The State Of The Saint

Posted on October 13, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

Ephesians 2:1-6 And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Nicolas Roske, who attempted to assassinate U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh in June 2022, was recently sentenced. The Justice Department sought a 30 year sentence, but Judge Deborah Boardman imposed an 8 year sentence. When asked about this, Senator John Kennedy (R-La) stated: “The sentence is way too little. He will be out in six years, and will be a danger to society.”

The Senator went on to say:

“I don’t know why people are like that. If I make it to heaven, I’m going to ask, but there’s some people that hurt other people, and they take other people’s stuff and, to protect everybody else, you’ve got to isolate them.”

I like Senator Kennedy. He seems down to earth, and speaks with common sense. Some of the things he’s said are very incisive:

“Power does not change you; it unmasks you.”

“If you believe that tax policy has nothing to do with the economy, then you’re pretty much like a rock, only dumber.”

“We don’t need more gun control laws. We need more idiot control.”

There’s two things I want to say about Kennedy’s statement on the Roske Sentencing. He spoke about the evil in the world, saying “I don’t know why people are like that. If I make it to heaven, I’m going to ask”. You don’t have to wait for Heaven to ask. The Bible tells you why people are that way. We’re going to see it today in our focal text. It will be very clear. But I also want to say this. Senator Kennedy said,

“IF I MAKE IT TO HEAVEN”

I think Senator Kennedy is a great guy. But his words expose a fallacy that people think is Biblical, but it isn’t. “IF I make it to Heaven”.

The devil has convinced people that they can work their way to Heaven. This is a common thought in the world today. I see it among Church members. I see it among preachers. We cannot work our way to Heaven. The reason bad people do bad things is tied to our inability to save ourselves.

The Apostle wrote in 1 John 5:13-15 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

The Christian KNOWS that he has eternal life. The Christian KNOWS that God is his Father, and God HEARS our prayers, as long as those prayers do not violate the character of God. We must pray “according to his will”. Then John goes on to say:

1 John 5:18-19 (ESV) We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him {self from sin}, and the evil one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

There are two states of being in this world. There are those who are “sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26, NKJV). These people – commonly called “Christians” but Biblically called “Saints” or “Disciples of Christ”, are people whom God has saved. Those who are NOT saved by faith are “in the power of the evil one”.

There are the SAVED, born again of the Spirit, changed by God the Holy Spirit. They are QUICKENED. Then there are the LOST, those who are without Christ. They are SPIRITUALLY DEAD, unattached to God.

Let’s look at our text.

All Are Dead Apart From God’s Intervention

Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Sometimes Bible translators add text that is not in the original language of the Scripture to aid in the reading of the text. That’s what’s happening in this verse. The words hath he quickenedare not found in verse 1 – and are not necessary to the truth taught. The text reads:

And you WHO WERE DEAD in trespasses and sins

When Adam disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:6) the Bible says:

Genesis 3:7 (ESV) … the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked

Before Adam sinned, his eyes were opened to God and God’s love. But after Adam sinned, his eyes were focused on the flesh, on his flesh, not on the Spirit of God. Adam immediately started walking apart from God. Adam did what HE thought was “good”. Adam “sewed fig leaves together and made themselves clothing”. When Adam heard God coming, “he hid himself from God” (Genesis 3:8). Whereas Adam loved God, now he wanted to be apart from God. When God called out Adam’s sin, Adam blamed others for his sin, rather than repent (Genesis 3:12). This pattern was repeated in Eve. By his actions, Adam brought spiritual death into the world.

The Bible teaches that when man fell from God that every part of man – his mind, his will, his emotions, his flesh – was corrupted by sin. As babies we are born into this world PHYSICALLY alive, but SPIRITUALLY dead.

Word Study: Those without God like to think that they can earn their way to Heaven by their works. But the Bible says we are born into this world “DEAD in trespasses and sins”. The word “TRESPASSES” (Greek paraptōma) literally means “to fall short of a goal or a target”. When Adam sinned, he thought he could make it better by building a suit of clothes out of fig leaves. But that didn’t please God. People today think, “Well, if I do this, or do that, it will please God”. But the person WITHOUT God cannot please God by his works. The Bible says:

Isaiah 64:6 (ESV) We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Apart from the power of God, even our “good deeds” are like “POLLUTED GARMENTS”, or as the King James says, “FILTHY RAGS”. Our Lord Jesus said:

Matthew 7:17-18 (KJV) every GOOD tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

We are born into this world sinners. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Psalm 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

People are born separated from God. The only exception is in the case of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is God incarnate, and so was born without sin (Hebrews 4:15; 9:28). But for everyone else that is not Jesus, we are born spiritually dead, addicted to the flesh. People love darkness. It’s in their very nature. Jesus said,

John 3:19 (ESV) … the Light has come into the world {this is Jesus}, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

People love the darkness. People love their sins. People are born into this world enslaved to their sins. Jesus said:

John 8:34 (ESV) … Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

So why do people do the evil, Senator Kennedy? Because they are born into this world spiritually dead. Before God intervenes and saves a person, the Bible says:

Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Born apart from God, we “walk according to the COURSE {Greek aiōn, the Age, Period, or Time} OF THIS WORLD”. Until God intervenes, we are all born into THIS PRESENT EARTH, in this TIME, walking apart from God. No one is naturally “good”. Now, not everyone is as bad as they can be. But no one, unless God intervenes, wants to walk with God. We “walk” or live our lives as unbelievers “according to the prince of the power of the air”. This is one of the titles of Satan. He is a “PRINCE” because he has authority (1 John 5:19, the whole world is in the power of the wicked one). Satan has power over “THE CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE”. He entices, he fans the flames of rebellion against God and His Christ. Satan told Jesus that “I own the world, all the kingdoms and their glory” (Matthew 4:8-9). Jesus didn’t correct the devil, but said that only God is to be worshiped (Matthew 4:10).

The whole world lies in the power of the wicked one. But Jesus is greater than Satan!

Before a person meets Jesus, before God causes a change in a person, the Scripture says:

Ephesians 2:3 Among whom also we all had our CONVERSATION {anastrephō} in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Word Study: Without God’s intervention, we are all bound to sin. The word “CONVERSATION” is the Greek anastrephō, which means “the place we live, our home”. The lost person makes themselves at home with “desires of the flesh and of the mind”. We are our own gods, for we have rejected God and His Son Jesus Christ. Because of this, the Bible defines the lost person as “by nature the children of wrath”. People have the concept that God loves everyone as they are. Not true. God loves you as His creation. But God placed all His love for you in Jesus Christ His Son. Listen to me:

God Cannot Love You Apart From His Son

Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith He loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

God shows His love for us, His mercy, His great Kindness by offering us a way out of spiritual death. That Way is Christ, faith in the Lord Jesus! God raises us from a state of spiritual death when we receive Jesus as the Christ, our Lord and Savior. I heard a preacher make this statement:

“There is no place in the New Testament where God says we are to REPENT OF OUR SINS.”

That’s a profound statement – and it is true. God calls us to repent. But it doesn’t mean to be sorry for our sins. The word “REPENT” is the Greek metanoeō, which means “to change the mind”. Here’s the thing. IF we are DEAD IN SINS, blinded to our sin, and are born into this world DEAD IN TRESPASSES AND SINS, then how are we to REPENT and feel sorry for our sins? Repent means to LOOK GODWARD, and give your life to Him. It means to look upward and say,

“Lord, I’m broken. My way of life isn’t working. I give myself to You. I will follow You. I am no longer my own god. You and You alone are my God! I love You, Jesus!”

Word Study: God opens our eyes at the point of salvation, and gives us a choice to either accept or reject Jesus Christ as Lord. If we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, God responds to this and “quickens us together with Christ”. The word translated “QUICKENS” is the Greek syzōopoieō which means “to make ALIVE TOGETHER WITH”. This word is found twice in the Scripture. Here, and in:

Colossians 2:13 (KJV) And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together [syzōopoieō] with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

At the point of salvation, you are removed from the Kingdom of Satan and are moved into the Kingdom of God.

Colossians 1:13-14 (NASB) {God the Father} rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

When you REPENT and STOP BEING YOUR OWN GOD, when you CALL ON JESUS for salvation, falling in love with Him, God makes you alive TOGETHER with CHRIST. Before you were without God, and were your own gods. NOW you follow Jesus, you love Jesus. You are bound to Jesus. As Jesus lives, you live. As Jesus is alive forever, you are alive forever. As Jesus is the Son of God, you are sons and daughters of God. Your destiny is with Jesus. This is not by your works, but “BY GRACE YE ARE SAVED”.

Your first birth brought you to spiritual death. Now, born again Saint, you are spiritually alive. You do not belong to the domain darkness and sin – but to the Kingdom of God’s Beloved Son.

Ephesians 2:6-7 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

GOD raised us up. We are SAINTS, not sinners. We are His DISCIPLES, not the devil’s. We are, right at this moment, “MADE to SIT TOGETHER IN HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS”. We didn’t get there by our power, but by God’s power. We are quickened TOGETHER WITH CHRIST.

At the Pastor’s Conference, one Pastor asked the question “What is repentance?” I said that I believe repentance is acknowledging our helplessness, and relying on the riches of God’s Grace. You see, when we sin, we have three HUMAN options:

1. We can minimize the sin, and try through our own ‘good works’ to cover up our sin, or

2. We can blame someone else for our sin, or

3. We can hide from God, ignoring Him

Repentance is to do none of these things. It is to cast yourself on the riches of God’s Grace, for that is the only way you can be right with God. Repentance is to look upward, and with humility say “You, God, are God. I am not. I am a broken thing. But I want to be Yours. I ask You, in the Name of Jesus, to change me, to change my state, to change my kingdom. I rest on what Jesus Christ did for me at Calvary. I believe in You, O Lord. Not in me, but in You!”

What is my part in salvation, and what is God’s part? The best answer for this is seen in the earthly ministry of Christ. When Jesus said “stretch out your hand” the man with the withered hand did as Jesus said. He obeyed Jesus! When Jesus said “take up your bed, and walk” the crippled man heard Jesus. He picked up his bed and walked. He didn’t care what the Pharisees said. He didn’t care that is was the Sabbath. He just obeyed Jesus! He heard, and followed. When the blind man needed sight Jesus told him, go, wash in the pool of Siloam, the man had to do as Jesus said before he could see. In each and every case when a person was healed they obeyed Jesus. They did absolutely nothing to heal themselves.

They came to Jesus, they did as Jesus said, and they were healed.

God did not use man in the creation of all things. God spoke, and it came into being. God the Father planned creation, and created all things through His Son Jesus. God the Spirit moved on creation. God’s Word brings life. The Psalmist said (Psalm 119:50) “Thy Word, O God, hath quickened me. By You I am alive!” How does salvation come? God says, “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God and there is none else” (Isaiah 14:22). Here is the text that saved C.H. Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher, and this same text will save you. Look unto God and be saved. Look unto God, knowing that what I try to do God will not do. My sufficiency and my salvation is in God.

Salvation Is – From Start To Finish –
Entirely A Work Of God

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

Spiritual life cannot come forth out of that which is dead unless God bring it forth. God speaking through the Prophet said:

Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

Those whose nature is evil cannot make themselves good, any more than the Ethiopian can change his skin, or the leopard his spots. Job asked,

Job 14:4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

There is not one person who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean thing. We cannot clean ourselves up. We cannot get better over time. That which is dirt stays dirt, and that which is bitter stays bitter, unless God enact the change. How does God change a person? Not by our efforts, but by Grace through faith. We believe what the Lord has said. We REPENT and RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST. He is both Lord and Savior to the Saint. The Bible says:

John 1:12-13 (NKJV) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

New Birth or the Quickening does not come about because we are better than others. It does not come about because we will it. We are quickened – made alive together with Christ – when we surrender our lives to Him Who loves us, and gave Himself for us. Once a person is saved:

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

The Saint of God no longer walks in the darkness with Satan and the lost. The Saint of God walks with Jesus. We who are saved do the works that are pleasing to God. So … here’s a little test.

Once you were “saved”, were you more aware of God in your life?

Once you were “saved”, did you want to please the Lord with what you do?

Once you were “saved”, do you look forward to being with other Saints?

Once you were “saved”, do you care more for people than you used to?

Saints, We ARE His workmanship. If you have been saved by God, and are a new creature, then God is at work in you. We ARE His. God does not start a story and then fail to complete it. We are His. He is ours. God will complete what He has started. The Bible says we ARE His workmanship. We keep on being His. The baby will not be abandoned by the parent. The child will not be aborted because it is unwanted. God, Who created the New Creature in the crucible of Christ, will finish the New Creature.

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things [are] of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ…

The mark of the Christian is the changed life. We are not perfect. But we are God’s, and it shows in our lives. God the Father “made Jesus, Who knew no sin, to be SIN FOR US, that we might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

We are children of light and life. Not of darkness. God is at work in us. Praise His holy Name! Jesus tells His people:

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

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Running Well

Posted on October 13, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by lucas Favre on Unsplash

Galatians 5:7-14 (KJV) Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. 9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be. 11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. 12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you. 13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Repentance Is When We Follow Jesus

The children of Israel were mocked by the line of Ishmael, the Arabs, from the time that Isaac was born. The Bible tells us that Ishmael, the son of Hagar the Egyptian, mocked Isaac while a baby (Genesis 21:9-10). God promised that He would bring Israel – the nation by whom He would send the Messiah to the world – 430 years before the Exodus. The promise was made to Abraham, to Sarah, and through Isaac. God keeps His promises.

The clock started ticking with the birth of Isaac. The nation of Israel would not actually be fully built until Jacob’s twelve sons became the twelve tribes of Israel. God led Joseph to Egypt, and Israel grew in Egypt from twelve families to twelve tribes. The children of Ishmael persecuted the children of Jacob. Israel suffered as a nation of slaves to Egypt. The Bible says that they suffered until Israel cried out to God:

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, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

God raised up Moses, and did mighty miracles among the Egyptians saying “Let My people go!” But Pharaoh would not let them go, and beat them harder with the whip. Then Moses told them what God said do.

Exodus 12:21-23 (ESV) … Go and select lambs {without blemish} for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.

The Blood of the Lamb would protect the home from the destroyer, from death. That night Israel huddled in their homes, and heard the cries of the lost who were not under the Blood. Where ever there was no Blood, the first born of the family died in that house. They next day Pharaoh told Israel to leave Egypt. The Bible says:

Exodus 12:40-41 (ESV) The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

430 years from the birth of Isaac, God fulfilled His promise. God always fulfills His promise. How did Israel leave Egypt. “The people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children”
(Exodus 12:37, ESV).

