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Jesus Is Known In The Breaking Of Bread (A Communion Message)

Posted on November 23, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

On the last chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Luke 24, the blessed physician tells us what happened “on the first day, very early in the morning” (Luke 24:1), on the third day following Jesus’ death and burial. The women did not find the soldiers who were guarding the Tomb of Jesus – they were not there. The women found “the stone rolled away from the grave” (Luke 24:2). Two shining Witnesses at the Tomb speak to the women:

Luke 24:5-7 Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 7 saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

Luke tells us that the women run back to where the disciples are, and tell them what the Witnesses said. Then we come to verse 13.

Two Witnesses told the women to tell the disciples that Jesus was risen from the grave. But two other witnesses to our Lord’s death – they do not believe what they hear. So they head back to their home in Emmaus. Let’s read:

Luke 24:13-14 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

Unbelief Blinds Us To Jesus

These two do not believe that Jesus rose from the dead. We know this before we read any farther. In a moment one of the two, Cleopas, will tell us that he and his companion heard the testimony of the women who came from the empty tomb (see verse 23). Had Cleopas and his companion believed the testimony of the women, had they believed that Jesus was risen from the grave, they nonetheless would have lingered in Jerusalem. But they do not linger. The Passover has ended. They are going home.

Luke 24:15-16 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.

As Cleopas and his companion head the threescore (60) furlongs – about a seven mile journey back to Emmaus, Jesus joins them on the journey. Yet the Bible says in verse 16,

their eyes were holden that they should not know him

Word Study The word translated “HOLDEN” is the Greek κρατέω kratéō, {pronounced krat-eh’-o}. The word means “to be ruled over, to be mastered by, to gain possession of”. The same word is used in Matthew 14:3 when King Herod SEIZED John the Baptist, and cast him into prison. Their eyes were imprisoned, held hostage, or mastered by something. What was that something?

It was unbelief.

The devil uses unbelief to keep us from seeing Jesus. 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us that the devil, “ the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” Cleopas and his companion had hoped that Jesus would overthrow Rome. But He died on that Cross. How does Cleopas know Jesus died? From his companion.

I was studying on who this unnamed companion was who with Cleopas, when I came across a study by Dr. James M. Boice, who used to do “The Bible Study Hour” on the radio. Dr. Boice noted:

“… one of the disciples was called Cleopas. Moreover, if you will then use any good concordance of the words occurring in the New Testament and look up the word “Cleopas,” you will find a second mention of his name in another account of the Resurrection. The reference is John 19:25. There we read, “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary, the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene.” It is true that John spells the name a bit differently. But the spelling of names often varied in antiquity, and here the two names undoubtedly refer to the same person.”

Cleopas’ companion is his wife. She was at the foot of the Cross with Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Jesus. She saw Jesus suffering. She saw Jesus as His heart was pierced with a soldier’s spear, and blood and water poured out (John 19:34). She was probably there when Joseph of Arimathæa and Nicodemus took the body of our Lord down from the Cross (John 19:38). She may have been one who helped prepare our Lord’s body. She saw the slashes, the exposed bone, the white, bloodless corpse. Cleopas’ wife tells him all about what she saw. Though both have heard the message of the Two Shining Witnesses, they do not believe.

Unbelief blinds their eyes.
Unbelief robs them of joy.
Unbelief is a thief!

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

Jesus did not come to free Israel from Rome. He came to free Israel from satan and sin and destructive ways. Jesus Christ came to give us the abundant life that God created us for. He did not come to give us temporary blessings. He came to fix our brokenness, our hurt, our suffering forever. He came to bring us to God.

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

Jesus Is Near When We Are Low

We live in world filled with suffering. We need God in our lives. When we suffer, Christ comes to us. He came to Cleopas and his wife as they mourned the death of Jesus, walking on the Emmaus Road.

Luke 24:17 {Jesus} said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?

Jesus knows why they are sad. Jesus knows your hearts. He knows what you think, what you feel. He knows why you are sad. “Jesus knew what was in man” (John 2:25). Jesus always knows what we are thinking (Luke 6:8). He asks so that they will voice their disbelief to God. Jesus Christ is God, God in the flesh.

Luke 24:18-21 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? 19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. 21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

Cleopas and his wife thought that Jesus was only a PROPHET mighty in deed (vs 19). Though Cleopas had followed the life of Jesus, to Him Jesus was but “Jesus of Nazareth”. The title “Jesus of Nazareth” is used only 17 times in the Scripture, and in each use it focuses on our Lord’s humanity. When Jesus died on Calvary, the Titular or Sign that Pilate ordered hung over Jesus’ head was:

John 19:19 … JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS

I have searched the Scriptures, and have only found one instance when Jesus called Himself “Jesus of Nazareth”, and that was when He knocked Paul down on the Damascus Road (Acts 22:8). Cleopas saw Jesus as the son of man, but not as the Son of God. He goes on to say:

Luke 24:22-24 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulcher; 23 and when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. 24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulcher, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.

Cleopas and his wife did not believe the witness of the women who went to the Tomb. Jesus chastises them both, saying:

Luke 24:25-27 O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Word Study Jesus called Cleopas and his wife “FOOLS”, the Greek ἀνόητος anóētos, {pronounced an-o’-ay-tos}, which is better translated “UNWISE”. The word “FOOL” is usually the Greek μωρός mōros, and speaks of an unbeliever (see Matthew 5:22). Jesus tells them “The Messiah had to suffer these things”. Jesus then takes the Scripture – at this time the Old Testament text – and shows how His first Coming is found all throughout the Bible.

Jesus is the Seed of the Woman in Genesis 3:15, the One Who will crush satan’s head. In Exodus, Jesus is the Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), and the Pillar of Fire and Pillar of Cloud in Exodus 13:21-22. In Numbers, Jesus is the Rock in the wilderness by which God’s people were refreshed (1 Corinthians 10:4). In Deuteronomy Jesus is the Righteous God, the Definer of God’s Law and God’s Truth. In Joshua, Jesus is the King of Kings, the Leader of Heaven’s Host. Jesus is, in some way, in every Book of Scripture.

It takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes for a healthy person to walk 7 miles. During that walk, Jesus opened the Scriptures for Cleopas and his wife. “Jesus expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself”. What a fantastic Bible class that must have been! Oh Beloved, when God opens the Scripture to us, He opens our eyes and opens our understanding. Let’s read on:

Hold On To Jesus

Luke 24:28-29 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and {Jesus} made as though he would have gone further. 29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.

Word Study Cleopas and his wife “CONSTRAINED” Jesus, the Greek παραβιάζομαι parabiázomai, {pronounced par-ab-ee-ad’-zom-ahee}. This is a very strong word which means “to compel by employing force”. They grabbed hold of Jesus and would not let Him go. This is a beautiful picture of genuine faith. Genuine faith reaches out in desperation, seizing God. Jesus told His disciples:

Matthew 11:12 … from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

When life begins to tear you down, when it seems as if there is no respite from the darkness, reach out and seize Jesus by faith. Cleopas and his wife did not truly understand that this is Jesus just yet, but as He share the Scripture with them, they felt the power of God.

Beloved, you will find Jesus in the Scripture. When you open the Book and seek the Lord, you will find Him – or He will find you. Jesus stands ready to enter your homes, to bless you, to be a part of your churches. Has He not said:

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Too many Churches – like the Church at Laodicea – have locked Jesus out of the services. Let’s invite Him in. No, let’s COMPEL Him to come in. Let us seize Him by faith, and never let Him go. Let us, as Jacob did, wrestle the Lord beyond the pain (Genesis 32:22-32; Hosea 12:4). Let us not wander about, sad and scared, but let us hold on to Jesus. Let us be as bold as Jacob was when he grabbed the Lord, saying:

“I will not let thee go, except thou bless me” (Genesis 32:26)

Luke 24:30-32 And it came to pass, as {Jesus} sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

James M. Boice said:

“the opening of the scriptures, the opening of the eyes, and the opening of the understanding, are three great blessings that we should all desire of the resurrected Lord. Because when the Bible is opened and we see the Lord Jesus Christ as He is interpreted to us by the divine operation of the Spirit, we will never be the same again”.

The end of the story we read today is so sweet. We read:

Luke 22:33-35 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 34 saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. 35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.

Believers know Jesus in the breaking of bread. As we come to the Lord’s Table I ask, Do YOU know Him? Do you know Jesus as both Savior and Lord? Not just as Jesus of Nazareth, but as Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. May God open your eyes and open your hearts to Jesus this very day. Through His Word and His Spirit, Amen and Amen!

Posted in Luke, Sermons Preached | Tagged Communion, Lord's Supper, Lord's Table | 1 Comment

An “I” Exam

Posted on November 20, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

Romans 1:13-17 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. 14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. 15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

The Apostle Paul wanted to go and share his faith with the Church at Rome. His reason for coming was that he might “have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles”. What defined Paul’s life was not his wants, desires, or feelings. What defined his life was how he should please the Lord Who saved him.

Paul was not always this way. There was a time when Paul was Saul, and his life revolved around pleasing himself and others. This is not to pick at Paul – we are all born this way. Why? Because it is part and parcel of the original sin, the sin that plunged humanity into the darkness of wasted life. The Bible tells us that God created man, and then God created the animals. Man is not an animal. This is the dialogue that satan has taught the world. Humanity is a higher creation than animals. The Bible says:

Genesis 1:26-27 … God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Humanity is not an animal. Darwinian Evolutionary Theory (Charles Darwin was a failed minister of the Gospel) teaches that humans are “primates”, descendants of the apes. The Bible says that humans are distinct creations of God. We are made in the “image” צֶלֶם {tselem} and “likeness” דְּמוּת {demuwth} of “God” אֱלֹהִים {‘elohiym}. We are modeled after our Creator. The animals are not. We were made representative figures of God. He made us like Him to rule the earth and the animal kingdom. We were made to draw near to God, and to please God in how we were stewards of what He gave us. Yet Adam failed. He bought into satan’s lie, and instead of pleasing God, pleased himself. Adam ate of the forbidden tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because he bought into the lie:

“God is keeping you from a blessing. When you eat this fruit you will be just like Elohiym. You will then be able to determine both good and evil” (my paraphrase of Genesis 3:5)

Since that day humanity has bought into the lie that “we can be gods”. The idols that we worship are ourselves. I was watching a commercial the other day that said, “Do you have HIV? Just keep being YOU, and take ___”. The ___ was the name of a medicine that helps combat HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Do you know what guarantees you will NEVER get a sexually transmitted disease? Listen to God. Heed His warnings against sexual sin. Wait until you are ready to commit to marriage before you enjoy yourself sexually.

American secular society is overwhelmingly “I” driven. People no longer go to Church to study God (called “Theology”), but pack into Churches to study Meology. How can “I” be blessed? How can “I” prosper? How can “I” be relieved from suffering? Everything is “I” oriented. When I was a child, we determined the “gender” of a person by the sexual organs they were born with. Today we determine “gender” by “how I feel”. If I feel like a woman, then what I think trumps what anyone else thinks. I am my own god. If I want to be married, I can marry whoever agrees to marry me regardless of genitalia. I am my own god. I must be me!

Lawlessness is flaunted. Why? Because I matter more than anyone else. If I do not like who was elected President, then I can go around saying “Not my President!” This is not a thing ties to just one party in our country, but to every political party. Law as well as respect have gone out the door to the trash heap, because we each are our own gods and goddesses.

Yet, it seems, no one is happy!

Suicide rates are up, even among Christians. Following the god of I is slowly killing our country. Beloved, we all need to get back to God. We don’t need to follow Adam’s path. We are made in the image of God, but we are not gods, and never will be.

I was reading an article by Jennifer Duncan called “What Paul Never Prayed For”. She made this very insightful remark:

“The churches Paul planted immediately became counter-cultural, and each young church he writes to was going through difficult times. Ephesus was surrounded by witchcraft; Philippi faced daily persecution; Galatia was full of false teachers who were enforcing a legalistic doctrine; and the church in Corinth was dealing with members who were steeped in sexual immorality. Each congregation faced major issues, but the apostle never prays that God would change their circumstances. He never prays that God would rescue them out of their hardships. ”

When Adam was given a choice, rather than do his job (cultivating the Garden) he sought to improve his lot. Making Eden about himself, he lost Eden and a wonderful relationship with God. In contrast, the Apostle Paul kept focusing on how he might please the God Who saved him. Where we are in life is where God has allowed us to be.

In our focal text today we will study three I AM statements of the Apostle Paul. These statements not only apply to Paul’s life, but should apply to every believer’s life.

Christians Are Created And Given A Stewardship,
An Obligation

God created Adam to tend the Garden. He failed. God creates Christians to tends His Garden, that is, to build His Kingdom. Read with me:

Romans 1:14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.

Word Study The Apostle considered himself to be an οφειλετης, opheiletes, (pronounced of-i-let’-ace), an ower or someone who is indebted to another, a steward. His stewardship was to the Greeks {the wise}, and to the Barbarians {the unwise}.

Every Christian, saved by the Grace of God, has been given a stewardship from God. As we were added to the Kingdom through the sharing of the Gospel, we are to share the good news of salvation by faith in Christ to others.

We are not responsible for the Growing WEEDS,
but we are responsible to plant the SEEDS.

We were saved heeding the same message that the Philippian Jailer heard. It was at Philippi that Paul and Silas were sharing the Gospel of Christ, when the devil started to attack their ministry. The devil will always attack you if you serve Jesus. Serve yourself, he will give you more opportunities to do so. Serve Jesus, and he will plague you like a tick on a dog. The Apostle Paul and Silas withstood the attacks for several days, until Paul invoked the name of Christ to rebuke that devil. What happened? Paul and Silas were falsely accused, and cast into prison at Philippi.

