Just Making Sure

Posted on November 9, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger: https://www.pexels.com/photo/grand-canyon-673020/

2 Peter 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

Opening: When I was a boy one of the greatest Rock Bands of that day was called “The Beatles”. The Beatles were an English Rock Band from Liverpool, England. Highly influential, the Beatles popularized long hair, free love, music videos, and use of mind altering drugs. The group was anything but Christian. John Lennon, the group’s leader, said:

“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that: I’m right, and I will be proved right. We are more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first, Rock and Roll or Jesus. Jesus was all right, but His disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.”

People have been promising the destruction of Christianity since Jesus rose from the grave – and yet, our faith continues on. The Beatles broke up April 10, 1970 – only about 10 years after the band was formed. John Lennon was killed by a madman December 8, 1980, a little over ten years after the band broke up. …

… And yet Christ and His followers continue on. Why is this? Because our Founder, the Lord Jesus Christ, is greater than anyone who has ever been. Jesus is not just a Carpenter’s son, born in a small town named Nazareth. Jesus is more than this. We who follow Jesus know that the world will always be against our Savior. Yet we are not discouraged. We …

Hebrews 12:1-2 … lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Our Savior was not dominated by death. Though executed unjustly, He laid His life down for us, to make payment for our sins. Jesus said,

John 10:18 (ESV) No one takes {my life} from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.

The Christian’s Savior and Lord is no mere mortal Man. He is Perfect Man. He is “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Jesus is Co-Creator with God the Father. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, God among us. The Scripture says:

Colossians 1:15-20 (ESV) {Jesus} is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by {Jesus} all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Because Jesus – the Son of God and the Son of Man – gave Himself for our sins, we who are saved and called “Christian” are brothers together, family together, and God is our Father. The Apostle tells us to:

2 Peter 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure

First the Scripture calls the Christian “BRETHREN”. We are Family together. God is our Father because of Jesus. When Jesus rose from the Grave that Sunday morning so long ago, He told Mary Magdalene:

“Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; instead, GO TO MY BROTHERS and say to them, ‘I AM ASCENDING TO MY FATHER AND YOUR FATHER, TO MY GOD AND YOUR GOD” (John 20:17)

Jesus Christ is God’s only Begotten Son, but because of Jesus we who believe are adopted of God, born again of the Blood of Christ. As Peter speaks to the Church, he makes no judgments. But he tells each confessor of Christ to “give DILIGENCE” (spoudazō, hasten to do QUICKLY, use SPEED, do not PROCRASTINATE). We are not to put this off, but to examine ourselves and make sure that we have been called and chosen. We do not want to stumble on this point. In school, I hated Algebra. I couldn’t see a use for it. I can understand:

1 + 3 = 4 or 1 x 3 = 3

I had no problem with simple mathematics. As a woodworker, I use fractions and wholes. I can do a certain amount of math in my head. But I never could understand Pythagoras Theory, which states:

“In any right triangle, the area of the square whose side is the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares whose sides are the two legs.”

Huh? I’m sure somebody needs this, but it goes over my head. There are many things I do not understand. For instance, I don’t know how our government can just print money that is back by nothing, and can’t fix the deficit. If the government can print money at will, why not just print 40 trillion dollars and pay off our debts? But I digress.

There are many things we don’t understand. But God wants you to KNOW that you are saved. This is the MOST important thing you will ever need to know.

The Saved Are CALLED By God And CHOSEN To Do Good

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

No one just stumbles upon Jesus. Jesus calls us to salvation. Jesus said in

John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

What Jesus mean by this? The word translated “draws” is the Greek helkō which means “to draw or drag”. God must be involved in the salvation process. Though the works of God are clearly seen all around us (Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork”), the darkness of sin blinds our hearts to the love of God in Christ. God must open our eyes to His glory. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV) The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

God must open the eyes of the sinner. The Holy Spirit brings conviction of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8), opening the eyes of the lost. But once their eyes are opened, they are free to choose – or not!

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

This is what happened in the salvation of Simon Peter. His Brother Andrew found Jesus, then went to Peter and said “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41-42). When Jesus met Simon, He told him ““You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter)”. Simon was a fisherman, serving himself and his family. But now Jesus called him and Andrew:

“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:18)

Simon was Simon the fisherman. But called of Christ, He is now “Simon Peter, a servant and an Apostle of Jesus Christ”. This is his identity. Simon belongs to Jesus. Simon, like us who are saved, is called to Jesus’ side. We are:

1 Corinthians 6:20 … BOUGHT with a PRICE. Therefore GLORIFY GOD in your BODY and in your SPIRIT, WHICH ARE GOD’S.

The Christian does not belong to himself. The Christian belongs to Jesus. Though Simon Peter continued to fish, his priority was to serve Christ.

Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

You are called to “serving the Lord Christ”. You are also called into the Church to serve one another. Peter is not just a “servant of Jesus Christ”, but he is an “apostle of Jesus Christ”. The Bible says that God puts every believer into the Body of Christ, the Church, to work together to serve the Lord. Peter’s call was to be an Apostle. The Apostle Paul addresses this in 1 Corinthians 12.

1 Corinthians 12:11-14 … the … Spirit, dividing {spiritual gifts} to every man severally as he will. 12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

The saved are CALLED to be children of God and servants of Christ. The saved are CHOSEN to do good, to possess and use spiritual gifts within the Body for the glory of Christ. We are not saved by our works, but once saved, we work for Jesus and for one another. The Spirit gives us spiritual gifts as He decides best. We are to work TOGETHER in Christ’s Body to glorify God, and to lift one another up as the family of God. Even though Simon Peter was an Apostle (a chief leader in the early Church), he was no more saved than the other members of the Body.

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

We are all saved by “like precious faith”. The words translated “like precious“ is the Greek isotimos (pronounced ee-sot’-ee-mos), which means “of equal value or honor”. This faith is – according to the text – “OBTAINED”. We receive it as a gift from God through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Every Christian has a common experience with God. God calls to us in our hearts, and we come to Him by faith. It is a word of Faith that we have all responded to.

Jesus called, and we responded. I am not a higher category of Christian than you are just because I am a Pastor. It is by Grace I am a Pastor. I have neither earned it, nor deserved it. I am saved the same as you are, the same as Peter was, “through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ”. Because we all received Christ Jesus as the One and Only Messiah, because we surrendered our lives to Him, we are saved. The Scripture says:

Titus 3:5-7 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The “Word of Faith” is a simple message. The Scripture says:

Romans 10:8-11 (KJV) … The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

The Saved Are Equipped To Grow

2 Peter 1:2-3 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

It is Grace that saves us and brings us peace with God. We “grow in Grace” (2 Peter 3:18) as we learn more about our God and our Savior. God has given us all that we need to grow spiritually. We are told “His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness”. We have all we need to grow in Grace.

We are given the Holy Spirit, by which we learn Biblical Truth (John 14:17; 15:26)
We are given the Holy Bible, the Words of Life
(John 6:68; Acts 5:20; Revelation 22:19)
We are given access to God through Christ our High Priest (Ephesians 2:18)
We are given unified purpose through His Church. (1 John 3:2)

Before Jesus went to the Cross to die for our sins, He took Peter, James, and John to a private place on a mountain near Jerusalem. Jesus went up the mountain with His three chosen ones, and at that place Elijah and Moses appeared on either side of Christ. This is so interesting to me! When Moses met God on the mountaintop of Sinai, God gave Moses the Law for Israel. And when Elijah met God on the mountaintop of Carmel, God gave him power to overthrow the false gods that His Israel had begun to follow under King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. One one side of Jesus stood Elijah, that Great Prophet. Jesus completed the prophecies, showing Himself to be the one and only Messiah. On the other side of Jesus stood Moses, that Great Giver of the Law. The Law could not save mankind, neither could the prophets. In the midst of this splendor Peter spoke up:

Luke 9:33 … Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah: not knowing what he said

Almost before Peter finished speaking, God the Father spoke from Heaven, saying:

Luke 9:34-35 While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. 35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

The Prophets spoke of the Coming Christ. The Law was a shadow of the Coming Christ. But now Jesus is here: we are to HEAR HIM. He is God’s Beloved, God’s Messiah, God’s Savior for those who will believe. Peter does not speak of this moment until this letter, when he writes:

2 Peter 1:16-21 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy {Spirit}.

God spoke and continues to speak through His Holy Scriptures. We have a sure word of prophecy from God.

We Have EXCEEDING GREAT & PRECIOUS Promises

2 Peter 1:4-7 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

God has given to the Christian “exceeding great and precious promises”. God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18), so every promise He has made us in Christ shall come true. What are the things that God has promised us?

Romans 16:20 (ESV) The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet …

Philippians 1:6 (ESV) .. He Who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ …

Isaiah 43:2 (ESV) When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you

John 10:28 (ESV) I give unto them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand

John 6:37 (ESV) All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never cast out ..

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

Once saved, every Christian becomes the workmanship of God. It is God’s intent that we “might be partakers of the divine nature”. We are to be like Jesus. We are not saved, then left by the road of life. God the Spirit comes into our lives, and begins to work in us to make us more like Christ Jesus. The Christian is called to imitate Christ, to develop the attributes of a son of God, not the ways of the sons of Adam. We “add to” our walk with God. “Add to” is the Greek (epichorēgeō Pronounced ep- ee-khor-ayg-eh’-o). A living faith is a growing faith. It progresses. If we are saved we will add to our faith. What adds to our faith?

1 Add to your faith VIRTUE or GOODNESS . Jesus did good things, and His Children by faith should do good things. The Psalmist said:

Psalms 34:13-14 (KJV) Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. 14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

Do good with your lips. How often did you see Jesus running about badmouthing other people? Did Jesus murmur, or curse, or blaspheme God? Was He a gossip? No, none of it. Jesus Christ was an encourager, an uplifter, a builder, not a wrecking ball.

2 Add to your faith KNOWLEDGE. Read the Word of God. So many people tell me that they don’t read the Word because they don’t understand it. So what? When I was in the military I often read manuals that I didn’t understand. Read the Word and ask God the Holy Spirit to guide you.

3 Add to your faith TEMPERANCE. This is the Greek enkráteia, {pronounced eng-krat’-i-ah}, which means “self control. One who master’s his passions and desires”. We are to control our heart, not to follow our heart.

4 Add to your faith PATIENCE, GODLINESS, BROTHERLY KINDNESS, and LOVE. I wish I had time to cover each of these things in detail, but I don’t. We must be patient with one another, for we who are Christians are called to grow together to be like Jesus. Just as every plant in the field doesn’t grow at the same rate, Christians don’t grow at the same rate. We as believers are called to work together for the glory of God. The Scripture says:

Ephesians 4:30-32 (ESV) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Illustrate: I love to read the Peanuts cartoons. In one cartoon Lucy tell Charlie, “Our family has solidarity! And our family has loyalty and”… At that moment Linus walks over to Charlie and Lucy hoping to get in on the conversation. Lucy stops talking to Charlie to yell at Linus, “Why don’t you stop dragging that stupid blanket around, you blockhead!” She turns back to Charlie, saying “and this family has love for one another.”

Our Lord Jesus said:

John 13:35 (ESV) By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Our faith will never reach others if we do not add to it the things that God says we should add to it.

2 Peter 1:9 … But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

Let us live for the glory of God! Through Christ Jesus, for His glory, we ask these things. Amen and Amen.

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The Best Foundation Is Jesus

Posted on November 6, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Seva Kruhlov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/low-angle-shot-george-washington-bridge-11153818/

Luke 6:46-49 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

There was a song Andy Williams sang years ago that just came into my mind:

Love is a many splendored thing
It’s the April rose that only grows in the early Spring
Love is nature’s way of giving a reason to be living
The golden crown that makes a man a king
Once on a high and windy hill, In the morning mist
Two lovers kissed and the world stood still
Then your fingers touched my silent heart and taught it how to sing
Yes, true love’s a many splendored thing!

I’m not really sure why that popped in my head. The song accompanied a movie of the same name based on a book written by Dr. Han Suyin. The movie starred Jennifer Jones and William Holden. In the movie Jones plays the Eurasian Doctor Suyin who falls in love with an American married man named Mark Elliot (Holden). Doctor Suyin is ostracized by the Chinese community for dating the American, and loses her position at the hospital. Yes, it’s a tear jerker.

This was one of Hollywood’s earliest attempts to romanticize
what the Bible defines as “adultery”.

Any relationship built on that which God has forbidden will not stand the test of time. The devil and this fallen world is continually enticing people to build on poor foundations. America was originally built on a great foundation, but over time Progressive Liberalism has crept in and replaced the foundation with foolishness and feelings. Jesus loves His Church, His people, and wants our foundation to be solid.

Jesus Asked Interesting Questions.
His TENTH Question In This Chapter Asks …

Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Jesus loved to ask questions when He taught. By asking questions, He made His hearers THINK about their response before they answered. Jesus asked, according to the website Red Letter Challenge, 305 questions throughout the Gospels.

In this chapter alone Jesus asked 10 questions when being challenged and when teaching. This is His 10th Question.

People came to Jesus, crying out “Lord, Lord”. They wanted Jesus to do something for them. Jesus healed the lepers, the blind, the sick. But Jesus had something greater to give to those in need.

Jesus offered Himself as King of our lives.

Jesus IS Lord. When John the Baptist preached, his message was “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). When Jesus preached, His message was “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:15). The Gospel includes the “Kingdom of God”. Jesus is the King of the Kingdom. He “came to save HIS PEOPLE from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Jesus IS Lord. He cannot be anything less. Scripture is clear that “without holiness, no one shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Pastor Stephen J. Cole notes:

“Genuine saving faith always results in a life of progressive godliness. If a person claims to be saved, but has no hunger for God’s Word, no growing hatred of sin, and no growth in godly living, he needs to examine whether he is truly in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).”

The proof of salvation is that you want to please your Lord. John 3:16 – perhaps the most quoted text of Scripture in the Bible – says –

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.

It is true that salvation is a free gift of God. But once saved, you are brought into the Kingdom of God, and Christ is your King. Pastor John MacArthur wrote in his book The Gospel According to Jesus:

“The gospel call to faith presupposes that sinners must repent of their sin and yield to Christ’s authority”.

In our focal text Jesus shows us what genuine salvation is.

Luke 6:47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:

Salvation can only be achieved by first coming to Jesus. There is no other way a person can be saved. Jesus Himself said:

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

Jesus was chosen by God to be the Savior (1 Peter 2:4). To be saved you must come to Jesus, willingly trusting your life to His.

Self Righteousness Always Gets God Wrong

The Pharisees would not come to Jesus because they felt that the Law would save them. In fact, they often attacked Jesus for not keeping the Law as they thought it should be kept. Look at the beginning of this chapter:

Luke 6:1-5 And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that {Jesus} went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. 2 And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days? 3 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him; 4 How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone? 5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

The Pharisees chastised Jesus and His disciples for threshing corn on the Sabbath Day. The text tells us that this is “the second sabbath after the first”, or literally en sabbato deuteroproto or “on the second-first Sabbath”. The Jews had a weekly Sabbath, but during special holidays (like the Passover) the first Sabbath was the first day of the feast and the second Sabbath was at the end of the feast. So this was at the end of a special Sabbath festival that the Pharisees attacked Jesus.

