Repent and Rise To Serve The Lord

Posted on September 10, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Mark Neal: https://www.pexels.com/photo/hand-in-sky-8977593/

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 10.

Nehemiah Chapter 10 is one of those chapters of Scripture you would most likely skip when you come across it. The first part of the chapter looks like a Phone Book – with very hard names to pronounce. For instance:

Nehemiah 10:1-4 Now those that sealed were, Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch …

I think I’ll stop there. Most people would stop here, and then skim over to the next chapter to continue reading. But if you do so, you will miss some great truths that apply to our lives, and to our country today. Israel has begun to return to the Promised Land, has rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem, and has rebuilt the Temple. The reason Israel has been conquered and exiled from their land for 70 years is because that nation ceased to follow the Great Shepherd of the Sheep.

Godly Leadership Is Calling Israel To Repentance

When we left chapter 9 we read that:

Nehemiah 9:37-38 … because of our sins: {our enemies} have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. 38 And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.

The reason Israel collapsed is because Israel walked away from God. It is – as the leaders of Israel said – “because of our sins”. When Jesus Christ – Incarnate God – came to this earth to preach, the very first message He ever preached was:

Matthew 4:17 Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

“Repent”. Turn from your godless ways, and begin to follow God. Not too long ago I preached from 1 Peter 1:13, where believers are told to “Gird up the loins of your mind”. Israel allowed godlessness to dominate their minds, and therefore dominate their actions. Now God is calling His people to “repent”. Repentance means to RENOUNCE what God declares is evil, to RENEW our minds by reading and feeding on His Word, and to RESIST the evil (James 4:7). Out of repentance the people now approach God and do two things. They

  • “make a sure covenant”. These are the Hebrew words אֲמָנָה ʼămânâh, {pronounced am-aw-naw’} כָּרַת kârath, {pronounced kaw-rath’} which mean “cut a covenant”. In the ancient world covenants were NOT MADE, but were CUT. Animals without spot or blemish were sacrificed to God. Why? When God made a Covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15:9-10) He had Abraham “cut” the sacrificed animals into pieces (except for the birds), and then God walked between the cut pieces. To “cut a covenant” is a sacred thing. Nehemiah and the leaders of the nation were committing themselves and those who would follow to honor and obedience to God.
  • “and write it”. 84 people sign this document. God didn’t need to see the written document. God sees what we do, and remembers what we say and do. This written “contract” or perhaps a better word would be “Constitution”, give a physical record for the people to keep and refer to in future generations. It has been fashionable of late to poo poo the idea that America was founded on Christian principles. Gregory Elder, a professor of history and humanities at Moreno Valley College writes:

    “Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration, the great majority, perhaps all, identified themselves as Christians, and all but one were Protestants. Four were either present or former ministers, and a number of the signers were the sons of clergy. At least half of them had studied “divinity” at their various universities. The denominations breakdown runs as follows: 32 of the signers, well over half, were Episcopalians, or Anglicans, the old state Church of England. There were 13 Congregationalists, 12 were Presbyterians. There were two Quakers, two Unitarians, and one Roman Catholic.”

The breakdown of the Leaders who signed the Covenant were:

Nehemiah 10:1-8 Nehemiah the Governor and the Priests signed the Covenant
Nehemiah 10:9-13 The Levites signed the Covenant
Nehemiah 10:14-27 The Civic Leaders signed the Covenant

The repentance of the nation meant nothing unless
the leadership of that nation repented.

The Bible repeatedly shows us that – when the leadership is corrupt – the nation will follow that corruption. The Bible says, “Where there is no guidance, a people falls. But in an abundance of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14). Throughout the Old Testament we see instances where the leadership moved toward idolatry – and it wasn’t long before the people followed suit. The Bible tells us to pray for our leaders:

1 Timothy 2:1-4 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Where the head goes, the body goes. When the leadership of a nation, a state, a community, a church, a company, or a family drift away from God, it isn’t long before the crowd follows. Before God established a human king in Israel, we read:

Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

“Everyone did what was right in his own eyes”. When there is no leadership, people will do what is right in their own eyes. And guess what? Without Godly leadership, the nation will falter and fall. This is what happened to Israel. This is what led to Israel’s conquering, exile, the destruction of the Temple, and the destruction of the Holy City Jerusalem. Where people are not directed by Godly leadership, the nation falters. We must pray for our leaders, pray for our Presidents, Governors, and Pastors. We need to pray for our political parties and their leadership. This is imperative for the stability of the nation.

Notice that Nehemiah and the priests were the first to sign the Covenant with God. Nehemiah was the acting ruler of Jerusalem, the Governor appointed by King Xerxes. He took the lead – and God’s priests followed. Next the Levites, those who assisted in the operation of the Temple, signed the Covenant. Finally the Civic Leaders – the Commissioners, the Aldermen, the Mayors, the various political entities that led the people signed the Covenant.

This was a written Covenant with God Himself!

Once the various leaders of Israel “cut a covenant” with God, the remainder of the people made an affirmation to follow God. We read:

The People Choose To Follow Their Leaders

Nehemiah 10:28-29 And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding; 29 They cleave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes

An interesting phrase says the people “entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law”. The people were recognizing that – when they followed God – they would be blessed. BUT if they rejected following God, they would be cursed. God expects His people to follow Him. Throughout the New Testament we find that blessing only comes by following the Spirit of God. Before we were saved, we walked following the spirit of this world:

Ephesians 2:1-3 And you hath {God made alive}, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the {ways} 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 {way of life} 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.

This is where we WERE, before we met the Lord Jesus and were born again of the Spirit. Once saved, we are called – not to walk in darkness – but to walk in the light of God with Jesus. Hear the Scripture:

Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

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.

When you walk through this life arm in arm with God our Savior, you will have a blessed life. This does not mean you won’t be tried. Jesus was tried. But it does mean that you will victoriously overcome every trial that comes your way, for God is greater than anything that might come against us. The Scripture says:

Proverbs 14:34 (ESV) Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.

Israel now gets very specific on how they will follow God. We read:

Nehemiah 10:30 And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, not take their daughters for our sons:

  1. Israel would not allow an unequal yoke within the families of the nation. This does not refer to racial exclusion, but to religious exclusion. When God called His people from Egypt, He warned them:

Exodus 34:12-16 (ESV) Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst. 13 You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim 14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), 15 lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice, 16 and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.

One of the major reasons Israel kept wandering away from God is because they made intimate covenants – in marriage and in business – with unbelievers who worshiped false gods and goddesses. Nehemiah discovered this when he came back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. Nehemiah was quite vocal – and physical! We read:

Nehemiah 13:23-28 (ESV) In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people. 25 And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. 26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin. 27 Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?” 28 And one of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I chased him from me.

When you enter into an intimate relationship with an unbeliever, it will not be long before that unbeliever drags you down to his or her level. We are told in the New Testament:

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Children of God should be very careful as to whom the “hook up” with. This also applies to secular activities, like television, movies, and plays. The devil uses the visual media to effect our thought patterns, leading us away from what God has said is “righteous” and into something dark.

Marriage is a contract with God as the Witness. Your wife “is your companion, and your wife by covenant” (Malachi 2:14)

When I do a wedding, before I go through the ceremony I ask both parties to come and speak with me in “premarital counseling”. If one of the parties is an apparent believer, but the other an apparent unbeliever, I refuse to do the ceremony, and encourage them to go to the courthouse and have a judge do it. Believer and unbeliever should never be yoked together in marriage, nor in business. Israel suffered from evil kings because many of these men married evil and godless women. And yes, this goes both ways! How many times have I heard good Christian women tell me they wanted to marry a godless man because they believed “I can change him”. Beloved, only God can change a person. Be not unequally yoked!

Nehemiah 10:31 And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.

Under the Old Testament law, Israel was not to buy or sell anything on the Sabbath. God wanted Israel to have one day a week focus on worshiping God and not money.

  1. Israel would honor God first in their business practices. God calls on His people to love Him first. When Jesus was asked:

Matthew 22:36-37 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

God was to be first. God is always to be first. God wants our ALL. Prior to the coming of Christ, Israel had a seventh day Sabbath – a day of rest – where they celebrated and cherished God. The Jewish Synagogues met on the Sabbath (see Mark 6:2; Luke 4:31; Luke 13:10–16; Acts 13:14, 27, 42–44; 15:21; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4). When Jesus Christ came of God, He was crucified and rose again on the first day of the week or Sunday. Christian studied the scriptures daily (Acts 17:11), but

In honor of Jesus (Who rose from the grave on the first day of the week) we Christians meet on Sunday to worship the Lord.
(see Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Matthew 28:1)

God demanded that Israel further celebrate a seventh year Sabbath, as well as special Sabbaths that occurred prior to certain Feasts or Festivals. God incorporated these days into the life of Israel so that they would take a break from business, rest, and meditate on Him. Because Israel refused to keep the Sabbatical Year for 490 years, God had them exiled from the land for 70 years. Nehemiah also adds the words “and the exaction of every debt.”.

Though we are New Testament believers, it is still important for us to take one day in seven to rest and rely on the Lord. The Manufacturer of the human body has highly recommended we not overwork ourselves – but to take one day in seven to rest and rely on Him.

Nehemiah 10:32-33 Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God; 33 For the shewbread, and for the continual meat offering, and for the continual burnt offering, of the sabbaths, of the new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make an atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.

  1. Israel would also support the Temple by giving a special offering once a year. God specified that this third of a shekel would be for certain priestly services and supplies. Then the people cast lots:

Nehemiah 10:34 And we cast the lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, after the houses of our fathers, at times appointed year by year, to burn upon the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law:

to see who would be responsible for bringing wood into the Temple for burn offerings as the Law required. The Temple was not to be neglected by the people. Also, the people agreed to bring in the first fruits of the harvest unto God.

Nehemiah 10:35-37 And to bring the first fruits of our ground, and the first fruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of the Lord: 36 Also the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, unto the priests that minister in the house of our God: 37 And that we should bring the first fruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.

The Israelis showed their love for God by not giving Him the leftover, but giving Him the first fruits or the first harvest. This was not a new requirement. God told His people:

Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

Our Lord Jesus tells us today to:

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

When we make God first in our lives, He will make us blessed in our lives. My Commentary notes:

“Simply said, the Bible says we need to be givers. Not so much for the sake of those we give to, but because giving sets our heart right about material things. God Himself is the greatest giver. … The New Testament speaks with great clarity on the principle of giving; that giving should be regular, planned, proportional, and private (1 Corinthians 16:1-4); that it must be generous, freely and cheerfully given (2 Corinthians 9).”

I have said before that you cannot out give God. Put God first in your life and in your hearts, and see if this isn’t true.

Nehemiah 10:38-39 And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house. 39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God.

We are told that “the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes”. We learn from Deuteronomy 14:22-29 that:

  • People took a tithe to the sanctuary for 2 years
  • The third year the tithe was paid locally to help the poor Israeli
  • Every seven years the field were unworked, so no tithe was gathered.

Those who have been saved by the Grace of God should also be gracious and loving to others. 1st John 3:14 states:

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

The Scripture tells us:

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

Like recovering Israel, we are to live our lives so as to please our God. God calls His people to have a different type of love from what the secular world has. We have a different Source (our Savior, not our selves), a different sustaining power (God the Holy Spirit) and a different goal (not self satisfaction, but God’s satisfaction). May God bless us as we put Him first in our daily lives. Amen and Amen.

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The Beloved Walk With God

Posted on September 5, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by egil sjøholt: https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-photography-of-person-under-starry-sky-1906658/

Please turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Peter 2:11. We read:

1 Peter 2:11-12 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

God Calls His Children “Dearly Beloved”

Word Study: God uses three words to describe the believer in Christ and, by extension, the Church. The first word is “dearly beloved” or the Greek ἀγαπητός agapētos, which means “Those who are cherished, those worthy of love”. This is not the only place where “dearly beloved” is used. We see it used twice in:

Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved (agapētos) and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved (agapētos).

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

Why would God call us who are Christians “dearly beloved (agapētos)”? It all stems back to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the second Member of the Godhead, the Incarnate Son of God. Jesus Himself is God in the flesh, “God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16). While Jesus was on this earth the Father often spoke from Heaven, saying “This is my beloved (agapētos) Son in whom I am well pleased” (see Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22).Jesus Christ is the “dearly beloved (agapētos)” Son of God. When we repent of our sins and “call upon the name of the Lord” for salvation, God applies the sacrifice, death, and resurrection of Christ to our own lives. Righteousness is “imputed” or placed on our lives by our act of faith. The Scripture declares,

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Jesus is, according to the Father, (Matthew 12:18) “My Beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon Him, and He shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.”Because we have received Jesus as Lord and Savior, as He is Beloved of God, we are Beloved of God. At the Mount of Transfiguration God the Father told those there:

Luke 9:35 … This is my beloved (agapētos) Son: hear Him.

We are Beloved for Jesus’ sake, with a love that will never diminish nor die. We are Beloved because we are “in Christ” by faith. We are told in Ephesians 1:6, “{God} hath made us accepted in the Beloved.” As my commentary noted:

“All those adopted into God’s family through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ are beloved by the Father (John 1:12; Romans 8:15). It is an amazing, lavish love: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). Because God has shed His love on us, we are free to apply the words of Song of Solomon 6:3 to our relationship with Christ: “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.”

Oh, how God loves us! See His love on that Cross! The nails that tore through His skin, pressing through nerve and bone. The crown of thorns upon His head. Hear Him on that Cross as He hung bleeding, suffering. “No one takes My life – I lay it down for you. Not My will, but My Father’s will be done”. Jesus bled and died on that lonely tree for you and I, to bring us peace with God. He died for our sins, to free us from sin’s mastery. He rose again to lead us into life everlasting. We are Beloved because we are in Christ, and Christ is in us.

Beloved Of God, We Are Not Beloved Of The World

Word Study: We are not just “Beloved”, but we are “Strangers” (πάροικος paroikos, foreigners, without citizenship) on this earth.Though we may have temporary homes on this earth, and temporarily be citizens of earthly kingdoms (like the United States), our actual citizenship is in Heaven. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God. Jesus preached the Kingdom of God. He said:

Mark 1:15 The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

The Kingdom of God is AT HAND. Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, came to this earth proclaiming God’s Kingdom. We who are saved are citizens of God’s Kingdom. Our actual inheritance is not on this earth, but with our God.

2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

We who are Christians have a home waiting for us in Heaven. God left us on this earth after we were “born again of the Spirit of God” (John 3:3-6) so that we could represent Him and lead others into His kingdom. Though we show Biblical Love toward those around us, we never become “friends” of darkness. The Bible tells us that:

James 4:4 … know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

We are called of God to love all, to do good toward even our enemies (Galatians 6:10; Hebrews 13:16). Yet we are never to compromise with the darkness of sin. Sin is destructive. Sin is against God. Sin leads to death. The Bible tells us:

Ephesians 5:8, 11 ye were {once] darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: … 11 … have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

Word Study: We are “strangers”, the Greek πάροικος pároikos, {pronounced par’-oy-kos}, meaning “foreigners, people from another country”. The Bible also calls us “pilgrims” to remind us that our life is TRANSITIONAL on this earth. The word “pilgrims” is is the Greek παρεπίδημος parepídēmos, {pronounced par-ep-id’-ay-mos}, which means “someone from another land passing through”. The Christian is to be distinctly different in both BEHAVIOR as well as CITIZENSHIP. We are not like the lost world.

The Beloved Reject Fleshly Lusts That Destroy The Soul

Illustrate: I can never remember what poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac look like, though I remember that old poem,

Leaves of three, let them be ..

Poison Ivy has three broad, tear shaped leaves growing from a vine. Poison Oak, however, has three or more oak shaped leaves growing from a vine or shrub. And Poison Sumac has seven to thirteen leaves per stem. So the little rhyme doesn’t always hold true. But what the Bible says next always holds true. We read:

1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul

The Bible says in 1 John 2:16, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world”. Fleshly lusts war against the soul. They take us captive, and draw us away from God. Fleshly lusts destroy the body. We are told in:

Romans 8:13 (NKJV) … if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live

When God tells us not to be involved in something, it is not because He wants to rob us of joy. When God says “don’t do it”, it is because He loves us with an infinite love, and does not want us to hurt ourselves. The darkened world follows after fleshly lusts. We are not of this world, but are of Christ. The Scripture says:

Romans 13:11-14 (ESV) the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

What are “fleshly lusts”? The Apostle called these things “the works of the flesh”, and gave us a clear description of these things in:

Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV) Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 18 (ESV) Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. … 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

Fleshly lusts “WAR” against the soul. This is the Greek strateuo which means “act as a soldier, to attack or sneak up on so as to destroy another”.

