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The Nature of Christ

Posted on October 19, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Galatians 5:16-18 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Have You Received The Nature Of Christ?

When the early Church began to grow, and Peter along with the other Apostles went out with the glorious Gospel of Christ, the Church reached out to the Jews, but spent little reaching to the Gentiles. All preaching was on Solomon’s Porch in Jerusalem. All of the Gospel was shared where it was comfortable. We all have that problem within us. We like to stay with the familiar.

It is true that on the Day of Pentecost that God gave Peter and the Apostles the ability to speak in other languages so as to share the Gospel. But the Bible tells us that these people that heard the Gospel on Pentecost were jews:

Acts 2:5 (ESV) Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem JEWS, DEVOUT MEN FROM EVERY NATION under heaven.

These were Jews, not Gentiles. These were Jews who had been living in other countries so long that they had adopted the language of those countries. God gave the 120 from the upper room the ability to share the Gospel in the language these Jews were speaking:

Acts 2:6-8 (ESV) And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that WE HEAR, EACH OF US IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE?

The Holy Spirit empowered the 120 to preach the Gospel. The barriers that God erected at the Tower of Babel were removed – temporarily – so the Gospel could go forth. But listen – the Gospel was being preached to the Jews, not the Gentiles. The languages that they were preaching the Gospel in was the language of “Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, Cretans and Arabians” (Acts 2:9-11). Could Gentiles have been hearing the Gospel? Certainly, but the target was the Jews. Though Phillip did witness to the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:27-39), the target audience of the Gospel was the Jews, not the Gentiles.

Then God sent Peter to Cornelius, a Centurion of the Italian Cohort. Cornelius was a man saved by Grace. Though a Gentile, he feared God, gave generously, and prayed continually to God (Acts 10:2). God sent Peter to Cornelius. Peter said,

Acts 10:28 (ESV) And {Peter} said to {Cornelius, and those Gentiles with him}, You yourselves know how UNLAWFUL IT IS FOR A JEW TO ASSOCIATE WITH OR TO VISIT ANYONE OF ANOTHER NATION, but GOD HAS SHOWN ME that I should not call any person common or unclean.

Peter and the Jewish Church did not reach out to the Gentiles, because the Pharisees had so twisted the Law of God that he had been taught that it was UNLAWFUL to reach out to the Gentiles.

It was never UNLAWFUL to reach out to the Gentiles. God told Israel:

Isaiah 60:3 (NKJV) The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.

Yet Israel had allowed religion to twist the Law. They were NOT the Light of the World. But God corrected this. He sent Peter to Cornelius, and Peter shared the Gospel of salvation with Cornelius and his household:

Acts 10:34-36 (ESV) So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that GOD SHOWS NO PARTIALITY, 35 but in EVERY NATION anyone who FEARS HIM and DOES WHAT IS RIGHT IS ACCEPTABLE TO HIM. 36 As for the Word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all).

Peter shared the Whole Gospel with Cornelius and his household, that Jesus Christ is the Messiah sent from God. The Bible says that as Peter ended with his presentation,

Acts 10:44-47 (ESV) While Peter was still saying these things, THE HOLY SPIRIT FELL ON ALL WHO HEARD THE WORD. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS POURED OUT even on the Gentiles. 46 For THEY WERE HEARING THEM SPEAK IN TONGUES AND EXTOL GOD. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT just as we have?

On the Day of Pentecost, the 120 were enabled by God to speak the Gospel and glorify God in other earth languages. In order to teach Peter, the Lord enabled the Gentiles to speak probably Aramaic or Hebrew, languages that Peter and the other Jews would understand. It was not gibberish, because they were “SPEAKING IN TONGUES AND EXTOLLING OR GLORIFYING GOD”. It was evident that the Holy Spirit did this. He was present, and had imparted the same God given ability to the Gentiles in the home of Cornelius that He gave to the 120 on the Day of Pentecost. The Bible tells us that:

“The Holy Spirit fell on them”
“The gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on them”
“They received the Holy Spirit”

Beloved, the Holy Spirit MUST come to you, and MUST work in your life if you are indeed saved. I’m not talking about the Gift of Tongues. When the Holy Spirit comes to you,

You are INDWELT of the Spirit (John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
You are BORN AGAIN of the Spirit (John 3:3-7)
You are SEALED of the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13)
You are ASSISTED IN PRAYER by the Spirit (Jude 20)
You are EMPOWERED by the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)
You are GIFTED by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4)
You become the WORKMANSHIP of the Spirit (Ephesians 2:10)

Being the WORKMANSHIP of the Spirit means to WALK in the Spirit. A non-believer cannot walk in the Spirit.

I was talking to a fellow today who stopped by my office, and told me how he went to a Church that relied heavily on symbology – lighting of candles, etc. This fellow was impressed by all the pageantry that he saw. Many “churches” practice smoke and mirrors, chants and incantation, worship of leaders (Popes, Cardinals, etc), but this is not walking in the Spirit. Other “churches” practice “speaking in tongues”, something not tied to the proclamation of the Gospel nor earthly languages. That is not walking in the Spirit.

To walk in the Spirit is the normal way of life for the born again believer. Walking in the Spirit is the fulfillment of what God promised Israel as the New Covenant. God told His people:

Ezekiel 11:19-21 (NKJV) Then I will give them one heart, and I WILL PUT A NEW SPIRIT WITHIN THEM, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and GIVE THEM A HEART OF FLESH, 20 that they may WALK IN MY STATUTES, AND KEEP MY JUDGMENTS, AND DO THEM; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. 21 But [as for those] whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord GOD.

And again,

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NKJV) I WILL GIVE YOU A NEW HEART, AND PUT A NEW SPIRIT WITHIN YOU; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and GIVE YOU A HEART OF FLESH. 27 I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU, AND CAUSE YOU TO WALK IN MY STATUTES, and you will keep My judgments and do [them].

God called this “the NEW COVENANT” (Jeremiah 31:31-34). It is Jesus Christ Who brought us the New Covenant. At the Lord’s Table Jesus took the Cup and said:

Matthew 26:28 (NKJV) For this is MY BLOOD OF THE NEW COVENANT, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Mark 14:24 (NKJV) And He said to them, This is MY BLOOD OF THE NEW COVENANT, which is shed for many.

Those who are born again are:

2 Corinthians 3:6 (NKJV) who also made us sufficient as MINISTERS OF THE NEW COVENANT, NOT OF THE LETTER BUT OF THE SPIRIT; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

We share the Gospel of Christ, the fact that Christ suffered and died for all. We share what Jesus shared, “REPENT, for the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is at hand!” (Matthew 4:17). Jesus preached:

Mark 1:15 (NKJV) … The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL.

Faith in Jesus Christ leads us out of Egypt, and into the Christian way of life.

If You Have Not Walked OUT Of Egypt,
You Cannot Walk IN The Spirit

Galatians 5:16-17 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

To “Walk in the Spirit” has nothing to do with
speaking in tongues.

It has to do with WHO you are walking with. The world walks in darkness. The world walks in the flesh. The world walks with a heart of stone to God, satisfying itself. It walks with an eye to satisfying SELF without regard to God. The Bible says:

Proverbs 4:19 (NKJV) THE WAY OF THE WICKED IS LIKE DARKNESS; They do not know what makes them stumble.

The lost think their way is right. They “LEAVE THE PATHS OF UPRIGHTNESS to WALK IN THE WAYS OF DARKNESS” (Proverbs 2:13). When Jesus came into the world, how did He come? Herod sought to kill Him, and killed many babies in Bethlehem. The Pharisees plotted to kill Him. The Chief Priests and religious crowd hated Him. Why? Jesus said:

John 3:19-21 (ESV) … Light has come into the world, and PEOPLE LOVED THE DARKNESS rather than the light because THEIR WORKS WERE EVIL. 20 For EVERYONE WHO DOES WICKED THINGS HATES THE LIGHT and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But WHOEVER DOES WHAT IS TRUE comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.

Illustrate: Those who are Christ’s have received the nature of Christ. I’ve seen junk yards, and in those junk yards people have cast off all manner of things to be recycled. In junkyards they have these large electromagnets that pass over scraps. If it is metal like iron or steel, the magnet will draw it up, and that which is unsuitable will fall to the earth. That which has the same nature as the magnet will RISE UP and be SEPARATE. This is a picture of the believer in Christ. The believer in Christ is well acquainted with the Holy Spirit. The believer is INDWELT, BORN AGAIN, SEALED, ASSISTED IN PRAYER, EMPOWERED and GIFTED by the Spirit. The believer is the WORKMANSHIP of the Spirit. God passes over the believer’s life each day. Though we may stumble, though we may fail at times, falling under the flesh, the Holy Spirit like a magnet will draw us back to God.

I know, because I’ve fallen many times. Yet even when fallen, the Spirit like a magnet draws me back toward God.

Galatians 5:16 This I say then, WALK IN THE SPIRIT, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

When you are BORN AGAIN, your nature changes. You are not as you were. This is the intent of what Jesus did on the Cross.

Romans 8:1-9 (ESV) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the Law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the Law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

When you come to Christ repenting and receiving Him, the Holy Spirit sets you free from the Law of Moses, and Indwells you. Now the Law of God is written in your hearts. The Christ follower does not live according to the flesh, according to what WE want, but according to the Holy Spirit of God. The Bible tells us that “THOSE WHO ARE IN THE FLESH CANNOT PLEASE GOD”. But we who believe are not in the flesh. We are “IN THE SPIRIT, IF IN FACT THE SPIRIT OF GOD DWELLS IN YOU”. If the Spirit of God does not indwell you, then you are NOT SAVED.

The Bible is clear, though. We are under the Law of God, or we are under the Spirit of God. The word “LAW” appears 498 times in the Scripture. The LAW of Moses cannot make us right with God. That was not the Law’s intent. The Bible says:

Romans 3:28 (ESV) For we hold that ONE IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH APART FROM WORKS OF THE LAW.

The animal sacrifices, the Levitical Priesthood, the Holy of Holies in the Temple could not justify you, make you right with God. The sacrifices had to be done over and over and over again because they were but shadows, temporary, until Christ came. “WE UPHOLD THE LAW” (Romans 3:31) as Christ followers, not following the letter, but the Spirit of God. Because salvation is a supernatural event, the saved die to their old man, and are given the nature of Christ. Paul wrote:

Romans 7:4-6 (ESV) Likewise, my brothers, YOU ALSO HAVE DIED TO THE LAW THROUGH THE BODY OF CHRIST, so that you may belong to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may BEAR FRUIT FOR GOD. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now WE ARE RELEASED FROM THE LAW, having died to that which held us captive, so that WE SERVE IN THE NEW WAY OF THE SPIRIT and not in the old way of the written code.

God changes us when we are saved. God the Holy Spirit effects us, moves us, works in us. We are in partnership with the Holy Spirit for the glory of God. So, IS THE LAW GONE?

Galatians 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

If you are saved by Grace, God has sent
His Spirit to live in your heart.

Galatians 4:6 (ESV) And because you are sons, GOD HAS SENT THE SPIRIT OF HIS SON INTO OUR HEARTS, crying, “Abba! Father!”

We know Whose we are. We belong to the family of God, and the Holy Spirit works in our hearts. Though we still have sinful desires and selfishness, the Holy Spirit guides us to love the Father and love others. While we are walking selflessly, in the Spirit, we are not under the Law. But if we become lawless, the Bible says:

1 Timothy 1:9-11 (NKJV) knowing this: that THE LAW IS NOT MADE FOR A RIGHTEOUS PERSON, BUT FOR THE LAWLESS and insubordinate, for [the] ungodly and for sinners, for [the] unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.

If you claim to be a “Christian Homosexual” or a “Christian” who lives in sexual sin, then the Law is still for you. You live by the Spirit, or you live by the Law.

The Law is not eradicated by any means. It is the Law – written by God Himself – that will be read out before the Great White Throne. The Cross of Calvary did not apply whiteout to the Old Testament Law. On the contrary. Every person on planet earth is EITHER UNDER THE LAW – OR UNDER THE SPIRIT.

If that which leads you through this life is the “WORKS OF THE FLESH”, then the Bible is very clear “YOU WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD”. Let’s look at that Scripture:

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the WORKS OF THE FLESH ARE MANIFEST {phaneros, easily recognized}, which are these; Adultery {violation of one man one woman marriage}, fornication {porneia, illicit sexual intercourse}, uncleanness {akatharsia, vile sexuality, Romans 1:24}, lasciviousness {aselgeia, wanton behavior}, 20 Idolatry {eidōlolatria}, witchcraft {pharmakeia, drug use, sorcery}, hatred {echthra, hostility}, variance {eris, contentiousness, trouble making}, emulations {zēlos, envy, covetousness}, wrath {thymos}, strife {eritheia, power seeking}, seditions {dichostasia, little clique or factions}, heresies {hairesis, those who follow their own doctrine}, 21 Envyings {phthonos}, murders {phonos, to slaughter}, drunkenness {methē}, revellings {kōmos, rioting}, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that THEY WHICH DO SUCH THINGS SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

It is very clear that those who desire to follow the “WORKS OF THE FLESH” are not believers in Christ, and have not been born again of the Spirit. Believers may fall into these things, and desire these things. But if you are indwelt of the Spirit, you cannot comfortably stay in the works of the flesh. Pastor John MacArthur said:

“The only legitimate evidence of real salvation is a transformed life. That’s it. That’s the only evidence. If it’s not there, then there’s no salvation. … You would expect an unregenerate, unredeemed, unbelieving sinner to behave that way … and that’s because it’s consistent with his nature. But if you have a new nature, if you have been begotten by the Spirit of God, you are a new creation. … that is manifestly evidenced because of your new creation. Transformation is the only test of true salvation. It’s not perfect. I sometimes say it’s not perfection, but it is direction. It’s the way your life goes toward obedience. … that’s what Jesus said in John 8. Whoever continues in My Word is My true disciple, the real thing.”

The Christian is not perfect, and will, at times, fall into the flesh. But we will not stay there. I had to break down the works of the flesh into their composite Greek words – a very tedious and hard chore. Why? Because the works of the flesh are all SELF driven, SELF focused, SELF exalting. There are very many works of the flesh. But compare this with the works of the Spirit:

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Those words practically define themselves. They are outside of selfishness. They are outside of pettiness. These words are seen in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. In short, if you are saved, you will have the nature of Christ. Not the world, but Christ.

We end with:

Galatians 5:24-26 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Salvation begins with self denial, a willing crucifixion of the flesh with its affections and lusts. We daily deny ourselves, pick up the Cross, and follow our Lord. One day we will follow Him into glory. I can hardly wait. I sure hope I see you all there. And I will, if you are saved by Grace, born again of the Spirit – if you have the nature of Christ.

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Christ Is Our Peace

Posted on October 19, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Ingmar on Unsplash

Ephesians 2:14-15 For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace …

God Calls ALL The Broken And Hopeless By Grace

When God called Israel to be His people, He called them by Grace. It was by Grace Adam was given Paradise, and by Grace Adam was not destroyed when he disobeyed the Lord. It was by Grace Noah and his family was spared, and by Grace the world was destroyed by flood but mankind continued on. It was by Grace Abraham was called to follow God, and by Grace Isaac was born, though Abraham sinned with Hagar. It was by Grace Jacob, the younger son, was given the blessing of God, and by Grace Jacob became Israel. It was by Grace God established Israel in Egypt, and by Grace Israel was led out of Egypt. It was by Grace God gave Israel the Promised Land. When you go through the Bible you will see Grace upon Grace. We previously read in Ephesians:

Ephesians 1:7 (KJV) In Whom {Jesus} we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Ephesians 2:7 (KJV) That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

The problem with people is that we are fickle creatures. Israel was fickle, we are fickle.

When I say that word (and the Holy Spirit brought it to my mind), it is an adjective that means,

“Characterized by erratic changeableness or instability, especially with regard to affections or attachments; impulsive, unpredictable; not fixed or firm, unstable, not firm in opinion or purpose; of a changeable mind.”

