New Or Old Creatures?

Posted on February 19, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

Old Or New Creature Cover

We all did silly things when we were young children. For instance, I know of a little boy who was very naughty. He climbed out of his crib. He wandered into the bathroom and found – ahem – something unflushed in the toilet. He carried that back to his room and proceeded to decorate the walls and his crib. When mother came in I don’t believe she was impressed with his fashion sense!

When I was around 7 years old my brother Mark and I wanted to play a joke on our Aunt Edna. She is such a sweet woman, and has such a gracious disposition. I and my brother found some worms and, smashing them, put them on Aunt Edna’s doorknob. We didn’t get a whipping (and Mamma believed in whippings) but we did have to clean that mess off!

As children we touched the hot stove and, feeling the burn, learned not to eagerly touch it again. That is what growth is all about. We grow. We learn. We change into something a little wiser and more careful.

As it is with the physical child, so it is with the spiritual child. Every Christian who is indeed a Christian must be born again from above. Jesus told us:

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

A person who has not been spiritually reborn by looking on Jesus Christ in faith cannot see (εἴδω eídō, [pronounced i’-do] perceive with any of the senses, get a knowledge of, or understand) the Kingdom of God. A person who is born of the Spirit (John 3:5-6) by faith in Jesus Christ is a different person. We are, as Peter said:

1 Peter 1:23-25 … born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

We who are saved no longer play with corruptible things. We do not find sin to be a trifle. Though

… the whole world lieth in wickedness (1 John 5:19)

We honor Christ by forsaking sin. Jesus Christ was the …

… satisfactory payment for our sins (1 John 2:2)

so we walk in the …

… light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7)

knowing that …

… Jesus is righteous, and everyone that does righteousness is born again (1 John 2:29). Whosoever is born of God does not lightly or habitually commit sin … we are born of God! (1 John 3:9).

It is simple to profess with your mouth that you are a Christian. The proof, however, is that you are not like you were. The Apostle put it this way:

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Being “New” Is Not A Self Help Program

Christianity is not a twelve step program nor a self help program. Though I have great respect for Alcoholics Anonymous and similar programs, these programs focus on the adherent making themselves better – along with others in the program – one step at a time. Many religions follow the same pattern. But not Christianity. Christianity starts out by describing everyone as “dead”.

Ephesians 2:1 … you were DEAD in trespasses and sins …

Colossians 2:13-14 … And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

The Bible says of the Christian that we are NOT bad people made good. No!
We are DEAD people made ALIVE.

This is the state of every unbeliever on the face of this world. People are born into this life physically alive but spiritually dead. Before Christ came into our lives we could not see or perceive the kingdom of God. Though we enjoyed the blessings of God:

Matthew 5:45 … {our Heavenly Father} makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust …

Spiritually dead people do not think about God.

Psalm 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

Add to this the truth that the devil and his agents actively hide the Gospel from the walking dead. The Apostle said:

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

The devil hides the Gospel through false ministers
Who add to, or take away from the Gospel message.

Those separated from God by sin are dead to God’s Word. They are spiritually dead. God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). The Scripture declares:

Romans 8:5-9 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is {the enemy of} God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Salvation is like that which happened at Lazarus’ tomb. Our Lord Jesus stood outside of Lazarus’ tomb and cried,

“Lazarus, come forth!” (John 11:43)

We do not commend Lazarus for jumping out of the tomb, bound head and foot in the mummy’s rags. Lazarus, though dead, heard Christ’s voice and moved toward Him Who is Life and Light. Even so, the spiritually dead hear the Voice of Christ. Without merit for themselves they come jumping out of the tomb of this sinful world. Jesus made you new.

Revelation 21:5 {Jesus Who} sat upon the Throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” …

Dead people need life. Jesus Christ gave us life. “In Jesus is life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). We are no longer dead creatures, dear Christian. We are now “made near to God by the Blood of Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 2:13).

