The Gospel In Three Words

Posted on October 28, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

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Acts 2:36, 38-39 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. … 38 … Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

 

Our message today is part of a larger sermon preached by the Apostle Peter. On the first day of the Church, this first of the Apostles preached the first sermon the Church ever heard foillowing the ascention of Jesus. Three words stand out in this sermon Peter preached, three very important words, the basis of the Gospel of salvation. The first word is ..

Lord

Peter said:

God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified,
both Lord and Christ

The heart of the Gospel is found in the truth that Jesus is Lord. That word “Lord” is very interesting. The word LORD is used 7836 times in our KJV Bible – and it’s first use is for God, the Creator of all. When we speak of “God” we are speaking of the Creator of all. But when we say “Lord” we are recognizing that God created all things and is Ruler above everything. In the creation account we read in …

Genesis 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens …

Creation was made by God. It did not evolve as an accident,
but was made on purpose by
the God Who yet rules it.

God made everything, both seen and unseen.

Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

It is the Word of God that spoke all things into existence. It is the Word of God that created the Angels. The Angels were made beautiful, servants of God. The chief Angel was called Lucifer which means “The Bright and Shining One”. Lucifer rejected God because of his own pride. We are told by the Prophet …

Isaiah 14:12-14 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, … I will be like the most High.

It was the Love of God that made Lucifer. Lucifer rejected the lordship of God. Falling from his place as Chief Angel he led a third of the angels of Heaven in a senseless revolt against God. You see, Lucifer like many of us don’t mind God as long as He is NOT LORD. He is Lord.

And God is love (1 John 4:7). The Lord God created the heavens and the earth, and in the midst of this planet, in the most perfect of places, the Lord placed Adam and his wife Eve. Hear God’s love:

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

The Lord made all perfect, and turned the Lordship of earth over to Adam and Eve. But the Bible tells us that Lucifer crept into Eden.

Ezekiel 28:13 … Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God;

In that wonderful Paradise Lucifer whispered to our foreparents:

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, how we must break the heart of God! He made us, He gave us, and we wanted more. Adam was made in God’s image, and given the earth to rule. Adam listened to Lucifer and, trying to take the place of the Lord, plunged us all into sin. This is the human condition.

Romans 3:9 … they are all under sin

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

Ecclesiastes 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

At one point humanity grew so far from God that the Lord decided to destroy it by flood. Yet even then God was not willing to totally erase all.

Genesis 6:5-8 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

When I think of the Flood my heart hurts, but then I praise the Lord, for …

Psalm 145:8-9 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. 9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Psalm 113:1-8 Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. 2 Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. 3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to be praised. 4 The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. 5 Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, 6 Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! 7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; 8 That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.

Our God is Lord! Think of the blasphemies perpetrated on the Lord our God every day in this nation, and all over the world. And yet He in love humbles Himself to watch over us. Our Creator, our God, our Lord did not reward evil for evil, but tolerated mankind another day, and another day, and another day. Why did He do this? This brings us to our second word:

Christ

Though Adam rejected the Lord our God and obeyed Lucifer, and though he brought sin and death and thorns and thistles into the world, the Lord God from the beginning decided to save us. Lucifer led willing humanity into rebellion against God. In the Garden of Eden God promised a Redeemer.

Genesis 3:14-15 the LORD God said unto the serpent … I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

The LORD God promised that one day the seed of the woman would come forth and crush Lucifer’s power (his head). God would one day send a Christ, someone Who was anointed, chosen of God, to overthrow Lucifer and rescue those enslaved to sin. God told Lucifer that it would be “the SEED of the woman”, an interesting phrase, because women carry the egg of fertilization, not the seed. Man carries the seed. Yet God spoke of “the seed of the woman” coming as Christ, as God’s anointed, to destroy the works of the devil:

1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

God promised in Eden that the “Seed of the woman” would come forth to destroy the works of the devil. Further along in human history the Lord God in love sought out a man called Abram.

Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

God promised Abraham – that out of him would come a great nation (Israel) and a great blessing to all the nations (Christ). The Christ – the Messiah – would be a man from the lineage of Abraham. But how would He be the “Seed of the woman”? The Prophet said:

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

The miraculous Child, the Messiah, would be “Immanuel” or “God with us”. He would be virgin born. Further, the Christ would be born in Bethlehem:

Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Furthermore God decreed that the Christ – when He came among humanity – would not only be from the lineage of Abraham, but He would come from the Jewish Tribe of Judah, from the lineage of King David. The Prophet said:

Jeremiah 23:5-6 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

God had promised a Christ – a Messiah would come. That this Messiah would bless the nations while destroying the works of the devil. This Messiah would be virgin born, born in Bethlehem, and born of the line of King David. This Messiah would be “God with us”, God in the flesh. Who is this wonderful Messiah? This brings us to our third word:

Jesus

The Lordship of God and the promise of the Christ
meets in the name of Jesus!

The name “Jesus” literally means “The Lord our Savior”. Before Jesus entered into this world the Angel Gabriel told Mary:

Luke 1:30-33 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Jesus would be born of a virgin, and would be “God with us”. He would rule an eternal kingdom (of His kingdom there shall be no end). How would Christ enter this world? The Angel told Mary:

Luke 1:35 … The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Christ would be God. He would be God in the flesh. Why was Christ coming? The Angel Gabriel told Joseph:

Matthew 1:20-23 Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Prophet that God promised. As Peter preached in Jeruisalem he clearly stated that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Acts 3:19-26 … Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. 22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. 23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. 24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. 25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. 26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

Peter saw Jesus as the One Whom God through Moses prophesied:

Deuteronomy 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

Jesus is both Lord and Christ. He alone is both Lord and Christ. Many false prophets declare “there are many ways unto God” to which I reply, WHICH GOD? If you are speaking of the God of the Bible then there is but one way to read Him, and that is THROUGH JESUS.

Jesus is God the Son, Co-Creator with the Triune God.

Colossians 1:16-17 For by {Jesus} were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Jesus is the Only One sent to redeem us. There is no other but JESUS!

Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

As Russell Moore wrote:

“In Jesus, all the promises of God find their “yes” and “amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Jesus is the heir of God’s promises to Abraham, and if we are hidden in Him, those promises become fully ours (Galatians 3:29). Those of us who were outsiders to God’s promises are now, in Him, by the Blood of His Cross, “brought near” to God (Ephesians 2:13). We are all now, in Jesus, “no longer strangers and aliens”, but “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). …

We are saved to be a people.”

As we come to the Lord’s Table this Sunday we recognize Jesus as more than just a man.

God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified,
both Lord and Christ.

There is no other Savior but Jesus. If you would be saved, you need to recognize Him as Lord. If you would be saved you need to recognize Jesus as Christ. If you would be saved then do as Peter said:

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

Do your part and God will do His part. Repent, turn to Jesus and Jesus alone. Follow Him as Lord. Revere Him as Christ. When you do, you will be saved! Blessed be the Name of the Lord forever!

May God touch your hearts with His Word!

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Grieve Not The Spirit

Posted on October 28, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

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Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

In our day many people consider the Holy Spirit of God to be a power or a thing.

If you believe this you are not heeding what God’s Word says. The Holy Spirit of God is a Person, a Divine Person, the Third Member of the Triune Godhead. Some people point to the text of …

1 Thessalonians 5:19 Quench not the Spirit.

and say “See, the Spirit can be quenched.

You can quench thirst.
You can quench feelings.
You can quench fire, but not a Person.

The Apostle was warning the Church not to resist the leadership of the Holy Spirit when he used the word σβέννυμι sbénnymi, (pronounced sben’-noo-mee). Many, many people have quenched or resisted the leading of the Spirit. One of my favorite songs in the hymnal was written by John W. Peterson in 1961. He was gripped and inspired by the words of our Lord Jesus when He spoke of the role of the Holy Spirit in John 16:

John 16:7-11 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Inspired by these words Peterson wrote the hymn “Heaven Came Down:

Born of the Spirit with life from above;
Into God’s family divine,
Justified fully thru Calvary’s love,
O what a standing is mine!
And the transaction so quickly was made,
When as a sinner I came,
Took of the offer, of grace He did proffer,
He saved me, O praise His dear name!

What a wonderful song, and a wonderful blessing the Holy Spirit brings to us. The Spirit is NOT a power, though He is powerful.

The Spirit Is Called “He” By Our Lord Jesus

The Spirit of God glorifies Jesus.
The Spirit of God convicts us of sin.
The Spirit of God declares Jesus as the only Cure for sin.
The Spirit of God guides us to Jesus.

The Spirit warns of eternal punishment, and instructs us in living lives pleasing unto God. The Spirit of God takes the willing soul into the Family of God, indwells the believer, and then …

John 16:13 … when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

The Holy Spirit indwells the Christian so that He can ever be with us and guide us in the Family of God. The Apostle warned:

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

The Holy Spirit not only guides our Christian walk, but He guides our prayers. He indeed prays for us with groanings that cannot be heard by us:

Romans 8:26 … the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

The King James uses the wrong pronoun in this text. It should be “the Spirit HIMSELF”. It is the Holy Spirit who binds us into the Body of Christ, the Family of God (1 Corinthians 12:13). One proof that the Spirit of God is a Person is found in our text today:

Ephesians 4:30 And GRIEVE not the Holy Spirit of God

A power cannot be grieved.
My car battery cannot be grieved.
Electricity cannot be grieved.
Only a Person can be grieved!

The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Godhead. It is a dangerous thing to grieve God. When the world turned away from God but for Noah the Bible tells us that God was grieved:

Genesis 6:5-7 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

And when Israel rejected God’s leadership the Lord said:

Hebrews 3:10-12 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

God destroyed all but eight souls because He was “grieved” with that world. God destroyed an entire generation of Israel but for Joshua and Caleb because He was “grieved” with His people.

God will avenge wickedness. God will judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). The wise person will not grieve the Spirit, but will follow His leadings.

We Grieve The Spirit When We Reject Grace

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are SEALED unto the day of redemption.

The first work of the Holy Spirit is to lead us to Christ. A Rabbi named Nicodemus was lead to Jesus by the Spirit of God one night. Jesus told him:

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

John 3:5-8 … Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Jesus Christ died on Calvary and rose from the grave to make our salvation possible. Once we believe on Christ then God the Holy Spirit comes to us and changes us. Jesus called this being “born again”. When we enter this world we are physically alive but spiritually dead or separated from God. We are sinners without hope in ourselves. But thanks be unto God for Jesus christ our Savior. The Apostle Peter wrote:

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

The Spirit of God opens our hearts up to the message of that glorious Gospel of Salvation – a Gospel only possible through our Beloved Jesus Christ. When we receive Christ as Lord and Savior, reckoning ourselves to be helpless sinners, the Spirit causes us to be born into the Family of God or born again. From that moment on the Spirit keeps us by His power – through faith unto salvation. The late great Adrian Rogers once said – and I love this:

“The faith that fizzles
before the finish was flawed from the first.”

The Bible is very clear that those who are born of the Spirit have an overcoming faith. We are told in:

1 John 5:4-5 For {whosoever} is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. {5} Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Time after time the Scripture uses that term “overcoming” for the truly saved and Spirit indwelt believer.

Revelation 2:7 To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life.

Those who do not overcome will not receive of that eternal life!

Revelation 2:11 He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Only those who have an overcoming faith shall not be cast into the Lake of Fire that burns forever and ever.

Revelation 2:17 Him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a new name.

Only those who overcome will be entered into the registry of Heaven!

Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life but will confess his name before My Father.

Only those who overcome will be announced in the courts of God.

Revelation 3:12 He that overcometh will I make a pillar in the Temple of My God, and he shall go no more out.

Only those who overcome will have a right to permanent residence in Heaven. The Christian indwelt by the Spirit has an OVERCOMING faith. Is it because we are strong? No.

