Names Of God: Yahweh Nissi

Posted on March 12, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

YahwehNissi Cover

Photo by Jon Sailer on Unsplash

Exodus 17:14-16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. [15] And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: [16] For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

The word “Jehovahnissi” in the King James is the Hebrew Yahweh Nissi which translated literally means “The Eternal God Is My Banner”.

In ancient times as today, armies always went into battle following their banner or flag. You knew you were on the correct side of the battlefield when you followed your flag. When I was stationed 14 months overseas in South Korea – apart from my wife and precious children – every morning and night I stood at attention and watched our “banner”, the U.S. Flag, raised and lowered. As Airmen we were all reminded that the reason we suffered was not just for a piece of cloth. We suffered and were willing to die so that our nation could remain free. That “banner” wasn’t just a strip of tri-colored cloth to us. The banner represented something greater. The “banner” we honored represented the United States, in my opinion one of the most unique nations in all the world.

The Banner represents a larger thing. The American armies follow our flag into battle. Israel had no flag.
Israel was to follow Yahweh to victory!

The Greatest Enemy Of Israel Was Israel

At this time in history the nation of Israel has never had to fight a battle with an external enemy. God fought for Israel. Israel was a nation of slaves, held in captivity by Egypt. Israel had been in captivity for so long that it literally had no idea as to how to fight. They had no soldiers.

Israel was saved and freed from Egypt because God fought for them. Through a series of ten plagues, God forced Pharaoh to release His people. When Pharaoh led his armies to attack Israel after releasing them YAHWEH battled for His people. Israel was safe as long as she followed the Lord. But Israel kept on fighting among themselves.

They fought with Moses:

Exodus 14:11-12 … And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

This not only hurt Moses, but I’m sure it hurt YAHWEH. The Lord in Grace released His people. He was not going to let them die now. Moses told Israel:

Exodus 14:14 YAHWEH shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

When Israel came to Marah in the wilderness of Shur (Exodus 15:23-25) the people once more complained against Moses and God. They had no external enemies, but they were their own worst enemy. Israel wandered in to the wilderness of Sin – and in SIN they SINNED once more. Israel grumbled about the food so that God sent manna (bread from Heaven) and quail to feed His people.

In The Wilderness Of Sin, Israel Sinned

God will fight the battles of His people, but His people must honor Him. The greatest enemy we will ever fight will be ourselves. This is why the Apostle commanded:

1 Corinthians 1:9-10 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

The Psalmist told us in Psalm 133:1, “How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”.

God’s people need to understand that
“if we love one another, God dwells in us” (1 John 4:12).

This is why we are to “live in harmony with one another” (Romans 12:16).

I have known and pastored churches that – though they have heard the message of the Gospel and know what God requires of us – have nonetheless persisted in warring among themselves. Israel, like the Church, was meant to be a unified body of believers, each working together for the glory of God.

We are to follow Yahweh Nissi!

We Must Conquer Ourselves: Rephidim Part 1

Then Israel came to Rephidim. Once more the people …

… protested instead of praying.
… criticized instead of crying out to Yahweh.

… griped instead of giving Yahweh glory.

… lamented instead of looking up.

Israel was NOT learning. Moses cries out to God:

Exodus 17:4 … What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.

It’s not getting better. It’s getting worst. So God tells Moses:

Exodus 17:5-6 … Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

I am told that this is an Old Testament shadow of the Cross of Christ. Moses striking the Rock is a picture of Christ being nailed to the Cross at Calvary. You see, Yahweh is standing BEFORE Moses on the Rock. Jesus said:

John 6:35 … he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

John 7:37 … If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

Revelation 21:6 … I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

When Moses did as God told him water flowed from the rock. That Rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4).

Israel drank from the Rock of God at Rephidim.

When We Conquer Ourselves, God Can Lead Us
Rephidim Part 2

Israel doesn’t leave Rephidim. Suddenly we see

Exodus 17:8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel IN REPHIDIM.

Up to this point God has fought Israel’s battles, and put up with Israel’s internal battles. If you belong to Yahweh at some point God will try your faith. Has Israel learned from their many failures? We’ll see.

The Amalekites were the descendants of Esau, brother of Jacob. This made the Amalekites cousins of the Israelites. Moses told Israel in:

Deuteronomy 25:17-18 Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; 18 How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.

The Amalekites had been attacking Israel’s rear, picking off the weak and the stragglers for some time. I wish people – particularly American Christians – would understand that our strength is in our unity. Every time members of the Church get slack in attending and worshiping together with their fellow Christians it isn’t long before they start falling back into worldliness and an old sin pattern. The devil loves to pick off stragglers. He watches, and waits.

Amalek has watched Israel battle internally, weakening herself through foolish and unneeded struggles. Amalek took out the stragglers. Now Amalek strikes!

Moses tells Joshua:

Exodus 17:9-10 … Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. 10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

Everyone has a duty to do. Moses was to hold up the “rod of God”. This was the same “rod” that Moses held over the Red Sea when it parted. This was the same “rod” that Moses struck the rock with a Rephidim. God has had Moses use this same “rod” over and over again. But now God is going to show Israel something very different.

Exodus 17:11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

Moses is but a man. Have you ever tried holding your hands above your head for any length of time? How about when one of those hands holds a “rod” that weighs 3-4 pounds? You can do it for a while – but after a while the arms have to come down. Aaron and Hur saw the problem. So how did they handle it? They got involved. They didn’t grumble, didn’t complain, didn’t find fault. They found a solution.

Exodus 17:12-13 But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Joshua won the battle. No, not just Joshua. He was leading the men. Joshua and his men won the battle. But no, not just Joshua and his men. Joshua and his men, along with Aaron, Hur, and Moses. But was that all? No. God told Moses:

Exodus 17:14 … Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

When God’s people come together in obedience to Yahweh, then Yahweh will use His people to do great things.

The Church Must Follow Yahweh Nissi!

The Bible tells us in:

Philippians 2:14-16 Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 16 Holding forth the word of life

It is not Moses that will win the battle. It is not the Rod of God that will magically win the battle. It is not the people of God that will win the battle. It is the united people of God trusting and following Yahweh Nissi – God Our Banner – who will win the battle.

May God touch our hearts with His Word and His Spirit. Oh, that we would all be a people following Yahweh Nissi, God our Banner! In Jesus’ name I pray this. Amen!

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Red Letters #13: Against Anxiety

Posted on March 9, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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I walked into my bank on Friday and the topic among all the Tellers was the coronavirus. Also called COVID-19, network television and news sources are fueling the panic about this virus. There have been about 100,000 cases worldwide according to Johns Hopkins University. Twelve have died in the United States, and one man in Williamson County is quarantined at home with the virus. The U.S. Government has restricted travel immigration from China, and U.S. citizens returning home from mainland China are subject to health monitoring and quarantine. What the Centers for Disease Control recommends is just plain old common sense.

  • Avoid close contact to sick people
  • Stay home if you are sick
  • Cover your mouth and nose if you sneeze
  • Clean your hands

I like what Vice President Mike Pence did last week. He prayed with the coronavirus Task Force. When the photo of this dear man praying hit the news media, the press immediately started mocking him. The New Yorker ran a piece entitled “Trumps Screams At Pence For Not Praying Hard Enough…”. The Guardian stated “Mike Pence shouldn’t lead the coronavirus taskforce. He can’t be trusted ..”. John Stonestreet & David Carlson wrote at Breakpoint:

“One secular research website headlined the photo with this take: “Symbolic of the moral and intellectual decay at the White House, a photo shows Vice President Mike Pence and his team trying to pray away the coronavirus.” Pence and his team were “wallowing in ignorant superstition and willful ignorance,” the site continued, suggesting that Pence prays because he’s a “religious extremist.”

Let me suggest something to the worriers among you. As the virus could be transmitted by money handled by unclean hands, I recommend that you let me come to your home and take all of your dirty money with me. I’ll make sure it’s properly disposed of by depositing it to our Building Fund. I’m willing to make that sacrifice for you. For those who are particularly nervous about it, I recommend you DO NOT go shopping at Walmart, Kroger, or any other store. Cash register receipts and boxes or canned goods on shelves were handled by people who might have been infected.

I don’t mean to make like of a tragedy, but the reality is – and I love you enough to tell you this – we live in a fallen world. Sickness comes. Sickness goes. Last week we had terrible tornadoes strike Tennessee, killing at least 24, with many still missing. Dear ones, tragedy can strike at any time. Nothing stops that person in the car next to you from drifting into your lane while they play on Facebook or text someone. You can be as careful as possible, do all the right things, and still get hurt. I bear a 1.5 foot scar and degenerative arthritis in my left leg, which, by the way, is now1 inch shorter than my right leg. I was going to the Air Force Base to work when a young boy ran into me, nearly killing me. He was sorry afterwards, but I’ve had to live with the scars and the pain.

Enough of this. Tonight our Lord Jesus is going to speak to us about anxiety. Let’s read our opening text responsively:

Responsive Reading Matthew 6:22-25 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 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. 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life …

“Take no thought” is the Greek μή μεριμνάω (mē merimnáō), which literally means “stop filling your mind with anxiety or worry. Stop troubling yourself”. The same phrase is found in:

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing (mē merimnáō); but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Jesus said “Do not worry about your life”. You cannot be the Light that God wants you to be if you are
consumed by worry and fears.

What Causes Us To Be Anxious?

What causes the believer in Christ to be anxious? Jesus tells us. He said:

Matthew 6:22-23 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

Christ calls us to be “the light of the world”. He started this “Red Letters” series with:

Matthew 5:14, 16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. … 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

We who are saved by faith in Christ are to be “the light of the world”. We have believed on Jesus, “THE Light of the world” (John 8:12). Yet we cannot be LIGHT if our bodies – and minds – are filled with darkness. Jesus said:

The light of the body is the eye …

What comes into your mind through the eyes and the ears influences your thought processes. If the devil cannot keep you from Christ and keep you in a lost state, then the devil will do his best to make you act like the lost. He wants you wandering and confused, worried and anxious, chasing every dandelion seed and useless thought. Peter told us that:

1 Peter 5:6-9 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Remember the word merimnáō (anxiety, worry) that we studied at the beginning of this message? In the phrase:

Casting all your CARE upon Him (God)

Word Study the word “CARE” is a cousin to merimnáō (anxiety, worry), the Greek μέριμνα mérimna, (pronounced mer’-im-nah) which means “anxiety or worry about the things of this world”. Let’s put this all together.

When you were saved by faith in Christ this infuriated the devil. The devil wants the world to go to hell with him. The devil wants the damnation of all. The devil controls the world’s media, movers, and shakers. And the devil “like a roaring lion is constantly prowling, looking to see whom he can devour”. He wants to devour some with unbelief. He wants to devour others with fear and doubt. The devil never gives up. He is constantly pushing his agenda. The devil is behind the movers and shakers in our world. Peter tells us:

Whom resist STEADFAST IN THE FAITH

The believer is to resist the devil “in the faith”. Our focus – our eyes – must be on the Lord Who saved us. Our focus must be on the Word of God and prayer. Jesus said:

Matthew 6:22-23 … if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness.