They didn’t RIDE out on horses or camels. Why not? The Bible says that “The LORD gave people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so they let them have what they asked for. They asked the Egyptians for SILVER and GOLD jewelry and for CLOTHING” (Exodus 12:34-36). But they did not ask for, nor receive, animals to ride. THEY WALKED OUT. They were ON FOOT. The God that they followed – the preincarnate Christ Jesus our Lord – went before them as a “pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night” (Exodus 13:21). This is the same God Who, in Noah’s day, sent two of every animal to the Ark (Genesis 8:19). God could have easily sent horses or camels to Israel. But THEY WALKED OUT. Why did I go through all this? Because of this verse:

Galatians 5:7 (KJV) Ye did run well; WHO did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

You WALK before you RUN.

God used Israel as a picture of salvation for us. When we come to God by faith, we usually come when we are at our lowest point. We are hurting. Our resources have come to an end. We realize we are broken creatures, and we need the Lord. As Israel called out to God for relief, we call on the Name of Jesus. For years we walked WITH Egypt, WITH the lost world. But now we find ourselves enslaved to it. We are slaves to sin and death. Then we cry out! WE REPENT.

Repentance is when we stop walking with Egypt (the world) and follow Jesus both day and night. We go where Jesus tells us to go. We walk WITH HIM, BEHIND HIM, and He goes before us. Like Israel, we are freed from slavery to Egypt.

You must WALK before you can RUN. God uses WALKING to describe the entrance into the Christian way of life. He uses RUNNING to describe the continuation of your life with Christ. Paul tells the Galatians “You DID run well.” Running is a fast walk. Why is running used for Christianity? Because running is strenuous, not easy. Running involves valleys and hills. Running follows a course. Paul wrote the Church:

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (ESV) Do you not know that in a RACE all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So RUN that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

If you are a Christian, you WALKED away from Egypt. You repented, and called out to Jesus for salvation. Jesus came, and you began to follow Him. Now you RUN for Him. You follow Him, and RUN so that you can obtain a prize. The prize is Jesus’ “Well done, My good and faithful servant”. We see this picture again in:

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who 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.

You cannot run for Jesus until you walk away from Egypt. You did not walk out of Egypt in your own strength. You did not save yourself. You cried out to God, and Jesus came. The Bible says:

Romans 5:6-9 (NKJV) For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

While a slave to sin, Jesus died for you. While sinners lost in Egypt, Christ died for you. Then you received the Blood of the Lamb, the Blood of Jesus Christ. You received His death, His resurrection. We live for God because God died for us! We had nothing to do with our salvation, other than calling upon Him, repenting, and following Him in love ALL THE TIME. The lost do not walk after Jesus. The lost do not care about the Blood of the Lamb. They wallow. They wallow in sin, and wander in darkness. The lost are like the man in Lystra …

Illustrate: In Lystra, there was a man there “without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked” (Acts 14:8-10). We are all this way before Jesus. We are crippled from our mother’s womb. We cannot walk with Jesus, cannot run for God. This man cried out to God, and God sent Paul to him. Paul commanded, “Stand up straight on your feet” (Acts 14:10), and immediately the man “leaped up and walked”. The crowd saw this, and said “the gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”. Paul told them,

Acts 14:15 (NKJV) … why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them

Stop following the false gods of this world. Walk away from Egypt, and follow the LIVING GOD WHO made all things. Follow Jesus. He can heal you. He can save you. It is His Blood that cleanses us. It is His Blood that saves us. There was another man “lame from his mother’s womb” (Acts 3:2) who laid daily at the gate of the Temple, begging for help. When Peter saw him, he said:

Acts 3:6, 8 (NKJV) … Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk … 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them–walking, leaping, and praising God.

We must walk before we can run. We cannot walk, unless Jesus heals us. Once we leave Egypt, we walk with Him loving Him, following Him, day and night. My Olive Tree commentary notes:

“Christ is preeminent – first and foremost in everything – and the Christian’s life should reflect that priorirty. Because believers are rooted in Him, alive in Him, hidden in Him, and complete in Him, it is utterly inconsistent for them to live life without Him. Clothed in His love, with His peace ruling in our hearts, weare equipped to make Christ first in every area of life. ”

What Hinders Our Walk, Our Race?

Galatians 5:7-8 (KJV) Ye DID run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.

The Galatians were running well. When they heard the Gospel, they repented, and walked away from Egypt. They began to “run with patience the race set before them”. But then they stopped running well. To run well, you must

1. Stay on the Official course that is set up for our race, and

2. Stay focused on the Leader, Who is in our case Jesus.

It is Jesus Who goes before us. It is Jesus Who leads us. What caused the Galatians to get off the course? What caused the Church to stumble, to wander? It wasn’t Jesus Who caused it. Jesus knows where we are supposed to go. So what was it? The Apostle writes:

Galatians 5:9 (KJV) A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Leaven or YEAST is used in Scripture as a picture of SIN. Before the Israelites killed the Lamb without spot or blemish, before they put the Blood of the Lamb on their homes, they ate unleavened bread for 7 days. They put leaven out of their homes. My commentary notes:

“in the Mosaic Law, leaven represents sin or corruption. The law forbade grain offerings made with leaven (Leviticus 2:11). In fact, no yeast was allowed to be burned on the altar in any sacrifice. The grain offering for Aaron and his sons (the priests) was also not to contain leaven and was to be eaten in a holy place (Leviticus 6:17). … Leaven is also mentioned in the New Testament. In Matthew 16:6–12, Jesus compared the false teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees and Herodians to leaven. ”

Salvation is rooted in Christ, not in our efforts. Our root is in Jesus, in what He has done for us. The Bible says:

Colossians 2:6-8 (NKJV) As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

What hinders our walk with Jesus? It is not Jesus. It is when we take our eyes off of Jesus, and begin to look to the world, to the lost. It is sin to look away from Jesus, and look to the world in your walk. People watch nonsense on television, the beliefs of the world. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump”. Let a little bit in, and it will cause you to drift back to Egypt. God saved us from Egypt. We do not belong to Pharaoh, but to Jesus. We follow Him day and night. False religion and unbiblical weirdness calls to us as we run our race. We must not listen to it! It has no place in our faith.

When Jesus was attacked, He ALWAYS referred to Scripture. “It is written”. Where is it in the Bible? If the writings of the Apostles and Prophets do not support it, put it away. Cast it off as unnecessary. Follow Jesus.

Let’s read carefully the next verse, for it says much:

Galatians 5:10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.

What is Paul saying here? He is NOT saying “I have confidence IN YOU”. The Christian has NO CONFIDENCE in themselves. I have no confidence in you, by yourselves. I have no confidence in ME, much less YOU. Do you know what the Christian’s confidence is in? The Apostle says:

Philippians 3:3 (NKJV) For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,

The true CIRCUMCISION, the true BELIEVER IN CHRIST, is the person who (1) “worships God in the Spirit”. Like David, we dance before the Ark of God. We are not focused on what others around us think or do. We are focused on loving Him Who loves us. We (2) “rejoice in Christ Jesus”. Life is a gift from God, and we celebrate what Jesus did for us! But Beloved, we who are the true CIRCUMCISION (3) “have no confidence in the flesh”. We’re not trusting our works to get us to the Promised Land. We are trusting what Jesus has done and is doing in us. Paul says:

Galatians 5:10 I have confidence in you THROUGH THE LORD, that ye will be none otherwise minded…

All Christians know that if they are saved, it is because Jesus saved us. All Christians know that our faith is in HIM, not in US. Listen to me.

If you are genuinely saved, you will keep walking with Jesus. If you are genuinely saved, you will run on the course He sets before you. We have no choice. He is Lord.

There are many pretenders who, with “philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ”, will come along with a “New Thing”. If you are Christ’s, you will reject the serpent. You will “examine yourselves daily as to whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). There are a lot of those who profess that they are “Christians”, but they have never followed Jesus out of Egypt. They follow the world. They follow human trends and philosophies. They follow religion. But they do not follow Jesus.

Jesus spoke of these people. They run around, run, run, run. They try so hard to be saved, to try and impress others. Like the Pharisees, they heed not the Word of God, but human traditions and human impressions. They will stand before Jesus one day. Jesus spoke of them:

Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV) Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

The will of the Father in Heaven is that we follow Jesus out of Egypt. Someone asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” (John 6:28). What is the Will of the Father? Jesus said simply,

“The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent”
(John 6:29)

We follow Jesus. We live to please Jesus. The Pharisees crept into the Church at Galatia and taught “you MUST be circumcised to be saved”.

Paul Taught Circumcision – But Only For The Jews

Galatians 5:11-12 (KJV) And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. 12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you.

Someone will always come along and try and add something to salvation, something that needed not to be added. The Pharisees did this at Galatia. They said, “You can’t be saved if you’re not circumcised, for God gave us the Law of circumcision”. The truth is, circumcision has nothing to do with salvation, but everything to do with Israel. Abraham was saved in Genesis 15. It was not until Genesis 17 that God gave Abraham and his direct descendants the covenant of circumcision (Genesis 17:10-14). God directed that the male children that came out of Abraham’s line, through Isaac, would be circumcised. Then God said this:

Genesis 17:14 (NKJV) And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.

God did not say that the uncircumcised person would be lost or cast out of God’s Kingdom. God said “that person shall be cut off from his people”, that is, cast out of the nation Israel. Paul had two young men that he trained. Timothy was a descendant of the blood line of Abraham, a Jew. Timothy had a Gentile father, and was never circumcised. Paul had him circumcised (Acts 16:3). But then Paul worked with another young man named Titus. Paul REFUSED to have Titus circumcised (Galatians 2:3) because he was a Gentile, not a Jew. Only the male Jews are under the Covenant of circumcision.

When the Pharisees tried to get the Galatians to submit to the Covenant of Circumcision, they were trying to get them to run on man’s course, not God’s course. We need to be careful not to infuse the doctrines of humans into the directives of God.

Paul said “I wish these people, these Pharisees, were CUT OFF from you”. That’s really an amusing statement. He was saying, “rather than cut off your foreskin to please these Pharisees, CUT THEM OFF. Circumcise these troublemakers from your midst. We don’t need them. Get back to running your race well, as you were doing.”

What is the race we are to be running, Church?

Galatians 5:13-14 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

You were called into liberty. God called you out of Egypt, out of slavery, to follow Him. We are freed from sin and human tradition to “by love serve one another”. We fulfill the Law when we love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Love does not add to the elements of salvation. Salvation is a gift of God. You receive the gift by following Jesus. We love Jesus. We love one another. We minister by love. We do the things that are pleasing to our God.

We do not make golden calves.

Galatians 5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

We are not saved to murmur as Israel did, but to follow Jesus. We are not saved to put ourselves first, but to follow Jesus. I close with this:

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

That’s the course we are on. That’s the light that we walk in. We follow Jesus. We add nothing to His Word. We magnify Him Who saved us, looking for the day when we will enter our Promised Land.

Amen.

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Living As Christ Followers

Posted on October 5, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Proverbs 22:1 A good NAME {šēm} is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.

Does God Know Your Name?

Nearly every translation I looked at of this Bible verse supplies the phrase:

A GOOD name, or
A GOOD reputation

However, the word “GOOD” is not actually in the original language of the Scripture. The King James shows this by italicizing the word“good”. Solomon wrote in another place:

Ecclesiastes 7:1 (KJV) A GOOD NAME {ṭôḇ šēm} [is] better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

It is important that a person have a “GOOD NAME”, or a good reputation among people. It is possible this is what the text means. However, I believe that the Lord left the word good out of the text here for a reason. The next verse reads:

Proverbs 22:2 The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all.

God is the Maker of both poor and rich, both famous and obscure. God is the Maker of everyone. I think what verse 1 is declaring – and I’ll put it in the form of a question – “Since God makes EVERYONE, does GOD KNOW YOUR NAME?”

Yes, it’s a great thing to have a good reputation among people. But does God know WHO YOU ARE? He made you. Does He know you?

Let’s take that italicized “good” out of there, and read it again.

Proverbs 22:1 A NAME {šēm} is rather to be chosen than great riches…

Does God know your name? You can be the richest man in the world. You can be Elon Musk, with a net worth of $342 billion. Or Larry Ellison, who has a net worth of $373 billion. Or you can be famous like Taylor Swift. But if God doesn’t know your name, it counts for nothing whatsoever. I often encounter people who say,

“I’ve been a member of such and such Church all my life.” That’s wonderful. But does God know your name?

“Well, I sing in the choir”. Great! Does God know your name?

“I tithe regularly”. Wonderful! Does God know your name? Have YOU enjoyed the GRACE of GOD? Have you come to Jesus Christ in faith, following Him in love? The second part of the verse speaks of “LOVING FAVOR” …

Proverbs 22:1 … and LOVING FAVOR {ṭôḇ ḥēn} rather than silver and gold.

Word Study: The Hebrew ṭôḇ ḥēn {pronounced tobe khane} literally means “loving GRACE”. The first time the word ḥēn {pro. khane} is found in the Bible is in:

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found GRACE [ḥēn {pro. khane}] in the eyes of the LORD.

God knew Noah’s name – and through Noah God saved the world from destruction. When Joseph was sold into slavery to Egyptian traders, and was later unfairly cast into prison, the Bible says:

Genesis 39:21 But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him GRACE [ḥēn {pro. khane}] …

Because God knew Joseph’s name, he became the right hand man to the King of Egypt. Through Joseph God saved Israel from destruction, and grew it into a mighty nation. When it came time for Israel to leave Egypt, God raised up Moses, and told him:

Exodus 33:12 … I know thee {Moses} by name, and thou hast also found GRACE [ḥēn {pro. khane}] in My sight.

God knew Moses’ name. Everyone God ever used, He knew their name. God knew Charlie Kirk’s name. God uses those whom He knows.

We are known of God when we call upon Him, pleading the Blood of Jesus on our lives. God is the Giver of Life, the Giver of Eternal Life, the Giver of GRACE. The Bible says:

Psalm 84:11 (KJV) For the LORD God [is] a sun and shield: the LORD will give GRACE [ḥēn {pro. khane}] and glory: no good [thing] will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.

The greatest thing in life is not fame or riches. It is not health and home. It is that God knows your name, that your name is written in the Book of Life!

Bridges wrote in his commentary:

“While it is true that reputation and the affection of others are more desirable than great riches, we must not forget that they may be in themselves vanity and a snare …. The only honor that is safe is that which comes from God.”