The Pharisees should have known better. Our Lord Jesus is the fulfiller of the Law. He said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). The Law was given by God to lead us to Christ. Only in Jesus do we come to understand the Law. The intent of the Law was not to save us, but to show us that we needed to be saved. Keeping the Law cannot save a person – but only show us the Savior.

Challenged for allowing His disciples to “thresh corn” on the Sabbath, Jesus quotes Scripture to them.

Jesus quotes 1 Samuel 21:3-6, when David, on the run from Saul’s attempts to kill him, came to the Temple looking for something to eat.

The only bread the Priests had was the shewbread. When God gave the Law to Israel, He said:

Exodus 25:30 Thou shalt set upon the Table shewbread before Me always

The shewbread was to be kept fresh. These twelve loaves of bread (Leviticus 24:5-6) stood for the twelve tribes of Israel in the presence of God. The bread was left on the table, and changed out every Sabbath with fresh loaves. Only the priests were to eat the loaves. When David came to the Temple on the Sabbath, the only bread there was the twelve loaves of shewbread that were going to be exchanged for fresh bread. The Priests allowed David and his ragged band to eat of the shewbread. Their actions saved David’s life.

The Law established standards – but those standards could only be properly understood through Jesus. Jesus told the Pharisees:

Luke 6:5 the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath

“Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for Himself while He walked this earth in His first coming. Jesus is Lord! Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath! The Law of God was not given to strange humans, but to drive us to Jesus where we can properly fulfill the Law. Right after this Sabbath, we read of Jesus doing good on another Sabbath:

Luke 6:6-10 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that {Jesus} entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. 9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? 10 And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

Jesus knows the hearts of the Pharisees. They are not in Synagogue to worship God, but to judge Jesus. Jesus just rubbed them the wrong way! Jesus asked His second question of this chapter:

Luke 6:9 Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil?
to save life, or to destroy it?

The answer should be simple. It is NEVER lawful to do evil or harmful things on the Sabbath. If this man with the withered hand is not healed, it will be the same as doing evil to him. Our God is love (1 John 4:8). God never gave the Law, and within the Law the Sabbath, to Israel in order to do evil. The Law was a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24) that we might be saved by faith in Him. The Law cannot save, but can only diagnose. We see this in how the Pharisees responded to Jesus’ healing of this man:

Luke 6:11 And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.

The Love Of God Is The Foundation Our Lives Are To Built On

Luke 6:46-47 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them

The way to the blessed life that God wants us to have is threefold. We must first come to Jesus. We come surrendered to Him as Lord of our lives. Second, we are to hear His sayings. The word “hear” is the Greek ἀκούω akoúō, {pronounced ak-oo’-o}, which means “to give an audience to. To hear carefully so as to perceive”. That which Jesus tells us, He tells us because HE IS GOOD. Jesus is the GOOD SHEPHERD WHO GIVES HIS LIFE FOR HIS SHEEP. He died for our sins, and rose from the grave so as to call us to His side. Jesus said,

John 10:8, 16, 27-28 All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear (akoúō) them. … 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear (akoúō) My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one Shepherd. … 27 My sheep hear (akoúō) My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

What does Jesus tell His sheep? HIS SHEEP FOLLOW HIM. We do not follow a sanitized Law, but we follow the Royal Law of Christ. The Royal Law demands that we love as we have been loved. Just as …

Luke 6:19 … the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.

The day we were saved VIRTUE WENT OUT OF JESUS AND INTO US. We are not as we were. We are His Children. We are His sheep. What does Christ require of us?

Luke 6:27-36 I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, 28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. 29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. 30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? {this is the third question Jesus asks} for sinners also love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? {this is the fourth question Jesus asks} for sinners also do even the same. 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? {this is the fifth question Jesus asks} for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

As God is merciful to us, we are merciful to others. As God shows love to we who do not deserve it, we show love to those who do not deserve it. The Pharisees saw the Law of God and, embracing that Law, despised any who would not keep the Law as purely as they did. But keeping they Law, they missed the whole point of the Law.

Love is the fulfillment of the Law. To love God, to love others. We who are saved are to be doers of the Law of Love. The Apostle Paul said:

Romans 13:8-10 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

We are not commanded in the Royal Law to keep feasts or to do or not do certain things. We are not commanded to love ourselves. We are commanded to sacrificially love God and to sacrificially love others, just as God the Son sacrificially loved us. When you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, He writes His Law – His Royal Law of love – in our hearts.

We are to leave all vengeance and judging into God’s hands.

If God has said it is wrong, it is wrong. If God has said it is right, then it is right. It is God Who – through His Word – sets the standards of good and evil, God Who determines gravity in the Kingdom of God.

Examine Ourselves To See If We Are Where We Need To Be

The Pharisees loved examining and judging others. When we examine and judge others without first judging ourselves we confuse ourselves. So often we allow peer pressure to influence us to do that which we think is right. Jesus said:

Luke 6:39-40 Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect {καταρτίζω katartízō, [pronounced kat-ar-tid’-z] sound or complete} shall be as his master.

If we are going to master the Christian way of life, we need to follow our Master. We need to imitate Jesus. Are we where we need to be? Jesus said:

Luke 6:42-45 how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye. 43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

If you are a “good tree” then the output of your life will be to the glory of God. You will have an output that blesses those around you. You need to keep yourself close to Jesus, close to the Great Shepherd.

There is a passage in Mark chapter 4 that talks about Jesus crossing the Sea of Galilee. The text states:

Mark 4:35-37 … when the even was come, {Jesus} saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

We all know the story. Jesus was sleeping in the bow of the ship when the storm arose. The disciples, frightened by the storm, woke Jesus up. “Master, don’t You care that we are perishing (Mark 4:38). Jesus rose up and said, “Why are you so fearful? Don’t you have faith?” (vs 40). Jesus rebuked the wind, and it ceased to blow.

The disciples had NOTHING to fear, for Jesus was on the boat with them. The closer you are to Jesus, the better off you are when you are tried by the trials of life. Something in this text catches my eyes. It is verse 36, “And there were also with him other little ships”. Those who followed Jesus in “other little ships” are believers following Jesus from a distance.

Are you on the ship with Jesus, or is the Lord in the distance and you are following from that distance?

Your lives will withstand the tests of faith only if you are on the boat with Jesus. If we as believers have drifted from Jesus, let us do as the Psalmist did:

Psalm 32:5-7 I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. 7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

SELAH. Rest. We have rest in Christ. Jesus told us plainly:

Luke 6:47-49 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

You can HEAR the Word of God, and DO IT NOT, and you will NOT be blessed. The blessings of life only come when we live reliant upon our Lord. Let us live for Him, doing that which He has called us to do.

May God be glorified by His Word. Amen and Amen.

Posted in Luke, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

What’s Love Got To Do With It?

Posted on November 4, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by PENGWHAN: https://www.pexels.com/photo/boy-and-girl-sitting-on-bench-toy-1767434/

Photo by PENGWHAN: https://www.pexels.com/photo/boy-and-girl-sitting-on-bench-toy-1767434/

1 John 4:17-19 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. (18) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (19) We love him, because he first loved us.

A Christian is a work in progress. Salvation is entirely a work of God in us. The Scripture says:

Ephesians 2:8-9 For BY GRACE are you saved THROUGH FAITH, and that NOT OF YOURSELVES. It (this salvation) IS THE GIFT OF GOD, NOT OF WORKS, lest anyone should boast.

Salvation is the broken Creature throwing themselves on the Creator and Savior. Salvation is an empty hand, reaching out to God Who is able, seeking fulfillment. Salvation comes to us when God Himself opens our eyes to the Son, and calls us to His side. Salvation comes when we run into the arms of Him Who is not broken, our Savior and Lord Jesus. Once we are saved the Scripture says:

Ephesians 2:10 We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus {to do} good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

We are not saved by works, but by faith. But once saved, we are called to do “good works”. When we become self absorbed and “me” focused, we walk away from our calling and get into trouble. A believer can fall in the worst trap when we make “I” the center of the universe.

  • The Father of Faith, Abraham, allowed fear to dominate him instead of doing good works. Abraham lied about Sarah, claiming that she was no more than his sister (Genesis 12:13). His lie endangered Sarah, and also caused misery to fall on Pharaoh.
  • The Savior of the early Creation Noah put together an Ark and populated it as God directed. When Noah left the Ark he grew a vineyard, made wine, and got drunk (Genesis 9:20-21). His actions brought a curse on Canaan.
  • Though he was called “Righteous Lot” (2 Peter 2:7), his selfishness caused him to lose everything when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. He also got drunk, and had incestuous relationships with his daughters (Genesis 19:33).
  • Just as Abraham allowed fear to control him, the Prophet Elijah became frightened when Jezebel threatened his life. Running away from Mount Carmel, Elijah became depressed and suicidal, praying “ It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4).
  • The Chief Apostle Peter, being lifted up with pride, promised he would never deny Jesus. A rooster proved him wrong (Matthew 26:75).
  • If King David had continued doing the good God called him to do, he would have never spent time with Bathsheba, nor have murdered Uriah (2 Samuel 12:9).

The Bible is filled with examples of saved believers who – allowing self to lift them up – lost their blessings in Christ. I often think of Moses, that Great Prophet who, in a moment of weakness, allowed self to dominate. Rather than do the good work that God commanded, Moses struck out at Israel, saying:

Numbers 20:10 … Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?

God told Moses, “You did not believe Me. You did not glorify Me in front of the children of Israel. Because of this, you will not lead My people into the Promised Land” (Numbers 20:12). Had Moses done the good works that God ordered him to do, he – and not Joshua – would have led Israel into the Promised Land. Moses was buried by God on a mountain overlooking the goal.

All because he chose to do selfishly, rather than do godly.

The World Runs On Fake Love

“Love” is the subject of nearly every song you hear today. Whether Country Music, Rhythm & Blues, Hip Hop, Rock, Pop, Soul, Reggae, Funk, Folk, Jazz, Disco, New Age, Gospel …. the best selling songs are focused on “love”. Most of the music you hear on the air waves is a twisted shadow of what love was designed to be.

We have one word for LOVE – and that word is far from what God’s standard for love is. The Greeks had four words for love, which is important because our New Testament was written in the Koine (Common) Greek and Aramaic.

Word Study: EROS or Sexual Love. When today’s America talks about LOVE, it is generally referring to EROS or sexual love. Americans place a premium on sexual love. When two people come together sexually, we say they are “making love” or “sleeping together”. Unless those two people are husband and wife, and by this I mean MALE and FEMALE, they are not “making love” or “sleeping together”. They are committing “fornication” (1 Corinthians 6:13, 18). The Bible tells us that “the body is NOT for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. Flee fornication. Every sin that you commit is outside the body. But the sin of fornication hurts the body” (author’s paraphrase). The sexually transmitted diseases we have in America are largely the product of fornication or adultery (sin that violates the bond of marriage”. The Bible says:

Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

Word Study: STORGE or Family Love. This is the love that is found in a God designed marriage, a love between husband and wife, between siblings, and the loving respect shown parents. The Apostle Paul uses a compound word philóstorgos, {pronounced fil-os’-tor-gos} in …

Romans 12:10 … Be kindly affectioned {philóstorgos} one to another with brotherly love …

as the Church is to be like family in its relationship one toward another.

Word Study: The third Greek word for “Love” is PHILEOS, which is the love that two friends have toward one another. As believers in Christ, we are commanded to be “friends” with Jesus, in

1 Corinthians 16:22 If any man love {phileō} not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

Jesus called us to follow Him as “friends” in:

John 15:13-15 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. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Abraham, the father of faith, believed in God’s promises and was saved. Jesus saves us so that we will bind to Him in friendship as Abraham bound to him. We are told in:

James 2:23 … Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Word Study: The highest type of love is AGAPE, which is SACRIFICIAL LOVE. This is type of love that God wants us to pursue.

1 John 4:17 Herein is our love {ἀγάπη agapē} made perfect {τελειόω teleioō}, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

The love that God calls us to is not an emotional love,
but a DOING love.

We are called to be like Jesus. That’s what the Scripture says. “as He {Jesus} is, so are we in this world”. The love that Jesus came expressing is not a fake emotional love, but a love that DOES and CONTRIBUTES to those in need. Agape is NOT self serving, but others serving. In the early Church a group of heretics rose up and began to teach that Jesus only came to this earth in the spirit. The Apostle John called this false prophesy or fake preaching. He tells us:

1 John 4:1-3 Beloved {AGAPETOS, you who have enjoyed the AGAPE or Divine Love of God}, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (2) Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: (3) And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

When God said “I love you”, He didn’t say this from Heaven and stop at that. What did God do? God CAME IN THE FLESH. God got off of His Throne in glory, and lowered Himself.

God came in the flesh – being born of a virgin.
God came in the flesh – being born in a manger.
God came in the flesh – being born to a common carpenter’s family.
God came in the flesh – being raised in a small town.
God came in the flesh – being raised middle class.
God came in the flesh – healing those who were sick.
God came in the flesh – calling sinners to His side.
God came in the flesh – carrying His Cross to Calvary.
God came in the flesh – being nailed to the Tree for us.
God came in the flesh – dying for your sins and mine.
God came in the flesh – rising from the borrowed tomb.
God came in the flesh – being the Lamb of God.
God came in the flesh – interceding for us who believe to God the Father.

God did not “phone in” our salvation, but lowered Himself to save us, and to keep on saving us. The Apostle wrote:

Philippians 2:7-10 … {Jesus Christ} made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (9) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Though He was worthy of worship, Jesus came to this earth not to be worshiped, but to be “the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29). Jesus Christ “did good” (Acts 14:17), just as God daily does good toward us. When questioned as to WHY JESUS SPENT SO MUCH TIME WITH UNDESIRABLES, our Lord said:

Luke 19:10 … the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

In the Gospels Jesus always calls Himself “The Son of Man”, but after His death and resurrection Jesus is called “The Son of God”. Whenever you see Jesus lowering Himself for us, He is “The Son of Man”. Commentator Hugh Ross notes:

“The New Testament makes the same type of demarcation for the human followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ followers before the first day of Pentecost are always called ‘sons of men’ or ‘children of men’ and never as ‘sons of God’. Jesus’ followers after the first day of Pentecost are always called ‘sons of God’ and never as sons of men”.

It was not until Jesus lowered Himself – showing AGAPE Love – and died on the Cross could our sins be fully atoned. With full atonement comes the Holy Spirit of God indwelling us SO THAT WE CAN DO GOOD AS JESUS DID GOOD.

1 John 4:17 …. as {Jesus} is, so are we in this world

Let me be a little clearer.

