Baptist Distinctives: God Is Our Father

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Southern Baptist Faith and Message (2000) states:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Matthew 11:25-30 Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. 26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. 27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. 28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Baptist Distinctives #3: Jesus Is God Our Brother

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Prophets Were Mediators Between God & Man

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And again in:

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

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

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

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

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The Most Important Thing

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

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

Paul Kept The Main Thing The Main Thing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Was True Of Paul Is True For Us As Well

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

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

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

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

Paul told the Churches he wrote:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Paul Used His Freedom To Reach People For Christ

Being a Jew, Paul said:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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What Does Love Demand?

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

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

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

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

A Little Background

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

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

When the early Church started, Jesus told His followers:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The devil loves that!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Apostle says:

Knowledge puffeth up

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

Scribes
Pharisees
Sadducees
Priests
Politicians

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

… but charity edifieth

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Mature Believer Knows That An Idol Is Nothing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God’s Actions Matter, Our Actions Matter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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What’s Your Power Source, Part 3

Posted on January 9, 2022 by bibleteacherorg

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter four.

Photo by Ismael Paramo on Unsplash

I have a workshop outside my home, one that I love to go and tinker in. I love woodworking. I love taking raw wood, and turning it into attractive and useful things. There’s a pleasure in working with your hands and your mind. Anyway, I have three basic types of tools in my shop.

  • I have tools that require no external power source, things like chisels, hammers, screwdrivers, hand crank drills, hand saws, etc. These tools are ME powered. It takes MY energy to drive them, and they stop working when I myself get tired.
  • I have tools that are battery operated. I love these things, because they have no power cord to get in my way. They run off of lithium batteries, which store a charge for a long time, and are able to deliver a lot of power to my tools. When the battery dies, that is, runs out of charge, it stops quickly. When this happens I have to put in another battery that is charged, or let this battery charge before I can continue my work.
  • I have tools that are power cord operated. Though the cord limits my freedom of movement, the tool will keep on running as long as I have it plugged into the wall AND pay my electric bill.

What does any of this have to do with the Christian way of life? Our God has given us resources to enable us to live in this world, but empowered by His Kingdom. Sometimes we want to live out our lives in our own power. We use our strength, just as I use hand tools in my shop. Sometimes this is effective – but after a while we just run out of energy. The Lord said:

Jeremiah 17:5-6 (ESV) Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.

There are times in our lives when our own strength is enough. But if you habitually live out your life this way, after a while, life will just be miserable. You won’t see the good all around you. You’ll wear yourself out.

Then there are times when we are on battery power. We get charged up. We come to Church, and get a blessing, and move into Monday with a positive outlook. But you can only carry a charge so long. Some only read their Bible or pray on Sundays, charging themselves up. But it won’t last. You have more freedom of movement, but suddenly when life happens you’ll find yourself out of power, dead in the water!

But then, others live their lives plugged into God. This limits your freedom, of course, because you can’t go but so far from God before you pull the plug out. But being plugged in to God – this is what gave the early Christian POWER and the Church POWER.

Staying Plugged In Means Uniting In Prayer

Peter and John preached the Gospel at the 3 pm prayer meeting last week, having the audacity to preach on Solomon’s Porch. Brought before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Ruling Council, we read:

Acts 4:17-20 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straightly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. 18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

The Council said “let us straightly threaten them”. This is the same word in the Greek, apeilē apeileō, which could be translated “threatening, let us threaten them, or menacing, let us menace them. What they are saying is very dark, very stark, very fearful. These men were preaching Christ on Solomon’s Porch, a place in the Temple. The Council tells them to not “speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus”. Peter and John replied without hesitation, saying, “we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard”. We have no choice. We must preach Jesus resurrected from the dead. We must preach salvation through the name of Jesus. The Council let Peter and John go. We read:

Acts 4:23 And being let go, they {Peter and John} went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.

Peter and John went back “to their own company” to other Christians, and shared what they had been told, fearful as it was. The Church is at a crucial cross road. Will they give in to FEAR, and allow the Council to dictate their actions, or will they plug into God.

They plugged into God. Or rather, they stayed plugged into God. They began to pray. This prayer tells us much about the early Church and it’s power.

Acts 4:24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:

Word Study: Please note that they DID NOT start their prayer complaining about their abuse at the hands of the Council. We are told “with one accord” they started praying by recognizing the GREATNESS of God. “Lord, thou art God”. This is the Greek despotēs sy Theos, which means “Master of everything, You are God”. Our God is SOVEREIGN. He is over all things, for He is the Maker of all things. The Bible says that God is …

Ephesians 1:11 … Him Who works all things according to the counsel of His will …

The Jewish Council locked up Peter and John, and held them over night in a jail cell. The Jewish Council “menacing, they menaced them; threatening, they threatened them”. And yet, our God is SOVEREIGN. He is in control of all things. God said through Isaiah:

Isaiah 46:9-10 (ESV) … I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

We pull the plug out of the wall when we begin to think God has lost control. He hasn’t. It is human to sometimes wonder what God is doing. As the Church prayed, they stayed plugged into God by praying the Scripture.

Acts 4:25-26 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? 26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

As they pray they are quoting Psalm 2:1-2 where King David noted that the darkness and the evil always arrays itself “against the Lord, and against his Christ”. The “heathen” will always “rage”. Those who do not know the Lord will always “imagine vain things”. Yet, this does not mean that the darkness is in control. God is in control. God is always in control. Though Peter and John in their prayer did not quote the rest of Psalm 2, I want to quote what is just beyond our text.

Psalm 2:4-6 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

God “laughs” at the futile attempts of man
to thwart His purpose.

God “holds them in derision”. God will triumph! As Peter and John quote Psalm 2 in their prayer, noting that David foresaw (through God) that “the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ”, they say:

Acts 4:27-28 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

They acknowledge it happened exactly as David prophesied. That the rulers, “Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together” in one accord against Jesus. And yet, as they pray this, they acknowledge that this was all according to God’s plan. God allowed the evil to flare and seem to be in charge, that He would be able to perform a greater thing.

The Apostles and the Church stayed plugged into God by rejecting fear, and embracing the sovereignty of God through prayer and united love. If it happened, God caused it or allowed it. God is at the helm,
not Satan!

Continuing their prayer …

Acts 4:29-30 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, 30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

The Church acknowledge the threatening menace against them, but rather than pray it go away, prayed “that with all boldness they may speak thy word”. They asked that God do a supernatural work through them for the glory of Jesus Christ. Did God bless them? Yes!

Acts 4:31-33 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy {Spirit}, and they spake the word of God with boldness. 32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

The evidence of God’s Power was that the Church’s members loved one another, and loved God. They took care of one another, and preached with further power “the resurrection of the Lord Jesus”. The Apostle tells us:

Romans 13:8-10 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Jesus presented the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:36-40) in the Law as, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind”. God is to be preeminent in our love. But He also decreed, “That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34). Because the Church and the Christian stayed plugged in to God, we read “great grace was upon them all”.

Staying Plugged In Requires Your Obedience To God

As the Church grows, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is spread, the Sanhedrin once more is aroused against it. We read:

Acts 5:17-18 Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, 18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.

Had the Apostles and the early Church backed away from the Name of Jesus, and compromised with the Council of the Sanhedrin, all would have died in obscurity. But praise God, the Church did not do this. They stayed plugged into God. They continued to stand up for the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, they got to spend another night in “the common prison”. In Acts 4:3 we see Peter and John “put in hold until the next day”. They are once more put in this temporary Sheriff’s Jail until they are tried by the Council. But things are different this time. We read:

Acts 5:19-20 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, 20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary notes, “There is no prison so dark, so strong, but God can visit his people in it, and, if he pleases, fetch them out. Recoveries from sickness, releases out of trouble, are granted, not that we may enjoy the comforts of life, but that God may be honored with the services of our life.”

The Angel of the Lord is mentioned 58 times in the Bible.

