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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What Do I Do Until The Lord Comes?

Posted on August 8, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
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Please turn with me in your Bibles to James Chapter 5. James is an imminently practical Book. This Book points out how the saved are to live out their faiths while in this world. We start tonight with:

James 5:7-8 Be patient {makrothyméō} therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient {makrothyméō}; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

Be Patient In Trials. Work Faithfully Looking Toward The Lord.

Word Study: When the Scripture repeats something twice in a short space, it is introducing a new section to study. Here we see “Be patient” emphasized in just a few verses. This is the Greek μακροθυμέω makrothyméō, {pronounced mak-roth-oo-meh’-o}, which is a compound word comprised of μακρός (to be very long) and θυμός (in the Spirit). Together the word means “to be very long in the Spirit {and not lose heart}”. The word is used TWICE in verse 7, ONCE in verse 8, and ONCE in verse 10:

James 5:10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience {makrothyméō}.

The Bible is not talking about human patience, which often wears thin. This type of patience is one aspect of the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. We read:

Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV) … the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience {makrothyméō}, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

It is easy to become impatient in our faith, to sometimes say “I’ve got to DO something”, and then to mess everything up. This is the nature of humanity. We want things right away, quickly, now. We fill ourselves up with ourselves, then wonder why we fail. Beloved, we are to minimize self, and be filled with the Holy Spirit of God. It is the Spirit that empowers. It is the Spirit that gives us holy patience.

When God called Abraham (then called Abram) to follow Him at age 75, God promised to give Abraham and Sarah a child of their own, and through that child to bless the entire world (Genesis 12:1-3).

In order for Abram (high father) to become Abraham (father of many), he would have to learn to minimize his self and let God fill him with the Holy Spirit.

Abraham had to follow God patiently for twenty-five years until he received that son. “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9). God will always keep His Word, BUT only when it is best for us. And Beloved, God does not ask us our opinion on the matter. He keeps His own Counsel. The wisest King Who ever lived was Solomon. Solomon said of God’s agenda on this earth:

Ecclesiastes 8:16-17 When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:) 17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

Solomon said, “I tried to understand the work of God – but I couldn’t understand it”. This is so very true. So often we see those we consider “good” die young, while the wicked seem to prosper. Pastor Mark Talbot wrote:

“In this fallen world, righteousness is not always rewarded, and wickedness doesn’t always receive the punishment it deserves: {“There is a vanity that takes place on the earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous” (Ecclesiastes 8:14; 7:15)”

There are so many days that I look at our world and cry out to God, “Lord, why won’t You come now?” Those who are saved all feel this same anguish. The Apostle ended the Scripture Canon with:

Revelation 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

We desire that Jesus come right now! And yet, this is not what is best. There are souls who need to meet Jesus. There is Kingdom Work that we – as His children – must do. And yet, we, with the Apostle, cry out:

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

Word Study: The word “Anathema” means “to be cursed or devoted to evil”. The word “Maranatha” means “Come quickly Lord!”. I have never known a Christian who loved Jesus that did not desire He come right now. On the very day that Jesus ascended into Heaven, promising to return, just before His ascent the disciples asked Him:

Acts 1:6 …. Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

They were asking when Jesus was going to establish His Millennial Reign on this earth. Our Lord replied:

Acts 1:7-8 … It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Only God knows when Jesus is returning. Only God understands when the best time is for evil to be eradicated, and for Christ to sit His Throne in Jerusalem. Jesus told His Disciples, in essence, “Don’t trouble yourselves over this. Know I am returning … but work for God’s Kingdom in the Spirit until I return”. We should follow the pattern that King David portrayed as he waited to be crowned. David, while yet a shepherd, was called into the presence of the Prophet Samuel. After God rejected all of Jesse’s sons as King of Israel, Jesse said:

1 Samuel 16:11 (NIV) “There is still the youngest …. but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

David comes in from the field, and the Lord said:

“Rise and anoint him; he is the one”

Did David ascend the throne? No. David could not ascend to the throne until he learned to wait on God. David had to learn to be filled with the Spirit, and not himself.

David faithfully served the present King Saul, though Saul often tried to kill him. When Saul died, Israel went through a terrible civil war for around seven years. The Bible says that “David inquired of the Lord” (2 Samuel 2:1), and followed whatever direction God the Holy Spirit sent him. For the second time we read:

2 Samuel 2:4 the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.

But there’s a problem. Though Saul is dead, he had a son called Ish-bosheth (which means, “Man of Shame”). The House of Judah followed David, but the rest of Israel followed Ish-bosheth. Two of the leaders in Ish-bosheth’s army – Rechab and Baanah his brother – decided to assassinate their King. They came into his home at night and, while he was in bed, killed him, and cut off his head. Carrying it to David, they said:

2 Samuel 4:8 (ESV) “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. The Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring.”

David would have none of it. He had both men executed, saying:

2 Samuel 4:11 (ESV) “{you} wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?”

David was willing to wait on the Lord. God had promised he would be king – but David would not circumvent the Will of God by forcing the fulfillment of God’s Word. This is what God would have us to do.

James 5:8 Be ye also patient {makrothyméō}; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

The “Be ye also” reminds us to look to the fathers of our faith, to the Prophets and holy people who went before.

Moses parted the Red Sea, then allowed emotion to take hold of his faith, and so he lost the Promised Land.

Joshua remained vigilant in following the Lord, and the Lord used him to conquer that same Promised Land.

Daniel kept his eyes on Jesus, though surrounded by lions.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked through fire with Jesus.

Jeremiah kept preaching, though none would listen.

Noah preached salvation, though only his family was saved.

