Our God Reigns

Posted on November 18, 2021 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Artem Sapegin on Unsplash

Micah 4:9-13 Now why `dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counselor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. 10 Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. 11 Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. 12 But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. 13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.

Does God put more on us than we can bear? Many people say that, no, He doesn’t. The text they usually quote is:

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

It’s true that God says “God is faithful, Who will not {allow} you to be tempted above that which you are able”. This text is specifically addressing TEMPTATION to sin. God will not allow temptation to come to you greater than you can bear. When you read the context around 1 Corinthians 10:13 it becomes clearer. God speaks of Israel who fell in the wilderness. Israel “lust(ed) after evil things”. Had they looked to Jesus, they would not have fallen in the wilderness. Instead, Israel looked to her own resources, and “became examples for us, that we not lust after evil things as they did” (1 Corinthians 10:6).

Does God allow more to come our way than we can bear? Yes. God’s Son cried out on Calvary, “My God, My God, Why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). In His humanity, the Cross was more than He could, at that moment, bear.

Yes, He sometimes does do this. God doesn’t do this because He enjoys it, but because He wants us to take our burdens to Him.

Trials force us to acknowledge we desperately need our God. Trials force our prodigal hearts to return to the Lord that loves us.

God allowed more stress to fall on to the Apostles than they could bear. The Apostle Paul wrote:

2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (ESV) For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

When God puts more stress on us than we can bear, it is to make us look to Him Who can save us. Israel had disobeyed God for some 490 years, so God was going to punish His child. God has told Israel that she would be conquered, and exiled into another strange land. When Israel heard this, the nation mourned.

God Questions Us When We Question Him

Micah 4:9 Now why dost thou cry out aloud?
is thy Counselor perished?
for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail.

God asks His people a series of questions. Jesus often did this when He walked this earth. Israel is crying out like a woman in labor. God asks Israel,

  • First, “why are you crying out aloud? Is there no King in thee?” Has God the King of Israel abandoned His people? Has someone come along and stolen Yahweh? “Is there no King in thee?”. God is the King of His people. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 47:6-7 (ESV) Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!

No matter what comes our way, God is still the King. He is “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). The God Who is King of His people is faithful. Our God is ever faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9; 10:13). In the midst of our trials, our God is still King of Kings and Lord of Lords. God tells Israel:

Micah 4:10 … for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.

Jerusalem will fall. The people will have to leave the city, and go into exile into Babylon. This is bad news. But still, God knows all about it. God is still in control. Israel will go exactly where God sends them. Israel will stay in captivity exactly as long as God requires. But our God is still King of all. The Scripture says:

Proverbs 21:1 (ESV) The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; {God} turns it wherever he will.

Proverbs 16:9 (ESV) The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

The Moody Bible Institute resource, Today in the Word, notes of this section in Micah:

“God is imminently concerned that His people know and love Him, and He will go to great lengths to bring them into right relationship with Him.”

Illustrate: In 1 Samuel 30, David had one of the worst days of his life. He and his men rode to Ziklag, only to find that it had been destroyed by the Amalekites.

1 Samuel 30:3-4 (ESV) … when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep.

They were in a utterly hopeless situation. They “wept until they had no more strength to weep”. When something this catastrophic happens people look around for someone to blame. Some blame God, but find little satisfaction in that, for God cannot be hurt by us feeble humans. But most find someone nearby to blame. The Amalekites are not accessible and, after all, we cannot hurt them.

Let’s blame David. That’s what the people did. The Bible says:

1 Samuel 30:6 (ESV) … David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul

What can David do to fix this situation? Did he mount a political campaign and try to win the people over to his side? Did David go about mollifying the upset people? No, but David did the best thing anyone of us can do.

“David strengthened himself in the Lord his God”.

David turned his eyes upon Jesus. He sought God, when that which was on him was more than he could bear. He asked God:

1 Samuel 30:8 (ESV) “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” {God} answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.”

When David received his answer from God, he immediately demanded that his people move to follow God.

1 Samuel 30:9-10 (ESV) David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.

David did not focus on placating the stragglers. Those who could not go on, did not go on. David continued moving with those who were focused on serving God, and left the rest behind. Were their “feelings hurt”? Probably. But David focused on doing God’s will until it was done, and pursued the enemy until “God’s will was done, on earth, as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

  • The Second question God asks us: “is thy Counselor perished?” God is our Counselor, the Hebrew יָעַץ yâʻats, {pronounced yaw-ats}, which means “the one you consult for advise or counsel. The one who helps you plan.” The Prophet Isaiah said of God our Savior:

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Our God is a Wonderful Counselor. A devotional I often read is called Our Daily Bread . This quote comes from it:

“Long before the Child was born and the Son was given, Isaiah foretold that God was planning to send a Counselor for the brokenhearted people of the world. What is the evidence that Jesus Christ is the Wonderful Counselor? We see it fleshed out in a Person. We read of, reflect on, and appeal for help from the One “who became for us wisdom from God” (1 COR. 1:30). When we take all that we know about Christ, it adds up to a marvelous truth— He is the God who is a “Wonder of a Counselor.”

If we would be “instant in prayer” (Romans 12:12, προσκαρτερέω proskarteréō, [pros-kar-ter-eh’-o]), we would first seek out our God when trials come our way. Daniel often did this. Daniel survived first Babylonian Captivity, and excelled because he trusted in the Lord.

In Daniel chapter 6, the Prophet is still in exile, but now under a Medo-Persian King. Daniel is walking with God, and many enemies have gathered against him. Jesus told us that “the world will hate you, for it hated Me” (John 15:18). This is always true. King Darius appointed 120 princes to rule the Kingdom of Medo-Persia, and 3 Presidents to rule the 120 princes. Daniel was one of the Presidents!

This irritated the whole group! All of the people in power were Persians, but Daniel was a Jew, and up until recently a prisoner of war. How dare the King give Daniel the same blessing he gave to true citizens of the realm! So they began to plot against Daniel.

“King, make it a rule that no one can pray to or petition any god or man but YOU for thirty days. Whoever disobeys, throw them in the lion’s den!”

King Darius thought this was a great idea. He signed the decree (Daniel 6:9) into law. What did Daniel do?

Did he go to King Darius and request he change the rule?
Did he plead an exemption for the Jewish exiles?
Did Daniel keep praying, but hide himself?

No to all three. The Bible says:

Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

You know the story. Daniel is thrown into the lion’s den, and nothing happens to him. Daniel’s explanation is simple.

Daniel 6:22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

Beloved, the Bible says “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Our battle is with Satan and his forces of evil. The best way to handle the evil one is to remember to consult with God. To pray. To keep our eyes on Jesus. God tells Israel:

Micah 4:13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth

Our God reigns! Keep doing what God tells you to do, and trust in the Lord. He will see you through the valley. Gary Miller (2021) wrote this wonderful poem called “The Master Plan”. Let’s end with this.

Life is like a game of chess,
Yet different, you will see.
Pieces moved at the behest
Of God are you and me.

Unlike the chess pieces that we play,
Whose pieces aren’t alive:
They have no will; don’t push their way,
Nor for advantage strive.

We are alive, we are aware,
We struggle to submit.
“Not here”, we cry, “but over there
would be the better fit”.

At times we may not understand
Why He has placed us here,
For we can’t see the Master plan,
Our vision’s not that clear.

We must allow our Lord to move,
And trust the choice He makes.
For He sees all things from above,
And there are no mistakes.

May God draw us all closer to Him every day. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen and Amen!

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Is That Really The Church?

Posted on November 15, 2021 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Thais Do Rio on Unsplash

Turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. When we come to the Book of Corinthians, we see the Apostle Paul addressing a dysfunctional Church. Paul was very concerned about Corinth, because God used Paul to establish the Church there. In Acts chapter 18 we find out that Paul first went to the Jews.

Acts 18:4-6 (ESV) {Paul} reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks. 5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. 6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

Corinth was a very hard ministry for Paul. God actually came to Paul in a vision one night, saying …

Acts 18:9-11 (ESV) … “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” 11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

At one point Paul was taken before the tribunal or or court but the proconsul (think Prosecutor) Gallio refused to prosecute Paul. One convert to our faith that Paul had in Corinth was “Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue” (Acts 18:17), who was beaten for standing up for Christ and for Paul. I believe Sosthenes went on to be an elder or a pastor in the Church at Corinth. In verse 1 we see talking about this same Sosthenes.

Sosthenes came to Paul and told him what had been going on in the Church. It was Sosthenes report that caused the Apostle – as the Spirit led him – to pen this letter.

Now we can read the first three verses:

1 Corinthians 1:1-3 Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Word Study As Paul addresses the Church (and Sosthenes is probably the one who carries this letter back to Corinth), he begins to define what the Church at Corinth (and every place) is supposed to be. The word “Church” is the Greek ἐκκλησία ekklēsía, {pronounced ek-klay-see’-ah}, which means “a people called out from their worldto assembletogether for God”. The word “church” was used for Israel in Acts 7:38 by Stephen as he witnessed Christ to the High Priest of Israel.

The Church exists to glorify God, and to represent
Him on planet earth.

When Jesus prayed for His Church, He said:

John 17:11-15 (ESV) … I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. … 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

Jesus expected His Church to be IN the world, but not OF the world. Jesus said:

John 15:19 (ESV) If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

The Church is meant to be a lighthouse in the midst of a dark and evil world. The Apostle calls the Church, “the church of God”. It belongs to the God Who said, “Let There Be Light”, and there was light. Jesus said that we are to “Let your light SHINE before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father Who is in Heaven” (Matthew 5:16). The Church is a group of believers:

vvs 2 … that are sanctified in Christ Jesus,
called to be saints

The Enduring Word Commentarynotes:

“The words sanctified and saints communicate the same idea, of being set apart from the world and unto God. Notice the words to be are inserted by translators. The Corinthians were called saints, not called to be saints.”

We who are part of Christ’s Church are called out of this world to stand up for Jesus Christ. Please note how many times Paul references Jesus in these first three verses.

In verse 1, “Jesus Christ”.
In verse 2, “Christ Jesus” and then “Jesus Christ our Lord”.
In verse 3, “the Lord Jesus Christ”.

The Church does not represent a political party, sexual or sensual permissiveness, or a social justice program.
The Church represents and glorifies Jesus!

1 Corinthians 1:3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

When Paul addresses the Church (where ever it might be) he usually includes the phrase we find in verse 3. You’ll see this phrase “Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ” in his letters to the Churches at

Rome, Galatia, Ephesus, Colossae, Thessalonica,

And in his pastoral epistles to

Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.

Paul always lists Grace before Peace, as peace with God does not come until you have the Grace of God in your life. Grace is only secured when you come to the “Lord Jesus Christ”, repenting of being your own god, and trusting in Him. The same Grace that saves the Christian is the Grace by which we live our lives. Grace is a gift of Jesus.

The Grace Of God Is The Overflowing
Goodness And Glory Of God

1 Corinthians 1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;

Grace is a free gift, given by Jesus to whosoever will believe on Him. Our standing before God as “saints” is not based on our abilities, nor on our personal merit. If a person has a spiritual gift, it is not something that they earned or deserved. It is something that was given by God the Holy Spirit. Even though later in this letter the Apostle will rebuke the Corinthians, he is still thankful that God saved them by Grace.

1 Corinthians 1:5-8 That in every thing ye are enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: 8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Church at Corinth was “enriched” by Jesus. They knew about Jesus. They had spiritual gifts in the Church. They were rich (πλουτίζω ploutízō, [pronounced ploo-tid’-zo]), wealthy in blessings from the Lord. I have often wondered about well known Christian evangelists and preachers who, doing great works for God, are found to have some horrible flaw or worldliness in them. The truth is, God in His Grace can use a broken or a flawed person or even a Church. To those who do not believe this to be true, consider Jonah!

Jonah fought God.
Jonah ran from God.
But God used him in Nineveh anyway.

The Apostle told his student Titus:

Titus 2:11-13 (ESV) … the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Paul told Titus that the “grace of God” not only brings salvation, but it trains the believer to lead a God honoring life while waiting on Jesus’ return!

The Grace of God is a free gift from God. It blesses us with salvation. But it also leads us to live our lives glorifying God, not ourselves. The Grace of God leads us out of worldliness to walk with Christ Jesus “in the light” (1 John 1:7). Yes, the Grace of God saves us for Heaven. We who are under His Grace shall “be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ”. The Grace of God is based on the faithfulness of God. The Free Bible Commentarynotes:

“The Bible has two seemingly paradoxical truths about the believer’s relationship with God. It is covenantal in nature; therefore, it involves an initial and an ongoing faith and repentant response. We must be diligent to maintain our relationship. It is secure in God’s faithfulness (Jude 24). No one can steal our relationship from us (John 6:37, 39; 10:28; Romans 8:38-39). Security and perseverance are both biblical (Ephesians 2:8-9, 10 and Philippians 2:12-13). They are the two necessary aspects of {God’s} “covenant.”

1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Our God is faithful in His ministration of Grace. God calls broken creatures into an eternal relationship with Him. The ones that He saves, He will keep. If you are born again as a child of God, the Bible very clearly states two things:

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

But it is also equally true that:

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

The salvation of the Christian is settled at the Cross and the empty tomb. But once saved, you become God’s product, God’s project, God’s progeny, God’s property, God’s PEOPLE, God’s PRIESTS.
God demands you walk with HIM.

