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Put On Your Best Suit

Posted on October 21, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.

Word Study: The phrase “put ye on” is the Greek ἐνδύω endýō, {pronounced en-doo’-o}, which means “to sink into clothing, to clothe yourself with”. If you are a Christian, you are to put on your best suit. You are to clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ.

What Are YOU Wearing Today?

Opening Illustration: As I walked through the local Walmart the other day, I was amused, amazed, and sometimes astounded at some of the clothing I saw people wearing. Young women – not all teens – have taken to wearing either very tight and very short shorts, or thin body stockings (I guess you call it that) that leaves little to the imagination. Some people (men or women) wear jeans with holes in them, some holes in places that would make a Playboy Bunny blush. When I got holes in my jeans, my mamma patched them with those iron on patches. There were some people wearing their pajamas. I get tired in Walmart, but have yet to find a section where there are beds you can lay down on. When they get that “bedding” section, I may wear my pajamas to the store as well.

What are you wearing today?

Clothing is a very big topic in the Bible. How you clothe yourself will reflect how you feel about yourself, about your ego. Clothing also will cause others to think of you in a certain way. The Bible tells us to “clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ”.

To clothe yourself with Jesus means to
not hide your sins from God

When our first parents, Adam and Eve sinned, what did they do after their sin? The Bible says that the first thing they did was:

Genesis 2:7 (ESV) … they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Adam and Eve covered up their sin – then they hid from God. It is foolish to cover up our sins, attempting to hide them from God. The Bible says in Proverbs 28:13:

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and
forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

God sees our sins. He knows what we have done. To cover up our sin with fig leaves, or to deflect our guilt by blaming others, it just doesn’t wash with God. When Adam and Eve’s attempt to cover their sins were quickly discovered, Adam blamed both Eve AND God:

Genesis 3:12 (ESV) “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”

The woman likewise blamed the serpent. The truth is, Adam had free will, and chose to disobey God of his own will. Adam was at fault, not God nor Eve.

There is a way to cover sin, but it is not by fig leaves or blaming others. The Bible says “blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” (Psalm 32:1). We do not cover sin with our own works of righteousness. We “clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ”. The Bible tells us that God sent His Son Jesus to make payment for every sin we would ever commit. The Bible says:

1 John 1:7 (ESV) … the blood of Jesus Christ {God’s} Son cleanses us from all sin ..

The Lord Jesus Christ is the only acceptable covering for our sin. The Bible often uses the word “propitiation” when it discusses Jesus. For instance:

1 John 2:2 And {Jesus} is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son {Jesus} to be the propitiation for our sins.

Romans 3:25 {this Jesus} Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Word Study: The word translated “propitiation” the Greek ἱλαστήριον hilastḗrion, {pronounced hil-as-tay’-ree-on} or ἱλασμός hilasmós, {pronounced hil-as-mos’}. The latter word means “the means of appeasing God, the covering for sin”. The former word means “to atone or cover”. What Jesus Christ did for us on Calvary is the only acceptable covering for sin.

When God saw Adam and Eve in fig leaves the Bible says that God took away their fig leaves and clothed them Himself:

Genesis 3:21 (ESV) … the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

God had to kill innocent animals in order to clothe Adam and Eve. This is a foreshadowing of the death of Christ Jesus on the Cross. Jesus “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26). “Jesus also suffered outside the gate {of Jerusalem} in order to sanctify the people through His own blood” (Hebrews 13:11-12). It is only in Jesus that we have “redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His Grace” (Ephesians 1:7-8).

Jesus and Jesus alone is the covering for our sins. Do not hide your sins from God. Confess them to God, and plead the Blood of Christ over each sin. “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ”.

To Clothe Yourself With The Lord Jesus Means
To Live Your Life Primarily Loving God

If you “Clothe Yourself With The Lord Jesus Christ” you will literally consider how you practically live out your faith every day.

I earlier talked about how people clothe themselves as they go to the local Walmart. The Bible is explicit in that God’s people are to be careful in how they cover themselves. God told His Old Covenant saints:

Deuteronomy 22:5 A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.

This is NOT a command that women should not wear “slacks” or “pants”. In the days that this was written, most people wore robes. It is a command that women are not to dress so as to intentionally look like a man, nor are men to dress in such a way as to intentionally look like a woman. Why is this? Because God says that “whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord”. Why?

Because when God created humanity, the Bible says “He created them male and female” (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:20-25). When the Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth, He did not eradicate what the Old Testament said. When asked about marriage our Lord Jesus said:

Matthew 19:4-6 (ESV) … “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

What God has established in the design of creation, we are told by Jesus to leave it alone. “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Mark 10:9). We are not to fool with, or in any way bring confusion to, God’s rule of order. The Apostle Paul said:

1 Corinthians 7:17 But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.

Live your lives as our Lord Jesus Christ did. Live your lives so as to please the God Who made you. The Apostle Peter told the wives of believers:

1 Peter 3:3-4 (ESV) Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

Women are beautifully made by God. Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. Do not let your outer adornment – makeup, hair, clothing – the the greatest thing in your life. Dress so as to honor the Lord Who saved you. Dress so that the characteristics of Jesus Christ can shine through your lives. The Apostle said:

1 Timothy 2:9-10 … women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.

I do not believe the Apostles – nor our Lord – were being misogynistic (deeply prejudiced against women). Our Lord Jesus said:

“What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (ESV Mark 7:20-23)

The human heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). No one is naturally good at heart. “all have sinned” and are sinners (Romans 3:23). Everyone is broken. If we dress provocatively, that is like pouring fuel on a fire. Dress with others in mind. Dress so as to show Christlike love toward others. I am sure I’ll be flamed on social media for some of what I just said, but it is God’s Word, not mine. But you can be angry with me if it makes you feel better. As Christ’s servant, I seek to please Him – not to please my listeners (Galatians 1:10).

To Clothe Yourself With The Lord Jesus Christ Means To Live As He Lived, Reliant Upon God

Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.

The Bible tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). Does this mean that David did not err, was not a sinner as we are? Absolutely not! But David had a trait that we all need to follow. He clothed himself with the Lord Jesus Christ.

When David was going to battle Goliath, no one – not even King Saul – felt that they could do battle with that giant monster of a man. The Bible says “Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were DISMAYED and GREATLY AFRAID” (1 Samuel 17:11). They were being driven by their flesh, by their fear, by their human logic. But David’s reply when he heard Goliath’s threats was:

“who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26)

When David volunteered to fight Goliath, he was met with scorn from King Saul. “You are but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth” (vs 33). But David had his eyes not on Goliath, but on Jesus. David said, “The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine” (vs 37).

Saul clothed David with his armor (vs 38), and gave David a helmet of brass and a coat of chain mail. Though David tried it on, he quickly took them off. David said, “I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them” (vs 39). David had clothed himself with the Lord. The Lord that saved him out of the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, would certainly deliver him from Goliath.

And God did!

When trials and testing comes, the Bible tells us that the safest thing we can do is “clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ”. The Scripture says:

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Let Jesus Christ, the Lord of Heaven and earth, cover you! Let Him be your clothing. Only in Jesus do we have power for living. Only in Jesus can we defeat the Goliaths of this world. Be like the Hebrew Children before the angry pagan king:

Daniel 3:17-18 (ESV) our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

To Clothe Yourself With The Lord Jesus Means To Love As He Loved, Treating Others With Respect

The Apostle tells us:

Romans 13:8-10 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

“love is the fulfilling of the law”. When Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, came to this earth, He fulfilled the ceremonial and sacrificial portions of the Law. But Jesus never erased the moral codes found in the Old Testament. We who are saved by Jesus are to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make NO PROVISION for the flesh. The Bible says that:

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

The believer in Christ is NOT to clothe themselves in the “works of the flesh”. The believer in Christ is to flee all sexual sins – including homosexuality (1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10). We are not to pursue the ways of the world. Why? Because we belong to Jesus. We are to

Romans 13:12-13 … cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

Let us clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us hide ourselves in Jesus (Colossians 3:3). The Lord that saved us is the Lord we are to walk in. Let us honor the Lord Jesus Christ, and do as He says do. For the glory of our God forever. Amen and Amen!

Posted in Romans, Sermons Preached | Tagged clothing, Faith, Following Christ, Jesus Christ, put on Jesus | Leave a comment

Benediction For The Saints

Posted on October 18, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

There are parts of the Bible that we read quickly, not looking for any depth in them. I know myself when I read through books like Numbers, and read the census lists of Israel:

Numbers 1:5-7 And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur. 6 Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 7 Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

My eyes kind of gloss over, and my mind wanders. We all do this. We miss great Biblical truths because we undervalue every part of this Holy Scripture. The WHOLE Scripture – every word, every phrase, every nuance – is God breathed (theopneustos). The Apostle Paul told Timothy:

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

There are no accidental texts. This Word is God’s breath. He spoke it. Which brings us to:

Philippians 4:21-23 Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you. 22 All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household. 23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

I have never preached out of this text, and after research I found out few preachers have ever focused on this text. But this is God’s Word, and there are great truths in this, if God the Holy Spirit will draw it out. In most Bibles this section is labeled (if it is labeled) “Concluding Benediction”, “Greetings and Benediction”, or just “Benediction”. The word “benediction” means, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, “ the invocation … of a blessing, something that promotes goodness or well-being”.

As the Apostle writes this letter, he is dictating it through a brother in Christ, Epaphroditus. The Apostle mentions his name twice:

Philippians 2:25 Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labor, and fellow soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.

Philippians 4:18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.

Why was Epaphroditus a messenger for Paul? Because the Apostle is imprisoned by Rome,
and is chained to Roman guards.

The commentaries note that Paul is imprisoned in either Ephesus or Rome, and is on a journey to stand before Caesar for trial. The charge? TREASON. The Apostle was imprisoned for preaching “Jesus is Lord”, and that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way unto God.

Rome grew powerful by conquering other nations, and bringing those nations into the Roman confederacy.Conquered people could keep their own gods and goddesses, but were required to acknowledge the Roman Caesar as “Lord”. This is something that the Christians would NOT do. When the Roman Centurion Cornelius was led to be saved in a vision from Heaven, he was told to call for the Apostle Peter. As Peter spoke to Cornelius, he said:

Acts 10:34-36 Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. 36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all)

The Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius and his house, and they were saved. To utter or even hide in your heart that “Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all)” was an act of treason in Roman territory. And yet, the Christian missionaries went out preaching the singular Lordship of Jesus Christ. When the Apostle Paul preached in Athens at Mars Hill, he plainly said:

Acts 17:22-27 Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. 23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. 24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshiped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

Paul preached the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Lordship of the God of Scripture. What happened? Paul was imprisoned. But Paul was not discouraged.

If Jesus Is Lord, He Is Lord ALL The Time

Jesus Christ is not a part time Lord. He is not like Caesar, Who must compel the people to worship him at least once a year, or else be declared treasonous. No, Beloved, Jesus is LORD of all. The Bible says:

Psalm 103:19 (ESV) The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

When Paul was imprisoned, he was not just saying “Jesus is Lord”. He literally, deep down in his heart, believed Jesus is Lord. If Jesus is Lord, He is Lord over whatever valley you are in at this moment. Paul believed this. He wrote:

Philippians 1:12-14 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; 14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Many of us, when afflicted in the service of our King, attribute the affliction to the devil. The devil does afflict – but only at God’s permission. Satan is not greater than God. Jesus is Lord!

Paul told the Philippians that Jesus is Lord even in his imprisonment. The negative things that happen to Christians, happen because God allows them, because they further the cause of Christ. The Apostle called his imprisonment “my bonds in Christ”. Paul was not imprisoned, chained to a guard, because Satan is greater than God. God used and even endorsed the imprisonment as a means to get Paul into the inner courts of Caesar. Paul did not fall apart when put in a bad place, but looked to Jesus.

Philippians 4:21 Salute every saint in Christ Jesus.

Word Study The Christian – saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ – is a “saint”. This is the Greek ἅγιος hágios, {pronounced hag’-ee-os}, which means “one who is consecrated, set apart, or marked as apart from the crowd”. The saint is not perfect. The Corinthian Church, marked with many sinful practices, was still addressed by the Apostle Paul:

1 Corinthians 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, {hágios} with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

When you surrender to the Lordship of Jesus, you are saved. But not only are you saved, but you are set apart from this world as a child of the Most High God. The Apostle writes in another place:

1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints, {hágios}.

Word Study Dear Christian, we belong to Jesus. This means that our current circumstances, whether favorable or unfavorable, whether smooth or rough, are all engineered by our God. As Paul processed his imprisonment (which was no picnic), he said “the THINGS which happened to me have FALLEN OUT RATHER unto the furtherance of the Gospel”. The words “FALLEN OUT” is the Greek ἔρχομαι érchomai, {pronounced er’-khom-ahee} which means “to come to pass”. Imprisonment was a visitor in Paul’s life that was not a bad thing, but a good thing. As a Saint of God the Apostle said:

Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Too many believers, when confronted with an undesirable situation in life, begin crying out to God for relief. Too many times we allow thieves to come and rob us of our blessings. Jesus said:

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

The “thief” comes to rob us of the presence of our Jesus.

the thief called worry
the thief called fear
the thief called unbelief
the thief called despair
the thief called discouragement

To these thieves (and the many other unnamed worldly thieves that try and rob us of our joy) the Apostle encourages the believer to:

Philippians 1:27-28 Only let your {Greek politeúomai [pronounced pol-it-yoo’-om-ahee] behavior as citizens of God’s Kingdom} be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.

The SAINT is a Citizen of God’s Kingdom FIRST

The Saint – the citizens of God’s Kingdom – is to act like a citizen of Heaven. We are commanded to not act like the lost, for we are not lost. We are to imitate Jesus Christ. The Apostle said:

Philippians 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Saints are Citizens of Heaven who Suffer

The Saint is set apart to live his or her life to the glory of God the Father and of Jesus Christ our Lord. As our Lord Jesus …

Philippians 2:7-8 … made Himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

… gave Himself to suffering for us, we as Saints give ourselves in suffering for others. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords lowered Himself for you and I. We must walk following Him, our King and Savior. Though it got Paul imprisoned, he is unrepentant in declaring the Lordship of Christ. Jesus has “a name that is above every name”,

Philippians 2:10-11 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We do not bow the knee to Caesar, nor to any person. We bow the knee to Jesus, and preach salvation through faith alone in Him alone.

Every Trial Is For A Greater Good In The Saint
(God Is In Control)

The Saint is set apart by God as His child – and God continually works in His child and
in the environment that child is in.

