The Burning Bush

Posted on November 10, 2020 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash

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

Moses Is A Key Influencer In The Scripture

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

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

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

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

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

Grace Is Undeserved, And Moses Is A Product Of Grace

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eighty Year Old Moses Is Before The Burning Bush

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To Be Saved, Go To Jesus With Empty Hands

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The Servant Of The Lord

Posted on November 5, 2020 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash

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

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

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

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

Money
Sex
Power
Fame

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s break down this statement.

The Christian Is A Separated Person

separated unto the gospel of God

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Heed God’s Word God’s Way (Part 2)

Posted on November 2, 2020 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Fachy Marín on Unsplash

Turn with me in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles 19.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s continue where we were last week.

Jehoshaphat Returned Home To God

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jehoshaphat warned the judges to avoid the taking of bribes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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What Do You Want Jesus To Do?

Posted on November 2, 2020 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash

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

Jesus Is Headed Toward Jerusalem One Last Time

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It is Jesus of Whom Heaven sings:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who Shall Be The Greatest In Heaven?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jesus asks James and John,

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

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

Matthew 20:22 … We are ABLE …

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

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

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

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

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

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

I Want To Be Blessed Of Jesus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Mem – The Washing Of The Word

Posted on October 30, 2020 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 119. As you’re turning, let me talk about this wonderful chapter in God’s Hymnbook.

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. The Psalm is divided into 22 section, each section using one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section is comprised of eight verses, and each verse in that section begins with the Hebrew letter that heads that section. Tonight we’ll be looking at the 13th letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, Mem מ, also spelled Meem, Meme, or Mim. We will go with Mem since this is in our King James text. The Jewish learning site Chabad.org gives us some interesting things about the Hebrew Mem:

“The word mem stands for mayim, which means water. Water constitutes a vital element in our lives: a human being is largely composed of water and the majority of the earth is covered with it.”

Water is essential for humans, in fact, for all life on the earth. We drink it, bathe in it, swim in it, and are born in it. Water is frozen to cool our drinks, and boiled to make our tea and coffee. Water cleanses, shapes, and molds. All humans are born in water, inside our mother’s womb. When a person is saved by faith in Christ, that believer is baptized or immersed in water as a testimony of their transformation. The first miracle ever recorded that our Jesus did was to change six pots of water into wine. Jesus promised to give “living water” (John 4:10) to those who believe on Him. He said:

John 4:14 whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

When Jesus prophesied of the coming of the Holy Spirit, He illustrated the Spirit as water:

John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. {but this spake He of the Spirit …

When Jesus wanted to illustrate the Christian way of life, He poured water into a basin, and washed His disciples feet (John 13:5). After Jesus died on the Cross, His death was confirmed when His executioner,

John 19:34 … one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

Water is so valuable. Is it little wonder that God uses it to illustrate His Holy Word, the Scripture. You should be at Mem now, or

Psalm 119:97-104 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. 98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. 99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. 100 I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. 101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. 102 I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me. 103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

When the Psalmist speaks of God’s Law, he is referring to the Scripture, the Holy Bible. God’s Word is God’s Law. What God has said is right is right. What God has said is wrong, is wrong. God’s Word was given to man to guide us in the path of life.

God’s Word establishes what is truth. Jesus prayed for the Church,

John 17:17 Sanctify {your Church} through thy truth: thy word is truth.

There is a battle going on, right now, for the soul of America. This battle is over what is and is not truth. God’s Word is truth. What God has said is true, is true. Yet not all believe this. Progressivism has crept into the Church, and has twisted the Word of God until it resembles the Word of Man or the Word of satan. This is what the devil did in the Garden of Eden. God told Adam,

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.

The instruction was very clear. What God said was black and white law. There is not confusion in it. When you eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will SURELY die. Not maybe, not sometimes, not possibly, but SURELY. But the devil, that Old Serpent (Revelation 12:9), slithered into the Garden and contradicted God. “Has God really said you can’t eat of every tree in this Garden” (Genesis 3:1)? Oh no!

Genesis 3:4-5 …. Ye shall not surely die: 5 for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Oh no! God is trying to deprive you of joy. He is restricting you from what will make you happy. Go ahead and eat. What’s the harm? Enjoy what is before you – you have the right.

The first question found in the Bible questions the Word of God. It is this Word that created all things. It is this Word that placed humanity in a perfect place. There were no questions in creation. God spoke in love, and blessing came forth.

When we begin to question God’s Word, we lose the blessings that God would have us enjoy. The Word of God sets that which is normal, based on the Creator Who made us. The Law of God does not deprive us. It blesses us. It gives us peace and prosperity.

Psalm 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

What does your mind dwell on? The devil is constantly trying to hijack our minds. In America, he has doubled down on human sexuality, bringing confusion all across our nation. I was watching a show that I like called NCIS. My wife and I have bought the DVDs, and enjoy most of the shows. They are pretty clean, with little cursing and nudity. But the devil has got into it as well. The show we watched last night had a young Marine murdered. As the NCIS team questioned people to try and find out who did the murder, they question a young, weeping black man. The lead investigator, Gibbs, asked the young man, “Who was this Marine to you?” The young man, pitifully crying, said with tears in his voice,

“He was my husband”

Webster’s 1913 Dictionary defined the word “husband”:

n. 1. The male head of a household; one who orders the economy of a

family.

4. A married man; a man who has a wife; – the correlative to wife.

The husband and wife are one person in law. – Blackstone.

5. The male of a pair of animals.

The word “husband” has been redefined in American society by using the word in contexts such as I described above. Humans are creatures with feelings, and feelings drive our actions. The LGBTQ+ movement has redefined human sexuality to where your gender is fluid. In other words, you choose your sexual orientation, or no orientation at all. A site maintained by K W Counselling Services, defines LGBTQ+ as “all of the communities included in the “LGBTTTQQIAA”. Are you confused? I am. The ways that people define themselves sexually today are – and here are just a few ways: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual, 2/ Two Spirit, Intersex, Asexual, Pansexual, Agender, Bigender, and Pangender. As people have drifted away from the Scripture, the Holy Bible, as a society we have drifted into sexual confusion. There are those who are quick to point out that Jesus never spoke on human sexuality. Yet this is not true. Jesus was asked about Biblical marriage one day. Here is His response:

Matthew 19:4-6 … Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Any normative reading of the text makes it clear that Jesus considered marriage to be male and female. Saying “have you not READ”, Jesus was using, as His authority, the written Word of God in the Book of Genesis. I not means want to vilify or judge anyone. What you do privately is no business of mine. But neither I nor you are free to twist the Law of God, His written Word, in order to make our feelings better. The Psalmist tells us that the Word of God is to be focused on, and taken into our lives as truths.

The word of the world confuses. The Word of God establishes order and stability.

Psalm 119:98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.

We are called, as God’s people, to follow the Lord Who saved us. What has He commanded?

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

God’s children by faith in Christ are to heed His Word. Jesus told us that we must not just HEAR His Word, but we must also DO His Word.

Matthew 7:24-27 …. whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

To hear God’s Word and not do it, it makes no change in your life nor in your situation. I have had people come to me for counseling. I open up the Word of God, and show them what the Scripture says they must DO. Those who DO as God said, those live blessed lives. Those who DO NOT DO as God says, their lives are confused, and peace never finds them.

Psalm 119:99-102 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. 100 I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. 101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. 102 I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.

The Psalmist describes the Word of God in four ways:

  1. Thy TESTIMONIES, the Hebrew עֵדוּתʻêdûwth, {pronounced ay-dooth}. This refers to something that God has witnesses and bears out as truth. I was not there to see creation being formed, and neither have you. But God testifies as to what happened, for He was the first cause as well as the witness of it. The Psalmist meditates on what God witnesses to us. When death looms near, meditate on what God has told you of Heaven. Do not let fear grasp you, but read of Heaven in God’s Word. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”.
  2. Thy PRECEPTS. The Hebrew פִּקּוּדpiqqûwd, {pronounced pik-kood’}, this word means “a mandate or directive, a command”. What God has said is right, this we are to do, regardless as to how we feel.
  3. Thy WORD. The Hebrew דָּבָר dâbâr, {pronounced daw-baw’}, it refers to what God has said to us, through the Apostles and Prophets, to us as His children. We are to walk in the way that He says, otherwise we will stumble in the darkness as the world does. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”.
  4. Thy JUDGMENTS. The Hebrew מִשְׁפָּט mishpâṭ, {pronounced mish-pawt’}, this word means “the verdict or decrees that God has made, determining right from wrong, good from evil, truth from untruth”.

The believer in Christ is to walk daily with God, heeding that which God has affirmed. This is the only way to peace in this life.

Psalm 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

The word translated “sweet” in our text is the Niphal Perfect of the Hebrew MALATS (מלץ pronounced maw-lats’), which means not only “sweet”, but also “agreeable, pleasant, and smooth”. This Hebrew word is only found one time in all of Holy Scripture, here in this wonderful Psalm. The Word of God is uniquely sweet. It is unlike anything else in all of God’s creation.

When we speak of the Heroes of our faith, the great Believers, they all had one thing in common: To them, the Word of God was SWEET.

