One Greater Than The Temple!

Posted on June 8, 2020 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by AK¥N Cakiner on Unsplash

Matthew 12:1-8 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. 3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungered, and they that were with him; 4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shew bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? 6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. 7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

What is the “Sabbath”?

When we study the things of God we need to be very careful how we handle His Word. The Pharisees charged Jesus with allowing His disciples to do something which broke the Law of the “Sabbath”. Now, what is the “Sabbath”? If you look the word up in a secular dictionary, such as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, you are told that “Sabbath” is:

“a. The seventh day of the week observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening as a day of rest and worship by Jews and some Christians.

b. Sunday observed among Christians as a day of rest and worship.”

The Jews considered each “day” to be “evening and morning”, with sunset to be the beginning of a new day. This is why the Jews keep the Sabbath from Friday at Sunset to Saturday at Sunset. Keeping the Sabbath was the earliest command that God gave humanity. In the Book of Genesis this day of rest was not called “Sabbath”, but we read:

Genesis 1:31-2:1-3 God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

The seventh day – the Sabbath – was a day that God set apart from all the others. Creation was finished. A loving God built our planet, and put Adam and Eve in it’s special Garden called Eden. The Sabbath was a day to reflect on the love of God toward His creation, especially toward humanity. God did not have to make humanity. He was not compelled to care for us, but loved us, and loves us still. He made humanity “in His image and after His likeness” (Genesis 1:26).

The Sabbath is a time to rest and reflect on the undeserved love of God our King.

The first time the word “Sabbath” occurs in the Bible is in the Book of Exodus. Israel had been freed from Egypt, and were traveling through the wilderness of Sin. Sin is both a place as well as a bad state to be in. Israel should be loving God, thanking Him for freeing them from slavery. But instead Israel:

Exodus 16:2-3 … murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: {saying} Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt …

God heard their murmuring. Instead of punishing Israel, God sent quail and manna – the bread of Heaven – to feed His people. God told His people to gather a certain amount every day, but on the sixth day to gather twice as much. Why? The Lord explained:

Exodus 16:23 … To morrow is the rest of the holy SABBATH unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and {boil} that ye will {boil}; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.

Word Study Israel was not the work in gathering quail nor manna on the שַׁבָּתShabbâth, {pronounced shab-bawth’, it means “intermission”}. God gave Israel this Law of Rest “to prove or test them, whether they will walk in My Law or not.” When Israel got to the base of Mount Sinai, and Moses went up into the Mount to receive the Law, God told Israel:

Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the Shabbâth day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Shabbâth day, and hallowed it.

Made in the image of God, the Lord wanted Israel to imitate Him, to do as He did at creation. One day in seven was set aside as Shabbâth, {pronounced shab-bawth’}, which means “intermission”. As God expanded the Law every seventh year was also a Shabbâth, an intermission:

Leviticus 25:4 … in the seventh year shall be a Shabbâth of rest unto the land, a Shabbâth for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.

The Shabbâth for the Israelite was not optional. To fail to keep the Shabbâth was to commit a Capital Offense.

Exodus 31:14-16 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

The Shabbâth rest was specifically given to Israel, a perpetual covenant, something that would never cease until rescinded by God. It was a one sided contract. God said “You will do it”, and Israel was to do it. To fail to do it was a death sentence (see Exodus 35:2).

Illustrate When Nehemiah led the refugees of the children of Israel back to rebuild Jerusalem he caught the Israelites buying and selling on the Shabbâth. Nehemiah chastised them, saying (Nehemiah 13:18) “Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Shabbâth..”, From that point on the gates of the city of Jerusalem were locked, and guards posted, so that there would be no buying and selling on the Sabbath. God promised Jerusalem if they kept the Shabbâth holy and unto the Lord that there would be blessing on all (Jeremiah 17:21-27). If they failed to keep the Shabbâth, there would be a curse brought on them.

Why was it a death penalty for the Jew to knowingly break Shabbâth? Because Shabbâth – the weekly intermission, the festival intermission, or the 7 year intermission represented something greater than just a time of rest. Shabbâth was a Royal Decree, a Commandment from the King of Israel. It was not just another day to work and increase your riches. It was a day to recognize the Kingdom of God and it’s King. To fail to keep Shabbâth was to commit treason against the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Shabbâth emphasized faith in God and allegiance to God. It was a rest with God as it’s focus!

Your Disciples, Jesus, Are Law Breakers!

The Bible makes it very clear that Shabbâth is a special day set aside for the Israelite, an intermission to show your allegiance to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Matthew 12:1-2 Jesus went on the Shabbâth day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Shabbâth day.

Jesus was not eating any corn, but His disciples were pulling ears of corn and eating them on the Sabbath Day. “Your disciples are doing that which is unlawful on Shabbâth”!,the Pharisees said. What the Pharisees were accusing the disciples of Christ was a Capital Offense! You could be stoned with stones until dead for breaking Shabbâth. Shabbâth was not optional, but a mandate from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Were Jesus’ disciples sinning? Absolutely not. To believe that Jesus allowed His disciples to sin while He watched is to diminish our Lord and Savior. The Bible is very clear that Jesus is:

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

It is this same Jesus Who shed His blood for you, Who,

Hebrews 9:14 … through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Jesus cannot take away the sin of the world, nor can He be a suitable offering unto God for our sin, if He Himself is a sinner. Only a sinner would stand by and watch others in his charge sin. Jesus Christ, our High Priest, was in all points tempted as we are, yet never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). What Jesus’ disciples was doing was not wrong, nor a twisting of God’s Law of the Sabbath. Jesus did what He often did when challenged by the Pharisees.

Jesus quoted Scripture.
Shabbâth is an intermission to honor God.
Shabbâth is not broken if what you are doing is in service to God.

Matthew 12:3-4 {Jesus} said unto {the Pharisees}, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungered, and they that were with him; 4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shew bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

In the Tabernacle and later in the Temple there was a Table Of Showbread, also called “The Bread of His Presence”. This Bread was constantly in the Presence of God (Exodus 25:30). This “Hallowed Bread” was not to be eaten but by the priests of Israel, and only after fresh bread was baked. The passage that our Lord quotes is from 1 Samuel 21. David and his men have been evading King Saul, running for their lives, and came to the Tabernacle hungry. David asked for 5 loaves of Showbread that the priest was in process of switching it out with fresher loaves. Only the priests – according to the Law – were to eat of this showbread (see Leviticus 24:5-9; Exodus 25:30). Yet the priests gave this bread to David and his men.

Why was it o.k. for David and his men to eat the Hallowed Bread? Because David was chosen by God to succeed King Saul (1 Samue1 16:1, 7, 10-13) as King over Israel. The priests served God by feeding David and his men, men who were evading King Saul, who was trying his best to kill David. David was God’s anointed. You are not violating the Law when you are doing the will of God.

Jesus went on to tell the Pharisees:

Matthew 12:5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the Shabbâth days the priests in the temple profane the Shabbâth, and are blameless?

Jesus also noted that – according to the Law – the Priests were to make burnt offerings on the Shabbâth days.

Numbers 28:9-10 And on the Shabbâth day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof: This is the burnt offering of every Shabbâth, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.

The priests are serving God as King of Kings and Lord of Lords when they make burnt offerings on Shabbâth. It is not a violation of Shabbâth to serve God as King. Shabbâth is recognizing and honoring God as King.

The disciples were following Jesus on Shabbâth day when they became hungry. Jesus Christ is no mere mortal man. He is no mere Rabbi (teacher). Who is Jesus?

Jesus Christ Is GREATER Than …

Matthew 12:6 But I say unto you, That in this place is ONE GREATER THAN the temple.

The Priests served God in the Temple on the Shabbâth – but our Lord Jesus is GREATER than the Temple. Jesus made this “greater than” statement many times in His ministry. He wanted us all to know that He is no mere Man. Listen Beloved:

Jesus is GREATER THAN Jonah (Matthew 12:41)
Jesus is GREATER THAN Solomon (Matthew 12:42)
Jesus is GREATER THAN Jacob (John 4:12-14)
Jesus is GREATER THAN John the Baptist (John 5:36)
Jesus is GREATER THAN Abraham (John 8:53-58)
Jesus is GREATER THAN Anyone or Anything, Ever!

Jesus Christ is the Greatest Person Who has ever lived. He is the Son of Man, the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God, Eternal God among us. Here are just a few scriptures that speak of Christ:

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

John 20:28 .. Thomas answered and said unto {Jesus}, My Lord and my God.

Philippians 2:6 {Jesus}, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

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

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

1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

In the Book of Revelation Jesus told John “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8). I could go on and on. The Scripture is quite clear that this Jesus is “God with us” (Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22–23). Jesus possesses the abilities of God, being eternal, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent and immutable. See the following: (Eternal (Isaiah 9:6; Micah 5:2; John 1:1–2; 8:58; 17:5; 24; Colossians 1:15, 17; 1 John 1:1; Revelation 1:8); omnipresent (Matthew 18:20; 28:20; John 3:13); omniscient (John 2:24, 25; 16:30; 21:17; Revelation 2:23); omnipotent (Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 3:21; Revelation 1:8; cf. John 5:17; Hebrews 1:3; Matthew 28:18) and immutable (Hebrews 1:10–12; 13:8)).

Then Jesus makes it quite clear to the Pharisees. He says:

Matthew 12:7-8 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the Shabbâth day.

The title “Son of Man” is used by Jesus of Himself 81 times in the New Testament. The title “Son of Man” was used in the prophecies of Daniel to describe the Promised Messiah:

Daniel 7:13-14 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

When the Messiah came, He would bring forth a Kingdom that would never end. Jesus Christ believed Himself to be the Promised Messiah. When Jesus stood being judged by the Rulers of Israel, just prior to His crucifixion, the High Priest asked Jesus:

Mark 14:61-62 …. Art thou the Christ {the Messiah}, the Son of the Blessed {the Son of God}? 62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Jesus Christ is the Son of Man, the Messiah, God Incarnate, God with us, God come to save us. His disciples do not break the Shabbâth to eat while they are following Jesus. When you are following Jesus, you are honoring God. Jesus told the Pharisees:

Matthew 12:7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

Jesus quotes a portion of Hosea 6:6. The full verse reads, “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” The Pharisees followed not God, but ritual. They did not know why they did the rituals they did, for they had no knowledge of God. The disciples of Christ, however, were following God when they were following Jesus. If you follow God, God will meet your needs. I have quoted this scripture quite often, but I feel compelled to quote it once more:

Matthew 6:31-32 … saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The disciples in following Jesus were “seeking first the Kingdom of God”. They were “learning of Jesus” (Matthew 11:29). They were not sinning, but serving. The best place to be as a Christian is in the footprints of the Master. Live for Him! Follow Jesus, shine for Him. Let His Spirit live in you – and you will be blessed!

Who Is Jesus Christ To You?

The Pharisees saw Jesus as a wayward Rabbi, a disrupter of their rituals and power. Those who follow Jesus find Him to be much, much more. God gave the Law of Shabbâth to Israel. This ritual was never given to the Church. The Apostle Paul, speaking to Christ’s Church, writes:

Colossians 2:16-17 … Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

The Jewish restrictions on what could and could not be eaten, the festivals and special feasts, and the Shabbâth were Old Testament shadows of the New Testament Jesus Christ. The Church – the Body is of Christ. It is Jesus Christ Who saves us by His sacrifice on Calvary. It is Jesus Christ Who promises us Eternal Life in Him. It is Jesus Christ Who is our rest, our Shabbâth. We pursue Him. We serve Him. We love Him. Not just once a week, not just one day in seven, but every day. This is where the power of salvation lies. It is in Christ. Do you know Him? If not, Jesus Christ came to be your rest, your Shabbâth. He is greater than the Temple. He is Lord and Savior of His people. Receive Him as He is, for He asks you:

John 11:26 … whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

May God touch and change your hearts through His Spirit and His Word. Amen and Amen!

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Divided We Die

Posted on June 7, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

Matthew 12:22-26 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

How Was Christianity Received In Ancient Rome?

When Christ and the New Covenant called “Christianity” first came into the world, it was not embraced the those who were in charge.

Word Study Have you ever heard the word “superstition”? When we hear this word, we think of it as myths or unfounded beliefs that some people hold. For us, “superstition” says:

“Walking under a ladder is bad luck”
“Friday the 13th is a cursed day”
“If a black cat crosses your path – uh oh!”
“If you get jinxed, rub the head of a red head boy”
“If your nose itches company is coming”

I could go on and on. There are many “superstitions” in the world, and some have even crept into architecture and science. The next time you ride an elevator, look for a thirteenth floor”. Odds are, you won’t find one. “Superstition”.

The word “superstition” actually comes from ancient Rome. The Latin word “superstitio” was applied to anything that was considered “shameful, ridiculous, subversive, and socially dangerous”. In other words, that which was “superstitio” was a threat to Rome itself. Rome was quite liberal in its treatment of religion. You could worship anything or anyone you wanted. Rome thought that was fine. But you also – along with your gods and goddesses – had to respect and worship the gods and goddesses or Rome. Michael Kruger in his book Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the future of the Church:

“…a superstitio is a religious group that was out of sync with the traditional Roman understanding of what religion was designed to do.”

Whatever your religion, as long as you worshiped – in addition to your gods – the gods of Rome and the Cult of Caesar – then you were fine. However Jesus Christ and His followers – derisively called “Christians” – refused to worship the other gods. Roman Senator Tacitus said of Christianity:

“a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular… {Christianity is the very essence of} hatred against mankind” (Annals, 15.44).

Pliny the Younger, an Imperial Governor declared the Christian faith “depraved, excessive superstition”. He was upset that the pagan temples were emptying out, and animal sacrifices were ceasing. The growth of the Christian superstition was effecting the economy of Rome, and thus was a threat to the empire. Pliny wrote:

“The contagion of this superstition has spread not only to the cities but also to the villages and countryside, but it can probably be arrested and cured. It is quite clear that the temples which has been almost deserted for a long time have begun to be frequented and that the sacred rituals that has long lapsed are being revived, and that there is a general demand for sacrificial animals which, for some time, were finding very few buyers.” (Warrior, 15.5)

Suetonius, a biographer to the Caesars, wrote “Punishment was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men given to a new and mischievous superstition” (Nero, 16.2). Christians were tried in Roman courts. When the Christian was charged and stood before the judgment seat, he or she was given a chance to repent and honor the gods and the emperor. If they did not recant, the Christian was put to spectacular death in the Coliseum, a means of entertaining the faithful Roman public while ridding the empire of this contagion.