The word “single” is the Greek ἁπλοῦς haploûs, (pronounced hap-looce’) which means “whole, healthy”. If your focus is on the One Who saved you, the One Who made you whole and complete, the God-Man Jesus Who died for your sins and rose again from the grave to lead you, then your mind will be whole and healthy. But if your eye is focused on “EVIL” – πονηρός ponērós, (pronounced pon-ay-ros’) – “that which is hurtful, evil, or wicked” then your whole body shall be full of darkness. And Beloved, if you are “full of darkness” then how in the name of all that is holy can you be “the light of the world”. You cannot.

Your focus must be on Christ. Your focus must be on God your Father. Your focus must be on what GOD said is right, not what the world says is right. Your focus must be JESUS CHRIST. We are told in another place:

Colossians 2:8-10 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in {Jesus Christ}, which is the head of all principality and power …

The God that saved me is the God I must focus on.

Where my focus is, my faith will be.

Which Master Will I Serve?

If I am going to be the Light of the world, I cannot be double minded. I need to decide which Master I will serve. Jesus said:

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.

The easy believism preaching that America has been flooded with over the past forty years has created a generation of professing “Christians” who are no different from the fallen world. Jesus Christ was always clear that (1) Salvation is a gift from God, received by faith in Jesus Christ Himself. But Jesus also taught that (2) If you are saved by faith in Christ, God expects you to serve Him and not yourself or the world. We are saved to serve. Jesus said:

Ye cannot serve God and MAMMON.

“Mammon” is the Greek μαμμωνᾶς mammōnâs, (pronounced mam-mo-nas’). Mammon was the ancient Syrian and Canaanite god of wealth. Some versions translate “Mammon” as “money”, but that is incorrect. It is best to translate it as “Mammon” for our Lord meant it to be not just for money, but for any riches or things. Theologian Peter Lombard (Bishop of Paris) said:

“Riches are called by the name of a devil, namely Mammon, for Mammon is the name of a devil, by which name riches are called according to the Syrian tongue.”

Albert Barnes in his Notes on the New Testament said “Mammon was a Syriac word for an idol worshiped as the god of riches”.

“Mammon” as Jesus describes it is a dark devil, a demon, a thing distinctly separate from God our Father. We who are saved are saved not to serve sin, nor Satan, but the Lord Who loved us and saved us. The Apostle told us that once saved, we are saved to serve Him Who saved us.

Romans 6:1-2, 4-6 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

We do not serve Mammon, dear Christian. We serve Jesus Christ. We serve God our Father. We are indwelt by God the Spirit. The Apostle goes on to say:

Romans 6:11-18 … Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

No Christian who is indeed a Christian should be serving Mammon. Remember Judas Iscariot? Though he followed Jesus and was reckoned as an Apostle with the other eleven Apostles, he never was saved. Jesus said of Judas:

John 6:70 … Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

Dear one, if you are serving Mammon you are serving not Christ but the devil. The Christian is called to serve Christ. We are called to focus on and live for the One Who gave His life for us.

God’s Illustrations Against Anxiety

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought (mē merimnaō) for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Jesus now brings us to a therefore. We are not to focus on the devil’s ploys, or the world’s madness. We are to focus on what Jesus says.

Therefore I SAY unto you

Not what the devil says, nor CNN, nor ABC, nor even FOX. What does JESUS tell us? Jesus tells us:

  • Do not be anxious FOR YOUR LIFE. If you are indeed saved by faith in Christ, hasn’t Jesus promised us everlasting life? Now Beloved, you are NOT promised you will live on THIS earth forever. But you ARE promised everlasting life by the Lord Who never lies. There is going to be a day when we all will cease to be in this frame.

1 John 2:23-25 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. 24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

God gave us the greatest gift He could give us in Christ. We belong to Him. We are Heaven’s children. We have eternal life. We will remain on this earth until the Lord wants us to come be with Him. Then we will head to Heaven. No amount of worry will change this reality.

  • As recipients of eternal life, DO NOT WORRY about what you shall eat or drink, or what you shall wear. If God gave you eternal life, then God will provide your earthly needs. Jesus now illustrates this by saying:

Matthew 6:26-27 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

We add nothing to our bodies by worry. As a matter of fact, we become more stooped over, nervous, and spiritually depleted by worry. The birds neither sow nor reap, nor do they store up anything for the hard times. Birds do not have savings or bank accounts. I don’t believe it’s wrong to save, but realize that the stuff you have is like a morning fog. As your day grows longer, that money will disappear. Trust God your Father. Trust Him! Our God is faithful.

Matthew 6:28-32 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

God sent His Son to die for your sins. Jesus Christ came to suffer Calvary for you and I. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer. Will God abandon that which He paid so much for? You are priceless to God – He will not allow you to be neglected. God will take care of you.

Christians, if we are going to reach the world for Christ we must stop being like the lost Gentiles. We must keep our eyes upon Jesus. When we worry, we should go to God in prayer, and cast that worry on to His shoulders. God is able! God is able.

What are we to do? What should we be concerned about? Jesus said:

Matthew 6:33-34 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. But I do know that my calling and yours is to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. We are to live for the One Who saved us. We are to please Him. May God enable us to do so while we can. In Christ’s name. Amen!

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Red Letters Series #12: Where Is Your Heart?

Posted on March 8, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Matthew 6:16-21 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. 19 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.

When I use the word “fast” in our modern America we often think of:

FAST Food places like McDonald’s or Arby’s
Action movies like the FAST and Furious

Some of you think of BreakFAST,
what we’re told is “The most important meal of the day”.

When Jesus is talking about fasting, He is referring to a spiritual practice that few Christians exercise today. In Jesus’ day to “fast” was to go without food for a certain amount of time while seeking God in prayer and study of His Word. As Jesus spoke these red letter words to us from the Mountaintop He said:

Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast

Not IF but WHEN. Jesus expected His disciples to fast. Now let me be clear.

Fasting Is NOT A Way Of Earning Your Salvation

No one has ever been personally been saved by fasting. Salvation is ALL of GRACE.

Salvation comes by surrendering to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, by turning from
being your own god,
and following God.

The Pharisees often fasted as a means of both impressing people and also in hopes of impressing God. They fasted wrongly, for they rejected Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and instead relied on their own religious abilities to bring them into God’s favor. The Scripture tells us:

Titus 3:4-8 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to {God’s} mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which {God} shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

God is our Savior. He is the One Who sent His Son to die for our sins. He is the One Who sent His Spirit to indwell us after salvation. Jesus Christ paid for my sins, and your sins as well, on that Cross of Calvary. He died for our sins, and rose again to lead us in the ways of the Children of God. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse in our place. It is written, “cursed is everyone who hangs upon the tree, the Cross” (Galatians 3:10-14). Because He was cursed, I can come to the Father claiming Christ’s work in my behalf. This is what salvation is. Not our works, but His work, blessed be the Name of Jesus!

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

Salvation is by faith in Christ. Once we come to Christ we are commanded to do good works – works like fasting and giving – to be more like Christ our Savior. We are justified by faith apart from the works of the Law (Romans 3:28) but once saved, we do the things that are pleasing to our Lord. We are saved not because of our works, but because of God’s purpose and grace (2 Timothy 1:8-10). Listen to me, Beloved. You cannot fast yourself into God’s family. Salvation is by grace alone in Christ alone. But once saved every Christian wants to know more about our God. Like that old song says:

While traveling through … this world of sorrow
I’m on my way … to glory land
I’ll not turn back … for some tomorrow
My trials here … I’ll understand

I want to know more … about my Jesus
I want to know more … about my Lord
I want to know more … about that mansion
I’m gonna receive … as my reward
I want to know more … about that homeland
I mean to go there … someday, somehow
And after I reach … that heavenly city
I mean to know more … than I know now!

Fasting draws you closer to God. God has promised to never leave nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5), and God keeps His Word. The reason that God often seems far away is not because God is far away, but because WE are FAR AWAY. We allow the things of this world to draw our hearts away from God. Like the Psalmist said, “in all his thoughts there is no room for God (Psalm 10:4)”. Fasting is to replace something you often do (in the Bible this was eating) so that you can focus on God and His Word in prayer.

Fasting Throughout The Bible

In the Mosaic Law God only commanded the Israelites to fast one day of the year, on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-31; 23:27-32; Numbers 29:7). Yet fasting is found in many places throughout the Scripture.

  • When Queen Esther heard that Persian King Xerxes was going to kill all the Jews, she decided to go and see the King to persuade him against such a thing. Esther asked that the Jews fast for her (Esther 4:16) so that her mission would be successful.
  • When the cupbearer Nehemiah heard that the walls of Jerusalem were destroyed, we read:

Nehemiah 1:4-6 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, 5 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: 6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant …

Nehemiah prayed that he would be released by the Persian King to lead a detail back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. His mission was God blessed because Nehemiah sought God first. Once the cleanup crew headed to Jerusalem they fasted, seeking God as they rebuilt:

Nehemiah 9:1 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.

  • Daniel in Babylonian captivity prayed for the restoration of Israel. We read:

Daniel 9:3-7 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; 5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces…

  • What about the New Testament? When God told the Church to ordain the Apostle Paul and Baranabas for missionary work we read:

Acts 13:3 And when {the elders of the Church} had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on {Paul and Barnabas}, they sent them away.

As Paul and Barnabas established new Churches they in turn (Acts 14:23) “ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.” The Apostle Paul often fasted (see 2 Corinthians 11:27; 6:5). Though there is no specific command for us Christians to fast it is important to note this truth:

Though Jesus Christ is the Son of God Incarnate (become flesh), He Himself fasted for 40 days and forty nights (Matthew 4:2) in preparation for His earthly ministry. If Jesus fasted, and we are to be “followers of Jesus” (see John 8:12),
then we should fast.

I can hear your objections now. I have heard them before. “Preacher, I can’t fast because I’m on medication that requires I eat something.” The purpose of a fast is not to harm yourself, but to give up something in order to draw closer to God in prayer. May I suggest some other options?

Fast from Social Media, the computer, the smart phone.
Fast from the television.
Turn the electronic stuff off and open your Bibles.

You don’t have to fast for 40 days. How about one meal? Give up something that you do that pampers you, deprive yourself for a day or a few hours, and focus on your Lord and Savior. If you do, you will find yourselves drawing closer to God.

Fasting Is Not About Showing Off

Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Fasting is not about showing off. It is about drawing closer to God your Father. The Pharisees loved to come into the city on market day with their hair deliberately messed up. They would wear soiled or torn clothing, and rub ash on their foreheads, sometimes even whitening their faces to look as if they were fasting. God told Israel:

Isaiah 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

The purpose of a fast is to loosen the bands of wickedness. To draw our attention back to God our Father. We fast to undo heavy burdens, to draw close to Christ so that we can lay our burdens on Him.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

As we fast and deprive the flesh, our hearts focus upon God our Savior. God uses the time we spend in Him to break the yoke that binds us, to remove from us the darkness, and make us brighter lights for Him.

Matthew 6:17-18 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

The purpose of fasting is to deny the flesh and feed the spirit. When the Pharisee fasts and brags of fasting, or does things to draw attention to himself, that Pharisee is in reality feeding the flesh. Jesus said “they have their reward”. When you fast and do so to please God, the Father Who sees you will reward you openly. In our America today we desperately need to seek God’s face. We need to fast. Whether it be a fast of food, or a thing we enjoy doing, let us do so to glorify our Lord.