Does God know your name? Have you received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? God has made everyone, and gives life to all. “With God is the FOUNTAIN OF LIFE” (Psalm 36:9). Only by receiving Jesus Christ can we be known of God. The Apostle said,

1 John 5:11-12 (ESV) … this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

When Jesus sent His disciples out to minister and heal others, the Bible says:

Luke 10:17-20 (ESV) The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Some people place much emphasis on the statement, “My name is in the Church Roll. I’ve been a member of Riverview Baptist for years”. That is a fine thing. But does God know your name? Is your name written in Heaven? If not, there will come a day of reckoning. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV) Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

If God doesn’t know your name – If Jesus doesn’t know who you are – if you have never called on Him and surrendered to Him for salvation by Grace – then whatever you have in this life is worthless. I’d rather have a nickle and Jesus, than billions without. I’d rather be an unknown servant of Christ, than we famous without!

If You Know Jesus, He Will Make You
Both Wise And Rich!

Proverbs 22:3-4 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. 4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor, and life.

Illustrate: Are You An Eagle, or a Crow? I love to read, and read about crows and eagles the other day. The crow is one of the smartest of all birds. A group of 15 or more crows is called “a murder of crows”. When it is cold outside, a murder of crows can be up to a thousand crows. When I first heard that, it made me wonder. “A MURDER of crows”? What a strange name. There’s a reason for it. Though crows are scavengers, when crows cluster together in a “murder” they will attack and kill weaker or sick birds. Crows will also protect their territory. One nature site notes:

“Crows are fiercely territorial and will attack eagles to defend their territory. They are very protective of their nesting areas and view eagles as potential threats. To maintain control over their domain, crows will team up and use clever tactics to fight eagles that wander into it. This behavior is a natural instinct for crows to ensure their safety and survival. … In their confrontations with eagles, crows use a strategy known as “mobbing,” where they group together and harass the eagle. They do this by flying around the eagle, cawing loudly, and sometimes even pecking at it. This tactic is effective because the noise and the number of crows in a murder can be overwhelming and intimidating for the eagle.”

How does an eagle defend itself against a “murder of crows”? It doesn’t fight the crows. The eagle takes off, and flies. The article went on to say,

“When crows chase an eagle, the eagle deals with it by simply flying higher. Eagles are capable of soaring to great heights where the air is thinner. This makes it harder for crows, who aren’t equipped to fly as high, to keep up.”

Christians – Disciples of Christ – Saints of God – are to be EAGLES, not CROWS!

Isaiah 40:31 (ESV) … they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

The Christ follower when attacked by the crows of this world HIDES by following Christ, by doing as God’s Word says to do. We do not wallow with the crows, eating carrion and garbage. We fly ever HIGHER, looking to God our Savior.

Proverbs 22:3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Word Study: Those who are “SIMPLE” {Hebrew pᵊṯî, pro. Peth-ee’} or FOOLISH ignore the Word of God and the Spirit of God, and follow the ways of darkness. Becoming like the crow, they are punished. Hear me, professor of Christ. If you do not live for Jesus, you will bring your own punishment on yourself! Christ followers are to …

1 Thessalonians 5:21-23 (KJV) Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. 23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My commentary notes: “foolish persons, devoid of the grace of God and the fear of him, go on careless and unconcerned in their sinful course of life, transgressing the law of God; they proceed from evil to evil, from lesser to greater sins; they go on in the broad road to destruction, and are punished with temporal judgments here, and with everlasting destruction hereafter.”

The believer and lover of Christ, like the eagle, does not waste time battling the murder. Instead we fly upward, looking to our God. We live for His glory.

Proverbs 22:4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are RICHES, and honor, and life.

We humble ourselves before our God, knowing that if we heed Him that, in time, we shall leave the crows behind. What is it that our Jesus told us?

Matthew 6:33 (ESV) … seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

The Psalmist David wrote:

Psalm 34:9-10 (ESV) Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

God looks after His children. He always has, and always will! Those who love the Lord will be blessed. But …

Proverbs 22:5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the FROWARD {ʿiqqēš, pro. ik-kashe’}: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.

Those who walk “in perversity, crookedly” will eventually find that their life has fallen into “THORNS AND SNARES”. Sin brings with it its own punishment. Those who are careful, who want to protect their soul, will stay away from perversity and lawlessness. The Scripture tells the believer to, as the Beloved of God, to be …

Jude 20-21 (ESV) … building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

My commentary notes:

“Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13–14). The road that seems so easy is far from easy. Thorns and snares lie in the way, and those who choose to travel that route have no one to help them surmount the difficulties. Those who choose to follow the narrow way may find it to be a hard road, but Jesus leads the way and provides mercy and grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).”

Raise Your Children To Love The Lord

Proverbs 22:6 TRAIN up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Word Study: The reason why many children reach legal age, then leave the Church, is because parents did not do as this Scripture teaches. The word translated “TRAIN” is the Hebrew hanak which means “to dedicate”. The child is not dedicated in the way that they think they should go, but in the way that God wants them to go. God told His Israel:

Deuteronomy 6:4-8 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

When parents and grandparents focus on dedicating their children to God while they are young, the seed planted in their hearts will bring them back to God when they reach maturity. Young Timothy was raised in a household where his mother was a believer, but his father a pagan unbeliever (Acts 16:1). When Timothy reached adulthood, the faith of his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5) led him to salvation. Paul told Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:14-15 (ESV) … as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Live Like You Are Rich, Christian. Do Not Become Ensnared By The World.

Proverbs 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

At one time in my life I was over $18,000.00 in credit card debt. Yes, I was and am a Christian. But when I was in the military with a family, we were living in poverty. Our healthcare was covered, but enlisted military members were paid very low wages. We could eat, but my children didn’t have all the “perks” that others had.

So I foolishly used the credit card. When I left the military, I kept using the credit card. And every month I lived as a slave, a SLAVE to the credit card companies. About 20 years ago when I was pastoring in North Carolina the Lord enabled me to get out of credit card debt, and slavery. And I’m not going back!

What got me into slavery? I wanted what everybody else had for my family. I should have just trusted in the Lord. Once I got out from under the heel of the credit card companies, I have kept my trust in the Lord. Beloved, the borrower is servant to the lender. We should only serve the Lord!

“The rich ruleth over the poor”. Christians are rich because of what Christ has given us. One of my favorite verses is:

Hebrews 13:5-6 (NKJV) [Let your] conduct [be] without covetousness; [be] content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” [6] So we may boldly say: “The LORD [is] my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Christians are RICH. In Jesus we …

Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV) … have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Let’s tie the RICHES we as Disciples of Christ have with the next verse:

Proverbs 22:8 He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.

Christ followers should not “SOW INIQUITY”. In this world we are going to be hated by the darkness, by the lost person. Yet when attacked we must remember that we are rich in Christ. We should not return tit for tat, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. This is an Old Covenant concept given to Israel under the Law of Moses. Jesus told us:

Matthew 5:38-41, 44-45 (ESV) You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ [39] But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. [40] And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. [41] And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. … [44] But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45] so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Jesus said that if someone comes to you with non-life threatening force, then as His children we are to “turn the other cheek”. We are to do good to those who do badly to us. Does this mean we cannot defend ourselves against deadly force? No! Jesus also said:

Luke 22:35-38 (ESV) {Jesus} said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” [36] He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. [37] For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” [38] And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

I heard one young man – Seminary trained – who told me that Jesus was telling His disciples to buy swords and – like dress up for Halloween – pretend to be transgressors so that Scripture could be fulfilled. This young man got this from Seminary, sad to say. Jesus was not saying “Let’s do Trick or Treat so we can look like transgressors”. He wasn’t asking the disciples to be “numbered with the transgressors”. The prophecy that Jesus was speaking of had yet to be fulfilled – just as He said. The prophecy was only fulfilled when Jesus hung on the Cross. We read in:

Mark 15:25-28 (KJV) And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. [26] And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. [27] And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. [28] And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.

The prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus was nailed up between TWO TRANSGRESSORS. The Scripture is plainly saying this. Jesus did not ask His disciples to play dress up, to pretend to be transgressors! The Scripture doesn’t say that. What was Jesus saying when He said, “let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one”. He was saying:

“You have the right to defend yourselves against deadly attacks. The devil is going to put Me on display between two thieves, and justify My death by saying I and those who follow Me are evil. Some will see this and will bring deadly force on you. You do have the right to defend yourselves against deadly force.”

But we are never to attack others offensively. Jesus didn’t tell the disciples to ALL get a sword. When they said, “We have two swords”, Jesus said, “It is enough”.

Proverbs 22:8 He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.

If you sow evil, you reap nothing. Anger produces nothing. If you are going to follow Christ, expect to be maligned. Expect to be hated. Turn the other cheek. Love your enemies. There is power in love. But if a criminal breaks into your house, your Church, with the intent to do harm, you have the right to defend yourself and your loved ones. But ONLY for defense!

May God guide us to be better followers of Christ. Amen.

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Your Life Is A Stewardship From God

Posted on October 1, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by The New York Public Library on Unsplash

Proverbs 21:20-21 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up. 21 He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.

Your Life Is A Stewardship From God

Several years ago there was an advertisement that ran in the Atlanta Journal. The ad read:

“SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship. Ethnicity not important. I’m a very good looking girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. When you get home from work, I’ll be at the front door wearing only what nature gave me. Call (404) 555-1212 and ask for Daisy.”

1500 men called the number, but didn’t find what they expected. The number was for the Atlanta Humane Society. Daisy was an 8 week old black Labrador Retriever.

The life we live, that we currently have, is a stewardship from God. God gifted us life at birth. “The LORD brings death and GIVES LIFE” (1 Samuel 2:6). “God is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” (Acts 17:25). What we have, what God has given us, is a stewardship. It does not belong to us. I often hear the phrase,

“My body, my choice”

That’s true. God gave you a body. But your soul belongs to God, whether you believe that or not. “Behold, every SOUL BELONGS TO ME – the soul who sins will die” (Ezekiel 18:4). Your body houses your soul. But if you sin, doing that which God has forbidden, you WILL damage the body. Imagine those 1500 men who were looking for a party girl. It’s humorous, but also sad and somewhat frightening. When you have sex with a party girl, you are having sex with every partner she has ever had. Bad behavior from the soul brings damage to the body.

Proverbs 21:20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.

The WISE SOUL who cherishes and lives by the Word of God will find their present life to be a TREASURE TO BE DESIRED, whereas the foolish person who will not heed God will find their lives wasted. What of the young man who murdered Charlie Kirk? He started out a straight A student, college material. He apparently came from a fine home. Somewhere along the way he began to treasure the wrong things – rather than treasure God.

Our Lord Jesus warned us all:

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

Those who treasure Heaven love others and love the God of Heaven. Those who treasure the earth will find in time that your good looks, fame, money, fast cars, celebrity, whatever is temporal, will eventually dry up and die. If your heart is focused on your beauty, there will come a day when beauty will be gone.

{there is} oil in the dwelling of the wise

In the ancient world, “OIL”or olive oil was considered a blessing from God. Kings and priests were anointed with OIL. The oil represented God the Holy Spirit. Jesus said:

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel

The Spirit of the Lord and the oil of anointing are directly linked. We see this also in:

Acts 10:38 … God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him

Jesus addressed those who looked like Christians and those who were actually born again Christians in His “The Parable of the Ten Virgins”:

Matthew 25:1-12 (ESV) Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten VIRGINS {professing devotion to the bridegroom} who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. {they got ready} 8 And the FOOLISH {the false Christian} said to the WISE {the genuine Christian}, ‘Give us some of your OIL {represents the Holy Spirit}, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the WISE answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.‘

Jesus knew who the WISE were, for they had OIL in their lamps. They loved the Word of God. They loved the Bridegroom. They were indwelt by the Spirit of God. The FOOLISH looked like believers, but did not love the Lord. They were not wise. They did not heed the Word of God, nor His Gospel. Those who are saved by Grace are born again, saved through the operation of God’s Holy Spirit. Those who are saved will show it by their outward lives.

You Must Live Your Faith Out Loud

Proverbs 21:21 He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honor.

The righteousness that comes by the Law does not save a person. Man made religion will not save you. In order to be saved, we pursue righteousness AND mercy. We come to Christ by faith, believing in Him, receiving Him as Lord and Savior. God told Israel:

Isaiah 51:1-2 (KJV) Hearken to Me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock [whence] ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit [whence] ye are digged. 2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah [that] bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

While we have life, we seek Christ our Savior. We live to please our Heavenly Father through His finished work. Our Lord Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). When we seek God’s face through prayer and study of His Word, God will give us righteousness, lives that are pleasing to Him.

Proverbs 21:22 A WISE man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof.

We who belong to Jesus need not fear the enemy. The Scripture says “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). The enemy cannot long stand against the united people of God. We see this when King David led the Army of Israel against Jerusalem while it was inhabited by the Jebusites:

2 Samuel 5:6-9 (ESV) And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”–thinking, “David cannot come in here.” 7 Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. 8 And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” 9 And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward. 10 And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him.

David did not have his men attack at the walls, which were well guarded and impregnable. Instead he had them attack at “THE WATER SHAFT”, the place where water flowed into the city to supply the residents. God gave David the wisdom to look for the weak spot, and to address the heathen at that point.

God’s People Need To Consider Before They Speak

Proverbs 21:23 Whoso keepeth {šāmar} his mouth and his tongue keepeth {šāmar} his soul from troubles.

We must speak. We must tell others about Jesus. There has always been a cancel culture that wants to rob us of our free speech. When Peter and the Apostles were told the shut up and not speak of Jesus, their reply was “We MUST OBEY GOD rather than HUMAN AUTHORITY” (Acts 5:29). We must tell others. We must stand up for the truth. But we need to consider how we speak.

Word Study: The word “KEEPETH” is the Hebrew šāmar, which means “to post a guard on, to put a hedge around, to keep out trouble”. This is not the first time we’ve seen this concept in Proverbs. We previously read:

Proverbs 13:3 Whoever guards {šāmar} his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

Proverbs 17:27-28 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

The Prophets were careful to use the phrase, “Thus saith the Lord”, allowing God to speak through them. When we are speaking God’s Word we should be bold and direct. But we need to be careful about our own opinions,be careful about harshness or unkindness, remembering always to be “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). We should not shy away from speaking the truth, but always let it be of love and for the glory of God. I have heard this acronym used for speaking. Before you speak, THINK:

T – is it TRUE, or what I think (John 17:17)?
H – will it HELP or build up (Ephesians 4:29)?
I – is it INSPIRED of God (2 Timothy 3:16)?
N – is it NEEDED at this time (Ecclesiastes 3:7)?
K – are you being KIND (Ephesians 4:32)?

God should drive our tongues, not our flesh. As I heard someone say,

It’s not about BEING right. It’s about DOING right.

Proverbs 21:24 Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.

The wicked will often SHOUT A LIE rather than speak the truth. The “SCORNER” is the person who think themselves better than others. They do not follow the way of truth, but “DEAL IN PROUD WRATH”. They are like Pharaoh was, who asked (Exodus 5:2) “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice?”. They are smug and filled with ego, considering themselves “gods”. Asaph describes these people as:

Psalm 73:9 (ESV) They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.