All the Christians had to do was compromise with the other gods and goddesses. If they would compromise, they would be spared. But the Christians would not compromise. Christians made ridiculous claims like:

Mark 12:29 {Jesus said} The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

Mark 12:32 … there is one God; and there is none other but he

John 17:3 … this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

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

Galatians 3:20 … God is one

1 Timothy 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Christians refused the recant. They were saved by faith in Jesus Christ, and they worshiped the only God that was indeed is God. This angered Rome, and caused many Christians to be martyred for the faith.

The Christian is called to follow Jesus. Not public opinion, not political correctness. We are to follow Jesus. It will not be easy, but it is anti-Christ and pagan to compromise with the world. The Word of God defines our truth.

Jesus Christ Came To Represent God To All
Who Are Broken, All Who Need Love

When Jesus Christ came to this earth, He came representing the One True God. When Philip asked Jesus to “show us the Father”, Jesus told him:

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

Jesus is the Messiah, the Mediator between God and Man. He is the “image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15). Jesus said:

Matthew 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

We are told in Hebrews that “in these last days, God has spoken to us by His Son, Whom He has appointed heir of all things, through Whom He also made the world” (Hebrews 1:2-3). Jesus Christ was born of a virgin to enter this world and represent the Father.

Jesus showed us the Father’s love. He entered the Synagogue – the local Church – on a Sabbath day. When Jesus came into that congregation the Bible tells us:

Matthew 12:10 … there was a man which had his hand withered. And {the Pharisees} asked {Jesus}, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.

God gave the Sabbath to Israel as a time of “intermission”, a time when they were supposed to pause and praise the Lord Who saved them. (We’ll discuss the Sabbath in more detail tonight). The Pharisees knew that Jesus was going about supernaturally healing people. They asked Jesus “Is it lawful (according to the Mosaic Law) to heal on a Sabbath day?”

The Pharisees thought by asking this question that Jesus would compromise, and not do a healing out of respect for the Sabbath.

It is significant that this incident happened in a Synagogue, which is like a local Church today. They thought that Jesus would compromise, and leave this poor man broken because of the Sabbath. Will Jesus compromise?

Let’s examine a similar setting in Luke.

Luke 13:10-17 … {Jesus} was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. 12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and GLORIFIED GOD. 14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, BECAUSE THAT JESUS HAD HEALED ON THE SABBATH DAY, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. 15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? 16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? 17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

God loves people, and loves to heal broken people. Religion had taken the Law of God and turned it into a heartless thing. God gave the Law out of love. He gave the Sabbath to Israel out of love.

We can see, even our day, that the farther a people get from the God Who is, the God of the Bible, the worst a nation becomes.

People need the Lord. This poor woman – bound by an infirmity brought on by Satan for 18 years – this woman needs the Lord. What will Jesus do? Will He heal her, or will He please the religious but lost crowd. Jesus healed her, then called the religious out on their hypocrisy. Jesus does the same thing in our text today. We read:

Matthew 12:11-12 And {Jesus} said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

God loves us. If the Pharisee had a sheep or an oxen fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, that same person would get the animal out. No one but the most heartless of people would hear an animal moan and suffer throughout the day, Sabbath or no. The Bible says:

1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

God is love. God would not – could not – have a poor man with a withered hand sit in His Bible class suffering, hurting. Humans are made in the image of God. Sheep and goats are not, neither are oxen or cattle. God made us in His image, and loves us as His creation. We do not watch others suffering without trying to help, trying to have compassion.

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

It is lawful – fully in keeping with the Mosaic Law – to do good on the Sabbath. To love others is to do good. I say again, to love others, DEMONSTRATIVELY love others, is to do good. Jesus did not compromise with the world. Instead He loved, radically loved, though the Pharisees hated Him for it.

Matthew 12:13 Then saith {Jesus} to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.

Jesus did good. He demonstrated the love of God to others. He healed a man on the Sabbath. What did the Pharisees do in response?

Matthew 12:14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

This is not love. This is not “Being the Light” that God wants you to be. Love stands up and does the right thing, the loving thing. Love lifts others up. Love never justifies sin – absolutely not!

Love does not stand in opposition to the Law, but is Lawful, and fulfills the Law.

How many people did Jesus heal on this Sabbath day? We do not know. But once the Pharisees left, the Bible tells us:

Matthew 12:15-16 when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; 16 And charged them that they should not make him known:

Jesus left the Synagogue – the local Church – but He continued to show God’s love toward ALL. Great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them ALL. Jesus did not just heal Jews. Jesus healed Gentiles as well. How do I know this? Because of what is said next. Matthew quotes Isaiah 42:1-4 as he writes:

Matthew 12:17-21 {Jesus healed all} That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by {Isaiah} the prophet, saying, 18 Behold my servant, 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. 19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

Jesus Christ was never racist. He came to save whosoever will. If Jesus Christ came to save all who believe in Him, then we who are His must magnify His name to all people regardless of color or status in life. The Pharisees were focused on keeping the Law as long as what they believed was “The Law” honored their select group of people. Jesus Christ was on their hit list because He came representing God to the whole world – not just a select few.

Divided Kingdoms Are Brought To Desolation

Matthew 12:22-23 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

When Jesus’ followers saw our Lord cast a demon out of a man (see also Luke 11:14), His followers said “Is this not the Son of David?” That title belongs to the Messiah, the One Who would one day sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem. This not only frightened, but infuriated the Pharisees. They told the people:

Matthew 12:24 … This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

Word Study The name Beelzebub refers to Ba’al, the Canaanite fertility god from the city of Zebub (called Baalzebub in 2 Kings 1:6). The name literally means “The lord of dung” or “the lord of the flies”. Beelzebub was considered the chief demon under Satan. The Pharisees said that Jesus was “casting out devils” from people using satanic power.

Matthew 12:25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them

I want you to notice first that Jesus knew THEIR THOUGHTS. They did not say this to Jesus’ face, but as Incarnate God He knows what they are thinking. The Psalmist said “Lord, You know my thoughts before I think them” (Psalm 139:2), and also “The Lord knows the thoughts of people” (Psalm 94:11). Jesus knew what the Pharisees were telling others behind His back. You cannot hide anything from God. Jesus told those who would listen:

Matthew 12:25-27 … Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.

Word Study The word “desolation” is the Greek ἐρημόω erēmóō, {pronounced er-ay-mo’-o} which means “to lay waste, to nullify, to make as nothing, to be stripped of all value”. It refers to utter destruction. If Jesus were in league with Satan, then both Satan and Jesus’ respective Kingdoms would cease to exist. Light cannot blend with darkness. Either darkness erases the light, or light washes out the darkness. A divided house cannot stand.

  • A divided mind will not be blessed. Our minds are to be on Jesus, believing His Word. The Scripture says:

James 1:5-8 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, 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.

  • A divided faith will not stand. Jesus Christ cast out devils by the Spirit of God. We read:

Matthew 12:28-30 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

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

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A Matter Of Integrity (Life Of Job #2)

Posted on June 4, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Job 2:6 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. 7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. 8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. 9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

In Trials, Do You FRET or REST?

Last Sunday we looked at the life of Job, a man horribly tested and tried in his faith. We learned a great deal in Job Chapter 1, and, as I promised, we are now in Job chapter 2. In Chapter 1 Job’s home life was attacked by Satan with God’s permission. Job lost all of his personal, prized possessions. Job was struck in FOUR different ways:

  1. The animals of the field (oxen, mules) were taken, and his field workers killed by the Sabeans, an ancient people of Southern Arabia (Job 1:14-15) He lost his cash crops..
  2. Lightening (fire of God) struck, killing both his sheep and shepherds (Job 1:16). Job lost his textile goods, for sheep were used for clothing.
  3. The Chaldeans (Babylonians) took his transportation animals (camels), killing those who watched over them (Job 1:17).
  4. Job’s children were killed by a wind storm (Job 1:19). Job lost his heritage.

When you are reading the Bible, pay attention to the details. There were FOUR horrible occurrences that Satan engineered against Job.

Why FOUR?

Because FOUR is an important number in the Scripture. The Fourth Commandment is to remember the Shabbâth – the Sabbath – a day to rest and reflect on the majesty and love of God (Exodus 20:8-11).

Every Christian – if you are indeed a Christian – are to rest in Christ. The Bible says “there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9). We rest in the power and faithfulness of our God.

Though Job was horribly afflicted he rested in his faith in God. The rested mind does not fret nor curse God when afflicted. The rested mind honors God. “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord (1:21)”

What did Jesus say? “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). Job rested in Christ. He trusted his God though everything He had was taken away.

Everything, that is, but his own personal health.

What Will You Do When You Lose Your Health?

Now we come to Act 2 of this story. Job did not curse God though all he possessed was taken away. Satan once more enters the Throne room of God. We read:

Job 2:2 … the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

God asks Satan what has he been doing. Again, God knows what he’s been doing. God knows everything. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 139:1-6 O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. 5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

God possesses two attributes or traits that we do not have. God is omniscient or all knowing, and God is omnipresent or everywhere simultaneously. There are no secrets from God. He knows. God knows everything, and is every where. He knows that “your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). God asked the devil where he had been so that we could see his response. He has indeed been out doing evil, and provoking unbelievers to the darkness. Yet there is one person that the devil could not trip.

We come once again to Job.

Job 2:3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is NONE LIKE HIM IN THE EARTH, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

Word Study God tells Satan “there is no one on this earth like Job”. Job is “perfect”. Last time we say that this word תָּםtâm, {pronounced tawm} means “to be complete”. The believer in Jesus Christ is complete in Him (Colossians 2:10). Job “feared God”, which means he respected God as He is. God also noted that Job rejected or departed from (סוּר çûwr, pronounced soor) evil.

You cannot call yourself “God fearing”
if you play in Satan’s sand box!

God notes that, though He allowed Job to lose call things, Job retained his integrity. I looked up the word “integrity” in the Oxford Dictionary, and found:

1. The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles,
moral uprightness.

2. The state of being whole and undivided.

Trials Test Our Integrity And Our Faith. Integrity is what we do in the dark when no one is around but God.

Job 2:3 {Job} holdeth fast his integrity, although thou {Satan} movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

Job was true to his faith. He kept his eyes on the Lord, trusting Him, though he was horribly afflicted without cause. Believers suffer. James, the stepbrother of Christ, wrote:

James 5:10-11 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

When you stand up for the Lord, you become a target of Satan. The devil does not care if you come to Church or not, nor does he care whether you tithe, sing in the choir, read your Bibles, or join a Church. He is totally unconcerned as to whatever religious ritual you may perform or may not perform. But to stand up for Jesus, and to reject evil while shining for Christ – the devil hates this. The darkness despises light. Job was the light of God no matter what happened to him. We count them happy which endure, who retain their integrity.

If a person walks away from Christ because of persecution, was that person ever saved in the first place? I don’t know, but I do know that Jesus said:

Matthew 5:10-11 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Jesus never sugar coated our faith – that was the job of many snowflake preachers! Jesus was very clear that those who love Him and live as Jesus says will be targeted by the world and Satan. Satan is specifically targeting Job because the man is living for the glory of his Lord and Savior. In the Book of Hebrews the Scripture often uses the DIVINE IF when speaking of faith. Listen:

Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, IF we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Trials test us. Trials test whether we are genuine Children of God, or Satan’s counterfeits. It is a great thing and very blessed to be tested by trials. Better to discover that my faith is false NOW, rather than pass into eternity without Christ. We are PARTNERS WITH CHRIST IF …

Hebrews 3:14 … IF we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;

We who have been saved have no confidence in ourselves, but in God. The genuine Christian is “not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:39). If you have been born again your integrity will endure the test, because God is IN you and WITH you. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 41:12-13 … And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever. 13 Blessed be the Lord God …

Salvation Is More Than Skin Deep. It Is A Profound Inner Change, A Spiritual Genetic Change That Will Not Be Eradicated By Trials – For God Is With You

The Devil knows that there are many who PROFESS God but are not POSSESSED of God. He though Job was of this sort. He told God:

Job 2:4-5 … Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

The devil tells God that if the attacks were physical, then Job would renounce his faith. “Skin for skin” is a bartering term. It means to compromise with another in order to save your own skin. The devil believes Job’s faith will dissipate, but God isn’t worried. Why? Because …

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

The Lord knows them that are His, and Job belonged to Jesus. We have all had times when trials or threats have made our faith slip. Many of the greatest Heroes of the Scripture had times when their faith slipped.

  • Before Abram was Abraham he willingly followed God where ever God led. But as Abram passed through unfamiliar territory he became frightened that he might lose his life. He told his wife Sarai to say that she was his sister instead of his wife. “Abram would preserve his life” (see Genesis 12:13). We have all had slips, but those who belong to God stay the course, moving from Abram to Abraham. God knows who are His, and He keeps His child from falling (Psalm 56:13; 116:8; Jude 24).
  • Though David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22), he had a fall from faith. God had David anointed to be Israel’s next king. But until he came to the throne, the present King Saul chased after David to kill him. As David was running he was caught by the men of Achish the King of Gath. In fear for his life David – the same David who destroyed Goliath – “changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.” (1 Samuel 21:13). Though David temporarily lost his faith, God held on to him. God knows them that are His!
  • Simon Peter told Jesus that he would fight to the death for the Lord. He told Jesus “Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.” Yet when the time came, Peter denied knowing Jesus (Luke 22:60-62). Jesus knew that Peter would do this (see Luke 22:34). Our Lord saved us knowing we are not perfect. But the Lord knows them that are His. If you have genuinely received Jesus as Lord and Savior, this same God knows you are imperfect, a work in progress. You are the workmanship of God (Ephesians 2:10), and God will not let you go!

The devil does not understand the New Birth of the Christian. He told God that – if he was allowed to personally afflict Job – Job would “curse Thee, O God, to Thy face”. The Child of God cannot curse God to His face. God is our hope, our peace, our possessor, our everything.

Job 2:6 … And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

Why is God allowing this? God loves Job, and using Job to teach the Angels the glory of the Gospel of Christ. Those who surrender to the Gospel – though broken – are destined for greatness in eternity. We who are saved are “all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26). We are no longer bound to the fallen world. We are bound to God.

Job 2:7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

Job, faithful Job, son of God Job is suddenly afflicted. He laid down one night to sleep, and woke up in agony. He has “sore boils – from the bottom of his feet to the very top of his head”! That is horrible! I have been told that the Coronavirus is a horrible sickness to get. I have been told that cancer is a horrible disease to suffer. There are terrible things I have seen as a pastor in my lifetime, things I would not wish on my worst enemy. Alzheimer’s, dementia, Polio, Leukemia – all very terrible, and all very painful and crippling. I believe Job suffered the worst. I saw a man once who had a single boil on his neck. He was in agony, and in a bad disposition as long as he had it. Can you imagine being covered with boils?

See The Patience And Love Of Job For Our God

Job 2:8 And {Job} took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

This has always puzzled me. Why would a suffering man sit down in a pile of ashes, and scrape his skin with a piece of broken pottery. You might find it interesting, but wood ash has a number of helpful benefits.