Did Paul and Silas grumble? Did they allow their circumstances to blind them to the Presence of God? Absolutely not! Their feet in stocks, and bloody stripes from the whip on their backs (Acts 16:23-24), Paul and Silas PRAYED and SANG PRAISES UNTO GOD (Acts 16:25). They did not pray to be released, but praised God for where they were. They saw this jailing as an opportunity to plant more Gospel seed for Jesus Christ our Lord. They praised and prayed until midnight (Acts 16:25), when the jail was shaken, and everyone was loosed from their bands and chains. When the warden came and found the prison broken so that the prisoners could escape, he:

Acts 16:27-31 … drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

What would you have done if unjustly jailed, after being beaten? Probably most of us would have ran away, becoming fugitives rather than stay one more minute in that horrible prison. Yet this would not please God! We who believe were saved on purpose, and given purpose. Jesus told His disciples after rising from the grave:

Luke 24:46-47 {it was necessary for} Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

There were men (and perhaps women) in that jail that needed to hear about Jesus Christ. The warden himself needed to hear about Christ. Paul and Silas did not see their jailing as an inconvenience or a hindering of their ministry. No, they saw it as an OPPORTUNITY. Our God saves us, then tells us as He tells the Church of Philadelphia:

Revelation 3:8 behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Christians are STEWARDS of the Gospel. We are DEBTORS. We are not to modify the Gospel, but to present it as it is, and trust God for the results. The Gospel is always REPENT and BELIEVE. That is what Jesus preached.

Mark 1:14-15 Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

The Messiah has come. Stop being your own god. Reject that, and follow the God of the Scripture. Follow Jesus Christ.

The Gospel proclaimed never excuses or normalizes Meology, but says “Turn from Meology to God, Theology. Come follow Jesus!”

The legendary C.H. Spurgeon stated: ““… let me tell you that if you have a peace to-day which enables you to be at peace with your sins as well as with God, that peace is a false peace. Unless you hate sin of every sort, with all your heart, you are not a child of God, you are not reconciled to God by the death of his Son. You will not be perfect; I cannot expect you will live without sin, but if you are a Christian you will hate the very sin into which you have been betrayed, and hate yourself because you should have grieved your Savior thus. But if you love sin, the love of the Father is not in you. Be you who you may, or what you may, — minister, deacon, elder, professor, or non-professor — the love of sin is utterly inconsistent with the love of Christ. Take that home, and remember it.”

I am not saying – repeat NOT SAYING – that you need to clean yourself up before you come to Jesus. The word “Repent” means to look Christ-ward rather than self-ward. If you come to Christ, then Christ will change your heart. Listen to me:

You do not go to hell for sexual sin.
You do not go to hell for murder.
You do not go to hell for rape.
You do not go to hell for greed.
You do not go to hell for ____.

You go to hell for refusing to come to Jesus, refusing to acknowledge Him as your Lord and rest in Him as your Savior. That which the Great Fisherman, Jesus Christ, catches, He also CLEANS. The Lord is able to save ALL people, to cleanse ALL people who believe in Him. Praise the Lord, the Bible promises:

Romans 5:5 and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us.

Dr. Charles Stanley noted that there are four questions every believer should ask the Lord daily:

What Do YOU Want Me To Do, Lord?
How Do YOU Want Me To Act?
When Do You Want Me To Act?
How Can I Best Represent You?

Beloved, if you are saved by faith in Christ, you are obligated to serve Christ. Not the world, not your friends, but Christ!

Every Christian, Like Paul, Must Be Ready

Romans 1:15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

Though Paul was imprisoned, and it did not seem like he was going to get an opportunity to preach in Rome, he nonetheless was prepared to do so. He did not allow his circumstances to keep him from preparing to sow the Gospel seed.

In my devotions this morning I was reading from Dr. David Jeremiah. He quoted:

2 Timothy 4:3-6 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

The world does not want to hear the Gospel, but has “itching ears” that wants to be tickled with light and airy preaching. Paul warned Timothy against doing that. Dr. Jeremiah went on to relay the story of a South Korean Christian, Jae Kang Im. While Jae was getting his hair cut:

“his stylist, Sun-ah, started talking about her troubles in life, especially the pain of growing up in an alcoholic and abusive home. Im wanted to share the Gospel with her, but wasn’t sure how to go about it. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain to his ear. The stylist had sliced into it, and the blood flowed in streams. The staff wanted to call paramedics, but Im reassured them he’d be fine. He told the stylist the pain with his ear was nothing compared to what she had experienced in her life, and she began to weep. Im left and tended to his ear, but that evening he returned just before the shop closed. He found Sun-ah and shared his testimony. He told her about Jesus, and the woman was wonderfully saved. “I thank God for using my ear to save one soul,” he said.”

Many people, even Christians, if cut while in the Barber’s seat would complain bitterly and fuss at the offender. Many people, even Christians, would have complained if they were unjustly jailed. Yet the Apostle Paul stayed ready to tell others about Jesus.

Why are so many Christians anxious about telling others of Christ? Could it be because we have one foot in the world, and one foot in Christ’s Kingdom? As Christians, we are to live out a daily reality that we are to be connected to Christ. We must start our day, acknowledging Jesus. Jesus must have as much of us as possible this day. We must abide in Him. Jesus said:

John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the Vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in ME.

The secret of power with God is the surrendered life. The Apostle said, as much as in me is. Give God as much of you as you can give every day. This was the secret of Billy Graham’s success in ministry. Adrian Rogers quoted Billy Graham, who said:

“I surrendered my will to the living God revealed in the Scripture. I knelt before the opened Bible and said, ‘Lord, many things in this Book I do not understand, but Thou hast said the just shall live by faith. All I have, I have received by faith. Here and now by faith, I accept the Bible as Thy Word. I take it all. I take it without reservations. Where there are things I cannot understand, I will reserve judgment until I receive more light. If this pleases Thee, give me authority as I proclaim Thy Word, and through that authority convict me of sin and turn sinners to the Savior.”

When Billy preached, his favorite statement was “the Bible says”. Billy gave Jesus all of his life, not the leftovers. We must, as believers, strive to give the Lord all of us. He must occupy as much of our attention and service as possible. We must reject the word of the world, and turn fully to the Word of God! Remember, it was the word of the serpent that said “You will not die if you eat of it, but you will become gods and goddesses!” But it was the Word of God that spoke the truth. The Bible, the Word of God, always speaks the truth. To be blessed of God the Christian is called to uphold what God has said, not what man has said. Remember:

2 Corinthians 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

God is watching us. Are you ready?

Every Christian, Like Paul, Must Be Unashamed

Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Word Study The word translated “POWER” in our above text is the Greek δύναμις dýnamis, {pronounced doo’-nam-is}, which means “mighty work, miraculous, power residing in a thing by virtue of it’s nature”.

The Christian way of life is a supernatural way of life. The day that you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, the day you said “I believe” to His promises, on that very day you were saved. A Christian is not a worldling, not the same as an unbeliever. We no longer walk in darkness, but have the “light of life” (John 8:12). The Bible says:

1 John 1:5-7 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

We cannot compromise with the world and expect to live a life pleasing to the Lord. We as Christians are saved from lives of helpless servitude to sin. God indwells us. The whole world lies in wickedness (1 John 5:19), for it has been deceived by Satan (Revelation 12:9). Nevertheless, Jesus is …

1 John 2:2 … the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

As we were saved, dear Christians, God can save others. The Gospel, the Good News of Christ has POWER, saving POWER. Do not mock the Word of God by thinking that other things are more important than this Gospel.

People need the Lord.

I will end with this quote from Church father Jonathan Edwards:

“The enjoyment of [God] is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams. But God is the ocean.”

Let us rest in Him. Let us be faithful in serving Him. Let us not be as Adam, but as Paul. Those who do not stand with Christ and His Word are not genuinely Christian. Has not the Lord said:

1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

May God through His Holy Spirit and His Word touch our hearts today, making us more Christ driven. Amen and Amen.

Posted in Romans, Sermons Preached | Tagged gospel, Simple Gospel | Leave a comment

Why Is Baptism Such A Big Deal?

Posted on November 16, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

1 Peter 3:18-22 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 22 who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

We were going to do a baptism this week, but because the candidate is under self-quarantine until his Covid-19 test comes back, we will attempt to do it next Sunday. But since baptism is on my heart, I thought I’d address why we baptize believers in Christ the way we do.

Let’s Define Baptism

The word “baptism” (along with its variant baptize, baptized, baptisms) occurs some 98 times in the King James text. The Greek word for “baptism” is

βάπτισμα báptisma, {pronounced bap’-tis-mah} as seen in our focal text. Other variants are βαπτισμός baptismós, {pronounced bap-tis-mos’} and βαπτίζω baptízō, {pronounced bap-tid’-zo}. In every case of it’s use, the word “baptize” when used as the Christian ordinance means “to immerse, to submerge, to wash”. When “baptize” is used of a trial, it’s meaning is “to completely immerse in trouble”. Jesus used this form when He discussed His “Cup”, something we studied just a few weeks ago. Do you remember this sermon?

Matthew 20:20-22 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshiping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

Jesus was baptized at the beginning of His earthly ministry by John the Baptist, but this is not the baptism he is speaking of in Matthew’s text. The baptism Jesus speaks of with James and John was His baptism in our sin while He hung on Calvary. As He hung there, bleeding, dying, He would drink the Cup of suffering, and bear the baptism of our sins. He would be so immersed in our judgment that, at one point, Our Lord will cry out:

Matthew 27:46 Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

The baptism He suffered on Calvary would make payment for your sins and mine. This is why we can be saved. We are not saved by our works, but by believing in Jesus, by trusting Him and His finished work on the Cross. The Scripture says:

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.

And in Titus 3:5-6 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior;

Because Jesus underwent the baptism of God’s judgment on sin, when we believe on Him, His righteousness is placed on us. The Apostle declared:

Galatians 2:16 … a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

No animal sacrifice, no good deed, no action will make us right with God. Jesus Christ as both our High Priest and our Sacrifice for sin “offered up Himself for us” (Hebrews 7:27). Jesus Christ promises those who believe on Him a unique standing with God, a standing that cannot be purchased and cannot be earned. The Apostle tells us in another place:

1 Peter 1:18-19 ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

The Baptism of the Cross brings every believer in Christ to God.

1 Peter 3:18-22 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

Jesus Christ, Who was and has always been “just” or “right before God”, for Jesus Christ IS GOD
(see Revelation 1:5-8).

The “Just” Jesus suffered for the sins of the Unjust you and I. Why? So that He might bring us to God. We are Children of God by faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26). Our status is changed,

from LOST to FOUND
from DARKNESS to LIGHT
from children of Adam to Children of God
from strangers with God to Saints in Christ

We talked about Jesus’ baptism in the punishment of God, but let’s talk about our Lord’s water baptism. Jesus Christ Himself was baptized in water before He ever began His earthly ministry. When Jesus first went to John the Baptist (so called because he immersed people in the river Jordan) to be baptized we read:

Matthew 3:13-17 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John {refused} him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, {allow} it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Jesus – right after being tested of the devil in the wilderness – goes to John the Baptist to be baptized. John initially refuses, because, he said “I am not worthy to tie Jesus’ shoes” (see Mark 1:7). But Jesus said “Do it now. We must FULFILL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS”. Baptism is a ceremonial washing that can be traced back to the Old Covenant Priesthood. When the Priests in Israel were consecrated, the Scripture says:

Leviticus 8:5-6 … Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done. 6 And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.

The Jewish Priests were ceremonially baptized or immersed in water when they were consecrated to God. I found on the “Jews For Jesus” site this quote:

“The Soncino Talmud states: “As your forefathers entered into the Covenant only by circumcision, immersion and the sprinkling of the blood, so shall they [the proselytes] enter the Covenant only by circumcision, immersion and the sprinkling of the blood” (Keritot 9a).”

Why was Jesus baptized in water? It was because He is our High Priest, and was being consecrated as our High Priest (see Hebrews 2:17; Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 4:14). Why are we baptized in water? It is because we are priests unto God, dear Christian. We are baptized to consecrate us, just as Jesus was consecrated. The Christian as a priest before God is clearly marked in Scripture. For instance:

Revelation 1:5-6 … Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 and hath made us kings and priests unto God

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

How was Jesus baptized? By immersion.

Matthew 3:16-17 … Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased

In another place we read:

Mark 1:9-11 Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11 and there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Immersion in water did not “save” Jesus, any more than immersion in water “saves” us. Baptism does not save a person – only faith in Christ does this. But if you are saved, then you will obediently “fulfill all righteousness” just as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did. Peter tells us of water baptism:

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

Peter ties water baptism into Noah’s Ark. “Eight souls were saved by water”. Noah and his family were obedient to God. For 120 years they worked on building an Ark. At the end of the 120 years they got on the Ark, and as water (a symbol of God’s judgment) began to fill and flood the land, Noah and his family floated above the water. Baptism as a symbolic ordinance (an order from God) makes water a symbol of judgment, and of death. When the candidate (a saved believer in Christ) goes down into the water, this symbolizes we died with Christ. We are lowered into the grave! But the candidate does not stay in the water. We are resurrected with Christ – the grave cannot hold Him or us. We COME UP out of the water. Death has no hold on us.

Coming up out of the water, we are symbolizing that we are believer priests, with Jesus Christ as our High Priest. We are re-born, children of God by faith in Christ!

Baptism Is The First Work The Christian Does For God

Though no Christian is saved by works, once a Christian is saved they are called of God to work. Works do not save you, but if you’re saved, you’ll work. When Jesus was baptized, only then did the Holy Spirit descend on Him, and the Father say “This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased”. Baptism is the very first act of obedience that a Christian is called to do. Our Lord Jesus commanded baptism for all believers:

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

When Peter preached his first message on the Day of Pentecost (a sermon that led 3000 people to Christ), he told them:

Acts 2:38 … Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Peter preached faith in Christ and repentance unto salvation – but also commanded water baptism, just as Jesus commanded. Water baptism does not save you, but if you are saved, you should be baptized.

When Philip the Evangelist found “a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians” reading in the Book of Isaiah, Philip told him about Jesus Christ as they rode together. The Bible says:

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

Did you notice that it was the Eunuch that suggested he be baptized, not Philip? Philip would not baptize the Eunuch until he professed his faith in Jesus Christ. Once the Eunuch professed Christ as his Savior, they went DOWN INTO THE WATER where he was baptized. When they came UP OUT OF THE WATER Philip was led to other areas of ministry – but the Eunuch returned to Ethiopia with the joy of his salvation. And who can forget the man named Cornelius, a Gentile Centurion to whom Peter preached?

