abraham would follow God as KING – that God would create a nation from his seed. God said:

Genesis 12:1-2 … Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation

“Follow Me, Abraham. Put Me first. If you do, I will cause you who is now childless to have a child, and eventually become a nation”. God promised Abraham a nation. This is Israel, or what would be Israel. But God also told Abraham:

Genesis 12:3 … in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

From a sterile man and a barren woman God would not only create a nation (Israel), but would bless ALL the nations of this earth
(the coming of the Messiah).

Abraham followed God, and God gave him a son Isaac. God keeps His promises. Isaac has children, one of which is Jacob. God saves Jacob, and saving Jacob, changes his name to Israel. Now Israel has 12 children. Those 12 children create twelve tribes. These twelve tribes grow. Then God tells Israel that one of the Tribes, Judah, is where the King of Israel will come:

Genesis 49:10 The scepter {the Throne} shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

God the King of Israel declared that all rulers would come from Judah until the Messiah or Shiloh came. Shiloh or the Messiah would come from Judah. So let’s put it this way.

God told Abraham – and Israel – “I am your King. If you have a human King, he shall come from Judah. That human King shall rule until Messiah comes out of Judah. The Messiah is God.”

For the longest time Israel had none other than GOD as their King. And God as King chose different people to lead His nation. God chose …

Moses from the tribe of Levi (the Priests), then
Joshua from the tribe of Ephraim. Soon God called
the Judges Othniel from the tribe of Judah,
Ehud from the tribe of Benjamin,
Gideon from the tribe of Manasseh,
Samson from the tribe of Dan,
Tola from the tribe of Issachar,
and Ibzan from the tribe of Judah.

God was King, and He established rulers over Israel. But then one day Israel decided they wanted to be like every other nation. They demanded of the Prophet Samuel:

“We want a king like all the other nations have. Give us a king to lead us!”
(1 Samuel 8:1-6, paraphrased summary)

So God let Israel choose a King. Did Israel do what God said? Did they choose a King from Judah? No. Israel chose Saul, who was from the Tribe of Benjamin. Saul would not listen to God. God in grace allowed him to reign 40 years, but GOD chose Saul’s successor. God sent Samuel to the home of Jesse, for He said:

Acts 13:22 … I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will.

David was from the tribe of Judah. David was not perfect. In fact, David committed terrible sins against God and man. He took Bathsheba, another man’s wife, and then murdered Uriah her husband (2 Samuel 12:10). God punished David for his sins. But David did love the Lord. David wanted to build a Temple for God, but the Lord told him that this would be Solomon his son’s duty. God told David:

2 Samuel 7:12-13 … {David} I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

In this “Davidic Covenant” God promised that the Messiah would come from David’s lineage. The Messiah must come from the line of Judah. The Messiah must come from the line of David.

From the time God made His promise to David, Israel and her kings kept drifting away from God. When God is not your King you never know what a mess you will get into.

In 606 A.D. Babylon conquered Israel, and carried captive the Prophet Daniel and his friends to that pagan land. Daniel loves the Lord. When he is told to pray only to the king of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel refuses to do so. Daniel will not bow his knee to any but the King of Heaven. Daniel kept his eyes on God. He prayed daily at an open window that faced Jerusalem (Daniel 6:10-12) even though he was forbidden to do this. Daniel’s King was God! Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den (Daniel 6:16). The next morning Daniel told King Darius:

Daniel 6:22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

When you follow God as King, He protects His children. Daniel was not only saved from the lion’s appetites, but he was elevated through the reigns of Babylon and Persia (Daniel 6:28) to be Chief of the Wise Men.

As Chief of the Wise Men (Daniel 2:48), Daniel taught them of the coming of the Messiah. God gave him a vision which is recorded in:

Daniel 7:13-14 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

These Wise Men or Astrologers came looking for not just any King. Daniel planted a seed by telling his Wise Men about the Messiah. These men had been watching the sky for a sign from God since the days of Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27), well over 400 years. These men came to see the Messiah, the King of Heaven.

Wise Men (And Women) Look For The True King

Matthew 2:2 … we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

They came to Jerusalem because this is the capital city of Israel. If the Messiah – the true King of the Jews was anywhere, He would be in Jerusalem. Did they find the Messiah in Jerusalem? No, because He was in Bethlehem. Why was the Messiah in Bethlehem? We read:

Matthew 2:3-6 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Herod was the “Acting King” of Israel, but he was not even a Jew. Herod was an Idumean, a descendant of Esau, not Jacob. He was not supposed to be on the throne, but was appointed by Caesar to fill the position. And Herod wanted to keep his stolen throne. So he called his advisors, asking them “where Christ should be born”. He knew exactly what he was asking. When you say “Christ” you are saying “Messiah” or “God with us”. His advisors quoted

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

Herod sends the Wise Men to Bethlehem, but encourages them to return when they find the Messiah …

Matthew 2:8 … that I may come and worship him also.

Herod did not want to “worship” Jesus the Messiah. Herod would do whatever it took to keep his unlawful throne – even to kill the Messiah. Men have been trying to kill God for years. The German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in 1884 declared that “God remains dead. And we have killed him”. We have tried to re-invent God, to modify God, to make ourselves Gods, and when all else fails we have tried to kill God.

Just as Adam did, Herod made himself king on the throne of life. Adam sinned and hid himself from God. Herod sinned, and plotted to kill God. Neither succeeded in their fool’s errand.

The Wise Men left the false king’s palace, and went to where the Messiah was enthroned. We read:

Matthew 2:9-11 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him

These men found the Messiah. I often wonder why the Wise Men stopped in Jerusalem rather than just continue to follow the star in the first place. The star was leading them where they needed to go. I suspect it is because God wanted the Wise Men – and us – to see the difference between a false king and the True King.

The Wise Men did not WORSHIP the false king Herod.
He was on a glittering throne.
But like a whited tomb, there was nothing worthy of worship there.
The Wise Men brought no gifts to the false king Herod.
It would be a waste of their resources.
Instead these men followed the Light of God
To where Jesus was, and there they WORSHIPED!

Jesus is worthy of worship! We read:

Matthew 2:11 … when {the Wise Men} had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

To Herod the false king they gave nothing. But to Jesus Christ, the Messiah of God, they first gave their hearts. Then they gave three gifts worthy of the Messiah. They gave “gold, and frankincense and myrrh”. What are the significance of these gifts?

Gold: The word “GOLD” is found 419 times in the Bible. Gold has been treasured by man since the beginning of time. Eden was a place where not only Adam and Eve were, but it was a place of gold (see Genesis 2:11-12). Abraham was “very rich in gold” (Genesis 13:2). When Pharaoh honored Joseph, he put “a gold chain about his neck” (Genesis 41:42). When Israel was directed to make the Ark of the Covenant, it was “overlaid with Gold” (Exodus 25:10-17). The Wise Men gave gold to the Messiah because God is worth more than ANYTHING else we might seek. Jesus is worthy of worship. He is the True King of Heaven. When John the Revelator looked into Heaven, we read that Jesus Christ …

Revelation 5:5 … the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David …

Is designated the Judge and Ruler of all the earth. Our Jesus is THE Worthy King! He is worth more than Gold!

Frankincense: Frankincense would be a strange gift to give a normal human child, but Jesus is no normal human Child. Frankincense was burned by the priests as a smoke offering to God (see Exodus 30:34). It symbolized holiness and righteousness. Jesus Christ as the Messiah is not only the KING of Heaven and the KING of His people, but Jesus is our HIGH PRIEST. The Bible says:

Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus represents His people before God our Father. He is the One Mediator between God and Man (1 Timothy 2:5). Jesus saves His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21; Acts 26:18).

Myrrh: But now we come to the strangest of gifts. When the Jews buried a body, they prepared it beforehand by using strips of cloth and a paste made with aloe and “myrrh”. Myrrh could also be mixed with wine as a drug given to convicts about to be crucified. The myrrh poisoned wine stupefied the crucified, making their crucifixion easier to endure. On the day that our Lord Jesus was crucified, He was offered “gall” which is the poisoned mixture of wine and myrrh. Jesus refused to take it (see Mark 15:23; Matthew 27:34). Jesus took the full weight of our sin on Himself when He went to the Cross of Calvary. It was on that horrid Cross that our Savior died. After His death, the Bible says:

John 19:39-41 there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. 40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

Jesus is Heaven’s King, the Messiah sent to save us from our sins. Jesus was slain, and by His Blood redeems us to God, making us Children of God (Revelation 5:9-10). Herod rejected Christ, choosing to reign in his own power – and his reign brought death. But to those who have trusted in Christ – you are truly Wise. You are Wise Men and Women who believe in and follow Him. Walking in the light with Jesus, His Blood cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Do you know Him? Do you know my Jesus. Have you received Him as Lord and Savior? If so, we will be together – forever. If not, I beg you, call on His Name and be saved. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Amen and Amen.

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Consider Your Ways

Posted on January 1, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Elijah O’Donnell: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-standing-by-chair-with-head-down-5303044/

I’m going to throw a curve at you this New Year’s Day of 2023. I never thought I’d hit 2023 – did you? I’m going to ask you to turn in your Bibles to Haggai chapter 1. Now, if you have to turn to the front of your Bibles and look at the Table of Contents, don’t feel bad. I had to do the same thing. Haggai comes directly after Zephaniah, and directly before Zechariah. That didn’t help, did it? Use your Table of Contents.

In Haggai our God is speaking to His people Israel. The nation has fallen prey to first the Philistines, then to the Babylonians, and finally to the Medo-Persians. God allowed Israel to go into a 70 year captivity because – as His people – they ignored God and His direction. God does not force anyone to follow Him. He is longsuffering and merciful. But God knows what is best, and calls us to follow Him. God speaks to His people. Let’s read:

Haggai 1:1-7 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, 2 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built. 3 Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled {sāp̄an, roofed} houses, and this house lie waste? 5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. 6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. 7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

Regardless Of Testament, God Wants To Be First In Our Lives

Most Christians are confused when they come to the Old Testament. They think that the Old Testament has only to do with Israel and the Jews, and the New Testament only deals with the Church. The reality is that both Old and New Testaments are very similar. When Jesus was asked the question:

Matthew 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

The one asking was referencing the Old Testament Law and wanted to know what the number one commandment was. Jesus did not hesitate, but replied:

Matthew 22:37-38 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.

The TOP commandment in the Law is that we who believe in God are to love Him with our ALL. We know this because Jesus said it. We know it because God gave it to Moses on Mount Sinai. The first three of the Ten Commandments are:

Exodus 20:3 You shall have NO OTHER GODS before Me. (that’s #1)

Exodus 20:4 You shall not make anything to bow down to or serve. Serve only God (that’s #2)

Exodus 20:7 You shall not take My name in vain (that’s #3)

This is Old Testament. God is to be number one in your life if you believe in Him. Does this only apply to the Jews? No!

John told the Church:

1 John 5:2-5 (ESV) Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

We are commanded to LOVE GOD. Now we need to understand what God means by LOVE. When we speak of LOVE in the world, we are generally referring to EMOTION and PASSION. When we speak of LOVE, it starts with a warm, fuzzy feeling, and moves outward from there. This is not how the Bible defines love. John told us:

this is the love of God, that we
keep his commandments

To LOVE GOD is to DO what He says. We are commanded to love God with our all, whether in the Old or New Testaments. Loving God means DOING what He says. John goes on to say:

And his commandments are not burdensome

That’s absolutely true. You see, God is the Creator. When we do what God tells us to do, then we are doing what’s best FOR OURSELVES. When we OBEY God, His commands are not those of some Heavenly Tyrant. God knows the end from the beginning, and everything in between. When we OBEY God, we are actually – selfishly – doing what’s best for us.

Israel has disobeyed God. They have not loved God with their all, but have made God second, third, or even last place in their lives. They have put themselves FIRST. When God gave Israel the command to let the land rest every 7 years (the Sabbatical Year), God was doing this to bless His people. The land needs to rest. But Israel ignored the Word of God, and ignored His commands.

When we ignore God’s commands, we put ourselves at risk!

God Sent Israel Back To The Land For A Purpose

As Israel drifted from God, she suffered under the Philistines, then under Babylon, and at this writing under Persia. And yet, God in His Grace is merciful. God allows Israel to return to Jerusalem under the decree of Cyrus, King of Persia. God raised up Zerubbabel, a descendant of the line of King David, to the position of Governor of Israel. Again, this was unheard of. The Persians rarely allowed the conquered any freedom of government. Yet God in His Grace was still blessing His people, though they had wandered far away from Him. God will make a way.

