Working For God

Posted on July 16, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Madison Inouye: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-brickwall-1101125/

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 2. 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah. Nehemiah is the Cup Bearer or the Butler of the King Artaxerxes (a Persian King and conqueror of Judah). God has moved on the heart of Ezra and Zerubbabel to lead Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. Some 12 years later some of these exiles return to King Artaxerxes palace and tell Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem are destroyed, and the gates burned with fire.

When the walls of the nation are fallen and the gates burned, the criminal element rule the nation. The walls must be rebuilt if righteousness will return!

Nehemiah seeks first God’s permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. Receiving permission from God, Nehemiah asks King Artaxerxes for help – who willingly gives it! Nehemiah travels to Jerusalem, surveys the damage done, then gathers the refugees in exile to present the facts to them. We read:

Nehemiah 2:17-18 Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. 18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.

What Are YOU Doing To Build God’s Kingdom?

Jesus told us “a house divided will not stand” (Mark 3:25). This is so very true. If the work of God will be done, then

God’s people must stand together for the glory of God, and work together for the Kingdom of God.

It has been my experience that people fall into various categories when it comes to doing the work of God:

  • There are COASTERS. These are people who coast around doing nothing, but they look like they are working.
  • There are COMPLAINERS and CRITICS who add nothing positive to the work, but drag the spirit of the workers down. Like the “murmurers” of wandering Israel, these people are like a cancer on the Body of Christ.
  • There are COMMISSIONERS who love to find work for people to do, but are unwilling to do the work themselves.
  • There are COUCH POTATOES who know what to do and know what they are called to do, but will not do it.
  • There are COMPROMISERS that believe that the light can make peace with the darkness.
  • Then there are COOPERATIVE CITIZENS of God’s Kingdom who, attentive to the call of God, move in unison with the Body to do the Lord’s work.

Nehemiah was very clear with the exiles. He said “Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire”. Nehemiah did not sugar coat the problem. The capital city of Judah is as helpless as a 3 year old girl in a snake pit. While the walls are down and the gates are destroyed, the Temple cannot be completed and God cannot be honored. Jerusalem cannot be fixed with good intentions. Though we are called to pray (for the Scripture commands us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-19)), there must also be willing hands to work.

Nehemiah spoke constructively to the people. We read, “I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me”. God had already worked to bring Nehemiah from the Palace of Shushan to Jerusalem. Nehemiah stepped out on faith. The Scripture tells us:

James 1:5-8 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Nehemiah stepped out on faith and did his part. He stepped outside his comfort zone – and God blessed him for it. Encouraging the people, the exiles united, saying:

Nehemiah 2:18 Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work

Sometimes the King James (which I love) adds words that are unnecessary. If you have a King James you’ll see the words “this” and “work” are italicized. What the text literally says is:

they strengthened their hands for good

How did they “strengthened their hands for good”? They started with “Let us rise up and build”. First of all, it is “Let us”. Who is “US”? “US” is first of all me and God.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV) … whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

If we are walking with God, doing the will of God, then nothing can stop us. “If God be for US, who can be against US?” (Romans 8:31). Let God be in the “US”. Doing as Nehemiah did,

  • The people sought God’s will in prayer. If the work is OUR work then it will fail. But if God is in the work it cannot possibly fail.

Psalm 127:1 Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

The work might be possible without God – but it will be much harder, and might be IMPOSSIBLE.

God must bless the work.
God must want the work.
God must be in the work.

God sent Judah into exile because Judah kept cutting Him out of their lives. God prophesied and promised His people, saying:

Ezekiel 36:33-36 Thus saith the Lord God; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. 34 And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. 35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. 36 Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.

  • The people drew strength from God’s Word, and turned away from the wayward word of man. God promises us that …

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

The people held onto the promises of God and focused on the Lord Who led them. The Scripture says:

Hebrews 12:1-3 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

The “Way” of God is not an easy way. It is a narrow way that few in this world want to walk. The world walks in darkness – but God’s people are to walk in LIGHT. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:13-14 Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

The people put away the “sin that so easily binds”. They put away unbelief, and doubt, and fear. They focused on the Lord Who saved them, and committed themselves to working together for His will.

  • The people committed to the “US” of fellowship. God’s work has always required more than one person. The Scripture says:

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.

God will not operate in the midst of a people who have no respect for one another. Jesus told us to “love one another, as I have loved you” (John 13:34). To serve God, all things must be “done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40), for “God is not a God of confusion, but of peace” (ESV, 1 Corinthians 14:33)”. The Scripture says:

2 Corinthians 13:11 (ESV) Finally, 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.

The Devil Will Always Stand Against God’s Work

Nehemiah 2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”

In the earlier part of this chapter we saw that:

Nehemiah 2:10 When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

“Sanballat” was a Moabite, and “Tobiah” was an Ammonite. These are cousins to the people of Judah, from the lineage of Lot (not Abraham). Neither Sanballat nor Tobiah wanted Judah released from exile in Persia. But now we see another person, “Geshem the Arab”, has joined the battle against God’s people. The Arabs are the children of Ishmael, the son of Hagar and Abraham. Ishmael was not the promised child that God would give to Abraham – Isaac was. Nonetheless God blessed the Arabs, just as He blessed the Jews. Yet the Arabs retained a hatred for their cousins the Jews.

Word Study: These three unbelievers come together to stand against the work of God. They “jeered at us and despised us”. In the Hebrew we see that they “jeered”, the Hebrewלָעַג lâʻag, (pronounced law-ag’) or “mocked them, held them in derision”. They also “despised”, the Hebrew בָּזָה bâzâh, (pronounced baw-zaw), said they were worthless. Jesus warned us against attacking others, saying:

Matthew 5:22 (ESV) … I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

People are not to be mocked, but loved and encouraged. We are commanded,

Matthew 7:12 (ESV) … whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Jesus was quoting Leviticus 19:18 (you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord) as well as Zechariah 8:16-17 (do not devise evil in your hearts against one another).

When the devil wants to destroy a work of God, he always tries to make us feel worthless, and unloved of God.

What did the devil say to Adam and Eve?

Genesis 3:4-5 … Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

You are worthless. You are no good. God is depriving you. God does not love you. These are tactics the devil uses to stop the work of God. Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem also throw in this:

Nehemiah 2:19 … “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”

To rebel against the King is to court death. The intent of these three men is to plant fear in the hearts of the people so that they would do nothing. Jesus told us:

Matthew 5:10-11 (ESV)… Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The darkness will always accuse the light of evil. Pastor David Mathis wrote:

Unbelievers “are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery” — so what do they do? “They malign you” (1 Peter 4:4). After all, should we not expect the world, under the power of the devil (1 John 5:19; Ephesians 2:2), to lie about us? The Greek for devil (diabolos) actually means slanderer (1 Timothy 3:11; Titus 2:3). As Jesus said to his revilers in John 8:44, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. . . . When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

The world will do its best to hinder the work of God. “Homophobe”, “Hater”, “Holy Roller”. Please notice that Nehemiah did not attack these men back. We read:

Nehemiah 2:20 Then answered I them {Sanballat, Tobiah & Geshem}, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

This is exactly what the Bible tells us to do. We are not to wrestle with pigs. If you wrestle with a pig, you’ll just get muddy … and lose in the end. Or as I heard someone say once,

“If you waste time arguing with a fool,
they’ll end up beating you with experience”

Nehemiah kept his eyes on the promise of God. We are not to be part of the problem, but part of the solution. The Scripture says:

1 Peter 2:12 (ESV) Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Titus 3:2 (ESV) … speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

We are to “entrust ourselves to our God, Who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). This is what our Lord Jesus did. “When Jesus was reviled, He did not revile in return” (1 Peter 2:23). Nehemiah, like Jesus, focused on the project. “The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build”. Nehemiah told these three enemies:

Nehemiah 2:20 … ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah is not arguing with these men, but stating the facts for the people to hear. These men are unsaved. They care nothing for the work or the glory of God. Sanballat, Tobiah & Geshem have “no portion” (חֵלֶק chêleq, pronounced khay’lek, a “share”). As the neither the land nor God is theirs, they have no “right” (צְדָקָה tsᵉdâqâh, pronounced tsed-aw-kaw’), no “righteousness” or “moral standing” in the matter. They also have no “memorial” (זִכְרוֹן zikrôwn, pronounced zik-rone’). They are living their lives without God, and when they are gone they will have accomplished nothing for the Lord.

What about you? When you leave this life, will you leave a legacy, other than a tombstone? Oh, I pray you will! If Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, when you leave this life you will leave a legacy in the lives that God has changed through your life. But if not, then you will have no memorial. Let us give our lives to Jesus as both Lord and Savior, and let us work – together – to grow His Kingdom on this earth. May God the Holy Spirit drive this Word deep into your hearts. Amen and Amen!

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Enduring And Eternal Faith

Posted on July 11, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Flickr: https://www.pexels.com/photo/grayscale-photography-of-man-sitting-on-grass-field-156151/

Turn with me in your Bibles to James Chapter One. It’s in the latter part of the New Testament – Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, 1,2&3 John, Jude, Revelation.

James is not only one of the most misunderstood Books of the Bible, it is also one that is most needed in our day and age. You’ll understand why shortly.

James is the stepbrother of Jesus. After Mary bore Jesus as a virgin, she went on to have other children by her husband Joseph. Mary was not perpetually a virgin as the Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans and some Reformed Churches believe. One of the early Church pastors named Augustine stated in A.D. 411 that Mary was “a Virgin conceiving, a Virgin bearing, a Virgin pregnant, a Virgin bringing forth, a Virgin perpetual”. With all due respect to this early pastor, and to the other churches that believe similarly, this is not in accordance with the Scripture. The Evangelist Mark wrote that – when others saw the miracles Jesus did – His neighbors said:

Mark 6:2-3 (ESV) “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?”

It is evident that Jesus had four brothers and at least two sisters. These were children Mary had by Joseph her husband. There is nothing wrong with this, as “the marriage bed is undefiled” (Hebrews 13:4). The Bible says that Joseph and Mary consummated their marriage after his wife bore Jesus (see Matthew 1:24-25). In John 2:12 we read that Jesus went to Capernaum with “His mother and his brothers and his disciples”. Based on the order in which the neighbors named Mary’s children, James would have been the firstborn after Jesus’ birth.

John 7:5 (ESV) Not even {Jesus’} brothers believed in Him.

Though James grew up around Jesus, he did not believe in the Lord until after Jesus rose from the grave. James, like most Orthodox Jews, believed that keeping the rituals of the Law saved him. It was only after Jesus rose from the grave and ascended to Heaven that James and his brothers began to believe in Jesus. The Scripture says:

Acts 1:14 (ESV) … {Jesus’ disciples} with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

James came to know Jesus as more than a stepbrother, but as the very Son of God, and was with the disciples on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given. Why did the brothers not believe in Jesus prior to the upper room? It is very possible that – as siblings – they were envious of the respect that Jesus received from Mary and Joseph. It is also true that the god of this world (Satan, the devil) blinds the minds of the unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4). In order for a person to be saved the “God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” must shine in our hearts, giving us a knowledge of Christ. No person is ever saved unless “the Father Who sent Jesus DRAWS them” (John 6:44). Salvation is a supernatural work that God does in our lives from start to finish.

The main point of James’ writing is that ….

Though None Are Saved By Their Works,
Once Saved, Genuine Faith Works

James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

The Book of James examines saving faith. As James writes under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit (see 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21), he immediately addresses “the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad”, the exiled Israelis. Pastor John MacArthur states:

“As those godly men were carried along by the Holy Spirit, He superintended their words and used them to produce the Scriptures. As a sailing ship is carried along by the wind to reach its final destination, so the human authors of Scripture were moved by the Spirit of God to communicate exactly what He desired. In that process, the Spirit filled their minds, souls, and hearts with divine truth” (Strange Fire, 2013, p 223).

God has James address the “twelve tribes scattered”, the nation Israel. Why is God addressing Israel? Because the Gospel came “to the Jew first – but also to the Gentiles” (Romans 1:16). God has not forgotten Israel (see Romans 11), but loves His people though they have forgotten Him. God is reaching out to Israel through James. Though “The Epistle of James is the most Jewish writing in the New Testament” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia), God included this Book in our New Testament for a specific purpose to us ALL, both Jew and Gentile.

Though salvation has always been by faith in God (and not a human work), once a person is saved the output or fruit of their life changes.

Before salvation, we ALL pursued that which is NOT God. We read:

Ephesians 5:7-9 (ESV) do not become partners with {the lost world); 8 for at one time you were darkness, but NOW you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true) …

No Christian is saved by works – good or otherwise. We are saved by Grace alone, by faith alone in Christ alone. The same book of Ephesians notes:

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

Salvation is the leper coming to Christ to be cleansed.
Salvation is the cripple crying out to Christ to walk.
Salvation is the blind calling to Christ to be given sight.
Salvation is the demon possessed soul being freed by Jesus.

Before James believed in Jesus Christ, he, like the “twelve tribes scattered abroad”, thought that he was right with God because he kept the feasts, the sacrifices, and the laws of God. James believed – along with other faithful Orthodox Jews – that they were Heaven bound because they followed the rituals of Judaism. God doesn’t care about our rituals, but wants us to love Him and walk with Him DAILY. God told Israel:

1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV) … Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

What God desires of us is that we follow Him as God, obeying Him and listening to His Word. God said:

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

God does not want our stuff nor our abilities. God wants our company. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 40:6 (ESV) In sacrifice and offering You {O Lord} have not delighted, but You {O Lord} have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.

God does not want empty ritual. God wants US. He wants US to walk with Him, to talk with Him, to be in His Presence moment by moment. God wants to walk with us – as He did with Adam – prior to the fall. When we walk with God in love with Him, we are as God has designed us to be. We begin to walk with God when we give our broken lives to Him. God said:

Isaiah 1:16-18 (ESV) Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes; cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. 18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

When we come to Jesus with empty hands, receiving Him as Lord and Savior, God the Holy Spirit effects a change in us. We become sons of God, children of the Most High. We were corrupt trees, bearing only corrupt fruit. Jesus said, “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit” (Matthew 7:18). When you give yourself to Jesus, believing Him to be YOUR Lord and Savior, God changes you from bad tree to good tree. God changes your root, and plants Himself smack dab in the middle of your life.

Jesus changes you from son of Adam to child of God.

Illustrate: When you are changed by Jesus, your perspective changes. I was pumping gas in my van the other day when a TV advertisement came on the pump (yes, it is weird). On that advertisement a young lady was saying that every morning you should get up, look in the mirror, and give yourself a “high five”. She said that this would change your day, giving yourself that “high five”. Beloved, this is what the devil wants you to do. He wants you to make a god of yourself, a god of your appetites, a god of your desires. This is not what your Heavenly Father wants. The opposite of this is true. The Bible says:

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

1 Peter 5:6-7 (ESV) Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.

God does not want us to “high five” ourselves in a mirror. This is idolatry. Instead, God wants us to “high five” HIM. To start your day looking to the Lord Who loves you and has saved you.