You cannot tell if something is sweet or bitter just by looking at it. You must experience sweetness. It must come in through your senses. Taste goes beyond a mere head knowledge. The taste of sweetness is an internal experience. The great Commentator, Matthew Henry, wrote:

“a good man carries his Bible with him, if not in his hands, yet in his head and in his heart. By meditation on God’s testimonies we understand more than our teachers, when we understand our own hearts. …. The soul has its tastes as well as the body.”

God wants us to taste His Word. To turn from tasting man’s word, satan’s word, the world’s word – and to turn to God’s Word. We are commanded by the Apostle to…

Romans 12:1-2 … present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind …

You can let the devil and the world shape your mind, or you can let God shape your mind. When you take in the Word of God, and taste it spiritually, you will find it to be sweeter than honey! Taste is intimate – something you must do for yourself. I can put something in my mouth and tell you how sweet it is, but you will never know – intimately know – how sweet it is until you taste it yourself.

Because of Adam’s sin, people are born into this world physically alive, but spiritually dead. The Scripture says that we were all…

Colossians 2:13 … dead in your sins …

If the Word of God is not sweet in your mouth, then it may be that you are yet dead in your sins and in desperate need of Christ! What good is honey in a dead man’s mouth? Put honey in a dead man’s mouth and ask him how it tastes! He cannot taste its sweetness, for he is separate from the land of the living. Make the dead man alive, and then let him taste that which is sweeter than honey! We were all spiritually dead before we came to Jesus. The Bible was a dead book, and bitter like vinegar. But after Christ came into my life … oh, how much sweeter God’s Word is!

I remember watching an old movie called Spencer’s Mountain (1963), which was what the series “The Walton’s” was based on. At one point in the movie the Dean of a local College asked Clay Spencer what he had against pastors and the Church. Spencer replied “Because everything I’m for, they’re against. They’re against smoking and drinking and kissing and cussing, and I’m for all those things”. The actor perfectly illustrates the spiritual death that all non-Christians are under. Jesus said it another way:

John 3:19-21 … this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

This world needs Jesus. America needs Jesus. We need to continue to proclaim the Gospel of salvation to whosoever will, so that others may be saved and come to treasure God’s Word. Judgment is coming! God has declared:

Ezekiel 18:4 … the soul that sinneth, it shall die …

If the Word of God is not sweet to you, dear friend, then you need to meet the Jesus of the Bible. When you are saved by faith in Him, your eyes will be opened, and your spiritual taste buds will be brought to life. Jesus Christ tasted death for us, so we can taste the joys of Heaven and of God’s Word. The Bible tells us:

Hebrews 2:9-11 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

If you are a Christian, you love the Word of God. To you it is sweeter than honey to your taste, and getting sweeter every day. The Christian finds no food sweeter than God’s Word. Man’s Word is convoluted, poisoned, and confusing. God’s Word is sweet. God’s Word is sweet, for it washes away sin. To hear the world speak, sin is only a spot or a dalliance instead of a mortal disease. God’s sweet Word tells me otherwise.

Psalm 119:104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

It is time for Christians everywhere to return to God’s Word, and to live for Him. America is in a terrible place spiritually. Let us live for Jesus, reading His Word daily. Let us meditate upon the Scripture. Let us turn off the television, and turn to the Book of Books.

Let us get back to the Bible. May God touch your hearts with His Word and His Spirit! Amen and Amen!

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What’s In It For Me? Red Letters #49

Posted on October 25, 2020 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Henley Design Studio on Unsplash

Matthew 19:27-30 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Let’s take a moment and pay attention to Peter’s words:

Matthew 19:27 ….. Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

To put Peter’s words into modern lingo, he asked, “What’s in it for ME?”. Jesus, we have given up everything to follow You. Now, what are YOU going to do for US?

It is so easy for this mentality to creep into our lives. As a pastor of a small Church I have often had people call or visit, considering whether they wanted to be members here or not. They walk around the facilities, looking at our child care areas. “What’s in it for me?” They come in this building, and look over the song books and pews. “What’s in it for me?” Many times Churches become like businesses, catering to this type of mentality. I hear people say, “We need to build, so we can attract the younger crowd”. There’s a lot of truth in this, but nonetheless, is this pleasing to God? I think we need to build, to grow, to expand our outreach. But we need to tread very lightly lest we begin to cater to the “what’s in it for me” crowd.

We are called “CHRISTians” because CHRIST is supposed to be the center of all we do. I am not to be the center. You are not to be the center. Jesus is to be the center. I have heard people say, “If we do foot washing at this Church, the other Churches will mock us, and the young people won’t want to come”. I have heard people say, “I don’t want to be baptized because I’LL look foolish. Baptism is for children.” And yet, was not our Lord Jesus baptized before He began His earthly ministry? When Jesus presented Himself to John the Baptist, John said, and I paraphrase Matthew 3:13-17:

“Jesus came to be baptized by John. John refused at first, saying, Jesus YOU need to baptize ME, not I, You. Jesus said, You must baptize Me NOW, for this fulfills all righteousness. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit of God descended on Him like a dove. The Heavenly Father spoke. THIS is My Beloved Son, In WHOM I am WELL pleased.”

Had Jesus put Himself FIRST, the Spirit would have never descended, and the Father would never have spoken. Jesus never asked “What’s in it for Me?” Jesus just came and did as the Father asked. Jesus taught His people, His Christians, to do as God asked. To put ourselves LAST, not first.

Yet pride lurks in the hearts of every person. We must constantly be on the lookout for the “What’s in it for me?” mentality. In our chapter today we read:

Matthew 19:2 … great multitudes followed Jesus; and He healed them there

God does love us. God sent His Son for us. But Beloved, God can only save us when we make HIM the center of our lives. Life is not about ME, but about JESUS. It is about what GOD has said in His Word. People have always tried to add things and thoughts to the Gospel that God never put there.

When Christianity becomes ME focused, it is not CHRISTianity, but MYSELFianity. A Biblical, saving faith trusts not in me or my wants, but in God and His wants. It is the Kingdom of GOD that I am a part of, not the Kingdom of ME.

Pastor John Stott once said, “Christ is the center of Christianity; all else is circumference.” It is so very true that God loves us, and gave His Son for us. As the Apostle said:

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

God wants us to live victorious, confident, and comfortable lives in Him. But the key is the words “in Him”. God gave us salvation through Christ so that we would be freed from the narcissism of sin. We are no longer possessions of the devil. We are no longer chained to hell by our passions. We belong to God. He loves us, and we love Him.

Narcissism is incompatible with the Christian faith. What did Jesus say the two greatest commandments are? Listen to this conversation:

Matthew 22:36-40 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

What is the greatest commandment? Love God with your ALL. God is to have ALL of you. All of your emotions. All of your desires. All. What is the second greatest commandment? Love your neighbor as you love yourself. These two principles are very far from narcissism.

To Get To Heaven, I Need To Be Like A Child

Matthew 19:13-15 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, {Allow the} little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.

Who will be in Heaven one day? Will it be the know it alls, or the elite, or the sharp ones? No. It will be those who come to Jesus. It will be those willing to be where Jesus is.

Parents began to bring little children to Jesus, and the disciples tried to prevent this. I don’t believe the children were disrupting services. I don’t believe there was one child in that bunch who “ran the family”. I believe these children were loved, and disciplined by their parents. If you don’t discipline your child, you teach your child narcissism. If your child is the CENTER of your family, you are failing as a parent. The child needs to be taught that the world does NOT revolve around them. Otherwise they grow up to be Antifa anarchists, or BLM radicals destroying private property!

These children were brought to Jesus, and Jesus blessed them. But note what Jesus said:

vs 14 of such is the kingdom of heaven

Heaven will be populated by those who could be LED TO JESUS. Heaven will be filled by those who made CHRIST the center of their lives. Right after this, a man comes to Jesus:

Matthew 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

Now this looks like a straight forward question. But the King James text does not give the inflection that the original language does. The parallel text of Luke 18:18 tells us that this man is a ruler. He is a person of power. He thinks much of himself. He says, “what GOOD THING shall I DO that I may have eternal life?”. This man believes himself to be self righteous, self sufficient. Jesus tells the man:

Matthew 19:17 … Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God

You can get several great truths out of this when you read it. First of all, the man addressed Jesus not as “Christ”, but “Good MASTER”, ἀγαθός agathos διδάσκαλος didaskalos, literally “Good Teacher”. To this man Jesus was JUST a Teacher. Jesus tells him rather succinctly,

“If I’m just a TEACHER to you, then I’m not GOOD.
Only God is GOOD.”

Jesus is THE Christ, the Messiah, God become flesh. What did John say?

1 John 4:1-3 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist

The spirit of antichrist is on this young man. John went on to say:

1 John 4:14-16 the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And 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.

Jesus Christ is God in the flesh (John 1:14)
Jesus Christ is our greatest Treasure (Matthew 13:44)
Jesus Christ is the only way to God (John 14:6)
Jesus Christ has all authority in Heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18-20)
God made all things through Christ (John 1:3)
Jesus Christ holds all things together (Colossians 1:17)

Jesus is the Manifest Member of the Godhead, come to save us from our sins. He is not just “Good Teacher”. If He is just man,m then He is not good.
No one is good, but God!