When Israel returns to Jerusalem, they come to the Temple and rebuild the altar, while they begin to once more offer sacrifices. Two years pass and Israel lays the foundation to rebuild the Temple. But then trials happen.

Trials happen to all of us. When Jesus spoke of trials, He said:

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

If you love Jesus, you do what Jesus says. If you love God, you do what God says. Jesus is God the Son. He said, “If you love Me and do as I say, when the storms of life come your house will not fall”. The wind and the rains come to every life, whether saved or unsaved.

Salvation is by faith in Christ, but blessing ALWAYS
comes by loving God, putting God first.

When you walk with God in love, He will bless you, even in the trying times. He promises those who love Him:

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he [it is] that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

And again,

Deuteronomy 7:9 … the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments

Deuteronomy 30:16 … I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land

Israel works on the Temple for a while, but when trials come they get off course. They back away from obeying God. Their reason for being in the Promised Land is to rebuild the Temple. But 14 years pass and, as nothing happens, people get used to the nothing. So God raises up Haggai AND Zechariah the Prophets. This is recorded in

Ezra 5:1 Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.

What does God tell His people?

Haggai 1:2 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.

Let’s break the Prophecy down. God loves His people. God loves you. I hope you know that. But notice how God addresses His people. He does not address them as Shepherd:

Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my SHEPHERD, I shall not want

Nor does He address them as Father nor even as the Potter:

Isaiah 64:8 O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our Potter …

But God addresses Israel as “Lord of hosts”, the Commander of the Armies of Heaven. As Commander of the Armies, God can protect, or He can chastise. He speaks to the people,

This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built

The entire reason that Israel has returned to the land is to rebuild God’s Temple. But they have put the Lord’s work on the back burner. Charles Feinberg wrote in his book The Minor Prophets:

“Give God the supreme place in your life”.

This applies to us as God’s people today. Jesus watched how unbelievers lived their lives, struggling and chasing after the pleasures and goods of this world. In His Sermon on the Mount Jesus said:

Matthew 6:31-34 … do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the {unbelieving} Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

We are to put God first even when – or should I say especially when things are not optimum in our lives. When we go through the harsh trials we do not give up and walk away, nor do we turn our backs on Him Who loves us so. What did Jesus say? Was it,

When you feel like it, come follow Me?, or
Lay back in your recliner, and follow Me?

No, but Jesus said:

Matthew 16:24 … If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Three things. We DENY OURSELVES, or put our lives on the back burner. We TAKE UP OUR CROSS. The Cross is full of suffering. But we are not alone. We FOLLOW HIM. We love our God, and cling to Him with all our might. Israel did not do this. God told them:

Haggai 1:3-5Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled {sāp̄an, roofed} houses, and this house lie waste? 5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

Now, God does not need a Temple to live in. When the Apostle stood at Mars Hill he said:

Acts 17:24-25 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

Furthermore, God is not really interested in the sacrifices that Israel would bring to the Temple. God told His people through the Prophet:

Hosea 6:6 I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

God does not need our “stuff”. He does not need our Temples, our Churches, our offerings. What God wants is our HEARTS. When we put our stuff above what we give to God, then our STUFF becomes our GODS.

When God Is Second, We Always Lose Out

Haggai 1:5-7 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. 6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. 7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

Word Study: Verses 5-7 can be looked at like an Oreo cookie. Verse 5 and 7 is the sweet cookie part, and verse 6 the white filling. God tells Israel – and us – to “consider your ways”. This is the Hebrew Qal Imperative śûm derek, which means

Lay hold of YOUR way of life. Pick it up, and examine it. Insure you are on the right path. Insure you are walking with God.

When we walk in love with God, God walks in love with us. Jesus told us:

John 14:15, 21, 23 If ye love me, keep my commandments. … 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 23 … If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

When God is put first, when you love Him with ALL your heart as Jesus commanded (see Matthew 22:36 … Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind), then God is a very real Presence in your life. Israel blossomed while they kept their eyes – and their hearts – on God. Yet at some point Israel began to forget their love for God their Savior. They forgot God’s warning:

Job 8:11-15 Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Can reeds flourish where there is no water? 12 While yet in flower and not cut down, they wither before any other plant. 13 Such are the paths of all who forget God; the hope of the godless shall perish. 14 His confidence is severed, and his trust is a spider’s web. 15 He leans against his house, but it does not stand; he lays hold of it, but it does not endure.

A “house” without God cannot stand. A “Israel” without the Spirit of God
becomes weak and powerless.
A “church” or a “Christian” without Christ loses all blessing.
The power of God is in the Presence of God.

Haggai 1:6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages [to put it] into a bag with holes.

Illustrate: I had a young man come to me the other day because of problems he had in his life. As we talked about his problems, I shared how – in my life – I had come through similar situations. What worked in my life was when I stopped striving in my own power, and began to do the things God said do. That’s how you love God. You do the things God said do. The natural desire of the fallen human is to seek out our own solutions, to be “self made”, to suck it up and power on. God told His people “You’re working hard at fixing what ails you, but you’re getting no where. You know why? Because you’ve cut ME out of the process”.

Humanism does thing in human power. Christianity relies on Christ.

Illustrate: I was watching a recording that “CBS Sunday Morning” made this past Sunday. In December 1772 John Newton wrote the song “Amazing Grace”. This past Sunday the song turned 250 years old. As I watched the broadcast, I at first was amazed that CBS would pay tribute to John Newton, much less “Amazing Grace”. But as I watched the broadcast I realized something else.

At NO POINT did the 6 ½ minute broadcast mention “God” or “Jesus” or “Christ”. The writers at CBS sanitized God and Jesus completely out of the tribute. CBS made no mention as to how Jesus transformed the life of John Newton, and turned a slave trader into an abolitionist.

It is NOT “Amazing Grace” if you cut out the love of God.
It is NOT “Amazing Grace” if it is divorced from the Gospel.
It is NOT “Amazing Grace” if it is self help and humanist.

Our God – throughout the Old Testament – by Grace transformed people, blessing their lives when they followed Him.

Abraham went from sterile, to the Father of a Nation.
Moses went from murderer to greatest prophet.
David went from the sheep’s pasture to the throne.
Jacob went from thief to prince of God.
Joseph went from slave to vice-king of Egypt.
Elizabeth went from barren to mother of John the Baptist.
And Mary went from virgin to mother of the Messiah.

Throughout the Gospels Jesus came to the least and the less. God is willing to save any by Grace. But once saved by Grace, we are to follow Him.

Consider Your Ways. Are You Following Jesus?

Jesus told Israel:

Haggai 1:7-8 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. (8) Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.

If you are saved by Grace, you are saved on purpose. You are not here for nothing, but are here for God. Love Him. Serve Him. Put Him first. At the end of his life King Solomon said:

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

If you want to have a better year this year than you did last year, put the Lord first. Follow Him with all your heart. God will bless you when you heed His Word. God will bless our nation when we – His people – live for Him. Let us make 2023 a great year in following the Lord. Amen and Amen.

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Behold Simeon (After Christmas Message)

Posted on December 31, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Jens Johnsson: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-wooden-arrow-signed-66100/

Luke 2:25-26 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. (26) And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

Throughout the Scripture there are times when God gives us a STOP sign. He puts a “behold” (the Greek ἰδού idoú, [pronounced id-oo’]) in the text. When Joseph discovered Mary was with Child, he slept, and

Matthew 1:20 … behold (idoú) the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Gabriel’s appearance demanded a “behold”, and so did what the Angel had to say to Joseph:

Matthew 1:23 … behold (idoú) a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

As the Wise Men came to see Jesus as a young toddler in Bethlehem (I’ll preach on this Sunday) we see three “behold”s in Matthew 2:1, 9 &13. There are “behold”s all through the ministry of Jesus as Jesus was baptized, and taught, and healed, and revealed the truths of God. Now we see a man in the Temple. This man’s name is Simeon. We are not given his family tree, nor his race, nor even his age. We know that he is Jewish because the name Simeon is a Jewish name. His name has an interesting meaning.

Simeon means “He that hears and obeys”.

God throughout Scripture has told us that the way to blessing is to follow the Lord. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 1:1-4 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Life is about the choices we make. We can hear what God says and follow our own path, or we can hear what God says and follow God. God told Israel:

Deuteronomy 28:1-7 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. 3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. 6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 7 The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.

Israel was saved from Egypt by God Almighty. Israel walked through the Red Sea as if on dry land. God fed Israel manna from Heaven, and meat in the wilderness. As long as Israel followed the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of cloud by night, she was blessed. As long as Israel heard and obeyed God’s Voice, she was blessed. But when Israel got off course of following God, she was cursed.

Jesus told us:

Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

This has nothing to do with salvation itself. Salvation is by faith in Christ. One of my favorite texts are:

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by GRACE are ye saved through faith, AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES: it is the GIFT OF GOD, NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.

Because Jesus “by the Grace of God tasted death for every man”, taking our sin upon Him, we are saved IF we believe on Him. Someone asked Jesus once,

John 6:28 … What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

Jesus told them,

John 6:29 … THIS is THE WORK OF GOD, that you BELIEVE ON HIM Whom God {the Father} HATH SENT

Salvation is by faith in Christ, But BLESSING is by obedience!

Simeon is in the Temple. Why is he in the Temple? Our text tells us:

Luke 2:26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

Simeon is clearly a man saved by faith. How do we know this? Because the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost, if you prefer) is revealing things to him. Jesus told us that when the Holy Spirit came, that He would:

John 16:8-11 … when {The Spirit} is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

The Spirit “REPROVES”, that is the Greek ἐλέγχω elénchō, [pronounced el-eng’-kho], which means “TO CONVICT, TO REBUKE, TO ADMONISH, TO TELL A FAULT”. The Spirit convicts and convinces people that they are sinners in need of the Savior. The Spirit tells people that there is a judgment day coming, and that we all need the righteousness that is only found in Christ. The Holy Spirit comes to, Jesus said:

“when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth”
(John 16:13).

The Holy Spirit will glorify Christ (John 16:14), as Jesus is the only Way unto God. Once we believe on Christ, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would come and abide with us forever (John 14:16). The Holy Spirit told Simeon, “you will not leave this life until you see the LORD’S CHRIST {Christos, Messiah}. The Spirit did not tell Simeon WHERE the Christ would be, only that he would see the Christ. So Simeon asked himself the question:

“As the Spirit cannot lie, and I will see the Christ before I die,
then where must I be if I expect to see the Christ?”

If you want to be blessed of God, put yourself in the right places to be blessed of God. God can bless you in front of the television, or in the pool hall, or out in the middle of the woods while you are hunting, or in a dance hall. God can do whatever God wants to do. BUT it is more likely that – if you are looking for God – you will find Him:

In the Temple or Church, or
When you are doing good to others and being the light, or
When you are praying and seeking Him, or
When you are reading and studying God’s Word.

Now God can bless you anywhere He wants to bless you. But God is most likely to be in places where light and not darkness are prominent. You do not look for flour in a tea bag

Luke 2:27 And {Simeon} came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law

Simeon is in the right place to see the Christ. He is in the Temple. But what if Mary and Joseph had disobeyed God? Though Mary was the mother of the Christ, she was still subject to the will and Word of God. The Bible says that when a pregnant woman has a male child

Leviticus 12:2-4 … If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. 3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.

Mary was not exempt from the command of God because she bore the Messiah. Mary and Joseph followed the Word of God, and did as God said without question. Mary was considered unclean for 40 days, which is a very interesting number. Forty (40) is often used for testing and judgment.

When God sent the flood it rained for 40 days and 40 nights (Genesis 7:4).
When Moses was on Sinai he was with God 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 24:18).
Jonah preached “40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4).
Ezekiel laid on his right side 40 days to declare Judah’s sinfulness (Ezekiel 4:6).

Though Mary was having a Special Child, the Son of God, she did not exempt herself from doing what God said in His Word. When we obey God we bless ourselves, and we bless others. Mary was unclean 7 days, and on the eighth day we read:

Luke 2:21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Mary then returned to Bethlehem for another 33 days, remaining unclean for a total of 40 days. When Simeon saw Mary she along with Joseph had returned to the Temple to do as the Law said:

Leviticus 12:6 … when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest

Luke 2:22-24 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; 23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) 24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

Mary and Joseph obeyed God’s Word, and Simeon obeyed God’s Spirit. Because of this they meet in the Temple, and Simeon was blessed of God.