Philippians 2:13-16 … it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 16 Holding forth the word of life

Word Study When God called Israel out of Egypt, and carried them through the Red Sea as if on dry land, two things marred the people of God: “murmurings and disputings”. The word “murmurings” is the Greek γογγυσμός gongysmós, {pronounced gong-goos-mos’} which means “murmuring, grudging secret displeasures, muttering”. God had a plan to take Israel into the Promised Land of Canaan, a land that “floweth with milk and honey” (Leviticus 20:24; Numbers 13:27). But Israel murmured and complained against Moses and Aaron. Eventually Israel committed the ultimate sin: they murmured against God. Moses told Israel:

Deuteronomy 1:26-27 … ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God: 27 And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

God took His hand of blessing from the first generation of Israel because of murmuring and complaining. God said,

Psalm 95:10-11 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

Word Study The hand that blesses is also the hand that can remove blessing. God removed blessing from Israel. The other word is “disputings”, which is the Greek διαλογισμός dialogismós, {pronounced dee-al-og-is-mos’}, which means “a questioning of the truth”. It is translated “evil thoughts” in Matthew 15:19, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts”. It is translated “imaginations” in Romans 1:21, “when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations”.

The God that saved Israel from Egypt and led them through the Red Sea, is surely the same God Who can lead them through the Jordan and defeat the Canaanites. But as the Israelis focused on their trial rather than their God, this seed of unbelief grew until it destroyed the nation.

To avoid Satan’s traps, the Saint is encouraged to take control of the emotions and of their minds. Paul writes:

Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Word Study The Saint is first to “Rejoice in the Lord always”. No matter what you are going through, rejoice “in the Lord”. Acknowledge that God is in control of the situation, that He is Lord of your life. You are a Saint, not a lost soul. You belong to Jesus. Do all things in “moderation”. This is the Greek ἐπιεικής epieikḗs, {pronounced ep-ee-i-kace’}, which is translated patient (1 Timothy 3:3), gentle (Titus 3:2; James 3:17; 1 Peter 2:18). The Saint is to be like Jesus was – kind and patient with others.

Adding to the Saint’s need to rejoice in the Lordship of Christ, and being patient, we are also supposed to not worry, but give our needs to the God Who is our Lord. As He gave Israel manna and water in the desert, and kept their clothing and shoes from wearing out, our God can meet ALL our needs.

Direct your minds to examine the faithfulness of God. He is Lord, and He loves us. He will not abandon the children He bought at such a high price. He will not abandon those whom He has shed His blood for!

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

The Apostle Paul refused to allow Satan to hijack his thought life. He focused on the goodness of God. Did the Apostle suffer lack at times? Absolutely! He was imprisoned. He said:

Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Whether Paul was full or hungry, abased or abounding, His mind was continually on doing Christ’s work in Christ’s way. Paul said, “in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content”. When you have Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you have all you need. The Apostle said in another place:

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The Saint is called on purpose by God. Everything that happens to the Saint is for our good, and for the glory of God, whether we know it or not.

The God Of Scripture Is “My God”

Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Notice that Paul refers to God as “my God”. The Saint is owned by God, and owns God. He is ours! We belong to Him, and He belongs to us. If you are a Saint, then He is to you “my God”. When King David was afflicted, he cried out to “my God”. He prayed,

Psalm 3:7 Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.

He cried, “O Lord MY GOD, in Thee do I put my trust” (Psalm 7:1). David, like Paul, walked side by side each day with the Lord. He could say,

Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

If you are saved, God possesses you, and you possess God. He is to you “MY GOD”. There is no room for the world nor for the devil to live in the House of God between us. We who are saved belong to Him.

Philippians 4:21-22 Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you. 22 All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household.

We discussed verse 21, and how the Christian is a Saint, set apart to live with God under His Kingdom authority. But note verse 22. You probably read it, and thought nothing of it. But read the words again:

All the saints salute you, chiefly they that
are of Caesar’s household

I told you that Paul was imprisoned, and chained to a Roman guard, a soldier of the empire. The soldiers are “of Caesar’s household”. As I mentioned before, Rome allowed all types of religions to flourish, as long as Caesar was worshiped as Lord. To fail to worship Caesar as Lord, to give singular Lordship status to anyone outside of Caesar, was considered an act of treason. This is why Paul is in prison, awaiting what will surely be a beheading.

Paul is chained to a Roman soldier. He’s chained to this soldier as he dictates this letter to Epaphroditus. The soldier cannot help but hear – being chained to the Apostle as he is – exactly what Paul has been saying.

A loyal Roman soldier would report what Paul wrote to his superiors. Had it been reported, no doubt Epaphroditus would have been hindered or killed, and the letter destroyed. But the letter got to Philippi. It wasn’t destroyed. Why?

I imagine Paul in bonds. He is fastened to a soldier, and left alone with him. Paul starts talking. “Have you heard about My God? Have you heard about Jesus?” The soldier replies, “Shut up! I don’t want to talk about that.” But Paul doesn’t shut up. “I notice you have armor on. I have armor, too. My armor is made by Jesus. I have a breastplate of faith and love (1 Thessalonians 5:8). My helmet is the hope of salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:8)”. The Roman soldier cannot beat Paul, for Paul is a Roman citizen awaiting trial. All he can do is listen. He tells Paul, “Shut up! Stop telling me about this Jesus!” But Paul continues. “My loins are girt about with truth” (Ephesians 6:14). The man has no choice but to hear Paul. Paul is unlike anyone he has ever been cuffed to. Most prisoners are bleak, sad, depressed, anxious concerning what was coming. But not Paul. His eyes were on Jesus.

When the changing of the guard comes, the guard going off duty has the Gospel of Christ planted in his heart. Here comes another guard, but Paul is not discouraged. God is giving him another opportunity to serve the kingdom of God, and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Jesus is Lord! As Paul closes this letter, he says simply:

Philippians 4:23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

There is no salvation without these two things:

The Grace of God, and
The Lordship of Christ our Savior

Is Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior? You can be saved if Jesus is just your Savior, but your faith will be too weak to be of much value if Jesus is not your Lord. Is He your Lord? Dear Saint, you are set apart by God to do service for your King. You belong to Jesus, not to things. It is not things that satisfies the soul of the Christian, but the presence of the God Who controls all things. The Apostle Paul told Timothy:

1 Timothy 6:6-7 … godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

That which gives us contentment and blessing, whether on the mountain top or in the valley, is the Lordship of our God. Do you know Him? You cannot add one single hour to your life (Matthew 6:27), but the God Who owns the believer can. Rest in the God Who has saved you. Give Him all that you are. He owns you anyway. And trust that God loves you with an infinite love. Resting in the presence of Christ, we can say with David, “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance” (Psalm 16:6). May God the Holy Spirit move on our hearts, and draw us all into the Presence of Jesus this very day. In Christ’s name we pray this. Amen and Amen.

Posted in Philippians, Sermons Preached | Tagged Lord Jesus Christ, Lordship of Christ | Leave a comment

Why Sunday School?

Posted on October 18, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

Acts 2:38-42 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

The early Church, started on the Day of Pentecost by God and His people, grew and excelled. This is amazing, because the Church itself owned no real eastate, had no buildings, and usually met on “Solomon’s Porch” in the Temple. The Church grew even though it was attacked as a cult by the Pharisees, priests, and Ruling Elders of Israel (the Sanhedrin). It was also considered seditious by Roman authorities, for Christians would not acknowledge “Caesar is Lord” as all good Romans would do.

Yet the Church grew. It excelled. Why would it grow in such a toxic environment? The Church did three things:

The Church Obeyed Jesus

Peter preached the Gospel of salvation, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ”. The first step to salvation is to “”, the Greek μετανοέω metanoeō, which means “to change the mind” or to “change your drive or motivation”. The Bible says that before we were saved, that the Christian:

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

Before salvation, the unsaved follows the “passions of our flesh”. We were no different than the rest of the lost world. Our sins might have been different – you may not have experienced same sex attraction or gender dysphoria, but you pursued other sins. Pride and selfishness drove you. But meeting Jesus Christ, you acknowledged that you were broken. Like the tax collector Matthew you met Jesus, and leaving your riches, followed Him Who is the riches of Heaven. The Christian loves and follows Jesus.

Are we broken? Yes, but we are daily growing more like Christ. As we associate with Jesus, His glory rubs off on our souls more and more. We are not ashamed to follow Jesus. Peter said:

Acts 2:38 Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ

Jesus said in John 15:4, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you”. Jesus commanded the believer be baptized in water. He said in Matthew 28:19, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”. Baptism is part of Christ’s directive. Why did Jesus demand His followers be baptized? It is because baptism in water is a public profession of faith in Jesus. The Apostle Paul said:

Romans 6:3-5 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Baptism is a symbolic burial with Christ. Our old man dies and is buried with Christ as we are lowered into the water, and the new man is born as we are raised out of the water. Baptism shows our union with Jesus Christ, and publicly identifies us as children of God. The Apostle Peter likens water baptism to Noah’s Ark, saying:

1 Peter 3:20-22 Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God …

Noah and his family were saved from certain destruction because he obeyed God, and built an ark, then GOT ON THAT ARK. When we are publicly baptized in water we are affirming to the world that we, like Noah, got on an Ark. We believed in Jesus, and have committed our lives to Him. As Jesus rose from the dead, we shall too rise above the grave, and live forever because of Him.

The early Church was publicly baptized after receiving Jesus as Savior, showing they believed Him also LORD of all. Though the Church was hated by Pharisees and Priests, as well as Roman authorities, the believers were baptized nonetheless PUBLICLY. They knew what Jesus said, that is,

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

The Church Studied And Applied “Jesus” To Life

Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine AND fellowship

The early Church studied the Bible. Our text says they “continued steadfastly”. This is the Greek προσκαρτερέω proskartereō, which means “to be devoted to, to persevere in, to steadfastly be attentive to”. What were they attentive to? “The apostles‘ doctrine”. What the Apostles taught. And what did the Apostles teach? They taught what Jesus taught. We are told in …

Matthew 10:1-2 … when {Jesus} had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these …

The original twelve disciples that followed Jesus were called by Jesus to be APOSTLES. They walked with Jesus, talked with Jesus, saw Jesus perform miracles, and allowed Jesus to empower themselves to do the miraculous. The “apostles‘ doctrine” is what the Apostles learned from Jesus. The early Church clung to what the Apostles taught about JESUS, and how the whole of Scripture testifies of Jesus. Our Lord Jesus said:

John 5:39-40 (ESV) You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

The early Church immersed itself in the Scriptures, and focused on Who Jesus was, what Jesus taught, and the High Priesthood of Christ. Sadly, this is not true in our modern Church today!

Illustrate: I love to read. Recently I saw a “Guidepost” magazine, one that I used to subscribe to and read years ago. I grabbed it, and started reading. As I read further and further into the magazine – the lead story was about the faith of Harry Connick, Jr a musician I admire – I began to be disturbed. As I read through that magazine, I read of people who:

loved Amazing Grace
adored their Church
had “faith”

But one thing was conspicuously and insidiously missing. Throughout the magazine I saw absolutely NO MENTION of Jesus, of Jesus Christ, of Christ Jesus, of our Lord and savior. Jesus told us that when the “Spirit of truth comes, he will bear witness about ME” (John 15:26). The Guideposts I was reading at no point even mentioned Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of lords. Now, it may have been accidental to that issue, but I see this more and more in the world of “Christian” publications today. They speak of “God” and “Faith”, but no mention is made of Jesus. That Guideposts could have been a publication of the followers of Allah, Buddha, or some Hindu god.

We must know about Jesus. We teach about Jesus in our Sunday School. We must teach Jesus, if we will save the world from this present darkness.

Teaching Jesus, the “apostles‘ doctrine”, the early Church also behaved like Jesus.

Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine AND fellowship

Word Study: The early believer focused on Jesus’ teachings, and it showed in how they loved people. They enjoyed “fellowship”. The word “fellowship” is the Greek κοινωνία koinōnia, which means “to participate in community, to have intimate or close sharing together with others”. The Church did not just hear and respond to the preaching of it’s pastors, but it gathered together to share with one another, a pursue the deeper truths of God’s Word. This is a primary component of Sunday School – FELLOWSHIP.

A Church that does not study and share God’s Word together soon becomes filled with worldliness, and subject to failure. The Apostle Paul defined the Church when he wrote:

Ephesians 2:19-20 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone

The Church is “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets”. The “prophets” wrote the Old Testament as moved by the Spirit of God, the “apostles” wrote the New Testament as moved by that same Spirit. The “foundation” or base of the local Church is the Holy Scriptures, with “Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone”. The ancient architects were always very careful in placing the corner stone of a building. All walls aligned to the corner stone. Every brick aligned to the corner stone. Every part of Scripture aligns to Jesus Christ, and the Church must align to Jesus Christ, else it will be built on a poor and shaky foundation. Sunday School strengthens the foundation of the Church as it focuses on the Scripture, and how the believer is to align their lives through that Scripture to Jesus Christ.

Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

The “apostles’ doctrine”, or teaching about Jesus and what He held dear, resulted in a Church that looked like Jesus. The early Church fellowshipped – they enjoyed one another’s company. Jesus was often found sharing with sinners and publicans, much to the chagrin of the Pharisees. As the Church grew in fellowship, it progressed to “breaking of bread”, or sharing food together, as well as to “prayers”. They shared their burdens one with another, and lifted each other up to Jesus Christ.

Sunday School Is Not Just A New Testament Concept

Dr. Elmer L. Towns is Dean Emeritus of the School of Religion and Theological Seminary at Liberty University, which he co founded with Dr. Jerry Fallwell Sr. in 1971. He teaches the Pastor’s Bible Class at Thomas Road Baptist Church each Sunday. Dr. Towns writes:

“This Old Testament verse is often used to express the fourfold nature of Sunday school:

“Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the LORD your God and carefully observe all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 31:12).

This verse reflects the four distinct “arms” of Sunday school ministry.”

Sunday School is a “Reaching Arm” of the Church. Visitors to our Church may or may not know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. If they are invited into the Sunday School, they can see the love that we have for Jesus, and the love we have for them. Many are often converted, and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, because they attended a caring and nurturing Sunday School. Sunday School is not just for children. God said to “Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates”.
Sunday School is a “Teaching Arm” of the Church. God said the whole reason for gathering is “that they may hear and that they may learn”. People need to hear what God’s Word says, and need to learn how to apply that Word practically to their lives. People need to learn about Jesus Christ! In 1996 around 27% of Americans supported same sex marriage. Today around 70% of Americans affirm same sex marriage as natural. This is because Gay Rights activists have come into the homes through television and internet, creating story lines where this activity is normalized. People need to hear and learn what God has said. In the absence of the light, the darkness will grow.
Sunday School is a “Winning Arm” of the Church. It teaches people to “fear the LORD your God”. In the intimate setting of the Sunday School, those who attend share their experiences and breakthroughs with God and His Word. People discuss how God gave them confidence and blessing as they went through some of life’s harshest valleys. God is personalized to the lost when we show Jesus as He is – a living and powerful Lord and Savior. People today have little “fear” of the Lord, but the Bible teaches that our Creator is holy, righteous, and pure. Jesus Christ is our High Priest and our Sacrifice before God. Hebrews 4:14 tells us “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession”. Through Sunday School, people can be told of the great salvation we have in our Jesus.
Sunday School is a “Caring Arm” of the Church. Though the Worship Services of the Church are wonderful and much needed by the Church, it is in Sunday School that members can get to know one another better. The Bible says that we are to “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed” (James 5:16).