Those Whom God Saves, He Keeps

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are SEALED unto the day of redemption.

Praise God! It is God Who “seals” us. We should carefully examine ourselves whether we be in the faith or not. The Apostle warned the Church:

Philippians 2:12-13 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

We are not to “work FOR” our salvation but to “work OUT” that salvation. If you are saved, then it will be evident in your life. Why? Because God the Holy Spirit is in you. There are many who PROFESS Christ but are not POSSESSED of Christ. When you are saved God the Holy Spirit enters the framework of your life, working in you to make you more like Christ daily as you practice the Christian disciplines of:

Bible reading and study
Prayer and fellowship with God
Loving support of your brethren in Christ
and Practical outworking of love toward God and others.

The Christian who is a Christian does not forget God except on holidays or hellish days. The Christian who is a Christian is indwelt of God. The Bible says of those who PROFESS but later WALK AWAY from God:

1 John 2:19-20 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 20 But ye have an UNCTION from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

The word translated “unction” is the Greek χρῖσμα chrîsma, (pronounced khris’-mah) which means “An Anointing”. You are Anointed by the Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit of Truth that teaches you, if you are indeed a Christian. We are told just a few verses later:

1 John 2:27 … but the Anointing which you have received of Him (of Christ) ABIDETH IN YOU (lives in you), and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same Anointing TEACHETH YOU ALL THINGS and IS TRUTH, and is no lie, and even as (He) hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him.

Jesus told us in John 16:13 “when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth”. God saved you by His Blood. God now indwells you, dear Christian, by His Spirit. You will overcome because God overcomes.

Christians don’t overcome because they hold onto God. Christians, genuine Christians, overcome because God holds onto them!

What “Grieves” The Spirit of God?

Ephesians 4:30 … grieve not the Holy Spirit of God …

We are told in chapter one that God chose us to be HOLY and WITHOUT BLAME before Him IN LOVE (Ephesians 1:4-5). Having chosen to save us by the great sacrifice of Christ our Lord we who are His are predestined to the adoption of Children. God saved us from His wrath by pouring His wrath out on Christ. Since we have believed on Christ as Lord and Savior we are blameless.

God approaches us as Father, not Judge.
God approaches us as Elder Brother, not jury.
God approaches us as Comforter.
He loves us so very much!

  • It grieves God the Spirit when we reject His Word and His Church. We read:

Ephesians 4:11-13 {and God} gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Once we are born again into the family of God the Lord begins to work in us, to perfect or mature the saints. As each saint grows in faith the Body of Christ the Church is edified, or built up. God used Apostles and Prophets to write His Word, Evangelists to spread His Word, and Pastor and Teachers to help the saints apply His Word. When professing believers walk apart from the Church that is Christ’s this grieves the Spirit of God. God has equipped His local Church – where ever it might be – to cherish and know the Word of God, the Bible. As we learn and apply the Word of God we become more and more Christlike. God is working in us to bring us all to the unity of the faith, His light in this dark world.

Many local Churches have become like tumbleweeds or children acting like tumbleweeds:

Ephesians 4:14-15 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15B ut speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Too many professing Christians have abandoned the Word of God as they chase after every trend and vanity this world has to offer. If you’ve ever seen a tumbleweed you will see that, as it rolls, it picks up all kinds of trash and dead things.

We are not to be tumbleweeds,
But trees planted by the Water of God’s Word!

Ephesians 4:17-19 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

God’s Children are not to harden their hearts to His Word. We are not to be empty headed, chasing fads and fetishes. Our minds are to be filled with God’s Word!

  • It grieves God the Holy Spirit when we embrace worldliness.

Ephesians 4:22-25 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

You are no longer lost like the world. You belong to God. You are to put away every filthy way of the world, and be like Christ. You are to walk with integrity and honesty.

Ephesians 4:28-29 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Do not take what is not yours. Do not be lazy, nor a conspirator. If we are saved and God the Holy Spirit indwells us let us guard our tongues, speaking words that build up others, not tear them down.

  • It grieves God the Holy Spirit when we embrace disharmony and division.

Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

We are to reject the operation of the flesh. We are to reject anything that is not from the God Who loves us. We are to be like Christ, Who was always kind to others, compassionate and forgiving. The Bible tells us in:

1 John 4:7-8 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

In the local Church where love prevails – love for God and for our fellow creature – Christ will eventually win out. His light shines through us when we are yielded to His Word and His Spirit. The Lord cannot use a self centered Christian to win the world, nor can He use an apathetic or selfish Church to

bring revival to America. Yield to God, dear believer! Sing your songs to Him. Do not yawn throughout the invitation, but pray – pray that God the Holy Spirit will touch a heart and bring a life to salvation today. Pray that God will remove the blinders of sin and doubt from one more person’s eyes. Pray that someone today will:

Acts 3:19-20 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; {20} And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you.

God cannot save the soul that will not repent, nor can He use the Church that will not yield. Be His Body as the invitation is given, that God’s Spirit might lift up an erring heart to that Old Rugged Cross.

May God touch your hearts with His Word!

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Anger And Anger Management

Posted on October 20, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Anger & Anger Management

Ephesians 4:25-27 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil.

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Photo by Andre Tan on Unsplash

Jim (not his real name) and his wife were traveling at the speed limit down a long, curvy country road. Both were enjoying the beauty of the country side when another car traveling much faster that it should raced up behind them and rode their bumper. After about a minute the car started flashing its lights and blowing the horn. Jim let anger take him. Before the day was over Jim would kill the other driver, and end up in Federal Prison for manslaughter. A beautiful day turned into several ugly years – all because of uncontrolled anger.

Before the incident Jim was a Deacon in his local Church.. Now in prison anger – like fiery chains – holds his soul enslaved just as surely as the bars hold his body.

What Is “Sin”?

The Bible says “Be ye angry, and SIN not…”. What is this thing we call “sin”?

Sin is the opposite of godliness.

To sin is to walk in a state that God does not endorse. All of us sin at times. In fact, sin is universal among humanity. The Bible declares:

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

The Bible doesn’t say “there are SOME righteous” but “there are NONE righteous”. The Greek word for SIN is ἁμαρτάνω hamartánō, (pronounced ham-ar-tan’-o) which means “to miss the mark”. God is holy, righteous, and pure. Humans in our natural state are NOT holy, righteous, and pure. We “miss the mark” of God’s righteousness.

SIN is the desire to put SELF FIRST

When God created man He made us to be like Himself. God made us in HIS IMAGE and after HIS LIKENESS.

Genesis 1:26-27 (KJV) …. Let us make man in our image, after our likeness … 27 So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Man was made in the image of God – but was not made to be God. Adam and Eve were designed to serve God FIRST, and help themselves AFTER. Creation was designed to be very good (Genesis 1:31). Our good God made everything good. Man could have anything but one thing. God told Adam:

Genesis 2:16-17 (KJV) … Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But 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.

Man was given authority over everything, was made in the image of God, was paired with the most beautiful woman in all creation, and placed in a perfect and sinless environment. God only had one condition: do not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge. God is God and I am not.

God is to be first in my affections, not I. I am to love God and obey God.

SATAN the selfish angel encouraged Adam to put himself rather than God first. He does the same today with all who will listen.

Satan in the guise of a serpent comes into the perfect environment of Eden (see Ezekiel 28:13). What is his message to our forefather? “Go ahead, eat the forbidden! …”

Genesis 3:4-5 (KJV) …. 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.

Adam put himself in the place of God. He did what God said he should not do. We repeat this pattern daily billions of times throughout the world. Sin is the act of pitting self first – above God and above others.

When Adam took the place of God and made himself first, he brought spiritual death on every living creature and on every child that would be born. Creation itself became me centered instead of God centered. People and even animals are by nature selfish.

The Christian is commanded to put off the works of the flesh – works that are selfish or ME driven.

Galatians 5:19-24 (KJV) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Anger or wrath is placed in the list of sins that we are to crucify – nailing it to the Cross. There can be a righteous anger. The Lord our God at times gets ANGRY (see Genesis 18:30; Leviticus 10:2-6; 1 Kings 11:9; Psalm 80:4). Our Lord Jesus at times got ANGRY (see John 11:33). I am reminded of the time that our Lord Jesus …

Mark 11:15-17 (KJV) … Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; 16 And would not suffer that any man should carry [any] vessel through the temple. 17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Jesus got angry, and the Bible says in Hebrews 4:15 that Jesus Christ was without sin. So it is possible to be angry and not sin. But our Galatians list reminds us that unless carefully controlled anger can become sin.

Righteous anger stems from a desire to see God honored.
Human anger stems from a selfish heart.

Human anger focuses on the ME, MYSELF, and I:

Someone cut ME off in traffic
Someone hurt MY feelings
Someone made ME feel little or small
How can he speak to ME that way?

What Is The Source Of My Anger?

In order to control my anger I need to first of all ask myself WHY AM I ANGRY.

Where is the seed of my anger planted?

If it is planted in self or vindication of self then it is unrighteous anger. The Bible says:

James 1:19-20 (KJV) Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

The “wrath OF MAN” or uncontrolled anger planted in my ego is NEVER productive and ALWAYS destructive. Anger like poison ivy spreads as it touches the soul. It can transmit from one person to another unless it be cut off. Anger is almost like a communicable disease. When one person gets angry that anger generally rubs off on another person, and another and another, until the whole house burns down. This is why the Psalmist wrote:

Psalms 37:8-9 (KJV) Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

There is a righteous anger, for Jesus expressed righteous anger. Neither you nor I are Jesus, but we’re supposed to be like Jesus.

Christ is the Vine, and we are His branches (John 15:5). The fruit that our Lord wants to is not anger, but love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and tenderness. God does not want our fruit of Anger. We are told to pick that fruit and toss it into the dumpster of the world. The Bible says:

Colossians 3:8-10 (KJV) But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new [man], which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Anger leads to wrath. Wrath leads to malice. Malice leads to blasphemy. Blasphemy leads to filthiness. Let’s cut the chain at its head. Now saved, let us put on the new man – we through application of God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit seek to be more like Christ.

Like TNT anger can be useful, but only when handled in a constructive manner. Remember that Jesus was only angry a few times in His ministry.

The most important thing for us to remember is that every soul needs to be won to Christ. Let us tell the world of Jesus, loving them, even when they are our enemies. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:43-47 (KJV) Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

Methods Of Anger Management

The Bible gives us several methods for anger management.

a When angered, ask yourself “Why am I angry”? Determine what soil your anger is rooted in. Is it rooted in LOVE? If so, remember that …

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (KJV) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

The word translated “provoked” is a Greek word παροξύνω paroxýnō, (pronounced par-ox-oo’-no) which means “to provoke to anger or exasperation”. Often when I am angered it is because I didn’t get my own way. Is that why you are angry? Are you angry because your ego was bruised, your pride was hurt, or because God’s Word was abused by an offending party. The disciple of Christ is ever mindful that the world is watching us. Jesus said:

John 13:35 (KJV) By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

The disciple of Christ is distinguished not by whether he is right or wrong, nor by whether or not we get our own way – but by the love that we show to others. Any anger rooted in the ego is unrighteous anger, and counterproductive to our Great Commission and the heart of our Lord.

b When angered, carefully monitor your anger. The Bible says:

Ephesians 4:25-27 (KJV) Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil.

Do not let anger control you. You need to carefully monitor your anger to insure that the Devil doesn’t get the upper hand. One of my favorite movies is called The Shining. Though the movie has a small amount of foul language in it, it is a great representation as to how the devil can take over a person through anger. Listen Beloved, anger can lead us to make a foolish decision that can cost us our spouse, our children, our families, our jobs, and even our ministries.

Set a time limit on your anger!