God gave Grace upon Grace upon Grace to Israel. Why did God do this? Because God made a promise to Abraham:

Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV) … Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

God promised (and God is not fickle) to make a GREAT NATION (Israel) out of nothing, for Abraham had no children. But God also promised (and God is not fickle) that He would “BLESS ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH”. Not just what would one day become Israel, but EVERYONE. The Bible says that Israel was supposed to be the Light of the world when Jesus came through her. The Prophet wrote:

Isaiah 60:1-3 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

When Christ came He would be “a LIGHT for revelation TO THE GENTILES and for GLORY to ISRAEL” (Luke 2:32). When Israel kept wandering away from God, God kept bringing them back. It was like herding cats! But God chose Israel. It was through Israel God was going to bring the Messiah! Let me be honest right now.

Israel repeated turned from God to false gods.
From following Christ, to trying to be Christ.
And yet God did not destroy her.

God did not give up on Israel. The prophets nearly gave up on Israel, but God did not! When Isaiah despaired because the people would not listen, When Isaiah cried out to God, saying,

Isaiah 49:4 (ESV) … I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense with my God.

God told Isaiah,

Isaiah 49:6-7 (ESV) … It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. 7 Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.

God does not give up! What He has planned will always come forth. When Jesus came into the world, He came to save whosoever will believe in Him. Why? Because

1 Timothy 1:15 …. Christ Jesus came into the world to save SINNERS

Jesus is an Israelite, but He came to save the world. Not just Jews, but ALL NATIONS. He came as a fulfillment of the promise God made to Abraham, “In you shall ALL THE NATIONS be blessed”. The Bible says that Jesus Christ came …

Romans 1:16 (ESV) … to the Jew first and ALSO to the Greek.

Not just to the Jews – but to the Gentiles as well. When Christ came to this world through Israel, Gentiles were segregated from the Jews. Unbelief and fickleness crept into the Israel that God saved by Grace, and Israel was no longer the “light to lighten the Gentiles”. The Gentiles were shunned by the Jews, for the Gentiles were not circumcised.

Ephesians 2:11-12 (KJV) Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world

There was a sad time in our nation’s history when there were “Whites Only” laundromats, “Whites Only” drinking fountains, “Whites Only” restaurants, “Whites Only” schools and businesses. Those who were black were expected to ride in the back of the bus if they rode at all. Imagine how you would feel as a black person in this atmosphere.

This is what the Jews did to the Gentiles.
Not for water, or clothing, or eating, or transportation.
They were told GOD DON’T WANT YOU!

The Gentiles were identified as “Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision”. We were not worthy to go and make sacrifices to God in the Temple. We were not worthy – according to the Pharisees – for us to approach God through a priest. The Outer Court was called the Court of the Gentiles, but even the Jews had taken over this “Blacks only” place. Imagine this.

Listen To This: You walk toward the Temple and into the “Court of the Gentiles”. It’s the only place you are allowed to go because you are the “UNCIRCUMCISION”. There are signs all over the place. “Gentiles NOT WELCOME beyond this point”. You are unworthy, so Israel said. So you approach that Court that you are allowed to go into, and what do you find? People selling sacrifices, making money off of Jews who have come to the Temple to make offerings and atonement to God. Do you understand what the Gentiles saw?

The Jews were selling sacrifices in YOUR space, sacrifices that YOU could not even make to God. YOU WERE TRASH!

Paul was, at one time, one of the Pharisees that did not offer the Gentiles even a glimpse of God. As the Apostle writes these words, he knows how far the Gentiles were from salvation. He says, “at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel”. Since you were not circumcised, were not a Jew, God was not for you. God gave grace to Israel, but there was no Grace for you.

Man’s religion equated circumcision with worth, and race with worthiness to be saved. Since you were neither Jew nor circumcised by a Jewish priest, God did not want you.

Paul goes on to say, that you were “strangers from the covenants of promise”. Not because God didn’t promise this in Abraham, but because unbelieving circumcised people parading as religious experts said God had nothing to do with you! God didn’t say this. We read earlier that God told Abraham, “In You shall ALL THE NATIONS BE BLESSED”. God came for everybody. God saved a useless nation called Israel, and made it useful. God wanted to use Israel to being His Son into the world, and so save all the world. But the PHARISEES – on my Lord, those people are still around today, even in this Church – the PHARISEES discounted the Gentiles as unworthy of salvation, and rejected from the promises of Grace. The Gentiles, “having no hope, and without God in the world”.

Then Jesus came into the world.

Jesus walked into the Court of the Gentiles, where the Jews had hijacked it to sell sacrifices to all BUT THE GENTILES. What did Jesus do? At the beginning of His ministry, we read:

John 2:14-16 (NKJV) {Jesus} found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”

Jesus called the Court of the Gentiles “My Father’s house”. The Gentiles mattered. Every person matters. YOU matter to God. At the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, just before He went to the Cross, we read that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, as multitudes praised God for Him. Jesus got off that donkey, and we read:

Matthew 21:12-13 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’

The first time Jesus chased the money changers and sellers out of the Court of the Gentiles, He said they were making God’s House a “House of Profit”. But the second time He did so, He said they had made God’s House into a “Den of Thieves”. It’s supposed to be a House of Prayer, a place where ANYONE can come to God.

God Is Calling You

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

Word Study: See the word “SOMETIMES”. This is no pun – SOMETIMES the King James translates a word not quite correctly. This is the Greek pote (pro. pot-eh’), which means “in time past”. The Apostle has been telling us that there was a time before Jesus when we who are Gentiles “WERE FAR OFF” (makran, a long way away). Israel who was supposed to be “a LIGHT FOR THE NATIONS” (Isaiah 42:6-7) turned from her job. Rather than reach out to Gentiles, she developed religious ways to shun the people that God promised to Abraham.

“BUT NOW IN CHRIST JESUS”. The Church of Christ, His Bride, does not shun anyone. We carry His wonderful Gospel to the world. What is that Gospel. “are made nigh {near to God} by the blood of Christ”. It is the BLOOD of Jesus Christ that saves us from our sins. When the Gentiles went toward the Temple, they could not go past the Court of the Gentiles by reason of death. The Gentiles had no access to God, no Atonement, no Grace. But because of Jesus,

Hebrews 10:19-25 (NKJV) Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and [having] a 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 confession of [our] hope without wavering, for He who promised [is] faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as [is] the manner of some, but exhorting [one another], and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Whereas before, under the Old Covenant, we could not bring sacrifices to the High Priest at the entrance of the Holy of Holies, NOW we can enter INTO THE HEAVENLY HOLY OF HOLIES, into the very Presence of God. The High Priest Who represents us is Christ, and it is HIS BLOOD that is the Atonement, the covering for our sins.

We were far off, but if we believe in Him, in Jesus Christ, we are set apart, we are SANCTIFIED by the Blood of the Lamb (Hebrews 13:12). When you call out to God in your brokenness, when you cry out to Him Who “loved you, and gave Himself up for you” (Ephesians 5:2), God the Father sends His Holy Holy Spirit to quicken you, to cause you to be born again into the family of God. Whereas there was a barrier of sin between you and God, through the Blood of Christ we are brought near to God.

We are brought into His family!

Ephesians 2:14-15 For He {Jesus} is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in His flesh the ENMITY, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

Word Study: The word translated “ENMITY” is the Greek echthra, which means “hatred between enemies”. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins “IN HIS FLESH”. The Law of God is good in that it is diagnostic, it shows that we are all at heart sinners. The Law was weaponized by the Pharisees, twisted by the Sadducees, and ignored by the Herodians. But God gave the Law as a Teacher, as we have previously studied:

Galatians 3:24-25 (KJV) Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

The Jews and the Gentiles were divided, separated by the Law. But now, IN CHRIST, He takes away the divisions. If a person receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, then there is no caste distinction. The Bible says:

Galatians 3:28 (KJV) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:11 (KJV) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond [nor] free: but Christ [is] all, and in all.

There are no second class citizens in the Kingdom of God. There are no lesser thans. Those who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, Who have believed that His Blood paid it all, they are brothers and sisters in Christ, and priests before God.

When John the Revelator was caused to look into Heaven, He saw the Saints of God, the believers in Christ gathered around His Throne. The Bible says:

Revelation 5:9-10 (NKJV) {the Saints} sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll {O Jesus}, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

There is only one way to come to God, to have peace with God, and that is through the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ died on that Cross for whosoever will. His Blood is the unifier. He brings us to God. He defeats racism, and brings us together. He reminds us that all are broken, and all need His Cross. The Christian, given the nature of Christ by the Holy Spirit, loves his fellow believer, and respects his fellow man as the creation of God. Jesus is the RECONCILER. We read:

Ephesians 2:16-18 And that He might reconcile both {Jews and Gentiles} unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For through him we both {Jews and Gentiles} have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Oh Beloved, do you have peace with God? Oh Loved ones, are you victims or victors? Are you enjoying the Presence of God daily – or are you still far off? Dear friends, we are reconciled to God by the Blood of the Lamb. We are at peace with God because of Jesus. God has not given up on you, not yet. If you are far off from God, it is not because of Jesus. He calls you today. Will you come? In a moment we’ll be singing our invitation, a song about the Blood of Jesus. Don’t just sing it. LISTEN TO IT. As Jerry comes forward, listen:

1. Jesus, keep me near the Cross,
There a precious Fountain,
Free to all, a healing stream,
Flows from Calvary’s mountain.
In the cross, In the cross,
Be my glory ever.
Till my ransomed soul shall find,
Rest beyond the river.

4. Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me,
Help me walk from day to day,
With its shadow o’er me.
In the cross, In the cross,
Be my glory ever.
Till my ransomed soul shall find,
Rest beyond the river.

May God touch your hearts. Amen.

Posted in Ephesians | Tagged Blood, Blood of Christ, Brokenness, Calvary, Christ our High Priest, Following Christ, God Is Faithful, High Priest, love God, priests, salvation, We Are Broken | Leave a comment

The Rapture

Posted on October 17, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by PJH on Unsplash

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

On October 10, 2025 there was an explosion at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant in Hickman County, Tennessee. Sixteen people died in that catastrophic explosion. The explosion was so powerful it registered as an 1.6 magnitude earthquake with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) – it was felt as far away as 155 miles. The sixteen people are presumed dead, and no bodies are recovered at this time. The question is,

What of those who were believers in Christ (assuming there were) among the sixteen? Are they with Jesus now, or do they somehow wait on the earth for the resurrection?

This past Sunday in Sunday School we studied and discussed the verses we opened with. Well, not all of the verses. It caused a problem in some of the Sunday School Classes, so I wanted to quickly address this tonight. One of my problems with Lifeway Studies is that it often leaves out significant Scripture in the Sunday School Lessons. The lesson did explain that verses 16-18 were about the Rapture of the Church. And they are. But the confusion I have heard from our members is, “I thought that Christians, when they pass from this life, immediately go to Heaven. So why do these verses seem to teach that Jesus is resurrecting people who are sleeping on the earth? The answer is simple. The Lifeway material DID NOT SHOW VERSES 13-15, which give us CONTEXT.

Omitted From The Sunday School Material

1 Thessalonians 4:13-15 (KJV) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

So let’s break it down tonight, because proper understanding of where you go when you leave this life is necessary to a proper understanding as to what happened to those 16 poor souls in Hickman County. It also explains what happens to those believers in Christ:

Who died (and die) at sea, and were eaten by fish;
Who died in nuclear blasts (like Hiroshima or Nagasaki);
Who died (and die) in house fires, and cannot be found;
Who died (and die) in forests, and were eaten by animals

I could go on and on, but I don’t want to be morbid. What happens when we die – and WHY IS THE CONTEXT OF SCRIPTURE SO VERY IMPORTANT?

Why Did God Direct Paul To Write
This Section Of Scripture?

The devil will do everything he can to stall or disrupt the function of the Church of Christ. If he cannot get someone to reject the Gospel, he will push confusion into the membership of the Church. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 14:33 (KJV) For God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

When confusion is evident, God is not in it. It is the devil who tries to throw a wrench into God’s Work. In the case of the Church at Thessalonica, people were told that “The Day of the Lord” was passed, and that those who died before Jesus came would miss His coming. Christians began to fret and worry that their loved ones would miss out on the glory of Jesus’ coming. So let’s read the Scripture in context. The Apostle writes:

1 Thessalonians 4:13 (KJV) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, CONCERNING THEM THAT ARE ASLEEP, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

Who is Paul talking about “THEM THAT ARE ASLEEP”? When a believer in Christ dies, the Bible says “they fall asleep”. For instance, when Stephen was stoned to death for preaching Christ, the Bible says:

Acts 7:59-60 (ESV) as they {the Pharisees} were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, RECEIVE MY SPIRIT.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, HE FELL ASLEEP.

Two things happened in this text. Stephen cried out “LORD JESUS, RECEIVE MY SPIRIT”. His soul went to be with Jesus. But then “HE FELL ASLEEP”. His body “slept”. When you see a person in a casket, it appears as if they “sleep”. Their body does “sleep”. Sleep is a temporary state. The body sleeps, but the soul is elsewhere. When Jesus’ friend Lazarus died, our Lord said:

John 11:11 (ESV) Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I GO TO AWAKEN HIM.

Lazarus was “dead”, passed from this life. But Jesus was going to awaken him, just as He did with Jairus’ daughter in Luke 8:52.

Sleep is a metaphor for the physical death of the body.

The Prophet Daniel wrote:

Daniel 12:2 (ESV) And many of those who SLEEP IN THE DUST OF THE EARTH shall awake, SOME TO EVERLASTING LIFE, and SOME TO SHAME AND EVERLASTING CONTEMPT.

When you die, your earthly body “sleeps” in the dust of the earth. The wicked will be resurrected one day and cast into a lake of fire. The righteous, however, will be re-created, and given glorified bodies. This is what we call “The Rapture”.

What about the Soul?

The Soul does not sleep, only the body. The Bible says:

Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Upon death, the soul leaves the body and returns to God Who made it. If you are a Christ follower, your soul returns to where Jesus presently is – PRAISE HIM! The Apostle wrote in:

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (NKJV) So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be ABSENT FROM THE BODY AND TO BE PRESENT WITH THE LORD.

Though God is everywhere, and God hears our prayers (for He has said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” – Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5; Matthew 28:20; John 14:18; Psalm 94:14), we are not literally in Heave with Him until we leave this life. When we leave this body, our souls go to be with Jesus. What did Jesus tell the repentant thief next to Him on the Cross?

Luke 23:43 (ESV) Truly, I say to you, TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE.

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep are ALWAYS TOGETHER, in life or in death.

Your body sleeps in the dust of the earth – but your SOUL goes to be with Jesus. There are some who believe that, upon death, you are in unconscious sleep until the resurrection. Our Lord Jesus didn’t believe this. In the story He told of The Rich Man and Lazarus, Jesus said:

Luke 16:22-23 (NKJV) {Lazarus died} was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And BEING IN TORMENTS in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

When the Rich Man died, he was “IN TORMENTS”, awake and suffering in hell. But Jesus said that “Lazarus was COMFORTED” (Luke 16:25). Both Lazarus and the Rich man were AWARE of where they were. They were not sleeping, that is, their souls were awake. Their BODIES were sleeping in the dust of the earth.

Our souls do not sleep after passing from this life. At the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah stood talking with Jesus (Matthew 17:3). What were they talking with Jesus about? The Bible says:

Luke 9:31 (ESV) {Moses and Elijah} appeared in glory and SPOKE OF HIS DEPARTURE {the crucifixion}, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

When the Apostle John was allowed to look into Heaven, what did he see? The Bible says:

Revelation 6:9-10 (KJV) I saw under the altar THE SOULS of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

SOULS – not bodies but SOULS – are gathered around the Throne of God. They are crying out for vengeance on those who martyred them. God gives them rest, and encourages them that judgment is coming!

