Four Kings

Posted on February 21, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
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Tonight we’re going to start out in the Old Testament, in some books that you have seldom read, and will be talking about some people you may never have heard of. Turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Chronicles chapter 8. This is in the Old Testament, the 13th Book from Genesis:

Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 & 2 Samuel
1 & 2 Kings
1 & 2 Chronicles

Opening: A preacher was preaching one Sunday night when he saw one of the flock was fast asleep. Pointing to a man next to the culprit, he told that man “Wake her up, Brother!” The man replied, “You put her to sleep, you wake her up!” I’ll try not to put you to sleep tonight!

As you look at 1 Chronicles 8 you’ll quickly notice why people often skip over these books. It looks like a phone book. If you would, go down to verses 33 & 34:

1 Chronicles 8:33-35 And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal. 34 And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal; and Meribbaal begat Micah. 35 And the sons of Micah were, Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea, and Ahaz.

Now turn to the next chapter.

1 Chronicles 9:39-41 And Ner begat Kish; and Kish begat Saul; and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal. 40 And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal: and Meribbaal begat Micah. 41 And the sons of Micah were, Pithon, and Melech, and Tahrea, and Ahaz.

If you compare what we read in 1 Chronicles 8 with 1 Chronicles 9, you will see that these two sets of Scripture are exactly the same. Now, why would God repeat something exactly the same in two chapters, unless God wanted us to emphasize something, to learn something from this as believers in Christ? The Bible says:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the {child} of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

“All Scripture” is theópneustos, “God breathed”. Why would God waste His breath on something like this … unless it is no waste. Look at the names mentioned. You may not be acquainted with Ner or Kish, but you Bible students should recognize the names of Saul and Jonathan.

Saul Is A King That Started Great, But Ended Badly

Saul was the first human king of Israel. God was supposed to be the King of Israel, but Israel wanted to be like the other nations.

Samuel the Prophet begged Israel not to choose a King over God. Our God is the best King. “For the LORD {YAHWEH} is the Great God, the Great King above all gods!” (Psalm 95:3). Yet Israel would not listen. Samuel told the elders of Israel:

A King will take your sons (1 Samuel 8:11)
A King will take your daughters (1 Samuel 8:13)
A King will take your fields (1 Samuel 8:14)
A King will tax you, taking a tenth of everything (1 Samuel 8:15, 17)

Would Israel hear? No! The Bible says, “the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the {other} nations” (1 Samuel 8:19-20, ESV). God in His Grace (our God is so Gracious and good) told Samuel the Prophet:

“They have not rejected you, Samuel. Israel has rejected Me, and does not want me to rule over them” (1 Samuel 8:7)

God chose a perfect specimen of a man to be the first human King of Israel. God chose a man who was the son of Kish, a man of the Tribe of Benjamin, “a mighty man of power” (1 Samuel 9:1). Kish had a son named Saul. Saul was described as “a handsome young man, the most handsome man in all of Israel” (1 Samuel 9:2). The Bible says that God told Samuel,

1 Samuel 9:16-17 (my paraphrase) … “I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him {King} over My people Israel … when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, “Behold, the man I was speaking of! He shall reign over my people”…

When Saul started out as King, he walked with God. The “Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he prophesied. God was with him.”
(1 Samuel 10:6-7).

When Saul was presented to the people as King, “all the people shouted, and said, God save the King” (1 Samuel 10:24). Saul started out as a very good King. He was a humble man who loved the Lord. When Saul started his reign he ruled as the Spirit of God came on him (1 Samuel 11:6). When some of Israel decided to rebel against Saul’s rule, “the fear of the Lord fell on the people” (1 Samuel 11:7), and the people repented. Later when Israel cried out that the rebels be killed, Saul said:

1 Samuel 11:13 … there shall not a man be put to death this day: for today the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel …

The Prophet Samuel told Saul – and Israel – a great truth we need to remember:

1 Samuel 12:20-25 … Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart; 21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. 22 For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people. 23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: 24 Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. 25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.

Saul was a believer in God. He was saved by Grace, elevated to be King by Grace. All that he had, he had by the Grace of God. But Saul took his focus off of God. He began to look at himself, and to think that he was good enough, great enough to be King. He began to think that he deserved the Grace that saved him.

Application: Beloved, none of us deserve the Grace of God! The Scripture tells us that we as Christians are royalty. The Scripture says that we owe everything to Jesus, we owe everything to God. We are to live …

Revelation 1:5-6 … Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

He has made us kings and priests. God has, through Grace, “blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). We are to live as Kings and Priests unto God, but we are never to look at ourselves and believe that we are worthy of what we have. Lucifer was God’s greatest Angel, an Arch Angel, until he looked at himself in the mirror and thought himself responsible for his greatness. Lucifer thought that he “could be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:14). But he fell, and will fall, and will one day be cast into a Lake of Fire that burns forever and ever. Saul took his eyes off of God. Samuel told Saul:

1 Samuel 13:13-14 … the Lord {would} have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. … 14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart…

Beloved, salvation is by Grace alone, but blessing is by OBEDIENCE. When we turn away from God, and love ourselves or other things more than Him, we can lose the blessing of the Christian life. God wants us to walk through this life as Kings and Priests, victors over the elements of this world. God loves us, and wants the best for us always.

Jonathan Is An Innocent Royal Who Suffers
Undeservedly But Lives Loving God

1 Chronicles 9:39 And Ner begat Kish; and Kish begat Saul; and Saul begat Jonathan…

When Saul lost the favor of God, the Lord chose a shepherd by the name of David to be the next King of Israel. David would be anointed King by Saul on three different occasions:

  • When he was a young shepherd boy (1 Samuel 16:13-14). On that same day the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul.
  • When Saul died, the men of Judah anointed David over the House of Judah (2 Samuel 2:1-4)
  • When David actually ascended to the throne in Hebron (2 Samuel 5:1-3). David was 30 years old at that time.

When God tells Saul that he is going to lose the throne, Saul refuses to repent and heed the Lord. We do not know how old Saul was when he began to reign, but we know that David was a young shepherd when he was first anointed. An evil spirit came on Saul, and Saul needed to be calmed. Saul was told that David was a skillful harp player, and Saul called for David to play the harp to calm himself (1 Samuel 16:18-21). Saul initially loved David, and made David his armor bearer, a trusted position. Here’s the point: For around 15 years David – though anointed King by Samuel – served Saul the King. As Saul began to realize that David was his replacement, Saul sought out David’s life. But David had a friend, a best friend.

David’s best friend was Saul’s oldest son Jonathan.

I’m sure that Saul shared with Jonathan his hatred of David. As the oldest son, when Saul stepped down as King, Jonathan would have been King. Yet Jonathan never sought out the position. There were several times when Saul sought to kill David, but Jonathan intervened and saved his best friend.

Jonathan loved the Lord! Though Jonathan led 1000 men (1 Samuel 13:2), his eyes were always on God. We are told in:

1 Samuel 14:6 … Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armor, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised {Philistines}: it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few.

God worked a miracle, and after Jonathan killed 20 Philistines, the Lord in the confusion caused the Philistines to turn their swords against each other (1 Samuel 14:20). Jonathan trusted God. When Jonathan’s father ruled wrongly, he said “My father hath troubled the land” (1 Samuel 14:29).

Saul began to actively seek the life of David. When Jonathan protected David, Saul told him:

1 Samuel 20:30-32 … Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse {David} to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother’s nakedness? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die. 32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?

Though Jonathan refused to help his father kill David (for David was the Lord’s anointed), Jonathan never betrayed his father. He refused to take on his father’s bad traits, but obeyed God Who commanded,

Exodus 20:12 Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Jonathan acted like a King should act, though he never ascended to the throne. Jonathan honored God’s wishes, and refused to help his father do evil, though he loved and supported his father. The Bible tells us that Jonathan died with his father in battle at Mount Gilboa:

1 Samuel 31:2-4 … And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan … and Saul was wounded of the archers … therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it…

Application: As Christians, we are first and foremost Children of the King. We are Kings and Priests unto God because Jesus Christ is king of Kings and Lord of Lords. Our love for God must ALWAYS be greater than our love for others. Jesus said that the Great Commandment is:

Mark 12:30 … thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

And directed us as His people to put Him first in our hearts. He said:

Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

We are to honor our parents, to love our spouses, to love others the way that we want to be loved. And yet, our first allegiance must always be to the Lord.

Meribbaal Reminds Us That Our God
Is Always Faithful

1 Chronicles 8:34 And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal; and Meribbaal begat Micah.

Saul had four sons, of which Jonathan was the first. But Jonathan only had one son, and his name was Meribbaal. The name Meribbaal is only mentioned twice in the Scripture, in the texts that we started out with tonight. The name Meribbaal means “he that resists or contends against Baal”. Baal is the name of a false god that the Canaanites and Phoenicians worshiped, the so called god of fertility, and the god of rain and dew. As Jonathan loved the Lord, and parents named their children with meaning, Meribbaal was expected by his father to be a great believer. As the only son of Jonathan, Meribbaal was royalty – he would have succeeded the throne of Jonathan had ever ascended.

Meribbaal was five years old when his grandfather Saul and his father Jonathan were killed in battle by the Philistines. When word came to the palace that Saul and Jonathan were dead, the Bible says:

2 Samuel 4:4 … Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

What is happening here? Back in those days, when a king was killed, the enemy would often come and kill the rest of the family so they could take over the throne. Jonathan only had one son, Meribbaal. When news came that both Saul and Jonathan were dead, Meribbaal’s nurse grabbed up the boy to run away and protect the child. In her haste, the little boy had a bad fall that crippled him in both feet. He “became lame”.

The nurse took the child to a place call Lodebar. The name of that place is very interesting. The nurse suspected that either the Philistines or David himself would seek to kill little Meribbaal. So she took him to Lodebar, the Hebrew לֹא דְבַר Lôʼ Dᵉbar which means “this is not a pasture”. Israel was a society that loved farming and animal husbandry. Areas that were arid, or dead, were not considered prime real estate. The nurse, in essence, took little Meribbaal to a slum to raise him. She also changed his name.

Meribbaal became Mephibosheth

Hitchcock’s Bible Dictionary notes that Mephibosheth means, “Out of my mouth proceeds reproach”. Reproach is to address others in such a way as to express disapproval or disappointment. Meribbaal was hurt as a child, and grew up lame in a poor, pastureless place. His father wanted him to grow up and fight against idolatry, standing up for the True God of the Scripture. Yet over time Meribbaal became Mephibosheth. He was alone. Abandoned of God. In a dark place, and God cared nothing for him.

Application: Beloved, we have all been in dark places, depressive places, horrid places. And yet we must never forget that our God is faithful. Perhaps you have been hurt by someone else, and are suffering the consequences. God is still faithful. We need to remember that, like Mephibosheth, we all have been crippled by a fall. Our forefather Adam brought sin into the world. What does the Scripture say?

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

There are forces in the world that we have no control over. Things happen. Hurts come. Sometimes we fail ourselves. But Jesus Christ came to this earth to give us power to live.

The promise of God is that, if we trust in Jesus, and receive Him as Lord and Savior, He brings us into the palace and the plan of God. He is faithful, and will never leave us nor forsake us.

Our God is gracious. Our God is good! We must never allow our circumstances to dictate how we live our lives. We are to live our lives as royalty, as children of the King of Kings. We are to be grace oriented. The Scripture says “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1). Our God will not abandon His children. “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18). Jesus Christ did not die for our sins, and rise from the grave, to abandon us in Lodebar. No. Though Meribbaal had a wrong grandfather, and a dead father, His Heavenly Father was still there. As a pastor friend of mine often used to say:

When I don’t understand the HAND of God,
I trust the HEART of God!

King David, the fourth King, has just defeated the Philistines, the Moabites, and the Syrians. David is sitting in the palace, and begins to miss his best friend Jonathan. David sees a servant of Saul’s by the name of Ziba. David asks Ziba:

2 Samuel 9:3 … Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him?

David bears no grudges against Saul. God has said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19). Ziba replies:

2 Samuel 9:3-4 Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet. 4 And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar.

David sent for Mephibosheth. As Mephibosheth grew up in that desolate place, I’m sure he dreaded the day he would have to meet the King David. Now the palace guards come and fetch him. Mephibosheth comes into the throne room and, falling on his face, says, “Behold thy servant!”. What does David say to Mephibosheth?

“Fear not”.

David tasted the grace of God in his ascension to the throne. Now David tells Mephibosheth:

2 Samuel 9:7 … I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.

Mephibosheth asks David, “Who am I, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I am?” (verse 8). David doesn’t answer Mephibosheth, but tells Ziba:

2 Samuel 9:9-10 … I have given unto thy master’s son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house. 10 Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master’s son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master’s son shall eat bread always at my table.