One way that “fleshly lusts” attack the soul is by direct conflict. Perhaps you have noticed how network television has been pushing heterosexual sin (adultery, fornication) and homosexual sin for years. It is because Satan knows that these fleshly lusts war against the soul.

They scar the psyche of the one exposed to them.
Children are presenting with gender dysphoria.
People are confused as to their Divine Design.
A disregard for the value of life is prevalent in America.

Is it any wonder that we have so many heinous school shootings and killing of innocents in our country? When you watch blood and gore on television and in the movies, and see women undergo abortions while celebrating that on social media, life is marred and lessened. Beloved, the problem is not the guns. Cain killed his brother Abel, and to this day we don’t know how he did it! The problem is not a thing or a tool. The problem is that several generations of people – as children and now adults – have been exposed to fleshly lusts. Televisions reek with blood letting. The movies produce things like the Final Destination franchise where people are brutally and horrendously slaughtered. Children who are now adults have played games like Call of Duty™ , Soldier of Fortune™ , Mortal Kombat™ , Manhunt 2™ , Splatterhouse™ , Dead Space™ , God of War™ , Bulletstorm™ , Grand Theft Auto™ …. I could go on and on. Children have grown up watching women raped on Game of Thrones© . When I was a child we had to steal my friend Benny’s dad’s Playboy©. Today young people go online and type what they’re looking for in a search engine. You can see anything you want – no one need tell you about the birds and the bees. And if all else fails, go to a local Library where a table will be set up to “celebrate diversity”.

As citizens of the Kingdom of God, we must monitor ourselves and abstain from fleshly lusts. We put away sin, put away those things which are dishonoring to our God.

Many have wondered why there is such widespread debauchery throughout American Society today as opposed to yesteryear. It is because Satan has masterfully introduced concepts that are destructive to the human soul. Like poison ivy, we have played amongst its leaves, and its infection has spread like wildfire. As believers we need to be careful to limit ourselves to that which God says is evil. We should not only not do it – we should not watch it done.

The Beloved Must Watch Out For Sneak Attacks

But there is another way that fleshly lusts war against the soul. Just as the soldier uses direct, frontal attack, the warrior also uses subterfuge and sneakiness. Some men are killed on the battlefield by the machine gunner, but others are killed by snipers hidden in the bushes. We read a little further …

1 Peter 2:11-12 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles …

Here is where the enemy sneaks up. Though we as Christians are to avoid fleshly lusts, we must ALSO avoid Phariseeism and self righteousness.

Word Study: We are told to have our “conversation honest among the Gentiles”. The word translated “CONVERSATION” is the Greek ἀναστροφή anastrophḗ, (pronounced an-as-trof-ay’) which literally means “your manner of life. your walk, behavior, or conduct.” Your manner of living is to be “HONEST” (καλός kalós, {pronounced kal-os’}) which means “genuine, good, approved, comforting and confirming”. What does this mean? It means simply what it says. BE HONEST in your life.

The Pharisees were Jesus’ greatest attackers. They constantly hounded our Lord. Why? Because they thought that they themselves were sinless, and that Jesus – if He were the Messiah – wouldn’t be hanging out with sinners! The Bible says:

Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Jesus Christ did not come to save us because we have it all together. He came to save us because NONE of us have it all together. We do not pursue things that our God tells us not to pursue. But on the other hand, we do not act all “holier than thou”, as if we ourselves are perfect. I read this the other day, and really liked it:

“Some people are REAL. Some people are GOOD. Some people are FAKE. And some people are REAL GOOD at being FAKE!”

As followers of Christ Jesus, we sometimes (and may I say, oftentimes) get off course. Let us not be like the Pharisees. How did the Pharisees act?

  • They gave people laws to follow that they themselves would not do. (Matthew 23:4)
  • When they obeyed a law, they did it so they could brag about it. (Matthew 23:5-7)
  • They made salvation inhumanely impossible. (Matthew 23:13)
  • They created a “holier than thou” club few could join (Matthew 23:14)
  • They twisted the law when it suited them. (Matthew 23:23-24)
  • They looked good outwardly, but inwardly had no relationship with God (Matthew 23:25-26)

What is interesting is that Peter himself had often failed God – even after the resurrection of Christ. The Apostle Paul at one time had to correct Peter because when the Jewish Christians were around, he would not associate with the Gentile Christians (see Galatians 2:9-14). Peter dipped into Phariseeism.

As believers in Christ, our way of life is to be “honest among the Gentiles”. We are not to put on airs, or pretend that we are better than the lost. We are followers of Christ. We are not perfect. We fail God at times. But we live our lives honestly and sincerely, relying upon Jesus Christ and God the Holy Spirit for our salvation. The Bible tells us that salvation is a free gift from God:

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by Grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any one should boast.

But once we are saved, we become the workmanship of God.

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

A Christ is saved by faith in Christ. Because we have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God has imputed His righteousness to our lives. What does the Scripture say?

Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Because Jesus bore your sins on the Cross of Calvary, God has sent His Holy Spirit to indwell you (John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Titus 3:5; 2 Peter 1:4). You become “born again” (John 3:3, 7; 1 Peter 1:23), adopted into the Family of God (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5). You are moved from the kingdom of darkness “into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). You are a “new creature in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15). But Beloved,

you are NOT PERFECT.

The Beloved Apostle John wrote:

1 John 1:5-10 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

I know of no better way to say this. As Christians, we are saved FROM SIN. We do not wallow in sin. We hate sin. We know that God does not dwell in sin, so we PURSUE THE LIGHT, striving to do what our Father through the Spirit tells us to do. We know and believe that “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin”. And yet, there are times we sin. There are times we fall short. There are times that we – like Peter who was chastised of Paul – get off course. When we do, we remember that it is “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin”. What do we do? We “confess our sins”, we do not hide our sins. We believe that upon confession of our sins to God “he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.

When we sin, we confess our sins. Then we get back to the light, and start doing good for our God.

The Beloved Do Good, Imitating The Beloved Son

1 Peter 2:11-12 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

The lost world will “speak against you as evildoers”. The world is going to call us names. It’s going to attack us for believing in God’s Bible. And yet, we are told to do “good works”. We see this throughout the Scripture. God tells us in …

Titus 3:1-7 … to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

We are not to be part of the noise and the anarchy, but we are to – as much as is possible – do good to others. There is a lot of evil in the world. The Scripture says:

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

Jesus told us very plainly:

Matthew 5:43-48 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. …

Those who are saved by faith in Christ are not only to be good citizens of the Kingdom of God, but good citizens of the kingdoms that we are passing through as strangers and foreigners.

Our Lord Jesus gave us an example as to how we should live in this present world. As Jesus did, let us do. Let us close with these words:

1 Peter 2:21-24 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile {deceit} found in his mouth: 23 Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously: 24 Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by Whose stripes ye were healed.

Jesus surrendered Himself to the Father. We are to do the same. As Jesus did, so must we so. For His glory, and the glory of God forever. Let us approach the Lord’s Table with clear hearts, confessing our sins, and committing ourselves to live for the glory of Christ’s Kingdom. Amen and Amen!

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Repenting To And Celebrating Our God

Posted on September 2, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Rakicevic Nenad: https://www.pexels.com/photo/creative-photo-of-person-holding-glass-mason-jar-under-a-starry-sky-1274260/

The last time we were in Nehemiah, the Temple and the walls of Jerusalem were repaired and the gates hung. Israel listened to the Word of God as it was read by Ezra the Priest. We stopped here, in Nehemiah 8, where we will continue:

Nehemiah 8:14-15 And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month: 15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.

In Our Smallness We Celebrate The Greatness Of Our Lord!

The “Feast of Booths” (also known as the Festival of Tabernacles or Sukkot) was a time for Israel to be joyful, as God commanded

“Be JOYFUL at your Feast” (Deuteronomy 16:14)

Booths always occurs four days after Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Ezra was reading from

Leviticus 23:34, 39-43 The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. … 39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. 40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. 41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: 43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

God blessed Israel richly in bringing them out of Egyptian slavery. God also blessed His people in bringing them out of Babylonian and Medo-Persian captivity. God had Israel dwell in “Booths” or “Tabernacles” made from the boughs of palm and willow trees. Every Israelite was to dwell in “Booths” for seven days. The Booths were temporary but a reminder how God had reached out and saved His people. It was a time to practice the Presence of God – to unplug from the Temple and Jerusalem itself, and to just rest in the arms of God.

A Tent Revival: As a Church we will be having a revival the last week of this month, a tent revival, with a homecoming that Sunday following it. I do not know how well attended it will be. I am praying that many souls will be saved, and people will unplug from the insanity that has recently become America.

I am praying that we as a Church will embrace this time,
and draw near to our God in worship.

I have talked, over the years, with older members who had “brush arbor meetings”. In those meetings they gathered brush and branches and made areas where believers could gather and worship.

I pray that this is what our tent revival will be like. We have been so richly blessed as a Church – not just through the pandemic – but even now. As I sat and talked with our Director of Missions just yesterday,

I had no idea so many local Churches have suffered instability
and decreases in membership.

Yet we chug along. Perhaps we ourselves will drop in membership as we go forward. I don’t know what tomorrow holds. But I know Who holds tomorrow!

We must celebrate our Lord!

Just as Booths focused on God and not the people, our Tent Revival will focus on Jesus Christ and not Riverview Baptist. It will be a time of celebration, a time of joy, a time to recognize all the good that God has done for us. Churches in our area have closed their doors, but Christ kept us open. Why? Because we celebrate Him. We love His Word, and want to hear from it. There has been some concern that it might rain during the revival., If it does, that is God’s will. We will celebrate Him. The ground where the tent is will be – as ground is – somewhat uneven. If it is, that is God’s will. He gave us the land not just to mow, but to worship Him on. I don’t know about you, but I want to worship my Lord! Notice how the Israelis made their “Booths”:

Nehemiah 8:16-17 So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. 17 And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.

Some made booths on their housetops. Others made booths in their “courts” or back yards. Some went to the Temple, and made booths in the courts around the Temple. Some made booths in the streets that were closed off, like the Water Gate and Ephraim. If you’ll notice, NO ONE made booths in the Temple itself. The point of making temporary booths is to remind the people that God is with us no matter where we are. In the popular Psalm, David wrote:

Psalm 23:1-4 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

God is with His people. When we go through the darkest valley, God is with us. He promises:

Isaiah 41:10 (ESV) Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

When Israel dwelt in booths, they had NO land, promised or otherwise. Israel had NO standing army. Israel was a nation of released slaves, led by Moses. Israel had NO Temple nor Church building. They worshiped God in a tent called the “Tabernacle” that they had to set up each time they stopped traveling. Israel had NO written Scripture to guide them, as God wrote the beginning of the Scripture through Moses their leader. Israel had NO blessedness in the Incarnate Jesus Christ, but had to sacrifice animals to cover their sins. Israel had NO doctors, NO fast food restaurants, NO radio or television, NO internet, and NO refrigeration or way to store food. And yet, God took care of them.

Israel had one thing in their favor. They were small. As long as they stayed small, trusting in and looking up to God, they would be blessed. It was only when Israel got BIG and thought they were GREATER THAN GOD did they actually become small. God told Israel:

Isaiah 43:1-2 (ESV) But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.

God says in His Word that when we:

James 4:10 (ESV) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

1 Peter 5:6 (ESV) Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

When God’s people make themselves small and rest in the arms of Jesus, there is “very great gladness”.

Now we come to Nehemiah Chapter 9. This is two days after the Feast of Booths/ Tabernacles/ Sukkot (Nehemiah 8:13-18). The people confessed their sins and the sins of their fathers, and magnified God and His faithfulness.

God Is Worshiped When We Confess Our Sins
And Magnify His Faithfulness

Nehemiah 9:2-3 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the Lord their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshiped the Lord their God.

Sin hinders our walk with God. God said in:

Isaiah 59:2 (ESV) but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Sin is an offense to God, and that which should be unnatural to those whom He has saved. Sin keeps us from receiving God’s best for our lives. Solomon said, “The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29). God spoke to Israel through the Prophet Jeremiah, saying:

Jeremiah 5:22-25 (ESV) Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it. 23 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. 24 They do not say in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.’ 25 Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you.

Sin robs us of what good our Lord would give to us. Yet the Bible promises that “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). Confession is when we agree with God that HE is right, and WE are not. Following confession of sin the Levites told the people:

Nehemiah 9:5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the Lord your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

As the priests led Israel in blessing God, they recounted all the ways that God had been faithful to Israel – though Israel had been at times unfaithful to God. So often when we do the wrong thing, and suffer because of it, we want to blame God for what occurs. This is unfair to God, and foolish of us. God is good. The Scripture says:

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

When we “walk in the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:5), God blesses us. The priests now relate the goodness of God. Let’s read of His goodness:

Nehemiah 9:6, 7-15 Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

7 Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; 8 And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous: 9 And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea; 10 And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day. 11 And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters. 12 Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go. 13 Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: 14 And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: 15 And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.

In this short section we see the faithfulness of God to Israel, from the call of Abram to their journey to Mount Sinai, around 645 years. God made a promise to Abram – who would become Abraham – and swore upon Himself that He would keep it (see Hebrews 6:13). God keeps His Word regardless as to the amount of time that passes. We who are saved have a KNOW SO salvation:

1 John 5:11-15 (ESV) And 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. 13 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.

When God promises, you can take that to the bank!

God Stays With His People, Even When We Mess Up!

Nehemiah 9:16-24 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, 17 And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. 18 Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations; 19 Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go. 20 Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. 21 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not. 22 Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it. 24 So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.

Though Israel continued to fail God, our Lord was faithful to His people. The Israelis entered the Promised Land to conquer it around 1400 BC. It is now around 444 BC, some 956 years after the second generation of Israel entered the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. Though much time has passed, God has continued to look after Israel. God never breaks His promises, though we often fail. The Levites lead the people of Israel in not blaming God, but THEMSELVES for the mess they are in. We will finish reading here:

Nehemiah 9:32-37 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. 33 Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly: 34 Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them. 35 For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works. 36 Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it: 37 And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.

God has always been, and always will be good! Let us celebrate our God’s faithfulness to those who have trusted in Him! Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

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A Couple Of “F” Words You Need To Know

Posted on August 29, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash

Please turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Peter 2:5-10. We studied verse 5 this morning, but our text tonight demands we read it again.

1 Peter 2:5-10 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

The Devil Loves To Twist God’s Word

The devil loves to twist words. He started out in the Garden of Eden and, twisting God’s Word, questioned God’s Word. “Has God really said you shall not eat of every fruit of the Garden?” (Genesis 3:1). When Eve replied, Satan said “You will not surely die! God knows the day you eat of this fruit, you will be like Him, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5).

Though Satan did not say the word, he implied his favorite four letter word, tempting Adam to forsake the Kingdom of God. Lucifer loves this four letter word. He uses it frequently when tempting us to sin. The four letter word I’m referring to begins with the letter “F”, and in a short while I’m going to have to say this word – forgive me!

Illustrate: I saw the word used on a commercial just last night. A company called Experian® said they were giving away something, and they used that dreaded “F” word. Are you ready? They said that if you went to their website, they would give you a … here it comes … FREE credit report! That’s what you all thought I was going to say, wasn’t it? That’s the devil’s favorite word. F-R-E-E. Anytime I see the word F-R-E-E I ask myself to mind the fine print, or the other shoe dropping. What Experian® is actually doing is trying to get you to sign up for one of their credit cards. Having been hurt by the credit card business myself, I highly recommend that you DO NOT get a credit card for ANYTHING except an emergency. Credit cards will put you – if you’re not very careful – in a financial hole that will enslave you and your paycheck and your family for a long, long time.

That old serpent was telling Adam, “Go ahead, eat! It’s FREE. There’s no strings attached.” Yet God had told Adam the truth, and there were strings attached. With one bite, our forefather Adam sold all his children – that’s us – into the slavery of sin and death.