The Bible tells us that a good rule of thumb is do not let the sun go down on your anger. Among the Jews the day was reckoned from sunset to sunset. When the sun set a new day began. The Apostle says to us, “Don’t let anger abide in the tent of your life for more than one day”. Anger unresolved over a period of time turns into bitterness that scars the soul.

c Keep your anger in a proper Biblical perspective. Our Lord Jesus said:

Matthew 5:21-22 (KJV) Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

The Bible tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). When I am angry at a fellow Christian I need to remember that this person – like me – is a Child of God by faith in Christ (Galatians 3:26). If I am angry at my brother without a cause, I am endangering myself, and exposing myself to the Judgment of God. Why? Because the Scripture says:

1 John 3:10 (KJV) In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

That which shows I am a Child of God is that I do right and love my brother in Christ. If my brother is offended by me then I am to do as Jesus said.

Matthew 5:23-24 (KJV) Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

I cannot serve the Lord while my brother is alienated from me because of anger. Jesus commanded that we both sit down at a table of peace and resolve the conflict – then go back to serving God. Hatred, anger, and grudge carrying is inconsistent with the life of faith.

Leviticus 19:17-18 (KJV) Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him. 18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I [am] the LORD.

If the person you are angry at is not a Child of God, remember still that Jesus Christ died for the world. Forgive, and let bygones be bygones, and maybe you can win this one to Christ. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).

d Do what Jesus tells us to do when angered. Jesus gave us a very detailed system for dealing with offenses.

Matthew 18:15 (KJV) Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

to first try and work out a peaceable solution one on one with your brother. Sit down and have a cup of coffee together. Try and reach and understanding and a reconciliation without involving anyone else. Secondly Jesus said:

Matthew 18:16 (KJV) But if he will not hear [thee, then] take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

to take a witness or two with you and again go back and talk to your brother. Perhaps the different perspectives of the witnesses will help resolve the issue. If the matter is still unresolved Jesus said:

Matthew 18:17 (KJV) And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell [it] unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

Only after all other methods are used are we to take the matter before the Church. The Church then becomes the witness and the judge. At this point the angry issue will be resolved or, if necessary, the offending party will be recognized as a heathen or unbelieving person.

e Choose your companions wisely, and avoid those who are quick to anger. The Bible says:

Proverbs 22:24-25 (KJV) Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: 25 Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.

The best way to get in trouble is to choose troublemakers for friends. The Bible warns us against befriending hot headed people. In most cases hot headed people do not benefit from exposure to a cool headed person, but hot headed people rub off on others. Choose who you call “friend” wisely.

Love all people, but love hot headed angry people at a distance.

f Be a peacemaker for the glory of God. Choose to do the right thing. Refuse to stir up strife.

Proverbs 15:18 (KJV) A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but [he that is] slow to anger appeaseth strife.

Think, and choose your words carefully, controlling your tongue in love.

Proverbs 15:1 (KJV) A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

Think before you speak, and make sure you answer the argumentative person with Biblical love. Do not give back evil for evil, but trust that the Lord will protect you from harm (Proverbs 20:22). The Bible says that the servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but be kind to others (2 Timothy 2:24), and forgiving to others as Christ forgave us (Ephesians 4:29-32).

We who are saved by faith in Christ are called to work together to save souls and bring God’s Kingdom on the earth. Let’s keep the big picture in focus. The work we are doing is eternal work, God’s work, and we will one day be rewarded by the Master.

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The Most Important Connection You’ll Ever Make

Posted on October 20, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

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John 15:1-2 {Jesus said} I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Are You “Connected”?

I recently read of a man in Los Angeles who nearly got in bad trouble texting. He heard a commotion outside, and walked outside his apartment to see what was happening as he was texting. He nearly ran into a 400 pound black bear. Though he escaped others were not so lucky. People have walked into swimming pools, walked into rivers, and been hit by cars while texting. More than 10,000 people seek emergency treatment every year because they are not looking where they are going while texting. We as a people are more technologically connect than ever before – but less connected on a personal level with our Creator and with our fellow man.

The Bible is all about being connected.

When Jesus was asked what the heartbeat of God’s Law was His answer was not baptism nor tithing nor Church membership. What did Jesus say?

Matthew 22:37-40 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.

God wants us to live a connected life that matters: a life that connects to Him and a life that connects to those around us. Social media can be used to increase connectivity, but technology can disconnect us from both God and man. The most important connection you can make is not on Facebook, Linked In, Instagram, or Twitter. Your most important connection is to personally and spiritually bind to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We All Need To Connect To Jesus

John 15:1 I am the true vine

There are three parties in this teaching of Jesus. There is Jesus Himself, and what He calls Himself is “The True Vine”. Then there is the Father Whom Jesus says is the Husbandman. Husbandman is the old English word for the Gardener. Then the third party is the Branches in Jesus. The Branches are those who have believed in Christ, receiving Him as Lord and Savior. The overall message here is about life. Not death, but life.

To have true life you must be in Christ.

You must be attached to the True Vine if you are going to have true life. Jesus declared that “I am the True Vine”. There have been many who have claimed to be God’s Way unto Heaven. Jesus said in Mark 13:22 “false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce”.

The Vine is where life is.
The Vine has the root in which life flows.
Jesus Christ is the True Vine.

In the early Church the Apostle Peter warned about connecting with the wrong people. He said:

2 Peter 2:1-2 there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

The false teacher offers connections to God through means other than Jesus Christ. Some false teachers offer connectivity through music. Others through entertainment. I have heard it said that television does not only entertain, it instructs and shapes. There are false teachers and false teachings all around.

But Jesus Christ is true!

  • Jesus is (John 1:9) “the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world”. “ The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17).
  • Jesus is “the True Bread from Heaven” (John 6:32). There is no other way to life with God the Father outside of a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.
  • A connected relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way to know God. Jesus said:

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

We connect with Jesus by not by man made technology, but with God inspired faith. We “call upon His Name”. We ask Him to save us, to bring us into union with Him and with the Father. We are told:

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

When you receive Jesus as the True Vine – the Lord and Savior of your life – then He binds you with Him. You then stand justified:

Romans 3:24-26 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (satisfactory payment) through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

When you receive Jesus Christ as that True Vine from God, the Holy Spirit attaches you to Christ.

Your sins are forgiven because of Christ.
You are at peace with God because of Christ.
You are a son or daughter of God because of Christ.
You have an inheritance stored up for you in Heaven because of Christ.

Through the Vine and the Branches flows the same life, the same essence, the same root. Because of Jesus:

Ephesians 2:4-10 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Attached to Jesus by faith the Christian has an eternal destiny. God saved us by His eternal love and by His Son’s magnificent sacrifice and resurrection. Christ sits on the right hand of God even now making intercession for those Who are His:

Romans 8:32-35 … He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

The True Vine loves His Branches. He loves you! But here is an important point.

If you are INDEED branches, you are to bear kingdom fruit.

 I am amused as well as somewhat irritated by “Social Network Protests”. I see these all the time. It goes like this: “If you agree with this or that, repost this”. Or “Facebook took down this picture. Let’s repost it!” Now I uphold your right as Americans to your free speech. But let me ask –

Has anything been really changed by reposting a picture or by social network indignation? No, not a thing. Never. Zip.

Jesus Christ saved us and bound His life to us so that we could literally and spiritually produce fruit. This is what He is emphasizing in this chapter. Every branch is to produce fruit, to be Light, to let that which Jesus gives shine out through your life. This is what the Apostle emphasizes in:

1 Corinthians 3:9 … we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s {garden}, ye are God’s building.

Every Christian is a Branch off of Jesus the True Vine. And God left you on this earth to bear fruit for His Kingdom
and His glory!

Our Heavenly Father Is The Gracious Gardener

John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

The word translated husbandman (γεωργός geōrgos) is an Old English word for a Vine Dresser, that is, a Gardener. In our world – particularly in Columbia Tennessee – there are many people who have lawn care businesses. In the ancient world there were Vine Dressers, people who specialized in getting the highest yield of harvested fruit possible from fruiting vine branches. How would they do this? Jesus used the Vine Dressers and their techniques to explain what the Father does to us who are “Branches”. He said:

John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he TAKETH AWAY …

Our Heavenly Father Lifts Us Up

The words “taketh away” is the Greek αἴρω aírō, (pronounced ah’-ee-ro, Present Active Indicative). This word can mean “to lift up, to bind up, to support, to raise up”. This same word is used in Matthew 16 where Jesus told us:

Matthew 16:24 If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and TAKE UP his Cross, and follow me.

We who are His are expected to TAKE UP or LIFT UP the Cross, that wonderful symbol of sacrificial and unselfish love, and follow Jesus. To TAKE UP means to LIFT UP. If you are in Jesus and are not bearing fruit the Father TAKES YOU UP, raises you up. I love the words in:

Psalm 145:14-20 The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.

The Lord God loves the Branches for the Son’s sake. He knows that Christ gave His all for us. When we are discouraged, when we are down, when the trials of life seem to just overwhelm us, at times like that we cannot be fruitful. The branch is struggling. God will lift you up.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Oh Blessed Be the Name of the Lord! Praise Him for His loving encouragement. When I am weak then He comes to me. He reaches out in love and ties the weak branch up, binding me tighter to Jesus through prayer and His Word. He binds me with cords of love.

2 Timothy 1:7 God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Isaiah 12:2-4 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name

Praise Him! Praise Him! So often I have been down, weak, unable. I have gone to Him in prayer. I have cried out as the fathers did. Then did my Father come and lift me up.

Isaiah 40:29-31 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

If you are Jesus’ Child by Faith then the Father will bear you up. He wants you to be fruitful. He has left you on this earth to bear fruit for His glory!

Our Heavenly Father Prunes The Branch

John 15:2 … and every branch that beareth fruit, he PURGETH it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

The Old English word for “purge” is the Present Active Indicative of καθαίρω kathairō, which means “to prune, to cut away impurities so as to make fruitful”. The Vine Dresser would access every branch to see if it was putting out fruit. If the branch was otherwise healthy the Vine Dresser would cut away some of the branch. You see, the fruitless branch is investing too much energy in itself. You, dear believer, are bound to the Vine that is Christ not just to have an easy ride to Heaven. God expects you to be FRUITFUL. When you are placing all your energy in life in satisfying yourself or living for yourself the Father will prune you. I was thinking about this the other day when I came across this instance in the life of the Apostle Paul. We read:

2 Corinthians 12:7-8 .. there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

Now Jesus told us to “take up your Cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). I have heard people speak of their “Cross” as being an illness or some life altering condition that you have. That’s not the Cross. The Cross is VOLUNTARY, not thrust upon us.

There is a difference between a Cross and a Thorn!
The only One Who ever took up a THORN was Jesus.
The Cross is voluntary.
The Thorn is thrust upon us.

“Thorns” came upon us when Adam fell into sin (Genesis 3:18). Thorns represent the corruption of sin. When Jesus died on the Cross, He died with a Crown of thorns for a reason (John 19:2). Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world. He voluntarily picked up the Cross and gave Himself for us, and we in turn are to pick up the Cross and give ourselves voluntarily to others.

Thorns are different than Crosses. The Apostle asked the Lord to take away this thorn in the flesh that he had three times. The thorn was given to Paul to humble him “lest I be exalted above measure”. The thorn is suffering. After praying THREE TIMES that the thorn be removed the Lord told Paul:

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 … My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

This is the Father’s pruning of the Branch. When we are too full of ourselves to be used of God to bear fruit the Father prunes us. He prunes us by thorns, by trials, by suffering. He does this so that we will be more fruitful. I heard a preacher say one time that “God never tries His children”. Beloved, if you believe this then you are worshiping a false god, not the God of the Scripture.

God tried Abraham when He told him in:

Genesis 22:2 Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering …

God brings trials and tribulations to us to prune us, to prove us, to make us more productive.

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Our Father prunes us, shapes us, and makes us more fruitful. Have you ever noticed how God is described in Scripture?