John the Baptist loved God so much that he lost his head.

Let us fill our lives with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Let us not get impatient. Let us take hold of our hearts, our feelings. We are not to “follow your heart”, for our hearts are often foolish. Instead we are to follow our God, and the example our forefathers (and mothers) gave to us. We are to look to His Word, and trust in Him. While we wait on the Lord, we may question and ask our Father why. But we are also to be faithful in following Him. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 90:13-17 (ESV) Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants! 14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. 16 Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. 17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

As Poet William Cowper (1731-1800) wrote:

“God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm”.

While Working For God, Remember You Are NOT

We read,

James 5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

A Church is a collection of broken people, all saved by Grace, all seeking to honor and serve the Lord. We are to work together, understanding that those around us – ourselves included – are apt to make mistakes and errors in judgment. We are told to “Grudge not”, that is,

Don’t Take Mistakes – Yours or Others – Personally!

Neal Foard, a YouTube motivational speaker I love to listen to, told a story where he chose to do the wrong thing and lived to regret it. I’m not going to tell the whole story, but Neal said that his mistake haunted him for years. Several years after the incident he came across the young man he mistreated, and confessed his error, seeking forgiveness. The man never held a grudge against Neal, but told him simply:

“Forget the mistake. Learn the lesson.”

I love that! We are all broken. We are therefore to approach errors in life as learning opportunities. When you forgive what someone erroneously did to you whether they ask you to or not, you are being like Jesus. And the more like Jesus you are, they less like YOU you are. And that’s a good thing!

Jesus warned us that – if we would not forgive trespasses – then God will not forgive OUR trespasses. He warned …

Matthew 6:14-15 (ESV) For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

We are not called of God to judge others. We are not the boss of others. God is. We share scripture, and judge our own spiritual walks. If you make the Pharisee mistake of going around judging others, all you will end up doing is shortchanging yourself. The Scripture says “if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged” (1 Corinthians 11:31). The problem with judging others is that it often blinds us to our own problems. Jesus put it this way:

Matthew 7:3-5 (CSB) Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a beam of wood in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye.

We are to examine our own lives very carefully first – then the lives of others. When we read “behold, the judge standeth before the door”, I am reminded of something very similar that God told Cain before he killed his brother Abel. God told Cain to repent, and do the right thing. God told Cain:

Genesis 4:6-7 (CSB) … “Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent? 7 If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

Cain did not repent, but allowed sinfulness and a judgmental attitude rule him until he killed his brother Abel. Let’s not go down the same horrid path!

Be Patient In Prayer And Worship.
Look To God And Your Fellow Believers.

James 5:10-11 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

When we go through suffering (and in this life we will suffer), we are to be “long Spirited”, following the examples of those Saints who went before us. Here the Bible speaks of the oldest Scriptures in the Bible, the Book of Job. Though Job suffered terribly, losing his entire family (minus a shrewish wife who made him miserable), Job trusted in the Lord. The Bible says:

Job 1:20-22 Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshiped, 21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. 22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Job had a loving and a fearful relationship with God His Savior. Job knew the difference between “Giving up and Letting go”. Under the greatest of suffering the Bible says that Job:

Job 1:20 Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshiped

Job humbled himself before God. He “fell down upon the ground, and worshiped”. Job knew Who his Master was. Job “worshiped” not himself, but the Lord. Job worshiped and honored God. Elijah prayed:

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.

We know very little about one of the greatest Prophets who ever lived, a man known simply as Elijah the Tishbite. The King over Israel at that time was a wicked man named Ahab the son of Omri. Ahab turned away from the God of Israel, and marrying a priestess of Baal called Jezebel, “went and served Baal, and worshiped him.” The Bible says:

1 King 16:33 … Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

It was in the midst of this terrible wickedness that God raises up Elijah. We live in a wicked day in America. Though Roe vs Wade has been overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States {sending the matter of abortion back to the states, which is where it should have been in the first place}, evil has become entrenched in our national consciousness. A recent article in Breakpoint called “What Abortion Built” notes that:

“Legalized abortion normalized promiscuity, promoted fatherlessness, and secured a view of children so bereft of humanity that we won’t even call them children anymore. … In her book Rethinking Sex, Washington Post columnist Christine Emba wrote …

“As contraception has become more mainstream and the risks of sex more diffuse… saying no can feel like less of an option for women: after all, what’s your excuse?” In other words, once abortion was legally on the table, it gave us leave to deconstruct sex to nothing more than a play for individual pleasure. That fundamental lie changed our worldview and thus our behavior.”

Elijah lived in a horribly wicked world, and so do we. This world has always been horribly wicked. Yet God can use Elijah, just as He can use us, to change this world. Elijah stood up against the “popular” opinion, and, following God’s direction, prayed a drought on a wicked king and his kingdom. God answered Elijah’s prayers. Now, was Elijah some type of “Super Believer”? No. We are told that “{Elijah} was a man subject to like passions as we are”. Elijah was as broken as we are broken. But Elijah relied on Almighty God, and called on Him to bring drought into the land. My commentary states:

“God used Elijah to accomplish His own will and agenda. Elijah was His instrument. Prayer does not move a reluctant God, but channels His will and purposes through His children.”

As God used Elijah to effect a change in that nation, God can use us who are His children to effect a change. Let us be the LIGHT that God wants us to be. Let us SHINE for Jesus until He calls us home. Make a decision each morning that you will make a difference by filling yourselves with the Holy Spirit, for the glory of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen and Amen!

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What Is The G.O.A.L. Of Our Faith?