Love God With All Your Heart

God does not expect us to be perfect, but He does call us to be loyal to Him. Simeon was loyal to God. Simeon loved God. We read in …

Luke 2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout

Two words are used to describe Simeon. He is “just”, the Greek δίκαιος díkaios, [pronounced dik’-ah-yos], which means “to be upright in God’s eyes. To walk with God”. The Apostle said in:

Romans 1:17 … The JUST shall live by faith ..

Jesus Christ died for us so that we might be made JUST or RIGHTEOUS in the eyes of God (Romans 5:19). A person is justified by faith in God, by receiving God as our Savior. We are “justified” by receiving Christ as our Savior. But once justified by faith, we walk in the light with our Savior and Lord. The Bible says:

1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, [díkaios] and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

Jesus gave His life on Calvary to make payment for our sins (1 Peter 3:18) “that He might bring us to God”. Saved, we imitate Jesus.

1 John 2:29 … ye know that {Jesus} is righteous, [díkaios] ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of {God}.

Genuine saving faith changes the focus of the life. It is like the old song, Amazing Grace:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found. WAS BLIND, but NOW I SEE.
Twas Grace that taught me heart to fear, and Grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that faith appear, the hour I first believed.

Simeon was “JUST”. But Simeon was also “devout”. The word “” is the Greek εὐλαβής eulabḗs, [pronounced yoo-lab-ace’], which means “to live carefully so as to bring glory and love to God, to reverence God”. I told this to the men in my Bible class last night:

God does not expect you to be PERFECT.
God expects you to LOVE HIM.
God expects you to GLORIFY Him with your life.

When we sin – and we do – the Bible says:

1 John 2:1-6 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. 3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

We are called to love God, and to live so that God and others can see that love. We “keep his commandments” not to BE saved, but BECAUSE we are saved. He is our Father Who loves us so. He is the Son, Who died a horrible death for our sins. He is the Spirit Who indwells us, and never leaves nor forsakes us. Simeon loved God, so he hated sin. He, like the Apostle, said in his heart:

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

Simeon knew that:

Psalms 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

Simeon was saved by faith in God. He believed in God, looked for Christ, and lived his life carefully for to please the Lord Who love him. We who are saved by faith in Christ do not live as the world. We live as children of God. The Apostle wrote:

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, (10) Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (11) And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

There Is A Wonderful Benefit In Living For The Lord

Simeon first of all got the blessing of holding the Baby Jesus in his arms! What a great blessing that was! But the second great blessing Simeon had was all fear of death was gone. Notice what he says:

Luke 2:28-32 Then took he {Jesus} up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

Simeon had absolutely no fear of death. He was ready to meet his Maker. The great Scottish Preacher Alexander Maclaren wrote:

“Simeon not only recognizes, but welcomes the approach of death. ‘Thou lettest Thy servant depart in peace.’ Yes, there speaks a calm voice tranquilly accepting the permission. He feels no agitation, no fluster of any kind, but quietly slips away from his post. And the reason for that peaceful welcome of the end is ‘for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.’ That sight is the reason, first of all, for his being sure that the curfew had rung for him, and that the day’s work was done. But it is also the reason for the peacefulness of his departure. He went ‘in peace …”

Simeon saw the Messiah, and death had lost all it’s power over him. Since God sent His Son to this earth for us, Simeon knew that God would keep His promises. He had the CONFIDENCE that every Christian should have, the confidence the Apostle spoke of:

2 Corinthians 5:6-9 … we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (7) (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) (8) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (9) Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

We who are Christ’s work for the Father until our work is done. Simeon’s work is done. He is ready to meet His Savior and Lord. Death is but a transition from this plane to a higher plane, a place where Jesus is. The Apostle Paul said:

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

Death is not an end for the believer in Christ, but a new beginning. The Apostle said, “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Philippians 1:23). I so look forward to seeing the Savior. I so look forward to exploring the boundless glory of Heaven. To die is no demotion, but a promotion for the believer sold out for Christ. Are you ready? If you are not, today is a great day to decide to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. May He move your hearts to “walk in the Light as He is in the Light”. Amen and amen.

Posted in Christmas, Christmas Sermons, Luke, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

You Have Free Will (A Christmas Message)

Posted on December 27, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Tsaone Raymond Nthebolang: https://www.pexels.com/photo/boy-sitting-on-tyre-12083635/

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

I guess the most frequent question I’m asked as a Pastor is “If God is good, why is there so much suffering in the world?” I think it’s a fair question asked by sincere people. The heart of our suffering comes down to two words:

Free Will

When God made us, He created us “in His own image and after His likeness” (Genesis 1:27). Animals have a free will, but are not in the likeness of God. It is not immoral to enslave an animal, or to kill it and eat its flesh. It is immoral to enslave a person. It is immoral to eat a person’s flesh. Humans are not animals, and animals are not humans. We see this in the order of creation.

When God created the animals, He brought each creature to Adam to see what he would name them (Genesis 2:19). The animal did not name itself. Animals can be owned, bridled, ridden, farmed, sold, caged, forced into slaughterhouses – and there are no repercussions or penalties from God for doing so. Animals have free will, but are lower creations. They are not in God’s image.

Adam and Eve have both free will and the image of God. God told Adam that he was free to choose to eat of any tree in the Garden BUT the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). Someone asked me once, “Why did Adam have ONE tree that he could not eat of? Why did God even put that tree there?” Again, this is a fair question.

Free will assumes a person has a choice.

If I went to the market to buy bread, but say, only one type of bread – white Wonder Bread – was the only bread available. If that’s all you can get, there is no free will. Free will means a choice. If you had a Garden where absolutely everything is edible, you have no opportunity to exercise your free will. Free will would just be a blank concept, but would never be practically expressed. God gave man free will, then gave humanity a choice. Choose to do your job, and never suffer. Choose to disobey God and do the forbidden, then choose death over life (Genesis 2:17).

You know the story. Adam chose to disobey God. When you disobey God you lose His blessing. God has free will too. Humanity could enjoy the Garden while they obeyed the Owner of the Garden. But once they chose to reject God’s directive, they lost God’s blessing. God said to Adam:

Genesis 2:17-19 … cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground…

Man was creation’s caregiver. Because Adam fell into sin, creation fell into sin. The ground previously brought forth only fruit bearing plants. Now the ground is cursed – thorns and thistles along with other weeds come up. Man never had to use his sweat glands. But now he does, for “in the sweat of your face you will eat bread”. God said to Eve:

Genesis 2:16 …. I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children…

This is what sin brings. It brings suffering. Free will that rejects God’s directive brings pain. The child that touches the flame when warned by the parent gets burned. It is not the parent’s fault. It is not God’s fault. Adam chose the pain. The Bible says:

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

The Bible tells us “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). It is your choice. You choose life by choosing to follow God. You choose death and suffering by choosing to follow yourself. Just as it was with Adam, your sin effects others.

Adam sinned, and he became the doorway by which both spiritual as well as physicaldeath entered the world.

The sin of one effects another. When free will turns away from God, it brings bad things with it.

God Has Free Will – And Wants Better For Us All

As we have gone through the Christmas story, last week we saw that Gabriel came to a young virgin named Mary. God wanted to use Mary as the vessel by which He would bring Salvation to the world. God proposed – and Mary agreed. She was given a choice. She said:

Luke 1:38 … Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.

So she has surrendered herself to the Lord. Over eight months pass, and we read …

Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days

Look at the phrase “it came to pass”. This phrase occurs 452 times in Scripture, and often precedes suffering in the Bible. When Cain was jealous of his brother Abel we read:

Genesis 4:8 “it came to pass” that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him …

“it came to pass” later shows up in Genesis 6 when God decides to destroy the world by flood. The phrase “it came to pass” illustrates humanities bad choices in free will. Sin always brings suffering. But God is loving. We have free will, but God has free will. The Bible tells us that God in love persists in reaching out to us. The Apostle said:

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Why is this pregnant woman traveling to Bethlehem on a donkey? Because God is love. God of His own free will promised to save the world from sin. God promised that He would be our Redeemer.

God promised “redemption for His people; He ordained His covenant forever”
(Psalm 111:9).
God promised to “sweep away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 44:22).
God promised “put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with Him is full redemption” (Psalm 130:7).

God promised to send Redemption through a virgin. God promised He would come down from Heaven miraculously:

Isaiah 7:14 the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel …

God would come to this earth through a virgin birth. The Son of God would be born of a woman (Luke 1:35). The Son of God would also be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:4-6). The Son of God would be God the Son. How would God send His Son to this earth? Will He come through a royal family, as is His due? Will He be born in a Palace? No, the Bible says:

Luke 2:4-5 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

God the Son would not be born in an easy way. Joseph would have to take Mary his wife on a week’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Why does Jesus have to be born in Bethlehem? Because God said so. Mary is “great with child”. Joseph is suffering, because he must carry the woman he loves on a horrible trip in the last days of her pregnancy. Mary is suffering because she is “great with child”. They are having to go to Bethlehem because the Roman Ruler Caesar Augustus has ordered it. Why did Caesar do this? The Prince of Preachers C.H. Spurgeon notes:

“A little tyrant, Herod, by some show of independent spirit, offends the greater tyrant, Augustus. Augustus informs him that he shall no longer treat him as a friend, but as a vassal; and albeit Herod makes the most abject submission, and his friends at the Roman court intercede for him, yet Augustus, to show his displeasure, orders a census to be taken of all the Jewish people, in readiness for a contemplated taxation, which, however, was not carried out till some ten years after.”

The puppet king Herod in free will offended Caesar. Caesar in free will ordered that people return to their home towns. There was no exception to the rule. It didn’t matter that Mary was pregnant. Suffering, she had to go. Yet on the other side of that suffering God was still in control. God lowered Himself down into our suffering. God did not take the easy path, but the path of self sacrifice.

There is only one God, and He is not you or I. There is only one God, and He is in control of all things! His hand is on the donkey that Mary rides on, and His hand is on the heart of those who suppose themselves to be gods. Caesar may order the census, but it is the Almighty God Who controls all things. He is in control now, He has never not been in control. What God has said, that He will do. We may make a god of ourselves, of our wills, of our abilities, of our powers, of our might. Yet it is God Who oversees all things, and controls all things according to the good pleasure of His Will.

The Free Will Of God And The Free Will Of Woman
Brought Redemption To Us All

Luke 2:6-7 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

No mere man can bring redemption for sin. Sin is a terrible affront to the Unchanging and Eternal God. We can no more seek redemption from God by our works than can an ant please a human by its works. The Bible says:

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.

Solomon said “the plowing of the wicked is sin” (Proverbs 21:4). We cannot make ourselves right before God. God must make a way. God made the way of righteousness through faith in Christ. Note that the text tells us first:

Luke 2:7 {Mary} brought forth her firstborn son

Mary did not bring for THEIR firstborn Son. Joseph had nothing to do with this Child, other than acting as a surrogate Father or a Stepfather, if you will. God told Mary that:

Luke 1:35 … The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

This is not Joseph’s son, but God’s Son. Jesus is Mary’s Firstborn, but He is The Only Begotten of the Father. The Apostle said that …

John 1:14 … 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.

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

Jesus Christ – the Eternal Word of God – was with God from eternity. Jesus became the “only begotten” of God. He became God – Man, God in our midst. Like Man Jesus had all the failures we have:

A temporal body
A flesh that was weak
A carbon based life form
Jesus hungered, rested, slept

But Jesus had one thing that we do not naturally possess. Jesus was born into this world without sin. He had no old sin nature. The Bible says:

1 Peter 2:22 (ESV) {Jesus} committed NO SIN, neither was deceit found in His mouth.

Hebrews 4:15 (ESV) {Jesus was} in every respect tempted as we are, YET WITHOUT SIN.

1 John 3:5 (ESV) {Jesus} appeared to take away sins, and IN HIM THERE IS NO SIN.

Jesus came “in the likeness of sinful flesh” (Romans 8:3). He looked like any other Jewish baby Who had ever come into this world. But Jesus’ birth bypassed Joseph, and therefore bypassed the sin inherent in each and every one of us. Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23). Jesus Christ came as “the Lamb of God, without spot or blemish” (1 Peter 1:19; John 1:29; 1:36).