God is our Shepherd. (Psalm 23:1)
God is our Potter. (Isaiah 64:8)
God is our Vine Dresser. (John 15:1)

In every case the Father cuts away or removes part of us to make us more fruitful.

God SHEARS the sheep.
God SHAPES the pot.
God SLICES away parts of the branch.

Every trial that comes our way is under His loving gaze. God continually works in His children to make us more fruitful!

Hosea 6:1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.

The pruning of God on the Branch makes us draw closer to Him. God’s Grace is sufficient for us all. Let us bind to Him, and love Him, knowing all things are under His control. When tried, remember His Word.

Let Us Branches Cling To Jesus!

John 15:3 Now ye are CLEAN through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Again we need to refer to the original text. The word translated “CLEAN” is καθαρός katharos which means “To be purified”. We are brought into a right relationship with God our Father through the Word of Christ. When trials come, cling to Jesus. Focus upon His Word. Seek His face in Prayer. God our Father wants us to be fruitful. How can we be fruitful?

John 15:4-5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

No Christian shall be fruitful who is not abiding in Christ’s Word. No Church shall be fruitful that is not abiding in Christ’s Word. Without Him we can do nothing. We desperately need Jesus. Not just to save us, but to be in our lives every moment of every day. This is where power is. It is in abiding in Him! Pastor Scott Hubbard wrote:

“As you come to your Bible, then, expect God to do just what he says he will: teach you, reprove you, correct you, train you (2 Timothy 3:16). Might we even be so bold as to pray for him to do so? “Whatever idols need to be shattered, shatter them. Whatever lies need to be broken, break them. Discomfort me, rework me, unsettle me — whatever it takes to bring me to you.” Such a prayer is worth the pain. For after God has stripped us of our pride, self-sufficiency, and comfortable illusions, what will be left? Joy. Freedom. The hope of glory. Christ himself.”

What happens when we do not abide in Christ? Jesus tells us:

John 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

I had someone tell me once this is the picture of the Christian who loses his salvation then goes to hell. No, this text has nothing to do with backsliders going to hell. Jesus said of the unproductive and withered branch “and MEN gather them”. Not God. Not angels. MEN. People. What is Jesus warning of? It is exactly this:

When the Christian and the Church become like the lost world, the lost world will control us and destroy us. This happened to the Church in Germany in World War II. This is happening to the American Church in many cities today. When there is no difference in connectivity between the lost and the saved, then nothing but destruction comes. How do we avoid this?

John 15:7-8 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

God wants us as His Church to be fruitful. The only way we can be fruitful is to connect to Jesus. To do as He says. To love as He loved. To serve as He served. Nothing else will suffice. The Church that focuses on worldliness soon becomes one with the world. In that case Jesus warned us in Revelation 2:5

“repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

Let His Church repent, and seek His face. Let us shine for Him so He will shine through us. May God touch us all with His Word!

Posted in Jesus, Johanan Sermons, John, Law Of God, Love One Another, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Being Faithful With What You Have

Posted on October 17, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

A message on Business Meeting Night

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Photo by Anuja Mary on Unsplash

Luke 16:1-13 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. 3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. 5 So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. 8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. 9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. 10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

God has been putting the parables of Jesus on my heart lately – and tonight we’ve got a doozy! One Commentary stated:

“Luke 16:1-8 contains probably the most difficult parable in Luke”
Darrell L. Bock, Luke

This parable is only found in the Book of Luke, though the conclusion:

Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Is also found in Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

A couple of interesting things about this parable is that it serves as a bridge between the previous parable (the parable of two sons) and the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. In this parable the “unjust steward” (verse 8) did the same thing that the younger son did in the parable of the two sons

Luke 15:13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

Luke 16:1 There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.

The “unjust steward” was supposed to properly manage all that he had for his Master Who was far away. Yet the “unjust steward” did not manage his assets. His lifestyle became such that others knew he was not fulfilling his duty. The “certain Rich Man” became upset at this report he received, so He sent a message to the “unjust steward”:

Luke 16:2 And {the Rich Man} called {the unjust steward), and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

The Rich Man fired the steward outright! His position was terminated, and his services were no longer needed. The Rich Man wanted the unjust steward to send him the books – to “give an account of thy stewardship”. But the Rich Man told him plainly “thou mayest be no longer steward”. You’re fired! There’s no second chances here.

The unjust steward is at the end of his rope. What in the world is he going to do? Now here’s where it gets interesting. The steward does something that Jesus commends him for. We read:

Luke 16:3-4 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.

The steward know that his time is short. He is going to be cast out into the street. Just as the wayward young son was, he is about to find himself in a horrible place. So what does the steward do?

He decides to use what he has for the future.
He doesn’t have long, but he’s going to invest what he has wisely!

Luke 16:5-6 So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.

The commentaries spend their time trying to figure out exactly how much “a hundred measures of (olive) oil is”, but that’s what makes this parable so difficult. The parable is not meant to be difficult. Jesus said that the reason He spoke in parables is so His disciples can understand Kingdom truths (see Matthew 13:10-17).

Matthew 13:10-11 10 And the disciples came, and said unto {Jesus}, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Unbelievers only need to know how to be saved in Christ. Believers, however, are indwelt and guided by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Romans 8:9; Acts 2:38; James 4:5; Romans 5:5). If you are Spirit filled the Lord will guide you into understanding His truths. If you are NOT Spirit filled, you will not understand. What did the unjust steward do?

He simply reduced by 50% what one person owed on oil.
Now was he stealing from his employer?
Absolutely not!
First of all, Jesus would not commend stealing.
Second of all, the Rich Man would not commend
theft from himself!

We read in verse 8:

And the lord commended the unjust steward,
because he had done wisely

People just don’t do that … and Jesus was NOT saying that theft was WISE. Theft is a sin against God and man (Exodus 20:15; Romans 13:9). The Bible tells us:

Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

The Lord Jesus is not commending stealing when the unjust steward when he called the second debtor:

Luke 16:7 Then said he to another, And How Much Owest Thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.

and tells him to reduce what he owes on wheat by 20%. This is not theft. Do you know what the unjust steward is doing?

He is giving away his commission!
He is giving away what is owed to him.
He was worshiping money, and living for money.
Now he is giving away all that is due him
so that when his current life is ended
he can be blessed in the next stage of life.

The Master commended this repentant but previously unjust servant for his wisdom in using his funds wisely. Now Jesus tells us, His disciples, that we are to:

Luke 16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

The key to this parable is in the words “when you fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations”. This unjust steward used what was his to benefit others so that when he was homeless he could go and work for them. Jesus tells us to use what is ours to make friends – to win people to Him. Every person we win to Christ will one day meet us in Heaven – referred to as “Everlasting Habitations”. There is no everlasting habitation on this earth. Everything on this earth is temporal, passing. But there are two Everlasting Habitations found on the other side of the veil.

One is Heaven.
The other is Hell.

Everyone you meet and talk to is headed toward Heaven or Hell. Those who receive Christ as Savior and Lord are headed toward Heaven. Those who reject Christ as Savior … like the rich man discussed in the next parable (you remember “The Rich Man and Lazarus” of Luke 16:19-31). That which God has given us MUST be used so that we can win others to Christ. God is not honored when Churches become banks where money is stored or museums where people come to see the old things. The Church’s mission has been and will always be to win the world for Christ.

Period.

What we as disciples do with our money will one day be judged. If we invest it wisely to win others to Christ our Master – Who has “saved us and called us with a holy calling” (2 Timothy 1:9) will commend us. When we use what He has given us for Christ’s glory then He will bless us with other things. Jesus emphasizes this by saying:

Luke 16:10-12 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?

Jesus told us in another place to “store up our treasures

Matthew 6:19-21 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Jesus ends this parable with …

Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

The things that our Lord has allowed us to have are but on loan to us. Everything we have – our homes, our church, our community, our nation, even ourselves – all belongs to God the Son. Jesus Christ is the “Heir of all things” (Hebrews 1:2), and by Him all things are reconciled to God (Colossians 1:20). Let us heed our Jesus and use what He has given to us for His glory.

We may not have tomorrow!

May Christ touch your hearts with His Word!

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Walking Worthy As Elder Children

Posted on October 14, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

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Ephesians 4:1-7 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

This morning we studied a three parable message that Jesus gave us in Luke 15. We briefly discussed the elder son in the parable of the two sons. Tonight God wants us to learn what it means to walk worthy as elder sons and daughters of His Kingdom.

Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,

Paul starts by describing himself as the prisoner of the Lord. He has been imprisoned by Rome for preaching the Gospel of Christ. When I am tried or under stress I often find myself more biting or brittle. But the Apostle maintained his royal etiquette by constantly reminding himself that where he was, was where Christ wanted him to be. You see this attitude reflected throughout his writings. He is NOT a prisoner of Rome, NOR a prisoner of satan, but a prisoner of the Lord. Listen:

Philemon 1:1 … Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ …

2 Timothy 1:8 … Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God ..

To Paul our God was always in control. If he was a prisoner he was not a prisoner of evil, but the prisoner of Christ. Christ had a reason for him being in this situation. This was not just an act. When Paul was imprisoned with Silas in Philippi the Bible tells us:

Acts 16:22-25 … And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. 23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: 24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. 25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

It was this mindset that allowed Paul and those early Christians to walk worthy of their calling. We who have received Christ as Savior are not saved by our works. We are saved by His glorious Grace. The Scripture says:

Titus 3:5-7 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.

and… 2 Timothy 1:8b-9 … according to the power of God; [9] Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began …

Salvation is not a work that you do, but it is a work
that the Holy Spirit does TO you based upon the COMPLETED work of Jesus Christ on the Cross
and in the empty tomb.

Jesus defeated sin and death at Calvary. He destroyed destruction. He conquered satan and his forces. And conquering, He rose again, ever to live and reign – praise be unto God! You receive this great Gift of Grace by FAITH in Him:

Romans 1:17 .. The just shall live by faith.

Romans 3:28 … a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Romans 5:1 .. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ ..

2 Corinthians 1:24 … by faith ye stand.

Galatians 3:11 … The just shall live by faith.

Galatians 3:26 … ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Salvation is by faith. You become saved by faith in Christ, in what He has graciously provided for to you. But once you are saved by faith you are not as you were. You are not a lost person trying to be saved. You are a saved person, a son of God, a saint destined for Heaven.

And Heaven has its standard!

The Worthy Walk Is The HUMBLE Walk

God did not save you so you can be like the rest of the dark lost world. He saved you to be part of HIS kingdom. God paid a GREAT PRICE for you, dear Christian. He gave His Only Begotten Son for you! This should amaze you. It never ceases to amaze me. The Scripture says:

1 Peter 1:18-20 … ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But 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 …

If there were an earthly price that could have been paid for your redemption, then God would have paid it. But your sins brought with it an infinite offense against an infinite and Almighty God. There was no earthly fee that could bring you into God’s good graces. But Christ died for you. He loved you enough to pay for you with His very life. He did not die an easy death, either. He died a horrid death, a terrible death, a miserable death, an undeserved death. Yet He did this because He loves YOU and loves you STILL. How does the Apostle define our worthy walk?

Ephesians 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

The Apostle doesn’t just say “love one another”. That is not a measurable standard. The Bible is, if anything, very practical. So what does God our Father consider a “worthy walk”?

Ephesians 4:2 With all lowliness

We were low – very low – so low in sin that God had to give up His Only Begotten Son for us. How dare we be prideful now, for we have nothing to be proud of! We dare not raise our heads above those of our brethren, for

we were one and all lost until Jesus found me. Like the song says:

I was lost, but Jesus found me,

found the sheep that went astray,

threw his loving arms around me,

back into the narrow way.

Yes, I’ll sing the wondrous story

of the Christ who died for me,

sing it with his saints in glory,

gathered by the crystal sea.