Posted on August 7, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
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Please turn with me in your Bibles to James chapter 4 verse 17. As you are turning there, I want to start with this question: “What Is The G.O.A.L. Of Our Faith”? As Christians our faith is often described as a “race”. We are to “Run, that you might obtain” (1 Corinthians 9:24). We are commanded “run with patience the race set before us, looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1-2). If we are to run, what is the GOAL we are striving toward?

To Even ENTER The Race, You Must Have AGospel Salvation

James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

The Christian is called “to do good”. At the beginning of every day we are to pray, “Father, let me do good so as to please you and honor Jesus today”. At the end of every day we are to look back over the day, and ask ourselves “What good did I do to honor my Lord today?”

I’m not talking about “Social Justice” – though this is the “in thing” today. I’m talking about “doing good” so as to honor the One Who saved you. We are not to just mark time and march in place, but we are to advance the Gospel Kingdom in any way we can. The Bible commands us to:

Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming the time, for the days are evil

You – dear Christian – were given life to bring light into this dark world (see Colossians 4:5). If you are SAVED, you are SAVED by Grace – but with a purpose. We are told in Ephesians 2:8-9:

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by Grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, NOT OF WORKS, lest anyone should boast.

We are here to celebrate our SALVATION. As you have been told many times, SALVATION “is the gift of God, NOT OF WORKS, lest anyone should boast”. You can neither earn nor deserve SALVATION.

SALVATION is what Jesus Christ purchased for you on Calvary.

A person is saved by “repenting”, turning away from being their own god and turning to the True God found only in Christ. The Scripture declares:

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is … long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God wants to save whosoever will. Our favorite and most loved Scripture – John 3:16 – states that “God so loved THE WORLD that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should NOT PERISH, but have EVERLASTING LIFE”. Jesus Christ died for all. We cannot earn nor deserve His salvation. But when we bring our broken lives to Him, Jesus saves us. This is Ephesians 2:8-9. However, in the very next verse we are told:

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus UNTO GOOD WORKS, which GOD HATH BEFORE ORDAINED that we should walk in them.

Word Study: Those SAVED are SANCTIFIED. Those SAVED are SPIRIT INDWELT. God lives in you, and has given you His Word and, through that Word, His Will. What does it mean to be “sanctified”? This is the Greek ἁγιασμός hagiasmós, {pronounced hag-ee-as-mos’}, which means

“the process of cleansing, purifying, consecrating a saved person
to make them more like Jesus”.

SANCTIFICATION follows SALVATION. You cannot have one without the other. The Scripture says:

Hebrews 2:10-11 (ESV) … it was fitting that {God}, for Whom and by Whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Source. That is why {Jesus} is not ashamed to call them brothers …

Once SAVED, God adopts you into the family of God and begins to make you more like Jesus, the Son of God. The Son of God died and rose again to make MORE SONS AND DAUGHTERS of God. Sanctification is a process that God will not stop until you reach your ultimate destination.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 … this is the will of God, even your sanctification …

1 Thessalonians 4:4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel {your body} in sanctification and honor;

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Sanctification is a daily process where God the Holy Spirit takes the willing candidate and, through application of the Scripture and doing of the truth, makes that person more and more like Jesus Christ. You cannot be saved and NOT sanctified.

The Book of James is focused on SANCTIFICATION, on how God makes you more like Jesus.

Only God And His Scripture Sanctifies The Saved

The Christian is in a race to do good, and God is the judge. Naturally we read:

James 4:11-12 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

The Christian is called to run his or her race – looking unto Jesus. Always looking unto Jesus, because only Jesus is the Judge.

Illustrate: A lot of you love to sit at home and watch football, baseball, or basketball, or maybe NASCAR on the television. When watching these sports we often yell at the television, calling the referee “blind and stupid”, or adding our two cents worth. My wife and I often watch cooking competitions in a show called “Chopped”, and I’ll often mock contestants for using too little or too much of the basket ingregients. Have you ever noticed when you watch these shows that there’s a phone number at the bottom of the screen where you can call in and register YOUR opinion with the judges? No? You’ve never seen that? Guess what, you never will.

No one cares about your opinion. The judge is the judge.

So it is with the Christian. When God called you to salvation through His Gospel, you became His “workmanship”, created to “do good works”. God began to work on your life. How does God do this? He does it through the Word of God, the Scripture. Jesus prayed for His Church in

John 17:17 Sanctify them (the Church) in the truth; Your Word (O God) is truth.

The Word of God, the Scripture we read every week is the standard of truth. It is absolutely certain that keeping the Law cannot save a person.

The LAW sets the standard by which the Judge works.

The Law does not save, but it does set the standard. God said in …

Romans 3:19-20 (ESV) Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

The Law CANNOT save, but it does set a standard. For instance:

Only God has the right to determine what is right and wrong, good and evil. And God has given us very clear direction insofar as to what is sin – even in the New Testament. For instance,

1 Corinthians 6:9 (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.

These things that are forbidden are NOT a part of our race. Further, we read:

Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV) … 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.

The Law cannot save – but it can teach us that we need to be saved (Galatians 3:24-26). But once we are saved, we live in accordance with God’s Law. We do not – as people saved under the New Covenant – have to sacrifice animals nor keep the special feasts that God gave to Israel. We are still to be doers of the Law. Though the Law could not save me, once I was saved I am to be obedient to my God, to my Jesus.

The “Royal Law” of the Family of God is that
we as Christians LOVE.