Genesis chapter 11 tells us of a people who rejected the command of God to “multiply and fill the earth”. As these were descendants of believing Noah, they rejected the God of Noah and decided to “build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4, NKJV). Some commentaries suggest that these descendants of Noah thought that they could build a tower so high that it would be above the judgment of God. They ignored that God told Noah that He would never again flood the earth by water. They wanted to “make a name for ourselves”, to be more known than God Himself.

This mindset is in our world today. God made us male and female, but there are those who believe that they can recreate themselves in their own image. They cannot. What God has made cannot be unmade.

It is like the person who, believing he can re-imagine the laws of physics, walks off the roof of a ten story building. “What’s wrong with that?”, the confused would ask. To violate the Law of God because you think you are a god only leads to self harm and death.

Illustrate: I was watching a video the other day where a policeman stopped a speeding vehicle. When he asked the driver for his license, the man handed him a cat collar with a tag on it. The man said, “I identify as a cat”. The policeman wisely said, “Well, I’m not going to argue with you. We have a couple of options here. If you’re a cat, I’m going to call animal control, and have your car towed. The state of Texas doesn’t allow cats to drive cars. When animal control takes you to the pound, you will get all your shots – including rabies – whether you like it or not. You’ll have to stay in the pound until someone comes to get you, and pays the 75.00$ animal control fee. I’m also going to request a medical team to come out and take custody of your passenger. He thinks you’re a cat, so I’ll let the psychiatrist sort this out. OR you can quit playing, and let me see your license and registration. Your move!”

You cannot be what you are not. God has given you the life you have. Look to Him, and find the best life!

Proverbs 21:25-26 The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labor. 26 He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.

Word Study: The SLOTHFUL person will eventually find death, for they will not take care of themselves. I often wonder about these protesters who – in the middle of the day – scream and holler and hold signs up. Don’t they have a job? No. They “coveteth greedily all the day long”, desiring this and desiring that, but are never satisfied. The “RIGHTEOUS” or saved person is different. That person gives freely.

A Recipient of Grace Is Always Gracious

The Apostle wrote of the one who is saved:

Ephesians 4:28 (ESV) Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

It is a key component of Christianity that we be generous to those in need. Our Lord Jesus said:

Luke 6:30-36 (ESV) Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.

Proverbs 21:29-30 A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as for the upright, He {God} directeth his way. 30 There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord. 31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord.

Those who belong to the Lord are guided by the Lord. The Holy Spirit leads us. The Word of God directs us. The enemy has vast resources, but our resources are greater still. Trust in Him. Seek His face. Hide in His Word. Your life is a gift, a stewardship from God. Let God guide you in living the best life you can live. Amen.

Posted in Proverbs, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

There Is Death In The Pot

Posted on October 1, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Marco J Haenssgen on Unsplash

2 Kings 4:38-40 (KJV) And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and {boil stew} for the sons of the prophets. 39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of {Stew}: for they knew them not. 40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.

The Bible tells us that “whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4, ESV). So many people look at the Old Testament and compare it to the human appendix – a useless organ that can become infected and we would best be without. But the Old Testament was “written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come”. Our Lord Jesus preached extensively from the Old Testament. In fact, Jesus told those who would listen:

John 5:39-40 (ESV) You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me, 40 yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life.

John the Baptist was the human Herald of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus, when He became flesh. But the Old Testament is the written Herald of Jesus, the Preincarnate Word of God!

God was reaching out to people through the Lord Jesus Christ, calling people to receive Him and love Him, even in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-3). The Bible says:

Colossians 1:16-18 (NKJV) For by Him {by Jesus} all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church…

The Old Testament Saint knew Jesus. Our Lord was clear on this, Challenged by the Pharisees, Jesus said:

John 8:56-59 (NKJV) Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Our Lord Jesus took the Name of Eternal God, I AM, to Himself. Jesus Christ is co-equal and co-eternal to the Father. God says in Isaiah 43:11, “I AM the LORD, and besides Me there is NO SAVIOR”. Jesus is God. Jesus is Savior. The message we preach is,

Acts 4:12 (ESV) there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Elisha Was A Saved Believer In Jesus

We’re going to see Jesus in our text today. We’re going to see what a lack of Jesus does to a nation, to a people, to a person, even to a believer. We’re going to see Jesus first of all in Elisha.

2 Kings 4:38 (KJV) And ELISHA came again to Gilgal

Word Study: I love that name “ELISHA”. In the ancient languages, names had meaning. Your name described you, or what your parents wanted you to be.

God called a man called Abram to salvation (Genesis 12:1ff). His daddy Terah named him Abram, which means “exalted father”. But Abram was without children, and not likely to have children, until he met the Lord Jesus. Believing in the Lord Jesus, he followed the Lord, and Jesus gave him a new name:

Genesis 17:5 (NKJV) No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.

Abram was a joke, an exalted nothing. But Abraham was “the Father of a multitude” because he gave his life to the Lord.

And Jacob, whose name means “one who takes the place of another through scheming and force”, he was an awful man until he met the Lord. One night Jacob struggled with the Lord Jesus until He crippled him. Even crippled, Jacob would not let go of Jesus until he was blessed. Our Lord told him:

Genesis 32:28 (NKJV) And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Jacob was a schemer. But as Israel his line was blessed, and from Israel the Messiah would become flesh and the promise of God to Abraham fulfilled.

What about Elisha? The name Elisha means “God is salvation”. The Lord sent Elijah the Prophet to call Elisha as his replacement. Who was Elisha? Elisha is a nobody who loves God. He is introduced to us as simply “Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah” (1 Kings 19:16). Who is that? No one knows. Elisha was a wealthy man who loved God more than his stuff. When called to serve, Elisha was plowing his fields with twelve yoke of oxen. This represented a considerable amount of money! When God called him, what did Elisha do with this expensive yoke of oxen? Elisha …

1 Kings 19:21 (ESV) … took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.

Elisha = God Is Salvation! Jesus Is The Savior!

Elisha loves the Lord. He took a considerable investment – twelve yoke of oxen – and killed them for the Lord. He burned the yokes. When he gave up the oxen, he gave up his career. He can no longer plow the fields of his family. Elisha told his family goodbye, and made the Lord number one in his life. This is what Jesus calls us to be. Salvation is to REPENT and RECEIVE Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Luke 9:23-25 (NKJV) {Jesus} said to [them] all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

When Jesus calls a person to salvation, He calls the whole person. He calls you to give yourself to Him. Jesus owns you. He owns your stuff. He owns your fame, or lack thereof. Jesus tells the Christian …

Matthew 10:22 (NKJV) you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

Christian, our God is Yahweh. Our God is Salvation. All other gods are false, untrue, without power. There is no way to God but through Jesus Christ. There is no Holy Book but the Bible. Jesus said, “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26, ESV). When you stand with God, you stand with life and light. When you stand with Satan and the world, you stand in darkness and death.

There Is Dearth In The Land

2 Kings 4:38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a DEARTH {famine} in the land

Word Study: There is “DEARTH IN THE LAND”. There was a famine. There was economic uncertainty. People were hungry, they were starving. Why is there a famine?

When God sent Israel into the Promised Land of Canaan, God told Israel to drive out the wicked that were there. Abraham had walked the length and breadth of Canaan. The Lord had tried to reach the Canaanites – through Abraham, through others, calling people to His side. But the Canaanites preferred idols, self made gods. God told Israel:

Deuteronomy 9:5 (ESV) … because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out from before you, and that He may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

When the nation comes to the Lord, God blesses it. But there is a dearth in the land. Though Israel occupied Canaan now, Israel had become polluted with idolatry. God’s people began to compromise with the world around them. God’s people are supposed to be:

Matthew 5:14 … the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

What brings an economic famine on the land? The hardened heart that will not hear God’s Word. It is a joy to hear God’s Word, and His Word feeds the soul of the Christian. But many have wandered from Jesus, from the Word of God. We are seeing today the prophecy of Amos,

Amos 8:11-12 (ESV) “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. 12 They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.”

Israel had turned from living God’s Word, and the light on a hill dimmed. Darkness reigned. With darkness comes instability. With darkness comes the breakdown of the family. When Charlie Kirk was assassinated, people on news channels and social media rejoiced at the murder of a good man. Oh, how I grieve Charlie’s passing. But hear me out – we must not exalt Charlie Kirk, but JESUS! Charlie was not perfect, and none of us are perfect. But Charlie loved the Lord.

We should grieve Charlie’s murder, but celebrate the Jesus Who promised (John 8:51) “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.” Charlie died preaching and believing the Gospel, and never saw death. He saw Jesus!

There is a dearth in the land because we have gotten away from Jesus. We have gotten away from the Word of God.

Jesus Who is the Creator told Adam what he was supposed to do, and what he was NOT to do. What did Adam do? He heeded the created instead of the Creator. He listened to his wife, who in turn listened to a serpent. When the created heed the created rather than the Creator, there is dearth – a famine – in the land.

How horrible it is when the darkness reigns. How horrible it is when God’s people forget where their blessings came from. Why did God wipe out Sodom and Gomorrah? Because Righteous Lot sat in the gate year after year (Genesis 19:1) compromising his faith! The Light of God’s people cannot blend with the darkness. Our nation today rivals Sodom and Gomorrah because God’s people sit in the gate and say nothing. Oh Beloved, this must not be! God tells His people to reach out to the lost, but to NEVER blend with them. He says:

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 (NKJV) Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not TOUCH what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 18 I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.

Elisha Kept His Eyes On Jesus

The land is starving – but Elisha and those who love the Lord have resources. Elisha kept his eyes on Jesus. He didn’t worry about the idolaters. He didn’t worry about the famine. He just loved Jesus, and lived his life to serve the Lord. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 6:20 (KJV) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

If you know that God is the Savior, that faith in Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin, then you are God’s child. God will take care of His children, of those who love Him. If you love the Son, the Father loves you. Jesus said,

John 15:10-11 (NKJV) If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and [that] your joy may be full.

God takes care of His children. Again, the Scripture says:

Psalm 145:20 (ESV) The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.

God looks after His people. “The Lord is MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT WANT” (Psalm 23:1). The Shepherd defends the sheep. He guides the sheep to “green pastures, and leads them beside still waters”. God says of His child, His little sheep,

“Because you hold fast to Me in love, I will deliver you. I will protect you, because you know My Name. When you call to Me, I will answer you. I will be with you in trouble. I will rescue you, and honor you. With long life I will satisfy you, and SHOW YOU MY SALVATION” (Psalm 91:14-16, AP)

There was a DEARTH in the land, a famine, but Elisha was not worried. God would provide his need, and the needs of those who were with him.

2 Kings 4:38 (KJV) And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets {about 100 men} were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and {boil stew} for the sons of the prophets.

Elisha tells his COOK, his SERVANT to make a stew. Elisha is a prophet – a preacher of God’s Word. As every believer is supposed to do, Elisha is making disciples. That’s what God calls His children to do. Make disciples. Do you not remember Jesus’ command? “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-19). Make disciples. Teach others about Jesus. These “SONS OF THE PROPHETS” were about 100 preachers that Elisha was mentoring, just as he had been mentored. But his people are hungry. As the Psalmist said:

Psalm 37:25 (ESV) I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.

There may be a famine in the land, but Elisha has a cook. That cook knows where to find things that are good to eat, and trusts in the Lord. So the cook makes a pot of stew. But someone steps out of bounds.

2 Kings 4:39 And ONE went out into the field to gather HERBS {‘ôrâ}, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of {stew}: for they knew them not. {they did not know what these gourds were}

Word Study: The cook makes a stew – and someone else adds the wrong thing to it. Reading the text, I believe it is telling us that the cook sent someone out to get “HERBS”. This is the Hebrew ‘ôrâ {pronounced o-raw’}, and it means “that which is LIGHT or BRIGHT, something LUMINOUS”. This same word is used to describe God in …

Psalm 139:12 (KJV) Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light [are] both ALIKE [‘ôrâ] [to Thee].

The cook tasted the stew he had made, and it needed a little flavor. So he sent someone to get a “HERB” that would “LIGHTEN UP” the dish, making it better to eat. Instead of getting a known “HERB”, the assistant found something that looked good. He took this gourd, a wild gourd unfamiliar to what he knew was good, and shredded it into the stew.

2 Kings 4:40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.

They started to eat. Suddenly, their stomachs clenched. They were sickened. They had eaten something bad. “THERE IS DEATH IN THE POT”. Beloved, these were BELIEVERS IN JESUS. These were FOLLOWERS OF ELISHA. They had left their homes to learn, to be disciples of the Master. And now someone has introduced something strange, something not of God. My commentary notes:

“Untrained in these matters, {the cook’s assistant} mistook the wild vine for an edible cucumber or squash. What he found is believed to be the citrallus colocynthus, which had a leaf like a squash but was bitter and poisonous due to its very severe purgative qualities {X-Lax on steroids}. If eaten in large amounts it would tear up the digestive tract and could even cause death. In small amounts you might not die, but you might think you were going to–and might even want to. …. The world is full of poisonous ideas that may look harmless and even resemble the truth, but they are bitter and bring unhappiness to man. To be able to recognize this and to protect others from these bitter herbs, {believers} need to be trained in the Word of God.”

Oh Beloved, let us as believers guard one another, and encourage one another to get no strange item in the pot. But if we do, let us do as Elisha did.

The Cure To Death In The Pot Is Jesus

2 Kings 4:41 But {Elisha} said, Then bring MEAL {gemah}. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.

Elisha didn’t panic. He asked the cook to “bring me flour”. Meal or flour is used in making bread. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Our Lord Jesus said:

John 6:29-40 (ESV) Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

These men had taken something wild from the world into themselves. There was death in the pot. They were suffering, dying. Cramping, in agony. Elisha puts flour in the pot, symbolic of our Lord Jesus. Then he said,

Pour out for the people, that they may eat

We must feed on God’s Word. We must feed on the revelation of Jesus Christ. But you choose whether to eat or not. There is no neutral position. If you want to escape the death in the pot and the dearth in the land, you must partake of Christ.

We’ve got to get back to Jesus. Jesus will rain down blessings on His people, if we will love and follow Him. In the last three verses of this chapter, we see a miracle that Jesus twice replicated while on this earth.

2 Kings 4:42-44 And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. 43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. 44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord.

There were about a hundred men with Elisha. A man brought Elisha 20 barley loaves of bread, not much larger than biscuits. Our Lord Jesus fed 5000 men with “five barley loaves, and two small fish” (John 6:9ff). The 20 barley loaves are equivalent to what four children would eat. Such a small amount. But Elisha looked to Jesus. He said, “The Lord told me a hundred shall eat – and there will be leftover”. And guess what?