The Tongue That Saved Us By Calling On Jesus
Is The Tongue That Should Speak Grace To Others

1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

It is through the tongue that we learn of God’s Grace. It is through the tongue that we are forgiven by God. The Bible says:

Romans 10:10, 13 (ESV) if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. …13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

If we are saved by Grace, we got there by confessing Jesus Christ as Lord, and by affirming His resurrection is a historic reality. Jesus Christ loves us, and makes intercession for us every single day. The Bible says, “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the One Who died – more than that, Who was raised – Who is at the right hand of God, Who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:34). There is not a day that goes by where you and I do not fall short of the glory of God. There is not a day that goes by where you and I do not, in some way, sin against God. And yet,

Jesus intercedes for us still. Jesus never gives up on His children. The Corinthian Church is proof of that.

God wants His children to use their tongues productively. God used His tongue to bring light out of darkness, and order out of chaos. “By the Word of the Lord were the Heavens made; and all the hosts of them (the stars) by the breath of His mouth” (Psalm 33:6).

  • We are to use our tongues to promote the Kingdom of God, to bring others into Christ’s family. We read:

vs 10 I beseech you, brethren,
by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

Christians are “brethren”, we are family. We all share the same blood type: we are under the blood of Jesus Christ. We are family, God’s family. We are called to work together for His glory. The Bible says in Hebrews 10:24-25, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day {of the Lord} drawing near”. We are God’s people together. A flood is coming – a flood not of water, but of evil. Let us bind ourselves together in God’s family. Let us get on the Ark of Jesus’ Cross, and rest in His Presence.

There is no room for infighting in God’s Kingdom. We are to love and care for one another.

Colossians 3:13-15, 17 (ESV) {be} bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. … 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

It is not the RELIGIOUS person who will get to Heaven, but the person in a RELATIONSHIP with God through Jesus Christ. If you are saved, you love Jesus. And if you love Jesus, you will do as He says. “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me” (John 14:21). What are Jesus’ commandments? Primarily, to love Him with your all. Jesus said:

Matthew 22:37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

As well as Matthew 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Jesus wants us to love God – and by extension the Son of God – with our all. He also wants us to love others who are our “neighbors”. “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”. Jesus even went farther than this. He said, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you”. (John 15:12; 13:34). Those who belong to God are to love God and love others. We are to use our tongues in constructive ways.

1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

  • We serve a risen Savior. He is Lord. One day, Jesus said in Matthew 12:36-37, “That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”.

If you belong to Christ, if you have believed on that old rugged Cross, then you are to be good trees, and not evil. The fruit of your lips should reflect the truth that you are born again, a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 12:33, 35 (ESV) “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. … 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. ”

The root of the problem from which all other problems stemmed at Corinth was their use of the mouths. They were not guided by Grace in how they used their mouths.

1 Corinthians 1:11-15 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; 15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

The Church at Corinth was meeting in private homes at this time in history. Some had begun to brag about who baptized them, insinuating that they were better saved because a more prominent preacher baptized them. This is foolish! Baptism is a public profession of salvation, but who baptized you does not make your salvation greater or lesser than another’s.

We are all saved by faith in Jesus Christ, by the wondrous Grace of God. The Apostle in another place prescribed how to handle those who fostered division in the Church. He wrote:

Romans 16:17-18 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

The Church of Christ is the Body of Christ. There is no room in it for divisions, sectarianism, secularism, or foolishness. We are called to serve the Lord TOGETHER. There is no spiritual gift of criticism, no calling to be obnoxious. We are to work together to shine for Jesus, to bring the Gospel message to the world around us. Anything that hinders that calling is satanic, not spiritual. May God the Holy Spirit touch your hearts with His Word. Amen and Amen.

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Four Witnesses For Jesus

Posted on November 14, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

Turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 5.

Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash

A few weeks ago we read about Jesus going up to Jerusalem for a ceremonial feast (probably the Passover) and, coming to a pool named Bethesda, healed a crippled man on the Sabbath Day. The Jews had a number of different Sabbaths or Shabbat. Not only did they observe a Saturday Sabbath, but four special Sabbaths, as well as a Sabbatical Year.

The Sabbaths were to be times of rest where no work
was done, but God was celebrated.

When Jesus healed this cripple man on a Sabbath (probably a High Sabbath), the Pharisees were incensed! They started “headhunting” Jesus.

John 5:16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.

This is repeated again in:

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

Jesus did not try to be politically correct, and so that current cancel culture decided they would revoke Jesus’ life! They felt they were justified in doing this because the Law of God demanded death for blasphemy. God said:

Leviticus 24:16 (ESV) Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

In order to execute a person for blasphemy there had to be two or more witnesses that the evil was done. Jesus counters the charges leveled against Him (- that He made Himself equal to God, and – that He did something unlawful on the Sabbath). You see, Jesus neither committed blasphemy (for He IS equal to God), neither did He do wrong on the Sabbath.

Jesus calls on four witnesses to stand up
for Him against the Pharisees.

John 5:31-39 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. 32 There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. 33 Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. 34 But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. 35 He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. 36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. 37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. 38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. 39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Jesus said in verse 31, “If I bear witness (μαρτυρέω martyréō, [pronounced mar-too-reh’-o]) of myself, my witness (μαρτυρία martyría, [pronounced mar-too-ree’-ah]) is not true”. Jesus is not saying that what He Himself speaks in not true. He is saying that, according to the Law of God, the witness of ONE was not accepted. There had to be two or more witnesses to the truth. Jesus said in verse 32, “There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of Me is true”. There are other witnesses that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah sent from God. And if Jesus IS the Christ, the Messiah sent from God, then He is NOT guilty of blasphemy.

John The Baptist Is The First Witness
That Jesus Is The Messiah

John 5:33-35 Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. 34 But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. 35 He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.

When the Messiah came, it was prophesied that He would come with a Herald appointed by God. We read:

Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in …

Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

According to the Gospels, John the Baptist came as a fulfillment of these prophesies (John 1:23; Mark 1:2-5; Matthew 3:1-3). When John was still forming as a baby in his mother Elisabeth, when Mary came to visit her cousin. As soon as Mary spoke to Elisabeth, that baby John leaped in her womb (Luke 1:41). Elisabeth told Mary,

Luke 1:44 … as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

John was born about six months before Jesus Christ Himself came into the world. His ministry started about six months before Jesus’ ministry started. John was asked at one time if he was the Messiah. John told that he was NOT the Messiah, but that “the One Who is coming is over me, who’s shoestrings I am not worthy to untie” (John 1:27). When John saw Jesus, he told the crowd:

John 1:29-31 … Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

John’s entire mission of baptizing was to make Jesus Christ “manifest to Israel” as the Messiah. John the Baptist told the Pharisees:

Matthew 3:11-12 He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy {Spirit}, and with fire: 12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

John foretold that Jesus would be the judge of all – the fan is in His hand to burn up the chaff and gather the wheat (the believer) into the Kingdom of God. John the Baptist is a witness that Jesus is the Christ.

The Miracles Jesus Did Are The Second
Witness That Jesus Calls For His Defense

John 5:36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.

This is not the first time Jesus referred to the “works” that He as the witness that He is Messiah. In Chapter 10 the Pharisees come to Jesus, and directly challenge Him:

John 10:24-26 … How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. 25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. 26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

That is very clear. “The works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me”. The Messiah – Eternal God become perfect man – did miraculous works, works that only God could do. When later John the Baptist was thrown into prison by Herod, he sent messengers to Jesus asking,

Matthew 11:3 (ESV) … Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?

The message that Jesus sent back was consider My works:

Matthew 11:4-6 (ESV) “… Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

When Jesus healed at crippled man at Bethesda, His very action proved that He is the Messiah. God is the Source of life and light. The Bible says of God:

Psalm 104:1-2 Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, 2 covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent.

Jesus Christ is God the Father’s Only Begotten Son. He brings light to those who wander about in darkness. He brings love to those who need it most. Jesus said:

John 8:12 … “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 9:5 … “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Jesus, like God the Father, has “in Him no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Jesus alone is the “the light of the world”. Everywhere Jesus went, He made the broken whole. In the Gospel of John alone Jesus:

Turned water into wine in Cana (2:1-11)
Healed an official’s son in Capernaum (4:46-54)
Healed a crippled man at the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem (5:1-18)
Fedover 5,000 near the Sea of Galilee (6:5-14)
Walked on the water of the Sea of Galilee (6:16-21)
Healed a blind man in Jerusalem (9:1-7)
Raisedthe dead Lazarus in Bethany (11:1-45)

Jesus angered the Pharisees when He healed people on the Sabbath. But the fact that He could do these miraculous things – even the cast out of devils – proved that God was behind His ministry. When the Pharisees accused Jesus of “casting out demons by the power of the devil” (Luke 11:15), Jesus responded by saying:

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

Jesus worked the works of God. These miracles proved He is Messiah.

God the Father Is The Third Witness
That Jesus Calls To The Stand

John 5:37-38 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. 38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.

On the day that John the Baptist baptized Jesus, the Bible tells us:

Matthew 3:16-17 (ESV) … when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

The Holy Spirit descended to rest on Jesus “like a dove”, then the Father spoke, saying “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”. It has been said that God has many sons by faith in Christ, but only ONE Son “in Whom He is well pleased”.

Later in His ministry, our Lord Jesus will lead Peter, James, and John to the Mount of Transfiguration where the Father will speak.

The Bible says that Jesus was transfigured before them, and His face shined like the sun, while His clothing was white as light (Matthew 17:2). As Elijah and Moses stood talking with Jesus, Peter spoke up.

“Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three places of worship here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

While Peter was speaking, the Father interrupted him, saying (Matthew 17:5):

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to Him.”

Later Peter would write of this witness. We read:

2 Peter 1:16-18 ….we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

Peter said, “We heard the Father endorse the Son”. The Apostle John, who was with Peter at the mount of transfiguration, wrote:

1 John 5:9-12 (ESV) If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Though the Pharisees “have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen God’s shape” (John 5:37), those who believed in Jesus and walked with Him heard the Father’s endorsement. Jesus said in another place:

John 8:18 … I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.

Jesus Christ is the Messiah! But there is one more witness that Jesus calls to His defense against stoning.

The Fourth Witness Jesus Calls Is The
Scriptures The Pharisees Studied

Jesus said in John 5:39 … Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

When Jesus speaks of the scriptures, He is referring to the Old Testament, the Bible that was written at that time in history. Jesus gets a little more specific toward the end of this chapter. Read with me:

John 5:45-47 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. 46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

Moses, under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, wrote the first five books of our Bible. Called the Pentateuch or the Books of the Law or The Torah, these books are the foundation on which the rest of the Scripture is laid. The New Testament often quotes the Old Testament to affirm Christ as the Messiah. In Galatians we read:

Galatians 3:7-9 (ESV) Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Paul is quoting the promise that God made to Abram (Abraham) back in Genesis 12 – the writings of Moses. He is saying that when God said:

“in you {Abraham} all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
(Genesis 12:3)

that God was speaking of the Gospel of Christ. Those who receive Jesus Christ as THE Christ shall be blessed whether they are Jews or Gentiles. “in thee ALL the families of the earth shall be blessed”. Jesus said the Old Testament Scriptures – especially the writings of Moses – spoke of Him and His ministry. Listen:

  • In John 2:17, Jesus drives the money changers out of the Temple. This was prophesied in Psalm 69:9.
  • In John 6, Jesus spoke of the manna that God gave Israel in the wilderness (Exodus 16:15). Then Jesus said, “The Bread of God is He that comes down from Heaven, and gives life to the world”. He made Himself to be the manna of Heaven!
  • In John 6:44-45 Jesus said “no one comes to Me unless the Father that sent Me draws him”, and then quotes Isaiah 54:13, “It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God”.
  • In John 7:38-39 Jesus compares the Holy Spirit to Living Water. In the Old Testament the Spirit is compared to water a number of times (Isaiah 44:3; Ezekiel 36:25-26).

Throughout Jesus’ ministry He often said “it is written”, then quoted Old Testament texts. Jesus told us:

Matthew 5:17-18 (ESV) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not a {jot or tittle}, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Our Jesus did not come to erase the Law, but
to be the Fulfiller of the Law.

I could quote many more quotations from the Old Testament texts that Jesus used. The Old Testament – especially the writings of Moses – testify that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. But there is one text I’d like to read that is particularly pertinent.

When Moses got ready to leave Israel (for his time was up), he told that nation:

Deuteronomy 18:15-19 (ESV) … “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— 16 just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ 17 And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.

God promised through Moses that He would raise up a replacement who would stand in Moses place. Early in John’s Gospel we read:

John 1:17 … the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Jesus is that Prophet Who would come and lead God’s people instead of Moses. Israel looked for the coming of the Messiah. When Philip met Jesus, he ran to tell Nathaniel:

John 1:45 … We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

When Peter spoke of the need to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, he said:

Acts 3:18-23 … those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. 19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. 22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. 23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

Jesus Christ is THAT Prophet, the Messiah. Moses gave us the Law, but Jesus Christ as Messiah fulfills the Law, giving us Grace and Truth. What does this mean for us today?

If Jesus Is The Christ, The Messiah, There Is
No Other Way To Be Made Right With God

So many people today believe there are “many ways to God”. But based upon the fourfold Witness Jesus gives to us (John the Baptist, Christ’s miraculous works, God from Heaven, and the writings of Moses) there is only ONE way to God – that is, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus told the Pharisees:

John 5:40 … ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.

There is no other Source of Eternal Life but faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. To be saved from eternal judgment you must receive Jesus Christ as He is, the One and only Savior and Lord. I am going to close by quoting the Apostle John:

1 John 5:11-12 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

If you have Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have life. A better life now, and a blessed and eternal life later. Do you know Jesus? If not, then I beg you, give your life to Him this very day. None of us knows the last day of our life, none but God. Choose wisely. Choose Jesus. For life. May God the Holy Spirit and His precious Word draw you to Jesus this very day. Amen and Amen.