This man asks “What GOOD thing can I do, that I may have eternal life?” Beloved, if there are none good, but God, then the answer is there is nothing GOOD you can do. You need God. You need Christ. But you are hopelessly and helplessly lost. But Jesus was speaking to a man that I have often encountered in ministry. You know the type. The person who will not listen to you. The person who has made up their mind, and knows that they are right, no matter what is said. The stubborn, prideful person. That’s who this man was. I heard this at the Pastor’s Retreat earlier this month:

You might be a Pastor if you had a dream that while you were speaking, no one was listening. And then you realized it wasn’t a dream.

I’ve been there. Jesus has been there. We’ve all been there. So Jesus continues on. This man is puffed up with pride, and not going to listen. Jesus continues:

Matthew 19:17-19 …. if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Jesus quotes the Law of God, the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth commandments. The man is quick to respond.

Matthew 19:20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

Oh, how he puffed up with pride. He was like the Pharisee in the parable Jesus told us:

Luke 18:10-14 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

This young man was on his way to hell. Hell will not be filled with rapists, child molesters, murders, and liars. The bulk of hell will not be populated with Stalins, Hitlers, or Klansmen. Yes, many will be there of that sort, but I believe the bulk of hell will be “good people”, people who felt they didn’t need Jesus Christ to get to Heaven. Hell will be filled with people who refused to bend the knee to the Lord.

This man was proud of himself. “What do I lack, Jesus? I am so GOOD!” Then Jesus hits him with a bombshell:

Matthew 19:21-22 If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

The young man defined himself as the center of the universe. His stuff was all gathered around him, like the vessels of the Temple were gathered around the altar of God. Jesus said:

Sell all that stuff that defines you.
Stop letting YOU be the center of the universe.
Give what you have to those in need.
Come, and follow Me!

The young man went away sad, for he had GREAT POSSESSIONS. He was the center of His universe. Jesus said:

Matthew 19:23-26 Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

You do not have to have a bunch of money in the bank to be “rich”. You are “rich” when you gather to yourself stuff, without regard to others. You are “rich” when you have all you need, and yet want more. I have talked to men with a million dollars in the bank, and asked, “Is there anything I can get you?” They reply, “Another million would be nice”. Greed. Narcissism. Self centeredness.

Back to Peter’s question, “What’s in it for me?” Jesus said:

Matthew 19:28-30 … Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

What you give up for Jesus, you will see in return in glory. But if you focus on being first in this life, you will lose everything. Only God is good. You need the blessing of God in order to get into Heaven.

Right after Jesus says, the first shall be last; and the last shall be first, He explains what this means in a parable. Look in the next chapter. You see, chapter divisions are not in the original text of Scripture. They were added by translators to aid in finding the Word of Life. So look at chapter 20. We read:

Matthew 20:1 … FOR the kingdom of heaven is like …

Do you see the word FOR. It links what Jesus said in chapter 19 to what He now says. Do you want to go to Heaven? Then here is what Heaven is like. Here is what you’ll see in Heaven, and it will be radically different from anything you have ever seen. It will not be like this earth, where everyone puts themselves first. Oh no. That’s not Heaven. If that’s how you are, you won’t like Heaven.

If you are ME CENTERED, you will NEVER like HEAVEN!

Matthew 20:1-2 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. 2 And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

The Lord our God is the Householder, the owner of Heaven’s Vineyards. He went out at 6 am to hire laborers – LABORERS. Do you see that word? LABORERS. There are a lot of people who come and “give their lives” to Jesus, and want to live on the welfare roster of the Church.

If you are saved, you are saved by grace to
WORK for God.

What does the Scripture say?

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

You are called of God to be a worker together with Christ (2 Corinthians 6:1). We are to be mature, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17). This man went out at 6 am and hired laborers. He promised them a penny a day.

Matthew 20:3-7 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.

The Lord our God, the Householder in this parable, hires workers at the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 11th hours. When God calls us to salvation, He has called us to salvation at different stages of our lives. Some are called when very young, others at older ages. God even calls to salvation those who are at the 11th hour, very late in life. The Householder paid whatever He felt was right. Now the end of the day comes. We read:

Matthew 20:8-12 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 12 saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

The Householder gave each worker, whether they came into His vineyard later or earlier, the same penny a day. The ones who had been there all day began to complain. But we were with You longer. We worked through the heat of the day. Yet YOU made them EQUAL to us!

Preach! Their complaint is that the Householder isn’t FAIR. Beloved, GOD is not FAIR. Thank GOD our GOD is not fair. It isn’t fair that Jesus had to die for your sins and mine. It isn’t fair that He had to bear my hell so I could inherit His Heaven. No, God isn’t fair. Thank God that He isn’t!

The Householder – our God – responds:

Matthew 20:13-16 … Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

God has the right to do with His Heaven as He will. Those called into Heaven at the 11th hour receive the same glory and joy of Heaven as those who received Christ in the morning. So, do you know Jesus? Have you received His call, and hold to Him as both Lord and Savior? If not, today would be a glorious day to meet Him.

Those whom come to Christ will one day be equally paid for what they give up. What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, but lose his own soul (Mark 8:36)? The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.

Make sure you put Jesus first, or Beloved, you won’t last.

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

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First Cry From A Bloody Pulpit

Posted on October 25, 2020 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Thanti Nguyen on Unsplash

Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

This is Jesus’ first cry from the Cross of Calvary. It is not recorded anywhere in the Scripture but here in the Book of Luke. Jesus has been beaten, flogged with razor tipped whips. He has been forced to the Cross. His dignity has been stripped from Him, along with His clothes. But look at His first cry from this bloody Cross. He doesn’t cry out in pain. Peter said,

Reviled, He reviled not again. Suffering, Jesus did not threaten those who hurt Him. Jesus committed Himself to the Father, for He judges righteously (my paraphrase of 1 Peter 2:23). Listen to His words:

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”

You, like myself, have probably been at time misjudged or betrayed by a friend. We do not like this, and often bear scars in our hearts from the betrayal. Yet Jesus does not rail against the seeming injustice of what He is going through. No, He pleads FOR US. He prays FOR THOSE WHO HURT HIM.

Jesus Christ had to die to bring us to God.

The Way Of The World Is To Be Self Focused

When Jesus preached His first sermon, He preached it to His greatest enemy, Lucifer, also called satan and the devil.

Where did satan come from? He was created of God to be an archangel. The beauty and power that Lucifer had, he had from the Grace of God. If you have talent, if you have beauty, if you have life, you have it of God. You are not better than others. You have been blessed. Lucifer – his name means “Shining One” – was greatly blessed of God. God said of Lucifer through the Prophet:

“You, O Lucifer, are an anointed Angel that oversees Heaven. I put you in your place. I gave you charge over the other angels. I, the Lord Your God, made you perfect … but you found iniquity (my paraphrase of Ezekiel 28:14-15)”

Lucifer was put in a perfect place, but wanted more. He was given the keys to Heaven, but wanted the Throne of God. When Lucifer was cast out of Heaven, his first mission was to bring humanity into his ways. “Eve, neither you nor Adam will die if you eat that which is forbidden. Oh no! God knows that when you eat of this fruit, you will be like Him, Triune, eternal, knowing good and evil” (see Genesis 3:1-5). Eve ate, and Adam ate. What is the result?

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:

But God was not satisfied with this. He could have destroyed all things, but would not. So God sent His Only Son:

John 3:16 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.

The devil taught Adam that the way forward was to do as he did. Seize control. Take the Throne of God. He tried to get Jesus our Lord to do the same thing.

Taken into the wilderness by the Spirit of God, satan tempted our Master (Matthew 4:1-11), just as he tempts us. In each of the three temptations, satan tried to get Jesus to put Jesus first. This is what we do, and what we are tempted to do every day, to put OURSELVES first.

Hungry, the devil tempted Jesus to feed Himself by turning stones into bread. Abandoned, the devil tried to get Jesus to tempt God by testing Him.
Exalted, the devil tempted Jesus to worship another god.

With each temptation Jesus rebuked satan. He refused to put Himself first, to follow Adam’s lead.

Hungry, Jesus preferred the Word of God. “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4).

Abandoned, Jesus would not anger His Father. “ It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” (Matthew 4:7).

Exalted, Jesus would only worship the Lord our God. “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (Matthew 4:10)”.

You May Think You Are Living, But If You Are Not Following God, You Are Following The Devil

Leaving the wilderness, Jesus went out and preached to all …

Matthew 4:17 Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Repent. Stop mimicking satan, and
turn to the God Who created you. Follow Him!

As Jesus preached and healed, multitudes of people followed Him (Matthew 4:25). Jesus went up into a high mountain and preached what we call “The Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5,6, & 7), the longest sermon our Lord ever preached. Multitudes heard Jesus as He preached the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1).

At the beginning of His ministry, multitudes followed Jesus. Why? Because He healed them. Because He fed them. Because they thought that Jesus would overthrow Rome, and return Israel to it’s former power. But a people without God are a people in bondage.

Lucifer lost Heaven when he exalted himself over God.
Adam lost Eden when he exalted himself over God.
Israel lost her autonomy when she exalted herself over God.
America is being robbed of it’s freedom because
we exalt ourselves over God.