God’s grace is so good! Mephibosheth was still lame in his feet, but he was no longer in Lodebar. He was where the child of a King should be. Beloved, God’s Grace is sufficient for us all! (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Application: We do not earn nor deserve God’s grace. We are not worthy of God’s grace. But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Trust God. Lift up your fallen brothers and sisters. Live like children of the King, not like sons of Adam. Trust Him Who is our Lord and Savior. Do not allow your circumstances to change you from Meribbaal to Mephibosheth. Keep your eyes on your Lord Jesus. And remember His promise:

Psalm 37:3-8 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

May God the Holy Spirit speak to your hearts through His Word this very day. Amen and amen!

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In Christ A New Creature

Posted on February 20, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
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2 Corinthians 5:14-17 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. 16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Opening: I loved being in the Air Force, and working around the bombers and fighters that brave men and women fly to protect our great nation. I started out as a “Food Service Technician”, but after 7 years I was cross trained to actually work on these aircraft.

I never worked on propeller type aircraft, but on jets. Jet engines produce more thrust, and can cause the aircraft to fly much faster than the older “props” could. One concern we always had when working on and around jets was “foreign object damage”. We signed out our tool kits, and counted every piece before and after a job. If a tool was left where it could be “sucked up” by the jet turbines, it could literally destroy the whole aircraft. Before launching the aircraft we walked the length and breadth of the flight line, insuring there were no loose objects that could be “sucked up” into the jet engine. If the engine breaks, the whole aircraft is broke!

Just as a piece of “foreign object” can “ground” a jet aircraft …

A Poor Understanding Of Salvation
“Grounds” The Gospel

2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us …

Word Study: Some of the old English of the King James often obscures the meaning of the verse. The word “constraineth” is the Greek συνέχω synéchō, {pronounced soon-ekh’-o}, which means “to hold together lest we fall to pieces, to control, to press on every side”. It is the love of God that holds God’s people together. Love is the driving force. The fact that God loves us with an unconditional love, and as we have been loved, we are to love others.

I hear people today say “Why do we need the Church? Why can’t we just gather online, or in a meta-verse, and worship God in virtual reality?” It is because those saved by the Gospel MUST manifest LOVE toward God and others. You cannot do that with a computer or telephone screen.

Listen to this test for the genuineness of faith.

1 John 4:7-12 (ESV) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

In the text I just read to you, the Apostle John used the word some form of the word “Love” thirteen times. Do you think he is trying to tell us something? Religion does not control the Church, nor the Christian life. Love does. Love expressed does. This is why Satan has worked so hard to redefine “love” in our world today. To the lost, “love” means whatever benefits or satisfies ME. But this is not love, but selfishness and self absorption.

When the Apostle wrote, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love”, he was not speaking of the love of the world. The love of the world is a self love, a desire to gratify oneself above all others. The love of the world is selfish. The love of God is entirely selfless. What do we see when we look at the love of God? We read, the “love of God was made manifest among us”. God’s love was revealed to us. How? “God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him”. Jesus Christ came into the world – God’s only Son – so that He might give us life. God “loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins”. That word “propitiation” is the Greek ἱλασμός hilasmós, {pronounced hil-as-mos’}, which means “atonement, to covering for sin, that which pleases God”.

All of us are born into this world as sinners, dead in our trespasses, enslaved to the flesh. Jesus Christ died for all. Are all truly sinners? Aren’t babies innocent of sin? Aren’t there good and moral people in this world? Yes, there are good and moral people, and yes, babies are in a sense innocent, unknowing as to what is good or evil.

But none of us are right in God’s sight apart from the loving Gift of Jesus Christ.

Illustrate: So many people think they are better than others because of their breeding, or their lineage. Someone told Adrian Rogers one time that they traced their lineage all the way to the Mayflower. Adrian told them, “I traced my lineage even further back than the Mayflower. I come from a crooked farmer, and a drunken sailor.” What he was talking about is that he – and all of us – can trace our lineage back to a crooked farmer (Adam) and a drunken sailor (Noah). We all start out in the same place.

We are dead to God!

2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ {controls us/ holds us together}; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

“one died for all, then were all dead”. Every person born into this life is born physically alive, but spiritually dead. We all fall short of God’s glory because we enter this life as a child of Adam. The Bible says:

Romans 3:23-25 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Word Study: All fall short of God’s glory. All sin. All miss the mark of righteousness. But Jesus Christ came to be the “propitiation” or covering for our sin. The word “propitiation”, is the Greek ἱλασμός hilasmos, meaning the “atonement, the covering for sin, that which pleases God”.

Jesus Christ “died for all”. If there was a way to be righteous and accepted to God in our own power, then why did Christ “die for all”? There is no other way unto God but through faith in Jesus Christ. Our Jesus, in love with us while we were yet unlovable, died on the Cross of Calvary for everyone. The Scripture says:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

We are all born into this world physically alive, but spiritually dead. For this reason Jesus tasted death for us all!

Hebrews 2:9 …. we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every {PERSON}.

Jesus died for our sins. He took on death, and dying on Calvary, became the death of death. What good news this is!

1 John 2:1-2 … My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And {Jesus} is the propitiation {hilasmos} for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Jesus was born into this world to die for every person who has ever been born of woman. The love of God caused Him to send His Son to die for our sins.

But His death changes things.

The Saved Believer Is Called To Love & Live For Jesus

2 Corinthians 5:15 And that {Jesus} died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

We are born again by faith in Jesus to live UNTO HIM! Not unto ourselves, but UNTO HIM!

Illustrate: The difference between the lost and the saved is that the saved live for Jesus. The saved love Jesus. The lost just love themselves. What happens every time a lost person gives a BIG CHECK to some charity? They call the news reporters. They get the check ENLARGED so all can see it. They put on a press conference, and show off the handing off of that check. It is not the LOVE OF CHRIST that drives them, but the LOVE OF SELF.

The old, lost creature, the unsaved person is dead in trespasses and in sins. The Christian is MADE ALIVE! Read with me:

Ephesians 2:1-6 (ESV) And 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. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus …

Before we met Jesus, we were old, dead creatures, following the same patterns as all the children of Adam do. “Dead in trespasses and sins” our “walk” or our pattern of life was to walk apart from God, while we followed the “course of this world”. As dead things, we followed after the Prince of Death. Dead things obey Satan rather than God. Dead things do what satisfy ourselves first. Dead things do not love their neighbor. Dead things are self absorbed. Dead things decay. When you were dead in trespasses and in sins, you lived according to darkness and Satan. But if we are alive, saved by faith in Christ Jesus, then we “should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again”.

The lost person follows the pathway that all lost people follow. They wander far from God. The saved person, the one who has received Christ as Lord and Savior, should want to live their lives for Him!

You were saved to live your life for Him, for Jesus. You were saved to love Jesus and love one another. You were saved to be indwelt by the Spirit of Christ, not by the Spirit of disobedience. Jesus did not give His life on Calvary so that we could be just like those without Him. No, Jesus said:

John 10:9-11 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Jesus wants us to have “life”, a “more abundant”. Life. We are not called to just exist, but to walk with our Jesus every single day.

We Show Love To Jesus And Others
By Ministering Reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

Word Study: Five times the Apostle uses some form of “reconciliation” in this text. We are “reconciled” to God and to one another through Jesus Christ. The word “reconciled” is the Greek καταλλάσσω katallássō, {pronounced kat-al-las’-so}, which means “to bring together in harmony, to restore to fellowship”. In Adam, we were far from Jesus. While we chased after the things of this world, the Lord was far from us. He was not far away physically, “for in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). God is everywhere, and there is no where where God is not. As David said, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” (Psalm 139:7). God is everywhere. He said, “those that seek Me early shall find Me” (Proverbs 8:17). God was far from us – but not because of His failure, but ours.

Once we received Jesus as Lord and Savior we were “reconciled to God”. He is now near to us, not far away. Listen Beloved, we are not all children of God. We are all creations of God, but only those who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are His children. We who have received Jesus are no longer enemies of God. We are told in …

Romans 5:6-11 (ESV) For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The death of Jesus on Calvary covered our sins. Covering our sins, we are reconciled to God, that is, there is peace between the believer and God. While we were ENEMIES, Christ died for us.

We love our enemies as Jesus loved us when we were enemies. We share the means to reconciliation through Jesus to whosoever will hear.

Are You, Dear Soul, “In Christ”?

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore IF any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

“in Christ” we are “new creature”. We are not just reconciled to God (for He is our Father), but we have the ministry of reconciliation. We know that …

Mark 12:27 {God} is not the God of the DEAD, but the God of the LIVING.

Dead creatures – children of Adam – serve the world, the flesh, and the devil. Living creatures – those “born again … by the Word of God, which lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23) – these serve the Lord. We are not to live solely unto ourselves, but “unto Him Who died for us, and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:15).

If anyone is IN CHRIST, we are new creatures. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature”. “in Christ!” These two wonderful words – “in Christ” – are found 78 times in Scripture. What should be think of these words?

  • The New Creature, the Christian, is “in Christ” like Noah and his family were in the Ark. Oh, God made provision for any who would to come into the Ark. For 120 years Noah preached salvation by faith in Christ. Noah found the grace of God (Genesis 6:8), but the world around him did not. All about Noah people were “in themselves” and “in the world”, yet refused to get in the Ark. God told Noah that destruction was coming. God told Noah to heed His command, to build an Ark, and to get on the boat. Judgment was coming. Then one day, it did. As judgment rained down on the earth, Noah and his family were in the Ark. They floated above the Divine Judgment. Beloved, if you are “in Christ”, then like Noah and his family, you will be carried above the waves of God’s punishment!
  • The New Creature, the Christian, is “in Christ” like the ancient Israeli was in the city of refuge. God made a provision in His Law that protected the ancient Israelite from vengeance. God allowed His priests to establish “cities of refuge” that a sinner could run to. While in that city, the sinner was protected from the blood avenger, and his case was heard. “The Eternal God is our Refuge; and underneath are the everlasting arms! He thrusts out the enemy from before me.” (Deuteronomy 33:27) “God is my Rock; in Him will I trust: He is my Shield, the Horn of my Salvation, my High Tower, my Refuge, my Savior! (2 Samuel 22:3). In God is my salvation and my glory: the Rock of my strength, and my Refuge, is in God! (Psalm 62:7).
  • If you are “in Christ”, you have access to God like the High Priest had in the ancient Holy of Holies. You can come boldly before the Throne of Grace. In Christ, God dwells in you. You do not go to a temple, but you ARE a Temple. God lives in the Temple of your body. “know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
  • If you are “In Christ”, you are attached to Jesus like the branch is attached to the Vine. Jesus said in John 15:5, “ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing”. We who are “in Christ” drink of the spirit of Christ. Our fruit is not hatred, strife, envy, sexual perversion, lying, or anything that resembles death. The fruit of the believer in Christ is “love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance – against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
  • If I am “In Christ”, then I am part of the “workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). Jesus Christ is my cornerstone, and we who believe are “lively stones, built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Each believer, saved, and a New Creature is a priest before God. We lovingly serve our Lord on this earth until the day He calls us home to be with Him in glory. As His people we are assured that death has no hold on us.
  • If I am “In Christ”, then I know this life is but the beginning of a much greater life to come in glory!

2 Corinthians 5:1-4 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

When a Christian dies physically, what happens spiritually is both beautiful and amazing. We have a “an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens”. We have a glorified body awaiting us, and the promise of eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ. What a glorious truth this is. We are not burdened with how short this life is, but we who are in Christ groan, wanting to be clothed upon with our new residence.

Oh, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Are you “in Christ”? If so, you are a part of Heaven’s Fabric. Faith and love have come together in your life as warp and weave. God bids you tell others about Jesus, to tell the world that He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no one comes to the Father but by Him” (John 14:6). If you are not “in Christ”, then there is no better day to be saved. Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). May God move you to a glorious walk with Him this very day. Amen and Amen!

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Witnesses Unto Me

Posted on February 17, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Maan Limburg on Unsplash

Acts 1:8-10But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy {Spirit} is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

What does it mean to be a “Witness” for the Lord?

Is it just to tell others how to be saved, to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? Certainly, we must tell others about Jesus. But being a “witness” for Jesus means to stand out and stand up for what our Lord taught. Jesus Himself is known as:

Revelation 1:5 … the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood

Word Study: Our Lord Jesus is “the faithful witness”. The word translated “witness” in Revelation 1:5 and in our opening text in Acts “witnesses” is the Greek μάρτυς mártys, {pronounced mar’-toos}. Mártys originally meant “a witness, one who can bear record to a truth”. When the word was first used, mártys is not yet associated with anything dark.

When Jesus came to this earth, our Lord “the faithful witness” was hounded, hated, and ultimately HUNG on a Cross for our sins.