  • The Angel of the Lord went to Hagar when Sarai cast her out. God told Hagar through this Angel to return to Abram and Sarai, and promised to bless Hagar for being obedient (Genesis 16:7-10).
  • The Angel of the Lord stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac (Genesis 22:11), and promised “in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:17-18).
  • The Angel of the Lord “appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush” (Exodus 3:2) and called Moses to be God’s representative to Israel and Egypt.
  • The Angel of the Lord stopped the prophet Balaam from cursing Israel (Numbers 22:32).
  • The Angel of the Lord told Joseph that Mary was carrying the Messiah (Matthew 1:20).
  • And the Angel of the Lord rolled back the stone of Jesus’ tomb (Matthew 28:2), not to let Jesus out, but to let the disciples in to see that “He has risen, just as He said”.

The Angel of the Lord is a Specialized Angel
that speaks for God.

The Psalmist said that “The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear God, and delivers them” (Psalm 34:7). The Angel of the Lord opens the prison doors, and tells the Apostles that God wants them to:“Go”, “stand”, and “speaK”.

The Apostles were to boldly Go back to the scene of their arrest. They were not to hide their light under a bushel, nor be afraid of men. God wants whosoever will to hear that Jesus has defeated death, that Jesus is risen, and promises eternal life to those who receive Christ as Lord and Savior.

The Apostles were to stand, to hold their ground, to “stand by faith” (Romans 11:20). God calls His people to stand up for Him, to “put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11-14). Standing is often not very easy, especially when you stand against the darkness with Jesus. David had to stand before Goliath, the prophet Job had to stand in faith though he lost all things. Jeremiah stood and preached, though none wished to hear. John the Baptist stood against Herod, though it cost him his head. Go and STAND.

God’s people are to speak in the Temple the Word of life. There is only one way to eternal life, and that is through Him Who defeated death, Jesus Christ our Lord. Go “holding forth the Word of life” (Philippians 2:16). Tell others about Jesus. What did they do? Exactly as they were told. This next section is very amusing, if you dwell on it.

Acts 5:21-24 And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned and told, 23 Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. 24 Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.

God’s people went back into the Temple and taught. They didn’t hide. They taught! Early in the morning. While they are teaching, the unbelieving Sanhedrin convenes, and sends soldiers to the prison to retrieve these troublemakers. But they aren’t there! They’re in the Temple teaching about Jesus! Finally someone comes into the judgment hall and tells them:

Acts 5:25-27 Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. 26 Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. 27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,

Peter and the Apostles are brought before the Council once more. The High Priest asks, “Did not we straightly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” (Acts 5:28). Peter and the Apostles respond:

Acts 5:29-33 … We ought to obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

Peter and the Apostles said “We ought to obey God rather than men”. The Church was growing because God’s people were obeying God. The Church was being preserved because they were obeying God. The power of the Church is the “Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him”. As Christians we are to be obedient to God.

Are you? Or are you a fence sitter? Pastor Tim Burt tells us this parable:

Illustration: There was a large group of people gathered. On one side of the group stood Jesus. On the other side stood the fallen Archangel, Lucifer, also known as Satan or the Devil. Jesus was on one side of the fence calling out to people, Satan on the other side calling out to people. One by one, each person making up their own, went over the fence to either Jesus or Satan. A smaller crowd went to Jesus’ side, and about twice as many went to Satan’s side. One man who was called climbed the fence that was there and sat on it. In time, Jesus told His group, “Come now, My children, we must go home!” Jesus and His children went to glory, and with a dark puff Satan and his people blended into the darkness.

The man on the fence sat alone.

In a few moments Satan came back, wrinkled brow, searching for something he misplaced. The man asked, “Have you lost something?” Satan looked straight at him and replied, “Oh, there you are. Come with me.” The man protested. “I sat on the fence. I chose neither you nor him.” Satan said, “That’s true, but I own the fence.”

Matthew 12:30 (ESV)Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.

Make your choice. Choose to obey and follow Jesus, or choose Satan, darkness, and damnation. The choice is entirely up to you. May God the Holy Spirit move you to Jesus through this, God’s Word. Amen and amen.

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Baptist Distinctives 1: All Scripture Is God’s Word

Posted on January 7, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

When our Lord Jesus prepared to go to the Cross and give His life for ours, He prayed about His Church and the Word of God He had given to His Church. Jesus said:

John 17:13-17 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Jesus knew that His Church would be attacked by the lost world, just as He was attacked. Throughout His ministry Jesus focused time and time again on the Word of God. Jesus gave His Church the Word of God. Though the Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees, and Priests stood at odds with Jesus, our Lord repeatedly referred to the Word of God. Jesus often said, “It is written”, and quoted the Old Testament Scriptures as directives from God. Jesus knew that if Satan was going to infiltrate the Church that He was building, Satan would do so through twisting of the Word of God. This is what Satan did in the Garden of Eden when he said to Adam and Eve, “Hath God really said” and “God said you will die, but you will not die!” (Genesis 3:1, 4). Jesus was concerned about His Church. This is why He asked the Father to “Sanctify them (keep the Church out of the world) through Thy truth: Thy WORD is truth (the Bible is true).

Salvation Comes Only By Faith In Christ

I along with others who call themselves Baptists firmly believe that salvation comes only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is a decision that each person must make between themselves and the call of God’s Holy Spirit. Now, how do I know that this statement is true? How do I know that you must believe in Jesus? Perhaps you can believe in another god, or in mother nature, or in father time, or in the stars of the sky as the ancient Babylonians believed. Perhaps there are many ways unto God.

If I hold a loose, flimsy view of the Scripture, then I can weave other methods and means of salvation into my life.

Some who are Christian call themselves Social Justice Warriors, and believe that salvation is to establish a certain social order between the races. Black Pastor and seminary dean Voddie Baucham Jr said “CRT {Critical Race Theory} is at least as foreign to Christianity as Hinduism is”. Social Justice cannot fix what ails this fallen world. The Bible makes it clear that all are fallen sinners in need of salvation (Romans 3:23).

How do I know all have sinned?
Because the Bible says so.
How do I know how to be saved?
By reading the Bible.

The Apostle clearly outlined the simplicity but necessity of salvation when he (as moved by the Holy Spirit) wrote:

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

Salvation is a confession that Jesus is Lord and Savior, and that Jesus has risen from the dead. These are not works, but acts of faith that come from a heart opened by God the Holy Spirit to receive and believe on these truths. This is what we believe as Baptists.

Our starting place for defining salvation
is what the Bible has to say about it

Baptists Are People Of “The Book”

It might surprise you to know that there are 45,000 denominations of Christians globally. Though there are an estimated 2 billion professing Christians in the world today, we have separated ourselves into thousands of denominations.

What about Baptists? Do we all believe the same? No. Even among Baptists there are many different sects or denominations. In America there are – as noted by Baylor University – 19 Baptist denominations. A partial list of these is:

Alliance of Baptists
American Baptist Association
American Baptist Churches USA
Conservative Baptist Association
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
General Association of Regular Baptist Churches
National Association Of Free Will Baptists
Pentecostal Free Will Baptists
Primitive Baptists
Progressive National Baptist Convention
Seventh Day Baptists
Southern Baptist Convention

Of these various groups:

  • Some Baptists are Reformed or call themselves Particular Baptists or Calvinistic Baptists. They believe that God elects or chooses certain souls to salvation, and that only those so elected can possibly be saved.
  • Some Baptists worship only only Saturday, as the Seventh Day Adventists do.
  • Some Baptists consider not only the Lord’s Table and Baptism to be ordinances, but also consider foot washing to be an ordinance (something a Christian is ORDERED to do by Jesus). There are no Baptists who consider these actions to be sacraments, a necessary practice in order to be saved. Baptists universally believe salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone (Solus Christus).
  • Some Baptists adhere to the King James Version of the Scripture as the only true Bible. I believe this is a very narrow view of Scripture, as all Scripture is compiled and translated from ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, Chaldean, and Greek manuscripts. To say that the King James Version is the only version of the Bible is to say that Christians prior to 1611 had no access to God’s Holy Word, which is patently untrue. The Geneva Bible of 1560 was read by Christians prior to the King James. One of the earliest Bible translations into English was the Tyndale Bible (1522-1536). This Bible was also one of the earliest Bibles mass produced because of new advances in the art of printing. I preach from the King James because I choose to do so.