Where Is Your Heart?

Matthew 6:19-20 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 …

 I won the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes this week! What an exciting thing this was! My super prize check came to me in a large First Class envelope that cost the company $1.60 to mail. Sherry and I are going to take a vacation on the large sum received.

We got a check for a whopping $10.00!

I guess I’ve been sending in these Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes entries for 40 years or more. It costs a stamp to mail it, which costs .55. When I started doing this in 1980 a First Class stamp was .15. I suspect if you add it up I have probably spent far more than $10.00 on stamps to send in to this sweepstake. I’ve often thought about the sweepstake. If I won the money, what would I do with it? I hope I would glorify the Lord with it. But I don’t know.

I’ve never played the Tennessee Lottery (or any other Lottery, for that matter). I am told, however, that Americans spend an average of $206.69 on Lottery tickets each year. The odds of winning the Lottery are small. And the odds of keeping what you win is even smaller. Economist Jay L. Zagorsky writing for U.S. News and World Report stated: “Studies found that instead of getting people out of financial trouble, winning the lottery got people into more trouble, since bankruptcy rates soared for lottery winners three to five years after winning.”

Jack Whittaker, who won $315 million in West Virginia’s Lottery in 2002, told Time Magazine, “I wish that we had torn the ticket up.” Since winning, Whittaker’s daughter and granddaughter died due to drug overdoses. Just eight months after winning, he was robbed of $545,000. Whittaker said “I don’t like the hard heart I’ve got. I don’t like what I’ve become.”

Whereas fasting can open your heart to God, too much “stuff” can close your heart to God. Jesus told us what we all know: Treasures stored on the earth become moth eaten, rusty, and are stolen.

I had an Aunt that acquired quite a bit of money before she died. When she contracted Cancer the money she had and the properties she owned didn’t do a bit of good. Hospitals and nursing homes robbed most of her funds. What she had left my father received at her death. But before daddy and momma passed away, once more hospitals and nursing homes consumed their goods.

The stuff that we have, and that we hoard, can so easily be taken away from us. Even worst – this “stuff” can make our hearts immune to God’s Grace.

The Bible tells us of a man who came running to Jesus. Running! We read:

Mark 10:17 … there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

Jesus told the eager man:

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

Those who enter eternity with God are saved by faith in Christ – but they are CERTAINLY NOT LAW BREAKERS. The Scripture says “Sin will not rule over you, for you are not under the Law but under Grace” (Romans 6:14). The Bible says that “Jesus gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from ALL iniquity, and PURIFY unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14). Those who are saved by Grace live lives pleasing unto God because God has put His law into our minds and hearts (Hebrews 8:10). No Christian is a law breaker. The man told our Lord Jesus:

Mark 10:20 … Master, all these have I observed from my youth.

Then the Bible says:

Mark 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him…

Jesus looked into this person’s heart, just as he looks into yours and mine. Jesus loved him, but nonetheless spoke the truth. He saw that this young man’s heart was focused on not God, but on his “stuff”. His heart was filled with greed over the things he had. Jesus loved that man enough to tell him the truth.

You cannot go to Heaven nor walk with God if your stuff is your idol.
We must love God with all our hearts, all our minds, all our strength.
Our love for God must surpass the love we have
for even our spouses and children.

Loving this man Jesus told him:

Mark 10:21 …. One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

Put away your idols. Give to those in need. Take up the Cross and follow Jesus. The Cross is hard. The Cross is self denial. But the Cross is absolute love. God does not mind us having “stuff”, but He doesn’t want the “stuff” to take His place. God must be first in our hearts and minds. We must love Him. Jesus’ command to “take up the Cross and follow Me” is found several times in Scripture:

Mark 8:34 And when {Jesus} had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Luke 9:23 {Jesus} said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Where is your treasure, dear one? Where is your heart?

Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

If your treasures are in Heaven – in the love you have for Jesus – then nothing this life throws at you will destroy your spirit. Put your trust in Jesus. Follow Him. If your hearts have gone cold, redirect them to the Master. One day you will receive a glorious inheritance in Heaven, that is, if you are Christ’s. But if you are not His by faith, today would be a great day to meet Him. He calls for you. Come! The Spirit and the Bride say “Come”. Let him that heareth say, “Come”. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the waters of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17). May God touch your hearts and souls with His Word and His Spirit. Amen and Amen!

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The Names of God: Yahweh Elohiym and Yahweh Rapha

Posted on March 5, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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The Book of Exodus shows us the beginning of God’s fulfillment of His Promise to Abraham. In it we see the beginning of Israel as a nation, a people saved by God. In Israel we also see how God reveals Himself to his people. God reveals Himself through the use of different names, names that characterize Who our God is.

God Reveals Himself As ELOHIYM

As the Book of Exodus starts we see the Pharaoh order the abortion of all male children. Yet the Bible tells us that those who delivered the babies – the midwives – refused to do so. Why? The Bible says:

Exodus 1:17 … But the midwives feared God (Elohiym), and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

That which motivated the midwives was their fear of Elohiym. If you remember this name of God, you remember this is the earliest name of God found in Scripture. In Genesis it is the fourth word in our English Bibles:

“In the beginning God (Elohiym)”

We discussed in earlier messages that Elohiym is a plural rendered as a singular. It is the name of the Triune God (Father, Son, Spirit). I am not certain that the early midwives understood the Trinity (and we barely grasp it), but it was their fear of Elohiym – respect for the Three in One God – that caused them to refuse to kill babies though the state ordered it done. By being obedient the Bible says:

Exodus 1:20-21 Therefore God (Elohiym) dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. 21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God (Elohiym), that he made them houses.

The midwives had little, which is probably why they spent their time delivering babies for sustenance. But because they honored Elohiym the Bible says Elohiym made them houses. He increased what they possessed. A “house” is a reference to a household. Their income increased. Their families increased. Their health increased. What was it our Lord Jesus told us?

Matthew 6:31-33 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

My wife and I love to walk trails in the woods. It’s good exercise, and a beautiful way to experience God’s greatness. Often when I’m walking with my love I see fallen trees, many of which are huge in diameter. There is two reasons these forest giants fall. One reason is that the roots are not standing on solid ground. The other reason is because a small bug or disease took up residence in the trunk of the tree. I have seen trunks hollowed out by termites or small bugs. The outside of the tree looks nice and healthy, but the inside is all rotted away. In time it will fall.

So it is with every life, even the Christian life. If we build our lives on less than solid ground eventually we will fall. The Bible tells us to build our lives on the Rock that is our Triune God. King David said:

Psalm 62:1-2 … Truly my soul waiteth upon God (Elohiym): from him [cometh] my salvation. 2 He only [is] my rock and my salvation; [he is] my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

The midwives sought the pleasure of The Father, Son, and Spirit. They did not live for Pharaoh nor to please the crowd. Furthermore, the midwives avoided allowing sins, like little bugs, to infiltrate their lives. When sin comes into the life, whether you be Christian or non-Christian, that sin will ultimately consume you. Oh Beloved, remember that:

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sin kills. It eats us up from the inside out. Let us be like the midwives, and live so as to find our Father smiling on us. Let us live so as to honor the Son’s sacrifice. Let us walk in the Spirit, at peace with Elohiym regardless as to what this world may think! When we are afflicted, let us call upon upon the Father in the Name of the Son and in the power of the Spirit. Let us cry out within our affliction, as Israel did:

Exodus 2:23-25 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God (Elohiym) by reason of the bondage. 24 And God (Elohiym) heard their groaning, and God (Elohiym) remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God (Elohiym) looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

God Reveals Himself As YAHWEH

When God calls out to Moses from the burning bush, the Lord began by introducing Himself as Elohiym. He told Moses:

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

God told Moses that he was to go to both Pharaoh as well as Israel, serving as the spokesman of Elohiym. We read:

Exodus 3:13-15 And Moses said unto God (Elohiym), Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God (Elohiym) of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God (Elohiym) said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15 And God (Elohiym) said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God (Yahweh Elohiym) of your fathers, the God (Elohiym) of Abraham, the God (Elohiym) of Isaac, and the God (Elohiym) of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

Our God is YAHWEH. He is the great I AM. He is ETERNAL, without beginning or end. The first mother, Eve, knew Elohiym as YAHWEH:

Genesis 4:1 … Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD (YAHWEH).

When our Lord Jesus wanted to tell the Pharisees that He Himself is Eternal, co-existent with both Father and Spirit, He told them:

John 8:58-59 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

The Pharisees sought to stone Jesus to death for blasphemy, for He made Himself equal with God. But Jesus is indeed equal with God. He is the Eternal Word Who “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1-2).

When God told Moses He was YAHWEH, He was also saying He is unchangeable. We change and grow, but God does not.

Malachi 3:6 … For I am the LORD (Yahweh), I change not …

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

The Great I AM bound Himself to Israel by covenant, and that covenant would never end. He binds Himself to us who love Him by that same covenant. If you have faith in Christ then the Scripture trumpets:

Galatians 3:6-8 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, [saying], In thee shall all nations be blessed.

The God that saved Abraham is the same God that saved me. The God that promised Abraham is the same God that promised me. If you have received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior then the Elohiym – the Triune God – works together to bring you into His family. YAHWEH has you in His hands. YAHWEH promised to save Israel from Egypt, and YAHWEH did so. It was YAHWEH Who told Israel to kill a lamb without blemish, a male of the first year:

Exodus 12:7-8 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. 8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

God said,

Exodus 12:11-13 … it is the LORD’S (YAHWEH’s) passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD (YAHWEH). 13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

You all know the story. The God Who gives life was going to take life this very night, the life of all that were not under the Blood of the Lamb. That Blood represented what our Lord Jesus Christ did for us on Calvary.

Every day I read the obituaries of those who were unprepared for death. The LORD YAHWEH came to their homes, but they knew not Jesus.

Jesus Christ is …

Revelation 13:8 … the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

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

The lamb slain at the first Passover represented our Lord Jesus Who would one day be killed for our sins. We are made near to God as children by the Blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13). Our consciences are purged from dead works by the Blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:14). What shall wash away my sins? The Apostle said:

1 Peter 1:19 {you were redeemed from death} … with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

When Yahweh came visiting that night, every home that was not under the blood of the lamb suffered death. This broke the back of Egypt. Israel was released. Though Israel would later be pursued by Egypt (and the devil pursues every believer in Christ, tempting and trying to derail us), God would destroy Egypt’s armies and protect His people.

God Reveals Himself As YAHWEH RAPHA

People are so very fickle – and Christians are often the most fickle. God saved Israel with a mighty hand. At the Red Sea Moses cried out:

Exodus 14:13-14 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD (YAHWEH), which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 14 The LORD (YAHWEH) shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Yahweh – the Great God I AM – saved His people. God saves us by Grace. He merely asks that we come to Him as Lord, and heed Him as Father. He cries out to us in Jesus, “whosoever believeth in My Son will never perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Yahweh sends His Spirit to us, and indwells us, and adopts us. But we are so fickle. Our memory is so short. This is why we come together frequently, to remind one another that Yahweh is faithful – and calls us to faithfulness.

I am not a very good gardener. This year I am raising my own tomato plants from seed. So far they are doing well. But once I transplant them outside, that’s when the problems start. You see, I forget to check on my tomatoes daily. Weeds creep in. If you pull weeds when they are small, they are very easy to remove. But if you wait too long – holy cow! I pulled a weed the other day that had grown up into the highest part of my choke-berry tree. I thought I’d never get it out!