Being a faithful witness means that, like Jesus, there is a degree of suffering and shame that goes with it. Jesus is the “Light of the world” (John 8:12; 9:5), and His followers are to be the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). And yet, the world walks in darkness. The testimony of Christ is that:

John 3:19 … Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Jesus is Light. God’s Word is Light. But people, dead in their trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13), do not want light, but darkness. As The Faithful Witness {mártys} Jesus was HOUNDED, HATED, and HUNG for being the Light. We who are His need to understand that – as He suffered – so we may suffer.

Did I mention that mártys not only means “witness”, but it is also where we get our word MARTYR?

To be a witness for Jesus means to stand out and stand up, just as Jesus did. To stand against the darkness, and to let God shine through you. Jesus told us:

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy {Spirit} is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me..

Jesus did not expect His disciples to witness in their own power, but to see the power of God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given so that we could be “witnesses”, mártys, martyrs for Jesus. The way of Christ has been very easy in America in the past. Up until a few years ago, we were built on a Christian heritage. But after years of coasting by the Church and pushing by the darkness, America has entered an age where we are, as a nation, in full blown paganism.

We are in much the same state that the early Church was in. But Beloved, God is with us. Scripture says that our Lord Jesus:

Hebrews 13:12 … that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate.

Jesus was cast out of the city of Jerusalem, crucified on a hill we call Calvary, found in Golgotha. He did this so that we might be saved and become sons and daughters of God. If our Lord suffered, we most likely will have to suffer. The Apostle wrote:

Romans 8:14-17 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 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. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Witnessing Faithfully Comes With
A Degree Of Suffering

Our witness, our mártys for Jesus may come with suffering. However, there is coming a day when we shall be “glorified together” with Jesus. And we do not go through this alone, but God the Holy Spirit goes with us, empowering us for what is to come.

As we have studied in the Book of Acts, there is always resistance to the Light of Christ. This is natural in a fallen world.

The first mártys in the early Church to give his life for Jesus was called Stephen, a Deacon and a faithful believer in the early Church. The Encyclopedia Brittanica notes:

“His defense of his faith before the rabbinic court enraged his Jewish audience, and he was taken out of the city and stoned to death. His final words, a prayer of forgiveness for his attackers (Acts of the Apostles 7:60), echo those of Jesus on the cross.”

As Jesus prayed “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34), Stephen prayed “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge” (Acts 7:60). The Apostle Paul – then known as “Saul”, was at Stephen’s execution. When Paul later gave his witness or mártys outside the Temple in Jerusalem, he spoke his calling from God:

Acts 22:12-21 … one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, 13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. 14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One {Jesus Christ}, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. 15 For thou shalt be {Jesus’} witness {mártys} unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. 16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. 17 And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; 18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. 19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee: 20 And when the blood of thy martyr {mártys} Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. 21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

It’s interesting that the King James translators translate the word mártys first as “witness” when applied to Paul, but as “martyr” when applied to Stephen. The Apostle Paul was indeed a martyr for our faith. In 2 Corinthians chapter 11 Paul speaks of his martyrdom for our faith:

2 Corinthians 11:24-25 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep …

Jesus told Ananias, “I will shew Saul/Paul how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake”. Paul did suffer, and was eventually beheaded by Caesar for his witness for Jesus. But Paul would not be the first Apostle martyred. Right after Stephen was martyred, we read:

Acts 12:1-2 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. 2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

The Apostle known as James the Greater, brother to the Apostle John, was the first Apostle martyred. As Christianity was deemed illegal in the Roman Empire, many Christians would die for standing up for Jesus. In the Book of Revelation Jesus tells the Church at Pergamos:

Revelation 2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr {mártys}, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Pergamos (Perganum) was the first Roman town to build a Temple to the Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar. The Church at Pergamos would not acknowledge anyone as “Lord” but the Lord Jesus Christ, even though the Christian “Antipas” was brutally murdered for not worshiping Caesar.

Around 64 AD Roman Emperor Nero started a fire in Rome, and blamed the fire as something the “Christians” did. The Roman Historian Tacitus wrote:

“Their execution {the execution of Christians} was made a matter of sport: some were sewn up in the skins of wild beasts and savaged to death by dogs; others were fastened to crosses as living torches, to serve as lights when daylight failed. Nero made his gardens available for the show and held games in the Circus, mingling with the crowd or standing in his chariot in charioteer’s uniform.”

A Martyr Called Valentine

It might surprise you to know that we – every year – celebrate the martyrdom of a Christian on February 14th. I came across a USA Today article entitled, “What’s The Story Behind Valentine’s Day? (February 11, 2022)”. As a source, the article cited Repertorio de Medicina y Cirugía (The Journal Repertory of Medicine and Surgery), an academic journal. I thought the story was not only very interesting, but enlightening.

A Roman Pastor named Valentine of Terni angered the Roman Emperor Claudius II. Claudius decided he did not want his Roman Soldiers to marry, as he thought marriage diminished their efficiency at killing in the battlefield. A married man might not charge as hard, or fight as well, if he thought he would be taken from his wife. So Claudius forbade all Roman soldiers from marrying. Valentine did not agree with this. Our God designed marriage in the Garden of Eden. Marriage is one man and one woman, bound together in covenant before God. “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them” (Genesis 1:27-28).

God says that …

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

The Bible tells us that “seducing spirits”, the forces of darkness, led by Satan, are constantly working against the Light of Christ. Even some so called “believers” depart from the faith. What do they do?

1 Timothy 4:2-3 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

Marriage is honorable. Marriage is of God’s design. The Apostle Paul, though he himself was never married, wrote:

1 Corinthians 7:8-9 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I. 9 But if they cannot contain {their lust}, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

When Claudius came out with his order, Valentine refused to obey it. He continued to perform marriage ceremonies against the wishes of Emperor Claudius II. Valentine was cast into a Roman prison. The prison was overseen by a Roman Prefect (Regional Governor) named Asterius. Asterius had a daughter who was born blind. When Valentine prayed for her, her sight was restored. This so impressed Asterius that he, along with 46 members of his family, gave their lives to Jesus Christ.

The Emperor had both Valentine and Asterius beheaded on February 14, 271 AD.

We must stand together proclaiming the truths of God’s Word as immutable and unchangeable.

Our Lord Jesus said:

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

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

Many who profess Christ as Savior and Lord today have nonetheless backed away from the written truths of our God as found in the Scripture. What made King David so blessed in his life was that he was a witness to the truth of God’s Word. David unashamedly witnessed:

2 Samuel 7:28 … O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true

Psalm 119:160 Thy word {O Lord} is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

Though most people today think of “Valentine’s Day” as a time to celebrate your spouse or significant “other”, Valentine’s Day should also remind us that to stand strong for Jesus in this fallen world brings with it the possibility of persecution and death. It was the Medieval writer Geoffrey Chaucer who wrote a poem called Parlement of Foules (Parliament of Fowls). This poem is the first references to the idea that St. Valentine’s Day was a special day for lovers. Michael A.G. Haykin, a Professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, notes:

“What seems clear, though, from all that we can determine, is that Saint Valentine was a martyr — yes, a lover, but one who loved the Lord Jesus to the point of giving his life for his commitment to Christ.”

Let us be as Jesus was.
Let us be as the early Church was.
Let us be as Stephen was.
Let us be as Paul was.
Let us be as Valentine was.

Let us stand together, loving Christ and loving others. Let us be Christ’s Light, no matter what the cost. May God the Holy Spirit and His Word drive these truths deeply into our hearts. Amen and Amen!

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Message From A Basket

Posted on February 14, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Jocelyn Morales on Unsplash

Turn with me in your Bibles to Acts 9:15.

Last week we saw a man named Saul knocked down on the Damascus Road by Jesus Christ our Lord. The man was arrogant. The man was self righteous. The man was murderous. The man was calloused, with a hardened heart. But Jesus had a plan for this man’s life. Knocked down and blinded, this now repentant man was led to Damascus, where he waited three days without sight, food, or water (Acts 9:9).

Saul waited on the Lord … and on the Lord’s servant Ananias. On the third day Jesus spoke to Ananias and told him to “put your hand on him, that he might receive his sight”. Jesus was talking about more than just physical sight. When Ananias touched Saul, he would gain both physical and spiritual sight.

Saul Is A Chosen Vessel

Ananias was scared to go to Saul, but the Lord assured him. Read with me:

Acts 9:15-18 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. 17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy {Spirit}. 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized …

Word Study: Let’s talk about this before we go any further. Jesus called Saul “a chosen vessel”. The word “vessel” is the Greek σκεῦος skeûos, {pronounced skyoo’-os}, a “container or pot”, something whose value is determined by what it contains inside. If I had two skeûos or vessels before me, one filled with gold and the other filled with feathers, which skeûos would be more valuable? Certainly it would be the one filled with gold. Up to this point, Saul as a skeûos was filled with the purpose of fallen man. But Jesus is going to fill this man with something better, a greater purpose, and make his life much more valuable. This Saul was a skeûos that would, as Jesus said, “bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel” (vs 15). The other Apostles were concentrating on carrying the Gospel to other Jews. This was their first priority. God the Son did not just come to save the Jews, but to save whosoever will believe in Him (John 3:16), or “the WORLD”. As John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ to the Jews, Saul would be the forerunner of Christ to the “Gentiles”, to “kings”, and yes, still to the “children of Israel”.

We who believe are all to be skeûos for Jesus. Like Saul, we are empty unless filled with the magnificent purpose of Christ. We are to empty out of ourselves anything that is sinful or evil. Saul would later write:

2 Timothy 2:19-21 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 20 But in a great house there are not only vessels {skeûos} of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. 21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel {skeûos} unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

To do his work for Jesus, Saul would have to suffer. So many Christians believe that salvation is all about comfort. No, salvation is all about being available for Jesus to use. Jesus told Ananias, “I will shew {Saul} how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake” (vs 16). We’ll talk more about this later.

When Ananias gets to where Saul is, he lays his hands on him, and says:

Acts 9:17 Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy {Spirit}.

Saul would get both his physical as well as his spiritual sight back. We know that Saul was immediately saved, because he “he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized”. Those who serve Jesus are obediently baptized, as Jesus has commanded. The most important thing for Saul was not to eat (for he had been three days without food) nor to drink (for he had been three days without water). The most important thing for Saul was to obey the Lord Jesus Christ. After he was baptized:

Acts 9:19 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.

Saul joined himself to other disciples , and began to do the Lord’s will. He began to share the Gospel.

The World Does Not Like The Gospel
Nor Its Chosen Vessels

Acts 9:20-22 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. 21 But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? 22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.

Saul started out as the Chief Prosecutor of this “cult” they called “Christian”. But on the Damascus Road Saul underwent heart surgery. He met the Lord Jesus, and gave his life to the Master. This confused the leaders of Judaism, and especially those of the Sanhedrin, the Ruling Council of the Jews. As Saul surrendered more and more of his life to Jesus, we read:

vs 22 Saul increased the more in strength

Word Study: Robertson’s Word Studies notes, “’Increased the more’ (mallon enedunamouto). Imperfect Passive Indicative of endunamoo, to receive power (late verb), progressive increase in strength as opposition grew. Saul’s recantation stirred controversy and Saul grew in power. “”

The more the dark pushed against Saul, the more God used Saul. Before Saul knew Jesus he was driven by

Prejudice
Hatred
Religion
Pride

When people will not follow Jesus, but fill their vessel (skeûos) with the darkness of the world, they will naturally attack the light that is in Christ and His people. Darkness despises light. The devil – called “the god of this world” in Scripture – is in constant battle over light. He has even learned to mimic light. The Scripture says:

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Application: Yet the light of God, Jesus Christ, broke through the darkness of Saul’s life on the Damascus Road. Saul began to serve the Lord. The more he served, the stronger his faith got. The more his faith was opposed, the greater his faith got. Beloved, if you want to have strong faith, you need to get off the couch, get out of the armchair, and obey the leading of Jesus.

The more you exercise your faith, the more your faith will grow. We are commanded to “grow in Grace and in knowledge”.

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

As Saul grew in his faith, sharing his love of Jesus (for “he preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.” Acts 9:27), the ruling Jews could not overcome Christ in Saul. What did they do? We read:

Acts 9:23-24And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him: 24 But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him.

In the ancient world the areas outside of the cities were occupied with robbers, thieves, and worse. For this reason most major cities were walled about, and the only way to get into the city was through the gates. The ruling Jews (the Pharisees, Sadducees, Priests and Scribes) set up teams to “watched the gates day and night to kill” Saul.

Application: If you are living your life for Jesus, empowered by the Spirit of God, the world will not love you. It may tolerate you, but there will always be natural friction between the Christ follower and the world follower. The Christ follower is a “new creature in Christ: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The lost person is “dead in trespasses and in sin”. The Bible says:

Colossians 2:13-14 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..