I’ve talked about the differences between Baptists – but what do we have in common. Baptists have a HIGH VIEW of Scripture.

Though we differ in some areas, we as Baptists believe the Scripture to be God breathed, God inspired, and God ordered. In most Baptist Churches the first thing you see on entering the sanctuary is the Bible on the Lord’s Table.

At this Church we are members of the Southern Baptist Convention, and if we are asked what we believe (a statement of faith) we refer to the Baptist Faith and Message. The Baptist Faith and Message is a general overview of what Southern Baptists believe. The very first article of the Baptist Faith and Message is:

“I. The Scriptures: The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.”

This statement is what led me to become a Southern Baptist. I am proud that we bind together with other believing Baptists to support missions throughout the world. I feel blessed that, as Southern Baptists, we believe in the autonomy of the local Church. There are no hierarchies of rulers above us.

We are a body of believer-priests, led by a believer-priest called Pastor, and are directed and ultimately led by the Holy Scripture and the Holy Spirit of God for the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord. It is the Spirit and the Scripture that binds us together. This is what Jesus envisioned.

If you believe God’s Word to be true in all that it affirms, then what you believe effects what you do. For instance, if you believe as Jesus did that “Thy Word, O God, is truth”, then that belief effects everything religious you do.

Your View Of Scripture Effects
Your Walk With And Service To Jesus

For instance, Baptists believe that genuine Baptism is a command (an ordinance) that a Christian must obey of their own free will. Further, Baptists believe that a person must go down into the water, and come up out of the water to be properly baptized. Why do we believe this? Because the Bible says so.

Baptism is a command (an ordinance or an order from Jesus) because the Bible says Jesus said so. We often quote what we commonly call “The Great Commission” where Jesus commanded us:

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:

Jesus commanded baptism of those who believed in Him. It is an ordinance, an order from our Lord. As Baptists we believe that a person is baptized not by sprinkling or pouring, but by immersion in water. Why be so picky? Because the Bible says so. When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist (yes, Jesus was baptized, too), we read:

Mark 1:10-11 .. And straightway coming up out of the water, {Jesus} saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Jesus came “up out of the water“. John did not sprinkle Him, nor pour water on Jesus. The Bible tells us that John the Baptist

John 3:23 … was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

John chose where he baptized carefully, making sure there was “much water there“. If he were baptizing from a cup or a fount, the amount of water would not have mattered. John baptized by immersion.

Word Study: Further, the word “baptize” is transliterated from the Greek βαπτίζω baptízō, {pronounced bap-tid’-zo}, which means “to immerse, to submerge, to make fully wet”. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance notes, “used only in the New Testament of ceremonial {washing}“. Further, the Scripture compares baptism to a symbol of death in:

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:

When the disciple goes down into the water, this is symbolic of their death to their old way of life. When they come up out of the water this is symbolic of their resurrection into new life with Jesus Christ as their Lord. In the early Church baptism was by immersion in water. For instance, when Philip led the Ethiopian Eunuch to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior …

Acts 8:36-39 … the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

Preach: As Baptists, we do not receive new members onto the written roll of the Church until the convert is baptized by immersion. We see baptism as an ordinance. If you will not obey Jesus in this simple ordinance, we do not want you on the roll! However, we do not say that those who are baptized by sprinkling or by pouring are not Christians. Baptism is an ordinance, a command, but not a sacrament.

A sacrament is an action that one must perform in order to be saved. We do not believe baptism to be a sacrament. Why? Because the Scripture says so.

When Jesus was on the Cross dying for our sins, a thief that hung near our Lord believed on Jesus. He said, “Jesus, LORD, remember me when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom“. Jesus told that thief, “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:41-43). The Scripture tells us that Jesus promised this totally unbaptized man that he would be with Him – that very day – in Paradise or Heaven. If Baptism were a SACRAMENT, then Jesus would not have promised this man Paradise with Him.

Jesus never disobeyed the decreetive will of God.

Baptism is clearly NOT a sacrament, a necessary function of salvation. It is, however, an ordinance or a command from Jesus. And Jesus said, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). If you love Jesus, you WILL be baptized or your own volition!

We do not baptize babies. There is no place in scripture where a baby was ever baptized by anyone. Baptism is a decision freely reached by the convert.

The Catholic Church baptizes babies because it considers water baptism a sacrament, or a necessary part of grace

This is probably what prompted that sect to baptize by sprinkling from a fount or chalice. If you force a baby underwater, it is cruel, and leads to choking! One of the major differences between Baptist Churches and Churches of Christ is that the Church of Christ views baptism to be a sacrament, or a necessary part of salvation.

The Church of Christ along with the Catholic Church believe in the doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration

An online commentary I love to visit called “Got Questions” notes:

“The problem with this viewpoint is that there are biblical passages that clearly and explicitly declare faith to be the only requirement for salvation. John 3:16, one of the most well-known verses in the Bible, states, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” In Acts 16:30, the Philippian jailer asks the Apostle Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” If there was ever an opportunity for Paul to present a four-part formula, this was it. Paul’s response was simple: “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). No baptism, no confession, just faith. … There are literally dozens of verses in the New Testament that attribute salvation to faith/belief with no other requirement mentioned in the context. If baptism, or anything else, is necessary for salvation, all of these verses are wrong, and the Bible contains errors and is therefore no longer worthy of our trust.”

A high view of Scripture effects how you live out your faith. Equally, a low view of Scripture effects how you live out your faith.

The Scripture Is And Will Always Be
Politically Incorrect. Period.

The reason why many people abandon the Scripture is because it is not “with the times”. But the Scripture has never been with the times. Returning to Jesus’ prayer for His Church, He said:

John 17:14-17 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

The Bible is very much a PATRIARCHAL Book.

God is our “Father”, not our “Mother”.

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Sin came into the world “by one man”, not by “one woman”.

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

The antidote for sin is belief in a Perfect God/Man named Jesus.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

God has decreed that man lead his family, as Christ leads the Church.

Ephesians 5:22-24 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

The leadership of the local Church is male, not female.

1 Timothy 3:2-5 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

1 Timothy 3:12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

God does not undermine women by making the Bible Patriarchal. On the contrary, God used women in both Testaments to do mighty and wonderful things.

  • God used a virgin called Mary (Luke 1:35) to bring Messiah into the world.
  • One of Jesus’ most faithful followers was Mary Magdalene (Matthew 27:56), who was the first disciple to discover that Jesus rose from the grave.
  • Jesus often rested at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany (John 11:1). Mary was often found sitting at the feet of Jesus as He taught Scripture(Luke 10:42).
  • The Apostle Paul commends Phebe, a servant of the Church which is at Cenchrea (Romans 16:1). In the same chapter Paul tells us that his favorite helpers were Priscilla and Aquila (Romans 16:3), who had a Church meeting in their home.

I could go on and on. God never undermines women, as the Scripture always treats women as precious, and just as much in the image of God as a man is. However, in God’s design, He has established men in leadership positions in the home, the community, and in the Church.

I am certain as I read these words – which are quoted directly from Scripture – there are many who are offended by them. But I can only say, “It is written”. This is what the Bible says. I do not feel the need to make excuses nor debate what God’s Word has said. What He has written, He has written. If you choose otherwise then you believe this Book is just a human book, with no effect on eternity whatsoever. Many sects professing Christ believe this. I have an inherent problem with this. If this book is just a human book, with no effect on eternity, then how can you say that Jesus Christ is the only Way unto God? How can you say that salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone? If part of the Book is flawed, how do we determine the true from the untrue? Who’s to say?

It is all confusion.