Posted in General, John, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Glory Of His Grace

Posted on November 7, 2021 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Photoholgic on Unsplash

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Ephesians Chapter 1.

When Paul wrote the Book of Ephesians (under the leading of God the Holy Spirit – 2 Peter 1:21), he was in his first Roman imprisonment. Paul was under house arrest, living in his home, but guarded by Roman soldiers. Acts 28:16 tells us that “Paul was {allowed} to dwell by himself with a soldier that {guarded} him.” He was not chained in a prison cell until his second imprisonment, and could still receive visitors. Acts 28:30-31 tells us that “Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.” Paul’s imprisonment is a picture of the great Grace of our God. Though we may go into valleys, our Lord will be with us. If we are in a valley, our Lord will adjust the situation so that we can minister to others for Him. Though Paul’s home is invaded by the enemy, Paul is joyous. Why? We read:

Ephesians 1:2-6 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Paul is joyous in prison because of Grace

Ephesians 1:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is the “Grace” of God that brings the “peace” of God into the life. If you are enjoying God’s Grace, then God is your Father, and Jesus is your Lord. No matter what you are going through, you need not fear it. Our God can do all things, and sees all things, and loves you as His child. And Jesus Christ is your Lord. Not the trial you are going through, but Jesus is your Lord.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Our “God and Father” has given us “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ”. How did God the Father give us these spiritual blessings?

• God the Son became the perfect Son of Man. Jesus Christ is 100% God and 100% Man. We are told in John’s Gospel:

John 1:1-3 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.

Jesus Christ is “The Word” – not a human’s word, but God’s very breath. This Jesus, this wonderful Word of God:

John 1:14 … the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us …

God became Man. He did not become Man through the normal, everyday means. Jesus Christ became flesh through supernatural intervention. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin woman. It was by man (Adam) that sin entered the world, and death by sin (Romans 5:12), so God circumvented man when He created the body that Christ would inhabit. God did this by prophecy:

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

and fulfilled this in Mary:

Matthew 1:23 … Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

You must believe that Jesus was virgin born, by God’s supernatural intervention, else you cannot be saved. Gabriel told Mary in Luke 1:35, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

If Jesus were born like we are, of sinful parents, then He would be just as sinful as we are. Among humankind the Bible says that

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

All humans who have ever been born through the beautiful union of man and woman in matrimony have been born broken. But Jesus Christ was not born broken. He is without sin. When a woman taken in adultery was cast before Jesus to judge, Jesus said “he that is without sin among you, cast the first stone” (John 8:7). Every accuser left. If any could have cast a stone against the woman that day, it could have been Jesus. Jesus Christ is the High Priest of our faith. The Bible says of Him:

Hebrews 4:15 {Jesus was} … in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus Christ is God become Man, but Who is still fully God. The Father told the Son:

Hebrews 1:8 … Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.

• We have “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” because the perfect Son of Man Who is the Son of God died in our place on the Cross.

Sin separates every human who has ever been or ever will be from a relationship with God. God said through the Prophet:

Isaiah 59:2 … your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

It was sin that caused God to cast Adam and Eve out of Eden. It is sin that keeps us all from entering into God’s Heaven. Thom Mollohan wrote in his article, “A Hunger For More: Sin Separates us From God”:

“the idea of sin, as given to us by the Bible, is simply this: a rejection of the authority of God in our lives and a giving of our ourselves to something less than our Creator. Sin in this way is really about our refusal to be subordinate to God Himself and exalting something to the position of devotion and worship that only God deserves. Sin separates us from God. It is not religious issue. It is a life and death issue. Sin debases us, even when we strive to exalt ourselves, because it diminishes the image of God within us. See, we are created in His image and reflect it much like a mirror reflects our own. So if He is not shining upon us because we’ve turned away to serve ourselves, then the image of God cannot be seen in us. Furthermore, sin is a crime because it robs God of what He alone is worthy of…”

The pandemic that is gripping America today is not the Coronavirus, but full blown paganism masquerading under the title “Progressivism”.

God the Son was once born (only begotten) through a virgin to become the perfect and sinless Son of Man. Only the Son of Man – Jesus – has power on earth to forgive sins (Matthew 9:6; Mark 2:10; Luke 5:24). Paganism or as others love to call it, Progressivism seeks to find blessing in more sinful and forbidden ways. There will never be any blessing found in sin. The Bible says:

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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

Jesus Christ – the perfect Son of Man – died on Calvary to make full payment for our sins. Jesus was very clear that He and He alone would bring in the New Covenant for those who received Him as Lord and Savior. At the last Passover, Jesus told those who believed in and followed Him:

Matthew 26:27-28 … he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

When a cancer patient hears that their cancer is “in remission”, they rejoice, for their life is extended. Jesus Christ died on the Cross to cure a much greater thing than cancer. He died to cover our sins. He died for us who, once we believe in Him, are in remission from sin, but in the Family of God. The Apostle said,

John 1:12-13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Jesus Christ was born supernaturally into this world as a Son of Man, so that we, sons of men, can be supernaturally re-born into the Family of God. Jesus took our place so we can now take His place!

• Just as God the Son – the perfect Son of Man defeated death, we who belong to God will one day defeat death. If you do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus, you are NOT a Christian.

The Apostle said in Romans 10:9, “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.”

Two things are required for salvation. First, you declare for all to hear the “Jesus is Lord”. Jesus is not one Lord among many, but is THE Lord. Second, you must “believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead”. The Lordship and resurrection of Christ are non-negotiable for the Christian. When Thomas saw the Risen Savior he declared, “My Lord and My God” (John 20:28). That is exactly what the Christian believes, that Jesus is both Lord and God. Peter preached:

Acts 2:23-24 (ESV) this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

Jesus did not “swoon”, nor “Pass out”, but died on that Cross of Calvary. He died for your sins and mine. He died so that we might be saved, if we would believe in Him.

Paul Was Joyous In Prison Because Of Grace’s Effect

Ephesians 1:4 According as He {God the Father} hath chosen us in Him {God the Son} before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

The Apostle now shows us how deep the love of God is. We are “chosen us in Him {God the Son} before the foundation of the world”. Before God created the world, before He called the first light into being, He knew that Adam would fall in Eden. God told Adam:

Genesis 2:17 … 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.

Our God is omniscient – He knows all things before they happen. “God knows everything” (1 John 3:20). God knows the number of the hairs on your head (Matthew 10:29-30). God “declares the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things not yet done” (Isaiah 46:9-10). Knowing that Adam would fall, the earth would need a Savior, God the Son, “before the foundation of the world”, agreed to pay for our sins. This theme is repeated by the Apostle:

2 Timothy 1:8-9 … Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

God knew Adam would fail, but created him anyway. God knew that you and I will fail, but created us anyway. He saved us with a salvation that was planned in Christ “before the world began”. If you are saved, you are saved by an omniscient God. He knows your weaknesses, but by His power He will save and keep on saving you. You are His Child by faith.

Ephesians 1:4 … that we should be holy and without blame before him in love

The believer is not saved by his works, but once saved is both “holy” and “without blame”. The Christian is – because of God the Spirit Who indwells him – “holy”. This is the Greek ἅγιος hágios, {pronounced hag’-ee-os}, a person set apart to be a son of God. We are to be like our Father. The Lord tells us:

1 Peter 1:15-16 (ESV) … but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

The Apostle quoted Leviticus 20:7 as he wrote this text. Jesus said, “Because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19). The Christian is not called to be Republican or Democrat, “Woke”, liberal or conservative. The Christian is called to be like God, to be like Jesus, Who is God manifest.

If you profess to be saved, but walk like a worldling, then you are not saved at all. You are “without blame” because Jesus took your blame on the Cross. You are a son of God heading toward Heaven. You are to act as a son of God.

Grace always has an effect on the believer. If you are saved, you are “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)”

Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Each Christian has an appointment with God. During that future appointment in Heaven, we shall be “adopted” into the Family of God because of our faith in Christ.

We Who Belong To God, Glorify God

Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

We are “accepted in the beloved”. God the Father accepts us for God the Son’s sake. We who believe in Christ unto salvation glorify our God. Note the phrase, “To the praise of the glory of his grace”. The Apostle repeats this formula twice more in this text:

Ephesians 1:11-12 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

A Christian has a purpose in life, and that is to glorify God. We are to live “to the praise of his glory”. God should be honored an what we say and do. Again, in

Ephesians 1:13-14 … ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory…

God the Holy Spirit indwells the believer, the “earnest” or proof of our future inheritance. We are to live our lives not as worldlings, but as those who belong to Jesus. We glorify our God by how we live our lives.

1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Those under saving Grace will live to the glory of God. We live so as to please and honor the God Who saved us. We read:

Colossians 3:17 … whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

We do not follow the crowd. We follow Jesus. We live for God. We know that we are eternal creatures, that will live in glory with the God-Man that saved us. So we praise our Lord, and glorify His Name daily. Listen Beloved:

It is possible to LOOK saved, but to LIVE damned. The first generation of Israel were saved from Egypt, but not from themselves. They created a golden calf, a false god to follow, and lost the Promised Land. God will not share His glory with another. “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images” (Isaiah 42:8). “For My own sake, for My own sake, I do this. How can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another” (Isaiah 48:11). Those who love the Lord, live for the glory of the Lord. We pursue His pleasure, His will, His command. We love Him, for He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Do you belong to God, or to this world? Choose wisely. Choose Jesus.

Posted in Ephesians, General, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

God Makes Everything Beautiful In His Time

Posted on November 7, 2021 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. 11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

Someone wrote Pastor John Piper and asked:

“… why did God make some people ugly and unattractive? How can I accept the fact that God, though capable of making me beautiful or at least average looking, chose to create in me an unattractive manner? As an unattractive person myself, I can say life is tough for us. Our opinions and ideas are most often sidelined. We have it tough in offices and schools and colleges. I can’t express in words how difficult it is to be confident.”

I can understand where this person is coming from. My earlier years were – in my young mind – a living hell. I nearly failed first grade until the teacher noticed me squinting at the blackboard. A trip to the eye doctor showed I was not unintelligent, but unseeing – I needed glasses. When the teacher wrote on the blackboard, I couldn’t clearly see what she wrote. Mama asked why I never said anything about it to anyone. The truth is, I was painfully shy, an introvert. A shy child doesn’t speak up!

When I was given eyeglasses, this didn’t solve my problems, but added to them. They were large, black rimmed things that stood out on my face. This gave the bullies a target to aim at. I was a “four eyed freak”. Children try to adjust their lives according to peer pressure, but what do you do if your “peers” are all against you? As self esteem plummeted, my weight increased. Add to this that I had to wear my dad’s white socks, and as I grew my dad’s old clothing. Well, the school years were rough. I have yet to have any desire to attend a “High School Reunion”.

There are many others in life who suffer terribly because they are different from the crowd. One who comes to mind is Joseph Merrick (August 5, 1862-April 11, 1890), also known as “The Elephant Man”. Born with a disorder called the Proteus syndrome, his head and body deformed more and more with each passing day. When Merrick accidentally pushes down a little girl one day, an angry mob chases him. He cried out, “I am not an animal! I am a human being. I am a man!”. There are many born into this world deformed, against what many consider the “norm”. In this world little children are sometimes born with terrible diseases. St. Jude’s Hospital ministers to children born with cancer. There are many things that appear ugly to us in this world.

Why would a loving God allow the ugly, the disfigured, the carnival “human freak show”?

It Is Because God Is Loving That We Have That Which Some Consider “Beyond The Norm”

Ecclesiastes 3:10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

Word Study: As Solomon – the wisest man who ever was – looks at the “travail” that is on mankind, he writes “which God hath given”. God ultimately either causes or allows everything that ever happens within the framework of humanity. The word translated “travail” is the Hebrew עִנְיָן ʻinyân, {pronounced in-yawn’}, which means “miserable or evil work”. The word is only used in the Book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon in essence is saying “I have seen how people have struggled at work – toiling slavishly”. God gave to man and woman hard – often horrible – circumstances to go through. But the fact that God gives it does not diminish His love.

God took a perfect Adam, and placed him in a perfect Eden. The Bible says:

Genesis 2:15-17 (ESV) The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

This was an absolute. God is not a man that He should lie, nor the son of a man, that He should change His mind (Numbers 23:19). What God has said will always stand. “The day that you eat of it you shall surely die” is the promise of God’s Law. We all know the story. What did Adam do? He disobeyed God. He ate of the forbidden. The promise of the Law was “The day that you eat of it you shall surely die”. The very day you disobey Me, said the Lord, you “shall surely die”. Did this happen? Well, yes and no.

On the day that Adam did what he was not supposed to do, both Adam and Eve’s “eyes … were opened” (Genesis 3:7). Humanity fell under spiritual death. The Bible says:

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

“By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin”. It was ADAM who brought sin into the world, not Eve but ADAM. When ADAM ate that which was forbidden, both he and Eve his wife died spiritually. But they did not die physically until much later. Why? Because:

1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

God is JUST, and does as He promises. But God is also LOVE, and offers redemption to the sinner. Adam physically lived 930 years before he died. God had told Adam, “in THE DAY you eat of it, YOU SHALL SURELY DIE”. If God were purely justice, and purely Law, then Adam and Eve and any progeny would have been destroyed by death on the day Adam sinned. Instead, God kept His Word by allowing Adam to live physically, but cast Adam and Eve out of Eden for they were both spiritually dead. .