When it became clear that Jesus was not going to be a shortcut to restoration of Israel, the multitudes that once FOLLOWED Jesus now CONDEMNS Jesus.

Luke 23:1 … the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cæsar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.

Jesus was not perverting the nation. He was calling the nation back to God. Jesus was innocent of what they charge Him with. There was no sin, no lawlessness in Jesus. When Pilate came to judge Jesus, we read:

Luke 23:13-17 And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14 said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: 15 no, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. 16 I will therefore chastise him, and release him. 17 (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)

Why is Jesus being accused? From the devil’s perspective, Jesus is being accused because He would not support the narcissism that satan loved. Jesus lived to please the Father. Jesus lived to do as the Godhead called Him to do. Neither Pilate the Governor, nor Herod the Roman designated King of Israel found fault with Jesus. “There is nothing worthy of death in Him”. Jesus Christ was without sin. The Bible says,

Romans 6:23 … the wages of sin is death

It is sin and selfishness

that brought death, destruction, disease, and the devil into the world.

It is sin and selfishness

that brought forth thorns and thistles (Genesis 3:18).

It is sin and selfishness

that brought pain into what should be the joy of child birth (Genesis 3:16).

It is sin and selfishness

that caused God to turn His face from us (Isaiah 59:2).

For every misery we have in this blessed world, it can all be traced back to sin and selfishness.

Jesus stands before Pilate. I find no sin in this Man. Herod found no reason the kill this Man. Jesus was innocent. Jesus is, as John the Baptist said,

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

Pilate did not know this. Herod did not know this. “None of the princes of this world knew {this}: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8). Jesus was, to them, no more than a “carpenter’s Son” (Matthew 13:55). Jesus was an innocent Man. Both Herod and Pilate, Gentiles, knew that He was without sin.

Luke 23:18-19 …{the multitude} cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: 19 (who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.)

It was the multitude, following satan, that commanded Jesus’ death. But it was the Godhead – Father, Son, and Spirit – that orchestrated His death.

Jesus, Who was loved of the Father “before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24), was “foreordained before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20) “to put away sin by His self-sacrifice”.

Barabbas the murderer was released, and Jesus, the Innocent Lamb, was sacrificed. We who are sinners are released when we call on Jesus, recognizing Him as the payment for our sins. When we surrender ourselves to Him, He surrenders His death to us.

The first cry from the Cross was Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. But the night before at Gethsemane, our Jesus prayed three times…

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

There was no other way that we could be saved. Jesus had to die for our sins. Three times Jesus asked for another way, and the Father willed His death. I find it interesting – and I do not believe it to be a coincidence – that Pilate asked the people three times to let Jesus go.

Luke 23:22-23 {Pilate} said unto them the THIRD TIME, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. 23 And they {pressured Pilate} with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified.

There was no sin in Jesus. Jesus came to be our payment for sins in the eyes of God Almighty. Had Jesus had sin in Him, His death would have made little difference to the world. Had Jesus Christ been a sinner like the rest of us are, then His Blood would have been absolutely valueless. It would have been like another animal sacrifice. Yet Jesus Christ was absolutely without sin.

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

The Lamb must be without spot or blemish. The Sacrifice cannot have spot or blemish (Numbers 19:2; 28:3, 9, 11). If Jesus were a sinner like us, He could no more pay for our sins than I or you could. It is the:

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

It is not our works that save us, but the works of Christ upon the Cross. We are redeemed from this fallen world to serve a Living God.

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

Jesus Christ is without spot or blemish. He is Perfect, as Perfect as God become Man can be. He is from above, and we are from below (John 8:23). “Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 8:23). Our Jesus was without sin.

Our Jesus Was Crucified In A Hell On Earth
Called Calvarius

Luke 23:32-33 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. 33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

Word Study “Calvary”. What an interesting word. This is the only place where “Calvary” is found in the King James. The word rendered “Calvary” is actually the Greek κρανίον, from which we get our word “cranium” or skull. Jesus was crucified at κρανίον, the place of the Skull.

The Jews called this place Γολγοθᾶ “Golgotha”, which also meant “A place of a skull” (see Matthew 27:33; Mark 15:22; John 19:17). The word “Calvary” entered the King James because the translators referred to William Tyndale’s translation of this passage – and Tyndale used “Calvary” in his rendering of Luke 23:33, borrowing it from the Latin Vulgate.

“Place Of The Skull” Was “Golgotha” To The Jews, But Calvarius To The Gentiles.

Calvarius was a horrible place outside of Jerusalem. It was a place where lepers were banished. A place where Rome executed criminals, and left their bodies to decompose. This was a place where Israel, when she was not ruled by Rome, stoned those who broke the Law of God. It was on the other side of the wall that was around the Holy City. It was outside the camp (Numbers 15:36). It was outside the gate of the city. The Sin Offering was burned with fire “outside the camp” (Exodus 29:14). Calvarius was where justice was meted out for both Jews and Gentiles.

PREACH When man wanted to work his way to God, our Creator had Moses scale Mount Sinai to receive the Law on stone tablets. But when God wanted to save mankind, He sent His Son Jesus from Mount Zion to a place the Romans called Calvarius and the Jews called Golgotha.

Calvarius is a hopeless place. The Stepson of a Carpenter, I am sure Jesus helped Joseph drive nails as a young boy. The Stepson of a Carpenter, the Son of God now has nails driven into His flesh. In His earthly ministry Jesus often healed lepers, lepers who were banished to Calvarius, in obedience to the Law of God.

Leviticus 13:46 All the days wherein the plague (of leprosy) shall be in him, he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; WITHOUT THE CAMP shall his habitation be.

Jesus healed many lepers, restored many to their homes, bringing them in from without the camp back into the city by cleansing them. But now Jesus, this innocent and righteous man, He hangs in Calvarius. Jesus used to use this place to illustrate hell and eternal judgment. Calvarius was a place where bones were littered about, and fires constantly burned to keep the decay from the city. As Jesus once taught His disciples, pointing to this place as a place that illustrates eternal damnation, He told us:

Luke 12:4-5 I say unto you, my friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: fear Him {God}, which after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; Yea, I say unto you, Fear HIM!

Is there a hell? Yes, just as sure as there is a Heaven. Jesus preached of Hell to His disciples. Our God is a just God, a Holy God, and Heaven is a holy and wonderfully righteous place. It will not be religious people who occupy Heaven, but people who are redeemed, righteous in the eyes of God. There is a hell just as there was a Calvarius, a place where justice is finally met. Hell is the spiritual equivalent of Calvarius.

Why is our Jesus, innocent Jesus, on a cross in this “Place of the Skull”, this hell on earth?

Because Jesus Is Making Payment For Our Sins

Luke 23:34-38 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. 35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. 36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, 37 and saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. 38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

People say, “I’m not a sinner”. No? Look at your life. Look at those around the Cross of Calvarius.

Look at the soldiers, kneeling at His feet. They are not there to worship Jesus. No. The Bible says:

Luke 23:34 And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

They part His clothing, and cast dice for it. Jesus is on the hill of Golgotha, the hill of punishment, making payment for their sins. But the soldiers, dotted with Christ’s blood, are unconcerned. A poor man’s clothing is more to them than what Christ is doing. Oh, do not be too quick to judge these men, for many of us are the same. We love things more than God. We love stuff, more than the Creator. What shall it profit a person, if you gain the whole world, but lose your own soul (Mark 8:36)? These soldiers have no eyes for Christ. He is no more to them than the thieves on either side. They just want His clothing. They just want His stuff.

Luke 23:35 And the people stood beholding.

Word Study The word “BEHOLDING” is the Greek theōréō, {pronounced theh-o-reh’-o}. If you think of the word, it is close to the English THEATER. That’s what it means. The people were watching Jesus, being entertained. They were spectators. They were watching Jesus, unconcerned over His suffering, entertained by His suffering and bleeding. Jesus was not dying to be an attraction. The Bible says:

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

He is dying not to entertain, but to save. He is dying so that we can stand in God’s Heaven, and walk in His Presence every day.

Luke 23:35 … And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.

Jesus could not save Himself, if He was going to save us. “It pleased the Eternal God to bruise Him for us; the Father put Jesus to grief. Jesus’ soul was an offering for sin” (my paraphrase of Isaiah 53:10).

Jesus cannot save Himself, because we cannot save ourselves. He dies, so that we might live.

Are you a child of God by faith in Christ?

Our Lord Jesus died a lonely death outside the camp and outside the gate for us. Would you be saved? Then you must go outside the camp and outside the gate to the Cross of Christ. So many lose eternity because they are too PROUD to come to Jesus. “What will my friends think? What will others around me say about me?” Beloved, that is of little concern. We are told in …

Hebrews 13:12-15 Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. 14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. 15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

You will not find salvation from sin and eternal life following the pattern of this world. You will not find the glory of God’s presence in your daily lives unless you go with Jesus outside the gate. Put away your pride. Give yourselves to Him Who loves you this very day. Do not wait, nor hesitate. You, like I, am a sinner. Let us run to Him Who says,

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!

May God draw you into union with Him this very day. Amen and Amen!