For me and my house, we believe in the purity of God’s Word. We believe that it is wholly true, and valid for the believer in God for all ages. Though I and my wife love and accept Christians from all walks of faith regardless of their practice, we hold the Scripture to be true, and the foundation on which all life is to be built on. The Church is defined by the Scripture. I close with these words:

Ephesians 2:18-22 For through {Jesus} we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

May God bless the preaching of His Word, to the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen and Amen.

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What’s Your Power Source, Part 2

Posted on January 3, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Ian Stauffer on Unsplash

This morning we were in Acts Chapter Four asking the question, “What’s Your Power Source?” We will shortly be in Acts Chapter Five as we continue this subject.

I believe the weakness of the Church in America today can be attributed to many programs and many human solutions, but we pay little attention to God the Holy Spirit. We fill ourselves with our own talents and abilities. I was reading an article the other day where the Author said something like this:

“God was invented by man when we lived in simpler times. But now that we have become technologically advanced, now that we have medical science, now that we make our own miracles, we no longer need God. God is obsolete. We are our own God.”

I think this is foolishness – and delusion. As Solomon said, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9, ESV). Solomon was caught up in the accomplishments and abilities of his advanced age. Solomon in his wisdom did much good in Israel. And yet, without God, Solomon said “vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labor which he taketh under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3, KJV). If God is not in it, if you live a life with no greater purpose than to satisfy yourself, in time life itself seems meaningless! Solomon for all of his riches and all of his knowledge, ended Ecclesiastes with:

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

This is why Jesus gave the Church, and every Christian, the Holy Spirit. God wants you to be filled not with fear, nor with pride, but with His Holy Spirit. Please turn with me to John chapter 14. I feel led to talk about the Holy Spirit prior to going to Acts chapter 5. First, let’s examine …

Who Or What Is The Holy Spirit?

Some people think the Holy Spirit is a power, much like electricity or nuclear energy. But the Bible makes it very clear that the Holy Spirit is a PERSON. The Holy Spirit is the THIRD Person of the Trinity of God. In the commonly named Great Commission Jesus told us His Church:

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:

When a believer is baptized in water, we are baptized “in the name” or by the authority of God.

Note that “In The NAME” is SINGULAR, not PLURAL.

Jesus noted that the authority by which we are baptized is “the Father”, “the Son”, and “the Holy Ghost {Pneuma, Spirit}”. All three Persons of the Godhead are given equal authority and deference. As we study the Holy Spirit in the life of Christ, we see that Jesus did the miracles He did through the power of the Holy Spirit. Pastor Mark Jones for Desiring God Ministries notes:

“Christ’s inseparable companion during his earthly ministry as a true man was the Holy Spirit. Therefore, at all of the major events in the life of Christ, the Holy Spirit took a prominent role. The Holy Spirit was the immediate, divine, efficient cause of the incarnation (Matthew 1:18, 20; Luke 1:35). This was a fitting “beginning” for Christ since Isaiah spoke of the Messiah as one endowed with the Spirit (Isaiah 42:1; 61:1). … ”

The Bible tells us that, though Jesus is God in Human Flesh, the miracles He did were through the power of God the Holy Spirit. We read:

Acts 10:38 …. God {the Father} anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy {Spirit} and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

The Holy Spirit is God. God the Father anointed God the Son with God the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself said:

Matthew 12:28 if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Jesus did not use His own divine power to heal or to cast out demons. Jesus used the power of the Holy Spirit. That is, the Holy Spirit, Who is God, indwelt the frame of Christ, and operated through the Messiah.

As Jesus allowed the Spirit to empower Him, He wants us to allow the Spirit to empower us!

When Jesus prepared to go to the Cross of Calvary, He began to introduce the Holy Spirit to His disciples. Jesus told them:

John 14:15-18 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Word Study: Jesus said that if we loved Him and kept His commandments (He is LORD), then He would, in turn, pray to the Father, and the Father would send “another Comforter”. The Holy Spirit is called the “παράκλητος paraklētos, One Who Comes Alongside To Assist You”. Our Lord Jesus often came alongside the suffering and the sinner to assist them, to lift them up, to encourage them, to teach them, and if needed, to rebuke them. The Holy Spirit is “another” Comforter like Jesus was a comforter while on this earth. Just as the Father sent Jesus to this earth to give His life for our sins, the Father sends the Holy Spirit to those who obey Jesus’ commandments. The Comforter, when He comes, will not leave.

Jesus said, “that HE may abide with you for ever”.

As Jesus is a Comforter, the Holy Spirit is a Comforter.
As Jesus is a Person sent by the Father,
the Holy Spirit is a Person sent by the Father.

The Spirit is not an IT but a “HE”. The Holy Spirit is not just called “Comforter”, but also “the Spirit of truth”. It is the Holy Spirit of God Who moved the Prophets to speak and write the Scripture. Peter tells us:

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

Word Study: The King James translators alternated the translation of pneuma {Spirit} with the word “Ghost”. David Crowder has a song out called “I Know A Ghost”. I like David Crowder, but he’s no theologian. The better translation of pneuma is SPIRIT. That’s what I will use throughout the rest of this sermon.

The Holy Spirit is the ultimate Writer of the Scripture.

Jeremiah 31:31-32 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:

But when this text is quoted in the New Testament, we read:

Hebrews 10:15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

And in Isaiah 6:8-9 I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. 9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

But when quoted by Paul in Acts 28:25-26 … Well spake the Holy Ghost by {Isaiah} the prophet unto our fathers, 26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:

When our Lord Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1, He said “David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Mark 12:36). When Peter quoted the Psalms that Prophesied the betrayal of Jesus by Judas (Psalm 41:9; Psalm 55:12-15), Peter said “the Holy {Spirit} by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas” (Acts 1:16).

I could go on and on, for there are numerous references like those I just quoted. But we have seen enough to know it is the Holy Spirit that communicated the Scripture to us through the Prophets. Jesus told His disciples, “ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be IN you”. The Holy Spirit would come to take Jesus’ place. He would walk with the Apostles and all who believe on Jesus. The Spirit would INDWELL the believer, lifting us up, and empowering us just as Jesus did.

The Lord said, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you”. When the Holy Spirit comes to us, He represents Christ Jesus so exactly that it is as if Jesus Himself is inside us. The Spirit represents Jesus, just as Jesus represented the Father.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy {Spirit}, 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.

The Holy Spirit comes to the believer to teach us the things that Jesus Christ said. Jesus said “He shall bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you”. Jesus reiterates this again in:

John 15:26-27 But 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: 27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

The Holy Spirit will “testify” of Jesus, just as the Disciples were to testify of Jesus. The Spirit speaks to us, and we speak to the world. That is the arrangement. We share the Gospel, as the Spirit shares the Christ. While Jesus was on this earth ministering, the Holy Spirit came at times and left at times. But once Jesus left this earth, the Holy Spirit came to indwell God’s people. Jesus said:

John 16:5-8 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. 7 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:

Word Study: The Holy Spirit came to “reprove” (ἐλέγχω elénchō), that is, “to convict, convince, refute, or correct”. The Holy Spirit would work in conjunction with the disciples as they witnessed Christ. The Spirit would only speak truth. Jesus said:

John 16:13-14 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.

The Holy Spirit came to guide the Church into “all truth”. The Spirit is repeatedly referred to by Jesus as a “He”. Not a SHE or an IT, but a “He”.

Do Not Lie To The Spirit Of Truth

The Holy Spirit is a PERSON, not a POWER. The Spirit can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30). The Spirit can be sinned against (Isaiah 63:10). The Spirit can be quenched or suppressed (1 Thessalonians 5:19). You can also lie to the Spirit of God, a very dangerous thing to do. Turn with me to:

Acts 5:1-4 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

So what is happening in Acts chapter 5? Our Lord Jesus has ascended to Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father making intercession for His Church (Romans 8:34). The Holy Spirit was sent to the Church on the Day of Pentecost to indwell the believer in Christ. The Scripture says:

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

As the early Church is gathering, believers are “together, and had all things common; (Acts 2:44) And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need”. No one is making the believers do these things. The Church is loving, and love demands doing good. As people sell things, and bring the sale of the items into the Church, two followers known as Ananias and Sapphira conspire against the Kingdom of God. They could have kept the money for the sale. Or they could have specified they were only donating a part of the land sold. They didn’t do this. Ananias and Sapphira decided to pretend they were giving all the money from the sale when they only gave a part.