The Law demandsimmediate death for sin.
The Love of God demandsgrace to the sinner.

As Solomon speaks of our lives as “travail” {ʻinyân}, the very fact that we are here at all is due to the love of God. God could have destroyed humanity, but Love found a way to give us life. However, the punishment for sin corrupted not just humanity, but nature itself. God told Adam:

Genesis 3:17-19 Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

The Law of God demanded death, but the Law of God gave grace and life. Since Adam’s fall, the Bible tells us that creation itself became warped by sin. The Apostle write of this, saying:

Romans 8:19-23 (ESV) For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

The whole creation groans in suffering because of Adam’s sin, but still exists because of God’s Love.

Creation groans until the day when the Children of God are fully redeemed, when with glorified bodies we come back to this earth to reign with Jesus. The Apostle said that on that grand day, the “creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God”. Man and nature are bound together by God in the Garden, and bound together by sin outside of the Garden. What a glorious day it will be when sin reigns no more! Sin will be no more on God’s earth when Christ rules from His millennial Kingdom. When Jesus returns,

Isaiah 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

There will come a day when sin will be totally eradicated from this earth. But until that time, there will be cancers, sicknesses, deformities, ugliness. There will be the fading strength of old age. On top of this, sometimes God allows these sicknesses so that He might reach yet MORE with His glorious Gospel.

God Turns The Bad To Beautiful In His Time

In John chapter 9, Jesus sees a man who was blind from birth. The disciples asked Jesus:

John 9:2 … Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

The Jews knew – and taught through the Old Testament scriptures, that sin – the sin of Adam – brought sickness and deformity into the world. Was this man blind because of his “parents”, his heritage? Or did this man himself sin, and by his sin bring the sickness upon himself? Jesus tells His disciples:

John 9:3-5 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

This man was born blind so that we could see Jesus healing him. Our Jesus is “the light of the world”. Light is useless to a blind man. But Jesus is miraculous light, the Light that gives sight to those who cannot see. This man was allowed to be sick to showcase the glorious Gospel of Christ.

Adam’s sin brought sickness and deformity into a perfect world. But there is yet another reason for suffering and deformity. In Luke 13 our Lord Jesus encounters a woman while teaching in the Synagogue:

Luke 13:11 (ESV) behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself.

When Lucifer the Arch Angel rebelled against God, he enlisted a third of the angels of Heaven (Revelation 12:4) to follow him. These are creatures we call “demons”. This woman was disfigured for eighteen years because she had a “disabling spirit”. We read:

Luke 13:12-16 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

God makes all things beautiful in His time!

Her deformity was because Satan had afflicted her by sending one of his followers to her life. Jesus banished that demon and that precious woman was healed. But once more we see the Love of God in action. When Lucifer rebelled against God, and led a third of the angels in Heaven to follow him, the love of God allowed that devil and his traitors life for a time. But the day is coming when Satan and his followers will be cast into a lake of fire, to be bound forever more.

If You Are Afflicted Run To The Arms Of Jesus

Ecclesiastes 3:11 {God} hath made every thing beautiful in his time

Earlier I shared my testimony, how I felt “less than” and an ugly duckling in my school years. I was given eyeglasses to correct my sight. But I needed more than eyeglasses – I needed Jesus! Finding Jesus at a Youth Rally just before I entered the Air Force, I found my esteem not in

my peers
my strength
foolish drugs
mind numbing alcohol

but in JESUS. The woman afflicted by the “disabling spirit” is just like many in our America today. People feel “less than”, so they are seeking normalization through that which Scripture calls perversion or abomination. A pair of eyeglasses did not “fix” all of me, but I needed Jesus. A surgeon’s knife will not fix you. No medical science can fix you. Listen Beloved, just as Jesus healed the woman afflicted with the disabling spirit, Jesus can and will heal you. God promises that He will make “every thing beautiful in his time”.

When you give your life to Jesus, God promises to eventually make you beautiful. Jesus will give sight to your eyes, so you can see as He writes on life’s blackboard.

God will give joy to your heart so that you can feel as He feels. To those who love the Lord, Solomon said:

Ecclesiastes 2:26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up…

Word Study: Jesus gives good to those who trust in Him. But to the sinner who rejects Christ, their lives are confusion and travail” {ʻinyân}. When I was young and bullied, every day was travail” {ʻinyân}. But when I found Jesus, He gave sight to my eyes, and joy to my soul. Fearing God, I ceased fearing man, and the bullies vanished. Elizabeth Cheney (1859) wrote:

Said the Robin to the Sparrow,
“I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so!”
Said the Sparrow to the Robin,
“Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me!”

The God Who has made you, loves you no matter what you think of yourself. Look to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Are you thirsty for joy? Jesus said:

John 7:37 … If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

I am convinced that the cure to our miseries is Jesus. Come to Jesus with your pain, not to a drug dealer. Come to Jesus with your loneliness, not to a bar or a liquor store. Come to Jesus with what you think is ugly, and let Him have your life. Become His possession. Become His bond servant. Jesus will forgive you of your sins, and by His blood adopt you into His family. The Apostle said to the seeker:

Romans 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

To those who receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, there is “no condemnation”. God loves you for Christ’s sake. When you come to God, God comes to you. He brings His Heaven to your heart. The Holy Spirit comes to walk with you:

Romans 8:11 (ESV) If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

The Holy Spirit comes to bring the life of Heaven into our hearts. Once we receive Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit changes our hearts. We begin to walk with God daily, seeing things as God sees them. We are loved. We are adopted into the Family of God. We are not ugly, but beautiful in God’s eyes. We are Heaven bound! The Apostle said:

Romans 8:14-18 (ESV) For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

There is a glorious Heaven waiting for those who are owned by Jesus. But better than that, there is a glorious life awaiting those who belong to Jesus NOW. He has said “I will never LEAVE, nor FORSAKE you”. He will be with you every step of the way, if you will give yourselves to Him. He makes all things beautiful in His time.

Do Not Allow Yourselves To Be Robbed
Of The Beauty Found In Jesus

On this earth, all suffer because of sin. Do not sell yourself to sin. Sin is the “thief who comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy”. Jesus Christ came to be your Shepherd. Our Shepherd gives us “life, abundant life” (John 10:10). Jesus knows your aches and pains. He suffered so that you can enjoy the love of God.

You may not know this, but Jesus was not beautiful according to man’s standard.

The Scripture says of Jesus:

Isaiah 53:2 (ESV) … He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.

When you get to Heaven, don’t look for Jesus using the pictures that people made, pictures that hang in museums and homes, and even in my office. Jesus had “no beauty that we should desire him”. When you get to Heaven, look for Jesus by looking for the scars on His hands, head, and feet. When you see those scars, you will know this is Jesus. Because He died for you and I, we will inherit the Heavens, and a new earth. God will make everything beautiful in it’s time. That is, if we have received Him as Lord and Savior. There is a better day coming for the child of Christ.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

Word Study: The word translated “the world” is the Hebrew עוֹלָם ʻôwlâm, {pronounced o-lawm’}, which would be better here rendered as “eternity”. God has put “eternity” in our hearts. We know that there must be something more than just this life. God has put a hunger for Heaven in each person’s heart. We know that this world is not as it should be. When I read what Solomon wrote, “no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end”, this sounds so much like:

1 Corinthians 2:9 … Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Our limitations only point us to a wonderful future where all things are possible, and all hurts are erased. Augustine wrote:

“You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” (Confessions, Book 1, Chapter 1)

This world and this suffering that we are going through is but temporary for the believer in Christ. “Our citizenship is in Heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). God has prepared a city for us (Hebrews 11:13-16), a place where no suffering shall be. A better day is coming. Look to the Lord Jesus! Rest in the Lord Jesus! May God draw you into His embrace this very day. Amen and Amen!

Posted in Ecclesiastes, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s All About The Bread

Posted on November 5, 2021 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Tiago Leonardi on Unsplash

Turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 6. I love the Gospel of John, for it shows very clearly that Jesus Christ is THE Son of God. It is a book very much focused on His deity. John also has great narratives. Tonight we’re going to read a familiar narrative – the time Jesus fed above 5000 people. We are very familiar with this story, and it might seem to be a re-run with you. But I believe there is more great truth to be found in these texts.

The Feeding Of The Five Thousand Is the ONLY Miracle Found In All Four Gospels (Here, and Matt. 14:13-21; Mark 6:32-44; Luke 9:10-17)

John 6:1-2 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. 2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

“After these things”. After Jesus healed the crippled man by the pool of Bethesda (remember the FIVE porches around the pool. FIVE is the number of Grace). After the Pharisees sought to kill Jesus for healing someone on the Sabbath (John 5:16). After Jesus told the Pharisees that He, the Son of God, was both equal to God the Father, as well as a follower of God the Father. After Jesus told the Pharisees that the Scriptures they studied – the Old Testament writings – were all about Him. Jesus said:

John 5:39-40 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

John 5:46-47 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

John 6:1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

The Bible has no accidental words, but every word is the pure Word of God. It all has meaning. The body of water Jesus crossed was called the “sea of Galilee” by the Jews, but the “sea of Tiberias” by the conquering Roman forces. The two sets of names are given because Jesus did not just come for the Jews – but for all people. The Bible says:

Colossians 3:11 … there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

John 6:3-4 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. 4 And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

The focus of Jesus’ ministry was teaching the Word of God. Jesus did not come to this earth to primarily heal people (though He did). Jesus came to share the Word of God with whosoever would listen. A crowd of people began to follow Jesus because of the miracles He did (verse 2). But

Preach: Jesus did not come to this earth to bring us temporary relief from suffering. He came to this earth to show us the love of God, and to show us how to love others. Jesus came, not to bring us to Heaven, but to bring Heaven to our hearts.

If you love God, you will love others. The two always come together. Jesus said that the protos, or foundational commandment is:

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

If God is in you (that is, you are saved by faith in Christ, and the Spirit of God indwells you [“now if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His]), then you will love others. Love demands that you treat others the way you would be treated. We read:

John 6:5-6 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? 6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

Jesus Knows What He Is Going To Do. Do We?

God the Son had been teaching His disciples. The day is slowly waning. So Jesus asks Philip a simple question, one that God often asks His people. He asks, “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”. Love is concerned about the welfare of others. How can we feed this mass of people? The answer is very easy. How do we feed them? Jesus! Jesus will feed them! But it is ingrained into us as humans – fallen creatures from the days of Adam – to say “let ME fix it. I know what to do!” The right answer is, “the same Jesus Who healed the cripple in Bethesda, the same Jesus who rebuked the Pharisees, the same Jesus of Who the Old Testament prophesied – this same Jesus can feed this multitude”. Philip answers just as we would often do:

John 6:7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

Philip’s suggestion is no suggestion at all. Philip just acknowledges that this is impossible. Looking at it from a human point of view, Philip says “Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them”. That is equivalent to about 200 days of labor, as the “penny” (the “dēnarion” or denarius) was about a day’s wage. Philip is looking at the size of the problem and comparing it to human ability. Of course, neither Philip nor any (or all) of the disciples can fix this problem. Love demands that these people be fed – but it is impossible by human standards that it be done. The task is just impossible. Philip is the “business meeting wet blanket”. “It can’t be done – let’s just walk away”.

Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother (verse 8) speaks up. Andrew was the first disciple to come to Jesus in faith. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. He was there when John said of Jesus:

John 1:36 … Behold the Lamb of God!

Andrew immediately left following John the Baptist, and began to follow Jesus. Andrew, after staying with Jesus for a day, went and found his brother Simon (Peter), and told him:

John 1:41-42 … We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus.

Andrew knew Jesus was the Messiah. But confronted with the problem that Jesus put before them, Andrew followed Philip’s negative lead. He says:

John 6:9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

When that young boy (“lad” is the Greek παιδάριον paidárion, [pronounced pahee-dar’-ee-on] – “little boy”) left home that day to go and see Jesus, his mama, loving him, packed him a lunch. It was just enough for a child to eat. It was “five barley loaves, and two small fishes”. Just a tiny amount – five crackers and two little boy sized fish. I don’t think that Andrew robbed the boy. I think the little boy heard Jesus’ ask “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”. When the little fellow heard it, I believe he walked up to where Andrew was, and tugging on robe, showed him his little lunch. Andrew takes the little lunch, shows it to Jesus, and says “what are they among so many?”.

We as humans have, throughout our history, considered all of our problems through the puniness of our possession. We need to consider our problems with a single focus on God. Jesus said in another place:

Matthew 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

The word “single” is the Greek ἁπλοῦς haploûs, (pronounced hap-looce’) which means “simple, whole, sound”.

When we are challenged, we often get flustered, and run around in confusion, looking here and there for a fix. We’re not simple, but often simple minded!

If your eye is focused on the simple fix (which is JESUS), then your whole body will be filled with light. You will be joyous, blessed, overwhelmed with love. But if your eye is focused on the negative, on the impossibility, then your whole body will be filled with darkness, negativity, misery (Luke 11:34).

Philip, who had seen Jesus do miraculous things, is not focused on Jesus, but on the size of the problem before him. “It can’t be done”. Andrew, who was first to follow Jesus as Messiah, is not focused on Jesus, but on the size of the little boy’s meal. “It’s too little – it’s just not enough”. Neither has a suitable answer for the problem because their eye is not single, but wicked. Their eye is looking at the wrong thing.

Then there’s the little boy.
The paidárion, [pronounced pahee-dar’-ee-on].
Just a child.

The little boy hears Jesus’ question, runs to Andrew, and says “give this to Jesus”. The boy’s eye is single. His eye is focused. He’s not looking at the crowd. He’s not looking at the size of his meal. He’s looking at Jesus. He’s looking at Jesus.