If You Are Genuinely Saved By Faith In Christ,
Trials Will Strengthen Your Faith

The “twelve tribes” are “scattered abroad” because God allowed Israel to be scattered. James writes:

James 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Word Study: Let’s look at the words “divers temptations” first. The word “divers” is the Greek Adjective ποικίλος poikílos, {pronounced poy-kee’-los}, which means “many types of”. The word is used in Matthew 4:24; Mark 1:34; and Luke 4:40 when speaking of the “many types of diseases” that Our Lord Jesus healed. The word “TEMPTATIONS” is the Greek Noun πειρασμός peirasmós, {pronounced pi-ras-mos’}, which means “experiences or trials that test or prove the quality of something”. God uses trials to test our faith so that we can see if it is genuine or disingenuous. When negative experiences come on the believer in God, they are not there because God is mad at us, nor because God does not care. The opposite is the truth. The Bible is clear that:

Romans 8:28 All things work together for good to those who love God; to them who are called according to His purpose

Every trial that comes our way, comes because God Himself in love allows them. For the believer the trial causes us to examine our faith. Pastor C.H. Spurgeon said:

“Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of”.

God does not ordain trials to destroy us, but to make us more like Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. A surprising truth in Scripture is that trials not only prove and perfect our faith – trials proved and perfected the ministry of Jesus Christ. Now before you shut me out as a heretic, I believe that Jesus Christ was, is, and will always be without sin. The Book of Hebrews says of Jesus:

Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but {Jesus} was in all points tempted {peiraō} like as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Jesus Christ was tried just as we who believe in Him are tried. He was tried when He was arrested, put on trial, beaten, and nailed to that Cross. Though John the Baptist declared that Jesus was “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, also see John 1:36),

Jesus did not practically become “the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” until He was tried and abandoned, forsaken on the Cross of Calvary.

This is why the writer of Hebrews says (2:10) “it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings”. The “Captain of our salvation” was made perfect in that the suffering of the Cross was the reason why He came to this earth. Jesus was not abandoned on Calvary for no reason (see Mark 15:34). Jesus was left under the crucible of Calvary because it is only through Calvary that we can be saved. “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17).

Every trial, every tribulation, every valley, every suffering for the believer must be viewed through the lens of God’s love. We are called to REJOICE in trials, not to mourn them or be in fear of them. James tells us to “count it all joy” when we go through the fire of testing, for this fire will not burn up a genuine faith, but will prove a genuine faith.

James 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

James is not talking about trials that we bring upon ourselves. There are many trials we bring upon ourselves by walking away from God our Savior, by following our own path. James says “when ye fall into”. A “fall” is not deliberate – I never plan out a fall!

The only ones who plan a “Fall” are
Stunt-men and con-men! Amen!

Do you know when I am most likely to fall? When I walk in darkness. When I walk in the light, watching where I step, I do not find myself in free fall. We as believers are to:

1 John 1:7 .. walk in the light, as {God} is in the light …

James is not here talking about trials or suffering that comes upon us because we deliberately depart from God’s Word. It was when Israel refused to cross over into the Promised Land that God decreed they would wander in the wilderness 40 years, until that generation of faithless believers died off.

When we suffer because we did something wrong, something against the clearly revealed Will of God, this is not a “trial” but a “discipline”.

  • When Moses struck the Rock in the wilderness instead of speaking to it (Numbers 20:12), God told him “Because you did not believe Me nor honor Me before Israel, you will not lead Israel into the Promised Land”.
  • When King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered Uriah her husband, God told him “the sword shall never depart from your house, because you despised Me, and took the wife of Uriah to be your own” (2 Samuel 12:10).
  • When King Jehoshaphat entered into an alliance with a wicked king to build ships, God told him “Because you allied yourself with an unbeliever, I will destroy your works” (2 Chronicles 20:37).

In our world today people ask, “Why is there HIV? Why is there AIDs? Why are there sexually transmitted diseases? Why are there so many mass shootings? Why are there homeless people? Why are so many addicted to drugs? Why are there so many single parent homes? Why are there this ____ and that ____? Many times our trials are not something that we “fall” into, but something we actively pursue. We may fall into a trial like this, but the truth is, we usually dig the hole. The Apostle warned:

1 Peter 2:20 (ESV) … what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.

When we “fall into” trials not of our own making, these are events that God sends our way to grow us to be more like our Jesus. This is brought out in the next verse:

James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Dr. Warren Wiersbe said:

“The Epistle of James was written to help us understand and attain spiritual maturity (James 1:4b)… James used the word ‘perfect’ several times, a word that means ‘mature, complete’ (see James 1:4, 17, 25; 2:22; 3:2). By ‘a perfect man’ (James 3:2) James did not mean a sinless man, but rather one who is mature, balanced, grown-up.”

Charles Swindoll states:

“Throughout the book, James contended that faith produces authentic deeds. In other words, if those who call themselves God’s people truly belong to Him, their lives will produce deeds or fruit. In language and themes that sound similar to Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, James rails against the hypocritical believer who says one thing but does another. For James, faith was no abstract proposition but had effects in the real world.”

We Are Either In Christ’s Kingdom,
Or In Satan’s Kingdom

James 1:5-7 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

If we are saved by faith in Christ, we wholly belong to the Kingdom of God. We have been …

Colossians 1:13-14 (ESV) … delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Bible uses two words to describe the Christian. We are “delivered” from Satan’s dark domain. This is the Greek verb “ῥύομαι rhýomai, {pronounced rhoo’-om-ahee}”, which means “to be rescued”. When Jesus taught us to pray, He said we were to ask the Father:

“lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER {rhýomai}
us from the Evil One” (Matthew 6:13; Luke 11:4)

Christian, we do not belong to Satan’s kingdom any more. We have been rescued from the darkness so that we might walk with our God every moment of every day. We are “DELIVERED {rhýomai} from the coming wrath of God” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). We are “DELIVERED {rhýomai} from unreasonable and wicked people”. We are “DELIVERED {rhýomai} from every evil work” (2 Timothy 4:18). We are “DELIVERED” rhýomai} out of temptations to wickedness (2 Peter 2:9). In short, as a believer in Christ we are called to walk in His Kingdom day by day, moment by moment, knowing that we are prized and loved of God for Christ’s sake.

What a wonderful blessing this is! God is there. Jesus is with us. He has saved us. “We are not our own, but we are bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). You either belong to God, or you DON’T belong to God. You are either God’s child, or you are NOT God’s child. Make up your minds. Decide which side of the fence you are coming down on, and claim it!

James 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

To whom do you belong? If you belong to Jesus, you belong to God. If you belong to God, then even the “bad” things that come your way are in reality good, for God watches over you.

James 1:9-12 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: 10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. 11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. 12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

James says that “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation {πειρασμός peirasmos}”. If your faith is genuine, then your faith will endure the testing that God sends your way. God sends that testing because He loves you. God allows that testing, that you might be drawn to the Cross of Christ and be saved. Once saved by faith in Him, God allows the trials of life to come your way to grow you in your faith, to lead you into a moment by moment walk with God. This is what God in Christ desires for your life.

Will you come to Him? Will you take the brokenness of your life and bring it to Jesus? Oh, that you would. Oh, that you would be saved into the Kingdom of God, to be a child of God by faith in Him. In Jesus there is power for living. In God’s kingdom there is power over every evil and darkness that this world might bring. The life that God our Father wants for you is only found in Jesus. Our Lord Jesus told the Pharisees:

John 5:40 … (ESV) you refuse to come to Me that you may have life.

Jesus warns us all:

John 10:10 (ESV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

If you have Jesus, you have life! (1 John 5:12). Do you have Jesus? Or are you, like the “twelve tribes scattered abroad”, just a possessor of ritual? Oh, how Jesus wants a relationship with you! I beg you, come to Him this very day! Amen and Amen!

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The Death Of Death In Christ

Posted on July 10, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Renato Danyi: https://www.pexels.com/photo/grey-skulls-piled-on-ground-1096925/

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

What Is This Thing We Call “Death”?

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

In my news feed on Friday, July 8 2022 I read:

“Prolific actor James Caan passed away late Wednesday at the age of 82, according to a statement from family members yesterday”. I first saw James Caan in a movie called El Dorado – its one of my favorite movies. Caan did quite a few movies over the years. I’ll not quote them all, because it’s quite a list. But I wanted to note the end of the article, which said: “A cause of death was not specified”. The man was 82 years old.

As a dear friend of mine said the other day,
“It’s age related”.

We don’t live forever in our current state of being – though scientists are trying hard to overcome death. In another article from Breakpoint Daily,

“Harvard Medical molecular biologist David Sinclair is combining innovation in the lab with innovation in language. In a recent CNN article, one of Sinclair’s financial backers described the goal of his research as changing the definition of the word “aging.” He wants to “make aging a disease.” Sinclair claims to have successfully interrupted the aging process in mice by turning adult cells back into stem cells. … His ultimate aim, of course, is to develop anti-aging therapies for humans.”

Humans do not like to think about death. Yet we shall all eventually die – become inanimate – in this current home we call our bodies. Death is a part of life. Wise King Solomon wrote, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die ” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2). The Apostle Paul wrote, “ it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). We have learned how to extend human life by the use of drugs and medical science. But we cannot eliminate death.

Death is not what God originally intended for us, but it is a part of the Fall of Adam. God told Adam (Genesis 3:19) “in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return”. Physical death – the cessation of life in this body – was NOT the punishment that Adam and his heirs received for disobeying God and eating the forbidden. Do you remember the command that God gave Adam:

Genesis 2:16-17 … the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

God told Adam “IN THE DAY”, the very day that he disobeyed and ate of the forbidden fruit “THOU SHALT SURELY DIE”. God was not talking about PHYSICAL death. How do we know this?

First, because God cannot make mistakes.
Hear the Scripture!

Psalm 18:30 tells us “God—His way is perfect”.

Proverbs 30:5 states “Every word of God proves true”.

Numbers 23:19 declares, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind”.

Our God does not make mistakes. “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” (Psalm 147:5).

God did not tell Adam “you will eventually die”, but “in the day” that he disobeyed he would die.

If you will look at the Scripture, you will see that after Adam’s sin he went on to live a very long time. Adam lived to be 930 years old. God was not referring to PHYSICAL death as a punishment of Adam’s sin. When God ushered Adam and his family out of Eden, He did so because of the Tree of Life.

God did not design us to live forever in these bodies. As long as Adam loved God, he and his own had access to the Tree of Life. You remember, there were TWO TREES in the midst of the Garden: The Tree of Life, and the Forbidden Tree, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve had access to the Tree of Life as long as they walked with God. Yet when Adam sinned, he and his family were cast out of Eden to keep them from the Tree of Life.

Genesis 3:22-23 … the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden

Physical death itself is not a punishment from God. Our current bodies were meant to wear out – they were not meant to be permanent. As long as Adam and his family had access to the Tree of Life, they had life. Once Adam sinned, he and his family were restricted from the Tree of Life. Here’s the point:

Preach!: If you want access to LIFE, you must have access to GOD. There is no LIFE without GOD. ADAM DIED SPIRITUALLY the day he sinned against God, and because he was SPIRITUALLY dead, he eventually suffered PHYSICAL death.

The Tree of Life is only in Paradise, in the place where God is. (Revelation 2:7; 22:2, 14). The Tree of Life is only available only to those who love the Lord. God gives life to those who love Him.

What I am saying may sound new to you, but it is Biblical truth. The Forerunner Commentary states:

“The death that entered the world through Adam’s sin was not physical death. Adam was a flesh-and-blood human being, so his body was naturally subject to entropy {to gradual decline}. The fact that he was created as flesh meant that, at some point, his heart would stop, and the breath of life would leave. Even if he had lived a sinless life, he still would have died when his body ceased to function. Adam was never immortal; he needed to eat of the Tree of Life to live forever (Genesis 3:22). When Adam sinned, he immediately entered a state of spiritual—not physical—death, which contributed to the foundation of Satan’s deception that life continues after sin.”

So, what is this thing we call “Death”? It is not PHYSICAL death, but SPIRITUAL death. Death is the life lived apart from God.

Death is a life lived separate from God.

When the Bible says … Romans 5:12 (NKJV) Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

It’s not talking about PHYSICAL death, but SPIRITUAL death. It’s talking about living a physical life apart from God Who makes life.

1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

It is sin that brings separation from God. “The sting of death is sin”. It is sin that separates us from God. Sin always separates – stings – it is venomous, the bite of a viper. Sin has given us “Pride Month”, a way of life unendorsed by God, a way of life outside of God’s design. Sin has given us mass shootings. Sin has given us racism, and hatred. Sin creeps into local Churches and turns them into Peyton Places. Sin endorses evil, and twists truth.

the strength of sin is the law

Preach!: God says “Don’t do it”, and sin grows and drags us toward death. Sin is the scourge that is destroying America today. Sin is the mother demanding the right to abort her baby. Sin is the self righteous gathered in crowds, mocking the lost instead of inviting them to meet the Savior. Sin is the man who will not be a father to his child and a husband to his wife. Sin is the gossip who spreads evil as a knife spreads jam on toast. Sin is the grudge carrier. Sin is to love self more than God. Sin is to ignore the Word of God, the Scripture, in favor of the word of man. “The strength of sin is the law”. God is righteous, holy, and just. God has a standard, and anything against God’s standard causes God to reject our presence. When Adam sinned, though God clothed both Adam and Eve, they were ushered out of the Garden of Eden.

Calvary Shows Us What God Thinks Of Sin

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We only have victory over sin and death through “our Lord Jesus Christ”. What did Jesus do to cover our sins? The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 15:3 …. Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

“Christ died for our sins”. The word “Christ” means “The Chosen One”. We as sinners could not pay for our sins. We are born SPIRITUALLY dead. We enter this life enslaved to sin. A sinner cannot pay for sinners.

But God can.

God sent His Son Jesus into this world to be the Christ, the Chosen One to make payment for our sins. The Bible declares:

Romans 3:25 {It is Jesus Christ Who} God {the Father} set forth to be a propitiation {a covering} through faith in His Blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins …

God the Son willingly became Man, Perfect Man, to make payment for our sins. Jesus spoke of His death saying,

Matthew 26:28 … This is My Blood of the New {Covenant}, which is shed for the remission of sins …

Sin is no trifle, no small thing. Sin is a creature with death as its sting. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The strength of sin is the Law. “Sin worked death in me by that which is good {the Law}” (Romans 7:13). Sin caused God the Father to “deliver” His Son unto judgment for us:

Romans 4:24 {Jesus} was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For {God the Father} has made {Jesus} to be sin for us, Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Jesus died a horrible death on the Cross for our sins. Every evil that we did or would do was put on His soul, so much so that He cried out in anguish. “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22:1). Our sins caused His death. And yet, Jesus willingly went to the Cross for our sins. The Scripture says:

Galatians 1:4 {Jesus Christ} gave Himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

Jesus did not die for us that we might continue in sin, but died for us to BRING US TO GOD. We are moved from a state of SPIRITUAL DEATH to a state of SPIRITUAL LIFE when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We are no longer in the embrace of the Curse.

Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

Jesus Christ died for your sins and mine. When we receive Him as He is, our sins are forgiven. Jesus Christ offered ONE SACRIFICE for sins FOREVER (Hebrews 10:12). Why did He do this?

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

Jesus did not just die on Calvary to get us into Heaven. Jesus died on Calvary so that He might get Heaven into us! He gave His life to BRING US TO GOD.

Jesus changes the life that He saves. Jesus “loves us, and WASHES us from OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BLOOD, making us KINGS and PRIESTS unto God and His Father” (Revelation 1:5-6). We are moved from darkness to light when we receive Jesus as Savior. We are changed for sinner apart from God to Child of God bound to God when we receive Jesus as Savior. The Grace of God changes us, and works in us.

When You See Jesus, He Changes You FOREVER

1 Corinthians 15:8-10 And last of all {Jesus} was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Before the Apostle Paul met Jesus, he was known as “Saul”, a persecutor of the Church. But meeting Jesus on the Damascus Road, Saul became Paul, and the Persecutor became an Apostle. The Apostle said “by the grace of God I am what I am”. Where God’s Grace is, there is changed life. Where salvation is, there Jesus IS LORD.

Where Grace is, the Holy Spirit is. The Bible says that, once we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, God the Holy Spirit comes to us. The Scripture says,

Romans 8:9 … if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

How can you know that you are saved? Just as Paul said,

I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me

Where Grace is, there will be evidence. Where the Spirit of God is, there will be evidence. The Bible says that the “fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance …” (Galatians 5:22-23). You are not a Christian because YOU say so. You are a Christian because the SPIRIT OF GOD IS IN YOU, and the output of your life is the “fruit of the Spirit”.

You are to love, not hate. You are to willingly obey the Savior Who is your Lord. Jesus said, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him Who sent Me.” (John 6:38). Jesus said, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46). Jesus said, “I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37).

If you are SAVED, dear professing Christian, then the OUTPUT of your LIFE will be LOVE. You will do what Jesus said because you LOVE Jesus. Jesus said,

John 14:15 If you love Me, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS.

John 15:10 If you KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS, you shall abide in My love …

The Christian follows the Lord in love. You cannot be right with God if you are not loving even your greatest enemy. What did Jesus command? Hear His Words:

Matthew 5:23-24 (ESV) … if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

You cannot carry a grudge, and uphold the Cross of Christ. You must love. You MUST love. You WILL love, because the Spirit will move you to it. Again we read:

Matthew 5:43-45 (ESV) … You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

There is not a person in this Church or under the sound of my voice that is not broken. We come to Church because we are broken. But we gather together as a Church welcoming the broken. We forgive offenses quickly, because God Who indwells us demands that we do so. We cannot sin and walk with God. Jesus said:

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.

The Cross Defeats Death, That Is, Separation From God

1 Corinthians 15:20-26 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Those who have given themselves to God by faith
in Christ need not fear death.
Jesus Christ is the death of Death.

If you are in Spiritual Death you should fear Physical Death. If you live WITHOUT Christ on this earth, you will go to a place where death – separation from God – forever is. Those who refuse to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior “will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, AWAY FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD and from the glory of His might” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). This is what hell is. Hell is where God forever is NOT. Oh, dear friend, do not put off coming to the Lord Jesus. For the Christ follower “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). To die physically for those IN JESUS is to have a THIRD BIRTH, not a death. Our first birth was when we entered this world through our mother. Our second birth was when we were “born again” of the Spirit. But dear Christian, physical death to us is not a separation, but a glad reunion day. Absent from this body, I will be present with the Lord. “Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?”. Jesus has defeated Spiritual Death. Jesus has defeated Physical Death. Will you not come to Him without delay this very day? May God the Holy Spirit bring you to to Christ the very moment. Amen and Amen!

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God Is With His People

Posted on July 9, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Anna Shvets: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-people-reaching-each-other-s-hands-4672717/

God Is With His People

Last Sunday we started in the Book of Nehemiah. To review, Nehemiah and Ezra were considered one book by Israel and by Judaism. Ezra tells the story of the first return of Israel from exile to Jerusalem. Ezra and Zerubbabel led a team to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, and to introduce Israel to the Law of God once more. After Ezra’s team had been in Jerusalem 12 years or so, some of the exiles returned to the winter palace of the Persian King Artaxerxes, and met the Cupbearer (the Butler) of the King named Nehemiah. These exiles told Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem were down, and its gates burned with fire.

So Nehemiah prayed.

If you want to be used of God, you cannot be in bondage. The reason God gave us who are Gentiles the Old Testament is to show us that God can only use a liberated people. When Israel was in bondage to Egypt, God raised up Moses to go to Pharaoh, demanding:

Exodus 5:1 (ESV) “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’”

God’s people are not to be bound to anyone or anything but the Lord Who loves them. God rescues us from the bondage of sin and death, the bondage of fear:

Romans 8:15 (ESV) For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

We are bound to God. “When we were children (of Adam), we were in bondage under the elements of the world” (Galatians 4:3). As Christ’s children we are no longer to be bound by the lost world. We are not to be bound by sin. The Bible asks –

Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

God frees His people from the negatives of this world so that we can serve Him. We are:

1 Corinthians 6:20 … bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

“God is the strength of my heart, and my Portion forever” (Psalm 73:26). “O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living” (Psalm 142:5).

Nehemiah Cannot Free Himself – But God Can

So Nehemiah prayed – asking God to make a way. Then Nehemiah did his job. We read:

Nehemiah 2:1-2 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been before time sad in his presence. 2 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,

Let’s look at “it came to pass in the month Nisan”. When we were in Nehemiah chapter one, we read:

Nehemiah 1:1 … And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

The month “Chisleu” (Hebrew Chislev) is equivalent to our November to December of our calendar. The messengers came to Nehemiah in the wintertime. But in chapter two we see we are in the month “Nisan”, which is equivalent to April in our calendar. We learn from this that Nehemiah not only prayed to God when he first met the messengers, but that he prayed for approximately five months before bringing up anything to the King. We are told in:

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please {God}: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

God wants a daily intimate relationship with those whom He has saved. He wants us to “diligently seek him”. Nehemiah sought out God in prayer daily, sharing his heart and his hurt, and waited on God. The Scripture says:

Psalm 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

In America, we are conditioned to want things right away. This hurts the American Christian.

We want microwave foods, streaming service, and immediate gratification. But God wants us to wait upon Him, to seek His face, to glorify Him in all that we do. For five months Nehemiah served the King and waited on God. We read, “I had not been before time sad in {the King’s} presence”. Nehemiah played the hypocrite, masking his anguish while he waited on God. But today his mask slips. The King sees his sorrow, and says to Nehemiah:

Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart

Word Study: Why is your heart filled with sorrow? Nehemiah says, “I was very sore afraid”, rāḇâ yārē’ literally “extremely afraid”. Nehemiah felt the cold grip of fear on his heart. If the King was unhappy with his cupbearer, he could easily get rid of him and get another. Nehemiah replies:

Nehemiah 2:3 And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever

Nehemiah wants to let the King know that his sorrow is not with his job. He is blessed to be working for the King. Nehemiah continues:

Nehemiah 2:3 … why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulcher, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?

Let’s consider these words, and realize how brave it is of Nehemiah to say these words to the King. The reason the city of Jerusalem is in such bad shape is because the Persian Army (and this is a Persian King) destroyed it. But Nehemiah will not be controlled with fear. God says:

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

When I was growing up my mama used to say, “Starve a cold, feed a fever”. You’ve probably heard this yourself. Here’s one we need to use as Christians.

“Starve fear, feed your faith”

Fear has its proper place when it protects us from bad things. I think its fine to fear spiders, snakes, great heights, and excessive speed on the highway. I think we should “Fear the Lord” in the sense of respecting Him as our Lord (see Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 111:10). But fear should never dictate your faith. Nehemiah tells the King what is bothering him. And the King replies:

Nehemiah 2:4 … Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request?

The King asks Nehemiah, “What do you want? What can I do for you?” Rather than reply immediately, we read:

Nehemiah 2:4 … So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Nehemiah talked to the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14) before he talked to the King of Persia. Nehemiah has been in prayer to God for five months. Now he wants to speak as God would have him speak. The Bible says:

James 1:5-6 (ESV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting …

God guides Nehemiah in his request. Nehemiah says:

Nehemiah 2:5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulcher, that I may build it.

What is interesting about Nehemiah’s request is that he asks to go to Judah, not Jerusalem. Now Jerusalem is in Judah, but Jerusalem is the Capital City of Judah. Had Nehemiah requested to rebuild Jerusalem, the King might consider this to be a treasonous act. Instead, the King asks:

Nehemiah 2:6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

We don’t know how long Nehemiah asked to be away, but whatever his response was, the King was satisfied with it. The Soniclight Commentary notes:

“Nehemiah returned to Artaxerxes 12 years after the king had appointed him governor of Judah (5:14; 13:6). But he may have also gone back sooner than that (v. 6).”

Nehemiah 2:7-8 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; {8} And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

When an empire conquered other nations it always set governors to oversee the conquered people. Nehemiah asks the King for letters for the governors beyond the river. Without those letters the rescue mission that Nehemiah was going to lead might be interpreted to be a guerrilla force or slaves escaping from Persia. Nehemiah didn’t want to die before he reached his objective. Furthermore we see that Nehemiah asks for a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the King’s forest. The King owned the trees and, without trees (lumber), the gates of the city could not be rebuilt. We read:

Nehemiah 2:9 Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.

Nehemiah was given an armed escort by the King. This was because God was in the planning. If we do not honor God in our plans, God will not bless us. But if we wait upon the Lord, God will bless us richly.

Illustrate: I remember being on mission in Belize when our team was going to go into a village known for drug abuse and Voodoo practices. As our bus traveled toward the village we saw a hitchhiker, and picked him up. He asked where we were going. When we told him, he smiled, and said he was a policeman in that village. When we arrived, this man stayed with us as an “armed escort”. When we serve God, God will pave the way.

The Scripture declares:

Isaiah 30:18 And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that he may have mercy

God waits for us to wait on Him. God wants to bless us, but we must look to Him. Did not Jesus say, “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”. (Matthew 6:33). We are to wait on our God. He saves us to walk with Him. The Prophet said:

Isaiah 40:28-29 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. {29} He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

When we are in a helpless and hopeless situation, we are in the best place we can be if we are “children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (John 1:12; Romans 8:16; Philippians 2:15).

When You Work For God,
You Will Always Get Resistance

Nehemiah 2:10-11 When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. 11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.

It amazes me that Christians don’t grasp this concept. If Jesus had His enemies – and He did – we will have our enemies while we are working for the Lord. We are told in

Ephesians 6:12 … we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

The devil and this fallen world has its minions who forever stand against the work of God. The two who who stood against Nehemiah and against the work of God were Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite. Sanballat was called a Horonite, that is, he was from the Moabite town of Horonaim. Tobiah is an Ammonite. The Ammonites and Moabites are cousins to the Israelis, but are also great enemies of Israel. When Lot fled from Sodom with his daughters, and went to a cave, his daughters enticed their father into committing incest. Their children became the fathers of the Ammonites and the Moabites.

Sanballat was the governor of Samaria, the Capital City of Northern Israel, and was completely against Jerusalem’s restoration.

This unholy trinity came together to plot and plan against Nehemiah. All three were totally against the rebuilding of Jerusalem, for it was in their best interests that Israel remain broken and in captivity. Notice that Nehemiah was only in Jerusalem “three days” until these enemies attacked. Notice what Nehemiah does:

Nehemiah 2:12 And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.

Nehemiah knew the enemy was watching. So he patiently waited three days. After the third day, Nehemiah “arose in the night”, taking just a few trusted men with him. Nehemiah told no one but GOD as to what he was planning to do, and took no supplies with him when he went out.

Nehemiah didn’t want the devil’s men to know what he was doing! Nehemiah was doing exactly what Jesus said do. Our Lord told us in Matthew 10:16, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves”. A “serpent” doesn’t tell you where it is – it hides in the background until the time is right. Nehemiah hid in the background until the time was right.

Illustrate: Columnist John Kass, writing about the July 4, 2022 shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, wrote:

“I thought I could hear the devil laughing.

Are there any serious doubts that as a culture we’ve turned our faces from God?

We infantilize our young people. We demand the right to kill the innocent unborn. We raise our young in a culture of death. There are elementary school teachers who are regularly depicted on social media as being excited about exploring sexual themes and gender identity with young children.

Ours is a culture that fills kids with pharmaceutical drugs to manage their mood swings, a culture that offers them video games to live out their most violent, murderous fantasies. We push our political anxieties and pathologies down the throats of our children, telling young men for example, that masculinity is “toxic.” And if they happen to be white and male, they’re led to believe they’re they cause of almost everything that is wrong in the world.”

The devil and his crew will always show up when God’s people are at work. Anytime righteousness and the Kingdom of God shines, the darkness does all it can to smother it. Nehemiah used the darkness against the darkness. He did no one wrong, but surveyed the situation. He prayerfully rode his mule along the perimeter of the wall, surveying the damage. I can almost hear Nehemiah praying as he rides alone – a few good men with him – and keeping his counsel between himself and God.

We Must Have Unity To Do God’s Work

Nehemiah 2:13-16 And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. 14 Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. 15 Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned. 16 And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.

Nehemiah had been given a job to do by God. He “went out by night”, seeking God’s direction. For you see, the work was not Nehemiah’s to do. It was for God to do. God must do the work. Nehemiah will be available. He will be the hands and feet of Christ, but it will require a unified effort by the refugees if Jerusalem is to be restored. Nehemiah did not tell what he had planned “to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work”. He waited until he had clear direction from God. Then and only then Nehemiah gathered the Jews (the people), the priests (the Levites), the Nobles (the princes of the tribes), the rulers (the bureaucracy), and the workers. We read:

Nehemiah 2:17-18 Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. 18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.

Nehemiah outlined the problem to all of the people, letting them know how God had miraculously secured his release as the King’s cupbearer. The people agreed TOGETHER, saying “Let us rise up and build”. God can use a unified people to do His will. But “a house divided will not stand” (Mark 3:25). Let us pray for the unity of our Church, and for the unity of Christ’s Church in America. For Christ’s glory. Amen and Amen.

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Oh, How God Loves You And Me!

Posted on July 6, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/belief-bible-book-business-267559/

Turn with me in your Bibles to Nehemiah Chapter One.