And the Holy Spirit knew it. The Spirit alerts Peter to what is going on. Peter says,

Acts 5:3 … Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy {Spirit}, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

You cannot “lie” to an IT. You cannot “lie” to a door, a wall, a rock, or electrical energy. Peter said:

Acts 5:4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

Ananias had free will, and could choose to have honestly withheld the money, withheld part of the money, or could give all of the money. No lie is needed!

But Ananias lied to the Spirit of Truth. Peter put it clearly. He said, “thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God”. The Holy Spirit is God, and Ananias lied to God. Beloved, you ought not ever lie to God. God sees the heart. We look on the OUTWARD, but “the LORD sees not as man sees. The LORD looks on the HEART” (1 Samuel 16:7). We read:

Acts 5:5-6 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. 6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

Nothing breaks up a camp meeting like people dropping dead! Beloved, sin can kill you. In fact, sin will kill you. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Ananias should have known better! When we partake of the Lord’s Table, I always warn you against “eating the bread or drinking the cup unworthily” (1 Corinthians 11:27). To do so can bring sickness and early death. The Corinthians did this, and the Apostle said “for this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep {die}” (1 Corinthians 11:30). It is a dangerous thing to blaspheme God. It can be a fatal thing to blaspheme God the Holy Spirit! We continue:

Acts 5:7-9 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. 8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. 9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

When Sapphira comes in, she doesn’t know that her husband is dead. Peter asks her what the land sold for. When Sapphira parrots her husband, Peter tells her “How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?” Sapphira along with her husband lied to the Holy Spirit of God, the Third Person of the Trinity. She died and was laid to rest alongside of her husband (verse 10). What effect did this have on the growing Church?

Acts 5:11-12 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. 12 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch.

The Church experienced the “fear of the Lord”. That is, they all had respect and reverence for the things of God. When the Holy Spirit is active in the lives of the members of the Church, God is respected and His Word upheld. The blessing of the Church is in every believer being yielded to the Word of God and the Spirit of God. We end with this:

Acts 5:14-16 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.) 15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. 16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

Let us draw closer to God the Holy Spirit and the Word of truth this New Year. Let us do this for the glory of God our Savior. Amen and Amen.

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What’s Your Power Source

Posted on January 2, 2022 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Felipe Bastias on Unsplash

Acts 4:1-8 And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, 2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide. 4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand. 5 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, 6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this? 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost,

A couple of weeks ago we saw the Apostles Peter and John at the Eastern Gate of the Temple, that lovely bronze gate called “Beautiful”. This is the first gate opened when the sun rises, and a main entrance into the Temple. We saw a homeless man begging for money, a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb. Year after year this man suffered, and when he called out to Peter and John, he hoped for just a few cents to help him eat that day.

The unnamed man got more than he bargained for. Peter told the man:

Acts 3:6-8 ….. Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. 7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 And {he who was lame} leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

This was the 9th hour of the day, a time of Jewish prayer about 3 pm.

As people had their prayers interrupted, they left where they were in the Temple to see watch this healed man.

Peter used this time to preach the Gospel of Christ. What happens? As we come to chapter four, we see, as the ball player Yogi Berra used to say: It’s deja vu all over again!

The Lost World Despises The True Jesus

So now we come to chapter four. Peter is preaching the Gospel in Solomon’s Porch (Acts 3:11). This is the exact same porch where Jesus told the Pharisees and Priests that He was the Christ (John 10:23), and the “Jews took up stones again to stone {Jesus}” (John 10:31). They could not kill Jesus, as it was not yet His time to be crucified. “Jesus escaped out of their hand” (John 10:39). But they tried to kill Him.

It is on this same porch – Solomon’s Porch – that Peter and John are confronted by (guess who?) the same curmudgeons that Jesus had to meet. The lost world despises the true Jesus, but desperately needs to Gospel!

Acts 4:1-2 And as they {Peter and John} spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, 2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

As Peter is preaching, he says “God raised up His Son Jesus” (Acts 3:26). The “priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees” are upset with this politically incorrect message.

  • The “priests” are those who were instrumental in having Jesus Christ killed. It was the High Priests Joseph Caiaphas (Matthew 26:57) and his father in law Annas that had Jesus sent to the Governor Pilate to be crucified.
  • The “captain of the temple guard” is a special Levitical Office that assisted the High Priest. The “captain” would control the Temple Police (1 Chronicles 9:11; Nehemiah 11:11). His title was “Ruler of the House of God”.
  • Finally the “Sadducees” were the rich political leaders of Israel. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. “The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.” (Acts 23:8; Mark 12:18). And PETER IS PREACHING A RESURRECTED JESUS! Holy cow!

This unholy trinity of power is enraged that Peter and John are preaching in their Temple. How dare they?

These are the people who got rid of Jesus. They saw the soldier spear Christ’s side, and “blood and water ran out” (John 19:34). They saw Jesus’ dead body removed from the Cross by Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus (John 19:38-39). These same men ordered that a guard be placed at the Tomb of Jesus, lest He be taken away by His disciples (Matthew 27:63-64). Jesus was dead, and He needs to stay buried. So …

Acts 4:3 …they {the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees} laid hands on them {Peter and John}, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.

They lock up these “troublemakers”, and wait to judge them the next day. Dinner is ready, and they didn’t want to miss their meal! But the damage has been done. As Peter and John preached on Solomon’s Porch, we read:

Acts 4:4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

Around “five thousand” believed on Jesus for salvation, and were saved. On the Day of Pentecost Peter preached, and there were 3000 saved. What is going on? The next day we read that Peter and John are removed from prison.

Acts 4:5-7 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, 6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?

Peter and John are “set … in the midst” of “rulers, and elders, and scribes, And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest”. The High Priest “Annas” is the father-in-law of “Caiaphas”. Though Caiaphas is the acting High Priest, Annas is the power behind that office (John 18:13, 24). Peter and John are asked: By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?

What Is The POWER That Drives You?

Word Study: Let’s look at what the Sanhedrin {the ruling council} asked Peter and John. The Dakes Analytical Bible notes, “By what NAME means by what AUTHORITY. The council was convinced that they {Peter and John} had wrought a miracle, but by what means they were not certain. As all traffic with demons and familiar spirits was unlawful they hoped by examination to prove them guilty of death according to Leviticus 20:27”.

They wanted Peter or John to confess to healing the man at the Gate Beautiful through occultism.

How will Peter answer? Peter often put his foot in his mouth when he walked with our Jesus. On the night that our Lord Jesus was crucified, right after the disciples celebrated the first Lord’s Table with Jesus, our Lord said:

Mark 14:27-28 All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 28 But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.

Jesus knew that He would meet the judgment of the Sanhedrin, and the Cross of Calvary alone. But Peter spoke up. Peter was ALWAYS speaking up!

Mark 14:29 But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.

Peter is a faithful follower of Jesus, but he is
full of HIMSELF.

Peter is filled with pride in his own power. Peter is a strong fisherman. He had fought the waves of the sea, and often pulled in nets filled with fish. Peter had two guns – his left arm and his right arm. With his guns he had, I’m sure, beaten others before he met Jesus. “Everyone else will run away. But Jesus, You misjudge me! I’ll be there no matter what!”

Word Study: The Bible warns against PRIDE. I wondered if the word PRIDE had an acronym (an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word) on the internet. It does. In fact, there are some 30 acronyms for PRIDE in the free dictionary. The one I think is most accurate is Personal Responsibility in Delivering Excellence. The motto of the P.R.I.D.E. filled person is “I can do ALL things”. Peter was like that. He was filled with self assurance. He knew he could do all things. Peter believed in HIMSELF.Peter is the picture of the self assured man. The Bible warns us:

Proverbs 11:2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.