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Heed God’s Word And God’s Way

Posted on October 23, 2020 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Many people do not read the Old Testament because it often seems confusing. It can be confusing. However, there are great truths in the Old Testament that relate directly to our modern day lives. One of the stories that relate to us today is the story of King Jehoshaphat, King Ahab, and a prophet named Micaiah, the son of Imla.

King Jehoshaphat

King Jehoshaphat was a good king who ruled over Judah. The Bible says of Jehoshaphat:

2 Chronicles 17:3-4 …. the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; 4 but sought to the Lord God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.

Jehoshaphat “walked” in the ways of his ancestor King David. He did not worship false gods, here literally called “Baal”. Baal was the supreme male god of the Phoenicians and the Canaanites. When Solomon, King David’s son, first dedicated the Temple in 2 Chronicles 7, the Bible tells us:

2 Chronicles 7:12-14 the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. 13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; {my note … could this be the Coronavirus, this “pestilence”?} 14 if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

God told His people – and us who profess to be Christian – to humble ourselves, to pray, to seek HIS face. Not the false gods and goddesses of our land, but the Lord of Scripture. But this is not where God left it. He said that His people are to “turn from their wicked ways”. Beloved, the Bible declares:

Romans 6:23 … the wages of sin is death

Blessing will not come to the land until God’s people do as He says. Jehoshaphat did as God said. Jehoshaphat walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto {Baal}. Jehoshaphat sought to the Lord God of his father, and walked in his commandments. Jehoshaphat honored the God of the Bible, and God blessed his life.

2 Chronicles 17:5-6 Therefore the Lord stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honour in abundance. 6 And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah.

Jesus tells us in …

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

Blessings come when we follow God. Jehoshaphat followed God. His heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord. He did not halfheartedly follow God, but enjoyed following the Lord. Jehoshaphat removed the altars to the false gods and goddesses that were in the land. He also sent out teachers into the land to tell the people about the Lord. We are told:

2 Chronicles 17:9 they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the Lord with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people.

What was the result of this? There was peace in the land. As the people drew near to God through His Word, God drew near to them. The Bible says:

2 Chronicles 17:10 the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.

There was prosperity in the land because the leadership of Judah loved God. Cities were built. Businesses flourished. The military of that land became great (2 Chronicles 17:12-13). But then Jehoshaphat messed up.

King Ahab

2 Chronicles 18:1 Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab.

Jehoshaphat had all that he needed. There was peace in the land. He and his people had riches, and honor in abundance. There was no one going to make war with Judah, because Judah was protected by God. But then Jehoshaphat joined forces with Ahab. Who was Ahab?

Ahab was the King of Israel, the ten northern tribes. When Solomon died, his son Rehoboam over taxed the northern tribes. They revolted against the Throne of David, and made their own nation, a second Israel. As a separate nation they called Jeroboam to be their King. Jeroboam was the great, great, great, great, great grandfather of Ahab. The Bible tells us …

1 Kings 16:30-33 Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. 31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. 32 And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

Ahab would lead Israel far away from God. He worshiped the false god Baal, and commanded this to be the state religion. Elijah told Ahab:

1 Kings 18:18 … I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.

Ahab sent his prophets of Baal to Mount Carmel to challenge Elijah and the God of the Scripture. Elijah called fire down from Heaven, calling upon God in prayer, saying:

1 Kings 18:36-39 … Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.

The 450 prophets of Baal who stood against Elijah were executed that day. Yet Ahab did not repent. He continued in the worship of Baal, continued to reject the God of Scripture.

Jehoshaphat had no reason to join forces with this evil king – but he did. Oh Beloved, God tells His people:

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

God’s children are to be in the world, but not of the world. Jehoshaphat should have known better. I do not know why he did it, but he joined forces – actually making a treaty – with Ahab. Ahab wanted to attack and conquer the Aramean held city of Ramoth-gilead. When Ahab asked Jehoshaphat to go with him to Ramoth-gilead, Jehoshaphat, as a believer, told Ahab:

2 Chronicles 18:4 … Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord to day.

He wanted Ahab to ask a godly prophet what the Lord’s will was before he committed to following Ahab. Ahab called his false prophets, asking them:

2 Chronicles 18:5 … Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.

These false prophets were not in tune with God. They were only saying what they thought Ahab wanted to hear. However,

2 Chronicles 18:6 … Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might enquire of him?

Jehoshaphat was not impressed with the large number of false prophets. He just wanted to hear what God said through JUST ONE prophet of the true God.

The Prophet Micaiah, The Son Of Imlah

2 Chronicles 18:7 … the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

J. Vernon McGee once said:

“Someone has said that a man is not really known by his friends. Rather, he is known by his enemies. Every man ought to make sure that he has the right enemies. The best compliment that could be paid to Micaiah was for Ahab to say, ‘I hate him.'””

That is so true. When you stand for the Lord, you will make enemies. Jesus said to us:

John 15:18-20 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

In our world today there are many false prophets who will tell you what you want to hear. But they will not tell you what God has said. Ahab was mad at Micaiah because he didn’t tell him what he wanted to hear. People are often mad at Bible teachers and preachers because they do not tickle their ears. The Apostle warned Timothy:

2 Timothy 4:2-4 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

To endorse a lie as the truth is not only to mislead people, but you can possible draw people to destruction. Ahab had his select false prophets who only told him what he wanted to hear. But he hated Micaiah, for Micaiah told him what GOD wanted him to hear.

Are You Of The 400? Or Micaiah?

Beloved, when you tell others that God endorses other than male/ Female marriages, you have become one of the 400 Ahab listened to. When you declare that sexual infidelity prior to marriage is perfectly fine, you have become one of the 400 Ahab listened to. When you begin to preach evolution, believing that man evolved from apes, but was never created by God from the dust of the ground, you are one of the 400 that Ahab listened to. When you declare abortion is acceptable to the God Who made us, you have become one of the 400 that Ahab listened to. Ahab didn’t want to hear the Biblical truth. Ahab didn’t want to hear the Word of the Lord. Ahab just wanted to hear what would support his feelings, his desires, his wants.

But then they call for Micaiah. The messenger that Ahab sent to Micaiah said:

2 Chronicles 18:12 … Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one assent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good.

Now the pressure is on Micaiah. There are 400 false prophets talking to both Ahab and Jehoshaphat. Micaiah is the lone prophet of God. What will he do? Well, Micaiahis actually one of the four disciples of Elijah (J. D., Eisenstein, Otzar Midrashim, vol.1 (New York: Noble, 1915), p. 173. Hupat Etivahu, part four, number 47). I believe Micaiah had been there when Elijah stood against the 450 prophets of Baal. Now he is confronted with 400 prophets of Baal, and a very wicked King Ahab. What will he do? Micaiah tells the messenger:

2 Chronicles 18:13 … As the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak..

“As the Lord liveth” is the Hebrew יְהֹוָה Yahweh חַי chay, {pronounced khah’-ee}, which is a play on words. He says “As the Ever Living, Always Living God says, that I will speak”. His attention is not fixed on what others think of him. His attention is not fixed on popular opinion, or majority rule. Micaiah was going to preach what God told him to preach, regardless as to the outcome. The world needs preachers and teachers like this, people who are not afraid of speaking the Word of God. Micaiah comes to where Ahab and Jehoshaphat are, and Ahab asks Micaiah:

2 Chronicles 18:14 … Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?

Micaiah knew what Ahab wanted to hear, so he told Jehoshaphat sarcastically answers him:

2 Chronicles 18:14 … Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand.

When Jehoshaphat pressed Micaiah for the truth, he said:

2 Chronicles 18:16 … I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master; let them return therefore every man to his house in peace.

Ahab said, “Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil?” 2 Chronicles 18:17. Ahab thought that Elijah and Micaiah were his enemies, but they were not. The Bible tells us that we are to be:

Ephesians 4:15 …. speaking the truth in love

The Prophet, Pastor, or Teacher of God is obligated to speak the Word of God. The hearer can then hear and repent, or sulk and hate the messenger. God’s will will be done! Micaiah continues with:

2 Chronicles 18:18-22 … Therefore hear the word of the Lord; I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. 19 And the Lord said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner. 20 Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will entice him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? 21 And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail: go out, and do even so. 22 Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken {destruction} against thee.

This is a very interesting text of Scripture. Because Ahab rejected the Word of God, first from Elijah, then from Micaiah, God gave him over to lying spirits. God will reach out and try to lead people into the way of Christ. But if people continue to resist, then God give them over. He backs up and says, “All right – you wanted it – here it is!”. We see the same thing in:

Romans 1:21-28 when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

God tells us what is the truth. When we refuse to hear it, and reject His Word repeatedly, then God backs away. Ahab was planting and had been planting the seeds of his own destruction. When you reject the way of God, you walk a path to destruction. God is in control. God is always true. What He tells us to do, He tells us from a heart of love and care.

Ahab refused to repent. He told his servants:

2 Chronicles 18:26-27 … Put this fellow {Micaiah} in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace. 27 And Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace, then hath not the Lord spoken by me.