The secret to the blessed life is to become like that little child, and simply focus on the Lord

  • When Solomon was given the daunting task of ruling Israel, he went to God in prayer:

1 Kings 3:7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

Lord, Yahweh, I do not know what to do. I’m just a little child – show me. Make me a good King, a King you can be proud of. And God did.

  • When Naaman the leper wanted to be healed, God told him to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times. When he became like a little child in his spirit, and did as God said:

2 Kings 5:14 Then went {Naaman} down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

  • When Jesus our Lord wanted to show us the faith that pleases God, the Bible says:

Matthew 18:2-4 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

“A little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6). There is nothing that our God cannot do. There is nothing that Jesus cannot fix.

  • In the Book of Zechariah, Zerubbabel led an exiled Israel back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, seventy years destroyed by Assyria. When the returnees saw what was before them, they wept. Such a monstrous task was before them – it was impossible to fix! But beloved,

“With men, this is impossible; but with God ALL THINGS are possible” (Matthew 19:26)

There is nothing that God cannot do. There is nothing beyond the scope of the love of God. When Israel wept at the destruction of the Temple, God spoke through the Prophet, saying:

Zechariah 4:7-10 Who art thou, O great mountain? {for the task before them was MOUNTANOUS} before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain {God will do the impossible}: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. 8 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. 10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice…

Who can fix the Temple? God can!
Who can heal Naaman of Leprosy? God can!
Who can give the King wisdom? God can!
Who can feed five thousand? God can!

“Zerubbabel shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it”. God will use Zerubbabel to kill the problem, and the headstone placed on that grave will say “Grace, grace unto it”. DO NOT DESPISE THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS!

Our God Is A Mountain Leveling God!

Take another look at that little boy’s lunch. When his mama packed it that day, what did she put in it? Five barley loaves, and two small fishes. Did you catch that? FIVE barley loaves. FIVE is the number of Grace! Jesus healed a cripple on one of FIVE porches in Bethesda. The little boy’s lunch had FIVE barley loaves.

Let’s read on.

John 6:10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

Jesus said “Make the men sit down”. He doesn’t need anybody’s help to do this. Sit down. You MUST sit down. Wait on the Lord.

Proverbs 20:22 … wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.

How many men sat down? FIVE thousand. What is the number of Grace? FIVE. Do you understand now? Sit down – wait on God.

John 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

Who did the work? The Father. “Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples”. Jesus gave thanks to the Father, for the Father caused the multiplication. Jesus is the visible Member of the Godhead. “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father” (John 14:9). “I work, and My Father works” (John 5:17). How did Jesus teach us how to pray?

Matthew 6:9-11 … 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.

The Father is feeding the FIVE thousand with FIVE tiny loaves of bread. The Father is using the Son to do this. There is but ONE MEDIATOR between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). The Son takes the little, and depending on the Grace of God, thanks the Father for what He will do. The Father multiplies the loaves, as Jesus breaks them and passes them out. The disciples take this bounty from the grace of God, and distribute it to those sitting. All eat their fill.

John 6:12-13 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. 13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

When they were done, and all had eaten, they gathered the leftovers. Let me ask you: Is the focus on FISH or BREAD?

According to this story, there’s NO FISH left over – at least, not that it’s mentioned. There were FIVE barley loaves, FIVE being the number of Grace. There were “twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves”. Why twelve? Because Jesus was feeding Jews, and there are twelve tribes in Israel.

God’s Grace is more than enough to feed Israel. God fed Israel in the wilderness under Moses. Now God is feeding Israel in the wilderness by Jesus. There is nothing our Jesus cannot do!

No matter what problem you encounter, Beloved, encounter it as a little child. Let your eye be single, simply focused on the Lord Jesus. Give Him the little you have, and let Him bless it, and make it sufficient unto the day. Our God is able. Our Jesus is able. Do not despise the power of Jesus! Let us now go to Him in prayer. Amen and Amen.

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Choosing The Best Part

Posted on November 1, 2021 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Alex Woods on Unsplash

Luke 10:38-42 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

“We’ve GOT To Do SOMETHING OR…”

I’ve often heard these words spoken over the last 25 years I have been in ministry. The words are uttered by sincere people seeking to “fix” something. As humans, we love to “fix” things. It started with Adam in the Garden of Eden. When he discovered that eating of the forbidden “opened his eyes”, the very first thing Adam did was “fix” it. He made aprons of fig leaves (Genesis 3:7). It didn’t help.

Our efforts never help. But we feel that we must “do something”. The Bible says:

Psalm 127:1 (ESV) Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

I understand the “We’ve got to do SOMETHING” mentality. I read an article the other day written by the Executive Editor of Christian Post, Richard D. Land. The article was entitled “How badly have we lost our way?”. A quote:

“… The moral compass of a significant number of our fellow citizens has been desensitized and demagnitized… somewhere along the way, America veered seriously off course and we are now confronted with a collapse into full-blown paganism. … I have seldom been both as shocked and saddened as I was after reading the Rev. Rebecca Todd Peters op-ed in USA Today, “Faith Guided Our Decision on 2 Abortions”. Rev. Peters identifies herself as a Presbyterian minister. … The Rev. Peters also states that she is a “wife and a mother of two” and that she has “also had two abortions”. She immediately follows this by asserting, ‘I did not make my abortion decision despite my Christian identity and faith, but rather because of it.’”

I have no doubt that she is sincere. You can be sincere, and be wrong. When rebuking Jesus for saying He had to go to the Cross, Jesus told Peter:

Matthew 16:23 (ESV) …. “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a hindrance to Me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Peter was no doubt sincere, but wrong. Pastor John Piper notes how the moral fabric of America has changed in just a few years. He notes, “ten years ago, recreational cannabis was illegal in all fifty states”. At present, 37 states have legalized medical-use of Marijuana, and in 15 states you can use it recreationally. John goes on to note:

“Now stop and think of the number of behaviors that were once illegal and are no more. Divorce was once illegal. Adultery and fornication were illegal. Homosexual practices were illegal. Indecency was illegal, in such a way that what’s considered acceptable in movies and on beaches today would have been forbidden. Sabbath-breaking was illegal. Abortion was illegal in every state.”

As William Barclay notes, “{Man} has so erected an altar to himself in the center of things that he worships himself to the exclusion of God and man”. We could say the same thing about America today. The Church is falling. Our society is falling. In a panic, I along with you think, “I’ve GOT to do something”.

The Mary Mentality Waits Upon Jesus

Luke 10:38 Now it came to pass, as they{Jesus and His disciples} went, that he entered into a certain village {Bethany}: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

Jesus goes to Bethany with His disciples to pay a visit to a family He had never been with. He was going to visit with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. This family had heard about Jesus, and Jesus was coming to their home. Actually, Jesus was coming to Martha’s house. That’s what we read:

“a certain woman named Martha received him into her house”.

Martha was the owner of the home.
Mary was a resident in Martha’s home.

The fame of Jesus had gone throughout that whole area. Jesus is coming! Now Jesus is on the front stoop, knocking on the door. Martha thinks, “I’d better DO something”. But where is Mary’s mind? We read:

Luke 10:39-40And she {Martha} had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha….

This is the first time that Mary met Jesus. This is NOT the same Mary called Magdalene, “out of whom {Jesus cast out} seven devils” (Luke 8:2). the name “Mary Magdalene” literally means “Mary of Magdala”, that is, she lived in Magdala in Galilee. The Mary now sitting at Jesus’ feet is “Mary of Bethany, which is in the province of Judea. Mary DID Something!

  1. Mary “sat at Jesus’ feet”, a place we all need to be. She RESTED.
  2. Mary “heard his word”. She listened to what He said. The word “heard” is the Greek ἀκούω akoúō, {pronounced ak-oo’-o}, which means “to give audience to, to focus on and hear”. Mary was doing as the Gospel demands. Jesus said in another place:

Matthew 11:27-30 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 only way you can know of God the Father is through Jesus Christ. And NO ONE knows Jesus Christ completely BUT the Father. This is what Jesus said. Jesus says, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. Rest for the soul is in Jesus. Put your body at His feet. Hear Him, and do as He says. Cast your hurt and suffering on Him. Jesus said “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me”. Jesus is Lord! Jesus is Lord! Let Him put His yoke upon you. This is what God wants us to DO.

A Christian Is Saved By Sitting At Christ’s Feet.
A Christian Grows By Sitting At Christ’s Feet.

We as Christians are to DO, not SOMETHING, but WHAT JESUS SAID DO. Mary did not rush about cleaning the home and cooking the meal. Mary was not trying to impress Jesus with her works. So many of us try to do this. We try to do SOMETHING because OTHERS are looking at us. We want to do SOMETHING because we sincerely want to please our Lord.

But we must first rest at His feet. We must let Jesus be Lord. This is what Mary is doing. Jesus is Lord, so she sits at His feet and waits, and listens. She “learns of Jesus”.

God wants His Kingdom to expand upon the earth. He wants us to DO – but only WHEN He says. At the beginning of this chapter we are told:

Luke 10:1-2 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. 2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.

“After these things” – after Jesus fed 5000 with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread; after Jesus stood on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses and Elijah, “the Lord appointed other seventy”. Jesus had His 12 original Apostles, and appointed 70 men to go out 2 by 2 to spread the Gospel. What was Jesus doing?

Word Study: When Moses was raised up by God, each tribe of Israel had a leader (12), and God told Moses to set aside 70 elders (Exodus 18:13-26; 24:1) to help rule God’s Israel. These 70 men eventually became known as the “Sanhedrin”, or the Ruling 70. Moses ruled Israel under the Old Covenant.

John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Moses was the Mediator of the Old Covenant, but Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:15). As Moses chose 70, Jesus chooses 70, and sends them out to share the Gospel throughout Israel. Jesus conveys special powers upon His “Sanhedrin” so that they might share the message that “the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you” (vs 11). Jesus told them:

Luke 10:16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.

The 70 were ecstatic when they returned to Jesus. They said, “Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name”. Jesus told these men:

Luke 10:18-20 I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

You Bless The Lord When You Treat Him As the Lord. Sit At His Feet, Do What He Says When He Says.

The Bible says:

Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

Do not DO SOMETHING. DO what Jesus tells you to do. Sit at His feet. He is Lord. Read His Word. Pray. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 37:34 Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

We are losing the land in America. As American Christians, we are too often:

sitting at the feet of anger
sitting at the feet of fear
sitting at the feet of greed
sitting at the feet of ungodliness
sitting at the feet of vain philosophies
sitting at the feet of social media
sitting at the feet of television
sitting at the feet of celebrities
sitting at the feet of politicians
sitting at the feet of socialism
sitting at the feet of selfishness

This is no good. We must sit at the feet of Jesus. Jesus said:

John 18:37 … To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

It is imperative that we sit at Jesus’ feet and hear His Word. “Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in Heaven” (Psalm 119:89). What God affirms as true is true, though all the world rail against it. What our Lord says in this Bible is of paramount important to the Kingdom of God, and for the future of this nation. The Psalmist said of the Lord:

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

Pastor Kevin DeYoung notes,

“God does not lay down arbitrary rules. He does not give orders so that we might be restricted and miserable. He never requires what is impure, unloving, or unwise. His demands are always noble, always just, and always righteous.”

The danger of DOING SOMETHING without first sitting at Christ’s feet is illustrated by our Lord. Many “DOERS” will end up in hell. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:22-27 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Doing a work without first sitting at Jesus’ feet is not doing a good work, but a bad work. Those who sit at Jesus’ feet and “heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them” has built his house on a rock that nothing on this earth can destroy. That is what the Lord wants of us.

Martha In Her Doing Cut The Lord Out

Mary is WAITING on the Lord by hearing and applying His Word. Martha is WAITING on the Lord by presuming what He wants – then complaining because Jesus does not want it.

Luke 10:40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

Illustration: Imagine this: You go to a fancy, five star restaurant, and are quickly seated at your table. Before anyone asks you anything, the waiter come up and opens a bottle of wine, pouring it into your glass. He walks away as another waiter comes with a meal. Putting it down in front of you, you have escargot (snails), sushi (raw) octopus with black ink gravy, and braised chitlins. The waiter drops the plates in front of you, and walks away. You try complaining, but no one wants to hear it. Then you get a bill for $500.00, and the waiters want generous tips.

This is the type of “waiting” that Martha was doing. This is the type of “waiting” we often do for God. This type of “waiting” irritates God as much as we would have been at that five star restaurant. It also wears us out.

Word Study: We are told “Martha was cumbered about much serving”. Martha is working very hard. The word translated “cumbered” is the Greek περισπάω perispáō, {pronounced per-ee-spah’-o}, which means “to drag all around, to be over occupied and thus distressed, to be driven about mentally”. It is interesting that this word is only found HERE in the Greek New Testament. Martha was singularly – as no other New Testament character had been – about to have a melt down! She says to Jesus:

“Lord, dost thou not care that my sister
hath left me to serve alone?”

Martha calls Jesus “Lord”, but in her heart Jesus is patently NOT Lord. If Jesus were Lord (and He is), then she would be at His feet instead of standing over Him upset and demanding. Beloved, Jesus is LORD. As LORD, He NEVER asked Martha to do what she was doing. Martha was doing what she was doing because it was HER house, and SHE wanted to look good for Jesus and His disciples. SHE wanted to be a good hostess. There’s nothing wrong with that – but Jesus is LORD.

Jesus went 40 days and 40 nights without food, and just made a banquet for over 5000 people out of two fish and five little biscuits. If He is hungry, He will tell Martha.