New Creations Are In A New Relationship To God

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Before I was saved by faith in Christ, I tried to do all things in my power to live my life. Life was all about me. I was the center of life’s stage, the star, the cast and crew, the everything. I lived for myself. I thought I was all right. But I wasn’t. I did not know God. I was my own god!

Those who do not know God through Christ are strangers to God. Imagine this. You wake up in the morning and, in addition to your family, you find someone you do not know in your home. What do you do? You call the police. Why? Because it is a violation of the Law for someone I do not know to be uninvited in my home.

And so it is with God.

In our world today as in the ancient world, people thought “well, I’m good enough, so I’m going to Heaven when I die”. They were wrong. If God does not know you – or if all you know “God” is, is as “God”, then you are a stranger to God. Strangers do not belong in God’s Home which is Heaven. Let me say that again:

Strangers do not belong in God’s Home,
Which is Heaven.

Jesus knows us because He raised us. The Lord Jesus warned:

Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say to me {on Judgment Day}, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Do you know Jesus? Did He make you new? If so, He knows you and you know Him –
blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Whoever believes on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are in a new relationship to God. Before Christ we were condemned as transgressors of God’s Law (1 John 3:4). Once we came to Christ, casting our lives on Him, He purged our sins by Himself:

Hebrews 1:3 … when {Jesus} had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

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

Believing on Jesus Christ, God took us from a state of spiritual death and into the Family of God. We are sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:14; Philippians 2:15). The Apostle spoke in incredulous voice, saying:

1 John 3:1-3 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

As new creations in Christ we are

… fellow citizens with the Saints (Ephesians 2:19)
and of the household of God.

We are joint heirs with Christ,
and heirs of all that God owns (Romans 8:17).

New Creations Are In A New Relationship
To Those Around Us

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

We as children of God are called to follow the Royal Law of the family. Two commandments are always foremost in our hearts and minds. They are:

Mark 12:30-31 … And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Christ calls us to a radical love of all that we come in contact with. As Jesus loved the unlovable, so are we called to do the same thing. We do not love the sin of the world.

1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Our want to’s change when Christ makes us alive. “Old things are passed away, behold, all things are new”. We are new in our responsibilities. We look for opportunities to do good around us.

Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

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

You were saved by faith in Christ to live in God’s Kingdom, both NOW and into ETERNITY. Live as if you are His. Put away the old darkness that you used to live in, and live as light in the power of God.

Ephesians 4:1-3, 17-24 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. … 17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Evangelist Paul Washer wrote in The Gospel’s Power & Message:

“The proof or validation of genuine conversion is that the one who professes faith in Christ perseveres in that faith and grows in sanctification throughout the full course of his life. If a person professes faith in Christ and yet falls away or makes no progress in godliness, it does not mean that he has lost his salvation. It reveals that he was never truly converted.”

We are not saved by our works. But once saved. We. Work. We. Shine. We are different from the lost world. We are children of God, born of love, loving God and others, as long as we shall live.

As A New Creation, I Have A New Destiny

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

I am disturbed by the number of Christians who are disturbed by physical suffering and death. Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t like to suffer any more than you do. But we inhabit frail and fallen bodies. Bad stuff is going to come our way. Beloved, we are not in Heaven YET.

How did the Apostles deal with suffering and death? The Apostle Paul suffered terribly. He wrote:

2 Corinthians 11:24-29 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?

How did the Apostle deal with all this suffering? He looked HEAVENWARD. He focused on all things through the lens of his destiny. He writes:2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. …

2 Corinthians Chapter 5:1-4 For we know that if our earthly house of [this] tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For we that are in [this] tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

The destiny of every believer in Christ is Heaven. I like how the Apostle describes our present bodies. Did you notice he called our bodies “our earthly house of this TABERNACLE”? Do you know what a Tabernacle is? It is a TENT. The body we have right now are TENTS. When Sherry and I were younger we used to go camping with our children. We put up tents. No matter how nice you make a tent it is just temporary.