Praise God that Jesus came along! Praise God that the Father sent the Son to give Himself for our sins. Praise God that the Holy Spirit comes to the seeking sinner, and causes that person to be born again. Praise God for this!

Salvation is a FREE GIFT from God. I agree with this statement. It is supported by the Scripture. The words “FREE GIFT” are only found together in these texts:

Romans 5:14-18 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 15 But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. 17 For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Salvation is a FREE GIFT from God. It is purchased by Jesus, delivered by the Holy Spirit, and planned by God the Father. However, we need to be careful that we are defining the word “FREE” as GOD DEFINES “FREE”, and NOT as SATAN DEFINES “FREE”.

When Satan says something is “FREE”, he means,
“absolutely without consequence”

Illustrate: Yet Satan’s “FREE” is often a lie. The other day, I was leaving a discount market and heard that there was a large box of FREE items at the front door. I, like everyone else, loves FREE stuff. So I went out front and, accompanied by a mother and her daughter, went through that box. I found what I expected – junk! But I picked up a few things. I picked up a set of coasters with my “preferred pronouns” on it. My “preferred pronouns” are “He/ Him”. Now, I didn’t need this set of coasters to tell me what my pronouns are. I know what I am. I am what I was born to be, a man. But there are many in our world today who are confused over who they are. We have men who identify as women, women who identify as man, and people of either physical gender that identify as bi-sexual or both. The devil has told them “It’s your choice. You are FREE to choose what you will be sexually. Your body is a canvas – you’re the artist – there is no god – just do it!” So people make decisions because it is “FREE” or “without consequence”.

The young person goes to a party, and someone offers them a “FREE” pill. They are told, “Just try it, it will make you feel so good!”. So they try the “FREE” thing, and then they are enslaved by what they try.

A person feels broken, or out of place as they are. They do not go to God through Jesus Christ to seek healing, but go to a college class, or talk to an elite. “Have you ever tried same sex love? Try it. It’s FREE.” So they try it. And after trying it, the excitement of doing something different gives them a euphoria, and they try it again. Satan gets national advertisements and support from large corporations to endorse this “FREE” love movement. In time the broken still feel broken, more confused than ever. It did not bring perfect happiness, but enslavement to their bodies, enslavement to an unScriptural movement.

The devil’s definition of “FREE” has crept into the Church, and into the Gospel message. For years many preachers have stood up and preached Romans 5:14-18 and said,

“See, salvation is a FREE GIFT. We are told this THREE TIMES in this text. It’s a FREE GIFT, something you cannot earn nor deserve.”

Is this true? Yes. It is a “FREE GIFT”. But what is the GIFT that the Bible talks about in this particular text? Read with me:

Romans 5:17 if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ

In the context where we are exposed to the words “FREE GIFT” we see that this “Free Gift” is two things:

“abundance of grace”
“the gift of righteousness”

This is NOT a “FREE GIFT” to go to Heaven, but a “FREE GIFT” of GRACE and RIGHTEOUSNESS. This text has NOTHING to do with Heaven, and everything to do with HOW YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE. You shall “reign in life by one, Jesus Christ”

Salvation is not a “FREE GIFT” without consequence, but it is a “FREE GIFT” with consequences. It is “FREE” in the sense that you can neither earn it nor deserve it. It is free in the sense of

Titus 3:3-7 For we ourselves also were {at one time} foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The Christian is someone who was “{once} foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another”. That’s how you WERE. You were unloving. You were hateful, and hate filled. But then you received the “FREE GIFT” of salvation. This gift was received “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us”. Were there consequences? Absolutely! We read on, “by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior”. You are WASHED. You are REGENERATED, that is, “born again”. You are changed from what you WERE, to what you are NOW, a Child of God. And your activities are changed. As Children of God we have an inheritance. We belong to God. We are not as we were, but are changing day by day.

Yes, Salvation Is “Free”, But There Are
Consequences To Being Saved

Though salvation is a “FREE GIFT”, it is free in the sense that you cannot purchase it. But once saved, there are consequences of salvation. Saved, you become a priest unto God.

1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Every Christian – male or female – is a part of a “holy priesthood”. When I looked up the word “Priest” in the dictionary, it says

“an ordained minister of the Catholic, Orthodox, or Anglican Church having the authority to perform certain rites and administer certain sacraments”.

That is man’s definition of “Priest”. But God’s definition is different. If you are saved by faith in Christ, you are a priest unto God. A priest is someone who represents God to man, and man to God. In the Old Testament the “Priests” were supposed to be ALL of the nation of Israel. In Exodus 14 God saved Israel from Egyptian bondage by carrying them through the Red Sea as if on dry land. Israel was saved, and Egypt destroyed.

Salvation Is A Free Gift WITH Consequences

God told Israel in Exodus 19:4-6, “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.”

God called Israel as a nation to be a “kingdom of priests, and an holy nation”. They were saved with a consequence. Israel told God:

Exodus 19:8 … All that the Lord hath spoken we will do

And yet, Israel did not. While Moses was up on Mount Sinai receiving the Law from God, Israel commissioned Aaron to make a golden calf (see Exodus 32:8-10). God told Moses, “Let Me alone, and I will destroy Israel, and make of you, Moses, a mighty nation” (Exodus 32:10). But Moses – acting like a Priest should act – interceded for Israel and God. Moses asked the Lord not to destroy Israel for the Lord’s sake, lest His glory be diminished (see Exodus 32:11-13). God answered Moses’ prayer, and did not destroy Israel. When Moses came down the mountain he cried out:

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

Who, then, is the Priest. It is the One Who “is on the Lord’s side”. The Priest is not the person with the funny collar, or the fancy title of “Doctor” or “Father”. The Priest is the one “on the Lord’s side”. We who are Christ’s children by faith are:

1 Peter 2:5 … an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Word Study: The word rendered “holy” is the Greek ἅγιος hágios, {pronounced hag’-ee-os}, which means “to be consecrated, set apart”. If you are saved, you are saved because you called upon the Name of Jesus, and the Holy Ghost came upon you to make you born again. What did Jesus say?

John 3:3, 5 … Except a {person} be born again, {they} cannot see the kingdom of God. … 5 … Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into 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 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

When you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, repenting of your sins and turning solely to Him, He sends the Holy Spirit to your life. You are born again, born into the Family of God. You are made priests unto God. Unlike the Levitical Priests of the Old Covenant (and of the Tribe of Levi), you offer up “spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ”.

The Priests Always Offer Up Sacrifices To God

Under the Old Covenant the Levitical Priests offered up animal sacrifices to temporarily cover the sins of the people of Israel (Leviticus 17:11). In Leviticus chapters 1-7 there were five types of offerings:

  1. Sin offerings, where blood from the male animal covered unintentional sins against God
  3. Burnt offerings, where blood from the male animal was sprinkled on intentional sinners to cover their sins
  5. Peace offerings, where a male or female animal was offered in thanksgiving to God
  7. Trespass offerings, where a male ram was sacrificed for unintentional sins in fraudulent transactions. Money was also repaid to the victim.
  9. Grain offerings, which symbolized gratitude for God’s bounty and blessing

If animals were sacrificed, they were animals that had neither spot nor blemish, the finest of the flock or herd. Impoverished Israelis could offer turtledoves if that was all they could afford. The Priests under the Old Covenant were only males from the Tribe of Levi. The High Priests came from the lineage of Aaron, Moses’ brother. The Old Covenant sacrifices are a shadow of a better Covenant, one in which Jesus Christ is the Centerpiece. You are

1 Peter 2:5 … an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

First, our High Priest is not some earthly person, but it is Jesus Christ Himself. When Abraham returned from battle a mysterious man met him:

Genesis 14:18 … Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God

We are never told who this Melchizedek is in the Old Testament. Yet in the New Testament we are told that Jesus Christ is …

Hebrews 5:10 … Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

As our High Priest, Jesus did not offer turtledoves, rams, sheep, bulls, or grain to cover our sins. Jesus Christ offered HIMSELF. The Scripture says:

Hebrews 7:24-28 this man {Jesus}, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. 28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

The Old Covenant High Priest made animal sacrifices, first for himself, then for the people. But Jesus Christ offered Himself, eternal God and sinless Man, for our sins. He is “consecrated for evermore”. As our High Priest Jesus is “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens”. The Old Covenant gave us a Law that gave us a High Priest who could fail. But under the New Covenant Jesus Christ is our High Priest. As our High Priest He offered Himself “once, when he offered up himself”. It was ONE AND DONE for Jesus! What does the Bible say?

Hebrews 9:11-12 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

As Priests, We Live By A Divine “F” Word

1 Peter 2:7-8Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

If you are saved, your lifestyle will show it. You will live so as to honor the Lord Jesus Christ as your High Priest, and to obediently FOLLOW our God. This is clearly taught throughout the Scripture. The consequence of salvation is:

You become a Child of God
You gain the mind of Christ
You seek to follow God

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 … if One died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

Jesus died for all so we would not live for ourselves, but for Him. Because we are God’s Children (this is the consequence of salvation) we are Priests, representatives of God to this world. We are under the command:

Romans 6:13 (ESV) Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

Romans 6:16 (ESV) 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?

Romans 6:18 (ESV) {and you} having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

Romans 6:19 (ESV) I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

1 Timothy 6:11 (ESV) But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.

If you are a Child of God by faith in Christ, you are a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17). You are not what you were. Beloved, your salvation – though free – has consequences that cannot be escaped.

You now belong to God. You do not belong to Satan, nor do you belong to Sin or this world. You belong to God. “You are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your Spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Following Him, We PRAY To God For Ourselves And Others

1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

What are the “spiritual sacrifices” we offer up to God as His Priests?

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (ESV) Pray without ceasing.

Prayer is one of the things a Priest must do. Though we cannot pray all the time (for that is mentally impossible), we should be in a stage of life where we CAN pray at a moment’s notice. In the Old Testament Temple, incense was burned on an altar (Exodus 30:2) each morning and at twilight (Exodus 30:7-8) as a REGULAR OFFERING to the Lord. This symbolized the prayers of God’s people going up to Him. King David prayed:

Psalm 141:2 (ESV) Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

When John the Revelator looked into Heaven he saw:

Revelation 5:8 … golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

We are to be a PRAYING people, constantly seeking God’s will both for ourselves and others. Jesus told us in Luke 18:1 (ESV) that we “ought always to pray and not lose heart.”

Following Him, We Offer Up PRAISE Unto Our God

We are told in:

1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice evermore.

Not just in the good times, but we rejoice in the bad. We who are saved belong to God, not to sickness, nor sin, nor Satan, nor anything or anyone else. We praise Him!

Hebrews 13:15 … Through {Jesus} then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

We praise God for the good times, but we also praise God for the seemingly bad times. Why? Because we know that “all things work together for good to those who love the Lord” (Romans 8:58). All things may not be good, but they “work together for good”.

Though Daniel did not understand why he and his friends were in captivity, he loved and praised God anyway – and was blessed beyond measure.

Though Joseph did not understand why his brothers sold him into slavery, he held on to the great truth that:

Genesis 50:20 As for you {dear brothers}, you thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive …

Though Job was told by his wife to “curse God and die”(Job 2:9), Job kept his eyes on the Lord. “Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive the bad?” God loves us. We are to trust that His love endures no matter what might come our way.

1 Peter 2:9-10 … ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light

Praise Him, Praise Him! Jesus our Blessed Redeemer!

We Who Are Saved Love The “F” Word

We love to follow Jesus!

1 Peter 2:7-10 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Here is where the rubber meets the road. If you believe – that is, have a faith in Christ that saves your soul – then “he is precious”. You value Jesus. You want to hear of Jesus. You desire His Word, and seek to please Him with your life. But look what the Bible says next:

“unto them which be disobedient”

If Jesus means nothing to your life – if you will not follow Him, and do as He says (for Jesus has said “If you love Me, you WILL KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS” (John 14:15; 15:10). The Priest follows the High Priest. The Priest follows God. This “Free Gift” of salvation was given so that “ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”. If you will not follow God, if you will not heed this Scripture we call “The Bible”, if you will not honor Him Who saved you, then dear friend

… you are NOT saved!

Salvation has its consequence. You are called to follow the Lord Jesus. Not this world, not social media, not a group, a denomination, a politician, nor any other thing. You are a believer Priest, and YOU belong to God. May God the Holy Spirit touch your hearts with this His Word! Amen and Amen.

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Finding And Living In Kingdom Love

Posted on August 28, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Pierre Blaché: https://www.pexels.com/photo/bird-s-eye-view-of-city-during-dawn-2834219/

Please turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 2.

Christians Are Bound By The Royal Law Of Love

Though Salvation is a free gift from God – a gift can neither earn nor deserve – once saved you are under the Law of Love. There are three pillars to the Royal Law:

1 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:29-30; Luke 10:27; Deuteronomy 6:5; Deuteronomy 10:12; Mark 12:33; 1 John 5:2-5). Your love of God should bleed over into all that you so in life.

Illustration: One of the best illustrations I can think of the first commandment filled is in the work of one of the greatest composers, Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach wrote anthems, chorales, and cantatas for Church worship. He wrote also a number of so called “secular” concert pieces (like the Brandenburg Concertos), and a keyboard primer that is very popular (the Anna Magdalena notebooks). At the top of the first page of every manuscript Bach wrote the Latin initials for Jesu juva, meaning “Jesus, help me” and at the bottom of the last page he wrote Soli Deo Gloria, which means “Glory to God alone”. God wants us to put Him first in our hearts. The second pillar of our faith is:

2 You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Leviticus 19:18; Romans 13:9-10; Galatians 5:14; Matthew 19:19; James 2:8). Your love for God should bleed over in your love of what God has created.

We are not told to love ourselves, for most people naturally love themselves. In fact, in our day people love themselves TOO much, seeking to reassign their sex or their reality to suit their mood at the time. Our propensity to excessive self love – which is unhealthy both mentally and physically – stems to our fall from Eden. We are to love ourselves, but not more than God. We are to love others EQUALLY as we love ourselves. We should expect RESPECT from others, and give RESPECT to others. As we love ourselves, we are to treat others around us (whether we know them or not) the way we ourselves want to be treated.If you do not have self love and are considering suicide, please contact me and I will guide you to a counselor. Self hate is as unnatural as is excessive self love.

The third pillar of the Royal Law deals with the Family of God.

3 You shall love your fellow Christian as Jesus has loved you. (John 13:34; John 15:12; John 13:8)

Christians are members of the Family of God, citizens of the Kingdom of God, and as God is Light we are to be Light (1 John 1:5). Those not in the Kingdom of God live without regard to the Light of God and His glory. We live as children seeking to honor and glorify our Lord. We do this by loving others as Christ has loved us.

Christians are in a battle, and will remain in battle while we are in this world. Christianity and non-Christianity are locked in a battle that will not end until Christ comes. Those who are born once do not understand the things of God. The Bible says of the lost that “though they know God, they glorify Him not as God. They are vain in their imagination, and their foolish hearts are darkened” (Romans 1:21). The Bible says “their understanding is darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the blindness of their hearts” (Ephesians 4:18). Those who are born once know that there is a God in Heaven. If they did not know, they would not curse His name so. They know, but refuse to follow.

The worldly practice self love rather than Kingdom love. Those who are “born again” by faith in Christ turn from self love to Kingdom Love.

As we read in chapter one:

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

Illustrate: Every summer I “weed eat” my yard when I get through mowing it. I don’t use the standard “weed eater” with the motor and the string, but I use the “liquid weed eater”. I spray that stuff on my fences, else the grass and weeds will take it over. Left untreated, my yard would get out of control. In the Church we spray the “weeds” that spring up in our midst with the Word of God, killing the bad attitudes and bad habits that could easily take over and destroy our congregation.

We are to love like Jesus loved us – sacrificially, undeservedly, consistently, knowingly.

The Godly are those who do love to others. The ungodly love themselves above others, and strive to satisfy themselves in all they do. They are, as the Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 10:4-6 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. 5 His ways are always grievous; Thy judgments {O God} are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. 6 He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.