It removes skunk smell.
It runs off snails, slugs, and ants from the garden.
It melts ice.
You can make soap with it.

Wood ash is also anti-bacterial, and can be used to treat wounds, as well as to clean and exfoliate your skin. Job did what he could to alleviate his suffering. There is nothing wrong with this. Job took positive steps to fix what ailed him – but he did not offend the Almighty.

Satan has the power to attack humanity – but no farther than God will allow him to go. Satan inspires others to be his agents of suffering (see Job 1:14; 1:17), and can bring natural calamity on mankind (Job 1:16, 18-19). In Luke 13 Jesus healed a woman on the Sabbath day, saying:

Luke 13:16 … ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

The devil can afflict – but God can correct. God is in control. Job did what he could to bring comfort to himself, but would not curse God. Sadly, Job had an unbelieving wife that told him:

Job 2:9 … Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

Job’s reply is classic – and thoroughly Christian. He said:

Job 2:10 Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

Job called his wife a “foolish woman”. The term “fool” in the Scripture is a reference to an unbeliever.

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God!
Psalm 14:1; 53:1

The child of God will not curse his Father in Heaven. Though we may lament and cry out, we who are saved by faith in Christ are like Peter, who said to Jesus:

John 6:68-69 … Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

Our God has the words of life. Shall we receive blessing from Him, and hate Him for that which does not seem to bless? Our God knows what is best.

Lamentations 3:37-41 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? 38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? 39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? 40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. 41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.

Our God is always gracious, and good. Our God is faithful. Our God knows what is best for us. Let us be like Job. Regardless as to what may come our way, let us look upward and trust in the One Who saved us and will keep on saving us. Let us trust in our Jesus.

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

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Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord

Posted on June 1, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Why Is God Letting “Good” People Hurt?

When trials come our way – trials like the Coronavirus – we all respond to the trials in a variety of ways.

  • Some people blame Satan for the trial. Certainly a good and loving God, they say, would not allow such suffering.
  • Others blame a political party or a leader. He allowed the virus to spread – it is his fault that it is all happening.
  • Some blame God. They ask, “If God is so good and loving, and God can do anything, then why doesn’t He stop this?”.
  • The humanist and atheist cry is “Why would God allow things like this to happen to good people? If there is a God He either is NOT Almighty, or He is NOT good.”

Why would God allow bad things to happen to “good people”? Let me answer the question with a question:

“Are people “good”?

Now I didn’t ask if people are “moral” or “nice” or “friendly”. There are a lot of “moral” people in the world. There are a lot of people who have never met a stranger, that are pleasant to be around. But are any people “good”? Before you say “Yes, there are”, may I point to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ:

“there is none good but one, that is, God” (Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:18)

Was Jesus right, or did He misspeak? I believe He is absolutely correct. The Bible makes it clear that – compared to God – there is none good. The Psalmist draws an interesting picture in:

Psalm 14:2-3 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is NONE THAT DOETH GOOD, no, not one.

We as humans are not the definers of “good”. It is God Who defines “good”. Ever since the Garden of Eden where man ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of GOOD and EVIL (Genesis 2:17) we as humans believe that we have the right to define “good” and “evil”. Yet God says over and over again scripture:

there is NONE THAT DOETH GOOD, no, not one (Psalm 52:3)
there is NONE THAT DOETH GOOD, no, not one (Romans 3:12)

The question “Why do bad things happen to “good” people is therefore a bad question.

According to Scripture there are none who are “good” when compared to God.

The Lord is good, blessed is the one who trusts in Him (Psalm 34:8).

The Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures forever (Psalm 100:5).

The Lord is good, sing praises to His name (Psalm 135:3).

The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works (Psalm 145:9).

The Lord is good; for His mercy endureth forever (Jeremiah 33:11).

The Lord is good to them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him (Lamentations 3:25).

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who trust in Him (Nahum 1:7).

God is good. The Scripture declares it. So why does a Good God allow suffering? That’s the better question. Well, we have an answer in our text today.

Even “Perfect” People Suffer. Consider Job.

Job 1:20-22 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshiped, 21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. 22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

The Book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible. Some believe it was written some four hundred years before the Book of Genesis. It makes sense that Job is the oldest Book of Scripture. Man has suffered from the beginning of the fall. Adam’s foolishness brought the curse:

Genesis 3:17-19 … cursed is the ground for your sake, Adam, thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, in the sweat of thy face you shall eat …

Man suffers. Women suffer. Children suffer. Suffering comes to the wealthy as well as the poor. It comes to the famous, as well as the obscure. Job was, the Bible says:

Job 1:3 … this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

Now Job was not a “good” man (for we have established the Scripture says that none are “good” – Remember?). Job was a SAVED man. He believed in God, and trusted Jesus Christ as His Savior. Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no one comes to the Father but by Me” (John 14:6). Jesus knew the Lord. We know that he knew the Lord by how his life was lived. We read:

Job 1:1 {Job}was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and {rejected} evil.

There are many who are wealthy or beautiful or powerful who worship their money, their looks, or their domination of others. Job was not like that. He loved the Lord. Those who love the Lord treat that which Christ has created with respect and care and kindness. Job was “perfect”.

Word Study The word “perfect” is actually the Hebrew word תָּםtâm, (pronounced tawm), which means “COMPLETE”. Noah was described as:

Genesis 6:9 “… a JUST man and PERFECT (תָּמִים tâmîym, pronounced taw-meem’) in his generations, and Noah walked with God ..

To be “perfect” or “complete” is to walk with God daily, to believe on Him as Lord and Savior. Noah walked with God daily. So did Job. Job, like all who have ever been saved, was saved by faith in the Lord Jesus. When you walk with God you are blessed. You may not be wealthy – God does not give all wealth – but you are blessed. You are COMPLETE in Him, in Jesus. The Apostle wrote:

Colossians 2:9-10 … in {Christ} dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are COMPLETE in {Jesus Christ}, which is the head of all principality and power:

Job was COMPLETE. No one is COMPLETE apart from Jesus Christ. Until we find Christ, until we come to know Him as Savior and Lord, we are IMPERFECT and INCOMPLETE. But in Christ we are complete. Job was complete.

Job had many blessings bestowed on him by God. We all have many blessings bestowed on us by God. When you follow God through Christ you will be blessed! Jesus said:

Matthew 6:31-34 {do not worry} saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

God is to be sought after FIRST. God is not to be an afterthought, but our forethought. We should seek His will and His blessing first. Our Heavenly Father is Sovereign, in control of all things. Jesus said:

Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

God is in control of all things. I say,

God Is In Control Of ALL Things: He Is Sovereign!

Job knew that God was in control of all things, and he treated God with absolute respect. We read that his children had a party, with lots of food and lots of wine. Though Job did not attend the party we read:

Job 1:5 …. when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

Job was complete in Christ. He did not want his God offended. Job put God first above all else. Job walked with the God Who save him. He honored God, not just with his lips, but with his life. After the party Job sought first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. He made sacrifices for his family. Job honored the Lord, praying for his family lest they had sinned against God.

Job loved the Lord. He lived for the smile of God. Are you living for the smile of God, or for the satisfaction of man?

Job was doing everything right. Then Satan came into the picture. Satan comes into the Throne-room of God, and …

Job 1:7-8 …. the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and {rejects} evil?

God is blessed by Job, and points him out as a man that walks by His side. God said “Job is a complete and upright man. He fears God, and rejects evil”. Now notice Satan’s words to God, words that God does not correct.

Job 1:9-10 Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

The riches that Job has, he has because God has blessed him. Job sought God first, and God blessed Job. If you are blessed, that blessing came from God. If you have power, that power came from God. The Bible says:

Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

God is ultimately in control. When Naomi, Ruth’s mother in law lost her husband, two sons, and a daughter in law through famine, Naomi said:

Ruth 1:20-21 … the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

When Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers he later as Reagent of Egypt could have punished those brothers. Instead, Joseph told them:

Genesis 50:19-20 …. Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Joseph did not say “God USED it for good”, but “God MEANT it for good”. Though the brothers of their own wills chose to sell Joseph into slavery, God MEANT it to happen. He caused the event. God is in control. The Apostle said that everything that is, is

Ephesians 1:11 … according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

God holds absolute sway over the world. Satan is in subjection to God. He tells God “the reason Job does so well is because YOU did so well for him”.

What Will Job Do When The Blessings Are Gone?

God is in control. Satan can do nothing without God’s allowance. So Satan challenges God. He says to our Lord:

Job 1:11 But put forth Thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

God knows what Job will do, for He sees Job’s heart. “The LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). God knows Job’s heart, and doesn’t need to try Job to see what he will do. But God allows this trial of Job to go forward so that YOU can see what a believer should do. It is in the midst of trials that we as humans see what genuine faith looks like.

Genuine faith stands on the Rock that is Christ whether on a mountaintop, in a valley, or at the bottom of the sea. Genuine faith, the faith that saves, does not abandon God when the hard times come. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my Portion forever (Psalm 73:26)!”

God told Satan:

Job 1:12 … Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.

God told Satan that he could take over anything in Job’s life EXCEPT his life. God is in control. Though the devil brings the suffering, it is God Who allows him to do what he does. God has said of Himself:

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

It is our God Who controls all things. When we think of tomorrow the Apostle tells us:

James 4:14-15 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

We in our arrogance believe that we are in control. We are not. God is in control. It is God Who reigns. He tells Satan what he can do. The devil leaves the presence of God and suddenly Job’s life is upended.

Job 1:14-19 …. there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: 15 And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 16 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 17 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: 19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

Job had done nothing to earn nor deserve what happened to him. He walked with God. He was perfect (complete) and upright. And yet God allowed Satan to take his things, his riches, his pleasures. God allowed Satan to knock down the home where Job’s sons and daughters were once more partying. His children were killed. Job has lost everything.

But Job still has his God!

Satan cannot hurt Job without God’s permission. Satan cannot hurt us without God’s permission. Satan wanted to sift Peter as wheat (Luke 22:31-34), but Jesus prayed for Peter that his faith would be strong.

A New Testament Job, the Apostle Paul writes:

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 …. lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Though Paul cried out to God three times that this “messenger” be removed, the Lord told him “No! My Grace is sufficient for you!”. What is your faith in? I ask again, what is YOUR faith in? Is it in God, or your STUFF? Is it in Jesus Christ, or in your PROSPERITY? Is it in God, or in your GOOD HEALTH? Where is your faith? As believers in Christ (if you are a believer in Christ), we are to:

Proverbs 3:5-12 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. 9 Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. 11 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: 12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

Job Kept His Eyes On Jesus
As All Around Him Disaster Struck

Job 1:20-22 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshiped, 21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. 22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Job received a great deal of bad news. In just one day a lifetime of things, children he has raised, blessings received. Does Job “curse God to His face” as Satan suggested. No. His behavior is quite strange to the world, but is normal behavior for a Christian.

  • Job ROSE up. He did not give in to self pity nor depression. Job didn’t lie down and die. Many believers throughout history have been through much suffering. When threatened by Jezebel, Elijah ran for his life. He lost his focus on Jesus. He laid down in the wilderness, and begged God to take his life.

    1 Kings 19:4 … O Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my fathers!

    What did the Lord do?     He told Elijah, “Rise up and eat, and go to the Mountain of God” (1 Kings 19:7-9). Rise up, Child of God. Rise up! In this world you will have tribulation, but take heart, Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33). Rise up! Look up, Child! Look up! Look unto Jesus!

    Hebrews 12:1-2 … seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus …
  • Job RENT his mantle, and shaved his head. These are actions that denote mourning or grieving. It is all right to grieve the loss of family, the loss of blessings. But as you mourn, keep it all in the perspective of God. Our God is in control! Trust Him! The Psalmist wrote:

    Psalm 30:5 … in his favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

    The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart (Psalm 34:18).
  • Job RENDERED worship to God. Though he lost all his stuff, he honored God with his mouth. He praised the Lord anyway.

Job 1:21 … the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord

What you have, you have because God gave it to you. What is taken away, is taken away because God took it from you. The Bible says “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (verse 22).

If you lose everything, dear Christian
– you still have Christ!

Romans 8:31-32 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Where is your faith? My faith is in my Jesus. My faith is in my God. Beloved, invest your life in Him Who loves you, and only then will you begin to live. May God touch your hearts with His Word!

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Take Jesus’ Yoke Or Become Satan’s Joke! (Red Letters Series #27)

Posted on May 31, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash

Matthew 11:29 … Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me …

This past week events in Minneapolis took our minds – albeit temporarily – off of the Coronavirus. A handcuffed black man named George Floyd was killed while in police custody. As several bystanders recorded the incident on their phones, a police officer knelt down on the neck of a handcuffed man. As Mr. Floyd cried out that he couldn’t breath the officers – I’m told there were four – joked about it. As I watched the video the officer kneeling on Mr. Floyd’s neck was totally unconcerned that he was being videoed, and no where was there any compassion shown. I would not have treated a dog that way. Mr. Floyd died as he was slowly strangled to death, as he cried out for mercy. His last words were “I can’t breath”. The officers were fired. This past Thursday Al Sharpton held what he claimed was a “prayer vigil” at the site where George Floyd died. I heard no praying, but did hear Mr. Sharpton stirring up the crowd. Several years ago Dr. Martin Luther King – a Pastor I highly respect – led civil rights marches to bring about change in America. This was change that needed to happen. Reverend King frowned on riots and destructive behavior.

Following Al Sharpton’s remarks Minnesota was set on fire. Businesses were destroyed, many after being looted by protesters. The Minneapolis Police Station, 3rd Precinct, was overrun by looters and rioters. The Minnesota National Guard deployed 500 soldiers to Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and the surrounding areas to “protect life, preserve property, and the right to peacefully demonstrate”.

The St. Paul Police Department said more than 170 businesses were looted or damaged Thursday, and dozens of fires were set.

Violence begets violence. The darkness can never be defeated by more darkness.

When Jesus was captured in the Garden of Gethsemane the Bible says: “Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, and smote the High Priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear” (John 18:10-11). Jesus told Peter: “Put your sword back into it’s sheath. All those who take the sword shall perish with the sword.” (Matthew 26:52). Jesus orders His Children by faith in Him to follow the path of non-violence, inasmuch as is possible. Violence begets violence. Reverend King said:

“Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love…”

I Must “Take Jesus’ Yoke Upon Me” To Be Saved

Our message today is part of our “Red Letters” series, and the Lord gave me this title: “Take Jesus’ Yoke Or Become The Devil’s Joke”. There are many who believe that you can be saved by walking and aisle and being baptized, yet continue to live as you lived before you were saved. This is patently untrue.