Let me help you find it. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah. It is the 16th book in your Bible, right after the Book of Ezra.

Nehemiah and Ezra are two books that go together. In the Jewish Canon of Scripture (the Scrolls), Ezra & Nehemiah are one book. When Israel entered the Promised Land the Lord told them:

Deuteronomy 28:15-20 (ESV) But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all His commandments and His statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. 16 Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. 17 Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 19 Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. 20 “The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me.

If Israel – God’s people – had stayed close to God, then they could rest in His provision. But if God’s people depart from God, they brought upon themselves FOUR CURSES:

  1. The CURSE of a impoverished and crime filled cities and rural areas
  2. The CURSE of hunger and deprivation
  3. The CURSE of decreased prosperity and growth
  4. The CURSE of personal loss

To forsake God is to enjoy “curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish”. Kind of sounds like America today, doesn’t it? Israel wandered away from the Word of God, and God kept calling them – but Israel refused to hear. So God withdrew His protecting hand, and allowed first Babylon, then Assyria to overthrow Judah and the Holy City Jerusalem. And yet, God only allowed this for 70 years before redeeming His people.

Ezra and Nehemiah Are REDEMPTIVE BOOKS

As the 70 years of punishment winds down, God moves on the hearts of the Gentile Kings to allow the Jewish believers to return to Jerusalem, and to rebuild the Temple so they could worship there. The Psalmist said of God:

Psalm 103:8-10 (ESV) The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.

Though God upholds His standards of righteousness, He does not punish His children with the intent of destroying them – but with the intent of REDEEMING them. An overview of these redemptive two books is:

  • Ezra 1-6: God moves on the heart of the Persian King Cyrus II (a.k.a. Cyrus The Great) to allow a man named Zerubbabel and the High Priest Joshua to lead over 42,000 Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem. Zerubbabel’s mission is to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.
  • Ezra 7-10: God moves on the heart of the Persian King Artaxerxes to send Ezra the Priest to Jerusalem to teach the Law of God to the people. Finding that Israel had violated God’s Law by intermarrying with unbelievers, Ezra dissolves these sinful marriages. Even today, God does not want His children by faith marrying unbelievers:

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 (ESV) Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God

Now we come to Nehemiah chapter 1. Ezra covers events that occurred 13 or 14 years before this moment. We read:

Nehemiah 1:1-2 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

The story begins in “the month Chisleu”, which would be equivalent to our late November to early December. The man “Nehemiah” is the “Cupbearer” for the Persian King Artaxerxes, the same King who sent Ezra to Jerusalem to teach the people the Law of God. The “Cupbearer” is a respected, high ranking official who was in charge of what the King ate and drank. The Cupbearer tasted the King’s food and drink to insure that it was not poisoned. This man put his life on the line daily to protect his master. It was a Cupbearer that told Pharaoh about Joseph when he was imprisoned (Genesis 41). Based on the Cupbearer’s endorsement, Joseph was given an audience with Pharaoh – and eventually became right hand man to the King.

Nehemiah was serving the King in “Shushan the palace” – the winter palace of the Kings – when several Jews from Judah came visiting. Nehemiah knew that the Persian Kings Cyrus and Artaxerxes had allowed remnants of Israel to return to Jerusalem some 14 years before. Nehemiah “asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem”. After 14 years Nehemiah expected a good report – or at least, some progress in the restoration of Jerusalem. The delegation replied:

Nehemiah 1:3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

Rather than hear good news, Nehemiah was told that the remnant were רַע חֶרְפָּה , raʿḥerpâ – under great distress, scorn, disgrace.

Nehemiah’s countrymen were in a terrible shape. Further, “the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down”. Ancient cities were surrounded by high protective walls that kept the criminal element and the hoards from overwhelming the city. There were huge gates that were opened at daybreak to allow travelers and merchants access to the city. Jerusalem’s walls are broken down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire. Jerusalem is at the mercy of any invading force that comes its way.

Nehemiah 1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

What Can One Person Do?

In the face of such utter destruction and suffering, what can one person do? What can I do?

One determined person can destroy the world if surrendered to Satan. Who can forget the names Hitler or Stalin? Who remembers the terrible massacre the Jim Jones brought to his followers. And one name that brought a universal curse on us all, Adam left a legacy: “By one man sin entered the world, and death by sin” (Romans 5:12).

What can one person do?

– Noah obeyed God, and saved humanity from utter destruction.

– Abraham – a Gentile believer in God – followed the Lord and brought about the nation Israel, and all nations being blessed by his obedience.

– One man Moses stood up to the Pharaoh, and led Israel out of Egypt.

– Another man Joshua led Israel in taking the Promised Land from the unbelieving Canaanites.

– A man after God’s own heart, David, killed the giant Goliath, and impressed the Lord so much that God promised him an unending Throne.

– Elijah stood up to evil Ahaz and Jezebel, and brought a revival in Israel.

– A woman named Esther stood up against the Persian King Xerxes I, and saved Israel from certain annihilation.

– And God used a young virgin named Mary to be the vessel that would bring God into the world, our Lord Jesus Christ.

What can one person do? One person submitted to God can change the world for the better. Pastor Jon Bloom wrote:

“Every life God creates is good and has a purpose, and therefore possesses a certain sacredness (Genesis 1:31). As stewards of the earth, we humans should approach all life with appropriate reverence (Genesis 1:26), especially other human lives (Exodus 20:13; Matthew 19:19; Matthew 5:44). This is one reason why abortion and euthanasia are such evils. Every life aborted at its beginning, middle, or end also alters the course of history. … Live Prayerfully and Carefully with the Kingdom in View”.

Whenever Nehemiah heard the bad news that Zerubbabel and Ezra’s mission was not as far along as it could have been, we read:

Nehemiah 1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days…

Israel was in a horrible place. Jerusalem was at the mercy of every thief and vandalizing hoard that passed by. Ezra and Zerubbabel had been working diligently in Jerusalem for 14 years, but it was still in a horrible place. If Jerusalem – the Capital City of Judah – cannot be restored, then Judah cannot be restored.

Nehemiah Did Three Things Right

  • “I sat down”: Nehemiah sat down. When we hear about horrible things happening – especially to those we love – our first thought is “I’ve got to do something – anything!”

Illustrate: When David the Shepherd went to battle Goliath, King Saul tried to give him his armor. David refused it. “David said to Saul, “I can’t walk in these things, for I’m not used to them” (1 Samuel 17:39, NET). David instead trusted the Lord, and faced Goliath with a sling and five smooth stones. He kept his eyes on God. A few years later David is running from the enemy when he comes to the Tabernacle at Nob. David told the priests that he wanted Goliath’s sword for protection. “There is none like it – give it to me” (1 Samuel 21:8-10). David couldn’t defend himself with Goliath’s sword. And David couldn’t kill a giant with a sling and a stone. But God can.

Nehemiah resisted the urge to “do something”
in his own power. He sat down.

  • “I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days”. The word “WEPT” is the Hebrewבָּכָה bâkâh, {pronounced baw-kaw’}, which means to wail, to grieve loudly. When Abraham’s wife Sarah died (Genesis 23:2), Abraham bâkâh for her. When Joseph was reunited with his brothers after years in Egypt, he embraced them and bâkâh (Genesis 45:14-15). Nehemiah also “MOURNED”, the Hebrew אָבַל ʼâbal, {pronounced aw-bal’}, which means to suffer as one who has lost a close relative.

I suspect that Nehemiah did as Job did when he lost his family (Job 1:20), “Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshiped {the Lord}”. Nehemiah cried, and mourned, but limited his mourning to “CERTAIN DAYS”. It is good to grieve, to suffer with those who suffer. Pastor Adrian Rogers once said:

“What is wrong with us today is that society has forgotten how to blush, and the Church has forgotten how to weep!”

Nehemiah can do nothing in his own power to fix what has happened to Jerusalem. He grieves. “When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26). But Nehemiah doesn’t just stop with grieving and groaning. Nehemiah …

Nehemiah 1:4 … fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

  • “I … fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven”. God honors sincere fasting and prayer. Though few American Christians fast today, Jesus made it clear that as believers we should have periodic times when we go without food while seeking God’s will for our lives. Jesus said:

Matthew 6:16-17 (ESV) when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

God calls on His people to pray, to fast and pray, that He can bless us, and give us power to go through the impossible valleys that the world drags us through. God told His wandering Israel:

Joel 2:12-13 (ESV) “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents over disaster.

Nehemiah did not blame God for Jerusalem’s suffering. Too often when trials come our way, we want to blame God, or insinuate that God was somehow unfaithful. Too often I hear people say, “Where was God in all this”. After Terrorists attacked America on September 11, 2001, the daughter of Billy Graham, Anne Graham Lotz was interviewed by Jane Clayson. Clayson said,

“I’ve heard people say, those who are religious, those who are not, if God is good, how could God less this happen? To that, you say?”

Anne replied:

“I say God is also angry when he sees something like this. I would say also for several years now Americans in a sense have shaken their fist at God and said, God, we want you out of our schools, our government, our business, we want you out of our marketplace. And God, who is a gentleman, has just quietly backed out of our national and political life, our public life. Removing his hand of blessing and protection. We need to turn to God first of all and say, God, we’re sorry we have treated you this way and we invite you now to come into our national life. We put our trust in you.”

This is what Nehemiah did. He did not attack God. He did not ask, “Why God?” Nehemiah repented. We read:

Nehemiah 1:6-7 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

Nehemiah blamed not just the Jews, but himself as well. He said, “We have dealt very corruptly against thee”. The word translated “corruptly” is the Hebrewחָבַל châbal, {pronounced khaw-bal’}, which means “to bind as with a rope, to pervert, to twist so as to entrap”. The sense of Nehemiah’s prayer is that God wants to do good to His people, but our sins and our faithlessness has bound God’s hands. When our Lord Jesus Christ – raised in Nazareth – went back home, the Bible says:

Matthew 13:58 (ESV) {Jesus} did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. (see also Mark 6:5).

The Prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 59:2 (ESV) “your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear”. Israel is in a bad state because God’s people stopped acting like God’s people, and began to act like the world.

Nehemiah Both REPENTS And RECALLS
The Promises Of God

When we repent of our sins, confessing them to God, we have His promise that, “{God is} is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Nehemiah repents. But Nehemiah also leans into the promises of God. Nehemiah says to God, “REMEMBER”. He reminds God of His promise:

Nehemiah 1:8-9 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: 9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

Nehemiah quotes the Word of God back to God! When Nehemiah quotes the Word of God to God, he is not reminding a feeble minded God of what He previously said. Reminding God of what He said helped Nehemiah to remember the faithfulness of God. It also helps Nehemiah to fight off the fear that he is probably feeling, as well as the frustration. Reminding God is like a child reminds a parent of a promise. God wants us to remind Him of His promises, as a way of remembering Who He is.

Nehemiah 1:10-11 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. 11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cup bearer.

Nehemiah repented. Nehemiah remembered the promises o God. Now Nehemiah prays specifically, and asks God to “prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man”. As the right hand man of King Artaxerxes, as the cup bearer, Nehemiah is going to stand before the King and ask for help for Jerusalem. He wants God to intervene on His behalf.

Nehemiah humbles himself before God. He prays, “O Lord, I beseech thee”. He is not commanding God, but asking God. He prays, “let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant”. The Bible commands us to:

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

Always remembering that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”. When we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, our Lord will – at the proper time – bless or exalt us (1 Peter 5:5-6). What I find very interesting about this prayer is that it is not only heartfelt – but it is not particularly long. I read this prayer slowly, as if I were myself praying it to God. The entire prayer can be said – very slowly – in under 2 minutes. The next time we meet we will see if this brief prayer was effective or not!

Oh, that God would move on us all to grieve over our Jerusalem, and pray that God move in the hearts of the leadership of our nation. May God touch our hearts with His Word, and draw us to commit ourselves to His glory. Amen and Amen!

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Jesus Is From Above

Posted on July 3, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Timo Volz on Unsplash

John 8:17-24 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me. 19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. 20 These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come. 21 Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. 22 Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. 23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

No One Ever Spoke As Jesus Did

When a jeweler wants to show off the beauty of his diamonds, he does not put the diamonds on a white, clean surface. No, the jeweler puts the diamonds against a black surface, usually black velvet. The black focuses the eye on the light reflecting through the facets of the diamond. Displayed against the darkness, the beauty of the diamond comes out.

As our Lord Jesus ministered on this earth, the times that His beauty was most seen was when He was seen against a black surface. Many times we see Jesus being approached by those who were under the blackness of sickness and disease. Other times Jesus was seen against the darkness of sinful man. But Jesus shone brightest when He was seen against the darkness of self righteousness and power hungry men. Jesus shined brightly when the Pharisees, Priests and Scribes tried to smear His goodness with evil. In our text today Jesus is addressing the Pharisees and Priests who are attempting to end His ministry. What does the Bible say of these self righteous men? We read in:

John 7:1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.

The Bible says that “Jesus came unto His own people (the Jews), but His own people would not receive Him” (John 1:11). Jesus stopped walking “in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him”. Not every Jew. Just the Pharisees and Priests, the religious crowd. Jesus came and pointed out their hypocrisy. Had He just been a Rabbi Who did this, the Pharisees and Priests would not have cared as much. But as Jesus healed people, miraculously giving the blind their sight, the deaf their hearing, the lame their mobility, and the dead their life, His popularity grew. Crowds began to seek out Jesus, and as ..

Jesus pointed out the hypocrisy of religious ritual without a relationship with God. This challenged the power of the Pharisees and Priests, infuriating them.

John 7:31-32 … many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done? The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.

Jesus told those who came to capture Him:

John 7:33-34 … Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. 34 Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.

Jesus said “I’m going back to the One Who sent Me here – and you’re not going to be able to go there”. This puzzled those who came to capture Jesus. “Where can YOU go that WE can’t go? Are You going to a Gentile dominated area? This makes no sense!” (John 7:35-36). The Bible says:

John 7:44 And some of them would have taken Him; but no man laid hands on Him.

The officers of the Temple could not take Jesus. They went back to the Temple, and we read:

John 7:45-48 Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? 46 The officers answered, Never man spake like this Man. 47 Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? 48 Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on Him?

As we come to our focal text for the day, the “chief priests and Pharisees” approach Jesus directly. They cannot get the Temple Police to arrest Jesus, so they are going to take matters into their own hands. In John 7:33-34 we read that Jesus said “I return to the One Who sent Me, and you cannot go where I am going”. Jesus says this same thing a second time, not to the Temple Officers, but to the Chief Priests and Pharisees:

John 8:21 …. I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.