Jesus tells us in another place:

Matthew 4:4 (ESV) … Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

We all desperately need the Word of God.
We do not need another strange philosophy out of Hollyweird.
We do not need a 3.5 TRILLION dollar tax burden from Valhalla.
We need to be at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him.
We need to be at Jesus’ feet, worshiping Him.

Luke 4:8 (ESV) … It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve”.

Martha was not serving the Lord. She was serving herself. It was her house, and she was putting on airs – unrequested airs. Furthermore, Martha is making out that Jesus is heartless. “Dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?”. Jesus, if You loved me, you would (fill in the blank). How often have we all done this, jumping out ahead of God’s direction, doing it – like Frank Sinatra sang, “My Way”.

Please note that Jesus does not chastise Martha until she, overwhelmed, comes to Him. Jesus just continues teaching Mary until Martha gets enough. When we jump out on our own and get ourselves wrapped around the axle, sometimes the Lord will just let us go until we – overwhelmed – come crying to Him. “Jesus, don’t You care?” Yes, He does. Jesus corrects Martha:

Luke 10:41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things..

Notice how Jesus speaks to Martha. He says “Martha, Martha”.

Martha is one of 7 people that God calls their name twice – and the only woman Jesus calls by name twice.

Abraham, Abraham (Genesis 22:11)
Jacob, Jacob (Genesis 46:2)
Moses, Moses (Exodus 3:4)
Samuel, Samuel (1 Samuel 3:10)
Martha, Martha (Luke 10:41)
Simon, Simon (Luke 22:31)
Saul, Saul (Acts 9:4)

Word Study: Martha’s mind is on overload because she is doing “many things” – but NOTHING that Jesus told her to do. Jesus told her “thou art careful and troubled”. The word “careful” is the Greek μεριμνάω merimnáō, {pronounced mer-im-nah’-o}, which means anxious, filled with anxiety. The other word “troubled” is the Greek τυρβάζω tyrbázō, {pronounced toor-bad’-zo}, meaning “to be stirred up and confused, to be troubled in mind”. Two of the greatest enemies of our faith is anxiety and confusion. Where anxiety and confusion is, Jesus is NOT. The Bible tells us:

Philippians 4:6 (ESV) … do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

In other words, if you are ANXIOUS, stop what you’re doing, and sit at Jesus’ feet listening. Open the Word of God. Pray, and look for God’s face. Recognize that HE IS LORD and WE ARE NOT. We are not to be anxious today, nor about tomorrow. Do as Jesus said:

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

One of my favorite Bible texts is “God is not a God of confusion but of peace”(1 Corinthians 14:33). Martha was taking too much on herself, running herself ragged. Jesus told her:

Luke 10:42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

The Apostle Paul understood that the greatest thing any of us can do is to hear and know Jesus. He wrote:

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

The best thing in life – the thing that brings joy to every day – is to know Jesus, to hear His Word, and to be worshipful in doing what He has said. Mary chose “that good part, which shall not be taken away from her”. As we learn of Jesus, we, through the Holy Spirit of God, become daily more like Jesus. We DO His Word. Let us commit to give our lives to Jesus. Let us have a Mary mentality, sitting at the Lord’s feet daily, seeking HIS will. Let us be GOOD WAITERS. May God the Holy Spirit draw us all into a deeper relationship with Him, for His glory, that His Kingdom might grow. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen and Amen.

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A Mighty Mite!

Posted on November 1, 2021 by bibleteacherorg
Widow’s Mite at time of Christ

Mark 12:41-44 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

A Little Technical Information To Start 🙂

That which I gave you this morning is a reproduction of what we today call a “widow’s mite”. The “widow” in our scripture would have dropped two of these into one of thirteen “chests” or “trumpets” found in the Temple. The Jewish commentary Mishnah Shekalim (6:5) notes, “There were thirteen chests in the Temple, and on each of them was inscribed …”. Each chest or trumpet was labeled with the name of the fund it was supporting. One of the funds that people gave to as a widow’s and orphan’s fund.

Word Study: A little technical details on the reproduction I gave. I had to give you reproductions because the genuine “widow’s mite” – which can still be bought online – can cost anywhere from 40 to 400$ apiece because of collector demand! The “widow’s mite” I gave you has an anchor on one side, and the points of a star on the other. The actual name of these coins is lepta(singular = lepton). Lepta were the lowest denomination of coin that circulated in Jerusalem when Jesus walked the earth. Two lepta [KJV “mites”] were equivalent to one quadrans [KJV “farthing] (Greek κοδράντης kodrántēs, [pronounced kod-ran’-tace]), the smallest Roman coin. The quadrans was worth 3/8 of a cent. The widow gave less than a penny to the collection at the Temple.

Word Study: As Jesus watched people putting money into the various chests, He saw a poor widow come into the Court of Women. It was obvious that she was poor by the state of her clothing. Jesus calls the woman πτωχός ptōchós, {pronounced pto-khos’}, a “pauper” or “like a beggar”. The others wore either fine clothing, or better than average clothing. This woman’s raiment was worn. When Jesus preached His Sermon on the Mount, He said:

Luke 6:20 … Blessed be ye poor {ptōchós}: for yours is the kingdom of God.

This Unnamed Widow Was A Genuine Believer:
She Loved The Lord!

As Jesus saw this poor widow head toward a chest, He called His disciples to Him. Jesus often made teaching points from things that were going on around Him. Jesus pointed to the widow, and told His disciples:

Mark 12:43-44 … Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living

Word Study: This woman “cast in all that she had, even all her living”. The word translated “living” is the Greek βίος bíos, {pronounced bee’-os}, which means “that by which life is sustained”. She gave all she had. This woman literally put her life on the line. She had no more funds, nothing else of note. And yet, she cast all in.

This woman put her life on the line, because her heart was filled with love for her God.

Jesus noted that. Jesus was watching. The woman did not know that Jesus was watching, but Jesus is always watching over His people. Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd. Jesus said:

John 10:11 I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

The “Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep”. The “Good Shepherd” is not an employee, a hireling. The “Good Shepherd” watches over His sheep, His charges, because He loves His sheep. The “Good Shepherd” is always watching His sheep. And the “Good Shepherd” has a relationship with His sheep. Jesus said:

John 10:27-28 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

The Sheep of God know that – even if they cannot see Him – the Shepherd is near. Jesus is a Good Shepherd. He is not here one day, then gone the next. Jesus was watching the treasury in the Court of Women because He was watching for His sheep. He wanted to show His disciples – and US – what the Sheep of God do. This woman gave her all to God. She had little by the standards of those who were in the Temple that day. As people walked around her, they dropped hand-fulls of coins into the trumpets. Some fed their money into the trumpets – the collection plates – one coin by one, pausing for effect between each drop. CLINK …… CLINK …… CLINK….. CLINK. Those who were giving with such animation were well off. They had much money, and gave much money to the Temple.

But in reality, it cost them nothing! Jesus said:

Mark 12:44 … For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living

They “cast in of their abundance”. They are to be commended for their tithing, for this is a good thing. The tithe will go to help those in need. But their tithe cost them little to nothing. But she, the Sheep of God, gave all that she had. It cost her everything. Jesus recognized this, an applauded her faith. She gave her all because she knew she belonged to God.

Matthew 6:25-33 (ESV) … do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[g] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

This widow was not worried about her life. She loved the Lord. Many can recite that beautiful Psalm of David, Psalm 23:

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

This woman LIVED her faith. She knew that God was watching over her. Not one hair of your head will fall to the ground, but that Jesus sees it (Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7).

Are You Religious, Or In A Relationship With Jesus?

God the Son does not want you religious. He wants you in a relationship with Him. In this same chapter we read an encounter between Jesus and a Scribe. The Scribes worked closely with the priests and the Temple, as the Scribes were not only copiers of the Scripture, but experts in Biblical Law. A Scribe comes to Jesus at the end of a conversation He had with the Sadducees.

Mark 12:28-30 … one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Word Study: The Scribe asked Jesus “Which is the first commandment of all?”. The word translated “first” is the Greek πρῶτος prōtos, {pronounced pro’-tos}, which means “the foremost or greatest and most important”. The Scribe was asking Jesus – in essence – “what is the primary or foundational commandment of God on which all other commandments are based”. Jesus knew what the Scribe was asking. Jesus replied, “The Lord our God is one Lord”, that is, there is NO OTHER GOD BUT THAT OF THE SCRIPTURE. All others are imitators, false, liars and thieves. If the God of the Scripture is YOUR God, then you are to love Him with “all”. God wants all of your heart. You may love…

your spouse,
your children,
your parents,
yourself,
your friends,

but your love for them must be SECONDARY to your love for God. Christianity is a loving relationship through Jesus Christ to God. Your love for God will be the sun and the sum of your life. This is the prōtos.

Christian faith is not a lease – you have to own it. Does God own your heart, or is your Christianity leased?

Illustrate: A surgeon was briefing a little boy and his family on what he intended to do. He said, “Tomorrow morning, I’m going to open up your heart …”. The little boy interrupted. He said, “You’ll find Jesus there”. The surgeon looked at the parents, but they said nothing. A little annoyed, the surgeon said, “Son, I’m sure when I look in your heart, I’ll find damaged muscle and weakened vessels. But I intend to fix that, and make you well.” The child said, “You’ll find Jesus there, too. He lives in my heart.” The surgeon left. The next day, following the surgery the surgeon sat quietly in his office. The child had a damaged aorta, widespread degeneration. It was so bad there was no hope for a transplant. The prognosis was bleak. The child had little time to live. The surgeon bowed his head, and prayed. “Why God. Why did You do this? Why did You allow this?”. The Lord answered him. “That boy is my little Lamb. He was not meant for your flock very long. He’s a part of My flock, and will soon forever be with Me. His parents are also of My flock, and will one day be united with him in My glorious Heaven. This child did what he was supposed to do. I brought him into this world to retrieve another lost person – YOU.” The surgeon wept. Later as he sat with the boy and his parents, the little boy asked, “Did you cut open my heart?” The surgeon said, “Yes, son, I did”. The little boy asked, “What did you find?” The surgeon, with a smile on his face, said “I found Jesus there”.

The widow loved God with her all though she suffered poverty. The little boy loved Jesus with all his heart though he suffered sickness. Love for God will lead to the second commandment:

Mark 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Until God in Christ possesses your heart, your other relationships will; be but cheap imitations of God’s best. The Scribe, hearing Jesus, replies:

Mark 12:32-33 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: 33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

The Pharisees and Scribes believed that the rituals of the Law, “burnt offerings and sacrifices”, were the most important thing to God. They aren’t. The Prophet Samuel told King Saul:

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

You enter the Kingdom of God by falling in love with Jesus. You enter the Kingdom of God by allowing Jesus to possess your heart and guide your life.

Mark 12:38-40 And {Jesus} said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, 39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: 40 Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.

The Scribes leased their faith for celebrity, for affirmation, for profit. Do not lease your faith!

The Scribes are like many religious people today. They dress up in “long clothing”. They wear doctoral robes. They “love salutations in the marketplaces”. They love to be called “Doctor”, and introduced to others as “The Immanent ___”. They want to be in the “Amen Corner” in the local Church, and in the best seats at the feasts. They “for a pretense make long prayers”. It is all smoke and mirrors. Pastor Greg Morse wrote:

“If an old-time preacher, one who believed in uncomfortable realities like the wrath of God … rode his horse through some of the streets of American Christianity, what might he experience? … Sounding the alarm as Paul Revere, this watchman might gallop down our paved roads yelling,

‘Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming! Make way for the King! Repent and believe! Stay awake! Keep the faith! Only those who endure to the end will be saved! Put the flesh to death by the Spirit! Obey Him! Finish the race! Look to Jesus! Trust Him for His grace! He is coming to judge the world in righteousness!’

… to his amazement, some voices would shoot back … “We have heard of your kind before … more emphasis on our works than Christ’s. Listen here, Christ lived a perfect life for me and died in my place. I have failed, will fail, and often fail – but Christ, sir, Christ such a life in my place, I refuse to return to the law. I am gospel-centered, you see!’

Salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone. Once saved,
your God will possess your heart and your life.

1 Peter 2:24-25 (ESV) {Jesus} himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Like the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day, we were straying from God. We were walking about “DEAD in TRESPASSES and SINS” (Ephesians 2:1,5). But born again by faith in Christ Jesus, Jesus now occupies our hearts. We love the Lord with all. We love our neighbor as ourselves. The lost do neither.

Mark 12:40 … {Beware of the scribes} … Which devour widows’ houses,

Word Study: The word translated “devour” is the Greek κατεσθίω katesthíō, {pronounced kat-es-thee’-o}, which means “to gobble up, devour”. If you pretend to love God, you will not love your neighbor. This is not the first time Jesus called out Scribes and Pharisees for “devouring or gobbling up widow’s houses” (see Matthew 23:14; Luke 20:47). Under God’s Law, He told those who were believing landowners:

Deuteronomy 24:19-21 (ESV) When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over them again. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. 21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not strip it afterward. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.

Those who suffered, like a sharecropper’s widow, was not to be thrown out of her home because her husband died. God told His people to leave a “sheaf in the field”, to allow those who were poor to enjoy the second harvest of the “olive trees” and of the “grapes of your vineyard”. When a field was reaped, the corners of the field were to be left untouched for the poor. God did two things by this.

Preach This: If you love the Lord your God with all your heart, you love your neighbor, too. And loving your neighbor did not mean giving a handout, but a hand up. The stranger, the orphan, the widow were to go out and put a little labor in gathering that which was left in the field or on the tree. In this way, all learned RESPONSIBILITY.