God has delivered us from the power of DARKNESS, and has translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son (Colossians 1:13)

Jesus illustrated the entry into the Christian Way of Life as a new birth, or being born again. Jesus told Nicodemus, a ruler of the Pharisees, a member of the ruling Council of Israel:

John 3:3 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

When you and I were first born into this world – and everyone breathing in this room today was born the same way – we came forth from our mother’s. The Bible teaches that we are all born the first time physically alive but spiritually dead. God told Adam “the day you eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Adam and Eve became spiritually dead that day. The Bible says that “by one man sin entered the world, AND DEATH BY SIN; and SO DEATH PASSED UPON ALL men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). This is why Jesus Christ came to this earth. Born of a Virgin according to prophecy (Isaiah 7:14) God would be with us in Christ Jesus. The Bible says that the Christian …

Ephesians 2:1-3 {has been made spiritually alive} who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our {way of life} in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

The unbeliever who has not been born again is “yoked” or bound to sin and bound to the ways of Satan. We did not – before we met Christ – live our lives for the glory of God but for the satisfaction of ourselves. We were “yoked” to sin and Satan. We were “yoked” to spiritual death and darkness.

Everyone is yoked.
You are either yoked to Jesus, or yoked to darkness.

Romans 6:16 … Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

What you DO shows who your master IS. You can claim to be Christ’s. But if you claim to be Christ’s then you “walk in the light as Christ is in the light”.
(1 John 1:7).

A “yoke” binds us to the world, to Satan, or to Jesus. Jesus Christ came to this earth preaching that He is Lord, the Bringer of the Kingdom of God. A “yoke” is placed on a beast to control that beast, to give control to the one on the other end of the “yoke”. Jesus calls on us to willingly:

Matthew 11:29 … Take my yoke upon you …

Jesus says “take the yoke upon you”. This is a willingly decision to bind yourselves under the hand of Christ. Salvation does not come upon us if we fail to understand this. What does the Scripture say?

Romans 10:9 … if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the LORD Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Jesus Christ is LORD to those He saves. We come to Him and lay our lives down, heeding Him and Him alone. He is Lord. We are saved by Grace, a free gift given to us when we allow Jesus to yoke us.

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

We are yoked to Christ Alone to Be Saved!

Matthew 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father …

“All things” are delivered unto Jesus. I heard talk show host Oprah Winfrey make the statement:

“There couldn’t possibly be just one way {to God}. .. “One of the mistakes that human beings make is believing that there is only one way to live … there are many paths to what you call God.”

This is not what Jesus said. Jesus was quite emphatic when He said:

John 14:6 …. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jesus does not say “take many yokes” but “take MY yoke upon you”. The early Church understood this great truth. The Apostle Peter preached:

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

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

Jesus said ALL THINGS are DELIVERED TO ME. Not some things, but ALL THINGS. Dr. J.C. Ryle wrote in his Expository Thoughts On The Gospel of Matthew:

“All things have been handed over to {Jesus}. He bears the keys – to Him we must go for admission into Heaven. He is the Door – through Him we must enter. He is the Shepherd – we must hear His voice and follow Him if we do not want to perish in the wilderness. He is the Great Physician – we must apply to Him if we would be healed of the plague of sin. He is the Bread of Life – we must feed on Him if we would have our souls satisfied. He is the Light – we must walk after Him if we do not want to wander in darkness. He is the Fountain – we must wash in His Blood if we would be cleansed and made ready for the great day of account. Blessed and glorious are these truths! If we have Christ, we have ALL THINGS:

1 Corinthians 3:21-22 “all things are yours; 22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;

I was saved by taking Christ’s yoke upon me. This is a yoke that the worldly do not want.

This world wants to yoke GOD! And that’s a joke!

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

When Jesus Christ came the worldly wanted Him to please them. “We have piped (played music) for You, Jesus, but You refused to dance to our tune”. Many people regard Jesus this way. They consider Jesus to be a Cosmic Waiter Who exists just to please themselves. “We cried, Jesus, why aren’t You crying with us?” The world and the worldly believe that WE put our yoke on the Son of God, that JESUS exists to please US. When Jesus would not “go with the flow” and continued to “rock the boat” the world and the worldly said “Jesus eats and drinks with sinners. He is just a glutton, a drunkard”. But Jesus says:

Wisdom is justified of her children

Jesus would have never knelt on the neck of a black man. Jesus never degraded or devalued people like they were furniture! When Jesus ate and drank with those who were less than, offering them the Gospel through faith in Himself, these people found results. Broken lives were mended. Shattered dreams were healed. The wisdom of this world makes God out to be our Waiter, and through our prayers we put a yoke on Him. Yet this worldly wisdom never brings the peace and contentment that being under Christ’s yoke brings. God’s wisdom is proven true by the results. Those who give their lives to Jesus, willingly yoking themselves to Him as Savior and Lord, these people are blessed, these people are at rest, these people are at peace with God. The wisdom of this world says “put ME first and ALL OTHERS last”. The Apostle says:

1 Corinthians 1:18-21 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

The kneeling policeman is a picture of a “me first” world, a destructive world. The wisdom of this world says “Me first, all others last”. The wisdom of God is “take Christ’s yoke upon you. Willingly let Him have all of your life.” Then kneel – not on others as furniture, but to serve and love others. This is the way of Christ.

If Jesus Is My Savior I Daily Take HIS Yoke On Me

Pastor Peter Marshall, former chaplain to the US Senate, prayed, “Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand, and what to stand for.”God has given us a clear vision in Jesus Christ.

Where do I stand? If His yoke is on me, I stand before Him, ready to follow His direction. What do I stand for? If Christ’s yoke is on me, I stand where Jesus tells me to stand, and follow His direction in all things. The Lord calls us to have the faith of a child. Jesus said:

Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

We are told in another place:

1 Corinthians 3:18-20 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

The wisdom of the world says “make all things about you”. But the wisdom of God says, “Make all things about Christ Jesus”. Jesus tells us to “become like little children”. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 1:23-31 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

The message of Christ is that we are to come to Him and Him alone, and willingly submit ourselves to Him. We place His yoke upon ourselves. Doing this, we are often mocked by the world. Yet salvation is found in repenting of our own goodness, and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Every day we are offered a choice: will we follow the world, or will we follow Christ? If we follow the world we will not be blessed nor a blessing.

What if I do not follow Jesus? Expect destruction to come on America – a destruction WE bring on OURSELVES!

Matthew 11:20-22 Then began {Jesus} to {defame or reproach {ὀνειδίζω oneidízō, pronounced on-i-did’-zo}} the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: 21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! {New York} woe unto thee, Bethsaida {Minnesota}! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

Jesus speaks of four cities in this passage we are not acquainted with: Chorazin, Bethsaida, Tyre and Sidon. Jesus preached His Gospel and demonstrated His Authenticity as Messiah in the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida. Jesus said, “If I had done these same works in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago”. Both Tyre and Sidon were destroyed according to Biblical prophecy. Tyre rejoiced at the fall of Jerusalem, so God pronounced judgment on that city in Ezekiel 16:2; 26:3. Tyre was destroyed of many nations, and most of it was scattered into the sea. Sidon was also destroyed by a series of lost battles. Jesus promised Chorazin and Bethsaida that “It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.” As they were destroyed, so will the cities that rejects the light of God’s Gospel. What if we were to substitute American cities in the places Jesus cursed? Jesus was preached in the Synagogues of Chorazin and Bethsaida, just as He was preached in the local Churches of New York and Minnesota, and yet few would hear Him. Jesus promised these cities that – because they rejected the light of the Gospel – they would cease to exist. They would be destroyed for their unbelief, a punishment they brought on themselves. Will God not do the same for America? Will we not bring destruction on ourselves if we do not repent? Jesus went on …

Matthew 11:23-24 And thou, Capernaum {Tennessee}, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

Jesus also taught quite frequently in the Synagogue at Capernaum, just as He has been preached in local Churches throughout our great state of Tennessee. He tells us that – when judgment came – “it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you”. Sodom was destroyed in Genesis 19 for sexual sin. So great was it’s destruction that Lot’s wife became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26).

We must get back to the Bible. We must bend the knee not to kneel on one another, but to worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We must serve Him by loving others. If not, we will be part of the flame that destroys America!

The farther a city or a community wanders away from God, the darker things become. I do not believe that the Coronavirus Pandemic is a mere coincidence. I believe that – though it may or may not have originated with God – that it came with the oversight and permission of God. I believe that the Scripture teaches that nothing – absolutely nothing – occurs without purpose and without the oversight of God. The Bible says that there is no such thing as “luck”, but:

Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

Amos 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil {רַע raʻ, pronounced rah = distress} in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?

Lamentations 3:37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?

God is in control. God allows things for His purposes, and is in absolute control of the outcome. He is God! When a people wander away from His design, and reject His commandment, then in time destruction comes on that city, on that country.

If we wish America to continue to stand, then we who are saved by faith in Christ must take His yoke upon us. We must live the way that He has called us to live.

Christ’s Yoke Is Love – And Is CROSS Shaped

Matthew 11:29 … Take My yoke upon you, and learn of me

As Jesus is, so must we who are His be. No one would put a yoke on a dead ox. The yoke is placed on the beast so that the Master may guide it to accomplish His purpose. We take upon ourselves Christ’s yoke. We follow Him.

  • Christ’s yoke must be in the marriage. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves His Church, and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). Wives are to love their husbands as the Church loves Christ (Ephesians 5:24). We are saved by the love of Christ. We love as Christ loves.
  • Christ’s yoke must be in our neighborhoods. The yoke of love extends to everyone. It extends to our neighbors, to those closest to us whether we know them or not.

Leviticus 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the Lord.

Matthew 22:39 … Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Love of others is the yoke that binds the Christian. Love is the fulfillment of the Law:

Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

James 2:8 If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well:

  • Christ’s yoke must be to our enemies. We must not let self righteousness grip us. Pray for the officers who did evil. Pray for the man who knelt on that poor man’s neck. We as believers are even to love our enemies. This is what our Lord Jesus did, and what we ourselves must do.

Matthew 5:44-45 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Love treats others the way that you want to be loved. We must do this. We must love God our Father “with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matthew 22:37). And we must love one another.

  • Christ’s yoke must be on display for all to see. What if, when the errant policeman was kneeling on Mr. Floyd’s neck, what if a Christian, regardless of color, had stepped forward? What if that Christian had said, “I beg you in the name of Jesus Christ to take your knee from his neck. I mean no disrespect, but I beg you – he is made in God’s image just as are you.” What would have happened had this occurred? No one will ever know. People filmed the incident, relied on the flesh, and watched as a man strangled to death. The errant policemen were approached in the power of the flesh, not under the yoke of Christ.

We need God’s people to be God’s people. God’s people are not identified by a denominational label. They are identified by the yoke of love.

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

If we want America to survive, the Light of Christ must go forward. It will not go forward if it does not go forward through us, His Yoked people. May God the Holy Spirit touch your hearts with the Words of our savior. Amen and Amen!

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Heroes Of The Cross, Parts 1&2

Posted on May 25, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Photo by Jacob Boavista on Unsplash

Matthew 10:38-40 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. 40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

Part 1, Heroes Of The Cross

During the Coronavirus Pandemic we as Americans are being told to voluntarily submit to house arrest in the name of good health. We are being selfish or greedy if we do not comply without question. We are to, without question, follow the direction of unelected bureaucrats and elected politicians, to hide ourselves one from another so as to save ourselves. We are racists, haters, and filthy capitalists if we do not comply.

During this Pandemic “I” am the most important thing. “I” must not get sick. “I” must go into hiding so that “I” will not infect other “I”s. If “I” infect other “I”s by my carelessness, then “I” am being selfish, or racist, or rude, or whatever. “I” must be a good citizen and, regardless of the economy, take care of “I”.

May I offer two other points of view: one view from a career Airman (now retired) of the United States Air Force, and another view from the Cross.

On Memorial Day we are supposed to remember those who died in active military service to our country. Those in the military give up their own freedoms in order to protect the nation. The military goes WHERE we are ordered WHEN we are ordered regardless as to how we FEEL. No questions are allowed. We worked in hazardous areas without regard for physical health. If we die for our country, this is called “doing our jobs”.

During this Pandemic I am seeing signs all about, celebrating “Heroes” who are working at risk so that our citizens can be fed and clothed. Once more, let’s focus on the “I”. This is the way of the world. For myself I am uncomfortable with the “Heroes” tag, as I never considered myself a “Hero” for doing my job. To fail to do my job as an Airman was cowardice. Every military person sees their lives as expendable for the greater good of the nation.

What does our message today have to do with the Pandemic, Memorial Day, and the “I”? Just as the military, along with other first responders, are to put themselves in harms way for the greater good, so does Jesus command every Christian to do the same. Jesus commands us to the Cross. It is the Cross that saves.

A Christian, just like a military man or woman, is expected by the Master to put themselves in harm’s way. We as Christians are not to hide in a basement lest we be harmed. Now, I am not advocating that we stubbornly refuse to wear masks or protective equipment. I have heard so much foolish talk about wearing or not wearing masks, or practicing safe distancing. Nearly every month that I was in the military we went through “Chemical Warfare Exercises” where I had to suit up and wear a full Chemical Warfare Ensemble like the one you see here. Imagine working in summertime in the 101 degree temperature of the aircraft tarmac tightly wrapped up, unable to feel even the slightest breeze of comfort. Imagine working on delicate aircraft electronics with your hands covered with thick, rubber, charcoal permeated, sweat soaked gloves. Imagine sweat running down your body into your boots, so much so that you squish when you walk. If there was a hell on earth we enjoyed it.

I, along with my comrades in blue, green, or gray would have rejoiced to wear a flimsy cotton mask as the President is requesting we wear today.

Beloved, we need to take precautions – but we do not need to hide. Christians in particular must NOT hide. We are told in 2 Timothy 1:7 that “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.“ If you are a Christian you were left on this earth to do what Jesus said. Listen to Him:

Matthew 10:38 And he that taketh not HIS CROSS, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

The Christian is commanded not to hide from suffering, but to chase after suffering. We are commanded of Christ to “take up your Cross, and follow Jesus”. There are some who say “you can be saved and NOT follow Jesus”. I don’t think so. I think Jesus is quite plain – in fact, the New Testament is quite plain.

Salvation is a free gift from God, but once you receive it you are expected by Jesus to follow Jesus. “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men”. Take up YOUR Cross and follow YOUR Jesus. The Christian does not live for “I” but for the Master and the greater good.

John Stonestreet wrote in the article Pandemic or No, We Must Live Out Our Faith: “We … are called to live out our faith in the middle of this culture, in our communities, where we work, seeing every area of life and every culture as the mission field to which we are called.”

Jesus Went To The Cross FIRST For You

Matthew 10:38 … he that taketh not his cross, and FOLLOWETH AFTER ME, is not worthy of me.

What does the Cross look like?