Jesus did it! Our God is a Saving God. Oh, that you would look to Him today, and throughout this revival. Oh Holy Spirit, please speak to hearts this week. There is dearth in the land, and death in the pot. But we who love Jesus have life and light! Amen!

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Living As Disciples Of Christ

Posted on October 1, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

Ephesians 1:15-17 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him

Opening: It literally brought tears to my eyes. On Sunday September 21 there was a memorial service for our brother in Christ Charlie Kirk at the State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona. Charlie’s widow Erika Kirk walked out on stage. There were over 200,000 people in attendance. When she got to the podium (which was surrounded by bullet proof glass) Erika could have said anything – it was unscripted. She could have called for conservatives to rise up and strike back at the liberals which have for so long called Bible believers “Facists, homophobes, Islamophobes, misogynists” and so on. Now the CEO of Turning Point, she could have said things that could have brought about riots in the streets of America.

She didn’t.

Her first words were “God bless all of you”. God. Not a curse word. Not hate. Love. She quoted Isaiah 6:8, saying it was Charlie’s favorite verse:

I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

She also quoted Jesus. Her words were:

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. That man – that young man – I forgive him”. Tears ran down her face. She continued, “I forgive him, because of what Christ did, and it’s what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know, from the Gospel, is love, and always love. Love for our enemies, and love for those who persecute us.”

Though many liberal commentators mocked what she did, she did exactly what Jesus told her to do. The Bible says:

Romans 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

It would be so easy to be overcome with evil. To see these mockers of all races make fun of a good Christian man’s death. True Christians have always been mocked. Members of the early Church did not call themselves “Christian” (Greek christianos). It was a term of derision that was pinned to believers by the unbelievers in Antioche (Acts 11:26).

The devil’s children gave believers in Jesus the title “Christian”. Early believers simply called themselves “disciples” or “saints” – those consecrated to God. “Christianos” means “of the party of Christ”.

In every fiber of my flesh I want to take each mocker, each foolish satanic jester, and make them pay. But here’s the thing:

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I HEARD of your faith in the Lord Jesus

When the Apostle Paul wrote these words while imprisoned in Rome (A.D. 60-62) for preaching the Gospel of Christ. The Christian – the follower of the Christ – has “faith in the Lord Jesus”. When you are saved, you are only saved if Jesus is your LORD. You cannot be saved if Jesus is not your Lord. The Apostle preached:

Romans 10:9 (ESV) because, 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.

He is LORD. There is no salvation apart from that. He is LORD.

  • The leper knelt before Jesus, saying “LORD, if You will, You can make me clean” (Matthew 8:2).
  • The Disciples, tossed about in the midst of a storm, told Jesus “Save us, LORD, we are perishing” (Matthew 8:25).
  • The Canaanite woman cried out to Jesus, “Have mercy on me, O LORD, Son of David” (Matthew15:22).
  • When Thomas saw the rise Christ, he declared “My LORD and my GOD!” (John 20:28).
  • And Peter preached on Pentecost, “Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both LORD and Messiah”(Acts 2:36).

Jesus is Lord of His people. He demands that His people live their faith out distinctively different than the lost world. The Church at Ephesus is doing this. Paul again said:

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I HEARD of your FAITH …

If the Church at Ephesus was doing the same thing that the lost world around them is doing, Paul would have never HEARD of their FAITH. There is no internet, no television, no mail service. And yet Paul HEARS of their faith. The Ephesian believers are not conforming to the culture around them. They are not being like the lost.

An unlit candle is absolutely useless in the dark. It does nothing. You don’t see it. You don’t hear it. It has no effect whatsoever!

If Erika had gotten up on stage and called for hell to rain down on that young man, and all those mockers – cowards all – that are hiding behind their keyboards, it would have made absolutely no impression. When flesh begets flesh, there is no power in this. But when she forgave that killer because her LORD said so …. the crowd was stunned.

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints

The Ephesians were living their faith OUT LOUD. Oh Beloved, the devil doesn’t care if you have faith if your faith is as hateful and dark as his disciples have. When Jesus healed the man with the withered hand (Matthew 12:9-13) on the Sabbath, that man rejoiced. But the Bible says those who saw the Master do good:

Matthew 12:14-15 (ESV) … the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. 15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and He healed them all

The pseudo religious crowd, the Pharisees, did not rejoice when Jesus did good. They instead plotted on killing Jesus. Note that “Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there”. Our Lord didn’t linger among the devils, the messengers of Satan. But to those who followed Him as LORD, “He healed them all”.

Christians, we must not be silent. We must stand up loudly, so that the whole world hears, against those that are lost. We must be light, not darkness. And we must DO GOOD to our enemies, as Jesus did good ….. but we do not have to pursue those who wallow in darkness.

Early in His ministry, Jesus went up a mountainside in Galilee (Matthew 5:1-2). This was probably the place which today is called “The Mount of Beatitudes”. Jesus did not chase people, but people came to Him. He spoke to those who called Him Lord. What did He say?

“You are part of the world, no different from the darkness. You are a city like all others, hidden in the valley of human doctrines. Be quiet. Do nothing. Be part of the crowd. Don’t stand out!”

Did He say that? Absolutely not! Jesus calls His people to be distinctively different than the darkness. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV) You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

We who are saved are to live OUT LOUD for Jesus. We are not to worry about the darkness. We are to DISPEL the darkness by reflecting the glorious Gospel of Christ in our WORDS and in our ACTIONS. Jesus called us to be loud, to be heard. Not in our flesh, but following His words. Jesus was very clear,

John 14:15 If ye love Me, keep My commandments.

Pastor Don Wilton, talking about Billy Graham, said:

“Billy Graham believed in salvation by faith in Christ alone and walked in obedience to the Lordship of Christ simply because Christ alone is Lord and King. … if we believe in Him, then we obey Him. {Jesus} alone is God.”

We Stand TOGETHER Against The Darkness,
But With Our Fellow Believers

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints

Early believers did not call themselves “Christians”, but “Saints” which means “those set apart by Jesus”. Or “disciples” which meant followers of Christ. The early believers understood that …

We are in a spiritual battle against forces of evil. That “We do not battle against flesh and blood, but against “Rulers, Authorities, and Cosmic Powers over this present darkness, against SPIRITUAL FORCES of evil” (Ephesians 6:12)

The Ephesian believers were able to stand against satanic forces because they had “love unto all the saints”. Believer loved believer. They did what Paul wrote in:

Galatians 6:10 (NKJV) Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

To “DO GOOD TO ALL … especially to the HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH”. They loved one another. Now, as I sought the Lord to guide me into explaining to you what is this thing we call “Love”, He led me to a very familiar passage, one you are all aware of.

John 3:16-18 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. [17] “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. [18] “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

We’ll define “LOVE” by what God showed us. Let’s break it out.

  • Love does not look the other way on evil or wrong. God does not look the other way on the sins of the world. Had He done so, He would have never sent Jesus Christ to this earth to die for our sins. “God GAVE His only Begotten Son”.
  • Love does good when others do bad. It is visibly good. Jesus went to the Cross not just for a certain group of people, but for the “WORLD”.
  • Love goes to the individual, and gives the individual a choice. God offers His love to “WHOEVER”. Jesus told us:

Matthew 18:15 (ESV) If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

This is what God does with us in salvation. He comes to us individually, and convicts us of sinning against Him. He gives us an opportunity to repent, to get on the Biblical page with Him. We are to do the same with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Sadly, we don’t do this. When offended, we do not go to the offender, but run around the Church playing the victim to everyone else. This is not love – it is divisive, and destructive. If you go to the offender privately, and he or she will not hear you, Jesus said “go get others, and take them back with you, “that every charge may be established by the EVIDENCE of two or three witnesses” (Matthew 18:16). The intent is to restore peaceful coexistence within the Church. If all else fails, Jesus said “let that person be to you as a sinner, a lost person” (Matthew 18:17). But listen to me –

Perhaps the fault is YOURS. If it is, then YOU must repent.

It is the Word of God and the Spirit of God that establishes right and wrong – not what we think or feel. Finally, “LOVE” – based on what our God has done,

  • Love is sacrificial. It is self denying, and God honoring. God did not relish surrendering His Son Jesus to the Cross, but in love offered His Son to all. Jesus did not relish going to the Cross. He prayed three times in Gethsemane that “this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus went anyway. As believers, we “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39), taking the pain and shame of the blow, even if unjustified. We love anyway. We do not justify the sin, but we forgive as God forgives.

Paul’s Prayer For The Church

Paul commends the Church at Ephesus for its love, even in the midst of that present darkness. He says:

Ephesians 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

In the midst of this spiritual warfare, Paul lifted up the Church by being THANKFUL and PRAYERFUL. This should be our attitude. The Bible says:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 (NKJV) Rejoice always, [17] pray without ceasing, [18] in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. [19] Do not quench the Spirit.

Paul rejoiced over the Church. He prayed without ceasing for the Church. We come together to REJOICE ALWAYS. We are children of the King. We are New Creatures in Christ. We have access to the Father. We can “PRAY WITHOUT CEASING” because God is there, He is never asleep. We have a salvation we do not deserve, and a love we did not earn. There was a song that I learned from my brother in Christ Andre Crouch. Listen to this:

I don’t know why Jesus loves me,
I don’t know why He cares.
I don’t know why He sacrificed His life,
Oh, but I’m glad. I’m glad He did.

Where would I be if Jesus didn’t love me?
Where would I be if Jesus didn’t care?
Where would I be, if He didn’t sacrifice His life,
Oh, but I’m glad. I’m glad He did.

He left His mighty Throne in glory,
To bring to us redemption’s story,
Then He died, but He rose again, just for me,
Oh and I’m glad, I’m glad He did.
So glad He did.

Paul prayed for the Church:

Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him

In the King James, the word “Spirit” is NOT capitalized – and it should be. The word “SPIRIT” is the Greek pneuma, which is used to describe the Holy Spirit (111x), the Holy Ghost (89x), the Spirit of God (13x), the Spirit of Truth (3x), and the Spirit of Christ (2x). In other words, the “SPIRIT” that Paul is praying the Father will give the Church is the Presence of the Holy Spirit.

Now let me clarify this. The Holy Spirit is the active Member of the Godhead in our salvation. When you REPENT and CALL ON JESUS, believing Him as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit causes you to be BORN AGAIN. Jesus said:

John 3:5-7 (ESV) Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. [6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7] Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.‘

A Christian is a Christian, a son of God, because that person is born into the Kingdom through the Holy Spirit of God. You are not only “born again” into the Kingdom of God, but you are “sealed” by the Spirit

Ephesians 4:29-30 (ESV) Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. [30] And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

The Holy Spirit indwells the believer. Jesus called Him a “Comforter” or an “Advocate”:

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

The Holy Spirit lives inside of every believer. He made you, and stays with you. HOWEVER, go back to Ephesians 4:29-30 , “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. [30] And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God”

When we get away from the Word of God and begin to follow our own word, a corrupting word, a man centered word, we “GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT”. The Holy Spirit indwells us so that He might teach us about Jesus.

John 14:26 (KJV) But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Spirit}, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

That’s what Paul is praying for the Church. Read it again:

Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him

The Bible says that we can grieve or quench the Holy Spirit by our sinful actions. The enemy cannot defeat us – but WE can defeat us. When we get away from the written Word, the Bible; when we get away from learning to be like Jesus – the devil rejoices.

The power of the Christian is in Christ, in being like Him, in obeying Him. Sin throttles the Holy Spirit, robbing us of joy in our salvation. We need to focus on being in Christ, IN CHRIST, not in the flesh.

Ephesians 1:18-20 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

The Church has “exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe”. The Church focused on Christ cannot be defeated. The Father raised Christ from the dead. The Father set His Son on His right hand. When we believe on His Son, and are subsequently born again, sealed, indwelt, and filled by the Spirit we are bound to a Power unimaginable.

The Church that follows Jesus is HEADED UP by Jesus. And Jesus has a name that is above every Name. The last three verses of this chapter says:

Ephesians 1:21-23 {Jesus is} Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And {the Father} hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church, 23 Which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.

There is no one greater than Jesus. The Church submitted to Jesus, the Church that will not grieve nor quench the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19) is greater than any enemy that may come against us. When the Church belongs to Jesus, the Church will stand.

May Christ touch your hearts with His Word! Amen.

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Stand Fast

Posted on October 1, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Frankie Lopez on Unsplash

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Stand Fast!: I prayed and sought God’s Spirit to tell me how to explain this section of scripture. I thought about the phrase “STAND FAST”, the Greek stēkō which means to “set your feet on solid ground, to resolutely stand and refuse to move from your assigned place”. Stēkō is a military term, a manly term. Jesus tied Stēkō to prayer. He said:

Mark 11:25-26 (KJV) And when ye STAND {Stēkō} praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

You cannot STAND FAST if you are in disarray. God’s Church is His people, His army. We stand TOGETHER in Him, in His Word. We do what our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, tells us. We follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Scripture says:

Romans 14:4 (KJV) Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own Master he STANDETH {Stēkō} or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

The Church STANDS FAST not in it’s opinion, but IN THE LORD. The Apostle tells us:

Philippians 4:1 (KJV) … STAND FAST {Stēkō} in the Lord, [my] dearly beloved.

1 Thessalonians 3:8 (KJV) … STAND FAST {Stēkō} in the Lord.

The Christian loves the Word of God, and is led by the Spirit of God. We walk together with other like minded believers, STANDING FAST for Jesus! We are commanded to “Watch, and STAND FAST {Stēkō} IN THE FAITH” (1 Corinthians 16:13). Not in the world, but “IN THE FAITH”. Or as the Apostle said in …

Philippians 1:27 (AP) STAND FAST {Stēkō} in one Spirit, with one mind STRIVING TOGETHER FOR THE FAITH OF THE GOSPEL …

The devil and the world will do its best to either (1) keep people from hearing the glorious Gospel of Christ, to keep them unsaved, or (2) try and get the Christian to give ground to that which is contrary to the Gospel.

The devil cannot make our light dim – but he can entice us to give up Paradise for a piece of fruit. The devil cannot cast us out of Eden, but he can encourage us into losing our way by rejecting the command of God. Beloved, we must:

Stand Fast Against Sin

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Christ has made us free. Jesus has saved us. From what? From hell? Yes, from hell! But Jesus saved us from more than hell. He saved us from emptiness. He saved us from self. He saved us from SIN. This is what the Bible says He came to do. We were told in the first part of this book:

Galatians 1:4 {Jesus} gave Himself FOR OUR SINS, that He might DELIVER US FROM THIS PRESENT EVIL WORLD …

Jesus “loved us, and WASHED US FROM OUR SINS in His own Blood” (Revelation 1:5). He changed our state.