Acts 10:44-48 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

The Centurion and his household believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and were saved. The Holy Spirit fell on them. And right after their salvation, Peter had them baptized in water.

Baptism does not save you. But once you are saved, believer, you should be baptized. Baptism is …

1 Peter 3:21 … the answer of a good conscience toward God …

In another place, the Apostle tells us that:

Baptism Identifies Us With Christ Jesus

The Apostle writes in Romans 6:1-11 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Water Baptism is an outward expression of an inward truth. Some people have always taught (wrongly, I might add) that “we are saved by grace, so we can freely live any way we want to”. Many do not use these exact words, but their lives show it. They call themselves “Christian” on Sunday, but walk as Children of Adam on Monday. Beloved, this is not scriptural. Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid! The Christian is a saved creature. As Jesus died for our sins and went into the grave, we go down into the water, symbolizing the old “me” died with Christ. Our “old man” is placed in the grave. As Jesus Christ rose from the grave, we are brought out of the water, rising from the grave. We now are to walk in newness of life. Our “body of sin was destroyed”. We now walk with Jesus. We come up out of the grave. Death has no dominion over Jesus. We come out of the water, showing that the grave has no hold on us. We are immortal because of what our Lord Jesus Christ did for us.

A believer is generally only baptized once. We died with Jesus once, and live with Him now forever. There have been times when I have baptized people who had been baptized before. They were baptized the first time not as believers in Christ, but because their friends, or their parents, or someone other than God called them to do it. It happens. I try to emphasize to all that I baptize that, “If you believe with all your heart on Jesus, you may be baptized”. If you are lost and without Christ, all water baptism does is make you a wet unbeliever. Baptism will not save you. Faith in Christ will save you.

Illustrate I read a book one time where a warrior asked that the pastor baptize all of him but his right hand. When asked why, the warrior stated, “Because I want to be able to kill my enemy with my sword hand. It can go to hell – but I want the rest of me to go to Heaven. Beloved, it doesn’t work that way. Baptism is an act of obedience to Christ’s commands (Matthew 28:19-20; John 14:15, 21). But if you have not received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior by faith, then the act means nothing to God. Baptism is important only to the genuine Christ follower because it is a public profession of your faith in Him:

Matthew 10:32-33 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

The North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptists summarizes baptism this way:

Scripture reveals that baptism involves four things.

The right person: a believer
The right reasons: obedience and declaration of your faith
The right method: immersion
The right authority: a local New Testament Church (Acts 2:41-47)

The essentials of baptism are:

Believe in Jesus for salvation
Make your commitment public
Request to be baptized by immersion

May God touch your hearts with His Spirit and His Word. May others read this, and come to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Amen and Amen!

Posted in 1 Peter, Sermons Preached | Tagged Baptism, water Baptism | Leave a comment

What Shall I Do To Inherit Eternal Life?

Posted on November 15, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

God had put a parable on my heart to preach this week, a parable found in Luke chapter 10. This parable has often been called “The Parable Of The Good Samaritan”. That’s a bad title because of the word “Good”. Our Lord Jesus said in:

Matthew 19:17 … there is none good but One, that is, God … (see also Mark 10:18)

“Good” is a word we like to over use. When someone dies, the pastor says “He was a GOOD man” or “She was a GOOD woman”. There are none that are good when compared to God. An oft quoted text is:

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

Jesus never called this Samaritan “good”, though Jesus uses this Samaritan to describe what loving your neighbor is all about. Let’s look at our text.

What Can I Do To Inherit Eternal Life?

Luke 10:25-28 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted {Jesus}, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

A LAWYER came to Jesus with a question, a question that many people have asked. His question was:

Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

What can I DO to inherit eternal life? What he is asking is “How can I live forever?” or “How can I get to Heaven?” It might surprise you to know that WE ALL LIVE FOREVER. The Bible tells us that when God created mankind, that He made humanity like He is:

Genesis 1:26 … God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion

Every human shares the same trait, regardless as to our color. We are made in the image of God.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man{kind} in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Everyone lives forever. All lives matter, because all lives are made in God’s image and likeness. Our souls are eternal. Lives are so precious that God has said:

Genesis 9:6 Whoso sheddeth {human} blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man{kind}.

Every life has eternal value, for it is in God’s image. The life that rejects God will find itself in a terrible place one day, a place where those who revolt against their Creator goes. It is a place that Jesus spoke of in Luke 16, about a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. Lazarus loved the Lord, but the rich man loved himself. When both the rich man and Lazarus died, that is, they left their earthly bodies, Lazarus was comforted. But what of the rich man?

Luke 16:22-23 … the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments

Oh, we all have eternal life, insofar as consciousness goes. Our souls cannot be destroyed. What this Lawyer is referring to when he says “eternal life” is that he wants to leave this life, and enter the Presence of God in eternity. What he is asking Jesus is “how can I, once I leave this life by death, go into the Presence of God, and not into eternal damnation?” It’s a good question. Notice who asks the question. It is A LAWYER.

Now LAWYERS in Jesus’ day were not Lawyers like Jerry Bridenbaugh is a Lawyer. The Lawyers in Jesus’ day were experts in the Law of God, the Torah. They knew what God’s Bible said. They studied it diligently, just as Jerry studies case histories and past judicial renderings. The Lawyer asks this question, not because he is sincerely seeking the truth. No, the Bible says:

Luke 10:25 a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted {Jesus}

Word Study The word TEMPTED in the Greek ἐκπειράζω ekpeirázō, {pronounced ek-pi-rad’-zo}, which means “to put to the test”. This man had studied the Law of God his whole life. Now here is this fellow Jesus, a hillbilly from a no named place called Nazareth. As he asks the question, I can see the smile tugging at his lips. He is an expert on the Law – this Rube won’t have a clue! He’s going to show up Jesus.

Beloved, you can’t show up Jesus. Though Jesus appears to be a hick from Nazareth, Jesus is much, much more. It is a mystery as to how God became man, perfect man, but this is what the Scripture teaches. We are told in:

1 Timothy 3:16 without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Jesus Christ is fully Man and fully God. The Apostle said,

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

Oh Beloved, the Word of God was made flesh and dwelt amongst us (John 1:14). The Jesus Who stands before this Lawyer wrote the Word of God through His Prophets. This Jesus Christ knows the Law, for He directed the pens that wrote it. You cannot confuse an Author over the Book that He Himself wrote. Jesus wrote the Bible. Jesus is:

Revelation 1:8 … Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

The Lawyer wants to test God, the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. But notice how Jesus responds. Jesus doesn’t blast this man out of the room with His knowledge. The man knows the Law (or so he thinks he does), so Jesus replies:

Luke 10:26…What is written in the law? how readest thou?

You have studied the Law – well, you answer the question. What does the Law of God declare? Beloved, God gave us the Law as a mirror to teach us that we are NOT GOOD and DESPERATELY NEED GOD. That’s what the Law does. The Apostle tells us:

Galatians 3:10-14 … as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in ALL things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

God gave us His Law because of our sins against Him (Galatians 3:19). The Law mandated blood sacrifices to cover sins temporarily. The Law was not given to justify or make us right with God. No, Beloved, we all need the Savior. The Apostle went on the say:

Galatians 3:21-23 if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ …

This Lawyer thought he was right with God because he knew the Law. So Jesus asks the man, “What have YOU (you expert) READ IN THE LAW?” The man replies:

Luke 10:27 … Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.

The Lawyer recited the Great Commandment, drawn from the Shema that God gave Israel in:

Deuteronomy 6:5 … thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

God expects your heart, your soul, your physical strength and everything you do to be devoted to Him. God wants ALL of you. That is the first Great Commandment. God told His Old Covenant people:

Deuteronomy 10:12 … what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul

The Lawyer also quotes from …

Leviticus 19:18 … thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the Lord…

Jesus told the Lawyer (vs 28) “Thou hast answered right”. If you expect to spend eternity with God, and not in hell, then this is what God requires by His Law. You see, Heaven is a place of love. Not love as the world defines it, but love as God defines it. Heaven is a place where God is not an add on to your day. I hear so many people say, “When I get to Heaven, the first person I’m going to see is my wife (or) my grandma (or) my son (or) ___”. Many people think that Heaven will be like earth, where humans are the center of all things, and God but a periodic distraction. That’s not true. When John the Revelator looked into Heaven, what did he see? Well, he heard God, and then he saw God:

Revelation 21:3-4 Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears

Heaven is all about God. In Heaven we will not have me-ology, but Theology. The center of Heaven is God. The light of Heaven is God. The street of Heaven leads to God’s Throne. Heaven is about being in God’s Presence.

Who Is My Neighbor?

The Lawyer feels like he has Heaven guaranteed. He feels like He’s loving God with all he has. But he hasn’t. You see, if you love God, you will love your neighbor. If you love the God that you cannot see, you will love the person created in the image of God that you can see. We read:

Luke 10:29 But {the Lawyer}, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?

The late R.C. Sproul wrote in his book “What Do The Parables Mean?”:

“… when you’re in discussions of theology or debating certain issues with others, you often hear them say “What do you mean by this?” They want you to define your terms. … The Jews at that time … had a narrow definition of who one’s neighbor was. For them, it would be a fellow Jew … people who were outside of the nation of Israel were considered outside of the neighborhood of God. And of all those outside the Jewish neighborhood, the MOST DESPISED WERE THE SAMARITANS” (emphasis mine).

The Jews hated the Romans for conquering Israel (though they were conquered as a discipline from God for not loving Him). But the Jews really hated the Samaritans. When Israel wandered away from God, the Lord sent the armies of Assyria into Israel to punish His people (722 B.C.). The Assyrians, after conquering Israel, moved many of the Jews to Assyria, and put many Assyrians in the houses that were vacated by the Jews. Over time the Jews who remained in Israel intermarried with the Assyrians, and produced a race of half Jews and half Gentiles. These were the Samaritans.

The hated Samaritans built their own Temple on Mount Gerizim, and had their own Bible. This in itself infuriated the Jews. How dare they do this? Just the day before this moment Jesus Himself had trouble with the Samaritans. We read:

Luke 9:51-56 And it came to pass, when the time was come that {Jesus} should be received up, {Jesus} steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as {Elijah} did? 55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

Jesus was going to pass through Samaria, spend the night there, then go on to Jerusalem for the Passover. The Samaritans had their own Passover and their own Temple, and wanted Jesus to stay with them. But Jesus had to go to Jerusalem. Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29). He would celebrate Passover one last time with His disciples, and then He Himself would on die on Calvary for our sins.

Jesus shall save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

Jesus died on Calvary for you and I. He died for the Samaritans, and died for the Jews. Jesus died for the white, black, red, and yellow person. Jesus died for the most crude and godless of people, but He also died for the self righteous and the morally superior. Jesus had to go to Jerusalem.

The Samaritans didn’t like it. The Jews were their enemies. They refused to receive Jesus, and told Him to keep on moving.

This incensed Jesus’ disciples.

Luke 9:54-56 … {James and John}said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as {Elijah} did? 55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

Jesus did not come to destroy the Samaritans. He came to save whosoever will receive Him.

John 1:12 … as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Oh no! God did not become human to kill off other humans. Jesus came to reach whosoever will. There will come a time when God will bring fire on the earth, and judge sinners who reject Him. But at this time God is reaching out to whosoever will via His Son. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. (1 John 4:9). Oh, Beloved. Praise God for His infinite patience.

Though the Samaritans rebuked and rejected Jesus the day before, Jesus now answers the Lawyer’s question “Who is my neighbor?” with this parable. Let’s read and break out the parable:

Luke 10:30 A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead

Jesus does not define “the CERTAIN MAN”. He doesn’t tell us if this man is Jew or Gentile. He doesn’t tell us what color this man is. We also don’t know why he is traveling. Perhaps the man is a traveling salesman, or perhaps a homeless person. We don’t know. We do know this, the man passes through Jericho. This is the New Testament Jericho, a place about seventeen miles from Jerusalem. You learned last week that Jericho is a tax center where tax collectors gather. People go to Jericho to pay their taxes – and the people have money! This is a prime place for thieves. This man is traveling alone, something that was patently unwise. The man is being foolhardy – and he suffers for it.

This man loses everything BUT his life. But wait – here comes help!

Luke 10:31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

The priest sees the man laying there on the side of the road … and passes by on the other side. When I first read this, I thought “how horrible to be a priest – a man who represents God to man – and to ignore a person laying in a ditch!” But as I studied this I realized that it was not a lack of compassion that caused to priest to do what he did. In the Law we are taught:

Numbers 19:11 He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days.

The man looked to be dead. He wasn’t moving, and was probably unconscious from the beating he was given. The priest – perhaps on the way to the Passover – did not want to be defiled and be unable to do his office. He passed by the man.

Luke 10:32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

A Levite was consecrated to do God’s work, and Levites were often teachers. He did not want to be defiled by a dead body either! So he passes on by.

Luke 10:33-24 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

The Samaritan – a race of hated people – had compassion on the man. He not only stopped and checked to see if the man was dead, but he treated the man’s wounds. The Samaritan rode up on a donkey, but now puts the hurt man on donkey while he walks. The Samaritan leads his donkey and the wounded man to the nearest inn so he could let the man rest. I want this to sink in:

The Samaritan didn’t just say “I’ll pray for you”. He went out of his way to minister, in love, to this fallen man. This man may have been a Jew, and perhaps as a Jew hated the Samaritan. The Samaritan looked beyond the hatred, and saw the man as one “in God’s image”.

The man couldn’t walk – he couldn’t talk. It is possible that the man stayed in an unconscious state while the Samaritan ministered to him. There is no evidence that the man ever thanked – or even spoke – to the Samaritan. The Samaritan spent the night with the wounded man. We read:

Luke 10:35 And on the morrow when {the Samaritan} departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

The Samaritan not only took care of the wounded man, but gave enough for the innkeeper to minister to him in his absence. He showed love to this man who probably was someone who hated him. Jesus ends the parable simply with a question:

Luke 10:36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?