Jesus Christ Is Not Of This World

Once more, the Pharisees and Priests cannot understand what Jesus is saying. Will He kill Himself? What place can Jesus go where they cannot go as well. Jesus is very specific:

John 8:23-24 …. Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Jesus Christ is NOT of this world! These are His Words. I hear so many people say, “Jesus was a good Man. Jesus was a Great Prophet. Jesus was an extraordinary Human.” Yet Jesus does not say this of Himself. Jesus is other-worldly. The Pharisees, the Chief Priests, every human who has ever been is “from beneath”. We are from this earth. Humanity’s heritage can be traced back to Adam, a crooked farmer, and Noah, a drunken sailor. We are all born of this earth, born of father and mother coming together in love. We are all broken, sinful. Those who are of this world are all sinners. The Bible says:

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

Where our forefather Adam sinned, he caused not only his fall, but the fall of all his children. We are the children of Adam. The Bible says:

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

One of the devil’s favorite lies is to say that one is better than another in humanity. All have sinned. All fall short.

Lord, save us from religious people! The Pharisees and Chief Priests believed that, since their OUTWARD actions were religious and right, that they were ACCEPTABLE to God, justified in His eyes. But their actions – no matter how religious – came from beneath. It was earthly, fouled, broken. It was, as the Prophet said, filthy rags.

Isaiah 64:6 … we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

None are innocent. All are from beneath. The Psalmist David said:

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

Sin is the universal problem among us all. We are from beneath. We are not from Heaven, but from dust, from corruption. How can we escape this corruption? By Law? By more human laws? No, for sin clings to each of us, as algae clings to the poles of a boat dock. We need Someone from outside of humanity to save us. We need Him Who is from above, Jesus Christ our Lord.

John 8:23-24 … Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Pharisees, you cannot go where Jesus goes. Priests, you cannot go where Jesus goes. Jesus is from above. He is from Heaven. He is God’s Messiah, come to save those who believe in Him. Earlier in the day Jesus was asked:

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

We are from beneath. Everything we do is from beneath, it is beneath God. So how can we “work the works of God”? Jesus said:

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

You must believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Representative, God’s Messiah come to save the soul of man. You must believe that “Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by Jesus” (John 14:6). You must “confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, and you shall be saved”. (Romans 10:9-10). You must believe that Jesus is NOT just a good teacher nor a fine rabbi, but that Jesus Christ is the Great I AM of Scripture. This is what Jesus says. We read:

John 8:24 … ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

If you are following me in a King James Bible, you will see that the word “he” is italicized, denoting that it was added by the translators. Jesus did not say that you had to believe that “I AM HE”, but that you have to believe Jesus is “I am”. Every Jew knows the name of God “I am”. When Israel was enslaved in Egypt, God sent Moses to be His spokesman before Pharaoh and before Israel. God told Moses that His Name was:

Exodus 3:14 (ESV) … “I AM Who I AM.” And {God} said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I Am has sent me to you.’”

The magnificent, eternal name of God is that He is “I AM” or Yahweh. God is eternally there. The God Who is above us all has no beginning and no end. He is eternally in the present tense. Jesus is NOT from below, like us. He is no sinner saved by Grace. Jesus Christ IS God, GOD THE SON. He is the Great I AM, the One Who spoke to Moses, the Intercessor between God and Man. Jesus said “if ye believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins”. And Beloved, if you die in your sins, then you will never enter the place where Jesus is right now. You cannot go to Heaven unless you know God through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Great I AM.

Jesus Is The Light Of God From Above

When our planet was first formed, God said …

Genesis 1:3 (ESV) “Let there be light”, and there was light.

Light was given before God made either sun or stars. Light was given before the earth began to rotate. Our God is “the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17 ESV). The Source of all light is God. The Giver of all light is God. Humans need light. They need the “light of life” (Job 33:30). We all need the Lord, for “in Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).

Just as we need physical light to see so we can live, we need spiritual light so that we can see and live the life our God designed for us. Darkness cannot defeat darkness.

Earlier in the day Jesus was in the Temple teaching when the “scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in the act of adultery” (John 8:3). The Pharisees thought that they could usurp Jesus’ fame by catching Him violating the Law of God. The Law of God demanded that both male and female caught in the act of adultery be put to death (Leviticus 20:10-12). So they bring this woman in, and cast her down at Jesus’ feet. Listen Beloved: there is no more love in the Pharisee and the Sadducee, than there is in the Taliban! The person who is religious but not in a relationship with God through Christ is in darkness. Darkness cannot defeat darkness. Again I say,

Darkness cannot defeat Darkness. There must be Light!

The Pharisees tell Jesus:

John 8:4-5 … Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

What will Jesus say? The Law of Moses demands death, not just for this woman, but for the man that is missing from this accusation. Jesus is from above. It is Jesus Who dictated the Law of God through Moses. Adultery is a horrendous sin, but so is false witness. Where is the man if this woman was “taken in adultery, in the very act”. The Law demands “accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you” (Deuteronomy 25:15 NIV). Crookedness destroys a nation, and mangles a community. This woman was taken in adultery. What will Jesus do?

Jesus is from above. When He directed the Law to Moses, He decreed

Deuteronomy 17:5-7 (ESV) … you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you shall stone that man or woman to death with stones. 6 On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death … 7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death…

There had to be two witnesses that this woman committed adultery. There are two or more. But the Law of God also said, “The hand of the witnesses shall be first against” the sinner. Jesus simply said,

John 8:7 … He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

Let the Witnesses cast the first stone. This is what God’s Law said, a Law that is good. If these men are the Witnesses, and they pick up a stone to cast it, Jesus need but ask “but where is the MAN THAT WAS WITH THIS WOMAN?” God despises unfair measures. God demands equal justice and, where applicable, joyful mercy. The accusers of this woman slowly depart, until just the woman is left. Jesus asked her:

John 8:10-11 … Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. …

Jesus does not condone this woman’s sin, but this woman addresses Jesus as “Lord”. He is Lord. Jesus Christ is from above. He is the Author of the Law of Moses. But Jesus is also the Author of salvation. We receive the “good news of peace between us and God through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)” (Acts 10:36 ESV). Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, the Lamb sent by God to make payment for our sins. “Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of kings, and those with Him are called and chosen and faithful” (Revelation 17:14 ESV). The Jesus Who is from above said:

John 8:10-11 … Neither do I condemn thee:
go, and sin no more.

No one has the power to forgive sins but God. Jesus is from above. Jesus has the power to forgive sins. When Jesus healed a paralyzed man when He told him:

Mark 2:5 “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

The Pharisees and Priests accused Jesus of blasphemy. “Who can forgive sins, but God?” (Mark 2:7). No man on this earth has the power to forgive sin, for sin is an offense against God. Caught in the act of adultery, King David repented, saying “against You, dear God, and only You have I sinned” (Psalm 51:4). If Jesus were from below, from this earth, He would have no power to forgive sin. But Jesus is LORD. He is the Son of God. He is from above, not from beneath. Jesus does not justify the sin, but as Almighty God forgives the sin. Jesus said:

John 8:12 … I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Jesus wrote the Law that man continually fails. But Jesus has the power to forgive sins, for He is from above. Jesus never violated the Law, but Jesus is God the Son, God’s only means to forgiveness of sin.

2 Corinthians 4:6 (ESV) For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

The ancient Jew sacrificed animals to seek forgiveness of sin, but animal sacrifices never truly covered sin. “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrew 9:22). The shedding of animal blood from beneath merely pointed out to us all how much God despises sin. John Piper wrote:

“God regards sin as so evil and so destructive that in order to set things right there must be a death … {Jesus Christ} became ‘a curse for us’ (Galatians 3:13). He bore our condemnation in His flesh (Romans 8:3). This is the center and the glory of the Gospel. So Paul says in Romans 5:9, “We have now been justified by His blood”, or in Ephesians 1:7, ‘In Him we have redemption through His Blood’, or in Ephesians 2:13, ‘You who once were far off have been brought near by the Blood of Christ’.”

Jesus did not ignore this woman’s sin, but forgave it because she received Him as Lord of All. Jesus is from above, not from beneath. Jesus, as Almighty God the Son, does not justify her actions, but bids her “go and SIN NO MORE”. Jesus forgives the believer’s sin, but tells them to start walking with Him, not with the world. Jesus Christ is the Light from above. “He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”.

Jesus Is The Bread Of Heaven

When Israel left Egypt and headed toward the Promised Land, God wanted them to rely on Him for their sustenance, to rely on Him for their lives. So God caused manna to fall from Heaven (see Exodus 16). The manna was “bread from Heaven” (Exodus 16:4). The people were to go out every day and gather just enough manna for that day’s sustenance – and twice as much on the day prior to the Sabbath. That bread of Heaven gave every Israeli the strength to daily follow the Lord, until they went into the Promised Land. The manna was from above, and symbolized life. Jesus told us:

John 6:32-37 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. 37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

What is the significance of the Manna? It had to be gathered daily. When saved by faith in Christ the Manna of Heaven, we are called to approach Jesus daily.

Jesus Christ is God’s Manna from Heaven. When Jesus fed 5000 with two small fish and five biscuits, the crowd decided that they “would take Him by force, and make Jesus King” (John 6:15). Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but He did not come to force Himself as King over anyone. “Jesus is the Bread of Life: he that comes to Jesus shall never hunger; and he that believes on Jesus shall never thirst” (John 6:35). When you receive Jesus as He is, as The One Who is from above, then God gives you everlasting life. Jesus said:

John 6:40 … this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise Him up at the last day.

Bread sustains life. Jesus sustains life.
Bread is for all. Jesus is for all.
Bread is necessary. Jesus is necessary.
Bread is prepared.
Jesus is prepared from the foundation of the world.
(Luke 11:50; John 17:24; Ephesians 1:4; Hebrews 4:3; Hebrews 9:26)

John 6:47-50 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 48 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

Jesus emphasized that He is the Manna from Heaven because Manna as bread from above brought life to the Israelis. Jesus gives life only to those who “eat” Him, that is, have a daily relationship with Him and His Word. As you read the Bible, you digest God’s Word. As you digest God’s Word, you become more and more Christ centered. Jesus said:

John 6:53-58 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

Of all the teachings Jesus gave, this was and is the teaching that is the most controversial, most likely to cause someone to walk away. When we eat, we eat daily. Those who are saved have a daily relationship with Jesus. When we eat, what we eat becomes part of who we are. As we daily come to Jesus and learn of Him, we become more like Jesus daily. As someone once said, “You are what you eat”. As we eat daily, we focus on what we are eating. The Christian daily focuses on Jesus. Finally, eating is an intimate affair. We who are saved are intimate with Jesus.

When Jesus taught these Words, those who had been following Him were offended by His Words. Jesus told them:

John 6:63 It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life.

Many walked away from Jesus that very day. What will you do? Will you come to Jesus and believe Him as He is. Will you believe that He is from above, that He is the Light of God and the Manna from Heaven, the Giver of eternal life? Will you give your life to Him, daily walking with Him? This is the Way of Salvation. Will you come to Him Who is from above? May God touch your hearts to do so this very day. Amen and Amen!

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Three Judean Kings

Posted on July 1, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Mike B: https://www.pexels.com/photo/boy-wearing-crown-statue-189528/

Rarely do we as Christians today go into the Old Testament. Oh, we refer to Psalm 23 during funerals, and some read the Proverbs and Psalms for devotionals. But few go into the less known books. Tonight we’re going to go into 2 Chronicles Chapter 28, and examine the lives of three Judean Kings.

King Ahaz Was An Evil Ruler

The first is King Ahaz, a terribly wicked man. The name “Ahaz” means “He Who Grasps”, and that is a great name for this wicked man.

Ahaz grasped for darkness and evil, and
embraced it with all his heart.

2 Chronicles 28:2-4 … {Ahaz} made also molten images for Baalim. 3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. 4 He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

Because Ahaz did evil and led Israel to do evil, “the LORD his God delivered Ahaz into the hand of the King of Syria” (2 Chronicles 28:5). “Ahaz was also delivered into the hand of the King of Israel (Northern Israel)”, who killed many citizens. Southern Israel or Judah lost 120,000 “valiant men” in one day on the battlefield – a horrendous loss. The Bible says:

2 Chronicles 28:19 … the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of {Southern} Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the Lord.

Ahaz would not repent and return to the Lord. Rather than admit his sin, Ahaz tried to build an alliance with Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria. Ahaz robbed the Temple of God (verse 21), and instead of turning to the Lord our God he adopted the gods of his enemies.

2 Chronicles 28:23-24 For {Ahaz} sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. 24 And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

Ahaz robbed the Temple, taking away all furnishings, altars, and equipment used to worship God. Then Ahaz locked the doors of the Temple so no one could enter in and worship the Lord, and offered Israel false altars made for false gods to worship. Throughout Jerusalem – previously known as the City of God’s Temple – Ahaz established altars to false gods. Not satisfied with this, we are told:

2 Chronicles 28:25 And in every several city of Judah {Ahaz} made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord God of his fathers.

Israel was in a terrible place. A civil war between Northern and Southern Israel caused the nation to divide, and caused the Temple to be forsaken by those in the North. False gods were worshiped throughout Israel, and there were plenty of places to worship the darkness, but no places for the light. But our God is in control. “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people both now and forevermore” (Psalm 125:2). Ahaz had one redeeming quality.

Ahaz had a son named Hezekiah.

Hezekiah Was A Righteous Man

Hezekiah’s name meant “Jehovah Is My Strength”. King Hezekiah was the most spiritual king since King David. 2 Kings 18:5 tells us “Hezekiah trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him”. When Hezekiah ascended the throne, the first thing he did was to re-open the Temple and recall the priests:

2 Chronicles 29:3-8 {Hezekiah} in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them. 4 And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, 5 And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. 6 For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned their backs. 7 Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel. 8 Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes.

Hezekiah did not try to make a treat with any human king to bring peace to his land. Instead of this, Hezekiah sought a treaty with God our Father. He restored the priests and the Levites (the priest’s helpers) to their posts, and restored the Temple to how it should have been. Hezekiah ruled in a right manner. He told the Levites, “sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place”. In other words, He demanded that the priests and Levites do their own jobs. They were to cleanse God’s Temple, though Hezekiah would support them in their work. Hezekiah told them:

2 Chronicles 29:10-11 Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us. 11 My sons, be not now negligent: for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.

Hezekiah as King did his job, and demanded that the priests and Levites do theirs. The priests and Levites did as Hezekiah ordered. The Bible says “they sanctified the house of the Lord in eight days” (2 Chronicles 29:17). As the Temple was cleansed, Hezekiah decided that he would be the first to offer sacrifice unto God. We read:

2 Chronicles 29:20-21 Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord. 21 And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah.

Hezekiah did not worship God behind closed doors, but gave an example for all in his worship. Jesus said:

Luke 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

When Hezekiah went to the Temple, he carried “the rulers of the city” with him. As Hezekiah offered sacrifices, he lifted up “the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah”.