The Rapture Is The Uniting Of The Believer’s Soul
With A Glorified Body

Jesus told Martha:

John 11:25 (NKJV) I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, HE SHALL LIVE. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me SHALL NEVER DIE.

The body dies – it sleeps in the dust of the earth. But the soul goes to be with Jesus. This is why CONTEXT matters, Lifeway!

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (KJV) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning THEM WHICH ARE ASLEEP, {those whose bodies sleep in the dust of the earth} that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which SLEEP in Jesus WILL GOD BRING WITH HIM.

When Jesus returns to Rapture His Church, those which “SLEEP IN JESUS”, that is, those whose bodies sleep in the earth, “WILL GOD BRING WITH HIM”. Those who departed this life prior to the Rapture, we are told, Jesus will bring them with Him. The Bridgeway Bible Commentary notes:

“Among the Thessalonians, some were worried that those in their church who had died would not share in the return of Christ and the final triumph of his kingdom. Paul assures them that they will share in his return just as they share in his death and resurrection. (13-14). Believers who have died, far from being at a disadvantage, will be raised to life first. Believers still alive will join them, and together they will meet Christ and be with him for ever (15-17). Christian faith should give people hope and encouragement. They should see death not as a tragic end but as a glorious entrance into something new (18; cf. v. 13b).”

In the previous chapter Paul wrote:

1 Thessalonians 3:13 (NKJV) so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

When He comes, He comes “with ALL HIS SAINTS”. When Jesus returns with the Saints who have departed this earth:

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and THE DEAD IN CHRIST SHALL RISE FIRST:

This is a reference to the making of the glorified body. The body of the saint will be recreated from the dust of the earth. Those who were destroyed physically, who were eaten by animals, who were burned up in fire or cremated, whose bodies cannot be found, God doesn’t care. What is impossible for man is possible with God. God will, at Rapture, give those believers whose souls have been in Heaven their glorified bodies first. We are told:

THE DEAD IN CHRIST SHALL RISE FIRST

Rise from where? The grave? The sea? The woods? The dust of the ground? It doesn’t say, nor should we care. The point is, our God is faithful! What He has promised, He will do.

When God made Adam, He made him from the dust of the earth. He will make our bodies PERFECT from the dust of the earth.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS, TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR: and so shall WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD.

The Good Shepherd shall have all His sheep. We will be reunited forever with Him in glory. Following the Rapture, there will be a Great Tribulation. And that is a lesson for another day.

1 Thessalonians 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Let’s pray!

Posted in 1 Thessalonians | Tagged Bible, christianity, death, Death Defeated, Following Christ, God, Good Shepherd, Great Tribulation, Jesus, Rapture, salvation, Second Coming, Tribulation | 1 Comment

The State Of The Saint

Posted on October 13, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

Ephesians 2:1-6 And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Nicolas Roske, who attempted to assassinate U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh in June 2022, was recently sentenced. The Justice Department sought a 30 year sentence, but Judge Deborah Boardman imposed an 8 year sentence. When asked about this, Senator John Kennedy (R-La) stated: “The sentence is way too little. He will be out in six years, and will be a danger to society.”

The Senator went on to say:

“I don’t know why people are like that. If I make it to heaven, I’m going to ask, but there’s some people that hurt other people, and they take other people’s stuff and, to protect everybody else, you’ve got to isolate them.”

I like Senator Kennedy. He seems down to earth, and speaks with common sense. Some of the things he’s said are very incisive:

“Power does not change you; it unmasks you.”

“If you believe that tax policy has nothing to do with the economy, then you’re pretty much like a rock, only dumber.”

“We don’t need more gun control laws. We need more idiot control.”

There’s two things I want to say about Kennedy’s statement on the Roske Sentencing. He spoke about the evil in the world, saying “I don’t know why people are like that. If I make it to heaven, I’m going to ask”. You don’t have to wait for Heaven to ask. The Bible tells you why people are that way. We’re going to see it today in our focal text. It will be very clear. But I also want to say this. Senator Kennedy said,

“IF I MAKE IT TO HEAVEN”

I think Senator Kennedy is a great guy. But his words expose a fallacy that people think is Biblical, but it isn’t. “IF I make it to Heaven”.

The devil has convinced people that they can work their way to Heaven. This is a common thought in the world today. I see it among Church members. I see it among preachers. We cannot work our way to Heaven. The reason bad people do bad things is tied to our inability to save ourselves.

The Apostle wrote in 1 John 5:13-15 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

The Christian KNOWS that he has eternal life. The Christian KNOWS that God is his Father, and God HEARS our prayers, as long as those prayers do not violate the character of God. We must pray “according to his will”. Then John goes on to say:

1 John 5:18-19 (ESV) We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him {self from sin}, and the evil one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

There are two states of being in this world. There are those who are “sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26, NKJV). These people – commonly called “Christians” but Biblically called “Saints” or “Disciples of Christ”, are people whom God has saved. Those who are NOT saved by faith are “in the power of the evil one”.

There are the SAVED, born again of the Spirit, changed by God the Holy Spirit. They are QUICKENED. Then there are the LOST, those who are without Christ. They are SPIRITUALLY DEAD, unattached to God.

Let’s look at our text.

All Are Dead Apart From God’s Intervention

Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Sometimes Bible translators add text that is not in the original language of the Scripture to aid in the reading of the text. That’s what’s happening in this verse. The words hath he quickenedare not found in verse 1 – and are not necessary to the truth taught. The text reads:

And you WHO WERE DEAD in trespasses and sins

When Adam disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:6) the Bible says:

Genesis 3:7 (ESV) … the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked

Before Adam sinned, his eyes were opened to God and God’s love. But after Adam sinned, his eyes were focused on the flesh, on his flesh, not on the Spirit of God. Adam immediately started walking apart from God. Adam did what HE thought was “good”. Adam “sewed fig leaves together and made themselves clothing”. When Adam heard God coming, “he hid himself from God” (Genesis 3:8). Whereas Adam loved God, now he wanted to be apart from God. When God called out Adam’s sin, Adam blamed others for his sin, rather than repent (Genesis 3:12). This pattern was repeated in Eve. By his actions, Adam brought spiritual death into the world.

The Bible teaches that when man fell from God that every part of man – his mind, his will, his emotions, his flesh – was corrupted by sin. As babies we are born into this world PHYSICALLY alive, but SPIRITUALLY dead.

Word Study: Those without God like to think that they can earn their way to Heaven by their works. But the Bible says we are born into this world “DEAD in trespasses and sins”. The word “TRESPASSES” (Greek paraptōma) literally means “to fall short of a goal or a target”. When Adam sinned, he thought he could make it better by building a suit of clothes out of fig leaves. But that didn’t please God. People today think, “Well, if I do this, or do that, it will please God”. But the person WITHOUT God cannot please God by his works. The Bible says:

Isaiah 64:6 (ESV) We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Apart from the power of God, even our “good deeds” are like “POLLUTED GARMENTS”, or as the King James says, “FILTHY RAGS”. Our Lord Jesus said:

Matthew 7:17-18 (KJV) every GOOD tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

We are born into this world sinners. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Psalm 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

People are born separated from God. The only exception is in the case of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is God incarnate, and so was born without sin (Hebrews 4:15; 9:28). But for everyone else that is not Jesus, we are born spiritually dead, addicted to the flesh. People love darkness. It’s in their very nature. Jesus said,

John 3:19 (ESV) … the Light has come into the world {this is Jesus}, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

People love the darkness. People love their sins. People are born into this world enslaved to their sins. Jesus said:

John 8:34 (ESV) … Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

So why do people do the evil, Senator Kennedy? Because they are born into this world spiritually dead. Before God intervenes and saves a person, the Bible says:

Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Born apart from God, we “walk according to the COURSE {Greek aiōn, the Age, Period, or Time} OF THIS WORLD”. Until God intervenes, we are all born into THIS PRESENT EARTH, in this TIME, walking apart from God. No one is naturally “good”. Now, not everyone is as bad as they can be. But no one, unless God intervenes, wants to walk with God. We “walk” or live our lives as unbelievers “according to the prince of the power of the air”. This is one of the titles of Satan. He is a “PRINCE” because he has authority (1 John 5:19, the whole world is in the power of the wicked one). Satan has power over “THE CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE”. He entices, he fans the flames of rebellion against God and His Christ. Satan told Jesus that “I own the world, all the kingdoms and their glory” (Matthew 4:8-9). Jesus didn’t correct the devil, but said that only God is to be worshiped (Matthew 4:10).

The whole world lies in the power of the wicked one. But Jesus is greater than Satan!

Before a person meets Jesus, before God causes a change in a person, the Scripture says:

Ephesians 2:3 Among whom also we all had our CONVERSATION {anastrephō} in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Word Study: Without God’s intervention, we are all bound to sin. The word “CONVERSATION” is the Greek anastrephō, which means “the place we live, our home”. The lost person makes themselves at home with “desires of the flesh and of the mind”. We are our own gods, for we have rejected God and His Son Jesus Christ. Because of this, the Bible defines the lost person as “by nature the children of wrath”. People have the concept that God loves everyone as they are. Not true. God loves you as His creation. But God placed all His love for you in Jesus Christ His Son. Listen to me:

God Cannot Love You Apart From His Son

Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith He loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

God shows His love for us, His mercy, His great Kindness by offering us a way out of spiritual death. That Way is Christ, faith in the Lord Jesus! God raises us from a state of spiritual death when we receive Jesus as the Christ, our Lord and Savior. I heard a preacher make this statement:

“There is no place in the New Testament where God says we are to REPENT OF OUR SINS.”

That’s a profound statement – and it is true. God calls us to repent. But it doesn’t mean to be sorry for our sins. The word “REPENT” is the Greek metanoeō, which means “to change the mind”. Here’s the thing. IF we are DEAD IN SINS, blinded to our sin, and are born into this world DEAD IN TRESPASSES AND SINS, then how are we to REPENT and feel sorry for our sins? Repent means to LOOK GODWARD, and give your life to Him. It means to look upward and say,

“Lord, I’m broken. My way of life isn’t working. I give myself to You. I will follow You. I am no longer my own god. You and You alone are my God! I love You, Jesus!”

Word Study: God opens our eyes at the point of salvation, and gives us a choice to either accept or reject Jesus Christ as Lord. If we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, God responds to this and “quickens us together with Christ”. The word translated “QUICKENS” is the Greek syzōopoieō which means “to make ALIVE TOGETHER WITH”. This word is found twice in the Scripture. Here, and in:

Colossians 2:13 (KJV) And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together [syzōopoieō] with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

At the point of salvation, you are removed from the Kingdom of Satan and are moved into the Kingdom of God.

Colossians 1:13-14 (NASB) {God the Father} rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

When you REPENT and STOP BEING YOUR OWN GOD, when you CALL ON JESUS for salvation, falling in love with Him, God makes you alive TOGETHER with CHRIST. Before you were without God, and were your own gods. NOW you follow Jesus, you love Jesus. You are bound to Jesus. As Jesus lives, you live. As Jesus is alive forever, you are alive forever. As Jesus is the Son of God, you are sons and daughters of God. Your destiny is with Jesus. This is not by your works, but “BY GRACE YE ARE SAVED”.

Your first birth brought you to spiritual death. Now, born again Saint, you are spiritually alive. You do not belong to the domain darkness and sin – but to the Kingdom of God’s Beloved Son.

Ephesians 2:6-7 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

GOD raised us up. We are SAINTS, not sinners. We are His DISCIPLES, not the devil’s. We are, right at this moment, “MADE to SIT TOGETHER IN HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS”. We didn’t get there by our power, but by God’s power. We are quickened TOGETHER WITH CHRIST.

At the Pastor’s Conference, one Pastor asked the question “What is repentance?” I said that I believe repentance is acknowledging our helplessness, and relying on the riches of God’s Grace. You see, when we sin, we have three HUMAN options:

1. We can minimize the sin, and try through our own ‘good works’ to cover up our sin, or

2. We can blame someone else for our sin, or

3. We can hide from God, ignoring Him

Repentance is to do none of these things. It is to cast yourself on the riches of God’s Grace, for that is the only way you can be right with God. Repentance is to look upward, and with humility say “You, God, are God. I am not. I am a broken thing. But I want to be Yours. I ask You, in the Name of Jesus, to change me, to change my state, to change my kingdom. I rest on what Jesus Christ did for me at Calvary. I believe in You, O Lord. Not in me, but in You!”

What is my part in salvation, and what is God’s part? The best answer for this is seen in the earthly ministry of Christ. When Jesus said “stretch out your hand” the man with the withered hand did as Jesus said. He obeyed Jesus! When Jesus said “take up your bed, and walk” the crippled man heard Jesus. He picked up his bed and walked. He didn’t care what the Pharisees said. He didn’t care that is was the Sabbath. He just obeyed Jesus! He heard, and followed. When the blind man needed sight Jesus told him, go, wash in the pool of Siloam, the man had to do as Jesus said before he could see. In each and every case when a person was healed they obeyed Jesus. They did absolutely nothing to heal themselves.

They came to Jesus, they did as Jesus said, and they were healed.

God did not use man in the creation of all things. God spoke, and it came into being. God the Father planned creation, and created all things through His Son Jesus. God the Spirit moved on creation. God’s Word brings life. The Psalmist said (Psalm 119:50) “Thy Word, O God, hath quickened me. By You I am alive!” How does salvation come? God says, “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God and there is none else” (Isaiah 14:22). Here is the text that saved C.H. Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher, and this same text will save you. Look unto God and be saved. Look unto God, knowing that what I try to do God will not do. My sufficiency and my salvation is in God.

Salvation Is – From Start To Finish –
Entirely A Work Of God

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

Spiritual life cannot come forth out of that which is dead unless God bring it forth. God speaking through the Prophet said:

Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

Those whose nature is evil cannot make themselves good, any more than the Ethiopian can change his skin, or the leopard his spots. Job asked,

Job 14:4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

There is not one person who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean thing. We cannot clean ourselves up. We cannot get better over time. That which is dirt stays dirt, and that which is bitter stays bitter, unless God enact the change. How does God change a person? Not by our efforts, but by Grace through faith. We believe what the Lord has said. We REPENT and RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST. He is both Lord and Savior to the Saint. The Bible says:

John 1:12-13 (NKJV) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

New Birth or the Quickening does not come about because we are better than others. It does not come about because we will it. We are quickened – made alive together with Christ – when we surrender our lives to Him Who loves us, and gave Himself for us. Once a person is saved:

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

The Saint of God no longer walks in the darkness with Satan and the lost. The Saint of God walks with Jesus. We who are saved do the works that are pleasing to God. So … here’s a little test.

Once you were “saved”, were you more aware of God in your life?

Once you were “saved”, did you want to please the Lord with what you do?

Once you were “saved”, do you look forward to being with other Saints?

Once you were “saved”, do you care more for people than you used to?

Saints, We ARE His workmanship. If you have been saved by God, and are a new creature, then God is at work in you. We ARE His. God does not start a story and then fail to complete it. We are His. He is ours. God will complete what He has started. The Bible says we ARE His workmanship. We keep on being His. The baby will not be abandoned by the parent. The child will not be aborted because it is unwanted. God, Who created the New Creature in the crucible of Christ, will finish the New Creature.

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things [are] of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ…

The mark of the Christian is the changed life. We are not perfect. But we are God’s, and it shows in our lives. God the Father “made Jesus, Who knew no sin, to be SIN FOR US, that we might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

We are children of light and life. Not of darkness. God is at work in us. Praise His holy Name! Jesus tells His people:

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

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Posted in Ephesians, Sermons Preached | Tagged be the Light, being light, Following Christ, God Is Faithful, gospel, Light of God, Light vs Darkness, love God, Saints, salvation, sinners | 1 Comment

Running Well

Posted on October 13, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by lucas Favre on Unsplash

Galatians 5:7-14 (KJV) Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. 9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be. 11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. 12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you. 13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Repentance Is When We Follow Jesus

The children of Israel were mocked by the line of Ishmael, the Arabs, from the time that Isaac was born. The Bible tells us that Ishmael, the son of Hagar the Egyptian, mocked Isaac while a baby (Genesis 21:9-10). God promised that He would bring Israel – the nation by whom He would send the Messiah to the world – 430 years before the Exodus. The promise was made to Abraham, to Sarah, and through Isaac. God keeps His promises.