A LOST person can be BAPTIZED.
A LOST person can give a TITHE.
A LOST person can PRAY.
A LOST person can be faithful to ATTEND CHURCH.
A LOST person can serve on a COMMITTEE.
A LOST person can even PREACH.

Lost people can imitate anything that we do as Christians. The one thing a lost person cannot do is BE LIKE JESUS in how they love. As Jesus is, so are we in this world. As genuine believers in Christ we have a destiny:

Ephesians 1:5-7 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, (6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (7) In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

You, dear believer in Christ, have a DESTINY. To are ADOPTED into glory. Why? Because God has “made us accepted in the beloved”. Because Jesus Christ laid His life down for us, we have eternal life. Now WE ARE TO LAY OUR LIVES DOWN FOR HIM. We are not to be like the world, selfish and grasping. We are called of God to be like Jesus.

1 John 4:4-6 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (5) They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. (6) We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

The “spirit of error” gives credence to the world and its ways. The “Spirit of truth” lives by and heeds the Word of God. The “spirit of error” says “Me first, and others second”. The “Spirit of truth” says, “We are Christ’s Body. We work together to glorify Him”.

The Kingdom Of God Runs On AGAPE, Divine Love

God does not want us to have a “hope so” salvation, but a “know so” salvation. This is why we are told:

1 John 4:17-19 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. (18) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (19) We love him, because he first loved us.

If you are a Christian, will you stand before God BOLDLY in the Day of Judgment, or with FEAR? The point John is making is this:

Though you are not saved by works,
a Christian will strive to be like Christ in their works.

A Christian will not be ashamed of Christ.

Mark 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Like Jesus, we will stand up for our Father, content to be against the grain of the world. We will not be driven about by peer pressure and society’s expectations. Our lives are “but a vapor, that appears for a little time, then passes away” (James 4:14). If we love God, we will strive to be like Jesus because this is the right way to be. Jesus loved us before we ever knew His name. We are called to love all – especially our fellow believers in Christ.

1 John 4:20-21 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? (21) And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

I remember years ago at another Church – a sweet assembly like this one – when I was invited to preach revival at a Church in a neighboring county. The Pastor of that Church had – at one time – Pastored the Church that I was now at. When I went to preach at this other Church I had several members at “our Church” upset because of some bitterness they held against this other dear Pastor.

Some of those members left “our Church” because I dared preach at this “other Church”.

This, dear friends, is the spirit, not of God, but of Antichrist. We are called to love as Jesus loved. We are called to love even our enemies. We are called to look to the Cross. Look to Him handing on that terrible Tree. As He hung – struggling to breath, bleeding from numerous wounds – our Lord Jesus prayed:

Luke 23:34 … Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do …

Did Jesus’ words melt the hearts of those who heard Him? No. They “parted his raiment, and cast lots”. They ignored His suffering, and continued in their selfish way of life. This is the way of the lost. The lost are concerned only for themselves. The saved, born again, Spirit filled believer wants to live out their lives for the Lord Jesus.

If you are saved by faith in Christ, your vessel needs to be filled with the love of Christ. If you are saved by faith in Christ, your lips are to speak love, not hate. Your hands are to lift up, not tear down. Your feet are to run toward good and away from evil. This is what God expects of us. We are to be,

Matthew 5:14 … the Light of the world. A city that is set
on a hill cannot be hid.

This is what will change not only America, but our Community and our Church. Let’s be what the Lord has called us to be. Let us be like Jesus in works, not just on Sunday, but every day. For the glory of God. Amen and Amen.

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A Walking Devil

Posted on October 31, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Marek Piwnicki: https://www.pexels.com/photo/red-dark-yellow-animal-13695323/

1 Peter 5:8-11 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. 11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

God’s Not Dead, And The Devil Is Real

The Devil is a real Being, with Real power. The Devil is not a friend, and cannot be befriended by humans. Satanists and Wicca think that the Devil can be tamed by incantations, by beads, by crystals, or by ornate crosses. The Devil cannot be tamed by man. He cannot be befriended. Satan despises the creation of God. He is an “adversary”, the Greek antídikos, {pronounced an-tid’-ee-kos}, your OPPONENT. If you are walking with him, he will give you little trouble. I heard Adrian Rogers say one time,

“If the Devil has never bothered you, it’s because you are
both walking in the same direction and on the same path”.

Someone wrote Billy Graham:

“I know you believe the devil exists, but how do you know? I think people just dreamed up the idea of the devil to try to explain all the bad things that go on in the world. Or maybe it doesn’t make any difference what we believe about him.”

Billy replied:

“It does matter what we believe about the devil — because if we don’t think he exists, or that he’s just a harmless cartoon character running around in a red suit with a pitchfork, then we won’t take him seriously.

And that’s exactly what he hopes we’ll do, because then he can sneak up on us and deceive us with his lies and temptations, without us even being aware of it. Sometimes the devil is open and direct but often he is subtle and deceptive, and we can fall for his schemes without even being aware of it. We’ll only make his work easier if we deny his existence or think he can’t catch us in his snares.”

I believe in God, but I haven’t always believed in God. But Beloved, I’ve ALWAYS believed in the devil.

It is hard to look at the news, on Social Media, or just walking around and watching people in public and NOT believe that there’s a devil. I see his evil every day. Our Lord Jesus believed in the devil. He believed that the devil often hid himself among the religious. Jesus told the Pharisees:

John 8:39-44 (ESV) Jesus said to {the Pharisees}, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Jesus saw the “Devil” as the father of false religion, that is, any religion that LIES and plans MURDER. Jesus’ favorite word for Satan is “Devil”, the Greek diábolos, {pronounced dee-ab’-ol-os}, which means “a trickster, one who loves to verbally attack another, someone who is slanderous or falsely accusing”. This is where the devil excels. When lying to Eve in the Garden of Eden, he slandered God’s goodness and veracity:

Genesis 3:5 (NLT) “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat {the forbidden fruit}, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

We already were like God, for we are made in His image (Genesis 1:27). The devil implied that God was holding back good from His creation – a patent lie!

The Bible gives many names to the Devil. He was originally called Lucifer – meaning “the Morning Star” or “the Bringer of Light” (Isaiah 14:12). Lucifer decided that – on looking at his beauty – that he was as good and powerful as God. He forgot Whose he was. Raising a revolt in Heaven, the Bible tells us in Revelation 12:9,

“This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth
with all his angels.” (NLT)

In the above text you see the other names by which the Devil or Lucifer is known.

  1. He is called Satan 49 times in the Bible. This name is transliterated directly from the Hebrew śāṭān {pronounced saw-tawn’} and the Greek Satanâs {pronounced sat-an-as’}. The name “Satan” means “our adversary; the adversary [of the Kingdom of God]”.
  2. The Devil is called “The Serpent” who deceived Eve, leading to the fall of humanity (Genesis 3:1-4, 13; Revelation 20:2).
  4. He is called Belial 17 times, as in (2 Corinthians 6:15) “what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?”. “Belial” is a transliteration of Belíal, {pronounced bel-ee’-al}, which means “worthlessness, emptiness”.
  5. Another of his names is “Beelzebub”, the Greek Beelzeboúl, {pronounced beh-el-zeb-ool’}, means “lord of the flies, lord of dung or filth”.
  7. The Devil is also called “The Dragon” (Revelation 12:9), which is a beautiful and dangerous fire breathing beast. Out of a dragon’s mouth comes fire, and the Devil’s words are destructive as well as deceiving. The Bible tells us that the Devil led “the third part of the stars of heaven”(Revelation 12:4) to follow him in his rebellion.
  8. Though there are many other names the Devil goes by, he is referred to as “the god of this world”,

2 Corinthians 4:4 … The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Satan is immensely powerful. I am so amused as many of the movies I’ve seen where “priests” have tried to “cast out” the Devil or his demons.

The Devil Is Never Lazy, But Is Focused On His Mission

1 Peter 5:8 … your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour

When the Devil is described in the Scripture, he is never described as lazy or as a procrastinator. The devil is described as doing four things on a regular basis:

Roaring
Walking About
Seeking
Devouring

The Devil ROARS: He uses FEAR and PEER PRESSURE to attempt to control us. A lion does not roar when it is stalking its prey, but ROARS once it’s spotted the prey and wants to spring on it. The ROAR of the lion causes fear and uncertainty, a lapse in judgment that allows the lion to get close enough to feed. The Bible tells us:

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

FEAR does not come from the Spirit filled Christian life. When the Devil began to whisper into Abram’s ear that perhaps he would NOT have a child, for Abram was 99 years old, God told him:

Genesis 15:1 …. Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

Fear is incompatible with the Christian way of life. When John the Revelator looked into Heaven, he was told:

Revelation 21:7-8 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

We all get afraid at times, and at times we all worry. But those who are FILLED WITH FEAR will always follow the Devil’s lead. I love the story and testimony of Gideon in the Bible. Gideon was hiding from the Midianites when God called him.

Judges 6:12-16 (ESV) … the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” 15 And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” 16 And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”

Gideon was afraid, but kept his eyes on the Lord. This is what God calls us to do. We are not to be fear controlled, nor hate controlled, nor evil controlled. Peter tells us:

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober….

Word Study: “Be sober” is the Greek νήφω nḗphō, [pronounced nay’-fo], which means “To be calm, collected, NOT in a state of panic or fear. To be temperate, GOD controlled, knowing WHOSE you are”. In this context, nḗphō does not mean the opposite of intoxication with alcohol, but to be prepared as a Spirit Filled Child of God for battle. We are actually told how to “Be sober” in:

1 Thessalonians 5:4-10 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

To “be sober” (nḗphō) is to first of all to know that you are not to be like the world. The world is in darkness. The world is satanically controlled. You might think that I am out of bounds or intolerant, but this is what the Bible says. Satan is “the god of this world” who has “hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4). How has he blinded the world? By confusing people over human sexuality. By confusing people over human rights. I saw a photo of a young man protesting his student loans, holding up a sign that read:

“Education is a RIGHT, student DEBT is CRIMINAL”

The darkness heeds the roar of the Devil. The darkness basks in his evil, and teaches irresponsibility as well as godlessness. God teaches His Children to be responsible, and to be loving, NOT selfish. We are told in:

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

What else does the Devil do?

THE DEVIL WALKS ABOUT, SEEKING: The Devil never takes a day off. When the Angels came into the Throne-room of God, the Devil walked right in with the rest. We read:

Job 1:7 (NLT) “Where have you come from?” the LORD asked Satan. Satan answered the LORD, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.”

Now the Scripture teaches us that God knows all things. “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” (Psalm 147:5). The reason God asked Satan, “Where have you come from?” is so that we can know what the Devil was doing. The Devil “patrol(s) the earth, watching everything that’s going on”. The Devil watches the Kingdom of God, watching for weaknesses. The Devil was watching David one day,

1 Chronicles 21:1-4 (ESV) Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.” 3 But Joab said, “May the Lord add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord’s servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?” 4 But the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem.

David was lifted up with pride, and wanted to have a count of how many trained soldiers he had. David, like Lucifer, began to think that his successes were because he was so good, instead of understanding all good comes from God. Joab tried to talk him out of it, but David as King prevailed. Joab got a count, and brought it back to David. God punished Israel for David’s foolishness.

Had David been out doing the work God called him to do, he wouldn’t be thinking up census taking and adulterous acts with another man’s wife (Bathsheba). The devil is constantly plotting – and we need to keep on doing what God has told us to do.

1 Peter 5:8 … {The Devil always} walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour:

How Do We Overcome The Devil? Jesus Shows Us How

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant

Word Study: As God’s people we are to “be vigilant”. This is the Greek grēgoreúō, {pronounced gray-gor-yoo’-o}, which means “to keep awake, to be watchful”. Jesus told us to be watchful for His return:

Matthew 24:42 Watch grēgoreúō therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

But also to be watchful for the enemy. The Apostle told us:

1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch ye grēgoreúō, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

Our focus should be on what Jesus told us to do, and we should be doing His will with all our might. The Devil loves a lazy Christian and a lazy Church. We are in a battle for the souls of mankind, and Satan is not backing down, no, not one little bit. But we are also to realize this:

1 Peter 5:9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

We are to resist Satan “in the faith”. Our focus must be on what our God has taught us in the Scripture. Some Christians have become the Devil’s playthings, because they are lazy in study of the Holy Scripture. The Apostle Paul wrote his emissary Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:15-17 …. from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

We resist the Devil not by our power, but through the power of God’s Word and His Spirit.

The Christian reliant upon God’s Word
and His Spirit cannot be defeated.

1 John 4:4 … greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6). Jesus Christ Him self DID NOT defeat Satan in His own power. How did He defeat Satan? When led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested of the Devil (Matthew 4:1) our Savior DID NOT ONCE use the pronoun “I”. Not once. NOT ONCE. Listen to how Jesus defeated Satan:

Matthew 4:3-4 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

The Devil tempted Jesus with His need for food. Satan often tempts us with our natural, even normal, needs. It is normal for Jesus – God become Man – to be hungry after 40 days without food. Satan’s request seems quite reasonable. “You, Jesus, are the Son of God. Make these stones into bread”. Jesus didn’t reason with the Devil, but quoted Scripture:

Deuteronomy 8:3 {God} humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

But the Devil doesn’t stop here. We read:

Matthew 4:5-7 the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Again, this seems quite reasonable. I know a few years ago when LGBTQS2 proponents demanded same sex marriage become the Law of the land, that which was being pushed was “We want our freedom – but it won’t effect anybody BUT us”. Many bought into that lie. Now the LGBTQS2 movement has invaded our schools, our colleges, our televisions and movies, our sports, our businesses, and is even targeting our Churches. As the old saying goes,

Give the devil an inch, and he’ll be the Ruler!

Jesus knew better. He quoted out of Deuteronomy 6:16, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah”. But the Devil was not finished. We read:

Matthew 4:8-10 the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

This time Jesus quoted

Deuteronomy 6:13-14 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you

Three strikes and the Devil was OUT! Jesus did not use human reasoning nor His own abilities to chase Satan away. Jesus used the Word of God. The Word of God that defeated the Devil in the wilderness will defeat the Devil in the city. Learn the Word of God. Apply the Word of God. Live your lives by the Word of God. This is where the power of the Christian is – in the Scripture and in the Spirit of God. May God be glorified by this message, and may others be led to Christ through this His Word. Amen and Amen!

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Is Your Salvation FORGED By God Or a FORGERY Of Religion?

Posted on October 30, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Ron Lach : https://www.pexels.com/photo/lamp-on-deck-behind-bars-10473678/

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter eight. The message God put on my heart for you is:

Is Your Salvation FORGED By God, Or A FORGERY?

Opening: That may seem like a strange question, but I think its a very important question you MUST ask yourself before you leave this room. God doesn’t want you guessing about your salvation. We are told in 1 John 5:13, “These things (the Scripture) I have written to you, that you may KNOW you have eternal life”. God wants you to KNOW that you are saved. Not just religious, but saved.

“What’s the difference?”, you ask. I’m glad you asked!

