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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Sermon From A Chariot

Posted on January 30, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
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I want to look at a little piece of a story we find in Acts Chapter 8. We’ll read it first, then apply the Scripture to our lives.

Acts 8:26-35 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. 27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

God Works With His Redeemed To Grow His Kingdom

When we read through the Book of Acts, we see how the early Church – even in the midst of great persecution in pagan Rome – was caused to grow by God. The Holy Spirit was given on the Day of Pentecost, just as Jesus promised (Acts 1:8; John 14:26). God’s people were willing to obey the voice of the Lord.

The Kingdom of God grows when members of that Kingdom – Christians who are “children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26) walk in partnership with God, following His direction.

The Bible commands Christians to “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16). We are to “yield ourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead” (Romans 6:13). We are to “bring forth fruit unto God” (Romans 7:4). We do this by telling others about Jesus and the great Grace we enjoy.

In every instance where the Kingdom of God grew in the Book of Acts, it grew because believers shared what Jesus Christ did for us. God saves us by faith in Jesus. Once a person is saved, they are changed to live their lives for Jesus. An old song we often sing, Amazing Grace, says:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but NOW am FOUND,
Was blind but NOW I SEE.

Those who experience the Amazing Grace of God become workers together for God’s Kingdom (2 Corinthians 6:1). The stepbrother of Jesus named James did not come to believe on Jesus until after our Lord resurrected from the dead. James emphasized that once a person became saved by faith in Christ, then that person desired to love God and desired to love his neighbor.

A proposed salvation that expresses neither love for God nor love for one’s neighbor is a dead faith.

The loveless faith, or the faith that only loves the professor, is a false faith. James noted:

James 2:17-26 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 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.

Abraham’s faith was proven genuine when he loved God enough to obey God, laying his son Isaac on the altar of sacrifice. Rahab’s faith was proven genuine when she laid her life on the line, loving God more than even herself so as to save the Israeli spies. Genuine saving faith always proves itself by outward expressions of love, first toward God, then toward others. The Scripture shows this relationship in:

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. Salvation is NOT of works, but of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. However, once you are saved, verse 10 comes into play … For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The believer once saved does loving good works. We love God, we love our neighbor. As we love, we obey God and do good so that the Kingdom can grow.

A salvation that no more than secures Heaven for the professing believer is a selfish, a false salvation.

As we have been loved, we love.
As we have been lifted up, we lift others up.

God Turns Desert Into Gardens Of Life

Acts 8:26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.

Let’s Talk About The Angel of the Lord: Who is “The angel of the Lord”? I have read commentaries and heard preachers who said that the Angel of the Lord is Jesus. That’s a possibility. The Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament professed to have powers that only God could have. In Genesis 16 the Angel of the Lord went to a frightened Hagar, the slave of Abram and Sarai. The Angel of the Lord told Hagar:

Genesis 16:9-10 … Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. … I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

An angel proper has no power to give life, to “multiply {Hagar’s} seed exceedingly”. This is what God does. In another place, when Abraham was told to offer Isaac on Mount Moriah, the Angel of the Lord stopped him from killing his son. The Angel of the Lord said:

Genesis 22:12 Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

It was GOD Who told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:1-3). Here the Angel of the Lord is speaking as if He is God. So yes, I do believe that the Angel of the Lord is a manifestation of God. The Angel of the Lord spoke to Moses out of a burning bush, and the Scripture says it was GOD in that bush (Exodus 3:1-5). So the Angel of the Lord is a manifestation of God. I have come to believe the Angel of the Lord is actually the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit was sent “to testify of Jesus” (John 15:26). The Angel of the Lord is sending Philip out to, we will find out, “testify of Jesus”.

Now Let’s Talk About Philip: As the Church began to grow, one of the things the Church did was to lovingly care for the widows and orphans. As this ministry grew, problems cropped up that caused murmuring in the Church. Murmuring is a sign that the Church is off track. We are called to do “good works”, not murmur and complain.

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

Good works are loving works. We are created in Jesus to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). We are not called to murmur and complain. “When the people complained, it displeased the Lord: the Lord heard it, and His anger was kindled” (Numbers 11:1). God wants us to love others, not murmur.

So the Church called out seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom to oversee the widow’s table. Philip was the second man called to serve.

Philip loved the Lord. The Lord called Philip to go to Samaria, and there he went, sharing the love of Jesus to whosoever would hear. Then the Lord sends Philip from Samaria to another place.

Acts 8:26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.

Word Study: God sends Philip to a “desert”. Now Philip has had a blessed ministry in Samaria among those people, so it seems counterproductive to send Philip to a “desert”. The word “desert” is the Greek ἔρημος érēmos, {pronounced er’-ay-mos}, which means “solitary, lonely, desolate, uninhabited wilderness”. To us, this makes no sense. Yet beloved, the ways of God are often beyond our comprehension.

God promised childless Abraham a nation and a world
God told a weaponless David to fight a giant
God sent John the Baptist into the wilderness to preach
God offers salvation to the world through a Virgin birth

Illustrate: God works in the places we least expect. “God can turn a barren wilderness into an oasis with water. He can make springs flow into desert lands.” (Psalm 107:35).I was at Harbor Freight this past Friday, standing in line, waiting to check out. Suddenly the man in front of me turned around and asked if I would take him to Shephards Lumber. “I’ll pay you if you’ll take me”. I told him, no, I wanted no pay, but yes, I would take him to Shephards once we checked out. Though I sat with him in the car only a few moments, I prayed for him and shared Jesus the best way I knew how.

God told Philip to move – and Philip moved. We read:

Acts 8:27-28 And {Philip} arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read {Isaiah} the prophet.

Philip is led to “a man of Ethiopia”, someone who had been seeking God in Jerusalem. He had been to the Temple to worship God, and was on a return journey home. Along the way this highly regarded Treasurer was stopped on the side of the road, reading from the Book of Isaiah. In those days Bibles were handwritten scrolls, often secured at only great cost. This man was powerful, wealthy – and he was seeking God. God said:

Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.

God loves the whole world, and wants everyone to be saved if they would. “Blessed are those who seek the Lord with their whole heart” (Psalm 119:2). This Ethiopian has been to the Temple, and perhaps has heard text read from Isaiah. Yet his heart is not blessed.

Religion itself will not bless. This man needs the Lord.

Acts 8:29-30 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet {Isaiah}, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?

Philip met this Ethiopian at his time of spiritual need, and asked to help. This man is under conviction.

Philip yielded to the Spirit of God, Whom Jesus sent
to save souls and seal saints.

John 16:8-11 … when {the Holy Spirit} is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

John 16:13-14 .. the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. … 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

The Ethiopian is ready! He replies:

Acts 8:31 … How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

Philip now shares a …

Sermon From A Chariot

Acts 8:32-33 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

The text that the Ethiopian is reading is Isaiah 53:7-8. He questions Philip:

Acts 8:34 … I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?

The Bible tells us that “Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus”. Philip “began” at Isaiah 53:7-8, but he did not stop there. I believe Philip shared all of Isaiah 53 with the Ethiopian Eunuch. Isaiah 53 is a prophecy of the Coming Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord.

God told Adam in the Garden of Eden that “of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Adam’s failure to obey God brought universal sin upon all of his children.

Adam’s arm brought sin on us all – and only God’s “Arm”
could take this sin away.

Isaiah 53 focuses on the “arm of God”, the means by which God would save the world. The Bible tells us that God is One, but in Three Persons – Father, Son, and Spirit. Man brought sin and death into the world, something that only God could correct. God decided to correct our fallen state. He did this through Jesus Christ His Only Begotten Son.

Jesus is Only Begotten because He is the only Member of the Godhead to enter His own creation. Jesus Christ is Eternal God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:1-3). Jesus Christ was with the Father from eternity. He prayed before He went to the Cross for our sins:

John 17:1-5 … Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

Jesus Christ was with the Father “before the world was”. Jesus Christ was with the Father, creating the Heavens and the Earth. Jesus Christ, the Bible says, “by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:16-17).

Jesus Christ is the Arm of the Lord that brings salvation. How did He do this? Jesus humbled Himself, made Himself the lowest of the low, so He could save all.

As Philip read Isaiah 53:

Isaiah 53:1-2 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

When Jesus grew up in Nazareth, He did not look like the “Arm of the Lord”. If anything, Jesus looked common, “a root out of a dry ground”. His own earthly family – His stepbrothers and stepsisters – and even His friends disbelieved Jesus.

Mark 3:21 … when His friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on Him: for they said, He is beside Himself …

John 7:5 … For neither did his brethren believe in him.

The Arm of the Lord, Jesus Christ our Savior, had “no beauty that we should desire him”. He was attacked constantly as He walked this earth. Jesus was and is the Son of God, but He was not well received. Isaiah said:

Isaiah 53:3-4 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Jesus was betrayed by man. He was “smitten of God, and afflicted”. Betrayed by both the creation He made, and the Father that He co-created with, what did Jesus do to deserve this? Absolutely nothing. Jesus’ suffering and death on Calvary was not about any sin that He committed. Jesus’ suffering and death on Calvary was about our sin, our failures with God.

Isaiah 53:5-6 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Our healing, the fact that we can be made right with God, comes through the fact that Jesus took our penalty for sin on Himself. All of us have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Though Adam caused our fall, we willingly and often delightedly pursued darkness. Jesus Christ came to pay for our sins. “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all”.