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

Those who are sons and daughters of God are to love God supremely, to love God with our ALL. But we are also called to “love my neighbor AS I love myself”. In fact, Jesus took this even farther by saying:

John 13:34 (ESV) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

Word Study: We are to love our fellow Christians with the same sacrificial love that our Lord Jesus showed us. We are to (as James 4:11 says) “Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law”. Every Christian is a work in progress. I am not to “Speak evil” to my fellow Christian. The phrase “Speak evil” is the Greek καταλαλέω katalaléō, {pronounced kat-al-al-eh’-o}, which actually means to speak in opposition to, to slander, to speak against”.

If a brother or sister violates the “rule” of the Kingdom as set forth in the Scripture, we should tell them about it. But our OPINION is not warranted nor needed – God is the sole Judge.

James 4:12 There is one Lawgiver, Who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

All Truths Come From The Written Word Of God

James just told us not to judge. And yet, just a few verses away, we see these harsh words:

James 5:1-6 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth eaten. 3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. 4 Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. 5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. 6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

James is speaking very harshly to the rich. Why? Because the ones he is addressing have hired laborers and yet not paid them, holding back a fair wage. They have enjoyed the very best life that God in Grace has allowed them, have earned billions of dollars in their lifetimes, but have never used what they have to love others. On the contrary, they robbed their own workers, and built their riches on the tombs of the laborer. James tells these unloving people:

James 5:1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you

The rich people that James is indicting has violated the three Laws that the Christian lives by. The rich are not loving God with ALL their heart, mind, soul, and strength. These rich people are in love with their riches, not their God. Further, they are not treating their workers the way that they themselves would like to be treated. And as for following Jesus’ command to “love one another, as I have loved you” – it is absolutely non-existent!

James tells these people that they will “weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you”. What does this mean? Jesus often spoke of those who refused to love their neighbor being …

Matthew 8:12 … thrown into outer darkness. In that place will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Hell is where those with misplaced love go. If YOU are the center of your universe, and YOU live your life just to please YOU, our Lord Jesus has a place already set for you in eternity. It is NOT a mansion (John 14:2), nor a pleasure palace. Jesus described it as:

Matthew 13:50 … the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

“Cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30). Those who go to that place called HELL shall see a certain rich man there “crying out for a drop of water, saying ‘for I am in anguish in this flame’ (Luke 16:34)”. There is a hell, and this is where the selfish go. The abusers, the racists, the hateful, the greedy, those who would make their riches on the bones of their neighbor – they shall be in that place.

But not so the Christian. The Christian is saved by the Blood of Christ to be like Christ. Our destination is Heaven. Our calling is to bring the Light of God to this present darkness.

We who are saved are to …

1 John 1:7 (ESV) … walk in the light, as {God} is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

We are not to be JUDGES (for we are unworthy to judge), but as lovers of God to be DOERS of the Law of God.

Saved People Are To Live So As To Glorify God

James 4:13-16 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: [14] Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. [15] For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. [16] But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

There is nothing wrong with making plans for your life. The Bible tells us to:

Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Jesus recognized that planning ahead is a good thing. Jesus tied planning ahead to salvation in:

Luke 14:28-33 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

It is not a bad thing to plan. BUT it is a bad thing
to plan WITHOUT THE LORD.

Those that James is speaking of say “To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain”. Notice what’s missing. IT IS THE LORD. God is no where in their plans for the future. The Bible is very clear that:

Proverbs 16:3 (ESV) Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Your SALVATION is a gift from God, and YOU now belong to the Lord. You are “bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23). If you are a Christian, you are God’s Workmanship. You are God’s Property. You are God’s Son or Daughter. God is with you. God the Holy Spirit INDWELLS you. The Scripture says:

1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV) Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

Ezekiel 36:27 (ESV) I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules..

Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

If the Scripture is true – and it is – then every Christian should make their plans with God in mind. We are not to live our lives like the rich farmer who never thought of God. You remember him? Jesus said:

Luke 12:16-21 The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: [17] And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? [18] And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. [19] And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. [20] But God said unto him, THOU FOOL, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? [21] So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

How foolish it is for anyone to live without the Presence of God in their lives. In this parable, God called the man “THOU FOOL”. The word “FOOL” is a word reserved in the Bible for those who live their lives without God. The Scripture says:

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

What does God say about our present lives?

James 4:14 … For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away

Our lives are like “a vapor”. We do not know when the Lord will call us home. Every day we live is a gift from God. We should honor God in our lives – honor Him by striving to be more like Jesus. We should remember the words of Scripture:

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

Let us, as God’s children, magnify the life of Christ in our lives. The Scripture says:

Colossians 3:1-4 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. [2] SET YOUR AFFECTION ON THINGS ABOVE, not on things on the earth. [3] For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. [4] When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Let us therefore (Romans 13:12) “.. cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light”.

Let us therefore (Romans 14:19) “… follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.”

Let us therefore (Hebrews 4:16) “… come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Love demands that we do good, reflecting the light of Christ from our lives into the world we serve. Let us live for Jesus daily, knowing that at any time I can be carried out of this life and into glory. We who belong to Jesus are to do good. We are to plan our lives with the glory of God in mind. We are to live each day knowing that tomorrow on this earth is not promised. We will ONE DAY stand before Jesus. Let’s stand with Jesus NOW.

May God use this message to grow His Church, and glorify His Kingdom. Amen and Amen!

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Keeping The Water Out Of The Boat

Posted on August 5, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by David Dibert: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-sinking-watercraft-in-the-sea-8017037/

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 5. There is trouble in the camp, and Nehemiah must deal with it. Troubles will come to us all. Jesus said:

… In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world … (John 16:33, NIV)

If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. … (John 15:18)

The Kingdom of God is to be God’s “lighthouse”. “You are the light of the world, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). The darkness has no use for the light. It had no use for Jesus, and has no use for us.