Who is the “neighbor”? Was it the Priest or the Levite who knew the Law of God, or the Samaritan who knew the value of life? The Lawyer answered, “The Samaritan that shewed mercy to the wounded man”. Jesus replies simply,

Luke 10:37 … Go, and do thou likewise.

Do you wish to inherit eternal life? Do you wish to be with Jesus for all eternity? Then you must see others as God sees them. Every life is precious. Every life is a gift from God. Every life deserves the mercy of God.

Are You A Child Of God By Faith In Christ?

The parable of the traveling Samaritan is not just a picture of two men, but a picture of every person who is saved by faith in Christ. We, like the “certain man” in this parable, have all done foolish things. We have traveled into bad places, and put ourselves at risk by bad practices. Thieves have attacked us, and beaten and robbed us. The devil and his gang have sidelined us with temptations, foolish temptations, that have drawn us into bad places. These thieves have set upon us, and beaten us, robbed us, and left us half dead.

We laid in the ditch of life.

Religion came in the form of the priest and the Levite. It offered “good works” to help us. Good works cannot help a person half dead – and we are all half dead without Jesus. Oh Beloved,

Titus 3:3-7 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; 7 that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

We laid in a ditch, half dead. Then Jesus came along. The Jesus we once cursed, He stopped and offered us a hand. He picked us up, and put us in His place, while He took our place. And He told the Father, “Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.” Jesus bore our sin debt, saving us, so that we could live for Him in this fallen and hurting world.

If you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, if you have been loved and restored to life by His love, then you will have a heart that wants to follow God with your ALL.We love Him, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Jesus got us out of the ditch. We are to help others get out of the ditch. As we have been loved, let us love.

Do you know my Jesus? If you do not, oh Beloved, today would be a great day to “call upon the name of the Lord, and be saved”.

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

Amen and Amen. May God’s Word, and His Holy Spirit, draw you to His embrace and salvation this very day.

Posted in Luke, Sermons Preached | Tagged Calvary, helping others, Kingdom of God, love, salvation, Samaritan | Leave a comment

What Is My Purpose In Christ

Posted on November 13, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

Last week we started our study of Romans, covering the first few verses of chapter 1. Tonight we’re going to focus on the question:

“What Is My Purpose In Christ?”

In my devotional reading this morning, I was in R.C. Sproul’s (pronounced sprõwal) book “What Do Jesus’ Parables Mean?”, when I came across this interesting statement. Dr. Sproul wrote:

“Years ago I gave an exam to a college class. At least five students said, “Professor, I’m sorry, I’m not very well prepared for this examination. But I hope you won’t hold it against me, because I want you to know my heart is filled with love for the Lord Jesus, and I try to do what I can. In fact, last week, instead of studying, I was busily involved in outreach, and as a result, I didn’t do so well on this test.” I said, “You seem to have a good grasp of the doctrine of justification by faith, and I want you to know that as far as the Kingdom of God is concerned, the only way you’ll ever be justified is by faith alone. But in this classroom it’s justification by works alone. I’m glad that you love Jesus, but I hope that you love Hi enough to be more diligent stewards of your time here in college, and start studying for your tests, and using the abilities that He’s given you.”

Dr Sproul went on to say, “There was this idea – and I’ve found it widespread throughout evangelical Christianity – that all you need is a loving and warm heart, and since justification is not by works, as Christians we don’t have to work. But how can anyone read the Gospels and not see the emphasis that our Lord put on productivity, or fruits?”

God calls every Christian to salvation by faith alone in Christ alone. But once saved, we are a Kingdom of God people. We follow our Master, and obey His commands.

Though we will focus on Romans 1:6-11 tonight, let’s read the text up to it to give us our context:

Romans 1:1-5 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 (which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3 concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: 5 by whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:

Now for our focal text:

Romans 1:6-11 among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: 7 to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; 10 making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;

Let’s break down our focal text, starting with:

The Christian Is A “Called” Person

Romans 1:6 …. among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

Word Study The word translated “CALLED” is not the word I expected it to be. I thought it would be the word καλέω kaléō, (pronounced kal-eh’-o), the word usually used when someone calls your name. When I was a young boy my mamma would call out, “David”, and I’d come running. That would be kaléō. Jesus kaléō(ed) James and John in Matthew 4:21. He spoke their names aloud, bidding them to follow Him. The word kaléō is also used for “named”. Joseph kaléō(ed) the child that Mary had JESUS (Matthew 1:21, 25).

Word StudyThe word used in our text today is actually κλητός klētós, klay-tos’, which means to “be INVITED or APPOINTED”. The Christian is a person who has been invited to a wonderful, new relationship with God. The Christian way of life is a relational way of life. Prior to Christ we founded our relationship in the world. When Jesus called and invited us, He invited us to come out of the lost world, and into His Kingdom. Jesus invited us out of the darkness, and into His light. One of my favorite Evangelists Billy Graham said:

“Christ is calling Christians today to cleansing, to dedication, to consecration, and to full surrender. It will make the difference between success and failure in our spiritual lives. It will make the difference between being helped and helping others. It will make a difference in our habits, in our prayer life, in our Bible reading, in our giving, in our testimony, and in our church membership. This is the Christian’s hour of decision!”

Christians, we are invited into a glorious and growing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We are called into daily intimacy with Jesus. We are not called to be just Sunday morning Christians, but every day followers of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ emphasized our relationship to Himself in …

John 15:5-7 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

We are invited into a intimate, ATTACHED union with Jesus Christ. The power and life that runs through Christ as the vine, runs through us as the branches. If the branch becomes detached from the vine, what happens to it? It dries up, and becomes fodder only fit for burning. When we draw away from Christ, we dry up, and become the pawns of the world. Beloved, this must not be. Christ has invited us into a …

Hebrews 10:20 … new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh

We who are Christians love Jesus, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). The Father loved us so much that the scripture says:

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

God loved us and gave Himself for us before we ever loved Him. When we “were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for us”(Romans 5:6). While “we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. (Romans 5:8). God’s lovepurposefully sought us out and invited us into His family. On the day that webelieved on the Lord Jesus Christ and were saved (Acts 16:31) we were called to be members of His Kingdom.

The Christian is a person who is called – appointed – given purpose. You have been called to salvation by God. You answered that call by repenting or turning away from your old way of life and by turning to God in faith through Jesus. Faith in Jesus Christ has multiple effects on our lives. We are not only washed from sin, and made blameless (Philippians 2:15; 1 Corinthians 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:23) because Jesus took our blame, but as citizens of His Kingdom we are given new purpose in this present life. The Bible says:

Revelation 1:5-6 … Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

We are invited to salvation not just to coast to Heaven on gossamer wings, but we are invited to salvation and made kings and priests UNTO GOD AND HIS FATHER. We are Kings and Priests because of Jesus. We are called to live purposefully in Him.

The Christian Is Not Just INVITED,
But We Are LOVED

Romans 1:6-7 among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: 7 to all that be in Rome, beloved of God …

Word Study The Christian is ἀγαπητός θεός agapētos theos, one much loved and highly esteemed, favored of God. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word for “Beloved” is יָדִידyediyd. God often called Israel His “Beloved” (see Deuteronomy 33:12; Jeremiah 11:15). The phrase “Beloved” is often used in The Song of Solomon for newlyweds, who express their deep affection for one another. The word “Beloved” is particularly interesting because God the Father used it to address Jesus Christ our Lord:

Matthew 3:17 {the Father said}This is My BELOVED (agapētos) Son, in Whom I am well pleased …

and at the Mount of Transfiguration, the Father said of Christ:

Matthew 17:5 This is my beloved (agapētos) Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

The Father called His Only Begotten Son agapētos, “Beloved”. Almighty God spoke through the Prophet Isaiah of the Coming Messiah, the Beloved of God (Isaiah 42:1). Matthew quoted the Prophet, using agapētos for Jesus:

Matthew 12:18 Behold my servant {Jesus}, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

Israel is God’s Beloved. Jesus Christ is God’s Beloved. God now calls you “Beloved” because you have believed on and received His Son as Lord and Savior. You are loved because of the relationship you have with Christ! You are Beloved. You are Beloved when joined together with other Beloveds, other believers in Christ.

Romans 1:7 … to ALL that be in Rome, beloved of God

The letter to the Romans was not addressed to just one person, but to the Church that was at Rome. The Church that Jesus Christ gave Himself for is “Beloved”.

H.B. London says, “God loves you as though you were the only one in all the world to love – and that makes you a very important person.”. That is so true – Goddoes love you with a focused and intense love. God is passionate about you. But Beloved, God wants you to be passionate about Him. As the Beloved of God Jesus sought to do the Father’s will in all things. Our Lord said:

John 4:34 I come not to do My will, but the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.

TheBeloved Sonalways seeks to do the Father’s will.In the same way, the Beloved Christian and the Beloved Church seeks to do …

Galatians 2:20 … the will of Him that loved us and gave himself for us.

The Beloved willalwaysseek todo the will of the Father. We are to live our faith passionately for the Lord Jesus. Our lives should make an impact on the world around us. The Apostle said of the Roman believers:

Romans 1:8 … First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Paul thanked our God because the Roman Church had kept a faithful witness before the whole world. When the Church lives for the world, it blends in with the world. When the Church, like Christ, lives to please God, then our faith will be spoken of throughout the world. The Church at Rome was acting like the Beloved of God. They were living their lives for Jesus. Compare this praise from the great Apostle to the pitiful performance shown by the Church at Corinth:

1 Corinthians 5:1 It is reported commonly [that there is] fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.

The Apostle praised God through Christ for the Church at Rome, but for the Church of Corinth he expressed shocked outrage.“How dare you tolerate such athing? Do you not know that even the unbelievingGentile world doesn’t do what you people are doing! Ason taking his father’s wife, committing incest with his own mother.”

How would Christ rate the life you are living today? Would He brag on you, or chastise you? Are our lives reflecting the life of Jesus Christ?

The Rome in which these Christians were living in is much like America today. Secularism had taken over that nation. Sexual sin was rampant. Every type of fornication was not only allowed, but encouraged. Rome housed a pantheon of gods and goddesses, and even Caesar was, at one point, consider a god. Rome was disintegrating from the inside out, and Christians were made the targets of persecution. Fox’s Book of Martyr’s notes:

The first persecution of the Church took place in the year 67, under Nero, the sixth emperor of Rome. … {Nero} ordered the city of Rome should be set on fire … This dreadful conflagration continued nine days; when Nero, finding that his conduct was greatly blamed, and a severe odium cast upon him, determined to lay the whole upon the Christians, at once to excuse himself, and have an opportunity of glutting his sight with new cruelties. This was the occasion of the first persecution; and the barbarities exercised on the Christians were such as even excited the commiseration of the Romans themselves.

The Church of the falling Roman Empire, though persecuted by Rome, focused on being the Beloved of God. Rather than add to the darkness, the Church did as Jesus said in …

Matthew 5:43-44 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

The way of the world is “hit me, I’ll hit you”. The Way of the Beloved is “do bad to me, I will bless you”. This is what it means to imitate God (Ephesians 5:1; 1 Corinthians 11:1). If each believer could focus on the reality that we are The Beloved of God, how the Church would make adifference in our present Roman Society! America today is like Rome of yesterday. Every man follows his own gods or goddesses, and focus devotion to Christ and Christ alone is not tolerated in our present society. Theworld does not mind the false teaching that Jesus is a god amongst other gods, yet the world violent rejects Jesus as …

John 14:6 the Way, the Truth, and the Life – no man comes unto the Father but by Him.

The Christian Is INVITED, BELOVED,
And SET APART

Romans 1:7 … to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

You are not only called to be the Beloved of God , and you are also called to be Saints. The word saint is literally the Greek word ἅγιος hágios, {pronounced hag’-ee-os}, which means “to be a holy thing; to be set apart religiously or morally; to be consecrated to God. You are the Beloved of God. God set you apart to be used by Him and Him alone. John MacArthur notes:

“The term saint in the word of God is simply defined right here in 1 Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 2. If you’ll look at it, we’ll just begin by examining that term. “Under the church of God which is at Corinth; to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.” Now, there you have the term saint used to define those who are sanctified in Christ, who call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Anyone made holy in Christ, anyone calling upon His name, that is, any believer, any true Christian, is a saint. You have the right to that title. In fact, the next time you introduce yourself, you can simply say, “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Saint John,” and that ought to start a good conversation. I have been made righteous. I have been made holy. I have been declared just, by God Himself, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. That’s a saint.”

The “Saint” knows that he or she are just passing through this world. We are set apart by God through the death and resurrection of Christ. We are called out of this world to live for Jesus. Jesus made this plain in His High Priestly prayer for the Church. He said:

John 17:9-11 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

The Saint is to walk in union with God, to seek the same union that our Lord Jesus Christ had. Jesus continued His prayer …

John 17:13-19 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil {one}. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

The Saint, like Jesus, is sent by God INTO the world, to share the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. But the Saint is not to blend in with the world. We are called to blend in with God, to cling to His Word. The foundation of the Christian way of life is the writings of the Apostles and the Prophets. The Scripture says:

Ephesians 2:20 {the Church or gathering of believers is} … built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone…

Our FOUNDATION, dear Christian, is not what the world says, feels, or believes, but is what the Bible (the Apostles and Prophets) teaches. This will certainly not makes us “friends of the world”, but I hasten to remind you what the Scripture says:

James 4:4 … know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

This is what has caused much of the problems we see in America today. As the old saying goes, “you are what you eat”. What are you feeding your soul? Too many who profess to be believers in Christ spend little time reading the Word of God, the Bible – but hours every day in front of a secular driven television. What are you feeding your soul? Beloved, you are called to be Saints, set apart for God’s use.

Do you pray daily? Do you start and end your day in prayer? The Psalmist said:

Psalms 5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Psalms 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

Are you praying? Are you reading His Word? Do you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? If you do not, today would be a wonderful day to call upon the name of the Lord. The Bible promises:

Romans 10:6-13 … the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7 or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Salvation brings with it a glorious new life in God. Do you know that life? Do you enjoy His pretense daily? If not, become a child of God by faith in Christ today. Find your purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord. May God bless you richly with His Word, through His Spirit. Amen and Amen.