Walking worthy means we must never forget our roots. We are to walk “with all lowliness” (ταπεινοφροσύνη tapeinophrosynē) refers to “humility in the mind, having humble opinion of oneself”. We were nothing when Christ found us. What we are, we are because of Him. What we have, we have because our Lord has allowed us to have it. The greatest danger is to become arrogant or prideful in ourselves. It was arrogance that led to the fall of mankind from Eden. It was satan who told our foreparents:

Genesis 3:4-5 … Ye shall not surely die: 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.

This is satan’s greatest ploy. He fell from Heaven because he said:

Isaiah 14:14 … I will be like the most High.

And this is what the devil replicates, over and over again, through the children of Adam. This is what caused the fall of mankind into sin. This is the basis for every evil that possesses our society today. “I will be like the Most High”. I will be like God.

Judas Iscariot believed this till he hung himself (Acts 1:18)
Simon Peter believed this till the Rooster crowed (Luke 22:60)
Herod believed this until worms ate his flesh (Acts 12:19)
The murderer believes this.

Ephesians 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness

The word “lowliness” refers to the inner mind, but “meekness” (πραότης praotēs) refers to the outward display. The Bible is very clear that:

Proverbs 23:7 … For as he THINKETH in his heart, so is he:

What is on the INSIDE of you is what will show on the OUTSIDE of you. This is why Jesus spoke of false teachers thusly:

Matthew 7:17-20 … every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

A religious person or a teacher of false doctrine will eventually be exposed, for the type of heart that is godly produces a different fruit from the type of heart that is ungodly. I am currently reading Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer’s book “Hitler’s Cross”. I often wondered how in the world an entire nation could follow such a monster as was Hitler. I often wondered how it was that the Church in Germany did not stand firmly against Hitler and his SS murder machine. Then I read this quotation and it made my blood run cold:

“I lived in Germany during the Nazi Holocaust. I considered myself a Christian. I attended church since I was a small boy. We had heard the stories of what was happening to the Jews, but like most people today in this country, we tried to distance ourselves from the reality of what was really taking place. What could anyone do to stop it? A railroad track ran behind our small church, and each Sunday morning we would hear the whistle from a distance and then the clacking of the wheels moving over the track. We became disturbed when one Sunday we noticed cries coming from the train as it passed by. We grimly realized that the train was carrying Jews. They were like cattle in those cars! Week after week, that train whistle would blow. We would dread to hear the sound of those old wheels because we knew that the Jews would begin to cry out to us as they passed our church. It was so terribly disturbing! We could do nothing to help these poor miserable people, yet their screams tormented us. We knew exactly at what time that whistle would blow, and we decided the only way to keep from being so disturbed by the cries was to start singing our hymns. By the time that train came rumbling past the churchyard, we were singing at the top of our voices. If some of the screams reached our ears, we’d just sing a little louder until we could hear them no more. Years have passed, and no one talks about it much anymore, but I still hear that train whistle in my sleep. I can still hear them crying out for help. God forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians, yet did nothing to intervene.” (pages 124-125)

We have a similar Holocaust going on in America today, and it’s called abortion. If every Christian who was indeed a Christian would vote against every politician who supports abortion in any way then we could end the murder on innocents in our country. Yet this is not happening. Why? Because some professing Christians and false teachers are promoting the concept that “it’s not murder if you kill the unborn – it’s just a free choice”. I find it amazing and amazingly hypocritical that the voices screaming loudest for the outright ban of all firearms is also the same voices screaming “keep abortion legal and free!”

What is in the heart is what will show on the outside. What is in your heart, dear professor? What is in your heart, dear believer?

The Worthy Walk Is The PATIENT Walk

Ephesians 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering,

The word longsuffering (μακροθυμία makrothymia) means “to be slow in avenging wrongs”. Many times when we are offended the offense was unintentional – for we are all human. This is why Jesus taught us to pray:

Matthew 6:12-13 … And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Most people stop reading the text I just quoted at the “Amen”, but don’t neglect to read what Jesus said next:

Matthew 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Too many people go about quoting “an eye for an eye and a tooth tooth”. You need to be careful when going down this road, for if we all do this we will
all be blind and toothless!

We need to be patient with everyone around us, loving, and forgiving. The mar of the child of God is that we love our ENEMIES, not just our friends:

Luke 6:27-35 Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

God is not impressed with how religious we are. He is impressed with how loving we are. The Lord will one day avenge every evil, this we are to give place unto wrath, for “Vengeance is Mine, I shall repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19). Let God be God. Let the Father wield the paddle. He will balance all things out in the future. Trust Him, and do good to them which hate you. God will take care of all things in the end!

Ephesians 4:1-3 … walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The Worthy Walk Is The UNIFIED Walk

We are in particular to maintain Christian unity in the Church. In order for Christ’s order to be accomplished in this present world His Church must work together in unity and love. We are to keep on making every effort to

keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The Spirit of God cannot work in a divided Church. The Church must be in one accord. After Jesus ascended into Heaven we are told that:

Acts 1:14 … These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication …

When the Holy Spirit fell on the Church and empowered it to bring 3000 souls to Jesus in one day, what was the state of that Body?

Acts 2:1-2 they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Had the early Church been divided as the American Church is today then there would be few if any Christians in the world. We are to strive to be unified, to remove any barriers that might keep us from unity. Unity is so very important for the Church. When we read the rest of this blessed text what WORD keeps popping up?

Ephesians 4:4-7 … Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is ONE body, and ONE Spirit, even as ye are called in ONE hope of your calling; ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Seven times the word ONE is repeated. When God called you into salvation, He did not call you by yourself – He called you into a great company of believers, the Family of God, the Church. You cannot do your job, your

stewardship, your calling apart from the Church that God has placed you. You cannot satisfy God nor yourselves apart from the Church that God has placed

you. In the Old Testament God had His Israel that was used to glorify Him. In the New Testament the Lord has His Church.

I am sickened of the nonsense and drivel that I hear from so many lost people pretending to be saved. The statement that nauseates is:

I love Christ,
But I despise Christianity.
I love Jesus,
But I can’t stand the church.

Dear friends, the Church is Christ’s method to reach the world. The Apostle reminded the Corinthian believers:

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 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. (13) For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether [we be] Jews or Gentiles, whether [we be] bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (14) For the body is not one member, but many.

Jesus Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). The Church belongs to Jesus (Ephesians 5:23). Jesus is building His Church (Matthew 16:18) daily. And Jesus will one day come back for His Church. You are called together as one to serve God our Father. Some of you may be thinking, “What does it matter if I am not in one accord with this body?” Think about it this way – have you never met someone who had lost the use of a limb or a function of the human body. Did you ever hear that person bless the loss of that part? No, and you will not. To Christ every member of this Body has purpose, function, calling, a job to do – do it with all your hearts! Do not fool yourself into believing that God will not hold you accountable. You are accountable, and I am accountable.

Let us love one another the way that Christ has called us to do. Let us love our Creator with all that we have, and let us love one another the way that we want to be loved. May Christ grow His Church to be the Bride He wants us to be! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Posted in Ephesians, grace, Great Commission, Jesus, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Repentance Before Restoration

Posted on October 13, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

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Photo by Mariya Georgieva on Unsplash

Luke 15:1-2 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

This is a sermon that I cannot preach by myself. I am going to ask you to help me preach it. To start, I need a male volunteer to read a Scripture. It is:

Luke 15:3-7 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Now I need a female volunteer to read a Scripture. It is:

Luke 15:8-10 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

In a few moments I’m going to read the third parable that Jesus preached, a parable commonly called “The Parable Of The Prodigal Son”. Now our Lord Jesus Christ was and is the best Preacher that has ever been. He is better than Billy Graham, better than W.A. Criswell, better than C.H. Spurgeon, better than Greg Laurie or T.D. Jakes, better than this foolish man standing before you today. His sermons were fantastic. I want you to know I have read His sermon from Luke 15, and since the age of 17 when I was saved and since the age of 37 when I started to preach – and have preached these texts – I have never really understood this sermon. Perhaps you have never understood it either. All three sermons have one great truth – one great theme – that ties them together.

Point #1 Of Jesus’ Sermon:
The Wise And Loving Shepherd

I have heard this first point of Jesus’ sermon – the One Lost Sheep – many, many times by many, many preachers. I have preached it – and preached it wrong, mind you. I can remember a Pastor that I loved – now with the Lord – talking about how Jesus loved the sheep. I remember him saying:

“Jesus left the ninety and nine to go out and get that one lost sheep. If we’re going to be like Jesus we need to leave the ninety and nine and go get that one lost sheep.”

I spent three and a half years overseas in England, about 60 miles south of London. Where my wife and I stayed was sheep country. We often drove through the country side and had to stop and wait while a shepherd drove his sheep across the road. The sheep stayed close to the flock. Now listen to me. In all the time I was in England I NEVER saw a flock without a shepherd. Listen to me.

No self respecting shepherd would ever leave his flock unattended for a long period of time while he went out looking for a lost sheep. None!

Our Lord Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd. How does Jesus describe a “Good Shepherd”? Jesus said:

John 10:3-4 {the Good Shepherd} calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

The “Good Shepherd” does not abandon His Sheep. He stays with them. He watches over them. Why? Because the sheep have no natural defenses other than the Shepherd. Jesus said:

John 10:11-13 .. I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

No Good Shepherd would ever abandon His sheep. He would NOT walk away from 99 sheep and leave them open to a wolf or wild dog attack in order to hunt down a disobedient and errant sheep. Let me ask you this question:

Have you EVER tried to count people when they are moving around? You can’t get an accurate count when people are moving around.
And sheep are in constant movement.

How would a Shepherd – a Good Shepherd – know that he had lost one of ninety-nine sheep? He would know by the cry of the sheep. The sheep that went astray would cry out after getting in a mess. And when that sheep cried out the Shepherd would follow it’s cry. The Good Shepherd would leave the ninety and nine long enough to go get that crying sheep. What did Jesus say?

Luke 15:5-6 … when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

The text says “He layeth it on His shoulders”. The lost sheep cried until the Good Shepherd came. And when the Shepherd came back with that sheep where was it? “He layeth it on his shoulders”. That sheep did not fight the Shepherd. What else does the text say? “Rejoicing”. Did you see that? “Rejoicing”! Who is rejoicing? The Good Shepherd is rejoicing of course. But that sheep is rejoicing! The day I rested in my Jesus’ arms, the day I let Him put me over His shoulder and take me home …. oh, what a joy that was! The main point of this sermon? Read with me what our Lord said.

Luke 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

The point is very simple. There must be REPENTANCE before there can be RESTORATION. There must be SURRENDER before there is VICTORY. There is no POWER without WEAKNESS. The lost sheep is not sought after nor brought back into the fold until that sheep R-E-P-E-N-T-S. When the sheep cries out, calling the Shepherd, the Good Shepherd comes. There must be REPENTANCE before there can be RESTORATION.

Point #2 Of Jesus’ Sermon:
The Careless Woman

The second point of Jesus’ sermon deals with a woman who had ten pieces of silver. She lost one of those pieces. So what did she do? She turned her house upside down until she found that missing piece. When she found that missing piece Jesus said:

Luke 15:9 … she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.

Now how did the woman lose this piece of silver?
It was valuable before she lost it.
It was valuable while it was lost.
It was MORE valuable when she found it.
It’s value did not increase because it was lost.
It’s value increased because HER EYES WERE OPENED.

The woman lost this silver piece because she – in her heart – took it for granted. She forgot how valuable it was. It was not until it was lost that she realized how valuable it was. There was an old song I grew up hearing that had a line in it:

“You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone!”