It is not water outside the ship that sinks the “Good Old Gospel Ship”. It is water IN the ship – trouble from within – that can destroy God’s earthly Kingdom. The problem that is most destructive to God’s People is when trouble comes – not from the outside – but from the inside.

Let’s take a look at how Nehemiah and the people dealt with this problem so they could get back to the business of rebuilding the wall.

Nehemiah 5:1-6 And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews. 2 For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live. 3 Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth. 4 There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards. 5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards. 6 And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

The Water In The Boat Is When We Make Ourselves The Mission

Our mission as God’s Kingdom – people redeemed by the Lord Jesus – is to glorify God and advance the Gospel throughout our society. We are to be light in the midst of this current darkness. When we put ourselves first, and God’s mission second, there is a breach in the wall. How do we fix the breach? Nehemiah shows us how.

Among those who volunteered to help rebuild the wall, there were a number of poor and middle class people. But there were also nobles, people who had money and had food in plenty. We saw these “nobles” back in chapter 3:

Nehemiah 3:5 (ESV) … the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.

These nobles felt that they were too good to “stoop to serve their Lord”. This was not their greatest sin.

The nobles were doing something even worst. The bulk of the people who voluntarily worked with Nehemiah were lower to lower middle class. They had large families to care for. “We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live” (verse 2). Parents who love their children will feed their children. Some people had access to small plots of land where they raised corn and other crop for their sustenance. But what of those who had no land, or who were poor farmers? They went to the nobles – those who had much – and borrowed money from them.

Nehemiah 5:3 … We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.

Word Study: The word translated “dearth” is the Hebrew רָעָב râʻâb, {pronounced raw-awb’}, which means “a famine”. This word was used in Genesis 41:27 when God gave the Pharaoh a vision that there would be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of râʻâb. When King Solomon dedicated the now destroyed Temple to God, at that dedication ceremony he prayed:

1 Kings 8:23, 37-40 LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart: … 37 If there be in the land famine {râʻâb}, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be; 38 What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: {the Temple} 39 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) 40 That they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.

As Solomon prayed over the newly built Temple, he knew that there are times when God allows famine {{râʻâb}} and suffering to come upon His people. Solomon prayed and asked God that – when God’s people were in trouble – if they UNITED prayed facing the Temple in honor of God – that God would bless them. It is Solomon’s prayer that causes many Orthodox Jews to pray – even today – facing Jerusalem, where the Temple used to be.

Trials are sent by God to His Kingdom People to grow them, and to teach them to have faith in God’s Resources, not in their own resources. Trials are sent to God’s Kingdom People to learn how to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the Law of Christ {which is love – my paraphrase}” (Galatians 6:2).

God Allows Suffering To Grow Us.
We Are HIS Workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)

Suffering is an opportunity to try out and exercise your faith in God. Faith is so very important to the Christian walk. “Without faith it is impossible to please {God}. Faith is to come to God believing that He IS, that is, He exists. Faith is to come to God believing that the God Who exists is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6, my paraphrase). The Bible says:

1 Peter 1:6-7 Wherein {suffering} 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:

Those who are helping Nehemiah rebuild the wall are fully committed to the work. They have “mortgaged {their} lands, vineyards, and houses”. Not only this, they

Nehemiah 5:4 … borrowed money for the king’s tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.

Word Study: The word rendered “tribute” is the Hebrew מִדָּה middâh, {pronounced mid-daw’}, which means “a measure, a portion”. This is a reference to their taxes. Though King Artaxerxes had allowed Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem with supplies to rebuild the walls, the King did NOT rescind the taxes that the residents of that land had to pay. Israel was a conquered nation, and had to pay tax to Artaxerxes. The famine had made it hard to raise enough food for their people, much less to pay taxes. Guess what? Artaxerxes didn’t care. They would pay their taxes, or suffer the consequences. So the people had to “borrow money” to both pay their taxes as well as feed their families.

Nehemiah 5:5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.

Who was “bringing Jews into bondage”? Other Jews. Who was taking advantage of God’s people? God’s Kingdom people!

This was not something the conquerors were doing, but the rich Jews who remained in the land. It was not Biblically wrong for Jews to lend money to Jews. It was, however, wrong to lend money so as to MAKE MONEY off of the suffering of your fellow Jew. The Lord said:

Exodus 22:25 (ESV) If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him.

Leviticus 25:35-36 (ESV) If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. 36 Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you.

The rich Jews – the Nobles – were not only NOT working, but they were taking advantage of their suffering Jewish neighbors.

Since the poor Jews had only lands and children to call their own, the rich Nobles were requiring that they give them their children and their lands as “surety” – what we today call “collateral” on the loans. We read:

Nehemiah 5:5 … we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already

Their children were “brought into bondage”, that is, were made slaves to the nobles. The Law of God allowed a person to sell themselves as servants (Bondservants, see Exodus 21:2-6), but NOT AS A SLAVE. A servant was to be treated with respect, and was only required to stay in servitude for a fixed period of SIX YEARS. God told Israel:

Leviticus 25:39-43 (ESV) If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave: 40 he shall be with you as a hired worker and as a sojourner. He shall serve with you until the year of the jubilee. 41 Then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and go back to his own clan and return to the possession of his fathers. 42 For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. 43 You shall not rule over him ruthlessly but shall fear your God.

Every person saved and brought into the Family of God belongs to God. No person can therefore belong to another person within the Kingdom of God. At most, a person can “rent” themselves out as a servant for a set period of time. But once that time was over, that person was given a choice. They could remain as a servant indefinitely, or they could be returned to their lands.