Whereas the Christian sings “As a tree, planted by the waters, I shall not be moved”, the unbeliever refuses to move toward God, to repent and follow Christ. A person CANNOT be born again apart from repentance, apart from surrendering yourselves to God your Savior. But Beloved, once you repent – turn from being your own god – and turn to God the Son in faith, God the Holy Spirit moves upon your life to cause you to be “born again”. This state of being is nothing that you can earn nor deserve – it is a gift of God. But YOU must make the decision to follow Jesus. Theologian Carl F.H. Henry said:

“The Christian experience is always PERSONAL,
but never PRIVATE”.

The Christian experience changes the output of your life. When you come to Jesus in faith, God the Holy Spirit comes to you in real time. You enter into a partnership with God. No one can do this for you. The Bible says that to be saved that:

Hebrews 11:6 {we must} “believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

What Does Christlike Love Look Like?

No one can come to God for you. You must come to Him, and believe that God has forgiven your sins for Christ’s sake. “God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). You are forgiven all your sins because you believe and receive that salvation that the Lord offers you through Jesus Christ. Peter is addressing Christians, born again believers, Children of God’s Kingdom. Let’s read our morning’s focal text:

1 Peter 2:1-5 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Word Study: Our text starts with the word “Wherefore”. This ties what Peter is about to say with the “new birth” statement of 1 Peter chapter 1. If you are a child of God, you are to live for God. You are to live to glorify God. The Bible says we are to “lay aside” certain things as incompatible to Kingdom Life. The word “laying aside” is the Greek “ἀποτίθημι apotíthēmi, {pronounced ap-ot-eeth’-ay-mee}”, which means “to put away, cast off as unworthy, put to the side”. The word is first used in the Book of Acts when the Deacon Stephen was stoned to death by the Pharisees for preaching about Jesus. The Pharisees learned the Law of God, and modified the Law of God, taking God’s Word and putting their own spin upon it. God condemned the Pharisees for this, saying:

Mark 7:7 … in vain they worship me, teaching for doctrines {God’s Word} the commandments of men …

The Pharisees twisted the Word of God instead of obeying the Word of God. When Stephen challenged their religion by pointing them to faith in Jesus Christ, they carried him outside the city. Taking off their clothes beforehand, they cast them down (apotíthēmi) far from Stephen, then stoned him to death. They cared more for their clothing than they did a human life!

Christian, there are certain things that do not belong in our walk with God. The Scripture says:

Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off {apotíthēmi} the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

Illustrate: What is it that God tells us to “cast off”? These are all things that belong in the other kingdom, the fallen world. I was in my garage the other day when a wolf spider crawled across my hand. I didn’t look at it and say, “My, what a pretty thing, a marvel of engineering!”. No, I CAST IT OFF. It didn’t belong on my skin. If I could have caught it, I’d have squished it! Likewise, we are to CAST OFF those things unhealthy to our spiritual walk with God. We are now weed eating with liquid Word these things:

  • All malice: κακία kakía, {pronounced kak-ee’-ah}, a “desire to injure someone physically or spiritually”.
  • All guile: δόλος dólos, {pronounced dol’-os}, “deceitfulness, trickery, craftiness. To set out bait so as to trap.”
  • hypocrisies: ὑπόκρισις hupŏkrisis, {pronounced hoop-ok’-ree-sis}, to “have two faces, a displayed face, and a secret face”. Hypocrisy was one of the things that Jesus often charged the Pharisees with (see Matthew 23:28; Mark 12:15). Jesus even called the hypocrisy of the Pharisees as “the leaven of the Pharisees” (Luke 12:1).
  • envies: φθόνος phthónos, {pronounced fthon’-os}, to “want what someone else has, to covet”. The Pharisees were envious of the Lord Jesus’ following, and for this reason they delivered Him to Pilate to be executed (see Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10). Envy is the violation of the Tenth Commandment (Exodus 20:17).
  • evil speakings: καταλαλία katalalía, {pronounced kat-al-al-ee’-ah}, which means “to backbite, to defame, to speak evil of another with the intent of destroying or murdering another person’s character”.

When we were children of darkness, we followed patterns of life that tore others down while building ourselves up. Now that we are children of God we are children of Light. We are called of God to – through the operation of the Holy Spirit – to cast off anything that dishonors God and hurts others. The Stepbrother of Christ wrote:

James 1:19-21 (ESV) Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

As Children of God we are to put off or put away our old way of life, and put on the Word of God. We are to ask our God, “What is Your will for my life?”, then we are to prayerfully turn to the Scripture to find that will.

When I decide to live my Christian faith following the world and not the Word of God, I HINDER my walk with God, I HURT the Kingdom of God on this earth, and I HELP DISCOURAGE others from seeking salvation by faith in Christ.

Ephesians 4:21-24 (ESV) assuming that you have heard about {Jesus} and were taught in {Jesus}, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

As Christians in the Kingdom of God, our minds are to be redirected from what the WORLD says is right to what GOD says is right. How do we do this?

The Word Of God Teaches Us How To Walk & Grow Spiritually

1 Peter 2:2-3 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Illustrate: We are given a beautiful picture of the Grace Walking Christian. When Sherry and I were much younger, I worked a swing shift in the Air Force for several years. We had, at that time, one baby and one toddler in our home. I’d get home from work around midnight, and stay up till about 1:30 am when the baby woke up. I’d hear him rustling, and starting to fuss. You see, his little belly was empty. I’d quickly warm up his bottle, and go get him out of the crib before he woke his big brother. He’d see that bottle, and his eyes would be focused on the bottle, not on me. When I put the nipple in his mouth he’d start sucking, desperately, quickly, to get as much down as fast as possible. I’d always say, “Slow down, Son”, but he wouldn’t listen. He wanted that bottle!

As a baby does with a bottle of milk, we who are Christians should “desire the sincere milk of the Word”. The word translated “sincere” is the Greek ἄδολος ádolos, {pronounced ad’-ol-os}, which means “pure, something unmixed with anything else”. As Christians, we grow in our faith and in our spirituality as we intake the teachings of the Word of God into our lives, and live by those teachings. We need to be careful about following televangelists and New Age television teachers who express opinions totally divorced from the Word of God. We need to always remember that Satan knows how to quote Scripture out of context, and that he used this tactic even with our Lord Jesus. Satan, the Bible says:

The Devil Loves To Supplement: Matthew 4:5-7 (ESV) {Satan} took {Jesus} to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Those who would do evil, and disrupt the Kingdom of God’s work on this earth often takes the Scripture, and twists it from what it says to what they want it to say. We are to desire the SINCERE or PURE Word of God, for only this grows us as believers. The Apostle told his student:

2 Timothy 3:15-17 (ESV) … from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

It is the Scripture that you must know and understand in order to be a power filled Child of the King. Satan is constantly bombarding our minds with the doctrines of darkness and the ways of sin. But it is God’s desire that we be like Jesus Christ in all our lives – not just at Church, but at work, in the market place, and at home. We abide in Jesus by reading, studying, and meditating on this Word. It is the Word of God that washes the darkness out of our lives:

Ephesians 5:25-27 (ESV) … Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

It is the Word of God that converts us,
and the Word of God that cleanses us.

It is the Word of God PREACHED and RECEIVED that changed you. You must keep on receiving that Word! If the newborn baby stops eating it will, in time, die. The child must be fed. You must be fed. The Christian who will not feed on the Word of God by regularly reading it and studying it will, in time, be consumed of the world. The reason we have sickly and useless Christians in every age of every Church is because they will not seek God’s Word. You must long for the pure milk of the Word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. But the Scripture adds this:

1 Peter 2:3-4If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. TO WHOM COMING, as unto a Living Stone, disallowed indeed of men, but Chosen of God and Precious.

The Christian – person who is BORN AGAIN – has “tasted that the Lord is gracious”. You’ve tasted of God’s Grace. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 34:8 (ESV) Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed in the man who takes refuge in Him!

Salvation comes to us when we recognize that we are sinners in need of the Savior. Where do sinners need to go? They go to JESUS. Jesus Christ came for sinners. Those who follow Jesus are broken people that He is fixing. The Bible tells us that Jesus had just healed a paralyzed man by telling him,

Your sins are forgiven you!

That man picked up his bed, and walked. Jesus Christ came to heal the broken, to embrace the sinner. With a Word Jesus healed that man – and that man did what JESUS SAID, he PICKED UP HIS BED AND WALKED. He did not remain in that bed. Where Jesus has been, life is. Where Jesus works,

the blind see,
the deaf hear,
the cripple walk,
the lepers are healed,
the demons are cast out,
the lost are found,
and those in darkness are brought into light.

Healing this man by saying, “Your sins are forgiven you”, Jesus goes on His way. Seeing a Tax Collector named Matthew, Jesus said simply,

“Follow Me” (Matthew 9:9)

And Matthew got up from his tax collection tables and began to follow Jesus. That’s tasting grace. That’s what salvation looks like. Matthew invited Jesus home, and invited all his undesirable friends to come and meet Jesus (Matthew 9:10). When the Pharisees and Scribes heard of this, they asked those who followed Jesus:

Matthew 9:11 … Why does Jesus eat with tax collectors and other sinners? (my paraphrase)

When Jesus heard this He said:

Matthew 9:12-13 … They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Jesus came for the broken who would come to Him. He came to lead us away from wasted life, to a life of “joy unspeakable, and full of glory” in the Lord. We are saved when we, calling upon the Name of Jesus, repent of being our own gods, and pledge our lives to His care. We follow Him. We live because of Him. We live for Him. Our Jesus is the “Living Stone, disallowed indeed of men, but Chosen of God and Precious”. Jesus is the Living Stone that God is using to build His Kingdom on this earth.

If I Am A Christian I Am Part Of A Much Greater Purpose
Than Just My Satisfaction

1 Peter 2:4-5 To Whom coming, as unto a Living Stone, disallowed indeed of men, but Chosen of God, and Precious, 5 Ye also, as Lively Stones, are built up a spiritual house ….

God has a purpose in saving you. What is that purpose? First, “I am to be like Jesus”. Saved by Grace, I am adopted into the Family of God by the operation of the Holy Spirit. We who are saved by faith in Christ are “predestined unto the adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to Himself” (Ephesians 1:5). The Holy Spirit of adoption indwells us (Romans 8:15). Jesus did not just come to this earth to make payment for our sins, but also to bring us into the Family and kingdom of God. The Scripture says:

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

Jesus is THE Son of God. We who are saved are sons of God. Jesus served God the Father as THE Son of God. We serve God the Father as sons of God.

Illustrate: Jesus Is The “LIVING Stone” in the spiritual House of God. We Are The “LIVELY Stones” in the spiritual House of God. When I and my kids were younger, we used to play a game called “Pick Up Sticks”. In the game the sticks were divided into three or four colors. Holding the bundle of sticks in my hand, I would drop them – and they would scatter everywhere. The object was to use a stick to retrieve your colored sticks out of the pile – all without disturbing other sticks. While I had the bundle of sticks in my hand, ALL THE STICKS pointed in the SAME DIRECTION. But once my was removed, the sticks pointed in every direction, the very definition of confusion.

The Church is like this. While Jesus has His hand around us, and we are heeding and doing the Word of God, we are a bundle of sticks all facing in the same direction. But when we neglect to cling to Jesus and this, His Word of God, then we fall into a big, messy pile. Jesus is the Living Stone, we are to be lively stones. We are to be like Jesus. Dr. Adrian Rogers preached a sermon just before he went to be with Jesus. In that sermon Dr Rogers said:

“The curse of [our age] is that we have many Churches filled with baptized pagans. We have a full Church of empty people. They have culture but not Calvary, ritual but not reality, form but not force, religion but not righteousness.”

Part of the reason for this confusion is because televangelists and preachers have emphasized “Salvation is a free gift” in their preaching, but have ignored Sanctification. Salvation is indeed a free gift. Jesus Christ came offering “the gift of God” (John 4:10). The “gift of God” cannot be obtained with money (Acts 8:20). The Bible tells us that

Romans 6:23 (ESV) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You cannot earn nor deserve your salvation. But once saved, God brings you into His Family, and you are given a Heavenly Stewardship. You were saved from sin – not to continue in sin – but to serve the Lord. Jesus Christ does not save you IN your sin, but FROM your sin. As a born again child of God you are called to …

Ephesians 4:1 … walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called

Colossians 1:10 walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God

1 Thessalonians 2:12 … walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.

Beloved, the saved are to “walk worthy of God”. We are to be imitators of Jesus. We are to live our lives so as to please our Heavenly Father. Are you “born again”? If so, you are …

1 Peter 2:5 … an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. …

Jesus is your High Priest, and you are a holy priesthood, left on this earth to represent God. Are you? Or have you drifted away from serving the Lord? Perhaps you never were saved in the first place. Dear ones, make your calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10). Make sure you are saved by faith in Christ. If you are, follow Him. He is your High Priest, and you are a Holy Priesthood to God. May God the Holy Spirit bless you, and draw you closer to God daily. For the glory of Christ. Amen and Amen!

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The Joy Of The Lord Is Your Strength

Posted on August 26, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Jill Wellington: https://www.pexels.com/photo/lady-in-beach-silhouette-during-daytime-photography-40192/

Introduction From Ezra: We Must Be Willing To Follow

Please turn with me in your Bibles to EZRA chapter 8. We will shortly be in NEHEMIAH chapter 8, but you can only understand what is going on in Nehemiah 8 if you first look at Ezra 8. There’s a reason that the Jews considered Ezra & Nehemiah to be one book. Ezra the Priest and Scribe brought exiles from Babylon with him to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. How did Ezra get out of captivity to do this? We read:

Ezra 7:6-7 This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him. 7 And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.

When Ezra came from Babylon, King Artaxerxes allowed him to come with a large expedition. Why? Because “the hand of the Lord his God upon him”. Ezra sought God’s will in all that he did. As a result, God supplied Ezra with all the people and craftsmen needed to get the job done. The “Nethinims” were servants that assisted the “Levites” and “priests” in the services of the sanctuary. Why did God bless Ezra in his endeavor? Because

Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.

Ezra did not seek our his own will, nor did he allow his heart to harden. In America we have hardened our hearts against God. In our Churches they are “OUR” Churches and not God’s. We have allowed our hearts to harden against God’s direction.

Beloved, We need REPENTANCE in America,
and in our Church gatherings. We need God and His Word.

God says:

Proverbs 28:13-14 (ESV) Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

The reason Israel as a nation is divided and exiled into various places is because they allowed their hearts to harden. A hardened heart provokes God. The Bible warns us:

Hebrews 3:8-12 (ESV) Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Ezra and Zerubbabel his assistant – along with those who came with him – restored the Temple because God was their focus.

The Temple was rebuilt NOT through the miraculous power of God on stone and wood, but through those involved PRAYING and FASTING and SEEKING GOD’S WILL.

Look to Ezra 8:18 … And by the GOOD HAND OF OUR GOD UPON US they brought us a man of understanding …

Ezra led the people to pray, because he knew “except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1). It was God Who led the right workers into the place so the rebuilding could occur. It was a PRAYING PEOPLE that God would bless. We read:

Ezra 8:21, 23 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. 23 So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was entreated of us.

Ezra was doing what our Lord Jesus told us to do. When Ezra prayed, he denied himself comfort and pleasure while he sought the face of God. He said, “that we might afflict ourselves before our God”. Isn’t that what Jesus told us to do? Jesus said:

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

America Christianity hates this type of thing – but this is the type of faith that God calls us to. The great commandment is:

Matthew 22:37-38 …. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment.

God wants our ALL, not our leftovers. Years of preaching easy believism has imported a type of Christian into the Church that runs from suffering, despises long sermons, and only wants to apply the Word of God to their lives as long as it does not interfere with their pleasures. God does not hear such selfish, God excluding prayers. He says “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:2-3).

Ezra had enemies. We will always have enemies that stand against the will and Word of God. But Ezra kept his eyes – and the people’s eyes – on pleasing God. We read:

Ezra 8:31 we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.

Ezra 7:8 tells us that Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the 7th year of King Artaxerxes, whereas Nehemiah arrived in King Artaxerxes 20th year (Nehemiah 2:1) – some 13 years later.

It took Ezra 13 years to rebuild the Temple, but Nehemiah and his crew only 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15). Following the rebuilding of the wall the two teams – Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s – come together to worship and praise God for what had been done.