I remember one time camping with my family in England’s Peak District, a beautiful mountainous range. It rained dogs, cats, and bullfrogs that night. We huddled inside our tent, wrapped up in sleeping bags, and stayed dry, though water flowed all around us. Oh, how I wished for home that night! A tent can be a place to stay, but it’s not home.

Beloved, the bodies you have are not your homes. They are tents. Some are more patched than others. Some have a few more wrinkles than others. Some are a little leaky. Some are pretty new. But every one of us are living in tents right now. It’s like that old song:

This world is not my home I’m just a passing through

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue

The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore

Oh lord you know I have no friend like you

If heaven’s not my home then lord what will I do

The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore

Dear Christian, we are heading home. We are Heaven bound. That is where our destiny lies. Not here, but there. Until the day that the Father calls us home we are to walk as lights and as the Children of God. We are to share Christ and be Christ to as many as we can. We are to live, joyfully live, for our Lord. But one day we must depart. We must. These bodies are but tents, tabernacles, temporary abodes until we receive the full promise of God. That day is coming if you know Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If you do not, today is the day to call on Him and be saved!

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

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Murder And The Heart: Red Letters Series #7

Posted on February 16, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Photo by Hush Naidoo on Unsplash

Matthew 5:21-26 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

I was talking to a married lady one day, and noticing she seemed upset, I asked “Did you wake up grouchy this morning?”. She told me “No, I let him sleep”.

It seems that her husband has a “heart” problem.

A politician running for office (I won’t say who) stated “2900 children die from gun violence every year”. That is tragic. What is more tragic is that the same politician does not acknowledge that 125,000 children die by abortion worldwide each day, and 3000 of these are performed in America. Each. Day. 3000. Yet this politician – along with many others – is for abortion.

It seems our nation has a “heart” problem.

What are the solutions to what ails our country? Some say that it is one political party or the other. Others think that we can throw more money at it and make it go away. Some suggest that the solution is in a better justice system, increased imprisonment, or some sort of social reform. The truth is, the problems we face cannot be fixed unless we stop addressing the symptoms and go to the cause or the heart of the matter.

Mankind Has A “Heart” Problem

As Jesus sat on the mountain teaching His disciples sitting at His feet, our Lord began to address the forces that caused Israel to be in bondage to Rome. Why was God’s nation, a nation He led through the Red Sea, a nation that spawned heroes such as Moses, Joshua, King David, the Prophet Samuel – WHY WAS THIS GREAT NATION BEATEN AND NOW THE LAPDOG OF ROME? Why was this great nation under a puppet King called Herod? Why did a Roman governor called Pilate have any authority whatsoever against God’s people? God fought for Israel, and at one time caused the sun to stand still and another time to move backward for His people. Why had God abandoned Israel?

Israel had a “heart” problem.

God had not abandoned Israel. Israel abandoned God. God has not abandoned America. America has abandoned God. Many local Churches have abandoned God. We are too proud to kneel at His feet. We are too proud to sit and hear His Word.

America has a “heart” problem.

New And More Laws Will Not Fix The “Heart”

Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment

There is and never will be a more perfect written Law than the Law of Moses, the Law that God gave to Israel on Mount Sinai. The Mosaic Law has three divisions: moral, civil, and ceremonial. The moral code reflected the conscience that God places in every human. The civil code was for Israel alone. The ceremonial code was also just for Israel, but this code taught of the Coming Christ. We studied what Jesus said last week:

Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

Jesus would later tell us in …

John 5:45-47 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. 46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. 47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

And at the end of His ministry on earth Jesus said:

Luke 24:44 … These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

God gave a perfect written Law to Israel.

The Apostle said in Galatians 3:21, “if there had been a law which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the Law {of Moses}”.