The nobles were not only enslaving Israelis, but were taking their homeland so they could not repay – a clear violation of God’s Law!

Deuteronomy 15:12-15 (ESV) If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. 14 You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today.

Israel was saved from slavery by the love and mercy of Almighty God. The Church Age Christian is saved by the love and mercy of Almighty God. Thus God’s people – saved by grace – are not in any way to enslave or bind their fellow believer. The Jews knew this, but were taking advantage of the situation to line their pockets. This offended God, and infuriated Nehemiah!

Nehemiah 5:6 And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

Unity against the enemy is so important for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. Jesus said:

Matthew 18:20 (HCSB) For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them.”

God the Son does not come to indwell our services unless we are in harmony with one another and with God. God’s people are to be together in His Name. What does this mean? It means that we unite under the authority of God, following His agenda, His Word, and His direction.

Illustrate: The number “3” is a very important number in the Bible. One online source notes:

“Many numbers in the Hebrew language tend to have a deeper meaning. Three, shelosh [f.], sheloshah [m.] means harmony, new life, and completeness. The number three appears in the Bible 467 times, fewer than the number seven, but more than most of the other symbolically important numbers. Sometimes three is used as an emphatic Semitic triplet to describe the intensity of something. It’s not just holy. It’s holy, holy, holy.”

Before Jesus went to the Cross of Calvary, He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. THREE times Jesus prayed “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39). Our Lord Jesus rose from the grave on the THIRD day (1 Corinthians 15:4). There are THREE Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matthew 22:32). Also very important, our God is TRIUNE or THREE PERSONS.

If you hold three fingers HEAVENWARD for the number THREE, you will see that it forms the letter “W”, which is the beginning of WE. Where WE are in one accord with God and one another, God is with us. If you hold three fingers EARTHWARD for the number THREE, you will see that it forms the letter “M” for “Me”.

God will not bless selfishness nor self centeredness. The Kingdom of God is the KINGDOM of GOD. It does not belong to me or you. His Kingdom exists to glorify God, and to spread His influence throughout the earth. Because the nobles are disobeying the Scripture and putting themselves first, the work of rebuilding the walls – which had been going wonderfully – has come to a halt.

Nehemiah Gave Us A Pattern For Dealing With Problems

Nehemiah 5:6-7 I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words 7 Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.

Dr. Warren Wiersbe notes that …

“Nehemiah was not a politician who asked, ‘What is popular?’ or a diplomat who asked, ‘What is safe?’ but a true leader who asked, ‘What is right?”

Though Nehemiah was “very angry” when he first heard of what the nobles were doing, he was not controlled by his anger.

Before Nehemiah spoke out, he “consulted with himself”. The worst thing a leader can do is to speak hastily. The Bible says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). Nehemiah can add to the problem, or cause the problem to de-escalate. Solomon rightly said, “Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble”. (Proverbs 21:23). Here’s a few more texts I’ll give you at no extra charge:

Proverbs 12:18 (ESV) There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Psalm 34:13 (ESV) Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.

1 Peter 3:10 (ESV) For Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;

Nehemiah carefully and prayerfully considered what he should do, based upon what he knew of God’s Scripture. Once he gleaned God’s direction, Nehemiah “spoke the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Challenging the nobles, Nehemiah “set a great assembly against them”. He brought God’s Kingdom together on one place to judge if what the nobles was doing was right or wrong.

Nehemiah 5:8-10 I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer. 9 Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies? 10 I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury.

Nehemiah reminded the nobles that it was the Grace of God that redeemed Israel from bondage to unbelievers. Now the nobles are doing the same thing that Babylon and Medo-Persia did: they are enslaving their brothers in the Lord. Nehemiah reminded them that they needed to stand TOGETHER against the enemy:

Nehemiah 5:9 ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?

Every person was needed, no matter who they were, to stand with Israel and resist the devil. Nehemiah charged the nobles, saying:

Nehemiah 5:11 Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.

Word Study: The “hundredth part of the money” was an interest rate that would amount to around 12% annually. Nehemiah demanded that the nobles not only return their “vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses”, but also the interest that they had been charging their brethren. Verse 11 starts with the word “Restore”, the Hebrew שׁוּב shûwb, {pronounced shoob}, meaning “put things right”. As believers together in the Kingdom of God we are in the restoration business. We are not to be “making merchandise” of our brethren. In the New Testament our Lord Jesus chased the moneychangers and sellers out of the Temple, telling them:

John 2:16 Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

The Apostle Peter spoke of …

2 Peter 2:1, 3 … false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. … {who} 3 through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

God’s people are to be about Kingdom Business, winning souls, and glorifying the Lord Who saved us.

After Repentance And Restoration
The Wall Repair Continues

Nehemiah 5:12-13 Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise. 13 Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise.

To those who are outside the Kingdom of God because of faithlessness, we are to treat them as we would be treated (Matthew 22:37-40). But to those inside the Kingdom, Children of God by faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26), we are called to love them as Jesus loves us:

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. {35} By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

The nobles were to forgive the debt that the poorer people incurred, whereas the poorer people were to forgive the indignity that the nobles placed on them. The power of God’s Kingdom is in the presence of God – and God will only be present when we are in one accord. Jesus told us:

Matthew 18:15-20 (ESV) If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Oh that God’s Kingdom would grow! Lord, I pray, use us for Your glory. Use us to spread Christ’s Gospel and to build Your Kingdom. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen and Amen!