Before salvation we were all lost and blind. Like the song Amazing Grace says:

Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now I’m found,
Was blind, but now I see!

If Grace does not change you from a light hater to a light giver, your salvation is untrue. In Jesus is Light! Those saved will shine for Him!

The world would love us, if we would but compromise the message of the Cross. Recently Pastor Danny de Armas of First Baptist Church, Orlando, Florida publicly stated:

“We have transgender, LGBTQ, straight, single, married, divorced and cohabiting people,” de Armas said. “These same people attend, listen, serve, grow and give”.

This is an interesting statement, and perhaps he misspoke. All people should “attend and listen”. But only those who have surrendered their lives to Christ should “serve”. Though Jesus often sat with sinners (Mark 2:15-17; Matthew 9:10-17; Luke 5:29-31). When asked why He ate and fellowshipped with sinners, our Lord replied:

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:31-32, NIV)

There is no place in Scripture where Jesus ever
called an unrepentant person to serve Him.

In fact, the Scripture is quite plain:

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Salvation brings about a change in a person. You are “delivered from the power of darkness, and translated into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ” (Colossians 1:13). You are now children of Light, not of darkness.

And this infuriates the world!

The Chosen Vessel Was Saved In A Basket

Acts 9:25 Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket.

Saul couldn’t get out of the city because killers waited at the gates. But “the disciples” – other Christians in the city of Damascus, came together and “let him down by the wall in a basket”.

Saul is God’s “chosen vessel” or skeûos. God does not want Saul killed on his very first mission trip. Saul must go to the “Gentiles, Kings, and Children of Israel”. He has much more to do. So God, through His people, invent the very first elevator in human history. It had a capacity of one Saul!

Word Study: The word translated “basket” is a very interesting word. You may never have thought of baskets as having much do do with the Gospel. Yet baskets are very important. In Matthew chapter 14 (Matthew 14:21; Mark 6:44; Luke 9:14; John 6:10) Jesus feeds a multitude of over 5000 Jewish people with 2 fish and five small biscuits. This crowd was outside Bethsaida. At the end of the meal over 5000 were fed, and the Scripture says:

Matthew 14:20 … they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

Word Study: There were “twelve baskets (kóphinos) full” of leftovers at the end of that meal. The word kóphinos refers to a small or standard sized wicker basket. Why “twelve”? Because there are twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus has the power to feed all of Israel, with more besides.

In the very next chapter, Matthew 15:34-38 (also Mark 8:9) after the feeding of the 5000 is the feeding of the 4000. This crowd was primarily Gentiles on the border of Decapolis (Mark 7:31). In this miracle Jesus took seven loaves or biscuits, and some fish, and miraculously fed over 4000 people. The Bible says:

Matthew 15:37 And {all these Gentiles} did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets (spyris) full.

This time the word for “baskets” is not kóphinos, but spyris, which means “a large plaited reed basket, a hamper”. Jesus would later ask His disciples:

Matthew 16:9-10 Do ye not … remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets {kóphinos} ye took up? 10 Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets {spyrís} ye took up?

What’s my point? When Jesus fed to 5000+ JEWS He had 12 kóphinos left over, but with the 4000+ GENTILES Jesus fed he had 7 spyrís left over. When Saul was lowered down the wall to escape his death, he was lowered in a spyrís. Saul’s primary ministry was to be to the GENTILES, not the JEWS.

God’s Chosen Vessel was saved by a spyrís, and by faithful Christians willing to work for Jesus.

God calls no one to be a “one man show”, but we are all to work together in one accord for Jesus. We must support one another if we are going to work for Christ and bring light into this fallen world. Someone has to be in the basket, but it takes several someones to lower that basket to safety.

Application: Is what you do for Jesus important? Absolutely! There are no unimportant jobs within the Kingdom of God. Is the person carrying the tent pegs did not take his job seriously when Israel moved the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle – and thus God’s Shekinah Glory – would not have been manifested at the next stop. Everything Jesus calls us to do is important. It saddens me when people avoid the local Church until they find themselves in the hospital, or at death’s door.

Sooner or later we all find ourselves to be in need of the basket. You cannot lower yourself, saving yourself from the enemy. You need the fellowship of Christ following believers.

1 Corinthians 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.

1 Corinthians 12:26-27 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Jesus calls His Church to work together for the glory of God. We are not to blend with the world, but to follow Jesus while walking together with our Christian family. We are not to be children of disobedience. “There was a time when you were part of the darkness, but now you are light in the Lord: walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:6-8).

Where God Leads Us, God Will Provide

God wants us to reeach out to the world, to share the Gospel of Christ with whosoever will. The Scripture says:

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

For Saul to reach the Gentile world with the Gospel, he must get out of Damascus in one piece. God provided a spyrís, a basket just large enough to hold Saul safely. God provided disciples of Christ, who together were able to lower Saul down to safety.

Saul would later be known as Paul the Apostle, who would plant many Churches, and share the Gospel until the day of his death. The faithfulness of the unnamed, unknown disciples that lowered Saul to safety is why we who are Gentiles know about the Gospel of salvation in Christ.

I thought you might want to know this.

May God the Holy Spirit touch your hearts and lives with His Word. Go forth for Jesus. Amen and Amen!

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The Communion of Christ

Posted on February 13, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by James Coleman on Unsplash

1 Corinthians 10:14-17 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

When we gather to partake of the Lord’s Table, we do so in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. The Lord’s Table is a time for us to examine ourselves, to recommit our lives to walking with our Lord.

We Belong To Jesus And Are Dearly Beloved

The Apostle starts out by calling the Church “dearly beloved”. The Lord’s Table is given to the “dearly beloved” of Jesus Christ. The Scripture tells us how deep the love of Jesus is. We read:

Ephesians 5:25-27 Christ also loved the church (that’s you, if you have received Him as Lord and Savior), and gave Himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

The Christian, saved by the Grace of God, purchased by the Blood of Jesus Christ, is loved of God. Jesus gave His Blood to purchase us, and never abandons us.

His Church, the gathering of believers all saved by faith in Christ, is beloved of God. Jesus Christ gave everything He had for us. He stepped out of Heaven, and into the creation He made. He left the splendor of Heaven to live among us, to share Heaven with us, and to give His life for us. Jesus died for our sins:

1 Corinthians 15:3-5 … 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: 5 And that he was seen…

Jesus gave His life for ours. He died a horrible death on Calvary. He rose again on the third day, proving that God received His payment on our behalf. The Bible says that

“when Jesus had BY HIMSELF purged our sins, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3).

This same Jesus is on the right hand of God the Father showing He loves you by makingdaily intercession for us as our High Priest (Hebrews 8:1).

This same Jesus Christ “offered one sacrifice for sins forever” (Hebrews 10:12) for us.

When the Father looks at us, because of what Jesus did for us we are no longer sinners, but sons; no longer far from God but are close to God.

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

We are “made nigh by the blood of Christ”. We are brought near to God by Jesus, by our Beloved. Our Beloved bids us to flee idolatry. Idolatry is anything that takes the place of your love for God. Some have allowed the pursuit of earthly possessions to take the place of love in their hearts. Jesus admonished us:

Matthew 6:19-24 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be {focused on the light}, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be {focused on the evil}, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

We are saved by the Blood of Jesus to be members of His Family, members of God’s Kingdom. We are to follow Him, not the darkness. We are to live for Jesus. As Christ’s dearly beloved we are to:

  • Avenge not ourselves, but let God take vengeance for us (Romans 12:19)
  • Be more like Jesus in our behavior daily (2 Corinthians 7:1)
  • Choose to stand with Jesus regardless as to what the world says (Philippians 4:1)
  • Ditch all sexual and sensual sins as offensive to God (1 Peter 2:11)

God Proved His Love By What He Did,
Not Just By What He Said

1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

What is interesting about Paul’s presentation of the Lord’s Table is that he (as guided by the Holy Spirit) out of its natural order. Years ago I assisted my mentor, Dr. Benny Woods, in serving the Lord’s Table. Afterwards he sheepishly told me, “David, I messed it up. I did the Blood before I did the Bread”. I told Benny I didn’t think he “messed it up”, but maybe God allowed it for a reason.

Benny’s “mistake” helped me remember this lesson. BEFORE the Blood can be spilled, the BODY must be broken. Unless the Container is opened, the Precious Liquid cannot be dispensed. This is why Jesus presented the Lord’s Table by breaking the Bread, saying:

“Take, eat: this is my Body” (Matthew 26:26)

Then said, “This is My Blood of the Covenant, which is
poured out for many” (Mark 14:24).

Why did the Apostle reverse the order? This isn’t a mistake, as the Apostle lays out the proper order of the Communion in the very next chapter (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

I believe the Apostle places the Blood first because it is the shed Blood that gives us “communion” (κοινωνία koinōnía, [pronounced koy-nohn-ee’-ah]) partnership, fellowship, unity, and community with both God as well as with one another.

The Blood Is Emphasized Throughout Scripture

It was the Blood of the Lamb that saved Israel out of Egypt. The message God gave to Moses to give to Israel was:

Exodus 6:6-8 …. I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will {deliver} you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: 7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the Lord.

God gave 7 “I Will” statements to Israel. God fulfilled these promises through the shed blood of an unblemished lamb (Exodus 12:5). To celebrate the Feast of the Passover, Orthodox Jews celebrated this Feast with four cups. The Enduring Word Bible Commentary notes:

“The cup of blessing was the last cup presented in the Passover ceremony; this was the cup that Jesus blessed at the Last Supper, and the one interpreted as “the new covenant in my blood.” When early Christians took communion, they were aware of its connection to Passover and with the Last Supper of Jesus with His disciples”.

Preach This!: To the Jews, the fourth or final cup represented God saying “I will take you to me for a people” (Exodus 6:7). When Jesus share this Cup with His disciples, He is saying “I will take you to Me for a people under a New Covenant. It is not by the sacrifice of an animal that saves you, but the Sacrifice of Me, the Son of God. I took death to Me, so I could take YOU to ME”.

God established the shed Blood of the innocent as a covering for sin. He said:

Leviticus 17:11 (ESV) For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.

It was the blood of the lamb that redeemed Israel from Egypt, and the Blood of the Lamb that redeemed us from our sins. God loved us so much that He gave the Blood of His Son for us, the BLOOD of Jesus Christ. We are redeemed from sin and death “through the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without spot or blemish” (1 Peter 1:19).

The commentary at ThinkGospel.com interestingly notes:

“The blood of Christ is mentioned nearly three times as often as the cross of Christ and five times more frequently than the death of Christ. The word blood is the most common way of referring to the death of Christ.”

When Jesus said that the Cup represented “My Blood of the Covenant”, He was announcing the end of the Old Covenant of animal sacrifices (which could not save) and the start of the New Covenant – an “everlasting covenant”that saves the believer in Christ once and for all. Only …

Hebrews 13:20 … our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant …

made payment for our sins FOREVER! Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Jesus shed His Blood through His broken Body.

1 Corinthians 10:16 … The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

Jesus’ body was broken for us. A crown of thorns were pushed down on His head for us. The soldiers beat Him with rods for us. Jesus was stripped naked, and nailed to a Cross for us. As He hung on that Cross, suspended in a living hell, He was abandoned by the Father for us. He cried out,

“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God,
my God, why have you forsaken me?” (ESV)

Jesus did this for us. The Bible says:

John 19:28-30 (ESV) After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

We have “Communion” or fellowship with God our Father, the indwelling of the blessed Holy Spirit, and a unity within the family of God because of Jesus’ faithfulness. He has truly “taken us to Himself for a people”. We are reconciled to God through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:18). And we are to be in ONE ACCORD because of what our Lord Jesus did.

1 Corinthians 10:17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

We are united to God because we are “all partakers of that one bread”. We have access to God, and a common fellowship with one another, because Jesus is “THE Bread of God Who comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33, ESV). We are all partakers of the Living Bread that came down from Heaven.

John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

There Is But One Way To God:
All Other Ways Are Devilish!

1 Corinthians 10:19-20 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? 20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

It is a common thing today for people, attempting to be politically correct, say something like “There is only One God, but many ways to Him”. Such doctrine is devilish. The Gospel Coalition notes:

“… the very claim that there are many ways to God, assumes that some religions are wrong. Why? Because not all religions are trying to get to God. Most forms of Buddhism, for example, are atheistic and as such the goal has nothing to do with God. Similarly, most forms of Hinduism are pantheistic—you are part of God and the goal is not to reach God, but to realize you are already God.”

The Christian Faith clearly states that there is no way to unto God but through faith in Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus said:

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

And the early Church preached:

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

1 John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

All other ways to God is – according to the Scripture – devilish. “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14, ESV).