Weeds are similar to sin. You see, weeds began when Adam sinned. God told Adam:

Genesis 3:17-18 … cursed [is] the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat [of] it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee…

We need to pull the weed of sin out of our lives as soon as we see it. If we allow those little sins to creep in, they grow like weeds. Weeds that are not removed will remove the fruit – and even the life – of that which has been planted. If I want tomatoes, I must keep my garden weeded. If I want to be blessed of God, I must keep my spiritual life weeded.

Israel went three days into the wilderness, and found no water. Did they pray? Did they seek God’s face? Did they remember the blessings that God gave them just three days before?

No. They murmured. They groaned. They complained. They looked to themselves rather than to God. And here is where we see God revealing Himself to us by another name.

Exodus 15:24-26 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? 25 And {Moses} cried unto the LORD (YAHWEH); and the LORD (YAHWEH) shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, 26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD (YAHWEH) thy God (Elohiym), and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee (YAHWEH Rapha).

Israel was headed toward the Promised Land, but was not there yet. But the God Who saved them – YAHWEH Elohiym – is the God Who will keep them. Our God is “Yahweh Rapha – the Great I AM Who heals us, His people”. God never brings us to a place in life where we are to be cursed. Israel should have known that the God Who saved them from Egypt is the same God Who will be with them through all their trials.

Healing the water was very simple. God showed Moses a tree to throw in the water – and that tree made the waters sweet. Our Lord Jesus Christ made our lives so very sweet by going to the Cross of Calvary for us. Did you know that the average human is about 60% water?

The tree being tossed in the bitter waters is a beautiful picture of the Cross of Christ. The tree had to die to be cast into the bitter waters.

When we receive Him as Lord and Savior, Jesus’ payment for our sins becomes the catalyst that brings us into the Family of God. We are made alive because He died for us. When life gets rough, we need to look to the Cross. We need to look to Yahweh Rapha, the God Who heals us. Yahweh Rapha gave everything He had to save us. The Father gave His Son to die. The Son was willing to die in agony and shame on Calvary for us. The Spirit gives His life by promising to inhabit the believer. Oh, how God sacrificed for us! So we as His grateful children lay our lives down for Him.

Let us look to Calvary, look to the Christ, and trust Him when we are tried. Do not allow the weeds of sin and selfishness to creep into your walk with God. Look up! Look up!

May God’s Spirit and his Word touch your lives this very day. Amen.

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Red Letters Series #11: Light Lifts Up

Posted on March 2, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Matthew 6:1-4 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Who are you living your life for? I was watching a television show last night when one of the female actors came out with “I’m non-binary. I’m not a female. I’m not a male. I don’t know what I am”. When we live our lives consumed with ourselves, living to satisfy our feelings and our wants, in time we come to a place where we are absolutely lost. This is what happens when we deny the God Who made us. Paul described the life bereft of God this way:

Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

We need to choose God. We need to live for God. That is what Jesus is telling us. We are not to live our lives to please ourselves, but to live for the One Who created us.

When the Apostle prayed for the Church at Colossae he said:

Colossians 1:9-10 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might BE FILLED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 That ye might WALK WORTHY OF THE LORD unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

The Apostle told the Church at Galatia:

Galatians 1:10 … if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

It is certain that the Gospel commands that we – “as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” (Romans 12:18). We are not to be difficult, or warmongers, or arrogant. The Church in the midst of darkness must not compromise with the narrative of the world. We as His Children are saved by Grace so that we can share His Gospel with others.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

Christ’s Church Is To Help The Needy

Matthew 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them …

Please note that Jesus does not say “IF you give your alms” but “you DO your alms”. The word translated “alms” is the Greek ἐλεημοσύνη eleēmosýnē, (pronounced el-eh-ay-mos-oo’-nay), which means “a donation to the poor, an exhibition of mercy or pity, a compassionate gift”. The King James generally translates the word as “alms” or “alms giving”, whereas other translations use:

“practicing your righteousness” (NASB, CSB, ESV, NIV)

Though these versions are not consistent, for in verse 2 the NASB renders it as the King James “do alms”. The CSB reverts to “give to the poor”. The ESV and NIV revert to “give to the needy”. I think the King James is a better and more consistent rendering with “do thy alms”.

The mark of a genuine believer is a merciful and beneficial attitude toward those around you.
Light shines so as to dispel the darkness.

I was watching a Food Network show the other day called “Cutthroat Kitchen”. At the beginning of the show contestants are given $25,000 to use throughout the game. When the contestants receive this money they ALWAYS seem to do the same thing. Some will smell it, others rub it on their faces or on their bodies. They are worshiping that money. Believers in Christ are saved by the unconditional Grace of God. We do not worship money. We understand that -= if God has blessed us with riches – then we were given these riches to not just use for ourselves, but to bless the needy. God told His Old Covenant followers:

Deuteronomy 15:7-11 If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: 8 But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. 9 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee. 10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. 11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

When the Israelite harvested their fields God commanded “thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of your field” (Leviticus 19:9). God told the people He loved “thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD (YaHWeH – the Great I AM) your God (Elohiym the Triune God)”. God told Israel “when you gather olives, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow”. God was so serious about His people being generous that He told them:

Exodus 23:10-11 And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: 11 But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.

God was going to give His people enough bounty to where they could take a break every seven years. On the seventh year they were to leave the land alone. The “volunteer crops” that came up were for those in need. God says:

Proverbs 14:21 He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.

And has declared that the greedy person who never gives to those in need will not have his prayers answered:

Proverbs 21:13 Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.

The Apostle John told the New Testament Church – that’s us! – that we should especially be concerned in meeting the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is one of the reasons we give to missionaries as they go our to share the Gospel. The Apostle said:

1 John 3:16-19 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

James 2:15-17 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

As we have been given, let us give. Let us care for one another. Let us not worship money, but use it as a tool to spread the glorious Gospel of Christ.

Matthew 6:2-3 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

When we give, we give so that God may see it – not man. The hypocrites is the Greek ὑποκριτής hypokritḗs, (pronounced hoop-ok-ree-tace’) which means “to be an actor or player on stage”. The Pharisees did not literally “sound the trumpet” before they gave to God’s Temple – but they did broadcast what they gave and when they gave so that others would see and praise them. To those who do such things Jesus said:

They have their reward

The God Whom we serve “looks at the heart of the giver” (1 Samuel 16:7). Jesus said that when we give:

let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth

Now Jesus wasn’t being literal here, but was exaggerating for effect (hyperbole). When you give, give so that God knows. Give to please this Audience of One.

The Disciple of Christ Talks To The Father

Matthew 6:5-6 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Let me start by saying that Jesus is not forbidding public prayer. Jesus Himself prayed publicly. He prayed so many times in the presence of His disciples that they asked Him:

Luke 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

There are some 222 prayers that have been recorded in the Bible: 176 in the Old Testament,
46 in the New Testament.

We have Abraham praying many times (Genesis 17:18; 19:24). Eliezer the servant of Abraham prayed that God would lead him to a bride for Isaac (Genesis 24:12-14). Jacob prayed for blessing (Genesis 28:20-22). Aaron prayed (Numbers 6:24-26). Moses prayed (Numbers 16:15). Gideon prayed (Judges 6:13-17). Prayer is found frequently throughout the Scripture.

The Lord is emphasizing that when we pray, we pray to the Audience of One. We are not to worry about or even focus on those around us as we pray. We enter the prayer closet of our minds and – as God enables – we pray. Not all people can pray publicly. That’s perfectly all right! Whether you pray publicly or not, you should still pray!

The Pharisees perverted public prayer:

they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men

God knows who you are speaking to. We are to be speaking to our Lord, not pretending to do so.

Matthew 6:7-8 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the HEATHEN do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

The “Heathen” is the Greek ἐθνικός ethnikós, (pronounced eth-nee-kos’) which means “ethnics” or “nations”. This is reference to those who are outside of the family of God. Both Jesus as well as Paul prayed the same words to God several times (Matthew 26:44; 2 Corinthians 12:8), so “vain repetitions” does not mean to use the same words more than once. It means to use meaningless babble when you speak to God. Prayer is an act of communication with a literal cognizant Person. Our God is not a stone idol. He is real. He is alive. And when we pray, we are communicating with our God.

The Child of God Prays This Way

Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 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.

The reason the Lord gave us “The Lord’s Prayer” is because a disciple asked “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). The Lord’s Prayer is made up of seven phrases. The first three relate to God and His Kingdom. The last four are directed toward us, the believer in Christ. The prayer begins with:

  • “Our Father”. Israel drifted away from God, and religion took over the Temple. The Jews were taught that they were to be extremely formal with God. To call Him “Father” was considered blasphemy. This is what religion does to the faith of God’s Family.God was frequently presented as “Father” to Israel in the Old Testament. Moses told Israel:

Deuteronomy 1:31 … in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.

King Solomon told Israel in Proverbs 3:12 that whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

King David told Israel in Psalm 103:13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

And through Malachi 3:17 … they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

God is “our Father”. Our elder Brother Jesus died for us so that we could enter the Family of God. We are no longer strangers, but Sons, Sons of God by faith in Christ. God our Father loves us. He provides our needs.

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

  • “Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name”. To “hallow” God’s name is to recognize that He is holy, and that He is to be glorified. We hallow God’s name by being obedient as His children to do His will:

Isaiah 29:23 But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.

  • “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven”. I pray this prayer every day. At this point, I ask God to make His Will come to life in me, and in our Church, and in the Church that is in the world. I pray that we all become better citizens of His Kingdom NOW, not just when we get to Heaven. Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for my sins, but rose from the Grave to lead me and us as His Children.
  • “Give us this day our daily bread”. God wants us as His children to live a DAILY faith in Him. In the Old Testament God illustrated His provision to His children by the giving of manna. There was enough manna given each day for each person to take an omer, which is equivalent to 43.2 eggs or about 3.3 pounds. This was a daily ration. No one was to gather more than a daily ration, unless it was the morning before the Sabbath, in which case they could gather 2 days worth. If the Israelite tried to hoard manna it would turn wormy and stink (Exodus 16:13-21). We must trust God as our Father to care for us daily.

A man traveling in Turkey had a young teen as his guide. He saw a rare flower hanging from an inaccessible precipice, and decided he wanted it. He asked the young guide to climb down to where it was. He said, “I’ll tie a rope about your waist, and hold it while you climb down. You’ll be safe.” The young man said, “No, I’ll not do it that way. Let me go and get my father, and he can hold on to the rope. If father is holding on I know I’m safe.”

Christian, you have a Heavenly Father who will hold on to you. Trust Him daily to “hold the rope” of your life.

  • “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”. We must forgive those who have hurt us, if we are the children of God. Jesus tells us just a bit further on:

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

Many people have read and even memorized the Lord’s Prayer, saying it daily (as I do), and yet carry grudges in their hearts over hurts that others have done to them. Jesus said quite plainly, “If you don’t forgive, you will not be forgiven”. If you belong to Jesus then the Lord demands you forgive others. Jesus said it, we must do it. Period!