The clock started ticking with the birth of Isaac. The nation of Israel would not actually be fully built until Jacob’s twelve sons became the twelve tribes of Israel. God led Joseph to Egypt, and Israel grew in Egypt from twelve families to twelve tribes. The children of Ishmael persecuted the children of Jacob. Israel suffered as a nation of slaves to Egypt. The Bible says that they suffered until Israel cried out to God:

Exodus 2:23-24 (ESV) … the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

God raised up Moses, and did mighty miracles among the Egyptians saying “Let My people go!” But Pharaoh would not let them go, and beat them harder with the whip. Then Moses told them what God said do.

Exodus 12:21-23 (ESV) … Go and select lambs {without blemish} for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.

The Blood of the Lamb would protect the home from the destroyer, from death. That night Israel huddled in their homes, and heard the cries of the lost who were not under the Blood. Where ever there was no Blood, the first born of the family died in that house. They next day Pharaoh told Israel to leave Egypt. The Bible says:

Exodus 12:40-41 (ESV) The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

430 years from the birth of Isaac, God fulfilled His promise. God always fulfills His promise. How did Israel leave Egypt. “The people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children”
(Exodus 12:37, ESV).

They didn’t RIDE out on horses or camels. Why not? The Bible says that “The LORD gave people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so they let them have what they asked for. They asked the Egyptians for SILVER and GOLD jewelry and for CLOTHING” (Exodus 12:34-36). But they did not ask for, nor receive, animals to ride. THEY WALKED OUT. They were ON FOOT. The God that they followed – the preincarnate Christ Jesus our Lord – went before them as a “pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night” (Exodus 13:21). This is the same God Who, in Noah’s day, sent two of every animal to the Ark (Genesis 8:19). God could have easily sent horses or camels to Israel. But THEY WALKED OUT. Why did I go through all this? Because of this verse:

Galatians 5:7 (KJV) Ye did run well; WHO did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

You WALK before you RUN.

God used Israel as a picture of salvation for us. When we come to God by faith, we usually come when we are at our lowest point. We are hurting. Our resources have come to an end. We realize we are broken creatures, and we need the Lord. As Israel called out to God for relief, we call on the Name of Jesus. For years we walked WITH Egypt, WITH the lost world. But now we find ourselves enslaved to it. We are slaves to sin and death. Then we cry out! WE REPENT.

Repentance is when we stop walking with Egypt (the world) and follow Jesus both day and night. We go where Jesus tells us to go. We walk WITH HIM, BEHIND HIM, and He goes before us. Like Israel, we are freed from slavery to Egypt.

You must WALK before you can RUN. God uses WALKING to describe the entrance into the Christian way of life. He uses RUNNING to describe the continuation of your life with Christ. Paul tells the Galatians “You DID run well.” Running is a fast walk. Why is running used for Christianity? Because running is strenuous, not easy. Running involves valleys and hills. Running follows a course. Paul wrote the Church:

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (ESV) Do you not know that in a RACE all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So RUN that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

If you are a Christian, you WALKED away from Egypt. You repented, and called out to Jesus for salvation. Jesus came, and you began to follow Him. Now you RUN for Him. You follow Him, and RUN so that you can obtain a prize. The prize is Jesus’ “Well done, My good and faithful servant”. We see this picture again in:

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

You cannot run for Jesus until you walk away from Egypt. You did not walk out of Egypt in your own strength. You did not save yourself. You cried out to God, and Jesus came. The Bible says:

Romans 5:6-9 (NKJV) For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

While a slave to sin, Jesus died for you. While sinners lost in Egypt, Christ died for you. Then you received the Blood of the Lamb, the Blood of Jesus Christ. You received His death, His resurrection. We live for God because God died for us! We had nothing to do with our salvation, other than calling upon Him, repenting, and following Him in love ALL THE TIME. The lost do not walk after Jesus. The lost do not care about the Blood of the Lamb. They wallow. They wallow in sin, and wander in darkness. The lost are like the man in Lystra …

Illustrate: In Lystra, there was a man there “without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked” (Acts 14:8-10). We are all this way before Jesus. We are crippled from our mother’s womb. We cannot walk with Jesus, cannot run for God. This man cried out to God, and God sent Paul to him. Paul commanded, “Stand up straight on your feet” (Acts 14:10), and immediately the man “leaped up and walked”. The crowd saw this, and said “the gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”. Paul told them,

Acts 14:15 (NKJV) … why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them

Stop following the false gods of this world. Walk away from Egypt, and follow the LIVING GOD WHO made all things. Follow Jesus. He can heal you. He can save you. It is His Blood that cleanses us. It is His Blood that saves us. There was another man “lame from his mother’s womb” (Acts 3:2) who laid daily at the gate of the Temple, begging for help. When Peter saw him, he said:

Acts 3:6, 8 (NKJV) … Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk … 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them–walking, leaping, and praising God.

We must walk before we can run. We cannot walk, unless Jesus heals us. Once we leave Egypt, we walk with Him loving Him, following Him, day and night. My Olive Tree commentary notes:

“Christ is preeminent – first and foremost in everything – and the Christian’s life should reflect that priorirty. Because believers are rooted in Him, alive in Him, hidden in Him, and complete in Him, it is utterly inconsistent for them to live life without Him. Clothed in His love, with His peace ruling in our hearts, weare equipped to make Christ first in every area of life. ”

What Hinders Our Walk, Our Race?

Galatians 5:7-8 (KJV) Ye DID run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.

The Galatians were running well. When they heard the Gospel, they repented, and walked away from Egypt. They began to “run with patience the race set before them”. But then they stopped running well. To run well, you must

1. Stay on the Official course that is set up for our race, and

2. Stay focused on the Leader, Who is in our case Jesus.

It is Jesus Who goes before us. It is Jesus Who leads us. What caused the Galatians to get off the course? What caused the Church to stumble, to wander? It wasn’t Jesus Who caused it. Jesus knows where we are supposed to go. So what was it? The Apostle writes:

Galatians 5:9 (KJV) A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Leaven or YEAST is used in Scripture as a picture of SIN. Before the Israelites killed the Lamb without spot or blemish, before they put the Blood of the Lamb on their homes, they ate unleavened bread for 7 days. They put leaven out of their homes. My commentary notes:

“in the Mosaic Law, 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. ”

Salvation is rooted in Christ, not in our efforts. Our root is in Jesus, in what He has done for us. The Bible says:

Colossians 2:6-8 (NKJV) As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

What hinders our walk with Jesus? It is not Jesus. It is when we take our eyes off of Jesus, and begin to look to the world, to the lost. It is sin to look away from Jesus, and look to the world in your walk. People watch nonsense on television, the beliefs of the world. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump”. Let a little bit in, and it will cause you to drift back to Egypt. God saved us from Egypt. We do not belong to Pharaoh, but to Jesus. We follow Him day and night. False religion and unbiblical weirdness calls to us as we run our race. We must not listen to it! It has no place in our faith.

When Jesus was attacked, He ALWAYS referred to Scripture. “It is written”. Where is it in the Bible? If the writings of the Apostles and Prophets do not support it, put it away. Cast it off as unnecessary. Follow Jesus.

Let’s read carefully the next verse, for it says much:

Galatians 5:10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.

What is Paul saying here? He is NOT saying “I have confidence IN YOU”. The Christian has NO CONFIDENCE in themselves. I have no confidence in you, by yourselves. I have no confidence in ME, much less YOU. Do you know what the Christian’s confidence is in? The Apostle says:

Philippians 3:3 (NKJV) For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,

The true CIRCUMCISION, the true BELIEVER IN CHRIST, is the person who (1) “worships God in the Spirit”. Like David, we dance before the Ark of God. We are not focused on what others around us think or do. We are focused on loving Him Who loves us. We (2) “rejoice in Christ Jesus”. Life is a gift from God, and we celebrate what Jesus did for us! But Beloved, we who are the true CIRCUMCISION (3) “have no confidence in the flesh”. We’re not trusting our works to get us to the Promised Land. We are trusting what Jesus has done and is doing in us. Paul says:

Galatians 5:10 I have confidence in you THROUGH THE LORD, that ye will be none otherwise minded…

All Christians know that if they are saved, it is because Jesus saved us. All Christians know that our faith is in HIM, not in US. Listen to me.

If you are genuinely saved, you will keep walking with Jesus. If you are genuinely saved, you will run on the course He sets before you. We have no choice. He is Lord.

There are many pretenders who, with “philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ”, will come along with a “New Thing”. If you are Christ’s, you will reject the serpent. You will “examine yourselves daily as to whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). There are a lot of those who profess that they are “Christians”, but they have never followed Jesus out of Egypt. They follow the world. They follow human trends and philosophies. They follow religion. But they do not follow Jesus.

Jesus spoke of these people. They run around, run, run, run. They try so hard to be saved, to try and impress others. Like the Pharisees, they heed not the Word of God, but human traditions and human impressions. They will stand before Jesus one day. Jesus spoke of them:

Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV) Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

The will of the Father in Heaven is that we follow Jesus out of Egypt. Someone asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” (John 6:28). What is the Will of the Father? Jesus said simply,

“The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent”
(John 6:29)

We follow Jesus. We live to please Jesus. The Pharisees crept into the Church at Galatia and taught “you MUST be circumcised to be saved”.

Paul Taught Circumcision – But Only For The Jews

Galatians 5:11-12 (KJV) And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. 12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you.

Someone will always come along and try and add something to salvation, something that needed not to be added. The Pharisees did this at Galatia. They said, “You can’t be saved if you’re not circumcised, for God gave us the Law of circumcision”. The truth is, circumcision has nothing to do with salvation, but everything to do with Israel. Abraham was saved in Genesis 15. It was not until Genesis 17 that God gave Abraham and his direct descendants the covenant of circumcision (Genesis 17:10-14). God directed that the male children that came out of Abraham’s line, through Isaac, would be circumcised. Then God said this:

Genesis 17:14 (NKJV) And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.

God did not say that the uncircumcised person would be lost or cast out of God’s Kingdom. God said “that person shall be cut off from his people”, that is, cast out of the nation Israel. Paul had two young men that he trained. Timothy was a descendant of the blood line of Abraham, a Jew. Timothy had a Gentile father, and was never circumcised. Paul had him circumcised (Acts 16:3). But then Paul worked with another young man named Titus. Paul REFUSED to have Titus circumcised (Galatians 2:3) because he was a Gentile, not a Jew. Only the male Jews are under the Covenant of circumcision.

When the Pharisees tried to get the Galatians to submit to the Covenant of Circumcision, they were trying to get them to run on man’s course, not God’s course. We need to be careful not to infuse the doctrines of humans into the directives of God.

Paul said “I wish these people, these Pharisees, were CUT OFF from you”. That’s really an amusing statement. He was saying, “rather than cut off your foreskin to please these Pharisees, CUT THEM OFF. Circumcise these troublemakers from your midst. We don’t need them. Get back to running your race well, as you were doing.”

What is the race we are to be running, Church?

Galatians 5:13-14 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

You were called into liberty. God called you out of Egypt, out of slavery, to follow Him. We are freed from sin and human tradition to “by love serve one another”. We fulfill the Law when we love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Love does not add to the elements of salvation. Salvation is a gift of God. You receive the gift by following Jesus. We love Jesus. We love one another. We minister by love. We do the things that are pleasing to our God.

We do not make golden calves.

Galatians 5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

We are not saved to murmur as Israel did, but to follow Jesus. We are not saved to put ourselves first, but to follow Jesus. I close with this:

Romans 13:8-10 (ESV) 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.

That’s the course we are on. That’s the light that we walk in. We follow Jesus. We add nothing to His Word. We magnify Him Who saved us, looking for the day when we will enter our Promised Land.

Amen.

Posted in Galatians | Tagged Following Christ, God Is Faithful, gospel, Law vs Grace, love God, salvation, true faith | Leave a comment

Living As Christ Followers

Posted on October 5, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Proverbs 22:1 A good NAME {šēm} is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.

Does God Know Your Name?

Nearly every translation I looked at of this Bible verse supplies the phrase:

A GOOD name, or
A GOOD reputation

However, the word “GOOD” is not actually in the original language of the Scripture. The King James shows this by italicizing the word“good”. Solomon wrote in another place:

Ecclesiastes 7:1 (KJV) A GOOD NAME {ṭôḇ šēm} [is] better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

It is important that a person have a “GOOD NAME”, or a good reputation among people. It is possible this is what the text means. However, I believe that the Lord left the word good out of the text here for a reason. The next verse reads:

Proverbs 22:2 The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all.

God is the Maker of both poor and rich, both famous and obscure. God is the Maker of everyone. I think what verse 1 is declaring – and I’ll put it in the form of a question – “Since God makes EVERYONE, does GOD KNOW YOUR NAME?”

Yes, it’s a great thing to have a good reputation among people. But does God know WHO YOU ARE? He made you. Does He know you?

Let’s take that italicized “good” out of there, and read it again.

Proverbs 22:1 A NAME {šēm} is rather to be chosen than great riches…

Does God know your name? You can be the richest man in the world. You can be Elon Musk, with a net worth of $342 billion. Or Larry Ellison, who has a net worth of $373 billion. Or you can be famous like Taylor Swift. But if God doesn’t know your name, it counts for nothing whatsoever. I often encounter people who say,

“I’ve been a member of such and such Church all my life.” That’s wonderful. But does God know your name?

“Well, I sing in the choir”. Great! Does God know your name?

“I tithe regularly”. Wonderful! Does God know your name? Have YOU enjoyed the GRACE of GOD? Have you come to Jesus Christ in faith, following Him in love? The second part of the verse speaks of “LOVING FAVOR” …

Proverbs 22:1 … and LOVING FAVOR {ṭôḇ ḥēn} rather than silver and gold.

Word Study: The Hebrew ṭôḇ ḥēn {pronounced tobe khane} literally means “loving GRACE”. The first time the word ḥēn {pro. khane} is found in the Bible is in:

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found GRACE [ḥēn {pro. khane}] in the eyes of the LORD.

God knew Noah’s name – and through Noah God saved the world from destruction. When Joseph was sold into slavery to Egyptian traders, and was later unfairly cast into prison, the Bible says:

Genesis 39:21 But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him GRACE [ḥēn {pro. khane}] …

Because God knew Joseph’s name, he became the right hand man to the King of Egypt. Through Joseph God saved Israel from destruction, and grew it into a mighty nation. When it came time for Israel to leave Egypt, God raised up Moses, and told him:

Exodus 33:12 … I know thee {Moses} by name, and thou hast also found GRACE [ḥēn {pro. khane}] in My sight.

God knew Moses’ name. Everyone God ever used, He knew their name. God knew Charlie Kirk’s name. God uses those whom He knows.

We are known of God when we call upon Him, pleading the Blood of Jesus on our lives. God is the Giver of Life, the Giver of Eternal Life, the Giver of GRACE. The Bible says:

Psalm 84:11 (KJV) For the LORD God [is] a sun and shield: the LORD will give GRACE [ḥēn {pro. khane}] and glory: no good [thing] will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.

The greatest thing in life is not fame or riches. It is not health and home. It is that God knows your name, that your name is written in the Book of Life!

Bridges wrote in his commentary:

“While it is true that reputation and the affection of others are more desirable than great riches, we must not forget that they may be in themselves vanity and a snare …. The only honor that is safe is that which comes from God.”