Sunday School is a wonderful place to show hospitality to all. 1 Peter 4:9 states, “Use hospitality one to another without grudging”. The Church is to be “given to hospitality”. What a wonderful opportunity we have, when we come together in Sunday School!

As our world becomes more and more broken, people are desperately looking for a fix. That fix is only found in Jesus. Let us promote Sunday School, invite others to Sunday School, and show we care for the stranger in our midst in Sunday School. May God use this Scripture and His Spirit to empower and grow our Church to His glory. Amen and Amen.

Posted in Acts, Sermons Preached | Tagged Following Christ, God Is Faithful, love God | Leave a comment

Have You The Right Faith?

Posted on October 4, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

John 4:43-45 Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee. 44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honor in his own country. 45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilæans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.

The Witness Of The Saved

Last week we spoke of Jesus going through Samaria, and meeting the woman at the well. This woman fell in love with Jesus, and put her faith in Him as Messiah. She went into Sychar, leaving her water pot at Jacob’s well, and began to witness for Jesus.

What does it mean to “witness” for Jesus? It is to tell others what Jesus did for you – how He impacted YOUR life. The devil is only defeated by:

Revelation 12:11 … by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of {your} testimony …

I love to watch scary movies, and often yell at the screen when the characters of the drama fall victim to the vampires, the werewolves. The characters always get messed up when they go – by themselves – into a dark and spooky place! Then when they are attacked, they try to fend off the evil with some token, like “holy water”, a “cross”, a “silver bullet”, or “garlic”. These are fantasies. The way you ward off evil – truly ward it off – is by trusting in Jesus, and living by faith in Him. This is what defeats evil. The world needs the witness of the genuine believer in Christ. The world is desperate for Jesus! Once this woman witnessed about Jesus, the Samaritans asked Jesus to stay with them.

Jesus stayed two days with the Samaritans. Having done His work there for the Father, Jesus heads toward Galilee. Galilee is about 18 ½ miles north of Nazareth. John writes:

John 4:44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honor in his own country.

Why does it say Jesus “testified”? That is a very interesting word, the Greek μαρτυρέω martyréō, {pronounced mar-too-reh’-o}, from which we get our word “martyr”. The word means “to give a witness”, but it has a sacrificial quality to it. It is to give a witness that costs something.

Our Lord Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of Man, the Only Begotten of God. Our Lord Jesus is the Godhead revealed, the Lamb of God, the Incarnate Son of God.

Our Lord Jesus turned water into wine at Cana.

Our Lord Jesus moved a Samaritan woman, that caused a revival in Sychar.

Jesus – this miraculous and wonderful Savior and Lord – heads toward His hometown of Nazareth. Though not born in Nazareth, He was raised in Nazareth. Though John does not give us the details on Jesus’ failed mission to Nazareth, Mark does. Mark tells us:

Mark 6:2-6 And when the sabbath day was come, {Jesus} began to teach in the synagogue {at Nazareth}: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. 4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.

The Faith Of Nazareth Sees Only The Man In Christ

The people of Nazareth grew up with Jesus and remembered Him as the Carpenter’s Son. Though Jesus did miracles in Nazareth – not many, but some – they believed Him more a man than they believed Him Messiah. They said “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn’t this the carpenter?” The Bible says:

John 1:12-13 But as many as received {Jesus}, 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.

Preach! Emphasize! To “believe on His name” is to receive and acknowledge Jesus as He is. Jesus Christ is Perfect Man, but He is no mere mortal. He is no mere human teacher. It is a weak and faltering faith that makes Christ out to be as common as you or I. Jesus is distinctly different from every human who has ever been.

As Adam in his creation was perfect before his choice to fall, Jesus is perfect, unique. He is like us in that He tired, He hurt, He ached, He hungered, He thirsted. He suffered all the failings this human body has. But Jesus Christ was and is without sin. He is God in human flesh!

Jesus is without sin- whereas we are sinners. When the Bible speaks of us humans, it says:

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

“all have sinned”. Little babies, fresh from birth, are sinners. Toddlers are sinners. Every person who has ever been born human is a sinner – all but One. This One is Jesus. The Bible says:

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

2 Corinthians 5:21 He {God the Father} hath made him {God the Son}to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus is not a sinner as we are. He is without sin, a unique human/ divine Person. The faith of Nazareth sees Jesus as no more than a mortal man. Jesus is, to them, just a great teacher or a wonderful preacher. If your idea of Jesus is as Nazareth, then your faith is not sufficient to bring about the miraculous. To say that Christ is merely a great moral teacher is to make Him to be what He is not. Jesus Christ is eternal God, incarnate as a perfect man, among us. From the time of the fall of Adam unto Jesus, there had never been a perfect man. There was Enoch, who walked with God till he was not, but Enoch was not perfect. Just as all fallen creatures do, we must rely on the Grace of God. Throughout Scripture, the Bible tells us:

The JUST shall live by faith.

To be “Just”, or “Justified”, righteous in the eyes of God, we ourselves cannot produce this. We must live by faith in God’s provision. All humans are fallen. Eliphaz told Job,

“What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous?” (Job 15:14 – ESV)

Noah, the Old Testament savior of humanity, was himself imperfect. God used Noah, because:

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Jesus is perfect Man. When God wanted to draw man closer to Himself, He gave us the Law to lead us to Christ. John 1:17 tells us,

“The Law was given by Moses, but GRACE and TRUTH came by Jesus Christ”

Throughout the Scripture, when anyone found Grace in the eyes of God, they found it through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the very Source of the Grace of God. You cannot find grace in a Walmart, nor a Target, nor a Walgreens, nor in a farmer’s market. You cannot find grace in a local Church, or a denomination. You cannot find grace in a preacher like myself. Grace and truth are found ONLY in Jesus Christ. Jesus is perfect Man, and perfect God.

Years ago as a young Christian I was introduced to the works of C.S. Lewis. Lewis was a very deep thinker, a theologian of the first order. In his book Mere Christianity (which I highly recommend), Lewis said:

“… people often say about Him [Jesus Christ]: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic … or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse …. You can shut him up for fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God.”

The Prophet Isaiah wrote of Jesus some 700 years before His incarnation as perfect Man. Though Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be “a light to the Gentiles” (Isaiah 49:6), the Prophet also said that the Messiah would be …

Isaiah 53:3 … is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Though Nazareth – and the rest of the lost world – sees Jesus as just another man, the Bible declares He is more than mortal. He is perfect Man and Infinite God. As believers in Christ, we are daily:

Titus 2:13 … looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ …

Nazareth faith hinders the power of Christ to do good.

Mark 6:5-6 {Jesus} could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

Jesus “could there do no mighty work”. Though Jesus kept trying to reach out, and though He tried to bring healing and truth, His ministry was greatly hindered by the unbelief of the inhabitants of Nazareth. The Bible said that Jesus “marveled because of their unbelief”. Of all the things we do, only unbelief in the face of the kindness and grace of God marvels our Lord. The faith of Nazareth sees only the MAN in Jesus. In contrast,

The Faith Of The Galilean Sees
Only The Miracle In Jesus

John 4:45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilæans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.

This verse refers back to

John 2:23-25 … Now when {Jesus} was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. 24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25 and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

Jesus did a number of miracles at the beginning of His earthly ministry, right after chasing the money changers out of the Temple (John 2:14-16). We do not know what these miracles were, but whatever they were, they were given because Jesus loves people. Jesus loves to alleviate suffering. One word that highlights the life of Jesus is COMPASSION. We see it used frequently:

Matthew 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick .

Matthew 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them , because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

Matthew 15:32 Then Jesus called his disciples [unto him], and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

Matthew 20:34 So Jesus had compassion [on them], and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.

Unless hindered by unbelief, Jesus – because of His compassion – always reached out to heal the broken.

God loves to heal the broken. The Galileans had been at the Feast of the Passover, and saw Jesus’ miraculous healings. The Gospels shout the words “Jesus had compassion!” Our Lord was compassionate, He loved people, He empathized with people, He identified with people. Because of this great love He healed people, He miraculously fed people, He caused the blind to see, and even raised people from the dead several times. God has compassion, Jesus has compassion, and this is the reason that the people in Cana of Galilee had such good wine on a certain wedding day.

Jesus loves to heal our hurts and our pain, but He wants all of our lives. Some people want Jesus for what temporary blessing He will give. If Jesus would turn water into wine, then go away until I need Him again, that would be just fine. But that is not why Jesus came. God created this world, then put humanity in this world, so that we would learn to walk with Him. God loves us. The Galileans were looking at what temporal things Jesus did, and received Him for these things.

But Jesus is so much more. The Galilean faith focuses on the loaves of bread and the little fish multiplied, but misses the greater truth that God is not just our Provider and Healer, but God is our Companion and Lord. This life is filled with trials and tribulations. Jesus healed many who were blind, leprous, had an issue of blood, or even – who like Lazarus – died …. Every one of these people still died. Their mortal lives in time ended, and they stood before Jesus Christ to be judged. Those who knew Him as Savior and Lord left this life and moved into eternity, adopted of God, blessed forever.

The Faith Of The Nobleman Sees The Lord In Jesus

John 4:46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.

Someone once asked me why God allowed suffering in creation. The short answer is, so that we will be drawn closer to Him. The Bible tells us that God often allows pain and suffering in our lives to draw us into a relationship with Him. We read:

Romans 5:3-6 And not only [so], but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; (4) And patience, experience; and experience, hope: (5) And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (6) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

It is in our brokenness that we find our completion in Christ. No one loves suffering, but what makes it worst is to believe the suffering is without purpose, just painful. But this is not true.

When we suffer, Jesus is there to heal us.
When we are empty, Jesus is there to fill us.
When we are discouraged and depressed,
Jesus is there to lift us up and restore our souls.

The suffering that brings you to Christ is not a curse. Suffering, if it chains you to Christ, is a wonderful thing! God allows pain and suffering in the life of the unbeliever to lead them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. This is what happened in the life of the certain nobleman. We don’t really know who this man was. We just know that that his son was sick at Capernaum – a place not far from where Jesus was – and this man had heard about Jesus and the wine of the wedding feast. This son was very sick, we read he was at the point of death. If you, as a parent, have ever lost a child, you know this man’s heart. If you don’t, you can only imagine! I can see what this man was going through. He went to Jesus and asked Him to heal that child.

John 4:47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judæa into Galilee, he went unto {Jesus}, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.

The “nobleman”, literally a “royal official” (Gr. Basilikos), was probably a man who served Herod Antipas, the puppet governor of Israel. The official’s son lay in Capernaum, about 13 miles from Cana. Warren Wiersbe notes:

“The nobleman believed that Jesus could heal his son, but he made two mistakes in his thinking: that Jesus had to go to Capernaum to save the lad, and that if the boy died meanwhile, it was too late.”

Jesus told the official:

John 4:48 Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.

The Jews were reluctant to believe in Jesus. The Bible says in …

John 12:37 Though {Jesus} had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him…

The Soniclight commentary notes,

“ Jesus’ mention of “signs” (Gr. semeia) pointed to the significance of His miracles. This is the only place in John’s Gospel where “wonders” occurs. This word (Gr. terata) stresses the wonder or awe that these miracles produced in those who witnessed them. Jesus’ use of the word suggests that the people wanted to see miracles just so they could marvel at them.

Jesus implied that the man did “not believe” in Him. He did, of course, believe that Jesus could heal His son, but he had not yet come to believe that He could heal from a distance. Jesus viewed that second level of belief as the significant one. The official may well have thought: “What do You mean I do not believe on You?” The man probably felt rebuked by Jesus’ comment, but Jesus’ aim was to bring him to deeper faith in Himself.”

Our Lord Jesus is not just a faith healer, not just a man. Jesus Christ is God. He need not be touching the boy to heal him. He can heal from a distance, if He so desires.

The rich man grows in faith – and believes in Jesus as He is. He says:

John 4:49 … The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.

The word “Sir” is the Greek κύριος kýrios, {pronounced koo’-ree-os}, which is translated as “Lord” in most places in the New Testament. For instance,

Matthew 1:20 “the angel of the Lord (kýrios) appeared unto {Joseph} in a dream”

Matthew 7:22 “Many will say to me in that day, Lord (kýrios)Lord (kýrios)”

Matthew 8:25 “Lord (kýrios) save us: we perish.”

Philippians 2:11 “every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (kýrios), to the glory of God the Father.”

The nobleman acknowledges Jesus as Lord. Not “Sir”, but “Lord”! When Doubting Thomas saw the resurrected Savior, he shouted out:

John 20:28 My Lord (kýrios) and my God.

When Peter, following the resurrection, heard the Master’s last teaching, he told Jesus …

John 21:17 … Lord (kýrios), Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

And as Stephen, one of the first martyrs of the Church was being stoned to death, he cried out to Jesus:

Acts 7:59 … Lord (kýrios) Jesus, receive my spirit.

An understanding as to what has happened in the nobleman’s heart hangs on your understanding this Greek word Lord (kýrios). This is the heart of salvation. You may call on Jesus Christ as Savior only, and not be saved. Salvation is based on repentance, and repentance is based on your reception of Jesus as LORD. The Apostle said:

Romans 10:9-11 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord (kýrios) Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Many come to Jesus today as healer, helper, friend, confidant. But is He your Lord (kýrios)? When you receive Jesus as Lord (kýrios), you are translated into His Kingdom (Colossians 1:13). When you all on the name of the Lord (kýrios) (Romans 10:13; Acts 22:16) you will be saved. This nobleman saw Jesus as He is.

He is Lord, Hallelujah,
He is Lord, Amen.
He is Lord, Holy, Holy,
And He’s coming back again.
He is Lord, glory glory,
He is Lord over all the seed of man.
He is Lord, great and mighty,
He is Lord, the great I AM.

Jesus tells the official:

John 4:50-51 … Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. (51) And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told [him], saying, Thy son liveth.

Genuine faith moves when God says move.

Had the official heard Jesus, and yet not headed home, he would not be showing faith. Faith moves. Faith goes. This nobleman seized the promise of Christ, and headed home alone. It wasn’t long before his servants met him, and told him “thy son liveth”.

John 4:52-54 Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. 54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judæa into Galilee.