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God Gives Greater Grace

Posted on July 31, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by RODNAE Productions: https://www.pexels.com/photo/side-view-photo-of-praying-man-7468222/

Please turn with me in your Bibles to James chapter four. Our text for today is:

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

A Texas oil tycoon had one of his most prolific oil wells on fire – and every minute it burned he lost thousands of dollars in black gold. The tycoon called every fire department in that area, begging them to come and put out that fire. They came, and tried to get to the fire – but the blaze was just too hot! All they could do was contain the blaze from a distance. About 15 minutes after all the other fire departments responded, the Volunteer Fire Department came chugging along. The Fire Chief was driving Ol’ Betsy, a 1926 American LaFrance vintage fire engine. Wheezing and puffing, Ol’ Betsy took the crew past the other engines, and stopped well within blistering range of the inferno. The men jumped off, quickly set the hoses, and within minutes put out the fire. Everyone cheered! The firemen – heroes all – started stowing their gear, their protective clothing still smoldering. The Oil Baron was ecstatic. Finding the Chief, he promised to donate a million dollars to the Fire Department. After all was settled down, the local newspaper interviewed the Chief. The first question asked was, “Chief, that was fantastic! We’ve never seen such bravery! What do you plan on doing with the million dollars you’ve been promised?” The Chief smiled, and sighed. “I think the first thing we’ve going to do is get the brakes fixed on Ol’ Betsy!”

When young people learn to drive, the most important thing they must learn is how to brake the vehicle. I believe that knowing when to “put the brakes on” is important, not just for fire engines and cars, but for life. Our country is in a run away condition today because people have turned away from God. As the famous Dr Phil (Phillip McGraw) often asks on his show, “How’s that working for you?” I don’t think it’s working well for any of us. The Bible says that:

1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace …

When you watch television or read the news, do you see “peace” in our America, or anarchy, hatred, division, and war? God wants us to have “peace”. Not just peace with Him (though this is important), but peace with others, and with yourself. Jesus said:

John 16:33 … in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Jesus is the Healer. Jesus is the means to Grace with God. When the blind came to Jesus, He healed them. When the crippled came to Jesus, they left walking. When the leper came to Jesus, He took away their disease. When we come to Jesus – receiving Him as He is – God is free to not only forgive our sins, but also to free us from our sins. The Bible says:

Romans 6:16-18 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? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

Coming to Jesus in faith will change your heart, and this in turn will change your life.

The Beginning Of The Blessed Life Is
Submission To God

James 4:6 But {God} giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

God is the Source of Grace, and God will give “more grace”. What is this thing we call “grace”? Dr. Charles Stanley in his pamphlet What Is Grace writes:

“I remember a person once saying, “He did not like the word Grace; he thought the word Love meant the same and was much better.” This is a mistake, grace goes a great deal further than love. Man loves that which in some ways he thinks worthy of love, and he thinks God is the same as himself, and therefore he says, “I must turn to God some day and try to be worthy of His love; and then He will love me.” Now the grace of God is the very opposite of this human thought. I do not know anything like it in the whole world. “What is grace?” said I, the other day. “Mercy,” was the reply. Well, it is true the love of God and the mercy of God are both very, very wonderful. “God who is rich in MERCY, for His great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins”; and both the mercy and love of God are thus in grace; that is in pure unmerited favor. Yet this grace of God goes further, yea, far beyond the reach of all human thought.”

Grace is when God does not give us what we deserve. God does this every day. God has done this from the beginning of humanity. When God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God told Adam:

Genesis 2:16-17 (CEB) … Eat your fill from all of the garden’s trees; 17 but don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because on the day you eat from it, you will die!”

God – Who is God – established a right and a wrong. He told Adam what was right, and clearly outlined what was wrong, and what the consequence of that wrong would be. What did Adam do? He did that which was WRONG, disobeying God. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Adam disobeyed God. He did not submit, but arrogantly chose to do what HE wanted to do. The Scripture says:

Romans 5:12 (ESV) … sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

When Adam sinned, he did not go to God for Grace. Instead, Adam sought to do “penance”. The Bible says that he took fig leaves and, sewing them together, made a covering for his and Eve’s sin. When God called Adam out of hiding, Adam stood defiantly in front of God and blamed Eve for what happened. He would not submit himself to God. God as Judge could have killed Adam had He wished. The wages of sin is death. Adam had been warned. But instead, God allowed Adam and Eve to live. Not only this, He took away the “Fig Leaf Designer” clothing that they were wearing, and killed an animal. Taking the pelt of the animal (Genesis 3:21) “the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them”. This is Grace. Adam and Eve deserved death, but God, in His abundant love, gave them life.

God blesses the prideful with life, but no one can have a life with God apart from His Grace. When we humble ourselves before Him and call upon His Name, He gives us Grace and Greater Grace. God taught Adam and Eve that:

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

Sins against God are only covered by the shedding of blood, by death. Adam and Eve did not die in the Garden that day because God killed an animal in their place and, taking it’s pelt, covered their sin. Yet this was only a temporary covering, for God could not allow them to stay in Paradise. A greater covering for sin had yet to come.

That greater covering is found only in Jesus Christ. The Scripture says:

Colossians 1:19-20 (ESV) For in (Jesus) all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through (Jesus) to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

From the time of Adam’s fall until Jesus Christ was born of the virgin Mary, mankind covered sin by the sacrifice of animals that were considered “without spot or blemish”. But these animal sacrifices were only temporary, given by the Grace of God until Jesus came. When Jesus Christ came – God the Son becoming the son of Man – He came as God’s only covering for sin. Because He died on Calvary for you and me, our sins can be covered when we give our lives to Him. The Scripture says:

Romans 3:23-27 (ESV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a {satisfactory payment} by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.