The Bible tells us “the law is light” (Proverbs 6:23).
The Bible tells us “by the Law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).
The Bible tells us “the Law is holy” (Romans 7:12).
The Bible tells us “the Law is spiritual” (Romans 7:14).
The Bible tells us “the Law is good” (1 Timothy 1:8).
But the Bible also tells us this:

“The Law is NOT MADE for a righteous person”
1 Timothy 1:9

The Law was “made for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and the sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers (heterosexual sinners), for them that defile themselves with mankind (homosexual sinners), for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons …” (1 Timothy 1:9-10).

The Law defines sin. Murder is a grievous sin. Jesus does not dispute that murder is a sin. He does not eradicate or erase the Law. He acknowledges it.

Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment

The Law, this Perfect Law, defines the problem. Murder is a violation of the sixth commandment (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17). Before the Mosaic Law was ever given the Lord told Noah:

Genesis 9:5-6 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

To murder someone {Hebrew רָצַח râtsach (pronounced raw-tsakh’)} is to steal something that belongs to God. God owns the soul of us all. God said:

LISTEN UP! Every SOUL BELONGS TO ME!
Ezekiel 18:4

Your soul belongs to God.
Whether you believe in Him or not, your soul is a gift from God.

If you are a Christian “you not your own – you do not belong to you! YOU ARE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE!” (1 Corinthians 6:20)

This is why God’s perfect Law was so harsh with murder. God said:

Numbers 35:16-18 And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. 17 And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. 18 Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

Murder Begins In The “Heart”

The reason no written Law will fix what ails us is because murder, like all sin, begins in the heart. Jesus brings this out. He said:

Matthew 5:21-22 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you,

The most perfect Law said “murder is hated by God. If you murder, you steal a life. If you murder, you will forfeit your life.” But then Jesus says, “Let’s not address the SYMPTOM. Let’s address the PROBLEM”. Here’s the problem:

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

Murder starts in the heart. It begins by being angry without a cause. Being angry for foolish things. Being angry because YOU don’t get your way. Being angry because someone else doesn’t agree with you. Being angry because your heart, like a wild stallion, is not under the control of the God Who loves you. Being angry because you have made yourself your own idol.

When we are born into this world, we are born because God gave us life. But we are born broken. The Bible says of our hearts:

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

God can see your hearts. God can control your hearts (Jeremiah 17:10). But you must give your hearts to God.

One day the Pharisees chastised Jesus for allowing His disciples to eat without first washing their hands. Under the Law a person who touched something unclean was to wash their hands (see Leviticus 15:11). The Pharisees considered all things unclean, and so disparaged Jesus for allowing His disciples to eat without washing their hands.

Matthew 15:16-20 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? 17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

What defiles a person before God? It is what is in the heart. Out of the heart comes … MURDERS. That’s what Jesus is saying in our focal text. Read it again:

Matthew 5:22 I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Murder starts in the heart. Anger without a cause – a God sanctioned cause – leads to murder. It starts in the heart. Then it comes from the mouth. “Raca” is original to the Greek text, but it is not a Greek word. Many suppose it comes from the Aramaic Reka, which means “empty headed” or “foolish”. To call someone Reka is to make that person less than God made them. To call someone “thou fool” (moronos) is the same as saying “you are damned” or “you are going to hell” (see Psalm 14:1; Luke 12:20).

Every life has value. God made you in His image to walk with Him. Every person, whether in the womb, on their feet, or in the long term care facilities – every person is valuable. God made you for Himself. God gave you life to live with and for Him.

And no one has the right to devalue or diminish a person.

Granted, there are many sins that God commands we avoid. We saw several today in the book of 1 Timothy. But no written law is going to fix anything. No Constitutional adjustment or amendment is going to fix the murder problem in America.