Posted in Romans, Sermons Preached | Tagged imitating Christ, Kingdom of God, Loving God, purpose, Saints, salvation | Leave a comment

The Zacchaeus Effect

Posted on November 10, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

To Be Saved, You Must Receive Jesus Christ
As Both Lamb And Lord

Last week I preached from Matthew 20 about the Cup of Christ. Jesus is headed toward Jerusalem, not just to celebrate the Passover, but to BE the Passover. Jesus drank the cup of judgment so that we who believe in Him can be saved. The Scripture says:

1 Corinthians 5:7 … Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us …

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God Who gave Himself for us. The disciples did not understand. Many today are just as confused. Jesus Christ had to die on Calvary, making payment for our sins, so that we – if we believe in Him – can one day be members of Heaven. Heaven is NOT the default home of every person. Heaven is God’s home, and God is holy. God is holy. God is holy!

Psalm 99:9 Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.

Our God is of purer eyes than to behold evil. Our God cannot look on iniquity (Habakkuk 1:13).

Sin has always been a barrier between God and His creation.

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

This is why Jesus had to die. Jesus is the Bridge between God and Man. God incarnate, He came from Heaven, and was made flesh to dwell among us (John 1:14). He lived among us. He kept the Law of God complete and perfectly … no sin was found in Him.

Jesus, God become man, became sin on the Cross, and was punished as a sinner in my place and yours. He did this to raise us up to God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Last week I promised you a sermon from this text:

Matthew 20:29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.

I told you that there was another sermon within this sermon. Jesus and His disciples departed from Jericho, and a great multitude followed them.

Something significant happened in Jericho, significant enough to cause a great multitude to follow Jesus.

The “Jericho” in our text today is not the same Jericho that Joshua marched around (Joshua 6:1-27). Remember Joshua? In their first battle, God told Israel to march around Jericho, once a day for six days, then seven times on the seventh day. You remember that Jericho? It was the first battle that Israel fought in Canaan. God fought for them … and the walls of that Jericho fell down.

There Is A Man In Jericho That Has Built Walls Around His Life. This Man Needs Jesus!

Jesus is going to Jericho to save a sinner in need. Jesus will not have to march around this man daily for six days. This man is miserable. He knows he is in need. He has riches, but no joy, for he has no Jesus!

The Jericho Jesus enters is a place where Tax Collectors gathered, a place where taxes were paid to Rome.

Matthew, an ex-tax collector, does not record
what happens in Jericho. Please turn to Luke 19.

Luke 19:1-2 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchæus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

Jesus knows your heartaches. He sees your scars. Zacchaeus was a rich, scarred man. He needed Jesus – and Jesus came to him.

Word Study We can learn a lot of Zacchaeus just by studying his name. When Zacchaeus was born, his parents had high hopes for him. The name “Zacchaeus” in the Hebrew means “pure, clean, justified, one who is righteous”. His parents wanted Zacchaeus to grow up and be a great believer in God. Yet his path was different from what his parents wanted. His parents did their best to lead their son to the Lord, but he strayed. If you have a child you love who has strayed, remember the promise of God:

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 Zacchaeus, like many of us, got off course of his parents training. The Bible says that Zacchaeus “is chief among the publicans”. The “publican” was a tax collector. If there was ever a group of people hated by the Israelite, it was the tax collector. Tax collectors (“public” officials or “publicans”) were hated because they often over-charged on people’s taxes, and pocketed the excess. Tax collectors were wealthy, while their customers starved. Tax collectors were known as crooks, but also known as traitors to Israel. The money the tax collectors took were used to fund the Roman Army, the same military that dominated Israel and robbed her of freedom. Zacchaeus is not just a tax collector, he is a “chief tax collector” ( Greek ἀρχιτελώνης architelṓnēs, {pronounced ar-khee-tel-o’-nace}), a Tax Commissioner over the District of Jericho. The only way you could get this juicy job was to be well connected among the Romans, or else to purchase the job by bribing Roman officials.

If tax collectors were hated, Zacchaeus was the most hated among the hated. He was rich. Zacchaeus got rich by taking advantage of others. The Bible says:

Proverbs 21:6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.

To rob others in order to fill your own pockets is to invite the judgment of God. Wealth is not in and of itself sinful, unless you worship your wealth as your god. The Bible says “the LOVE OF MONEY is the ROOT OF ALL EVIL” (1 Timothy 6:10). Zacchaeus pursued wealth at the expense of his countrymen. He was rich with money, but poor in friends and faith.

Broken People Need The Lord Jesus!

Luke 19:3 … And Zacchaeus sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

Broken people need the Lord. When people share their pain with us who are Christ followers, the best thing we can do for them is bring them to Jesus. Jesus loves the broken and the broken hearted. Zacchaeus sought to see Jesus, Who He was. Our text tells us that two things stood in Zacchaeus’ way:

The crowd kept Zacchaeus from Jesus. So often broken people let those around them hinder them from coming to Jesus. In our sermon last week we talked about two blind men who called out to Jesus for help (Matthew 20:30). The crowd began to tell them to hush up. They refused to be hindered by the crowd. They yelled LOUDER (the Greek word is “crayzo” – like crazy men) until they got the Lord’s attention. They needed Jesus.

Sometimes the broken are afraid of what their peers will say about them. Oh, how often have we let pride stand in our way, keeping us from Jesus. We want to blend in with the crowd. James warned (James 4:4), “Do you not know that friendship with the world will make you the enemy of God?” (my paraphrase). The world is bound in spiritual darkness.

Sometimes we hang out with the wrong crowd. The Apostle said in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be misled. Bad company will corrupt good morals” (my paraphrase). Often the crowd will block us from Jesus. But Beloved, if we want to be blessed, we need to ignore the crowd, ignore our pride, and run to Jesus. Has He not promised:

Matthew 11:28-29 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

There is no better place to be, than in the arms of Jesus. Do not let the crowd hinder you from learning of Him, of Who He is! Jesus wants us to come to Him like little children, for He said:

Matthew 19:14 … for of such {little children} is the Kingdom of Heaven {populated}

Sometimes our own limitations keep us from Jesus. Zacchaeus was “small of stature”. He was limited by his birth. Had he been taller, he could have gotten a glimpse of Jesus over the heads of the crowd. Over the years I have asked many to come to Jesus, to surrender their lives to Him to be blessed. Yet sometimes people remark, “I am unworthy – I am small of stature”. Beloved, we are all unworthy. None of us deserve Jesus. The Bible tells us that:

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

I have quoted this verse many times to audiences in four states, and have always pointed out “ALL have sinned”. All means all. We are all unworthy. We are all unable. We are all lacking when compared to God. But God knows this – this is why He sent Jesus to us. It was just today, as I worked on this sermon, that the second part of that text struck me ….

Romans 3:23 AND COME SHORT of the glory of God

Like Zacchaeus, we are ALL too short to meet God face to face. We are all unworthy.

So many people miss out on blessing because they think they are tall enough to please God … but they are too short. How will we fix this? Well, how did Zacchaeus fix his limitations? How did he get past the barrier of the crowd, and the barrier of his limitations?

Luke 19:4 … And (Zacchaeus) ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

Zacchaeus put away his pride, Got Away From The Crowd, and Climbed A Tree!

Proverbs 16:18 tells us that Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit {גֹּבַהּ gôbahh, (pronounced go’-bah)}, that is, a high or arrogant spirit before a fall.

Zacchaeus had every human right to be proud. He was, after all, a Tax Commissioner. He had many men working for him. He could have just went about his own way, trusting in his own abilities and his own rightness, and he would have met eternal damnation. Zacchaeus RAN to a place where Jesus could find him.

Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

Zacchaeus put himself in the path of Jesus by climbing a tree. Oh, that Adam had CLIMBED A TREE instead of EATING FROM A TREE (Genesis 2:16-17)!

It was a tree that caused humanity to fall into sin. But it was through a tree that God would save humanity. God gave a law, and Adam failed that law. But God sent His Son Jesus Christ to this earth for us. The Bible says …

Galatians 3:12-14 the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Jesus bore our curse hanging on a Tree, the Cross of Calvary. The Apostle tells us:

1 Peter 2:23-25 {Jesus}, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24 who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. Where did he run? To a tree. If you want to see Jesus, you need to run to the Tree of Calvary. You need to climb that Tree, and die with Jesus on that Cross. Identify with Him. Declare with the Apostle:

Galatians 2:20 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.

Meet Jesus At The Tree, And He Will Abide With You

Luke 19:5-6 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchæus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

Oh how wonderful it was the day I ran to the tree! When Jesus looked up, there I was. Come down, Zacchaeus … I MUST ABIDE at thy house. When we meet Jesus where He is, surrendering our pride, Jesus comes to our house. He says,

I MUST ABIDE

The word translated “ABIDE” is the Greek μένω ménō, (pronounced men’-o), which means “to remain at or tarry with”. Jesus was not just coming for a visit. He was coming to dwell in Zacchaeus’ heart. It is God’s will that:

Ephesians 3:17 Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith

Jesus was not just going to visit. He was coming to Zacchaeus’ home, to his heart, and was going to stay with him by faith. Jesus said “I MUST ABIDE”. The Bible promises that our God is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9):

Romans 10:12-13 … the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Zacchaeus needed Jesus. He called upon the name of the Lord. Maybe not out loud, but from his heart. The Bible says that:

Luke 19:6 {Zacchaeus} received him joyfully

Zacchaeus RECEIVED Jesus with joy in his heart. The Bible tells us that:

John 1:10-13 {Jesus} was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Zacchaeus was saved that very moment. But then there are those who think they are righteous without the Tree. They are mentioned next.

Luke 19:7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

Word Study This is an amusing but somewhat tragic text. The text is amusing because the word translated “MURMURED” comes from a root word which is from the buzzing of bees (διαγογγύζω (diagongyzō)). There were buzzes all around Jesus from the indignant and self righteous people in the crowd. These people were probably Scribes and Pharisees, as this was not the first time they “buzzed among themselves” over Jesus being with sinners.

Luke 15:2 … the Pharisees and Scribes murmured (buzzed among themselves), saying, this man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

Jesus told them then that there is …

Luke 15:7 … Joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Luke 15:10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

Oh, so often the self righteous murmur when the “bad people” come to Jesus! “Jesus, why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? (Luke 5:30). Jesus is quick to point out:

Luke 5:31 They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Beloved, self righteousness is one of the greatest of all sins. God says of the self righteous that:

Isaiah 65:2-3, 5 I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; 3 a people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face… 5 which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.

Jesus told these Pharisees and Scribes,

Matthew 21:31 the Tax Collectors and the Prostitutes go into the Kingdom of God before you (my paraphrase)

Oh Beloved, do not let self righteousness well up in your hearts. We all, like Zacchaeus, must run to the Tree of Calvary. We must acknowledge our brokenness. We must see Jesus. When we do, Jesus will come home with us. He will live in our hearts, and change our lives.

The Saved Live For Jesus

Those who are saved by grace, live as Children of Light, Children of God. We are not saved by our works. The Bible says:

Titus 3:5-6 … not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior;

Once saved by faith in a magnificent Jesus, we then begin to live for Him. The proof of your salvation is in how you live your life after you have been saved. The Pharisees and Scribes SAID they were saved. But what followed their salvation? The stepbrother of our Lord Jesus said:

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

When you meet Jesus, it transforms your life. The blind who met Jesus went away seeing. The lepers who met Jesus went away cleansed. The crippled who met Jesus walked away on two good feet. The deaf who met Jesus went away, hearing the birds in the trees for the first time in their lives. The dead who met Jesus rose up, and lived again. Beloved, if you have met Jesus, it will change your life. Look at Zacchaeus! Witness his changed life:

Luke 19:8 And Zacchæus stood, and said unto the Lord…

Notice that first of all Zacchaeus stood up for Jesus. Zacchaeus addressed Jesus as “Lord”. Did not Jesus say:

Mark 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

If you claim to be a Christian, but will not stand up for Jesus, then you are assuredly not where you need to be spiritually. Zacchaeus told the Lord:

Luke 19:8 … Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

When a person is saved by faith in Christ, they are saved from the heart outward!

Zacchaeus gave away half of his riches to the poor, a clear sign that he was changed. A rich lost person loves their riches. Zacchaeus loved the Lord Jesus. The Bible says:

Proverbs 19:17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

When you give as you should, God will bless you. Zacchaeus no longer worshiped money. He now worshiped the Lord. He also promised to return all that he had previously gotten by “false accusation”. This was how the tax collectors got rich – they lied to people, and over charged them. Zacchaeus said that, as he had been taking by over charging, he would restore by over giving. After he said this our Lord said:

Luke 19:9-10 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Are you saved by faith in Christ? If you are not, today would be a wonderful day to follow Zacchaeus’ example. Put away your self righteousness. Get away from the crowd that is this world. Run to the Tree. Climb that Tree, for there you will see Jesus – and Jesus will see you!

May God touch your hearts with His Word and His Spirit. Amen and Amen.

Posted in Sermon Series "Red Letters", Sermons Preached | Tagged faith in God, salvation, Zacchaeus | Leave a comment

The Burning Bush

Posted on November 10, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

Turn with me in your Bibles to Exodus 3. We’re going to look at a familiar story, and hopefully gain insight into God’s Word. I wasn’t going to preach on this text tonight, but God wouldn’t let it go. I was going to go to Romans 12 – but God said “Go to Exodus 3”.

Moses Is A Key Influencer In The Scripture

Let’s talk about Moses before we read our Exodus 3 text. The Bible has much to say about Moses. In the Gospel of John we are told that:

John 1:15-17 John bare witness of {Jesus}, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me {this Jesus} is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

God used Moses to bring the Law of Israel – but Moses, like all believers, was saved by faith. The Bible tells us that the purpose of the Law was to convict us, and teach us of our inability to be right before God in our own power. The Bible says:

Galatians 3:21-27 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

God brought the Law to Israel after Israel repeatedly rejected the Grace of God. God gave the Law to Israel through Moses – but that doesn’t mean that Moses was saved by the Law. No. Moses was saved by faith in Jesus Christ, just as we all are saved by faith in Jesus Christ.