Many are uncomfortable at this teaching. Let me put it this way: I agree that there are fine, morally upright people found in every religion on the face of this earth. There are good citizens who are Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, followers of Bahá’ís, Mormonism, Judaism. Name a religion and you are likely to find what we might call “good” or “nice” people in it. But being “good” or “nice” does not get anyone into Heaven. Only the Christ can do this. Only Jesus Christ.

There is only One Person Who can give us the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 16:19). There is only one Person Who has the keys of death and hell (Revelation 1:18). This one Person is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only through Christ you can have your sins forgiven. It is only through Christ that you can be given everlasting life. It is only through Christ that you can enter the Family of God. It is only through Christ that you can approach God the Father, and be in union with God the Holy Spirit.

This Lord’s Table is a reminder of this great truth.

1 Corinthians 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.

Jesus Christ demands our exclusive love. As we now come to the Lord’s Table, we examine our hearts. Is Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord? Is He our hope for Heaven? Or are we relying on other things, others gods, to get us into the Family of God. Examine yourselves. Put your entire trust in Jesus. May God the Holy Spirit draw you close to Him through this His Word. Amen and Amen!

Posted in 1 Corinthians, Communion, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A Difficult Text For Wednesday Night

Posted on February 9, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Turn with me in your Bibles to Galatians Chapter Six. Galatians is a book written by the Apostle Paul to the Church at Galatia. The Church was largely composed of Gentile Believers, but had recently been visited by Christians with a Jewish background. These Jewish believers told the Galatians that they were not fully saved because they did not keep the festivals and the rituals (like circumcision) that they themselves did. The Apostle – himself a Jew – wrote to correct the error that the Christ following Jews were introducing.

When the Apostle Peter wrote of Paul’s writings, he said:

2 Peter 3:15-16 (ESV) And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.

Peter said that Paul’s writings contained some things “that are hard to understand”, and that some false teachers took Paul’s writings and twisted them rather than expounding them. Tonight we’re going to look at one of these “hard to understand” texts.

Galatians 6:1-5 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For every man shall bear his own burden.

In verse 2 the Apostle states, “Bear ye one another’s burdens”, but then just a few verses later says in verse 5, “For every man shall bear his own burden”. This sounds as if Paul contradicts himself.

Bear others burdens – but everyone shall bear their own burden. Hmmmm.

Word Study: When I come across a text like this, I do a lot of praying. Let’s look first at the word “burdens” in verse 2. This is the Greek βάρος báros, {pronounced bar’-os}, which means “heaviness, weight, burden, troubles”. In verse 5 the word translated “burden” is the Greek φορτίον phortíon, {pronounced for-tee’-on}. Though it can be translated “burden”, the word is better translated “a task or service, an obligation that Christ lays upon His followers”. Jesus used this word when He said:

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden {phortíon} is light.

  • The first time the Apostle speaks of “burdens” (báros), he is talking about the various trials and tribulations that we as humans, and especially we as believers, encounter while we are in this life. As our brothers and sisters suffer, we are to suffer and empathize with them. We are the Body of Christ, His Church. “Whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26). We are to lift up the fallen to Christ by listening to them, by praying for them, and by assisting them where we are able. Jesus said:

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

  • The second time the Apostle speaks of “burden”, he is speaking of the obligation that every believer has to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. We are all under obligation to live for Christ. This is not optional! Jesus said:

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

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

Let’s Look At The First Use Of “Burden” (Báros)
We Must Lift Up The Burdened or Fallen To Christ

We live in a hard world, and everyone – yes, even Christians – can stumble and fall. We read:

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Word Study: The MUST of lifting up others is emphasized in the first word of our text, “Brethren”. God calls Christians to come together as His Kingdom, to by love help one another to stay true to Jesus as we – together – travel through this life and into glory. “If a man be overtaken in a fault”. This phrase is very interesting. It speaks of sin as if it were an animal trap, a snare, hidden among the leaves of the forest. The word translated “fault” is the Greek παράπτωμα paráptōma, (pronounced par-ap’-to-mah), which means “a side slip, an unintentional fall, offense, trespass or sin”. The devil often disguises sin in such a way that we grab hold of it, or step in it, and then are trapped.

Illustration: During World War 2, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, our soldiers were often “trapped” by the Asian enemy. Sometimes the enemy would leave a prized weapon like a sword or a Luger in plain view, something that an American GI might want as a souvenir. What they didn’t know was that the area around this “souvenir” was mined, or the object was “booby trapped” so that it would kill the seeker. In some instances, dead American soldiers were rigged so that – when a medic went to recover them or take them to the morgue – the body blew up, killing the retriever. What the enemy did was not new. The devil has done this since the beginning of humanity.

Have you ever considered why didn’t the devil come to Adam and Eve as an Angel, but as a serpent? Had Lucifer appeared to Adam and Eve in his brilliant beauty (for he was created beautiful), they probably would have run away. But by masking himself as a serpent – a creature that Adam was familiar with, and one that he himself named (see Genesis 2:18-20) – the tempter caught both Adam and Eve off guard. Sin does this.

Illustrate: I was watching a show called Chicago Med last night when one of the doctors, going to a bar, is approached by an utterly beautiful woman. She convinces the doctor to go to his room with her. Ten minutes later, the doctor is down stairs, complaining to a friend. “I went for some ice, and when I came back to my room, my watch, and all my money was gone”. The doctor should have practiced chastity, and not sought out sexual sin. The devil can be beautiful! Be very, very careful.

Illustrate: Over in Korea black marketers would often take bottles of alcohol, drill a small hole in the bottom of the bottle, then drain out the drinkable liquor. They would replace the potable with poisonous wood alcohol, then seal the hole. Soldiers bought the extremely cheap “liquor” and, drinking this mess, would often go blind! Sin is so very deceptive!

Galatians 6:1 …. restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

The Bible tells us that sin can deceive any of us. If a brother or sister in Christ is ensnared by sin, surprised by sin, tricked by sin, we are told “ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness”.

Believers who are living the normal Christian life, “walking in the Spirit, empowered by God” (Galatians 5:16), are to “restore” the fallen believer. We share Scripture, prayer, and a listening ear to the hurting.

Word Study: Restoration is to be done “in the spirit of meekness”. The word “meekness” is the Greek πρᾳότης praiótēs, {pronounced prah-ot’-ace}, which means “gentleness, mildness, in a humble way”. Meekness or humility is one of the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23). We are not to be self righteous nor superior (like Pharisees) when restoring someone to a right place with God.

We are to be humble with the fallen, knowing that
“there but for the Grace of God go I”.

Meekness is key when approaching another who has fallen. The Scripture says:

Ephesians 4:1-3 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness (praiótēs), with long suffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

As God’s Chosen People, we are to (Colossians 3:12) “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness (praiótēs), long suffering”.

We pray for one another.
We share Scripture with one another.
We need one another.

Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens (Báros), and so fulfill the law of Christ.

The Law of Christ is the Law of Love. “Whoever loves others has fulfilled the Law. … Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law” (Romans 13:8, 10 NIV). We fulfill the Law of Christ when we encourage our brothers and sisters in the Lord. We point the fallen to Christ. We do not condemn them, but love them as wounded members of the body.

Galatians 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

When the devil snares a Christian, the secondary snare we ourselves provide is our very own human PRIDE.

Illustrate: I remember years ago, a pastor friend I know was ensnared by the devil. The first I heard of it was when another pastor friend called me up and said, “Did you hear about so and so? He did this! I though he was a good, fundamental preacher!”. When I went to visit my fallen friend, he was transitioning from his Church, and not far from a jail sentence. Those around him treated him as if he were a pariah. My friend decided to sell his library to help with his lawyer fees, and I purchased several books that I still have in my library today. Fallen, the man had few who would stand by him. “Why, I thought he was a preacher!” He was. What was more sickening than my friend’s fall was the self righteousness others expressed over the whole matter. And, I have to admit, I felt a little self righteous, too!

God forgive me.

We are all broken creatures who could be snared on any day. Our strength is to be not in ourselves, but “In Christ”. I was reading a book this morning called “Lessons From The Upper Room” by Sinclair B Ferguson. In that book Pastor Ferguson noted that the word “Christian” is only found three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16). When believers are named, they were rarely called “Christians”. However, the believer in Jesus is called “in Christ” over two hundred times. When a brother or sister in Christ falls from Christ, we are to show them how to get back “in Christ” through repentance and obedience. We are not superior to them because we have not fallen. We have not fallen because we are “In Christ”. Beware of pride!

1 Corinthians 8:2 if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

Let’s Look At The Second Use Of “Burden” (Phortíon):

Every “Christian” Is Under Obligation To
Live Out Our Lives For Christ

Galatians 6:5-6 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For every man shall bear his own burden (phortíon).

As believers in Jesus, we are not just to help our fellows fallen believers to get back in step with Jesus – but we are to ensure that we ourselves are in step with Jesus. The Christian is to “prove {my} own work”.

One of the snares that the devil throws before us is
spiritual laziness. God calls us to WORK for Him.

Jeremiah 17:10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

God expects His Children by faith in Christ to work for Him. We are to “let our light shine before others, so that the world may see your good works and give glory to your Father Who is in Heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Our salvation is not just a moment in time, but it is a continuing event, a work in progress. We are to live our lives bringing glory to our God. Our works are the proof of the genuineness of our faith.

Christians are to live for Jesus, to glorify Him. Jesus said “I am the Vine, and you are the Branches” (John 15:5). The Vine-dresser, God our Father, expects each vine (that’s you and I) to produce fruit. As we abide in Jesus, trusting in Him, obeying His Word, the Spirit that is in Jesus Christ operates through us. The Apostle says:

Romans 2:6-11(ESV) {God} will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.

Every person will stand before God one day to be judged. The unbeliever who works for themselves shall stand before a Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-15). Their works will count for nothing, and they will go into a Lake of Fire because their name was not found written in the Book of Life (Revelation 20:15). The Christ follower, the person who is “in Christ”, will also have their works judged by God. We who are saved are to work so as to please Jesus:

Galatians 6:5 … For every man shall bear his own burden.

We are told in another place:

Romans 14:10-12 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

At the Judgment Seat of Christ, the SOUL of the
Christian is not in question, but the VALUE OF THE WORKS that Christian did for God while on the earth.

You and I will “bear our own burden”. We will not be allowed to blame others for what we did. We won’t be able to find ways to deflect our guilt, nor ways to manufacture innocence. God the Son, using God the Holy Spirit, will examine the deeds that we have done while in this body, whether good or bad. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 3:13-15 (ESV) … each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation {of Jesus Christ} survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

The Divine Law Of Sowing And Reaping

The believer who has been snared by sin, we who are NOT snared are to restore him to the faith. We pray for him. We counsel him. We guide him back to the state of being “In Christ”. We do not act superior to him, but we love him.

And we ourselves must work for the Lord. Jesus told us,

Matthew 16:24 (ESV) If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

We were left on this earth to be “laborers together with God” (1 Corinthians 3:9). The Apostle continues:

Galatians 6:7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

One of the Biblical Laws, sure as gravity, is the Law of Sowing and Reaping. What a person sows, that person will reap. If you sow corn in a field, you harvest corn. If you sow peas in a field, you harvest peas. What you sow replicates, duplicates, and multiplies. If you sow to the flesh, you reap the flesh, or corruption. If you only sow temporal things, then these things, like the smoke of a fire, drift away, and cease to be. But if you sow to the Spirit – walking with the Spirit and following His guidance – you will reap a great life, and an eternal life.

If you sow CORN, what will you get? CORN!
If you sow PEAS, what will you get? PEAS!
If you sow NOTHING, what will you get? NOTHING!

In the first three chapters of Revelation, the Lord addresses 7 Churches. Though Jesus commends or condemns each Church in a different way, Jesus starts out addressing each Church with the same four words:

“I know thy works”
Revelation 2:2, 9, 13, 19
Revelation 3:1, 8, 15

Each Church did works. Each believer does works. It is not an option to do nothing as a Christian. We are to work for Jesus, to serve the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. We are not to quit, nor to do nothing. We are to work for our Jesus. We are to work for the glory of God in Christ. We will end with this:

Galatians 6:9-10 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

God is faithful. Jesus will never leave us. Let us keep working for Him, for the glory of God. Let us do good, and do good works! Let us shine for Jesus while we can. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen and Amen.

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How To Avoid A Catastrophe

Posted on February 8, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by christian buehner on Unsplash

Every time there is the threat of a winter storm, or some form of bad weather, people rush to the supermarkets and buy all the milk, bread, and eggs they can get. When the Coronavirus hit America we went through what many called “Charmageddon”, or what I called “The Great Toilet Paper Rapture”. One day the markets all had toilet paper, the next day, “poof!”, it magically disappeared.

As Americans, we love to panic, lest a trial become a catastrophe! Our message tonight is “How To Avoid A Catastrophe”. We’ll be in 1 Corinthians Chapter 10.