The heart must be fixed. The heart must be filled with Godliness and righteousness. This is only possible through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus Is The Fulfiller Of The Law,
The “Fixer” Of The Heart

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

Do you belong to Jesus? Have you believed on Him for salvation? If so, then no one has to chase you to make you serve the Living God. You want to approach the altar, a wonderful figure of serving God. And if Jesus is in your heart you know that you are to love as you were loved. God has taken from you that stony heart of the lost. The Apostle spoke of those who

Romans 2:15 … shew the work of the law written in their hearts

God promised His Old Covenant saints that one day the Law of God would be more than on tablets of stone, on parchment, on paper. He told Israel that the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ would come. He said that through the Christ:

Jeremiah 31:33-34 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Hebrews chapter 10 quotes from this prophecy in Jeremiah, then tells us:

Hebrews 10:19-25 19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Has Jesus possession of your heart? Then love is planted in your heart. God the Holy Spirit influences you. And you value every person for Christ’s sake. You have had a heart transplant. You belong to Jesus.

Jesus Christ is “Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, 36). Jesus Christ is “a Lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19). It is the …

“Blood of Christ, Who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God. {Who purged our} conscience from dead works {so that we can} serve the Living God” (Hebrews 9:14)

My heart belongs to Jesus. Does yours?

This wonderful Savior,
This sinless Redeemer,
This marvelous incarnation of God among us,
This precious Son of God
This Jesus.

bids you come to Him. Kneel at His feet. Realize that He is the only Solution for what ails America. Jesus Christ is the only Solution for what ails EVERYONE. We need Him. We need to fall in love with Him. We need to heed His Word – the Red Letters!

In closing I’ll share a parable I heard from Pastor John MacArthur. He said:

“There’s a tale told about a certain rabbi whose name was Simon Ben Eleazar, and Simon Ben Eleazar was coming from his teacher’s house, and he’d just had a lesson at the feet of this great teacher, and he was feeling uplifted in the thought of his own scholarship, and he was so pleased with his own erudition, and he was so thrilled with his own righteousness, and his own goodness, and his own holiness. And as he was walking along he came across a very low, rather ugly common man who passed by and greeted him. And the rabbi did not return the greeting, but said, “You, Raca, how ugly you are. Are all the men of your town as ugly as you?” To which the man replied, “That I do not know, go and tell the Maker who created me how ugly is the creature He has made.”

God made you to walk with Him. Come to Him. Come to Jesus. Give Him your broken heart, and He will make your life anew. Oh, that God the Spirit would open your hearts to the wonder of Christ today! Amen!

Posted in General, Matthew, Sermon Series "Red Letters", Sermons Preached | Leave a comment

YAHWEH and ELOHIYM: Examining The Names Of God (1)

Posted on February 13, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Photo by Alexis Antonio on Unsplash

Psalm 113: 1-5 Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. 2 Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. 3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to be praised. 4 The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. 5 Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high?

When Charles Wesley (one of the leaders of the early Methodist Church) read this Scripture he was led to write one of my favorite songs. “Blessed Be The Name” is in our Baptist Hymnal:

O, For a thousand tongues to sing, blessed be the name of the Lord!
The glories of my God and King, blessed be the name of the Lord!
Blessed be the Name, Blessed be the Name,
Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
Blessed be the Name, Blessed be the Name,
Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Blessed Be The NAME Of YAHWEH!

The opening sentence “Praise ye the LORD” is literally:

Halal Yahh Halal

from whence we get our English Hallelujah. The people of God are told to praise the name of YAHWEH! One of the most famous names of God in Scripture is YAHWEH (though some refer to it as YEHOVAH or JEHOVAH). This is the most sacred name of God in Scripture. Pastor John Piper wrote:

“God’s name is almost always translated LORD (all caps) in the English Bible. But the Hebrew would be pronounced something like “Yahweh,” and is built on the word for “I am.” So every time we hear the word Yahweh, or every time you see LORD in the English Bible, you should think: this is a proper name (like Peter or John) built out of the word for “I am” and reminding us each time that God absolutely is.”