We stand before God, dear beloved, a redeemed people because of what Jesus did. The Scripture says:

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

Colossians 1:12-15 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Jesus Christ suffered horribly for us. He was “brought as a Lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7), “for the transgression of God’s people Jesus was stricken” (Isaiah 53:8). When Jesus died, He died between two thieves. “He made His grave with the wicked .. though He had done no violence nor deceived anyone” (Isaiah 53:9).

Jesus took a debt that He did not owe, paying a debt
that neither you nor I could pay.

Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

It is strange to hear that “it pleased the Lord to bruise him”. I do not think that God enjoyed causing His Son to suffer for our sin. But I believe that it pleases God that His Son would go to such lengths to save us. God the Father is pleased in us when we give ourselves to His Son. The Blood of Jesus Christ brings the believer close to God. We are told in:

Ephesians 2:13-16 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

When Jesus went to that Cross, innocent Incarnate God took the penalty for fallen mankind. When you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, your sins and debt are erased before God. The Scripture says:

Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

We are saved to serve our Risen Savior.

The Saved Willingly Serve The Savior

As Philip shares the Gospel with the Ethiopian Eunuch, he gives his life to Jesus. We read:

Acts 8:36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

When a person gives their life to Jesus, they then OBEY Jesus. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15), and “If you keep My Commandments, you shall abide in My love” (John 15:10). Jesus gave up the glory of Heaven for the hell of the Cross. He did this for you and I. Will we withhold anything from our Savior and Lord? Absolutely not! The Eunuch was ready to serve Jesus in any way He asked. Philip told him:

Acts 8:37-39 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

The Ethiopian’s confession was simply, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God”. He believed Jesus to be the only Way unto God the Father. Professing Christ to be as He is, the Eunuch was baptized in water, obedient to the command of Christ. Though Philip went on his way, the Ethiopian went “on his way rejoicing”. Why? Because he could sing:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

My chains are gone, I’ve been set free,
My God, my Savior has ransomed me.
And like a flood, His mercy rains,
Unending love, Amazing grace.

The Earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine.
But God, Who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.
Jesus is ever mine!

May God the Holy Spirit call you to His side this very day. Here is joy – only in Jesus. Amen and Amen.

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Baptist Distinctives 4: The Holy Spirit Makes Salvation Real

Posted on January 27, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

We’re going to start in Galatians chapter three tonight as we continue our Baptist Distinctives study. Tonight we’ll be talking about the Holy Spirit of God. The 2000 Baptist Faith and Message states:

“The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to under- stand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.”

When we speak of the Holy Spirit, we are not talking about a POWER but a PERSON.

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity of God. The Father is the Leader of the Trinity, the Head of the Family of God. The Son is the Mediator and the Covering for sin, the One Who made a way whereby we can come to the Father. The Holy Spirit is the Enabler, the Member of the Godhead that most personally comes to the believer. The Holy Spirit makes every Christian the workmanship of God (Ephesians 2:10). The Spirit partners with us in life, helping us to live and be more like Jesus every day.

Sadly, many in the Christian Church do not understand the Holy Spirit. Though many Pentecostal believers emphasize the Holy Spirit in their services, in many cases their services become states of confusion marked by ecstatic behavior. Our God is not the Author of confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). Among non-Pentecostal brethren, many church members act as if the Holy Spirit is Someone to be either ignored or feared. When Paul came to Ephesus he asked the disciples he found there, “Have ye received the Holy Spirit since ye believed?” (Acts 19:2). These disciples told Paul, “We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Spirit.” These were followers of John the Baptist who never knew that that Jesus, the Messiah, had come. Once they were told of Jesus, and were obediently baptized in water as Jesus commanded, the Holy Spirit came to these people. When these people were saved, they gave evidence that the Holy Spirit lived inside them (Acts 19:6).

A person who receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior receives, along with salvation, the Holy Spirit of God. Obedience to Christ is key! The Holy Spirit is available & active in the healthy Christian walk.

Salvation Is Meant To Be Real Life Change

The Church at Galatia was largely Gentile believers, with a few Jewish believers in attendance. The Jewish believers had come from a background where they had grown up making animal sacrifices at the Temple every year. The Jewish males had also been circumcised on the eighth day of their birth. These were laws that God gave Israel to keep. The Jewish male had to be circumcised, or else he was “cut off” from the children of Israel, exiled from his family. And every good Jew took animals “without spot or blemish” (Numbers 28:9, 11, et.al) to the Temple at least once a year to make payment for their sins. The Gentiles never did these things. The Jews had done these things their whole life. So the Jewish believers began to tell the Gentile believers that they were disobeying God by not submitting to male circumcision and animal sacrifices.

Christians are not to impose their extra-biblical cultures on others. God never gave circumcision nor animal sacrifice to the Gentiles,
but to Israel.

Though God had ordered male circumcision and animal sacrifices under the Old Covenant of the Law, these were but temporary actions. The purpose of the animal sacrifices was to simply teach the Jewish believer that the wages of sin is death – and someone had to pay the piper (Romans 6:23). Before Jesus Christ came, the animals that were sacrificed in faith, believing that a better Savior would one day come. Paul brings this out in:

Galatians 3:19-20 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.

Why did God give the Law? “It was added because of transgressions”. God wanted people to know that HE IS THE ONE WHO SETS STANDARDS OF RIGHT AND WRONG, and that to SIN is to OFFEND THE ETERNAL GOD. Every act of sin brings a breach, a division between God and His created people. Sin must be covered if the relationship is to be restored between God and man. When God gave the Law, He promised Abraham that a “seed should come”. In the King James, the word “seed” is in the lower case. But it should be in the upper case, “Seed”. God promised Abraham that, through his lineage, a “Seed” would come Who would bring blessing to the whole world. This upper case “Seed” is Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16). This “Seed” will be the Mediator between God and man. The animals sacrificed were but temporary.

Galatians 3:21-25 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

The Law could not bring REAL RIGHTEOUSNESS to a person.
Real righteousness starts in the heart, not in the hand.

An animal killed was just an animal killed. We as humans are broken. We are born broken. We need more than an object lesson. We need real change. We cannot change ourselves. But God can. The Jews all sacrificed animals because every Jew – from High Priest to the lowest tent peg carrier – was a sinner. “The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith”.

The Law taught the Jew – and us – that by the works of our hands we cannot make ourselves right with God. We need God to make us right.

When a person is saved, God wants that person to walk with Him daily. He wants the saved person to have more than a “Temple” or a “Sunday go to meeting” salvation. When the Jew went to the Temple and sacrificed a critter, the Jew was the same afterward as he was beforehand. There was no real change. The Jew had an animal killed, but it had no real effect on him or his family. There was no genuine, God ordained salvation. The Old Covenant taught us the need of salvation, but did not actually DO anything to the believer.

Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

When Jesus came, the “Seed” that God promised to Abraham, Jesus provided a real working, God walking salvation. The Bible says,

Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Jesus Christ, God become Man, offered but “one offering” for sin – His own flawless life. Where an animal could not make perfect and complete restitution for sin, a flawless God-Man could. Whereas an animal killed and a human and fallible High Priest could not be a perfect mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36) could. Jesus effects a genuine salvation. The Law is but a shadow of the Genuine. When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, our status changes. We become “children of God”. We are “children of God” not just by name only, but by spiritual reality. Read the next sentence carefully:

Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

When you receive Jesus as He is, He has promised “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth … he … shall be in you.” (John 14:16-17). The Holy Spirit comes on the new believer in Christ. The Holy Spirit “baptizes” the believer into Christ. Verse 27 is not speaking of water baptism, but Spirit Baptism. This is a baptism into Christ, not into water. This Spirit Baptism identifies the believer as Christ’s possession. The Spirit of God marks our souls, and effects a real change in our lives.

A person sacrificing an animal leaves the event spiritually and practically the same as he was before it. A person receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior is Baptized by the Spirit of God, marked as a changed person. The Baptism of the Spirit actually kills the old you, and brings about a changed you.

Romans 6:3-4 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

The New Covenant believer goes through a marked and miraculous change. Our hearts are changed for God. We want to be new creatures, for we are new creatures. “Buried with {Jesus} in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with {Jesus} through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12). Those who are saved have equal footing with God:

Galatians 3:28-29 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The Apostle is not saying that you cease being Jew or Gentile, bond or free, but that all are with equal power received into the Family of God, and become the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. We are all equally children of the kingdom of God. Why? Because of the Holy Spirit Who changes us. We are told in another place:

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.

Jesus Christ as Mediator paid for our sins, and represents us to God. God the Holy Spirit comes to the believer, spiritually baptizes that believer, and then stays with us to mark us as Children of God.

Jesus Paid For Real Salvation &
The Holy Spirit Makes Real Salvation

The Apostle now begins a different illustration to explain how salvation in Christ brings about real change.

Galatians 4:1-3 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

As children, we were sent to school, made to learn things that we were told would one day be useful. Before Jesus came, the animal sacrifices and feasts of the Old Covenant, as well as the practice of male circumcision were “tutors”. But once Jesus came, class was dismissed.

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

God did something through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that He had never done. He brought about the “adoption of sons”. We who are saved are no longer sons of Adam – we are sons and daughters of God. As actual children of God we are expected by God to walk with God. The Scripture says:

Romans 8:9-11 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. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Since Christ brought about a real and lasting salvation from sin, the Holy Spirit is freed to enter your lives, to guide you as Children of God are to be guided. The reason we know that we will live forever is because the Spirit of Christ abides with us forever. Since we are no longer under the Law of animal sacrifice and circumcision and feasts, but are under the Mediatorship of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, we are expected to walk with God daily.