Does God know your name? Have you received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? God has made everyone, and gives life to all. “With God is the FOUNTAIN OF LIFE” (Psalm 36:9). Only by receiving Jesus Christ can we be known of God. The Apostle said,

1 John 5:11-12 (ESV) … this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

When Jesus sent His disciples out to minister and heal others, the Bible says:

Luke 10:17-20 (ESV) The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Some people place much emphasis on the statement, “My name is in the Church Roll. I’ve been a member of Riverview Baptist for years”. That is a fine thing. But does God know your name? Is your name written in Heaven? If not, there will come a day of reckoning. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV) Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

If God doesn’t know your name – If Jesus doesn’t know who you are – if you have never called on Him and surrendered to Him for salvation by Grace – then whatever you have in this life is worthless. I’d rather have a nickle and Jesus, than billions without. I’d rather be an unknown servant of Christ, than we famous without!

If You Know Jesus, He Will Make You
Both Wise And Rich!

Proverbs 22:3-4 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. 4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor, and life.

Illustrate: Are You An Eagle, or a Crow? I love to read, and read about crows and eagles the other day. The crow is one of the smartest of all birds. A group of 15 or more crows is called “a murder of crows”. When it is cold outside, a murder of crows can be up to a thousand crows. When I first heard that, it made me wonder. “A MURDER of crows”? What a strange name. There’s a reason for it. Though crows are scavengers, when crows cluster together in a “murder” they will attack and kill weaker or sick birds. Crows will also protect their territory. One nature site notes:

“Crows are fiercely territorial and will attack eagles to defend their territory. They are very protective of their nesting areas and view eagles as potential threats. To maintain control over their domain, crows will team up and use clever tactics to fight eagles that wander into it. This behavior is a natural instinct for crows to ensure their safety and survival. … In their confrontations with eagles, crows use a strategy known as “mobbing,” where they group together and harass the eagle. They do this by flying around the eagle, cawing loudly, and sometimes even pecking at it. This tactic is effective because the noise and the number of crows in a murder can be overwhelming and intimidating for the eagle.”

How does an eagle defend itself against a “murder of crows”? It doesn’t fight the crows. The eagle takes off, and flies. The article went on to say,

“When crows chase an eagle, the eagle deals with it by simply flying higher. Eagles are capable of soaring to great heights where the air is thinner. This makes it harder for crows, who aren’t equipped to fly as high, to keep up.”

Christians – Disciples of Christ – Saints of God – are to be EAGLES, not CROWS!

Isaiah 40:31 (ESV) … they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

The Christ follower when attacked by the crows of this world HIDES by following Christ, by doing as God’s Word says to do. We do not wallow with the crows, eating carrion and garbage. We fly ever HIGHER, looking to God our Savior.

Proverbs 22:3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Word Study: Those who are “SIMPLE” {Hebrew pᵊṯî, pro. Peth-ee’} or FOOLISH ignore the Word of God and the Spirit of God, and follow the ways of darkness. Becoming like the crow, they are punished. Hear me, professor of Christ. If you do not live for Jesus, you will bring your own punishment on yourself! Christ followers are to …

1 Thessalonians 5:21-23 (KJV) Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. 23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My commentary notes: “foolish persons, devoid of the grace of God and the fear of him, go on careless and unconcerned in their sinful course of life, transgressing the law of God; they proceed from evil to evil, from lesser to greater sins; they go on in the broad road to destruction, and are punished with temporal judgments here, and with everlasting destruction hereafter.”

The believer and lover of Christ, like the eagle, does not waste time battling the murder. Instead we fly upward, looking to our God. We live for His glory.

Proverbs 22:4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are RICHES, and honor, and life.

We humble ourselves before our God, knowing that if we heed Him that, in time, we shall leave the crows behind. What is it that our Jesus told us?

Matthew 6:33 (ESV) … seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

The Psalmist David wrote:

Psalm 34:9-10 (ESV) Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

God looks after His children. He always has, and always will! Those who love the Lord will be blessed. But …

Proverbs 22:5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the FROWARD {ʿiqqēš, pro. ik-kashe’}: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.

Those who walk “in perversity, crookedly” will eventually find that their life has fallen into “THORNS AND SNARES”. Sin brings with it its own punishment. Those who are careful, who want to protect their soul, will stay away from perversity and lawlessness. The Scripture tells the believer to, as the Beloved of God, to be …

Jude 20-21 (ESV) … building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

My commentary notes:

“Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13–14). The road that seems so easy is far from easy. Thorns and snares lie in the way, and those who choose to travel that route have no one to help them surmount the difficulties. Those who choose to follow the narrow way may find it to be a hard road, but Jesus leads the way and provides mercy and grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).”

Raise Your Children To Love The Lord

Proverbs 22:6 TRAIN up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Word Study: The reason why many children reach legal age, then leave the Church, is because parents did not do as this Scripture teaches. The word translated “TRAIN” is the Hebrew hanak which means “to dedicate”. The child is not dedicated in the way that they think they should go, but in the way that God wants them to go. God told His Israel:

Deuteronomy 6:4-8 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

When parents and grandparents focus on dedicating their children to God while they are young, the seed planted in their hearts will bring them back to God when they reach maturity. Young Timothy was raised in a household where his mother was a believer, but his father a pagan unbeliever (Acts 16:1). When Timothy reached adulthood, the faith of his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5) led him to salvation. Paul told Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:14-15 (ESV) … as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Live Like You Are Rich, Christian. Do Not Become Ensnared By The World.

Proverbs 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

At one time in my life I was over $18,000.00 in credit card debt. Yes, I was and am a Christian. But when I was in the military with a family, we were living in poverty. Our healthcare was covered, but enlisted military members were paid very low wages. We could eat, but my children didn’t have all the “perks” that others had.

So I foolishly used the credit card. When I left the military, I kept using the credit card. And every month I lived as a slave, a SLAVE to the credit card companies. About 20 years ago when I was pastoring in North Carolina the Lord enabled me to get out of credit card debt, and slavery. And I’m not going back!

What got me into slavery? I wanted what everybody else had for my family. I should have just trusted in the Lord. Once I got out from under the heel of the credit card companies, I have kept my trust in the Lord. Beloved, the borrower is servant to the lender. We should only serve the Lord!

“The rich ruleth over the poor”. Christians are rich because of what Christ has given us. One of my favorite verses is:

Hebrews 13:5-6 (NKJV) [Let your] conduct [be] without covetousness; [be] content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” [6] So we may boldly say: “The LORD [is] my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Christians are RICH. In Jesus we …

Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV) … have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Let’s tie the RICHES we as Disciples of Christ have with the next verse:

Proverbs 22:8 He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.

Christ followers should not “SOW INIQUITY”. In this world we are going to be hated by the darkness, by the lost person. Yet when attacked we must remember that we are rich in Christ. We should not return tit for tat, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. This is an Old Covenant concept given to Israel under the Law of Moses. Jesus told us:

Matthew 5:38-41, 44-45 (ESV) You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ [39] But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. [40] And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. [41] And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. … [44] But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45] so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Jesus said that if someone comes to you with non-life threatening force, then as His children we are to “turn the other cheek”. We are to do good to those who do badly to us. Does this mean we cannot defend ourselves against deadly force? No! Jesus also said:

Luke 22:35-38 (ESV) {Jesus} said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” [36] He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. [37] For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” [38] And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

I heard one young man – Seminary trained – who told me that Jesus was telling His disciples to buy swords and – like dress up for Halloween – pretend to be transgressors so that Scripture could be fulfilled. This young man got this from Seminary, sad to say. Jesus was not saying “Let’s do Trick or Treat so we can look like transgressors”. He wasn’t asking the disciples to be “numbered with the transgressors”. The prophecy that Jesus was speaking of had yet to be fulfilled – just as He said. The prophecy was only fulfilled when Jesus hung on the Cross. We read in:

Mark 15:25-28 (KJV) And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. [26] And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. [27] And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. [28] And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.

The prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus was nailed up between TWO TRANSGRESSORS. The Scripture is plainly saying this. Jesus did not ask His disciples to play dress up, to pretend to be transgressors! The Scripture doesn’t say that. What was Jesus saying when He said, “let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one”. He was saying:

“You have the right to defend yourselves against deadly attacks. The devil is going to put Me on display between two thieves, and justify My death by saying I and those who follow Me are evil. Some will see this and will bring deadly force on you. You do have the right to defend yourselves against deadly force.”

But we are never to attack others offensively. Jesus didn’t tell the disciples to ALL get a sword. When they said, “We have two swords”, Jesus said, “It is enough”.

Proverbs 22:8 He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.

If you sow evil, you reap nothing. Anger produces nothing. If you are going to follow Christ, expect to be maligned. Expect to be hated. Turn the other cheek. Love your enemies. There is power in love. But if a criminal breaks into your house, your Church, with the intent to do harm, you have the right to defend yourself and your loved ones. But ONLY for defense!

May God guide us to be better followers of Christ. Amen.

Posted in Proverbs | Tagged Bible, Christ followers, christianity, disciples, discipleship, Faith, false disciples, Following Christ, gospel, Jesus, salvation | Leave a comment

Your Life Is A Stewardship From God

Posted on October 1, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by The New York Public Library on Unsplash

Proverbs 21:20-21 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up. 21 He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.

Your Life Is A Stewardship From God

Several years ago there was an advertisement that ran in the Atlanta Journal. The ad read:

“SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship. Ethnicity not important. I’m a very good looking girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. When you get home from work, I’ll be at the front door wearing only what nature gave me. Call (404) 555-1212 and ask for Daisy.”

1500 men called the number, but didn’t find what they expected. The number was for the Atlanta Humane Society. Daisy was an 8 week old black Labrador Retriever.

The life we live, that we currently have, is a stewardship from God. God gifted us life at birth. “The LORD brings death and GIVES LIFE” (1 Samuel 2:6). “God is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” (Acts 17:25). What we have, what God has given us, is a stewardship. It does not belong to us. I often hear the phrase,

“My body, my choice”

That’s true. God gave you a body. But your soul belongs to God, whether you believe that or not. “Behold, every SOUL BELONGS TO ME – the soul who sins will die” (Ezekiel 18:4). Your body houses your soul. But if you sin, doing that which God has forbidden, you WILL damage the body. Imagine those 1500 men who were looking for a party girl. It’s humorous, but also sad and somewhat frightening. When you have sex with a party girl, you are having sex with every partner she has ever had. Bad behavior from the soul brings damage to the body.

Proverbs 21:20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.

The WISE SOUL who cherishes and lives by the Word of God will find their present life to be a TREASURE TO BE DESIRED, whereas the foolish person who will not heed God will find their lives wasted. What of the young man who murdered Charlie Kirk? He started out a straight A student, college material. He apparently came from a fine home. Somewhere along the way he began to treasure the wrong things – rather than treasure God.

Our Lord Jesus warned us all:

Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV) Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Those who treasure Heaven love others and love the God of Heaven. Those who treasure the earth will find in time that your good looks, fame, money, fast cars, celebrity, whatever is temporal, will eventually dry up and die. If your heart is focused on your beauty, there will come a day when beauty will be gone.

{there is} oil in the dwelling of the wise

In the ancient world, “OIL”or olive oil was considered a blessing from God. Kings and priests were anointed with OIL. The oil represented God the Holy Spirit. Jesus said:

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel

The Spirit of the Lord and the oil of anointing are directly linked. We see this also in:

Acts 10:38 … God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him

Jesus addressed those who looked like Christians and those who were actually born again Christians in His “The Parable of the Ten Virgins”:

Matthew 25:1-12 (ESV) Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten VIRGINS {professing devotion to the bridegroom} who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. {they got ready} 8 And the FOOLISH {the false Christian} said to the WISE {the genuine Christian}, ‘Give us some of your OIL {represents the Holy Spirit}, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the WISE answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.‘

Jesus knew who the WISE were, for they had OIL in their lamps. They loved the Word of God. They loved the Bridegroom. They were indwelt by the Spirit of God. The FOOLISH looked like believers, but did not love the Lord. They were not wise. They did not heed the Word of God, nor His Gospel. Those who are saved by Grace are born again, saved through the operation of God’s Holy Spirit. Those who are saved will show it by their outward lives.

You Must Live Your Faith Out Loud

Proverbs 21:21 He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honor.

The righteousness that comes by the Law does not save a person. Man made religion will not save you. In order to be saved, we pursue righteousness AND mercy. We come to Christ by faith, believing in Him, receiving Him as Lord and Savior. God told Israel:

Isaiah 51:1-2 (KJV) Hearken to Me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock [whence] ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit [whence] ye are digged. 2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah [that] bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

While we have life, we seek Christ our Savior. We live to please our Heavenly Father through His finished work. Our Lord Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). When we seek God’s face through prayer and study of His Word, God will give us righteousness, lives that are pleasing to Him.

Proverbs 21:22 A WISE man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof.

We who belong to Jesus need not fear the enemy. The Scripture says “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). The enemy cannot long stand against the united people of God. We see this when King David led the Army of Israel against Jerusalem while it was inhabited by the Jebusites:

2 Samuel 5:6-9 (ESV) And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”–thinking, “David cannot come in here.” 7 Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. 8 And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” 9 And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward. 10 And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him.

David did not have his men attack at the walls, which were well guarded and impregnable. Instead he had them attack at “THE WATER SHAFT”, the place where water flowed into the city to supply the residents. God gave David the wisdom to look for the weak spot, and to address the heathen at that point.

God’s People Need To Consider Before They Speak

Proverbs 21:23 Whoso keepeth {šāmar} his mouth and his tongue keepeth {šāmar} his soul from troubles.

We must speak. We must tell others about Jesus. There has always been a cancel culture that wants to rob us of our free speech. When Peter and the Apostles were told the shut up and not speak of Jesus, their reply was “We MUST OBEY GOD rather than HUMAN AUTHORITY” (Acts 5:29). We must tell others. We must stand up for the truth. But we need to consider how we speak.

Word Study: The word “KEEPETH” is the Hebrew šāmar, which means “to post a guard on, to put a hedge around, to keep out trouble”. This is not the first time we’ve seen this concept in Proverbs. We previously read:

Proverbs 13:3 Whoever guards {šāmar} his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

Proverbs 17:27-28 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

The Prophets were careful to use the phrase, “Thus saith the Lord”, allowing God to speak through them. When we are speaking God’s Word we should be bold and direct. But we need to be careful about our own opinions,be careful about harshness or unkindness, remembering always to be “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). We should not shy away from speaking the truth, but always let it be of love and for the glory of God. I have heard this acronym used for speaking. Before you speak, THINK:

T – is it TRUE, or what I think (John 17:17)?
H – will it HELP or build up (Ephesians 4:29)?
I – is it INSPIRED of God (2 Timothy 3:16)?
N – is it NEEDED at this time (Ecclesiastes 3:7)?
K – are you being KIND (Ephesians 4:32)?

God should drive our tongues, not our flesh. As I heard someone say,

It’s not about BEING right. It’s about DOING right.

Proverbs 21:24 Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.

The wicked will often SHOUT A LIE rather than speak the truth. The “SCORNER” is the person who think themselves better than others. They do not follow the way of truth, but “DEAL IN PROUD WRATH”. They are like Pharaoh was, who asked (Exodus 5:2) “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice?”. They are smug and filled with ego, considering themselves “gods”. Asaph describes these people as:

Psalm 73:9 (ESV) They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.

Genesis chapter 11 tells us of a people who rejected the command of God to “multiply and fill the earth”. As these were descendants of believing Noah, they rejected the God of Noah and decided to “build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4, NKJV). Some commentaries suggest that these descendants of Noah thought that they could build a tower so high that it would be above the judgment of God. They ignored that God told Noah that He would never again flood the earth by water. They wanted to “make a name for ourselves”, to be more known than God Himself.

This mindset is in our world today. God made us male and female, but there are those who believe that they can recreate themselves in their own image. They cannot. What God has made cannot be unmade.