There have been “good men” who followed the Lord in the Scripture. But they were all flawed by sin.

Noah built the Ark by faith (Genesis 6:9),
but leaving the Ark got drunken and cursed his family.
Abraham, the Friend of God (2 Chronicles 20:7; James 2:23),
laid with Hagar then cast her away with her child.
Moses led Israel faithfully till he came to Meribah (Numbers 20:24),
and there he denied God before the Rock that was Christ.
David, a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22),
took another man’s wife then murdered that man.

We are all flawed – all but this Baby, this Child wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. This Child is Mary’s Firstborn, and the Father’s Only Begotten. This Child is Eternal God in a small but sinless package.

Luke 2:7 {Mary} wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

This is God the Son, Who

Philippians 2:7-8 … 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.

Mary In Free Will Bore Christ. God In Free Will Sent Christ. Christ In Free Will Lowered Himself. What Will YOU Do?

God has done His part. The Lamb of God is in the Manger. God has lowered Himself, and become Man. So what will YOU do? It is no coincidence what comes next:

Luke 2:8-9 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

Imagine yourself a shepherd “abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night”. All of a sudden to your darkness accustomed eyes the “Angel of the Lord” appears in all his brilliance. It had to be blinding as well as frightening. I find it interesting the God comes to the shepherds first with His Messiah. Jesus is the LAMB OF GOD, so who better to see Him first but shepherds.

The Bible mentions shepherds and shepherding over 200 times.

We see in the Scripture that Abel, Abraham, Lot, Isaac, Jacob, Jacob’s twelve sons, Moses, King David, and Amos were all shepherds. But we also know that God is the Shepherd of His people (Psalm 23:1; Isaiah 40:11; Psalm 79:13). The Lamb of God is in the Manger. Who better to see the Lamb of God than the Shepherds. Gabriel tells the Shepherds:

Luke 2:10-11 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

“Fear not”. Put away your fear. This is the first preaching of the Gospel. Bible teacher Ray Stedman writes:

“It is striking that the human emotion that was first encountered by the angelic messenger was that of fear. Men were afraid in that day. They were afraid of many things, as they are today. There was Herod the Great on the throne. Herod was cruel, and was able to accomplish his wrath upon whoever was the object of his disfavor. He had personally put to death many, even in his own family, because of their antagonism to his plans. Also there were the Romans, too, with their proud legions, marching up and down across the face of the earth, holding everything in a severe and iron bondage. Many wars broke out and the economy was uncertain. The people were afraid.”

I think we’re afraid today. People are awash in fear. We had the fear of the Pandemic. We had the fear of tyrannical Government. We have the fear of Antifa, of armed militia and militant groups, of cancel culture, of far left or far right extremes. I remarked to my dear wife the other day that it seems as if there are fewer Christmas lights this year, fewer “Merry Christmas” declarations, or even “Happy Holidays”. We have, as a nation, depended on politicians to fix the sin problem. Even in Jesus’ day politicians are not fixing anything. The reason a pregnant virgin is on a donkey to Bethlehem is because of a politician.

Fear not.

Why Angel? Why should we not fear? There are fearsome things all about. The second witch of Shakespeare’s Macbeth (Acts 4, Scene 1) says:

“By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes!”

Or as the comic strip Pogo said,

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

Human solutions will not fix the human problem. We need the Lamb of God. We need to come out of the dark night that surrounds us, and go to that Manger where Jesus is. The Angel said:

Luke 2:10 I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people

Jesus did not come for just the Republican or just the Democrat. Jesus did not come for the elite, or the common. Jesus did not come for the drug abuser reusing needles in the street, or the rich alcoholic getting drunk on 12 year old Scotch whiskey. Jesus did not come for just the heterosexual sinner, but for the homosexual as well. Jesus came for ALL. If you are PEOPLE, Jesus came for you. He lowered Himself to a Manger. What does this little Lamb offer us?

Luke 2:11 … For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

Jesus Christ came to be the Savior of whosoever will. Someone once asked Jesus:

John 6:28 … What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

How can we have peace with God? How can we please God, Who is holy and without sin? Jesus replied:

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

How can we find our way out of the cesspool we have made of humanity? We can – in free will – turn to Jesus Christ as Savior. The Angel said:

Luke 2:12-17 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

The shepherds heard the Gospel, and leaving all they had, went to where Jesus was. They believed, and went to tell others what they had seen. What will you do? God has given you free will. It is your choice. Realize, dear one, that you will have to live in the choice you make. May God lead you to make the right choice, to choose Jesus. Amen and amen!

Posted in Christmas, Christmas Sermons, General, Luke, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary said …

Posted on December 20, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Samuel Hájnik: https://www.pexels.com/photo/art-landmark-building-painting-12796028/

Luke 1:31-34 … {Mary} thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

The President recently signed into law the “Respect for Marriage Act”, which many praised as a giant step forward for progressive humanism. One statement that a certain Senator made was, “{Americans} should be able to marry whom they love. All Americans deserve full civil rights under the Law regardless of where they live.”

Some churches praised the Presidential signing, saying that there are provisions that protect the religious freedom as well as the tax exempt status of Churches opposed to same sex marriage. Frankly I don’t see this as a “win” for any Christ focused Church. Jesus told us that – as His people – we would suffer persecution in this world. Jesus said:

John 15:18-21 (ESV) If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

The Apostles certainly suffered persecution. The Apostle Paul told his young student Timothy:

2 Timothy 4:18 (ESV) The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

2 Timothy 2:3 (ESV) Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

We as Christians are in a battle for the soul of America. The world will not understand our hearts. Now, I’m not here to talk about this particular Act, another in a long line of advances that anti-Christs have made. The Apostle John told us

1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

The forces against God, the antichrists, will always rise up to battle against the Gospel of salvation. What does God expect of us in these days? Let’s tie this into the life of Mary in a section of Scripture we often call “The Christmas Story”.

God’s Word Is Always True, For God Is Always God

We have always lived in a world that has two views of God. The first view is the Subjective View of God. This is the most popular concept of God. In the Subjective View we believe that God exists for our benefit. This view creeps into the pulpits of many different Churches, even Baptist Churches. I have heard preachers say,

“God created Adam because God was lonely and needed a companion. After creating Adam, God saw that “it is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18), so he made Adam a helper called Eve.”

What is foolish about this statement is that God has never been alone. In Genesis 1:26 God – the Hebrew Elohim – said “Let US make humanity in OUR image, after OUR likeness”. God has never been alone. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is complete in Himself. God created angels. He did not create out of a need for us. God created us for another reason, a reason the antichrists hate. God did not create us because He somehow had to do so or else He would suffer.

The Second View of God is the Objective View. In the Subjective View we say that God created us because He somehow needed us. In short, God exists because we exist. But the Objective View of God is that God created us because we need Him. We are incomplete without God. God made us in His image and in His likeness so that we could worship Him as God, and glorify Him for Who He is.

When we walk away from God we rip a hole in our very lives. We are made in the likeness, the image of God. We are not gods, but we were made to imitate and glorify Him.

Humans were created by Grace and Love flowing from God – but God does not need us to complete Himself. God lacks nothing. Our creation is an extension of God’s goodness.

Romans 11:36 For of {God}, and through {God}, and to {God}, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

We as humans exist not to be gods, but to bring GLORY to God.

We are told in 1 Chronicles 16:29, “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

The wise King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of {humanity}.”

The Apostle said in 1 Corinthians 10:31 and 1 Peter 4:11, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. … that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

Illustrate: God does not need us. We need God. We were created to need God. Let’s play a little game I like to call “What if?”. The Angel comes to Mary and tells her that she is going to bear the Messiah. Mary replies with:

How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

What if Mary had said, “No! It’s not happening Gabe. It’s my body, my life. You don’t have permission to do this!” What if this had happened? Would God have stopped the Plan of Salvation? Would the Messiah have never been born? No, I believe that Messiah would have come through another vessel, another person.

God sent Moses to Israel to save His people from enslavement to Egypt. It was God’s will that Israel enter the Promised Land of Canaan. God had Moses tell Pharaoh, “Let My people go, that they may worship Me in the wilderness” (Exodus 7:16). It was God’s desire that Moses lead Israel into the Promised Land. When the first generation of Israel rejected God’s command, the Lord had them wander in the wilderness for 40 years until all the dissidents passed away. Moses was to lead that second generation into Canaan. But Moses failed to glorify God in Kadesh (Numbers 20:10). God told Moses and Aaron, “because you would not believe Me nor glorify Me neither you Moses nor Aaron your brother will lead Israel into Canaan” (Numbers 20:12). God chose Joshua to take Moses’ place. If Mary had rejected God, God’s Word would still have been fulfilled. God keeps His Word.

As Gabriel unveiled God’s Plan to Mary he said:

Luke 1:35-37 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

God is God, and we are not. When God calls us into a relationship with Him, or calls us to do a task for Him, it is not because He is somehow unable or impotent, needing us to “save the day”. God caused Elisabeth, Mary’s elderly cousin to have a child – a magnificent Prophet John the Baptist – though she was completely infertile. If God can turn the infertile to the fertile, He can move on Mary’s body to produce the Messiah. The Angel told Mary:

For with God nothing shall be impossible

This is a common theme throughout the Scripture. When Abraham wondered how his dear infertile wife Sarah could have a child, the preincarnate Jesus told him:

Genesis 18:14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Illustrate: Sarah did not believe as Mary did, though she did not object. But God chose to use Sarah anyway. “With God nothing shall be impossible”. Just this past Tuesday the news noted that “U.S. Scientists Produce Fusion Power That Replicates The Sun’s Energy”. Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (California) bombarded a tiny pellet of hydrogen plasma with lasers to produce this mini-sun. What took humanity thousands of years to replicate, God spoke into existence when He said “Let there be …”

As our Lord Jesus said in

Mark 10:27 … With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.

Mary told Gabriel:

Luke 1:38 … Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

When God Calls Us, He Calls Us To To Fill Our Needs, Not His

Mary puts absolutely NO CONDITIONS on her partnership with God. She said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord”. The word “handmaid” is the Greek δούλη doúlē, {pronounced doo’-lay}, which means “a female slave”. Mary gives over all her rights to God, putting herself under His complete control.

This is the wisest thing a human can do when approached by God.

When Moses, for instance, was approached by God to lead Israel from Egypt, Moses began to enumerate his various inabilities. He let fear take control, rather than know that “with God, all things are possible”. Moses told God,

Exodus 4:10 … O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

He kept resisting God until the Lord assigned his brother Aaron to be the spokesman for Moses (Exodus 4:14). Moses would have done better trusting in God. Aaron would become a yoke around Moses neck, dragging that good man down instead of lifting him up. Mary did not second guess God. She surrendered herself to God. “Lord, I am your slave – do with me as You will”.

When Gabriel leaves, Mary goes to her cousin Elizabeth’s home to help her through her pregnancy. When Mary stepped out in faith, trusting in the God Who is limitless, then blessings come. Elisabeth speaks:

Luke 1:43-45 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

Elisabeth says something that is key, something we all need to grab hold of. She says,

blessed is she that believed

Mary was not blessed because God chose her.
Mary was not blessed because the angel Gabriel came to her.
Mary was not blessed because she was somehow special.
Mary was blessed because “she believed” what God said.

Belief does not stand still. Belief trusts in God, and moves when God says move. When the Apostle Thomas doubted the resurrection of Christ from the grave, Jesus appeared before him eight days later in a locked room. He told Thomas,

John 20:27 (ESV) {Thomas} “Put your finger here, and see My hands; put out your hand and place it in My side. DO NOT DISBELIEVE, BUT BELIEVE”. Thomas answered {Jesus}, “My Lord and My God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”.

Mary had not seen that she was with the Messiah, but believed God – and acted on that belief. God blessed her because of her belief. Mary’s belief in God shows in the words she speaks:

Luke 1:46-48 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

It is not Mary’s goodness or worthiness that leads God to use her for the incarnation of Christ. God called Mary to be the mother of Christ’s humanity because our God is the God of all Grace. It is the God of all Grace that calls us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus (1 Peter 5:10). It is God Who is able to make ALL GRACE abound towards us (2 Corinthians 9:8). God was reaching out by Grace to Mary, causing Mary to worship the Lord. Hear her words of worship:

My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior

Mary does not claim herself to be worthy of this great honor. God is in fact her “Savior”. Mary was not “immaculate” or sinless. No one has ever had that title outside of our Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 3:5). Mary goes on to say:

vs 48 … {God} hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden

Word Study: The words “low estate” is the Greek ταπείνωσις, tapeinōsis which is translated as “VILE” in:

Philippians 3:20-21 … we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our VILE body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body …

Mary said in effect, “God regarded the vileness of my life, and yet still in Grace used me”. Mary was a good woman who loved the Lord, but this was not why God used her. God used her because Mary understood that God worked through her weakness.