Romans 8:12-13 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

We are not to walk in sin. If we, like children of Adam, “live after the flesh, ye shall die”. The “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), even for the Christian. Sin is poison. But if we partner with the Holy Spirit Who indwells us, and work with Him to kill anything that is not Christlike, then WE SHALL LIVE! That is what God wants for us – to walk with Him every day, every moment of the day, in an intentional, Christ following manner.

Romans 8:14-16 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:

The Christian indeed is the one who is “led by the Spirit of God”.

The person who says they are saved, but who have no real exterior change, are no different than the person who made the animal sacrifices under the Old Covenant.

Just as God walked in the Garden of Eden with Adam, God walks with the believer in Christ each and every day. This is the normal Christian reality. Are we perfect? No, but our God is perfect. Our salvation is perfect. God the Holy Spirit is perfect and faithful. He will never leave us, nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Why? Because we are His children, adopted into his family, by the Blood of his Son, and by the power of His Spirit.

Galatians 4:6-7 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

We serve God our Father and honor Jesus our Savior, but we are not “servants, but sons”. We are “heirs of God through Christ”. The Apostle says in another place, “all things are yours” (1 Corinthians 3:21). We as Christians are inheritors of both the Heavens and the earth. We are uniquely children of God.

There is a big difference between a servant and a Son. The Apostle now illustrates this through the life of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar. We read:

Galatians 4:22-26 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bond maid, the other by a free woman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar {should be HAGAR}. 25 For this Agar {should be HAGAR} is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

The father of Faith Abraham had two sons. If you remember the story of Abraham, God called to him in Genesis 12:1-3, and told him “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation”. With those words God promised Abraham that, though he was childless, that he would one day have a son, and a progeny that would lead to both a nation as well as to blessings for the whole world. Abraham started following God at 75 years old, but did not have a child named Isaac until he was 100 years old. For 25 years Abraham followed God, waiting year after year for a child. As he aged, and no child was born, Sarah decided to help Abraham and God out. She had an Egyptian slave named Hagar, and had Abraham sleep with that slave so as to have a child. Hagar had a child named Ishmael (see Genesis 16).

Ishmael was the child of human works. It was not the child that God promised Abraham, but the child Abraham, Hagar, and Sarah cooked up. Ishmael, though blessed, was not the heir of Abraham’s promises.

This is what Paul is talking about in this section. God promised Abraham an heir, and the only heir that Abraham would have would be by faith. When Ishmael was born, he was a child of Abraham’s works but not of God’s promise. The promised son would be a miracle, and would be born through Sarah, not Hagar.

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

Those who are “saved” by keeping the law of sacrifice, circumcision, and festivals, are not actually saved. They are Ishmaels, children born of Hagar. But those who are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, who have put their trust and hope in Him, are children of God. God moves on them. God changes them. God adopts them. God seals them for Heaven. God indwells them. And God stays with them forever. Salvation, genuine salvation, is Christ purchased and Spirit effected. This is why the Scripture says:

Titus 3:5-8 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy {Spirit}; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

The saved are not saved by their own works. They are not Ishmaels. The saved are Isaacs, children born of promise. Saved by faith in Christ Jesus, the Spirit moves on us, and changes us to living Isaacs. We then see this change reflected in our lives, not just on the day of conversion, but from that time onward. We live and walk with God daily. “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16, 25).

The Christian is free – not to sin, but to serve and glorify God. As we will one day do in Heaven, we are to do now on the earth. We are Children of the Most High (Psalm 82:6). We are Kings and Priests before God (Revelation 1:6; 5:10). We belong to God our Father. We are purchased by the Blood of Christ Jesus His Son. We are indwelt with the precious Spirit of God. Let us live daily for Him!

May the Holy Spirit of God take these texts, and move them deeply into your daily walk with Him. Let us live for Jesus. Maranatha, Lord Jesus, Come quickly. Amen and Amen.

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And Stephen

Posted on January 24, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Deniz Altindas on Unsplash

Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

The Church Is To Give And To Love

Up to now in the Book of Acts, we’ve seen how God has used the Apostles (in particular, Peter and John) in a powerful way. As we come to this chapter, we see God using not just the Apostles, but believers in general. As the Church grows, and takes on more responsibility, problems come into the house.

One of the first internal problems the Church dealt with was how to take care of the helpless.

As we learned this morning, our God is a good and faithful Father to His creation. God cares for those who are in helpless places. The Scripture says:

Psalm 68:5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.

God fathers those who are orphaned, or without fathers. God judges widows in the sense that, if they are widows indeed, then they are to be cared for by His people. In the Age of Israel under the Old Covenant God had half of Israel stand on Mount Ebal to hear what God required of His people. One of the things the Levites were to say was, “Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen” (Deuteronomy 27:19).

If you a Child of God by faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26) God expects you to care for the fatherless, the widows, and the stranger. When the Church began, it was filled with Jewish Christians who knew these requirements. The stepbrother of Jesus Christ wrote:

James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

There is a special blessing God places on the giver in Christ. Jesus specifically taught that it is MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE (Acts 20:35). Though many have relegated care of widows and orphans to the state, originally it was God’s people who were supposed to do this. The early Church fed widows and orphans. This was a good thing. But as humans we are often terribly imperfect. The second problem the Church encountered was preferential treatment.

Acts 6:1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

The Church is still primarily reaching out to the Jewish population. Among the Jews,

There were “Hebrews” who spoke Aramaic and came from Palestine. But there were also “Grecians”, or Jews that spoke Greek, because they had at one time been exiled from their homeland.

Word Study on MURMURING: The hometown Jewish widows were given preferential treatment over their out of town relatives. This led to the “Grecian” or out of town Jews to begin “murmuring” (γογγυσμός gongysmós, [pronounced gong-goos-mos’]), grumbling and muttering. Murmuring is a very dangerous thing to occur among the children of God. The site BibleReasons.com notes:

“Why is it so dangerous to murmur? It does nothing but cause unneeded stress. You forget all the {good} things God has done for you. The {Old Covenant} Israelites were killed because of it. It deteriorates your faith. It gives Satan an opportunity to sneak in {to the family of God}. It opens us up to {Satan’s} many lies. It gives a poor testimony.”

The stepbrother of Jesus, James (5:9) said, “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door (James 5:9, ESV)”. Murmuring is like a cancer that, once it invades the local Body of Christ, it can grow until it kills the fellowship entirely. The Apostle said in 1 Corinthians 10:10, “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer”.

We are to love one another as Christ loved us, and gave Himself for us (John 13:34). When murmuring starts we need Godly men to rise up and, as the beloved Barney Fife of the Andy Griffith Show used to say, “Nip it in the bud!”

That’s what the Apostles did. They asked that the CHURCH call out Godly Men to oversee the ministry of the weak. Note:

Acts 6:2-4 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. 3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

The preachers called the Church together, and asked the Church to choose “seven men of honest report”. Why did they choose 7? Because they thought that number would be sufficient to tend to the ministration of widows and orphans.

Word Study on The QUALITIES Sought: These were to be men “of honest report”. They needed to have the reputation among their peers of being honest, incorruptible men. These men also were to be “full of the Holy {Spirit} and wisdom”. These men were not FULL of THEMSELVES, but FULL of God. They were surrendered to Christ, willing to serve as Jesus served. They followed the example of Christ in washing the feet of those in need.

John 13:15 … I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

The men chosen were GIVERS not TAKERS. They were surrendered to Christ and to the Kingdom of God. They lived their lives not to please themselves, but to please God. These were men who cherished the Word of God. They were wise because they loved God’s Word. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 19:7 (ESV) The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

And Paul told Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:15 (ESV) … from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

By putting these men in charge of ministering to the widows and orphans, the preachers were freed to focus on “prayer, and … the ministry of the Word”. The Church agreed to this, and chose seven men who met these qualifications.

Stephen Was A Standout Among The Seven

The very first man the Church chose was called Stephen (vs 5). Stephen and these other six men did what they were supposed to do. As they MINISTERED, the MURMURING ceased. Rather than the cancer of murmuring killing the Body, we are told:

Acts 6:7 … The number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith”

The Church began to reach even the hardest to reach. “A great company of the priests were obedient to the faith”. The priests were part of the group that called for Christ’s crucifixion. Now, through love, these “enemies of the Cross” became “children of Christ”.

At this point the narrative in Acts focuses on the standout named simply Stephen. A lot of time is taken with Stephen, because Stephen would have the privilege of being the first martyr of the Church. We saw earlier that Stephen was “full of the Holy {Spirit} and wisdom”, and now read:

Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

Stephen refused to allow anything in his spiritual walk that was negative or degrading. Stephen would not allow himself to be filled with FEAR, nor CONFUSION. Stephen refused to entertain notions of darkness. Stephen did this by staying busy in Christ, giving to others as Christ gave to him. The Apostle said:

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Where the mind goes, so goes the body. Stephen rejected the darkness, and embraced the light of Christ. Stephen did not seek a comfortable faith, but like Jesus and Daniel, willingly walked into the lion’s den.

Acts 6:9-10 Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spake.