Grace Is Undeserved, And Moses Is A Product Of Grace

Before we see Moses at the Burning Bush, we need to see Moses’ beginning. Moses’ parents were Israelite slaves, possessed by Egypt and by Pharaoh. Their lives were bitter with hard bondage (Exodus 1:14), and even their children were not their own. Pharaoh commanded that:

Exodus 1:22 … Every {Israelite} son that is born ye shall cast into the river

The make children of the Israelis were to killed outright. This is as horrible as a “partial birth abortion” is today. The child born healthy was to be discarded as so much refuse. Moses was supposed to die. Yet his mother loved him. His father loved him. Born to Levite parents, Moses should be drowned at birth. But Moses’ mother hid him as long as she could, till he was about 3 months old (Exodus 2:1). The Bible says,

Exodus 2:3 when {Moses mother} could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with {tar} and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the {reeds} by the river’s brink.

I often pictured Moses floating down the river into the hands of Pharaoh’s daughter – yet this is not what the Bible tells us. Moses was put in a basket, waterproofed with tar and pitch, and placed among the reeds at the edge of the water. The Pharaoh’s daughter finds little Moses among the reeds. The Bible says that when Pharaoh’s daughter …

Exodus 2:6-9 … opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. 7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. 9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages.

Moses should have died in the river. His mother should have taken him down, and cast him in the river, just as the Pharaoh commanded. She did cast him into the river – though she put him in a sealed basket first. What caused Pharaoh’s daughter to find Moses and have compassion on the child? God did. God did. The Bible says:

Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

God had a plan for Moses’ life. God has a plan for your life. Every day of life that you have is a grace gift from God. You breathe at the blessing of God. Your life belongs to God. The Bible tells us that:

Exodus 2:10 …. the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

Moses was named by the Pharaoh’s daughter. She called him מֹשֶׁה Môsheh, {pronounced mo-sheh’}, which means “one drawn out” or “delivered”. Moses was “delivered” from death, but it was not the Princess that saved him. It was God. It was the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord delivered Moses so that He could use Moses to deliver others. The Psalmist said:

2 Samuel 22:2-7 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 3 the God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my savior; thou savest me from violence. 4 I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 5 When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; 6 the sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me; 7 in my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.

When Moses is about 40 years old, he knows that he is adopted, and visits his family. The first martyr of the Church, the Deacon Stephen, said of Moses:

Acts 7:23-29 … when {Moses} was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: 25 for he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not. 26 And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? 27 But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday? 29 Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons.

Moses spent the first 40 years of his life in the household of Egypt. Had he kept quiet, he would have probably been in a position of great authority one day. Moses decided to defend one of the Israelis when he saw a task master punishing him. Moses did not rely on God, but relied on his own strength. In so doing, he killed a man, and ended up being on Pharaoh’s hit list. The Bible tells us:

Exodus 2:15 when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

Moses was 40 years old when he ran away from Pharaoh. The Deacon Stephen tells us in:

Acts 7:30 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount {Sinai/ Horeb} an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.

Eighty Year Old Moses Is Before The Burning Bush

In our lives – especially in America – we want things fast. Yet God works in His own time. God has a plan for Moses’ life, just as He has a plan for your life. But when? So often I find myself impatient with God. I want things fast – right now. Moses is now 80 years old, an aging Shepherd. He sees a sight. The Bible says:

Exodus 3:1-3 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

Moses sees a burning bush that is not burning up. The Bible tells us that:

Deuteronomy 4:24 … the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

Our God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 9:3; Hebrews 12:29). This bush is burning – but why isn’t it being consumed? The bush is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. God came into the world to save us. God took upon Himself flesh. The Bible says:

John 1:14 …. the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Our God, the blessed Jesus Christ, entered this world to make payment for our sins. He came to be the bridge between God and man. The Bible says:

Hebrews 2:9 … we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

The bush is wood, and wood should burn. When Noah got off the Ark, the first thing that dear old man did was:

Genesis 8:20 … Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

The Burnt Offering was a “clean” animal, killed and laid on a bed of wood. The wood was lit, and the sacrifice burned up. This was symbolic of the judgment of God on sin. When the Law would be given to Moses, God would have Israel institute a series of sacrifices. These sacrifices would be performed to cover sin, because God said:

Hebrews 9:22 … all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Every animal sacrifice was offered up on a burning altar, the fire provided by wood. Moses had lived 40 years in Jethro’s family, the priest of Midian. He was well acquainted with animal sacrifices because of his wife’s family. When animals were sacrificed to male atonement for sin, their flesh burned up, along with the wood of the fire. But now here is a bush burning – and it is not being burned up!

Exodus 3:3 Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt…

The bush is burning, but it is not consumed. Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our sins – but He did not die forever. The Bible tells us that He died, crying out under the weight of our sin. Why did He die? The Scripture says:

Hebrews 9:27-28 … it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Jesus died in the flame of judgment, but rose from the grave. Our sins are paid for because, burning, He did not burn up. Suffering death, He conquered death. Jesus is in this burning bush. It is Jesus Who calls out to Moses. We read:

Exodus 3:4 … And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

Jesus did not call Moses name out at first. He presented the burning bush. He put an event in Moses life, and waited to see if Moses would turn toward it. When Moses turned, the Lord spoke from the bush. Jesus called him twice. Moses, Moses. Why did God call Moses’ name twice? Because God doesn’t give up on us. Moses has been 80 years away from Egypt. Jesus is calling Moses to Himself, and sends Moses back to Egypt to do His will. Has Jesus called your name? Have you believed on Him for salvation? They He has something He wants you to do. You are called to obedience, to follow the Lord in faith who called you. You are not called to be like the world, but to follow the Lord Jesus. The Bible tells us of Moses:

Hebrews 11:24-27 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. 27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

Moses had a choice in his life. He could have stayed in Egypt, stayed in the palace, and ended up dying, having a great funeral. The pyramids are the gravestones of the Pharaohs. Moses could have had his own pyramid. He could have ended up a mummy in Egypt, buried and forgotten. But Moses saw Jesus.

Moses was willing to bear the reproach of Jesus. Beloved, if you love Jesus and live for Him, you will be reproached for doing so. You have a choice: you can stay in Egypt, or you can live for Jesus. You can heed the burning bush, or you can ignore the call of God and pass on by. You can follow the glory of this world, or follow the burning bush. Moses heard the call of Jesus!

To Be Saved, Go To Jesus With Empty Hands

Exodus 3:5 And {the Lord} said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

I have often wondered about this statement. Why “take off your shoes”? Some have suggested that Moses’ shoes were dirty. Well, the burning bush was rooted in dirt. Dirt is all around that shining plant. Why would dirty feet be preferable to dirty shoes? As I prayed over this, God spoke to my heart.

Shoes are man made.
They may be made out of leather,
But they are nonetheless man made.

You cannot come to Jesus with anything man made. Moses is coming to the burning bush, the bush that represents Jesus. You cannot be saved – nor approach God – with anything man made. It is the sinless Jesus that makes us right before God. The Scripture says:

1 John 3:5 And ye know that {Jesus} was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

In the wilderness of Midian, Moses was serving his wife’s father. Now he has turned to Jesus. This is the Christian way, to …

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 {turn} to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

To be holy, Moses had to take off his shoes – not his clothes! The shoes are what carried him to the burning bush. Nothing man made can carry you to God. The shoes have to come off. The man made works have to come off. The human good works must come off. The man made self righteousness must come off. The Scripture declares:

Moses killed a man by works, and did no good toward himself or Israel. Now he must approach Christ without works, without shoes on his feet. Only he can come. Blessed is the one unto whom God imputeth righteousness, without works (Romans 4:6). The faith that saves, saves when it rests on the Word of the Lord. Bildad the Shuhite rightly told Job:

Job 25:4-6 How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? 5 Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight. 6 How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?

No. No. Take off your shoes to come to God. Go to Him barefooted, without anything man made. You need Jesus. We all need Jesus. Jesus spoke from the burning bush:

Exodus 3:6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

Now Jesus tells Moses what He tells all His Children. He says:

Exodus 3:7-10 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8 and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Once we are saved, we are saved to serve the Lord. We serve His purpose, His calling. We tell others of Jesus. We tell them that He is calling a people to Himself, a people obedient unto Him. When Moses was told what God wanted him to do, he responded:

Exodus 3:11-12 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? 12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

Who am I to go and tell others about Jesus? Who are you to tell others about Jesus? I want you to notice how the Lord answered Moses’ question “Who am I?”. He didn’t console Moses. He didn’t pat Moses on his back, and say, “You’re not that bad!” Oh no. God’s answer is “CERTAINLY I will be with you”. Beloved, we serve God in an age just as terrible as the age Moses was in. America has fallen under the weight of sin. It is something that neither you nor I can fix.

But God can fix it. Jesus can fix it. Jesus calls us to the burning bush, to come to Him in faith, with nothing man made in our request. We are nothing. We are nothing. But oh, Jesus is everything! Jesus Christ came and died to be the Savior of His people:

Matthew 1:21 … His name {is} Jesus: for HE SHALL SAVE HIS PEOPLE from their sins

Are you one of His people? Did you come to the burning bush barefooted, and are you now willing to follow Him, to obey His command? If so, know that Jesus …

John 4:42 IS INDEED the Christ, the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD

Jesus came to be the Savior of ALL men, especially of those THAT BELIEVE (1 Timothy 4:10). As the Apostle said,

1 John 4:14 … we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

Who am I to go to Pharaoh? Who am I to go and tell others? I am no one. But I am a no one that is known by the One, the Jesus Christ, God’s only Begotten Son. I am no one, but He is the Someone Who can save Everyone. So let us go. Let us tell others what He said. Didn’t He tell us? He has told us who are saved like Moses was saved,

Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Jesus is with us. Do not be afraid, just follow Him Who saved you. May God through His Spirit and His Word feed and strengthen you this very day. Amen and Amen!

Posted in Exodus, Sermons Preached | Tagged amazing grace, grace, Moses, salvation | Leave a comment

The Servant Of The Lord

Posted on November 5, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

Romans 1:1-7 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called [to be] an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (2) (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) (3) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; (4) And declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (5) By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: (6) Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: (7) To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called [to be] saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Several many years ago Rick Warren wrote a book called Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? Many criticized it in the Evangelical Community as “Christianity Light”. You may not have liked the book (I enjoyed it), but it did ask a good question. “What on earth am I here for?” Writer Mark Twain said it another way:

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why.”

Why are you here? Too many people think they are on earth just to please themselves. You may be one of these people. If pleasing yourself is your goal, you will soon grow weary of life. If making money is your goal, you are going to find life to be quite tedious. People pursue various things as gods:

Money
Sex
Power
Fame

Before meeting the Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul was called Saul – and he pursued religious power. Saul of Tarsus was of the Tribe of Benjamin. His mother was Jewish, and his father a Roman citizen. This gave Saul dual citizenship. He was both a Jew as well as a Roman (see Acts 22:25-29). Saul was the youngest member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, the ruling Council of Elders in Israel. It is interesting that one of the meanings of the name “Saul”, according to Hitchcock’s Bible Dictionary, means “Death”. Saul was present at the stoning to death of the first martyr of the Church, a Deacon named Stephen. The Bible says:

Acts 7:57-58 {the Pharisees} cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon {Stephen} with one accord, 58 and cast him out of the city, and stoned him {with stones}: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.

This young man named Saul, a powerful man with dual citizenship, thought it was his purpose in life to rid the world of the followers of Christ. Saul wasn’t satisfied with one killing. He thought this new cult called “Christians” was bad for Israel. So he went to the High Priest. We read:

Acts 9:1-2 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, (2) And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

Saul became a bounty hunter for Christians. He was a Christian killer, and avenging angel of the Jewish Sanhedrin … then Saul met Jesus on the Damascus Road. Jesus knocked Saul down on the Damascus Road, calling to him:

Acts 9:4-5 Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest…

From that moment on Saul became what he once hated. He became a Christ follower. Outside of Jesus Christ, Saul was probably the most influential man in the early Church. Of the New Testament, the Apostle John wrote 5 books of Scripture. A Gentile doctor named Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke and Acts. Peter and James wrote books bearing their names. But Saul of Tarsus – known as Paul among the Gentiles, wrote 13 letters. Paul was the reason that Luke became a Christian.

Saul, who became Paul, discovered the true reason he had been placed on this earth. It was not to follow after money, power, or sex. It was to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice how Paul identifies himself:

Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Let’s break down this statement.

The Christian Is A Separated Person

separated unto the gospel of God

The word “SEPARATED” is the Greek ἀφορίζω aphorízō, {pronounced af-or-id’-zo}, which means “to mark off from others by boundaries, to limit, to separate”. The Christian, born again by faith in Christ, is part of a set apart people. Jesus described how we are to be different in:

Matthew 25:31-40 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Jesus distinguished His “Sheep” from the “goats” as those who were actively compassionate toward others in need. The sheep

Fed the hungry
Gave drink to the thirsty
Befriended the stranger
Clothed the naked
Lifted up the sick and imprisoned

All these things are done in the name of and for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who are separated from the world by Jesus have compassionate hearts toward those in need. The Christian is separated unto the Gospel. It is our calling to share Christ as Lord and Savior with whosoever will. We are no longer products of the darkness of sin, but are to walk in the light with Christ. We stand, lovingly stand, in the truths of God’s Scripture.

Separated unto the Gospel does not mean that we compromise the Word of God. We believe, as Jesus believed, that God’s Word is Truth (John 17:17). We believe that it is faith in Christ alone that saves the soul. We know that we will be hated by the darkness, for we are to stand in the Light. Jesus said of His followers:

Luke 6:22-23 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. 23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

The world believes that our final destination is determined by a set of scales. Your good works are weighed against your evil works. If your good works outweigh your evil works, then you shall enter Heaven. But this is not what the Scripture teaches.