YAHWEH is the God we praise, the God of the scripture. Though this name of God is sometimes translated JEHOVAH, the consensus among Biblical scholars is that the first translation of the Hebrew יְהֹוָה YHWH was, in the 6th century BC, most likely YAHWEH. So I use YAHWEH instead of JEHOVAH. Either way you pronounce YHWH this is the most holy name of God in Scripture. YAHWEH reveals certain things about our God.

  • YAHWEH is the eternal I AM. The God of scripture is never “I WAS” or “I WILL BE”. One of the first questions a child asks about God is:

“Who made God?”

The proper response is “no one made God. God is self existent. He is the Great I AM. God never ends, and never began. Though Christ was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14) He did not begin existence at that manger in Bethlehem. Jesus Christ is the “Son of God become flesh for our salvation”. Jesus told the Pharisees:

John 8:23-24 … Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

  • YAHWEH is absolute reality and utterly powerful. In a world where feelings are often elevated above all else, God is in control. He knows what is best for us, and controls all things to bring forth the best outcome. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 116:1-4 I love the LORD {YAHWEH}, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. 2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. 3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. 4 Then called I upon the name of the LORD {YAHWEH}; O LORD {YAHWEH}, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

It is the EVER PRESENT LORD Who is our Protector and King.

Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD {YAHWEH} is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

In a politically correct and progressively wrong world the Christian trusts not in “feelings” but in the Eternal and Great “I AM”, the YAHWEH!

  • Everything in the universe is dependent upon YAHWEH. Nothing happens by blind fate or chance. “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD {YAHWEH}”. Nothing happens by “luck”, but all things are by the LORD. He is the first cause, the last cause, and every cause in between. My salvation is certain because my faith is in the certain and sure “I AM”. The Psalmist confidently declared:

Psalms 116:13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD {YAHWEH}.

I suspect the Apostle Paul had this precious Psalm in mind when he wrote the Church at Rome:

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Salvation and blessing do not come by my hand, but by my God’s hand. I was saved the day I called “upon the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:2). My salvation is sure because my God is sure. My God is able to …

… keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.
(2 Timothy 1:12)

… to keep me from falling (Jude 24)

I am frail, but God is constant. Our God is the absolute standard of truth. The Bible says:

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

Some people think that there is a god of the old covenant and a god of the new covenant. This is patently wrong. The old covenant was given to us by the unchangeable and immutable “I AM”. Jesus said of this old covenant:

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Both covenants – old and new- are written through and about an immutable God Who never changes. Our God is the great “I AM”.

Who Is Like Our ʼElôhîym

Psalm 113: 5 Who is like unto the LORD {YAHWEH} our God {ʼElôhîym}, who dwelleth on high?

YAHWEH is not the only name of God in Scripture. YAHWEH speaks to God’s eternity. YAHWEH made all things, yet is made of none. He alone is self existent. But God’s name is also ʼĕlôhîym, which is the earliest name of God found in Scripture.

The earliest name of God found in Scripture is not YAHWEH, but ʼĔLÔHÎYM.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God {אֱלֹהִים ʼĕlôhîym, pronounced el-o-heem’} created the heaven and the earth.

ʼElôhîym is a plural in the Hebrew text. If this name were applied to a mythological god like Apollo, Zeus, Mercury, et.al, then it would be translated “gods”. In this world there are many gods and goddesses that seek to take the place of the true ʼElôhîym. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 8:5-6 For though there be {many} that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

Though ʼElôhîym would be a plural if applied to an idol, the God of the Scripture is One God. God told His Old Covenant Israel:

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The LORD{Yahweh} our God {ʼElôhîym} is one LORD {Yahweh} : 5 And thou shalt love the LORD {Yahweh} thy God {ʼElôhîym} with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

God is one. God is ʼElôhîym, a compound Unity.

  • ʼElôhîym is our Father. When we pray, we pray:

Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name!

ʼElôhîym is our Father Who is in Heaven. Jesus gave us another name for God – “Father”. He is the Head of the family of righteousness, those who are born again by faith in Christ. Our Father in Heaven is our Provider and Protector.