The People Came Together In One Accord To Hear God’s Word

Nehemiah 8:1-3 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. 2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

I love the phrase “all the people gathered themselves together as one man”. The same phrase is used in Ezra 3:1. Both Ezra and Nehemiah’s teams were in one accord with God, and now both teams are in one accord with each other. There is nothing that God’s people can’t accomplish when they are in one accord vertically and horizontally. The Apostle wrote of our target unity:

Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV) I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The devil loves to introduce disharmony into the Kingdom of God. He did this in the Garden of Eden, and does it now in local Churches. Unity is so important in God’s Kingdom. The Apostle told the Church of Corinth:

1 Corinthians 1:10 (ESV) I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

2 Corinthians 13:11 (ESV) brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

And further encouraged the Church at Phillippi:

Philippians 1:27 (ESV) let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

Philippians 2:2 (ESV) complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

God can only work in an environment where the people are in one accord with one another. However, we must FIRST be in one accord with the Bible, God’s Holy Word. Doctrine matters. What the Bible says matters. The Apostle said:

Love – But Avoid – Troublemakers In The Church!

Romans 16:17 (ESV) I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.

I find this interesting, because it is the polar opposite of what the world and the worldly Church believes today. The Scripture says that “the Lord hates …. one who sows discord among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16, 19). To those who go about striving to destroy the harmony of any Church I say – never forget – God HATES what you are doing. What is our standard? Is it human opinion, social justice, some Internet fad? No, for God called out those who used their opinions as if they were Scripture. God said,

Mark 7:7 (ESV) in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. (see also Matthew 15:9; Ephesians 4:14; 1 Timothy 1:10; 1 Timothy 6:3; Titus 2:1)

What is contained in this Book, the clear teachings of God, set the standards of our faith. That which gives our faith power and endurance is “thus saith the Lord”. When the people of these two repair teams came together, we read:

Nehemiah 8:1 … they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel.

The people wanted to hear the Word of God. They were not bored by it, nor complacent in it. The people understood that which few Christians understand today:

The only way to maturity in my walk with God is through reading, studying, and applying the Scripture to my life.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God {Greek Theopneustos, literally “God breathed”), and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the {Greek anthropos = person} of God may be {Greek artios = complete or mature}, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

God designed the believer to “do good works” (Ephesians 2:10), not bad works. We are called to be the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). It is the Word of God, the Bible, that grows the faith of the citizen of God’s Kingdom. What does the Bible say?

Proverbs 30:5 Every Word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.

The people wanted to hear the Word of God. They were thirsty for it.

Nehemiah 8:3And {Ezra} read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

As Ezra is reading the Law, he is standing before the “water gate”. During the Festival of Booths, also called Tabernacles or Sukkot (which is what time this is) the Water Gate was opened. The Kohanim (priests descended from Aaron) drew water out of the Shiloach Brook in a golden pitcher, and brought it through this gateway into the Temple. “Once in the Temple, the priest poured the water into a special funnel from where it flowed into the ground” (reference here). Ezra chose to read and teach the Word of God from this area. This is the same area where our Lord Jesus cried out during the Feast of Booths/ Tabernacles:

John 7:37-39 (ESV) On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

It was God’s Holy Spirit Who guided both Ezra and Nehemiah as they did the work of God. It was God’s Holy Spirit Who guided the craftsmen to rebuild both the Temple and the walls. Where there is unity is seeking the glory of God, there will the Spirit reveal Himself through the hands and feet of God’s people. Something else we can see that is VERY interesting:

Nehemiah 8:3 And {Ezra} read therein {in the Scripture} before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

Ezra reads and explains the Law “from the morning until midday”, from the sunrise until about noon – about 6 hours. The people focused on God’s Word that entire time. What else is amazing about this? Read on:

Nehemiah 8:4-5 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:

Ezra didn’t ask anyone to stand up. When he opened the Book, “all the people stood up”. There is no indication they ever sat down throughout that entire time. There was a time when I would ask people to stand up in respect to the reading of God’s Word. But over time I stopped doing this. Why? Because I preach and quote extensively, reading scripture after scripture when I preach the sermons God gives me. But further,

If I have to ask you to stand up, then God is not in it. These people stood up because some of them had been through 13 years of trial as they rebuilt the Temple, and God got them through it.

The People Stood Worshiping God

Nehemiah 8:6-7 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.

Word Study: When Ezra praised God as “the great God”, he was declaring that God is One, and none others are God. This is not an inclusionary but a very specific, exclusionary truth. There are NOT many ways to God. There are NOT many true Gods. There is only One True God, and we approach Him through His revealed Word. The people cried out “Amen, Amen” (Hebrew אָמֵן ‘āmēn). The Free Bible Commentary notes:

“This Hebrew word comes from the root “to be firm.” It is related etymologically to the Hebrew word emunah, which is found in Habakkuk 2:4 and is translated in English “faith.” Here the crowd affirms the truth that the Lord is a great God (see Nehemiah 1:5; 4:14; 9:32).”

The people prayed as God prescribes,

1 Timothy 2:8 … (ESV) {we} should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling

Francis Schaeffer – a theologian whose works I have studied – noted in his book The Mark of the Christian (pg 26-27):

“We {as Christians often} rush in, being very, very pleased, it would seem at times, to find other men’s mistakes. We build ourselves up by tearing other men down. This can never show a real oneness among Christians.

There is only one kind of man who can fight the Lord’s battles in anywhere near a proper way, and that is the man who, by nature, is unbelligerent. A belligerent man tends to do it because he is belligerent … The world must observe that, when we must differ with each other as true Christians, we do it not because we love the smell of blood, the smell of the arena, the smell of the bull fight, but because we must for God’s sake”.

Nehemiah 8:8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

Word Study: Notice that the leaders of Israel – not just Ezra – read from the Book of the Law of God. Notice that they did not offer their own opinions of what the Bible said. They “read … distinctly”. The word “distinctly” is the Hebrew פָּרָשׁ pârâsh, {pronounced paw-rash’}, which means “to make clear”. The people have been in captivity so long that many have forgotten some Hebrew, so the leaders made sure they understood the words. Dr. Constable’s Soniclight Commentary notes:

“Not only did the leaders read the Word of God, but they also translated it from the Hebrew language into Aramaic, the common language of the Persian Empire. Some of the Jews present did not know Hebrew (13:24), having grown up in Babylon and elsewhere, away from Jews who maintained fluency in the Hebrew language. The written translation of the Hebrew Bible into Aramaic, with comments added, was the Targum (literally, ‘translation’)”

Those on the stand with Ezra went out into the crowd, and helped the people understand what God was telling them. This is one reason why, in the Church Age, that the Pastor of the local Church must be “able to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2). The Word of God is so very important to the Kingdom of God.

The People Repented, But Nehemiah Called For A Celebration

Nehemiah 8:9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.

Word Study: We are told that “Nehemiah … is the Tirshatha”. The word “Tirshatha” means “Governor”. Though Ezra was given authority to go and rebuild the Temple, only Nehemiah was named “Governor” by King Artaxerxes. The people began to “weep” because, as the Law of God was read, they realized how foolish it was that they were even in captivity in the first place. Had God’s people followed God’s Word, they would have never been conquered by first Babylon, then Medo-Persia. Our God is powerful, and there is nothing He cannot do. But our God will not allow us to run in anarchy, doing whatever we please regardless as to His Word.

God honors His Word.

As the people realized their failures, and repented, “Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites” told the people to dry their tears, and to begin to celebrate. These people had rededicated their lives unto the Lord Who loved them.

Nehemiah 8:10-11 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. 11 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.

Too often when we have walked away from God, and repent and return, that we are plagued by guilt and sorrow. This is what the devil loves to do to us. Beloved, there is nothing we can do to “pay back” what we did while we were in sin. The Bible never speaks of PENANCE, but of REPENTANCE.

PENANCE is the foolish notion that a finite mortal such as I can repay an offense against an Infinite Mortal such as God by doing some finite, mortal work. This is a lie from hell that cripples us.

What do we do when we have sinned? Repent. Turn back to God. Put the sin under the Grace of God. What does God in His Word say?

1 John 1:9 (ESV) If we confess our sins, {God} is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

When we “CONFESS” our sins, the Greek ὁμολογέω homologeō, we “say the same thing about” our sin that God says”. We acknowledge God was right all along, and turn from that sin back to His loving embrace. Here is where power is! Nehemiah told them,

the joy of the Lord is your strength

When we do what God tells us to do, God is joyous, because we are not hurting ourselves or even killing ourselves with sin. The “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Jesus Christ died on Calvary and rose from the grave not just to cover your sins and make you right with God, but so that we can walk with God, unenslaved by sin (Romans 6:16-18). Freed from sin, “you are now the servants of righteousness”. As servants of righteousness, we obey our God, and do the things that He tells us to do. God the Son told us:

John 15:8-11 (ESV) By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 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 be in you, and that your joy may be full.

When we walk with God in obedience to His Word, we have “joy unspeakable, and full of glory”. May we all emulate Nehemiah and the returning children of God. Amen and Amen!

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Gird Up The Loins Of Your Mind (Parts 1&2)

Posted on August 22, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Maria Pop: https://www.pexels.com/photo/knight-armor-339805/

Turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Peter. As we have just finished studying through James, you should know where 1 Peter is. Hebrews, James, 1 Peter. This is part 1 of a two part message. May God the Holy Spirit open hearts and move in our lives for the glory of Christ Jesus, and for the growth of the Kingdom of God.

Part 1

The Bible tells us that the Church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). When the Church was first formed on the Day of Pentecost so many years ago, the Bible says that those who belonged to the Church by faith in Christ “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). The Apostles were those men whom Jesus named and called “Apostles”, men who knew the Word of God, the Old Testament Scripture. These hand picked men (and yes, even Judas was handpicked) walked with and sat at the feet of Jesus for over 3 ½ years. Three of these Apostles were particularly taught of Christ. This “inner circle” was Peter, James, and John. When Jesus called James and John, He named them “Boanerges” or “The Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). The Bible doesn’t tell us why Jesus named them “Son of Thunder”, but we can guess that

… the way they lived their lives for the Lord (much like a thunder storm) changed the world in which they ministered. Jesus took two competitive brothers and transformed them into world changers.

James was the first Apostle to be killed (Acts 12:2), as he was the Pastor at the Church of Jerusalem. His brother John was the last Apostle to die. John was exiled on the Island of Patmos, and there he was given great revelation regarding the end of days. John also wrote more of the New Testament than any other Apostle. He was “the disciple whom Jesus loved”.

What about “Peter”?

Peter was a rough fisherman when Andrew his brother (another Apostle) introduced Jesus to him. Peter was called “Simon” until Jesus renamed him “Peter” (John 1:42). The name “Pétros” means “a piece of rock”. Peter would go on – after many missteps and mistakes – to become the Chief Apostle, rock solid because he learned to live his life standing on the Rock that is Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4; Matthew 21:42).

God used the Apostles and Prophets to write His Bible (see 2 Peter 1:21). As the Chief Apostle and Fisherman writes, moved by the Holy Spirit of God, he tells us:

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

Gird Up Your Loins – Listen To God’s Word, Not Satan’s

Word Study: Let’s focus on the command, “gird up the loins of your mind”. The words “gird up” is the Greek ἀναζώννυμι anazṓnnymi, {pronounced an-ad-zone’-noo-mee}. In the ancient world – the Arabic and Hebraic desert countries – citizens wore long flowing robes to keep the hot sun and sand off of their bodies. These long robes became a hazard when engaging in battle. The wise warrior would, prior to battle, gather his flowing robes, and pass the loose ends under his leather belt, freeing his legs and feet from a tripping hazard. The “loins” {Greek ὀσφῦς osphŷs, [pronounced os-foos’]} is the center of the person, the place where generative power or semen resided. By “girding up” your loins, you not only removed a tripping hazard out of your way, but you also added additional protection to one of the most sensitive areas of your body. When Peter says:

“gird up the loins of your mind”

he is telling us to prepare ourselves for battle – and ANYTHING GOES. Our enemy will do whatever he can to win. Our enemy attacks first in “your mind”. Our enemy has always done this. The Bible says:

James 1:8 (ESV) {The} double-minded man {is} unstable in all his ways.

Illustrate: The double mind is the dangerous mind. Several years ago I bought a house here that had a beautiful Bradford Pear Tree in the front yard. I loved that old tree. The trunk came up to about my chin, then split into two parts, like a fork. One day we had heavy winds, and the next morning I came out my beautiful tree was split in two. Several brothers and sisters from the Church came and helped me clean it up. But the tree destroyed itself. The double minded will destroy themselves.

Satan loves to help foster a double mind in us. If he can get us to be double minded, in time we will destroy ourselves!

Satan, originally called Lucifer, (“Bright and Shining One”) tries to lead us into following his same path of destruction. A few of the names he is given in Scripture are:

Satan (the Accuser of the Brethren) 52x
Devil (the Slanderer of God and Man) 102x
Tempter (he tempts to sin)
Old Serpent (Revelation 12:9)
Deceiver of the whole world
The Father of Lies (John 8:44)

The devil leads us to do anything that will cause us todishonor Christ, and to hurt God’s glory. We who are saved are to – with love – stand firm in what our God has commanded us to do. The Scripture says:

2 Timothy 2:24-26 (ESV) And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

The devil plays a mind game. If he cannot lead people away from salvation in Christ, he will do his best to lead the Christian away from the blessings of God. To put it bluntly, if Satan can’t get you to enlist in HIS ARMY, he will do what he can to lead us to betray our Commander in Chief, Jesus Christ. This is what the Devil – that Old Serpent – did in the Garden of Eden. The Devil questions the Word of God:

Genesis 3:1 (ESV) “Did God actually say ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the Garden?’”

Questioning the Word of God, the devil waits for our response so he can decide what to say next. If we resist the devil, he would flee from us (James 4:7). But too often, like Eve, we engage the devil. When we do, the devil comes out directly with his lie.

Genesis 3:4-5 (ESV) “You will surely NOT die! For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil”

The snare of the devil is to question the Word of God.

This is how the devil ensnares us. He questions the Word of God. He introduces something against what God has said. Some of the questions of the devil you may have heard on mainstream media:

“Has God really said He made them male and female?”


“Did Jesus really say that God made them male and female?” (Matthew 19:4)


“Did God require a man to unite to his wife only?” (Genesis 2:24)


“If you feel like you’re a woman in a man’s body, why would God NOT want you to change yourself?” (Deuteronomy 22:25; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Ephesians 5:21-33)

“God wants you to honor yourself first – after all, He loves you. Why shouldn’t you take vengeance on your enemy?” (Romans 12:17-19)

“If you’re poor, Jesus wants you to be rich. Why would it be wrong to steal to feed your family?” (Luke 6:20; Matthew 5:3; 26:11)

“The Bible doesn’t really say that abortion is wrong? It’s not a person until it leaves the womb! (Genesis 9:6)

“If God loves you, He wouldn’t want you to be sick, would He? This sickness must be of the devil!” (1 Peter 1:7; Romans 8:28)

“Why should you forgive that person? After all, you’re important! Teach them a lesson. God will understand.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

“Just do what makes you happy. God wants you to be happy.”
(Psalm 1:1-2; John 13:17; James 5:11; 1 Peter 3:14; 4:14)

“You need to go along with the crowd – or you’re going to be hurt!” (1 John 2:15-16)

I could continue on and on, but I’ll stop here. Satan will do anything he can to get us to betray our Lord, to become ineffective as members of the Kingdom of God. We need to get back to the Word of God, and actually SEE what GOD has said.

Gird Up Your Loins: Know Your Final Destination

Illustrate: There was a movie that became a series of movies a few years ago called “Final Destination”. In that movie franchise, “Death” was an enemy that stalked people who got away from death. The movie itself was somewhat silly, and gory. Death is not a person that stalks you. In fact, death is NOT your enemy if you belong to God through faith in Christ Jesus.

If You Are Saved By Faith In Christ, Your “Final Destination” Is Not Death, But Life. Heaven Is Your Home!

1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

This world is not my home I’m just a-passing through.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door,
And I can’t feel at home In this world anymore.
Oh Lord, you know I have no Friend like You,
If heaven’s not my home, then Lord, what will I do?
The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door,
And I can’t feel at home In this world anymore.