Illustrate: The other day I went to Ollies – a local discount store – because they sent me a 15% off coupon for a complete purchase. You know me – I love free or discounted. I had bought a non-stick copper pan that was supposed to last forever from Ollies. “Forever” is about 3 years. Having received this discount I headed toward Ollies. Finding the newest “you can never scratch it, even if you throw it in a volcano” frying pan, I headed toward the checkout with my coupon and pan. I got in the shorter line.

Thank goodness, because “Religion” was in the longer line.

Religion is the devil’s tool. Religion has little to no love for God, and certainly loves only its follower. Religion attacked Jesus when He walked this earth. Religion persecuted the early Church. Religion crucified, stoned, and beheaded the Apostles. Religion boiled the Apostle John in oil. I can always spot religion.

Religion loves rituals, not relationships.

Religion is two people arguing in Ollies – not about salvation through Jesus – but on whether you should worship God on Saturday or Sunday. One believed you worship God only on Saturday. The other, on Sunday. Me, I think EVERYDAY!

As these two argued, I never – NEVER – heard them mention the name of Jesus, the Cross, or the empty Tomb. Let me talk for just a minute about the “Sabbath”, the seventh day of the week. Beloved, the שַׁבָּת Shabbâth, {pronounced. Shab-bawth} was NEVER given to the Gentiles, but to the Old Covenant Jew. Israel under the Old Covenant was commanded to have a WEEKLY Shabbâth (Exodus 20:8-9), a SPECIAL Shabbâth during the ceremonial feasts (Exodus 12:16; Leviticus 23; Numbers 28:18, 25-26; Numbers 29), and a YEARLY Shabbâth every seventh year (Leviticus 25:2; Exodus 23:11; Leviticus 25:4). If you’ll study your Bibles you’ll find that …

Only NINE of the Ten Commandments are given to all Christians in the New Testament. The command to keep Shabbâth, {Shab-bawth} is NOT given to the Church. We worship JESUS CHRIST on SUNDAY for He ROSE FROM THE GRAVE on day.
(Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9)

Did the Apostles worship on the Shabbâth in the Jewish Synagogue? Yes, they did. Why? So they could share Jesus Christ with the Jews. The Apostles also preached the Gospel on the First Day of the week (Acts 20:7), taking up offerings on that day (1 Corinthians 16:2).

Our Lord Jesus did not strictly keep Shabbâth when He walked this earth, for He went about doing good on that day. Jesus told the Pharisees:

Matthew 12:8 … the Son of Man (that’s Jesus) is Lord of the Sabbath.

Mark 2:27 … The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

God gave the Jews Shabbâth so they would rest one day in seven. Shabbâth was never given to the Church. The Apostle Paul wrote:

Colossians 2:16-17 Let no {one} therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

As Christians we are free to worship God EVERYDAY. We gather on Sunday because our Lord rose from the grave that day. If you want to gather on Saturday, then do it! There’s nothing wrong with that! But Christians should always remember that – in spite of our differences – we are to “go {into the world} and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). If you want to have a LOUD discussion in Ollies, make sure you are talking about SALVATION IN JESUS. It doesn’t matter if you’re doctrinally correct. It doesn’t matter what day you gather with other Christians. What matters is that you are in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, that God is your Father, and the Holy Spirit your constant Companion.

How Can I Distinguish RELIGIOUS FORGERY from
GOD’S FORGED Faith?

Please write this down: Religion always violates the basic Royal Law of love. Always.

Acts 8:1-3 And Saul was consenting unto {the Deacon Stephen’s} death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the Apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling {literally dragging} men and women {Saul} committed them to prison.

Saul is a Pharisee, a member of the Ruling Council of the Jews in Jerusalem. Saul is RELIGIOUS. What does Saul do? Saul is instrumental in killing Stephen. Saul is RELIGIOUS, Stephen is a CHRISTIAN.

Religion kills. Religion “persecutes the Church”.
Religion “scatters” and “makes havoc”.
Religion “imprisons”.

Religion is NOT honest. Religion bribes false witnesses (Acts 6:11, 13) to tell lies. Religion was in the Garden of Eden in the mouth of a Serpent, hissing lies, saying, “You will not die if you disobey God. When you eat of this tree, God knows you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). Religion looks good on the outside, but “inside is full of dead men’s bones” (Matthew 23:27). Religion does not love either God nor man. Religion twists the commandments of God.

After help execute “Blasphemous Stephen”(Acts 7:59-60), Religious Saul volunteers to head the cleanup committee of the Council. Saul is of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Pharisee (Philippians 3:5). Saul trained at the feet of the famous Rabbi Gamaliel, and was taught according to the perfect manner of the Law (Acts 22:3). If you asked Saul if he was going to go to Heaven, he would have said “Absolutely”. If you were to ask him why he thought he was going to Heaven, Saul would have said “I am a Pharisee of the Pharisees. I keep all the rituals, all the feasts. I never miss Synagogue (Church).

Acts 8:3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling {sýrō, [pronounced soo’-ro], DRAGGING} men and women committed them to prison.

Saul brutalized the Church. Saul was certain that he was Heaven bound. After all, he kept the Law. He was doing what the High Priest of Israel was telling him to do. He was sincere in his methods. That’s what religion looks like. It is brutal. Religion means well, but missed the mark of God.

FAITH FORGED BY GOD endures the attacks of religion.

Acts 8:4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

Religion drove the early Christians away from Jerusalem, the religious capital of Israel. But the early Christians – saved by the Grace of God – baptized in obedience to Christ their Savior – went our sharing the Gospel. Jesus told us:

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Persecution and trial never destroys saving faith, but grows it, forges it into something greater and stronger to glory of God. Genuine faith NEVER gives up, because Jesus won’t let us give up.

1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome {the spirit of Antichrist}: BECAUSE greater is HE that is in you, than he that is in the world …

Acts 8:5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria {where the Gentiles are}, and preached Christ unto them.

Samaria is a religious stronghold. Philip, empowered by God the Holy Spirit, goes to a thoroughly pagan area and preaches. What are the results?

Acts 8:6-8 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.

There was “great joy in that city”. Where people hear the Gospel and turn to Jesus as Lord and Savior, God brings JOY into their hearts. People are looking for JOY today through their religion. Some are religious WOKE. Others are religious SENSUOUS. Yet others are religious EPICUREAN. Oh, there are thousands upon thousands of religions. These religions do not bring joy. Do you know what brings joy? A life surrendered to Jesus Christ. When you are saved by faith in Christ, God sends His Holy Spirit into your life. Once the Spirit comes, He blesses your life with:

Galatians 5:22-23 … the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance

When you meet and receive Jesus Christ in love, Jesus uses His Spirit to produce the fruit of the Spirit in your life. The religious are filled with JOY over what they know. The Christ follower is filled with JOY over WHO they know. The testimony of the Christian is:

Romans 5:11 … we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

There is GREAT JOY in that city, for people found the Lord Jesus and believed on Him.

Acts 8:9-11 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which before time in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: 10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. 11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.

Do you see that BUT? Anytime God’s people are reaching out, anytime the Gospel has any success at all, the devil will rear up his head against it. The Chief Apostle is called Simon Peter, because Jesus gave him the name Peter or Cephas. I suspect Jesus renamed Simon Peter because the Lord knew that one day His people would meet another kind of Simon. This Simon is a sorcerer. God forbade His people Israel from having anything to do with sorcerers (see Deuteronomy 18:10-12). These people – men and women – are the devil’s preachers. They are in league with Satan. Satan often gives these people the ability to do “power, and signs, and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). These people are spoken of in the New Testament, saying:

Revelation 16:14 … they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

Simon was a RELIGIOUS man, but he was not a RIGHTEOUS man. He had power, but his power was not from Jesus Christ, but from a fallen angel named Lucifer. The Bible says that “Simon bewitched the people with sorceries” (Acts 8:11). Simon had quite a following, and he loved the attention he was getting.

Then Phillip came along, preaching the Gospel of salvation. We read:

Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

The crowds believed in what Philip preached. What did he preach? He preached Christ, and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). He preached “Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to God the Father but by HIM” (John 14:6). Philip “was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Philip preached the simple Gospel Peter preached:

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

What a glorious Gospel Message we have been given. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Simon Believed … Or Did He?

The Bible now tells us:

Acts 8:13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.

It seemed to be a miracle! Here was a man involved in sorceries, but now He “himself believed also”. Now you might say, “well, Simon must be saved. He believed what Philip said, and Simon was publicly baptized, acknowledging Jesus as his Savior”. Was he saved?

The Apostles Peter and John come from Jerusalem to pray for these new converts. In the beginning of the Church while the Apostles walked the earth, the Spirit was often given by the laying on of hands. I could preach a whole sermon on what’s happening here, but I’m afraid I don’t have the time. Suffice it to say that Jesus wanted His Apostles explaining the indwelling Holy Spirit to the early Church Christian. This is what we see in:

Acts 8:15-17 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy {Spirit}: 16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy {Spirit}.

What did Simon do when he saw this laying on of hands? We read:

Acts 8:18-19 … when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy {Spirit} was given, he offered them money, 19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy {spirit}.

We read earlier that Simon believed. But did he really? He believed, after a sort. But his faith was NOT saving faith, for it did not change or impact his life. The stepbrother of Jesus wrote:

James 2:19-20 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Saving faith is always – ALWAYS – accompanied by a change of heart toward self and sin.Simon is ME centered.When Zacchaeus, a Tax Collector was saved by believing on Jesus Christ, he said:

Luke 19:8 … Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

Zacchaeus faith was genuine, because he received Jesus Christ as LORD, and stopped worshiping money (Luke 19:9-10). Salvation does not make a person perfect, but salvation puts love of God in a person’s heart. Zacchaeus’ faith was real, but Simon’s was fake. The Bible tells us about fake faith in:

John 2:23-25 Now when {Jesus} was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. 24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

Word Study: The Bible tells us “many believed in {Jesus} name”. They believed that Jesus could do miracles. They believed that Jesus could heal the sick. But they DID NOT believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, the Lord of Heaven. The King James tells us that “Jesus did not commit himself unto them”. The word rendered “commit” is the Greek pisteúō, {pronounced pist-yoo’-o}, which was translated in the earlier verse as “believed”. The text says:

“they BELIEVED in Jesus name when they saw the miracles He did, but
JESUS DID NOT BELIEVE IN THEM”

The saved person – truly saved – is the “workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). When you get saved, God comes into your life. He begins to work in you. This is why the Bible says:

Philippians 2:12-13 … work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

God begins working in the life of the saved. “Let him that stole steal no more” (Ephesians 4:28). A person is changed, and daily more changed, to be less like the darkness and more like the light. The Apostle told the Thessalonians:

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

Faith That Is A Forgery Will Not Save

Peter told Simon:

Acts 8:20-23 Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. 21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. 23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.

When Simon heard these words, he was not angry at Peter. He simply told the Apostle:

Acts 8:24 … Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

Simon did not even attempt to pray for himself. Why? Because he had NO relationship with God. God was not Simon’s Savior and Lord – money was, and power was. God was not Simon’s Father. Jesus did not die on Calvary for Simon, because he did not believe on Him.

I believe that there are many who profess Christ, but when they leave this life they will never meet Him. Jesus calls to whosoever will, saying:

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

May God move on your life in such a way that you have assurance of your salvation. Do not leave this place today with a forgery of faith. May God the Holy Spirit bring you to Him Who alone can save, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen and Amen!

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About Paradise

Posted on October 28, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Asad Photo Maldives: https://www.pexels.com/photo/green-coconut-trees-457876/

Luke 23:36-43 the soldiers also mocked {Jesus}, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, 37 And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. 38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, This Is The King Of The Jews. 39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

As Jesus hung on the Cross dying for our sins, He did not suffer just from the nails – but from the mocking crowd around Him. To be right, and know you’re right, and yet to be accused of wrong, is one of the worse sensations in the world. Jesus knew He was right. He knew He was the Messiah. And yet, as Jesus hung from the Cross, He said nothing in His defense. This was prophesied by Isaiah:

Isaiah 53:7 (ESV) He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

The soldiers mocked Jesus. “If You are really the King of the Jews, save Yourself!”. Jesus said nothing. They offered Jesus “vinegar” – actually “vinegar mingled with gall” (Matthew 27:34). This was actually a small kindness, this offering of vinegar. The “gall” or myrrh (see Mark 15:23) was a substance that – mingled with weak alcohol or vinegar – dulled the pain of crucifixion. Jesus refused the vinegar the first time it was offered. Why? Because the Bible says:

1 Peter 2:24 {Jesus} his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Jesus paid the full penalty for our sins. It was not until later – after Jesus bore our penalty – that He allowed Himself to drink some of this drugged vinegar (John 19:28). This, too was prophesied of the Messiah:

Psalm 69:21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

The soldiers mocked Jesus. The Cross He hung on mocked Jesus.

Luke 23:38 a superscription also was written over {Jesus} in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, This Is The King Of The Jews

This was Pilate’s way of taking a dig at the Jewish Leaders (whom he hated), and lightly mocking Jesus. When criminals were executed by the Romans, a sign was usually placed above their head to tell all what their crime was. Jesus’ crime was “This Is The King Of The Jews”. Some passing by would read this sign and suppose that Jesus tried to lead an insurrection against Roman Authority. Pilate mocked Jesus.

Jesus was mocked by one of the two criminals that hung on Crosses next to Him. “If thou be Christ, save thyself and us”. The thief or murderer – we don’t know exactly what his crime was – was mocking Jesus. Then the other “malefactor” {Greek κακοῦργος kakoûrgos, [pronounced kak-oor’-gos], meaning}”evil doer” spoke up. This man speaks a number of words, to which Jesus replies:

Luke 23:43 … Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Now that’s what I want to talk about tonight. Jesus said NOTHING when He was nailed to the Cross, and NOTHING when He was mocked. But when one of the malefactors asked Jesus “remember me when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom”, Jesus replies with “TODAY shalt thou be with Me in Paradise”.

What Was “Paradise”? What Is “Paradise”?

The word “Paradise” is found three times in the New Testament. It is found in Jesus’ words to the thief (“Today shalt thou be with me in paradise”). It is found in:

2 Corinthians 12:2-4 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

“Paradise” is also called “the third Heaven”. The FIRST Heaven is the atmosphere around our earth (see 2 Samuel 21:10; Daniel 4:33), our skies. The SECOND Heaven is outer space, where the stars are (see Genesis 15:5; 22:17; Exodus 32:13). The THIRD Heaven is – at the time Paul wrote 2 Corinthians 12, the abode of God Himself.

In the Old Testament under the Old Covenant, people became saved by faith in God. The Scripture says,

Genesis 15:6 And {Abram} believed the Lord, and {the Lord} counted it to Him as righteousness.

Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness

Abraham, David, Moses, Isaac, Jacob – all of the Old Testament believers did NOT go to the Third Heaven upon dying. Under the Old Covenant, God gave Israel a system of animal sacrifice and blood offering to temporarily cover their sins. God told His Old Covenant believers:

Leviticus 17:11 the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that the animal sacrifices were but temporary, shadows of the coming Messiah. We are told:

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

It was NOT POSSIBLE for the blood of an animal to take away our sins. Why? Because WE ARE NOT ANIMALS. We are humans, created in the image of God. Believers under the Old Covenant temporarily covered their sins with animal sacrifice. Our Lord Jesus came from Heaven to take away the first animal sacrifices by becoming the once and for all Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world (Hebrews 10:9-10, 12). The Old Testament Saint was saved by believing on God’s promise of the future Messiah. But as animal blood was but a temporary offering for sin, when the Old Testament Saint died they did not go to “Heaven” but to “Abraham’s Bosom”.

Animal Sacrifice Was Not A Key
That Brought Anyone Into Heaven

If animal sacrifice were suitable for salvation, then it was a waste of time, and a terrible cruelty, to send Jesus Christ to this earth to die on the Cross. But the Bible makes it clear that the Blood of Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ ALONE makes payment for sin. Christ was incarnated as Jesus, that is, Eternal God became perfect Man:

Galatians 4:4-6 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. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

It is the Blood of Jesus that covers our sins. It is the Blood of Jesus that sends the Holy Spirit to indwell and adopt us. The Lord Jesus declared:

John 14:6 I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father BUT BY ME.

Our Lord Jesus came from Heaven to this earth to live a sinless life (see Hebrews 4:15; 1 John 3:5), so that He could die for our sins (see Romans 5:8; John 1:29). Jesus did this in submission to the Father’s will (see Matthew 26:39; Luke 22:42; Acts 2:23). It is His Blood and His Blood alone that gives us entrance into Heaven:

1 Peter 1:18-19 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:

No one can “come to the Father, but by Jesus” (John 14:6). The Old Testament Saint, at death, did not ascend into Heaven. Our Lord Jesus told Nicodemus:

John 3:13 … no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

No one ascended into Heaven after death until Jesus returned to Heaven, having paid for our sins on the Cross.

The Old Testament Saint did not go to Heaven, but to Abraham’s Bosom. This is why when Jesus told the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, He said:

Luke 16:22-23 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

“Abraham’s Bosom” was a place of comfort and waiting that the Old Covenant Believer went to before Messiah went to Calvary. Once Jesus made total atonement for our sins, He “descended first into the lower parts of the earth” (Ephesians 4:8-10) to “lead captivity captive”.

I believe that the Old Covenant Saints were in Abraham’s Bosom when Jesus appeared. Presenting Himself as Messiah, He led the Old Testament Saints into the third Heaven or Paradise. Before Jesus went to the Cross, Hades or Hell had two compartments. Billy Graham notes in his sermon “Is There A Hell?”:

“And this story {of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16}, the word hell is used, translated hell in our authorized version, though it’s actually Hades, because Hades was in two compartments apparently: one was called Paradise, and one was called the place of torment. And they could apparently see across the gulf between each other.”

Evangelist Andrew Wommack notes:

“Even though these Old Testament saints were blessed, they were not able to enter into the presence of the Lord because the atonement of Christ had not been completed. So, in that sense, they were captives. When Jesus died, He descended into ‘Sheol’ and took the captives captive. He took them to heaven, into the very presence of God and vacated that part of ‘Sheol.’ Now, all that’s left in ‘Sheol’ is hell. In the New Testament, the Greek word that is used to refer to this area is ‘Hades’ and it is only applied to the place of torment.”

No one entered into Heaven proper until Jesus Christ
made payment for our sins.

When you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you leave this life to go not to Abraham’s Bosom, but Paradise or the Third Heaven.

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

How Does One Get To Paradise?

We are clearly shown how to get to Heaven in our focal text.

Luke 23:40-41 … the other {malefactor} answering {his friend} rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

First, you must REPENT to be saved.

The Gospel message is, “Repent ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). The word “Repent” is the Greek compound metanoeō, which means “to change the mind”. One malefactor mocked Jesus, but the other malefactor changed his mind about his life and his culpability. He said “we are suffering JUSTLY”. He did not see his crucifixion as a mistake, a miscarriage of justice, but rather something he and his companion richly deserved. Notice that this believer was clearly supportive of Jesus. Jesus said:

Mark 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Luke 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord

Second, You must receive Jesus as LORD and Savior.

The Bible tells us in,

Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJV) Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I have heard preachers say that you can receive Jesus Christ as Savior alone and you’ll be saved. I do not believe the Scripture supports this. The Lordship of Christ is central to the redemptive work of the Cross. The Bible says:

Romans 14:8-9 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

Jesus Christ both LORD and SAVIOR of His people. Dr. R.G. Lee said in his sermon “The Name Above Every Name”:

“When the Caesars and Charlemagne, the Napoleons and Wellingtons and their so-called splendid victories are forgotten, the multitudinous trophies of His saving power, in enjoyment of His endless fruits of His blood-bought victories, will sing the praises of His peerless name. There never was a name like the name of Jesus — so representative of sacrificial love at its best. And someday, ‘every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord — to the glory of God the Father.”

Third, You must cast your life wholly upon Jesus.

Luke 23:42 … he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

This new believer does not ask Jesus to get him off of the Cross as his companion did. He just asks that Jesus “remember” him when the Lord gets to His Kingdom. When Joseph, imprisoned in Egypt for a crime he didn’t do, interpreted a dream for the Chief Cupbearer, he asked him:

Genesis 40:14 … think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this {prison}

Sadly, the Chief Butler/ Cupbearer forgot all about Joseph once freed from prison, and did not remember him until much later (see Genesis 40:23). The Chief Butler was, I’m sure, a good man. But unlike the Chief Butler and his forgetfulness, Jesus told the believer:

Luke 23:43 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.

Paradise is the place where Jesus is. Jesus said,

John 12:26 (ESV) If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

The Bible tells us that, at the end of time, there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth. John the Revelator wrote,

Revelation 21:1-4 I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Before Jesus went to the Cross, Paradise was in Abraham’s Bosom. After Jesus went to the Cross, Paradise in in the Third Heaven with our Lord. But at the end of time, Paradise will not just be in Heaven, but it will be on earth. The New Jerusalem will come down from Heaven, and from this place Jesus will rule and reign. I am so ready for Jesus to return. How about you?

May God touch your hearts with this, His Word. If Jesus is not to you Lord and Savior, I pray that today will be the day you give yourself to Him. In the power of the Holy Spirit, and for the glory of our God. Amen and Amen.

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The New Covenant Of The Heart

Posted on October 24, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Ehioma Osih: https://www.pexels.com/photo/coffee-cup-seen-through-heart-out-of-book-pages-9880585/

Jeremiah 31:31-34 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Jeremiah was known as the “Weeping Prophet”. He wept because – though he spoke the Word of the Lord – neither Israel nor Judah would not hear him. There is nothing more trying than to be a spokesman for God, and yet none hear you. I often think of that old saint Noah who, preaching for 120 years, had no one willing to ride on his Ark but 7 family members and a bunch of animals. Jeremiah had worst to deal with. Israel and Judah had so hardened their hearts that God could not reach them, though Jeremiah tried his best. The problem was not Jeremiah, nor Noah.

The problem was and has always been the human heart.

When God saves, He saves by and because of Grace

Look in verse 31. God is speaking to “the house of Israel, and … the house of Judah”. God saved these two “houses”, the Hebrew בַּיִת bayith, {pronounced bah’-yith}. This word is used to describe a “family”, as in “The Bayith of Buffaloe” (my family name). Israel is divided into two families at this writing. Now, this was not the way it was supposed to be. God said that He was going to make a NEW Covenant with the two houses of Jews – Israel and Judah – a covenant distinctly different from

Jeremiah 31:32 … the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt;

First of all, who was Judah and Israel when God first met those families, those peoples? They were a people in Egypt. The Bible says that one King of Egypt died. Judah and Israel were not TWO in Egypt, but they were one House, one bayith. The Bible tells us:

Exodus 1:8, 11, 13 (ESV) Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. … 11 .. Therefore {the Egyptians} set taskmasters over {the Jews/ Israel} to afflict them with heavy burdens. .. 13 {the Egyptians} ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

Judah and Israel were only ONE Household in Egypt. They were a household of SLAVES. I think there is nothing worst than being a slave. To be taken against your will, to be made to do any labor, any debauched or evil thing, made to obey the voice of the Master. To be beaten, and tormented, and killed as no more than a beast of burden. To be sexually abused, at the whim of the Taskmasters. What a horror slavery is!

God brought Israel and his family of twelve sons to Egypt to bless them, and to care for them. They came to an Egypt co-ruled by their brother Joseph (remember, him who had the coat of many colors?). God loved Israel, the Father of that nation. God loved Israel the nation, and called them to love Him. God told Israel:

Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (ESV) It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers …

God loved Israel because of the promise He made to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3). God loved Israel because Abraham loved God, and in love God promised Abraham an Israel, a Messiah, and a blessing to all the families of the earth. God did not call Israel because they were worthy. Oh, no, God does not call the worthy. God told Israel before leading them into the Promised Land:

Deuteronomy 9:6 (ESV) … the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people.

God approached Israel in love. In love, God sent Israel and his twelve sons to Egypt. And Israel, placed in a wonderful land and in a great place to grow, grew into millions and into a nation.

And Israel forgot to love God. They grew cold in their love for God.

Wandering away from the love of God, Israel found herself enslaved, horribly enslaved. God spoke to Israel, saying:

Jeremiah 2:14, 17, 19-20 (ESV) Is Israel a slave? Is he a home-born servant? Why then has he become a prey? 17 Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the Lord your God, when he led you in the way? Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the Lord your God; the fear of me is not in you, declares the Lord God of hosts. 20 “For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said, ‘I will not serve.’ Yes, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a whore.

Israel drifted away from the love of God, and in drifting away from the love of God, they drifted away from loving one another. Israel began to worship the gods and goddesses of Egypt, ignoring the God Who saved them.

When they drifted away, God stayed right where He always is. Beloved, when you drift away from God’s love, when you forget that it is He Who saves, and He saved you though you are unworthy, God does not leave. But when we begin to absorb the gods of the land:

sexual immorality with its consequences (abortion, disease, abandoned children)
sensual immorality (drunkenness, drug addiction, early death & disease)
social immorality (perversion of Biblical marriage & family)
soulish immorality (wokeness, gender dysphoria, racism)
surgical immorality (intentional defilement of the human body)

we harden our hearts to the love of God. As Israel became acclimated to Egypt, normalizing the false worship, God was there but He stopped blessing Israel. Let us learn a lesson from this. Compromise with the darkness, with that which God considers evil, will always boomerang and end up hurting the compromiser. Israel became brutally enslaved. The Bible says:

Exodus 2:23-24 (ESV) … the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning …

Don’t you love the love of God? Though Israel messed up their lives and caused themselves to be enslaved, when they cried out to God, “God heard their groaning”. Oh, our God is SO GOOD. “Truly God is good to Israel” (Psalm 73:1). God told Israel and Judah:

Jeremiah 31:32 … I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt…

Though Israel had turned from God, when they turned back to God and cried out for rescue, God said “I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt”.

God did not send an angel to save Israel. God Himself came to save Israel. God Himself saves His people.

God took them by the hand. They were in a deep place – a pit – that they could not climb out of. But God stooped down and “took them by the hand”. God did not leave them in Egypt, enslaved and mistreated. God took them out. He took them away from there, and led them toward the Promised Land. The Bible says:

Exodus 13:21 (ESV) … the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.

God Himself became the GPS for Israel. Israel left Egypt with but one law – love and follow God. This is what the Grace of the Bible is all about. God is to be our focus. What did our Lord Jesus called “The Great Commandment”?

Matthew 22:36-40 (ESV) … You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

You are to love God FIRST, above all else. Why? Why should God be our FIRST love? Because like Israel, we are unworthy. We are weak. Yet God love us still. If we love God because of Who He is, then we will love our neighbor as we love ourselves, for we are all made in the image of God. Every life has value. Every life is precious. From the conceived in the womb, to the oldest person in a nursing facility, that life is precious. God loves, and loves them still.

God led Israel by pillar of cloud and pillar of fire. It was God, not an angel. It was God, not a phenomena or a miracle. The Apostle Paul talked about this “cloud” in:

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 (ESV) For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud,{the Pillar of Cloud} and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud {the Pillar of Cloud} and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.

The Messiah – God the Son – was in the Cloud, in the Fire, and in the Rock that gave Israel water in the wilderness.

How did Israel repay God’s love? Did they love Him back? Did they rejoice that the Christ, the Messiah, the Great Shepherd watched over them? No, they didn’t.

Jeremiah 31:32 … my covenant they brake, although I was an Husband unto them, saith the Lord:

Word Study: God was a “Husband” to Israel, to every person in that nation. God saved them all equally. They followed God to salvation. What is interesting about the Hebrew for “Husband” here isבָּעַל bâʻal, {pronounced baw-al’}, which means “to be married to another, to love and cherish and look over, as a man should properly do for his wife”. Yet Israel broke the Covenant of love. Though God was bâʻal {pronounced baw-al’} to Israel, each time the going got tough Israel did not look to their “Husband”, but to false gods, to serve Baal (Hebrew בַּעַל Baʻal, {pronounced bah’-al}, the false gods of Egypt and Canaan. If you’ll notice, both Hebrew words are very close to being the same – and yet, they are not. Israel turned from following God to following the made up gods of Egypt and Canaan.

So God took Israel to Mount Sinai,
& gave them The Law through Moses.

Israel would not follow God by love, so God gave Israel the Mosaic Law. The Mosaic Law given on Sinai had Moral Laws (which are hard wired into the human conscience), as well as Civil Laws and Ceremonial Laws that were given only to Israel.

This is why our Bibles are divided into “Old Testament” or “Old Covenant” and “New Testament” or “New Covenant”. The FIRST Covenant of God is a Covenant of Love, a Covenant that says “Follow God and put Him first, not because you have to, but because He loves you, infinitely loves you”. The great American preacher Gardner Taylor said:

“If you are in Jesus Christ, you are on the right road. Don’t let anybody turn you around. I am as certain as I stand here that there is no other way to life, life radiant, life glorious, life triumphant, except in Jesus Christ …. if you’re in Christ, you’re on the right road”.

Israel followed Christ out of Egypt (for He is the Pillar of Cloud and Fire), and were safe, protected, and provided for. But then Israel began to lose their focus. They PUT THEMSELVES FIRST instead of the Lord. So the Lord gave them the Law on Sinai. The Apostle Paul tells us why God gave us the Law:

Galatians 3:19 (ESV) Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made…

The Law was given because Israel refused to follow Christ in love. The Law reflected the perfect holiness of God. The Law demanded animal sacrifices, and the sprinkling of blood shed. The Law regulated the diet and life of Israel, and specified when and where worship must be given.

The Law was a Taskmaster, and Enslaver of God’s people. The Apostle said:

Galatians 3:21-23 (ESV) … if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.