If God could use a broken vessel like Mary to bring the Incarnate Christ, He can use the least to do the most if they surrender to Him.

When God reaches down, it is to lift up. God reached down to Mary to use her to bring forth the Messiah. God reached down through the Messiah to bring salvation from Calvary. God in love reaches down to us all, for none of us are worthy. The Apostle quotes Psalm 14:1-3 & Psalm 53:1-3, writing:

Romans 3:10-12 None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.

What we see so evident in our world today is a broken creation, trying to fix its brokenness with its own broken ideas and its own broken tools. God calls to us, as He called out to Mary. He calls out to us in Christ. Will we follow the ways of darkness, or will we surrender as Mary, and allow God to work in us?

Progressive humanism will not fix what ails us. We all need God. We all need Christ. Jesus told us of a Pharisee and a Publican who went up to the Temple to pray. The Pharisee prayed, relying on his worth and the worth that religion gave him:

Luke 18:11-12 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’

The Pharisee is much like the leper who attempts to fix his ailment. Religion wraps him in fine white linen. At first, he looks fine – clean and white. But in time the linen soaks through with the terrible disease, and that which is at the core comes into the light. Religion and time are enemies of one another. But to those who, like Mary, say to the Lord “I am your servant – use me as You will”, to them the Lord will come. Say unto Him Who calls:

You are God, and I am not.
You are Whole, but I am broken.
Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.
Create in me a clean heart, O Lord,
And renew a right spirit within me.
Turn us unto Thee, O Lord,
And we shall be turned!

Salvation and blessing comes when we “be converted, and become as little children” (Matthew 18:3-4). God uses the little. God uses the broken. God uses the least, and the less than. Mary’s greatness came from her willingness to let God be God. We read:

Luke 1:49 For He that is MIGHTY hath done to me great things; and HOLY IS HIS NAME

Let Us Share The Gospel Of God With Others

Life is a gift from God. Eternal life is a gift from God. This Christmas let us share the message of God’s Gospel. Our God is MIGHTY – there is nothing that He cannot do. Further, our God is HOLY and UNBROKEN. He came to save sinners, to save them that will “fear the Lord”. Mary said:

Luke 1:50-52 … And {God’s} mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. 51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

If a person has no fear of God, that person will never
swim in the sea of God’s mercy.

God is God – and we are not. You recently should have received something from this Church by mail that examined the “Fear of the Lord”. God’s mercy is only on those who fear the Lord. Our infinite God has been saving people from brokenness for thousands of years. He has said, “I am the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:6). The Scripture assures us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). When all else fails, the mercy of God never fails (Lamentations 3:22-25).

Luke 1:53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away.

What does our God require? Come hungry. Come thirsty. He is able to fill your every need. Oh that you would come to Him today, and receive life more abundantly (John 10:10). May God through His Spirit touch your hearts with His Word. Amen and Amen.

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Fearing God Is The Beginning Of Knowledge

Posted on December 16, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Rene Asmussen: https://www.pexels.com/photo/grayscale-photo-of-woman-peeking-on-planks-25757/

A subject that I have heard come up repeatedly in our Church lately is “Fear of the Lord”. What is “Fear of the Lord”? What is NOT “Fear of the Lord?”

Illustrate: Over a decade ago, in the Baptist Association that I was a part of, one of our associate local Churches began to baptize and receive into membership those who were living together in same sex marriages. Though every Baptist Church enjoys autonomy in how they conduct their services and operations, every Baptist Association is also autonomous. To join a Baptist Association you agree to its doctrinal view. As an Association we affirmed the Baptist Faith & Message (2000). By baptizing and receiving practicing LGBTQ persons into Church membership, this particular local Church rejected not only the Bible teachings, but also the Southern Baptist Faith and Message, portions of which read:

XV. The Christian and Social Order

“In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. ..”

XVIII. The Family

“Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.”

Our Association asked the Pastor of this Church to come and speak to the matter. Though every Church is autonomous, every Association is autonomous in which churches they will bind together with. When that Pastor came to speak, though I do not remember the man’s name, I remember his opening “monologue”. He opened with …

“A middle aged woman named Susan had a heart attack. Being rushed to the hospital, she is revived – but not before she has a near death experience. During that experience she meets God, and asks ‘is it time for me to leave this earth?’. God tells her, ‘No. You’ve got another 30 years coming to you. Go back!’ After her recovery Susan decides that – since she has 30 more years – she would get her body “fixed”. She had a face lift, liposuction, laser surgery on her eyes, breast augmentation … if it could be done, she had it done. Leaving the hospital after her final “surgical fix” she steps out into the path of a speeding ambulance, and dies instantly. Arriving before God she complains. ‘God, You told me I had 30 more years.’ God replies, ‘Why Susan, I didn’t recognize you’.”

I see a few strained grins, but frankly I didn’t find it to be funny. It does, however, show an absolute disrespect for God, and Who God is. The joke is not funny because:

  • No one goes to Heaven without a saving knowledge of God through faith in Christ Jesus (John 14:6; 1 Peter 2:4; John 3:13; 1 John 2:2; Hebrews 10:26).
  • No one can meet God face to face and live (John 1:18; Exodus 33:20)
  • The Bible tells us that “there is one God, and one Mediator between God and Man, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Jesus speaks for the Father.
  • Nothing can be hidden from God (Hebrews 4:13; Luke 8:17)

I could go on and on. But it was evident to me that this Pastor of that particular local Church had absolutely no fear of God.

What Exactly Is “The Fear Of The Lord”? Solomon Speaks.

When people hear “Fear of the Lord” they assume it means the kind of fear that causes one to run and hide. The fear of the Lord can be that way. For instance, when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden and heard God coming, the Bible says:

Genesis 3:8 … Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

When questioned by God as to why they hid themselves, Adam said:

Genesis 3:10 … I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Adam hid from our Holy God because he disobeyed the Lord – and rightfully “was afraid”. This is a right fear of God. Or else, we can see the fear of God revealed at the final judgment:

Revelation 20::11 … I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

These are instances of “fearing God” that are valid. But this is not what God is commanding us to do in the Scripture when we are told to “fear the Lord”.

Fear of the Lord is NOT a phobia, but is a state of always putting God in first place, and all else second.

Fear of the Lord means to be more concerned about what God has said than your Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter followers believe. King Solomon became the greatest King this world has ever seem by “fearing the Lord”. When Solomon prayed to God, the Lord came to him in 1 Kings 3:5-28 and said:

“Solomon, you can have anything you want. Ask and I will give it.”

Solomon did not ask God for riches, or power, or fame. Solomon asked God to make him the best king he could possibly be. He said, “God, give me the wisdom to rule and judge your people well”. This is “fear of the Lord”. It is a desire to put God first in all that you do. Because Solomon “feared the Lord”, God gave him the promise,

“You will have riches and honor all your life.
There will be no other king in the world as great as you!”

When Solomon wrote the Book of Proverbs, he highlighted the importance of fearing God as a believer.

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The “Fear of the Lord” is the starting place for KNOWLEDGE. Adrian Rogers said, “Knowledge is learned, but wisdom is given”. Knowledge deals with facts, truths, reality. Knowledge can be gained by study. Wisdom comes from God. Wisdom shows us how to apply the knowledge we have to our lives. The Bible says:

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Fear of the Lord means that we understand that proper living can only come by submission to Him. Solomon said “fools despise wisdom and instruction”. The word “fool” is used in scripture for those who despise God and His Word, for those who reject the Bible for human philosophies. Twice we are told in the Psalms, “The FOOL hath said in his heart, THERE IS NO GOD” (Psalm 14:1; 53:1). President Ronald Reagan said many years ago,

“I do not understand Atheism. Sometimes when I’m faced with an atheist, I am tempted to invite him to the greatest gourmet dinner that one could ever serve, and when we have finished eating that magnificent dinner, to ask him if he believes there is a cook.”

Solomon speaks sixteen times on what the “fear of the Lord” is, more than any other Book in the Scripture.

We previously saw that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of KNOWLEDGE”. Even in Solomon’s day people turned away from “fear of the Lord” in favor of humanism and vain philosophies. Since God is the Giver of Wisdom, to turn from Him is to cut off the Source of wisdom, to become more and more foolish. They bring upon themselves destruction:

Proverbs 1:27-30 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: 30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

Putting human systems of faith above faith in the Creator leads us down a wormhole to destruction. Because Israel turned from “fear of the Lord”, they were conquered from without. Because America turns from “fear of the Lord” we are headed toward the same abyss!

It is “fear of the Lord” that encourages a people
to avoid what God has called “sin” (Exodus 20:20)

Proverbs 2:3-5 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

God is willing to share the truth with anyone who seeks it out. People do not have a “fear of the Lord” today because the average person has no respect for God’s Word, the Bible. People would rather watch a re-run on television than read the Word of God. People would rather go to a park or a ball game on Sunday than pick up the Holy Book.

We actually cherish what we do, and do what we cherish. As a Christian studies and pursues the truths that God has given in His Scripture, that Christian will begin to “fear the Lord”, to respect God as He is. God is not like us. We have limits. God is limitless. Jesus said:

Luke 1:37 … with God nothing shall be impossible

When we “fear the Lord” and put God first, we have the promise that God will lengthen and bless our lives.

Proverb 3:1-8 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear {יָרֵא yârêʼ, [yaw-ray]} the Lord, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

Fear of the Lord is to fully trust in God with all your heart.
Fear of the Lord is to distrust your own abilities.
Fear of the Lord is to be open to His direction.
Fear of the Lord is to seek wisdom from God only.
Fear of the Lord is to reject evil in any form.

When we put God first “fearing” Him above all others, God physically and spiritually blesses our lives.

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Word Study: Those who choose to “tolerate” sin rather than to reject it have no fear of God. “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil”. What is evil? It is “pride”, to elevate what you “feel” above what God has declared. After “PRIDE” there is “ARROGANCY”, the Hebrew gâʼôwn, [pronounced gaw-ohn’] which means “to be majestic, puffed up, visibly pompous”. This is accompanied with a “froward” (tahpuḵôṯ) or “perverse mouth”.

Rather than carrying the Cross for Christ amid the jeers and japes of the world, those with no fear of God carry the rainbow flag to the delight and adulation of the lost crowd.

Many today are afraid to stand up for their faith in Christ. When we fear to stand up with God and lovingly speak the truth, we become part of the darkness rather than children of light. Solomon encouraged his Israel, saying:

Proverbs 14:25-27 A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies. 26 In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. 27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

To stand up with God in Christ while rejecting the false philosophies of this world will “deliver souls” from death and damnation. In putting God first, the Gospel leads people away from darkness and death and into the light of God.

Proverbs 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.

It is God Who made us, and God Who knows what is best for us.

Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.

The Bible tells us that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). When we reject the way of Christ and the way of God’s Word for our own path, we make ourselves miserable. Those who fear the Lord have the promise of life. Jesus said:

John 10:10 … I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

If we would choose life, we must choose to fear the Lord. To fail to fear the Lord is to put yourself, your family, your community, and your nation at risk.

God Can Protect Us If We Put Him First

I have heard it said that God does not expect our fear, but our love. I cannot agree with that. Fear of the Lord is bound to the Fatherhood of God. God told His people Israel when they went into the Promised Land:

Deuteronomy 6:1-3 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: 2 That thou mightest fear {yârêʼ, [yaw-ray’]} the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.

God sent Israel into a land filled with not only milk and honey, but also filled with enemies. God told His people that He had given them “commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them”. Israel was to focus on pleasing God by doing what God said. Israel was to “fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments”. As long as their focus was on putting God first, Israel would be protected from the superior forces around them. As a nation Israel would “increase mightily” because they did that which God told them to do.