Before the Christian is saved, we are “strangers and foreigners” to the Kingdom of God. This world was very much our home, our only destination. Our King was ME, what I wanted. Our Joy was PLEASURE, what felt good. There was no such thing as sin, only SELF ACTUALIZATION and SELF SATISFACTION. We were far off from God.

But then Jesus came.

Ephesians 2:13-19 But now in Christ Jesus ye who {at one time} were far off are made {near to God} by the blood of Christ. 14 For {Jesus} is our peace, Who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us {and God}; … 16 And that {Jesus} might reconcile {us} unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity {by His Cross} … 19 Now therefore you are NO MORE STRANGERS AND FOREIGNERS {to God’s Kingdom}, but fellow citizens with the Saints, and of the household of God …

My “final destination” is glory in Heaven. My Lord and
Savior is Jesus Christ!

My King is Jesus, not Social Media.
The Kingdom of God is where I abide and hide.
God is my Constant Companion, my Father, my Brother, my Help.
When I leave this life, it will not be to death, but to glory and life eternal.
Because of Jesus!

The Old Covenant Saints – those of the Old Testament – knew that Messiah was coming. They were saved by believing in the promise of God. These Old Covenant Saints …

Hebrews 11:13, 16 … all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. …. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

We who are saved are distinctly different from the world. We follow Jesus, not the latest fad. We are influenced by Jesus, not by some Social Media celebrity.

1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

Gird Up Your Loins: You Are Chosen By God

Word Study: When Peter addresses the Christian he calls us “Elect”, the Greek ἐκλεκτός eklektós, {pronounced ek-lek-tos’}. This word means “the chosen”.

God CHOSE to offer you salvation through the Blood of Jesus.
If you are saved, you CHOSE to receive Jesus.
You are God’s possession, not Satan’s nor man’s.

Just as God the Son chose His Apostles, you are chosen of God. He CHOSE to offer you salvation. God did not CHOOSE to offer salvation to the angels, but unto humanity, unto “whosoever will”. Jesus was often found speaking to sinners, telling them that God was calling them to salvation. To be saved, we must PUT DOWN OUR GODS and follow Jesus. He said:

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

Jesus calls whosoever will to salvation. Once called, we must REPENT and follow Him. Jesus and Jesus alone is the means to salvation. Read further:

1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

The Christian is a work in progress. God is working on you through abrasion, through pruning, through pain, through time.

Once saved, God the Holy Spirit begins to sanctify you, to set you apart from this world. God works a work in your life, and ongoing work that does not cease until we hit glory in Heaven. What does the Apostle say next? “Unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ”. The Christian follows His Savior. We OBEY our Savior and Lord. Our sins are placed under the “blood of Jesus Christ”. Because of Jesus, we who are saved belong to God. We continue:

1 Peter 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

The Christian is “begotten … again” or BORN AGAIN
unto a LIVELY HOPE

The first time we were “born” into this world, we were “born of water” (John 3:5). We came out of our mama’s and were “born” into this world, creatures of flesh and blood. Being born into the world, we were born sinners. Sinners cannot walk with God. Jesus said,

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

We who are saved are “Children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26). Because we believed on Jesus, believing he died for our sins – that He paid our penalty before God the Father – the Holy Spirit has caused our New Birth. We have a LIVELY HOPE. Pastor John Piper put it this way:

“Our first conscious experience of this new birth is the arising in our hearts of faith in Christ. You might say that the first cry of the newborn Christian infant is the cry of faith. Instead of “waa, waa”, the heart feels “I see Him; He’s beautiful! I love Him, I want Him, I need Him. He’s my Savior!” That’s the cry of the new birth. And Paul says, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). So that baby cries, “Jesus is my Lord!” And He says that the evidence of the Holy Spirit coming into our lives is that we cry, “Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).

You did not make your first birth, nor do you make your second birth. Hearing His call, you must repent, and turn to Jesus. God causes our new birth when we heed His call. You’ve got “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you”.

Gird Up Your Minds: God WILL Prove & Keep You

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

When Peter speaks of “salvation”, it is something SECURED by the power of God and KEPT OR MAINTAINED by the power of God THROUGH FAITH. Pastor David Guzik writes:

“God’s power is the garrison in which we find our security.” (Hiebert) We are kept by the power of God, but it is through faith, meaning our faith. The person who is kept is a person abiding in a continuing relationship of faith with God. We could say that faith activates the preserving power of God in the life of the Christian.”

The Christian is in a continuing relationship with God, much as a child is in a continuing relationship with a right thinking parent, or as a sheep is in a continuing relationship with a shepherd.

God is always with His Children. The Psalmist David said:

Psalm 23:4 though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, FOR THOU ART WITH ME

God is a God Who is near. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). God may seem far away at times, but this is probably because of sin in our lives. God is light, and in Him is no darkness (1 John 1:5). Faith forsakes the darkness and calls upon the Light. God delights in saving, in bringing souls into His family. Yet He cannot do so unless there is first REPENTANCE, and CALLING UPON JESUS. God calls ALL to salvation.

Isaiah 55:7 (ESV) let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Temptations – and our response to them – prove our faith!

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

The Christian is tried by this world. But the Christian so tried, does not succumb to despair or fear. We “gird up the loins of our mind”. We “greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations”. Though tried, we know that our God is with us. God allows trials to come upon the Unbeliever to perhaps make them stop and look unto Jesus to be saved. God allows trials to come on the believer to strengthen our faith in God. The fire of trials – much like a silver smith’s oven – tests our faith, showing us that our faith is indeed true and saving. I believe it was Dr. Charles Stanley who said:

“An untried faith is an unproven faith”

Peter Was Tried: Before our Lord went to the Cross, He began to tell His disciples that He was going to that terrible tree. Jesus said (Matthew 16:21) “He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day”. When Peter heard this, he rebuked Jesus, and said it would never be so. Jesus told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Matthew 16:23). Peter’s faith would be sorely tried. Peter told Jesus that he would never deny Him, but Jesus told Peter (Matthew 26:34, ESV) “This very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times”.

When Jesus was captured in Gethsemane, Peter followed the soldier and our Lord to where He was tried. Standing close enough to hear what was going on, those in that courtyard began to notice that Peter was one of those who were a constant companion of Jesus. The Scripture says:

Matthew 26:69-75 (ESV) a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Peter’s faith was sorely tried. Yet later, after the crucifixion and the resurrection of our Lord, Peter and the other disciples were out fishing. They caught no fish. The Bible tells us that our Lord Jesus called from the shoreline:

John 21:5-7 (ESV) “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.

Though Peter denied Jesus three times, when he saw Jesus he ran to the arms of Jesus. Peter had the privilege of sitting at Jesus’ feet, the joy of touching Him in His incarnation. We who are saved love Jesus no less than Peter. Though we may fail Him, we will run back to Him. Life without Jesus is no life at all. As Peter said to Jesus when our Lord asked, “Will you leave Me too?”:

John 6:68 … Lord, to Whom shall we go? Thou hast the Words of Eternal Life.

There is no life without Jesus in your life. Do you know Him? Do you know my Lord? If you do not, today could be the Day of Salvation for you. Jesus Christ died on Calvary for your sins. He made a way for you to reach God and leave the power of Satan and this world. Will you come? Oh, that God would move you, through His Spirit, to call on the Name of the Lord today. Through His Spirit I pray this. Amen and Amen!

Part 2

This morning we began to search out the truths of 1 Peter chapter 1, and in particular to focus on the words:

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

Going into battle, the ancient warrior would gather his robes from around his feet. Pulling them upward tightly, he would secure the robes under a broad leather belt. The belt was comprised of two parts – the belt itself, and the buckle that secured the leather in place. Without the belt, the buckle was of no use. Without the buckle, the belt was of no use. Belt and buckle had to work together to be a place where the flowing robes could be bound, so that the fight could go forward. In our text we see:

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

Word Study: The phrase “be sober” is the Greek νήφω nḗphō, {pronounced nay’-fo}. Though this word can mean to avoid alcohol or drugs, it most commonly means “to be careful and watchful, to be diligent”. We are called to keep our eye out for Satan, and to keep looking for ways to honor our Lord and Savior Jesus. The word is used in 2 Timothy 4:5, “Be watching in all things”, in 1 Thessalonians 5:8, “let us who are of the day be watchful, putting on the breastplate of faith and love”. Christians are called to keep their spiritual eyes open for Satan and evil. We are to live to honor our Lord and Savior. We are also to “hope”. We do not have all of our salvation now. We will not receive our glorified bodies until Jesus returns for us. We will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven until we leave these earthly temples, our bodies. The leather belt that we tuck the robes of our lives into is composed of “be sober” and “hope”.

When Jesus was casting out demons by the Spirit of God, a woman in the crowd cried out to Jesus,

“Blessed is the mother who gave birth to You and nursed You”.

Jesus replied,

“Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey it!” (NIV)

We who are saved in this dispensation are truly blessed. The Prophets looked FORWARD to the Cross and the Christ, and died trusting in His promises. We and the Apostles look BACKWARD at the finished Cross and the triumphant Christ.

1 Peter 1:8-10 Whom {Jesus} having not seen, ye love; in Whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. 10 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:

I have never seen Jesus face to face. But because the Spirit caused me to be born again, I nonetheless love Him and believe in Him. The prophets foretold of the grace of God that would come through Jesus, but never saw it fulfilled. The prophets heard of the Coming Christ, and searched for the Coming Christ, but lived in a time of anticipation rather than fulfillment.

Gird Up The Loins: We Who Are Saved Are To Be
OBEDIENT CHILDREN Of God

1 Peter 1:14-16 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

The prophets and Old Testament Saints could not imagine living as children of God. In fact, the Old Testament Saints were so superstitious over using the name of God, that they usually abbreviated His name, making it unpronounceable. We who are saved live in a new dispensation, a new time, under God’s New Covenant. Nonetheless, if you are saved God tells you to “be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy”. You are to imitate our God. What He considers Holy and Righteous, we are to do. We are to imitate Father, to be like Jesus.

Illustrate: I walked into a discount store on the Nashville Highway the other day, and on the door was a very large sign. On that sign were these words:

“Smile, You’re On Camera”

I thought that was amusing. Honest people wouldn’t consider shoplifting. That sign was for the criminal, a nice way of reminding them that you are being watched. Christian, you are being watched. You are not on camera, but you are under the watchful eye of our Heavenly Father. He sees what you are doing, or NOT doing, for the Kingdom.

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

Illustrate: The little boy loved to shoplift. There was nothing better than getting something for nothing. No, he wasn’t saved, and to him and his friends shoplifting was a game. The child would go in and, looking around, if he saw no one looking, he would get an item on “five finger discount”. One day he pocketed a trinket, walked out of the store, and heard someone shout “Hey, You!”. Though they had no cameras in the store, there was a rounded mirror high up the wall, and someone was watching.

Like that child, many of you think that no one is watching you. You are seeking your own pleasure, whatever makes you happy, even if it violates the Word of God. You grin each time you “get away” with it. My friends, Peter reminds us that Someone is ALWAYS WATCHING, ALWAYS LISTENING, ALWAYS RECORDING what you do. He writes,

“pass the time of your sojourning here in fear”.

God is watching you. Our Lord will judge us all one day, not for salvation, but for reward or loss. God sees the grudge you have in your heart toward another. He sees your bad behavior, your lovelessness, your selfishness. God “without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work”. You are a child of God. Your adoption came at a high price. DO NOT BELIEVE THAT GOD WILL LET YOU “GET AWAY” WITH ANYTHING.

1 Peter 1:18-21 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

Jesus paid a very high price for your salvation. God saved us so that we could be entered into His family. God saved us so that we could work for His Kingdom on this earth. While we are on this earth, Peter says, “pass the time of your sojourning here in fear”. Our works will be judged one day. For those who are saved, your works will be judged by the Father as the works of His children. Did you honor the Lord with the life He gave you? If not, you shall lose reward in Heaven. But for those who are lost, without Christ in their lives, their works will be judged for condemnation. Their works will not measure up to an entrance into God’s glory, and thus the unbeliever will be cast into a “Lake of Fire”:

Revelation 20:15 if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Those who have given their lives to God through faith in Jesus need not fear this “lake of fire”. You who are saved are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24-27). But if you leave this life without Christ, you have no hope. If your name is not written in God’s Book of Life, you have no hope of Heaven.

Beloved, make your calling and election sure. If you do not have a continuing relationship with God through Jesus Christ, you are not saved. Repent. Turn to Him Who gave His life for you, and believe on Him. Follow God as dear children, walking in love as Christ has also loved us (Ephesians 5:1-2).

1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever does not do righteousness is not of God, neither is he that will not love his brother.

The Scripture is quite clear. Are you saved? Then you will:

  1. DO righteousness (what God says is right)
  2. LOVE (that is, do good toward) your brother

That’s not optional. Those who are “born again” or “born into Christ’s Kingdom” work with God to become more like Jesus every day. We are designed by God to “do righteousness”. We are designed by God to “love his brother”. We are called of God to do good works, to be the light of Christ in a darkened and Satan inspired world. We are not perfect, but we are heading toward perfection. God is working on every one of us whom He has saved.

Gird Up The Loins: We Are To Pursue Biblical Love

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

As believers in Christ we have “purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren”.

Obedience To God’s Word Is A Recurring Theme In Peter’s Work

When a person receives the Gospel through the preaching of the Word of God and the intervention of the Holy Spirit, that person commits to walking in it. Dr. Bob Utley notes:

“The Gospel is (1) A Person to welcome (Jesus Christ),
(2) Truth about that Person to believe, (3) A life like that Person to live”.

We who are saved are called to a life of obedience to Christ (see Luke 6:46). When we obey the Word of God, loving as Christ calls us to love, we not only purify our souls but we bring light to our environment. The heart of the Gospel is to “love one another with a pure heart fervently”. We are to care for one another, as Jesus cares for us.

We do not imitate the world, but Jesus Christ and God the Father. The Holy Spirit Who indwells us leads us to following Jesus.

John 14:17 (ESV) the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

The Holy Spirit is called the “Spirit of Truth” because He guides us into God’s truths. Jesus said,

John 15:26 (ESV) But when the Helper comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, the SPIRIT OF TRUTH, Who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me.

The Holy Spirit is called “The Comforter” because He comes alongside of us when we are suffering, and lifts us up. He guides us into all truth (John 16:13), and seals us to the Family of God (Ephesians 1:13). The Holy Spirit teaches us to love one another as Jesus loved us. As believers we are “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever”. It is the Word of God that gave us life. We believed the Word preached, calling upon the Name of the Lord, and were saved.

Gird Up The Loins: God’s Word Never
Fades Or Becomes Obsolete

The Word of God never grows old. We grow old. Our bodies cease. But the Word of God is timeless, eternal, forever truthful.

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

This life – and the word of man – is but temporary. Man and mankind is in constant flux, constant change. The fad that, today, all had to have, dies in the winter of our cold hearts. Peter quotes

Isaiah 40:6-8 (ESV) … All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever.

All that Satan can sell us is the quickly passing fads of this present world. These things do not last. They are here today, and gone tomorrow. If Adam had not listened to Satan’s lies, we would all yet be in that Paradise called Eden. But Adam believed the lie – and Paradise was lost.

Consider Enoch: One of my favorite characters in the Scripture is a man simply named ENOCH. There are TWO ENOCHS in the Bible. The first Enoch is Cain’s son (Genesis 4:17-18). You remember Cain, don’t you? Cain in jealousy killed his brother Abel, committing the first murder recorded in the Scripture. This Enoch was a spoiled child. The Bible says that Cain built a city, and named it after his son Enoch (Genesis 4:17). This Enoch was fleshly, worldly, far from God as was his father Cain. But then there was ANOTHER ENOCH.

The Bible tells us that Adam’s son Seth “began to call upon the Name of the Lord”. Though an ancient line, Seth and his children believed in God, and relied on the promises and presence of God. The Bible tells us that:

Genesis 5:18 (ESV) … Jared had lived 162 years, he fathered Enoch.