1 Corinthians 10:1-6 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples …

Word Study: Though we today are under the New Covenant of Grace, and not the Old Covenant of the Law, what happened to Israel is just as applicable to us. What happened to Israel is called “our examples”. The word translated “examples” is the Greek τύπος týpos, {pronounced too’-pos}, which means “a pattern, formed by strokes or blows, a type, a teaching, an imprint”. The same word was used by Thomas when he doubted to resurrection of Christ, saying:

“Unless I see in His hands the týpos {imprint} of the nails, and put my finger into the týpos (imprint} of the nails, I will not believe.”

Israel is not only the fulfillment of the Covenant that God made with Abraham, but is also an example we in the Church Age should examine. The Israel saved from Egypt catastrophically failed. Was it God’s fault?

No, it wasn’t. God was faithful to Israel. We are told that …

Exodus 13:21-22 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

God shepherded Israel as a Good Shepherd would do with His sheep. In verse 1 we read, “all our fathers were under the cloud”. God went before them as a “cloud” of dust by day, and a “cloud” of Shekinah Glorious Light by night. They clearly saw the hand of God at work. Israel “passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea”. The nation of Israel was under the Cloud, which was God, and were under the Sea, that is, they walked through the Red Sea as if they were on dry land. God was faithful. God watched over His people.

Furthermore, God was faithful in what they ate and drank.

1 Corinthians 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;

God gave Israel manna, or bread from Heaven:

Exodus 16:4 Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

God also gave Israel (Numbers 11:31-32) “quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp … round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails”

Israel had bread and meat given by God, spiritual bread and meat. Israel …

1 Corinthians 10:3-4 did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink

God brought water out of the Rock to quench Israel’s thirst. Paul speaks of this “spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (verse 4). The Rock that water came out of in the wilderness is symbolic of Jesus Christ, our Messiah. From Him comes “living waters”.

Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters …

Idolatry Will Bring Catastrophe

1 Corinthians 10:5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

Word Study: Israel was “overthrown in the wilderness”. The word “overthrown” is the Greek καταστρώννυμι katastrṓnnymi, {pronounced kat-as-trone’-noo-mee}, which sounds much like our English “catastrophe”. The word means “to be strewn over the ground, to be scattered or laid low, to be tossed about”. Israel was a catastrophe! She was meant to be a blessing. But she was cursed. Had God fallen down on the job? No, but God was faithful. God was there. God met their every need. And yet, only two men, Joshua and Caleb, survived to enter into the Promised Land. All the rest of Israel died in the wilderness. They were overthrown!

What overthrew them? It wasn’t God. It wasn’t poor diet. It wasn’t the enemy without. It was the enemy within that destroyed Israel.

1 Corinthians 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

Word Study: God’s heart was on Israel, but Israel’s heart was not on God. The word translated “lusted” is the Greek ἐπιθυμέω epithyméō, {pronounced ep-ee-thoo-meh’-o}, which means “to covet after or set your heart on, to long for”. When God gave the Tenth of the Ten Commandments, He said:

Romans 7:7 … Thou shalt not COVET {epithyméō}

Saved by love by a God Who loved them, Israel was freed from slavery to Egypt. We who believe in Jesus are freed from death and sin so that we might serve God. When the saved covet things rather than the God Who gives all things, we rob ourselves of the greatest of treasures. Israel was never happy – though saved from Egypt – because she was always looking backwards and coveting what she no longer had. The Scripture tells us:

Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your {way of life} be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Israel was meant to be a nation of priests, with every person having direct access to God. But because Israel coveted things and not the God Who makes all things, their hearts kept wandering from God.

The first generation of Israel lost the promise of Canaan because they lusted for things rather than God.

1 Corinthians 10:7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

The Apostle is now quoting Exodus 32:6-8. Moses had been on Mount Sinai receiving the Law from God for some 40 days. At the end of this period the Scripture says:

Exodus 32:1 (ESV) When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

Aaron obliged the people. He had them contribute the jewelry that they got in Egypt – a genuine blessing from God – and used this blessing to create an idol to worship. Aaron …

Exodus 32:4-6 (ESV) … received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” 6 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.

Israel took the blessings that God gave them, and to make it religious, gave these blessings to Aaron the High Priest to transform into an idol. Why did Aaron make a “golden calf”? Hope Bolinger notes at Christianity.com:

“Why was the chosen symbol a calf? Bull and calfs were a traditional animal sacrifice in that time and symbolized strength and fertility. Many gods in Egypt were fashioned after bulls, so the golden calf was a natural choice for the Israelites coming out of Egypt. The golden calf represented God’s power for having delivered the Israelites from Egypt.”

After the calf was made, Aaron called a “Feast Day” or a day of celebration for this new and present “god”. God allowed Israel to build this calf, then sent Moses down the mountain to address the problem.

Exodus 32:7-10 (ESV) And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”

Had Moses not interceded for the people, praying that God not destroy them, Israel would have been wiped out. When Moses came down the mountain:

Exodus 32:19-20 (ESV) as soon as {Moses} came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 20 He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it.

They were made to drink the powdered idol and water. The Golden Calf was not the true God, but a god of the imagination. Eating the “flesh” and drinking the “blood” of this idol did nothing to save the people, for no made up God can save us. When Jesus came to this earth, He used the imagery of eating Himself to be saved.

John 6:53-58 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.

The Golden Calf had no power in it to protect the people of God, nor to save the Soul. Only Jesus does. The Golden Calf, though pretty, is but an idol. But Jesus Christ, He is the Rock that blessed Israel with life.

Exodus 32:26 … then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.

The Levites came to Moses, and the rest of Israel refused to repent, Moses and the Levites killed 3000 people that day, until Israel repented of their evil, and turned their hearts back to God.

Let GOD Be Your Portion, Not The Flesh,
And Avoid Catastrophe

Years later, King David would assign Worship Leaders to lead the Tabernacle Choir (1 Chronicles 6:31-32). One of these men was Asaph (1 Chronicles 6:39). Asaph would write a song in which he describes how his heart was once lusting after the things of the world – until he discovered the greatness of fellowship with God. Asaph wrote:

Psalm 73:22-28 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. 23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. 24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. 26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. 27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. 28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.

After discussing the dangers of idolatry, the Apostle addresses the dangers of the flesh. We read:

1 Corinthians 10:8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

People in America today think little of sexual sin. By most worldly standards, after three dates the young man and woman will fornicate, that is, have sex outside of marriage. Many people think, “What’s the harm? You’re adults. It’s good for the cardio-vascular system”.

In the ancient world sex was often used to attract converts to the various idolatrous religions. In Numbers chapter 25 the Moabite women invited Israel to “worship” Baal of Peor, a false god that encouraged orgies. Some of Israel – and a large part of their leadership – decided to go to the festival and worship Baal-Peor. God had the leaders of the revolt “hung in the sun” (Numbers 25:4). God then caused a plague to fall of Israel. We are told:

Numbers 25:9 (ESV) … those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

Sexual sin was used to draw people away from a right relationship with God. Sexual sin also brought about a horrible plague, a plague God sent. Moses tells us that the total number of people who died was 24,000, but Paul tells us that 23,000 died in one day! Sexual sin is nothing to tolerate. It destroyed Israel, and can destroy the Church.

1 Corinthians 10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

How did Israel “tempt Christ”? Remember, the Rock that followed Israel was Christ. It was the preincarnate Messiah Who was with Israel. After the Lord Christ gave Israel manna in the wilderness, and water out of the rock, the Bible says:

Numbers 21:5 (ESV) … the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”

Israel had plenty to eat. They had no lack of nourishment. It was just that they no longer wanted to eat manna nor quail. They wanted more variety in their diet. Rather than ask the Lord for variety (for I am sure He would have given it) they “spoke against God and against Moses”. They called what the Lord gave them “worthless” or “contemptible”. Since they blasphemed the gifts of Christ with their MOUTHS, God sent “fiery serpents” into the camp to bite the people. Whoever they bit, died. When the people repented, God told Moses to “make a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived” (Numbers 21:9). Jesus would later – once incarnate – relate this even to His Cross.

John 3:14-15 (ESV) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

There is life in looking at Christ, just as there is life in looking at the bronze serpent. God’s people are not to murmur and complain about the gifts that Jesus has given us. We are to praise our Lord, and thank Him for being in our lives.

1 Corinthians 10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the Destroyer.

Murmuring and complaining causes God to withdraw His hand of love, His sustaining hand, and brought death into Israel. Numbers chapter 16 tells us that 14,700+ died in Israel, being “destroyed of the Destroyer”. Who is the “Destroyer”? Is it the “Grim Reaper?” No. The Destroyer is an angel assigned by God to take life. The Lord controls the Destroyer (2 Samuel 24:16; 1 Chronicles 21:15). On the first night of the Passover, Moses told Israel:

Exodus 12:23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

Our God is in control! We do not need to murmur, but should pray, seeking God’s power and glory in our lives. We were given lips to praise the Lord, hands to serve the Lord, feet to walk with the Lord, and hearts to follow the Lord. We desperately need the Lord! The Lord is our Portion, our Love our Savior forever.

What Is The End Of The Matter?

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

We do not stand in our power. We stand in the power of God. The Apostle tells us that, if tempted, we are to run into the arms of God! We are to pursue the Lord Jesus in prayer and supplication. God is to be our portion forever. Temptations will come. Temptations come from three sources:

The world around us
Demons and principalities
The flesh itself

The world, the devil and his cohorts, and our very own flesh. When tempted, we do not seek false gods. When tempted, we do not murmur and complain. When tempted, we do not succumb to the temptation, particularly if it is sexual temptation. If tempted, we run into the arms of Jesus!

1 Corinthians 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

We remember that we are God’s Beloved, His cherished Possession, and God is our Portion. We run from anything or anyone that would keep us from our Lord Christ. May God drive this Word deeply into your hearts! Amen and Amen.

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Loving Hands, Loving Lord

Posted on February 6, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Mike Scheid on Unsplash

Turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter 8. Last Sunday we looked at the evangelism ministry of Philip to the Samaritans. Philip was the second deacon chosen to wait on the widow’s table at Jerusalem. We saw that Philip’s ministry was highly effective, because he was open to the leading of God the Holy Spirit. We read this last week:

Acts 8:14-17 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: 15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy {Spirit}: 16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy {Spirit}.

The Holy Spirit Comes On The Believer
At The Point Of Salvation

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit had not come on the Church at Samaria as of yet. You who are Bible Scholars know that the Holy Spirit comes on every believer at the moment of salvation. Jesus told Nicodemus:

John 3:3-7 … Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

The Holy Spirit gives life to the believer. The Holy Spirit also indwells the believer. The Apostle told Timothy:

2 Timothy 1:13-14 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy {Spirit} which dwelleth in us.

And told the Church at Rome:

Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

The Holy Spirit baptizes every believer at the moment of new birth. The Apostle wrote in:

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

The “Falling of the Spirit” is not optional. The Holy Spirit makes and partners with every Christ, saved by faith in Jesus Christ. So here’s the million dollar question:

Why didn’t the Holy Spirit fall on the Samaritans
as it did on the Church at Jerusalem?

We Have To Consider The Histories Of Jerusalem
And Samaria

Samaria is a place of division, of false leadership, of false gods, of false religion. How did Samaria come about? King Solomon, one of the wisest Kings Israel ever had, died in 1 Kings 11:43, and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place. Once Rehoboam was placed on the throne, ten tribes of Israel sent a delegation to Jerusalem to plead for leniency. They told Rehoboam:

1 Kings 12:4 Thy father {King Solomon} made our yoke grievous: … make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.

What they wanted from Rehoboam was a lighter tax, and respect. Rehoboam let his power go to his head, and told the delegates:

1 Kings 12:14 … my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

Rehoboam’s pride and foolishness caused ten tribes to break away from Jerusalem and the House of Judah. They chose Jeroboam to be King over this new confederacy. Jeroboam realized that, if his people continued to go to Jerusalem to worship God, that his kingdom would be short lived. So one of his first acts as King of the Northern Tribes was to create false gods for his people to follow.

1 Kings 12:28-29 … the king {Jeroboam} took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. … he made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.

Jeroboam set up his own temples,
his own gods,
his own priesthood,
and his own capital city, Samaria.

When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, she said “the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans” (John 4:9). She went on to say, “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship”. Jesus told her:

John 4:22-24 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

The Samaritans had worshiped apart from Israel and Israel’s God for years. The Jews of Jerusalem had shunned the Samaritans as idolaters, rebels, blasphemers, ne’er do wells. The Samaritans also despised the Jews. In

Luke 9:51-53 … {Jesus} steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, 52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 53 And {the Samaritans} did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.

When Jesus’ disciples heard this, they asked Jesus,

Luke 9:54 … Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

Jesus replied, Luke 9:55-56 … Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.