Illustrate: I want you to think of your life as if you are a cup. When you are born into this world, you are born an empty cup. Within that cup is a conscience that will convict us of sin. Every person has a conscience, placed in you by God. Believers have a conscience. Unbelievers have a conscience. In Romans 2:14-15 the Bible says:

Romans 2:14-15 (NKJV) …. for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves [their] thoughts accusing or else excusing [them])

The Gentiles were never given the Law of Moses. But they WERE GIVEN a conscience. The conscience BY NATURE, by birth, tells us what things are good and what things are bad. For instance, we all know that murder, rape, theft, lying, cursing God, adultery and so on are bad. I know of no one other than a psychopath who would say “to rape and murder a woman is perfectly fine – after all, Darwinian Evolution says that there is survival of the fittest.” People instinctively know that these things are wrong. Why? Because God infused the human heart – the seat of our consciousness – with a conscience. So we are like cups. We are born empty, gifted with life by God, but we are not connected to God other than by a conscience. And here’s the bad news.

The conscience can be hardened or cauterized by sin.

1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NKJV) Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron …

To heed Satan, to heed the directives of the fallen world, to stop speaking the truth of God’s Word and begin to follow human tradition and fallacies will sear or harden the conscience. You are born with an empty cup, and a conscience to guide you. But the conscience can be hardened. This is the reason you see so many people mocking the deaths of the innocent. This is why we see women putting their abortions online in videos, laughing and celebrating the murder of their own child.

Sin or the violation of what God has said is right, if not repented of, will harden the heart, sear the conscience. Sin will enslave you. Sin enslaves the unbeliever, so that he or she will fill their cup with SELF rather than God or good.

Jesus Christ came not just to save us from hell, but to SAVE US FROM SIN’S DOMINION. Jesus said that the reason He came to this earth was to …

Luke 4:18-19 (ESV) … to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed

Those without Christ are empty cups with consciences. But without Christ they are enslaved to sin. But when God opens the eyes of a person and they see Christ as LORD and SAVIOR, when they give their lives to Him, Jesus frees them from sin’s mastery. He does this by sending the Holy Spirit to us to make us BORN AGAIN (John 3:3-7). God comes into our cup, and fills us with His Presence. Being BORN AGAIN, we are given ETERNAL LIFE (2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1–4, 18). We are made “CHILDREN OF GOD” (John 1:12–13). We are set free from sin’s mastery, and and freed from sin to serve Jesus.

But something else happens. God enters our life, and stays with us. God the Holy Spirit comes into our cup. We are freed from sin so that we can live with Jesus and for Jesus. The Bible says:

1 Peter 2:16 (ESV) Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

The purpose of the believer’s cup, our lives, is to live free from sin and for God’s glory. The Bible says “sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14). We are to fill our cups with God. There’s an old song we don’t sing anymore called “Fill My Cup, Lord”. But it explains the difference between the believer and the lost. The song says:

Like the woman at the well, I was seeking
For things that could not satisfy.
And then I heard my Savior speaking,
“Draw from My well that never shall run dry.”

Fill my cup, Lord; I lift it up Lord;
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more.
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.

The Christian is not an empty cup, but a “new creature in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are God’s property. Jesus said:

John 8:31-32, 34, 36 (ESV) So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in My word, you are TRULY My disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” … 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. … 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Jesus Christ frees us from the dominion of sin in our lives. He empties us of sin so that we might fill our cups with God’s goodness and righteousness.

Illustrate: I was talking with a brother in Christ and our plumber, Randy Blackburn, this past Friday. Randy had fixed a toilet for us – he does great work – and we were talking in my office. We were talking about how evil our world has gotten over the last few years, and how dark America is. Randy told me a story about a man he once knew, long ago. It was about 1970, and there was a fellow that everyone knew as just a “wino”. He was homeless, on the street, and horribly addicted to alcohol. Several men started talking about this man, and said that “he’s been drinking rubbing through a cheesecloth” to satisfy his addiction. They were talking about rubbing or wood alcohol. Randy said the man could buy rubbing alcohol for about 9 cents a bottle, would drink it through a cheese cloth, then throw up blood.

One day Randy was working the plumbing at a liquor store. He went outside to get something, and this “wino” came up to him. He said, “I’m dying! I’ve got to have a quarter.” Randy said he knew that if he gave the man a quarter, he’d go down to the store and buy two bottles of rubbing – and Randy didn’t want to kill him. Back then Randy kept a pint bottle of alcohol under the seat of his truck (he doesn’t anymore). He told the wino, “I don’t have any money. Here, I’ll give you this”. When he showed the man the bottle, the man lurched forward. “Yesssss – that’s what I need”. The bottle was 100 proof alcohol, a full pint, and the man quickly drank it down. Throwing the empty to the ground, he staggered off. Randy said to himself, “That man will be dead in 6 months”.

A few months past, and on Sunday Randy saw this same man walking up the street to a little Pentecostal Church. The man was not staggering. His wife was with him, and he was wearing a suit. He asked his friends about this man, and the change in him. His friends said, “That man got the Holy Ghost”. The man got saved. To this day, Randy doesn’t know if the man was saved in Church, or if he was in a gutter throwing up blood when he reached out and Jesus reached him. But Jesus saved someone who was a “wino”, and made him into a child of God! Randy said that this man who he thought would be dead in 6 months actually lived another 40 years before he went to be with his Savior.

Praise the Lord!

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Oh Beloved, let us stand fact in Christ. He saves His people FROM their sins, not IN their sins. Jesus did not save us from sin so that we can fill our cups with ourselves. He saved us so that we can live our lives for Him. We’re told later in this chapter:

Galatians 5:13-14 (KJV) For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only [use] not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, [even] in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Sin WAS our master – but sin CAN enslave us again. If you don’t believe this, look at the life of King David. David loved the Lord. But one day David forgot that he was saved to fill his cup for Jesus, and decided instead to fill his cup with sin. David looked on another man’s wife, and took her as his own. When she got pregnant, David tried to cover up his sin by deception. When that failed, David had Uriah her husband murdered. But David did not profit. Though David repented, God told David:

2 Samuel 12:10-11 (ESV) Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house.

You lose the blessings of God when you fill your cup with the flesh, and not with God’s Spirit. When you depart from the Word of God and do evil, God will repay!

Stand Fast In The Spirit

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

When we are saved, God frees us from sin AND the Law. We are not under the written Law of Moses. We are under the Law of the Spirit. The Bible says:

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

The Law is diagnostic. It can point out sin, but it cannot correct sin. When we give our lives to Jesus, we become His possession. We belong to Jesus. The Holy Spirit of God INDWELLS us, He lives within us. The Bible says:

2 Corinthians 3:17 (ESV) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

The Spirit of God is not an IT. The Spirit of God is a PERSON, the Third Person of the Trinity. The Spirit of God causes us to be born again. Once born again, the Spirit INDWELLS us and LEADS us while TEACHING us about Jesus through God’s Scripture.

The Christian is given a choice every single day. We can fill our cup with SELF, or we can empty our cup of ourselves and be FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT. We are told:

Ephesians 5:18-21 (ESV) And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

You can be filled with the flesh – or you can be filled with the Spirit. It’s easy to tell what someone is filled with.

If you are filled with the Spirit, you will be musical. You will be “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart”. If you’re like a funeral dirge to talk to, you’re filled with the wrong spirit.

If you’re filled with the Spirit, you will be thankful. You will be “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

If you’re filled with the Spirit, you will not be self centered, but loving and useful. You will be “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ”.

Those who are saved do what they do because God indwells them. Before we were saved, we had the Law of God. We had a conscience. But we did not have God. Once saved, God lives in us to guide us through His Scripture, to make us more like Jesus.

Those who are lost do not have a good grasp of the Law of God.

Galatians 5:2-4 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

The Pharisees crept into the Church at Galatia and told them “you must be circumcised to be saved”. Circumcision has nothing whatsoever to do with salvation. The Bible tells us that God took Abraham outside. We read:

Genesis 15:5-6 (ESV) And {God} brought {Abram} outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then {God} said to {Abram}, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he {Abram} believed the LORD, and {God} counted it to him as righteousness.

Before Abraham was ever circumcised, he believed in the Lord Jesus. Abraham was saved by faith in our Lord. The phrase:

“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”

Is repeated three times in the New Testament. It is in Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; and James 2:23. But when did God give Abraham and his direct seed the Covenant of Circumcision? Not in Genesis 15, when Abraham was 85 years old.

Abraham was 85 years old when he “believed the Lord, and God counted it for righteousness”. But Abraham was 99 years old (Genesis 17:1) when God gave him the Covenant of Circumcision. Fourteen years passed from salvation to the Covenant of circumcision. Circumcision has nothing to do with salvation!

God told Abraham under the Covenant of Circumcision:

Genesis 17:7-14 (ESV) And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” 9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.

The Covenant of Circumcision gave Israel the right to the land of Canaan. It was specific to the nation of Israel, not to the Gentiles. God said, “Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant”. Failure to be circumcised would cause the Jew to be cut off – not from Heaven nor the Kingdom of God – but “FROM HIS PEOPLE”. The uncircumcised MALE (not the female) would lose the Promised Land. This is a physical Covenant, not a spiritual one. It has nothing to do with salvation.

Galatians 5:5-6 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Salvation comes only by “faith which worketh by love”.

We – THROUGH THE SPIRIT wait for the hope of righteousness BY FAITH. We know that we are sinners, deserving only of hell, but Christ saved us. What have we previously read?

Galatians 2:20-21 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. {21} I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

I should have been crucified, but I was not. I am crucified with Christ – not because the nails of punishment were driven into me, nor because I hung naked and ashamed between two thieves. I am crucified with Christ – because the life which I now live in the flesh I live BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD.

My hope daily is in Him.
My hope for salvation is in Him.
My hope for sanctification is in Him.
My hope for eternity is in Him.

He loved me, and gave Himself for me – in my place. Therefore I have faith which worketh by love. He is altogether lovely. We love Him because He first loved us!

Illustrate: Often before people join a Church, they will seek out the Pastor and ask him questions. Over the years I’ve heard “What type of Bible do you use? How do you preach? “Do you use notes, or do you preach without notes? Do you have fellowship meals at the Church? Are women allowed to teach Bible classes – or pray – in the Church?” I’ve heard a lot of questions, but never hear “Pastor, do you love Jesus? Do the members of this Church love Jesus?” If the answer to those questions is YES, then all other things will fall into place.

The “faith which worketh by love” will not play with sin. The “faith which worketh by love” will recognize and confess sin to the Father in the name of Christ as soon as possible. The genuine Christian, discovering sin in the camp, repents and runs from sin as readily as he would run from a snake. The Christian does not try to love, but loves as naturally as a fish breathes water. The Scripture tells us:

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Do you know how you can tell one is saved, and the other is damned? One has the “faith which worketh by love”. The other wants to be waited on – even in hell. When Jesus spoke of the rich man and Lazarus, when the rich man lifted up his eyes in hell, he started looking for a servant. He did not repent. He begged Abraham to “send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water to cool my tongue”. Think of that! He wanted Lazarus to LEAVE PARADISE AND COME TO HELL to wait on him. What arrogance! He wanted Lazarus in hell with him, just as long as HE got a little comfort. Failing this, the rich man begged Abraham to “send Lazarus to my brothers, to warn them about hell”. He wanted Lazarus to leave Paradise and go back to earth to serve his family (Luke 16:19-31).

Beloved, do you have the “faith which worketh by love”? If you are saved, then you love Jesus. If you are saved, you love the family of God. I pray you are saved by faith in Christ. If not, today is the perfect day to REPENT and come to Him. Do not harden your hearts. You cannot work your way into being born again. God must do it. You must call on Jesus. The Bible is very clear:

Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: {7} Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

May God lead you to Christ today. Amen!

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Children Of The Promise

Posted on September 15, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Nguyen Ngoc Tu on Unsplash

Galatians 4:7-8 Wherefore thou art no more a SERVANT {doulos}, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. 8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, YE DID SERVICE {douleuō} unto them which by nature are no gods.

The Christian Is Happy In Loving God

We’ve been studying how God gave us the Law through Israel, not to save us, but to lead us to Christ Who then saves us. The Law is a wake up call. It is described as:

Schoolmaster or Teacher (paidagōgos)
Tutor (epitropos) or Administrator
Governor (oikonomos) or Household Manager

Before we knew God, He gave us the Law to mature our minds, to teach us that we are all sinners in need of the Savior. The purpose of the Law was to

Galatians 3:24-26 … bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Before we were saved, we served as slaves false gods. The reason Galatians was written was to warn the Church to not follow the pathway of Israel. They created idols – like golden calves – and then worshiped these things. There are a number of golden calves in the Church today. God tells us:

1 John 4:1 (KJV) Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

We test what we have heard by the Word of God. Before we were saved by faith in Christ, born again, we …

Ephesians 2:2-3 (ESV) … walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

We followed the crowd and the darkness. We were slaves to sin and darkness. The devil wants the Church to be like the world. He creeps into the Church as he crept into the Garden of Eden, and brings a pseudo-truth, a twisted version of what God’s Word has actually said. Have you ever heard

God just wants you to be HAPPY.

That sounds nice to our flesh, but it is nowhere in the Bible. If you look up the word “HAPPY” in the King James, you will only find it 25 times. Do you know what God uses the word “HAPPY” in context with? “HAPPY is the people, whose God is the LORD” (Psalm 144:15). When Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, He said “HAPPY are you if you do these things”( John 13:17). God says “He that has mercy on the poor is HAPPY” (Proverbs 14:21). Or “HAPPY is the one who finds wisdom” (Proverbs 3:13). Or “HAPPY is the person who endures suffering” (James 5:11). If you are a child of God, your happiness comes from being the best child of God you can be. Children of God are not under the Law of God, but God indwells us. We can only be happy when we are walking in the light with Jesus. The Scripture says:

1 Timothy 6:8-12 (KJV) … having food and {clothing} let us be therewith content. 9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil … 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

You Must Do Thus To Retain Your Salvation

Galatians 4:9-11 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain.

If you are a child of God, you are no longer a chattel slave – you are a son of God. You are “KNOWN OF GOD”. Why would you want to turn back to the rituals and feasts of the Law? These things were, as we are told in

Hebrews 10:1 (ESV) … a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.

The Pharisees had taught the Galatians that they had to return to the Law of God. They had to follow the shadows. Paul said “Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years”. Under the Law, Israel observed weekly Sabbaths with all their restrictions. They observed these Sabbaths so they would not be cut off from Israel. The Law leads a person to do a thing – or else suffer the consequence. Under Grace, we observe a Sabbath, but do so because we love God our Father. For instance, should Christians worship God on Saturday or Sunday? The Apostle said:

Romans 14:5-6 (ESV) One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

What we do, we do not because we MUST do it. This is the heart of the slave. We do what we do because WE LOVE THE LORD. This is the heart of the son.