  • The Kingdom of God: Though Israel was divided by civil war into North and South, Hezekiah remembered his brothers and sisters that he was estranged from. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). Other kings emphasized Judah above a united Israel. Hezekiah realized that – until there is unity among God’s people and in God’s Kingdom – there will be only limited power against the darkness.
  • The Sanctuary: The Apostle said, “The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God..”.When God’s people meet to worship God, they are to “worship the Father in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). This is what is pleasing to God. Hezekiah’s worship is not just for show – but because he loves “the Lord his God with all his heart” (Deuteronomy 13:3; Joshua 22:5).
  • And for Judah: Hezekiah offered sacrifice and prayer for his own direct community.

Hezekiah led Judah in a revival. We read:

2 Chronicles 29:27-29 And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel. 28 And all the congregation worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 29 And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves, and worshiped.

Hezekiah started the sacrifices, but the people followed. We read in

2 Chronicles 29:32 And the number of the burnt offerings, which the congregation brought, was threescore and ten bullocks, an hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord.

The King started the ball rolling, but as he honored God, God moved the hearts of the people. They had a revival in Judah! We are told in:

2 Chronicles 29:36 And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly.

The Benson Commentary notes:

“That God had prepared the people — Had changed their hearts by His Almighty Spirit. For it was plain His hand was in it, both because so many of those who, in the last reign, had doted on the idolatrous altars, were now so much in love with God’s altar; and because the thing was done suddenly; was brought about in so little time, and with little or no opposition. Those that go about the work of God in faith, and with resolution, will often find there is not that difficulty in it which they had apprehended. Only let magistrates and ministers do their parts toward the reforming of a land, and then let them trust God to do His, and ascribe to Him the glory of what is done.”

Hezekiah did his part, and God did His part. When we trust in God and do that which is pleasing to Him, we will find that He Himself will be in the work, aiding and blessing us. I cannot do much – but I can do my part. The Scripture says:

Philippians 1:27 (ESV) Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, … standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel…

God is always in our midst when we gather together to honor Him in one accord. “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20). As God was so visibly in the Temple, Hezekiah decided to act as a mediator between Northern Israel and Southern Israel. We read:

2 Chronicles 30:1-2 Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover unto the Lord God of Israel. 2 For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the Passover in the second month.

The Feast of the Passover was a time when Israel remembered how God brought them out of Egyptian slavery, and made them a mighty nation unto God. The Passover was a time before Israel had civil war. So King Hezekiah “sent to all Israel and Judah” – that’s Northern and Southern Israel – “that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover”. Hezekiah sent out a rider with a message, calling all of Israel to come together and worship the Passover as a unified people. Hezekiah begged the people to repent:

2 Chronicles 30:7-9 And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see. 8 Now be ye not stiff necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. 9 For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.

Hezekiah begged every Israeli to “yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you”. Did Northern Israel repent? No. We are told in

2 Chronicles 30:10 “they laughed them to scorn, and mocked {the messengers}”

Northern Israel rejected the posts, and sealed their doom. But Judah – or Southern Israel –

2 Chronicles 30:14 … arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them into the brook Kidron.

The false gods and altars to these gods were burned, and their ashes scattered in “the brook Kidron”. The Matthew Henry Commentary notes:

“The godly kings of Judah had burnt and destroyed the idols they found at the brook {Kidron}; Asa, 2 Chronicles 15:16; Hezekiah, 2 Chronicles 30:14; Josiah, 2 Kings 23:4,6. Into that brook the abominable things were cast. Christ, being now made sin for us, that he might abolish it and take it away, began his passion by the same brook.”

Kidron is the place where idols are burned and scattered. As the people pursued God in love, the Bible tells us that:

2 Chronicles 30:27 … their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, even unto heaven.

While we cherish sin and hide it in our hearts, God will not hear our prayers. But when we repent, and do the things that are pleasing to Him, He will hear and bless us.

2 Chronicles 31:20-21 … thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God. 21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.

Hezekiah and Judah prospered because he did as Jesus said:

Matthew 6:33-34 (ESV) … seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

When you put God first, you will always last!

Will God Forgive The Most Wicked Sinner?

Hezekiah made some errors in his time as King of Judah. At times he was lifted up with pride (2 Chronicles 32:24-26). But Hezekiah loved the Lord, and led the people of Judah into loving the Lord. Hezekiah had a son named Manasseh. Manasseh would be the longest reigning Judean King, and also the most wicked. We read:

2 Chronicles 33:1-4 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem: 2 But did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them. 4 Also he built altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.

Manasseh brought back Canaanite worship, and taught the people to “worship all the host of heaven, and serve them”. The followers of Yahweh believed that God Himself created the stars, the moon, and the sun, but the Canaanites believed that these bodies were actually “gods and goddesses”. Under Manasseh, Judah was taught to worship Molech (Leviticus 18:21; 20:2-4; Deuteronomy 18:10; Jeremiah 7:31; 32:35), to practice witchcraft (Deuteronomy 18:10), and to worship idols. Just as Ahaz defiled the Temple, Manasseh defiled the Temple. He built altars to false gods and goddesses inside the Temple, and closed up God’s altars.

2 Chronicles 33:6 {Manasseh} caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom

Manasseh sacrificed his own sons to the false gods, burning their bodies as an offering to Molech. This infuriated God. Our Lord loves children, and demanded that children be allowed to come to Him (Matthew 19:14). God cursed Judah for this horrible practice, saying through the Prophet:

Jeremiah 19:3-5 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 4 Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents, 5 and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind..

It is horrible to sacrifice a child – but much more horrible to sacrifice your OWN child. Manasseh did this profane thing more than once. In fact, the Bible says:

2 Chronicles 33:9-10 .. Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel. 10 And the Lord spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.

God called out to Manasseh and Judah, and sent prophets to speak to them, but they would not hear. So God brought trials into Manasseh’s Kingdom. We read:

2 Chronicles 33:11 … the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.

Our God controls the nations. He controls the world. When His people will not listen to Him, God can and does bring in trials and tribulations to break our pride and willfulness. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your Word.

The Army of Assyria attacked Judah, and took Manasseh captive. The Bible says the Manasseh was “among the thorns, and bound with fetters”. As a young boy, mama used to have us go out to the blackberry patch and pick fruit for a cobbler (mama could make the best cobbler!). I, my brother and sister would go out and pick (as well as eat) as many ripe blackberries we could. I remember one time I reached out over the patch, trying to get to a good cluster of berries, when I lost my balance and fell into the blackberries. Those tiny thorns pierced my bare legs and arms, my face, everything that was uncovered. It was horrible.

God had Manasseh drug through the blackberry patch. Prideful Manasseh was bound like a slave, and marched through the streets of Babylon, shown off as one might show off a prize cow. Why did God do this?

Because God loves everyone, even the most wicked. And God calls whosoever will to come to Him in faith. Pastor Jeremy Linneman of Trinity Community Church (Columbia, Missouri) writes:

“Suffering … is absolutely painful. It feels like death; we can hardly bear it. And yet if faced with faith and endured in the presence of God, suffering shapes us, refines us, prepares us, purifies us, beautifies us. Suffering matures people. In the gospel, suffering takes evil and pain and turns it back on itself; through suffering we overcome evil and pain. Out of darkness comes light, and out of death comes new life.”

The painful humiliation that Manasseh went through got his attention, where the prophets could not. The Bible says:

2 Chronicles 33:12-13 when {Manasseh} was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 And prayed unto {God}: and {God} was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought {Manasseh} again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.

Manasseh’s life changed. The shock and pain of being captured caused Manasseh to humble himself before God, and to repent of his sinful ways. How genuine was the change? It was truthful, a real change of heart. There are some who, when tried, they will turn to God with crocodile tears. But once the pain passes, they go back to their old ways.

Not Manasseh. This evil man repented. We read:

2 Chronicles 33:14-16 Now after this {Manasseh} built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah. 15 And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city. 16 And he repaired the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel.

Manasseh did a complete 180 degree turn around in his life. He began to follow the Lord, and commanded Judah to follow the Lord. I have had people tell me, “I don’t know if God would ever forgive me”. If God forgave Manasseh, He will forgive anyone … as long as we repent and turn to Him for mercy. Our God is a loving and merciful Lord. As the devotional “Today In The Word” notes:

“Manasseh’s life teaches us that forgiveness is not limited by the amount of sin in our past, but by our eagerness to repent and change our future. How far does God need to go to get your attention? Only humility and repentance stand between you and God’s forgiveness.”

May God continue to reach lives through the wonder of His Word. Amen and Amen!

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The Kingdom Of Heaven Is Like

Posted on June 22, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Emmanuel Hernández: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-and-green-mountains-under-white-sky-12217674/

Matthew 13:44-46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

America Is In A Bad Place

Two years of the Covid pandemic brought out the worst in Americans. We watched Americans take over city blocks, while politicians told the police to stand down. Racism, rampage, and rioting was out of control, while well meaning (I’m sure) people talked about “defunding” the police. An article in the publication “The Atlantic” said:

“Bad behavior of all kinds —everything from rudeness and carelessness to physical violence—has increased … Americans are driving more recklessly, crashing their cars and killing pedestrians at higher rates. Early 2021 saw the highest number of “unruly passenger” incidents ever, according to the FAA.”

The American Medical Association issued a brief on May 12, 2022 that noted:

“The nation’s drug overdose epidemic continues to change and become worse. The epidemic affects every state and now is driven by illicit fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, methamphetamine, and cocaine, often in combination or in adulterated forms.”

What is going on in our country? Commentator Paul Harvey said a long time ago, “If America ever fails, it will be an inside job”. America is failing, and it is an inside job. We are doing it to ourselves. We are treasuring the wrong things, grasping at the wrong things. We as Americans need a new King.

We need Jesus.

When Jesus came into this world, He came from above. John the Baptist told us that Jesus is distinctly different from us. John said:

John 3:30-31 {Jesus} must increase, but I must decrease. 31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

Jesus is the Messiah, God Who came “from above”. Jesus is The Son of God, and He came to call whosoever will into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus Came Emphasizing His Kingdom As A Treasure

Jesus is The King, and so it’s no surprise that He emphasizes His Kingdom. In the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John) the “Kingdom” is referred to 121 times, most of those by Jesus. The word “Kingdom” is only used 25 times in the rest of the New Testament. The “Kingdom” was a major theme of our Lord’s earthly ministry. Jesus preached …

Matthew 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure …

Word Study: The word translated “treasure” is the Greek θησαυρός thēsaurós, {pronounced thay-sow-ros’} – which means “a place where the greatest and most precious things are kept, the treasury or storehouse”. What is interesting about this word is that thēsaurós is where we get our word “Thesaurus”, which is a collection of words. The most valuable treasury in the world is not gold, silver, precious stones. It is not diamonds or rubies. It is not beauty, nor intelligence. It is not position or fame. The most valuable treasury in the world is words, and among the words that are valuable the most valuable Word is THE Word of God, the Bible.

The Bible is a treasury because is shows us the One Who came from above. The Bible is the greatest treasury because it leads us into the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Kingdom of Heaven itself is a Treasure – that’s what Jesus said. When people hear about “Heaven”, they think of another place far from here. Heaven is where we will get the Mansion Jesus promised us (John 14:2-3). We are exuberant when we sing about Heaven:

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His Grace;
In the mansions bright and blessed
He’ll prepare for us a place.
When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

The “Kingdom of Heaven” is not something over yonder. Jesus said:

Matthew 13:44 … the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field

The Kingdom of Heaven is “hid in a field”. Well now, when we think of Heaven we thing of “up there”, not “in a field”. You see, Jesus used the phrase “kingdom of heaven”, but He also called that place the “Kingdom of God”. You see this in:

Matthew 19:23-24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

The “Kingdom of Heaven” and the “Kingdom of God” are virtually the same thing. These phrases do not refer to a PLACE, but to a STATE OF BEING. Jesus is the King of Heaven, and He is calling whosoever will to walk with Him in His Kingdom.

Pastor John Piper writes, “The kingdom of God is … the saving reign of God. It is the saving reign of God that is partly present and partly future. And it is the present and future saving reign of God and of Christ.”

We enter the Kingdom of Heaven, also known as the Kingdom of God, by receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. When John the Baptist, the Herald of Christ, was arrested and imprisoned by King Herod, Jesus began preaching:

Mark 1:15 (ESV) … “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel”.

The “gospel” or the good news of God is that the Lord loves us. He loved us so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son to this earth. Jesus came and showed us the life God expects us to live in HIMSELF. Then God promised us that – if we “repent”, that is STOP TRYING TO BE OUR OWN GODS, and turn to Jesus Christ, “believing” He is both Savior and Lord – then we are made part of the Kingdom of God. The miracles that Jesus did proved He is the One and Only Savior, the King of Heaven. Jesus said:

Luke 11:20 (ESV) … if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

In Every Age There Has Been A Battle
Between The Kingdoms

Matthew 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field …

Word Study: When Jesus Christ came from Heaven to this earth, it was (and is) with the intent of building HIS KINGDOM in the now. Yet the Devil battles against Jesus. The “treasure” is “hid in a field”. The word translated “hid” is interesting, as it is the Greek κρύπτω krýptō, {pronounced kroop’-to}, from which we get our English word “Crypto”. The word krýptō means “to hide, to encode, to conceal”. This is what the devil does with Jesus’ Gospel. The Bible says that the devil is …

Revelation 12:9 … the deceiver of the whole world …

Word Study: The verb that God uses the describe that fallen Angel Lucifer is the Greek πλανάω planáō, {pronounced plan-ah’-o}, which means “to cause to stray, to lead astray, to lead from the right pathway, to wander away, to be led into error or from the path of righteousness”. The devil has learned how to be a master of disguise.

2 Corinthians 11:14 … Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light ..

The devil has been excellent at concealing darkness by making it look like light. To the addict, that drug or alcohol looks like a treasure. To the lonely, that sexual liaison looks beautiful. The most beautiful snakes and reptiles are filled with the deadliest poisons. As Satan “beguiled or tricked Eve through his slyness”, he today confuses and hypnotizes sincere people into putting their hopes and dreams into spiritual black holes.

The Pharisees, rejecting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, clung to the rituals of religion. Jesus was blunt when He told them:

John 8:43-44 (ESV) … Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.

If you are in the Kingdom of God/Heaven, then your heart is attuned to:

  1. “Loving the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37-39, ESV). You love God with your ALL because He, in love with you, has saved you from eternal punishment, and walks with you daily while on this earth. You are in the Kingdom of God NOW, and will one day be translated into the Kingdom of Heaven. Praise Him! Praise Jesus!
  2. “Loving your neighbor as yourself”, and beyond this “Loving one another as Jesus Christ loves us” (John 13:34; 15:12, ESV). The person who lives under the direction of King Jesus are to “bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). We who are saved want to “imitate God, as dear children” (Ephesians 5:1).