Word Study on The Synagogue: A Synagogue is like a local Church, a place where the Scripture is read and studied. Though Jews went to the Temple to make sacrifices and perform certain rituals (like circumcision), they needed a local area where they could gather and worship. This could be one Synagogue with a variety of Greek speaking Jews, or it could be 5 Synagogues. It is impossible to know for certain based on the text. We do know that Stephen was known to them all, as he visited the Synagogues, and shared Christ as resurrected Lord and Savior with them all. We read:

Acts 6:10 … they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spake

The Christian Is To Walk FILLED With God’s Spirit

In the King James the word translated “spirit” is in a lower case, but I believe this is incorrect. I believe the word should be upper case “Spirit”, a reference to the Holy Spirit of God. When you return to Acts 6:3 you see that Stephen was “full of the Holy {Spirit} and wisdom”. The Bible says:

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

It is Jesus Christ Who paid for our sins by His death on the Cross, and Jesus Christ Who represents us before the Father as our Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-15; 8:1). It is also Jesus Who said, “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16-17). When you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, He sends God the Holy Spirit into your life. It is the Holy Spirit that causes the believer:

To be REGENERATED or BORN AGAIN: John 3:3-8
To be ADOPTED into the Family of God: Romans 8:9-16
To be SEALED or preserved for Heaven: Ephesians 4:30
To be BAPTIZED spiritually: 1 Corinthians 12:13
To be INDWELT forever: 2 Timothy 1:13-14
To be FILLED with the Spirit’s empowerment: Ephesians 5:18
So that we WALK in the Spirit: Galatians 5:16, 25

Stephen was not standing up to these unbelieving men in his own power. He was standing in the power of God. The Holy Spirit of God was in full and willing control of Stephen. Stephen knew the Word of God, and surrendered to God daily. These unbelievers could not stand against the power of God the Holy Spirit, so they:

Acts 6:11-15 Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. 12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, 13 And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: 14 For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us. 15 And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

Word Study on The Evil Of Unbelieving Religion: We are told that these unbelievers “suborned men”. The word translated “suborned” is the Greek ὑποβάλλω hupŏballō, [pronounced hoop-ob-al’-lo], which means “to bribe others so that they will be stealthy with you, commit conspiracy”. The unbelievers could not win an argument with a Spirit filled Stephen, so they paid liars to say what they wanted them to say. Evil men did the same thing at Jesus’ trial. We read:

Matthew 26:59-61 the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; 60 But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, 61 And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.

They did the same thing with Stephen. Their accusations against Stephen are very similar to the accusations made against our Lord Jesus. But Stephen did not try and defend himself. He kept his eyes on Jesus, so much so that the enemy “saw his face as it had been the face of an angel”. In the Old Testament when Moses came down Sinai after speaking with God, his face glowed (Exodus 34:29-35; 2 Corinthians 3:7). On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus’ face glowed (Matthew 17:2; Luke 9:29). Stephen’s face was glowing because he was not focused on the liars and the friends of Satan – He was focused on serving God with all his heart!

Christians, Let God’s Spirit and God’s Word Guide You

Acts 7:1 Then said the high priest {Caiphas}, Are these things so?

The devil will always give you an opportunity to cut your own throat with your tongue. After these lies were told about Stephen, the High Priest demands that Stephen speak in his own defense. At this point, Stephen could have went on the defensive, saying “I never did that!” Under the control of God’s Holy Spirit, Stephen does NOT address the accusations leveled against himself. Instead, Stephen relies on the teaching of Scripture.

The Holy Spirit empowers the believer, but Scripture is the Spirit’s weapon against evil.

Ephesians 6:17-18 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance …

If you do not read and study your Bible on a regular basis, the Spirit has no weapon to yield in battle for you. The Holy Spirit came to GUIDE US INTO ALL TRUTH (John 16:13). God’s Word is TRUTH (John 17:17). Stephen had studied the Word of God while in Synagogue and while outside Synagogue. Being attacked, he allows the Spirit of God to yield the Word of God by telling the story of salvation. Stephen started with how God graciously called Abraham to salvation:

Acts 7:2-8 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. 4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. 5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet {God} promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child. 6 And God spake on this wise, That his seed should {wander} in a strange land {Egypt}; and that they {the Egyptians} should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years. 7 And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place. 8 And {God} gave {Abraham} the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day;

Stephen continues with the beginning of Israel in Jacob, and the story of Joseph, Jacob’s son who began co-regent in Egypt:

Acts 7:8-19 … and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs. 9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him, 10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and {God} made {Joseph} governor over Egypt and all his house. 11 Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. 13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph’s kindred was made known unto Pharaoh. 14 Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. 15 So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, 16 And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulcher that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem. 17 But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, 18 Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph. 19 The same dealt subtly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.

The Stephen continues with the rise of Moses, and how God blessed Israel through Moses.

Acts 7:20-38 In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father’s house three months: 21 And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. 23 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: 25 For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not. 26 And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? 27 But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday? 29 Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons. 30 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, 32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. 33 Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground. 34 I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt. 35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush. 36 He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years. 37 This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. 38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount {Sinai}, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

I am running out of time! As Stephen tells the story of Israel, from it’s founding in Abraham to the building of the Temple under King Solomon, he is teaching them a pattern.

Over and over again God was gracious to Israel. But over and over again, Israel rejected the Grace and Mercy of God our Savior!

The Holy Spirit through a willing Stephen gives a very detailed history of Israel. Then abruptly, Stephen drives the main point home:

Acts 7:51-53 Ye stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy {Spirit}: as your fathers did, so do ye. 52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: 53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

Stephen, under the influence of God’s Holy Spirit, tells these religious unbelievers that they have always – from Israel’s founding until this day – stood in opposition to the Holy Spirit of God. They resisted God in the wilderness when they murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness (Exodus 16:2), and murmured against God Who promised:

Numbers 14:29 Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward which have murmured against me.

These leaders of Israel were not Spirit led, but led by their flesh and by Satan. As Stephen levels charges against them, we read:

Acts 7:54-58 … When they {of the Synagogues} heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. 55 But he, 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. 57 Then they 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

Evil stood up to kill an honest and Spirit filled believer. But Jesus stood up and applauded Stephen as his life was beaten from him. As they stoned Stephen with stones, Stephen cried out to God:

Acts 7:59-60 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.

Stephen loved God His Father and Jesus Christ his Lord to the very end. As we read this, we might be tempted to say, “What a waste of a wonderful life!” But it was no waste. There is a small snippet of text in verse 58 that notes, “the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul”. Because Stephen kept his eyes on God, God would plant a seed in Saul’s heart that would cause him to run into the arms of Jesus on the Damascus Road.

Saul would become Paul, the Apostle to us who are Gentiles!

Beloved, live your lives for the Lord. Walk in the power of God’s Holy Spirit, and feed daily on the Sacred Scriptures, the Sword of the Spirit. Your lives have great meaning, and can do great things for Christ, if you but stay the course. God help us all to follow our Lord surrendered. In Christ’s precious Name I pray. Amen and Amen!

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Baptist Distinctives: God Is Our Father

Posted on January 23, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Liane Metzler on Unsplash

When our Lord Jesus taught us to pray, He told us to pray to the Father. Not to Him, nor to the Holy Spirit, but to the Father.

Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Many Have A Poor View Of God As Father
Because Of Sin And Disobedience

God is the Creator of the Family. It was God Who made Adam and Eve, and ordered that they “be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth” (Genesis 1:28). Man was the lead the family, with the wife supporting his leadership. The first family collapsed because Adam did not do as he was commanded, and sin entered the world.

When God chose to save Israel, as King and Father He enacted a series of moral laws that His people were to follow. In the moral law we call The Ten Commandments the fifth commandment was:

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.

Word Study: The word translated “Honor“ is the Hebrew kâbad, {pronounced kaw-bad’}, which means “to bring honor to, to enrich or bring glory to“. Parents were to honor God, and treat their children as valuable and precious. Children learn their concepts of “father” and “mother” from their parents.

Sadly, many children today grow up without an understanding of what the word “father” means.

Many kids grow up in single parent homes where absent fathers are the standard. That is so very sad. Pastor Francis Chan wrote in his spot on book Crazy Love:

“The concept of being wanted by a father was foreign to me. Growing up, I felt unwanted by my dad. My mother died giving birth to me, so maybe he saw me as the cause of her death; I’m not sure.

I never carried on a meaningful conversation with my dad. In fact, the only affection I remember came when I was nine years old: He put his arm around me for about 30 seconds while we were on our way to my stepmother’s funeral. Besides that, the only other physical touch I experienced were the beatings I received when I disobeyed or bothered him.

My goal in our relationship was not to annoy my father. I would walk around the house trying not to upset him.

He died when I was 12. I cried but also felt relief.

The impact of this relationship affected me for years, and I think a lot of those emotions transferred to my relationship with God. For example, I tried hard not to annoy God with my sin or upset Him with my little problems. I had no aspiration of being wanted by God; I was just happy not being hated or hurt by Him.”

Being raised with NO view of a father, or a LOW view of a father, will impact how you view The “Father”

Baptists Believe God As Our Father Is Loving, Gracious, Merciful, And Kind – As Well As KING

The Southern Baptist Faith and Message (2000) states:

“God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.”

God desires to be Father to all who will
come to Him through Christ.

The Bible tells us that God the Father is the Head of the Family of God, and the Leader within the Trinity of God. Though the Scripture says that

Galatians 3:26 we are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus“

And that we are ADOPTED into God’s Family by the Holy Spirit of God:

Romans 8:15 … ye have received the SPIRIT OF ADOPTION, whereby we cry, Abba, Father …

Romans 9:24-26 … Even us, whom {God} hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? 25 As he saith also in {Hosea}, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

Even within the Trinity, God the Father is the Leader. God the Father sent His Son to be our Lord and Savior (John 3:16), and God the Father sends the Holy Spirit to those who love Jesus (John 14:16).