King Ahab does not heed Micaiah, but had him imprisoned. And what of King Jehoshaphat? We read:

2 Chronicles 18:28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.

The believing King Jehoshaphat is unequally yoked with King Ahab – and they both lead their people to battle. God has already determined the destruction of Ahab. Jehoshaphat almost got killed himself because of his foolishness. The Bible says that:

2 Chronicles 18:31-32 … Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God moved them to depart from him. 32 For it came to pass, that, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back again from pursuing him.

Ahab died that day on the battlefield. An archer fired an arrow in the air, and it ended up in the weakest part of Ahab’s armor. It was the grace of God that Jehoshaphat was not killed.

Beloved, follow the Lord. Christians, do not unequally yoke yourselves with unbelievers. Heed the Word of God. Do what He tells you to do. Do not believe that you can keep one foot in the world and one foot in God’s Kingdom. When Jehoshaphat got back to Jerusalem:

2 Chronicles 19:2-3 …. Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. 3 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God.

God hold His followers accountable. The stepbrother of Christ put it this eway:

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

You and I are called to be ambassadors for Christ. We are called to be light in the Lord. We are to both love, and follow our God. We are never to enter into an intimate relationship with the lost. Live your lives, not like Ahab, nor like Ahab’s 400, but like Micaiah.

All glory to God in the highest! Amen and Amen!

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Receive Ye One Another

Posted on October 18, 2020 by bibleteacherorg
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Romans 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

There is nothing more disturbing to me than what the political process has become in America. When we listen to the politicians, we do not hear civility, but mudslinging and rudeness. I despise it. I was raised in a civil household. My parents taught me to respect others. Yet it seems we live in a day of terrible disrespect, and of evil actions to one another.

When God spoke to the Roman Church, He was speaking to a diverse group of people from several different backgrounds. In the society of that day, the Jews despised the Romans, because Rome had overthrown Israel. The Romans despised the Jews as a defeated people. Yet within the Church there was both Romans as well as Jews.

God does not want His Church to be like the lost world. The Church is a city of light. Jesus said of His people:

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

The Scripture says that we are to be …

Colossians 1:12-14 giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

The world is a kingdom of darkness. It’s dark prince, satan, rules this world through fallen creatures and the powers of sin and death. But we who are Christ’s are IN this dark world, but not OF this dark world.

The Church Is IN But Never OF

In our text today we are told:

Romans 15:7 Wherefore RECEIVE ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

Word Study The word translated RECEIVE is the Greek προσλαμβάνω proslambánō, {pronounced pros-lam-ban’-o}, which means “to take to oneself, to welcome, to embrace that which is given”. Some translations use the word “accept”, but I do not think that is a good rendering of this word. In Matthew 16:22 the word proslambánō is used when Jesus told Peter that He was going to be crucified. In that text we read:

Matthew 16:22 Then Peter took {proslambánō} {Jesus}, and began to rebuke {Jesus}, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

To render the word as “accept” makes no sense. Peter was not accepting what Jesus said. Peter was incorrectly rebuking the Lord. But nonetheless Peter EMBRACED Jesus. Peter proslambánō – hugged Jesus to himself. Now Jesus rebuked Peter for his action that day (you can read the context yourself). But Peter did not accept what Jesus was saying … though he nevertheless EMBRACED our Lord. He loved Jesus, and did not want Jesus to die (see also Mark 8:32). Or consider the use of proslambánō in the ministry of the Evangelist Apollo, a contemporary of Paul. The Bible says that …

Acts 18:26 {Apollos the Evangelist} began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took {proslambánō} him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

Apollos was a sincere, God called Evangelist. He was “an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures” (Acts 18:24). But Aquila and Priscilla were disciples of the Apostle Paul (Acts 18:1-4), who had often stayed in their home. As a matter of fact, Paul had often preached in their home, which was where a small Church met (Romans 16:3; 1 Corinthians 16:19}. When Aquila and Priscilla heard Apollos preach, they heard him preach some things wrong (can you believe it? Preachers are sometimes wrong:). Anyway, they EMBRACED or WELCOMED Apollos after his preaching in the Synagogue at Ephesus, but corrected his errors by “expounding unto Apollo the Way of God MORE PERFECTLY”.

Aquila and Priscilla did not agree with Apollos – but they welcomed him, and lovingly corrected him.

When the Apostle tells us to “receive ye one another”, he is telling us to lovingly welcome one another. We are to care for our brothers and sisters in Christ. And yet, we are NOT to allow the errors of the world to flourish in our midst. The Church is a lighthouse in a world of darkness. The Church is NOT to be like the world. The Church is to be like Christ. The Bible is very specific on these points. The world is lost, and exists in darkness, in the grasp of satan and under the influence of sin. But the Church belongs to Jesus. If you are saved by faith in Christ then the Bible commands you:

Romans 12:1-5 I beseech you therefore, BRETHREN, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

The Church is one body in CHRIST. We are bound together by faith and practice to Christ.

Christ was baptized, we are baptized.
Christ believed the Scripture, we believe the Scripture.
Christ reached out to sinners, we reach out to sinners.
Christ pursued holiness, we pursue holiness.
Christ lived to serve the Father, we live to serve the Father.
Christ rebuked sin, we rebuke sin.
Christ loved the unlovely, but hated the sin;
We love the unlovely, but hate sin.
Christ gave Himself to destroy sin, we give ourselves to destroy sin.

I could go on and on. The Church is Jesus’ body, and He is the head. Why did Jesus die?

Galatians 1:4 … our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father

The Church is a body of believers, delivered from this world by the blood of Jesus Christ. We are to be friendly to sinners, but haters of sin. The late Evangelist Billy Graham stated:

“Throughout the Bible, the lines are definitely drawn between the world of unbelievers and the world of the children of God. “Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). Jesus Himself said, “The world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:14-16). Again Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18).

The Bible also teaches that the Christian will face opposition in the world. “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution,” said the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3:12. Just as Christ’s life with all its love, concern and selflessness was a rebuke to the cosmos of His time, so our lives with Christ abiding in us today bring about criticism, opposition and persecution from those who cannot comprehend the mystery of God’s redemptive grace.

The Bible teaches that we are not to be discouraged by this belligerence. We are to consider it evidence that we are identified with Christ. Jesus said, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12).”

It shocks me that there are professing Christians in every denomination, and even in Catholicism, that believes sexual relations before marriage and abortion is fine. The Christian is called of God to stand up and speak out against that which the Bible defines is “sin”.

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
The gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our LORD.

The Church – with its many believers in Christ – is under the direction and guidance of Jesus Christ our Lord. The Church is never to justify sinfulness. We are to point others to Christ, to believe on Jesus, and be received by Jesus Who gave Himself for us all. When a person comes to Christ seeking salvation, they overcome the devil and sin by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony (Revelation 12:11). The Church never concedes to evil, to sin, to darkness. Light must shine. It cannot be light if it does not shine. When we are saved, what are we to do? The Bible says:

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

We love all around us. But we do not accept into the fellowship as a part of the Church any who wallow in sin. Come out from amng them, and be ye separate. Do not touch the unclean thing, and I will receive you. Does this mean the Christian never sins? No, not at all. But

.. when we sin, and are convicted of our sin, or are corrected by a brother or sister in Christ, as Aquila and Priscilla corrected Apollos, then we repent of our sin and confess it in the name of Jesus (1 John 1:8-10).

How do we determine what is, and is not, sin? How did Jesus determine right and wrong? “It is written”. What did Jesus tell the devil when tempted in the wilderness?

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

When Jesus rebuked those in the Temple, chasing out the moneychangers, the defilers of God’s house, what did our Lord say?

Matthew 21:13 … It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

When Jesus submitted to the death of the Cross, what did our Lord say?

Matthew 26:24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him…

The Bible tells us what is right, and what is wrong. We do not heed opinion polls, peer pressure, or popular vote. We do not go by feelings. We go by what our God has said, and recorded in this grand old Book we call the Bible. The phrase “it is written” is peppered all through the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus referred to the Scripture. The Apostles referred to the Scripture. We can do no less.

What do we do if a professing brother or sister is in an act that the Bible says is sinful? The Bible gives us clear direction. In 1 Corinthians 5 a young man was in a sexual relationship with his stepmother. The Church at Corinth justified this activity rather than rebuking it. The Apostle Paul said:

1 Corinthians 5:1-7 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. 2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, 4 in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us…

The Christian is “unleavened” because Jesus Christ died for our sins. We do not welcome sin into our congregation. The sinner is loved, but Christ is shared with them. If a brother or a sister descends into sin, the Church members are not to welcome their sin. The Apostle is even more specific:

1 Corinthians 5:11-13 I have written unto you NOT TO KEEP COMPANY, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

Those who are outside the Church, God judges. But within the flock we are never to condone sin. We are to lovingly correct our brothers and sisters when they step away from the Way of Christ. We are to hate the sin, but love the sinner. If the brother or sister repents, and forgoes the sin, putting it under the blood of Christ, they are welcomed back. But if not they are recognized as those who have fallen. They are released unto satan for the destruction of the flesh. They make their choice.