Galatians 4:12-16 Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all. 13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first. 14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. 15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me. 16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

When Paul preached the Gospel of Christ to the Galatians, he preached “through infirmity of the flesh”. No preacher is perfect. Paul was not perfect. Paul had trouble with his eyesight – we don’t know exactly what. But we do know that Paul had other believers who wrote Scripture as he dictated to them. Though Paul was imperfect (as all God’s people are), the Galatians loved him for preaching the Gospel. They would have, if possible, “plucked out their own eyes” in love to Paul for sharing the Gospel with them. But once he left and the Pharisees came in with their lies about keeping the Law, now Paul was being regarded by suspicion.

Galatians 4:17-18 They zealously affect you, {zēloō} but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. 18 But it is good to be zealously affected {zēloō} always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.

The Pharisees infected the Church at Galatia with “a burning desire, a zeal to pursue a thing” (zēloō). Paul says “it’s good to have a burning desire for a good thing – but they gave you a burning desire for the wrong thing”. Paul does not want the Church to go back to the Law.

He wants the Church – every Christian – to have Christ formed in them.

Galatians 4:19-20 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, 20 I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.

This is what every Godly Pastor wants for the Church. Paul said – and this is almost comical – that he is like a pregnant woman in the throes of having a baby. Now, we know men can’t have babies. But Paul is using this to describe what the Galatians are putting him through. He preached Christ crucified to this Church. He preached the whole Gospel of salvation. Paul preached:

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (ESV) that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures …

Paul preached:

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 a person REPENTS and RECEIVES the Gospel, God RECEIVES that person. The Spirit of Christ comes to us, and causes us to be born again. When the Galatians took a “U” turn and headed back toward the Law for salvation, it made Paul doubt they were ever born again. He pictures himself as a person in labor, straining that they would be delivered, that they would be born again of the Spirit of God. Paul says in verse 20, “ I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.”

Which Son Are You?

Paul now describes the difference between the Law and Grace using the Law of God, a story that was written in the Torah, the Book of Genesis.

Galatians 4:21-23 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

This story is told in Genesis chapter 16. Abraham was 75 years old when God called him to salvation (Genesis 12:1-3). God promised Abraham a son, though God did not tell him when he would have the boy. After 10 years passed, and Abraham still had no son, his wife Sarai had Abraham go into Hagar, Sarai’s Egyptian slave, to get her pregnant. This was a bad idea, but Paul now uses the two sons of Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac, to describe the Law and Grace. “Abraham had two sons”. One was the son that Abraham worked for. He circumvented the will of God, for God told Abraham:

Genesis 12:2 … I will make of you a great nation

God would do the work. Abraham was passed child bearing age. Sarai was past child bearing age. What God promised was impossible. But “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Luke 18:27, NIV). God would bless Abraham by Grace. Abraham neither earned nor deserved this. God just asked that Abraham follow Him, albeit imperfectly, no matter where the Lord led. But after ten years Sarai got impatient. Her slave, an Egyptian named Hagar, was of child bearing age. So Sarai talked Abraham into bedding Hagar – and she got pregnant!. We are told:

Genesis 16:16 (ESV) Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

He went in to Hagar at 85, and now at 86 he has a child. Or does he? Another 13 years pass, and still Sarai has no child. So Abraham goes to God in prayer. We read:

Genesis 17:17-19, 21 (ESV) Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. … 21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

Abraham offered Ishmael to be his heir, but God said NO! “Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac”. God promised a child to Abraham by Sarah. He did not ask Abraham to help Him by going to Hagar. “He who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise”.

Galatians 4:24-26 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Though what Abraham, Hagar, and Sarah did were real events, Paul tells us that these things happened as an “ALLEGORY” {allēgoreō} or a figure of what was to come. There are two mountains where God addresses His people. There is Mount Sinai, the mother of the Law of God. Sinai answers to the “Jerusalem which is above”, the Heavens in which our Father now resides. Israel was only led to Mount Sinai or Hagar after God’s people repeatedly rejected His love and Grace. But …

Jerusalem WHICH IS ABOVE is free,
which is the mother of us all

All born under the Law are born to a slave woman, Hagar. Though God blessed Hagar (as He blesses everyone), Hagar was not the mother of Isaac, the child of promise. Her child was the child of the flesh. Hagar corresponds to the Jerusalem of Paul’s day. It is under Roman enslavement. It is under enslavement to the Law.

But the child of Promise, Isaac, came from Sarah and Abraham. This child is from not earthly power, but from the Jerusalem which is above, God’s Heaven. God lives in this Heavenly Jerusalem right now. The children of Hagar trust the earthly Jerusalem and the Law of God for their salvation. They are enslaved by that Law. When Israel came to Mount Sinai, they feared for their lives. We read about this contrast in:

Hebrews 12:12-24 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. 18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain {Mount Sinai}, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

We who are saved are not saved by Mount Sinai, but by the Heavenly Jerusalem. Our Father lives in that place. At the end of time when God creates a new Heaven and a new earth, the Bible says that …

Revelation 21:2-3 (ESV) … I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

Galatians 4:27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

Hagar could have a child, but her child was not the child of the New Covenant. Sarah could not have a child – it was impossible – but God made it possible. Sarah is a picture of salvation by faith in Christ. Those who were “barren”, the lost, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ were saved.

Galatians 4:28-31 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Those who are “self saved”, the children of Hagar, the children of the flesh will always persecute the children of promise. Right after Hagar had Ishmael, it wasn’t long before she mocked Sarah for her inability to have a child. Sarah had been trying for 25 years – but Hagar goes in to Abraham and has a child on her first encounter.

But her child was NOT the child of Promise,
and it did not count!

The self righteous, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Scribes will always hold themselves up as better than the Gentiles because they keep the Law perfectly. I’ve seen this in various places:

Church of Christ: If you don’t belong to a Church of Christ congregation, you’re not saved.
Catholic Church: If you’re not Catholic, you’re not saved.
Pentecostals: If you don’t speak in tongues, you’re not fully saved.

But this mentality goes all through the Church today, even in Baptist Churches. Beloved, salvation is not something YOU achieve. Salvation is something that Christ achieves for you. When you REPENT and RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God makes you a son or daughter of promise. Ishmael, the son of the flesh had no inheritance of Abraham. Isaac, however, was the inheritor to the Abrahamic promises.

If you are saved by Grace, you will lovingly serve your Heavenly Father. You want to magnify Him. You want to glorify Jesus. I have often said, “I will not chase you”. Why should I? If you are born again, you love Jesus. If you are a child of Promise, you love the Lord. You do not serve God because you fear you might not check a box somewhere, and end up in hell. I do not serve my God for fear of hell. I serve my God because I love my God. I hope you do, too.

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In Whom

Posted on September 14, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Daniel Seßler on Unsplash

Ephesians 1:7-14 In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; 8 Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the Earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.

Last week we saw that God defines His Church as “SAINTS” and as “THE FAITHFUL IN CHRIST JESUS”. Every Christian is a “SAINT” because he or she is set apart from the lost world by the will of God, by the New Birth, and by the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. I just heard the other day that the so called Catholic Church made Carlo Acutis, a 15 year old who died from Leukemia in 2006, the first “Millennial Saint”. The CNN Report stated:

“ The saint-making ceremony was the first presided over by Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, with thousands of young people in St. Peter’s Square. Large crowds gathered Sunday at the Vatican city, waving signs and flags bearing Acutis’ photograph. Jubilant observers applauded following the teenager’s canonization by Pope Leo. The canonization of the youthful saints comes at a time when the Catholic Church, led by an all-male hierarchy where senior figures are usually over 60, is exploring new ways to engage younger generations.”

This has no foundation in Scripture, but is man made religion and idolatry. It is God Who makes saints. It is God Who saves. It is God Who “blesses us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:3). It is God Who “makes us accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6), in His Son Jesus, not a Pope or a Priest nor even a Pastor. True Christians gather not to “make a saint” or “canonize a person”.

True Christians are to be “to the praise of HIS GLORY” (Ephesians 1:12), not to our glory. We magnify Jesus!

We Magnify Jesus, Our Redeemer

Ephesians 1:7 In Whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Word Study: Four times in this chapter the Apostle uses the phrase “In Whom” (en hos), or “in this Specific Person”. In Jesus Christ and in no other we have “REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD”. This is the first thing mentioned because – though all parts of salvation are important – redemption is key.

The word translated “REDEMPTION” is the Greek apolytrōsis. The word means “to pay a ransom or a fee to liberate a slave or to free a kidnapped victim”. The Blood of Jesus Christ is the purchase price that REDEEMS or BUYS BACK a person from enslavement. You ask the question, “What do you mean by enslavement?” The Scripture explains. When our forefather Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, Adam was the Federal Representative of all mankind. What he did, or did not do, reflected on us all. The Bible says that when Adam heeded his wife and the serpent rather than God, that,

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

Adam brought spiritual death into the world. Adam brought a slave master into the world. His children – that’s us – were born physically alive into this earth but spiritually dead. The children of Adam – every one of us – are born enslaved to sin and desire. People ask the question, “Why does a good God – if there is a good God – allow evil into the world?” Our Good God did not do this. Adam did this. We did this. Sin is in the world because we are enslaved to sin. Our Lord Jesus said this:

John 8:34 (ESV) … Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who PRACTICES {poieō, to make, serve as normal} sin is A SLAVE TO SIN.

From the cradle every person is enslaved to sin. You have all heard of the young Ukrainian girl Iryna Zarutska who was stabbed to death by 34 year old Decarlos Brown. She sat down in front of this man, a man arrested and charged some 14 times – but released without bail. Iryna had just gotten off work, and was going home. This horrible man stood up behind her, and stabbed her in the neck three times, then calmly walked off the train saying “I got that White girl”. Why did Brown stab this girl? The Bible says he is a slave of sin. Following the stabbing, rather than condemn the act and the actor as criminal, Mayor Vi Lyles offered sympathy to the poor homeless man who murdered another. Why did the Mayor do what he did? Mayor Vi Lyles is a slave to sin. God’s response to murder has been, since the Ark of Noah hit dry ground,

Genesis 9:6 (ESV) Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

God made all life precious. When a man or woman chooses to murder another, according to God they forfeit their life. I am hearing news reporters trying to minimize what Brown did to this young lady. The news reporters are enslaved to sin. I hear that certain Governors of states do not want crime reduced in their cities, and threaten insurrection if ICE officials or National Guard enter their areas of power. Why would someone NOT want crime diminished. Because these Governors, flamboyant and vocal, are slaves of sin. Those without Christ, enslaved to sin, are described by the Apostle as:

2 Peter 2:17-19 (ESV) These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. 18 For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.

People are born into this world physically alive, but slaves to sin and desire. The Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth to redeem us from slavery. When you realize that you are lost and without hope, bound in chains of darkness, and God lets you see the light of the Gospel, you come surrendered to Christ. You MUST REPENT, giving yourself to Jesus.

Romans 6:6-11 (ESV) We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

The Christian is not enslaved to sin, but is bound to Christ. When you come to Jesus your old self dies. You are now the possession of God, the Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. When you were lost, you were a chattel slave, forced to serve your desires and the darkness. This is what is wrong with the world. But once saved by Grace, Jesus Christ by His Blood REDEEMS YOU from the slave market of sin. You are now to “consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus”. Sin is not your Master. Christ is your Master.

Illustrate: The Cross of Calvary is a picture of slaves. The Chief Priests and Pharisees sought false witnesses against Jesus (Matthew 26:59-63) in order to have Him executed. Why? This was a very violation of the Ninth Commandment, the Law these people claimed to love. They sought false witnesses because they were slaves to sin. WhenPilate found Jesus innocent and sought to release Him, the crowd cried out “Release Barabbas the guilty, but crucify Jesus!” (Luke 23:18-25). Why did they do this? They were enslaved to sin. When Pilate washed his hands and rendered an unjust verdict(Matthew 27:24), he acted as so many of our Judges have done recently. He violated the Law of Rome because Pilate was enslaved to sin.

Beloved, you are either chattel enslaved to sin, or are a willing bondservant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 6:16 tells us, “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

Are you a Christian? Then you are not enslaved to sin, but are a servant of Jesus Christ. You love to serve Him Who saved you.

“You are not your own – you are bought with a price – His Blood (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Illustrate Two Slaves: Do you want to see a picture of a pretend Christian and a Real Christian? On the day that Jesus died on Calvary, two sinners hung next to Him. Simply called malefactors (kakourgos) or “evil doers”, the man to Christ’s left said:

Luke 23:39 (AP) IF you are the Messiah, save Yourself and us!

This is what passes for “Christian” in many churches today. God is no more than our Servant, and He our slave. That is not Christian – it is idolatry.

Though nailed to the Cross, this man cared nothing for Jesus. He just wanted Jesus to get him down off of that cross, to take away HIS suffering. Those who are enslaved to sin rarely care to serve others unless they are serving themselves. Everything they do is about satisfying their master Sin. But on Jesus’ right hand there was another criminal, a REPENTING criminal. He said to his companion:

Luke 23:40-41 (AP) … even now, don’t you fear God? We’re dying! We deserve this. But Jesus is dying with us, and He doesn’t deserve this!

That’s the very definition of REPENTANCE, the first step in salvation. When you REPENT, you don’t justify your actions. You are honest with yourself, and with God. Following REPENTANCE, this man looked to Jesus and said:

Luke 23:42 LORD, remember me when You come into Your kingdom

Though this man was bound to a cross with nails, his heart ran to the Redeemer. The Bible promises that “Jesus shall SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS” (Matthew 1:21). Jesus told this man, “Today you will be WITH ME IN PARADISE”.

Jesus Not Only Redeems Us From Our Slavery To Sin. He Redeems Us From The Wrath Of God.

Ephesians 1:7 In Whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Jesus not only redeems us from the slave market of sin, but He redeems us from the wrath of God. People who are enslaved to sin think little of it. They minimize sin. But God hates sin. Sin has scarred His perfect creation. God watches His creation. The Bible says:

Psalm 7:11 (ESV) God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.

Sin makes us minimize God but maximize our desires. I wonder about the young girl who was stabbed in the neck. I hope she was a child of God. I hope as she struggled to breathe, and collapsed on that filthy train floor, that she was crying out to the Lord Who saved her. If she was a child of God, she left this life in misery, but entered eternity and glory and peace because of the Blood of Christ.

I pray she was a Child of God by faith in Christ.