It is like the person who, believing he can re-imagine the laws of physics, walks off the roof of a ten story building. “What’s wrong with that?”, the confused would ask. To violate the Law of God because you think you are a god only leads to self harm and death.

Illustrate: I was watching a video the other day where a policeman stopped a speeding vehicle. When he asked the driver for his license, the man handed him a cat collar with a tag on it. The man said, “I identify as a cat”. The policeman wisely said, “Well, I’m not going to argue with you. We have a couple of options here. If you’re a cat, I’m going to call animal control, and have your car towed. The state of Texas doesn’t allow cats to drive cars. When animal control takes you to the pound, you will get all your shots – including rabies – whether you like it or not. You’ll have to stay in the pound until someone comes to get you, and pays the 75.00$ animal control fee. I’m also going to request a medical team to come out and take custody of your passenger. He thinks you’re a cat, so I’ll let the psychiatrist sort this out. OR you can quit playing, and let me see your license and registration. Your move!”

You cannot be what you are not. God has given you the life you have. Look to Him, and find the best life!

Proverbs 21:25-26 The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labor. 26 He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.

Word Study: The SLOTHFUL person will eventually find death, for they will not take care of themselves. I often wonder about these protesters who – in the middle of the day – scream and holler and hold signs up. Don’t they have a job? No. They “coveteth greedily all the day long”, desiring this and desiring that, but are never satisfied. The “RIGHTEOUS” or saved person is different. That person gives freely.

A Recipient of Grace Is Always Gracious

The Apostle wrote of the one who is saved:

Ephesians 4:28 (ESV) Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

It is a key component of Christianity that we be generous to those in need. Our Lord Jesus said:

Luke 6:30-36 (ESV) Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.

Proverbs 21:29-30 A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as for the upright, He {God} directeth his way. 30 There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord. 31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord.

Those who belong to the Lord are guided by the Lord. The Holy Spirit leads us. The Word of God directs us. The enemy has vast resources, but our resources are greater still. Trust in Him. Seek His face. Hide in His Word. Your life is a gift, a stewardship from God. Let God guide you in living the best life you can live. Amen.

Posted in Proverbs, Sermons Preached | Tagged Bible, christianity, Faith, Following Christ, God, God Is Faithful, Jesus, Jesus Christ, love, salvation | 1 Comment

There Is Death In The Pot

Posted on October 1, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Marco J Haenssgen on Unsplash

2 Kings 4:38-40 (KJV) And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and {boil stew} for the sons of the prophets. 39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of {Stew}: for they knew them not. 40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.

The Bible tells us that “whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4, ESV). So many people look at the Old Testament and compare it to the human appendix – a useless organ that can become infected and we would best be without. But the Old Testament was “written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come”. Our Lord Jesus preached extensively from the Old Testament. In fact, Jesus told those who would listen:

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

John the Baptist was the human Herald of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus, when He became flesh. But the Old Testament is the written Herald of Jesus, the Preincarnate Word of God!

God was reaching out to people through the Lord Jesus Christ, calling people to receive Him and love Him, even in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-3). The Bible says:

Colossians 1:16-18 (NKJV) For by Him {by Jesus} all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church…

The Old Testament Saint knew Jesus. Our Lord was clear on this, Challenged by the Pharisees, Jesus said:

John 8:56-59 (NKJV) Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Our Lord Jesus took the Name of Eternal God, I AM, to Himself. Jesus Christ is co-equal and co-eternal to the Father. God says in Isaiah 43:11, “I AM the LORD, and besides Me there is NO SAVIOR”. Jesus is God. Jesus is Savior. The message we preach is,

Acts 4:12 (ESV) there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Elisha Was A Saved Believer In Jesus

We’re going to see Jesus in our text today. We’re going to see what a lack of Jesus does to a nation, to a people, to a person, even to a believer. We’re going to see Jesus first of all in Elisha.

2 Kings 4:38 (KJV) And ELISHA came again to Gilgal

Word Study: I love that name “ELISHA”. In the ancient languages, names had meaning. Your name described you, or what your parents wanted you to be.

God called a man called Abram to salvation (Genesis 12:1ff). His daddy Terah named him Abram, which means “exalted father”. But Abram was without children, and not likely to have children, until he met the Lord Jesus. Believing in the Lord Jesus, he followed the Lord, and Jesus gave him a new name:

Genesis 17:5 (NKJV) No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.

Abram was a joke, an exalted nothing. But Abraham was “the Father of a multitude” because he gave his life to the Lord.

And Jacob, whose name means “one who takes the place of another through scheming and force”, he was an awful man until he met the Lord. One night Jacob struggled with the Lord Jesus until He crippled him. Even crippled, Jacob would not let go of Jesus until he was blessed. Our Lord told him:

Genesis 32:28 (NKJV) And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Jacob was a schemer. But as Israel his line was blessed, and from Israel the Messiah would become flesh and the promise of God to Abraham fulfilled.

What about Elisha? The name Elisha means “God is salvation”. The Lord sent Elijah the Prophet to call Elisha as his replacement. Who was Elisha? Elisha is a nobody who loves God. He is introduced to us as simply “Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah” (1 Kings 19:16). Who is that? No one knows. Elisha was a wealthy man who loved God more than his stuff. When called to serve, Elisha was plowing his fields with twelve yoke of oxen. This represented a considerable amount of money! When God called him, what did Elisha do with this expensive yoke of oxen? Elisha …

1 Kings 19:21 (ESV) … took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.

Elisha = God Is Salvation! Jesus Is The Savior!

Elisha loves the Lord. He took a considerable investment – twelve yoke of oxen – and killed them for the Lord. He burned the yokes. When he gave up the oxen, he gave up his career. He can no longer plow the fields of his family. Elisha told his family goodbye, and made the Lord number one in his life. This is what Jesus calls us to be. Salvation is to REPENT and RECEIVE Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Luke 9:23-25 (NKJV) {Jesus} said to [them] all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

When Jesus calls a person to salvation, He calls the whole person. He calls you to give yourself to Him. Jesus owns you. He owns your stuff. He owns your fame, or lack thereof. Jesus tells the Christian …

Matthew 10:22 (NKJV) you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

Christian, our God is Yahweh. Our God is Salvation. All other gods are false, untrue, without power. There is no way to God but through Jesus Christ. There is no Holy Book but the Bible. Jesus said, “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26, ESV). When you stand with God, you stand with life and light. When you stand with Satan and the world, you stand in darkness and death.

There Is Dearth In The Land

2 Kings 4:38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a DEARTH {famine} in the land

Word Study: There is “DEARTH IN THE LAND”. There was a famine. There was economic uncertainty. People were hungry, they were starving. Why is there a famine?

When God sent Israel into the Promised Land of Canaan, God told Israel to drive out the wicked that were there. Abraham had walked the length and breadth of Canaan. The Lord had tried to reach the Canaanites – through Abraham, through others, calling people to His side. But the Canaanites preferred idols, self made gods. God told Israel:

Deuteronomy 9:5 (ESV) … because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out from before you, and that He may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

When the nation comes to the Lord, God blesses it. But there is a dearth in the land. Though Israel occupied Canaan now, Israel had become polluted with idolatry. God’s people began to compromise with the world around them. God’s people are supposed to be:

Matthew 5:14 … the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

What brings an economic famine on the land? The hardened heart that will not hear God’s Word. It is a joy to hear God’s Word, and His Word feeds the soul of the Christian. But many have wandered from Jesus, from the Word of God. We are seeing today the prophecy of Amos,

Amos 8:11-12 (ESV) “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. 12 They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.”

Israel had turned from living God’s Word, and the light on a hill dimmed. Darkness reigned. With darkness comes instability. With darkness comes the breakdown of the family. When Charlie Kirk was assassinated, people on news channels and social media rejoiced at the murder of a good man. Oh, how I grieve Charlie’s passing. But hear me out – we must not exalt Charlie Kirk, but JESUS! Charlie was not perfect, and none of us are perfect. But Charlie loved the Lord.

We should grieve Charlie’s murder, but celebrate the Jesus Who promised (John 8:51) “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.” Charlie died preaching and believing the Gospel, and never saw death. He saw Jesus!

There is a dearth in the land because we have gotten away from Jesus. We have gotten away from the Word of God.

Jesus Who is the Creator told Adam what he was supposed to do, and what he was NOT to do. What did Adam do? He heeded the created instead of the Creator. He listened to his wife, who in turn listened to a serpent. When the created heed the created rather than the Creator, there is dearth – a famine – in the land.

How horrible it is when the darkness reigns. How horrible it is when God’s people forget where their blessings came from. Why did God wipe out Sodom and Gomorrah? Because Righteous Lot sat in the gate year after year (Genesis 19:1) compromising his faith! The Light of God’s people cannot blend with the darkness. Our nation today rivals Sodom and Gomorrah because God’s people sit in the gate and say nothing. Oh Beloved, this must not be! God tells His people to reach out to the lost, but to NEVER blend with them. He says:

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 (NKJV) Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not TOUCH what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 18 I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.

Elisha Kept His Eyes On Jesus

The land is starving – but Elisha and those who love the Lord have resources. Elisha kept his eyes on Jesus. He didn’t worry about the idolaters. He didn’t worry about the famine. He just loved Jesus, and lived his life to serve the Lord. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 6:20 (KJV) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

If you know that God is the Savior, that faith in Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin, then you are God’s child. God will take care of His children, of those who love Him. If you love the Son, the Father loves you. Jesus said,

John 15:10-11 (NKJV) If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and [that] your joy may be full.

God takes care of His children. Again, the Scripture says:

Psalm 145:20 (ESV) The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.

God looks after His people. “The Lord is MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT WANT” (Psalm 23:1). The Shepherd defends the sheep. He guides the sheep to “green pastures, and leads them beside still waters”. God says of His child, His little sheep,

“Because you hold fast to Me in love, I will deliver you. I will protect you, because you know My Name. When you call to Me, I will answer you. I will be with you in trouble. I will rescue you, and honor you. With long life I will satisfy you, and SHOW YOU MY SALVATION” (Psalm 91:14-16, AP)

There was a DEARTH in the land, a famine, but Elisha was not worried. God would provide his need, and the needs of those who were with him.

2 Kings 4:38 (KJV) And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets {about 100 men} were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and {boil stew} for the sons of the prophets.

Elisha tells his COOK, his SERVANT to make a stew. Elisha is a prophet – a preacher of God’s Word. As every believer is supposed to do, Elisha is making disciples. That’s what God calls His children to do. Make disciples. Do you not remember Jesus’ command? “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-19). Make disciples. Teach others about Jesus. These “SONS OF THE PROPHETS” were about 100 preachers that Elisha was mentoring, just as he had been mentored. But his people are hungry. As the Psalmist said:

Psalm 37:25 (ESV) I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.

There may be a famine in the land, but Elisha has a cook. That cook knows where to find things that are good to eat, and trusts in the Lord. So the cook makes a pot of stew. But someone steps out of bounds.

2 Kings 4:39 And ONE went out into the field to gather HERBS {‘ôrâ}, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of {stew}: for they knew them not. {they did not know what these gourds were}

Word Study: The cook makes a stew – and someone else adds the wrong thing to it. Reading the text, I believe it is telling us that the cook sent someone out to get “HERBS”. This is the Hebrew ‘ôrâ {pronounced o-raw’}, and it means “that which is LIGHT or BRIGHT, something LUMINOUS”. This same word is used to describe God in …

Psalm 139:12 (KJV) Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light [are] both ALIKE [‘ôrâ] [to Thee].

The cook tasted the stew he had made, and it needed a little flavor. So he sent someone to get a “HERB” that would “LIGHTEN UP” the dish, making it better to eat. Instead of getting a known “HERB”, the assistant found something that looked good. He took this gourd, a wild gourd unfamiliar to what he knew was good, and shredded it into the stew.

2 Kings 4:40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.

They started to eat. Suddenly, their stomachs clenched. They were sickened. They had eaten something bad. “THERE IS DEATH IN THE POT”. Beloved, these were BELIEVERS IN JESUS. These were FOLLOWERS OF ELISHA. They had left their homes to learn, to be disciples of the Master. And now someone has introduced something strange, something not of God. My commentary notes:

“Untrained in these matters, {the cook’s assistant} mistook the wild vine for an edible cucumber or squash. What he found is believed to be the citrallus colocynthus, which had a leaf like a squash but was bitter and poisonous due to its very severe purgative qualities {X-Lax on steroids}. If eaten in large amounts it would tear up the digestive tract and could even cause death. In small amounts you might not die, but you might think you were going to–and might even want to. …. The world is full of poisonous ideas that may look harmless and even resemble the truth, but they are bitter and bring unhappiness to man. To be able to recognize this and to protect others from these bitter herbs, {believers} need to be trained in the Word of God.”

Oh Beloved, let us as believers guard one another, and encourage one another to get no strange item in the pot. But if we do, let us do as Elisha did.

The Cure To Death In The Pot Is Jesus

2 Kings 4:41 But {Elisha} said, Then bring MEAL {gemah}. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.

Elisha didn’t panic. He asked the cook to “bring me flour”. Meal or flour is used in making bread. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Our Lord Jesus said:

John 6:29-40 (ESV) Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

These men had taken something wild from the world into themselves. There was death in the pot. They were suffering, dying. Cramping, in agony. Elisha puts flour in the pot, symbolic of our Lord Jesus. Then he said,

Pour out for the people, that they may eat

We must feed on God’s Word. We must feed on the revelation of Jesus Christ. But you choose whether to eat or not. There is no neutral position. If you want to escape the death in the pot and the dearth in the land, you must partake of Christ.

We’ve got to get back to Jesus. Jesus will rain down blessings on His people, if we will love and follow Him. In the last three verses of this chapter, we see a miracle that Jesus twice replicated while on this earth.

2 Kings 4:42-44 And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. 43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. 44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord.

There were about a hundred men with Elisha. A man brought Elisha 20 barley loaves of bread, not much larger than biscuits. Our Lord Jesus fed 5000 men with “five barley loaves, and two small fish” (John 6:9ff). The 20 barley loaves are equivalent to what four children would eat. Such a small amount. But Elisha looked to Jesus. He said, “The Lord told me a hundred shall eat – and there will be leftover”. And guess what?

Jesus did it! Our God is a Saving God. Oh, that you would look to Him today, and throughout this revival. Oh Holy Spirit, please speak to hearts this week. There is dearth in the land, and death in the pot. But we who love Jesus have life and light! Amen!

Posted in 2 Kings, Sermons Preached | Tagged Bible, elisha, Faith, Following Christ, God, God Is Faithful, gospel, Jesus, Jesus Christ, love God, salvation | Leave a comment

Living As Disciples Of Christ

Posted on October 1, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

Ephesians 1:15-17 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him

Opening: It literally brought tears to my eyes. On Sunday September 21 there was a memorial service for our brother in Christ Charlie Kirk at the State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona. Charlie’s widow Erika Kirk walked out on stage. There were over 200,000 people in attendance. When she got to the podium (which was surrounded by bullet proof glass) Erika could have said anything – it was unscripted. She could have called for conservatives to rise up and strike back at the liberals which have for so long called Bible believers “Facists, homophobes, Islamophobes, misogynists” and so on. Now the CEO of Turning Point, she could have said things that could have brought about riots in the streets of America.

She didn’t.

Her first words were “God bless all of you”. God. Not a curse word. Not hate. Love. She quoted Isaiah 6:8, saying it was Charlie’s favorite verse:

I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

She also quoted Jesus. Her words were:

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. That man – that young man – I forgive him”. Tears ran down her face. She continued, “I forgive him, because of what Christ did, and it’s what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know, from the Gospel, is love, and always love. Love for our enemies, and love for those who persecute us.”

Though many liberal commentators mocked what she did, she did exactly what Jesus told her to do. The Bible says:

Romans 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

It would be so easy to be overcome with evil. To see these mockers of all races make fun of a good Christian man’s death. True Christians have always been mocked. Members of the early Church did not call themselves “Christian” (Greek christianos). It was a term of derision that was pinned to believers by the unbelievers in Antioche (Acts 11:26).