It is only through the Blood that sin is covered – only through the Blood of Christ. Yet so many people are like Adam. We take fig leaves, and try to cover our sins. It is insufficient. The Blood must be shed! The Blood must be claimed.

Adam and Eve had two children named Abel and Cain. The Bible tells us that Abel offered a sacrifice to God, a creature without spot or blemish, but Cain’s offering was without Blood. God received and honored Abel’s offering, but the Scripture says:

Genesis 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

When God told Cain to make the offering right, to bring an offering of Blood to Him, Cain stewed rather than submitted. God told Cain:

Genesis 4:7 (ESV) If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.

Had Cain brought an offering of Blood as Abel did, then God would have given him Grace. But Cain wanted to do it his way. He refused, and eventually shed the Blood of his own brother Abel. Abel’s blood could not make payment for sin – for only Jesus can do this. The animal sacrifices were “types” or Old Testament shadows of what Jesus would do on Calvary. The Bible says:

Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

Abel shed the Blood of the creature – an Old Testament shadow of Jesus’ Cross – and through this sacrifice was received of God. The Bible says:

Hebrews 12:24 Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

When Abel’s blood was shed by Cain, his blood cried out to God from the ground it soaked into. What Abel’s blood cried out for was JUSTICE. But when Jesus died on the Cross of Calvary, His Blood spoke to God, not for JUSTICE, but for MERCY. Cain let sin master him … but God still gave him a measure of mercy by marking him, but not by killing him as he so richly deserved. But Jesus’ Blood, shed for the believer, cries out to God MERCY, MERCY, MERCY!

When you come to Jesus by faith, the Blood of the Savior is applied to your life. Jesus said:

John 10:27-30 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: {28} And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. {29} My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. {30} I and my Father are one.

It is for Jesus’ SHEEP that He died. A sheep submits.

James 4:6-7 … God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God …

There can be no eternal life without submitting to Jesus and to God. While you are stiff necked and unbending, screaming and crying:

It’s MY body!
It’s MY life!
It’s MY choice!

There is no salvation for the prideful, nor any blessing from God for the arrogant. There is only “weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth”. Jesus declared that in the judgment day:

Matthew 13:41-43 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

We See Greater Grace In The Life of Abraham

A Christian family was on vacation in another state and decided to visit a Church on Sunday. Before the Pastor started his sermon, he had everyone get up and shake hands with those around them. Thinking this was a great idea, when that family returned home they told their Pastor about their experience – and he loved the idea! That Sunday the Pastor got up before the congregation and said, “Next Sunday we’re going to start standing up and shaking hands with those around us before I begin to preach!” One man in the audience leaned over and, whispering to the woman in front of him, said “I think that’s a great idea. What do you think?” The woman replied, “Hey, we’re not starting that friendly stuff till next week!”

When you become a sheep of Christ, submitting your life to God the Holy Spirit, you realize that Grace is not just a one time thing that happens at the point of salvation. Grace is a daily thing that we as the children of the Kingdom rely on. God gives GREATER Grace.

The Bible always defines itself. When it speaks of GRACE, it gives us a perfect illustration of what GRACE is supposed to be. We see this illustration in the life of Abraham …

Romans 4:3 Abraham BELIEVED God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness …

“Abraham BELIEVED God”. What does this mean? How did Abraham BELIEVE God? God told Abraham:

Genesis 12:1-2 … Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: {2} And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Abraham HEARD the promise of God.
God said “Get up, move, and I will bless”.
Abraham then ACTED on what he HEARD.
Abraham MOVED.

So many people today say “I believe God”, but they at no point in their lives obey God. What did Jesus say? “My Sheep HEAR My voice, and FOLLOW Me, AND BASED ON THIS I GIVE THEM ETERNAL LIFE”. If Abraham had not followed God to the Promised Land, Abraham would have died “Abram” and would have never had any children. But Abraham HEARD and OBEYED. He submitted.

Vs 6 God resisteth the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

We are to SUBMIT to God, but RESIST the Devil. Faith is a process, not a point in time. You will always lose the Promised Land, the Promised Child, or the Promised Peace if you do not follow the God Who made the Promise!

God came to Abraham one day and said, “Abraham!” He told Abraham “You remember that child Isaac I gave to you? I want you to do something for Me.

Genesis 22:2 (ESV) … “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

“Abraham, that child you waited for 25 years to have – the one I promised when you were 75 years old – your ONLY son – I want you to sacrifice him to Me. Abraham, do you believe in Me?”

I’m sure when Abraham first heard this, his heart skipped a beat! Yet Abraham did not argue with God. Believing in God, he got up early the next morning, took his son and two helpers, and headed out to sacrifice Isaac. When Abraham and Isaac started up that mountain, Isaac asked, “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering”? Abraham merely replied,

My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering.

On that mountaintop Abraham laid Isaac on an altar. Tying him down, and arranging the wood around him, Abraham prepared to cut his own son’s throat. As he prepared to use the knife, God stopped him, saying:

Genesis 22:12 (ESV) … “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

Abraham submitted to God. He looked, and saw a ram caught in the thicket, and offered up that ram instead of his son. What did God tell Abraham following the sacrifice? He said:

Genesis 22:16-18 (ESV) …. “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his[a] enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

Dear Christian, you cannot be blessed unless you submit to God. A Christian is saved by faith in Christ and blessed by submission to God. When the trials of life overwhelm you, do not submit to worry or fear – submit to God. When tempted of the devil do not heed his hissing voice – submit to God. Submit to God in the valleys, and submit to God on the mountaintops. God giveth greater grace. Seek Him, seek His face, do His will, read His Word, and submit. May God touch your hearts with His Word.

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