Pride brings contention (Proverbs 13:10), problems, destruction.

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and a {arrogant [גֹּבַהּ gôbahh]} spirit before a fall

Jesus told Peter in Mark 14:30, “Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.”

Did Peter listen to Jesus? Did Peter draw closer to God, or to himself? We read:

Mark 14:31 {Peter} spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.

Peter bowed up with pride, and the others followed suit. They were NOT going to betray Jesus. Yet they did. As Peter stood outside the Temple, watching Jesus being tried for blasphemy, Peter was questioned first by a young woman who said, “I saw you with Jesus” (Mark 14:67). Peter denied the Lord. Then a little girl (Mark 14:69) confronted Peter, who said “I don’t know Jesus”. When another said, “Yes, we all saw you with Jesus”, it was at this point “Peter began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this Man of whom ye speak” (Mark 14:71). And the second time the cock crowed. At this point Peter remembered the words Jesus spoke, and wept bitterly (Mark 14:72; Matthew 26:75).

We Choose What Or Who Will Fill Us

You choose the power that will enable you to live your life. Before Jesus died on Calvary, Peter filled himself with Peter. But now Peter allows himself to be filled with Someone else. We read:

Acts 4:8-10 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, 9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; 10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

Word Study: Peter was “filled with the Holy Ghost”. He was not filled with PRIDE, not filled with HIMSELF, not filled with FEAR. He was “filled with the Holy Ghost”. Who is this “Holy Ghost”? This is the Greek hagios pneuma, which the King James sometimes translates “Holy Ghost” and other times “Holy Spirit”. The latter is the best translation. The Holy Spirit of God was promised by Jesus to every believer. When a person believes on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God the Holy Spirit comes to that believer and causes the believer to be “born again”. Jesus told Nicodemus,

John 3:5 … Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God

Jesus said, “that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). The Holy Spirit must effect a change in you in order that you be saved. When the Gospel is preached and believed on, you are born again because the Holy Spirit causes it to be so. The Christian is:

1 Peter 1:23 … born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

It was the Spirit that caused the Messiah (Christ) to become flesh (Jesus). The Angel told Mary, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35). The birth of Christ into humanity was a miracle. The new birth of every Christian is a miracle! When we called on the name of Jesus, we were saved.

Romans 10:9, 11 … if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. … 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

When we profess Jesus to be Lord, our LORD, and believe that “God hath raised him from the dead”, we are saved. The Holy Spirit does a work in our hearts. Oh, I wish I had time to tell you all that Spirit does.

The Spirit REGENERATES you,
making you spiritually alive (John 3:3-8).
The Spirit SANCTIFIES you,
making you a saint of God (1 Peter 1:2).
The Spirit ADOPTS you,
making you a son of God (Romans 8:9-16).
The Spirit SEALS you,
fixing your destination heavenward (2 Cor 1:21-22).
The Spirit BAPTIZES you,
uniting you with the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:13).
The Spirit INDWELLS you,
making you God’s possession (2 Tim 1:13-14).

Oh what a glorious salvation we have! But there is one other thing the Spirit does. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. We are baptized in the NAME of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). The Holy Spirit can FILL us. This is what is going on with Peter right now.

Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy {Spirit}…

Peter is not filled with FEAR, not filled with HIMSELF, but he is FILLED with God. His focus is GOD. His desire is GOD. He is surrendered to God. This is the Christian superpower! Not in us, but through God’s Spirit. When Zerubbabel led a group of Israelis back to Israel to rebuild Jerusalem, God told him:

Zechariah 4:6 (ESV) …Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.

Peter and John are standing before this crowd who wanted them dead, and are standing in the power of Almighty God the Holy Spirit. Though there are Sadducees in that bunch, Peter unafraid says:

Acts 4:9-10 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; 10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

Peter said, “The power that healed this man was not the occult. It was the “name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole”. It is because of Jesus we are saved. It is because of His Blood shed on Calvary that we are empowered and inhabited by God the Holy Spirit. It is Jesus – the Jesus Who died and ROSE AGAIN – Who caused this man to be made whole.

Acts 4:11-12 This {same Jesus} is the Stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Peter is actually quoting both Psalms and Isaiah, two prophecies concerning the coming of the Christ {Messiah}. These prophesies are:

Psalm 118:22-23 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

Isaiah 28:16 … thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’

The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Priests are the “builders” of Judaism. Yet they rejected Jesus Christ, God’s Cornerstone and God’s Foundation. Each trusted in their own abilities.

  • The Pharisees and Priests trusted in their ability to keep the Law of God, believing this would save them. The Law is good, and right. But the problem is that we are all fallen humans – even the Pharisees. The Apostle said:

Romans 8:3-4 … what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Without the Spirit of God, we could not be born again. Without the Spirit of God, we could not honor God’s Law. We are all fallen, and all need the Savior. The Bible says:

Hebrews 10:4, 11-12 … it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. … 11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But {Jesus}, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

  • The Sadducees trusted in their popularity and political power to be right with God. Yet they were just as polluted as every other human on the face of this earth is polluted. We must have the power of God change us, or else we have no foundation with God. We must receive Jesus Christ as He is. As Peter boldly said to these “builders”:

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

The NAME or AUTHORITY that brought about the crippled man’s healing was JESUS. The NAME or AUTHORITY that brings about our own salvation from sin and selfish sickness is JESUS. We all desperately need God. When we call on Jesus, God the Holy Spirit comes to us, and fulfills the promise of God:

Hebrews 10:16-24 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. 19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Oh, what a blessing it is to be the miracle that is a Christian. Will you join me, or continue to live your life in your own power? Though 5000 came to Jesus through a Spirit Filled Peter’s preaching, what did these “holy men” of Israel do? They had a little pow wow. We read:

Acts 4:13-18 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. 14 And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16 Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. 17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straightly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. 18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

This is the devil’s way. This is where “cancel culture” comes from, Satan himself. “Don’t say the name of Jesus anymore, you ignorant people!” But Peter replied:

Acts 4:19-21 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. 21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.

What will you do with this information? Will you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, and allow God to create a miracle in you? Or will you follow the dead crowd to a miserable life, and a damned afterlife? The choice is yours. You choose Who will fill you. You choose by which Power you will live your life. May God the Holy Spirit through this Word draw you close to His side this very day. Amen and Amen.

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How Dare You?

Posted on December 31, 2021 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

1 Corinthians 6:1-8 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? 2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. 5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? 6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. 7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? 8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

The Believer’s PORTION Is God

Corinth was – like America today – a litigious society. People sue one another today at the drop of a hat. There is nothing new under the sun!

But as Paul addresses the Church, he wants us to understand that our mission is to lead others to know Jesus Christ as Savior. The Church is to be the Light of Christ in a dark world. As Jesus said:

Matthew 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

We are supposed to allow the light of Christ’s love shine from us, out into the darkness of Pagan America. The Church has a responsibility in the place where Christ has planted us. “For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9). We are placed where we are placed for a Divine Reason. We are to “your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”. The goal of the Church is to win souls from the kingdom of Darkness, and to bring souls to Jesus so that He can:

Colossians 1:13 … deliver {them} from the power of darkness, and translate {them} into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (my paraphrase)

Earthly things should not cause God’s people to sue one another in law courts. The Bible tells us as Christians that we are loved of Jesus, and washed from our sins by His own Blood (Revelation 1:5). Jesus did this so that He could

Revelation 1:6 {make} us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

We are Christ’s Royal Family. Our destination is glory. Our eternity is life. We belong to God. We are not, as believers, to fight over temporal things, but to remember our Great Commission. We are a soul saving lighthouse! Among Israel, eleven tribes were given land. But the Tribe of Levi was given no land. Why? Because God is our portion. Not the things of this world, but GOD. King David understood this. He wrote numerous times:

Psalm 73:6 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Psalm 142:5 I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.