  • “and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”. We pray daily that God would lead us away from anything that makes us “less than light”. The devil – the evil one – does the best he can to put out our light. He wants us to be negative, to be morose, to be discouraged and disheartened – then to share that doom and gloom with the world. We pray that God would daily lead us away from temptations to darkness, and that He would “deliver us from the evil one”.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo were tempted to bow down to an idol that foolish King Nebuchadnezzar commissioned. (You can read of this in Daniel chapter 3). The King asked them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? … if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” Today in America Christians are being told we need to bow down to the idols of this nation, idols like:

sexual immorality and perversion
money and power
wholesale murder of children via abortion
drug and alcohol abuse

We need to remember to do as the three Hebrew children did. They politely refused to bow down to these idols, trusting in God as their Father. Were they thrown in the furnace? Yes. But God stayed with them in that furnace – and they came out unharmed. As Oswald Chambers once said,

“Faith for my deliverance is not faith in God. Faith means, whether I am visibly delivered or not, I will stick to my belief that God is love. There are some things only learned in a fiery furnace.”

  • For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen. Some Bible versions remove this part of the Lord’s Prayer because of textual criticism. I still think it’s best. We need to remind ourselves as the Light of the world that we exist for God’s glory, and to expand HIS Kingdom, not ours.

Let us live for our Father while we draw breath. May God empower this message to reach your hearts and minds, through His Spirit I pray. Amen.

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Red Letters Series #10: The Mark Of Perfection Is Doing Love

Posted on March 1, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Matthew 5:43-48 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? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

We Are Commanded To Be Perfect!

I’m going to start at the end, and work toward the beginning today. The last verse we read is:

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Jesus tells us as His disciples to “be perfect”. Perfect? As I looked up this passage in the various commentaries, each one I looked at minimized this command of Christ, barely paying it any attention. I don’t think God will honor this.

Jesus commanded that we “be perfect” (Greek τέλειος téleios, pronounced tel’-i-os), which means “to be complete, mature, of full age”. The Pharisees only focused on doing the parts of the Law that made them look good. They focused on giving so as to receive the praise of men, holiness so as to receive the praise of men, religious ritual fidelity to receive the praise of men. But Jesus drives us back to the Source. We are to be “imitators of God our Father”. If we are born again, if we are indeed”

children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26)

If indeed …

the Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit,
that we are the children of God (Romans 8:16)

Then we are to be “perfect and complete, just as our Father in Heaven is”. This is not a new requirement by Jesus. God told Israel:

Deuteronomy 18:13 Thou shalt be PERFECT with the LORD thy God.

Here the word “perfect” is the Hebrew תָּמִים tâmîym, (pronounced taw-meem’) which means “full, whole, without blemish, perfect”. What Jesus was telling His Church and the Father was telling Israel was:

Do not be like the lost world. Love Me. Love those around you. Do not love the idols, nor worship the false gods of of this world. Nations are destroyed because of their abominable child sacrifices and horrible gods.
Love only Me. Love one another. Be perfect!

We are to DO LOVE NOT HATE. Our “Light” is not like the Pharisees or the politicians.
We DO LOVE NOT HATE.

Matthew 5:43-48 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 …

“It hath been said, ‘thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy'”. This is found no where in the scripture. Never did God tell anyone – Israel or anyone else – to “hate your enemy”. Dr. Thomas Constable in his Soniclight Commentary notes “Nowhere does the Old Testament advocate hating one’s enemies”. Even in the Mosaic Code God said:

Exodus 23:2-5 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil … 4 If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. 5 If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help him.

Everyone has enemies. But we, dear Christians, must DO LOVE NOT HATE toward our enemies. Only in this will people come to know Christ.

The wonderful Scottish preacher Alexander Maclaren saw a man that had often visited his congregation come forward and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Maclaren had talked to the man before, and tried to lead him to Christ to no avail. The preacher asked the man “which sermon brought you to receive Jesus Christ?” The man honestly replied. “Your sermons were helpful, but they were not what finally persuaded me to be a Christian. A few weeks ago as I was leaving church, I noticed an elderly lady with a radiant face. Because she was making her way with difficulty along the icy street, I offered to help her. As we walked along together, she looked up at me and said, ‘I wonder if you know my Savior, Jesus Christ? He is everything in the world to me. I want you to love Him, too.’ Those few words touched my heart, and when I got home, I knelt down and received the Savior.”

Dr. David Jeremiah said “Even those in the grip of sin and frailty can recognize a true believer in Jesus Christ. When they see the joy of Christ in our life, it becomes a convicting moment. There’s a sermon in the holy smiles of God’s faithful people.”

Listen up Christian! Even if no one else around you is living for Christ and doing love, you yourself need to DO LOVE NOT HATE.

Consider the life of Noah. God was going to destroy the world by flood (Genesis 6:5-7). Evil had grown too pervasive, the darkness too widespread. The Lord decided to unplug civilization and let it reset. God, however, saw Noah. The Bible says that …

Genesis 6:8-9 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

Noah looked to God. While all those around him looked to false gods and petty feelings, Noah looked up. Noah loved God. Noah needed God. Because Noah found Grace (and Grace always comes first) – He was saved by faith in His Creator – Noah was JUST and ….. wait for it … PERFECT. Noah DID LOVE. If you notice in our text that Noah is described as …

… “perfect”, the Hebrew תָּמִים tâmîym, (pronounced taw-meem’) meaning “full, whole, perfect”.

Noah lived life in God’s presence. God told Noah “build an Ark, an escape for those who will love Me”. All else will flood. The world will flood. But build the God you love an Ark! So Noah build the Ark. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. (Genesis 6:22).

Beloved, God is not done with America. America is not totally destroyed. Build the Ark. As believers DO GOOD NOT HATE. Continue to share the love of God. Love God, love one another. Be perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect”. Our God continues to love them that curse Him. Our God continues to do good to them that do bad to Him.

“{God} maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

God blesses the world. His sun rise and sets on both evil and good. His rain falls on both evil and good. This past week I have heard so many people moan about the rain, cursing the fact that the sun is not out. Doesn’t the Bible tell us that God said:

I will give you rain in due season (Leviticus 26:4)

God gives us good. He gives us life. He blesses us daily. And yet so many receive the blessings of God without thanking Him, without praising Him, without honoring Him. Yet God gives anyway. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:46-47 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? 48 Be ye therefore perfect …

The “publicans” (τελώνης telṓnēs, pronounced tel-o’-nace) were people of rank who gathered taxes from the populace. They could be likened to the politicians of our day. These people glad handed you, patted you on the back, “loved you” as long as it was in their best interests. Their “love” was fake, self serving, meant to line their own pockets. Jesus commands us as His children and disciples to do better. To “be perfect” in our doing of love.

God’s Children Have Always Been
Called To “Be Perfect”

  • Consider Abraham. When God called Abraham to His side He commanded that old believer:

Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and BE THOU PERFECT (tâmîym, (pronounced taw-meem’)).

Love God. Love your neighbor. BE PERFECT. Live in the Grace of God, trusting Him, looking to Him. He will enable me.

  • Consider Joshua. When that great old warrior Joshua prepared the leave Israel, he encouraged them saying:

Joshua 24:14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity (PERFECTLY) – (tâmîym, (pronounced taw-meem’)) and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

  • Consider David. When King David was saved by God, He sang a beautiful song of salvation to the Lord. He sang:

2 Samuel 22:2-3, 32-33 … The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my Savior; thou savest me from violence. … 32 For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God? 33 God is my strength and power: and He maketh my way PERFECT. (tâmîym, (pronounced taw-meem’)).

  • Consider your calling. We come to God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Receiving of His Grace, His abundant love, we are called to love as God loves. We are to DO LOVE NOT HATE. We are to do good to all. One day while Jesus was teaching the crowds a Pharisee asked Him:

Matthew 22:38 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus replied without hesitation:

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

The entire Law is summed up in these two principles. Love the God of Scripture with all that you have. All your heart – your emotions. All your soul – all that is you. All you mind – all of your intellect. Let God have all of you. Do all in love for Him, for He has done all in love for you. Then the second principle is love thy neighbor as thyself.

Jesus quoted this same principle in another place. The Bible says:

Luke 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

Jesus answered a question with a question. Knowing that this man was a Lawyer He asked “What is written in the Law? What have you read there? (Luke 10:26)”. The man answered:

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

Jesus told the Lawyer, “Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live” (Luke 10:28). But the Lawyer – knowing the Law of God but like so many never doing the Law sought a loophole. He asked Jesus:

“Well then, Who is my neighbor?”

Jesus replied using a type of person often hated by the Jews of His day. Jesus used a Samaritan. Jesus said:

Luke 10:30-36 … A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?

The Lawyer answered – “He that showeth mercy on the man in need”. And Jesus said:

“GO, and DO thou likewise!” (Luke 10:37)

The Law is fulfilled by love. We are told this throughout Scripture. The Apostle Paul stated:

Romans 13:8-10 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

and again,

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

Love is the fulfillment of the Law. Love – to love God with all you have, to love your neighbor – whoever is near you – this fulfills the Law of God. This is what James the stepbrother of Christ called “the Royal Law”:

James 2:8-9 If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: 9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

God despises racism. God despises sexism. God despises elitism. Would you be perfect before God. Come to Christ as both Lord and Savior. Acknowledge you are a sinner in need of salvation. Call upon His name, believing He died for your sins. The Scripture declares that Christ came for sinners:

Matthew 9:12-13 … They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what [that] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

God will have mercy on all who will seek Him. Jesus Christ will save all that come to Him – bowing the knee to Him as both Lord and Christ. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your hearts that God has raised Him from the death, you shall be saved (Romans 10:9-10). God will have mercy on you. God reaches out to all people in Christ. All can be saved who receive Him as He is.

And once He saves us we are called as His Children to imitate the love of God. To love God with all we have. To love our neighbor as ourselves. To be merciful as our Father in Heaven is merciful. Oh Beloved, if you do not follow Christ, you cannot be the Light you are called to be. And you may not be saved!

We Are Called To DO Love, Not FEEL Love

Matthew 5:43-45, 48 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. .. 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

In our world today humanity views love as a mere emotion. People fall “in love” and people fall “out of love”, like it’s a swimming pool or a mud puddle. The ancients had four different words for love:

Storge – the love that RELATIVES have toward each other
Philios – the love that FRIENDS have toward each other
Eros – the love that LOVERS have toward each other

These three loves are defined by human emotion. Jesus doesn’t use any of these emotional words to describe the love that He calls us to. When Jesus says:

LOVE your enemies

He is not telling us to have warm and fuzzy feelings toward those who do us wrong. The word that Jesus uses is the fourth type of love – the highest standard of love. Jesus calls His disciples to ἀγαπάω agapaō (noun form Agape) which means to do what is best regardless as to feeling. Jesus emphasizes this. God does not enjoy it when an unbeliever takes His name in vain. God does not clap His hands with glee when a person commits adultery, or murders someone, or steals. God did not love what the Pharisees were doing in the name of “religion”. The Lord does not appreciate how many of His local Churches have compromised with darkness, calling good “evil” and evil “good” (Isaiah 5:20). And yet God is merciful. God does good to those who do bad to Him. In like manner, we who are His Children are to do good to those who do bad to us.