In our minds, we think there are “good” people and there are “bad” people. It is true there are moral and immoral people. But are there any who are just “good” without Christ? No, absolutely not. All are born into this world enslaved to sin. All are born into this world NOT good. Only God is intrinsically good. We are not!

It is the Blood of Jesus Christ that brings the forgiveness of sins. Not the forgiveness of SIN, but of SINS. Even after salvation we err. But we are no longer enslaved to sin, but to Christ. And His Blood keeps on forgiving our sins.

Romans 5:8-10 (ESV) … God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

People are fond of saying, “God is love”. And God is love. He proved it by sending His Son to the Cross to make payment for our sins. But it is equally true that “God is wrath”. God despises sin. God despises those who dally with sin. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 5:5 (ESV) The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.

Psalm 11:5 (ESV) The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

The Bible tells us that “the WICKED shall not stand in the Judgment” (Psalm 1:5). God’s wrath, like a sword, hangs over every sinner who rejects the ransomed Blood of Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ told Nicodemus:

John 3:16-18 (KJV) 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. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Those who come to Christ and believe on Him are redeemed from the wrath of God. But to those who reject Christ. To those who “do evil because they hate the light, and will not come to the light lest they repent” (John 3:20), they are under condemnation right this moment. I am sure that that poor Ukrainian girl had no idea she was going to die on that train that day. She had no idea a slave to sin would come up behind her, and take her life so flippantly.

I pray she was a child of the King. I pray that she had given her life to Jesus. For if she did, then as she breathed her last the life that God gave her, she has still. Beloved, we have the riches of His Grace. RICHES. What a glorious thing it is to be in Christ, to be saved by Grace, to serve Him as Master and not sin. One of my favorite preachers C.H. Spurgeon wrote:

“Another man with unforgiven sin about him stands afar off and if he thinks of God at all it is as a consuming fire. But the forgiven Christian looking up to God, when he sees the mountains and the hills, and rolling streams and the roaring flood, he says “My Father made them all;” and he clasps hands with the Almighty across the infinite expanse that sunders man from his Maker. His heart flies up to God. He dwells near to Him, and he feels that he can talk to God as a man talketh with his Friend.”

We do not know when our final day on this earth is. Perhaps it will come suddenly. My dear sister Kathy Oliver died abruptly, on her kitchen floor. But Kathy now plays and sings with the choirs of Heaven. If you are in Christ, you are NOT CONDEMNED. NO CONDEMNATION. NO CONDEMNATION. God is your Father because Christ is your Redeemer. You are a Child of God headed toward Glory. The Riches of His Grace makes us right with God. Listen to what the Word of God has to say.

Micah 7:19 {God} will … cast all {our} sins into the depths of the sea.

Where did our sins go on the day of our redemption? They were cast into the depths of the sea. Not in the shallows, where they might be dredged up again, but in the great deeps. The Prophet says:

Isaiah 38:17 … for thou {o God} hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

God has thrown my sins behind His back! Can you tell me where God’s back is? God has cast our sins behind His back, so they are gone forever. If you are in Jesus Christ then because of the riches of His Grace you cannot be condemned.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

The slave of sin walks after the flesh. The bondservant of Christ walks after the Holy Spirit. We “walk in the Light, as He is in the Light” (1 John 1:7)

The Redeemed Have Obtained An Inheritance

Ephesians 1:11-12In whom also we have OBTAINED AN INHERITANCE {klēroō, Aorist Passive Indicative}, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

The Bible tells us that every Christian who is truly born again of the Spirit has an inheritance that one day we will receive. Every Christian has a future inheritance:

1 Peter 1:3-5 (ESV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] to an inheritance {klēronomia} that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, [5] who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

We all have a place in Heaven, an INHERITANCE that Jesus guards for us. He gives it to us by promise. “I go to prepare a PLACE FOR YOU. And if I go to prepare a PLACE FOR YOU, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you will be also.” (John 14:2-3). That is a wonderful inheritance waiting for us. However, this is not what our text is talking about. We read:

In whom {I Jesus} also we have OBTAINED AN INHERITANCE {klēroō, Aorist Passive Indicative}

This is not looking toward a future inheritance. God tells us that we HAVE OBTAINED an INHERITANCE. We as Christians have it right now. We who are saved are part of the Kingdom of God on this earth. We will one day receive Heaven as our reward (Colossians 3:24; Hebrews 9:15), but God is in our midst RIGHT NOW. He is with His Church, with His people. As Kingdom people “we should be to the praise of his glory”. We are members of His Kingdom on this present earth. We live our lives to serve Jesus, to bring glory to God.

God gave Himself for us on the Cross. We gave ourselves to Jesus at the point of salvation. And God the Holy Spirit gave Himself to each born again believer.

Ephesians 1:13-14 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

An “Earnest” {Greek arrabōn} is a downpayment made in promise of a future purchase. God “sealed us, and has given us the EARNEST OF THE SPIRIT in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 1:22; 2 Corinthians 5:5). We are not to live broken and in the darkness like this lost world. We are to live in the power of God’s Spirit, according to His Word. We are His people, not Satan’s. Shine for Him! Amen and Amen.

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Two Kingdoms

Posted on September 11, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Katelyn Warner on Unsplash

Proverbs 21:8 The way of man is froward and strange: but as for the pure, his work is right.

Kingdom of God vs Kingdom of Man

Though a person is not saved by their works before God:

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

For “Salvation belongs to the LORD” (Psalm 3:8). We are all broken at physical birth. We are all sinners. But once God saves a person, He works in the heart of that person. The person who repents and comes to Jesus by faith in Him is “made alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). God Himself “gives you a new heart, and a new Spirit He puts in you. He removes the old heart of stone and gives a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).

The lost person has a different heart, because he has not surrendered that heart to God. The Bible calls this person the “natural man”. Paul contrasted the “natural man” with the “spiritual man” in his letter to the Corinthians. He said:

1 Corinthians 2:11-16 (NKJV) For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is [rightly] judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

The “ natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God”. The phrase “NATURAL MAN” is the Greek psychikos (pro. psoo-khee-kos’) which means “the man driven by senses, the fleshly person”. This is the person that Solomon is addressing in the first part of this proverb:

Proverbs 21:8 The way of MAN {‘îš} is FROWARD {hăp̄aḵpaḵ} and STRANGE {vāzār}

Word Study: The word “MAN” is the Hebrew ‘îš (pro. eesh), which is the common word for the created man (see Genesis 2:23). Here Solomon is not just talking about males, but mankind in general. Those who are “born of a woman”. The Prophet Job noted that:

Job 14:1 (KJV) Man {‘îš} [that is] born of a woman [is] of few days, and full of trouble.

Job 15:14 (KJV) What [is] man, that he should be clean? and [he which is] born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

Those who are without Christ are bound to their flesh, enslaved by sin. Though there are certainly some people who are moral, all who are without new birth are “FROWARD” {hăp̄aḵpaḵ, very perverse} and “STRANGE” {vāzār, very guilty or criminal}. The lost who are without Christ do what they do because their flesh compels them to do it. They chase after their desires, regardless as to how it effects others. God says that their ways, the ways of the lost, is both perverted as well as guilty. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 10:4 (NKJV) The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.

The lost are self absorbed. They care nothing for God, unless they can use God to further their self absorption.

Proverbs 21:8 but as for the PURE {zāḵ}, his work is RIGHT.

Word Study: The word for “PURE” is the Hebrew zāḵ, which means “those who are righteous or clean in God’s sight”. The Prophet Job asked the question:

Job 25:4 (KJV) How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean [that is] born of a woman?

How is it possible? It is only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, God re-writes our hearts. He changes us. The Apostle Paul who once believed that, as a Pharisee among Pharisees, he was “PURE” realized on the Damascus Road that he was not “PURE”. Paul later wrote:

Philippians 3:4-11 (NKJV) though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, [of] the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which [is] from the law, but that which [is] through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Coming to Christ, the Christian is changed. We are given imputed righteousness, and a desire to follow our Lord. How can we see if a person is right with God? Because “his work is RIGHT”.

Proverbs 21:10 The soul of the wicked DESIRETH EVIL: his neighbor findeth no favor in his eyes.

That which drives the soul of the lost is “the flesh”, their own desires. Not all people are as bad as they can be, as some still respond to their conscience. But there are some who will be as bad al society allows them to be. I see a lot of this horror show in political theater now. When President Trump mobilized National Guard troops to curb crime in Washington, D.C. news channels all across America pictured him as a dictator akin to Adolf Hitler. The question in my mind is,

Why wouldn’t anyone want crime to be decreased, and murder eradicated? Because the “WICKED DESIRES EVIL”. Governors call for insurrection. A homeless criminal brutally murders a Ukrainian refugee in our country legally – and politicians stand up to protect and coddle the murderer. Where the wicked go unrestrained, civilization suffers.

Proverbs 21:11 When the SCORNER {lûṣ} is punished, the SIMPLE {pᵊṯî} is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.

Word Study: The only way to put out a fire is not to feed it, but to douse it, to rob it of that which feeds it. The “SCORNER”, the Hebrew lûṣ, is a reference to the person who “mocks or derides the Word of God, who falsely interprets that which is said in order to defeat the message given”. The “SCORNER” mocks the Word of God, mocks Law and Order, mocks civilization. We must stand up to the scorners, not in our own strength or opinion, but by standing firmly on the Word of God. Jesus our Lord did the same. When attacked by the scorners, the religious anarchists, Jesus replied “it is written”. If the scorner is not punished, then the simple minded will follow them. But when the scorner is corrected through God’s Word, the “SIMPLE IS MADE WISE”. The word “SIMPLE” is the Hebrew pᵊṯî, which means “the simple minded, open minded or foolish person”.

The Church is to be “WISE”, to be instructed from the Word of God. We need to learn to think Biblically, and to respond to the “SCORNERS” via the Word of God. The Light must not hide itself out of fear.

Our Lord Jesus said:

Matthew 5:13-16 (KJV) Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

God’s Church is not to hide from the fight. We are to be salt and light, standing up for the righteous way. Our righteousness “must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, or we will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:20). We cannot back down. We cannot compromise. We must follow God and glorify His Name.

Illustrate: A great example of this is found in the Book of Acts. The Bible tells us that:

Acts 13:7 (KJV) … Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.

But Satan had already sent one of his agents to keep Sergius Paulus from being saved. We are told that “a false prophet, a Jew named BarJesus” (Acts 13:6) hindered the Gospel, mocking and scorning the Gospel that Barnabas and Paul presented. Paul didn’t back down! We read:

Acts 13:8-12 (KJV) But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is {BarJesus’} name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9 Then Saul, (who also [is called] Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, [thou] child of the devil, [thou] enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord [is] upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

If we do not speak up for Jesus, and quit worrying about offending the lost, we will lose this generation of simple minded people for all eternity. The simple minded need to be plainly told the truth – and the scoffers need to be rebuked in the name of Jesus!

Proverbs 21:12 The righteous man WISELY CONSIDERETH {śāḵal} the house of the wicked: but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness.

Sometimes we as believers will carefully look at the riches that the wicked have gained. Yet we do not fret. We know that, in time, God will “OVERTHROW THE WICKED FOR THEIR WICKEDNESS”. Case in point was when God sent a prophet to anoint Jehu as the replacement King of Israel. Ahab and Jezebel had led Israel into following idols rather than serving God. God had Elisha tell Jehu:

2 Kings 9:6-10 (KJV) {a son of the prophets} arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on {Jehu’s} head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, [even] over Israel. 7 And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. 8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall {no child will survive} and him that is shut up and left in Israel: 9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah: 10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and [there shall be] none to bury [her]. And he opened the door, and fled.

“Jeroboam the son of Nebat” led Israel into idolatry by establishing golden calves to worship in Samaria, rather than supporting Jerusalem as the place where God was honored. (2 Kings 17:21-23). His sin caused Israel to be carried away into exile into Assyria. “Baasha the son of Ahijah” was an evil king who followed idolatrous practices. Both of these kings lost everything, along with their families, for their wicked reigns.

The wicked may seem to prosper for a time. But evil leads to God’s wrath. The Bible says:

Proverbs 10:29 (ESV) The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless, but destruction to evildoers.

There is safety in following God, as God is the Author of light and life. In time, God will overthrow the wicked. But “the meek shall INHERIT THE EARTH” (Matthew 5:5).

Proverbs 21:15 It is joy to the just {ṣadîq} to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

Those who are “JUST” (Hebrew ṣadîq, lawful or righteous) find joy in serving the Lord. The lost love serving themselves, their desires, their wants. The children of God love serving God. Though we are not perfect by any means, we are perfectly saved, and we love the Lord Who saved us. The Apostle said, “I delight in the Law of God after the inward man” (Romans 7:22). The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 1:1-6 (KJV) Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly [are] not so: but [are] like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

We who are saved love to do God’s Word, to love Him Who saved us. There is no salvation without obedience to the Savior. Our Lord Jesus said,

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

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

Proverbs 21:16 The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.

The protection the Christian has is in obedience to the Word of God. When either Christian or Church wander away from “THE WAY OF UNDERSTANDING”, they put themselves in harm’s way. The “CONGREGATION OF THE DEAD” is a reference to the Kingdom of Man. Those without Christ are spiritually dead, and they walk in darkness rather than light. The Bible is clear that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). This does not just mean for unbelievers, but for believers as well. Whether lost or saved, if you play with fire you will be burned. God said:

Hebrews 10:38 my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.

Death awaits those who cease living for Jesus, and begin to live in the flesh. As we were previously told in …

Proverbs 12:28 (ESV) In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.

Proverbs 21:17-18 He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich. 18 The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright.

Unrestrained pleasure and self satisfaction will rob you of God’s best. Those who feed their flesh without taking time for God will find themselves robbed of ultimate joy. There is a payday coming for everyone. Those who love the Lord will find a joyous payday waiting for them beyond this life. Those who spend their lives loving themselves will find themselves in a place of absolute loss, a place of eternal burnings. Those who spent their lives living selfishly will find themselves separated from God in eternity. Jesus said:

Matthew 25:46 (KJV) And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

What is the ultimate destiny for those who love the Lord as opposed to those who love their flesh? Jesus explained self denial in the most exacting of ways:

Mark 9:43-48 (KJV) And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Those who are saved by Grace have hands that serve God. They have feet that want to follow Jesus. They have eyes that want to look on God’s glory, not on their own glory. Those saved by Grace – by faith in the Lord Jesus – are changed internally so that they love to serve God externally. I close with this:

1 John 5:2-5 (KJV) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Have you believed on Christ? Have you come to Him repentant, surrendered, calling on the Name of the Lord for salvation? If you have, you love Him and His Word. You want to live for Him. I pray that this is you. Amen.

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