Our Lord Jesus applied the same standard to what He told us to do. He said:

Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

To not only HEAR but to DO what Jesus said is to have fear for the Lord. It is to fear the consequences of rejecting His directives. America has no fear of God today, thus we make laws that are the total opposite of what the Bible clearly teaches. We normalize sinful activity, and say that such behavior is beneath the scrutiny of God. Yet this is absolutely not true. We are to fear the Lord – to be in awe of Him:

Psalm 33:6-13 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear {yârêʼ, [yaw-ray]} the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. 10 The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. 11 The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. 13 The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.

We fear God because of His utter immensity. He merely spoke, and with a few words uttered all things into existence. We fear the Lord, that is, stand in awe of Him. “Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him”. God is not the “Big Man upstairs”, as some have depicted Him. God is not the “Sky Daddy” as others have mocked Him. God is immense in power. People plot and plan against God and His Word. Congress passes laws that mock God and creation. And yet, “The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect”. In the end God dismantles the evil, for the “counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations”. God cannot be thwarted or turned against. His ways will stand forever. Solomon not only wrote Proverbs, but Ecclesiastes, a series of ancient sermons. In

Ecclesiastes 8:12-13 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: 13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.

Those who reject the Gospel and the salvation only found by faith in Christ may prosper for a timer on this earth. But in time their feet shall slip, for they are not embraced of God.

If you reject Jesus as Lord and Savior, you should fear God because judgment in an eternal lake of firer is coming. If you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, you should fear God because He punishes the child who disobeys Him (see Hebrews 12:5-11). David Hocking wrote in his essay, The Fear of God:

“So, what is the fear of the Lord? It is the knowledge of God Himself. When you fear God, you have decided that knowing who God is is more important than anything else in life. Are you following? … You say, what is the fear of God? It is the key to knowledge and understanding and wisdom. It is also the knowledge of God Himself, and it is respect for the power of God’s Word. You stand in awe. You fear, why?-because He spoke and it was done. … When you fear God, you hate what He hates. You hate sin. You say, “What is the fear of God?” It is the hatred of sin. And what do we see in our culture? We see a giant toleration of sin. We see also a redefinition of sin-things that God says are wrong, people are saying that it is okay. Listen, if you fear God, what that fear of God is, is a hatred of sin.”

Is Fear Of The Lord A New Testament Standard?

Yes, it is. Our Lord Jesus commanded us in:

Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather Fear {phobéō, [pronounced fob-eh’-o]} Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Luke 12:4-5 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear {phobéō, [pronounced fob-eh’-o]} Him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Our God is loving, merciful, and forgiving. But our God is also holy, just, and righteous. We realize that our God is bigger than anything – even us – and that there is nothing our Lord cannot do. We also need to understand that God despises sin. The Chief Apostle wrote:

1 Peter 2:17 Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear {phobeō} God. Honor the king.

As the Apostle Paul went out sharing the Gospel with the Gentiles, his motivating force was fear of God:

2 Corinthians 5:11 Knowing therefore the terror {phobos, fear} of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

When Christians comes together, they are to cooperate with one another under the leadership of Christ because we fear God:

Ephesians 5:18-21 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear {phobos} of God.

And it is the fear of God that encourages us to be more like Jesus every day. The Scripture says:

2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear {phobos} of God.

Fear of God is not an antiquated notion. It is the bedrock upon which the Christian faith is built. Let us put God in first place in our Church, our homes, our communities, and our country. Only then will we experience the the blessings of God Almighty. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12). May God the Holy Spirit guide you in understanding this great truth. Amen and Amen.

Posted in Fearing God, Sermons Preached, topical | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Where Will You Fill Your Cup?

Posted on December 14, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Chevanon Photography: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-coffee-cup-on-table-312418/

In Romans chapter 1, the Apostle encouraged the Church to continue placing all its trust in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel has the power to save whosoever will. The Gospel gives the one who believes in it purpose of being.

The Gospel effects the heart of the recipient,
which in turn guides the hand of the recipient.

If the Gospel believed does not change the outward works of the one who receives it, then the Gospel was never received in the first place. We saw how following an idol or empty god leads to idle or vain behavior. The Apostle said of those who reject the Gospel that …

Romans 1:28 … And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Word Study: The words “not convenient” is the Greek mē kathēkō, meaning “things not becoming or fit, actions that are improper”. The same word was used by the Pharisees for the Apostle Paul in Acts 22:22. Paul told them that Jesus called him to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. At hearing this word the Pharisees cried out:

Acts 22:22 (ASV) Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.

They were going to kill Paul (though they didn’t get away with it). To them, what Paul said was mē kathēkō, not fit nor right. When people reject the Gospel of salvation by faith in Christ then their outward works become mē kathēkō, not fit nor right. The point is this:

You Can Open Your Life To Jesus, And He Will Fill Your Cup, or
You Can Refuse The Gospel, And The World Will Fill Your Cup

What do people fill their lives with if they reject Jesus? We come to a section of Scripture most people skip over, but what is very important for us to understand. We will look at these godless traits found in the world today in detail. The Apostle says that the rejector of the Gospel is “Being filled”. Every day that the Gospel and the Word of God is rejected, the devil and the world actively fill the souls of the lost with darkness. The devil never takes a day off.

Illustrate: I read a devotional this morning where the author (I forget his name) said that foolish people consider the Church of Christ to be a cruise ship. On the cruise ship, every day is a party, and the ship exists to satisfy the desires and wants of the passengers. The author noted that the Church is NOT a cruise ship, but a battleship. We are at war with a powerful foe who is serious about defeating our Commander in Chief Jesus Christ. We are not passengers. We are members of the crew, with important duties we must do.

Without the Gospel people are “Being filled with” the works of darkness. We read:

Romans 1:29 … Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Word Study: “unrighteousness” (Greek adikia) means “that which God has said is not right or according to His standard”. Starting this list with “unrighteousness”, the Apostle now gets very specific. He addresses

Word Study: “fornication” (Greek porneia) is where we get our word “pornography”. It is a blanket term for sin outside of the Biblical wedding bed. The word “wickedness” (Greek ponēria) is “depravity, iniquity, malicious acts, purposes or desires”. When the Pharisees plotted to trap Jesus with His own words (Matthew 22:15) Jesus “perceived their ponēria/ wickedness”. It is evil plotting that seeks to ensnare, characteristic of Satan and his forces (see Ephesians 6:12). “covetousness” (Greek pleonexia) is a “greedy desire for more than God has given”. Jesus warned us:

Luke 12:15 … Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth

If you value your life based only upon the things that you possess, then you will be apt to commit suicide if you lose your stuff. To elevate STUFF above the SOUL is foolish. When Job lost all his stuff he said, “the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD”.

It is not what you POSSESS, but
WHO POSSESSES YOU that matters!

Word Study: “maliciousness” (Greek kakia) is “evil or wicked actions that the doer perceives without shame”. When the Sorcerer Simon sought to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit from the Apostles, Peter told him

Acts 8:22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee

There is no evidence Simon ever repented – though he asked the Apostles to pray for him.

Word Study: “full of envy” (Greek mestos phthonos) means “to desire what another has”. The Pharisees delivered Jesus to Pilate for judgment because they envied His following (Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10). It is interesting that phthonos or envy of another precedes MURDER (Galatians 5:21), FIGHTING (1 Timothy 6:4), HATE CRIMES (Titus 3:3) and BACK BITING or SLANDER (1 Peter 2:1). We are not called to envy or desire what another person has. We as Christians are called to love and uplift others to the love of Christ.

Word Study: “murder” (Greek phónos) is the taking of innocent life. “debate” (Greek éris) is to “quarrel, to verbally strive over, to bring contention or division by word into the relationship”. Christians are not to be argumentative, but to be …

Ephesians 4:15 speaking the truth IN LOVE ….

Illustrate: I heard motivational speaker Neal Foard tell a story of a young man who invited a girlfriend home to meet his parents at Thanksgiving. It was his intention to ask this young lady to marry him. During the meal, the man’s mother and his girlfriend got in an argument about gluten. It got very heated, and the young lady got up from the table. The man’s father got the young girl to the side and counseled her, saying – and I love this:

“Conversation is not a battle to win. It’s an investment
that grows in value over time.”

God gave us tongues not to rip one another apart with. He gave us tongues so we can pray, worship Him, and lovingly share His Word with others. Sun Tzu, a very successful Chinese Military General (544-496 BC) wrote, “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle”. Those are good words!

Word Study: “deceit” (Greek dolos) means “to sneak about, to be tricky or sly like a weasel or a fox”. The Pharisees plotted together to “take Jesus by subtlety (dolos)” (Matthew 26:4). God despises hypocrisy, people who say one thing then – sneaking about – do the exact opposite. When Jesus met Nathaniel our Lord said, “Behold a TRUE Israelite in whom there is no GUILE (dolos)”. Jesus never had dolos. He always spoke plainly (see 1 Peter 2:22). God promises long life to those who avoid verbal hypocrisy (1 Peter 3:10).

Word Study: “malignity” (Greek kakoētheia) is “malicious craftiness”. “whisperers” (Greek psithyristēs) is “behind the back slandering”. Again, a form of hypocrisy.

Romans 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

Word Study: “Backbiters” (Greek katalalos) means “one who speaks evil of another”. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:22 … whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Word Study: The word “Raca” (Greek rhaka) means “you have an empty head, you are senseless or brainless, you don’t have the sense God gave gave a billy goat!”. To say to a brother in the faith that he is senseless could be cause for that speaker to be brought before the Council or the Jewish Sanhedrin for judgment. The Sanhedrin did not examine minor infractions – these were judged by the priests. But to call someone empty headed was a serious charge of slander. However to call someone a “fool” (Greek mōros) is to say that they are “godless”. The mōros person is one who has turned against the clearly presented Word of God. Jesus said that …

Matthew 7:26 every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish (mōros) man, which built his house upon the sand:

Jesus often chastised the Pharisees – the religious right of His day – of being mōros (Matthew 23:17-19) because they heard God’s Word but did not follow it.

Word Study: “haters of God” is self explanatory. Our world is filled with haters of God, the God of the Scripture. “despiteful” (Greek hybristēs) means “those who are insolent, insulters, those who wrongly speak so as to wound another’s life”. The categories “proud” (Greek hyperēphanos), “boasters” (Greek alazōn), and “inventors of evil things” is again self explanatory. Those who are “proud” are following the same self destructive path that Lucifer, the fallen Archangel, is taking. The Bible says:

James 4:6 … God resisteth the proud (hyperēphanos), but giveth grace unto the humble.

And again in 1 Peter 5:5 … God resisteth the proud (hyperēphanos), and giveth grace to the humble.

It is interesting that both Peter and James uses the exact same statement on pride. God cannot work with the prideful, but only with the humble.

Evil Is Always Very Creative

Word Study: “inventors of evil things”. When righteousness is forsaken, and the Gospel is rejected, then sin evolves into ever greater darkness. Adrian Rogers said:

“We’re told, “God is a God of love, so He can’t be a God of wrath.” He is a God of infinite, measureless, fathomless love. But that’s only part of the truth. If you take part-truth and say it’s all of the truth, that part-truth becomes an untruth. God is also righteous and holy, a God of judgment and wrath. (see Romans 1:18)”

The Church is called to stand up and stand against sin, while directing the lost to Jesus. If a sinner is said to be normal, and sin is seen as excused, then why would anyone want to go to Jesus? George Washington wrote in his farewell address:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness”.

In 2019 the President of the Southern Baptist Convention J.D. Greear said:

“The Bible appears more to whisper on sexual sin compared to its
shouts about materialism and religious pride.”

That’s not true.

– It was sexual sin that led to the Worldwide Noahic Flood (Genesis 6:2).

– It was sexual sin that led to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:20; 19:4-5; Ezekiel 16:49-50).

– It was sexual sin that stained King David’s ministry (2 Samuel 11:2)

– It was sexual sin the early Church specifically avoided (Acts 15:19)

– It is sexual sin that God rebukes in the last days Church (Revelation 2:20)

– It is sexual sin that the Apostle Paul particularly pointed out as unfitting for the Christian. We read:

1 Corinthians 6:18 (ESV) Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 (ESV) For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;

Like a car running downhill without engine or brakes, if sin is not addressed and the brakes of repentance applied, then sin will bring self destruction. We are not to justify sin!

Word Study: Now we read “disobedient to parents”. Children learn respect for authority – both civil and Divine – from their parents. Children will disobey. This is part of the sin nature in all of us. But when parents not only allow disobedience without addressing it, the child will grow up believing the world owes it a living. Children are commanded in Scripture:

Colossians 3:20 (ESV) Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Ephesians 6:1-3 (ESV) Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land”.