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…

God never tells us to justify the sin of others. God never tells us to compromise with sin. We are to love God first and foremost, emotionally as well as practically. But when it comes to our neighbor we are called to DO GOOD to those who DO BAD to us. Don’t respond with hatred. But even if you cannot control your emotions, do the godly thing. Pray for the lost. Do good for the bad. Be the Light that God has called you to be. Jesus Christ died so that all might live. Let us share Christ with others. Let us live in love, in AGAPE. As one commentary at gotquestions.org put it:

“Love that fulfills the law is agape love. This love is not based on emotions, but an act of the will. It is self-sacrificing, deliberate, active love. To love someone with God’s love is to promote that person’s best interests—to actively work not to harm but to bring good to that person. This love is directed not only toward fellow believers but to all people, even our enemies. Regardless of our emotional response to another person, agape love will act for his or her good, regardless of the cost. That is the kind of love Scripture speaks of when it says to love your neighbor as yourself. That kind of love is the fulfillment of the law.”

God expected this type of love from His followers in the Old Testament, and expects it of us even today. DO LOVE. Love God with all you have, both emotionally and practically. And DO GOOD to those who do bad to you. Remember our Lord’s example. Imitate Jesus. Imitate God your Father, if He is indeed your Father. DO GOOD.

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

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The Names of God: El Shaddai

Posted on February 27, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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The first time we see the name of God El Shaddai is when we come to …

Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

We see two of the names of God in this text. We see YaHWeH (translated LORD (all caps)) which is the “I AM” name of God. Then YaHWeH tells Abram:

I am the Almighty God

which is אֵל ‘El שַׁדַּי Shadday which means “Most Powerful God”. God uses this name when He is conveying the thought that our God is able to fill our needs. Amy Grant’s song El Shaddai is one of my favorites. In it she sang:

El Shaddai, El Shaddai,
El-elyon na Adonia,
Age to age you’re still the same,
By the power of the name.
El Shaddai, El Shaddai,
Erkamka Na Adonai,
We will praise and lift you high,
El Shaddai.

Through your love and through the ram,
You saved the son of Abraham;
Through the power of Your hand,
Turned the sea into dry land.
To the outcast on her knees,
You were the God who really sees,
And by your might,
You set your children free.

Why Did God Now Present Himself To
Abram As El Shaddai?

Our text today is not the first time YaHWeH came to Abram. Our God came to Abram while he was in Ur of the Chaldees. The name Abram means “exalted father”. When he was born his father Terah (whose name means “to breathe”) looked at Abram and had high hopes for him. He thought that Abram would – as mamma used to say – “do his family proud”, make a name for himself. He would have a large family, and he would be well honored as the father of a mighty clan.

But life often squashes our dreams.

Abram was 75 years old and had yet to have any children at all. His wife Sarai was a good woman, but she was unable to have any children. Sometimes things just are. Sometimes dreams fail. Sometimes we don’t measure up, and look back over our lives, the broken tracks, and begin to despair or be depressed.

Then YaHWeH came to Abram. We read:

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.

The Eternal I AM gave Abram three “I WILL” promises, all of these statements promising that Abram would have children. The GREAT I AM told Abram, in essence, “If you follow Me, and go where I say go, I will repair your broken dreams and your crippled life. I will look after you, and protect you where ever you go! I will give you children. Follow Me!”

People often ask me “why do good people suffer”, to which I reply:

“There is none good, but God” (Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19)

If you are asking me why we as humans suffer (for Job truly said {5:7} “man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward”) it is because we live in a fallen, sinful world. That’s the bad news. But the good news is that God loves us. Trials many times stop us, break our pride, bow our knees, and lead us to look up. That’s where Abram was. As C.S. Lewis once said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, but shouts to us in our pains”. Abram was at the end of his rope – and there he found God holding the rope! Abram followed God without hesitation.

Abram waited for a child. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. Now back to our text:

Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Abram was 75 years old when God came to him and promised him many children. But now he’s how old? Ninety nine years old. Twenty four years have passed. Abram has gotten older, Sarai has slowed down, and it seems as if God has forgotten him. Yet our God never forgets. When time passes, we are often tempted to believe that God has forgotten us, or that He has welshed on His promise. Yet the Scripture declares:

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil.

Our God is faithful. He keeps His promises. He never forgets what He has said. As God came to Abram on this day, I believe the Lord looked in the heart of that old saint. Our God does not see as the world sees, but looks on the heart. God told the Prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 16:7):

“the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”

God looked at Abram and saw his heart. There was doubt there, in that old saint’s heart. God started by telling Abram “I am El Shaddai – mighty, able to provide”. Then God told Abram:

Genesis 17:4-6 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

God not only reaffirmed His promise to Abram, but renamed him “Abraham” which means not “exalted father”, but “father of many nations”.

Genesis 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

God Does Not Need Our Help To Fulfill His Promises,
But We Must Walk With Him!

After introducing Himself as The Almighty God (אֵל שַׁדַּי El Shaddai) God told Abraham:

walk before Me, and be thou perfect

“Walk Before Me” (פָּנִים paniym) means “walk in My presence”. If you want to be blessed of God, dear ones, you need to “walk” or live your lives as if God is PRESENT. Too many believers live their lives as if God is in another room, or another country. God tells His children:

Hebrews 13:5 Let your {way of life} be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for {God} hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

For 24 years God has watched over Abraham. God knows the best time to fulfill His promise. When time passes we often begin to doubt the promises of God. Yet God tells us to rely on Him. He is EL SHADDAI. He says:

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

God also tells Abraham “you are to be PERFECT (תָּמִים tamiym, to be “Whole” or “Complete”)”. I will speak more on “being perfect” this coming Sunday in the Red Letters series we are going through. To be “perfect” we are to keep our eyes on the One Who saved us. To be “perfect” we are to do what God tells us to do when God tells us to do it.

We are not to live our lives foolishly as the lost world does. We need to live our lives imitating God, doing His will, and trusting His faithfulness.

The Great Preacher C.H. Spurgeon said:

“Whether we know him as Jehovah, Elohim, Shaddai, or Lord, or by whatsoever other name he has been pleased to manifest himself, that title becomes the ground of our confidence, and is the means of fostering faith in his people’s minds, when they come to understand its meaning. To a trembling people the Lord enlarges on his wonderful names. I think he also does it to excite our wonder and our gratitude. He that loves us so much as Jehovah: he that can create and destroy; he that is the self-existent God; he, even he, has set his heart upon his people, and loves them and counts them precious in his sight. It is a marvelous thing. The more one thinks of it, the more shall he be overwhelmed with astonishment, that he who is everything should love us who are less than nothing. It is the Holy One who has deigned to choose, and to love unholy men, and to look upon them in grace, and save them from their sins. That you may bow low in loving gratitude, God lets you see who He is.”

We are “perfect” not when we are sinless. We are “perfect” when we keep putting our broken lives in the hands of El Shaddai. Walk in God’s presence.
Imitate Christ!

Many who profess Christ as Savior and Lord live much like Naomi did. In the Book of Ruth – truly a Book of Blessing – the believer Naomi loses her husband and Ruth her husband, who was Naomi’s son. Naomi was destitute. Naomi says to Ruth:

Ruth 1:20-21 …. Call me not Naomi (which means “Pleasant”), call me Mara (which means “Bitter”): for the Almighty (El Shaddai) hath dealt very bitterly with me. [21] I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD (Yahweh) hath testified against me, and the Almighty (El Shaddai) hath afflicted me?

Abraham thought that El Shaddai had let him down. Naomi thought that El Shaddai let her down. God did not let either of these precious broken people down. In the Book of Ruth God comes through for Naomi and Ruth, just as God – the EL SHADDAI – comes through for Abram. God knows when the time is right to fulfill His promises to us. Let us trust the faithfulness of God. Let us remember the admonition:

James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

God Does Not Need Our Help,
No Matter How Well Intentioned It Is

God tells Abraham that He is going to bless him with a child. How did Abraham respond? We read:

Genesis 17:15-18 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

As God told the Prophet Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 32:27 (KJV) Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

Abraham believes that what God has promised is impossible – so Abraham does what we have ALL been guilty of at one time or another.
He tried to help El Shaddai!

Abraham had a child by Hagar, his Egyptian maid. Ishmael’s name, means “God that hears”. Abraham thought that his union with Hagar would bring about the blessing of a son to raise. Now in his 99th year Abraham is, in essence, saying to El Shaddai:

“I’ll help You out, Lord. I know You appreciate it!”

No, God does not appreciate it. In fact, the birth of Ishmael would come back to haunt Abraham’s children many years later. God does not need our help. God wants us to pay attention to what He has told us to do, to DO what He has told us to do. Nothing more. Nothing less.

King David knew better than El Shaddai, and put the Ark on a cart.
Uzzah died because of his foolishness.

Jonah decided the Ninevites weren’t worth witnessing to.
El Shaddai made sure Jonah got to see the inside of a whale.

Judas Iscariot focused more on money than on El Shaddai..
Judas hung himself.

Every time we fail as believers to “walk in El Shaddai’s presence” we hurt ourselves. Quit listening to the flesh, to the world, to the chatter of darkness. Walk before El Shaddai, be in His Presence. The Psalmist David – often afflicted – wrote with confidence:

Psalm 91:1-10 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High

{ עֶלְיוֹן ‘elyown} shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty {שַׁדַּי Shadday}. 2 I will say of the LORD { יְהֹוָה YaHWeH}, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God {אֱלֹהִים ‘elohiym}; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

Our God is The Most High (El Elyon)
Our God is Almighty to Provide (El Shaddai)
Our God is Triune (Elohiym)
Out God is the ever Present I AM (YaHWeH)

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

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Overcoming Darkness

Posted on February 24, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Matthew 5:38-42 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Introduction

It was a week or so ago that we studied the Biblical Lex Talionis, the Law of Tooth and Claw. Jesus summarizes it this way:

Matthew 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

The first time the Law is quoted is in:

Exodus 21:22-25 If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, 24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

We illustrated that the Law initially and specifically has to do with the death of an expectant mother and her prematurely born child. We noted also that the Law was given to limit the response to be taken to literally make the punishment fit the crime. God did not want His people being cruel. Nevertheless crime was to be punished. Though crime was to be punished, vengeance and grudge carrying was never to be normalized among the people of God. The Law specifically stated:

Leviticus 19:16-18 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor: I am the LORD. 17 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.

In the Old Testament YaHWeH (the Great I AM) commanded His people be light and unity in the midst of a dark and lost world. Jesus preaches on the mountain He reminds His Church that we are to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Light cannot be darkness. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil

What Did Jesus Mean By “Resist Not Evil”?

IA Church was going to have a picnic at a local park one fine Sunday morning. The Church felt that this would be a good way to reach out to the lost. The members planned, and set the date for the next Sunday morning. The only problem was no one told Sally. Sally was an old, somewhat cranky member of the Church. She was not invited to the planning sessions because of her demeanor. She missed the Sunday that the picnic was announced, and when she heard of the picnic she assumed she had purposely been uninvited. On the morning of the event a little boy from the Church stopped by Sally’s house to invite her to come. Answering the door and hearing his invitation, Sally snapped at him. “It’s too late now. I’ve already prayed for rain”.

“Resist not evil”. The word translated “resist” is the Greek ἀνθίστημι anthístēmi, (pronounced anth-is’-tay-mee) which means “to set oneself against”. What did Jesus mean by “do not set yourself against evil”?