It is not God’s will that people be destroyed, but that they be saved, if they would heed His Voice.

The Church Will Not Be Another Divided Israel

The Apostles are headquartered in Jerusalem, and are meant to be the foundation of the Church. God begins to establish His Church is Samaria. But there is a terrible and long lasting evil history between Jerusalem and Samaria. And God does not want this in His Church. God does not want a Church of Jerusalem and a totally separate Church of Samaria, like the division that occurred through Rehoboam and Jeroboam. The Church does not exist on division, but on love. The stepbrother of Jesus wrote:

James 2:8-9 If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: 9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

The Royal Law, the Law that Jesus gave to us, was that we love God with our all, and love our neighbor as ourselves (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:38-39; Mark 12:30-31). Jesus even went so far as to say:

Matthew 5:43-48 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

The Mark of God on a believer’s life is that we “have our Father’s eyes”. That we love, even when we are hated. Jesus even extended this Royal Law outward, and creatingas the Son of God what He called “A New Commandment”. We read:

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

The Church is called to love, to do good, following Jesus Christ. The Apostles and Prophets were FOUNDATIONAL to the Church. The Scripture says:

Ephesians 2:18-20 For through {Jesus} we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

The Lord wanted the Church to realize that we are called to love one another as Christ loves us. We are not to be divided and hateful, but are to realize every person has dignity and purpose in Christ. When the Apostles, who were Jews, laid their hands in love on the Samaritans, the Spirit of God fell on them. And Jesus’ statement to the Samaritan woman:

John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth.

The commentary at Got Questions notes:

“The presence of Peter and John kept the early church unified. Remember, there was great animosity between Jews and Samaritans (John 4:9). If the church in Samaria had begun on its own, with no connection to the “Jewish” church, the church in Jerusalem would never have accepted it. The Samaritans were known historically as corruptors of Judaism (John 4:20). So God made sure that Peter and John, apostles and Jews from Jerusalem, were present to witness the gift of the Spirit given to the Samaritans. God’s message: the church in Samaria was no heretical start-up. The Samaritans were part of the same church that had been started in Jerusalem, and they were filled with the same Spirit (see Galatians 3:28). Peter and John were eyewitnesses. Their testimony was clear: what happened in Samaria was not a separate religious movement. In this way, God prevented the early church from immediately dividing into different sects.”

Now let’s go to Chapter 9.

Religion That Is Hateful And Hurtful
Is Not From The Holy Spirit

Acts 9:1-2 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

There is nothing worst than a self righteous person. Saul was a self righteous person. He would later describe his unsaved self in …

Philippians 3:5-6 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Saul was a high placed Pharisee, a person who viewed this “new faith of Jesus” as heresy and idolatry. Saul was driven by “zeal”, the Greek ζῆλος zēlos, {pronounced dzay’-los}, which means “excitement or fervor of mind, to act as if jealous, indignant, contentious”. Saul was right, just as every Pharisee was right. How dare these Christ followers come into the Temple? How dare they meet on Solomon’s Porch? They are a cancer, a lesion, an evil in the world. Saul was doing God’s business by attacking this new “church”.

You see Saul in the Middle Eastern Terrorists, those who attacked us on 9-11, and who plot against us still. It is an offense to their god that we do not do as they do. Rather than allow their god to bring retribution, they elect to do so themselves. Saul is in the Jihadists, in Al-Qaeda, in the three white men who gunned down the young black man out for a run. Saul is in the policeman kneeling on a man’s neck. Saul is in the rioters of 2019-2021 who burned property not their own, or who destroyed public property in the name of their god. Saul is in the white hooded men who ride to terrorize people of color. Saul is in the Black Lives Matter groups who say that only black lives matter, and who do that which is lawless and demeaning to others. Saul is in the preacher who justified lynchings and slavery. Saul is the devil dressed up in Sunday best, doing the work of the god of this world, but not the God of Heaven. What did James say earlier?

James 2:9 if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

God is not racist or evil. God told Israel, “Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the Lord. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?” (Amos 9:7). Heaven will be composed of:

Revelation 7:9-10 … a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb…

Jesus came for whosoever will. God needs no assassins. God needs people who, following Jesus, we will share the glorious Gospel to all who will listen. Saul believes himself to be God’s assassin. We read:

Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and
slaughter against the disciples of the Lord

“Saul, yet breathing out”, the Greek ἐμπνέω empnéō, {pronounced emp-neh’-o}. Threatening and slaughter was the very air that Saul breathed. He lived to kill Christ followers. He was obeying his god, his idol, and “desired of {the High Priest} letters to Damascus to the synagogues”. As Christ followers were showing up in the synagogues, Saul got some what you might call wanted posters to bring to the synagogues in Damascus.

Jesus Hurts When We Do Evil

Acts 9:3-4 … as {Saul} journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

The Church belongs to Jesus. “Upon this rock I will build MY CHURCH, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). “Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25-26). The Church is the body of believers who gather in Christ’s name. The Church is Jesus’ sheep, gathered (John 10:14). The Lord knows who are His (2 Timothy 2:19). Jesus loves His Church. He watches over His Church. Jesus is the Head of His Church:

Ephesians 1:22-23 (ESV) And {God} put all things under {Jesus’} feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Nothing happens with His Children that Jesus does not see. Jesus knocks Saul down on the Damascus Road, a major trade route, and asks, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me”. When the darkness hurts the Church, Jesus sees it. The Church is the Body of Christ. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 12:27 (ESV) Now you (believers) are the body of Christ, and individually members of it.

When Saul persecuted and killed Christ followers, it was the same as if he was persecuting and killing Jesus. Jesus felt it. If you were to slap my wife, it would hurt me probably more than it hurt her. My love is so deep for her, that an offense on her is a terrible offense on me. Jesus Christ shed His blood for the Church.

Acts 20:28 … the Church of God, which {God the Son} hath purchased with His own blood ..

The Church belongs to Jesus. You are cherished.

Acts 9:5 And {Saul} said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Saul’s reply to Jesus is almost comical. He asks, “Who art thou, Lord?”. Saul was startled by the power and brilliance of the light from Heaven, the Shekinah Glory of God. Saul would later describe this light as:

“a great light from heaven” (Acts 22:6 ESV)
“a light from heaven, brighter than the sun” (Acts 26:13 ESV)

The reply? “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest”. Where the King James continues with, “it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks”, this is a Greek proverb. When oxen were driven by farmers, they usually used a long pointy stick called an ox goad. To direct the oxen, the farmer would “prick” the animal on the left or right flank. A foolish ox would kick back at the prick or the goad, hurting itself much more than was intended. What Jesus was saying was, “Saul, you are hurting yourself terribly, doing what you are doing” (see also Acts 26:14). When we do evil that God does not endorse, we hurt our very soul. Saul was hurting not just the Church, but himself. Jesus in Grace was reaching out to save this deluded man.

Acts 9:6-9 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. 8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

The Love Of Jesus Changes Saul To Paul

Saul is told where to go, and being blinded, he is led to Damascus. Where he once led others to death, now Saul is led to salvation and eternal life.

Before Saul met Jesus, he was religious. He went to the High Priest for letters. He got his marching orders from the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Council. After Saul met Jesus, he got his direction from the Lord. Saul is not looking to others for validation, but to Jesus. Jewish names have meaning.

The name “Saul” means “death”.
Saul was a bringer of death.
Then Saul met “Jesus”.
“Jesus” means “Savior”.
When “Saul” met “Jesus”, he became “Paul”.
The name “Paul” means “little”.
He went from destructive, to constructive.
From self righteous, to Christ righteous.

Now Jesus calls another of His servants to go to Saul. We read:

Acts 9:10-12 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, 12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.

When Saul met Jesus he asked, “Who are You, Lord?” But when Ananias met Jesus, he says, “Behold, I am here, Lord”. Saul will not gain his sight until Ananias puts his hand on him. Now stop and think for a moment.

The Church at Samaria did not receive the Spirit, until the Apostles put their hands on them. Saul will not regain his sight until Ananias puts his hand on him. Is this a coincidence? I don’t think so. God’s Church operates on love. Ananias knew who this Saul was as soon as Jesus mentioned him. Ananias said:

Acts 9:13 …. Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem..

Saul is dangerous. He is an enemy of the Cross, and enemy of Christ. But Jesus says:

Acts 9:15-16 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

Jesus is going to redirect Saul’s zeal and passions. Whereas he was an enemy, Saul would become Paul, and be a great Friend of Jesus. This is what the Lord wants to do. He wants to save whosoever will believe on Him. We must not limit the power of God, but trust in Jesus, and do good to those who would do bad to us. Ananias put away his fear, and went to Saul. Notice his words:

Acts 9:17-18 …. Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy {Spirit}. 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

Oh, that we would hear the Master’s Voice, and reach out to others in love. Let us lay on hands in love, loving our enemies, trusting our Savior. It is only through Jesus that Saul can become Paul. It is only through love that this world will be transformed. May God the Holy Spirit move on your hearts through this His Word. Amen and Amen!

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Run That You May Obtain

Posted on February 2, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Emma Simpson on Unsplash

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Salvation Is A Free Gift Of God

We who follow Jesus are saved by faith in Christ, not by our works. Salvation is a gift from God given to whosoever will receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. What does the Scripture say?

Romans 10:8-13 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the LORD Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same LORD over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved.

When God the Holy Spirit convicts a person of sin, and of righteousness, and of certain judgment (John 16:8), opening the eyes of the convert, that convert “calls upon the name of the LORD” and is saved. The necessary part of saving faith is that you confess Jesus is Lord, and that Jesus resurrected from the dead, being the full payment for our sins.

“The Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD”
(Romans 6:23)

“For by Grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the Gift of God, NOT of works, lest any man should boast”
(Ephesians 2:8-9)

“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what Law? Of works? Nay: but by the Law of Faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified {made right with God} by faith without the deeds of the Law.” (Romans 3:27-28)

Salvation is not something you can earn nor deserve. It is a state that is graciously granted to those who acknowledge God as God, and Jesus Christ as the Only Means to reach God.

Salvation has a past tense for every believer. You can remember the day that you gave your lives to Jesus. However, once you are saved, the saved live their lives under the Lordship of God. Salvation was not just given to make us fit for Heaven. The Scripture says:

Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The Christian is saved to “serve the living God”. If a person say “I am saved” and yet continually yields themselves to darkness and not to God, then the Scripture says that this person was not saved in the first place. The Apostle wrote:

Romans 6:14-18 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

The Christian is freed from sin to be “servants of righteousness”. Does this mean that Christians absolutely never sin? No, of course not. While we are in the flesh we will periodically wander into sin – sometimes willfully, other times blindly. Yet the Christian who wanders off the path of life will feel uncomfortable, unnatural, in a strange place.

All Runners Sometime Stumble

1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

If you are saved by faith in Christ, this life is the proving ground of your faith. The person who is saved by the Lord Jesus Christ will want to run following Jesus. If Jesus runs, we run following Him. If He walks, we walk by His side. The Scripture says:

Hebrews 12:1-3 … 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.

Saved by Grace, we follow our Savior. We put aside every sin that hinders, and pursue Him Who both Authors and Finishes our faith.

The saved will stumble, just as every runner will stumble. But when we stumble, we look to Jesus. We confess our sin in His Name, and casting off the dead thing we continue to run.

The great preacher C.H. Spurgeon noted: “Although we are sure that men are not saved for the sake of their works, yet are we equally sure that no man will be saved without them; and that he who leads an unholy life, who neglects the great Salvation, can never inherit the crown of life which fadeth not away. In one sense, true religion is wholly the work of God; yet there are high and important senses in which we must ourselves ‘strive to enter in at the straight gate’. We must run a race, we must wrestle even in agony; we must fight a battle before we can inherit the crown of life”.

What do I do if I stumble? I correct my footing. I stand together with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I confess my sin before the Lord, in the name of Jesus. We are promised that:

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

If we stumble in our race, we reach out our hand to Jesus, and steady ourselves in Him. He has promised to never leave nor forsake us.

We MUST Run, Because Faith Without Works Is Dead

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

There are some who say, “I am saved by faith in Christ, but I see no need to run. I am saved only for Heaven.” This is the type of Christianity that is embraced by many Churches today. And yet, it is a false faith. The Apostle said “run, that ye may obtain”. Though not saved by works, once saved, the believer MUST work.

The work is the proof of their genuine faith.

The Christian does not blend into the world, but is hated of the world. The world runs on a different track than the Christian does. Our Jesus told us:

John 15:18-19 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you are of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

We “run, that we may obtain”. We are looking to obtain Heaven, and to bring as many to Heaven with us as we can. This we run for and with Jesus. The Bible says:

James 1:12 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.