And Jeremiah, that soulful Prophet, wrote:

Lamentations 3:24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

Preach: The believer who begins to put possessions over his or her PRIESTHOOD has forgotten their purpose in life. Our purpose is not to hold on to as much STUFF as possible. Our purpose is to hold onto as much GOD as possible.

Dare Any Of You?

1 Corinthians 6:1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

Word Study: The Apostle is not talking about taking an unbeliever to court, but taking a fellow believer to court. Ironside wrote in his commentary (page 178):

“… [believers quarreling with one another in the world’s law courts] is saying to the world, ‘We Christians are just as covetous and just as quarrelsome, we are just as much concerned about having our own way and about self-pleasing as you of the world are. We recognize your judges as having authority over the Church of God,’ and it is degrading to the Christian thus to act.”

The word translated “another” is the Greek ἕτερος héteros, {pronounced het’-er-os}, which here means “your neighbor”. He is addressing disputes within the Church. This is brought home in verse 6:

1 Corinthians 6:6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.

And again brought out in verse 8:

1 Corinthians 6:8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

These are fellow believers that are suing one another in a godless, pagan courtroom. Jesus commanded us as believers to love one another. He said:

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

The love we are to have toward one another is love as Jesus loved. That type of love is self sacrificing as opposed to self exalting. The love that Christ wants us to love does not demean another, but builds up the other. When believers love believers as Christ loved us, this type of love brings great JOY. Jesus said:

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

As Jesus emptied Himself and walked through this life in humble adoration toward God, we who are His are commanded to do the same. Christians will one day judge both the world, and the fallen angels:

1 Corinthians 6:2-3 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

If during the Millennial Reign of Christ we who are “saints shall judge the world”, then we should be able to settle minor disputes in the family of God right now. The Dakes Annotated Bible notes:

“judge” {is the Greek} krino, which means to judge or make a legal decision. It does not refer to passing judgment on angels or sending them to punishment. It does mean that Saints will be exalted higher than angels and will rule them, making decisions for the administration of the universe. Saints, not angels, become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ to inherit all things.”

Romans 8:17-18 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Revelation 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

If Saints are to judge angels, and assist Jesus in judging the world, we should be able to judge legal matters between fellow believers. We are “Saints” not because we are perfect, but because we have believed on Jesus and are now saved. As “Saints” we are set apart from the world to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

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

Rather than air the dirty linen of the Church in public, the Apostle says:

1 Corinthians 6:7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?

Christians Are To Dispense Blessing, Not Cursing

Word Study: The Apostle now asks two questions of every Christian: “Why do ye not rather take wrong?” and “why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?”. The phrase “take wrong” is the Greek ἀδικέω adikéō, {pronounced ad-ee-keh’-o}, which means “to absorb the hurt”. The word translated “defrauded” is the Greek ἀποστερέω aposteréō, {pronounced ap-os-ter-eh’-o}, which means “to allow yourself to suffer damages”. Rather than always standing up for ourselves and demanding “my rights”, the needs of the Kingdom outweigh our own needs.

The needs of the Kingdom outweigh
our own personal needs.

This is not a new teaching in the Scripture, but a foundational truth that we often ignore. We are told in:

Romans 12:14-21 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. 17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

1 Thessalonians 5:15 (ESV) See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

And the Chief Apostle wrote:

1 Peter 3:8-12 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: 11 Let him {turn from} evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

The sense of Scripture is that the Christian is to be focused on loving those around us. Let God be the judge. Do good, even when evil is done to you. Solomon said:

Proverbs 20:22 (ESV) Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.

And our Lord Jesus plainly taught:

Matthew 5:38-48 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

This is an evil, litigious world … but as Christians we do not need to join the fray. Let us love others as Christ has loved us. Do good, and let God be the Judge.

Our Focus Is Always To Lead Others
From Darkness And Into Light

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators {sexually immoral}, nor idolaters, nor adulterers {violating the sanctity of marriage}, nor effeminate {malakós, young boys kept for homosexual relationships}, nor abusers of themselves with mankind {arsenokoitēs, one who lies with a malle as with a female, a Sodomite}, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous {pleonektēs, those greedy of gain}, nor drunkards, nor revilers {loidoros, those who are abusive or bullying}, nor extortioners {harpax, robbers, ravenous wolves. See Matthew 7:15}, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Those who are going to Heaven are those who have been “washed”, “sanctified”, and “justified”. Those who are engaged in evil lifestyle choices shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

Each of these lifestyle choices have one thing in common: they violate Biblical Love and Divine Design.

God says that those who are engaged in these things MUST undergo the Triune Blessing of salvation. Those around us need to be introduced to Jesus, so that Jesus can lead them to Living Water.

  • Those who receive Jesus as Lord and Savior are WASHED. Jesus Christ has WASHED us from our sins in HIS OWN BLOOD (Revelation 1:5). We have WASHED our robes and made them white in the BLOOD OF THE LAMB (Revelation 7:14).
  • Those who have received Jesus as Lord and Savior are SANCTIFIED, set apart as God’s own children. We are SANCTIFIED in Jesus Christ, called to be SAINTS (1 Corinthians 1:2). We have an inheritance among them which are SANCTIFIED by faith (Acts 26:18; Acts 20:32).
  • Those who have received Jesus as Lord and Savior are JUSTIFIED by God. We are JUSTIFIED freely by His Grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24). God no longer sees the believer in Christ as a sinner, but as a son of God. JUSTIFIED by Christ’s Blood, we are saved from wrath by Him (Romans 5:9). Being JUSTIFIED by His Grace, we are made heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:7).

Our focus is not our rights, but the needs of the sinner, and the commands of our Savior. We are His people. We live to bring others the glorious Gospel of salvation so that they, too, might be saved. May God the Holy Spirit touch your hearts with His Word this day. Amen and Amen.

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Purge Out The Leaven

Posted on December 26, 2021 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Wesual Click on Unsplash

1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The fallen world often frightens me.

I was reading an article in Touchstone magazine (“A Journal of Mere Christianity”) that noted:

“In February of last year, The Dallas Observer reported that the Satanic Temple of Texas had filed a First Amendment religious liberty lawsuit to defend its right to perform child sacrifices as religious ritual. The reason this otherwise shocking news may not have crossed your transom is that the Satanists only perform this ritual during abortion procedures. … once the doctor has killed the child, the mother affirms her deed by saying, ‘By my body, my blood. By my will, it is done.’” The author of the briefing, J. Douglas Johnson (Deputy Editor of Touchstone) went on to note, “… like the demons who knew exactly who Jesus was when they saw him and said so, the Satanists know a child sacrifice when they see one”.

Sadly, though the demons and their followers often know right from wrong, Christ’s Church sometimes blurs the lines of truth and fallacy. No where is this more evident than in the matter of human sexuality. When God created man and woman, He gave us not only His command to “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over {it}…” (Genesis 1:28), but God gave us an appetite to love our opposite. God said:

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

Biblical marriage – one man married to one woman for one lifetime – was the standard that God established in the beginning of human history. When people depart from God’s design we have numerous problems, such as:

Unwanted children who are aborted
Sexually transmitted diseases
Confused children and families
Gender dysphoria
Abnormal {as God determines “normal”} sexual desires

Jesus Christ Is Our Passover

1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us…

The Apostle tells the Christian to “Purge out therefore the old leaven”. What does this mean? The night before Israel was saved from Egypt, they sacrificed a “Passover Lamb” (Exodus 12:11). Where ever God “passed over”, if He saw the blood of the Lamb on the doorposts of the home, God would keep on going. But where the Blood was NOT, death came. The Blood of the Lamb brought salvation to Israel.

Jesus Christ is our Passover Lamb. His Blood was shed to save us from our sins. The Christian is a person who has been led by God outside of a spiritual Egypt, outside of this world of darkness. Jesus Christ fixed us!