Oh, this is so good! God gave Israel the Mosaic Law. The Law could not give life. The Law could not save. But the Law acted as a TASKMASTER that would whip Israel until, like they did when the Egyptian Taskmasters whipped them, they would call out to God. It was God’s plan to ALWAYS SAVE BY FAITH. We are saved by love, by putting God first – not because we HAVE to, but because we WANT to.

Illustrate: I have a little game I play with Sherry, my beloved wife. She sometimes will ask me for something, and I’ll reply, “Sure. I’ll be glad to do this. Just fill out a form (I’ll make up a number here) in triplicate, all signed, and I’ll get right on it.” Instead of getting a “form” (which is but a joke), I usually get a poke in the ribs for my silliness. Wives do not have to fill out a form to get their husbands to do something. I serve my wife – not because I HAVE TO – but because I LOVE HER AND WANT TO.

So it is with God.

God does not want us serving Him because we HAVE to. He wants us walking with Him because we LOVE HIM, because we WANT TO. Some of you are in Church today because you feel you HAVE TO BE. Well, that’s fine. The Bible does say “NOT FORSAKING the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more as you see the day {of judgment} approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). It’s good to assemble together as God’s Church. But if you’re here because you HAVE to be, not because you WANT to be, then how much good will you get out of it? If your hearts aren’t in it, what good is it?

What did the Law do for Israel? It exposed the hardness of their hearts to God. Go back to our text:

Jeremiah 31:31-33 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel;

Israel started out as ONE house, ONE nation. But when God addressed them He spoke of a “new covenant” He was going to make with “the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah”. They were ONE house when they followed God in love, but are now TWO houses – Israel and Judah. What happened?

Though Israel was given the Law, the Law had no power to change their hearts. It was a measuring stick, a ruler to show them how how Holy God is. But the Law did nothing to change the heart. When King Solomon died, his son Rehoboam reigned in Solomon’s stead (1 Kings 11:43). Now God told His people, ALL of His people,

Deuteronomy 6:5 … thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

This is the GREAT COMMANDMENT. God also told His people in the Law:

Leviticus 19:18 … thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the Lord.

This is the heartbeat of the Law. Love God with your ALL. Love your neighbor the way you want to be loved. That’s it! When Rehoboam became King the ten northern tribes of Israel came to him, and asked the King to lower their taxes (1 Kings 12:4). The Ten Northern tribes were suffering, and asked their brother to alleviate their suffering. Do you know what Rehoboam did? He told the Ten Tribes:

1 Kings 12:11 (ESV) … my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.

Anytime I see trouble in a nation or in a Church, it’s when we have “I problems”. Rehoboam was lifted up by pride because he was king. Rather than love his people, and treat others with the respect that he wanted to be treated with, he made himself NUMBER ONE.

When you make yourself NUMBER ONE, you automatically
make God and Others NUMBER TWO.

That day the Ten nations walked away from Judah, the ruling tribe of Israel. What was “Israel” became “Israel and Judah”. The Ten Northern tribes went to Samaria, and set up headquarters there. The Ten Northern tribes also stopped worshiping God, but began to worship the false gods and goddesses of Canaan.

God was not pleased.

Israel was TWO, though she was to become ONE. How would she become ONE? God said:

Jeremiah 31:33-34 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel;After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

God said “I’m going to make the TWO (Israel and Judah) into the ONE (Israel)”. How was He going to do this? By making a NEW COVENANT with Israel, a NEW COVENANT with His people. Some 600 years before Jesus came to this earth, Jeremiah prophesied of His coming.

God stooped to lead Israel out of Egypt by His hand.
God stooped again in Jesus Christ.

Born of a virgin (Matthew 1:23) in a manger in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1), Christ became Jesus, and this God/Man came to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). When you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior:

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

When we believe that He is the Messiah – the Pillar of Cloud and Pillar of Fire – the One Promised Who would write the Law on our hearts – then He does this. God sends His Holy Spirit into the life of those who receive Jesus (John 14:26; 1 Thessalonians 4:8; Romans 8:9). God writes His Law – the Law of Love – on our hearts.

Our Lord Jesus is God bringing the New Covenant
to us who believe.

How do I know this? Because of the Lord’s Table. The Bible tells us that, at the first Lord’s Table,

Luke 22:19-20 … {Jesus} took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Though the King James renders this “New Testament” (διαθήκη diathḗkē, {pronounced dee-ath-ay’-kay]), it means the same thing. A “testament” or “covenant” is a legal document that binds two parties to one conscience and direction. When you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, God sends his Spirit to your heart. God prophesied of the New Covenant in …

Ezekiel 36:26-27 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh 27 And I will put My Spirit in you, and move you to follow My decrees ….

God writes His love in the hearts of those who come to Christ. God writes in our hearts “not with ink, but with the Spirit of the Living God; not on tables of stone {like the Law was}, but in fleshly tablets of the heart”. Do you know the proof of salvation? It is that you love God. Not because you HAVE to, but because you WANT to. Do you know the proof of salvation? It is because you LOVE OTHERS. Not because you HAVE to, but because you WANT to. The Lord’s Table reminds us that we are under the New Covenant. The Lord’s Table reminds us that we are of the House of Christ (Hebrews 3:6), and that we are to be in one accord in loving God and loving one another.

Do you know Him? Do you know my Jesus? I pray that God the Holy Spirit will draw you to His side, to His nail scarred hands, this very day. Praise Him. Love Him. In Christ’s name, Amen and Amen.

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Jesus Teaches Us To Pray

Posted on October 20, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Pavel Danilyuk: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-with-eyes-closed-while-praying-8817520/

Let’s turn in our Bibles to Luke chapter 11.

I am never surprised when people don’t listen to me, their Pastor. Sadly, we are all at times hard of hearing. When our Lord Jesus gave His Sermon on the Mount, He taught us the pattern of godly prayer. Jesus started out by telling us to not be like the Pharisees who loved to be seen praying by men – not by God (Matthew 6:5). The Pharisees were always seeking the spotlight, whether in giving or in praying or in following the Law of God. Jesus told us that we should not use vain repetitions in prayer (Matthew 6:7-8). Prayer is conversation with God – not nagging God. God gave us a pattern for prayer that I’m sure you’re all familiar with:

Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

I love praying this prayer every day, and then personalizing it for my day. It is important to understand that this “Lord’s Prayer” is a pattern. Anyway, Jesus taught His disciples how to pray that day on the Mount of Olives.

But they did not listen. Or if they listened, they did not process it. It was only after they watched the Lord pray – seriously and frequently pray – that they came to Jesus thirsty to learn about prayer. Jesus said “Blessed are those who HUNGER and THIRST for righteousness, for THEY WILL BE FILLED” (Matthew 5:6). God will not attempt to fill a full vessel.

You must come thirsty to God to be taught of God

The reason we have few regular worshipers in the Church – particularly during “Prayer Meeting and Bible Study” on Wednesday night – is because people have slaked their thirst with other temporal things. Eventually, though, life will send a misery your way. Thank God for the miseries, for they lead us to hunger for God’s presence. The disciples had been watching Jesus – the Son of God – very God of Very God – and saw that He had a habit of prayer. This made the disciples hunger and thirst for righteousness. We read:

Luke 11:1-4 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when {Jesus} ceased {praying}, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 And {Jesus} said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

Perpetual Prayer along with a Regular Reading & Research
of God’s Word empower the Christian!

Our prayer is to be according to the pattern that Jesus Christ twice gave us. Whenever there is something tragic that happens – a shooting at a school or in an inner city, death from hurricane or tornado, the death of a loved one, or the diagnosis of a disease that cannot be cured, people in the south and on the news will often say:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with you.”

Most everybody in the world prays. Buddhists pray. Hindus pray. The Dalai Lama prays. Non-Christians of every type pray. Pagans pray. Satanists pray. Polytheists pray. Mormons pray. Jehovah Witnesses pray. Muslims pray. Are the prayers of the other world religions the same as the prayer of a Child of God? Absolutely not. What makes Christian prayer unique (other than the truth that our God is the ONLY true God) is …

Christian Prayer Is Distinctly Trinitarian

Graham Cole wrote in his article, “You Asked: Can I Pray To Jesus?”:

“Christian praying is Trinitarian praying. This is deeply important, for much Christian praying in my experience is Unitarian: “Dear God. . . . Amen.” Unitarian praying makes it hard to see why there’s any real difference in praying to the God of the Bible as opposed to praying to the God of, say, the Qur’an. … Christian praying exhibits the very structure of the gospel. Jesus stands at the center as the Mediator, the Father as the Addressee, and the Spirit as the Enabler.”

As Christians we are under a direct command from Jesus to “go and teach all nations … Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you”. So what has Jesus commanded us about prayer? Jesus said,

Luke 11:2 When ye pray, say, Our Father

Jesus Expects Us To Pray Like He Expects Us To Breathe

Word Study: Jesus starts with “when” you pray. This is the Greek Particle ὅταν hótan, {pronounced hot’-an}, which means “whenever, at the time”. As a Particle hótan assumes that YOU WILL PRAY. Jesus used this same particle to describe things that are going to occur, or things that you MUST do. For instance:

“Blessed are ye, when {hótan} men shall revile you” (Matthew 5:11)
“When {hótan} you give alms” (Matthew 6:2)
“When {hótan} you fast” (Matthew 6:16)
“When {hótan} they persecute you” (Matthew 10:23)

Jesus expected His followers to be hated, persecuted. He expects us to be generous to the poor, and to fast. Jesus also expects us to pray. Prayer for a Christian is not optional – it is commanded. Prayer is how we communicate to our God. Prayer draws God close to us.

If we would pray more, we would fear less.
If we would pray more, we would worry less.

Illustrate: Too often – like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) – we wander away from the Father’s House to dwell in the land of the lost. While in that horrid land we find ourselves eating the swill of the hogs. We snack on rotted pieces of worry, on moldy chunks of fear, on the drippings of self pity and anxiety. Oh that we would COME TO OUR SENSES like the Prodigal did (Luke 15:17) and head back to the Father’s House!

Troubles and trials to come to us all. The Apostle Paul was abandoned by his good friend Demas (Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:10). Paul was attacked by Alexander the coppersmith (2 Timothy 4:14-15), doing his best to slander and destroy his ministry. At the lowest point of his ministry Paul said “At my first defense, no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me” (2 Timothy 4:16). And yet Paul never gave up. He never let worry and fear drag him down, but focused upon God Who loves him, and gave Himself for him.

Prayer Speaks Light Into The Darkness

We must pray. When we pray, our prayers should be clear, coherent, and vocal. We read:

Luke 11:2 When ye pray, say, Our Father

Word Study: It is assumed that we will pray, for we are commanded to pray. Further, our prayers are to be “SAID”. This is the Greek λέγω légō, {pronounced leg’-o}, which means “to speak with meaning”. Our prayers are to be intelligent words spoken to the Intelligent God. You say, “But why must I speak out loud, if I am by myself?” Because it is what God tells us to do. We are to carry on a conversation with God as if He is in the room with us. But guess what? He is! God is always with us. Jesus is always with us. So we carry on a conversation with our God.

Our prayers are not to be mantras or guttural sounds like many followers of Eastern religions will practice. Our prayers are a conversation with the God Whom we love. Who is this God we address? Jesus said:

Luke 11:2 When ye pray, say, Our Father

“Jesus modeled praying to God as Father repeatedly as some
165 times in the four Gospels” (Mark Driscoll)

Jesus had us use a familiar an intimate term for the Head of the Trinity. We call Him “Father”. The word “Father” denotes God as the Source of Life as well as the Head of the Kingdom of God. Very rarely in the Old Testament do we see God referred to as “Father”. Two cases I can think of are in:

Isaiah 63:16 (ESV) For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O Lord, are our Father,

and Isaiah 64:8 (ESV) But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.

When God was referred to as “Father” in the Old Testament, it was generally expressive of God’s relationship to the nation Israel, or to Judah once Northern Israel departed from the confederation. The Gospel Coalition article “God As Father” notes:

“God is addressed as Father, not because he is Israel’s Creator, but because He is its Redeemer, which reveals the nature of the special relationship that God has with his chosen people.”

God as Father to an individual is rare in the Old Testament.

Under the Old Covenant, people could not be “born again” of the Spirit because Christ had not yet come. So God generally called ISRAEL the nation to be His “son”. We see this in Exodus 4:22-23 where God calls the nation Israel “My firstborn son”. There are several other Scriptures where God treats Israel as His son. See Deuteronomy 1:31; 8:5; 14:1; 32:6; Jeremiah 3:4, 14, 19, 22; 31:9, 20; Hosea 11:1-4; Malachi 1:6; 2:10; 3:17. It is only under the New Covenant that Jesus brought that we as individuals can – through faith in Christ – be individually recognized as “sons of God”. This was prophesied in the Davidic Covenant where God promised David a special offspring:

“I will be his Father and He will be my son”
(2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chronicles 17:13)

The promise referred to the Messiah Who would one day come to occupy David’s Throne forever. Solomon – David’s son and successor only reigned 40 years. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant (see Hebrews 1:1-12).

Because Of Jesus, God Is “Our Father”

Luke 11:2 When ye pray, say, Our Father

When Jesus came, He introduced God as not just the Father of Israel, but the Father of each and every believer IN HIM. He said we are to address God as “OUR Father”. Jesus is part of that “Our”. When Mary Magdalene met the resurrected Jesus at the empty Tomb, she tried to cling to Him. Jesus told her:

John 20:17 (ESV) … “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

When we pray, we are to pray to “Our Father”, meaning “My Father and Jesus’ Father”. Jesus said,

“No one has seen the Father except He Who is FROM God ; He has seen the Father (John 6:46) … whoever has seen ME has seen the Father … (John 14:9)

Only Jesus has seen the Father, as He is co-eternal and co-equal with the Father (see Colossians 2:9; John 10:30; Isaiah 8:13-14 c/w 1 Peter 2:7-8; John 8:58). When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we become children of adoption:

Ephesians 1:5 (ESV) {God} predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will …

Romans 8:15 (ESV) For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

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

The followers of the other religions found in this world don’t suggest that their adherents be anything other than a follower or supplicant. But for the Christian, we are adopted as sons of God because we have received THE Son of God as our Lord and Savior.

The First Purpose Of Prayer Is To Bring Glory To The Father

Luke 11:2 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

What is the first purpose of prayer? It is to bring honor and glory to our Heavenly Father. I have heard people pray,

“Jesus, our Father, thank You for giving us life. Thank You for saving our souls.”