The ancient Jews somewhat knew God as Father. When God called Moses to go to Pharaoh and demand Israel’s release, God told Moses:

Exodus 4:22-23 … thou {O Moses} shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: 23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

Israel was God’s Child, and God Israel’s Father. When God led Israel out of bondage, Moses tells Israel:

Deuteronomy 1:31 … in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.

There are a few places in the Old Testament where God is clearly called “Father” to Israel. In Jeremiah 31:9 God says, “for I am a Father to Israel“, and in Isaiah 64:8 “But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father …“. In Isaiah 63:16 the Prophet says, “Doubtless Thou art our Father … Thou, O LORD, art our Father, our Redeemer; Thy name is from everlasting“. In Malachi 2:10 we read, “Have we not all one Father? Hath not one God created us?“.

Jesus Portrayed God As “Father” To Both Groups
(like Israel) As Well As To Individuals

Though God is referred to as “Father” in the Old Testament and under the Old Covenant, in the New Testament our Lord Jesus expands the Fatherhood of God. Among Israel God was “Father” only to the nation. Jesus defined the Fatherhood of God as personal.

John 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill {Jesus}, because {Jesus} not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making himself equal with God.

Jesus portrayed God as Father over not just a group, but over individual believers. Jonathan T. Pennington in Outreach Magazine notes:

“… understanding God as Father and addressing him in this way was more frequent and characteristic of Jesus and Christianity from its earliest days.

The Gospels refer to God as Father (patēr) over 170 times, most of them coming from the Gospel of John (109x). Second to John is Matthew, which refers to God as Father 44 times, much more frequently than the other Synoptics (Mark 4x; Luke 17x). This shows that for the first and fourth Gospels (which prove to be the most influential on the church), God as Father is an important theme. God’s fatherhood becomes a foundational idea for Christianity …”

Turn to Matthew Chapter 23: Our Lord Jesus told us that the Fatherhood of God and the Family of God are to supersede all other relationships that you might have. God is our Perfect Father.

Matthew 23:8-10 But be not ye called Rabbi {ῥαββί rhabbí, [pronounced hrab-bee’], “Master”}: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10 Neither be ye called masters {καθηγητής kathēgētḗs, [pronounced kath-ayg-ay-tace’], “Guides, Directors”}: for one is your Master, even Christ.

Jesus demanded that the Family of God and the Christian’s relationship in that family be greater than that of our earthly families. 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.

Our earthly relationships are to pale in comparison to our Heavenly relationships. If I am to “love the Lord my God with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my might” (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37), then my God and not my family are to take the preeminence in my life. However, I have found that,

If I love God my Father, God my Elder Brother, and God the Spirit more than those around me, my love for those around me will increase.

I forgive and care for my enemies because I love God most. I love and care for my wife because I love God most. I love and care for my children and grandchildren because I love God most. It is God Who has given these great gifts to me, and so I care for my other relationships – though God remain number ONE in my life. A high view of God as Father will give you a high view of all else that goes on around you.

The Fatherhood Of God Brings Us Into Union
With The Triune Godhead

The Bible is clear that God the Father loves God the Son. When Jesus prayed, He prayed to the Father.

Matthew 11:25-30 Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. 26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. 27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. 28 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 is light.

The Lord Jesus made it clear that “the Father loves the Son, and shows the Son all that He does” (John 5:20). The Father, Son, and Spirit are eternally and equally bound together in love one toward another. To love Jesus is to be loved of the Father. All power

Since the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are bound together in an eternal triad of love, when we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are drawn into this chain of perfect love. Jesus said “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:19). Jesus did not take power from the Father, but loves the Father, the Head of the Trinity. The Father loves the Son with an infinite love, and has given all power to His Son. This is why Jesus said:

John 14:21-24 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

When we love Jesus, we are loved of the Father. It is through Jesus that we enter into the Family of God. Because God the Father loves His creation – though we have fallen – He sent Jesus Christ to bring us into union with Him. Once saved by faith in Christ, we are to love one another as we have been loved. The Apostle wrote:

1 John 4:7-11 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we 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 ought also to love one another.

God is a Father Who loves us. God is a Father Who we can talk to. He is a Father Who meets our every need. Jesus said:

Matthew 6:26-33 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

It is the Father we pray to in the Son’s Name and in the power of God the Holy Spirit. It is the Father Who supplies our needs. He supplies our need for salvation through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit. He supplies our daily needs as a good Father will do. God marks the Christian by sending the Blessed Holy Spirit to inhabit us after salvation. Praise Him, “God {the Father} sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit Who calls out ‘Abba, Father’”.

God is a Father we can trust to be there. But if you would know God as Father, you must come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: No one comes to the Father but by Me” (John 14:6). It is Jesus Whom the Father sent (John 3:16). It is Jesus Who died on Calvary, making payment for our sins. It is Jesus to Whom all power has been given. Do you know Him? Do you know Jesus as Lord and Savior? Have you put your soul into His hands? If not, today is a great day to do so. “For whosoever believes on the Name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13). May God touch your hearts with His Word. Amen and Amen.

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Baptist Distinctives #3: Jesus Is God Our Brother

Posted on January 20, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash

Turn with me in your Bibles to the Book of Hebrews.

During our “Snow Day” last Sunday, I listened to an online preacher talking about the Dangers of Idolatry. It was a very interesting sermon/ teaching, and very much enjoyed it. In the sermon the minister noted that “everybody worships something”, and that when God took His people out of Egypt under Moses’ leadership, one of the first requirements that God gave His people was:

Exodus 20:2-3 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

God identified Himself as Israel’s Savior, and Israel as a people saved. God commanded that His people have no other gods before the God Who saved them. God identifies Himself frequently throughout the Scripture, using the same terminology He uses in Exodus 20:2 ..

Deuteronomy 5:6 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt …

Psalm 81:10 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt …

Isaiah 43:3 For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior: I gave Egypt for thy ransom …

Hosea 13:4 Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no savior beside me.

God identifies Himself as Israel’s Savior.
God identifies Himself as OUR Savior.

When we make an idol of anything, if we worship anything or anyone outside of the God of the Scripture, we demean God our Savior. It is God Who saves us, and not we ourselves. When the commercials today say “Keep on doing YOU”, they are bidding us to follow idols.

Illustrate: I saw a commercial for a Chevy Camaro this morning. It showed a young boy seeing his first Camaro, and falling in love with it. The boy got a pickle jar and started saving for his car. As he grew up, and time passed, situations in his life caused him to spend his “Camaro” money on other things. He spent money on a wedding ring, the birth of his children, the marriage of a daughter. Each time his “Camaro” savings were depleted, and he started saving again. After his wife died, and he emptied the “Camaro” jar to bury her, he again began saving. A birthday coming up, he carries his full pickle jar to the Camaro dealer when, suddenly, he gets a heart attack and dies. As the commercial ends, the man gets to the afterlife, and there is the Camaro of his dreams. He gets in it, and becomes a little boy again. The commercial ends with, “Camaro, the dream never dies”.

This is idolatry. A Camaro cannot save you, nor make your life better. When you die the stuff you made idols of will not be waiting on the “other side” for you. You will just have Jesus’ statement ringing in your ears as you depart into a place of separation from God and eternal punishment. Our Lord’s Words:

Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

When we make idols instead of worshiping the God Who made us, we rob ourselves of a promised blessed life.

As we continue our series on Baptist Distinctives, tonight we’re going to talk about the Lord Jesus Christ. The Baptist Faith & Message (2000) notes:

“Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.”

Within the Trinity of God, the Father is the Planner and the Director of the will of God. God the Son – though equally God with the Father – moves at the discretion and direction of God the Father to save the people of God. The Book of Hebrews teaches us many things about the person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ Is Not Lesser God Than The Father
Jesus Christ Is God Manifested To Be Our Mediator

Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

The first point made is that under the Old Covenant (the Old Testament) GOD spoke to humanity “by the prophets”.

The Prophets Were Mediators Between God & Man

2 Peter 1:21 … the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy {Spirit}.

God sometimes came to individuals in a dream. God did this with:

Moses (Numbers 12:6-8)
Jacob (Genesis 46:2-4)
Abram (Genesis 12:1-3)
Noah (Genesis 8:15-19)
Joseph (Genesis 37:5)
Joseph, Mary’s Husband (Matthew 1:20)
Paul (Acts 9)

There are many others God talked to personally, but most people received the Word of God through a mediator. In the Old Testament God chose men to be mediators, people through whom He would speak to humanity called prophets. Under the New Covenant, the Mediator is Jesus Christ, or the Apostles that Jesus Himself chose to speak for Him. The Prophets and Apostles were just plain folk, just like we are. James, the stepbrother of Jesus notes that “Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are” (James 5:17). The Apostles and Prophets were not “super believers”, but were chosen because they were willing to be used of God. But Jesus, He is more than just another Prophet. We are told:

Hebrews 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he {God} hath appointed heir {Jesus} of all things, by Whom {Jesus} also He made the worlds…

God the Father has made Jesus “heir of all things”. Why is Jesus “heir of all things”? It is because it is “by Whom also {God} made the worlds”. God the Father, the Planner and Leader of the Trinity, made everything you see and cannot see through the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle says it this way in:

1 Corinthians 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

God the Father is the Planner and Director. Jesus Christ is the means of creation. “By whom are all things, and we by him”. Though Father, Son, and Spirit were in the beginning, from eternity, with God, it was Jesus Christ Who made all things at the direction of the Father. It is Jesus Christ that makes us right with God. Jesus is Creator God. The Apostle notes this in the oft quoted:

John 1:1-3, 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. … And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Jesus Christ is called “the Word”because He IS the ONLY Mediator between God and Man in this current dispensation. He entered His creation through Mary.