  • “Resist not evil” does not mean to ignore the Devil. As the Light of the world we are supposed to actively resist the devil and his fallen followers. The Scripture says:

James 4:7-8 Submit yourselves therefore to God. RESIST (anthístēmi, (pronounced anth-is’-tay-mee)) the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.

1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom RESIST (anthístēmi, (pronounced anth-is’-tay-mee)) steadfast in the faith …

We are to resist the devil by walking with God, and doing His Word. We are not to let the devil in any way control our lives.

  • “Resist not evil” does not mean to ignore the darkness around us. We are the light of the world. When Jesus – the Source of all light (John 8:12) – went into the Temple and saw the money changers there, the Bible says:

Matthew 21:12-13 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Jesus not only chased the money changers out, but He often corrected the Pharisees and Scribes. Jesus never compromised the Word of God, but always did as His Father directed (see John 14:7-10). We as God’s Church need to actively stand against darkness in our community. We must shine for Jesus! We must!

  • “Resist not evil” does not mean to condone and cloak sin in the Church. When the Apostle Peter was being hypocritical the Apostle Paul said:

Galatians 2:11-14 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. 13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. 14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

The Apostle Paul told the Church at Corinth that when there is evil in the Church to “put it away” (1 Corinthians 5:13). When Ananias and Sapphira lied to God Peter called them on it publicly, saying:

Acts 5:3-5 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

So what did Jesus mean by “resist not evil”. What Jesus meant was you cannot fight darkness by becoming darkness. You cannot fall to darkness in your methods. As the light of God every Christian is to avoid “fighting fire with fire”. We approach the darkness as LIGHT.

When Insulted, We Do Not Insult In Kind

Matthew 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

The word translated “smite” is the Greek ῥαπίζω rhapízō, (pronounced hrap-id’-zo), which means “to slap in the face with the palm of the hand, to box the ears”. In the ancient world to slap someone was to show extreme contempt for that person. The slap did not injure the body, but was meant to scar the soul. When Jesus was questioned by the High Priest prior to His crucifixion “one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand” (John 18:22). Jesus questioned the need of the slap, but “turned the other cheek”.

When we as Christians are insulted, we are not to insult in kind. This is similar to what the Lord tells us in:

Proverbs 24:28-29 Be not a witness against thy neighbor without cause; and deceive [not] with thy lips. 29 Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.

When personally insulted we are always to remember that we are to be “the light of the world”. When the government forbade the Apostles from preaching Christ:

Acts 5:27-29 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, 28 Saying, Did not we straightly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. 29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

To “turn the other cheek” does not mean you cannot defend yourself if you are assaulted. It means you are not to trade insults with the darkness. You represent the Light of God, dear Church. Be the Light! Remember the admonition:

Romans 12:17-21 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

This is what Jesus our Lord did, even on the Cross of Calvary. The Scripture says:

1 Peter Chapter 2:20-23 For what glory [is it], if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer [for it], ye take it patiently, this [is] acceptable with God. 21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed [himself] to him that judgeth righteously:

If you are insulted, be the Light. Let Christ shine through you. Don’t let the world drag you into the pit of darkness!

Surrender Your Earthly “Rights” To Be The Light

Matthew 5:40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.

The word translated “sue” is the Greek κρίνω krínō, (pronounced kree’-no) which means “to go to law against, seek a judgment against”. According to the Mosaic Law it was the right of every Israelite to have their cloak:

Exodus 22:26-27 If thou at all take thy neighbor’s raiment (cloak) to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: 27 For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.

The person who is Christ’s child is to be reliant on God for our blessings. Our lives are not enriched because of our “stuff”. Our lives are enriched because we have a Heavenly Father Who loves us, and has adopted us through the Precious Blood of Christ.

It’s just stuff!

Do not let your “stuff” rule your lives. Jesus said in another place:

Luke 12:15 … Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Our primary calling as Christians is not our “earthly rights” nor our “earthly stuff”, but that we are the Light of God. We are to live so as to earn the smile of our Savior. Shine for Jesus. Shine! The Apostle rebuked the Corinthian believers for sullying the name of Christ in court.

1 Corinthians 6:1-8 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? 2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. 5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? 6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. 7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? 8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

Don’t let “stuff” dim your light! Be the Light. Follow the Law of Christ.

Support Your Earthly Government As The Light

Matthew 5:41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

Russian author Leo Tolstoy who wrote the book “War and Peace” said:

“Christianity in its true sense puts an end to the State. It was so understood from its very beginning, and for that Christ was crucified.”

He based this on Jesus’ principle of “turn the other cheek” and “resist not evil”. Yet Christianity does not “put an end to the State”. As God’s Light we are to pray for our government, and uphold its laws as long as they do not invalidate the Law of Christ. How does this apply to this particular text?

Israel was occupied by Rome, an invading force. The average Israelite hated this. What they particularly hated was Roman Law. Under Roman Law a soldier had the right to command you to carry a pack, or a weapon, for up to one mile. This is exactly what happened to Simon the Cyrenian:

Luke 23:26 And as they led {Jesus} away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.

Jesus told us to support our government. Though our Kingdom is not of this world, we are to shine for Christ as good citizens while on this planet. We are told in:

1 Peter 2:13-14 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

Shine where you are. Shine as the Light of God, being good citizens – as long as that Law does not violate the Law of Christ. Go the extra mile. Richard Wurmbrand (a.k.a. Nicolai Ionescu) was a missionary for Christ in the Communistic Soviet Union. He wrote:

“I have seen Christians in communist prisons with 50 pounds of chains on their feet, tortured with red-hot iron pokers, in whose throats spoonfuls of salt had been forced, being kept afterward without water, starving, whipped, suffering form cold, – and praying with fervor for the communists . . . Afterward, the communists come to prison too. Now the tortured and the torturers were in the same cell. And while the non-Christians beat them (the former torturers), Christians took their defense. I have seen Christians giving away their last slice of bread (we had at that time one slice a week) and the medicine which could save their lives to a sick communist torturer who was now a fellow-prisoner.”

Help The Needy As The Light

Matthew 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

The Lord was not telling us to become easy marks for welfare minded people. The Scripture is very clear:

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

Every week I receive calls from able bodied people who want me to pay their utility bill or their rent. Many call me on high priced mobile phones – while watching cable television all day long. If you will not work, you shall not eat. However, as the Light of God we must examine each case – and give to those who are truly in need and not just lazy. We do not fulfill wants and wish lists – but also do not turn away someone genuinely in need. Help others, but always be mindful that you are to be the Light of the world. Share Christ with others. Help your brothers and sisters in Christ. This was the pattern of the early Church:

Acts 2:42-47 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Let’s be the Light that Christ calls us to be. May the Lord lead us all to shine for Him. In Christ’s name. Amen.

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Sin Is No Joke

Posted on February 23, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Matthew 5:27-32 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

This Is One Of The Tough Passages Of Scripture

When I pastored in North Carolina I was in a decidedly more “liberal” area of ministry than I had ever been in. One day I went to see our Director of Missions. The Director of Missions among the Southern Baptist Churches is not the “boss” of the local Association, but an adviser to the Churches, a helper to the pastors. As a new pastor in this Association I found that preaching the harder texts of scripture were often not well received. So I asked the Director of Missions what he thought my approach in the pulpit should be. What he told me was, “As I grow older, I think it would be better if we just heard comforting messages.”

I’m sure that all firemen wishes that every fire they had to respond to was just an out of control barbecue grill.

I’m sure that all policemen wishes that every shooting they had to respond to was just an eight year old with a Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun.

I’m sure that every prison warden wishes that the most violent offender he had to oversee was the vagrant, or the person with too many unpaid parking tickets.

I’m sure that every factory worker wishes the heaviest thing they have to pick up would be feather pillows.

As a pastor and a preacher of God’s Word I wish every word I could utter to you would be comforting and easy. But as John MacArthur once said, and I paraphrase him here:

“The pastor is to be the waiter, not the chef. It is his job to deliver the meal without messing it up.”

I pray I can deliver His Word today without “messing it up”. Jesus spoke these words. He spoke these words to an Israel who had began to minimize sin. Jesus emphasized how horrid it is to minimize sin by saying:

Matthew 5:29-30 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

I don’t think Jesus literally wanted us to poke out an eye or cut off a hand. But Jesus often used shocking language to get His point across. God despises adultery. Unrepentant adulterers go to hell.
Better to lose an eye or a hand than go to hell!

God considers sin an abomination, a darkness, an aberration. All sin – sexual sin included – is despised by God. Jesus is speaking to His Church, a Church that He expects to be …

Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

We are to be “light” as God defines “light”, regardless as to what is going on around us. Jesus is speaking to a Church that has been influenced by Roman license and Pharisaical hypocrisy. Jesus does not want His Church to be religious, but righteous. Not self righteous like the Pharisees. Righteous.
God honoring.

In America we laugh at sin on sitcoms. Comedians on television make light of what God says is dark. We often hear people on television saying things like,

“If no one gets hurt, and you’re both adults, what’s the harm?”

Yet God says that there is a harm in sin. He tells us:

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)
Death passed upon all because of sin (Romans 5:12)
When you sin, you shall surely die (Genesis 2:17)
The soul that sins, it shall die (Ezekiel 18:4)
Sin, when it is finished, brings forth death (James 1:15)
Sin reigns unto death (Romans 5:17, 21)

Sin is not a laugh track on television. Sin is not amusement. God did not design us for sin, but to walk with Him. God despises sin because the devil has sold it as a harmless amusement. But it is not harmless.

Sin Minimizes God’s Best For Us

Matthew 5:27-28 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

God loves us, and wants the best for us. He doesn’t want us to be “religious” but to love Him and love others.
That includes your spouse!

Do you know that in all this Book, this Bible, I found the word “religion” and “religious” a total of seven times – and only once in a positive manner. The Law of God was given to us as a mirror by which we were to examine ourselves in the light of God’s standard.

“Adultery”, which is sexual sin that targets Biblical marriage, is never in our best interest.

God’s standard on sexual sin is found in texts like Leviticus 20:10,

“If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death“

In our world today that seems terribly harsh. But God established marriage as a bond between a man and a woman, a bond that was to remain stable throughout the lifetime of both.

The Pharisees took the relational Law of God and twisted it. Under the religious laws of Jesus’ day the Israelite male was told that “if you see another woman that appears more attractive that your current wife, then you can give that wife a bill of divorce, and go marry that new woman”.

Women were routinely being abused and used because religion gave the authority to do so.

As Jesus addressed marriage and divorce from the mountain, those most upset with the Lord were not the lost. Those most upset were not the Roman citizens. Those most upset were the Pharisees, the religious crowd.

The Pharisees had turned Judaism into a cloak to use women. They turned the Mosaic Law into a unwitting helper in hypocritically covering up sin.

And Jesus said NO!

Later on in His ministry – and not long before Jesus was crucified on Calvary – the religious crowd came to Jesus. They had been stewing on what Jesus taught from the mountain, and finally they decided to challenge Him. We read:

Matthew 19:3-9 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

Notice how the Pharisees asked the question.

“Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife
FOR EVERY CAUSE?”