Enoch loved God. The Scripture tells us that:

Genesis 5:21-24 (ESV) When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

Enoch walked with God every single day. In the New Testament, Enoch was in the lineage of Christ (see Luke 3:37). The Book of Hebrews tells us,

Hebrews 11:5-6 (ESV) By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Enoch kept his eyes on the Lord day after day, one day at a time, for 365 years. “The word of the Lord endureth for ever”. Then one day God took Enoch by the hand, and Enoch was translated into glory. Before Enoch was translated into glory, he upheld and taught the Word of God. We are told in Jude, the last place in Scripture to speak of Enoch:

Jude 14-15 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him

Enoch never compromised his faith, nor shirked the Word of God. He trusted the Word of God. He knew that God is faithful. Enoch was faithful to the faithful God. Beloved, this is what we all should want to be. Let us, like Enoch, remember this life is temporal. Let us walk with God our Savior daily, being led of the Spirit. Let us do so until we are not here, but there.

Oh, how I want to be there with my God. How about you? One Pastor wrote, “This is the difference between the two Enochs. The first lived in rebellion against God, but the second sought to please {God} and obey Him. This is really the difference between the saved and the unsaved today. The relationship that Enoch has with God can be ours too.”. May God the Holy Spirit bless the reading and preaching of His Word. Amen and Amen.

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God’s Telephone Directory

Posted on August 18, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Elena Koycheva on Unsplash

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 7.

Someone asked me “Whatever happened to Nehemiah?” We’re not done with Nehemiah, as there are 13 chapters in that Book. But I thought that, since this is Business Meeting night, I’d look at a chapter of Scripture that we often overlook. I call these chapters “Telephone Directory Scriptures”.

Nehemiah 7:1-7 Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed, {2} That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many. {3} And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house. {4} Now the city was large and great: but the people were few therein, and the houses were not built. {5} And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first, and found written therein, {6} These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city; {7} Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number, I say, of the men of the people of Israel was this;

Before Sherry and I got old and gray, we used to go hiking down various nature trails. One of the nicest areas we found was around Tennessee’s Reelfoot Lake. There are some beautiful hiking trails there. We’d take our walking sticks, and make a day of it.

Down one trail we followed, we found something I still can’t figure out – even years later. We were about a mile in – very far from the road – when we found a washing machine. There’s something freaky about finding a washing machine – one about 20 years old – down a narrow path that no vehicle could follow.

As I was reading and studying Nehemiah, I got to chapter 7 and said to myself, “Oh great. A washing machine!” The bulk of this chapter is nothing but names – many difficult to pronounce – and numbers. The summary of these figures is in

Nehemiah 7:66-67 The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, 67 Beside their manservants and their maidservants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and they had two hundred forty and five singing men and singing women.

If you take these numbers:

The Congregation 42,360
The Servants 7,337
The Singers 245

and add them together, you come up with 49, 942 people. Why do we have this “phone book” right in the middle of the Book of Nehemiah? Because God ordered this census.

Nehemiah 7:5 And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first, and found written therein…

Many years before King David decided to do a census of Israel. When he did, God punished Israel for David’s sin. Why? Because the Bible says in

1 Chronicles 21:1, “..Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.”

As David looked over the Kingdom that God had given him, he began to be proud – as if he himself built the house. David did not build the House of Israel, but God did. God commanded Moses to number Israel (Exodus 30:12) so each person could contribute to the welfare of the nation. God put into Nehemiah’s heart the need for a census. Why? Was it for taxation? No, we’re not told that. God put this in the middle of the Book to remind us that ..

People matter to the Lord

Stuff comes and goes. Things come and go. But people matter to God. Think about it for a moment.

+The earth rotates around the sun in such a way as to give us – people – 24 hour days.
+The plant life of this planet absorbs human waste while giving oxygen for us.
+God made all things, then on the 6th day crowned creation with mankind.
+God gave us weeks, and times of rest, because He loves us.

Jesus said (Mark 2:27) “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath”. God loves us, and wants the best for us. Though Nehemiah and his crew rebuilt the walls in 52 days, and the Temple is being rebuilt, God’s attention is on His people. There are two great commandments given to God’s people. Jesus said:

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

This is how Nehemiah operated. He kept the First Commandment:

Nehemiah 7:1 Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed,

The “porters and the singers and the Levites” were those who served God in the Temple. The “porters” took care of the Lord’s equipment, whereas the “singers” and the “Levites” led in worship and sacrifice unto God. Nehemiah kept the Second Commandment by:

Nehemiah 7:2 That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.

These faithful godly men were given charge over the upkeep of the palace and Jerusalem. The things of God must be cared for, the walls and the facilities maintained for His glory and to protect His people. Though God is sovereign and in control, He calls on us who are His to love Him and love one another. Hanani and Hananiah were told by Nehemiah:

Nehemiah 7:3 … Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.

We are called as children of God’s Kingdom to care for and protect one another as if we are family – for we are. The Bible says:

Philippians 2:1-3 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Israel’s enemies are not gone. Rebuilding the walls will have no effect if the gates are not controlled by godly men. Let us as His Church look to Jesus, and let all we do be done through love. For Christ’s sake I pray. Amen and Amen.

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The Importance Of Keeping The Word

Posted on August 14, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Karen Laårk Boshoff: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-hand-with-fingers-crossed-9911969/

Please turn with me in your Bibles to James 5:12.

I was watching a video from Prager University the other day called “The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions”. The phrase is often attributed to a French Christian named Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153). Dennis Prager noted that in the 20th Century about 100 million people were murdered by despotic regimes. Most of those murdered were Communist countries, regimes supported by “nice people” who had or believed they had good intentions. It was American and British citizens who, with good intentions, delivered to the Soviet Mass Murderer Joseph Stalin the secrets to making an atom bomb. Many of the teachers who bring up topics robbing young children of their sexual innocence are motivated by good intentions. Those who vote for politicians who want to defund the police – a sure way of increasing murder, rape, and other crimes in our country – have good intentions. Those who seek to criminalize hate speech have good intentions, though what they seek is a serious threat to our First Amendment rights.

Prager went on to say that the only way we can have a better world is by seeking wisdom. Knowledge without wisdom is useless. You can learn knowledge in a laboratory – but WISDOM COMES FROM GOD. James has told us this four times. In

James 1:5 we read, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (ESV).

Wisdom is the proper application of what God has said is wise. King Solomon, a man who got wisdom from God, said “wisdom is BETTER THAN JEWELS, and ALL THAT YOU MAY DESIRE CANNOT COMPARE with {wisdom}. ‘I, Wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion’” (ESV). You can find knowledge without wisdom, but the Bible calls you a fool. But if you find knowledge THROUGH WISDOM, through God and His Word, then you are wise. James told us in chapter three:

James 3:13-18 (ESV) Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

To quote Dennis Prager,

“Wisdom is asking WHAT DOES GOOD,
not WHAT IS WELL INTENTIONED”.

Wisdom comes from the “Word of Christ” (Colossians 3:16). It is a gift of God (Ephesians 1:17). “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding” (Proverbs 3:13).

Wisdom Is Found Only By Clinging To The Word Of God

James 5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

I found little that made any sense to me in the commentaries on this verse. One commentary suggested that “swear” meant to “say a dirty word, to curse”. The Greek ὀμνύω omnýō, {pronounced om-noo’-o} is never (that I could find) used in the sense of “making a curse or foul word”. The word occurs 27 times in 21 verses in the Greek New Testament. The word is several times used of God Himself, for instance,

Luke 1:73 The oath that {God} swore {omnýō} to our father Abraham.

Hebrews 3:11 {God said} I swore {omnýō} in My wrath, They shall not enter into My rest.

Hebrews 6:13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear {omnýō} by no greater, He swore {omnýō} by Himself

There is a word that refers to using foul language, and it is the word ἀναθεματίζω anathematizō. When Peter denied knowing Jesus just prior to our Lord’s crucifixion, the Bible says:

Mark 14:71 But {Peter} began to CURSE {ἀναθεματίζω anathematizō} AND to SWEAR {omnýō}, saying, I know not this Man of whom you speak.

James is not talking about cursing or using foul language. He is talking about taking an oath. If you read the text carefully you can see this in the context:

James 5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath …

Now what is James talking about? When I was saved in the Church of God of Prophecy I was told that “You are never to “swear” anything in court – but you can “affirm” it”. So when I raised my right hand to bind myself to the United States Air Force the oath I took was:

“I [state your full name], Do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

{So help me God (optional)}.”

So I “affirmed” my oath. Is this what James was telling us to do? No! You need to understand the background of this text to understand the text. There is nothing wrong with swearing (see Acts 2:30; Hebrews 6:13-18). In fact, the Law of God says:

Deuteronomy 10:20 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.

When our Lord Jesus stood before the High Priest in judgment, the Priest said to Jesus: “I place You under oath by the living God, to tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”. Jesus replied, “You have said it yourself” (NASB). It is not wrong to swear in God’s name. However,

The Jews (in particular the Pharisees) had a practice of making oaths and then breaking them.

Jesus addressed this in His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:33-37 (ESV) Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

The Pharisee would swear “by heaven” or “by the earth” or “by Jerusalem”, or even “by your head”. Then when they defaulted on what they said they were going to do, they would say, “Well, this doesn’t count, because I didn’t swear by the NAME OF GOD”.

This is like saying, “My promise don’t count because
I had my fingers crossed”.

Beloved, to say you will do something, then not do it, IS TO LIE. This is something that only the devil should do. When religious people twist the Word of God, or default on their own words, they are imitating Satan. Jesus chastised the Pharisees:

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The devil is the father of lying. It was the devil who – in the guise of a serpent (Genesis 3:4; Revelation 12:9; 20:2) told Eve when tempting her to eat the forbidden fruit:

Genesis 3:4-5 (ESV) … “You will not surely die {if you eat this fruit}. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

God told Adam that “the day you eat of it, you will SURELY DIE”. The devil said, “You will NOT SURELY DIE”. God is a liar. What God told you is untruthful – or at least, what you heard is untruthful. The devil twists the truth, and denies the Word of God.

The devil has been doing this from the beginning of human history. He does it today. This is why James uses this phrase:

James 5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

ABOVE ALL THINGS keep your word. Don’t do as the Pharisees did, who made oaths with intentional loopholes. The Christian is commanded of God to be:

Ephesians 4:15 … speaking the truth in love ..

The Apostle Peter uses the same phrase “above all things” in:

1 Peter 4:8 … above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

We as believers are top speak the truth in love. Our words are to be truthful and honest. If we say something, it should reflect the truth, and be upheld by the Scripture. We are to cling to God’s Word, remembering that Jesus prayed for His Church, saying:

John 17:14-17 (ESV) I have given them Your Word {Father}, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.

God’s Word – this Bible – is TRUTH. It is WRITTEN TRUTH. It is Wisdom from above. We are to cling to this Word, and trust this Word. We are not to REDEFINE TRUTH, which is what the world has done. Those things which the Bible forbids – lying, adultery, sexual immorality, perversity – the world has redefined as “protecting your boundaries, making love, finding a soul mate, falling in love”. The world says that this is the way to go. The Bible, however, warns us that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The Scripture tells us that:

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (ESV) … do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

It is certain that the flagrant sinner will not get into God’s Kingdom and, by extension, nor into God’s Heaven. Yet the person who comes to the Lord Jesus Christ for cleansing can be washed, can be cleansed of sin, and can be given an “adopted state” with God our Father. Those who twist God’s Word or maul the truth are destined – not to go to Heaven – but to find themselves in that other place we call “the second death”. The Scripture says:

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

Liars and those who do not speak the truth in love will find themselves in the “lake which burneth with fire and brimstone”, a place of eternal separation and torment. Our tongues are to speak the truth with love if our hearts belong to Jesus.

God Always Keeps His Word. Aren’t You Glad?

James 5:13-15 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

James now asks is three questions and gives us answers that make absolutely no sense if God does not keep His Word.

Word Study: The first question is “Is any among you afflicted?”. The word rendered “afflicted” is the Greek κακοπαθέω kakopathéō, {pronounced kak-op-ath-eh’-o} which means “to undergo hardship”. The soldier who faithfully serves his nation often finds himself in hard places. The Apostle Paul told Timothy:

2 Timothy 2:3 … endure hardness {kakopathéō}, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ

We are in a war with the darkness, with the forces of Satan. Jesus said, “If the world hate you, know that it hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18). The Apostle wrote, “Marvel not, my brothers and sisters, if the world hate you” (1 John 3:13). The darkness will always hate the light. Listen Beloved,

If you speak the BIBLICAL truth in love, the world will hate you. Satan does not despise the compromiser – but he does despise the faithful warrior of Christ.

You will be afflicted {kakopathéō}. If you are – and you will be – then “let him pray”. God is faithful. His Word is faithful. If God’s Word is not faithful, then why pray? But He is faithful, and has promised “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). God is near. “You are near, O LORD” (Psalm 119:150-151). If God was not reliable, then why pray? But God is reliable. He is true to His Word. “Though a thousand fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, it will not come near you” (Psalm 91:7). Why is that? Because “if I make the Most High my dwelling place, my Refuge, then NO HARM will befall me; no disaster will come near my home” (Psalm 91:9-10).

The second question is,

James 5:13 Is any merry? let him sing psalms

What if you are on a mountaintop? Remember that God is near. We as humans often compartmentalize God. God is like the Faithful Butler Who, when we sense we need Him, we cry out, He appears in our life, fixes what’s wrong, then like a genie in a bottle goes home until we call Him again. This is a foolish and unbiblical concept of God. The Bible says, dear Christian,

1 Corinthians 6:20 (ESV) … you were BOUGHT WITH A PRICE (see also 1 Corinthians 7:23)

God “purchased you with His own Blood” (Acts 20:28). God the Son became a curse for you, that you not be cursed (Galatians 3:13). You were redeemed from damnation and from the darkness of this present world (1 Peter 1:18-19).

We who are Christian belong to God ALL THE TIME. We are in His Presence NOT just in the valley, but also on the mountaintop.

If God is there, we should sing praises to Him while on the mountaintop, and pray to Him, calling on His name whether in the valley or not. When we are told “let him sing psalms” I see also in this the word “Psalms”. James was telling the ancient Jew – as well as us today – to turn to the Hebrew Hymnbook. In this wonderful Book – in the center of our Bibles – we see how those in affliction and on the mountaintop magnified God. I have often “prayed the Psalms”, letting the words of the Psalmist run through my eyes, into my spirit, and out of my mouth. That is such a blessing!

The third question asked and answered is:

James 5:14 … Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church

Who are “the elders”? These are mature believers who teach the Word of God and model Christ to the other believers. The Chief Apostle wrote:

1 Peter 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

The “elders” are those who both cherish and study the Word of God. If you are not reading and applying the Word of God in your life, you will NEVER become an “elder”. The Bible says in:

Hebrews 5:12-14 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the Word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

The “Elders” are those believers who are “skillful in the Word of Righteousness”. They walk with God daily, and have built up a Biblical worldview that dominates their lives. When the suffering Christian “calls for the elders of the Church”, these believers both heed and do what God has commanded. These two or three obey the Scripture:

James 5:14-15 let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Why do we “anoint … with oil in the name of the Lord”? Because the oil symbolizes both love as well as God the Holy Spirit. When David was anointed King of Israel by Samuel the Bible says “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David” (1 Sam 16:13). Jesus was “anointed with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 10:38; Isaiah 61:1). As Christians, we are anointed by the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20, 27). The oil has no medicinal property, but is symbolic, but something we as believers do because God said to do it. It is a slippery slope when we begin to ignore portions of God’s Word because we do not understand it. As believers we are called to share our brokenness with our fellow believers. We are told:

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

God Only Hears The Prayers Of The Righteous
(Unless You Are Seeking Salvation)

God loves and cares for all. But to those who are bound in chains of sin, who refuse to repent and cast themselves on the mercy of Jesus, God will not hear these people. Hear the Scripture:

Proverbs 15:29 The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

You find this throughout the Scripture. For instance, Psalm 34:16 states “the face of the LORD is against them that do evil”. And in Psalm 138:6 we read, “Though the LORD be high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly; BUT the PROUD HE KNOWS afar off”. Jesus Christ came to save whosoever will. Jesus came to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). He told the self righteous Pharisees:

Matthew 9:13 … I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (also Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32).