In the Kingdom of Heaven, your “preferred pronoun” of “I” is ALWAYS in the lower case (“i”)

This is absolutely contrary to where the devil wants you to be. The devil says, “If you put yourself FIRST above all others, you will be most happy”. No, no. When you put yourself first, you will end up miserable. If you put Jesus first, and submit to His rule, you will discover Heaven on earth! The Scripture illustrates this when it compares following Satan to death, whereas following Christ is life. Read with me:

Ephesians 2:1-3 (ESV) … you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Those who put themselves first are “sons of disobedience” and “children of wrath”. God wants us to be sons of God and children of Heaven. But so many more want to be their own god. This explains the madness we see in our America today. Satan is crafty. Satan knows that sin enslaves. Satan even blinded the theologically conservative Pharisees so they could not see Jesus as the Messiah. Our Lord told them:

John 8:47 (ESV) Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.

Jesus said, “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). What is truth? It is God’s Word, without compromise or embellishment. Jesus prayed for His Church before going to the Cross, saying, “Sanctify or set Your People apart from the world by giving them truth; Your Word, O God, is truth” (my paraphrase of John 17:17).

Though Satan is the strong man who deceives the whole world, our Lord Jesus is much stronger. The Bible says:

1 John 3:8 (ESV) Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

Jesus did not come to this earth to enable the devil, nor to cloak sin in religious garb. Jesus came to defeat the selfishness and egocentric ways of Lucifer. Those who follow the ways of Satan, rejecting the Word of God, will eventually will destroy themselves. Again we read:

Hebrews 2:14-15 (ESV) Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, {Jesus} himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

To Be In Jesus’ Kingdom Is To Have Joy Unspeakable,
And Full Of Glory!

Matthew 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth

When the man in this parable found the Kingdom of Heaven, he had JOY. Jesus restates the parable this way:

Matthew 13:45-46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

We are – truthfully – all like this “merchant man”. We are “seeking goodly pearls”, and in the course of “seeking goodly pearls” we often fall into Satan’s fake pearls. When I was in Korea, the black marketers would often take a “good” bottle of whiskey, drill a small hole in the bottom of the bottle, then drain out the “good” whiskey. They would then replace it with wood alcohol, which can not only blind you, but can kill you. Satan’s ways are destructive, no matter how good they appear. Let us seek the Lord Jesus. It is the Lord Who …

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV) … has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man’s heart …

“All things were made by Him, and for Him” (Colossians 1:16). Jesus Christ is that “Pearl of Great Price”.

Illustrate: I love the music of Brooks and Dunn. They sing one song called “Believe”. Part of the song says this:

I can’t quote the book
The chapter or the verse
You can’t tell me it all ends
In a slow ride in a hearse
You know I’m more and more convinced
The longer that I live
This can’t be (no, this can’t be),
No, this can’t be all there is.
Lord, I raise my hands
And bow my head,
I’m finding’ more and more truth
In the words written in red
They tell me that there’s more to life
Than just what I can see, I believe.

God has written in every person’s heart the need for Him. Life is incomplete until we have Jesus in our lives. Jesus’ rule, His Kingdom, is a “Pearl of Great Price”.

Why Is Jesus’ Kingdom A “Pearl Of Great Price”?

When you repent, and give your life to Jesus, you begin to really live. Jesus said that – if we both hear and do the things that He said, then our lives will be like a House upon a Rock:

Luke 6:48 (ESV) … when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

Our God is “the Rock” (Deuteronomy 32:4). The Lord is King over His people. The Lord is “our Shepherd, we shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters”. God is faithful to His people. He cares for us. Jesus Christ gave the most for us on the Cross of Calvary – will He give nothing to us now? What can you do to be saved? You believe in King Jesus.

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

We are saved by “confessing with the mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believing in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead” (Romans 10:9-10). But once we are saved, God is our God, our Father, the Head of our lives. We give ourselves to the Lord, and He gives Himself to us. God works in His Children, works in His Kingdom. The Scripture says:

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

We are the workmanship of God. As God, the Lord takes hold of our lives. Though we may go through dark times, no matter what we go through is because God has ordained it for our good.

  • When Job lost everything of earthly value, his wife told him to “curse God and die”. But Job replied, “The LORD gave and the LORD hath taken away, blessed be the name of the LORD”. Job knew that the setbacks of this life are nothing compared to what he has in Christ. The Apostle said, “all things are yours” (1 Corinthians 3:21). Though we go through bad spots, the “Kingdom is the Lord’s: and He is the Governor among the nations” (Psalm 22:28).
  • When Eli the Priest was tried, he cried out “It is the LORD: let Him do what seemeth good” (1 Samuel 3:18). Our God is good and faithful, but also all powerful. What He chooses to do is always for our best.
  • When King David was tried, he hushed his spirit by reminding himself that God Who is good allowed it. “I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because Thou {O Lord} did it” (Psalm 39:9).
  • King Hezekiah kissed adversity, trusting in the goodness and omnipotence of God. “Good is the Word of the LORD which Thou hast spoken” (Isaiah 39:8).

What Must I Do To Be Saved?

Come to Jesus. Hear His call to you today. Jesus said:

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

It does not matter who you are – regardless of reputation, riches, refinement, religion you must receive Jesus in order to receive the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. The commentary “Got Questions” notes:

“Jesus spoke of Himself as the only way to heaven in several places besides John 14:6. He presented Himself as the object of faith in Matthew 7:21–27. He said His words are life (John 6:63). He promised that those who believe in Him will have eternal life (John 3:14–15). He is the Gate of the sheep (John 10:7); the Bread of life (John 6:35); and the Resurrection (John 11:25). No one else can rightly claim those titles.”

The Apostle Peter preached to the Jewish Ruling Council (the Sanhedrin):

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

The Apostle Paul told the Synagogue at Antioch:

Acts 13:38-39 I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin.

Give yourself to Jesus today. What did the man in Jesus’ parable do? He …

Matthew 13:44, 46 … selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. … 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Give Jesus all that you have. Give Him all your idols, all your life. Put yourself in His hands, and believe He can save you. He not only can, but will. Will you hear His Voice, and run to Christ today? May God the Holy Spirit guide you to do so without delay. Amen and Amen!

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The Kingdom of God Is ..

Posted on June 13, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Ray Bilcliff: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-trees-on-green-grass-field-during-sunset-12359768/

Romans 14:17-18 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

I want to start the message today with a question we all need to ask ourselves. The question is …

Are We Following The King Of The Old Testament,
Or The King Of The New Covenant?

The Christians at Rome had a major problem in the Church. They were fighting over food.

The Jewish Christian, raised up in the shadow of the Temple and animal sacrifices, believed that certain foods were clean and other foods were unclean. The Gentile Christian, however, was not raised up under the Law of Moses, and saw all foods as clean. This caused friction in the Church. To be fair, the Jewish Christian did not make up these taboos. When God gave Israel the Law through Moses, He established lists of “clean” foods and “unclean” foods. Why did God do this?

  • First of all, because God is the King of His people, a people that He loves. Our God is immense in knowledge. He knows all things from the beginning to the end. God is never surprised. 1 John 3:20 states “{God} knows everything” (ESV). God said:

Isaiah 46:9-10 … I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ …

  • Secondly, nothing surprises God. When God chose to save Israel from Egypt, He knew in advance that the people would be difficult to deal with. God knew that this first generation of Israelites would reject His leadership, continually murmur, and that He would have to let that generation die in the wilderness over 40 years until it was gone. God knows. God knows. God knows our very thoughts before we speak (Psalm 139:4).

When Israel gathered at Sinai – gathered by the Grace of God – and God gave the Law to Israel, He knew that Israel would fail Him. Yet God loved them.

Dr. D. Lance Waldie of Harvest Bible Church writes:

“The Jews were given many dietary restrictions by God upon their release from Egypt under Moses (cf. Leviticus 11). God gave these restrictions to Israel not only to keep His people healthy (for many of the animals He restricted them from eating were, unbeknownst to them, disease carrying animals) but also to separate His people from the rest of the world. Though the Jews did not understand bacteria and its harmful effects in those days, God did. … abstaining from those foods did not make them holy”.

When the Lord Jesus came to this earth from Heaven, He explained God’s intent when He made certain foods unclean. It had nothing to do with making God’s people holy. Jesus said:

Matthew 15:10-12 (ESV) … “Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

The Pharisees – traditional Jews – were offended because they thought keeping the kosher laws made them holier than others, like those “pig eating Gentiles”. Mark recorded these words of our Lord Jesus:

Mark 7:18-23 (ESV) … Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And {Jesus} said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

It is not food that defiles the Christian, but evil acts
that come from the unregenerate heart.

Under the Old Covenant foods were strictly regulated because God wanted His nomadic Israelites to be healthy. His prohibitions stemmed from His omniscience as well as His love. The Apostle says:

the kingdom of God is NOT meat and drink

The King in the Old Testament restricted the foods of His people out of love. But under the New Covenant, foods are not restricted. What you eat or drink does not impress God, because, as God told Peter,

Acts 10:15 (ESV) “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

  1. The Kingdom of God in the Old Testament was clean and unclean foods.
  2. The Kingdom of God was animal sacrifices.
  3. The Kingdom of God was the feasts that commemorated moments in Israel.
  4. The Kingdom of God was circumcision of the male child on the eighth day after birth.

But the Kingdom of God changed when Jesus came. When Jesus came – when God became Man –

Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son,
and shall call His Name Immanuel (God with us) – Isaiah 7:14

The position of the King changed. In the Old Testament the King spoke from Sinai, directing His people in what they must do. Under the New Testament or New Covenant, the King came from glory to walk among us. The first sermon Jesus preached, recorded by Mark was:

Mark 1:14 (ESV) … the time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.

The “Gospel” or Good News of God is that the King has come. Jesus Christ is the King of the Kingdom of God. God reigns over all things. The Scripture says:

Psalm 24:1 (ESV) The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,

Everything belongs to God. Jesus is God. Jesus said of the Godhead:

Matthew 28:18 (ESV) … All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

And John 5:22 (ESV) … the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son

Jesus Christ is the King of the Kingdom of God. This is fitting, because the Godhead created all things THROUGH JESUS:

Colossians 1:16-17 (ESV) For by {Jesus} all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Jesus Christ is the King of the Kingdom of God. He is the Ruler of His people. He is the Savior of His people. The Angel said:

Matthew 1:21 … you shall call His Name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins..

The New Covenant King saves His people
from their sins

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness

The Kingdom of God is not “meat and drink; but righteousness”. The word translated “righteousness” is the Greek δικαιοσύνη dikaiosýnē, {pronounced dik-ah-yos-oo’-nay}, which means “the state of being as one ought to be, as God has decreed; the condition acceptable to God; to walk in a manner pleasing to the King of the Kingdom”. God’s people are called to a standard of “righteousness”. Righteousness means to please God.

When Jesus Christ – God in human form – went to John the Baptist to be baptized in water, John initially refused, saying “I have need to be baptized by YOU!” But Jesus said, “Please do it now, for it is necessary for US (both John and Jesus) to fulfill all RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Matthew 3:15). God demanded that Christ be baptized in water before His ministry began. Jesus as the Son of God sought to please the Godhead, and did so when He did as was required.

The subjects do not set the standards of the Kingdom, but the King sets the standards of the Kingdom.

The Kingdom of God is NOT meat or drink, but RIGHTEOUSNESS. In the Kingdom of God (and Jesus is the King of Kings – see 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:16) there are TWO TYPES of righteousness.

  • There is the IMPUTED righteousness that we have been given by faith in Christ Jesus. When we received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, God the Holy Spirit moved on our lives and gave us spiritual life. God the Father now views us through the sacrifice of our King and Savior. The Scripture says:

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) For our sake {God the Father} made Jesus to be sin, who knew no sin, so that IN HIM we might become THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.

The Apostle Paul – once a high ranking Pharisees – after salvation wrote:

Philippians 3:8-10 (ESV) Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith …

When you believe on Jesus, your sins are forgiven. You are freed from the Egypt of this world, and are adopted into the family of God. You become a part of Jesus’ Kingdom, living to please Him and not yourselves.

  • There is also an ACTUAL RIGHTEOUSNESS that Christ expects of His people. Entering the Kingdom of God by faith, we PURSUE RIGHTEOUSNESS. We strive to be like Jesus is. We strive to please our God in all that we say and do. The Bible says:

1 Peter 2:21-25 (ESV) For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

The Christian is to “die to sin and live to righteousness”. This is frequently alluded to in the Scripture. The Apostle writes:

Romans 6:1-2, 11-14 (ESV) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

The Christian is to “walk in the light as Christ is in the light” (1 John 1:7). The BLOOD of Jesus Christ covers your sins. The INDWELLING SPIRIT guides you to walk with Jesus, not with sin.

We live our lives to please Jesus, our King and Savior. As recipients of IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS, we also PURSUE RIGHTEOUSNESS. What did Jesus say? “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

You, dear Christian, are saved to serve, not saved to sin. We are to live our lives to please our God, to honor King Jesus.

Where The Kingdom Of God Is, There Is
Righteousness, Peace, And Joy

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Some false teachers in the Church today are telling us that you can be a Christian and pursue things that God clearly labels as “sin” or “wickedness”. This is not true. Where God has IMPUTED righteousness, He expects us to love Him enough to pursue ACTUAL righteousness. The Scripture says:

1 Timothy 5:20, 22 (ESV) … As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. … 22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.

The Bible tells us that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). When Jesus imputed righteousness to us, His imputation did not remove the destructive power of sin. “The soul that sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). And again, “He that sins against Me, says the Lord, wrongs his own soul (Proverbs 8:36).” Sin is a destructive thing. The Bible is quite clear:

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (ESV) Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Timothy 1:9-10 (ESV) … the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine

To those who have IMPUTED righteousness by faith in Christ Jesus, we are also called to PURSUE ACTUAL RIGHTEOUSNESS, that is, to do as Jesus did. We are to love God and avoid those actions that He calls “sin” or “abomination” or “wicked”. We are to love God more than anyone else. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul and with ALL your mind” (Matthew 22:37). We are not to play with that which God has said is sinful. “{Jesus} gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age” (Galatians 1:4). When we sin, we do not normalize it, but confess our sins to our Lord and King. When we confess our sins, the Bible says:

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

Righteousness is not just avoid sin.
Righteousness is doing the right thing to others.

Our King Jesus lowered Himself, living His life sacrificially so as to bless us. We who are Christians are to imitate Christ – not just in avoiding sin – but in loving others. The Apostle told the Church at Rome:

Romans 14:14-15 … I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.

Paul tells us that he agrees with Jesus that there is “nothing unclean of itself”. But he tells the Church to realize that there are still some Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ that believe they must continue to be KOSHER in their diet. To eat that which was formerly forbidden in their presence is to fail to consider their growing faith. To knowingly offend a brother or sister in Christ in areas like this, food or drink, is to behave unlovingly. Or as Paul writes, “now walkest thou not charitably”. We are to walk in love, just as Jesus walked in love. What did our Lord say?