It surprised me as I studied the various commentaries that not all Christians agree with what the Cross looks like. The word translated “Cross” is the Greek σταυρός staurós, (pronounced stow-ros’). Though this word is translated “Cross” in our Bibles, in ancient Greek literature, such as the writings of Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides, or Xenophon, the word staurós is used for “an upright stake or pole, often pointed, such as used in fences or palisades” (see Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words for full treatment). Based on its usage some believe the Cross to look like the traditional “t” that you see behind the pulpits of many Church buildings. Some have suggested that the Romans buried heavy, upright beams in Golgotha. The convicted criminal then carried the horizontal member to his execution. Ropes were passed over the stake, and affixed to the horizontal member, and the criminal was raised up. Some believe the original “Cross” to be not “t” shaped but “T” shaped. We really don’t know. We do know this.

The Cross is a place of SELF denial.
The Cross is a place of SUFFERING.
The Cross is a place of SELF SACRIFICE.
The Cross is the place our SAVIOR went for us.
Without the Cross not one of us would be SAVED.

You have heard me say repeatedly over the last 7 or so years that we are all sinners in need of the Savior. Though I have said this, and continue to say this, it rolls over many of you like water over rock. The Cross is so very necessary because of the Nature of sin. Sin is a horrible offense against an Eternal God.

The serpent in Eden (representative of the devil – see Revelation 12:9; 20:2) misrepresented sin as but a small thing. “Has God really said you cannot eat the fruit of every tree in this Garden? Though God said you would die if you eat of it, you really won’t die. As a matter of fact, if you go ahead and eat what He has forbidden you will be like gods, knowing good and evil. Go ahead. Pleasure yourself! Eat! (Genesis 3:1-5, my paraphrase). The devil has been selling this from the beginning of time. The Cross is optional. Not even Jesus needs to go to the Cross. Avoid that place of suffering, and wait on Heaven. But what does the Scripture say? What did God say?

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

Oh, the devil loves to minimize sin. Oh, the world loves to minimize sin. Yet God makes much of sin.

… SIN hath reigned unto DEATH (Romans 5:21)

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of SIN unto DEATH, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

… the wages of SIN is DEATH (Romans 6:23)

For when we were in the flesh, the motions of SINS, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto DEATH. (Romans 7:5)

Sin is an affront to an Eternally
Holy and Righteous God.

Sin is a slap in God’s face. Pastor Steven J. Cole writes in his article The Meaning Of The Cross:

“That God sent Christ to bear our sins means that God does not just shrug off our sin. We live in a day of loose justice at best. People commit horrible crimes and get off with a slap on the wrist. A man admits to sexually molesting, killing and dismembering numerous boys, but pleads insanity and will likely end up spending some time in a mental ward. We all know that that is not justice.

Yet I talk to people all the time, many of them Christians, who think that God’s justice is like that. They shrug off sin as if it’s no big deal to God. They think He will just overlook it. But the Bible is very clear: All sin must be judged! Either your sin is on you and you will bear the penalty; or your sin is on Christ who bore the penalty. Either way, God does not take sin lightly! The just penalty must be paid.”

Sin is a debt that we could not pay. This is why Jesus had to go to the Cross. Sin is an affront to God.

I remember quite often the story of David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). One day King David minimized sin, and took another man’s wife to be his own. When the Prophet Nathan was sent from God to David in 2 Samuel 12 God condemned him, saying:

2 Samuel 12:9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

David repented of his sin. What did David say?

2 Samuel 12:13 … I have sinned against the Lord…

David would recount this time later in the Book of Psalms when he writes:

Psalm 51:1-4 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight …

Sin is an affront to God FIRST. Yes, sin hurts others. But only God can forgive sin. Only God can cover our sins. We cannot do penance. We cannot correct our transgressions, our offenses. Even if we promise God we will stop and not do it again, every act of sin is a slap in the Immortal’s face.

Hence the Cross. Jesus introduces the Cross for the first time in Matthew 10, but this is not the only time He will do so. Just 6 chapters later Jesus is telling His disciples that He had to go to the Cross. Turn with me to the text.

Matthew 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he MUST go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

Jesus MUST go to Jerusalem at Passover.
Jesus IS the Lamb of God that takes away our sins (John 1:29).
Jesus MUST suffer under the hands of religion.
Jesus MUST be killed.
Jesus MUST rise on the third day.
Jesus MUST!

But when Peter hears this, he responds like most of the world does. Peter says:

Matthew 16:22 Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: THIS SHALL NOT BE UNTO THEE.

When Jesus heard these words, He was not pleased at Peter’s care for His well being. On the contrary, Jesus REBUKED Peter, saying:

Matthew 16:23 …. GET THEE BEHIND ME, SATAN: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

It is satan that tells humanity “you can pay for your sin”. It is satan that says “the Cross is optional”. It is satan that tells us “Take care of yourself. Make the world all about YOU. Live for YOU. And one day YOU will died, and go to Heaven, where there is more of YOU”. That is devilish. That is serpentine. That is the whisper of the Garden of Eden.

Pastor Patrick Schreiner wrote in his article 10 Things You Should Know About The Cross:

“A Bible without a cross is a Bible without a climax, a Bible without an ending, a Bible without a solution. The spiral of sin that began in Genesis 3 must be stopped; the death of Jesus terminates the downward spiral. In Jesus’s body, he took on the sin of the world and paid the price of all humanity. At the cross the new Adam, Abraham, Moses, David arises to create a new humanity, family, and kingdom. That is why Paul doesn’t say he decided to knowing nothing except the incarnation, resurrection, or the ascension of Jesus, but the nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). Wisdom was found not beyond the cross, not above the cross, not below the cross, but in the cross.”

The Lord’s Table Is A Picture Of The Cross

Matthew 10:38-39 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

The Cross is a place where you lose your life for God’s sake. Those who will not go to the Cross cannot be saved.
The Cross is self sacrifice. The Cross is salvation.

On the night prior to Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary, He enjoyed the Passover Meal with His disciples. As the meal came to a close, Jesus told His disciples:

Luke 22:15 …. With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer:

Jesus will, in just a few hours, suffer on the Cross of Calvary. To illustrate the suffering of the Cross the Bible says:

Luke 22:19 {Jesus} took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

Jesus was not forced to take this bread. The Feast of the Passover was over.

Jesus voluntarily took this bread.
Jesus thankfully took this bread.
Jesus Himself willingly broke – not cut, mind you, but broke the bread.

The Cross is a place where Jesus gave up His self, as the Father called Him to do. Jesus suffered on that Cross. His Body was broken on that Cross. When we go to the Cross, our self is broken. Though Jesus went willingly, He would have done something else, if possible, to save us. The Cross is not a happy place, but a saving place. The Scripture that Jesus prayed in Gethsemane:

Luke 22:42-44 Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Jesus knew what was coming. He Who is Eternal God in human flesh knew that He would be beaten, bruised, mocked, shamed. Jesus knew that He would – as the Passover Lamb of God – be nailed to that Cross. He went anyway. After giving His disciples the broken Bread – representing Jesus’ body – Jesus gave them the Cup:

Luke 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

A New Covenant – not a Covenant of Law but a Covenant of Love – is put in place by the sacrifice of Christ. His Body had to be broken, and His Blood then spilled, so that we who receive Him as Lord and Savior can be saved.

You cannot have salvation without self denial.
You cannot have salvation without the Cross.

A young man came to Jesus one day, and asked Jesus:

Mark 10:17 … Good Master, WHAT SHALL I DO that I may inherit eternal life?

How can you get “eternal life”? How can you become a son of God? You must do as the Son of God did. You must lay down your self, and pick up the Cross.

Laying down self means believing what God has said in His Word. Jesus told this young man:

Mark 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.

Do what God says. Heed His commandments. When the young man said “I have done all these things from the time I was a child”, the Bible says:

Mark 10:21-22 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

Jesus beholds you, and loves you. Do you wish eternal life? Then you must deny yourself. If your self worth is in your possessions then, like this young man, lay these things down at the feet of Jesus. If your self worth is in your beauty, or your brilliance, or whatever, lay this down. Give it to God. Then “come, take up the Cross, and follow Jesus”. God does not compel this, but He does command it. If you are saved, you will take up His Cross, and follow Him.

Let us partake of His Table. This message will continue tonight.

Part Two, Heroes Of The Cross

Matthew 10:38-40 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. 40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

Saved By The Cross,
We Are Commanded To The Cross

Matthew 10:5 … Jesus sent forth, and commanded them

Matthew 10:38 … he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

To “take up the Cross” is not a suggestion, but a command. It is not optional. It is something every Christian is called to do.

We share the Cross with Christ. If we are saved, we follow Jesus to the Cross.

Matthew 10:38 … he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

The Cross is not a place of pleasure, but it is a place of self denial. It is not a happy place. People are content to follow Jesus to Heaven, but are not so happy to follow Jesus to the Cross. Yet we must all go to the Cross.

The Cross Is A Denial Of Self

Jesus introduced the Cross on Chapter Ten. Pastor Patrick Schreiner wrote:

The Cross is not only where our sin is paid for, where the devil is conquered, but the shape of Christianity.

Because the Cross is God’s means of salvation and God’s method of life, it will be hated by the world. Jesus said:

Matthew 10:17-20 … beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

Jesus wanted us to know that we who are saved by the Cross will be despised by the world. The religious world will despise the Christ follower. Religion focuses on ritual, on looking good, on looking outwardly “righteous”, but has no inner love. Religion is the Church elder who, dressed up in a suit, shuns the visitor in shabby apparel or with unkempt hair. Religion says “I love you” but shows no hospitality to others.

Religion focuses on the “I”.
The Christ follower focuses on the Cross.

If you belong to Jesus, you are to do as He did. We are told in:

1 John 3:13-16 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

The Cross is not optional, but it is a place of self sacrifice. Jesus went willingly to the Cross, and we who are his are commanded to go willingly to the Cross. The Cross is a command. We lay our lives down for Christ daily. The Cross is self denial, just as our Lord did. Jesus told us:

Matthew 16:24-26 … Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, LET HIM DENY HIMSELF, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

To “come after Jesus” requires the Cross. You must “deny yourself”. Deny pleasures, and worldliness. Deny the excesses of this world. “Deny yourself”. The Cross is a place where self goes to die. Jesus went to the Cross to pay for our sins. Did Jesus want to go to the Cross? He was willing. Oh, He was willing. He loved us that much. Jesus willingly laid His life down for us, saying:

John 10:18 No man taketh {my life} from me, but I lay it down of myself.…

God loved us, and gave Himself for us.

1 John 4:10-11 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

The Cross is what Jesus did for us before we ever knew Him. The Cross is what we do for all others whether they appreciate it or not. We love as Jesus loved. We do not live in darkness as the world does, but let the light of Christ, a self sacrificing light, shine through us. The Cross we are called to carry is a DAILY Cross:

Luke 9:23-24 And {Jesus} said to them ALL, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his Cross DAILY, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

The Cross is a daily thing we are to pick up. The Cross – which is the death of self – must be picked up every single day. The world lives for self – the Christ child lives to die. The Cross is not where the world or the worldly is or wants to be. The world thinks the Cross is foolish, stupid.

The World Hates The Cross – Carry It Anyway

Matthew 10:21-22 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Jesus knew that His radical way of life – the Light of the world – would be misunderstood to those enslaved to self and self satisfaction. Jesus knew that what He advocated would cause divisions in families, that the Christ follower would be hated. Jesus did not sugar coat what He told us. Light is despised by darkness. When the Apostle Paul went out preaching the Cross of Christ, he knew that the message would not be well received. He wrote:

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

The Pharisees and Sadducees hated Jesus for what He stood for. The politicians, the Herodians, they hated Jesus for what He stood for. They slandered Jesus. Some called Jesus the son of a whore, a bastard born out of wedlock. Others accused our Lord of being empowered by satan. Jesus said:

Matthew 10:24-28 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his Lord. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? 26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. 27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. 28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Jesus did not allow fear to guide Him as He moved toward Calvary. Jesus tells us Who love Him to look unto Jesus, to follow Jesus toward the Cross daily. This message has been perverted in the American Church for the last 50 or so years. It is time that we cease heeding the world. Christians, for the most part, have just as high a divorce rate as do the unbelievers. Christians, for the most part, have just as high a suicide rate as the unbelievers.

My brothers and sisters, it must cease being so. The Cross we are called to is a place of willing self denial. It is the same place our Master went – and where we MUST go if we are children of the Most High God. Jesus said:

Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.

The Cross is about giving of yourself, not about taking. Christianity is not about getting, but giving. We give our lives to God so that God can give His life to us. We are called to self sacrifice. But the world does not understand this.

Three Crosses On Calvary

Consider the world at that Hill called Calvary. There are three crosses on Calvary. On that center Cross is an innocent Man. Pilate asked:

Mark 15:12 What will ye then that I shall do unto him {this Jesus} whom ye call the King of the Jews?

The world cries out, “Crucify Him!”. Pilate asks, “Why? What evil what evil hath He done?” (Mark 15). The world cries out, “Crucify Him!”. The angels in Heaven look to the Throne of God. What will the Father do? Surely He will stop this travesty. But the Father says nothing. There they lay Jesus down on the cold wood beam. The ring of a hammer on steel. Bones do not break, but the hardened steel pushes its way into flesh and into wood. The Son does not cry. Then He is lifted upward. Muscle, flesh, and sinew strain around the spikes. Blood oozes from the cuts in His flesh from the whip. The crown of thorns on His head make His head feel as heavy as an anvil. He can barely hold His head up.

This is what love looks like.

The thief on Christ’s left is like the world in suffering. This thief chased money his whole life. He had been spared death before this, but the other night he invaded a home to feed his habit. He found a little old lady, barely existing on her meager stipend. He murdered her for the few coins she had, blast her hide! This thief cries out to Jesus:

Luke 23:39 … If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

Get Yourself down, Jesus, and then save us. This thief was not alone in telling Jesus to shun the Cross. The Bible says that those who passed by – the amused spectators, they told Jesus:

Mark 15:30 Save yourself, and come down from that Cross.

Surely there were no others? But yes, there was. We see the religious crowd, the non-denominational and denominational “holier than thou” bunch.

Mark 15:31-32 … He saved others; himself he cannot save. 32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. ….

I’ve heard this cry many times throughout this Pandemic. “If there is a God, a Jesus, let Him cure this Pandemic so we can go back to the “I”. “I” matter. Get me down from this Cross, or I will not believe in You, Jesus!

But Jesus could not come down from the Cross if we were going to be saved.

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

Oh that God would touch more hearts! Oh that the worldling would wake up and ask, “What MUST I DO to BE SAVED?” (Acts 16:30). What indeed?