The devil’s children gave believers in Jesus the title “Christian”. Early believers simply called themselves “disciples” or “saints” – those consecrated to God. “Christianos” means “of the party of Christ”.

In every fiber of my flesh I want to take each mocker, each foolish satanic jester, and make them pay. But here’s the thing:

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I HEARD of your faith in the Lord Jesus

When the Apostle Paul wrote these words while imprisoned in Rome (A.D. 60-62) for preaching the Gospel of Christ. The Christian – the follower of the Christ – has “faith in the Lord Jesus”. When you are saved, you are only saved if Jesus is your LORD. You cannot be saved if Jesus is not your Lord. The Apostle preached:

Romans 10:9 (ESV) because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

He is LORD. There is no salvation apart from that. He is LORD.

The leper knelt before Jesus, saying “LORD, if You will, You can make me clean” (Matthew 8:2).
The Disciples, tossed about in the midst of a storm, told Jesus “Save us, LORD, we are perishing” (Matthew 8:25).
The Canaanite woman cried out to Jesus, “Have mercy on me, O LORD, Son of David” (Matthew15:22).
When Thomas saw the rise Christ, he declared “My LORD and my GOD!” (John 20:28).
And Peter preached on Pentecost, “Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both LORD and Messiah”(Acts 2:36).

Jesus is Lord of His people. He demands that His people live their faith out distinctively different than the lost world. The Church at Ephesus is doing this. Paul again said:

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I HEARD of your FAITH …

If the Church at Ephesus was doing the same thing that the lost world around them is doing, Paul would have never HEARD of their FAITH. There is no internet, no television, no mail service. And yet Paul HEARS of their faith. The Ephesian believers are not conforming to the culture around them. They are not being like the lost.

An unlit candle is absolutely useless in the dark. It does nothing. You don’t see it. You don’t hear it. It has no effect whatsoever!

If Erika had gotten up on stage and called for hell to rain down on that young man, and all those mockers – cowards all – that are hiding behind their keyboards, it would have made absolutely no impression. When flesh begets flesh, there is no power in this. But when she forgave that killer because her LORD said so …. the crowd was stunned.

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints

The Ephesians were living their faith OUT LOUD. Oh Beloved, the devil doesn’t care if you have faith if your faith is as hateful and dark as his disciples have. When Jesus healed the man with the withered hand (Matthew 12:9-13) on the Sabbath, that man rejoiced. But the Bible says those who saw the Master do good:

Matthew 12:14-15 (ESV) … the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. 15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and He healed them all

The pseudo religious crowd, the Pharisees, did not rejoice when Jesus did good. They instead plotted on killing Jesus. Note that “Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there”. Our Lord didn’t linger among the devils, the messengers of Satan. But to those who followed Him as LORD, “He healed them all”.

Christians, we must not be silent. We must stand up loudly, so that the whole world hears, against those that are lost. We must be light, not darkness. And we must DO GOOD to our enemies, as Jesus did good ….. but we do not have to pursue those who wallow in darkness.

Early in His ministry, Jesus went up a mountainside in Galilee (Matthew 5:1-2). This was probably the place which today is called “The Mount of Beatitudes”. Jesus did not chase people, but people came to Him. He spoke to those who called Him Lord. What did He say?

“You are part of the world, no different from the darkness. You are a city like all others, hidden in the valley of human doctrines. Be quiet. Do nothing. Be part of the crowd. Don’t stand out!”

Did He say that? Absolutely not! Jesus calls His people to be distinctively different than the darkness. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV) You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

We who are saved are to live OUT LOUD for Jesus. We are not to worry about the darkness. We are to DISPEL the darkness by reflecting the glorious Gospel of Christ in our WORDS and in our ACTIONS. Jesus called us to be loud, to be heard. Not in our flesh, but following His words. Jesus was very clear,

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

Pastor Don Wilton, talking about Billy Graham, said:

“Billy Graham believed in salvation by faith in Christ alone and walked in obedience to the Lordship of Christ simply because Christ alone is Lord and King. … if we believe in Him, then we obey Him. {Jesus} alone is God.”

We Stand TOGETHER Against The Darkness,
But With Our Fellow Believers

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints

Early believers did not call themselves “Christians”, but “Saints” which means “those set apart by Jesus”. Or “disciples” which meant followers of Christ. The early believers understood that …

We are in a spiritual battle against forces of evil. That “We do not battle against flesh and blood, but against “Rulers, Authorities, and Cosmic Powers over this present darkness, against SPIRITUAL FORCES of evil” (Ephesians 6:12)

The Ephesian believers were able to stand against satanic forces because they had “love unto all the saints”. Believer loved believer. They did what Paul wrote in:

Galatians 6:10 (NKJV) Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

To “DO GOOD TO ALL … especially to the HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH”. They loved one another. Now, as I sought the Lord to guide me into explaining to you what is this thing we call “Love”, He led me to a very familiar passage, one you are all aware of.

John 3:16-18 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. [17] “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. [18] “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

We’ll define “LOVE” by what God showed us. Let’s break it out.

Love does not look the other way on evil or wrong. God does not look the other way on the sins of the world. Had He done so, He would have never sent Jesus Christ to this earth to die for our sins. “God GAVE His only Begotten Son”.
Love does good when others do bad. It is visibly good. Jesus went to the Cross not just for a certain group of people, but for the “WORLD”.
Love goes to the individual, and gives the individual a choice. God offers His love to “WHOEVER”. Jesus told us:

Matthew 18:15 (ESV) If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

This is what God does with us in salvation. He comes to us individually, and convicts us of sinning against Him. He gives us an opportunity to repent, to get on the Biblical page with Him. We are to do the same with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Sadly, we don’t do this. When offended, we do not go to the offender, but run around the Church playing the victim to everyone else. This is not love – it is divisive, and destructive. If you go to the offender privately, and he or she will not hear you, Jesus said “go get others, and take them back with you, “that every charge may be established by the EVIDENCE of two or three witnesses” (Matthew 18:16). The intent is to restore peaceful coexistence within the Church. If all else fails, Jesus said “let that person be to you as a sinner, a lost person” (Matthew 18:17). But listen to me –

Perhaps the fault is YOURS. If it is, then YOU must repent.

It is the Word of God and the Spirit of God that establishes right and wrong – not what we think or feel. Finally, “LOVE” – based on what our God has done,

Love is sacrificial. It is self denying, and God honoring. God did not relish surrendering His Son Jesus to the Cross, but in love offered His Son to all. Jesus did not relish going to the Cross. He prayed three times in Gethsemane that “this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus went anyway. As believers, we “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39), taking the pain and shame of the blow, even if unjustified. We love anyway. We do not justify the sin, but we forgive as God forgives.

Paul’s Prayer For The Church

Paul commends the Church at Ephesus for its love, even in the midst of that present darkness. He says:

Ephesians 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

In the midst of this spiritual warfare, Paul lifted up the Church by being THANKFUL and PRAYERFUL. This should be our attitude. The Bible says:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 (NKJV) Rejoice always, [17] pray without ceasing, [18] in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. [19] Do not quench the Spirit.

Paul rejoiced over the Church. He prayed without ceasing for the Church. We come together to REJOICE ALWAYS. We are children of the King. We are New Creatures in Christ. We have access to the Father. We can “PRAY WITHOUT CEASING” because God is there, He is never asleep. We have a salvation we do not deserve, and a love we did not earn. There was a song that I learned from my brother in Christ Andre Crouch. Listen to this:

I don’t know why Jesus loves me,
I don’t know why He cares.
I don’t know why He sacrificed His life,
Oh, but I’m glad. I’m glad He did.

Where would I be if Jesus didn’t love me?
Where would I be if Jesus didn’t care?
Where would I be, if He didn’t sacrifice His life,
Oh, but I’m glad. I’m glad He did.

He left His mighty Throne in glory,
To bring to us redemption’s story,
Then He died, but He rose again, just for me,
Oh and I’m glad, I’m glad He did.
So glad He did.

Paul prayed for the Church:

Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him

In the King James, the word “Spirit” is NOT capitalized – and it should be. The word “SPIRIT” is the Greek pneuma, which is used to describe the Holy Spirit (111x), the Holy Ghost (89x), the Spirit of God (13x), the Spirit of Truth (3x), and the Spirit of Christ (2x). In other words, the “SPIRIT” that Paul is praying the Father will give the Church is the Presence of the Holy Spirit.

Now let me clarify this. The Holy Spirit is the active Member of the Godhead in our salvation. When you REPENT and CALL ON JESUS, believing Him as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit causes you to be BORN AGAIN. Jesus said:

John 3:5-7 (ESV) Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. [6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7] Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.‘

A Christian is a Christian, a son of God, because that person is born into the Kingdom through the Holy Spirit of God. You are not only “born again” into the Kingdom of God, but you are “sealed” by the Spirit

Ephesians 4:29-30 (ESV) Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. [30] And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

The Holy Spirit indwells the believer. Jesus called Him a “Comforter” or an “Advocate”:

John 14:16-17 (KJV) 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.

The Holy Spirit lives inside of every believer. He made you, and stays with you. HOWEVER, go back to Ephesians 4:29-30 , “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. [30] And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God”

When we get away from the Word of God and begin to follow our own word, a corrupting word, a man centered word, we “GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT”. The Holy Spirit indwells us so that He might teach us about Jesus.

John 14:26 (KJV) 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.

That’s what Paul is praying for the Church. Read it again:

Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him

The Bible says that we can grieve or quench the Holy Spirit by our sinful actions. The enemy cannot defeat us – but WE can defeat us. When we get away from the written Word, the Bible; when we get away from learning to be like Jesus – the devil rejoices.

The power of the Christian is in Christ, in being like Him, in obeying Him. Sin throttles the Holy Spirit, robbing us of joy in our salvation. We need to focus on being in Christ, IN CHRIST, not in the flesh.

Ephesians 1:18-20 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

The Church has “exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe”. The Church focused on Christ cannot be defeated. The Father raised Christ from the dead. The Father set His Son on His right hand. When we believe on His Son, and are subsequently born again, sealed, indwelt, and filled by the Spirit we are bound to a Power unimaginable.

The Church that follows Jesus is HEADED UP by Jesus. And Jesus has a name that is above every Name. The last three verses of this chapter says:

Ephesians 1:21-23 {Jesus is} Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And {the Father} hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church, 23 Which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.

There is no one greater than Jesus. The Church submitted to Jesus, the Church that will not grieve nor quench the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19) is greater than any enemy that may come against us. When the Church belongs to Jesus, the Church will stand.

May Christ touch your hearts with His Word! Amen.

Posted in Ephesians | Tagged Bible, christianity, disciples, discipleship, Faith, Filled With The Spirit, Filling of the Spirit, flesh, Jesus, living for Jesus, Spirit Led, Spirit Works | Leave a comment

Stand Fast

Posted on October 1, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Frankie Lopez on Unsplash

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Stand Fast!: I prayed and sought God’s Spirit to tell me how to explain this section of scripture. I thought about the phrase “STAND FAST”, the Greek stēkō which means to “set your feet on solid ground, to resolutely stand and refuse to move from your assigned place”. Stēkō is a military term, a manly term. Jesus tied Stēkō to prayer. He said:

Mark 11:25-26 (KJV) And when ye STAND {Stēkō} praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

You cannot STAND FAST if you are in disarray. God’s Church is His people, His army. We stand TOGETHER in Him, in His Word. We do what our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, tells us. We follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Scripture says:

Romans 14:4 (KJV) Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own Master he STANDETH {Stēkō} or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

The Church STANDS FAST not in it’s opinion, but IN THE LORD. The Apostle tells us:

Philippians 4:1 (KJV) … STAND FAST {Stēkō} in the Lord, [my] dearly beloved.

1 Thessalonians 3:8 (KJV) … STAND FAST {Stēkō} in the Lord.

The Christian loves the Word of God, and is led by the Spirit of God. We walk together with other like minded believers, STANDING FAST for Jesus! We are commanded to “Watch, and STAND FAST {Stēkō} IN THE FAITH” (1 Corinthians 16:13). Not in the world, but “IN THE FAITH”. Or as the Apostle said in …

Philippians 1:27 (AP) STAND FAST {Stēkō} in one Spirit, with one mind STRIVING TOGETHER FOR THE FAITH OF THE GOSPEL …

The devil and the world will do its best to either (1) keep people from hearing the glorious Gospel of Christ, to keep them unsaved, or (2) try and get the Christian to give ground to that which is contrary to the Gospel.

The devil cannot make our light dim – but he can entice us to give up Paradise for a piece of fruit. The devil cannot cast us out of Eden, but he can encourage us into losing our way by rejecting the command of God. Beloved, we must:

Stand Fast Against Sin

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Christ has made us free. Jesus has saved us. From what? From hell? Yes, from hell! But Jesus saved us from more than hell. He saved us from emptiness. He saved us from self. He saved us from SIN. This is what the Bible says He came to do. We were told in the first part of this book:

Galatians 1:4 {Jesus} gave Himself FOR OUR SINS, that He might DELIVER US FROM THIS PRESENT EVIL WORLD …

Jesus “loved us, and WASHED US FROM OUR SINS in His own Blood” (Revelation 1:5). He changed our state.

Illustrate: I want you to think of your life as if you are a cup. When you are born into this world, you are born an empty cup. Within that cup is a conscience that will convict us of sin. Every person has a conscience, placed in you by God. Believers have a conscience. Unbelievers have a conscience. In Romans 2:14-15 the Bible says:

Romans 2:14-15 (NKJV) …. for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves [their] thoughts accusing or else excusing [them])

The Gentiles were never given the Law of Moses. But they WERE GIVEN a conscience. The conscience BY NATURE, by birth, tells us what things are good and what things are bad. For instance, we all know that murder, rape, theft, lying, cursing God, adultery and so on are bad. I know of no one other than a psychopath who would say “to rape and murder a woman is perfectly fine – after all, Darwinian Evolution says that there is survival of the fittest.” People instinctively know that these things are wrong. Why? Because God infused the human heart – the seat of our consciousness – with a conscience. So we are like cups. We are born empty, gifted with life by God, but we are not connected to God other than by a conscience. And here’s the bad news.

The conscience can be hardened or cauterized by sin.

1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NKJV) Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron …

To heed Satan, to heed the directives of the fallen world, to stop speaking the truth of God’s Word and begin to follow human tradition and fallacies will sear or harden the conscience. You are born with an empty cup, and a conscience to guide you. But the conscience can be hardened. This is the reason you see so many people mocking the deaths of the innocent. This is why we see women putting their abortions online in videos, laughing and celebrating the murder of their own child.

Sin or the violation of what God has said is right, if not repented of, will harden the heart, sear the conscience. Sin will enslave you. Sin enslaves the unbeliever, so that he or she will fill their cup with SELF rather than God or good.

Jesus Christ came not just to save us from hell, but to SAVE US FROM SIN’S DOMINION. Jesus said that the reason He came to this earth was to …

Luke 4:18-19 (ESV) … to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed

Those without Christ are empty cups with consciences. But without Christ they are enslaved to sin. But when God opens the eyes of a person and they see Christ as LORD and SAVIOR, when they give their lives to Him, Jesus frees them from sin’s mastery. He does this by sending the Holy Spirit to us to make us BORN AGAIN (John 3:3-7). God comes into our cup, and fills us with His Presence. Being BORN AGAIN, we are given ETERNAL LIFE (2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1–4, 18). We are made “CHILDREN OF GOD” (John 1:12–13). We are set free from sin’s mastery, and and freed from sin to serve Jesus.