What type of faith have you in Jesus? Do you have the faith of Nazareth, that Jesus is but a good man and a human leader of a religion? Do you have the faith of Galilee, believing Jesus can do miracles – but is not your Lord? Or do you have the nobleman’s faith? I pray that each and every one of you have the nobleman’s faith in Christ Jesus. Jesus is able. He is able to save. He is able to secure. He is able to bless. He is both Lord and Savior to His people. May God bring you to this knowledge through His Word and His Spirit. Amen and Amen!

Posted in John, Sermons Preached | Tagged Faith, Following Christ, gospel, Incarnation, Jesus Christ, Lordship of Christ, salvation | Leave a comment

A Picture Of Grace

Posted on October 4, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

We live in a troubled world, a world that needs Jesus!

Turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 5:

John 5:1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

After this. Our text starts with these two words, “After this” (Greek meta tauta, “Following these events”). Following

the conversion of the Samaritan woman at the well,
the Samaritan’s witness in Sychar caused a revival of faith in Jesus.
the weak faith of Nazareth, which only saw Jesus as a good man
the misguided faith of Galilee, which only saw Jesus as a spare tire
the sound faith of the Nobleman, who believed Jesus as Lord and Savior – and the conversion of his whole house!

Chapter 4 is a study of faith.

Chapter 5 is a picture of Grace.
Everyone has faith – misplaced faith is no good.
Properly placed faith looks to Jesus.
To only Jesus! For in Jesus is Grace.
“We beheld [Jesus’] glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, FULL OF GRACE and Truth.”

God Offers Grace To the Broken

Grace is in Jesus. The gracious Jesus comes up to Jerusalem in order to celebrate a “feast”. The feasts were opportunities for the people of God to get together and celebrate the Grace of God. Leviticus 23 outlines the requirements for the Jewish weekly Sabbath, and the Feast Days.

The seven Feast Days were times when the Israelis rested and remembered the Grace that God had poured out. In America we commemorate with memorials & statues. Israel commemorated God with “feasts”.

Without going into detail, one of the “High Sabbaths” was Passover, where Israel celebrated God liberating the nation from Egyptian slavery. God did that through Grace. God did not choose Israel, to bring Messiah through them because they were GREAT as a people. No, God told Israel:

Deuteronomy 7:7-9 (ESV) The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.

Israel was the least of all the nations. Israel was riddled with sinful traits and drives. God came to Israel because Israel needed God.

Israel in suffering cried out to God, and He redeemed them. The Feasts remind Israel – and us – that God, our God, is gracious and kind to the least and lesser. Praise His holy Name! The Feasts told of the Grace of God, and reminded Israel that the Messiah would one day come. A Feast is a time when family sits down to share food and love with one another. God told Israel that these were:

“Feasts of the Lord” (Leviticus 23:2)
And God said “These are MY Feasts”

In the Feasts, God invited His people to the Divine Table to rejoice in God’s Grace and Goodness.

The More You Are Broken, The More
You Need The Grace Of Jesus

John 5:2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.

There is “a pool”. This is a pool of bubbling water that people have placed their faith in. Sheep are involved in most of the feasts. Animals without spot or blemish were sacrificed. The sacrifice is a picture and a promise of the Coming Messiah, the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Sheep must be watered before they are sacrificed, so what better place to put the “sheep market”. The pool itself is named “Bethesda”, which means “The House of Kindness”. Around “Bethesda” are “five porches”, five flat areas where people can rest. This is again interesting, because

Five Is The Number of GRACE In The Scripture.

The Apostle John wrote five books focused on the Grace of God (Gospel of John, 1, 2, & 3 John, and Revelation). Jesus multiplied five loaves of barley to feed over 5000 people (Matthew 14:17). To these five porches sick people came, seeking healing. They needed a touch from God. The Bible says:

John 5:3 In these {porches} lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.

Word Study: Jesus comes into Jerusalem, and enters Jerusalem by “the House of Kindness”. On this special Feast Day there were a number of people who were not celebrating. The Bible says these are “impotent folk”, the Greek ἀσθενέω asthenéō, {pronounced as-then-eh’-o}. These people were weak, feeble, diseased, sick.

When you are broken, you are in the
best place for God to reach you.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 {God} said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

The Apostle is teaching us a lesson we all need to understand. When we are strong enough, self sufficient enough, then we do not need Jesus. Oh, we always need Jesus. Yes, we do. But when we are strong enough to do it our way, it is in our human nature to do it our way and ignore the Lord.

When we have strength to worry, why call on Jesus?
When we have strength to be depressed, why call for God?
When we can get in the water ourselves, we save the Lord the effort.
When I can say with William Ernest Henley,
“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul”,
Why would I need the Lord?
Why would I need His Grace?

The people on these five porches are typical of so many today. Suffering, they come to the House of Kindness. But they are not praying. They are not calling out to God in Christ. What are they doing? They are watching the water. Their faith is in the water, not in God.

Are you watching bubbling water – or looking for Jesus?
Only Jesus can fix broken you.

John 5:3b-4 … waiting for the moving of the water. {4} For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.

Now, I’m not blaming these people. So many times in my life I’ve wandered out to one of the porches of the House of Kindness. I’ve laid there, not looking for Jesus, but watching for the bubbling of the water. “If I can just get to the water, I’ll be all right!” We have all done this.

The bubbling waters of this world are often our substitutes for the Living Waters that Christ gives.

This next part is particularly interesting to me. There are 5 porches, filled with people. Yet Jesus goes not to them all, but to the worst one afflicted. The more you are broken, the more God wants to heal you.

John 5:5-6 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?

God healed people in a variety of ways in the Old Testament, under the Old Covenant. The Gentile General Naaman was healed of leprosy when he washed in the Jordan River (2 Kings 5:10-14). For 38 years this man has watched the water bubble during the Feast Days.

As the man watches for bubbles in the water, Jesus comes to him, and only him.

Jesus asks, “Wilt thou be made whole?”. The man is crestfallen, probably filled with despair. He tells the Lord – probably with tears in his eyes:

John 5:7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.

This man doesn’t need help to get into the waters. He needs the Grace of God in Christ. He needs to put his faith in Him Who brings living waters, not in the bubbling waters and the kindness of strangers.

Word Study: The man addresses Jesus as “Sir”, the Greek κύριος kyrios or literally “Lord”.

The bubbling water and the focus of this man is a picture of God’s Law. The water (the Law) cannot save.

Moses was not saved by the Law, but by Grace. Though “the Law came by Moses” (John 1:17), God did not save Moses by Law. The Bible says:

Exodus 33:12 {God said} I know thee {Moses} by name, and thou hast ALSO FOUND GRACE in My sight ..

Moses relied on the continuous Grace of God (Exodus 33:13, 33:17). God only gave the Law to Israel because Israel would not love the Lord, nor heed His direction. Israel was always trying to figure out a way to do it themselves. They demanded a human king over God their King. So God gave them the Law. The Law was not intended to save. Even under the Old Covenant, the Bible says:

Habakkuk 2:4 … the just shall live by his faith.

Those who are right with God, trust in God for salvation, for direction, for love, for life. “The righteousness of God {is} revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” In Galatians Chapter 3 the Apostle Paul, a “Pharisee of the Pharisees” (Acts 23:6), explains how the Law does not save, but leads to Christ. Paul said:

Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

The Law for this impotent man was “get into the water while it bubbles”. Year after year he watched for the water to bubble. When it did, he struggled toward it – but always came up short. The Law is a curse. It makes Pharisees more self righteous, and non-Pharisees more disregarded. This poor man is watching for bubbling waters, and always coming up short.

We All Need Jesus, Not The Law

Then Jesus comes. Jesus always comes when we are at our most helpless, at our weakest.

Galatians 3:13-14 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Jesus came to fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:18). The animal sacrifices of the Law are no more. We no longer have to drag our limp and useless souls to the bubbling waters. Jesus Christ comes to those who look upward, seeking God. Jesus Christ, the “Living Water”, spoke to Israel (the impotent man) in the Old Testament:

Jeremiah 2:13 … My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Jesus Christ is the transcendent “Living Water”. If you ask Him, “He will give you living water” (John 4:10). Those who believe on Jesus, Who hear His Word, shall be made new. “Out of the believer’s belly shall flow rivers of living water (the Holy Spirit of God)” (John 7:37-39). But listen, Beloved … YOU MUST LISTEN TO JESUS.

John 5:8-9 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.

So many people believe that Jesus just saves us so we can go to Heaven, one day, by and by. Jesus saves us so we can walk in His power NOW, and walk with God both NOW and into eternity. Billy Graham said,

“You can’t change your past, but you can determine your destiny by deciding for Christ. And when you do that, Christ changes your past. He wipes out all the sins of the past. … Choose you this day Whom you’re going to serve. Many of you are going to have to decide tonight what is the number one priority in your life. All the way through the Bible, choices, choices, choices.”

The impotent man was made whole as Jesus commanded it. Jesus told the man, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk”. The man rose, took up his bed, and walked. The Bible says, “on the same day was the sabbath”. This was a special Sabbath, a time to rest and worship the Lord our God. This was, I dare say, the happiest day of this man’s life. For thirty eight years he had been miserable. Now he is strong enough to walk – to pick up that ragged bed (like a sleeping bag) that held him for so long – and to carry what once carried him. This should be a time of celebration, a time of joy. God Himself showed up on that porch of the House of Kindness. God gave Grace to this once helpless and hopeless man.

Then the keepers of the Law, the Pharisees, show themselves.

John 5:10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.

Jesus told this man to “carry thy bed” as a testimony to the Grace of God. The man had laid in a bed for 38 years.

For those 38 years, the Law – the Priests and Pharisees – walked around this man, ignored this man, never sought to help this man.

The Law exists to point to sin. It is a unit of measurement, a mirror, but not a fix. The man answers the Law:

John 5:11-13 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. 12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.

The Christian faith is not a lawless faith. Once saved, the Christian follows “the Law of Christ”. The “Law of Christ” is to love others the way that Jesus loved you. The Apostle wrote:

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

Jesus healed this man, though this man never actually thanked Jesus for his healing. Jesus healed this man, even though the man did not knows Jesus’ name. Jesus relieved this man from a lifetime of misery – and then “conveyed himself away”. This is the Greek ἐκνεύω ekneúō, {pronounced ek-nyoo’-o} which means “to slip away secretly, to quietly withdraw, to slip off”. Jesus – though God in human flesh – was not puffed up with pride. Love lifts up others, and does not need a ticker tape parade or adulation.

The Law of Christ – the Royal Law tells us to do good to others, to lift them up. James said:

James 2:8 … the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself …

So we are not lawless. We follow Christ. Jesus comes to this same man later, and …

John 5:14 … Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee

Love does not justify sin, but points out that sin is a terrible thing. Sin brings disease, discomfort, and death. The warning that Jesus gives this man shows us that God often uses sickness to get our attention. Listen Beloved,

When sickness brings us to the House of Kindness, and the House of Kindness brings us to Jesus, this is a great blessing from God. Jesus doesn’t help us into the bubbling waters to heal us. Jesus comes to us, and brings with Him Living Waters. Jesus said:

John 4:14 (ESV) … whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

God will not bring the sinner to the bubbling waters. He will bring the waters to the sinner. He will place the power of God’s Spirit into those who receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Those who are Christ’s are creatures with the potential to bring Living Water to all around us. Those who are Christ’s take the message of Jesus to a lost and dying world, a thirsting world, a parched world. We carry the hope of Eternal Life by faith in Christ in us, with us, and are supposed to be stirred not by the Law nor by an angel but by Grace and love and service to the King.

John 5:15-16 … The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. {16} And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.

The life grounded in the Law, if it has not Christ, will be brutal, hateful, judgmental, self righteous.

The Pharisees and Priests hated Jesus “because he had done these things on the sabbath day”. What did Jesus do on the Sabbath day? He alleviated suffering. He ministered to the needy. He lifted up the downtrodden. How would Jesus answer these self righteous men? Jesus said:

John 5:17-18 But Jesus answered them, 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 Christ is God. He is God in the flesh. He is God loving, reaching. He is the God Who loves you. Will you not give yourselves to Him this very day? Oh, what a blessing you will find, when you find Jesus. Give your lives to Jesus, and prove your salvation by following Him in love. God, the Giver of the Law, called Jesus to work on the sabbath. Not to till the fields, nor to fish, nor to in any way earn money through the sweat of His brow. No Beloved, this was not the work that Jesus did on the sabbath. The work He did is the work He does even today. Jesus told His disciples:

John 6:27-29 Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. {28} Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? {29} Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Here is THE work of God – that you believe on and worship Jesus, serving not the Law but Him. All who believe on Him shall never be ashamed. All who believe on Him shall be saved, both now and into eternity. May God bless the preaching of this Word, and cause you to make a commitment to Jesus Christ this very day! For Christ’s glory, may the Spirit and the Word of God impact your hearts! Amen and Amen!

Posted in John, Sermons Preached | Tagged amazing grace, grace | Leave a comment

The Mind Of Christ – A Wednesday Devotional

Posted on October 4, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

Please turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 2.

It is the devil’s job to tempt us, to frustrate us, to drive us away from our Shepherd Jesus. He does very well at his job. The darkness of the world pulls at us. Pastor Bill Winston (Living Word Christian Center) made a statement that I really liked. He said to the Christian:

“You are not from this world … you were born from above. Act like you are from home. Talk like God (not like the world). The whole earth is waiting for you to manifest. The enemy’s job is to keep us in a place where we won’t grow up.”

We live in bad days, but they are no worse than that which the first century Church went through. In fact, they are better. Though the Church is frequently infiltrated with godless “wolves in sheep’s clothing”, this has always been the case. Of the first twelve Apostles, one, Judas Iscariot, though chose by Jesus “was a devil” (John 6:70). Though Judas walked with Jesus, his mind was always on money, on the things of this world. The Apostle said:

John 12:6 {Judas Iscariot} was a thief, and had the bag {the disciple’s treasury}, and bare what was put therein.

The Church at Corinth was infiltrated by worldly, ungodly people. The Church was divided, sectarian, fighting among themselves. The Church was tolerating incest and grievous sexual sins among it’s members. The Church members were suing one another in court. Lovelessness abounded in Corinth. The Apostle addressed the Church, saying:

1 Corinthians 2:12-16 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy {Spirit} teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.

Which Spirit Is In You?

The Apostle gives an indicator as to how the Church can know which of it’s members are of God, and which are not. Those who belong to the world are called “natural man”. This is the Greek psychikos anthrōpos, the “sensual person”, the person who approaches the world around them based on feelings and self satisfaction. The animal is sensualistic. Animals will mate within their own family to satisfy their sensual urges. The psychikos anthrōpos approaches life with “Just do you” and “defy logic – be yourself” attitudes. The natural or sensual person seeks immediate gratification, and cares nothing for others unless helping others helps themselves.