But this is not what Jesus told us to do when we pray. Are there times when we should speak directly to Jesus in prayer? I think so. There are times when we – realizing the great price Jesus paid for us on the Cross – that we want to thank Jesus for that great salvation. I do not believe this is in error. Jesus said in:

John 5:20-24 (ESV) … For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

We should honor Jesus as we honor the Father, for it is the Blood of Jesus Christ that covers our sins. It is the teachings of Christ that we carry out into the world. Jesus Christ has given us access to the Father, and has, through His Blood, made it possible for the Holy Spirit to cause us to be “born again” and adopted into the Family of God. But we need to be careful not to make Jesus out to be the Father. Jesus did as the Father directed, and Jesus and the Father are “one” in purpose (John 10:30; 17:22). When Jesus prayed, and taught us to pray, our prayers are to be primarily addressed to:

Luke 11:2 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Our Father is in Heaven.
The Son is our High Priest and Sacrifice for sin.
The Spirit is with us, empowering us.

  • Is it wrong to pray to Jesus? I don’t think so. There are times when we should properly pray to Jesus. When Stephen was being martyred for our faith, he prayed “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59). When Saul was knocked down on Damascus Road, he prayed to Jesus, asking “Lord, what will You have me do?” (Acts 9:6). John the Revelator on seeing Heaven unveiled prayed for Jesus’ return, saying “Amen. Come quickly, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). There’s nothing wrong with praying to Jesus at times. However, most prayers should be addressed to the the Father.
  • Is it wrong to pray to the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit of God is with the people of God, on this earth. He indwells us. We are told in Romans 8:9 (ESV), “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him”. The Father is in Heaven. The Holy Spirit occupies the body of the believer. As the Scripture says:

2 Corinthians 6:16 … ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1 Corinthians 6:19 … your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God…

I do not believe that it is wrong to pray to the Holy Spirit. After all, He is the One who empowers our prayers. When I am studying Scripture I often ask the Holy Spirit to open my eyes to His truths. When I don’t know what to pray, I ask the Spirit to guide my prayers. Yet we always remember that prayer is to be primarily toward God the Father. The Apostle Paul said,

Ephesians 3:14 …For this reason I bow my knees BEFORE THE FATHER

I like to think of it this way. My prayers are:

Primarily TO the Father,
THROUGH my High Priest, the Lord Jesus,
EMPOWERED by the Holy Spirit.

Luke 11:2 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

We pray that God will expand His Heavenly Kingdom into an earthly Kingdom. It is the will of God that Heaven would come to us. Jesus said:

Mark 3:35 (ESV) … whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.

What is the Will of God? It is that people would come to Jesus by faith, and rely upon Him for their salvation. It is the Will of God that Christ’s words be taught this present world. It is the will of God that we love one another as we would be loved. It is the will of God that we love God above all else and all other.

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

It is God’s will that we neither endorse nor participate in the sexual immorality that grips our nation and the world. We are not to approve love making outside of that which God has determined is proper marriage.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 … give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

It is God’s will that we be thankful for all that He allows to enter our lives. We are to realize that “all things work together for good to those who love the Lord, to those who are called according to HIS purpose” (Romans 8:28). If we pray,

Luke 2:2 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done,
as in heaven, so in earth

If you are sick, trust God in the sickness. If you are well, trust God in the wellness. Pray that God’s will will be done through you and your life. God has promised us:

1 John 2:17 (ESV) … the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

We may not understand what we are going through, but we don’t have to. Let us understand that God’s will will be done – and God loves us unconditionally. Let us live for the Lord. Don’t focus on the trial or the suffering, but focus on doing the good that God expects of you:

1 Peter 2:15 (ESV) For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.

The Second Purpose Of Prayer Is To Meet Our Needs

Luke 11:3-4 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

After asking God that His will be done here on earth as it is done in Heaven, we begin to pray for our needs. We pray for “our daily bread”, that God would feed us and house us. When we pray that God meet our physical needs, we lessen our anxiety and worry while “casting all our care upon Him, for He cares for us”(1 Peter 5:7). Jesus warned His children to NOT be like the lost of this world. He said:

Matthew 6:8 (ESV) Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

God the Father did not spare His own Son, but gave Jesus up for us all. Will He not now supply our temporal needs? (Romans 8:32). Yes, He will. Be thankful, and ask God to provide for your physical needs. We also pray:

Luke 11:4 forgive us our sins, for we also forgive
every one that is indebted to us.

We cannot grudge carry and be effective Christians. We must forgive others who have offended us, knowing that our God freely forgives us when we go astray. Finally,

Luke 11:4 lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil

We acknowledge our weaknesses before God. It is not we who save ourselves, but God Who saves us and keeps on saving us. We ask God to deliver us from the evil and darkness of this present age. We as believers do not give up. We pray. We seek God’s presence. We seek God’s Kingdom. We seek God’s power.

Oh, that God would lead His people to be a people of prayer. This is the only hope we have against the darkness. May God draw you into a deeper, more intimate prayer life with Him. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen and Amen.

Posted in Luke, prayer, Praying Like Jesus Series, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Choosing Your Master

Posted on October 18, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Cameron Yartz: https://www.pexels.com/photo/unrecognizable-religious-man-against-shiny-cross-at-night-7459359/

Life is all about choices, about the decisions you make. In America we have unprecedented freedom – but in reality we all serve someone or something. If you choose to serve the wrong something, this can bring terrible and eternal consequences. Jesus said:

Luke 16:13-22 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. 15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. 16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. 18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery. 19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass …

God Calls Us To Choose His Love Or His Wrath

We choose how we will live our lives. We choose to be the master of our story, or to let someone or something else be the master of our lives. The best life is to choose to serve God. Our Lord Jesus said:

Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

It is best to serve God. It is best to pattern your lives after Jesus Christ. It is the highest sort of life to hear the words of God and to obey them and do them. Why? Because God is love. The best life is to love God, and be loved of God. Anything God requires of us is, of necessity, for our good. God does not make us love Him, but calls to us in love to repent and come to Him.

If you believe that “God is love”, then you also believe that God wants US to love. The scripture says “He that will not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8). We are all made in the image of God, and as such are called to imitate God in love. We are to love God first as our Creator. “God is love, and the one that dwells in love dwells in God, and God dwells in them” (1 John 4:16). God is love. But God gives us choice. We have free will. We choose whom we will love. “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.” The call of salvation is to CHOOSE. Do you choose to serve God, or to serve Mammon?

Word Study: What is mammon? The Greek μαμωνᾶς mamōnas means “treasures of this world”. It is not just a reference to money – as some translations make it out to be. No, mamōnas is anything that you treasure above God your Creator. In America today there are many gods that entice people – though we may not consider them as gods. YOU are a god when you treasure yourself above all else. Your bank account, your looks, the opinion of others, your stuff – anything that you love above God can be mamōnas. Your spouse, your children, your sexuality and sexual expression. Mamōnas. That which you cling most to can be mamōnas. Food, comfort, self satisfaction, mamōnas. Charles Stanley wrote:

“When Paul arrived in Athens, he found religious people seeking to please their various gods. To make sure all their bases were covered, there was even an altar inscribed to an unknown god. The Athenian religious culture may seem totally foreign to us, but today people are likewise seeking to please false gods. Some who claim to follow the True God are actually worshiping an image of their own making”.

God has free will, just as we do. He can choose to love,
or choose to parcel out wrath.

I have heard people say, “I can believe that God is Love – but God is wrath? No, I can’t believe that. Beloved, God is indeed LOVE and is also WRATH. I can prove it in just two words.

The Cross

When we look at the Cross, we see and preach the love of God to us. But the Cross IS ALSO WRATH. The Lord Jesus – God manifest among us – hung on that Cross, beaten and bloodied, pinned by nail and thorn to rough wood – because of the WRATH of God. God despises sin. God cannot be in the same room with sin. Sin is mamōnas, the false god so many follow after. Sin is to ignore the Creator, and satisfy the created. Sin exalted the created and minimizes the Creator.

Is hell real? Is Heaven real? As God is indeed Love, there must be a Heaven. As God is indeed wrath, there must be a Hell.

God plans no one to go to Hell, but we choose hell by rejecting Him. The Scripture says:

1 Thessalonians 5:8-10 But let us, WHO ARE OF THE DAY, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 FOR GOD HATH NOT APPOINTED US TO WRATH, BUT TO OBTAIN SALVATION BY OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 10 WHO DIED FOR US, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him …

Word Study: We do not have to be under the wrath of God. God calls us to REPENT. REPENT is CHOICE. John the Baptist preached:

Matthew 3:2 … REPENT (μετανοέω metanoeō): for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

The Messiah was coming, the King of glory. R-E-P-E-N-T. Turn from mamōnas, and turn to God. Jesus preached the same message (Matthew 4:17). “REPENT (μετανοέω metanoeō). The Greek metanoeō means to change the direction of the mind. Jesus warned:

Luke 13:3, 5 … unless you REPENT, you will all likewise PERISH …

If you keep following mamōnas, whatever treasure that is for you, you will find your life falling apart, and in shambles. Religion will not help you. Religion cannot save you. Right after Jesus warned of following mamōnas or God, we read:

Luke 16:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided {Jesus}.

The Pharisees Thought The Law Could Save Them

The Law was never meant to save, but to convict us that we need the Savior. “The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” says Romans 7:12. The Law of God points out how we all fall short of the glory of God. No one has ever been saved by keeping the Law apart from faith in God. The Apostle wrote:

Galatians 3:24 … the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Every person ever saved was saved by loving and clinging to God.

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Daniel, the Hebrew Children, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Elijah, John the Baptist … every warrior of faith was saved not by law but by faith. Salvation is to fall in love with Jesus. Jesus said:

John 14:15, 21 If you love Me, keep My Commandments … 21 He that has My Commandments, and keeps them, he loves Me: and the one that loves Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love Him, and will manifest Myself to him.

John 15:10 IF you keep My Commandments, you shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s Commandments, and abide in His love.

God is love, and He saves souls from Hell when we come to and fall in love with Jesus. Billy Graham preached in a crusade several years ago,

“I am going to Heaven totally and completely upon the basis of what Christ did on that Cross. Salvation is not by works, it is by the Grace of God. … You must receive by faith, and believe, and then you must be willing to follow Him and serve Him. It means you start living a disciplined life under the Lordship of Christ. It means that you serve Him in every little thing every day.”

If you are a Child of God, you love God. You love Jesus. The Pharisees, however …

Luke 16:14 … were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

Word Study: They did not love Jesus. They “derided” (ekmyktērízō, ek-mook-ter-id’-zo, to “turn up the nose” to, to sneer or scoff) Him. The Pharisees were “covetous”. Their god was themselves. They wanted things for themselves. They lived for themselves. Though they knew the Law said “Thou shalt not COVET” (Exodus 20:17), they ignored this Law, while keeping all the rituals of the Law. The Pharisees followed the parts of the Law that was appealing to them. Jesus said of the Pharisees, they are like whitewashed mausoleums(Matthew 23:27). They rejected Jesus as Lord and Savior. Jesus told them:

Luke 16:15 And {Jesus} said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

With the Pharisees they “justified themselves before others”. They outwardly kept the Law – at least, the visible portions of the Law that were ritualistic. But they were only mimics. The Apostle Paul – a Pharisee named SAUL before he met Jesus – writes:

Romans 13:8 (ESV) … whoever loves others has fulfilled the law …

Galatians 5:14 (ESV) For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself.

The Ten Commandments are all about LOVE. The first four speak to the love of God. The last six speak to the love of others. God calls us to love. The Pharisees only had love for themselves. They made a show of giving, of prayer, of service. They fed their own egos. They had no concern for others. If you are saved, the scripture says …

1 John 4:18-19 There is NO FEAR IN LOVE; but PERFECT LOVE {love to Christ Jesus} CASTETH OUT FEAR: because fear hath torment. He that FEARETH is not made perfect in love. 19 We love HIM …

No Christ follower need fear death or hell. You are loved.

We love God our Father, Who sent His Son to appease the just wrath of God.
We love God the Son, Who took the wrath on Himself for us.
We love God the Spirit, Who indwells us because of the Blood of Christ.

because He first loved us …

The Pharisees would not love God, because they loved mamōnas, the false gods of this world. Return to verse 15. Jesus told them “that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God”. An “abomination” {bdélygma, [pronounced bdel’-oog-mah]}, “the DETESTABLE thing”. What are the “highly esteemed” things which God considers “abomination”. The world DESPISES the Law of God, but LOVES sin. The Christian loves Jesus, and hates sin. Why? Once saved, God “writes His Law in our hearts” (Jeremiah 31:31-34). When we come to Jesus Christ broken, He touches us, and begins to mend us from the inside out. He changes out heart from following mamōnas to following God. Once our hearts are changed by salvation, we begin to – because we love God – to follow His Law. Jesus said:

Luke 16:16-17 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.

“The law and the prophets were until John”. Animal sacrifices and feasts are finished. The Blood of Jesus Christ covers the sin of the believer.

Hebrews 10:12, 14 … THIS MAN, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins FOREVER, sat down on the right hand of God … 14 For by one offering {Jesus} has perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

The King of Heaven has come. John the Baptist is gone. “Since that time {as John’s ministry has ended} the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it”. Here is the One Who has the keys of Heaven. Here is the Son of God, Eternal Deity, come to earth to make payment for our sins. Here is the One Who will show us what God expects. As God is LOVE, God expects those who have been changed by HIS LOVE to LOVE others, to LOVE our enemies, to LOVE the indifferent, but to LOVE GOD MOST. The Pharisees turned their noses up at Jesus. They mocked Him. They plotted against Him. They told lies about Him. And yet, Jesus went to the Cross, dying for their sins as He died for the sins of the whole world. The Pharisees twisted the Law – but the Law of God cannot change. Jesus said:

Luke 16:17 … it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.

Word Study: What is a “tittle”? It is a tiny mark used in the Hebrew Bible, very small, that changes the meaning of a word. The Law of God will never fail. What was sin in Jesus’ day is sin today. What was sin at Mount Sinai is sin today. We cannot make sacrifice for our sins by killing an animal, nor can we, by penance, make the wrath of God go away. That part of the Law has not passed, but has been fulfilled by Christ Jesus. When Jesus died on the Cross, He died for every sin, past, present, and future that I and you would commit. At the Pastor’s conference I just attended, Pastor Gene Mims illustrated it this way:

“How many of you were alive when Jesus died on the Cross? No one. So the sins He died for were – for you – all FUTURE sins.”

I love that. Now Jesus illustrates, making an application that the Pharisees twisted in the Law. He said:

Luke 16:18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.

When God made man in His image, God “made them male and female” (Genesis 1:27). It was God’s design that marriage be a trusted, and permanent institution. The Pharisees had allowed – and even encouraged among themselves – divorce for any cause. What this entailed was that a man could marry a woman and, after she bore his children and increased in age, that man could then “put away his wife for every cause”? (Matthew 19:4). Sacrificial and godly love are taught in the family, particularly in the marriage relationship. Jesus told the Pharisees,

Matthew 19:4 … have you not read {in the Scripture} that {God} Who made them at the beginning made them MALE and FEMALE. 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to His wife, and they two shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no longer two, but one flesh. What God has joined together, let no one put asunder…

Jesus did not wipe out or minimize the Law of God. “The Commandment of God is a lamp; and the Law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” (Proverbs 6:23). “Great peace have they which love Thy Law: and nothing shall offend them” (Psalm 119:165).