Acts 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

No, dear Thief on the Left. Jesus cannot come down.
No, dear Spectator. Jesus cannot leave that place of torment.
No, Religious and Politically Correct person. Jesus must stay.

If He comes down, we are all damned forever. But there is one other voice on Calvary. This one is the minority, not the crowd. You can barely hear his voice – but it was heard, and was recorded by God Almighty. This thief on the right of Christ whispers:

Luke 23:42 … Lord, remember me when thou
comest into thy kingdom.

Christian, this is who we are to be. We are to be like this thief on the right, this thief who follows his Lord to Calvary. It is Calvary that gives life. It is the Cross that teaches us how to live. The world hates the Cross, but the Cross is not only our salvation dear believer – it is also our way of life. The Cross is where we boast with the Apostle:

Galatians 6:14 God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

A Cross-less Christianity Is A Christ-less Cult

Matthew 10:36-39 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

The Cross and Christ must mean more to us than even our own families. Without the Cross we have no hope of salvation. But if we love Jesus, if we take up His Cross daily and follow Him, come what may, the love we have for Him will attract our loved ones. One Pastor, Brian Tabb, put it this way:

“Christians suffer in hope. We pray not only, “How Long, O Lord?” but also, “Come, Lord Jesus!” He suffered to ransom us from our sins and reconcile us to God, and his resurrection is the first installment of the restoration of all things. We may still ask why when our bodies hurt and our hearts ache. We may wonder when God will make all things new. But we remember who suffered in our stead to secure our salvation. And until Christ returns, we follow our Servant King on the road to Calvary.”

I am not ashamed of His Cross. Beloved, we must follow our Master! May Jesus Christ touch your hearts through His Word and His Spirit. Amen and Amen.

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Jesus Christ Is Racist (Red Letters #25)

Posted on May 22, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

The Pharisees, leaders of the Jewish Ruling Council (called the Sanhedrin), called the newspaper, the Jerusalem Times, about a fellow called “Jesus Christ”. This uneducated son of the carpenter Joseph was going about Jerusalem and the outlying areas preaching “The kingdom of Heaven is at hand”. The Pharisees said this man was making shocking claims, blasphemous claims that He was somehow related to God. This Jesus, the Pharisees said, healed a man sick of the palsy (Matthew 9:2) after saying,

“Son, be of good cheer! Thy sins be forgiven thee!”

Who can forgive sins but God? When the disciples of the honorable John the Baptist, asked Jesus why His disciples didn’t fast like they did, the Pharisees said:

“The children of the wedding cannot mourn while the Bridegroom (Jesus Christ) is with them” (Matthew 9:15)

When the Pharisees asked Jesus why do you eat with sinners, this same Jesus, it was reported, said:

“I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”
(Matthew 9:13)”

This last statement got the attention of the editor at The Jerusalem Times. He sent a crack reporter out to ask this Jesus fellow some questions. Jesus has gathered twelve men around Him that He called “Apostles” (ἀπόστολος apóstolos, pronounced ap-os’-tol-os). These men were “disciples” or students of Christ’s before He named them “Apostles”. The Apostles were:

Matthew 10:2-4 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and his brother John were simple fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector. No one knows what

Simon the Zealot,
James the son of Alphaeus,
Thomas,
Philip,
Jude,
nor Bartholomew (also called Nathaniel)

did prior to following Jesus. One of Jesus’ “Apostles” was Judas Iscariot, a particularly greedy little man. Every one of these twelve “Apostles” had one thing in common – they WERE common. They occupied the least places among the leaders of Israel. If there were a “Who’s Who” these people would not even deserve a footnote or an honorable mention. They were just common people, rejected people, the least and the less among the elites of Israel. The reporter from the Jerusalem Times didn’t know what to say about this Jesus and His followers, but then he heard Jesus send these twelve, motley men out,

Matthew 10:5-7 COMMANDED them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The Reporter had his news headline. He went back to the paper, and once the headline published every news channel throughout the world picked up on it. CNN, ABC, NBC, CSNBC, NPR, and even FOX broadcast the headline:

“Jesus Christ Is A Racist!”

Is Jesus Christ A “Racist”?

Though this little story is just something I made up, it is certainly something that would be written about Jesus today if He did what He did back then. Did you read the text. Jesus told His disciples, literally “COMMANDED them” {παραγγέλλω parangéllō, pronounced par-ang-gel’-lo: to order or charge, as if directing a subordinate}:

Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel

One of the harshest charges that can be laid on anyone in our day is “that person is racist”. We hear reporters of color calling President Trump “racist” because he has called the Coronavirus “The Chinese Virus”. I heard an Asian American reporter call the President “racist” just the other day at a press conference.

To win an argument, I am told, if you cannot disprove what someone is saying, find a way to attack the character of that person.
This is called the “Ad Hominem” attack.

The Pharisees did this with Jesus earlier when they said:

Matthew 9:34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.

and when Jesus called out the Pharisees for plotting to kill Him, they replied:

John 7:20 … Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?

Jesus tells us as His people to

John 7:24 … Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

I have been concerned about the killing of a young man named Ahmaud Arbery. Two white men, Travis McMichael and his father Greg McMichael shot and killed Ahmaud while he was apparently out jogging one day. A video of the shooting incident was recorded and released online, and people on both sides are coming out accusing one another. Celebrities and politicians – including ex vice president Joe Biden, LeBron James, LL Cool J, and Kim Kardashian West have been demonstrating – along with great crowds of people – that justice be served. What made the case so very messy is that the men guilty of killing Ahmaud were never arrested or tried after doing what they did. They should have been immediately arrested. Investigators should have been assigned, and the two should have been judged by a jury of their peers, according to United States code.

What disturbs me is that people are making judgments as to what actually happened based on what was seen on a few minutes of video. What happened earlier in the day? I know some people will use an Ad Hominem attack on me for just suggesting that not all the facts are yet revealed.

I DO want these men to receive justice.
I DO believe these men exceeded their authority.
I Do want these men to be tried according to U.S. Law.
I DO NOT want to be part of the mob that riots, twisting law.
I DO NOT want to depart from the commands of my Lord Jesus Christ.
I DO want God’s Church and God’s people to be “the Light of the World”.
I DO NOT want God’s Church to be part of the darkness.

The Apostle Paul commands us – through the power of God’s Holy Spirit – to

Ephesians 4:17-24 … henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Christ’s Church cannot afford to chase the darkness with the world. Again, I DO want justice to be served. But I do NOT want to be drawn into the darkness with the unbeliever.

There are three driving forces for the Christian. First and foremost, we are driven by Jesus Christ. That’s why we are called “CHRISTian”. Second, our driving force is “It Is Written”, what the Bible says. Third, our driving force is the Holy Spirit of God.

Jesus Christ Is NOT Racist

When Jesus said:

Matthew 10:5-6 COMMANDED them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

it sounds as if Jesus is racist. “Don’t go to the Gentiles or Samaria, but stick with bringing the Gospel to the Jews”. If you read ONLY these words without turning to the rest of the Scripture, it would be easy to brand Jesus a racist. But what does the Bible say? Jesus prayed for His Church before going to Calvary:

John 17:15-17 I pray not {dearest Father God} that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil {One, that is, Satan}. 16 They {my Church} are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 SANCTIFY {set them apart} THEM THROUGH THY TRUTH: THY WORD IS TRUTH.

The Word of God is where the Christian finds our truth. It is what God has said. Jesus, throughout His ministry, repeatedly used these THREE WORDS:

“it is written”

Written in what? The fictitious Jerusalem Times that I made up? In the T.V. Guide? In the magazines, newspapers, or televised news? No, the Word of God. The Bible. What God has said. When Jesus said:

Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But GO RATHER TO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL.

he was not being RACIST. Jesus was being OBEDIENT. When God promised Abraham that he would be blessed, and through him a nation would come forth to bless the whole world (Genesis 12:1-3), God never forgot this promise. God established Israel – one of Abraham’s children who was previously known as “Jacob” – as His Chosen people. God was going to bless Abraham by giving Him a people {Israel}, through which people the Messiah would come. Jesus Christ is that Messiah. Jesus Christ came according to prophecy:

Isaiah 42:6 … a Covenant of the people {Israel}, for a light of the Gentiles

God said that He would send Jesus the Messiah,

Isaiah 49:6 … to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

God prophesied of Israel:

Isaiah 60:1-3 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

God made a promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, a promise that God was going to keep. Jesus Christ came to be the Savior and Lord of Israel FIRST. God would bring Messiah out of Israel and to Israel first. But God is no Respecter of persons, as Peter preached:

Acts 10:34-36 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But IN EVERY NATION he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. 36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)

And the Apostle Paul preached:

Romans 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

The Gospel of salvation is given to all people. Again, the Apostle Paul said:

Romans 1:16 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.

Jesus Christ is NOT racist. Jesus Christ came to give His life for the sins of the whole world. He sent His twelve Apostles to the twelve tribes of Israel FIRST. But Jesus ALWAYS intended to reach EVERYONE with the Gospel of salvation. Here’s a few more texts to jot down that proves this point.

Hebrews 10:9-10 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first {covenant}, that he may establish the second {covenant}. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once FOR ALL.

John 6:40 {Jesus said} … And this is the will of him that sent me, that EVERY ONE which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 1:29 {John the Baptist said} … Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away THE SIN OF THE WORLD.

John 3:16 {Jesus said} 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.

1 John 2:1-3 {Jesus Christ} My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD. 3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

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.

We Represent Jesus To The Whole World

Our Lord loves you and I so very much. Beloved, we MUST follow Jesus. We MUST heed His commands. We MUST NOT allow the world to draw us into the darkness of hatred, prejudice, and evil. We must not be drawn into worldliness. We are to go out into the world with Jesus’ words. Jesus said:

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

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

John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

We must not allow ourselves to become part of the empty, nihilistic, vain, and useless
dialogue of the worldly.
We are to DO as Jesus said DO.

We are to DO what Jesus said, not what the world said. James (1:22) said:

“Be ye DOERS of the WORD, and not hearers only,
deceiving your own selves”

We who are Christians are saved by and carry the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us:

Matthew 10:11-15 … And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. 12 And when ye come into an house, salute it. 13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. 15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.

We carry immortal words and an amazing Gospel. We are to share this Gospel with every person. If they will not receive that Word, then we are to shake the dust from our feet – and move on. The world of darkness does not understand the ministry of Jesus Christ. The religious person believes they are going to Heaven because they are better than those they stand next to. The self righteous person believes that they have all the answers. The world believes humanism, Darwinism, science, anything but Christ. But Jesus tells us that we are to go into the world, but to not let that world enter into us. He said:

Matthew 10:16-17 … Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men …

The world will never understand the light that is Jesus Christ. We must never compromise with the darkness. On my website I never allow comments to be posted. Why? Because I have seen other websites with a comments section with nothing but darkness in it. God calls us to shine, to be the light of the world. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). When we love as Jesus loved then we have fulfilled the Law – for love toward others fulfills the Law (Romans 13:8-13).

I am praying for Ahmaud Arbery’s family. It is the darkness of sin that took his life. I am praying for those who took Ahmaud’s life. If they die in their sins without Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they will spend an eternity in hell. But I am also praying for Christ’s Church that we not be caught up in the darkness, but that we love as Christ has loved us. After all, did He not say? …

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

John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Ahmaud‘s killers need Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. So do we all. We will all stand before God one day, and give an account for our lives. If Jesus Christ was to us no more than a “Facebook Friend” or a hobby that we occasionally dabbled in, then we have no hope for Heaven. Christ must be our “all in all” (1 Corinthians 12:6; 15:28; Ephesians 1:23). May God touch your hearts with His Word and His Spirit. Amen and Amen!

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In Those Days

Posted on May 17, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

Judges 17:1 And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.

Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

The theme of this message is “In Those Days”. “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every person did that which was right in his or her own eyes”. Though this was written about Israel “In THOSE days”, it is as if it were about America “In THESE days”. America acts as if there is no king, no God. But the “Coronavirus” – “Corona” meaning “Crown”, has shown us that we are not gods nor kings. There is but one God, one King of Kings. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

The Children Of God Have A King

I thank God that He is MY King.
I thank God that Jesus is MY Lord. Is He yours?

Few people study their Bibles any more, but there are great truths and great examples in this Book of Books. Tonight our text comes from the seventeenth chapter of “Judges”. This book is obscure, ignored by most people, yet it has a message for America today.

Judges is the seventh book of the Old Testament.
That is significant.

Genesis is the first book, which is appropriate, for it speaks of creation.
Exodus is the second book, which speaks of the creation of Israel.
Messiah – our Jesus Christ – came to us from Israel.
Leviticus the third book, establishes God’s Law.
God is the Ruler of what He made. He sets the boundaries.
God’s people heed God’s command.
Numbers the fourth book shows God’s care for each of His people.
God has numbered the very hairs of our head (Luke 12:7)
Deuteronomy the fifth book reminds us once more God is our King.
We are reminded twice, because we forget!
Joshua the sixth book shows what happens when we heed God.
There is NOTHING impossible with God (Luke 1:37).
Follow God and let HIM fight for you!

Then we come to Judges, the seventh book. On the seventh day God rested from all His works (Genesis 2:2-3). Israel was supposed to rest in God. We are supposed to rest in God.

The Book of Judges shows a time when there is no King in Israel but God. No one sat on the Throne of Israel yet. There would come a time when God would raise up a shepherd named David, and install him on the throne at Jerusalem. But during this time God alone was King. God is the Best King. The children of God have a King, and His Name is Jesus! David understood this. Just listen:

Psalm 5:2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.

Psalm 44:4 Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.

Psalm 45:6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter.

Psalm 47:6 Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

Psalm 47:7 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

In Judges, Israel should have been resting In God. Instead, Israel was resting FROM God – much like America is doing today.

Oh Beloved, the children of God only have power when they follow their Heavenly King.

Ephesians 5:1-2 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.

Judges shows us that God is long suffering and merciful. Praise Him for this!

A pattern seen throughout the Book was that Israel would fall into idolatry, and lose territory because of their fall. But then God would raise up a “Judge” who would rule the people in God’s stead. The “Judge” would cause Israel to repent – and blessing would come.

God raised up twelve Judges, who were (in no particular order) Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon and Samson. These men (and one woman) more or less obeyed God, and led Israel out of a darkness brought on by sin. That’s why this book is called “Judges”. There are twelve Judges showing the Twelve Tribes of Israel how to live for God.

When we come to Judges 17 the pattern abruptly changes. We read:

Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

The “Judges” cease rising up. The “Light” stops shining. Darkness and sin consume the nation.

Judges 18:1 In those days there was no king in Israel

Judges 19:1 And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel..

Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

The nation was falling to pieces. The Bible says:

Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

If “blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord”, then the polar opposite would be “cursed is the nation whose God is NOT the Lord.