What is the difference between the “natural man” and the “supernatural man”? It is whether the Holy Spirit of God is in that person or not. The Apostle quotes a text:

1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, 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.

The phrase “as it is written” tells us that the Apostle is quoting scripture – which for Paul, would be the Old Testament. He is quoting:

Isaiah 64:4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

In 1 Corinthians 2:9 and Isaiah 64:4, when the Bible says “men have not heard nor seen”, it is referring to the lost world, those who are without the Holy Spirit.

The unspiritual or “natural” person cannot picture the glories of what God has prepared for His children. But the spiritual or Spirit Filled Christian can begin to grasp the glories that await us because of Christ Jesus. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 2:10 But God hath revealed THEM {the things which God hath prepared for them that love him, mention in vs 9} unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

The Spirit of God knows the mind of God, because the Spirit of God is Himself God. The Holy Spirit is not an “it”, but a Person, a Divine Person. It is the Holy Spirit Who moved the Prophets and Apostles to write Scripture:

2 Peter 1:21 … holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy {Spirit}.

It is the Holy Spirit that causes a believer in Christ to be “born again”. Jesus said:

John 3:5-7 … Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

As Jesus Himself was incarnate through the virgin Mary because of the Holy Spirit (see Luke 1:35) – a wondrous miracle – the Christian is made a son of God by the operation of the Spirit. The Spirit is NOT just a power – He is a PERSON. In Acts chapter 5 Ananias and Sapphira tried to deceive God. The Apostle Peter said:

Acts 5:3-4 Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy {Spirit}, … why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

You cannot “lie” to a power, but only to a Person. Ananias and Sapphira lied to God the Holy Spirit. There are other Scriptures that speak to the Person of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle wrote:

Ephesians 4:30 (ESV) … do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

The word “grieve” is the Greek lypéō, which means “to cause sadness, to offend, to make uneasy and sorrowful”. Like any Person, the Holy Spirit can be emotionally offended or hurt. The Apostle wrote in:

2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

We have “fellowship” or a rapport with the Holy Spirit. As we read the Word of God, and come together as believers, the Holy Spirit guides us into being more like Christ. The Apostle said “we have the mind of Christ”. What does this mean? Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit came, that the function of the Spirit would be to tell us more about Jesus.

John 14:26 (ESV) … the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

John 15:26 … when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me

John 16:7-15 … Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

The function of God the Holy Spirit is to make us more like Jesus in our walk. The Holy Spirit has the mind of God, and He leads us toward that mind. Christians,

We Have The Mind of Christ

The saved person “has the mind of Christ”, that is, the Holy Spirit indwelling us, and the Holy Word of God available to us. When we read His Word, God the Holy Spirit reveals the deeper things of God. We HAVE the mind of Christ. What does the Spirit want of us? He wants us to be more like Jesus.

Turn with me in your Bibles to Ephesians 4:17-20

Ephesians 4:17-20 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But ye have not so learned Christ;

The world walks (lives it’s life) according to the spirit of this age, the spirit of anti-Christ. It chases after self and selfishness, greed and uncleanliness. The Apostle says, “ye have not so learned Christ”. We do not belong to this world. We belong to Jesus. The Apostle said:

Ephesians 4:22-24 … put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

We “put on the new man”. We follow the Word of God and the leading of the Spirit of God. Finally, turn with me in your Bibles to Philippians 2.

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

We have the mind of Christ, the Holy Spirit in us. “LET this mind be in you”. The word “LET” emphasizes a choice. You who are saved are Holy Spirit indwelt, but you must choose to follow His leading. “LET”. We are to be like Jesus. How was Jesus like?

Philippians 2:6-8 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus is “in the form of God”, morphḗ, “by nature or apparently God”. The Strong’s New Testament Commentary notes:

“{Jesus} bore the form (in which he appeared to the inhabitants of heaven) of God … yet did not think that this equality with God was to be eagerly clung to or retained … but emptied himself of it … so as to assume the form of a servant, in that he became like unto men”

Jesus willingly left the glories of Heaven, and lowered Himself to be part of His own creation. He did this so that He could save humanity, by offering Himself on the cruel Cross of Calvary. Jesus “humbled himself” for the betterment of others. He sacrificed Himself. Jesus did not sacrifice Himself in order to enable sin, but did so that we could be freed from sin. The Apostle said:

Philippians 2:2-4 Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Jesus considered His life less and us better, that we might be saved. As Jesus willingly sacrificed His rights for our righteousness, so is our love to be. When there are battles in the Church, it always comes about because because members are elevating themselves above other members. The Apostle said:

Philippians 2:14-16 Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 16 Holding forth the word of life…

As Jesus was and is, we are to be. We are sons of God, made so by the Spirit of God and by the sacrifice of the Son of God. We do not live as the world lives, but live as God says. We are Kingdom people.

“We have the mind of Christ”. The mind of Christ is not like the world.

This is the standard we must lean toward, to love others as we have been loved. We are to be lights of Christ in this present evil world, shining to the glory of Christ. May Jesus help us do so, through His Spirit and His Word. Amen and Amen!

Posted in Sermons Preached, topical | Tagged mind of Christ | Leave a comment

Stand In The Gap

Posted on September 26, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

It is so easy to follow the crowd. The crowd always takes the easy way. The crowd is so tolerant of anything God is intolerant of. The crowd loves that which God forbids, and cheers on that which God despises. Our Lord Jesus, loving and kind, came to this world to save sinners. Yet all that He met was opposition. Jesus said of this world:

Matthew 11:16-19 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, 17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. 19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

What does it matter? you might ask. After all, God is love (1 John 4:8). Let’s all just dance and sing with the crowd: (The following is adapted from Greg Morse’s article, Following Christ In An Unappeasable World)

Boys can be girls, and girls can be boys;
WE are our Maker – our bodies, our toys.

It’s not a baby – don’t feel any shame,
It hasn’t a voice or a smile or a name.

It’s brave to be different; it’s okay to be you,
Boy and boy, girl and girl – it’s called marriage, too.

God is love. But God is also HOLY, righteous, and just. God is the Maker of all things, and the Determiner of right and wrong. The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23:

The wages of sin is death ..

Sin is against nature, against light, against life. If sin goes unchecked, society collapses. In the middle of our town is a terrible section called “West 7^th Street”. In addition to tearing up the center of town, our leadership pathetically has decided to allow the roads there to be not just torn up, but unlined. The lines on the road are checks and balances telling us where it’s safe to drive. I have seen several near accidents on that stretch of road, because people drive any way they want to – there is no demarcation! Can you imagine driving on an interstate without lines, or through a major city without any traffic control whatsoever. It would be dangerous, chaotic.

Six hundred years before Christ became incarnate, Judea had erased the lines from the highways of life. When the lines are erased, it is not long before God must act. When God sent a worldwide flood, destroying all but 8 people, it was not on a whim. The Bible says:

Genesis 6:5-7 … And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the Lord said, I will destroy…

And yet, God did not destroy the earth by flood immediately. God is holy, but God is love. God found Noah, a man willing to “stand in the gap”. God gave humanity ample time to repent, to return to His design (for God said in Genesis 6:3 “his days shall be an hundred and twenty years”). Though God eventually – and believe reluctantly – destroyed all life but what was on the Ark,

His love looked for a Noah, but
His holiness brought a flood.

God Is Looking For A Person To Stand For Judea

Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

Word Study: God “sought”. This is the Hebrew בָּקַשׁbâqash, {pronounced baw-kash’}, which is in the Piel Imperfect. The Piel Imperfect tells us that God is intensively and continually looking for the gap filler.God’s search for just one was ongoing, and might I say desperate.

God sought for a person – any person – who would “stand in the gap before me for the land”. God was not looking for that person to stand alone. God was looking for a person who would “stand … before Me”, someone who would say, “Lord, I believe Your Word. Lord, I will stand with you and FOR THE LAND because I love you”. God looked all throughout Judea. The Bible says:

2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. …

Everywhere God looked, He found none.

The POLITICIANS would not stand in the gap

Ezekiel 22:6-7 Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood. 7 In thee have they set light by father and mother:

The foundation of good civilization is based on how that civilization regards “father and mother”. The fifth of the ten commandments is (Exodus 20:12) “Honor thy father and thy mother”. This is the ONLY commandment that gives a reason for obeying it. God said, “that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you”. God did not tell the children to LOVE their parents, but to HONOR them. The citizens of a country are taught civility and order when they are taught as children to obey the authority of the parent. When children are taught that parents are not important – that you can have an abortion or be issued ‘the pill’ without parental approval, you move toward a totalitarian society. Dennis Prager notes:

“One of the first things totalitarian movements seek to do is to break the child-parent bond. The child’s allegiance is shifted from parents to the state. Even in democratic societies the larger the state becomes, the more it usurps the parental role.”

Ezekiel 22:7 … in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow.

The leaders of the country should care about how the immigrant, the orphan, and the widow are treated. The weakest of society should be cared for, not used as pawns for their ability to vote.

Ezekiel 22:8-9 Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths. 9 In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness.

The leadership of the nation should have respect for God our Creator – yet they did not. The leadership of the nation rules that nation at the will of God. Just as Saul lost his position as King for disobeying God, the Lord will overthrow those who put their hands on the Bible, taking an oath with a “so help me God”, but then fail to stand in the gap.

Ezekiel 22:10-11 In thee have they discovered their fathers’ nakedness: in thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution. 11 And one hath committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife; and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father’s daughter.

The leaders of the nation should treat human sexuality the same way God treats it. When the leaders of the nation endorse sexual immorality, it damages the soul of the nation.

Ezekiel 22:12 In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbors by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God.

The politicians of Judea were motivated not by justice, but bribery and collusion. The nation was falling apart because the leadership was not honoring the ways of God. There was no one to stand in the gap!

The PROPHETS or PREACHERS
would not stand in the gap

Ezekiel 22:25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.

The Prophets (Preachers) of Judea ceased communing with what God said, but instead made a “conspiracy”. This is the Hebrew קֶשֶׁר qesher, {pronounced keh’-sher}, which means “to join together in order to commit treason, to make an unlawful alliance”. The Preachers stopped saying “thus saith the Lord” and instead began to appease the people. This is nothing new. While Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Law, the people rebelled against God and demanded Aaron make them a god. The Bible tells us:

Exodus 32:4 … {Aaron} made it a molten calf; and they {the people} said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

When God saw what Aaron did, He told Moses:

Exodus 32:10 (ESV) … let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you”.

Praise God, though, that Moses stood in the gap before the Lord. He sought the heart of God, saying:

Exodus 32:11-14 (ESV) “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 And the Lord relented…

Oh, praise God there was a Moses to stand in the gap. But there is none in Israel as God speaks through Ezekiel. The Prophets, the Preachers commit treason against God, and band together. God said:

Ezekiel 22:28 And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken.

Word Study: God uses an interesting term here for what the false preachers are doing. They are building walls with “untempered mortar”. The word “mortar” was supplied by the King James translators, as it is not in the original text. The word is simply תָּפֵל tâphêl, {pronounced taw-fale}, which means “untempered, foolish, that which is subject to failure”. The preachers were not staying with God’s Word, but were building the House of Israel with that which is fallible, easy to destroy. The Psalmist famously said:

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

The Word of God is tried and true. It is from our Maker, and it is for our best. When the Preachers conspired together to commit treason against God, they were also committing treason against Judea. God’s preachers are to:

Ephesians 4:15 be speaking the truth in love …

This alone is what will bless the nation, the state, the community, and the family. But it was not just the Prophets/ Preachers that were off base, but,

The PRIESTS would not stand in the gap

Ezekiel 22:26 Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

The PROPHETS were to speak the Word of God, and the PRIESTS were to serve the Lord. It was God’s initial intent that ALL of Israel be priests. Yet after Israel’s failing at Mount Sinai, God made the children of Levi or the Levites to be priests. The priests ignored the commands of God. God the Son said:

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

John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

What God has said is right, is right even if all the world disagree. Yet the priests of God backed away from the truths that God established. God said, “put no difference between the holy and profane”. God’s people – saved by faith in Christ – are to honor what God honors, and dishonor what God dishonors. The priests “hid their eyes from my sabbaths”. God established the Sabbath for mankind, for a time to remember the goodness of God, a time to praise His name. The Bible says of the believer in Christ:

Revelation 1:5-6 {Jesus Christ} that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 And hath made us kings AND PRIESTS unto God and His Father …

Every believer is a priest before God, with Jesus Christ as our High Priest (Hebrews 2:17; 4:14; 5:6). The priests must say the same thing that God says. If God declares it unclean, we are to declare it unclean. But God said there were no priests who would stand with Him in the gap. The forces of darkness cannot be defeated if priests and prophets do not work together.

In Exodus 17 the children of Israel went to battle with the Amalekites at Rephidim. The Prophet Moses was told of God to “stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand” (Exodus 17:9). As Moses held up the staff, Israel prevailed. But when Moses dropped his hand, the Amalekites prevailed. The Bible says:

Exodus 17:12-13 But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.

Just as Aaron the priest {along with Hur) held up the Prophet Moses’ hands, the priests must stand in the gap, lifting up the arms of the prophets. But the priests would not stand in the gap, and judgment was coming.

The PEOPLE would not stand in the gap with God

When the politicians, the preachers and the priests refused to stand, lawlessness spread throughout the land. We have seen this in our own country as mobs took over city blocks, and destroyed public property like statues and monuments. Lawlessness and darkness always abounds in the absence of light.

Ezekiel 22:30 The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

As God looked over Judea, all He saw was lovelessness and hatred throughout the land. The people “used oppression, and exercised robbery”, stealing from one another. When God is ignored, or in last place, the people pursue a “me above all others” mentality. The nation suffers from this. The “poor and needy” are not cared for, and the “stranger” is oppressed.

God said, I believe with sadness:

Ezekiel 22:30-31 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. 31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.

God looked and looked for but ONE person to stand in the gap for the nation, but said “I found none”. Had God found but ONE, the indignation of God would have been held from Judea.

God Is Looking For The One To Spare The Nation

Much of what we read in our text today could be applied to present day America. I believe that America – because of extreme political views on both sides – is not far from a horrible collapse. But God will not allow our nation to collapse IF He can find the ONE. Read again God’s Words:

Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought for A MAN among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

Word Study: God does not seek for a large number. God seeks “A MAN”. This is the Hebrewאִישׁ ʼîysh, {pronounced eesh}. This is the word Adam used when he first saw Eve:

Genesis 2:23 Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman {אִשָּׁה ʼishshâh, [pronounced ish-shaw’]}, because she was taken out of Man {ʼîysh}.