Jesus did not come into being when He was born of a virgin. He was “with God, and the Word was God”. John carefully states that “the Word was made flesh”, that is, Eternal God the Son took on humanity through the operation of God the Holy Spirit in the life of the virgin called Mary (Luke 1:35). Jesus is fully equal with both Father and Spirit. Jesus is also like us, but without sin (Hebrews 4:15; 9:28). As God, Jesus knows what it is to be God. As perfect Man, Jesus knows what it is to be in this present creation. The Bible says:

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

There is only One Person Who has ever been able to act as the conduit between God and Man. I believe that it was Jesus Christ Who walked daily in the Garden with Adam (Genesis 3:8). I believe that it was Jesus Christ Who formed Adam of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7), and Jesus Christ Who took a rib from Adam and formed Eve (Genesis 2:21-22).

Jesus made all things at the Father’s direction. Jesus created animals and humanity. When the Bible says that we are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27; 9:6), it means that we were made to be like Jesus, our Creator. Jesus is the “appointed heir of all things” because He made it and us. When creation fell to darkness, it is easy to understand that Jesus would be the Savior, since He made it all in the first place. Everything belongs to Jesus. Everything. When God spoke through the Prophet saying:

Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

It was the preincarnate Jesus telling humanity that we all belong to Him. It is Jesus Who, offering Himself up on our behalf on the Cross of Calvary, saves whosoever believeth in Him. Why? Why won’t other gods, other methods, bring salvation to a sinner? Because Jesus Christ is the ONE and ONLY MEDIATOR between God and Man. We read:

Hebrews 1:3-4 Who {Jesus} being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: 4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Jesus was made in His humanity, but not in His deity. Jesus Christ is revealed God in human flesh. He is the “brightness of His {God’s} glory”. Jesus said:

John 14:9 … he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father …

The Apostle wrote in Colossians 1:14-17 In {Jesus Christ} we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And {Jesus} is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Jesus is God manifested to us. In Jesus we see “the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power”. The Apostle tells us that we who believe are waiting for “the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ”. Jesus Christ is God. The Father, upon incarnating Jesus into the world, ordered …

Hebrews 1:6 … let all the angels of God worship him.

The Father declares the Godhood of Jesus. Jesus is to be worshiped. Jesus was worshiped. The Magi came looking for the Baby Jesus. “We have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:2). When Jesus began His ministry, He often received worship.

“there came a leper and worshiped Him” (Matthew 8:2)
“there came a certain ruler, and worshiped Him” (Matthew 9:17)
“they that were in the ship came and worshiped Him” (Matthew 14:33)
“Then came she and worshiped Him” (Matthew 15:25)
“came to him the mother of Zebedees …worshiping Him” (Matthew 20:20)
“they held Him by the feet and worshiped Him” (Matthew 28:9)

How could Jesus be worshiped? Is this not blasphemy? No, it is not, for God has said of Jesus:

Hebrews 1:8 … unto the Son {God the Father} saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.

As The Only Mediator, God The Son Represents
The Saved Before God The Father

There are many idols in the world, but Jesus Christ is no idol. Jesus is “Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the True God, and Eternal Life” (1 John 5:20). The Bible makes it very clear that every human is unworthy to stand before God. The Apostle said:

Romans 3:10-12 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

People believe that they can be good enough to reach Heaven. The scripture never teaches such a concept. The Bible tells us that Adam’s sin in Eden brought sin and condemnation to all humanity. We read:

Romans 5:12, 15 -19 … by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: … 15 But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. 17 For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Adam sinned a sin that brought sin and death into all of his children. Jesus Christ came to mediate between God and man, to bring us back to a state of rightness with God our Father. Under the Old Covenant, the High Priest would take an animal sacrifice, kill it, and sprinkle its blood on the sinner. The blood sprinkled “atoned for” or “covered up” sin, making that person temporarily right before God.

Hebrews 10:4 … it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

The Old Testament sacrifices were but temporary measures, until God the Father sent God the Son into the world. “The Law {of animal sacrifices} was a shadow of good things to come, but not in itself the good thing” (Hebrews 10:1). But then the Father sent the Son. Jesus was willing to come and give Himself for our sins.

Hebrews 10:9-14 Then said {Jesus}, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God {the Father}. He taketh away the first {covenant of animal sacrifices}, that he may establish the second {covenant of Calvary’s sacrifice}. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering often times the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God {the Father}; 13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

God through Moses gave humanity a temporary means by which we could make ourselves right with God the Father. It was temporary, for otherwise the animal sacrifices would only be done once, not year after year as they were. When Jesus Christ came, He came to take the place of the animal sacrifice on our behalf. Dying on Calvary, His Blood willingly offered is “one sacrifice for sins for ever”. When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the Blood of Christ is applied to our lives. We have the promise that “by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified”. We are not, ourselves, perfect in the eyes of the Father, but we are perfect because His precious Son applied His perfection to us. We are loved for Christ’s sake. Does not the Scripture tell the Christian:

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

We have neither earned nor deserved our salvation in the Father’s eyes. No Beloved, “God {the Father} for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you”. Our sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. When Jesus walked this earth, He often forgave sins. In Mark 2:5 Jesus told theman sick of the palsy, “Son, thy sins be FORGIVEN THEE” (Mark 2:5). When the Jews accused Jesus of blasphemy (for only God can forgive sin – Mark 2:7), Jesus miraculously proved He has the power to forgive sin. When a woman called a sinner washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, and dried His feet with the hair of her head (Luke 7:44), Jesus said:

Luke 7:47-50 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48 And {Jesus} said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? 50 And He said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

How can Jesus forgive sins? Because Jesus is not only the Son of God, but Jesus Christ is both the sacrifice for sin as well as our High Priest.

Hebrews 4:14-15 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

And again in:

Hebrews 7:25-27 Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. 26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for His own sins, and then for the people’s: for this He did once, when He offered up himself.

As the One True Mediator, Jesus Christ is our High Priest and our sacrifice for sins. He “is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them”. Our Jesus sits on the right hand of God the Father representing those who love Him and obey Him. We have access to God our Father at any time because of Jesus Christ our High Priest, our Savior, our Lord, and our Elder Brother. Robert Stein, the Hogan Professor of New Testament studies at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary notes:

“During his ministry, {Jesus} was recognized as the unique Son of God by demons (Mark 5:7), Satan (Matt 4:3, 6) and most importantly the voice {of the Father} from heaven at his baptism and transfiguration (Mark 1:11; 9:7). During his ministry, he acted as one who possessed a unique authority over the temple by cleansing it (Mark 11:15-19, 27-33; John 2:13-21), over demons and Satan by his exorcisms, over disease by his healings, over the Sabbath by his actions (Mark 2:23-28), over death by his raising the dead and at times even over the Law by his teachings (Matt 5:21-48; Mark 7:18-19).”

We serve an awesome and splendid Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord! If you do not know and live for Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I beg you, give yourselves to Him today! Our Jesus not only gives eternal life in glory, but a blessed life while walking through this maddening world. May God the Holy Spirit draw you close to Him today. Amen and Amen!

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The Most Important Thing

Posted on January 12, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Robert Koorenny on Unsplash

1 Corinthians 9:16-23 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! 17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. 18 What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. 19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

Paul Kept The Main Thing The Main Thing

The Apostle Paul saw His calling as a preacher of the Gospel to be a great blessing from God. He said “Though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”. When Jesus knocked Saul down on the Damascus Road, He set Saul (soon to be Paul) apart to preach the Gospel. God told Ananias:

Acts 9:15-16 Go thy way {to Paul, and help him}: for {Paul} 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.

What is interesting is that Saul before he was called Paul caused great suffering to many Christians. After Saul was saved, and was called “Paul”, he in turn suffered greatly for the preaching of the Gospel.

Paul was treated with suspicion by those he previously hurt.
Paul was treated as a traitor to the Jewish Ruling Sanhedrin.
Paul was imprisoned as a troublemaker by Rome.

And yet Paul never gave up trying to reach others for Christ. He said:

2 Corinthians 11:24-27 (ESV)Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

With all the trials and tribulations, discouragement and disaster, you would think that Paul would just throw up his hands and quit. But he didn’t. Paul had been allowed to look into glory one time, and that look blessed him beyond measure (2 Corinthians 12:3). Paul kept the main thing the main thing. He realized he was called to share the Gospel of salvation to others, to live so as to lead others to Christ. Paul said:

1 Corinthians 9:17 … if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me

Word Study: When God called Paul to salvation, God promised a “reward” if he did as God required. The word translated “reward” is the Greek μισθός misthós, {pronounced mis-thos’}, which means “dues paid for work, wages, hire paid at the end of the day”.

There will be a payday, someday, for us all.