God blesses a people when they follow Him. But blessings cease when we drift away from God and His Word. God could have neglected to give us Judges 17-21, but He did so because He wants us to see what happens when darkness reigns. I believe this sermon tonight is particularly necessary in the light of the Coronavirus Pandemic. I believe as a nation and as God’s Church, we have done what was right in our own eyes. We have rejected the Lord our God as King. We need to get back to the Word and Rule of God!

The FAMILY Must Return To God

The rise or fall of a nation is dependent on the family unit. This is why the devil is working so hard to redefine marriage and love. This is why the devil is continually tinkering with Divine design. If the devil can triumph in the family, he can destroy the nation. We read:

Judges 17:1 And there was a man of mount Ephraim {a place of fruitfulness}, whose name was Micah.

Let’s break this text out.

“AND there was a man”.

 Stop right there. Don’t miss that little word A-N-D. The word A-N-D connects this man that we’ll talk about with a man found in chapter sixteen named SAMSON. Do you remember SAMSON? He was the last Judge of Israel. The Hebrew name שִׁמְשׁוֹן (Shimshon) is derived from the Hebrrew שֶׁמֶשׁ (shemesh) which means “S-U-N”. Samson was supposed to shine for the Lord. Samson had great power. The Bible tells us:

Judges 16:2-5 … there was a certain man of Zorah, of the {tribe of Dan}, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not. 3 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. … 5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

Samson was suppose to shine for God, to be a priest for God. He is a Nazarite, just as the Prophet Samuel and John the Baptist were Nazarites.

This Samson – this Bright Sun from God – was to be God’s Judge against the enemies of Israel. But Samson had a flaw. He loved women more than he loved the Lord His God. I don’t have time to go fully into the story of Samson – read it later tonight if you will. It is in Judges 16. Samson allowed pride and sexual sin to enter his life – and it eventually killed him. The wages of sin is death – always death! (Romans 6:23).

Judges 17:1 And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.

 Samson’s name means “The Sun Shine”. What about “Micah”? The name “Micah” literally translated means “who is like Yahweh”. Micah grew up with Samson as a hero, someone to look up to. But Micah didn’t have the best role model to believe in. As Samson was in love with women and himself, Micah loved money. We read:

Judges 17:2 And {Micah} said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I TOOK IT. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son.

Micah stole 1100 shekels of silver from his mother, a violation of the Fifth Commandment. In a day when a years wages were but 10 shekels, 1100 shekels is a vast sum, about 110 years wages! What Micah did was bad, for theft is a violation of the eighth commandment (Exodus 20:15 Thou shalt not steal). It is a terrible sin. But even worst is that he stole from his mother. God commanded us:

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

Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

When the mother realized her fortune was gone she cursed the thief. This was enough to prick Micah’s heart, and so he returned his ill gotten gain. His mother said:

Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son.

She blessed him I the name of the Lord. Was this a Godly woman? No. For we read:

Judges 17:3 … I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.

The money that Micah stole was money that his mother set aside to make a “graven and molten image”. She was going to make a silver figure that the family could worship, an idol if you will. This is a violation of the first and second commandments of God:

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

The mother was going to use the blessings that God gave her in a way that was forbidden of the Lord. This mother, like many parents who profess Christ as Savior and Lord, did not worship the god of Scripture. Her faith was blended with the darkness. She thought that if she “wholly dedicate the silver to the Lord”, then she could build idols to worship. Many worship the god of works, the catholic god, the god of penance, of popes, of paper priests.

Judges 17:4 Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took TWO HUNDRED SHEKELS OF SILVER, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah.

His mother did not dedicate the 1100 pieces of silver as she promised, but 200 pieces to the
idol she had made.

Micah was raised by a mother who said one thing and did another. Oh Beloved, how you raise your children and grandchildren will make tomorrow’s America! If you are a Christian parent or grandparent then what you plant in that child TODAY will effect the fabric of the nation TOMORROW. King Solomon wrote:

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

Train the child “up”. Have the child “look up”. Not “down”, but “up”. Look unto Jesus. Look upon Him high and lifted up. Look at Him on Calvary. See His love bleeding, His love covering. Look up! Teach the children to love God. God told Israel when the first were to enter the Promised Land:

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house …

The Bible tells us:

Galatians 6:7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Sow righteousness and light into the lives of your children. Do not sow idolatry, pride, or selfishness. Micah was taught compromise and synergy at his mother’s knee.

Judges 17:4-5 … Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah. 5 And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

Micah made idols, just as his mother led him to do. He also established his own priesthood, for the ephod was part of the costume that the Levites Priests used while serving God in the Tabernacle (Exodus 39; 1 Samuel 2:18). Shockingly Micah – a man who was NOT like Yahweh – CONSECRATED on of his own sons to be a priest. Your character in holiness will be passed down to your children. Look up, child. Look up! Live for the Lord your God!

God’s Priests Need To Live For God

In the middle of this mess we are introduced to another wanderer. We read:

Judges 17:7 And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.

There is a man, a Levite, who is traveling through Micah’s land. Who are the Levites? The Levites are blessed of God. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai after being with God 40 days receiving the Commandments he discovered, to his shock, Israel worshiping a golden calf. Moses cried out:

Exodus 32:26-27 … Who is on the Lord’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.

Moses was of the Tribe of Levi, along with his brother Aaron and sister Miriam. His family, the Levites, gathered around Moses. God used the Tribe of Levi to purge idolatry out of Israel. After this the Levites were to be priests unto God. When the Promised Land was given to Israel God told His people:

Deuteronomy 18:1-2 The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and his inheritance. 2 Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the Lord is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.

The inheritance of the Levites, the Priests, was God Himself. God will take care of His people. God cares for you. Why was this unnamed Levite traveling? We are told:

Judges 17:8 .. the man departed out of the city from Bethlehemjudah to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.

One commentary states “Unlike Abraham, who also set out for an unknown destination but who went with a keen sense of the calling of God, this person is shiftless. He has no passion for God, no sense of divine calling, no burden of responsibility. He is a ‘laid back’ professional minister following the path of least resistance and waiting for an opportunity to open up.” (Block, Judges, pg 487). This Levite should be shining for God, just as Samson and Micah should have been shining for God. Instead he is an opportunist. He is looking for a better place to be.

This Levite is a picture of the Christian and the Church today. Micah tells this Levite:

Judges 17:10-13 … Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in. 11 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons. 12 And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.

This unnamed Levite is a picture of surface Christianity and Micah a picture of the world today. The Church in America has largely sold itself to the world. Though the Bible says:

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

1 Corinthians 7:23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

This Levite is like the modern, look the other way Church. God has told those in the New Testament, the Christian saved by the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord, that we are God’s chosen. Peter – claimed to be the first pope by catholicism – wrote:

1 Peter 1:1-5 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

You who are saved by faith in Christ’s Blood, have been begotten or born again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. You have a place. Unlike this Levite, you should not be looking to the world for a better place. You have an inheritance incorruptible, that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you. You belong to God. You are kept by God through faith. Your heritage is secure. You need not sell yourself to the world. You need not compromise with evil. You must stand firm in Christ and on God’s Word. The world will hate you, and offer to compromise with you.

1 Peter 4:1-2, 16-17 … Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. … 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Unlike this Levite we must not offer false hope to the world. We must stand strong in the Gospel of Christ, calling all sinners to repent, and come to Him Who saves. God forbid that the light compromise with the darkness. We must cease being seeker sensitive, and instead be God sensitive, live for the One Who gave Himself for us.

We are God’s Levites. We are God’s priests, priests of the New Covenant. God is our inheritance.

1 Peter 2:5, 9-12 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, AN HOLY PRIESTHOOD, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. … 9-12 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; 10 Which in time past were not a people, but ARE NOW THE PEOPLE OF GOD: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

There Is A Day Of Reckoning

I know I have gone long, but the Lord has put this on my heart, and I must say it. Church, you have been largely forced from your buildings out into the world to do what God has called you to do. The early Church stayed on Solomon’s Porch in the Temple until a man named Saul was raised up to persecute and kill Christians. Through Saul – later named Paul – the Christian faith has spread throughout the world. We are to live for God.

After Micah consecrated this Levite and made him his priest, Micah said:

Judges 17:13 … Now know I that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.

There are many who are on Church rolls who are living in darkness. They feel that they will enter Heaven upon their death because they belong to this Church or that Church. Micah thought that God would bless him because he now had his own priest. Beloved, the priest is not for sale, and neither is the Gospel of Christ. To be blessed a person must come to Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior. You must call upon Him to be saved. Once you are saved, God is your portion, you daily Father. Not some priest. Not some preacher. God. And you are a New Covenant Levite, a priest unto God.

Live as you are.

In the next chapter this “good luck Levite” that Micah thought would bless him will allow all of Micah idols to be stolen. That Levite would sell himself next to the Danite marauders. If you belong to God, live for God. Live for His glory. May God bless the preaching of His Word through His Spirit.

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#6 The MUSTS Of Christianity: We Must Dress Appropriately

Posted on May 14, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

I read a heartbreaking thing the other day in a publication called “Headline Health”. It seems that this young 31 year old woman survived the Coronavirus Pandemic. A tour guide who lived in Antalya, Turkey, she and a friend went out for a walk in nearby Duden Park after the quarantine was lifted. The dear lady decided to take a photo of herself – a “selfie” – on the edge of a cliff with the beautiful waterfalls behind her. Stepping over the safety railing she posed for her friend … slipped on the wet grass, falling off the 115 foot cliff. Her body was recovered a few hours later.

It breaks my heart. I have no idea what her status was with the Lord Jesus, but I hate to see young people leave this life so tragically and so unnecessarily. In our present day we are so “selfie” oriented. Everything is driven to ME ME ME. We are told by the networks and the media that:

YOU MATTER
Be Yourself
DO YOU

What did Jesus say? “What are you profited, if you gain the whole world, but lose your own soul?” (Matthew 16:26). When we live for ourselves, as if we were all that mattered, it is not too long before we realize this is not much of a life. We must live for Someone greater. We need to live not “selfie” driven, but “Savior” driven.

Our text today is from:

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

Do You Have A Dress Code At Your Church?

One of the questions I’m often asked by those who consider visiting our Church is “Do you have a dress code?”. What they want to know is what is the acceptable dress to come and worship with us. There is no “dress code” in that sense. I do appreciate it when both WOMEN AND MEN dress modestly. Everyone, even preachers, are susceptible to temptation. Please remember the admonition of the Apostle Paul who said:

Romans 14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that {no one} put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.

If God has graced you with a beautiful body, please don’t flaunt it in front of others. We are here to look at Jesus, not at you. Let modesty and decency be in your hearts. The Scripture says “adorn yourself in modest apparel” (1 Timothy 2:9).

So do we have a “dress code”? No, not in that sense. I myself want you to be comfortable, and attentive to the Word of God. I want everyone to be focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. I want the Holy Spirit to be here, and every soul willing to heed His Word. That is what is in my heart. All eyes on Jesus. All eyes are on You, Lord!

Put On Or Clothe Yourselves In Righteousness

Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ …

There is a “Heavenly Dress Code” that we all must seek – else we will not enter Heaven but hell following this life. In our world we define people as “good” or “bad” based on how they behave in civilized society. Of course, we define “civilized” based on what WE think is “civilized”. We hear statements like,

“He was a GOOD man”, or
“She was a GOOD woman”

As a Pastor having officiated many, many funerals I have heard statements like:

Romans 13:8-13 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.”If anyone deserved to go to Heaven, he did.”, and
“Heaven just gained an angel today, for my mom was an angel!”

We base our comparison of “good enough for Heaven” based on how one human stacks up when compared to another human. We base our thoughts of who is good and who is bad on comparing people to people. Certainly there are people who are much more moral (according to man) than others. Two people come to my mind when I think of famous people going to Heaven:

Billy Graham, and
Mother Teresa

We think in ourselves, “Well, if anyone deserved Heaven, these two would. One preached and led others to Christ, whereas the other ministered to the poorest of the poor“. Surely they are in Heaven. It may surprise you, though, to understand that Heaven belongs to God – and,

Only those who are “good” in comparison
to God will be in Heaven.

It is God Who sets the standards of “good” and “evil”. So Who is “good” in comparison with God? The Bible says:

1 Samuel 2:2 There is none holy as the LORD…

God alone is the Highest Holy. Goodness is relative among humanity, but when we as humans are compared to God the Bible declares:

Romans 3:10-19 10 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. 13 Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. 19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

God specifically gave Israel the Law of Moses to show humanity that – in comparison with God – there are none good. The Prophet Isaiah went even farther when he spoke of the goodness of God. Looking into Heaven the Prophet saw:

Isaiah 6:1-5 … I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

Looking into Heaven and seeing God you would think that Isaiah would be overjoyed. You would be wrong. Looking into Heaven that Prophet suddenly realized with crystal clarity that in comparison to God there are none of us right nor righteous. This same Prophet would later say:

Isaiah 64:6-7 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.

What we think is a fine dress coat and beautiful slacks, or a glittering formal gown, is but in comparison to God’s goodness “filthy rags”. I have often found brand new slacks or shirts at a local Goodwill store, many times with the price tags still hanging on them. I often wondered why someone would donate brand new clothing to Goodwill. The answer is quite simple. To the owner those items of clothing, though apparently without blemish, were under par, low value, and not worthy to keep. To me the clothing is beautiful and new. To the owner who gave it away, it was “filthy rags”. When we look at ourselves and compare yourself to others around you then we think “I’m a pretty good person”. But if we were to look into Heaven as Isaiah did we would realize – we do not measure up to God. Our righteousness is as filthy rags compared to God.

A young man came to Jesus one day and called our Lord “Good teacher”. Jesus immediately replied:

Matthew 19:17 … Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Now Jesus did not mean that He was not good. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is God become man. Jesus is the prophesied Messiah of whom Isaiah said:

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

Of Whom Matthew wrote:

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

Jesus Christ is indeed God, and as God is “good”. Jesus rejected the title “Good Teacher” because the young man addressing Him did not see Jesus as John saw Jesus in:

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

Jesus is the Eternal Word of God, in the “beginning with God, Who is God” (John 1:1-3).

Jesus is the One Who told the Pharisees:

John 8:58 … Verily, verily I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am!

Only God is good. Jesus is God, but this young man did not think so – and thus Jesus rejected the title of “good”. Beloved, no one is good but God. No one is righteous but God. This is why we need Jesus. Jesus Christ came from Heaven to this earth, the Son of God, begotten as human for us. He is the “Only Begotten”. Jesus Christ “Died for all”. He took the penalty of sin on Himself, dying for our sins, paying our debt before God.