God is looking for ONE who will stand in fellowship with Him. ONE is a very important word in the Scripture – perhaps the most important word there is. Consider:

Romans 10:13 (ESV) … everyONE who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Revelation 3:20 (ESV) Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyONE hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Jesus told the young man who wanted eternal life, in Mark 10:21 “ONE thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor … and come, take up the Cross, and follow Me”.

Jesus told Martha, when she complained that Mary was sitting at His feet (Luke 10:42), “ONE thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her”.

The Apostle Paul said, (Philippians 3:13) “this ONE thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

ONE man, by disobedience, brought sin and destruction into the world. ONE Jesus went to the Cross for the sins of the whole world to right Adam’s failure. God will save a nation, if but ONE will stand in the gap in fellowship with Him. Be the ONE whom God uses. Do not be like the crowd. Do not be driven by social media, by Hollyweird, by the fallen crowd. Choose to be the ONE in fellowship with Christ.

Lamentations 3:21-24 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

Stand with God. Stand with Jesus. Stand in His Word, and in His power. If you are the ONE, you may stand alone. Jesus stood alone on Calvary, but changed the world. Dr J. Mike Minnix wrote in his sermon, Standing in the Gap:

“One” man named Abraham began a nation by obeying God and became the father of faith. “One man named Joseph saved the nation by turning from temptation. “One” teenager named David fought for the nation when he faced Goliath. “One” woman named Esther rescued the nation by risking her life.

It is so easy to throw up your hands, and go with the crowd. But Beloved, just as God punished Judea, I believe God will punish America if some ONE doesn’t stand. I commit my life that I will be the ONE. Will you join me? I am reminded of the little boy who had a horse for sale. A prospective buyer asked him, “Son, can that horse run fast?” The boy replied, “No sir, he can’t run fast, but he can sure stand fast”. Let us all commit to be the one, to

STAND FAST in the faith (1 Corinthians 16:13)
STAND FAST in the liberty wherewith
Christ hath made us free (Galatians 5:1)
STAND FAST in one spirit, with one mind
striving together for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:27)
STAND FAST in the Lord (1 Thessalonians 3:8)

May God the Holy Spirit and His precious Word move us all to so commit. The life of our nation depends on our response. Amen and Amen.

Posted in Ezekiel | Tagged discipleship, faithfulness, stand for God | Leave a comment

Jesus’ Meat

Posted on September 19, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

John 4:30-34 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. 31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

The Heart Of God Is To Save

If you were with me this morning, we talked about Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. While Jesus entered Samaria, His disciples “went into the city to buy meat” (see verse 8). As Jesus talked to the unnamed woman at the well, He revealed to her that He is the Messiah. The woman, convicted that Jesus is the Messiah, goes to her home in Sychar (see verse 5). Her message to the men of Sychar is:

John 4:29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

Word Study “Meat”: While this woman is gone telling others about Jesus, His disciples return with what the King James calls simple “meat”. This is the Greek βρῶσις brōsis, {pronounced bro’-sis}, which the King James translates as “rust”, as in ..

Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and RUST {brōsis} doth corrupt …

or as “meat” – like in our present text. The word is translated “eating” in 1 Corinthians 8:4, and “food” in texts like 2 Corinthians 9:10. I believe the best translation of the word is “food”. The disciples didn’t just go and get “meat” for Jesus and themselves to eat, but “food”, which could be anything you eat.

The distance between Judea and Sychar (a city of Samaria) is 24.85 miles. As Jesus was walking, the journey would have taken around 22 hours. Jesus has satisfied His thirst at the well, but should be famished!

Word Study “Prayed”: His disciples returned with food, and “prayed” {ἐρωτάω erōtáō, [pronounced er-o-tah’-o]}, literally BEGGED Jesus to eat. This is not the first time Jesus has been very hungry. In Matthew 4, our Lord was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit of God (Matthew 4:1) to be tempted by the devil. Jesus had been without food for 40 days and night, and Satan tempted Him to use His power to feed Himself. Jesus refused, saying:

Matthew 4:4 … Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

This is how Jesus lived His life while on this earth. He was not driven by appetite, lust, or any sin whatsoever. Jesus – the Creator of all that we see-

Colossians 1:16 (ESV) For by {Jesus} all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords “had no place to lay His head” (Matthew 8:19-20; Luke 9:57-58). Jesus had no cup to drink from when He asked the Samaritan woman for a drink from Jacob’s Well. Jesus had nothing, but one driving force in His life. Jesus told His disciples:

John 4:32 I have meat {brōsis, FOOD}
to eat that ye know not of

This puzzled the disciples. Did someone bring Jesus something to eat while He rested at the well? As the disciples talked among themselves, Jesus told them:

John 4:34 … My {brōsis FOOD} is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

God made and is in charge of all things. The only thing God wants is to save the lost. Period!

God The Son Was “Sent”

John 4:34 … My {brōsis FOOD} is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work.

Preach STRONG: Jesus was not sent by rabbis. He was not sent by the Sanhedrin, the ruling elders of Israel. Jesus was not sent by Himself. There was no inner hunger or need for power that sent Him. Jesus – Himself God – is sent by God for the most important mission ever devised. He was sent by God to save the lost.

God is a “Him”. God, though three in Person, is One in desire. Part of the”Him” that sent Jesus is God the Holy Spirit. Jesus emphasized the sending and empowerment of the Spirit in one of the first recorded sermons He ever preached. It was in His hometown Nazareth that Jesus, at the Synagogue (Jewish Church) shared His mission as Messiah.

Luke 4:16-19 (ESV) … where {Jesus} had been brought up. And as was his custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and He stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

The textual scroll Jesus read was Isaiah 61:1-2a. This text is significant, for it prophesies of the coming Messiah.

Jesus does not read the last part of Isaiah 61:2, which speaks of “the day of vengeance of our God”. Abruptly stopping in the middle of verse 2, Jesus rolled up the scroll, and returned it to the attendant of the Synagogue. Jesus turns, looks at the crowd there, and says:

“Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus applied this Messianic Prophecy to His own self. He as much said, “I am the Messiah Israel has long waited for”. In that Messianic Prophesy, the Messiah said:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me”

God the Holy Spirit sent and empowered Jesus “to proclaim good news to the poor … to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed”. God the Holy Spirit is very involved in the salvation of human souls. It is the Spirit of God that empowered Jesus to …

Matthew 12:28 … I cast out devils by the SPIRIT OF GOD…

The Holy Spirit is not a Power,
but a Co-Equal Person of the Trinity.

The Holy Spirit “led Jesus into the wilderness” (Luke 4:1). Just as Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit, the Christian – a son of God – is to be led by the Spirit. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). This same Holy Spirit that sent Jesus and worked through Jesus is the same Holy Spirit Who revealed Bible truths to the Apostles and Prophets (Ephesians 3:5). The Holy Spirit sent – and walked with – our Lord Jesus.

God the Son was also sent to save us by God the Father. Jesus said:

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.

Jesus followed the direction of God the Father. He told us:

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

Some 30 times in the Gospel of John alone
Jesus speaks of being sent by God.

God the Father sent Jesus. God the Holy Spirit sent Jesus, and walked with Him as He ministered. John the Baptist taught that Jesus is the Great Intercessor between God and man. John said:

John 3:34-36 … For {Jesus} whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. 35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. 36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

The Lord Jesus Christ was sent by God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. This doesn’t make Jesus lesser or a little ‘g’ god and the Father and Spirit. Jesus Christ – born into this life of the virgin called Mary – is Himself Eternal God the Son. God says in:

Hebrews 1:6, 8 (ESV) When {God} brings {Jesus} the firstborn into the world, He says, “Let all God’s angels worship Him”. … 8 ..of the Son {God} says, “Your Throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your Kingdom.

God the Father and God the Spirit sent God the Son into the world to save it, if we would but believe in Him. Our Jesus is called by the Prophet Isaiah,

Isaiah 9:6 … wonderful Counselor, mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace ..

Jesus Christ is the Word of Whom John writes, saying …

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

Over and over again, our Lord Jesus in Scripture “made Himself equal with God” (John 5:18). Jesus said:

John 14:10-11 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. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.

The Apostle summarizes this wonderful Lord we serve by saying:

Colossians 2:9 For in Him {in Jesus} dwelleth ALL THE FULLNESS of the GODHEAD bodily …

Our Lord Jesus was sent by both Father and Spirit to be our Messiah. Jesus Himself, co-equal with both Father and Spirit, was sent by His own desire to see souls saved. Oh, how God loves you and I!

Jesus Christ represents the fullness of the Triune God. Though Jesus was 20 plus hours without food, that which satisfied His soul was not physical food, but to do the will of the Godhead.

It Is The Love Of God and The Holiness of God
That Compels Him To Reach Out To The Lost World

Once more we read the words of our Lord:

John 4:34, “My {food} is to do the will of Him {the Godhead} that sent Me, and to finish His work”.

What is the will of the Godhead? Holiness & Love. God made promises that will be kept
because of Holiness & Love

It is to fulfill what God said to Satan in the Garden of Eden. When Adam ate that which was forbidden, he lost access to the Garden of Eden. But God told the serpent (which was Satan – see Revelation 12:9; Revelation 20:2):

Genesis 3:15 … I will put enmity {make you enemies with} between thee {Satan} and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel

Biologically, no woman has a “seed”. The woman carries the egg, the man the seed. But God promised that He would destroy the works of Satan through “the SEED of the woman”. God created a “seed of the woman” by the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Christ would become incarnate – human – through Mary. The Messiah – eternal God in the Heavens – would take upon Himself humanity, and pay the penalty for our sins.

God began the work of redemption in the Garden, and made a promise of Satan’s eventual fall. God in His holiness cannot look the other way insofar as sin is concerned. God told Adam,

“ in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 2:17 (ESV)

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

Adam’s sin effected more than just himself – it effected all his progeny. Why didn’t God just wipe out creation and start afresh? Sin was brought into creation by man’s hand, and man was guilty of disobeying God. Before man could ever get back to a place where he could be at peace with God there had to be a payment. But Who could pay? Sin had to be paid for – but it also had to be resolved once and for all. God cannot look the other way on sin.

Our God is “of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity … (Habakkuk 1:13). God despises what He calls “evil”. The Psalmist said, “The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; You hate all evil doers” (Psalm 5:4-5).

God is compelled by His holiness to punish sin. But God is compelled by His goodness & love to offer redemption towhosoever will in mankind.

We see God’s holiness in that Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden for their sin. But we see God’s love, His goodness, in that He covers the naked couple with “coats of skin, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). This is the start of the story of redemption. An innocent creature died so that Adam and Eve could live.

Look at the story of redemption in the Scripture. Man sinned in the Garden, but was clothed, then expelled. But God did not abandon man. When the whole world but Noah abandoned God, God never abandoned Noah. When the flood receded, and Noah and his family – along with the animals – left the Ark, God was still with us.

Oh, how God is so good and kind and merciful!

When God led Israel from Egypt, He loved His people. God carried them through the wilderness, and fed them manna, and gave them meat to eat. At the base of Mount Sinai as Moses was receiving the Law, Israel and Aaron was making a golden calf to worship in place of God! And yet, God did not abandon His love. Though Israel broke God’s heart, and Moses broke the first tablets of the Law, God was patient and good. God told Moses

Exodus 34:1 … Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.

Oh, how good, and patient, and kind our God is! Moses, that grand old Saint, stood on the mountain top and heard God. The Bible says:

God Reveals His Holiness In His Law. God Reveals His Love In His Description Of Himself.

Exodus 34:5-7 (ESV) The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Our God is merciful and gracious. These are the first two words that He Himself uses to describe His character. God is merciful and gracious. God is slow to anger. Pastor Dane Ortlund notes in his book “Gentle and Lowly” (have you read it yet?):

“Slow to anger. The Hebrew phrase is literally “long of nostrils”. Picture an angry bull, pawing the ground, breathing loudly, nostrils flared. That would be, so to speak, “short nosed”. But the Lord is long nosed. He doesn’t have His finger on the trigger. It takes much accumulated provoking to draw out his ire. Unlike us, who are often emotional dams ready to break, God can put up with a lot. This is why the Old Testament speaks of God being “provoked to anger” by His people dozens of times (especially in Deuteronomy; 1-2 Kings, and Jeremiah). But not once are we told that God is “provoked to love” or “provoked to mercy”. His anger requires provocation; His mercy is pent up, ready to gush forth. We tend to think divine anger is pent up, spring loaded; divine mercy is slow to build. It’s just the opposite. Divine mercy is ready to burst forth at the slightest prick.” (page 148).

God is not like us. When something doesn’t work out for us, we trash it, throw it away. We boil over. We blow up. God is not that way. John Calvin said,

“There is nothing that troubles our consciences more than when we think that God is like ourselves”.

Though Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden, God never finished working toward His loving plan of redemption. God never ceased working toward the day when the Messiah could come, and free us all from the deadly influence of sin.

The Conversion Of Samaria Was Thousands Of Years In The Loving Mind Of God

Jesus said,

John 4:35-38 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labor: other men labored, and ye are entered into their labors.

The Jews with Jesus saw Samaria as a problem area they had to pass through. What they saw as a problem area, a group of half bred people, Jesus saw as precious unto God. God had been working from the Garden of Eden until that very day, and works even now, to secure the salvation of whosoever will. The love of God in saving souls is immeasurable, timeless, never ending. This Samaritan woman was nothing to the disciples – but to Jesus she was part of the work of God that He wanted more than food. The Bible says:

Psalm 138:5-6 … great is the glory of the Lord. 6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the {proud} he knows from afar.

From Genesis till today “One soweth, and another reapeth ”. Every Prophet, every Preacher, every Teacher from Eden until now have sown into the plan of God. Jesus told His disciples:

John 4:35-36 … I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. (36) And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

People need the Lord. We need to reap where God allows, and sow even when we see no evidence of harvest. We have a great blessing as the children of God to invite others into His kingdom. What is the will of God, the “food” that kept Jesus satisfied? It was the satisfaction of revealing Himself as Messiah, and seeing the Spirit of God move in the heart of the unnamed Samaritan woman.

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

The work of God is to believe on Jesus. To share Jesus with others. To share the great love of God with this present world. What filled Jesus’ so that He was not hungry was doing the will of God. He said:

John 6:38-40 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 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.

Let’s finish our text. The Samaritan woman has been in Sychar, telling others about the Messiah. The Bible tells us:

John 4:39-42 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on {Jesus} for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. 40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his own word; 42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.

What a wonderful blessing it is to work in the fields of the Lord. Will you commit to work with me? Oh, that God would set our souls on fire, to share Christ and His love as we are given opportunity to do so. May God the Holy Spirit and this precious Scripture move on all our hearts. Amen and Amen.