Religion Destroyed The Temple, And Religion Will Destroy The Church

After commending the widow, we read:

Mark 13:1-2 And as {Jesus} went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! 2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

In America today many mega-Churches, rega-Churches, and little Churches are falling apart. A number of “celebrity” Christians (like Kevin Max from the group DC Talk and Joshua Harris who wrote “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” or the late Ravi Zacharias) have become “deconverted”, or have said that they are “deconstructing their faith”. In reality, they are proving what the Scripture told us about false believers. The Apostle John wrote:

1 John 2:19-20 (ESV) … They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One…

As the disciples left the Temple, a beautiful structure that was built by King Herod, they remarked on it’s fine construction. Jesus told them “there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down”. The Roman Empire would lay siege to the city of Jerusalem in April 14, 70 A.D., three days prior to the beginning of Passover. The Temple would be destroyed by Rome in August, 70 A.D.

I often wonder what happened to that poor widow that Jesus commended. Though her destiny is not revealed in Scripture, I know that my God is faithful. As a Good Shepherd, Jesus tended to her needs, and she rests in glory with Him in eternity.

I believe that God is separating the wheat from the tares in America today. If we deny Jesus, Jesus will deny us (2 Timothy 2:12). If we sow corruption, we reap corruption (Galatians 6:7-8). Those who are Christ’s sheep will, as Hebrews 3:12-14 notes, “share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end”. The Bible is very clear. Eternal life is certain for those with overcoming faith (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26, 3:5, 12, 21). Genuine faith in Christ causes a person to fall in love with God. We love God with our ALL. And God indwells us, gently guiding the believer through the valleys of this life. Genuine faith is not here today, and gone tomorrow. The Christian delights to do God’s will. The Christian loves to worship God with other saints. Do you love Jesus? Do you know Him? Oh, I pray that you do! Run into Jesus’ arms this very day. Do not delay! Trust Him, and commit to loving Him with your all. May God the Holy Spirit convict you this very day!

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Solomon’s Folly A.K.A. The gods Among Us

Posted on October 24, 2021 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Egor Myznik on Unsplash

Is The Grace Of God Fully Operational In Your Life?

The Grace of God (God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense) was not just given to get you into Heaven. The Grace of God is given to the believer to get Heaven into us. I believe – along with the Apostles – that it is possible to be saved by Grace, and yet not enjoy the fullness of Grace. The Bible calls this “Receiving The Grace of god in Vain”. The Apostle Paul spoke of this when he wrote::

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.

The Grace of God will take you to Heaven. But the Grace of God should take God’s Heaven to your heart. If you are under Grace, you should joyously labor for God’s Kingdom. Jesus said “the Kingdom of God IS WITHIN YOU” (Luke 17:21). It is Grace that saves us. It is Grace that keeps on saving us. It is Grace that makes us children of God, as opposed to children of Adam. The Apostle reiterated in:

2 Corinthians 6:1, telling the Church: “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain”.

Grace changes you.

  • When Enoch found Grace, he walked with God till he walked into Heaven.
  • When Noah found Grace, God had him build a boat.
  • When Abraham found Grace, God had him leave home and go to Canaan.
  • When Joseph found Grace, he left prison and became co-regent with Pharaoh.
  • When Moses found Grace, he stopped being a fugitive and led Israel from Egypt.
  • When Joshua found Grace, he led Israel to take the Promised Land.
  • When Shamgar found Grace, he defeated 600 Philistines.
  • When David found Grace, he left the pasture, defeated Goliath, and became king of Israel.
  • When Daniel found Grace he kept on praying, until he led a den of lions into a prayer meeting.
  • When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego found Grace, they found Jesus in a fiery furnace.

The Grace of God transcends the Old as well as the New Covenants. The only way people have ever been saved by God is through His GRACE. The Apostle wrote:

Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

The Grace of God can indeed be received in vain. What robs the believer of the power of God’s Grace? When the believer begins to share his or her affections with the world. When we blend our faith with the gods of this world, we rob ourselves of the joy of the power of Grace.

Solomon Was Saved By Grace: He WALKED With God

Please turn with me in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 12. We’re going to look at the wisest man who has ever lived, a man called Solomon.

Solomon was the second child of David and Bathsheba, the first child dying as a judgment from God on that couple’s adulterous behavior (2 Samuel 12:13-16, 24). In Walter Vogels “David’s Greatness in His Sin and Repentance”, he notes: “The child {of adultery}cannot belong to David. He cannot enrich himself through his sin, and in a sense, justice is done to Uriah
{Bathsheba’s murdered husband}.”

After their first child died, God allowed David & Bathsheba to have a second child. This is GRACE.

2 Samuel 12:24 … and {David} called his name Solomon: and the Lord loved him.

Word Study: The name “Solomon” is Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה‎‎, pronounced [Šəlōmō], meaning “peaceful”. There are two reasons for this name.

  • The birth of another child proves that David & Bathsheba’s sins are forgiven by God’s Grace. They are “at peace” with God.
  • Solomon as king of Israel would lead the nation in a time of unprecedented “peace”. Israel would be united and blessed by God, and the Temple would be built.

According to the Talmud (the Jewish Rabbi commentary), Solomon was considered a Jewish Prophet, as well as a King. He wrote – as inspired by God – Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. He also was a contributor to the book of Psalms.

Solomon was loved of God, and he loved God.

Little Known Fact: He was not only named Solomon, but was also named Jedidiah(2 Samuel 12:25), meaning “Beloved of Jehovah” (יְדִידְיָה Yᵉdîydᵉyâh, [pronounced yed-ee-deh-yaw’]). When King David knew that his death was imminent, he called for Solomon, and crowning him King said:

1 Kings 2:3 … keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself…

Solomon heard what his father David said, but did not DO what his father said.

1 Kings 3:1 And Solomon made affinity (חָתַן châthan, [pronounced khaw-than’], “joined families by marital covenant”) with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.

As King over a united Israel, and as peace was throughout all the land, Solomon went about reconstructing and rebuilding that which had been destroyed by war during the time of David. Solomon’s biggest projects were to “build his own house”, the palace that he lived in. He also built “the house of the Lord”. Up to this time Israel worshiped God in a tent called the “Tabernacle”. Solomon built the Temple for God. Solomon also extended and fortified “the wall of Jerusalem”, a necessary defense against marauders and other enemies. Solomon was doing some great things for God. None of what he did in construction was intended to be sinful. But we read:

1 Kings 3:1 Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David

Solomon married “Pharaoh’s daughter”, making an alliance with Egypt in order to help protect Israel from war. There was a problem with this. You see, Pharaoh’s daughter was a believer in false gods and goddesses. God told His people …

“thou shalt not take a wife … of the daughters of the Canaanites (Genesis 24:3) … Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods … (Deuteronomy 7:3-4)”.

God knows us. Listen my Beloved: We are all broken.

Saved or lost, born again or child Adam, Blood bought or flesh empowered, Christian or non-Christian, we are all broken. But those who belong to Jesus are supposed to obey Jesus, and to love Jesus, and to follow Jesus. If we who are children of God intermarry with children of false gods, they will drag us down to their level. The Apostle Paul told the Church age believer:

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

I have heard some say, “Solomon didn’t really sin, because he didn’t marry a Canaanite”. But Solomon, a very wise man and a prophet of God, knew that – though he did not marry a Canaanite – he knowingly violated the intent of the Scripture. Did Solomon love the Lord? The Bible says:

1 Kings 3:3 Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.

Solomon went to the “High Places” where people often sacrificed to false gods and goddesses. Solomon went to Gibeon and sacrificed to the God of Truth. God met Solomon at Gibeon, and said to him “Ask what I shall give thee” (vs 5). The God of this Creation, the God of all that you see, comes to you and asks, “What can I give you?” There is “nothing impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). What would you ask? What you would ask, reveals the condition of your heart. If you asked for a new car, or to win the lottery, or to live forever, this would reveal your heart as selfish and conceited.

Solomon’s words showed that he loved the Lord.

1 Kings 3:7-9 O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in {I don’t know how to WALK}. 8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. 9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

Solomon loves God. Solomon loves his stewardship, Israel. He doesn’t want to disappoint God, nor to harm his people. So Solomon asks God for wisdom. God replied:

1 Kings 3:11-14 … Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; 12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. 13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honor: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. 14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days

Solomon is to WALK with God – not with false gods!

God in Grace, heaps blessing upon Solomon. God makes Solomon the wisest person who has ever lived. From this moment on, Solomon would know how to rule Israel and yet avoid breaching God’s Word. Solomon would soon be put to the test, as he ruled from the throne of David. The Bible says:

1 Kings 3:28 all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.

Solomon’s house grew, as God gave him wisdom to rule. The Bible says:

1 Kings 4:29-31 … God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. 30 And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men…

The essence of Grace is to WALK daily with God.

When you walk with God, following Him as you go about your day, God will bless you. This is what happened with King Solomon. The Bible says, “the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace” (1 Kings 5:12). God told Solomon:

1 Kings 6:12 Concerning this house {the Temple} which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee…

Solomon lived by Grace. He walked with God. The Lord said, “walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments”. You cannot walk with God and the gods. “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Solomon told Israel:

1 Kings 8:57-58, 61 The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us {Solomon is saying God, WALK with us}: 58 That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers… 61 Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.

God heard Solomon’s prayer, and promised to “establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever” (1 Kings 9:5). God also warned Solomon,

1 Kings 9:6-7 … if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: 7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them

God will not walk with other gods. He does not mind walking with us, frail as we are. But our affections must not be divided. We dare not become inclusive with other gods, or with the world.

Our God Will Not With Us And The gods

1 Kings 11:1-11 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites: 2 Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. 7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. 8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. 9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, 10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded. 11 Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.

Solomon did not lose his salvation by blending his faith with the gods of this world – but he did lose his blessing. His son Rehoboam would succeed Solomon as king, and Israel would go through a terrible civil war because of the son.

You cannot walk with God and the gods.

Are YOU Walking With Strange gods?

The God of the Bible is the God Who calls us to salvation. The God of the Bible is the God Who sent Jesus Christ, His only Son, to be our Savior and Lord. Are you walking with the God of the Bible, or are you walking with the gods of this world? Our God will not walk with strange gods. He would not do it with Solomon (who wrote three books of scripture [Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs], and contributed to the Psalms), and will not do it with you.

There are many strange gods trying to crawl into the Christian Church today. I don’t have time to talk about all of them, but I do want to mention four:

  1. There is the god of wokeness, and Critical Race Theory.

I recently finished reading “Christianity and Wokeness” by Owen Strachan (research professor of theology, Grace Bible Theological Seminary). The Bible prohibits “man stealing” (1 Timothy 1:10), which is race based chattel slavery. The Bible commands that we “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39). We are to treat others the way we want to be treated. The Bible tells us that “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). As our Heavenly Father loves all people regardless of color, we must do the same if we expect to walk with God. However, so called “wokeness” and “Critical Race Theory” is more worldly and of the gods of this world than it is of Scripture. Strachan in his book quoted from the “woke” book Divided by Faith (Christian Smith): “All white evangelicals are complicit in the racial inequalities that exist, mainly because ‘they support the American system and enjoy it’s fruits’ … In combating racial inequality, whites, as ‘the main creators and benefactors of the racialized society, must repent of their personal, historical, and social sins.’ ” (pg 36)

As believers in Christ we MUST REPENT of our personal sins, and of any racism that we ourselves have engaged or are engaging in. Romans 14:12 notes “each of us will give an account of ourselves to God”. Each person is accountable for their own sin. However, it exceeds Scripture to say we need to repent of “historical sins”. The Bible says:

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Each person is accountable to God for THEIR OWN SIN, not for the sins of others. I cannot “repent” of anything an ancestor did. Such “repentance” is no more than show. My duty before God is to love God and love my neighbor. Period. One of the founders of “Woke” doctrine, Ibram X. Kendi notes in the book How To Be An Antiracist: “there is no neutrality in the racism struggle … One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an antiracist. There is not in between safe space of ‘not racist.’ The claim of ‘not racist’ neutrality is a mask for racism.” This is confusion and nonsense, and my God is NOT the God of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33), but of peace.

Each person is accountable for how they live their own life before God. And no, you are not automatically racist just because you are white. You are racist when you behave racist. Period. Jesus loved every person, and treated each person with the respect He wanted for Himself. This is what we do.

  1. There is the god of sexual sin.

Whether is be homosexual sin, heterosexual sin, transgenderism, or an alphabet soup of letters, the god of this world is pushing for the destruction of the family. Transgender “women” are fighting to be included in women’s competitions, women’s locker rooms, and women’s bathrooms. What did Jesus say about gender and marriage? He said:

Matthew 19:4-6 … Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

God designed men and women in a specific way, and called men and women to marry one another. For thousands of years this has been the standard of marriage.

In America, we have extraordinary freedoms. If you wish to pursue sexual sin, there is no law stopping you from walking that path. However, God will not walk with you.

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

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

In Romans 1:18-32 the Apostle indicts those who reject the Gospel of salvation in order to chase after a variety of sins. The Apostle makes it clear that sexual sin and violation of God’s design puts you where God will not walk with you. Again, as Americans there are things that the Bible condemns that are “lawful” in our present society. But as Christians, God’s will and God’s glory take precedent over what we feel or want.