How many bad mistakes we have made because of carelessness? How many times do we wish we could rewind the clock and go back? Oh, the tears that I’ve cried because I took for granted that which was priceless. Woman, oh woman, how many women have given themselves away to useless men, seeking to satisfy a bottomless and selfish pit? Women, you all have something that you can do that no man can do, even with sex change operations men cannot do it. Women, you can give life. Women, you can nurture. That is priceless, priceless. Do not give away that wonderful gift God has given you. Do not cry, “My Body, My Choice”. This is a stupid phrase that selfish and sex crazed people – influenced of hell – financed by American tax dollars – mislabeled “Planned Parenthood” – have taught you. The world led by satanic forces says “So what if you – satisfying yourself – become with child. Destroy it! Your Body, your Choice, your Life!” Then you do so. And what happens. You grieve. Oh, there are some monsters who celebrate the destruction of that life, but Hitler wasn’t normal. The “Final Solution” wasn’t moral. Killing is never right. Regardless as to the monsters who video these procedures and post them to “Youtube” or “Instagram”, there will come a time when you will grieve. You will turn your house upside down to find what you have lost.

Some of the “sinners” that the Pharisees and scribes murmured at Jesus about were women. Some were harlots, prostitutes, what we could coarsely call “whores”. Others were women trapped by men, self righteous men, like these Pharisees and Scribes.

You can’t get back what you have given away, but you can be whole again. You can turn your house upside down. You can sweep and clean that home by running to the arms of Jesus. Jesus is there. Jesus is there. With repentance comes restoration. Your life is more valuable than momentary pleasure. Your life is of great worth. This is why Jesus said:

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

Do not let the self righteous define you. Run to Jesus. He died on Calvary to pay for your sins. He rose again from the grave to embrace you, to receive you to the Father. Your carelessness does not need to define you. With REPENTANCE comes RESTORATION. With SURRENDER comes VICTORY. Run to Jesus! Rn to Jesus!

Point #3 Of Jesus’ Sermon:
Two Foolish Sons

We have yet to read the final point of Jesus’ message today. I warn you, this point is the longest. Many preachers – myself included – have called this the Parable of the Prodigal Son. But this is not what Jesus called it. Jesus said:

Luke 15:11 … A certain man had two sons …

Now how do we preachers get off calling this “The Parable of the Prodigal (or wandering) Son” when Jesus called it a Parable of TWO sons. The bulk of the story is about the wandering son. But as Paul Harvey used to say … that’s not all of the story.

God had two sons. He had Israel His oldest son – represented by the Pharisees and Scribes that are now judging Jesus. When God sent Moses to Pharaoh to demand Israel’s freedom the message was:

Exodus 4:22-23 … Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me …

God chose Israel through the fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel is God’s firstborn son. But God never meant to have just two sons. God had a younger son that the firstborn thought nothing of.

The sinners that Jesus came to save were God’s younger son. God the Father loved this son just as much as the older son. This is why God the Father sent Jesus Christ into the world. The …

the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. … Luke 15:1

It was not so much that Jesus received sinners like us, but it was that Jesus both received sinners AND ate with them. How dare He do such a thing?

I can hear the whispers in the Church as I write this:

Did you see that girl? Why didn’t she dress for Church?
And that boy! Look at his ear rings!
That mother! I heard she has no husband.
He smells like alcohol.
Isn’t there a Church for people of that color?
I don’t like to see interracial babies!

The Pharisees and Scribes loved judging, but there are Pharisees all around us. You may be a Pharisee, a hater, a judger. You may have been saved when you were just a child. You may have been born in Church. I don’t know – I don’t doubt your salvation. But there are many of us who are the younger sons of God. We came from alcohol or drug stained paths. We came from questionable lifestyles. We were not the older son, but the younger. Maybe you’re one of us.

Luke 15:12 … the younger {son} said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.

In the Jewish world the firstborn son received the double portion, not the younger. Once the father died the firstborn became the executor. He determined what the rest of the family received. The younger son demanded what he had no right to demand, and took what was not his. He was presumptuous.

And the Father in Grace gave it to him.

Your Heavenly Father has given you gracious gifts. He gave you life. He placed you in the most prosperous nation on earth. Your bellies are full. You are in pretty good health, or if not, in a country with great healthcare. You take all of the gifts that your Father has given you. What do you do? What do most Americans do?

Luke 15:13-14 … {the younger son} took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

The younger son abused the Grace that the Father gave him. You abuse your lungs, your livers, your hearts, your minds. You wander far away from home, far from the God Who in love made you and gave you so much. You live for the moment a sexual, sensual, selfish creature. Then one day you begin to be in want. The good times end. The health decreases. The liver and lungs you abused say ENOUGH! You get cancer, some sexually transmitted disease, or something worst happens.

Luke 15:15-16 … he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

You figure out a way to get out of that mess, but every way you try only makes things worst. The friends you thought were your “best buddies” abandon you. Your money ran out. Your beauty ran out. Your time ran out. And your fair weather friends ran out.

Luke 15:17-18 … when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father..

Every week I receive calls from people. “Will you pay my bills? Will you bail me out?” My question is “What Church is your family? Is God your Father, and Christ your Brother? Are you home and in need, or wandering the streets wanting a quick fix?”

Beloved, without REPENTANCE there can be no RESTORATION. I can bail you out today. But if you’re not home with Father, you’ll be in the same hell on earth tomorrow.

The younger son came to himself. He repented. He swallowed his pride. She turned from her sins.

“Father, I’ll just be your servant. Please, take me back.
Please, fill me with what I need.
I’ll be your slave. Please Father, save me!”

So the son, the daughter, the sinner heads home. You have rehearsed in your head what you will say.

Luke 15:18-19 …. Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son …

but while you are coming your Father sees you. He runs to you, embraces you. Heaven has a party. The Angels rejoice!

Luke 15:23-24 … let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.

This is why Jesus came. This is why Jesus died. This is why Jesus rose again. All of Heaven rejoices when a sinner comes home! Oh, what a glory it is.

But let’s not forget the older son. Does he rejoice? Is she pleased? No!

Luke 15:28-30 … he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

The younger son forgot the Father, but the older son did too. If you are born again by faith in Christ Jesus did not just come to save you, but to save others NOT LIKE you. The Father tells you:

Luke 15:31-32 Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

You could have a party, too. All the Father has is yours because of the Son. Every day should be a celebration of life. Every day should be filled with joy. Let us not be like the Scribes and Pharisees, but let us rejoice with the angels of Heaven that a younger son came home. Let us stop being miserable, but let us rejoice in the knowledge that all of Heaven is ours, and earth as well. We shall inherit all, if we are in the Father’s arms.

Run to His embrace.
Run to Jesus.
He awaits you.
There is no RESTORATION without REPENTANCE.
Run to Him now.
He loves you, as He loves me, so very much!

May the Spirit of God touch your hearts with this His Word.

Posted in Luke, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Flesh Versus The Spirit

Posted on October 3, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

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

I read a lot. A whole lot. I love reading. I wish more people read. But I also watch videos. I was watching a town hall meeting where Democratic hopeful Beto O’Rourke was explaining why he wanted to overturn the Second Amendment. As I watched it another commentator – Colion Noir – began to respond to Mr. O’Rourke’s statements. Mr. Noir was on the other side of the debate. As Mr. Noir began to respond, his responses became more and more ugly, and he began to use foul language that was bleeped out of the video.

Now this is not a political message, nor have I ever preached politics from this pulpit. I preach the Word of God, and today is no different. I am a retired Airman, a proud veteran of the United States Air Force. I gave 20+ years of my life to the protection of this country, and promised to uphold the Constitution of these United States. I offered up my life daily to protect your freedoms. I have been in other countries that do not have the freedoms that we have. And I do not want our country to become like those countries. I support the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as it is written. That’s all I’ll say. I do not want any Americans to lose any of our hard fought freedoms in any way. Period. And I have a right to say this, because I was both Active and Inactive Reserve for 29 years of my life. I paid for the right to say this.

Having said all that, I now need to say this. From a spiritual standpoint both sides were in the wrong. Regardless as to who was more right and close to the Constitution, both sides were spiritually wrong. Both sides of the debate are working not from the light, but from the darkness. Why?

Because neither side of the debate was
walking in God’s Spirit!

I do not know whether Mr. O’Rourke’s or Mr. Noir are Christians. I do not know whether they are born again by faith in Christ or not. I do not know whether they are Children of God or Children of Adam. I have no right to make that judgment, as Christ alone is the Judge. The Apostle declared:

James 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

So I am not judging the final destination of either man. I am not qualified to do so. Jesus said in John 5:22

.. the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed
all judgment unto the Son ..

Jesus Christ is the Judge of the quick and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1). Not I. I am not qualified. But I can tell you that both men are wrong spiritually because of what the Scripture we’re studying today tells us.

The right or proper way to live – or as the Scripture says “To walk” is not in the flesh, but IN THE SPIRIT. That is what we are told.

The Only Correct “Walk” Is In The Spirit

Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

The enemy of Christ and of the Church is the devil, Satan, that old dragon called Lucifer. Lucifer – which means “the Bright and Shining One” (because God made him beautiful among the angels) – is constantly seeking to destroy the plan of God and His Church. The Apostle Peter told us:

1 Peter 1:8 … Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour …

The devil and his forces (where ever they may be) are constantly attacking the Plan of God, the Gospel of Christ. God told us over and over:

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

The devil and his allies are what is wrestling against us. He possesses people, influences people, and guides people away from the Spirit of God. He influences governments, communities, families, and even Churches and Church leaders. There are many who claim the title of “Pastor” or “Deacon” or “Elder” or “Bible Teacher” who have been swayed to the devil’s way. The devil does his best to mangle the Gospel so others will not be saved. He does that by perverting the Way of Christ, by tricking us to walk in the power of the flesh and not the Spirit.

Jesus Christ gave His life for His Church. He purchased the Church with His own Blood (Acts 20:28). Jesus Christ DIED for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3) but ROSE AGAIN for our justification:

Romans 4:25 {Jesus} was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.

Jesus ascended into Heaven so that He could send the Holy Spirit to indwell His people. He said:

John 16:7-10 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

Jesus died for our sins. He rose again for our justification. He departed, and sent the Holy Spirit to us to empower us as well as sanctify us, set us apart from the world. This is why the Christian MUST walk in the Spirit. We must live surrendered lives to Him. It is He Who guides us, and He Who should define us. Jesus sent His Spirit to us to guide us as lights in this darkened world.

Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

How does one walk in the Spirit? This is a command, and something God wants us to do. So how do we walk in the Spirit? Some would answer, “to walk in the Spirit we just obey the Law of God”. We walk in the Spirit by keeping the same Law that Israel kept. But what does the Apostle say?

Galatians 5:1-4 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

If you are seeking to be in a right relationship with God by “keeping the Law” then the Bible says “you are fallen from Grace”. It was the Keepers of the Law that unlawfully crucified Christ. It was the Pharisees who plotted and planned against Jesus to have Him executed. Why? Because Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath day. You remember this story.

Mark 3:1-6 {Jesus} entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. 2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. 3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. 4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. 5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. 6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

Who was it that was angry enough with Jesus to plot against His life? Was it the Romans? No, for even Pilate the Roman Governor said “I find no fault in this Man” (Luke 23:4; John 19:4). Was it the crowd in the synagogue that day? No, not at all. It was the Pharisees with the Herodians who conspired together to have Jesus murdered. Both Pharisees and Herodians were adherents to the Law. It was Pharisees, Scribes, Herodians, and leaders of the Temple of Israel who took Jesus to an unlawful midnight trial. It was this “religious” crowd who had Jesus initially beaten, and then worked the crowd up into such a frenzy that it yelled out:

Release Barabbas (Matthew 27:21)
Let Christ be crucified (Matthew 27:22)
Let Him be crucified (Matthew 27:23)

When you walk in the flesh – even if you are following the Law – you are walking wrongly and apart from God. What does our Father say to us?