Posted in John | Tagged gospel, Jesus Christ, Samaritan, Witnessing | Leave a comment

From River To Well To Holy Spirit

Posted on September 19, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

John 4:1-4 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, 2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) 3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. 4 And he must needs go through Samaria.

Water Is So Very Important – Water Is Life

As we come to John chapter 4, the Bible focuses on WATER. Water is a very common thing, yet something we desperately need to live.

The average human is approximately 60% water.
Our brains and hearts are roughly 73% water,
and our lungs are around 83% water.
Water regulates our internal temperature,
and keeps blood flowing to our cells.

A typical human can go without food and live for 3-4 weeks, but if you have no water for 3-4 days you will die!

Water is life. I think this is why God uses water baptism as a profession of genuine faith in God.

When John the Baptist began to preach, he baptized believers in God in the Jordan River. Why were believer’s baptized? Their baptism was an outward testimony that they inwardly had repented, and were willing to follow Father God. When John baptized, he told the people:

Matthew 3:11-12 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, 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.

Those baptized by John were professing their faith in the God of the Scripture. John told them that he himself was NOT the Messiah, but the Messiah was coming. When the Messiah came, He would not baptize with water (though He would require it), but would baptize with the Holy Spirit of God.

What is very interesting about water baptism is that Jesus came to John to be baptized in water – and Jesus is the sinless Messiah from God.

The day that Jesus came to John to be baptized the Bible says:

Matthew 3:14 {John initially refused to baptize Jesus, saying} … I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

Baptism Is A Fulfillment Of God’s Will

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Jesus is holy, pure, without sin. Hebrews 4:15 tells us “{Jesus Christ} was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin”. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 we are told “{Jesus} knew NO sin”. The Apostle said in 1 John 3:5 that “{Jesus Christ} was manifested to TAKE AWAY our sins; and in Him is NO sin”. The Apostle Peter preached in 1 Peter 2:22, “{Jesus} did NO sin”. John knew that the Messiah was, by nature, eternal God the Son in human body. His baptisms up to this moment were sinners who came to him repenting, committing by repentance to follow the will of God. But now Jesus comes to be baptized. “Oh, no, Lord! I should baptized by YOU, not YOU by me!”. But Jesus said:

Matthew 3:15 … “{Allow} it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness”.

Water baptism is a “fulfillment of all righteousness”. It is an outward testimony that the One being baptized will follow the will of God. Though Jesus was indeed sinless, and had no need to repent, He was baptized as a public declaration that the entirety of His ministry would be to follow the will of the Godhead. When Jesus was baptized, the Bible says “He saw the Spirit of God, descending like a dove, and lighting on Him: and lo, a voice from Heaven, saying, “This is my Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17).

From that moment Jesus went out. Though we are told in John 3 that after Jesus spoke with Nicodemus,

John 3:22 … Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

Jesus initially baptized (see John 3:26) His first disciples, but after the first ones were baptized:

John 4:2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)

Jesus commanded His disciples be baptized, but He Himself stopped baptizing in water after the first were baptized. Why? He wanted His disciples to baptize. Baptism is a physical illustration of what our Lord Jesus spiritually does to a believer.

Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit, and with fire.

Jesus said in John 7:37-39 … If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit

When a person receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God through Christ and for Christ sends the Holy Spirit to that believer. The Holy Spirit “baptizes” or washes that person spiritually. Before we met Christ, we walked in darkness, following the sins of the flesh as all the fallen do. We were unrighteous, sinning willfully and gleefully. The Bible says:

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.

The Messiah sends the Holy Spirit to us, and the Holy Spirit does His miraculous work of changing our hearts. Just as God became incarnate through the work of the Holy Spirit in Mary (Luke 1:35), the Holy Spirit brings our dead hearts into union with God.

The Holy Spirit is a Person, not a force.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

I read an article the other day on the Christian Post entitled, “Most Adult US Christians Don’t Believe The Holy Spirit is Real: Study”. The article notes:

“Some 62% of self-identified born-again Christians contend that the Holy Spirit is not a real, living being but is merely a symbol of God’s power, presence or purity. Another 61% say that all religious faiths are of equal value, and 60% believe that if a person is good enough, or does enough good things, they can earn their way into Heaven.”

The Holy Spirit is a real Person, Who partnered with Jesus as He walked this earth incarnate. The Holy Spirit shows us God’s deep truths (1 Corinthians 2:10-11). The Holy Spirit has a mind of His own, and intercedes for us:

Romans 8:27 (ESV) … {the God} who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

God the Holy Spirit makes the Christian. God the Holy Spirit also prays for the Christian. Jesus called the Holy Spirit “the Finger of God” (Luke 11:20 compared with Matthew 12:28). When God gave the Law to Moses, it was “the Finger of God” that wrote that Law on the stone tablets (Exodus 31:18; Deuteronomy 9:10). Now God Himself, the Holy Spirit, writes the Law of God on the hearts of those who believe in Christ. God promised that with the coming of the Messiah,

Jeremiah 31:33 … I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

The Christian is not a Christian because it is “written with ink” on some piece of paper. The Christian is a Christian because “God Himself put His laws on their hearts, and wrote them on their minds” (Hebrews 10:16; Hebrews 8:10). The Apostle said of the Church:

2 Corinthians 3:3 (ESV) … you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

A Christian is someone who realizes they are lost, and repents, turning to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. A Christian receives Jesus as He is, and Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to wash us, to cause us to be born again, to indwell us, to intercede for us. The Bible says that the unbeliever is in the flesh – chasing the darkness of this world. But the believer in Christ is:

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

Returning to our focal text for today, The Bible says:

John 4:3-4 {Jesus} left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. [4] And {Jesus} must needs go through Samaria.

Jesus Must Needs Go Through Samaria

Word Study: The words “must needs” is the Greek word δεῖ deî, {pronounced die}. I find that very interesting. The word deî means “it is necessary, right and proper. Jesus used the same word when He described His upcoming death:

Matthew 16:21 … Jesus {began} to shew unto his disciples, how that he must {deî} go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

It was “necessary, right and proper” that Jesus go THROUGH Samaria. Why? Was it because that was the only way to get to Galilee? Absolutely not. Galilee is several miles NORTH of Judea. Most Jews headed EAST along the path of the Jordan River to get to the Sea of Galilee, and hence Galilee. But it seems as if Jesus goes out of His way to go through Samaria. Why?

Because God is good. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. God cannot help but be good, compassionate, loving. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 52:1 … the goodness of God endureth continually.

There is someone in Samaria that Jesus must meet. Samaria is a land polluted with idolatry. It has not always been that way. Jacob who would one day become Israel gave a parcel of land in Sychar to his beloved son Joseph. Samaria was initially a part of the Promised Land. It was the same place where Jacob met with his brother Esau. Jacob expected Esau to destroy him for taking Esau’s birthright, but God moved on Esau to leave his brother unharmed. Jacob purchased land (Genesis 33:18-20), built a well on it, and built an altar to God which he called:

Elelohe-Israel “To the Mighty God of Israel”

Samaria is no longer a blessed place. Because of human greed and betrayal, as well as rejection of God, Samaria became a place of idolatry. The Ten Northern Tribes of Israel refused to worship God in Jerusalem, but instead built another temple – an unauthorized temple – in Samaria. They drifted far away from God, much like America has today.

Jesus loved idolatrous Samaria, just as He loves idolatrous America. He MUST NEEDS go and share His love with the lost places.

But God loves us still. God is rich in His love for all. The Apostle said:

Romans 2:3-4 (ESV) Do you suppose, O man … that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

Sadly, too many “presume on the riches of God’s kindness, and forbearance, and patience”. God loves us all so very much! God gives grace – daily grace – to all on this earth. “The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all that He has made” (Psalm 145:9). “God causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45).

But God goes beyond our physical needs. God strives to reach us in our sin, to save us if we will heed Him, to bring us into the family of God if we would but come to Jesus. Jesus must needs go THROUGH Samaria.

Our Lord Jesus came to this earth for sinners like you and I. He came to this earth for sinners different than you and I. The Bible tells us that Jesus comes to Jacob’s well, and,

John 4:6-7 … being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

The Samaritan woman is puzzled. She asks Jesus – clearly a Jew:

John 4:9 … How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

Sadly, some of the most racist of people are “religious” people. This woman had seen the scorn of the Jews, supposedly God’s people, and had smarted under their remarks and glares. God never wants anyone to be racist. When Miriam mocked Moses for marrying an Ethiopian woman called Zipporah, God caused Miriam to become leprous (Numbers 12:10). The Apostle preached in

Acts 17:26-27 {God} hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth … that they should seek the Lord

Our God does not divide humanity based upon color, but upon faith in Christ. God divides humanity as:

Wheat or Chaff
Righteous or Wicked
Son of God or Son of Adam
Sheep or Goats

You will never see a black or white division according to God in the Scripture. God loves all equally, and reaches out to all. The Samaritan woman is startled that Jesus would speak to her. But she is more startled by what Jesus now says:

John 4:10 … If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

It is Jesus Who gives “Living Water”. This “Living Water” is the Holy Spirit of God (John 7:38-39), The same Spirit that comes to every believer in Jesus. Peter preached:

Acts 2:38 … Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy {Spirit}.

The Christian’s thirst is quenched by the Living Water of God. We drink of God’s blessings each and every day. Because of His Spirit, we walk through this life in union with Jesus. We are never alone.

But you cannot receive salvation, nor the wonderful accompanying gift of the Holy Spirit, unless you REPENT. To REPENT is to realize you are a sinner, and to RELEASE those sins, while REACHING for Jesus!

The woman, on hearing of this “Living Water”, says:

John 4:15 … Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

But she must REPENT. Jesus tells her:

John 4:16-18 … Go, call thy husband, and come hither. [17] The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: [18] For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly…

You have to know you are broken, before you’ll ever try and get fixed. You have to know you are lost, before you will ever be found. Our God “delivers us from the power of darkness, and translates us into the Kingdom of His dear Son” (Colossians 1:12-14).

But only when you repent! Release you sin! Reach for Jesus!

The Samaritan woman now does as so many do. When confronted with their sinfulness, they want to argue with the Lord. She says:

John 4:20 Our fathers worshiped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

Jesus tells the woman:

John 4:21 Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

God Is Not A PLACE, But a PERSON

Worship – true worship of God – is not tied to a PLACE, but to a PERSON. If you believe that worship is tied to PLACE, then just as Jesus told the Samaritan woman, I tell you “Ye worship ye know not what”. Our Father Abraham worshiped God where ever he walked. Our Father Enoch walked with God – and was not (Genesis 5:24). Worship of God comes through one Person – Jesus Christ our Messiah – in the power of God the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us:

John 4:23 … the true worshipers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

We who are Christ’s worship the Father in Spirit – in the power of the Holy Spirit of God – and in truth. Jesus said that…

John 16:13 … when HE, the Spirit of truth, is come, HE will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Jesus said:

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

The woman’s heart opens to Christ. She says:

John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

To which Jesus tells her, “I am but one of the Messiah’s, but one of the ways to God”. Is that what He says? NO! Absolutely not! Jesus declares:

John 4:26 I that speak unto thee am he.

Jesus Christ is the ONLY Messiah, the ONLY means by which a person may come to God and be saved. This woman gives every evidence of being saved. The Bible says:

John 4:29-30 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

“Is not THIS THE Christ?” There is no other. If you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you must needs go through Samaria, and tell others of Him. All you need do is tell others what Jesus has done for you. The Bible says:

John 4:39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

That’s not a difficult testimony, is it? All you need do is tell what Jesus means to YOU. And if you are not in Christ, then I pray that God the Holy Spirit will move on your hearts through this His Word, and through His Spirit. Jesus loves you, and wants you to be a part of the family of God. Come today, without delay! Amen, and Amen!

Posted in John, Sermons Preached | Tagged Christ, Faith, Following Christ, God Is Faithful, gospel, Jesus Christ, salvation | Leave a comment

A Vision Of Hell

Posted on September 12, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

Fires of Hell — Photo by Cullan Smith on Unsplash

John 3:17-21 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

I sat in a Veterinarian’s Office waiting on the doctor to treat my dog “Scooter”. Bored, I overheard a man talking with the doctor about the problems that he had with his goats. The Vet said something I found very interesting. She said:

“The main objective of any goat is to die. They eat any number of things, regardless as to whether or not it’s good for them”.

I thought that statement was very interesting. I remember an episode of the Andy Griffith Show when a farmer named Hutch brings his pet goat into Mayberry. Men are working on an underpass for the town, and the goat gets away from his owner and eats a case of dynamite. It’s a hilarious episode that ends when Andy leads the loaded goat out of town, as Barney serenades the goat with his harmonica.

The Main Objective Of Any Goat Is To Die.

Our Lord Jesus often talked of believers in Him being “sheep”, and unbelievers were depicted as “goats”. Our Lord said, “the Son of Man {that’s Jesus}shall set the SHEEP on His RIGHT hand, but the GOATS on the left” (Matthew 25:33). Jesus said that His Sheep would be welcomed into “the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). The GOATS, however, are told:

Matthew 25:41 … Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels..

The SHEEP are those who receive the “Good Shepherd”, the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, these Sheep go into Heaven. They enter Heaven because the “good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). But to those who reject Jesus as Lord and Savior, Jesus tells these GOATS:

Matthew 25:41 … Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels..

Hell Is Real – And Necessary

Word Study: What is uniquely sad about this assignment to hell is that no human was ever meant to go to hell. Hell is a place “prepared for the devil and his angels”. The word “prepared” is the Greek ἑτοιμάζω hetoimázō, {pronounced het-oy-mad’-zo}, meaning “to make ready, to make the necessary preparations, to get everything ready”. Our Creator engineered hell as a place for demons, not for humans made in His image. Hell is a real place, but God doesn’t want anyone there. Someone wrote Billy Graham once and said,

“I can’t believe that a loving God would ever send anyone to hell when they die. Jesus is too loving to do that.”

Billy responded with, “It may surprise you to learn that no one in the Bible spoke more about the reality of hell than Jesus. He declared, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

Those are sobering words, and we need to take them seriously. Hell is real, and not one word about it in the Bible would ever make you want to go there. Those who thoughtlessly say that they look forward to going there because all their friends will be there simply haven’t realized its horror. If there is no hell, then we live in an unjust world in which tyrants and abusers and other evildoers will never pay for their evil deeds. The Bible calls it a place of “outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30, KJV).

But it’s important to realize that Jesus spoke about hell’s reality not out of hate or anger, but out of love. Yes, hell is real, but God doesn’t want you to go there! This is why He provided a way for us to be with Him in heaven forever, by sending His Son into the world to die for our sins.”