Running is hard. There are daily temptations to cease running with Jesus, and to change course and run with the world. Yet for the Christian this siren call will not be heeded. God the Holy Spirit indwells the believer. “The Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any person doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Romans 8:9). The Holy Spirit of God leads us to Christ. We must run. We must follow after Jesus.

Jesus told His disciples: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). When a young man wanted to first bury his father, then afterward to follow Jesus, our Lord said “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their dead” (Matthew 8:22). When Jesus passed by Matthew the Tax Collector, He said “Follow Me” (Matthew 9:9). Matthewq got up from his tax table, and followed our Lord. Jesus said, “If anyone will come after Me, let them deny themselves, take up their Cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). To the rich young ruler Jesus said,

“If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor: and come and follow Me” (Matthew 19:21).

To the person who never follows Jesus, they have failed the test of true life. The stepbrother of Jesus said:

James 2:20-26 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Genuine faith in God will always express itself in loving works for God.

1 Corinthians 9:26-27 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Word Study: Paul ran with certainty, knowing that he was indeed saved by faith in Christ. Paul monitored the lusts of his body, not wanting to be found “a castaway”. The word “castaway” is very interesting. It is the Greek ἀδόκιμος adókimos, {pronounced ad-ok’-ee-mos}, which means “one that will not stand the test, one who is unfit or false, a counterfeit, worthless”. Since Paul was NOT adókimos, a false convert to our faith, he labored and ran the race for God. Paul writes:

1 Corinthians 15:10 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.

If you are saved by Grace, you love the Lord Who saved you by Grace. You labor for Him. You run the race for Him. You do this because you are a genuine believer in Jesus, and stand amazed that He loves you so.

Every Christian, like Paul, should examine themselves, examine their faith. Is it genuine, or just skin deep? Do you remember the word adókimos, rendered in our focal text as “castaway”? The same word is found in this text:

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

The word rendered “reprobates” is the Greek ἀδόκιμος adókimos, {pronounced ad-ok’-ee-mos}, which means “one that will not stand the test, one who is unfit or false, a counterfeit, worthless”. The saved in Christ will pursue Christ. The saved love Jesus, and want to be in His company at all times. Thus, dear Christian, the Apostle tells us to “prove your own selves”. Am I really saved? Have I truly received Jesus as Lord and Savior? Do I know that Heaven is my destiny, and that I am a member of God’s Kingdom on this earth?

In a world that says, “It’s MY BODY, and I can do what I want with it”, the Christian is to realize “I am bought with a price: I will glorify God in my body, and in my spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20). If the Great Apostle Paul wrote:

1 Corinthians 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

The proof of eternal life is found in how we live for Jesus on this present earth. Let us live to glorify Him. Let us live as lights in this present darkness! May God the Holy Spirit and His Word touch your hearts. Amen and Amen.

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God Is In The Relocation Business

Posted on January 31, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Ian Chen on Unsplash

Turn with me in your Bibles to the Book of Acts – we’ll be starting about the end of Chapter Seven. As you turn there, let’s talk about bad things that happen to good people. We’ve all been there. We’ve seen it throughout human history.

When bad things happen to good people, the first thing we want to do is ask “why?”.

If God is love, not hate: 1 John 4:16
If God is light, not darkness: 1 John 1:5
If God is in control, not man,
Then why do bad things happen to good people?

God Calls His Creation To Return To Himself

If you study the Scripture you will find that MAN is not the focal point in human history. GOD is. God made everything. The Scripture opens with:

In the beginning GOD created … (Genesis 1:1)

and ends with:

The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you (Revelation 22:21)

God made us. God loves us. God knows what is best for us. God will be glorified. God will ultimately triumph. God said:

Isaiah 45:5-10 I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. 7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things. 8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it. 9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? 10 Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?

God is the first cause of all things. God is the Creator of all life. God is. Not us, but God. God is the Source of all life. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords (1 Timothy 6:15). God’s Will will come to pass. The story of Scripture is that God made us, we rebelled against God, but God pursues us still. He wants to bring us into union with Himself.

John 3:17 God sent His Son into the world not to condemn it, but that the world through Jesus might be saved (my paraphrase)

God is not glorified in a lost world.
God is not glorified when racism abounds.
God is not glorified when people hate – and hurt – people.
God is not glorified when humans try and be God.

We need to relocate our hearts and minds to God.

Illustrate Dr. Joe Pettigrew told a story about a dam in Pennsylvania. Civil Engineers warned those who lived nearby that the dam was unsafe, and that the people needed to relocate. People ignored the warning, though the Civil Engineers warned them repeatedly. Then one day the dam broke, and more that 3700 people died under that wall of water. No one would have died had the residents heeded the warning. God, like those engineers, know what is best. Get to high ground. Get to God!

Soul Relocation Comes Through Jesus Christ

God sent His Son to this earth to give us a way to come out of the darkness. Jesus did not become incarnate – God become flesh – just for a few, nor just for Israel. Jesus became the Christ to fulfill the promise God made to Abraham many years before. “Abraham, in you shall ALL the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Out of this childless man would come a son, and through that son would come the nation Israel. Out of Israel Messiah (Christ) will come. Messiah would come out of Israel, of the line of David, of the Tribe of Judah. And through Jesus “the world through Jesus might be saved”. Jesus came, lived, died on Calvary, was buried, and resurrected on the third day. To receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is to receive life, both now and into eternity. This is God’s grand scheme to save the world.

Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He told those who believed in Him:

Acts 1:8 … ye shall receive power, after that the Holy {Spirit} is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The Christian is not saved with no purpose. The Christian is saved to proclaim Christ to “ALL the families of the earth”. Following Jesus’ ascention into Heaven, the disciples began sharing Jesus “in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea”. They met on Solomon’s Porch, a place in the Temple that Jesus often went to teach.

Acts 5:12 … And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch.

We Cannot Stay On Solomon’s Porch If
We Want The Light To Grow

The Church was growing, and meeting from house to house. But the Church – though in one accord – was largely “in Solomon’s porch”. The Widows and Orphans Table was serving and ministering to Jewish people. Jerusalem and Judea were hearing the Gospel, but “Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” were not being reached.

Then Stephen – a man filled with the Holy Spirit and Faith (Acts 6:5) – started witnessing in the Synagogues. Again, only the Jews were being reached, but the Gospel was going forward. Last week we saw Stephen – this good and faithful son of God – executed for his faith.

Acts 7:57-60 Then they {the Jewish rulers} cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Where was God while Stephen was being stoned to death? Was God absent? Was God too busy to intervene? No. God was watching. Before he was murdered, Stephen…

Acts 7:55-56 … being full of the Holy {Spirit}, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

Where is God when the bad stuff happens? He is there, watching, planning. He has a purpose in the bad, a purpose for the blessing of the world.

The God Who is Love, and the God Who is Light, and the God Who “has numbered the hairs of your head” (Luke 12:7), this God watched His son Stephen as he was brutally murdered. God made man in His image and likeness. God sent His Son Jesus to redeem us from darkness and death. Jesus died on Calvary and rose again that the “World through Him might be saved”. The most important thing in the eyes of God is not our safety or our comfort, but that His creation be redeemed through faith in Christ Jesus. Stephen understood this. As He was beaten to death, he did not cry out, “Jesus, why are You allowing this to happen to me?”. Stephen instead cried out,

Acts 7:59-60 … Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge…

Stephen did not cry out that his attackers be destroyed, but that God would NOT destroy them.
Vengeance did not cry out, but Love.

Stephen did not blame God for his painful death. Stephen glorified God. Stephen saw his life purpose was to share Jesus with as many as possible. As Stephen was murdered, there was someone there that God wanted to reach. Read with me:

Acts 7:58 … the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.

Who is this “Saul”? Saul is a Jew’s Jew. Saul was, in his own words:

Philippians 3:5-6 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Saul hated the Church. He thought the Church to be a cancer in the religion of Judaism. But God used Saul’s evil to relocate the Church, to spread out the Gospel.

Acts 8:1 And Saul was consenting unto {Stephen’s} death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Though bad was happening, God was using it for good. Jesus wanted us to go to “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The Gospel must be broadcast. As Saul begins to persecute the Church, the Church scatters. The Christians move beyond Jerusalem and Judea, and reach out into once hated Samaria and other Gentile areas.

Acts 8:2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.

Knowing humans, I’m certain as they carried Stephen’s earthly remains to be buried, someone though or even said out loud, “Where was God in all this?” Beloved, God was where God always is. God is there, with us.

He was there all the time
He was there all the time
Waiting patiently in line
He was there all the time

Deuteronomy 31:8 (ESV) It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

And God told Jacob (Genesis 28:15), “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

God tells us today, (Hebrews 13:5), “I will never leave you, nor forsake you”. God is always there. But here is the question: Do you understand how central it is to the heart of God that the Gospel of Jesus go forth? Jesus did not die for no purpose, but “that the world through Him might be saved”. The light of God must go out. It cannot become stalled, but God’s Will will be done. We read:

Acts 8:3-4 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. 4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

Saul was “entering into every house” because the early Church had no buildings. If the Church was not meeting at the Temple, it was meeting in homes. The Word of God was being shared, but primarily in Jerusalem and Judea. With the introduction of Saul, Christians began to scatter for survival. And as they scattered, the light of Christ went forth. “They that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the Word”. The phrase “the Word” is a reference to Jesus (see John 1:1-3).

Then Philip … But Simon

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

The scattering of the Church under Saul’s persecution moved “Philip” to go into Samaria. Who is this “Philip” we are abruptly introduced to?

When the Church chose out “seven men of honest report” to oversee the Widow and Orphans table, Stephen was the first man chosen, and Philip was the second man called.

Philip was the first Missionary to Samaria. Philip, like Stephen, was sold out for Jesus. He preached the Gospel in the power of God. Samaria was a very dark place, filled with idolatry, before Philip came to town. We read:

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

As Philip surrendered to God, sharing the Gospel, God blessed Philip’s ministry. When you walk with God, God will walk BEFORE you. As the Gospel was shared, the darkness departed, and there was “great joy in that city”. “God delivers us from the power of darkness, and translates us into the Kingdom of His dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). But the darkness always wrestles against the light of God. As Philip preached, people believed.

There was another “preacher” in Samaria that was competing with Philip, whose name is “Simon”. Simon is a preacher of darkness, of the things not of Christ. We read:

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

Simon used “sorcery” and witchcraft, and had perhaps healed people even as Philip was doing. Though the miraculous ministries of both men looked the same, the source of their power was different. Sorcery trusts in powers not ordained of God. God told His people in:

Deuteronomy 18:10-12 … There shall not be found among you any one … that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord …

Simon was relying on the occult to do miraculous things, when Philip came around, doing what appeared to be the same thing. But it wasn’t the same thing. We read:

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

Philip did not preach power apart from God. Philip preached Jesus Christ (Acts 8:5). Philip preached submission to “the kingdom of God”. Philip preached “the name of Jesus Christ”, that is, that the Source of all power is Jesus. Jesus said:

“All power is given unto Me in Heaven and Earth”
Matthew 28:18

“The Father hath committed all judgment to the Son”
John 5:22

“God hath exalted Jesus, giving Him a Name above every name”
Philippians 2:9

The powers that be are ordained of God (Romans 13:1). The devil and the darkness can imitate God, but they are no threat against the power of God. As Philip preached, Simon hearing the Gospel, received Jesus as Savior.

Acts 8:13-17 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. 14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: 15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy {Spirit}: 16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy {Spirit}.

In the earliest days of the Church, the filling and empowerment of the Spirit was conveyed through the Apostles. The Holy Spirit fills believers so that they might bless the Church, the Body of Christ. As it is written:

1 Corinthians 12:7 the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every {person} to profit with all.

When the Spirit fills a person, that person is enabled to perform some God given gift that will bless the Church. When the Samaritans received Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Apostles Peter and John came to Samaria to pass on the manifestation of the Spirit.

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

Simon thought that the Holy Spirit was a “power” that he could buy. The Spirit is not a Power, but a Person. Jesus told us to “baptize in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). The Holy Spirit is the very Presence of God, walking with us daily as we go through this life. Jesus called the Holy Spirit a “Comforter” (John 14:16) and “The Spirit of Truth” (John 14:17). When Simon sought to make merchandise of God, Peter rebuked him, saying:

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

God’s companionship cannot be bought or sold. Though Simon was saved, his concept of God and salvation are twisted. By trying to buy the power of the Apostles, Simon was not loving others as God loved him. He was loving power, fame, prestige.

God’s children are called to live their lives so as to glorify our Father. We are to bring honor to Jesus. We are dead to sin, that we might live to righteousness (Romans 6:1, 11). We are not saved just to go to Heaven. We are saved to be children of God while on this earth. Peter and John corrected Simon’s perception – and he repented of his sin.

We are saved to walk with God, not with the world. We are saved to be the light of Christ in this present darkness. Let us walk with Jesus! Amen and Amen.

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