What God has made Law, the God Who is love made it Law. We bask in the love of God when we obey His Law, when we, from the heart, live so as to please Him and Him alone. The Pharisees allowed divorce for every cause, but God wants us to sacrificially love in our marriages, in our families, putting others first as He has done.

Who Is Condemned To Hell Under The Wrath Of God?

As Jesus is teaching the Pharisees, He turns to the subject of the present life and of the after-life. As we look at the story Jesus is telling, we need to remind ourselves that Jesus has not yet went to the Cross. Jesus told Nicodemus:

John 3:11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

Before Jesus made payment for our sins, the righteous dead went to be with Abraham. Abraham was not properly in Heaven, but in a temporary place until the Blood of the Lamb was shed. When Jesus died on the Cross, the Bible says:

Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Once Jesus died on that Cross, for the three days His Body laid in that Grave, He ascended into glory, presenting Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of His people. His BLOOD satisfied the wrath of God, a wrath justly deserved against all sin and sinners. The Scripture tells us:

Hebrews 9:24 Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

Before Christ paid the wrath of God, the Old Covenant Saints went to “Abraham’s Bosom”. But after His death the Scripture says in

Ephesians 4:9-10 {Jesus} ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 {The Jesus} that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.

Jesus is not speaking of Heaven proper, but Abraham’s bosom. This may confuse you, but let me say that now because of Christ “absent from the body, {we are} present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

The Master’s Illustration Of Heaven & Hell

Luke 16:19-21 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

Here are two people. Jesus doesn’t give us many particulars on “Lazarus”, other than the is poor and suffering. We can learn something about Lazarus from his NAME. The name “Lazarus” means “The one whom God helps”. Jesus had a friend named Lazarus (see John 11:11) that He often visited in Bethany. This poor beggar has nothing in life by the Lord. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor, for you shall have the Kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20). Lazarus had no home to speak of, no job, no decent income, and little food.

Then there was the rich man. The rich man worshiped mamōnas, mammon. He had no love in his heart for anyone but himself. He had the finest clothes, the finest food, the finest home. This poor friend of Jesus laid in the gate of the rich man’s home, and that man had to step OVER the body of Lazarus to get to his riches. Periodically the rich man would allow Lazarus into his mansion to sit under the table like a dog, eating a few scraps of bread. I can see the rich man and his children taking a little meat from their plates, and tossing it on the ground, watching Lazarus wrestle with the dogs just to survive.

Luke 16:22-23 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

There’s several things we can see Jesus teaching about the afterlife. Though Lazarus suffered in life, because he loved the Lord, he was loved in the next life. He was taken to “Abraham’s bosom”, embraced by the father of faith. Though Lazarus had no friends in this life outside of dogs, when he entered the next life he was escorted into glory “by the angels”. Lazarus was comforted, though he passed through death’s portal. What about the rich man? Though Lazarus was unknown in life to all but God, the rich man was unknown by God in the next life. Though in this life the rich man never looked up, “in hell he lift up his eyes”. Some modern Preachers have told us that – if you die as an unbeliever – that you burn up in Hell. Is that true? Not according to Jesus. Jesus said that the rich man was “being in torments”. He was suffering, but not burning up. The Bible says of hell and eternal punishment:

Isaiah 66:24 … their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

When Jesus spoke on the horror of hell, He warned that it is a place where “their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44-48). Jesus said that it would be better if you maimed your current body if it would keep you from entering the horror of hell. Hell is where the wrath of God is poured out. Hell is an unspeakable horror that those who will not repent shall go. Hell is not where God put you, but where you, in your godlessness, have parked yourself. The Bible says:

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ …

Who is in hell? The IMPENITENT. The rich man is in hell. He is in torment. Does he repent, calling on the name of the Lord? Absolutely not! He doesn’t cry out to God, but to Abraham:

Luke 16:24 … he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

The man is still chasing after mamōnas. He wants Abraham and Lazarus to wait on him, so he asks for just a drop of water. He follows the pattern of Satan, who encouraged Adam to take “just one taste, just one fruit”. The rich man cares nothing for Lazarus, Abraham, nor God. He just wants what he wants. Abraham replies:

Luke 16:25-26 Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

God treated this man like he was a son in this life. He was given so much good from God’s Common Grace. The Bible says that “the goodness of God leads us to repentance” (Romans 2:4). God’s Grace is clearly evident all around us, and yet, he ignored the Provider of that Grace. While in this life “the goodness of God continues”. It is His goodness that brought you to this place today. Finally, the rich man asks:

Luke 16:27-29 I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

Jesus gave us a clear teaching on Heaven and Hell. God revealed the coming of the Messiah in the Old Testament. This rich man – and the Pharisees Jesus is talking to – have heard the truth. The truth is the truth. If you leave this life without Christ, there is no second chance in the next life. It is your choice. God wants to love you, and has allowed His Son to absorb all of the just wrath of God for you. Will you come to Him? Will you give your life to Jesus? Will you trust that He died for your sins, and rose from the grave to lead you from this life and into glory? The choice is yours. Make the right choice. Call on Jesus and be saved. Follow Jesus, and be blessed. May Christ Jesus and the Spirit of God draw you close to God. Amen and Amen.

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The Joy Of Faith

Posted on October 14, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by RODNAE Productions: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-flight-attendant-smiling-while-holding-a-cup-of-coffee-and-a-tray-5778253/

Philippians 1:25-27 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. 27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

The Joy Of Faith Comes Only Through Suffering

We see toward the end of verse 25, “Joy of Faith”. When you live for Jesus, you will often find yourself in bad spots. The Apostle Paul had more than his share of bad spots. Saul met Jesus on the Damascus Road, and heeding His call became Paul the Apostle. When Ananias was told to go to Saul and lay hands on him, Ananias was initially hesitant. After all, the Saul had been terrorizing the Church. But Jesus told Ananias:

Acts 9:15-16 (ESV) “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

As Saul caused others to suffer for Satan’s sake, now Paul himself will suffer “for the sake of {Jesus}”. Oh, how Paul would suffer! Paul told the Church at Corinth:

2 Corinthians 1:8-10 (ESV) For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

The brighter and more flamboyant the LIGHT, the greater the DARKNESS will hate it.

Paul said that he was so distressed that “we despaired of life itself”. That is a profound statement. This means that Paul got so discouraged that he and those with him welcomed death. This is a state of advanced depression, where life has lost its savor. Paul was like that poor old Saint Job who cried out:

Job 6:2-4 (ESV) Oh that my grief were thoroughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together! 3 For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up. 4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.

How was Paul afflicted? He said:

2 Corinthians 11:24-29 (ESV) Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

Oh, how Paul’s ministry was filled with suffering. He was betrayed by friends.

Alexander the copper-smith (2 Timothy 4:14) “did Paul GREAT harm”.
The Church he started compared him to Apollos (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4).
The Missionary Mark abandoned Paul at one of the most critical moments of his ministry, and drove a wedge between Paul and his good friend Barnabas (Acts 15:37-39).

2 Corinthians 1:9-10 …(ESV) we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.

The reason that Paul and those with him were given more than they could bear was to require them to cast their burdens on God our Savior. This is what FAITH is. I have heard FAITH used as an acronym:

F orsaking
A ll
I will
T rust in
H im

God puts us in bad situations to help us to learn to trust in Him, and not in ourselves or in others. People are fallen. People are broken. Yes, God wants us to help one another – this is the nature of the Church. The Church cannot be on Internet, nor on a Social platform. The Church is where broken people come together as a body, the Body of Christ. What saith the Scripture?

1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 25-27 (ESV) … just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. … 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

This life is filled with suffering. Suffering is the byproduct of sin. We are called together to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the Law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). This is what the Church is – the Kingdom of God on the earth. We should care for one another, and lift one another up. And yet, there is only so much we can do for one another.

The suffering that God gives us, which He makes our portion, helps us to grow and to be more like Christ. Our Lord Jesus suffered. He never suffered from His sins, for He had none (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus was, is, and will always be without sin. But again, the brightest Light will bring the greatest hatred from darkness. When Jesus came to this earth, He practiced F-A-I-T-H. He trusted in God the Holy Spirit, and God His Father. Jesus went into Gethsemane and, though He took His Apostles with Him, they all slept as He prayed. Three times Jesus prayed:

Matthew 26:39 (ESV) … “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Forsaking All, Jesus Trusted God. As He was carried into illegal courtrooms and before Gentiles, He trusted God. Beaten, bruised, tortured until He looked like a bloody worm, Jesus prayed from Calvary’s Cross:

Psalm 22:6-8 (ESV) I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

Did Jesus despair of life? Yes, He did. He cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” from that bloody Throne He hung from. Yes, He despaired of life. But what did Jesus do? Did He quit? No, we are told:

Hebrews 12:2 (ESV) {Jesus} for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus knew that beyond the Cross, His sacrifice would bring many more into the Kingdom of God. So He looked beyond that momentary suffering, and trusted in God. F-A-I-T-H. Forsaking All, I will Trust in Him, in God.

Paul Was Ready To Go Home, But Wanted
To Teach The Church The J-O-Y of F-A-I-T-H

Philippians 1:25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

Paul said “I have this confidence”. What is he talking about? We read …

Philippians 1:21-24 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

Paul realized the great truth of Christianity. You see, every other religion in this world is based on a dead founder. Think about it.

Mormonism’s Joseph Smith is dead.
Jehovah Witnesses Charles Taze Russell is dead.
Christian Scientist’s founder Mary Baker Eddy is dead.
Muslim’s prophet Muhammad is dead.
The multiple founders of Hinduism are all dead.
Baha’i Faith’s founder Mirza Husayn ‘Ali Nuri is dead.
Humanism’s founder poet Francesco Petrarca is dead.
The founder of Confucianism, Confucius is dead.

This is just a small list of the some 4000 recognized world religions. Yet all of their founders are dead. Yet there is One Founder Who never died. Guess Who? It is Jesus. Jesus died on Calvary, and rose from the grave on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:4). Jesus knew He was going to die, and embraced it. He said (Luke 24:46-47) “it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” Jesus died for OUR sins, so that we would NEVER have to die. The Apostle said therefore with confidence,

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain

He even went beyond this. Paul said that he would rather …

depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is {better} for you

Paul was not worrying about dying. In fact, to him death was a good friend that he looked forward to embracing. Now this doesn’t mean that Paul was suicidal or foolhardy with his life. It just means he understood the great truth of our faith.

Our Founder is NOT dead.
Our Founder has CONQUERED death.
Death has NO HOLD on us.
Death will not scare us.
Death is a whipped puppy!

We are reconciled to God our Father through the Blood of the Cross (Ephesians 2:16). We who are saved by faith in Christ (forsaking all I follow him), are now children of God because of our faith. There was a silly song years ago, but it popped in my head:

That’s word, because, you know
You can’t touch this
You can’t touch this
Break it down!
Stop, Hammer time!

Disease can take my body, but it can’t touch this soul of mine. We put the hammer and nails on Jesus, but Jesus put the hammer on death for us.

1 Corinthians 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Jesus has defeated sin and death, and these things are not meant to be our masters any more. We are to live for Jesus. We are to put others before ourselves.

What is the J-O-Y of F-A-I-T-H that
Paul wanted to teach us?

Paul was ready to go to Heaven. And yet, God was not ready for him. God had things that He wanted Paul to do before he left this earth. Believe it or not, God has things that He wants YOU to do for Him before you leave this earth.

Sadly, this part of Christianity has been hidden as “Cultural Christianity” sweeps through the American Church. We are never told that “Forsaking All, I Will Trust Him” is what F-A-I-T-H is all about. We are also not told that J-O-Y is an acronym that establishes how we are to order our lives. Let’s spell it out:

J esus above all else first.
O thers are to be served next. Finally,
Y ourself. Seeking your own blessing comes last.

There is no JOY to be found in “me first”. The Scripture does not teach this. The Savior does not teach this. Christianity is an entirely selfless religion. I have heard in recent years silly statements in the Churches like:

God wants you to love yourself first.
If you don’t love yourself, how can you love others?
You need to do what suits you, and be true to your feelings.

These statements have absolutely nothing to do with Christianity. They are from the religion of Humanism, and are absolutely wrong. When you make yourselves the center of the universe, life starts becoming senseless. This is why we are seeing so much “gender dysphoria”, homosexuality, transgenderism, etc. We were designed by God in the Garden of Eden to serve others and to serve God. We are to ALWAYS put JESUS FIRST. If we put Jesus FIRST, then we will emulate Jesus. When we emulate or imitate Jesus, we will see JESUS ALWAYS PUT OTHERS FIRST. The pattern that Jesus followed was:

J ehovah (God)
O thers
Y ourself

Jesus said “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father” (John 14:9). Why? Because He put JEHOVAH God first. The Bible tells us that “Jesus TOUCHED the leper, saying, “Be clean”, and the leper was cleansed (Matthew 8:3). He put OTHERS before Himself. Yes, Jesus took time for Himself. In Matthew 4:1-2 Jesus spent 40 days in prayer and fasting, just prior to the start of His ministry. In Luke 6:12 Jesus prayed all night before choosing His Apostles. Jesus often went out in the morning to pray (Luke 5:16; Mark 1:35).

There are six times in Scripture that Jesus
chose solitude over people.

We all need “ME” time, time to be with God by ourselves. But we are never to put ourselves first. We are told in:

Philippians 2:3-5 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

This is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what the world and the worldly IN the Church say today. In our society it is “me before thee”. But this is not how God created us. He made us in the image of God, then placed us in a Garden that needed no weeding to tend to it. It was only when Adam put HIMSELF FIRST that he lost Eden and the joy of God’s presence. We are to put JESUS FIRST, then OTHERS, then YOURSELVES. If you do what the world does today, and the cultural Christian does today, you will not have JOY. For if you have YOURSELF first, OTHERS, and lastly JESUS, you have YOJ but not JOY. You have confusion, not what God has secured for you through the death and resurrection of His Son. Listen to the Scripture:

Outdo one another in showing honor (Romans 12:10)
Do not provoke or envy one another (Galatians 5:26)
God opposes the proud but gives grave to the humble (1 Peter 5:5)
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21)
Bear with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2)

Philippians 1:25-27 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. 27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Word Study: The joyless Christian is the one who puts themselves first. He says, “let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ”. The word translated “conversation” is the Greek politeúomai, {pronounced pol-it-yoo’-om-ahee}, which means “your citizenship, how you behave in the Kingdom of God”. You are a citizen of God’s Kingdom whether you are in this Church or outside of it, in the marketplace or elsewhere. Your citizenship should be “as becomes the gospel of Christ”. This is what God expects of you. When you put Jesus first, then others, then yourself, then and only then will you have J-O-Y. May God the Holy Spirit give you the J-O-Y of Faith. For God’s glory, and the furtherance of His Kingdom I pray this. Amen and Amen.

2 Corinthians 1:24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

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