Are there Biblical reasons for divorce? Yes, there are. There are valid reasons for divorce. Jesus addresses one today. You read it earlier. He said:

Matthew 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Sexual infidelity in a marriage is a clear reason for divorce. If your spouse will not stay faithful to you, then Biblically there is a reason. There are other Biblical reasons for divorce. But Beloved, we are not looking for reasons to be divorced. If you are the light of the world you are to love the wife or husband you have right now. You are meant to grow old together. If you have previously divorced and remarried outside of the will of God there is nonetheless forgiveness available from God.

God forgave King David for murdering another man to take his wife
2 Samuel 12:13
God is no respecter of persons. What He does for one, He will do for all.
Romans 2:11-16

Be aware however that David suffered for his decision. Any divorce causes suffering. It is not God’s intent that you suffer, but that you excel.

Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Psalm 1:1-6 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

The Biblical marriage is when two people – a man and woman – make a commitment before God for life. The two grow old together. There is a deep seated joy in growing old together. I was at the VA Hospital in Murfreesboro the other day talking with another veteran. Sherry was with me. As we talked, he shared with me that he and his wife had just finished 50 years of marriage. As the two that become one grow old together, the love deepens. We take care of one another. There is a joy and a stability in the marriage that stays the course.

God did not give us sexual appetites so that we could wander about, going from bed to bed. The Pharisees condoned “legal divorce” if a man wanted to be with a younger woman. Yet this is not God’s way.

In Ephesians chapter 5 – a text I often use in premarital counseling situations – the Lord shows us how He regards marriage. He starts the chapter with:

Ephesians 5:1-3 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. 3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints …

If you are loved of Christ, love others – especially your spouse – in the same, sacrificial way. This particular chapter ends with:

Ephesians 5:25-28 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

Jesus loves His Church. Men, we set the standard. Love your wife as Christ loves the Church. Care for the wife God has given you. If you do not love your wife sacrificially then you are harming yourselves. Put away the porn. Put away anything that stands between you and love for your wife. God will honor and bless this marriage if you let Christ be in its midst.

Being Light Means Living Honorably

Matthew 5:33-37 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

The Pharisees were bad about giving their word, then reneging on that word. They just didn’t do what they said they would do. One of their favorite ploys was – when they were called on their failure to follow through – they would say “Well, I didn’t swear I would do it”. They would then point to the Law of God, and quote where God said:

Leviticus 19:12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

Numbers 30:2 If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

But the light of the world – God’s people – should always do as they have said they would do. The Bible tells us to:

Ephesians 4:23-25 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.

Ephesians 4:15 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; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Those who are God’s children are to be “the light of the world”. We are to keep our commitments and our promises because we belong to Jesus. Jesus always kept His promises. Jesus has given as many as believe in Him the promise of eternal life. Praise Him, our God is faithful to His Word:

Exodus 34:6 … The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth …

God does what He says He will do – always. As the light of the world we are to do as we say. When others see your life, do they see you as faithful, or untrustworthy?

Are You In The Light?

As Jesus spoke these “Red Lettered” words, He was speaking to His disciples, to those who loved and would follow Him. Are you following Jesus? If not, then today is a good day to commit to following Him.

2 Corinthians 6:2 … behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Your lives will not be blessed until you commit to following Him. Let Jesus have your life. Follow Him by faith. Do as He says. For in this, God will truly give you rest.

May Christ and His Spirit enable you to hear His Word this very day.

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Names of God Series #2: El Elyon, the Most High God

Posted on February 20, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Last week we studied the most divine name of God, YHWH or Yahweh, which is a name that focuses on God’s description of Himself to Moses at the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:14). We also discussed the name of God Elohiym, which is the plural of El, the basic name of God. The Triune Name of God Elohiym is found in the very first verse of the Book of Genesis:

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God (Elohiym) created the Heaven and the earth.

This makes Elohiym one of the earliest names of God in Scripture. The first part of Elohiym – El – is the singular form of the name of God. Many scholars believe that El means “The Powerful or Strong One”. When the Father of faith Abram was 99 years old and still childless the Lord appeared to him:

Genesis 17:1-2 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD (YaHWeH) appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; (Shadday El) walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

In Genesis 17:1 God pairs El with Shadday which means “the God Who is mighty to provide”. We will eventually study El Shadday – though not tonight. In the Bible the name of God El is often paired with other terms to describe our God. Let’s look at El Elyon.

In the Old Testament El Elyon occurs 28 times – 19 times in Psalms. Elyon (Biblical Hebrew עליון) means “The Supreme, the Highest”. There is nothing greater than our God.

El Elyon (God Most High)
[Pronounced Ell Elly-Own]

Genesis 14:1-3 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; 2 That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. 3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.

The Kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela revolted against the forces of a confederation of four other kings in the Valley of Siddim where the Dead Sea is. For twelve years the five kings served the larger four kingdom confederacy. Finally the five kings decided to break free. The problem is, they were not strong enough. We read:

Genesis 14:10-12 And the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain. 11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. 12 And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

The reason that the Bible records this series of battles and defeats is to show us that our God is the Most High God.

Last week we talked about Abram (whom we call Abraham) and his nephew Lot. Lot was a believer in God. Yet at some point in his walk with God Lot stopped trusting the Most High God. Lot became idolatrous. Lot’s idolatry is seen in his behavior. In the previous chapter we read:

Genesis 13:7-11 And there was a strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. 8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen; for we be brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

Idolatry is the worst of all sins. When El – our Mighty God – gave us Ten Commandments, the first two of the commandments were against idolatry.

Exodus 20:2-6 I am the LORD (YaHWeH) thy God (Elohiym), which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods (Elohiym) before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD (YaHWeH) thy God (Elohiym) am a jealous God (El), visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Idolatry creeps in, and can creep into even the Christian heart. The Bible calls Lot “righteous Lot” (2 Peter 2:7). Lot was saved by faith in God. He trusted himself to the God of Scripture just as Abram (Abraham) did. Both Lot and Abraham were righteous because of their faith in the Gospel. Yet idolatry crept in.

Lot looked up he did not look up to God (El) nor to the Triune God (Elohiym), but looked up at his own riches.

Abraham was willing to trust God in Lot’s decision, and Lot followed the way of greed, which is a form of idolatry. We as believers in Christ are to heed the Scripture:

1 John 5:19-21 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. 20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Colossians 3:3-5 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 5 {Put to death} therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Lot put himself in a bad spot because of idolatry. Settling in Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot made himself a target. This is why we are told:

Genesis 14:12 And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

Lot lost everything because of idolatry. He lost his freedom, lost his goods, lost his land. When we chase after idols we lose the blessings of God. Our God is The God Most High, El Elyon. He is worthy of worship.

Deuteronomy 32:8 … the most High (El Elyon) divided to the nations their inheritance …

The devil and his followers try to take God’s place. They say:

Isaiah 14:14 … I will be like the most High (El Elyon)….

Idolatry Destroys. Follow El Elyon To Victory

Lot’s idolatry got him in trouble. But Abram loved El Elyon. The Bible tells us:

Genesis 14:13-15 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. 14 And when Abram heard that his brother {fellow countryman} was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. 15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

This is a beautiful picture of faith.

Four mighty nations had defeated five other nations. In this terrific battle the five nations fell, and Lot with his household was taken captive. The Bible tells us that faith is to believe that God is El Elyon, the Most High God, regardless as to what is going on around us. The devils try to take the place of the Most High God. The backslidden Christian follows idols, which are an abomination to the Most High God. But the faithful believer – like Abram – looks upward.

If Abram is following the Most High God – El Elyon, the One Who establishes the nations – then the four nations he goes to battle with are going to fall. God is in control. He is the El Elyon – The Most High God.

As Abram returns from the battle – 318 trained commandos against four nations armies – he brought back all of the goods along with Lot, his goods, the women and the people besides (see verse 16). The five kings come to meet with Abram – five royal figures that Abram ignores. But then a mysterious king previously not mentioned steps in. We read:

Genesis 14:18-20 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19 And {Melchizedek} blessed {Abram}, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God {El Elyon}, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 And blessed be the most high God {El Elyon}, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And {Abram} gave {Melchizedek} tithes of all.

Who is this Melchizedek, King of Salem. The name Melchizedek means “King Of Righteousness”. The Book of Hebrews discusses him in:

Hebrews 7:1-3 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

Gary Staats in his book A Christological Commentary on Hebrews (2012), p. 71: wrote “[The writer of Hebrews] is identifying Melchizedek as a king of righteousness and a king of peace. He thus becomes a beautiful type of Jesus Christ who is also the final King of righteousness and the final King of peace.”

Many believe that Melchizedek, King of Salem is an Old Testament picture of Jesus Christ. When Melchizedek came to Abraham He is described as the priest of the most high God (El Elyon). In the New Testament Jesus our Lord declared to the Pharisees:

John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

I believe that this moment in time when Melchizedek met Abraham (Abram) is when the father of faith saw Jesus. Others may disagree with me, and you are free to do so. But I believe that in Melchizedek, Abram met Jesus. Abram’s response was to give Melchizedek tithes of all that he had. By honoring Melchizedek, Abram was honoring El Elyon, the Most High God. When the five kings tried to get Abram to compromise with them, that wonderful old man said:

Genesis 14:22-23 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God {El Elyon}, the possessor of heaven and earth, 23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoe latchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:

Abram was not tempted to idolatry in the area of riches. So many people in America today are tempted with idolatry, especially worship of money. Our God – El Elyon – is the sole Possessor of Heaven and Earth. He owns all things. He is the Most High God. He owns our lives. He owns our stuff.

Someone has asked me, “Preacher, do we have to tithe a portion of our goods to God? Wasn’t the tithe a part of the Law? Wasn’t the Law fulfilled in Christ?” Beloved, Abram gave tithes of all that he had. Abram – or as we call him Abraham – is the Father of our faith. Abraham tithed many years before the Law was given through Moses. The tithe was incorporated into the Law, just as was the commands not to murder, commit adultery, or to steal. But the tithe was pre-Law of Moses. If your God is money – and many people worship the God of money – then you are like Lot. You are NOT following El Elyon, the Most High God. If you have been given Grace, if you are unconditionally saved by faith in Christ, then you owe everything to El Elyon. As the Psalmist said:

Psalm 57:1-3 … Be merciful unto me, O God {Elohiym}, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. 2 I will cry unto God {Elohiym} most high; unto God {El Elyon} that performeth all things for me. 3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God {El} shall send forth his mercy and his truth.

Jesus warned us that:

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 {money}.

We who believe in Christ do not tithe of all our goods because the Law says so. We tithe because God is El Elyon, the Most High God in our lives. Money is not our God. Stuff is not our God. That is the dangerous path that Lot walked, and suffered for following. No Beloved, we who are His by the Blood of Christ do not worship idols. We trust God. He is our most High God. We will follow Him, trusting Him and Him alone, until the day He takes us home!

A man once went to his pastor and said “How can you say that God is the owner of everything. After all, I worked for everything I have!” The pastor replied, “Ask me that question again in a hundred years”. Think about it. God owns it all. God will get it all. God asks that we not make idols. That we give Him as El Elyon:

one heart
one day out of seven
one tenth out of a hundred

God deserves more than we give Him. Let us give Him our all – for He is, indeed, the El Elyon – the God Most High! May Jesus Christ touch your hearts to surrender to Him this very day. Amen!

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