1 Samuel 15:22 … Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

God does not want us doing the rituals of the Law like automatons. He wants us to follow Him with our hearts. He wants us 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, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

You can be right and be wrong at the same time. You can be technically right, and yet spiritually wrong. God wants His Children to heed the Holy Spirit and not just the Law. He says:

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

This is why the Church in America is staggering today. The average believer is not living in the Spirit, but by the letter of the Law. Need I remind you that the Apostle Paul was Saul the Pharisee before he was the Apostle Paul. A fully cognizant religious agent:

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.

Was God pleased with Saul? Saul was following the Law, and obeying the High Priest of Israel. Was Christ pleased?

Absolutely not!

Jesus knocked Saul down on the Damascus Road, saying ..

Acts 9:4 Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?

I wish Jesus would knock down all the Sauls today that hinder the work of the Gospel. I wish every preacher, deacon, elder, and leader that is following letters on a page rather than the Holy Spirit in the heart would be blinded and led back to the Lord!

When we walk in the flesh we – like the unconverted Saul – persecute Jesus (Acts 9:5).

We who are saved are not under a pen and ink law, but we are under the Law of Love, the Law of the Holy Spirit. We are freed from the Scribal Law so that we can follow the greater Law of the Spirit. We who are Christians are NOT LAWLESS. The Apostle says:

Galatians 5:13-15 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

We are given a much simpler Law to follow.
We are to “love our neighbor as ourselves”.
Love others the way you want to be loved.
Treat others with the same hand you want to be treated.
If we do not do this, then the snake eats itself.
We consume ourselves,
We become one with the darkness,
And absolutely of NO EFFECT!

We must choose to walk in the Spirit. We must choose to follow God our Savior. We must always remember:

Galatians 5:17-18 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Defining The Flesh That We Are To Avoid

Now the obvious question is “What should I avoid if I am to walk in the Spirit?” I’m glad you asked. The Bible has an answer. The flesh can be defined by it’s WORKS or by it’s outward MANIFESTATION. We read:

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Now if you’ll notice these “works of the flesh” are indeed violations of the Law of God. The Christian is not lawless. In fact, the Christian following the Spirit is MORE LAWFUL than the religious person. There are written Laws in the Old Testament that forbid sexual immorality and impurity (in the KJV “Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness“. There are written Laws that forbid idolatry (seeking God where He is NOT, such as in witchcraft). Many of these works of the flesh are written down in the Law of God. But ALL of these works of the flesh have ONE THING in common:

They do not come from a Spirit led,
love directed heart!

When God looks at His Children He does not want to see us in sexual sin – either heterosexual or homosexual. He does not want us worshiping other gods and goddesses. He does not want us following spiritual practices created by the unChristian, such as Muslim, Hindu, Mormon, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc faiths. God does not want to see hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, divisiveness, envy, drunkenness, or anything else that is not Godly in us. We are not be haters nor hateful. And we are warned that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. That is a frightening assessment. What the Bible is implying here is

If you think you are saved,
but routinely are involved in these outward manifestations,
Then you may be mistaken!

What does the Lord want to see in His Children? He wants to see the fruit of the Spirit. What is this fruit of the Spirit?

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

There is no written Law against these behaviors – NONE. These are the traits that God wants to see in His Children. These are manifestations of love. Let us seek His face, and be like Jesus – even to those we do not agree with. This alone honors God, and proves our salvation.

May God the Holy Spirit touch you with his Word!

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Unsearchable Riches of Christ

Posted on September 30, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

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Ephesians 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

To many Christians the Grace of God is but one note. To many believers Grace is all about salvation from sin. Grace is indeed about salvation from sin. The Bible tells us that:

Romans 5:6-9 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

The Bible is very clear that humanity is fallen from the glory of God. There are no naturally “good” people. Yes, there are moral people. There are nice people. There are even religious people. But there are none good. The Bible says:

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

Our Lord Jesus said in Mark 10:18 “there is none good but one, that is, God.” No one is naturally good. We are all crooked in the eyes of God. This is why our Lord Jesus Christ came. He came to:

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

The Unsearchable Riches Of Christ Both
Covers And REcovers Our Sins

What was done at the Cross of Christ was that our sin was COVERED. Sin must be paid for. God is holy, just, and ever righteous. And an offense against God is not a light thing. When Jesus died on Calvary His Blood covered our guilt. But salvation does not stop there. Once saved, God moves into our lives. He not only COVERS our sin He RECOVERS us from sin. He changes us. He begins a change in us that will be a very real change in who we are. The Bible tells us that Heaven is a place where NO SIN CAN ENTER IN. We are told that in glory:

Revelation 21:27 … there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Nothing that worketh abomination shall enter into Heaven. We are introduced to the word abomination in the Old Testament. From one commentary called Wikipedia I found this definition:

“Abomination (from Latin abominare, “to deprecate as an ill omen”) is an English term used to translate the Biblical Hebrew terms shiqquts שיקוץ and sheqets שקץ,[1] which are derived from shâqats, or the terms תֹּועֵבָה, tōʻēḇā or to’e’va (noun) or ta’ev (verb). An abomination in English is that which is exceptionally loathsome, hateful, sinful, wicked, or vile.”

When God uses the word abomination He speaks of something that is to Him that is exceptionally loathsome, hateful, wicked, or vile. God does not allow abominations into Heaven. The Bible states:

Proverbs 6:16-19 … These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven [are] an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness [that] speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

These things are NOT ALLOWED IN HEAVEN, and yet, dear ones, have not we all engaged in many of these things on the earth? When we think of abomination we think of sexual sins that perhaps we don’t do. Of homosexuality:

Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

or of adultery or incest:

Ezekiel 22:11 And one hath committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife; and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father’s daughter.

or of cross dressing:

Deuteronomy 22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.

or of child sacrifice or abortion:

Jeremiah 32:35 And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

When you read the Bible you will find – if you read it honestly and apply it to yourself as fairly as possible – that we have all been guilty of doing things that are what God classifies as abomination or unrighteousness. Praise God for His Grace!

His Grace not only covers our sins,
but His Grace changes our nature!

This is why we read in the Scripture …

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Nothing can enter God’s presence that defiles. No sin can enter into Heaven. This is why Christ came. Though we are all sinners His willing sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary paid for our sins. We are “justified” – a word that means “to straighten that which is crooked”. We are “washed” clean of sin because of His shed Blood. But THE RICHES OF GOD’S GRACE GOES FURTHER THAN MERELY COVERING! It changes us. The Apostle tells the Church at Corinth (and us as well):

1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: BUT ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

No Christian should ever feel self righteous, for that is a dangerous way to be. But we should indeed feel blessed. God took us a broken things and covered our brokenness. But the riches of God’s Grace says “this is not enough! No, I will not only COVER their sin, but I will RECOVER them into what I want them to be!”

My daddy was an upholsterer. Sadly, you rarely meet or even hear of upholsterers any more. Furniture is made cheaply, of cardboard and plywood and cheap fabrics and man made fibers. Furniture is made to be used and thrown away. But in my daddy’s day furniture was well made from oak, maple, and stuffed with natural cotton. Furniture was made to not only last, but to pass down as a heritage from generation to generation. People would come to daddy with their furniture, torn, dirty, damaged from life, stinky, smelly. They would pick out a fabric from one of the thousands of samples daddy had. Then daddy would take that couch or chair or recliner, remove all the old and torn, and replace the broken with the new. When daddy was done with a piece of furniture it would be like a brand new item, straight off the show room floor.

That is what the unsearchable riches of Christ does to us. God redeems us by His precious Son’s Blood. He buys us as we are, broken and sin filled. The Bible says:

1 Peter 1:18-20 .. ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain {way of life} received by tradition from your fathers; But 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 was at Calvary that Christ made a way for us to come face to face with God. The Cross made payment for our sins so that we can have access to God. But the Grace of God is not just to save us from sin so that we can one day go to Heaven. God’s Grace is much more than this. It is unsearchable riches. God covers our sins, then He begins to RECOVER us, to remake us.

God brings us into His Family.

The Unsearchable Riches of Christ
Brings Us Into God’s Family

The Apostle Paul said:

Ephesians 3:14-15 … For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

We who have received Christ as Lord and Savior are brought into the Family of God! We are part of a family that is based not just on earth, but in Heaven. The Saints of old are part of that Family. King David – long departed from this earth – is part of that Family. He said:

1 Chronicles 29:10 … David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our Father, for ever and ever.

The Great Prophet Isaiah – gone into glory 700 years before Christ came – is a part of that Family. He said:

Isaiah 63:16 … thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.

The ancient Jews did not understand God’s purpose was to make us part of His Family. This was a mystery to ancient Israel. That is what Paul is speaking of in our text when He says:

Ephesians 3:2-6 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6 That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

In the Old Testament the Jews knew that when Christ came that He would be “A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (Luke 2:32). But God never revealed to Israel His Grand Plan, that He was going to create a Family from the Blood of His dear Son. That in Christ God would bring together Jew and Gentile, Bond and Free. That He would redeem all and put all who would believe in Jesus into One Family, under One Head. Jesus told us:

Matthew 23:9 … one is your Father, which is in heaven …

The riches of Grace not only saves us, but it enters us into the Family of God. When you do the work of God by believing on Jesus Christ (John 6:29) then this rich Grace of God brings us into the Family of God. Jesus said:

Matthew 12:48-50 … Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

God has a family that He is building by faith in Christ. This family is both in Heaven and on the earth. Paul was praying for the Ephesians that they would be:

Ephesians 3:16-17 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith

The word translated dwell means “To be at home in” (Greek κατοικέω katoikéō, pronounced kat-oy-keh’-o). It is the Father’s intent not just to save you, but to make you a temple that Christ can “be at home in”.

If you are are believers then you are entered into the Family of God through the

operation of this same Spirit. God gave His Spirit to us to mark us as His Children. He also gave us His Spirit so that we can be like Christ. The Bible says:

Romans 8:14-17 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

We are adopted into the Family of God by the Spirit of God Who lives and works in each one of us. The world will never understand this relationship between God and man, between believer and Heavenly Father. The world

will never understand that Jesus Christ is not just a Prophet, but Jesus Christ is Eternal God Who made something impossible possible.

The unsearchable riches of Christ saves us.
The unsearchable riches of Christ COVERS our sins.
The unsearchable riches of Christ RECOVERS us from sin.
The unsearchable riches of Christ ADOPTS us into God’s Family.
The unsearchable riches of Christ will make us like Christ.
And The unsearchable riches of Christ gives us purpose.

The Unsearchable Riches Of Christ Gives Us Purpose

Ephesians 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ

for you Gentiles …

No missionary ever suffered quite like the Apostle Paul suffered. When recounting what he went through he said:

2 Corinthians 11:24-27 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

You would think that Paul would just give up. What suffering he went through! And yet he did not give up. In fact, the Apostle Paul went into Jerusalem to the Temple to preach the Gospel knowing that he would be imprisoned. Why did he keep going?

Because God the Holy Spirit told him:

Acts 23:11 And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

The suffering he was going through was not for no purpose. It was so the glorious riches of God’s Grace could go out into the world. Where better than to preach Christ than before the Caesar in Rome?

The Apostle understood the riches of God’s Grace, and knew that God wanted to save whosoever will through it. Therefore his suffering was for a greater purpose.

The unsearchable riches of Christ did not just save us from our sins, but it saved us for a purpose. Trials come on all of us. But if you are in Christ, these trials do not come to destroy you, but to fulfill the purpose of God in Christ. The Apostle told the Church at Ephesus:

Ephesians 3:13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

The tribulations that came on Paul were not random events, nor cruelties sent his way by satan. No, every tribulation came to aid the Apostle in fulfilling his life purpose. Paul was a man with purpose. God used him to reveal to all that it was God’s intent to save whosoever will believe on Christ. Not just the Jews, but the Gentiles as well. Not just the well to do or best, but whosoever will. And the Apostle saw God at work, moving all things according to His will. He had purpose because of Christ.