The son or daughter of God is called to work for the Lord Who saved them. We are not saved by works, but once saved, we owe our allegiance to the King of Glory. Jesus told us:

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

We, like Paul, keep our eyes looking Heavenward, knowing that one day the saved will be with us in glory. What a wonderful reward it will be to see a lost person in glory, rather than in flames of hell! That is our reward.

Word Study: But Paul also said, “if {I preach} against my will, a dispensation” was given to him. The word “dispensation” is the Greek οἰκονομία oikonomía, {pronounced oy-kon-om-ee’-ah} which means “stewardship”.

If you share Christ willingly, God will treat you as a son. If you share Christ unwillingly, God is treating you as a servant. You choose how you will serve Him.

What Was True Of Paul Is True For Us As Well

Paul is not talking about his ministry to brag. He wants us to apply these truths to ourselves as well. All Scripture has purpose to the believer.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the {Godly believer} may be {spiritually mature}, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Everything in the Bible was written with the purpose of growing us spiritually to be more like Christ.

Romans 15:4 … whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Paul told the Churches he wrote:

1 Corinthians 4:16 … I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

1 Corinthians 11:1 … Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Philippians 3:17 … Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

Philippians 4:9 … Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

As Paul had a calling, every Christian has a calling. We are all ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). God could have taken us to Heaven the day He saved us, but God left us as strangers in a strange land (Jeremiah 5:19). We are all called to represent Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.

  • Both Paul and we who are American Christians have been given the Grace of unprecedented physicalfreedom.

1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I be free from all [men], yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

Word Study: The word “men” is NOT in the manuscript, but was added by the King James translators. They showed this addition by italicizing the word men. The Apostle actually says, “though I be free from all”. The Apostle was “free” both PHYSICALLY as well as SPIRITUALLY. Let’s deal with the PHYSICAL freedom of Paul first.

In the ancient Roman Empire conservative scholars note that around 10% of the population was enslaved. Freedom is a great blessing!

When Paul was threatened with scourging by a Roman soldier, the Apostle said:

Acts 22:25 … Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?

When the soldier realized Paul was a freeman, he told Paul:

Acts 22:28-29 And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I {my} freedom. And Paul said, But I was [free] born.

No one chooses their own birth. Some born into Rome were born into slavery and poverty. Others were born free. Paul was “a Jew born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia … brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the Law of the fathers …” (Acts 22:3). Paul was blessed by God in his birth. Gamaliel was one of the great Rabbinical Scholars of that day. Paul was born physically free because God chose to make him so.

Even so, as Americans we are born extraordinarily free. Though some be born into poverty, even the impoverished in America are blessed by the standards of other countries.

In Afghanistan the minimum wage for government workers is $74 per month.
In Algeria the minimum wage is $156.19 per month.
In Angola, it is $58 per month.

There are worst places than these. We have the freedom to travel from state to state at will, when ever we want. God gave us this freedom for a reason.

  • Both Paul and we who are American Christians have been given the Grace of unprecedented spiritual freedom.

The believer in Christ is freed from death and sin. We are told in Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” We are not bound by sin, but are bound to a Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. We are “set free from sin so that we might serve God” (Romans 6:22). We are “dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.” (Romans 7:4). We as believers no longer need to sacrifice animals on an altar, nor do we need to seek forgiveness through a human High Priest. Jesus Christ is our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14). Jesus Christ is our sacrifice for sin (John 1:29, 36). Our Jesus “makes intercession for us who are saved” (Romans 8:34). As Jesus said:

John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Death has no hold on the believer. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).

As Christians, we are given freedom for a purpose.
Let us honor God in our freedoms.

We are given this unprecedented freedom, both spiritual as well as physical, so that we can share the Gospel of salvation with others. We are not saved by this glorious Grace so that we might coast our way into Heaven. We should say with the Apostle:

1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I be free from all [men], yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

When Israel was brought into Egyptian bondage, the Bible says they were in “bondage” (Acts 7:6, δουλοω, douloo, [pronounced doo-lo’-o]). The Apostle uses the same word in 1 Corinthians 9:19 when he says, “I made myself servant {douloo} unto all”. Paul lowered himself – not into sin – but came to each person where they were. This is the same thing our Lord Jesus did. Jesus was often found dining with sinners and publicans (Mark 2:15), and called Jesus “a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!” (Luke 7:34). Yet Jesus told the religious critics,

Mark 2:17 …. They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Paul Used His Freedom To Reach People For Christ

Being a Jew, Paul said:

1 Corinthians 9:20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;

The meaning of the text is not that Paul became Jewish, but instead he followed the habits and rituals of the Jews insofar as they conformed to the righteousness of God. People will best identify with people who first identify with them. The commentator Matthew Henry notes:

“Though {Paul} looked on the ceremonial law as a yoke taken off by Christ, yet in many instances he submitted to it, that he might work upon the Jews, remove their prejudices, prevail with them to hear the gospel, and win them over to Christ.”

The Apostle took the vow of the Nazarite (see Acts 18:18) – a specialized priest in Israel and highly regarded (Lamentations 4:7) – so that he could reason with and possibly reach the Jews at Ephesus with the Gospel. We read further:

1 Corinthians 9:21 … To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.

Most orthodox Jews of that day shunned contact with the Gentiles, but Paul sought out friendship with the Gentiles. Our Lord Jesus did the same thing with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (John 4:7-10). Jesus finds this woman at the well drawing water, and asks her “give Me something to drink” (John 4:7). Both Jews as Gentiles need water. The woman responded, “How is it that You, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan (a Gentile) for water? The Jews have nothing to do with us!” (John 4:9). Jesus used this encounter to tell her that He is the Messiah, the “One Who can give living water” (John 4:10).

1 Corinthians 9:22-23 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all [men], that I might by all means save some. (23) And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with [you].

The Apostle says “I have become (literal Greek) all things to all men”. This does not mean that the Apostle lowered himself into sin in order to reach the sinner. Though Jesus was accused of being a drunkard (Matthew 11:19) by His detractors, He never lowered Himself into sin in order to witness to the lost. Neither should you, dear Christian! We do not justify what God has condemned as sinful when reaching out to the lost. But we do ignore cultural and color differences, and with love and civility reach out to those without Christ.

We are ambassadors for Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). An Ambassador lives in a foreign country while he works. An Ambassador takes his orders from his Sovereign Nation. As Christians, we are strangers and foreigners in this world. We are alive to represent Jesus Christ our Lord to a lost and dying world. Our written directives are found in the Holy Scripture. The Apostle said:

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

We who are Christ’s are members of His Body (1 Corinthians 12:27). While we serve the Lord, we will be blessed. “A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful Ambassador is health” (Proverbs 13:16-17). As the Apostle Paul had a reason to live, a purpose, we who are Christ’s have a purpose. Let us live for Him, and reach out to others with the glorious Gospel of salvation. Jesus is alive! We serve a Risen Savior! Amen and Amen.

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What Does Love Demand?

Posted on January 11, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Leighann Blackwood on Unsplash

1 Corinthians 8:1-3 Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. 2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him.

I’m sure you’ve all been in a room with someone on a telephone. Nearly everyone carries cell phones nowadays. It’s common today to be speaking with someone, their phone rings, and they put you on hold while they talk to the person on the other side of the phone line. That’s the best way to describe this chapter. The Apostle was visited by three men from Corinth, Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus (Acts 16:17). These men were some of the first Gentiles saved as the Gospel was preached in the Roman Province of Achaia (Acts 16:15). Professor Daniel Balge (Martin Luther College) notes:

“We don’t know whether the(se) three Corinthians walked to Ephesus, a journey of about 900 miles, or spent a week or more crossing the Aegean Sea by ship. … But this we know: Out of love for Jesus they served God and people well in a humble, but vital, task. They reliably carried two letters and linked a pastor to his people. Thus in his letter Paul could speak timely words to urgent problems and timeless truth (in Corinth).”

A Little Background

The three messengers told Paul that the Church was in an uproar over whether to eat meat sacrificed to idols or not.

Corinth, as well as Rome, was a place where there were several very large Pagan Temples where animals were sacrificed to “the gods”. Once the animals were sacrificed, rather than waste it, the meat of the animals was often sold in meat markets at reduced prices. The Gentiles of Corinth, raised among other Pagans who worshiped these false gods, saw no problem in eating the meat of animals that was sacrificed to the idolatrous gods. The Jews, however, had a big problem with this.

When the early Church started, Jesus told His followers:

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.

Had the Church stayed in “in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea“ there would never have been a problem. The Church would have been nothing but people with Jewish backgrounds. Jewish Christians grew up with Jewish customs. Jewish Christians were well acquainted with the Law of God, and particularly with the Ten Commandments. The Ten commandments start with:

Exodus 20:2-7 … I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Every problem Israel ever had could be traced back to idolatry – so Jewish Christians would be especially frightened of anything idolatrous.

The Jews knew that God was the Only God, and would not worship any other god, Roman or not. Jewish Christians were united in the fact that they would not have anything to do with idols. They would not go into an idolatrous temple, and no Jew would eat meat from animals that were sacrificed the idols.