Jesus Christ died on the Cross of Calvary to make payment for and to cover our sins. But to be saved, we must repent and turn to Him. WE MUST REPENT! To repent is to turn away from sin, and to turn to Jesus and Jesus alone. To repent is to cease following the darkness, and to run to the Master for healing. The Apostle said:

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

Our “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). It is God’s desire that as many as will come to Christ be saved. God will sometimes bring affliction on a nation to draw it into repentance. Here James gives us the illustration of Elijah:

James 5:17-18 {Elijah} was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

Elijah was a person with his faults and problems, just like we have. Yet Elijah clung to the Word of God. God used Elijah to bring Israel and her corrupt King Ahab to his knees. Because Elijah trusted and called on God, the Lord used him to bring a large section of Israel back into a right relationship with Him. Something also noteworthy is – though there was a drought in the land, God insured that Elijah had plenty to eat and drink throughout it. God will take care of you!

Let us finish our text:

James 5:19-20 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

We are, as believers, NEVER to justify sin. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). “He which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death”. When someone walks in opposition to the will and Word of God, they are courting death – not to mention a “multitude of sins”. Love demands that we as believers cling to God’s Word, and share faith in Christ as the only solution for sin. May we as God’s Church stay true to His Word. In God’s name, and for His glory we pray. Amen and Amen!

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Resist The Devil, Draw Near To God

Posted on August 13, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by ISKCON TV Dhaka: https://www.pexels.com/photo/temple-worship-traditional-items-evening-aarti-arti-rituals-gods-god-pooja-india-prayer-instrument-kartik-bell-thali-table-durga-kalash-havan-red-family-food-festival-set-12738174/

Turn with me in your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 6.

We’ve been studying how God used Nehemiah – the Cup Bearer (or Butler) to the Persian King Artaxerxes – to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Some of you may have wondered why such a subject would be interesting or applicable to us. If so, you haven’t been paying attention to the news.

Our Federal Government has ignored the waves of illegal immigrants crossing the border into the United States. The Government seems unwilling to either finish building the wall on our southern border, or even to enforce policing of the breach with Immigration Control Enforcement Officers. Texas Governor Greg Abbott got tired of 4000 migrants crossing his border every day, straining his infrastructure. So Governor Abbott began to send bus loads of immigrants to Washington D.C. When the Mayor of New York City Eric Adams slammed Texas for sending illegal immigrants to Washington, D.C., Governor Abbot started sending bus loads of illegal immigrants to New York City.

I’m kind of amused, but also saddened. I’m saddened that conditions in Mexico are so pathetic that it’s citizens are flooding into the United States. But I’m also saddened that our hypocritical politicians, all of whom live in gated communities protected by walls and armed guards, refuse to secure our borders.

Walls are important. The Great Wall of China was built over centuries by China’s Emperors in order to protect their people from attacking hoards. The Berlin Wall (which fell on November 9, 1989) was built by Communism to force it’s citizens to stay in East Berlin. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. is a wall that commemorates some 58,000 Americans who were killed or missing in action during the Vietnam War.

Nehemiah is working on rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. The wall was destroyed by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar over 70 years before, and many of the Israelis were exiled to Babylon. Why did this occur? Because God’s people got away from following God, and began to follow their own gods. As they drifted away from God, God warned them that punishment and trials was coming. Yet Israel refused to listen to the Prophets, the Preachers that God sent to warn and encourage them to repent. So Jerusalem and it’s walls was breached. When God allowed Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to lead in rebuilding the wall, numerous enemies rose up against the work. We saw in each chapter:

Nehemiah 1:10 ‒ Sanballat and Tobiah
Nehemiah 2:19 ‒ Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem
Nehemiah 4:1,3 ‒ Sanballat and Tobiah
Nehemiah 4:7 ‒ Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites

In Chapter Five these enemies disappeared for a while, because internal problems with the builders caused a work stoppage. Nehemiah negotiated a peace and a restoration within the work force, and so the work continued. Dear friend, Satan is persistent. He will use every force and trick he can to cause the work of God’s Kingdom to stall. So it’s no surprise that we see the enemy return.

Nehemiah 6:1-2 Now it came to pass when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;) 2 That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.

Satan’s First Ploy: Let’s TALK Instead Of DOING

Nehemiah and his work crews have rebuilt the walls, which is an amazing feat. The walls are about 2.4966 miles long, circling the city. They are 39.37 feet tall, and an average of 8.2 feet thick. There are 34 watchtowers and 8 gates – though the doors are not yet on the gate hinges. What is amazing is that

The Book of Nehemiah has no miracles recorded in it at all. The miracle in this Book is that God’s people worked TOGETHER to glorify the Lord, and TOGETHER did an amazing work.

When Sanballat the Governor of Samaria (the Capital of Northern Israel) heard of this feat, he mobilized. Jerusalem is just days from regaining its walls. Jerusalem is the Capital City of Southern Israel. If the Capital is restored, it won’t be long before Judah is restored. Sanballat doesn’t want this, neither does his lieutenant Tobiah. Another enemy, Geshem the Arabian, Geshem was the King of Kedar, a province of Northwest Arabia, and a very powerful politician in the Persian Empire.

They cannot get Nehemiah to stop the building project, so they go to another tactic. They begin to distract rather than outright attack. If the devil’s attacks will not stop the growth of God’s Kingdom, he will use distraction. I have seen so many distractions as a pastor thrown at our Church.

A baby giggles or cries.
An ambulance or fire truck passes the Church.
A wasp or bee enters the room.
Speakers crackle or buzz annoyingly.
At 73 degrees everyone some are freezing.
At 74 degrees others are burning up.

The devil loves creating distractions. His distractions often look perfectly innocent on the surface. Sanballat and his crew suggest to Nehemiah:

Nehemiah 6:2 Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono…

Let’s just get together and talk! This sounds innocent. But if Nehemiah goes to the “plain of Ono”, he will have to go 27 miles northwest of Jerusalem. Had Nehemiah accepted this invitation, he would have been gone from Jerusalem about 2 days. Nehemiah would have also exposed himself to being kidnapped. The “plain of Ono” is kind of a “no man’s land” between Judah and Samaria. But Nehemiah said:

Nehemiah 6:2 But they thought to do me mischief.

Word Study: The word translated “mischief” is the Hebrewרַע raʻ, {pronounced rah}, which means “bad, evil, to bring misery or calamity, to be malignant”. British Evangelist Alan Redpath said:

“Whether you be a pastor or a teacher or evangelist or Sunday school leader, or whatever your position may be in Christian leadership, let me say that there will always be those who are friendly to your face, but plan your downfall behind your back. Beware of the fawning, flattering Christian who is always fluttering around you, and who behind your back will be the first to rejoice when you go down.”

Nehemiah was a praying man. The Journal of Applied Christian Leadership notes:

“Nehemiah did not end his prayers after receiving his vision for the restored future of Jerusalem. Rather, he continued to ask God for guidance and help throughout the journey. Nehemiah received his power through God, the Source of all power and might. The entire restructuring of Jerusalem was enveloped in the power of prayer, as evidenced in how often prayers are lifted up within the relatively short book of Nehemiah. How many prayers are mentioned? Twelve”.

Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”. God speaks to His people. We are constantly, as His Children, on God’s mind. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 139:17-18 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

God never leaves the side of His Children. He is the Only Parent Who can make such a claim. Thus Nehemiah relied on God throughout every phase of the work he was doing. The Scripture says:

1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV) … For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

Christians today have a problem with discernment because they do not pursue a relationship with God. We too often place much emphasis on human leaders, and little on the Greatest Leader Ever, the Lord our God. If you never (or rarely) pray, if you never (or rarely) meditate on God’s Word, then you will never grow as you should in Christ. The writer of Hebrews wrote to such Carnal Christians,

Hebrews 5:11-14 (ESV) About {Jesus} we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Faith is a spiritual muscle that only grows when we feed it the Word of God, and exercise it by speaking to God and doing as He says. If you will not DO the Word, you will not be BLESSED in life.
(Matthew 7:26-27)

How did Nehemiah respond to these fake invitations?

Nehemiah 6:3-4 And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you? 4 Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.

Nehemiah refused to go himself, though he “sent messengers unto them”. His message was simple. He said, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?”. Sanballat and Satan did not stop here, though. Nehemiah said “they sent unto me four times after this sort”. I finds that interesting, that they would send for Nehemiah four times. In the Scripture, four is the number of resting in God. David the Shepherd carried five smooth stones onto the battlefield to fight Goliath. After using only one, four stones rested in his pouch. When you know you are doing God’s Work, don’t look back, don’t look left or right. Jesus said:

Luke 9:62 … No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

God has said,

Deuteronomy 33:12 (ESV) The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety. The High God surrounds him all day long, and dwells between his shoulders.”

Nehemiah was focused on pleasing God. He kept on working. But Beloved, Satan is not so easily discouraged.

Satan’s Second Ploy Is To Slander And Spread False Rumors

Nehemiah 6:5-7 Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand; 6 Wherein was written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words. 7 And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.

Illustrate: Back in the days when we had to “lick” postage stamps, the Post Office decided to put a prominent politician’s picture on a stamp. Sadly, few people bought that stamp, so it was discontinued. The Postal Service polled people to find out why no one wanted that stamp. The consensus was summed up by one old man. He simply said,

“If I bought those stamps, I wouldn’t know which side to spit on!”

Of course, I don’t apply this to my brother Jerry. He’s a good Christian, and we need more genuine Christian politicians. Stamps have changed over the years. But one thing that hasn’t changed is that letters sent through the mail are generally sealed, not open. And yet we read:

Nehemiah 6:5 Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand…

This letter was sent OPEN because Sanballat wanted the public to know the contents. Sanballat is trying to start a false rumor. The rumor is:

Nehemiah 6:6 It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words

Notice how the slander is worded. “It is reported among the heathen”. It is common knowledge among all the nations around you what you and the Jews are doing. When the devil wants to start a lie, he says “But EVERYBODY’S doing it”, or “EVERYBODY knows”. To strengthen the lie, he says “and Gashmu saith it”. Who is “Gashmu”. This is the Arabic or Familiar form of the name Geshem (called “the Arabian”). What Sanballat is saying is, “Everyone knows what you are doing. My good buddy Gashmu (Geshem), the King of East Arabia, has told me all about it”. Sending this as an open letter was intended to frighten Nehemiah and the workers. If the King of Persia, Artaxerxes hears this, he might send a military force to destroy Nehemiah and his workers.

Nehemiah, you’d better DO something!

This is how the devil operates. If he can get us to STOP relying on God, and START defending ourselves, it won’t be long before the Kingdom work is stalled forever.

To make this worse, Sanballat says that Nehemiah is secretly plotting to “be their king”. To insure this happens, Sanballat claims that Nehemiah “hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah” (vs 7). Nehemiah, won’t you come together and talk with us so we can help you avert a disaster … Artaxerxes surely knows!

Beloved, when Satan slanders you (and he will if you follow Jesus), ask yourself, “Is it true?” If it isn’t true, rather than run about like a chicken with your head cut off, do as Nehemiah did. We read:

Nehemiah 6:8 Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.

Nehemiah didn’t stop what he was doing to entertain his enemies. Once more he SENT messengers. He told them, in effect, “What you’re saying is a made up lie. It’s slander. You invented it out of your own evil hearts”. The Bible tells us that God despises those who slander others. The Bible says:

Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

The Enduring Word Commentary notes:

“Nehemiah did not mount an elaborate defense, trying to prove Sanballat wrong point by point. He wasn’t going to waste his time. You don’t satisfy men like Sanballat with facts, explanations, and evidence. You satisfy them by giving in to their demands, and Nehemiah refused to do this.”

Illustrate: I’m reminded of an “Andy Griffith Show” where Barney was running for Sheriff against Andy. Barney got upset with Andy, and hired a man with a truck and a loud speaker to go through Mayberry shouting, “Vote for Barney. Barney Fife for Sheriff”. At the Town Hall meeting where Andy and Barney got up to debate one another, Barney took the stand he held up a briefcase and said, “Ladies and gentlemen… I have here documented 76 cases of malfeasance in the sheriff’s office”. When Andy got to the speaker’s stand, he was shocked. He said … “seventy six cases of malfeasance?” Andy didn’t defend himself. He admitted that people were parking in the wrong places, and jaywalking, and that he had no emergency equipment to speak of. He admitted that he didn’t wear a gun. But Andy said, “I’ve been a Sheriff here for a long time. You’re either satisfied with me, or you’re … you’re not. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow”. When Andy sat down, Barney stood up, and said, “I was satisfied with Mr. Taylor’s answers. And, well, I’m voting for Andy”.

Illustrate: The worst thing you can do when slandered for doing God’s work is to run about trying to make your enemies happy. President Abraham Lincoln was once asked, “Aren’t you going to answer all these allegations concerning the war effort?” Lincoln replied, “If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how – the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what’s said against me won’t amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference.”

After telling Sanballat and his enemies that they were making up lies, Nehemiah did the best thing every Christian can do when slandered:

Nehemiah 6:9 For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

Nehemiah admitted his fear, and the fear of his fellow workers. But he prayed to God, saying “Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands”. When you are slandered, cast it upon the Lord – and get back to work. You can’t

Satan’s Third Ploy Is Outright Intimidation

Nehemiah 6:10 Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.

Now Satan turns to using religion to destroy the work of God. Satan’s favorite weapon is religion. When our Lord Jesus walked this earth, His greatest opponents were not atheists, nor drunkards, nor adulterers, nor even Gentile rulers. Pilate tried to free Jesus. No, Jesus’ greatest enemies were the self righteous religious crowd, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes. Jesus’ greatest enemies were Jews who should have rejoiced in His appearing. But this is what Satan does. He loves to use false faith and vain religion.

Shemaiah is well known by Nehemiah, as Nehemiah relates his lineage. Shemaiah tells Nehemiah that God gave him a prophecy (you’ll see this shortly) that Nehemiah was going to be assassinated. Shemaiah implies that God told him to tell Nehemiah to hide in the Temple. Now there’s no way you can hide in the Temple … unless you go into the area where only the priests are allowed. When God had the Temple built, He had them make “Courts” or meeting places for the Gentiles, the women, the men, and the priests. If Nehemiah hid in the first three courts, he could have easily been found. But if he went into the Court of the Priests (where the altar was) he could have hidden. But Nehemiah wasn’t fooled! He knew from God’s Word that the Court of the Priests was reserved unto the priests. In

2 Chronicles 26, King Uzziah – who was not a priest – went into the temple, and God instantly struck him with leprosy.

When God gave a rule, He expected it to be obeyed – or else! Shemaiah is like many in the mainstream churches who endorse homosexuality, transgenderism, and non-biblical marriage. The Mosaic Law declared that only God’s anointed Priests could enter the holy and the most holy places in the Temple (see Numbers 1:51; 3:10; 18:7). Had Nehemiah somehow broken one of God’s Laws he could have sought refuge at the brazen altar in the Temple courtyard (see Exodus 21:13-14; 1 Kings. 1:50-53). But Nehemiah knew two things. First, he had not violated God’s Law. Second, Nehemiah knew that God had not suspended the rules that He gave Israel. In fact, the reason Israel is in bondage NOW is because they skirted and disobeyed the rules that God clearly laid out for them. Nehemiah replies:

Nehemiah 6:11-12 And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in. 12 And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

When Nehemiah decided to do the right thing, and once more resist Satan, it was revealed to him that this false prophet was hired by Tobiah and Sanballat. Nehemiah said,

Nehemiah 6:13 Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

The Bible says,

James 4:7 (ESV) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Nehemiah kept himself close to God by prayer. He was familiar with the Word of God. By being singularly focused on glorifying God and keeping to his mission, Nehemiah foiled the enemy at every turn. Nehemiah prays:

Nehemiah 6:14 My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.

Once the wall was completed (in 52 days – see verse 15) Nehemiah uncovered an internal conspiracy with the nobles of Judah. They secretly plotted with Tobiah to overthrow Nehemiah. But as the scripture says,

Numbers 32:23 (ESV) … be sure your sin will find you out.

Once the wall was complete, it totally demoralized Nehemiah’s enemies (both open and secret), while magnifying the Kingdom of God. Nehemiah was able to brave ridicule, threats, discouragement, internal conspiracies, trickery and rumor mongering by prayer, perseverance, and prioritizing God’s glory. May we all be as faithful to our Lord. May God the Holy Spirit encourage you by this, His Word, to help rebuild the wall of righteousness in our nation. For Christ’s glory, may others yet be won to Jesus. Amen and amen.

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