The Church Is Filled With Imperfects

Romans 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

When the Apostle says “WELCOME one another”, he is not saying to welcome sin. But he is telling us to welcome one another as imperfect creations, the workmanship of Christ (Ephesians 2:10). Dr Joe Pettigrew writes:

“In the early church, Jews and Gentiles despised each other. Each wanted the other to become like them. But Paul took the axe to the root of that tree: “For Christ Himself…reconciled both groups…by means of His death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.” (Ephesians 2:14–16) We certainly will disagree on many things, but the way we treat each other will reflect our love for our fellow man. Jesus is pretty clear about how we are to treat each other.”

A Church is a body of imperfect, but saved people. We are to love one another, just as Christ loved and still loves us. Sin is what God says is sin. But there are other things that are not sin. There are cultural differences. There are differences in tastes.

In the previous chapter the Apostle addresses a problem that occurred in the Church at Rome. He wrote:

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

Word Study The word translated RECEIVE is our old friend προσλαμβάνω proslambánō, {pronounced pros-lam-ban’-o}. Paul is talking of brothers and sisters in Christ. He says those who are WEAK or YOUNG IN THE FAITH – in their walk with Christ – we are to welcome them. But we are not to impose on them “doubtful disputations”. This is the Greek διαλογισμός διάκρισις dialogismos diakrisis. These are very interesting words. They both begin with DIA, meaning “of two types”. You could translate this as “two thinkings and two judgments”. The picture given here is of a person who is arguing with himself about what is right and wrong, a person confused. My Bible says that:

1 Corinthians 14:33 God is not the author of confusion, but of peace…

From the beginning of the Church, believers have often drifted into arguing about things of which the Bible sets no clear standards. Christians have argued about holidays, feasts, circumcision or no circumcision, and in our context, about food.

Rome was the center of pagan religion in the ancient world. The main gods and goddesses in Roman culture were Jupiter, Juno, Minerva, Zeus, Venus, Pluto, Diana, Mars, and Janus. There were more I know, but these were the top tier. Rome made sacrifices to these gods and goddesses, and as center for worship the animals sacrificed were countless! What to do with all this meat? The temples of the false gods and goddesses were not stupid. They sold sacrificed meat to the public at a very good price. And this caused a problem in the Church at Rome.

The Gentiles in the Church at Rome saw nothing wrong with eating these sacrificed meats. Food is food, and cheap is cheap. But then there were Jewish believers in the Church at Rome, and they believed that to eat anything not kosher was a sin. So now you have two factions, all fighting over food. What did the Lord tell us about food?

One day Peter was in prayer. Now Peter is a very Jewish Christian. As he prays, the Bible says:

Acts 10:9-16 …. Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: 10 and he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, 11 and saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: 12 wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. 14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. 15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. 16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

God was going to send Peter to a Gentile Centurion named Cornelius. The Gentiles ate all manner of food.The Jews, however, ate only what God declared “clean” in the Old Testament. With this vision, God clarified what He had previously declared through Jesus Christ our Lord. When Jesus was told by the Pharisees that His disciples were eating unclean food because they were not washing their hands, our Lord said:

Matthew 15:10-11 … Hear, and understand: 11 not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

God removed the ceremonial laws when Christ came to this earth. Consequently, you as believers are free to eat any type of food. God has no provisions on us. The Gentile Christians were used to eating any and all foods, regardless as to whom it was sacrificed to. The Jewish Christians, however, were raised in a culture that taught them to eat only “clean” foods. So what is happening at Rome. Christians are arguing over things that are not sinful. We still do this today.

We argue over the “proper” type of singing in Church.
We argue over the color of the walls.
We argue over pews or chairs.
We argue over versions of the Bible.
We argue over whether women should wear pants or skirts.
We argue over hair length for men and women.
We argue over tattoos and ear rings.
We argue over what days are the Sabbath.
We argue over tobacco and alcohol use.

The Apostle tells the Church that – when we receive someone into our fellowship – we are not to trot out things that are matters of opinion and treat these things as if they are sin. The Word of God and the leading of God the Holy Spirit is the final determining factors. Every Christian belongs to Jesus. The Apostle said:

Romans 14:4-10 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. 5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. 7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. 10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

If a thing is a sin, then there should be very clear Scripture that shows it to be a sin. There are certain things that I personally do not like. Yet this does not make what I don’t like a sin. The Scripture determines sin. The ceremonial portions of the Law are gone. The Law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. But now that Christ has come, the ceremonial laws do not apply

Galatians 3:23-26 … before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

But what of the Jewish believer? The Apostle gave a very clear direction in this. He said:

Romans 14:15-19 if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. 16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of: 17 for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. 19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

There are many things that fall into what I call “gray areas”. On these things, if it brings disharmony in the body of Christ, even though it is lawful for me to do it, I must not. The highest Law that the Christian follows is the Law of love. Jesus commands us:

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.

To the world Jesus says, (Matthew 7:12) “all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” Simply put, if you don’t want it done to you, don’t do it to others. This is the general law for all of civilization. But for the Christian, the Law is much greater. Love one another, as Jesus loves you. Again, our focal text:

Romans 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

Jesus welcomes us into the Family of God. Jesus tolerates our daily failures. Jesus does not come down hard on us every time we mess up – and we all mess up plenty. Jesus never considered Himself first, but put us first. The Bible tells us to put our brothers and sisters in Christ first. To love those who do things that we don’t like. Now again, IF THE SCRIPTURE SAYS IT IS SIN, IT IS SIN. Period. But there are other things that are gray areas. To these areas, we avoid doing it in the presence of our easily offended brothers and sisters. The Apostle put it this way:

Romans 14:21-22 … It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. 22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God.

Consider the life of Christ, and imitate Him. Reject and correct sin. But in areas of preference and feelings, if it hurtss the faith of others, have it to yourself. Do it at home, in privacy, before God. But do not cause your brother or sister in Christ to stumble over something not clearly a sin.

May God touch your hearts with His Word!

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Joseph’s Bones

Posted on October 18, 2020 by bibleteacherorg
Jacob's Bones
Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash

Genesis 50:14-26 And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father. 15 And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. 16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, 17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. 18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. 19 And Joseph said unto them, 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. 21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them. 22 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father’s house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years. 23 And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph’s knees. 24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. 26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

The Book Of Genesis Begins With A Disobedient
Believer, And Closes With An Obedient Believer

I love the Book of Genesis. It shows us the pattern to follow for blessing, and the path to travel to cursing. Genesis begins with blessing, as God creates all things. But it moves to cursing when man rejects God, and chooses his own path.

The Apostle sums up the first part of human history by saying,

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

Throughout Genesis, we see those who dishonor God and follow Him to blessing. But the Book ends with a positive example, A man by the name of Joseph. A man who, though tried, nearly as much as Job was tried, kept his eyes on the Lord Jesus. Beloved,

Trials can make you BITTER, but if you are in Christ,
trials should make you BETTER.

Joseph was the youngest son of Jacob, who would one day become Israel.

Genesis 37:3-5 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors. 4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, THEY HATED HIM, AND COULD NOT SPEAK PEACEABLY UNTO HIM. 5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

Joseph was PREFERRED over his brothers by his daddy, Jacob. When a parent prefers one child over another, this can lead to bullying in the family. Jacob was bullied. They COULD NOT speak peaceably unto Joseph. Not WOULD not, but COULD not. Bad parenting makes good bullying. Being bullied, Joseph looked to God. I have heard it said that…

God lives at the end of Desperation Street.

Being bullied makes you desperate. Joseph hid himself in God, so much so that God began to speak to him in visions. God gave Joseph a dream in which it appeared he would rule over his brothers. In verse 9 we are told Joseph dreamed another dream, and in this dream his entire family was going to bow down to him. God promised Joseph he would be lifted up. Joseph lifted God up, and God would lift Joseph up!

Before there was Scripture, God spoke to His people in dreams.

  • God came to Abraham in a dream, saying “Do not be afraid. I am a shield to you, and your reward will be great” (Genesis 15:1)
  • God came to Israel (Jacob) in a dream, calling “Jacob, Jacob” (Genesis 46:2)
  • Pharaoh would later in our story have a dream (Genesis 41:1-7), a dream that would bless both Jacob and Israel.

There are 21 dreams recorded in the Bible, and 10 of these happen in the Book of Genesis.

Being bullied, Joseph did not turn to drugs or suicide. Joseph refused depression and despair. Joseph looked up. When you seek God, you will find God (Jeremiah 29:13).Joseph sought God.

If We Are With Jesus, Trials Will End In Blessing

God has a plan for your life. Your life should not be mediocre. You should not be a victim. You were not made to be bullied. You were not designed to be the servant of satan. God made you to walk with Him daily.

Illustrate As I left the Post Office the other day, a lady cried out to me, begging for gas money. I pulled out my wallet, and headed toward her. I handed her some cash, and like a volcano she immediately erupted. Her emotions were like 50 wild cats in a 1 pound bag. She professed to be a Christian, but immediately began to rail against God. God had abandoned her. There were no Churches open. Everywhere she looked, she found only condemnation and vitriol. As she said this, she paid little attention to the cash I put in her hand. This woman was thoroughly broken by life. I asked if I could pray for her, and she immediately bowed her head. As I prayed, I asked that God give her comfort … but she was too bitter. Her cup was filled to the brim with bitterness.

Bitterness! What a horrible fruit bitterness brings. Bitterness defiles you.