Matthew 6:8 … your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him …

ʼElôhîym our Father watches over the saved, lovingly providing our needs.

  • ʼElôhîym is our Jesus. The Father speaks to us through His Son Jesus (Hebrews 1:2), Whom He has appointed Heir of all things. All things belong to Christ.

All things were made BY Jesus (John 1:3)
All things were created BY Jesus FOR Jesus (Colossians 1:16)

The Father says of Jesus …

Hebrew 1:8 … Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.

  • ʼElôhîym is the Holy Spirit of God. It is the Holy Spirit who indwells the believer. Jesus promised us, “The Holy Spirit lives with you, and will be IN you”.

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

The Holy Spirit guides and empowers our prayers. We are commanded to be …

Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching …

Jude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost …

We As Believers Are To Live Our Lives Praising YAHWEH ʼELÔHÎYM

The Old Testament priest would never rush into the Holy of Holies, nor never run into God’s Presence. Yet so often Christians rush into God’s Presence to demand something. We are not, in our urgency, to rush into His presence. We are to love the LORD God Who loves us so. The Apostle put it this way:

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts …

Let us magnify the great “I AM”, the wonderful Triune God Who gives us life and eternal life. Let us magnify Him in all we do. May God the Holy Spirit impart this Word of Truth into our hearts and lives. In Jesus name. Amen!

Posted in Names Of God Series, Psalms, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Lex Talionis

Posted on February 10, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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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.

When Studying Scripture, Context Is King

It is always good to read Scripture in context!

A “Feud” is a battle between two families, often ending in bloodshed. Nearly everyone has heard of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, whether you have ever read it or not. Quickly explaining the plot, Romeo and Juliet were a young couple who fell in love with one another. Their families (the House of Capulet and the House of Montague) were at war with one another, and forbade the couple from marrying. Both Romeo and Juliet end up dead, and their deaths cause the families to reconsider their feud, and to seek the peace.

There have been feuds between families and people since the beginning of human history. Nearly everyone has heard of the Hatfield-McCoy Feud (1863-1891), two families of West Virginia and Kentucky. More than a dozen were killed on each side of this feud, with several imprisoned and one executed by the state for murder. Closer to home for us all is the Greene-Jones feud (1863-late 1880s), two mountain clans from North Carolina and Tennessee. The feud eventually spreaGod will avenge His people. We are not to do so. Beloved, every life has value. Every life is precious. Even that tiny baby yet residing in its mother’s womb. We who belong to Christ have been given life so that we can speak life and love. We are not given life so that we can kill. Let us love. Let us reach out and do as Christ would have us do. Let us be the Light that Christ wants us to be.d – like a cancer – into remote areas in Virginia and Kentucky. The feud caused the death of 30 people and at least one child. The feud was only ended when martial law was enacted, and the Tennessee State Militia was deployed.

The feud began over the killing of a pig.

Many of the feuds and bitter rivalries that have occurred in American history are wrapped up in a religious overcoat. Those holding grudges loved to cite the Biblical Law of Tooth and Claw (aka. Lex Talionis):

Exodus 21:23-25 … 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.

The reasoning for many feuds was “God said it is all right for me to avenge my neighbor’s offense. I am only responding to what the Lord God said.” The Scripture is taken and applied out of context.

Scripture Is Not Scripture
If It Is Taken Out Of Context

You cannot twist scripture to make it say what you want it to say. If you do, you are not studying (nor benefiting by) the scripture. The Bible commands:

2 Timothy 2:15-19 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. 17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

The Christian saved by faith in the Blood of Christ pleases God when he or she “rightly divides the Word of Truth”. And Beloved, the saved want to please God!God will avenge His people. We are not to do so. Beloved, every life has value. Every life is precious. Even that tiny baby yet residing in its mother’s womb. We who belong to Christ have been given life so that we can speak life and love. We are not given life so that we can kill. Let us love. Let us reach out and do as Christ would have us do. Let us be the Light that Christ wants us to be.