When Jesus came to this earth, He came to fix the broken. As “Christ”, our Lord is equal to both Father and Spirit. Christ is the Eternal “Word” of God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and THE WORD WAS GOD. The Same was in the beginning with God. ALL THINGS WERE MADE BY HIM; and without Him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:1-3). As “Jesus”, our Lord was supernaturally born of a Virgin into the humanity He helped create. The Prophet said:

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. {which means “God with us”, Matthew 1:23)

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

The “child is born”. This is Jesus. The “son is given”. This is Christ. God the Son could never be born, for He is eternal, without beginning or end. But Jesus the Son of Man was born. Jesus is the …

John 1:29 …. Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world

Jesus did not come to us to ENHANCE sin,
but to DEMOLISH sin.

Jesus was born “a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). He was not born to enable sin, but to disable sin and it’s power over us. When you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior you come from a state where you were enslaved to sin, and enter a state where you want to serve God. The Apostle wrote:

Romans 6:17-19 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. 19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

Romans 6:14 … sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Though the Christian has the ability to sin, the Spirit of God indwells the believer in Christ. “If anyone have not the Spirit of Christ, HE IS NONE OF HIS”. When we who are saved sin, the Spirit of God within us becomes “grieved” (Ephesians 4:30, Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption). The Spirit moves within us, “guiding us into ALL TRUTH” (John 16:13). Not into error, but into truth. As we who are Christians live out our lives we “walk in the Spirit”. Not in SIN, but IN THE SPIRIT.

Galatians 5:16, 25 … Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. … 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Christians Are To Purge Out The Old Leaven

When Israel celebrated the yearly Passover (commemorating their deliverance from Egypt), part of that Passover was to go about the home looking for Leaven (yeast – see Exodus 12:15; 13:6-7). All yeast or leaven was to be gathered up and cast outside of the home. Often the little children went about the home with a feather, checking every corner, nook, and cranny for leaven. Leaven is symbolic for sin in the Bible. The site Got Questions notes:

“… leaven represents sin or corruption. The law forbade grain offerings made with leaven (Leviticus 2:11). In fact, no yeast was allowed to be burned on the altar in any sacrifice. The grain offering for Aaron and his sons (the priests) was also not to contain leaven and was to be eaten in a holy place (Leviticus 6:17). … Leaven is also mentioned in the New Testament. In Matthew 16:6–12, Jesus compared the false teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees and Herodians to leaven. ”

God tells His Children to “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened (vs 7)”. When we recognize sin in our lives we are to address that sin IMMEDIATELY. We have to use the feather of Grace to sweep out that evil. We are not to tolerate evil in our lives, nor in our gatherings … lest the death angel come.

In short, a sinning Christ is Abnormal, not normal. A sinning Christian will be under the conviction of God the Holy Spirit. A sinning Christian who will not repent may meet the death angel.

Sin must not be in our bodies. Sin must not be in our homes. Sin must not be in our Church gatherings. Sin is any behavior or attitude that our God considers unholy and unlike Christ. When Paul told the Corinthians,

1 Corinthians 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

It is “Christ” Who saved us by dying for us. But it is WE who are saved who are to keep our bodies, our families, and our gatherings “unleavened”. We as believers are “a new lump”. We do not belong to this world, but to the Kingdom of Christ. Jesus said:

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

The Apostle said in 1 John 1:6, “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth…”

As Christians we do not walk in darkness. We do not live out our lives in Egypt. We follow a risen Savior, and live so as to please Him. The Corinthians forgot this. Paul writes:

1 Corinthians 5:1-2 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. 2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

There was a young man who professed to be a believer in the congregation at Corinth. This young man was involved in “fornication”, the Greek πορνεία porneía, [pronounced por-ni’-ah]. Whenever a person violates the sanctity of the marriage sexually by unlawfully coming into that marriage sexually, this is called “adultery”, the Greek μοιχεύω moicheúō, [pronounced moy-khyoo’-o]. The Apostle did not use this word for what the young man did. Though what he did was adultery, his action was much more horrendous. This is why the Apostle uses porneía, a word often used to describe “adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals, or sexual intercourse with close relatives”. The young man in question was having sexual intercourse with his father’s wife, or his stepmother. In God’s Word we are told:

Leviticus 18:8 The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness.

Leviticus 20:11 And the man that lieth with his father’s wife hath uncovered his father’s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Those who were sexually engaged with “his father’s wife” were stoned with stones until they were dead in the Old Testament. To those who say that – once saved you can do whatever you want, the Scripture says “NOT SO”. Though Christians are not to physically stone a member of the Family of God until dead, the Apostle tells us to do something else. We are to “mourn” over the one who does such a thing. We “mourn” because a terrible crime against God was committed in our midst. We “mourn” because leaven has entered the congregation of light. And leaven, when introduced, will grow until it “leavens the whole lump”. The Apostle tells the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 5:3-5 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

We do not stone the offender, but we “deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus”. We reject that type of behavior from amongst the flock. The word “deliver” is the Greek παραδίδωμι paradídōmi, [pronounced par-ad-id’-o-mee], which means “to surrender or yield up, to give into the hands of another (here, to Satan)”. What does this mean? It means that as believers we spiritually hand the offender over to Satan, so that he might destroy them.

We stop fellowshipping with that professor.
We stop regarding that professor to be a brother or sister in Christ.

This is not an action that is taken lightly. If a brother or sister in Christ does evil, we are to try and convince them to repent and return to the Master. We are told in another place:

Galatians 6:1-2 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

We are to lovingly and carefully share the Scripture truth with the wandering believer. The Scripture says:

James 5:19-20 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

We are to do our best to reach the wayward believer. But if they will not hear, they are to be turned over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus (vs 5). The Apostle himself turned two other men over to Satan.

1 Timothy 1:18-20 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; 19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: 20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Beloved, there is safety in the Church of Christ. There is safety in this Blood Bought assembly. For those who do evil, and refuse to repent, we are to let them go, to turn them over to Satan. Why Satan? Because we are told that Satan has the power of Death (Hebrews 2:14).

We Do Not Keep Company With Certain Fornicators

Jesus was often seen sitting among the sinners. The Pharisees charged Jesus with being “a friend of publicans and sinners” (Matthew 11:19). Jesus sat with sinners, all types of sinners, to lead them to salvation. But once a person is saved, their attitude toward sin changes. A good illustration is in the life of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a tax collector, one of the richest tax collectors of his day. When he heard Jesus was coming past his home, Zacchaeus got up in a tree and waited. The Bible says:

Luke 19:5-7 … when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

Zacchaeus responded to the Gospel call of Jesus. He “came down, and received {Jesus} joyfully”. Receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior, Zacchaeus:

Luke 19:8-9 … stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

Zacchaeus’ behavior toward sin changed. All that he had stolen, he was going to return. He is no longer lost, but found. No longer blind, but now he sees.

It is fine to reach out to and share the Gospel with an unsaved sinner. Jesus did this all the time. But we are not to condone a SAVED person doing evil. We are to spot it, highlight it, and if the person will not repent, refuse to fellowship with them until they repent.

We see this in:

1 Corinthians 5:9-11 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

If someone who is “called a brother”, but continues in sexual sin, is “covetous” (pleonéktēs, constantly wanting more stuff, rabidly eager for gain), or an “idolater” (worships false gods), or a “railer” (loídoros, reviles or mocks), or a “drunkard”, or an “extortioner” (hárpax, one who illegally takes something not their own, or forces one to give something not their own). If someone professes to be a brother or sister in Christ, and yet continues in this lifestyle choice, then we are not to enable them further. We are to tell them to repent, and have no casual relationship with them. The Apostle said, “with such an one no not to eat”.

But and if they repent we are to receive them. But until they repent, the Apostle said “Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” This seems harsh, but it is not. Those who will do such things will lower the holiness of the whole Church if embraced in their sin.

Let us live for Jesus while we are here. We are to be God’s lighthouse. May Jesus Christ, through His Spirit and this His Word, reach many hearts through this text. Amen and amen.

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