  1. The god of abortion.

All life is precious, even the life of the developing child. God made us in His image (Genesis 1:27), and that alone makes every person precious. The Psalmist said to God, “Your hands made me and formed me…” (Psalm 119:73). It is God Who gives life, and Who forms every human being (Psalm 139:13-16; Job 10:11-12). God “formed you from the womb” (Isaiah 44:24). And God has a purpose for every child. God told Jeremiah “Before I formed you in your mother’s body I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart to serve Me.” (1:5). When John the Baptist was still in his mother’s womb, he “leapt for joy” when brought near to the expectant virgin Mary (Luke 1:41, 44). The Prophet Isaiah said, “the Lord called me from the womb” (Isaiah 49:1, 5). The Apostle Paul said “God set me apart from the time I was born” (Galatians 1:15). Though Roe vs Wade may make allowance for abortion of a child, the Bible considers all life to be precious.

  1. The god of social media.

People walk about staring at their phones. Parents and children go out to eat, and never talk to one another – but watch and respond to social media incessantly. Don’t get me wrong – I use social media to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with as many as possible. I use a blog, and post to Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. To use social media is one thing. To have it consume you is quite another. People have become quite belligerent, difficult, and yes, mean on social media. This is because actual face to face interaction with another human develops a set of skills that you do not have to have on social media. If you disagree with someone on social media, you can just “flame” them. There are no consequences for your actions except, perhaps by being blocked.

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

You cannot do this on social media. Love is something you cannot text, something you cannot do through a machine. Loving as Jesus calls us to love requires an in-person touch. People need that personal touch. I have read horror stories where students have abused others through social media. I myself have experienced so much nonsense on my own website that I took away the “comments” section intentionally. People can be brutal through social media. This is not the way of Christ. The stepbrother of Jesus said:

James 3:14-18 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Have you “married” your life to strange wives? Have you blended your faith with the gods of this world? James goes on to tell us “do you not know that friendship of the world is to make yourselves the enemy of God? Whoever befriends the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4). We cannot blend our faith with the false gods of this world. Let us come to the God of the Scripture through His Son Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Let us believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and rose again to lead us in the paths of righteousness. Let us live our lives sold out for Jesus!

The days are short, dear friends. I believe that the end of this present world could come any day now. Let us all love God with all our hearts, and walk with Him daily as He has called us. May God the Holy Spirit and this His Word touch your hearts this day. Amen and Amen.

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Understanding Jesus In The Trinity

Posted on October 24, 2021 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Sharon Santema on Unsplash

Turn with me to John chapter 5.

Not long ago we talked about the man Jesus healed on the Sabbath day, the man who had been crippled for 38 years. Jesus approached him as he lay on a porch overlooking the pool Bethesda. Jesus told the man to “Rise, take up your bed, and walk” (vs 8) – and the man immediately was healed and did just that. Because Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath day, “the Jews … sought to slay Jesus” (vs 16). Jesus told the self righteous Pharisees:

John 5:17-18 … My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Jesus Made Himself Equal With God

Jesus did TWO things that offended the Pharisees. He “broke the sabbath”, but He also said “God was his Father, making himself equal with God”. This was highly offensive to the Jews. To say that “God is my Father” is to claim equality with God.

I was born to E. J. Buffaloe, Jr. That was my daddy. Being born from him, I am of the same composition, the same genes, the same DNA as my father. I have certain traits that were passed down from my daddy. I look a lot like my daddy. I have diabetes and high blood pressure, just as my daddy did. My daddy had seniority on me, and I respected him as my daddy – he was the head of our family. But we were equal physically because of birth.

No Jew would claim God to be his Father. There are places in the Old Testament where God is called “Father” of Israel as a nation. But you will not find God calling Himself “Father” to an individual.

A few examples. God told Moses to tell Pharaoh:

Exodus 4:22 – 23 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: 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 the nation is the son of God. God said through the Prophet:

Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

It is the nation Israel – not an individual but the group – that are “God’s son”. When the priests of Israel failed to bring glory to God (for they did not “keep God’s ways, but were partial in the law” [Malachi 2:9]), the Prophet told Israel:

Malachi 2:10 Have we not all one Father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

God is the “Father” of Israel. “He was their Savior” (Isaiah 63:8). God saved Israel His son from Egypt. And though Israel wandered from God as a prodigal son, God loved Israel anyway. It was and is His child (Isaiah 63:16; 64:8).

Word Study: “Father” is the favorite title that Jesus uses for God. The word “Father” is found 116 times in the Book of John alone, most of these times in reference to God. Jesus said that “God was his Father”. The word translated “” is the Greek πατήρ patḗr, (pronounced pat-ayr’), which means “the generator or male ancestor, the parent of”. This word is used instead of the word Ἀββᾶ Abbâ, (pronounced ab-bah’), which is often used as a term of endearment.

How is God the “Father” of Jesus Christ? Did Jesus only come into being when He was born of the virgin Mary? No, absolutely not. The Bible teaches that God the Father is God:

Philippians 1:2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father..

but Jesus is also God. We are told in:

Colossians 2:9 For in {Jesus Christ} dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

In Hebrews, the Father told the angels when Jesus was brought into this world through Mary:

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

Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. The Father told Jesus, “Thy throne, O GOD, is for ever and ever..” (Hebrews 1:8). Jesus is God. He was there at the creation of humanity. We are told in:

Genesis 1:26 … and God said, let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness …

Jesus is God the Son Who, with God the Father and God the Spirit created all things. The Bible says that Jesus is …

Colossians 1:15-17 (ESV) … the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Word Study: Jesus is equal with God. He is the “image”, Greek εἰκών eikṓn, {pronounced i-kone’}, the “likeness, profile of, manifest vision of”. The same word is used when Jesus, speaking of a Roman coin, asks “whose image is this?” (Matthew 22:20). Though Caesar was not with the disciples at that moment, the eikṓn on the coin was Caesar. Though the Apostles could not see God (for the Bible says NO MAN HATH SEEN GOD AT ANY TIME – John 1:18; 1 John 4:12), they could see God the Son for He is the manifest Member of the Godhead. The Angel in speaking to Joseph, quoting Isaiah 7:14, said of Jesus:

Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Jesus Christ is “ Emmanuel … God with us”

There are so many other things I could tell you, where Jesus, according to the Scriptures, is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit.

Jesus as God has no beginning and no end. Jesus as perfect Man has a beginning through the virgin Mary.

In His Unique Nature, Jesus Is
BOTH Equal To AND Lesser Than God

When Jesus is called “the Only Begotten Son” (John 1:18; John 3:16, 18; Hebrews 11:17; 1 John 4:9) or “the Only Begotten of the Father” (John 1:14), this is addressing the humanity of Jesus. The humanity of Jesus Christ has a beginning in the virgin birth. To Mary, Gabriel declared “the Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the highest shall overshadow you; therefore that holy thing which shall be born to you shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). Jesus as God has no beginning nor end, but as Man has a beginning. Jesus as God is equal to Father and Spirit, but Jesus as Man follows the direction of God. Though Jesus made Himself EQUAL to God in His eternal state, in His human state Jesus followed God. He said:

John 5:19-20 Then answered Jesus and said unto them {the Pharisees}, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

When Jesus took upon Himself humanity – allowing Himself to enter the world through Mary – Jesus lowered Himself to our level (but WITHOUT SIN). When Jesus says, “The Son can do nothing of himself”, He was speaking of Himself as “the Son of Man”.

  • As the “Son of God” Jesus is one with God, i.e. co-equal and co-eternal, with infinite power and knowledge. In His “Godness” we see scriptures affirming:

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 10:30 I and My Father are ONE.

John 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

  • As the “Son of Man” Jesus is subservient to God. Jesus lowered Himself from Heaven’s Throne to be like us – yet without sin. In His “humanity” we see scriptures affirming:

John 5:20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

As “Son of Man” Jesus walked this earth PERFECTLY doing the will of the Father. Whatever Jesus did while He ministered among us, it was endorsed and directed by the Godhead. Jesus repeatedly said in His humanity that

“I do nothing of myself” (John 8:28)
“The Father Who sent Me gave Me a commandment” (John 12:24)
“My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28)
“I have kept My Father’s commandments” (John 15:10)
“Father, I gave them the words You gave Me” (John 17:8)

Jesus Christ as “The Son of Man” (a term used for the Messiah through the Prophet Daniel. See Daniel 7:13) is the visible member of the Godhead, the Trinity. He came as God’s Representative to fallen mankind. Here is an important point we all need to understand.

Though the Trinity is three Divine Persons, each Person has His function. The Father leads and decrees. The Son is sent as the Mediator. The Spirit empowers and assists the Son. There is no jealousy nor diminishing within the Trinity. Each Person does His part in union with the other Persons, each working flawlessly and perfectly in union with the next. The Trinity is “One God”.

Before Jesus started His earthly ministry, He went to John the Baptist to be baptized in the Jordan River. John initially refused to baptize Jesus, but Jesus told him, “It is necessary for US to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). Jesus had to be publicly baptized as “The Son of Man”, just as all believers in Christ are publicly baptized. Once Jesus fulfilled what He, as the Son of Man was to do, we read:

Matthew 3:16-17 … the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

The Father is not seen, but heard. The Spirit is seen, but not heard. Each member of the Trinity does His part for the salvation of mankind.

The Trinity Made A Decision In The Garden Of Eden To Save Whosoever Will THROUGH JESUS

God told Adam to not eat of that which was forbidden, saying,

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

Adam was promised that he would die “in the day that thou eatest” what was forbidden. “In the day”. Though Adam continued to live physically after he disobeyed God, he died spiritually immediately. “In the day”. From that moment onward, every human born into this world were born physically alive but spiritually dead. In Dr. Charles Stanley’s In Touch devotional (August 30, 2021), he writes:

“Human beings are composed of a body by which they interact with the world around them, a soul with which they relate to themselves and others, and a spirit through which they can commune with God. If the spirit is dead in “trespasses and sins,” the person may still lead a successful earthly life, but he won’t be able to connect with God … However, the good news is that no one has to stay dead. Whenever anyone turns from sin and trusts in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and salvation, God in His mercy makes that person alive with Christ.”

This is what Jesus is talking about in this next section. Read with me:

John 5:21-24 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. 22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Word Study: The word “quickeneth” is the Greek “ζωοποιέω zōopoiéō, {pronounced dzo-op-oy-eh’-o}”, which means “to bring to or make alive, to cause to live”. God the Father has the power to quicken. God said in the Old Testament:

Deuteronomy 32:39 … I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

The power of life and death is in God’s hands ALONE. When Jesus says “the Son quickeneth whom he will”, He is making His power equal to the Father’s power. God is the Source of all life, and He alone can give life to the spiritually dead. Jesus Christ is God. Jesus further states that “the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son”. This declares the exclusivity of Jesus Christ in salvation. The Bible says:

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

All authority to give life is vested in Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ ALONE. In an article in Relevant Magazine entitled “Survey … Jesus Isn’t The Only Way To Salvation” notes:

“… of the born again Christians between the ages of 18-39 surveyed, 60 percent agreed with the statement ‘Buddha, Muhammad and Jesus are all valid paths to God.’ … ”

If this is true, then Jesus Christ is a liar. For Jesus said “the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son”. Not just some, but ALL. There is no life apart from the Father and the Son, and the Father has given all judgment to the Son. The pathway to spiritual life is, indeed, a “narrow way” (Matthew 7:13). The devil would have us call Jesus a liar, and preach instead that “wide is the gate that leads to life”. But this is not what Jesus said.

Only God can save. God has decreed that
all salvation come through His Son Jesus.

1 Timothy 2:3-6 (ESV) This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

As I read that article in Relevant Magazine, it became apparent to me that the phrase “Born Again” has been hijacked from the Scripture by the devil, just as he has hijacked the rainbow of Genesis. You cannot be “born again” outside of faith in Christ. What did Jesus say?

John 5:23 all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

Jesus is to be treated with exactly the same respect that you treat God the Father. God the Father has decreed that salvation from spiritual death and the second death (eternal damnation) can only occur through faith in Christ Jesus. Jesus said:

John 5:24-26 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

Those who “hear the voice of the Son of God” – not of Buddha nor of Muhammad nor of Joseph Smith nor of some Hindu god – but the “voice of the Son of God”. Jesus said “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28).

The Lord Jesus Christ is the only Savior. The world despises this message, and constantly pushes the Church to adjust the Gospel call. But Beloved, we cannot because God has not. Jesus Christ is the only Savior, and faith in Him the only way to be saved.

When the Russian Comedian Yakov Smirnoff came to America, someone asked him what he loved most about our nation. Smirnoff said, “I love American grocery stores. I walked down an aisle and saw powdered milk; just add water and you get milk. Right next to it was powdered orange juice; just add water and you get orange juice. Then I saw baby powder and I thought to myself, ‘What a country!’”.

In America we have great technology, great products, and do great things. But we cannot change God’s formula for salvation. If a person wishes to be saved, that person must know the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. Then you must believe that He – Jesus Christ – died for your sins, and rose from the grave to lead you daily throughout the rest of your life. Listen Beloved. “What does the Lord thy God require of you?” (Deuteronomy 10:12). You are to “fear the Lord your God, and to walk in His ways, to love Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and soul”. There will be many who will stand before Jesus as He sits on a Great White Throne and judges the dead. All judgment is committed to Jesus’ hand. The Father has given all judgment into Jesus’ hand. We close with this:

John 5:27-29 {the Father} hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Those “that have done good” are those who believed on the name of Jesus, and were saved because of that faith. The ones who have done good will have “believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). Jesus very clearly stated:

John 6:29, 40 … This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. … 40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Have you believed on Him? Have you received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? If not, I pray that you will do so this very day. May God cause this to be, through His Word and His Spirit. Amen and Amen!

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