Hebrews 12:14-15 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any ROOT OF BITTERNESS springing up trouble you, and thereby many be DEFILED …

LOOKING DILIGENTLY. Look not at the trial, but at the Lord Who saved you. When Joseph was afflicted, he looked toward God. Joseph focused on the promise that God made him. He did not focus on the hurt, but on the Healer.

Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness… be put away from you

As humans, we often focus on what we do NOT have, rather than the good we have. Joseph’s brothers did not have the love of their father, so they took it out on Joseph.

Genesis 37:18-20 when {Joseph’s brothers saw him} afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. 19 And they said one to another, Behold, this DREAMER cometh. 20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

If Joseph’s brother Reuben had not objected, Joseph would have been killed right then. Instead of killing Joseph, they cast him into a pit, and then sold him to slave traders headed toward Egypt.

Genesis 37:36 … the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.

Just Like That, Joseph Went From The PAMPERING Of Jacob To The PIT, and from The PIT to POTIPHAR

Through all these life changes, Joseph clung to the PROMISE that God made him. Listen, dearly Beloved:

Are CIRCUMSTANCES your god, or is GOD your God?

Where your head is, is where your emotions will be. Joseph kept on loving the Lord. Joseph rejected bitterness and trusted God. His life radically changed, but his spirit remained the same. God saves, but only in the fullness of HIS time (Galatians 4:4; Ephesians 1:10). Had Joseph let bitterness take him, we would have never read these words.

Genesis 39:2-4 the LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH, and he was a PROSPEROUS man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that THE LORD WAS WITH HIM, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. 4 And JOSEPH FOUND GRACE in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.

I have known many who have gone from a joyous life to cancer, or Alzheimer’s, or a stroke, who allowed bitterness to take them. Whatever prison you may have been cast into, look upward. Trust God! The God Who saved you, He saves you still. Avoid the gall of bitterness.

Illustrate In the early Church, Apostles Peter and John were going about, sharing the Word of God to all who would hear. One man, merely called “Simon”, was converted under the preaching of Philip. We read:

Acts 8:12-13 when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.

Simon was a saved man – at least outwardly. But as Simon followed the Apostles and watched how they operated in the power of God the Holy Spirit, Simon “offered the Apostles money, saying, give me also this power” (Acts 8:18-19). Peter’s reply was very harsh. He said:

Acts 8:20-23 … Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. 21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. 23 For I perceive that THOU ART IN THE GALL OF BITTERNESS, AND IN THE BOND OF INIQUITY.

The “gall of bitterness, and the bond of iniquity” has no place in the Christ follower. Cast it away. Let God be your portion.

Psalm 73:26 God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Joseph was willing to wait on the Lord (Psalm 27:14; 37:34; Proverbs 20:22). God has promised that Joseph would one day be in the palace.

Genesis 39:7-9 it came to pass after these things, that {Potiphar’s} wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. 8 But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 9 there is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

The Devil Watches Us How often are we tempted to circumvent the plan of God? The devil watches us, just as he watched our Lord Jesus Christ, and waits for opportunities to try and tempt us from God’s best. Potiphar’s wife set her mind on taking Joseph as more than a servant. Yet Joseph kept the promise of God ever before him. It was not God’s best for Joseph to fall into sexual sin. Of course, Potiphar’s wife was not happy with this. She lied about Joseph to her husband, telling him that Joseph accosted her. Joseph was imprisoned (Genesis 39:20) on trumped up charges.

There is nothing more hurtful than to be wrongfully accused, and punished for something you never did.

Joseph has gone from Pampering, to Pit, to Potiphar, and now he is in Prison. Can you guess where God is?

Genesis 39:21-23 But THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. 23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.

There is a song Reba McEntire sings, “You Never Gave Up On Me”. I like to sing these words to my God:

You never gave up on me
Oh, You never gave up on me
I’m here where I was always meant to be
I never gave up, ’cause Lord, You never gave up on me

Our God is so good! He never gives up on us. We must look upward to Him!

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

I am told that Joseph spent this last stint in prison for about 13 years. Joseph was in Prison because of a lie, but God was still in control. The prison would be used by God to put Joseph on the Throne. God is in control.

While in prison the King’s Butler and Baker were also imprisoned alongside of Joseph. Joseph got to meet them because God blessed Joseph. the warden made Joseph his number 2 man, an assistant in running the prison.

Genesis 40:5-6 … {the butler and the baker} dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. 6 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad.

A person who has enjoyed the grace of God has a tender heart. Joseph was not focused on the bars that imprisoned him, but on loving those around him. These two men were sad. Concerned, Joseph asks them why they are sad. “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it” (Genesis 40:8). Joseph was not bothered with this. He said:

Genesis 40:8 … Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.

When you have a daily relationship with God, the Lord communes with you. Joseph listened to both men’s dreams. When Joseph interpreted the two men’s dreams, he foretold that the Butler would be restored to his old position (Genesis 40:13), but the Baker would be hanged (Genesis 40:19). The Butler promised that he would speak to the King on Joseph’s behalf, but “the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him”. It was not time for the trial to end. Two more years passed, then Pharaoh had two dreams.

Genesis 41:8 … it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

When none could interpret the dreams, the Butler remembered Joseph. He told Pharaoh about Joseph, and the King sent for him. Pharaoh told Joseph:

Genesis 41:15 … I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.

Please listen to Joseph’s response. He says:

Genesis 41:16 … It is NOT IN ME: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

The saved live to glorify God!

Pharaoh told Joseph about seven fat cows, and how the seven fat cows were eaten up by seven thin cows. He told of one seven eared corn stalk, and how another stalk with seven withered ears came up and ate the seven good ears (Genesis 41:18-24). Joseph told Pharaoh:

Genesis 41:28-36 … What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. 29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: 30 and there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; 31 and the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. 32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. 33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. 35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. 36 And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.

Joseph Goes From Pampering, To Pit, To Potiphar, To Prison. Now He Moves Into The Palace.

The King will promote Joseph to the second highest seat in the land. Joseph would spearhead the collection of grain in preparation for the seven years of drought and starvation. Everything works out exactly as God said.

There is one more temptation left for Joseph to overcome. That which started Joseph’s journey was the hatred of his brothers. Joseph leads Egypt through the seven years of plenty. When the seven years of drought come, Jacob would send his sons to Egypt to seek food from a Joseph he thought was dead.

When Joseph’s brothers stood before him, they did not recognize Joseph. Like the Egyptians, he had an Egyptian name (Zaphnath-paaneah see Genesis 41:45). Joseph was shaved, like the Egyptians shaved themselves (Genesis 41:14), and dressed like the Egyptians around him. Here are his brothers before him, bowing down to him just as God foretold.

Would Joseph go from Palace to Punishing his brothers, making them suffer as he suffered?

Beloved, vengeance belongs to God. The Bible says:

Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather GIVE PLACE UNTO WRATH: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

When his brothers stand before him, Joseph does not avenge himself against them.

Genesis 45:3-5 I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. 4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 5 Now therefore BE NOT GRIEVED, NOR ANGRY WITH YOURSELVES, THAT YE SOLD ME HITHER: FOR GOD DID SEND ME BEFORE YOU TO PRESERVE LIFE.

Joseph refused to be petty, saying, “It was God Who sent me here before you, to preserve life”. Joseph saw the divine chain that brought him to where he needed to be for the glory of God. He was not angry at his brothers.

Genesis 45:8 … it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Joseph reunited with his family. When Jacob died, Joseph and his family went back to Canaan to bury him (Genesis 50:13), then returned to Egypt. Joseph carried no grudge against his brothers. Joseph told his brothers:

Genesis 50:19-21 … 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. 21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

Joseph took care of his family until, at 110 years old, he died. But Joseph told his brothers:

Genesis 50:24-26 … I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. 26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Joseph wanted his brothers to keep his bones in Egypt, but to carry his bones to Canaan when the time was right. Joseph’s bones became a witness to the people of Israel, a witness long after his death. Israel would be afflicted in Egypt for many years following the death of Joseph. Throughout the afflictions, the Israelites remembered Joseph’s bones. When God raised up Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt many hundreds of years later, the Bible says:

Exodus 13:19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straightly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and YE SHALL CARRY UP MY BONES AWAY HENCE WITH YOU.

As Joshua led the children of Israel into the Promised Land, it was Joseph’s bones that went with them. His bones reminded Israel to trust the God Who saved them. Just as Joseph trusted the Lord Jesus even in the worst of times, God wants His people to trust and believe on Him.

After conquering the land, Joshua died and was buried at the age of 110 years old (Joshua 24:29) – the same age that Joseph was when he died. I do not believe this was a coincidence. Both Joseph and Joshua trusted God, no matter what the circumstances. They followed the Lord. Right after Joshua was buried, we read:

Joshua 24:32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.

How about YOUR bones? When you leave this life, what legacy will you leave behind for your posterity? Trust in the Lord. Follow Him with all your heart. Live a life of faith, so that when you leave this earth, your example will lead others to the Lord. If you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, today is the day to give yourselves to Him. Commit to following Him daily, no matter where the streams of life may take you. For whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13)

May God bless you hearts with His Word. Amen and Amen.

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