We are all sinners, lost and undone. We must be stripped of our sins, and covered in Jesus Christ. “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ” means to put on His righteousness by faith. To receive Him as Savior and Lord. The Apostle said:

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Jesus Christ died for us. He died for whosoever would believe in Him. If you think yourself to be righteous apart from Christ you are absolutely wrong. One of the most rigidly strict Pharisees of all time was a man named Saul. Saul at one time persecuted the Church, believing these “Christians” to be but a cult. Saul would later meet Jesus Christ on Damascus Road, and write:

Philippians 3:3-10 … we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. 4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

The “righteousness which is by the Law” only externally makes us look good. To our eyes the Pharisee, just like all other religious people. look “good”. But when God looks at us He does not see the outside, but the heart, the inner man. We desperately need Jesus Christ. We need to believe on Him, and trust Him. We need “not mine own righteousness, but the righteousness which is of God by faith in Jesus Christ”. Nothing else will save.

Romans 5:8-11 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

We are saved when we “put on the Lord Jesus Christ”. We receive Jesus as both “Lord” and “Christ” or Savior. Because He died, I will live. Because He paid for my sins on Calvary I stand in a right and a righteous relationship with God my Father. Because the Son gave Himself for me, I in turn am now a “Son of God”.

John 1:12 But as many as received {the Lord Jesus Christ}, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

I “Once” Put On The Lord Jesus Christ To Be Saved.
I “Daily” Put On The Lord Jesus Christ To Be Sanctified.

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

We are saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, by faith in the work He did on Calvary and at the empty tomb. But we are “separated” or “sanctified” by daily taking off the old way of life, and by daily putting on the new way of life. We are to follow or imitate Jesus Christ. We as God’s children are called to be “followers of God, as dear children” (Ephesians 5:1). Jesus said “Follow Me”:

Matthew 4:19 … Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Matthew 8:22 … Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
Matthew 16:24 … take up your Cross, and follow Me.
Matthew 19:21 … sell all you have, and come, follow Me.

Though we as Christians are not saved by keeping the Law, once we are saved we are to be obedient to the moral law of God. Jesus described this as “being light” and “being salt”. Jesus tells His Church:

Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

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

I read something the other day – I forget who said it – which made the statement “God is not as angry at America for its sin as He is angry at His Church”. Beloved, this is so very true. Saved by the Blood of Christ, the Christian is to daily “put on the Lord Jesus Christ”. We are to follow Him as Lord and Savior. We are to take off the old filthy clothing we had on when we were lost, and put on that which Christ leads us to. The Apostle says:

Ephesians 4:1-3, 17, 20-32 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. … 17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, … ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former {way of life} the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

When Christ enters your life by faith, your external life is to change as well. You are “born again”, no longer that old man, but are now a “new man”, created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). You are no longer part of the lost world, dominated by sin and Satan. You are of the Family of God, loved of God, indwelt of God.

The Christian daily “puts on” a new set of clothing. We are now to be clothed in righteousness, clothed as children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We “put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him (Colossians 3:10). Christian, you are to put on Love (Colossians 3:14). We are to put away darkness, and all evil deeds. Jesus Christ is our Lord, and we love others as He has loved us.

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

In the previous context the Apostle said:

Romans 13:8-13 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

The Christian is a changed creature. We want to imitate Christ. When we fail our Lord and drift into sin, we put that sin away, calling upon the Name of the Lord. The Christian way of life is one repentance unto salvation, and a daily repentance unto sanctification. We are followers of God as dear Children. We belong to Jesus, and act like we belong to Jesus. We do not wallow on sin and in selfishness.

We live to the glory of God!

If America is to be revived and claimed for Christ, we must “put on the Lord Jesus Christ”. Christians unite! Join together with Christ and for Christ to the glory of God. And Beloved, if Christ is not your Lord and Savior, today is the day to meet Him. Oh how He loves you! May God touch your hearts with His Word and His Spirit. Amen and Amen!

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God Is Faithful

Posted on May 11, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash

God is faithful.

I like to listen to sermons. I was listening to a well known and well respected preacher the other day preach a sermon that focused on …

Pandora’s Box.

As he preached on this it occurred to me that life is so very finite, and so very precious. Time is fleeting. Pandora’s Box is a myth, a story of false gods and pagan teachings. Pandora’s Box teaches that the source of all evil in the world comes about because a woman opened a box she should not have opened. That is not the source of evil.

Evil comes about because we think that “Man is faithful”.

Man Is Not Faithful. God Is Faithful.

What caused the fall of mankind? Not the myth of Pandora’s Box, but humanity making itself to be God. God told Adam in

Genesis 2:17 … of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Only God has the right to define good and evil. Didn’t Jesus say “there is none good but one, that is, God” (Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:18). God knows what is best. God is faithful. The serpent came to Adam and Eve with a simple falsehood. The serpent said “God is NOT good, but man is good”. The serpent told Adam what he tells us today:

“Taking what God forbade is not going to kill you. God is NOT faithful, nor is He good. He is trying to hold you down, to keep you from becoming a god yourself.” (paraphrase of Genesis 3:4-5)

God is NOT good. God does NOT know best. When humanity bought into this apparent lie, all of creation fell fell under the weight of sin. Human history began with us telling God “We know what is best. YOU are NOT good. You are NOT faithful. We know better.” The Apostle summarized this fall by saying:

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

It was not a mythical box that a woman opened that caused death and destruction, sin and godlessness to reign over mankind. No. It is the concept that man knows best, that man is faithful, and that God is faithless. But God is not faithless. God is faithful. He cannot be otherwise. The Apostle said:

2 Timothy 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

The Bible tells us that humanity is headed toward a horrible time where man, not God, is worshiped. The devil will raise up a servant called merely the “Beast” or the “anti-Christ”. Humanity will worship this human leader, saying:

Revelation 13:4 … worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

All of those who worship the anti-Christ will be the ones who have rejected the faithfulness of God, and have instead believed in the faithfulness of man. “All that dwell on the earth shall worship the anti-Christ. Their names are NOT WRITTEN in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (Revelation 13:8). Those who are unsaved by faith in Christ will worship the anti-Christ. To help facilitate worship of this false god, faithless humanity will be governed …

Revelation 13:16-17 … to receive a mark IN their right hand, or IN their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Some Bible scholars have often suggested that the “mark of the beast” would be a distinctive mark like a tattoo, or more recently a “Radio Frequency Identification” or “RFID chip”. The word translated “mark” is the Greek χάραγμα cháragma, (pronounced khar’-ag-mah), which literally means “a stamp, a thing carved”. Those who follow the “beast” are quite literally branded IN their right hands or IN their foreheads. If this is not literal but figurative language then it can refer to the works and the mentality of the lost world. God is faithful, but mankind is not. Since the beginning of humanity in Eden to our final fall at the end of days, the world that does not know Christ lives in darkness and in evil.

The Bible tells us that there is a battle going on. The Apostle said:

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

From Adam till now, and through now and until anti-Christ come, there will be daily battles between good and evil, right and wrong, the Word of God and the word of man.

But Beloved of God, never forget that our God is faithful.

Deuteronomy 7:9 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 …

Psalms 36:5 Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy FAITHFULNESS reacheth unto the clouds.

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

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is FAITHFUL…

Isaiah 25:1 O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are FAITHFULNESS and truth.

Even as we go through this Coronavirus Pandemic we can declare with the Psalmist:

Psalms 119:75 I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that THOU IN FAITHFULNESS HAST AFFLICTED ME.

An Excellent Spirit Was in Daniel

Daniel was in Babylonian Captivity, the righteous with the unrighteous, yet he never doubted the faithfulness of God. We read:

Daniel 6:1-3 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; 2 And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. 3 Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

What gave Daniel the blessing of God? We are told it is because “an excellent Spirit was IN him”. I CAPITALIZED the word “Spirit” because I believe it is a reference not to the nature or soul of Daniel, but it is a reference to God the Holy Spirit inhabiting His saved Saints. A few weeks ago we studied the dream that King Nebuchadnezzar, and how Daniel was given the interpretation of that dream. In chapter 4 King Nebuchadnezzar said:

Daniel 4:8-9 … at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my God, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying, 9 O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.

King Nebuchadnezzar is speaking in Aramaic, and says that “in Daniel is רוּחַ rûwach, (pronounced roo’-akh) קַדִּישׁ qaddîysh, (pronounced kad-deesh’), אֱלָהּ ʼĕlâhh, (pronounced el-aw’). In Daniel is the Spirit of God. Though Nebuchadnezzar was not a saved man, he nonetheless noticed that Daniel was not working by himself. God is faithful. God does not leave His people. That great old warrior Joshua told Israel before he retired:

Joshua 1:9 … Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

God is faithful. God saves His people when they receive Him as He is. God has promised,

Hebrews 13:5-6 … I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

God saved us by the wondrous sacrifice of His Son on Calvary. Jesus Christ gave His life for us. The Bible promises that if we confess with our mouths Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God has raised Him from the grave, we shall be saved (Romans 10:9-10). Our God is faithful. Our God keeps His Words. He stays with His people. Did not God tell Jacob, for Abraham’s sake:

Genesis 28:15 … I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

Daniel entered Babylonian captivity as a slave, but his heart was on God our Savior. In Daniel chapter 1 Daniel trusted God for his sustenance. God provided. In Daniel chapter 2 Daniel trusted God for an interpretation of a dream. God is faithful. In Daniel chapter 3 Daniel’s friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo trusted God for preservation. God did not leave them. In Daniel chapter 4 Daniel had to give King Nebuchadnezzar some bad news. God came through, preserving and prospering His child by faith. In Daniel chapter 5 another King named Belshazzar defiled the things of God, and saw the handwriting on the wall. Daniel explained to King Belshazzar that his reign was at an end.

Daniel and his three friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo outlasted every enemy that came his way. Why? Because they kept their eyes on God. Because they heeded the Holy Spirit Who indwelt them.

Daniel 6:3 … Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent Spirit was in him; and the king {Darius} thought to set him over the whole realm.

An “excellent Spirit” was in Daniel. Not a “common” or “ordinary” Spirit, but an “EXCELLENT Spirit”. When pagan kings looked at Daniel they did not see Daniel, but this “excellent Spirit”. Nebuchadnezzar saw in Daniel (4:18) “the Spirit of the Holy God” (Daniel 4:18). Belshazzar’s wife testified of Daniel, the “man in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God” (Daniel 5:11-12). If you are a child of God by faith in Christ this same God the Holy Spirit lives inside of Y-O-U! The Apostle Paul said:

Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

The Holy Spirit of God inhabits the people of God. “The law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made you free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). What has God promised?

Galatians 4:6 … And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

God is with you, Christian. God is in you, Daniel. The Spirit of the anti-Christ is not in you, nor is the spirit of this age.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 19-20 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. … 19 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.

Daniel is bought with a price. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Daniel believed on the Coming Messiah, we believe in the Messiah Who has already come. Both we, and Daniel are saved by faith. We who are God’s are indwelt of God’s Excellent Spirit.

Though All The World Hate You, God Is Faithful

King Darius would put Daniel in charge of all the Kingdom of Medo-Persia. Would you be blessed? Would you have sustenance while others do not? Would you be at peace? Would you be cared for? Then you must remember what Jesus told us:

Matthew 6:33 … But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Put God first, and He will meet your needs. Compromise with the godless and find God far away. Seek His Kingdom. Love God first. Love God! God is closer to you that any kin. Did not Jesus say:

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

To follow the Lord comes at a cost. You will be misunderstood – yes, even hated by those closest to you when you put the Lord first. But you MUST put God first, for God put YOU first. When you put God first then you will exhibit the Excellent Spirit of God in you. God will shined through you. But the lost, the dark world, the gods and goddesses of this false life will hate you.

Daniel 6:4-5 … Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. 5 Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

The darkness looks to the Christian to see if there is hypocrisy, self righteousness, or any shade of gray in us. Jesus said:

John 16:33 In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

God is faithful. Be faithful, Daniel. Daniel was faithful, even though it was not in vogue to do so. The world will hate you, Christian. Expect it. Expect it. Jesus said:

John 15:18 … If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

Marvel not, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you (1 John 3:13). If it hated Jesus it will hate you. The world hates Daniel. It looks for fault in Daniel. “Ah”, says the world, “we can find fault in Daniel through his faith”. But Daniel was faithful. So the world set a trap.

Daniel 6:6-9 Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever. 7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counselors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. 9 Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.

For thirty days King Darius was to be honored as a god in the land of Medo-Persia. No one is to be prayed to but Darius. What arrogance this is! Yet is this not so much like our world today? In America today we give the state the power of god. We slowly give ground, normalizing sin and things that God has said is an abomination, in order to placate the darkness. How could Daniel handle this? Look at our text:

Daniel 6:10-11 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. 11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.

Daniel knew that the majority got this bill signed into Law.

Daniel knew that the Law would have to run its course 3o days.

Daniel knew that his relationship with God was mocked by others.

Daniel knew that he could lose his life if he kept following God.

Daniel kept his eyes on God. Some of you are so frightened of the Coronavirus that you are willing for the government to take on the power of a god. You are willing to let Uncle Sam become greater than Jesus Christ. If your faith is on anything or anyone outside of God, then you are playing a foolish game. I am not God. You are not God. The government is not God. Neither the Governor nor our President is God. Only God is God. And God is faithful!

Daniel kept serving the Lord just as he did before the decree was passed. He did not hide his faith, but opened the window and let others see him praying. The darkness saw this, and went to King Darius.

Daniel 6:13 … That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.

These men did not stumble upon Daniel praying. They were watching him – and now they had him! The Bible says:

Daniel 6:14 Then the king (Darius), when he heard these words, was SORE DISPLEASED WITH HIMSELF, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him.

King Darius realized that he had allowed his pride to set a trap for one of his most faithful advisers. Darius tried his best to avoid punishing Daniel, but to no avail. As King, Darius was obligated to maintain the laws of his Kingdom. So Daniel was trapped.

But God Is Faithful!

Daniel 6:16 … the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.

King Darius was not a believer in Daniel’s God (for he said “THY God will deliver thee”, not “OUR God will deliver thee”. Nonetheless Darius had seen Daniel’s devotion to our God. Throughout this entire ordeal up to this moment Daniel did not speak a word.

Daniel did not plead for leniency.
Daniel did not excuse his behavior.
Daniel did not rebuke the darkness.
Daniel just kept his eyes on the light of God.

Daniel 6:18-20 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. 20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?

For the first time Daniel speaks.

Daniel 6:22-23 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. 23 Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.

The world watches the Children of God. What testimony does it see in us? Does it see hypocrisy, or love for God? Do we appear to be as fearful as the lost, or are our eyes on God. Daniel’s eyes were on God. The chapter ends with these wonderful words:

Daniel 6:25-28 Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. 26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and steadfast {faithful} for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. 27 He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. 28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Our God is faithful. Our God is in control. Let us follow Him boldly, knowing that He is true to His people. May God touch your hearts and minds with His Word and His Spirit. Amen and Amen!

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