The Apostle Paul quoted the fifth commandment (Exodus 20:12) that the Lord gave to Israel as being applicable to the Church. The Bible says:

Proverbs 13:24 (ESV) Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

Children must be taught right from wrong, and that child is given in stewardship to the parent, NOT to the state. God expects the parents (father and mother) to lovingly correct the children. God told His people:

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Illustrate: Several years ago Hillary Rodham Clinton wrote a book called “It Takes A Village”, taken from the African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child”. This is socialism dressed up in apparent concern. One thing I did agree with in her book, was when she said:

“Home is the child’s first and most important classroom” (HRC)

God wants His people to teach their children about Him, and to exhibit a sold out love for God not just in the Church, but in the privacy of the home. If parents do not train their children in the way of Christ, the world will school your children in the way of Lucifer! When Jesus rode into Jerusalem just before He was crucified the children came out and praise God in His Name. When the Pharisees complained about this, Jesus told them:

Matthew 21:16 (ESV) … have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”

quoting Psalm 8:2. The fact that these children praised God for Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey shows us that their parents took their responsibilities as parents seriously. The reason we have so many godless people in the world today is because parents (and usually just a single parent) allowed their children to find their own way to God. They inadvertently created unbelievers.

Those Who Justify Rather Than Repent Of Sin
Make Horrible Citizens

Romans 1:31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

Word Study: Those raised without an understanding of God are “Without understanding” (asynetos, senseless), “covenant breakers” (asynthetos, faithless), “without natural affection” (astorgos, without family love, loveless), “implacable” (áspondos, truceless), and “unmerciful” (aneleēmōn, merciless). These people are “right” in their minds, and will not admit to being wrong. Yet the Scripture says:

Romans 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

They know that they are at odds with God, for all people have a conscience. Yet their first deny, then harden their conscience so that they can continue down their own self appointed path. What do the fallen do? This brings us to chapter 2. In the original text there were no chapter and verse divisions. These were added to the 1560 Geneva Bible, and imported into the Bibles that followed. So when we come to:

Romans 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

Whenever you see a “Therefore” then ask yourself, “What is it there for?”. Those who fall away from God’s Grace and into sin begin to make judgments so as to cover their sins. God alone is the Judge. What does His Word say?

I was reading an article by Kelly Williams, a contributor for the Christian Post. In her article she noted she was asked by a woman, “What do you think of my lesbianism?” She told her “I didn’t create you, I didn’t die for you, and I won’t be your judge”. The lady then asked her, “What does God think of my lesbianism?”. Kelly replied, “Let me get you a Bible and you can read it for yourself”. She shared Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 6 with her – which led to the young lady repenting and giving her life to Jesus.

God does not call us to be judges, but sharers of His Word. There are scriptures which forbid homosexuality, transgenderism and all sexual expression outside of the Biblical wedding bed (see Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9 & 1 Timothy 1:10). Transgenderism is rebuked in …

Deuteronomy 22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.

Let the Scripture define the sin – and then present the Gospel as God’s solution to what ails us. As we address others, we first need to make sure that we are where we should be with God. The Apostle says:

Romans 2:2-6 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. 3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? 4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds …

God judges our deeds, what we do each day. The New Covenant believer loves God with all their heart, and treats others with the love that they expect to be treated with. Belief in the Gospel brings about a change in the inner man, which is evidenced by the behavior of the outer man. We need to daily remind ourselves that we alone shall stand before God and be judged for how we lived OUR lives in Him. If we do not live for Jesus, but reject His Gospel and His Presence – then we need not expect to be with Jesus in the next life. May God the Holy Spirit keep us mindful that New Covenant believers follow Jesus, act like Jesus, and are being shaped by God the Holy Spirit to ultimately be like Jesus. May God open your eyes to this great truth! Amen and Amen!

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A Virgin Named Mary

Posted on December 14, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Ivan Samkov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-woman-standing-beside-a-man-8957839/

Luke 1:26-29And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

Our God does the impossible by doing the improbable
through those who are incapable but willing to serve Him.

God works miracles in human history through the birth of Children. Jesus loves the little children. The Father of our faith, Abraham, was unable to have children. God promised Abraham that – if he would follow the Lord – Abraham would not only have a child, but a nation that would bless the whole world. Abraham followed, and at the young age of 100 (Genesis 21:5) had Isaac. Through Isaac, God would found the nation Israel. Now the time has come for God to complete His promise to Abraham. We read:

Luke 1:26-27 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin …

Focus first on “IN THE SIXTH MONTH”. Why is that important? The Angel tells Mary:

Luke 1:36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

God uses the broken but willing to bring blessing into this world. He gave Barren Hanna a child, the Prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1-2). God gave Barren Sarah a child so that Abraham’s line could continue. And God gave Barren Elisabeth a child six months before Gabriel came to Mary. Elisabeth will give birth to John the Baptist. But God has other plans for Mary. God sends Gabriel to Mary six months from the time Elisabeth began to carry John. Mary is a virgin.

Luke 1:27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

Word Study: Mary was “espoused to a man whose name was Joseph”. The word “espoused” is the Greek “μνηστεύω mnēsteúō”, which means “to be promised in marriage”.

In ancient times marriages were prearranged between families, with the fathers making the decisions. Mary and Joseph had been promised to one another by their parents. Though they had not officially married, they were engaged to be married. Mary was a virgin. She was saving herself for her marriage.

Why does God choose Mary to participate in the Incarnation of Christ? Because Mary and Joseph are people of faith. The Angel says to Mary:

Luke 1:28, 30 (KJV) …. Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. … 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God.

Word Study: The Angel calls Mary “highly favored” (Greek charitóō, khar-ee-to’-o), which means “to be given special honor”. Gabriel also said that Mary “found favor with God”. This is the Greek “heyriskō charis”, which means “you have been found by GRACE”.

There are two horrible things that people have said about Mary and the Incarnation of Christ.

God Uses The Willing But Imperfect To Do His Will

One of the horrible things is that Mary was somehow sinless herself, a special creation of God that never sinned nor knew sin. This is what our brethren the Catholics believe. They offer up prayers to Mary as

“The Mother of God”
“Blessed Mother”
“Queen of Heaven”
“Cause of our Joy”
“Mother of Mercy”

The Catholics see Mary as a Mediator between God and Man. The see Mary as “Immaculate”, that is, sinless. So therefore they pray for Mary, asking her to intercede for them. But the Scripture (which is our standard) tells us:

1 Timothy 2:5 … there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus …

The only Mediator we have is Jesus. Further, when Jesus our Mediator told us to pray, He said:

Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven …

Mary is not sinless. Like us all Mary has her flaws. But Mary will be given blessing from God because Mary “heyriskō charis”, that is “has been found by GRACE”.

When the broken are open to and available to God, God will pour Grace out on them. Mary is a recipient of Grace. God’s grand plan of salvation is Grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV) For by grace (χάρις charis) 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.

2 Timothy 1:9 (KJV) {God} hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace (χάρις charis), which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Eve helped Adam in the downfall of all creation. Mary will help God in the redemption of this fallen world. She will bring forth blessed Jesus.

Mary Was NOT Forced To Bring Forth The Messiah

A second horrible thing the devil has floated through media is that Mary was forced to bear Christ. Some come right out and say that God RAPED Mary. Is this true? Not according to the Scripture. When the Angel came and told Mary that …

Luke 1:31 behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

The pregnancy had not yet occurred. This is future tense, “thou shalt conceive”. At this point Mary is still a virgin, and still without child. When the Angel tells Mary that she shall have a Child Who would be the Messiah, Mary simply asks:

Luke 1:34 How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

How can she, a virgin, bear a Child such as this? The Angel tells her:

Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Again, the Angel is speaking in future tense. “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee” and “the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee”. God has not made a move to cause Mary to be with Child yet. God is waiting. He is waiting on Mary. Now God knows the end from the beginning. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 139:4 (ESV) Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

The God Who made us “counts the number of the stars, and gives names to each one” (Psalm 147:4). Our God knows the secrets of our hearts (Psalm 44:21). He “declares the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done” (Isaiah 46:9-10). Yet God is in no hurry. He has a plan that He wishes to use Mary in, but God will not force this plan. God initiates the Virgin Birth … but does not carry through until she agrees. What was Mary’s response?

Luke 1:38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Word Study: Mary made herself available to God. What did God do to Mary after her acceptance? The Archangel told Mary says “the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee”. The word “overshadow” is the Greek episkiázō, {pronounced ep-ee-skee-ad’-zo}, which means “to envelope, to cover”.

Illustrate: In the Old Testament when God rescued Israel from Egypt, He led them out with a Pillar of Cloud by day and a Pillar of Fire by night. Israel was saved in the shadow of God. The world has been ensnared in another Egypt, the lostness of humanity. Mankind has fallen deep into sin and desperation. Now God – just as He overshadowed Israel – He overshadows Mary. God will bring the Messiah into humanity through this willing virgin.

Illustrate Another Overshadowing: Many years later, after Christ becomes Incarnate, God becomes Man, Jesus will take Peter, James, and John with Him to a mountain. While on that Mountain Elijah – the Greatest Prophet, and Moses – the Giver of the Law would stand and speak to Jesus. Come to be known as “The Mount of transfiguration” God would give Peter, James, John, and His Church a clear picture of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus came to fulfill the Law (Moses). Jesus came to fulfill the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament (Elijah). Peter spoke not to either Elijah or to Moses, but to Jesus. He said to Jesus:

Matthew 17:4 … Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

Some believe that Mary was immaculate and without sin, this being the reason that God used her. No, that is not the case. Mary would later praise God for His wonderful Gift, saying:

What happened next? The Bible says:

Matthew 17:5 While {Peter} yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Just as Mary will be “overshadowed” (episkiázō, {pronounced ep-ee-skee-ad’-zo}) with God, Peter James & John were “overshadowed” by God. God causes the three Apostles to understand on the
Mount of Transfiguration. He causes Mary to be with Christ.

Grace Is God Doing The Work Through Us

We do not know at what point Mary became with Child. Mary is not forced to bear Jesus. God tells Mary (and us) what He wants to do with her. God will use Mary – but only with her permission. God told Mary:

1(vs 31) “Behold, Thou Shalt Conceive In Thy Womb, And Bring Forth A Son”. Jesus will come into the world through Mary as a boy, a man. Mary would conceive Jesus totally apart from any man’s intervention. This will be a fulfillment of the first prophecy of the Messiah. God told Satan in the Garden of Eden:

Genesis 3:15 (NASB) And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.

A woman does not produce SEED, but the EGG that the man fertilizes. Yet God said that the Avenger that would one day come and destroy Satan – that Old Serpent (Revelation 12:9) will be the “Seed of the Woman”. Later on in Scripture the Prophet would tell us in:

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

Mary is this promised virgin. “Immanuel” or “God with us” will come from Mary. Mary is not a perpetual virgin as some think. She would go on to have children by Joseph’s seed (see Matthew 12:46; Luke 8:19; Mark 3:31). Jesus had four stepbrothers named James, Joseph, Simon & Judas (Matthew 13:55), as well as stepsisters (Matthew 13:56), though their names are not mentioned.

God chose Mary to bring His Son into this world because of the promise He made to Abraham (Genesis 12:3) and King David (Isaiah 11:1). Jesus was a Male Jew, just as God foretold. The Scripture says:

Galatians 4:4-5 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

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:

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

Adrian Rogers said:

“No virgin birth, no deity. No deity, no sinless life. No sinless life, no sacrificial death. No sacrificial death, no salvation. No salvation, you’re going to hell. Jesus came to earth that we might go to Heaven: born of a virgin that we might be born again. Thank God for the virgin birth!”

Sin entered the world through man’s failure. Christ came as a Son into the world to pay the penalty for our sins. Mary is also told that …

2(vs 31) … and shalt call his name Jesus. In the ancient world the father of the child named the child. Though Joseph is a good man, rightfully betrothed to Mary, he is NOT the father of Jesus. God tells Mary “you shall call Him JESUS”. The Archangel also goes to Joseph, telling that good man:

Matthew 1:20-21 … the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Word Study: The name “Jesus” (Greek Ἰησοῦς Iēsous) means “Jehovah is salvation”. The same name in Hebrew is Yeshua, the English Joshua which means “Jehovah is salvation”. The Heavenly Father named Jesus as He did because

“He shall save His people from their sins”

In the Old Testament a believer named Joshua (the Hebrew equivalent of “Jesus”) led Israel into the Promised Land, defeating every foe that stood against them. Jesus leads His people today into the Kingdom of God, and promises that one day we shall be in THE Promised Land of Heaven.