But something else happens. God enters our life, and stays with us. God the Holy Spirit comes into our cup. We are freed from sin so that we can live with Jesus and for Jesus. The Bible says:

1 Peter 2:16 (ESV) Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

The purpose of the believer’s cup, our lives, is to live free from sin and for God’s glory. The Bible says “sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14). We are to fill our cups with God. There’s an old song we don’t sing anymore called “Fill My Cup, Lord”. But it explains the difference between the believer and the lost. The song says:

Like the woman at the well, I was seeking
For things that could not satisfy.
And then I heard my Savior speaking,
“Draw from My well that never shall run dry.”

Fill my cup, Lord; I lift it up Lord;
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more.
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.

The Christian is not an empty cup, but a “new creature in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are God’s property. Jesus said:

John 8:31-32, 34, 36 (ESV) So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in My word, you are TRULY My disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” … 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. … 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Jesus Christ frees us from the dominion of sin in our lives. He empties us of sin so that we might fill our cups with God’s goodness and righteousness.

Illustrate: I was talking with a brother in Christ and our plumber, Randy Blackburn, this past Friday. Randy had fixed a toilet for us – he does great work – and we were talking in my office. We were talking about how evil our world has gotten over the last few years, and how dark America is. Randy told me a story about a man he once knew, long ago. It was about 1970, and there was a fellow that everyone knew as just a “wino”. He was homeless, on the street, and horribly addicted to alcohol. Several men started talking about this man, and said that “he’s been drinking rubbing through a cheesecloth” to satisfy his addiction. They were talking about rubbing or wood alcohol. Randy said the man could buy rubbing alcohol for about 9 cents a bottle, would drink it through a cheese cloth, then throw up blood.

One day Randy was working the plumbing at a liquor store. He went outside to get something, and this “wino” came up to him. He said, “I’m dying! I’ve got to have a quarter.” Randy said he knew that if he gave the man a quarter, he’d go down to the store and buy two bottles of rubbing – and Randy didn’t want to kill him. Back then Randy kept a pint bottle of alcohol under the seat of his truck (he doesn’t anymore). He told the wino, “I don’t have any money. Here, I’ll give you this”. When he showed the man the bottle, the man lurched forward. “Yesssss – that’s what I need”. The bottle was 100 proof alcohol, a full pint, and the man quickly drank it down. Throwing the empty to the ground, he staggered off. Randy said to himself, “That man will be dead in 6 months”.

A few months past, and on Sunday Randy saw this same man walking up the street to a little Pentecostal Church. The man was not staggering. His wife was with him, and he was wearing a suit. He asked his friends about this man, and the change in him. His friends said, “That man got the Holy Ghost”. The man got saved. To this day, Randy doesn’t know if the man was saved in Church, or if he was in a gutter throwing up blood when he reached out and Jesus reached him. But Jesus saved someone who was a “wino”, and made him into a child of God! Randy said that this man who he thought would be dead in 6 months actually lived another 40 years before he went to be with his Savior.

Praise the Lord!

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Oh Beloved, let us stand fact in Christ. He saves His people FROM their sins, not IN their sins. Jesus did not save us from sin so that we can fill our cups with ourselves. He saved us so that we can live our lives for Him. We’re told later in this chapter:

Galatians 5:13-14 (KJV) For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only [use] not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, [even] in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Sin WAS our master – but sin CAN enslave us again. If you don’t believe this, look at the life of King David. David loved the Lord. But one day David forgot that he was saved to fill his cup for Jesus, and decided instead to fill his cup with sin. David looked on another man’s wife, and took her as his own. When she got pregnant, David tried to cover up his sin by deception. When that failed, David had Uriah her husband murdered. But David did not profit. Though David repented, God told David:

2 Samuel 12:10-11 (ESV) Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house.

You lose the blessings of God when you fill your cup with the flesh, and not with God’s Spirit. When you depart from the Word of God and do evil, God will repay!

Stand Fast In The Spirit

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

When we are saved, God frees us from sin AND the Law. We are not under the written Law of Moses. We are under the Law of the Spirit. The Bible says:

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

The Law is diagnostic. It can point out sin, but it cannot correct sin. When we give our lives to Jesus, we become His possession. We belong to Jesus. The Holy Spirit of God INDWELLS us, He lives within us. The Bible says:

2 Corinthians 3:17 (ESV) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

The Spirit of God is not an IT. The Spirit of God is a PERSON, the Third Person of the Trinity. The Spirit of God causes us to be born again. Once born again, the Spirit INDWELLS us and LEADS us while TEACHING us about Jesus through God’s Scripture.

The Christian is given a choice every single day. We can fill our cup with SELF, or we can empty our cup of ourselves and be FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT. We are told:

Ephesians 5:18-21 (ESV) And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

You can be filled with the flesh – or you can be filled with the Spirit. It’s easy to tell what someone is filled with.

If you are filled with the Spirit, you will be musical. You will be “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart”. If you’re like a funeral dirge to talk to, you’re filled with the wrong spirit.

If you’re filled with the Spirit, you will be thankful. You will be “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

If you’re filled with the Spirit, you will not be self centered, but loving and useful. You will be “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ”.

Those who are saved do what they do because God indwells them. Before we were saved, we had the Law of God. We had a conscience. But we did not have God. Once saved, God lives in us to guide us through His Scripture, to make us more like Jesus.

Those who are lost do not have a good grasp of the Law of God.

Galatians 5:2-4 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

The Pharisees crept into the Church at Galatia and told them “you must be circumcised to be saved”. Circumcision has nothing whatsoever to do with salvation. The Bible tells us that God took Abraham outside. We read:

Genesis 15:5-6 (ESV) And {God} brought {Abram} outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then {God} said to {Abram}, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he {Abram} believed the LORD, and {God} counted it to him as righteousness.

Before Abraham was ever circumcised, he believed in the Lord Jesus. Abraham was saved by faith in our Lord. The phrase:

“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”

Is repeated three times in the New Testament. It is in Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; and James 2:23. But when did God give Abraham and his direct seed the Covenant of Circumcision? Not in Genesis 15, when Abraham was 85 years old.

Abraham was 85 years old when he “believed the Lord, and God counted it for righteousness”. But Abraham was 99 years old (Genesis 17:1) when God gave him the Covenant of Circumcision. Fourteen years passed from salvation to the Covenant of circumcision. Circumcision has nothing to do with salvation!

God told Abraham under the Covenant of Circumcision:

Genesis 17:7-14 (ESV) And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” 9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.

The Covenant of Circumcision gave Israel the right to the land of Canaan. It was specific to the nation of Israel, not to the Gentiles. God said, “Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant”. Failure to be circumcised would cause the Jew to be cut off – not from Heaven nor the Kingdom of God – but “FROM HIS PEOPLE”. The uncircumcised MALE (not the female) would lose the Promised Land. This is a physical Covenant, not a spiritual one. It has nothing to do with salvation.

Galatians 5:5-6 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Salvation comes only by “faith which worketh by love”.

We – THROUGH THE SPIRIT wait for the hope of righteousness BY FAITH. We know that we are sinners, deserving only of hell, but Christ saved us. What have we previously read?

Galatians 2:20-21 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. {21} I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

I should have been crucified, but I was not. I am crucified with Christ – not because the nails of punishment were driven into me, nor because I hung naked and ashamed between two thieves. I am crucified with Christ – because the life which I now live in the flesh I live BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD.

My hope daily is in Him.
My hope for salvation is in Him.
My hope for sanctification is in Him.
My hope for eternity is in Him.

He loved me, and gave Himself for me – in my place. Therefore I have faith which worketh by love. He is altogether lovely. We love Him because He first loved us!

Illustrate: Often before people join a Church, they will seek out the Pastor and ask him questions. Over the years I’ve heard “What type of Bible do you use? How do you preach? “Do you use notes, or do you preach without notes? Do you have fellowship meals at the Church? Are women allowed to teach Bible classes – or pray – in the Church?” I’ve heard a lot of questions, but never hear “Pastor, do you love Jesus? Do the members of this Church love Jesus?” If the answer to those questions is YES, then all other things will fall into place.

The “faith which worketh by love” will not play with sin. The “faith which worketh by love” will recognize and confess sin to the Father in the name of Christ as soon as possible. The genuine Christian, discovering sin in the camp, repents and runs from sin as readily as he would run from a snake. The Christian does not try to love, but loves as naturally as a fish breathes water. The Scripture tells us:

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Do you know how you can tell one is saved, and the other is damned? One has the “faith which worketh by love”. The other wants to be waited on – even in hell. When Jesus spoke of the rich man and Lazarus, when the rich man lifted up his eyes in hell, he started looking for a servant. He did not repent. He begged Abraham to “send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water to cool my tongue”. Think of that! He wanted Lazarus to LEAVE PARADISE AND COME TO HELL to wait on him. What arrogance! He wanted Lazarus in hell with him, just as long as HE got a little comfort. Failing this, the rich man begged Abraham to “send Lazarus to my brothers, to warn them about hell”. He wanted Lazarus to leave Paradise and go back to earth to serve his family (Luke 16:19-31).

Beloved, do you have the “faith which worketh by love”? If you are saved, then you love Jesus. If you are saved, you love the family of God. I pray you are saved by faith in Christ. If not, today is the perfect day to REPENT and come to Him. Do not harden your hearts. You cannot work your way into being born again. God must do it. You must call on Jesus. The Bible is very clear:

Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: {7} Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

May God lead you to Christ today. Amen!

Posted in Galatians | Tagged Bible, disciples, discipleship, Faith, Following Christ, God, Jesus, salvation, stand don't squat, stand for God, Stand Strong, standfirm, standing for Jesus | Leave a comment

Today The Day of Salvation
March 2026

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Have You Received The Nature Of Christ?

Peter and the Jewish Church did not reach out to the Gentiles, because the Pharisees had so twisted the Law of God that he had been taught that it was UNLAWFUL to reach out to the Gentiles.

Being the WORKMANSHIP of the Spirit means to WALK in the Spirit. A non-believer cannot walk in the Spirit.

If You Have Not Walked OUT Of Egypt,You Cannot Walk IN The Spirit

To “Walk in the Spirit” has nothing to do withspeaking in tongues.

When you are BORN AGAIN, your nature changes. You are not as you were. This is the intent of what Jesus did on the Cross.

If you are saved by Grace, God has sentHis Spirit to live in your heart.

If you claim to be a “Christian Homosexual” or a “Christian” who lives in sexual sin, then the Law is still for you. You live by the Spirit, or you live by the Law.

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God Calls ALL The Broken And Hopeless By Grace

Man’s religion equated circumcision with worth, and race with worthiness to be saved. Since you were neither Jew nor circumcised by a Jewish priest, God did not want you.

God Is Calling You

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What of those who were believers in Christ (assuming there were) among the sixteen? Are they with Jesus now, or do they somehow wait on the earth for the resurrection?

Why Did God Direct Paul To WriteThis Section Of Scripture?

Sleep is a metaphor for the physical death of the body.

What about the Soul?

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep are ALWAYS TOGETHER, in life or in death.

The Rapture Is The Uniting Of The Believer’s Soul With A Glorified Body

When God made Adam, He made him from the dust of the earth. He will make our bodies PERFECT from the dust of the earth.

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The devil has convinced people that they can work their way to Heaven. This is a common thought in the world today. I see it among Church members. I see it among preachers. We cannot work our way to Heaven. The reason bad people do bad things is tied to our inability to save ourselves.

All Are Dead Apart From God’s Intervention

The Bible teaches that when man fell from God that every part of man – his mind, his will, his emotions, his flesh – was corrupted by sin. As babies we are born into this world PHYSICALLY alive, but SPIRITUALLY dead.

The whole world lies in the power of the wicked one. But Jesus is greater than Satan!

God Cannot Love You Apart From His Son

Your first birth brought you to spiritual death. Now, born again Saint, you are spiritually alive. You do not belong to the domain darkness and sin – but to the Kingdom of God’s Beloved Son.

Salvation Is – From Start To Finish –Entirely A Work Of God

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Repentance Is When We Follow Jesus

430 years from the birth of Isaac, God fulfilled His promise. God always fulfills His promise. How did Israel leave Egypt. “The people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children” (Exodus 12:37, ESV).

Repentance is when we stop walking with Egypt (the world) and follow Jesus both day and night. We go where Jesus tells us to go. We walk WITH HIM, BEHIND HIM, and He goes before us. Like Israel, we are freed from slavery to Egypt.

What Hinders Our Walk, Our Race?

When Jesus was attacked, He ALWAYS referred to Scripture. “It is written”. Where is it in the Bible? If the writings of the Apostles and Prophets do not support it, put it away. Cast it off as unnecessary. Follow Jesus.

If you are genuinely saved, you will keep walking with Jesus. If you are genuinely saved, you will run on the course He sets before you. We have no choice. He is Lord.

Paul Taught Circumcision – But Only For The Jews

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Does God Know Your Name?

Yes, it’s a great thing to have a good reputation among people. But does God know WHO YOU ARE? He made you. Does He know you?

The greatest thing in life is not fame or riches. It is not health and home. It is that God knows your name, that your name is written in the Book of Life!

If You Know Jesus, He Will Make YouBoth Wise And Rich!

Christians – Disciples of Christ – Saints of God – are to be EAGLES, not CROWS!

Raise Your Children To Love The Lord

Live Like You Are Rich, Christian. Do Not Become Ensnared By The World.

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Your Life Is A Stewardship From God

You Must Live Your Faith Out Loud

God’s People Need To Consider Before They Speak

It’s not about BEING right. It’s about DOING right.

A Recipient of Grace Is Always Gracious

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John the Baptist was the human Herald of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus, when He became flesh. But the Old Testament is the written Herald of Jesus, the Preincarnate Word of God!

Elisha Was A Saved Believer In Jesus

Elisha = God Is Salvation! Jesus Is The Savior!

There Is Dearth In The Land

There is a dearth in the land because we have gotten away from Jesus. We have gotten away from the Word of God.

Elisha Kept His Eyes On Jesus

The Cure To Death In The Pot Is Jesus

We must feed on God’s Word. We must feed on the revelation of Jesus Christ. But you choose whether to eat or not. There is no neutral position. If you want to escape the death in the pot and the dearth in the land, you must partake of Christ.

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An unlit candle is absolutely useless in the dark. It does nothing. You don’t see it. You don’t hear it. It has no effect whatsoever!

Christians, we must not be silent. We must stand up loudly, so that the whole world hears, against those that are lost. We must be light, not darkness. And we must DO GOOD to our enemies, as Jesus did good ….. but we do not have to pursue those who wallow in darkness.

We Stand TOGETHER Against The Darkness,But With Our Fellow Believers

We are in a spiritual battle against forces of evil. That “We do not battle against flesh and blood, but against “Rulers, Authorities, and Cosmic Powers over this present darkness, against SPIRITUAL FORCES of evil” (Ephesians 6:12)

Paul’s Prayer For The Church

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Stand Fast Against Sin

Sin or the violation of what God has said is right, if not repented of, will harden the heart, sear the conscience. Sin will enslave you. Sin enslaves the unbeliever, so that he or she will fill their cup with SELF rather than God or good.

Jesus Christ frees us from the dominion of sin in our lives. He empties us of sin so that we might fill our cups with God’s goodness and righteousness.

Stand Fast In The Spirit

Those who are lost do not have a good grasp of the Law of God.

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David Buffaloe

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Today The Day of Salvation

If You Have Not Walked OUT Of Egypt,
You Cannot Walk IN The Spirit

To “Walk in the Spirit” has nothing to do with
speaking in tongues.

If you are saved by Grace, God has sent
His Spirit to live in your heart.

Why Did God Direct Paul To Write
This Section Of Scripture?

The Rapture Is The Uniting Of The Believer’s Soul
With A Glorified Body

Salvation Is – From Start To Finish –
Entirely A Work Of God

430 years from the birth of Isaac, God fulfilled His promise. God always fulfills His promise. How did Israel leave Egypt. “The people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children”
(Exodus 12:37, ESV).

If You Know Jesus, He Will Make You
Both Wise And Rich!

We Stand TOGETHER Against The Darkness,
But With Our Fellow Believers