Jesus wants everyone to be “SHEEP” and not “GOATS”. Anyone can change from “SHEEP” to “GOAT” by receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus said:

John 3:17-18 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on {Jesus} is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

I want to talk to you tonight about the subject of Hell. I am praying that God the Holy Spirit will give you a real VISION of Hell. Many today do not believe in Hell. Many who profess to be Christians do not believe in a Biblical Hell. Some believe that – if a person were assigned to Hell by Jesus – that this soul would be annihilated, wiped out by it’s flames.

That’s just not true.

Hell is a real place, a place every person should fear to go to.

Fifteen times in the Scripture Jesus mentions
that place called “Hell”

Our Lord Jesus preached in one of His first sermons:

Matthew 5:29-30 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Jesus also preached in one of His last earthly sermons:

Matthew 18:8-9 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

If Hell were just a place of annihilation, then why would Jesus emphasize it had EVERLASTING fire? If Hell is not a place of eternal and ongoing punishment, then why would Jesus tell you it is better to cut off a limb, or pluck out an eye, rather than go there?

Hell is an eternal place of punishment, a prison for souls that do not wish to honor God. Humans are all created in God’s Image (Genesis 1:27), and that part of our being – our human soul – is by nature eternal. Our bodies are temporal, but every soul is eternal – and belongs to God. God said through the Prophet Ezekiel, “Behold, all souls are mine – they belong to Me. The soul of the father as well as the soul of the son belongs to Me” (my paraphrase 18:4). Every soul is – because it is in God’s image – FOREVER. Every soul, upon the death of the body, leaves and enters HEAVEN (a.k.a. Eternal Life) or HELL (a.k.a. Hell).

Answering “I Don’t Believe A Loving God
Would Cast Anyone Into Hell”

This is a common statement I hear from people today. Many of the more liberal Christians love to quote “God is love” (1 John 4:8). God is, indeed, “love”. But God is not JUST “love”. The Bible says that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).

In John’s writings, He mentions God as “LIGHT” before he ever mentions God is “LOVE”.

“Light” in the Bible is a reference to RIGHTEOUSNESS or a lack of sin. In

Proverbs 4:18 (ESV) But the path of the RIGHTEOUS is LIKE THE LIGHT OF DAWN, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

In Philippians 2:15 tells us that God wants us to be “children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world”.

God is Light, and His Children are to reflect His Light to a dark and desperate world. Jesus tells the Christ follower to “let your LIGHT shine before others, that they may see your GOOD DEEDS” (Matthew 5:16). Our God is HOLY, and we who follow Him are to be HOLY. When John looked into Heaven, he saw four angels about the Throne of God crying out,

Revelation 4:8 Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come …

Our God is Holy. The Creator Who made all things is LIGHT, without sin, without darkness. Our God is also eternal. The angels cried out that God, “was, and is, and is to come”. You can offend me, and in time I will forget all about it. Time washes away the memory of the offense. But to God, God is ETERNAL, without change. An offense against God is never forgotten. When Isaiah was allowed to look into Heaven, and to see God on His Throne, Isaiah cried out:

Isaiah 6:5 Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts …

Illustrate: Seeing God in his holiness, in His perfect righteousness, in His light, Isaiah was frightened, for compared to God he needed to be cleansed. How can a sinful man hope to stand in the Presence of this Perfect, Holy, Eternal Being we know as God? It is like looking into the Sun. You can do it a moment, but your eyes tear up, and will burn out of your head if you keep looking. Isaiah’s lips were unclean! So God sent an angel to Isaiah with a live coal from that altar of God. Touching that light – that burning coal – to Isaiah’s lips, his sin was covered. The angel said,

Isaiah 6:7 … Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Just as the angel purged Isaiah’s sin with the burning coal, Jesus purges our sin by applying the work of the Cross to our lives when we receive Him.

John 3:17 … God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him MIGHT be saved.

God wants all to be saved, to leave this life and enter eternal life (Heaven) as opposed to eternal death (hell). To be in a right place with the Eternal God Who made all, you must believe on Jesus.

John 3:18 He that believeth on {Jesus} is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

If you have believed on Jesus, the Biblical Jesus, then you are NOT in a state of condemnation. If you have believed on Jesus, you, made in the image of God, are now a Child of God. The “child of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26) is NOT condemned. But the unbeliever in Christ is “condemned already”. The word translated “condemned” is the Greek κρινω, krinom {pronounced kree’-no}, which means “judged in the past so that the judgment stands”. God came into this world, became flesh as Jesus Christ, specifically to save us all from eternal death. The unbeliever in Christ rejects Jesus as Lord and Savior because:

John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

The lost, the goats of this life, have chosen to reject Christ so they can continue in evil. When a person submits to Christ as Lord and Savior, they follow HIM, not the world. The lost follow the lost world. They will not come to Jesus because they prefer darkness, prefer sinning, prefer wallowing in the mire of this life.

John 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Jesus says to the unbeliever,

Isaiah 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Jesus came for every person. But some refuse to come to Him. Jesus told the self righteous Pharisees:

John 5:24, 39-40 … 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. … 39 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.

How sad that is! The reason people go to hell is because they will not come to Jesus. People do not go to hell because of sin. People go to hell because they pursue sin rather than Christ. It is a terrible thing to go through this life without Jesus! I have seen cartoons where the character drawn would have a dark cloud over their head. In truth, those who have rejected Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have a dark cloud called CONDEMNATION hanging over their head. We are told:

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

The “wrath of God abideth” on the unbeliever. It is now, and will continue while the unbeliever is in a state of unbelief. The Apostle said:

1 John 5:10-11 HCS … The one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given about His Son.) {11} And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

The sinner without Christ is given a day of life to receive Christ. It is the common Grace of God that allows the lost another day to live. But that person is already marked with condemnation, just as Cain was marked for killing his brother. If that person dies without Christ, the Bible says:

Revelation 14:10-11 … The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night…

Hell is not a place where you go to cease being. Hell is an eternal prison, a place of flames and smoke and torment and grief. It is a place where the wrath of God is poured out. Jesus said of the lost who rejected Him as Lord and Savior:

Mark 9:44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched…

Repent While There Is Time, And Come
To The Light Of Christ

John 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

This morning I spoke on the need for “Repentance”. To “Repent” is to stop following the gods of self and sin, and to turn and run into the open arms of Jesus. Jesus rejects no one. Jesus loves to save souls – thank God for that!

People think, “Well, I’m not ready to receive Jesus just yet. I want to sow my wild oats. I want to “have fun”, and live a little. I’ll receive Jesus LATER ON IN LIFE so that I won’t go to hell”. Dear one, this is a bad idea. The Bible says:

James 4:13-14 (ESV) Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

The point of our focal text we read today is that the unbeliever is in a state of condemnation RIGHT NOW. We do not know when our last day on earth will be. We do not know when the grim reaper will come. “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). It is foolish to assume that you always have tomorrow. As my mama used to say, “Tomorrow never comes”. In Luke chapter 16 our Lord Jesus told a story about two men, one rich and one a beggar. The rich man probably thought he would live forever, for he lived in the lap of luxury. Jesus preached:

Luke 16:22-24 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

The rich man – forever nameless because he refused to repent and hide under the name of Jesus – died and immediately was in hell. In hell, he was in “torment”. In hell, he was lonely. In hell, he was thirsty. Hell is hell. That rich man died unexpectedly, and “in hell he lifted up his eyes”. But there’s something else about this rich man you may not have noticed.

The lost rich man – this goat – refused to repent while on the earth, and refuses to repent even in hell. “Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue”.

The longer a person goes without Christ, the more hardened that person becomes to the call of God. What a sad truth this is! Jesus Christ allowed Himself to die on Calvary, forsaken of God, so that we who are believers in Him will never be forsaken (Matthew 27:45-54). As Christ purchased our salvation with His Blood, He cried out “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” How terrible that He would make such a payment, and people would yet reject Him.

Christ took your place on the Cross so that you could enter His place in Heaven. Yet if you will not come, if you will not repent, then you stand already marked for judgment. Your destination is set to a terrible place. Will you not come while there is time? If you do not know Him as Lord and Savior, call upon Jesus this very day, and He will save you. The Bible says:

Romans 9:33 … whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Romans 10:11 … Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

If you have received Jesus Christ as Savior, tell others about Him. Hell is real. Hell is eternal. Hell is torment. Oh, that God the Holy Spirit and this Word of truth would give us all a vision of hell. Amen and amen!

Posted in John, Sermons Preached | Tagged condemnation, eternal punishment, Following Christ, hell, salvation | Leave a comment

Today The Day of Salvation
April 2026

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What Are YOU Wearing Today?

To clothe yourself with Jesus means tonot hide your sins from God

The woman likewise blamed the serpent. The truth is, Adam had free will, and chose to disobey God of his own will. Adam was at fault, not God nor Eve.

To Clothe Yourself With The Lord Jesus MeansTo Live Your Life Primarily Loving God

To Clothe Yourself With The Lord Jesus Christ Means To Live As He Lived, Reliant Upon God

“who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26)

To Clothe Yourself With The Lord Jesus Means To Love As He Loved, Treating Others With Respect

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Why was Epaphroditus a messenger for Paul? Because the Apostle is imprisoned by Rome,and is chained to Roman guards.

If Jesus Is Lord, He Is Lord ALL The Time

The SAINT is a Citizen of God’s Kingdom FIRST

Saints are Citizens of Heaven who Suffer

Every Trial Is For A Greater Good In The Saint(God Is In Control)

The Saint is set apart by God as His child – and God continually works in His child andin the environment that child is in.

To avoid Satan’s traps, the Saint is encouraged to take control of the emotions and of their minds. Paul writes:

Direct your minds to examine the faithfulness of God. He is Lord, and He loves us. He will not abandon the children He bought at such a high price. He will not abandon those whom He has shed His blood for!

The God Of Scripture Is “My God”

Paul is chained to a Roman soldier. He’s chained to this soldier as he dictates this letter to Epaphroditus. The soldier cannot help but hear – being chained to the Apostle as he is – exactly what Paul has been saying.

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The Church Obeyed Jesus

The Church Studied And Applied “Jesus” To Life

The early Church immersed itself in the Scriptures, and focused on Who Jesus was, what Jesus taught, and the High Priesthood of Christ. Sadly, this is not true in our modern Church today!

We must know about Jesus. We teach about Jesus in our Sunday School. We must teach Jesus, if we will save the world from this present darkness.

Sunday School Is Not Just A New Testament Concept

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The Witness Of The Saved

Our Lord Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of Man, the Only Begotten of God. Our Lord Jesus is the Godhead revealed, the Lamb of God, the Incarnate Son of God.

The Faith Of Nazareth Sees Only The Man In Christ

Nazareth faith hinders the power of Christ to do good.

The Faith Of The Galilean SeesOnly The Miracle In Jesus

Unless hindered by unbelief, Jesus – because of His compassion – always reached out to heal the broken.

The Faith Of The Nobleman Sees The Lord In Jesus

Genuine faith moves when God says move.

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God Offers Grace To the Broken

The More You Are Broken, The MoreYou Need The Grace Of Jesus

Five Is The Number of GRACE In The Scripture.

When you are broken, you are in thebest place for God to reach you.

Are you watching bubbling water – or looking for Jesus?Only Jesus can fix broken you.

The bubbling waters of this world are often our substitutes for the Living Waters that Christ gives.

As the man watches for bubbles in the water, Jesus comes to him, and only him.

The bubbling water and the focus of this man is a picture of God’s Law. The water (the Law) cannot save.

We All Need Jesus, Not The Law

For those 38 years, the Law – the Priests and Pharisees – walked around this man, ignored this man, never sought to help this man.

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Which Spirit Is In You?

We Have The Mind of Christ

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His love looked for a Noah, butHis holiness brought a flood.

God Is Looking For A Person To Stand For Judea

The POLITICIANS would not stand in the gap

The PROPHETS or PREACHERSwould not stand in the gap

The PRIESTS would not stand in the gap

The PEOPLE would not stand in the gap with God

God Is Looking For The One To Spare The Nation

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The Heart Of God Is To Save

God The Son Was “Sent”

The textual scroll Jesus read was Isaiah 61:1-2a. This text is significant, for it prophesies of the coming Messiah.

The Holy Spirit is not a Power,but a Co-Equal Person of the Trinity.

Some 30 times in the Gospel of John aloneJesus speaks of being sent by God.

It Is The Love Of God and The Holiness of GodThat Compels Him To Reach Out To The Lost World

What is the will of the Godhead? Holiness & Love. God made promises that will be keptbecause of Holiness & Love

God is compelled by His holiness to punish sin. But God is compelled by His goodness & love to offer redemption towhosoever will in mankind.

God Reveals His Holiness In His Law. God Reveals His Love In His Description Of Himself.

“There is nothing that troubles our consciences more than when we think that God is like ourselves”.

The Conversion Of Samaria Was Thousands Of Years In The Loving Mind Of God

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Water Is So Very Important – Water Is Life

Water is life. I think this is why God uses water baptism as a profession of genuine faith in God.

What is very interesting about water baptism is that Jesus came to John to be baptized in water – and Jesus is the sinless Messiah from God.

Baptism Is A Fulfillment Of God’s Will

Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit, and with fire.

The Holy Spirit is a Person, not a force.

Jesus Must Needs Go Through Samaria

Jesus loved idolatrous Samaria, just as He loves idolatrous America. He MUST NEEDS go and share His love with the lost places.

God Is Not A PLACE, But a PERSON

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The Main Objective Of Any Goat Is To Die.

Hell Is Real – And Necessary

To clothe yourself with Jesus means to
not hide your sins from God

To Clothe Yourself With The Lord Jesus Means
To Live Your Life Primarily Loving God

Why was Epaphroditus a messenger for Paul? Because the Apostle is imprisoned by Rome,
and is chained to Roman guards.

Every Trial Is For A Greater Good In The Saint
(God Is In Control)

The Saint is set apart by God as His child – and God continually works in His child and
in the environment that child is in.

The Faith Of The Galilean Sees
Only The Miracle In Jesus

The More You Are Broken, The More
You Need The Grace Of Jesus

When you are broken, you are in the
best place for God to reach you.

Are you watching bubbling water – or looking for Jesus?
Only Jesus can fix broken you.

His love looked for a Noah, but
His holiness brought a flood.

The PROPHETS or PREACHERS
would not stand in the gap

The Holy Spirit is not a Power,
but a Co-Equal Person of the Trinity.

Some 30 times in the Gospel of John alone
Jesus speaks of being sent by God.

It Is The Love Of God and The Holiness of God
That Compels Him To Reach Out To The Lost World

What is the will of the Godhead? Holiness & Love. God made promises that will be kept
because of Holiness & Love

Fifteen times in the Scripture Jesus mentions
that place called “Hell”

Answering “I Don’t Believe A Loving God
Would Cast Anyone Into Hell”

Repent While There Is Time, And Come
To The Light Of Christ