If you have given yourself to Christ, if He is your Lord and Savior and you are HIS PEOPLE, then you SHALL BE SAVED FROM YOUR SINS. Not IN your sins, but FROM your sins.

3(vs 32) “He Shall Be Great, and Shall Be Called The Son Of The Highest”. Jesus has ALWAYS been great, because Jesus is more than a mere Man. Jesus is God in the flesh. The Scripture says:

John 1:1-3 (KJV) 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.

and the Apostle Paul declares:

Colossians 1:15-17 (KJV) {Jesus} is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him 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: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

He shall be great because He is God in the flesh. He shall be great because He is the …

Revelation 1:8 (KJV) … Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

He is the Word become flesh to dwell among us. He is the Light of the world. He is the Only Savior that God has sent. And He shall be called the Son of the Highest, the Son of God. People today do not see Jesus as He is, but those Who saw Him when He walked this earth knew He was more than just a man.

Illustrate His Worship: When the Wise Men came to see the Baby Jesus the Bible says:

Matthew 2:11 (ESV) … going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

God said in Hebrews 1:6, “Let all the angels of God worship Him”. Jesus Christ is to be worshiped.
Jesus walked on water and was worshiped (Matthew 14:33)
Thomas touched the Risen Savior and worshiped Him (John 20:28)
Following His Resurrection from the Grave Jesus was worshiped (Matthew 28:17)
And we will worship Him now and in Heaven (Revelation 22:3)

The fact that Jesus is worshiped makes the shedding of His Blood so much more valuable than the shedding of the blood of another man. Jesus’ Blood covers the sins of those who call on His Name and receive Him as He is.

1 Peter 1:18-20 (KJV) Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

He shall be Great, for He laid His life down for you and for me.

4(vs 32) “The Lord God Shall Give Unto Him The Throne Of His Father David”. Though Christ would be born of Mary, the Genealogies of Christ found in Matthew (1:1-17) and Luke (3:23-38) show that both His Stepfather Joseph as well as Mary His Mother can be traced back to King David. In fact, Joseph is called “son of David” in Matthew 1:20-21. This Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise God made to King David in:

2 Samuel 7:12-13New American Standard Bible (NASB) …. I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

This Child would be the fulfillment of the Covenant that God the Father made with King David. Jesus alone is the One to Whom “God gave Him the Throne of His Father David”.

5(vs 33) “He Shall Reign Over The House Of Jacob Forever”. God did not say that this Child would rule over the House of ISRAEL, but of JACOB. So what’s the difference.

Jacob is the name of an Unsaved Man.
Israel is the name given Jacob when He was saved.

The world that this Child entered into was a world not of Israel, but of Jacob. Israel had rejected God and ignored His Word, so Israel was occupied by Rome, a foreign superpower. Israel was ruled by Herod, an Idumean or descendant of Edom not a Judean nor a Son of David. The High Priest of Israel was not a believer in God, and the rulers of Israel had turned from God’s Word. In short, Israel had become Jacob, a nation as lost as the Romans around them. Certainly God had a remnant. God has always had a remnant. But the remnant was small at this time.

Israel was fallen.
Unbelief reigned.
America has fallen.
Unbelief reigns.
Yet Christ shall rule over Jacob!

God is not done with Israel, and I do not believe His is done with America. He shall rule over Jacob. Christ shall triumph in the end. He is …

Revelation 1:5-7 (NASB) … Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.

Jesus Christ rules and reigns. As the Apostle Paul wrote:

Romans 14:11 (NASB) … “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.”

Philippians 2:10-11 (NASB) … at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

6(vs 33) “And Of His Kingdom There Shall Be No End”. Jesus shall in the end rule and reign over this earth. His Kingdom will never cease. This is an eternal Kingdom with Jesus at the helm. So you must make a choice. Will you follow self, or follow Him? The Kingdoms of mankind come and go, but Christ’s Kingdom is eternal.

What Will YOU Do?

When Mary heard all the things that God promised her – and willingly agreed to it – the Archangel left. His job was done. What does Mary do?

Luke 1:39-40 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

Mary did not stay where she was, but she got up, and went to help her cousin Elisabeth deliver her baby. Mary moved. What will you do? Knowing Who Jesus is, will you stay as you are? Or will you move, and be Jesus to someone in need? God reached into the world to move in the life of Mary. He did this to bring blessing to us all through the birth of Jesus. Saved by Grace, what will you do? May God the Holy Spirit move you to yield yourselves to Him this very day. Amen and Amen.

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Tommy Hanvy’s Memorial Service (Homecoming)

Posted on December 14, 2022 by bibleteacherorg

On behalf of the family of Tommy Hanvy I thank you all for being here today. It is an honor and a privilege to be able to testify for Tommy and for Jesus. I apologize in advance if my voice is a little off – I’m battling a head cold. It’s not Covid – I checked. I’m a little broken. But so are we all.

The obituary for Tommy (Fate Thomas Hanvy) noted that he was a retired forklift operator for Samsonite. I read also, “Born July 21, 1944 in Maury County, he was the son of the late Herman L. Hanvy, Sr. and the late Ophelia Dial Hanvy. Mr. Hanvy never met a stranger, loved spending time with his grandchildren, woodworking, traveling to the Gulf Coast, and eating. He was a member of Riverview Baptist Church”.

Tommy has gone on to a place that Jesus promised to those who love Him.

I know that Tommy’s family & Friends will miss Tommy –
I know we at Riverview will miss Him.

Tommy received Jesus as his Lord and Savior, and as a believer he is with the Lord in another place. It is a place that the Bible says:

“{Heaven is where} God dwells with His people. God Himself will be with them as their God. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away”
(my paraphrase of Revelation 21:3-4)

Personal Testimony: I first met Tommy over 11 years ago in a hospital room. My wife Sherry and I had come to Riverview at the request of the Pulpit Committee, and were yet to be called as Pastor. I heard that Tommy was in the hospital so Sherry and I went to visit him and pray for him. From that moment on we became friends.

Tommy loved coming to our Tuesday night Bible studies, and was an active participant in the class. Tommy loved his Sunday School class. It was Jimmy Aslinger – a dear friend also with the Lord – that got Tommy into the Men’s Class. When Jimmy went to be with the Lord, Tommy continued to come and be a part of that class. He enjoyed Tim Laws and Tony Scott’s teaching. Tommy was good natured, and loved to laugh along with the men as they told “fish tales”.

Tommy loved to eat! He loved coming to the “Eating Meetings” at Riverview, or going to the Legion meals with his friend and brother in Christ David Patterson. Tommy loved our Monday morning coffee meetings at the Church. He loved to sit and swap tales with the men. We will miss Tommy at these meetings – but we will see him again one day.

Our Lord Jesus promised to those who loved Him:

John 10:7-9, 11, 14, 27-28 Verily, Verily I say unto you, I am the Door of the sheep. I am the Door. By Me if any person enter in, He shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. I, Jesus, am the Good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine.

27-30 My Sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are ONE.

None of us are perfect. None of us are unbroken. But this is why Jesus came to this earth. He came to rescue us from our brokenness.

Jesus said, “There are none good, but One, that is, God” (Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:18). Compared to God there are none of us “good”. We fall far short of the glory of God. Even “our righteousness is as filthy rags” in the eyes of God (Isaiah 64:6). No, we all fall short. When asked why Jesus loved meeting with the broken, He said in …

Mark 2:17 …. They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

The Bible says that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18)

Knowing that Tommy believed on the Lord Jesus Christ is what comforts my heart today. This should also comfort your hearts if you love Jesus as well.

________________________________________________

The Bible has what I consider one of the oddest verses in it in:

Romans 8:28 And we know that ALL THINGS work together FOR GOOD to them that LOVE GOD, to them who are the CALLED according to HIS PURPOSE.

The Bible does not say that all things are GOOD, but that ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD.

We would not dare say that CANCER is good. I do not believe that any disease among humans if good. There are a lot of bad things in this life. HEART DISEASE, ALZHEIMER’S, DEMENTIA, there are so many diseases that afflict us as humans. Not just bad people get sicknesses and diseases. “Good people” suffer along with the bad. Sometime the most evil live, while it seems as if the young die.

But the Bible says “ALL THINGS work TOGETHER for GOOD to … THEM THAT LOVE GOD”. There are bad things. But even the bad things are good things when we love Jesus. The Bible is very clear that this life is but a tip of the iceberg of each of our stories. Once we leave this life, this chapter may end, but another – and greater chapter – begins. The Bible says:

Romans 8:31-32 What shall we say to these things? If God be FOR us, WHO can be AGAINST us? God spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up FOR US ALL, how shall He not with Him also FREELY GIVE US ALL THINGS?

When I was a young boy, people understood that the very nature of God is holiness. It is certain that God is love (1 John 4:8). That is a key part of God’s character. But just like us, God’s character is not just one note. The Bible says that God is holy. God told His people in the Old Testament:

Leviticus 19:2 … You shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.

From the first of the Bible to the last, we see that God is both LOVE as well as HOLY, unbroken. We all fall far short of God’s standard. But this is why Jesus Christ came.

Jesus is the Messiah, the Mediator between God and Man. Jesus was born long ago in a manger. He was not just a “good teacher”, but when Jesus’ birth was announced to Joseph, Mary’s husband to be the Angel Gabriel said:

Matthew 1:20-23 Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Jesus Christ is “God with us”. He is the Eternal Son of God. He is the only Mediator between God and Mankind.

Jesus Christ came into this world to “save His people from their sins”.

We are all “sinners” in need of a Savior. Being sinners, the Bible says, we cannot save ourselves. But God does not expect us to save ourselves. God sent His Son to this earth to make a way for us to go to Heaven. God calls on us all to repent – to turn from being our own God – and to turn to and follow Jesus. When Jesus was born into this world – born of a virgin – the Archangel Gabriel told the virgin Mary:

Luke 1:35 … The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Jesus Christ – Eternal God the Son – became man so that He could receive our punishment for sin on Himself. This is the “Gospel” or “Good News” that God sends to us. This is the reason for the Christmas Season – a time to remember that when we could not save ourselves, Jesus came to save us. As the Only Begotten Son Jesus laid down His life for us on a Hill called Calvary.

Will salvation make you perfect? Not in this life. But salvation will bring you into a loving relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The Bible promises:

Romans 10:9-12 If you shall confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. With your heart you believe unto righteousness; and with your mouth confession is made unto salvation. The Scripture says, whosoever believes on Jesus shall not be ashamed. There is no difference … the same Lord is rich to all that call on His Name.

What makes a person right with God? It is NOT our works. The Bible says:

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

When we hear the Gospel that Jesus Christ was born of the virgin Mary, that Jesus Christ lived out His life on this earth reaching out to sinners, and that Jesus Christ died on a Cross, and rose again the third day to save us …

Oh, how we love Jesus! God “justifies” or makes us right in His eyes when we lovingly embrace Jesus by faith.

Romans 8:33-34 … it is God that justifies or makes us right. Who can condemn us? It is Christ that died, and that has risen from the Grave, Who now sits on the right hand of God the Father, making intercession for us.

The Christian is not perfect – but Jesus is. The Christian receives Jesus as Lord and Savior, and begins to trust in Him and follow Him one day at a time. Tommy followed Jesus the best he could.

Beloved, we all will eventually meet Jesus!

As cancer returned to Tommy and he began to go down physically, I asked Tommy “Are you ready to meet Jesus?” He told me that yes, he was. This is the greatest question each and every one of us needs confront and answer before we reach death’s door. Tommy’s journey is over now. This chapter of his life is over. But Tommy’s life is not over.

One day Jesus sent His disciples out with the power to heal the sick. They came back elated, saying:

Luke 10:17 (ESV) “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

Jesus told His disciples – those who lovingly followed Him:

Luke 10:19-20 (ESV) I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

How can your name be written in God’s Book? It is only through Jesus Christ that you can be saved. You must receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, believing He died for you, and rose again to forever be with you. I’ll end with this Scripture:

Romans 8:38-39 (ESV) I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

May God the Holy Spirit draw you to Christ’s side this very day. Amen and Amen!

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