Romans 1:1b-5 … separated unto the gospel of God, 2 (which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3 concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: 5 by whom we have received grace

The Gospel that saves, this Gospel that is revealed in Jesus Christ, has been the Gospel that God has spoken of from the very beginning of human history. When Adam plunged humanity into sin, how was his sin covered? God had to cover his sin. The Scripture says:

Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

God killed an innocent, shedding it’s blood, and made coats of skins to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness. This was the first sacrifice. The wages of sin is death, just as God promised (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23). God introduced animal sacrifice to make payment for sin. Adam passed this knowledge down to his children. Cain killed Abel because Abel brought the correct sacrifice to God, whereas Cain did not. The Bible says:

Genesis 4:4-7 Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Rather than repent, and make sacrifice – a blood sacrifice – for sin, Cain spilled the blood of his brother. The first murder was over bad religion. God demanded the sacrifice of blood to cover sin. When Israel wanted the death angel to “pass over” their home, God told them to sacrifice a lamb without spot or blemish. The Lord told them to take the blood of that innocent lamb, and mark their homes with it. Why?

Exodus 12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

When God gave the Law to Israel, a primary component of that Law was that of animal sacrifice. The animal sacrifice foreshadowed what would one day come to humanity. We are told in,

Hebrews 10:1-4 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

The Law was a foreshadowing of the coming of Jesus Christ. What animal sacrifices did was teach us that we cannot cover our sins with our works of righteousness. No, God must cover our sins. Jesus Christ came – God Incarnate – to be the covering for our sins. The Scripture from Genesis to Malachi foreshadowed the coming of Jesus. God becoming perfect Man, Jesus kept the Law of God perfectly. There was no sin in Him. The Scripture tells us:

Hebrews 9:12-15 … neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood {Jesus} entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

It is the Blood of Jesus Christ, shed on Calvary, that sets us apart from the world. The Pharisees in Jesus’ day rejected Him as Savior, choosing instead to seek rightness with God through their keeping of His Law. Jesus told these Pharisees:

Matthew 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Every sacrifice in the Old Testament was a foreshadowing of what would one day happen in Jesus. When Abel offered his sacrifice, the Bible says:

Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous

The works of the Law – the sacrifice of animals – could never save us. But Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant … that speaketh better things than that of Abel. Do not refuse the Lord Who speaks to you! How shall we escape if we turn away from Him that speaks from Heaven (Hebrews 12:24-25)?

The Christian is separated from the world by the Blood of Christ. The Christian is separated from the world by new birth. The Christian is separated from the world by a new and living lifestyle.

Beloved, if we are saved by faith, THEN we will work, in love, for Him Who saved us.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

We who have received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are different from the lost of this world. We now belong to God’s Family, God’s Kingdom. We are separate in heart because of His Spirit Who indwells us.

The Christian Is Not Only Separate, But Has A Specific Purpose From God

Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle

Every Christian that is indeed a Christian has a general calling to tell others of Christ. But we also have specific callings. We are called and gifted by God to work together with other believers in the Church that belongs to Jesus.

The Apostle Paul was given the gift of apostleship. The gift of apostleship was a foundational gift in the early Church. The Scripture says:

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

We come to God through Jesus Christ, through faith in Him. We have the Spirit of God because of our relationship with Jesus. The Spirit indwells us, and empowers us, giving us access with God the Father. The Blood of Christ purchased our salvation, and our adoption. We are NO MORE strangers and foreigners, which is what we were before Christ. Now that we have received Him by faith, we are fellow citizens with the Saints, and of the household of God. We no longer belong to this world – we are on assignment in it.

Notice the phrase “built upon the FOUNDATION of the apostles and prophets”. The Christian is led by God to bind together with other Christians. God gives us specific callings as Christians, giftings of the Holy Spirit. We use our gifts together with other believers to bless, and to be blessed. The gifts of apostle and prophet were foundational to the Church. The Apostles and Prophets wrote Scripture. It is the Scripture, the Word of God, that guides, grows, and gives power to the Church. Believers are placed together to work, together, for the glory of God. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 12:4-12 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

The Church is not a brick and wood building. It is a people, gathered together, serving one another while working together for Christ’s glory on this earth. It is a BODY with MANY MEMBERS. The Church cannot exist without purpose driven Christians coming together, using their gifts, to bless the Body and bring light into the world. God separates a believer by His Gospel, and then calls that person to service within the body of the Church.

The Apostle Paul was both called and appointed. Every Christian is called and appointed.

Romans 1:5-6 for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: 6 among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

You, dear Christian, have a function – a duty – a gifting – a calling. Grow in Grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ so that you can find your place in the Body! Your salvation was purchased at a great price: it cost Jesus everything He had!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 7:22-23 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. 23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

I do not know who will win the Presidential election. Regardless as to who it is, we as Christians, followers of Christ, will need to walk in obedience an in unity, sharing the love and Gospel of Christ to this present America. No politician will ever fix what ails America. Only Jesus can. Only Jesus can. Let us live together for Him.

May God the Holy Spirit touch your hearts with His Word and His love. Amen and Amen.

Posted in Romans, Sermons Preached | Tagged Church, gospel, love | Leave a comment

Heed God’s Word God’s Way (Part 2)

Posted on November 2, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

Turn with me in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles 19.

Last week we discussed the need for Godly leadership in a nation. This week Amy Coney Barrett was appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States amid the howls and cries of foul from those on the opposing political party. Frankly, I praise God for her appointment. The Bible says:

Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people

I am not surprised that darkness is upset that a Christian woman was put on the Supreme Court. I just praise God that it happened. Pray for Justice Barrett, and all of our Supreme Court. We need our nation to turn back from the evil that it has normalized these last 50 or so years!

To summarize what we learned last week, we talked about the good King of Southern Israel (Judah) Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat (whose name means “The Lord is Judge”) honored God. The Bible says that

“{Jehoshaphat} walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto {the false gods of the Canaanites}” (2 Chronicles 17:3).

Because “his heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 17:6), the Lord brought stability and good economy to his nation. There was peace all around Judah – none dared attack them, because “the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah” (2 Chronicles 17:10). The Bible says:

1 Samuel 2:30 … them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

and again, Psalm 147:11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

Then Jehoshaphat made a foolish decision. He decided to join Judah with Northern Israel (called merely Israel), to band together with King Ahab (2 Chronicles 18:1). Ahab of Israel was a very wicked king. He was the great, great, great, great, great grandson of Jeroboam, the man who led the ten northern tribes in revolt against King Rehoboam, Solomon’s son.

Jehoshaphat agreed to go with Ahab and make war against Ramoth-gilead, even though God’s prophet Micaiah warned them not to do so (see 1 Kings 22:17).

Because of Jehoshaphat’s foolishness, he nearly died that day. But for the grace of God he would have died. Ahab did die that day, just as the Prophet decreed. The Bible says:

1 Kings 22:37-38 {King Ahab} died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. 38 And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armor; according unto the word of the Lord which he spake.

God’s people are to love and be kind to all. But God’s people, His children by faith in Christ, are not to intimately bind ourselves together with unbelievers. God tells us:

2 Corinthians 6:16-18 what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Let’s continue where we were last week.

Jehoshaphat Returned Home To God

2 Chronicles 19:1 Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.

Let’s start with Jehoshaphat the king of Judah RETURNED. The word rendered “RETURNED” is the Qal Imperfect of שׁוּב shûwb, (pronounced shoob). The word can be used in a physical sense, Jehoshaphat physically returned to his house. It can also be used in the spiritual sense, meaning Jehoshaphat repented and returned to where he belonged. The same word is used in verse 4,

2 Chronicles 19:4 … Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again through the people from Beer-sheba to mount Ephraim, and brought them back {שׁוּב shûwb} unto the Lord God of their fathers.

As a believer in God, Jehoshaphat had no business binding himself with a lost person like Ahab.

When Jehoshaphat returned back to his home he was met by Jehu the son of Hanani. Jehu’s father Hanani chastised good King Asa of Judah, Jehoshaphat’s father, for doing the same thing that Jehoshaphat did. Jehoshaphat made an alliance with apostate Northern Israel. Asa, his father, made an alliance with Syria. Jehu asks Jehoshaphat:

2 Chronicles 19:2 Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee
from before the Lord.

What Jehu asks Jehoshaphat is very applicable to our world today. I know many Christians and many Christian Churches that consider themselves Social Justice Warriors. They have banded themselves to organizations and people who are lost and without Christ. I do believe in justice – BIBLICAL justice. To do the right that God has said is right in His Word. Beloved, if you are a proud, card carrying SJW (Social Justice Warrior), I suspect Jehu’s words to Jehoshaphat also apply to YOU. Jehu {whose name means, “Himself Who Exists”} asks us:

Why did you help the wicked? The saved believer is not to pitch in with the unbeliever, endorsing their godless activities. We are to tell them about faith in Christ Jesus. We are to bless them that curse us, and do good to them that despitefully use us (Matthew 5:44). Yes, we should feed the poor, and uplift the downtrodden. But we are not to be part and parcel of their godless antics. King Solomon wrote:

Proverbs 1:10-11, 15 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. 11 If they say, Come with us … 15 my son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

You have all heard, I am sure, of the baker and the florist that were persecuted and prosecuted for not providing their services to support same sex marriage ceremonies. The baker, Jack Phillips, had to take his case all the way to the Supreme Court. The justices, in a 7-2 decision, said the Colorado Civil Rights Commission showed impermissible hostility toward religion when it declared Phillips violated the state’s anti-discrimination law.

The florist, Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene’s Flowers in the city of Richland (200 miles southeast of Seattle), was ordered by the state of Washington to provide floral arrangements for same-sex marriages, just as she does for traditional marriages. The Supreme Court threw out the Washington State Supreme Court’s ruling, and sent the case back to the lower courts.

I have heard Christian pastors say that Phillips and Stutzman perhaps should have provided to the gay marriages, just as they provide to traditional marriages.

Myself, I think we as Christians need to be very careful and prayerful about doing this. If you begin to compromise your Bible based convictions in order to “reach others”, you may find yourself in the same mess Jehoshaphat found himself in. The Apostle warns us in:

Ephesians 5:6-12 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

You will make others mad at you when you walk with Christ. Beloved, it is better for man to be mad at you, rather than your Heavenly Father be angered! Live your life for Jesus! Jehu also asked:

Why do you love those who hate the Lord? I believe that the Christian should show love to everyone. But King Ahab hated God with a passion. He stood against Elijah, and was instrumental in emotionally destroying that dear saint. Ahab not only condoned idolatry, but spent immense funds to build temples to false gods. Ahab made Baal worship the state religion of Northern Israel. The handwriting was on the wall for Ahab and Northern Israel. You can only stand against God when you stand with the God haters! The Psalmist David writes:

Psalm 139:21-22 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.

“The word means “loathe,” so that we may read the text, “Do not I loathe those that rise up against thee?” … This is how the word is translated, for example, in Ezekiel 20:43: “and ye shall loathe yourselves in your sight for all your evils that ye have committed.” To loathe someone is to regard him as disgusting and to abhor him. …

“Is this right? Is this Christian?” you ask. We must let the Psalmist himself answer the question. The Psalmist shows that, in taking this attitude of hatred, he is perfectly confident that he is right with God, that he is pleasing to God. He is criticized today for being unspiritual here. But he breathes the confidence that his spiritual condition is good. For the confession that he hates some men appears in a question that he asks of the Lord: “Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee?” He asks this question of the Lord as a man who is sure that Lord will find this praiseworthy in him. In the very next breath, he invites the Lord to search him, whether there be any evil way in him. He is supremely confident that in hating the wicked he has the full approval of the Lord. …

Beyond all doubt, Scripture here teaches that hatred of the wicked by the child of God is part of his holy life in the Spirit and not some gross iniquity. Therefore, one who cannot present himself before the Lord as hating those who hate God is in the wrong and displeases God. He has a serious defect in his spiritual life. The trouble is that so many fail to acknowledge that God hates some men. Hatred of another is condemned as such, because men believe that God loves all men and hates no man. But hatred as such cannot be condemned as evil, for God hates—God hates some men. Romans 9:13 teaches that God hated Esau. Psalm 5:5 teaches that God hates “all workers of iniquity.” God’s hatred of some men is clearly brought out in the verses that precede our text. Verse 19 says, “Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God.” This is the most extreme expression of hatred: God will kill them, not only temporally but also eternally. God loathes them and wills their destruction. … These are persons who hate God. They loathe God and will God’s destruction. As much as in them lies, they try to accomplish His destruction also. They rise up against God, according to the text, that is, they go to war against Him as enemies. How do they do this? The preceding verse shows: “For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.” They blaspheme God, curse and swear, oppose His truth and worship. Especially do they despise and attack His Christ and the gospel of Christ. The text uses the covenant name of God, Jehovah. These men hate Jehovah as He is revealed in Jesus. They rise up against God by violence against their neighbors. Not only do they break the first table of the law but they also break the second table. Verse 19 calls them “bloody men.” They are violent rebels against the authority of their parents, of the state and of the employer. They are cruel deserters of wives and children. They are thieves and robbers. They are slanderers and backbiters—they have bloody tongues. In short, they are men, women and children who do not believe or obey the law. They are the wicked, the impenitent wicked.”

Why bring Yahweh’s wrath on yourself and on Judah? When you bind yourself to someone who stands in opposition to God, you paint a target on your back. We are to keep idolaters like Ahab at arm’s length, we are not to embrace them or join with them. God says of those who hate Him:

Deuteronomy 7:9-10 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; 10 and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.

Jehoshaphat was nearly killed on the battlefield. He foolishly agreed to wear Ahab’s clothing, and the enemy chased him to kill him, believing Jehoshaphat to be Ahab. But God in His grace protected Jehoshaphat. Jehu tells the now wiser King:

2 Chronicles 19:3 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God.

The King took away the groves, that is, he actively destroyed placed where idolatry was performed. Jehoshaphat also prepared his heart to seek God. He repented.

Repenting, Jehoshaphat Now Seeks To Please
The Lord And Not Man

2 Chronicles 19:4-6 And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again through the people from Beer-sheba to mount Ephraim, and brought them back unto the Lord God of their fathers.

5 And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city, 6 and said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment. 7 Wherefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.

Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, but spent much of his time traveling throughout his kingdom, telling his people to repent and return to the God of Scripture. He appointed judges and reminded them that ye judge not for man, but for the Lord. The judges were not to show respect of persons, that is, they were to treat every case that came before their courts impartially, and without favoritism. Like Moses, Jehoshaphat told these judges:

Deuteronomy 1:17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s …

Jehoshaphat warned the judges to avoid the taking of bribes.

2 Chronicles 19:8-10 Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites, and of the priests, and of the chief of the fathers of Israel, for the judgment of the Lord, and for controversies, when they returned to Jerusalem. 9 And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lord, faithfully, and with a perfect heart. 10 And what cause soever shall come to you of your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and judgments, ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against the Lord, and so wrath come upon you, and upon your brethren: this do, and ye shall not trespass. 11 And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the Lord; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, for all the king’s matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and the Lord shall be with the good.

If the judges are faithful to honor God and to make righteous judgments, they would themselves avoid the wrath of God. Furthermore, God promised to be with and protect those who honors Him.

A Nation That Draws Near To God In Peace Time,
Will Be Protected By God In War

2 Chronicles 20:1-2 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. 2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.

Moab and Ammon, along with others came against Judah to overthrow the nation. The Ammonites were the descendants of Ben-ammi, who was the son of Lot (Abraham’s nephew) and Lot’s younger daughter (Genesis 19:38). The Moabites descended from Moab, the son of Lot and his older daughter (Genesis 19:37). These nations were, in fact, cousins to the Jews. Banded together, they became an unconquerable foe. At least, Jehoshaphat and Judah could not handle them! What does Jehoshaphat do? Does he panic? Does he run away? No. Now Jehoshaphat is afraid – but he doesn’t panic. He heeds the word of Psalmist to Yahweh:

Psalm 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

The Christian should never slip into hopelessness. When all is against us, let us put our eyes on the God Who saved us, and saves us still!

2 Chronicles 20:3-4 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

Jehoshaphat made himself focus on God. He moved his nation to focus on God. Let’s take a look at His prayer:

2 Chronicles 20:6-12 O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? 7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? 8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, 9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. 10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; 11 behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. 12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.

What a beautiful prayer! How did God respond to Jehoshaphat and Judah? He told them:

2 Chronicles 20:15-17 Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.

God promised to fight the battle for His people. Did He? Absolutely! Read the rest of the chapter. The Bible says that God caused the enemy to fight among themselves, so much so that they utterly destroyed themselves before Jehoshaphat and Judah took the battlefield. Judah named the place where their enemies were defeated the valley of Berachah (vs 26), or the valley of blessings. When we follow the Lord our God, He promises to bless us and protect us from our enemies. Beloved, are you following Him? Are you serving the Lord our God? Have you given your lives to Him? If not, I beg you, turn and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior today. Begin to read His Word, and support His Kingdom on this earth. Do not miss the blessings of this life – the blessings of a life with our Heavenly Father.

May God touch your hearts with His Word and His Spirit. Amen and Amen.

Posted in 2 Chronicles, Sermons Preached | Tagged seeking God, walking with God | Leave a comment

What Do You Want Jesus To Do?

Posted on November 2, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

Matthew 20:17-19 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, 18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, 19 and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

Jesus Is Headed Toward Jerusalem One Last Time

Our Lord Jesus is on His final trip to Jerusalem. Why is Jesus going to Jerusalem? Is it to celebrate the Passover, as all faithful Jews do at this time of the year. No. Jesus is going to Jerusalem to BE the Passover. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 5:7 … Christ our passover is sacrificed for us

The Passover, for the Jew, was a time to remember when Israel was freed from bondage to the world, to Egypt. From the time of Joseph until the time of Moses, Israel was in bondage, slaves to a pagan culture. Her children were aborted at the whim of the Pharaoh. She had no Temple, no place of worship.

Then God sent the Passover. He told His people that death was coming, and that death would visit every house that fateful night. God told His people in Exodus 12 that each family was to take a “lamb without blemish” (Exodus 12:5) into their homes on the tenth day of the month (Exodus 12:3). They were to keep the Lamb until the fourteenth day of the month (Exodus 12:6), and in the evening kill it. The Blood of the Lamb was to be placed on the entryway of the home (Exodus 12:7). When death passed by Israel, God’s people, if God saw the Blood of the Lamb He promised:

Exodus 12:13 … when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

This ancient ritual is a precursor to what Jesus would do for us all in Jerusalem. The lamb was kept from the 10^th to the 14^th day – and slaughtered in the evening on the 14^th day. If you were to count the days as if they were years, Jesus has been on this earth for about 3 ½ years. His evening has come, and He is obediently headed toward Jerusalem. Why did Jesus have to go? Why did He have to die on Calvary?

Jesus shed His Blood so that we who believe in Him can be safe from death. His Blood, received by faith in Him, stands on doorway of our lives. Jesus is with us! Death will pass over us. We belong to God!

Jesus is going up to Jerusalem to die for us. Matthew records Jesus’ words:

Matthew 20:18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed…

The word rendered “BETRAYED” is the Greek παραδίδωμι paradídōmi, (pronounced par-ad-id’-o-mee), which means “to be delivered or handed over to be judged”. The same word is more properly rendered “shall be delivered” in the King James text of Mark 10:33 and Luke 18:32. Jesus was being handed over to the Chief Priests and the Scribes, and will be judged by both Jewish as well as Gentile Judges. But the judgment that Jesus is going for is the judgment of God for the sins of mankind. As part of this handing over, Jesus’ friend Judas Iscariot would conspire with the priests and Scribes, and be instrumental in Christ’s death (Matthew 26:47-50). Judas’ betrayal was prophesied by the Psalmist, who wrote:

Psalm 41:9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

Judas conspired to turn Jesus over to the religious authorities, but Jesus knew all about this. Jesus’ was ultimately delivered over to judgment because God foreordained it. Jesus Christ – the Son of Man – the Messiah – would die. Not for His sins, but for your and my sins. The Scripture declares:

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 … Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Isaiah spoke very clearly about the Messiah, and His work that woulds do as our Passover:

Isaiah 53:7-10 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin,

Jesus’ soul was an offering for our sin. His body, beaten and bruised by man, nailed to a Cross, hung on Calvary to atone for, that is, to cover our sins. John the Baptist called Jesus:

John 1:29 … the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (also John 1:36)

Just as the lamb without blemish took Israel out of Egypt, the Lamb of God would free those who receive Him from Egypt, the fallen world. Because Jesus went up to Jerusalem, willingly laying His life down for us, we are redeemed from death and the devil. We are redeemed …

1 Peter 1:19-20 … with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

It is Jesus of Whom Heaven sings:

Revelation 5:6-9 … they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

Jesus is going to Jerusalem, where both Jew and Gentile …

Matthew 20:18-19 … shall condemn him to death, 19 and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

How Did The Disciples Respond To What Jesus Said? Luke tells us:

Luke 18:34 and they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

The Apostles heard the words, but they did not register. This was the third time Jesus would teach them about His impending death. Yet the did not process it. Why was this? Because their hearts were focused on something else. Mark tells us:

Mark 10:32 … they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid …

The disciples knew that if Jesus went into Jerusalem at this time, He was walking into the lions den. They knew that the Scribes, Pharisees, and Priests were all very angry with Jesus, and sought His destruction. Fear was driving their hearts. They wanted to talk Jesus out of going up to Jerusalem, but Luke tells us:

Luke 9:51 … when the time was come that Jesus should be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.

“RECEIVED UP” is the Greek ἀνάληψις análēpsis, (pronounced an-al’-ape-sis). Jesus is going to be “lifted up” on the Cross of Calvary (John 3:14; John 8:28; John 12:32) for our sins. Dying, His death will be RECEIVED UP to God in His Heaven. Jesus steadfastly set His face to go and do what He must do. The disciples were frightened, but still they accompanied our Lord. Yet these same disciples, when the time comes, will all desert Jesus. The Cross is His Work, and His Work alone. Jesus knows this. He will later tell His disciples:

Matthew 26:31-32 … All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. 32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.

But there was something else on the mind of the disciples besides fear of the Jewish Authorities.

Who Shall Be The Greatest In Heaven?

Jesus has been, for the third time, sharing His impending death on Calvarius. But what is occupying the minds of the disciples is who is better than who. We are told:

Matthew 20:20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshiping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? …

Three disciples were chosen by Jesus every time He went into a special place to pray. These three were Peter, James, and John. The mother of James and John comes to Jesus, and our Lord asks, “What Do You Want Me To Do?”. This mother wants the best for her children … though I expect her sons put her up to asking. Their mother asked:

Matthew 20:21-22 … Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

Jesus tells the mother, “You don’t know what you’re asking for!”. Every time Jesus tried to discuss His coming death on Calvarius, the disciples wanted to argue over who was the greatest. Jesus asked the men, “Are you able to drink the cup that I shall drink of?”. Our Lord Jesus drank of the cup of death:

Hebrews 2:9 … we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

The “CUP” that Jesus drank was the Cup of Death and Judgment. Three times Jesus prayed in Gethsemane:

Matthew 26:39 … O my Father, if it be possible, let this CUP pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Three times the Father told the Son that this CUP was for Him and Him alone. When soldiers came to seize Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter drew his sword, and would have done battle to protect Jesus. But Jesus told Peter:

John 18:11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the CUP which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

Jesus drank the Cup of blessing, so that we who believe in Him can have the CUP of blessing (1 Corinthians 10:16)

The One enthroned in yonder Heaven is the One Who drank the CUP of cursing for us. James and John cannot drink of Christ’s CUP. They do not understand. None of us are qualified to drink of Christ’s CUP! We are all sinners, conceived in sin. The Scripture says:

Romans 3:10-11 … There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

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

Neither James nor John can drink of the CUP of Christ. We can speak of the CUP. We can believe Jesus drank the CUP. But for a sinner to drink the CUP, there is no effect. Christ alone is blameless, sinless, the Lamb of God. Only He can drink of this CUP.

Jesus asks James and John,

Matthew 20:22 … Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

They cannot, but pride blinds them to the truth. They immediately answer,

Matthew 20:22 … We are ABLE …

The King James text really doesn’t convey the arrogance of their reply. The word rendered “ABLE” is the Greek δύναμαι dýnamai, (pronounced doo’-nam-ahee), which means “to have power by virtue of one’s own ability and resources, or of a state of mind, or through favourable circumstances, or by permission of law or custom”. They were like, “Oh yes, Lord. We have the POWER to do it!” What arrogance this was. Yet Jesus did not chastise them. Instead He tells them:

Matthew 20:23 … Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

James would be martyred by King Herod, killed by the sword (Acts 12:2). Though John would not die by martyrdom, he will be exiled to the Isle of Patmos (Revelation 1:9), and will die of old age. The Father will determine who will be placed where in Heaven. Jesus was totally submitted to the will of God the Father.

Matthew 20:24-28 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. 25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

I suspect the other ten disciples were indignant because they wished they had thought to get their mothers involved with getting special favor from Jesus. Jesus once more corrects them all, and reminds them that the way to Heaven and the walk with Christ is a humble one. If you are saved by faith in Him, you are to follow His example. He lowered Himself for others. We are to lower ourselves for others.

The greatest in Heaven will not be those who put themselves first. It will be those who put others first, and put themselves last.

I Want To Be Blessed Of Jesus

How does one get a blessing from Jesus? How is one saved by Jesus? As Jesus heads toward Jerusalem, he passes through an area called Jericho. This is not the Jericho that Joshua marched around. That Jericho was destroyed. This Jericho is a suburb of Jerusalem, a place known as the tax center of Jerusalem. What I find interesting is that, while in Jericho, Jesus meets a tax collector named Zacchaeus. What I find interesting about this is that

Matthew, who once was a tax collector, ignores the story of Zacchaeus. Luke is the one who tells us his story
(see Luke 19:1ff).

Why Zacchaeus wasn’t mentioned by Matthew is a mystery that will only be solved when we get to Heaven. I love his story – but that’s for another day. Right after Jesus saves Zacchaeus, and Zacchaeus promises to reimburse those he swindled:

Luke 19:8 …. Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

Such an amazing conversion caused a crowd of people to join Jesus and His disciples as they traveled to Jerusalem. We read:

Matthew 20:29-30 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. 30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.

These men could not see Jesus, but they could hear Jesus. They cried out to Jesus. They didn’t want to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. They didn’t want to drink Jesus’ CUP. They “CRIED OUT”. This is the Greek κράζω krazō (pronounced CRAY-ZOH). This word is often used to describe the cries that a woman makes while she is in labor. These men are not concerned about what others think. They cry out. They cry out for mercy. This is a wonderful prayer. The Psalmist David, a man after God’s own heart, pleads to God some 21 times for mercy.

These men were disturbing the crowd. They had seen Zacchaeus saved, and were in a good mood. Now these two filthy beggars are rocking the boat!

Matthew 20:31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.

These men didn’t care what the multitude said. They could have cared less what others thought. They needed Jesus. They were tired of the miserable lives they were living. They were tired of suffering. They were tired of fear. They were tired of just existing. They persisted, and cried out all the more!

Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

Oh, how the Lord loves to hear the cries of a suffering soul! God wants to relieve us in our distress (Psalm 4:1). The Lord will always hear when I cry out to Him (Psalm 4:3).

Jesus asked James and John’s mother, “What do you want Me to do?” What does Jesus ask these blind, suffering men?

Matthew 20:32 … Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?

What do you want Me to do? Jesus calls out to them. What do you desire? What do you need? The men simply say:

Matthew 20:33 … Lord, that our eyes may be opened.

How does Jesus respond? He draws near to them, so close that He can touch their eyes. The stepbrother of Jesus wrote:

James 4:10 … Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

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

This is the testimony of all who have come to Jesus for salvation. They cry out. Jesus hears them. Jesus comes near, and touches them. Then they are healed, made whole. They are saved … and they follow the Lord.

How about you? Are you saved by faith in Christ? What do you need from Jesus this very day? Cry out to Him. Seek Him with your whole heart, and He will bless you will life, eternal life, joyous life. May God work in your hearts today through His Word and his Spirit. Amen and Amen!