While the Gospel was going to Jerusalem and Judea, all Christians were Jewish Christians. But as the Gospel went out to “Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth“, Gentiles began to come into the Church. And as these Gentiles came, they brought with them their backgrounds, and traditions that they had grown up with. BEFORE the Apostle Peter was led by God to the Roman stronghold of Caesarea to the home of a Centurion called Cornelius (Acts 10:1), God gave Peter a vision. Peter was praying at lunchtime – about noon. The Bible says:

Acts 10:10-16 … {Peter while praying} became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, 11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: 12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. 14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. 15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. 16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

As a Christian from an Orthodox Jewish background, Peter had never eaten what the Jews considered “unclean”. But as the Lord gave Peter this vision, Peter was told to eat all manner of edible meats. Peter naturally replied with, “Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean“. As an ethnic Jew Peter had never eaten what the Lord called forbidden. But the Lord told Him, “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common“. The rules were changed by Jesus. Now that Jesus died on the Cross for our sins, the animal sacrifices, and the issue of clean and unclean, no longer applies. In fact, Jesus, when He walked this earth, “declared all foods clean” (see Mark 7:19). Christians are not forbidden to eat any foods that they feel comfortable eating.

Once the Church began to receive Gentile converts to the faith, and began to bring their customs into the Church, it began to cause arguments between Jews & Gentiles.

In one of the first business meetings of the early Church missionaries were sent out to the Gentiles. Though Gentiles who were saved by faith in Christ were not required to be circumcised (as all ethnic Jews were circumcised), they were nonetheless told:

Acts 15:29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

Gentiles were not required to keep the Law of Moses once saved, but were told to “keep themselves from things offered to idols” (Acts 21:25). But here we’ve got a problem.

Jesus told His disciples that all foods are clean.
Jesus told Peter in the vision that all meats are clean.
Jewish Church leadership told Gentiles not to eat things offered to idols.
Gentiles who are saved are eating meats offered to idols.
Jewish Christians are offended by meats offered to idols.

This is a big mess in Corinth, and not just at Corinth, but in Rome as well. In Romans chapter 14 the Apostle deals with the same problem he is dealing with in this chapter of Corinthians. So the local Churches, instead of growing, are fighting internally. Stalled spiritually, the Corinthian and Roman congregations are busy arguing about who is right, while they should be sharing the Gospel.

The devil loves that!

It Doesn’t Matter Who Wins The Argument
Love Is The Key!

1 Corinthians 8:1-2 Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. 2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

On the matter of “things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge“. Both sides knew that they were right. The Jews, with a long cultural heritage of avoiding idolatry, knew that any compromise with idolatry is a slippery slope. Some of the Jews that are now Christians perhaps used to be Scribes or, like Paul, Pharisees. They were well versed in the Law, and knew how idolatry had hurt Israel. “We know we are RIGHT”.

The Gentiles, saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, knew that an idol is nothing but a figment of a man’s imagination. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 115:3-7 OUR God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. 4 THEIR idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. 5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: 6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: 7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.

The God we serve is real. He controls all things. Our God is Sovereign, and speaks to His people through His Word and through His Spirit. But THEIR idols are just made up things, nothings, ciphers. “They have ears, but they do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths” (Psalm 135:16-18). They are just dead statues, empty things. If I as a Gentile eat discounted meat from a Disneyland Temple, what does it matter? After all, meat is meat. And Jesus said all food is clean!

So both sides are right, and the other side is wrong. There was an old song years ago that said:

There’s battle lines being drawn
Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong

The Apostle says:

Knowledge puffeth up

Word Study: “I KNOW that I’M RIGHT”. You may be right. Both sides may have a kernel of right. But “Knowledge puffeth up“. The phrase “puffeth up“ is the Greek φυσιόω physióō, {pronounced foo-see-o’-o}, which means “to cause to swell up, to make yourself lofty, to be proud”. The image is of a weight lifter who, posing for the crowd, swells up his chest and thumps it, much like Tarzan would do. Consider who were the ones who ordered Jesus to His death. They were all knowledgeable people. Those on Jesus’ Death Row Committee were:

Scribes
Pharisees
Sadducees
Priests
Politicians

Everyone of them had “knowledge”, so much knowledge that they executed Jesus Christ, the Messiah. They knew what they knew. But the Apostle said, “none of the princes of this world knew {Jesus was Messiah}: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory“. Knowledge puffeth up! Knowledge often gives us a swelled head.

… but charity edifieth

Word Study: The Greek agapē oikodomeō, “love builds the House”. The Bible says in Psalm 127:1, “Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it”. When I have KNOWLEDGE this puffs me up, and those who follow me. But when I have love as Jesus wants us to love, then the House of God, the Church, will grow into a beautiful Temple that honors God. Paul says:

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

As humans, we always think we know everything. Yet truthfully, our knowledge is so very finite.

  • Darryl Zanuck of 20th Century Fox, in 1946 said “Television won’t be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night”.
  • The Surgeon General of the United States (1967) William Stewart said, “The time has come to close the book on infectious diseases. We have basically wiped out infection in the United States”.
  • Back in 1977, Ken Olson (Chairman & Founder Digital Equipment Corp) said, “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home”.
  • In 1995, Robert Metcalfe the developer of the Ethernet said, “I predict the Internet will soon go spectacularly supernova and in 1996 catastrophically collapse”.

We all think we know so very much. But in time, we discover what we thought we knew, was incomplete, or inaccurate. The only time we will have full knowledge is when we are face to face with Jesus in eternity. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Only God knows what is best at all times. Only God possesses all knowledge. We know so very little, even with all of our technology. Though our knowledge grows, errs, and often goes out the window, one thing we can know with all certainty:

1 Corinthians 8:3 But if any man love God, the same is known of Him.

If you love God – if you love the Lord Jesus and follow His will – He has promised:

John 14:15-16 If ye love Me, keep My commandments. 16. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever;

John 15:10-14 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. 11. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Being right with God is a simple matter of “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind“. Love God more than you love anything or anyone else. If you love God, God knows you, for you are His Child. If you love God, you will do as God said, and “love one another, as {Jesus has} loved you“. Love is the guiding truth and the strength of the Christian faith.

The Mature Believer Knows That An Idol Is Nothing

1 Corinthians 8:4-6 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. 5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

We know that there are many “that are called gods“ by many different people. One article I read noted:

“Throughout recorded history, we can count between 8,000 and 12,000 gods who have been worshiped.”

As the Apostle said, “there be gods many, and lords many“. But for the believer in Christ, “there is but one God, the Father“. The Bible teaches there is but ONE God, the Triune God of Scripture. The testimony of Scripture is “the Lord He is God; there is none else beside Him” (Deuteronomy 4:35). “Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else” (Deuteronomy 4:39). Throughout the Old Testament, God revealed Himself to His people as Yahweh, Elohim, El Shaddai, and other descriptive titles. But in the New Testament God is revealed to us as “Father”. Though God was called “Father” in a few Old Testament texts (see Deuteronomy 32:5-6; Isaiah 63:16; 64:8; Jeremiah 31:9,20; Hosea 11:3-4; Malachi 1:6; 2:10), it was only when Jesus Christ came from Heaven to Earth that we fully learned this loving aspect of God. God is our “Father”. Jesus told us to pray:

Matthew 6:9 … Our FATHER which art in Heaven …

Jesus commanded us, in Matthew 23:9 “call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven“. Jesus saw the phrase “Father” as a precious statement as to how much God loves us all. There is “one God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in us all” (Ephesians 4:6). Oh, how God loves us. There is one God the Father, “of whom are all things, and we in him“.

And there is “one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him“. Jesus Christ is our “Lord“. In His title “Lord“ we acknowledge Him as the Ruler of our lives, and co-equal to God the Father. Jesus is called “the great GOD and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). We are saved because of the great love that Jesus has for us. He gave His everything on the Cross of Calvary so that we might be saved.

It is God’s love that SOUGHT us out, and God’s love that SAVED us. It is God’s love that SECURES us for Heaven, and God’s love that STAYS with us daily.

If you love God, believing in Jesus Christ Whom He hath sent, then God loves us, and brings us into His family. We do not earn nor deserve this salvation that the Lord bestows on the believer. It is all of grace, all of love.

God’s Actions Matter, Our Actions Matter

Even though we knew little, and know little still, God reached out through space and time to save us by the sacrifice of His Beloved Son. Because Jesus died for us, we are born again into the family of God by faith in Him. God’s actions showed us that He loves us. Jesus’ actions show that He loves us. As the Apostle says:

1 Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

We know and understand very little about God, other than the fact that He loves us. We are also to love one another. Returning to the explosive subject of eating meat once offered to idols the Apostle says:

1 Corinthians 8:7-9 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. 8 But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse. 9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

We as Christians have the liberty to eat any type of meat that we want to eat. But not every Christian understands this truth. The Jewish Christian, raised to despise anything related to an idol, is offended by anyone eating idolatrous meat. I have liberty, but I need to be careful lest my “liberty“ trip another up in his or her Christian walk. The Apostle says:

1 Corinthians 8:10-13 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; 11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. 13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

This scripture can be applied to many things in our world today. We as believers are to walk with love toward those around us. As Christians, we have wonderful and glorious liberty. And yet, I must never use my liberty without first asking myself, “how does my brother or sister believe about this?”. In the Church at Rome the Apostle tackled the same problem. He wrote:

Romans 14:1-4 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. 2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. 3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. 4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

Love should be the governor on all of our liberties. As believers, we are to carefully consider the spiritual blessing of our fellow believers. We are, together, the Church of Jesus Christ. We are to love our God, and love one another as our God loves us. We are to consider the other when it comes to the “gray areas” of our faith.

Romans 14:6-8 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. 7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

Let us love one another as Jesus has commanded. Let us walk so as to build up the Body of Christ, the Church – and not to tear it down. May God the Holy Spirit guide us through His Word, and to His Will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen and Amen.

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