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.

This is a “commandment” that our King has given us. When we violate the commandment, we are in fact being unrighteous. To be righteous is to DO what the King said do, and NOT DO what the King has forbidden. We are to obey our King in all things for our own sake, and for the sake of those around us.

Proverbs 11:19 (ESV) Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die.

Proverbs 15:9 (ESV) The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but {God} loves him who pursues righteousness.

Proverbs 21:21 (ESV) Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.

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

2 Timothy 2:22 (ESV) So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

The Kingdom of God is NOT meat and drink, BUT righteousness (doing what Jesus said do, and avoiding sin), and peace (the lack of war), and joy in the Holy Spirit. We are a saved people. We are to …

Colossians 1:10 (ESV) … walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Where there is a lack of peace in a Church, this is a sure sign that righteousness is not being observed. Where there is a lack of joy in a Church, this is a sure sign that God the Holy Spirit is not present in its meetings. But where the Kingdom of God IS, there will always be RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, and JOY in the Holy Spirit. Let us, as God’s children, reckon ourselves in the Kingdom of God. As good citizens of that kingdom, let us live so as to honor our Lord. We are called to serve Christ in these things, in RIGHTEOUSNESS, and PEACE, and JOY. We end with the Apostle’s words:

Romans 14:19-21 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. 20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offense. 21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

May God the Holy Spirit drive these truths deeply into our hearts. Let us live so as to please our King Jesus. Amen and Amen!

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Mislabeling Jesus

Posted on June 12, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Rodolfo Clix: https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-image-of-person-praying-1615776/

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Mark chapter 3.

This world has lost its mind
and Satan is Driving The Bus

In 1970 the State of California passed The “California Endangered Species Act”, which protects certain plants and animals species. Section 45 of that Act defines fish as “mollusk, crustaceans, invertebrate, amphibians”. On May 31, 2022, California’s 3rd District Court of Appeals declared that – since bees are invertebrate – that bees are in fact fish, and are a protected species under this act. Though I understand the intent is to protects bees (and I’m all for protecting those little pollinators), to relabel “fish” as “bees” makes absolutely no sense. Or maybe it does. The Bible says:

Ephesians 6:12 (ESV) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places …

Lucifer, also called “The Great Dragon”, “The Ancient Serpent”, “The Devil”, “Satan” (which means “the Accuser”), and “The Deceiver of the Whole World” (see Revelation 12:9) is constantly at work in this world, twisting and relabeling truth so as to increase the power of darkness.

Satan’s game is confusion. Just today I passed a rainbow colored flag with the words, “Love Always Wins” in the middle of it. Love does always win – but only love as God defines love wins. The devil is famous for twisting God’s truth. After all, it was He who told Adam, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’? You will not surely die. God knows that when you eat of the forbidden tree your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-5).

In other news, people are leaving folded dollar bills on the ground in Giles County, Tennessee. If you see one, don’t pick it up. The Sheriff’s Department said that people are lacing the bills with Fentanyl and Methamphetamine. Why? So you can pick it up, and get hooked on these drugs. They can be absorbed through the skin. Satan is driving the bus! Are you at Mark 3?

Mark 3:1-2 And He {Jesus} entered again into the synagogue {the “sunagoge” or gathering of Jews at Capernaum}; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. 2 And they {the Pharisees and Scribes} watched Him, whether He would heal {this man} on the sabbath day; that they might accuse Him.

The Pharisees Labeled Jesus As Evil, Worthy of Death

Already we see Satan’s hand at twisting the truth. The Pharisees and Scribes are at the Synagogue with Jesus not to worship God, but to find something they can use to “accuse” Jesus. These people have redefined religion, redefined Judaism. The Great or Primary Commandment of the Law (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:29-30; Deuteronomy 6:5; 10:12; 30:6) is

Matthew 22:37 (ESV) … You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

The second pillar of the Law is:

Matthew 22:39 (ESV) … You shall love your neighbor as yourself ..

Jesus said “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:40). That is, if you were to take the Law of God and condense it, these two commandments are the foundation upon which the Law rests. God’s faith is relational, not ritual. This unnamed man with the withered hand is suffering. If the Scribes and Pharisees were in the same position, they would want to be healed – even on the Sabbath Day. Redefining religion, they make it more ritualistic than relational. The Psalmist knew this, and said “You, O God, do not delight in sacrifice … you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings” (Psalm 51:16). God wants a relationship with us, with His people. He wants us to be in union with Him, loving Him and others.

When Jesus healed this man, the Bible says:

Mark 3:6 … the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

The Pharisees (the religious) and the Herodians (the political) wanted to “destroy” Jesus. This is the Greek ἀπόλλυμι apóllymi, {pronounced ap-ol’-loo-mee}, which means “to destroy, to render lifeless”. They wanted to murder Jesus. But this is no surprise that the Herodians wanted to murder Jesus, for when Jesus was born “Herod sought to kill {apóllymi} the young Jesus” (Matthew 2:13). Herod and his followers, along with the Pharisees and Scribes saw Jesus as the enemy. Throwing the Law of God away, they plotted to murder Him – but cloaked their sinfulness as “for the good of Israel”.

The Pharisees and Herodians saw Jesus as a nuisance, but the crowds saw Jesus another way.

Mark 3:7-10 But Jesus withdrew Himself with His disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judaea, 8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. 9 And He spake to His disciples, that a small ship should wait on Him because of the multitude, lest they should throng Him. 10 For He had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon Him for to touch Him, as many as had plagues.

The Crowds Labeled Jesus As “A Miracle Man”

Word went out from the Synagogue that Jesus healed this man with the withered hand … and the crowds took over. Jesus came to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom:

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (John 3:2)
“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17)
“the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.”
(Mark 1:15)

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to this earth to win souls to the Kingdom of God. Yet because people sought Him for healing, He was swamped by suffering and hungering people. They pursued Jesus, so much so that He went out into the wilderness. Jesus got on a ship, and moved out to the Sea of Galilee. The people pursued Him. Jesus went up into the Mountains, and the people chased Him.

The crowds loved the MIRACLES of Jesus,
but not the MESSAGE.

What is interesting is that the crowds mislabeled Jesus, but not the demons. The demons knew Jesus!

Mark 3:11 And unclean spirits, when they saw Him, fell down before Him {an attitude of worship}, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

The fallen angels knew Who Jesus was. When Jesus was in the “country of the Gergesenes” the demons cried out upon seeing Jesus, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29). The demons know Jesus. Satan knows Jesus. Dr. Ligon Duncan of Reformed Theological Seminary preached :

“The first time the term “Son of God” is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, it comes from the lips of Satan himself. It is in the temptation in Matthew chapter 4 , verses 3 and 6, where, Satan himself tempts Christ using the term applied to him as “Son of God.” Matthew does not record that to cast into doubt whether the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but to point out to you that even Satan knows the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God. There are very many enlightened people today who will suggest to you that is like believing a fairy tale, to believe the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God. In the Bible, only humans are stupid enough to deny that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Even the demons in the Bible acknowledge that the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed the divine Son of God.”

The crowds got overwhelmingly out of control, so much so that Jesus began to heal people and then tell them to not testify or tell others about the healing:

Mark 3:12 And {Jesus} straightly charged them that they should not make him known.

“Don’t tell anybody that I healed you”, Jesus told them. But people don’t listen. Once healed, they told others about Jesus the Healer. Jesus goes up into a mountain to get away from the crowds. He cannot share the Gospel for the noise of the multitude. There are no “sound” rooms. There are no microphones, nor speakers on the walls. There are no Power Point screens, nor hymnals. There is just Jesus, with all the limitations that the human body has. Jesus cannot speak above the noise of the crowds – and people need to hear the Gospel.

People need to know what the demons know,
that Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus goes up on a mountain, and chooses 12 Apostles. The crowd follows Him. To alleviate the crowds, Jesus gives His Apostles power to heal:

Mark 3:14-15 And {Jesus} ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach, 15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

The Apostles were to go forth and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, and to heal the sick, and cast out demons. Jesus gives this power to each and every Apostle – including Judas Iscariot who will betray Him (Mark 3:19).

Jesus next travels to Simon Peter’s home. At this home we’re told that Jesus gains another two new labels.

Jesus Is Either Crazy, Or Demon Possessed

Mark 3:20-22 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself. 22 And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.

The demons know Jesus as the Son of God, but Jesus’ “friends” believe that Jesus is crazy. The word translated “friends” is the Greek παρά pará, {pronounced par-ah’}, which literally means “those nearby”. Those who were closest to Jesus thought He had lost His mind. The Apostle said, “For even His own brothers did not believe in Him” (John 7:5). We read later in our text:

Mark 3:31 There came then His brethren and His mother, and, standing without, sent unto Him, calling Him.

This is the “Rescue Committee”, come to save Jesus from His folly. Don’t Jesus know that He is inciting a riot? Don’t Jesus know that the Pharisees and the Herodians are plotting His death? We love Jesus, and don’t want Him hurt. So we want to step in, to intervene, to shut that Boy up before He gets Himself into a mess we can’t get Him out of.

Then you have the “scribes which came down from Jerusalem”. They followed Jesus to Capernaum with the intent of defaming Him. The “scribes” are Bible scholars, and when they spoke, they spoke with authority.

Jesus’ family thought Jesus was “Out of His Mind”.
The Scribes thought Jesus was just Demon Possessed:
Out of His Body. The Light’s on, but Jesus isn’t home.

Jesus hasn’t had time to eat anything, the press of the crowd is so great. But Jesus now calls His Apostles, and opens the door of Peter’s home in Capernaum. Jesus speaks a series of parables. Jesus always spoke in parables when He was giving information to His followers, but hiding spiritual truths from unbelievers. Jesus said:

Matthew 13:13 (ESV) This is why I speak to them {the lost} in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

The lost world cannot understand the deeper truths of the Kingdom of God. They see Jesus healing, and chase Him as a Healer. Jesus is much more than a Healer. The lost world misunderstands Jesus. “He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth He out devils”. Jesus is crazy, or He is demon possessed. Jesus replies to these charges with three simple but similar parables:

Mark 3:24-26 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.

Jesus Christ Is The Son Of God’s Kingdom,
The Head Of The House Of Christ,
The Sender Of God’s Holy Spirit

Jesus Christ came preaching “The kingdom of God”, not “The Kingdom of Satan”. Jesus said, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent” (Luke 4:43, NKJV). Jesus did not come to this earth to just give temporal healing. We are all dying creatures, broken creatures. Jesus came to this earth as the Son of God, bidding us to believe on Him, to receive Him as Lord and Savior. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Healing is a part of Jesus’ Kingdom. “Jesus sent His Apostles to preach the Kingdom of God AND to heal the sick” (Luke 9:2). Jesus Christ called people into His Kingdom through repentance and belief in the good news of Christ. “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:14-15).

Salvation comes by receiving Jesus Christ as THE King of the kingdom of God. We are to REPENT, to turn from self and worldliness, and to turn TO Jesus as our Prophet, Priest, and King. We are to live our lives to please Him, not ourselves.

Jesus cast out demons because He is establishing the Kingdom of God, not the kingdom of Satan. Those who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are a part of His Kingdom, a Kingdom that shall never end.

Jesus came preaching the “house” of Christ. When people were saved under the Old Covenant, they were considered of the “house of Moses”. The Pharisees and Scribes are of the “house of Moses”. They are focused on the rituals, the

rite of circumcision,
ritual of animal sacrifice
rules of clean and unclean animals
requirements of special feasts and sabbaths

Those who are saved are not of the “house of Moses”, but are under the New Covenant. We are of the “house of Christ”. We are saved by faith in Jesus. We are saved because we KNOW Jesus. We have a RELATIONSHIP of LOVE with Jesus. The Scripture says:

Hebrews 3:4-6 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. 5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; 6 But Christ as a Son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Moses was a servant unto God. The House God built through Moses was the House of Servants. But Jesus Christ is THE SON OF GOD. The House that Jesus presides over is not a House of Servants, but a House of Sons and Daughters. We are the House of Christ, “if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end”. Our hope is not based on our strength, or our abilities to keep the rituals. Our hope is in Christ Jesus. Our love is to Jesus. Our completion is not in our ability to keep the Law of God flawlessly, but that our trust and love is in Jesus. The Apostle said:

Colossians 2:10-11, 13-14, 16-17 And ye are complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power: 11 In Whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: … 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; … 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

When you receive Jesus Christ as He truly is – our Lord and Savior – God the Holy Spirit enters your life and effects a change in you. Jesus cast out devils not by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, but with the Holy Spirit of God. Once you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you begin to follow Him in love. Do you know why I love Jesus? Heed this next parable:

Mark 3:27 No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

This is a very simple parable, but on that is often misunderstood. The “strong man’s house” is the life that has not received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Lucifer, also called “The Great Dragon”, “The Ancient Serpent”, “The Devil”, “Satan” (which means “the Accuser”), and “The Deceiver of the Whole World” (see Revelation 12:9) is constantly at work in this world, twisting and relabeling truth so as to increase the power of darkness. The Devil is the “strong man”, and no one can enter the “strong man’s house” unless Someone stronger enter that house first and bind the “strong man”.

Jesus is the One Who – accompanied with the Holy Spirit of God – enters the “strong man’s house”. Jesus is stronger than the devil. He is stronger than evil.

Jesus Christ is God’s invading force. He and the Holy Spirit work together to bring believers into the House of Christ and the Kingdom of God. Those whom God saves, God will sanctify. Those whom God saves, He will change their hearts, writing His Law in their heart. We who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are under a New Covenant. God says:

Hebrews 10:16-17 (ESV) “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” 17 then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

Pastor John Piper said:

“Hebrews is teaching that, when we are born again, God gives us a new heart and a new spirit, and the result is that the law of God written in Scripture is no longer offensive to us. We are no longer hostile to it like Paul says in Romans 8:7. We are not hostile to the word of God, but rather, we are submissive. We delight to do God’s commandments. It doesn’t mean that we know them all by heart, because they are written on our hearts. It doesn’t mean that. It means that, when we read them in the word, the inclination to do them is in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. This is a great work of the Holy Spirit, purchased by the blood of Christ called the new covenant.”

When the Scribes attributed Jesus’ work to that of Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, Jesus warned them. He said:

Mark 3:28-30 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation. 30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

What damns a soul to hell? Rejection of the call of Christ. To turn away from the call that God is putting your hearts right now, to reject Jesus by mislabeling Him as Evil, the partner of Beelzebub, or the Miracle Man, will only bring you condemnation. You need Jesus. You need Him Who gave His life for you. You need to receive Him. Confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the grave, and you SHALL be saved. May God touch your hearts with His Word! Amen and Amen!

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