Beloved, if you are saved it is not just so you can go to Heaven, but that God can use YOU to reach others for His Kingdom. View everything that happens to you through the riches of God’s Grace – the unsearchable riches of Christ. May God touch your hearts with His Word!

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More Blessed To Give

Posted on September 29, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

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One of the most interesting texts in the Bible is one of the least understood and the least preached.

It is part of a sermon preached by the Apostle Paul to the leaders of the Church at Ephesus – a type of farewell address. God used the Apostle to establish the Church in Ephesus. The Church was planted during Paul’s second missionary journey, circa 52 AD (see Acts 18:19). When the Apostle returned to Ephesus during his third missionary journey (circa AD. 54) he spent three years there (see Acts 19:8-10; Acts 20:31). During this trip the Apostle the Lord used Paul to weed out false teachings that had threatened the Church. The Temple of Diana, the goddess of sexual fertility, was established in Ephesus. In fact, Ephesus was a hotbed of pagan practices. The Apostle spent three years weeding God’s Garden, the Ephesian Church.

About 57 AD. the Apostle – as he was traveling – decided to stop once more in Ephesus. The Apostle knew that this would be the last time he could see his beloved Ephesian Church. He told them:

Acts 20:22-25 … And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: 23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. 24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.

Paul didn’t know how bad it was going to be, but it knew he would be imprisoned. He knew this was the last time he would see this precious Church because God had warned him that bonds and afflictions abide me. But Paul wasn’t concerned about his death. He was ready to die. Paul wanted to finish well, and wanted the Church at Ephesus to prosper and grow.

As we run with patience the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1-2) let us keep in mind the goal. We are to finish well for Christ. Do we finish well? No one cheers the quitter, the one who stops mid race. The cheers of Heaven are not for the quitters or the lazy or the fearful or the foolish. The cheers of Heaven are for the faithful, for those who with endurance, looking unto Jesus, they ran their race with patience to the end. That is what brings the trophy.

As Paul ended his sermon to the Church – the last time he would see them face to face – he said these words. Let’s read these words responsively:

Acts 20:25 I have shewed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Now here’s where it gets interesting. The Apostle quotes the Lord Jesus Christ, and tells the young Church to remember the words of the Lord Jesus. He was quoting a word that Jesus said that many had heard. Yet here’s what’s interesting. If you look through the Gospels you will NOT find this word anywhere. Neither Matthew, Mark, Luke, nor John record these words from our Lord. This causes many of the commentaries and theological doctors a great deal of concern. Some people have even gone so far as to say that the Apostle Paul mis-spoke, that he quoted something that Jesus never said, and there is error in the Bible. I do not believe this. I believe the Apostle quoted Jesus as saying this because Jesus did indeed say it. The Gospel of John ends with these words:

John 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

The Gospels do not tell us all that Jesus said and did. That great pastor Dr. W.A. Criswell – the Pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas
called this word from Paul
“The Lost Beatitude”.

When Jesus began His ministry the first major sermon He preached was called The Sermon On The Mount. This is a fantastic sermon that is found in Matthew chapters 5-7. What word is used over and over in the introduction of this sermon? See if you can find it.

Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Matthew 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Did you find it? Yes, the word is Blessed. The word Blessed is the Greek

μακάριος makários, (pronounced mak-ar’-ee-os) which means “to be fortunate or well off”. The word is found some fifty times in the New Testament. The word can also mean “to be happy”, and is translated as such in:

1 Peter 3:14 … But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye …

1 Peter 4:14 … If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you …

That word “blessed” means to find inner happiness, to find contentment, to be prospered in a way that brings spiritual joy.

It Is A Blessing To Receive

Now Jesus never said it is not a blessing to receive things. He said:

It is more blessed to give than to receive.

There is greater happiness in giving than there is in receiving, but that isn’t to say that God doesn’t want us to receive. Our Lord Jesus was blessed when He went to Simon the Leper’s home for supper – at Simon’s invitation, mind you. When Jesus came into that man’s home the Bible says:

Matthew 26:6-7 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.

As this unnamed woman washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair, people who saw this sat judging. They sat judging this woman. They sat judging Jesus. “If Jesus knew who this woman was, He would not allow her to even touch Him!” (Luke 7:39). … “Why was this ointment wasted? It could have been sold for over 300 denarii (a year’s wages)!” As Jesus sat receiving this blessing He told them all “Let her alone. She has done a beautiful thing to Me. She has anointed My body for burial!” (Mark 14:6-9). He then rebuked Simon,

Luke 7:44-46 … And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped [them] with the hairs of her head. 45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

Jesus was blessed by what He received from this woman. It is wonderful to receive blessings.

 As a pastor I have received thank you cards for things that I have done for others. That is a blessing. As a father, I am always blessed when my children remember me on Father’s Day. On the wall of my home office is a card that my youngest son brought to me on my birthday one year. I hung it on the wall, and look at it any time I get to feeling blue. On that same birthday my oldest son forgot my birthday. That hurts! Do you know that feeling? Of course, there were times when the shoe was on the other foot, and I forgot my momma and daddy’s birthdays. I wish I had been more diligent now that they are gone to be with the Lord. I really do.

It is wonderful to receive encouragement when you are down. There is nothing wrong with receiving. When we pray, do we not ask God to give to us? Do we not pray as Jesus taught us:

Matthew 6:11-13 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

God told us not to worry about things, but to ask God as our Father for blessing. We should not worry about tomorrow, nor for our sustenance, but we should seek God in prayer. He wants to bless us, and waits to hear our cry. Jesus told us:

Matthew 7:7-11 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Our Heavenly Father loves to give good things to us, so receiving is not evil, and asking is not evil. Even God wants to receive from us. Not stuff, but the love and admiration and respect that He deserves.

The Father wants our full and devoted love! Our Lord Jesus said that the greatest commandment in the Law is:

Matthew 22:37-38 … 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.

What God wants of us is ALL of us. God wants to receive our love, our devotion, our obedience, and our allegiance. We bless God when He receives that from us. So no, it is not wrong to receive.

But It Is MORE BLESSED To Give

It is more blessed to give than to receive.

The great Pastor W.A. Criswell told this story:

“Over there in Africa, there was a little colored boy – one of those little African natives who came to one of our mission Sunday schools – and he did not have any clothes on. … so the Sunday school teacher said to the little fellow, … “Son, you go home and tell your momma to put some clothes on you. You cannot come to Sunday school without any clothes on.” So the little boy went home and told his momma that he could not come to Sunday school unless he had some clothes on. So the little fellow returned pretty soon and he was so proud, he was so proud with the clothes that he was wearing. Do you know what he had on? He had on a pair of suspenders!”

It is a blessing to receive, but a GREATER blessing to give. I want you to think about another little boy now. This little boy heard that Jesus was coming to town. He was so excited. So the little boy asked his mother is he could go and see Jesus. His mother – like all good mothers – said it was all right for him to go see Jesus, but she wanted him to take lunch with him. Mother pulled out of the cupboard what she had ready – two small fish and five little barley biscuits. She put this meal in a little sack, and the little boy set out to see Jesus. It was a fantastic day. The little boy squirmed and wiggled till he got close to where Jesus was. Sick people were coming to Jesus, and Jesus was healing all that came. People were carrying crippled friends to Jesus. With a touch and a word the lame walked. The blind were given their sight. It was so magnificent! And the crowd kept getting bigger and bigger.

Then it looked like the excitement was going to end. The sun was setting, and the people were hungry. The little boy had forgotten to eat his lunch. His tummy rumbled and made him remember. Suddenly the disciples scattered through the crowd. The little boy heard the adults talking. They were looking for food to feed this crowd.

The little boy had a choice. He could feed his own belly. Or he could give the little bit he had to Jesus. He handed his sack to one of the disciples who took it back to Jesus. The disciples told Jesus:

Matthew 14:17-18 … We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. … {Jesus} said, Bring them hither to me.

The little boy watched Jesus take his lunch out of the bag. Jesus looked up to Heaven and blessed the food. He broke the loaves, and passed them to the disciples, who gave more than enough food to the crowd of over 5000 people. Now let me ask:

Who do you think received the greater blessing that day? The over 5000 people who filled their bellies? The disciples who passed out the food Jesus gave them. Or the little boy who saw his tiny meal transformed into a banquet for thousands?

Do riches bless us? Does receiving stuff make us happy? There was a rich young ruler who came to Jesus and said:

Luke 18:18 … Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

When Jesus told him:

Luke 18:22 … sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

The Bible tells us that this young man went away sorrowful – not blessed but sorrowful for he was very rich. Compare this young man to another rich man named Zacchaeus, who was very rich (Luke 19:2). Was Zacchaeus happy? Was he blessed? If he was, why did he climb up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus (Luke 19:4). When Jesus went into his home what did Zacchaeus say?

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.

Jesus said that salvation had come to Zacchaeus. Why was this? Because Zacchaeus gave himself to the Lord. He no longer worshiped his stuff, but worshiped the One Who came to die for us all.

Who was happier? The widow who put in all that she had (Mark 12:41-44) or the rich Pharisees who made a show of giving their money. Jesus said the widow with little was better blessed. “They gave out of their wealth, but she gave out of poverty, and put in all she had”. Some would say this is foolish, but God says that this is wisdom.

When We Give Of Ourselves We Are Most Like Jesus

It is more blessed to give than to receive.

There is nothing wrong with receiving – unless all you do is receive. When all you do is receive then you become like the foolish rich man of Luke 12.

Luke 12:15-17 And {Jesus} said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

To “covet” is to be greedy, to be always taking and never giving. When we always take and never give then we are never blessed. As Jesus said, a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Stuff comes and stuff goes. Bank accounts grow, go to zero, and grow again. There’s no sin in receiving – but to receive and never give leads to misery and sadness and a lost life. This rich man had plenty. He asked himself, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? The answer should have been simple. If God has prospered you, bless someone else. Do not be like the rich man of Luke 16 who clothed himself in fine linen, but never had the time to help poor Lazarus at his doorstep. As Lazarus fought the dogs for every crumb of food, the rich man stuffed his face with the finest food.

There is no happiness nor blessing in all receiving but never giving. As we have been blessed, we need to bless others. The one who is Ebenezer Scrooge is never happy. Let us not be like the rich young ruler, the rich farmer, nor like old Ebenezer. Let us be like Jesus.

2 Corinthians 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

How did Jesus become poor? He left the splendor of Heaven. He stepped down from His Throne in glory, and lowered Himself to be born a baby in a manger in Bethlehem. Jesus became like us – yet without sin – so that He could give His life for us on Calvary. We who are saved by Grace in Him are to be followers of Christ (Matthew 4:19) and followers of God (Ephesians 5:1). If you belong to Jesus you are to live for Jesus.

Some do not understand this truth. People visit this Church and begin to ask me, “What can YOU do for ME”? That is not the way of Christ. The way of Christ is to give as you have been given to. No, I’m not just talking about money, though money does come into it. But you are to give of yourself. How does the Bible speak to this.

Romans 12:1-2 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.

Live your lives as Christ lived His. He was always giving – even unto His death. He gave Himself a ransom for our souls. Shall we take of Heaven’s Best and give nothing in return? God forbid. God forbid.

The Lord has been so good to me. Shall I with hold my life from Him? “Freely ye have received, freely give. (Matthew 10:8). If you are not saved by faith in Christ then run to His waiting arms today. Receive the greatest gift you will ever receive: salvation by Grace and the adoption into His Family. Once you have received, give. He gave to you, so give to Him. Not just money – but of yourselves. Give to Jesus. You are His people, His Kingdom, His family forever. The heart closed to Jesus will manifest in a closed and stingy hand. But the heart opened to Jesus will give as it has been given. Blessed be the Name of Jesus!

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