To “rightly divide” scripture is to read it in context, then do it as a command from God.

READ and DO.

But we must be very careful to read the Scripture in CONTEXT. If we take the Scripture out of context and twist it to suit our preferences then we become like Hymenaeus and Philetus, two early Church members who taught that the resurrection was already passed. Their teachings – much like the teachings of the so called “Prosperity Preachers” of our day,

Oral Roberts
Joel Osteen
Bruce Wilkinson
Zig Ziglar

eventually lead to the overthrowing of the faith of some. I was in a Church years ago when a guest speaker said “If you can raise you hand, you can be saved.” Not contented to stay there this false prophet went on to say, “If you want to be saved, raise your hand”. He then pronounced the entire room saved.

This is blasphemy!

He never preached at my Church again.
On another front, popular speaker Joel Osteen said:

“God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money, to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us.”

So what’s wrong with this? Frankly, it deceives and discourages. The person who remains in poverty or homeless, though he “names and claims“ this “blessing” and does not receive it, begins to feel that God does not care for him. That person hearing “profane and vain babblings {which} increase unto more ungodliness” never hears the glorious Gospel of salvation. That person is likely to walk away from God, and die in their sins. Does God “want us to prosper financially”? If He does, then NOTHING can stand against the will of God.

NOTHING can thwart the Will of God!

“Job 42:2 I know that Thou {O Lord} canst DO EVERY THING, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.”

“Isaiah 14:27 For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out,
and WHO SHALL TURN IT BACK?”

God will avenge His people. We are not to do so. Beloved, every life has value. Every life is precious. Even that tiny baby yet residing in its mother’s womb. We who belong to Christ have been given life so that we can speak life and love. We are not given life so that we can kill. Let us love. Let us reach out and do as Christ would have us do. Let us be the Light that Christ wants us to be.Our Lord Jesus declared “for with God NOTHING shall be IMPOSSIBLE” (Luke 1:37). If it is God’s decreetive will that every Christian would “prosper financially, to have plenty of money”, then every Christian worldwide would be very well off. Yet this does not happen because the statement is biblically false. Our Lord Jesus Christ said:

Mark 14:7 (Matthew 26:11; John 12:7-8)
… ye have the poor with you ALWAYS …

And God told His Old Testament Israel:

Deuteronomy 15:11 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.

God allows poverty so that His people can reach out and help. Those who are going to Heaven one day are those who are generous with their giving to the needy. Jesus specifically said this. He said:

Matthew 25:35-45 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

The Sheep who live on the right hand of the Great King/Shepherd Jesus are those who SHINE FOR HIM. God said we would always poor among us. Who should be helping these poor? WE WHO ARE SAVED. The stepbrother of our Lord Jesus declared:

James 2:14-16 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 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?

God allows poverty – even among Christians
– so that we can shine for Him.

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. 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? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

Is it God’s will that all be rich? Absolutely not. It is, instead, God’s will that WE who are HIS mobilize to help those in need as if they were our brothers and sisters. Jesus gave to us, so we are to give to others. We were left on this earth after being “born again of the Spirit”, by faith in Christ Jesus:

1 Peter 1:18-23 18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Examining The Mosaic Law Of God

So let’s return to our focal text IN CONTEXT. To whom was it addressed? The Lex Talionis is part of the Mosaic Law, a covenental Law that God gave to His nation Israel. God told Moses

“ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.” (Exodus 19:6).

God specifically addressed this Levitical Code to His nation Israel. We are told in Leviticus 26:46,

“These are the statutes, judgment, and laws, which the LORD made between Him AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL in Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses”

The Apostle Paul declared of the Israelites that the “covenants, and the giving of the Law” was to them only (Romans 9:4). The Mosaic Law contained three major divisions:

The Ten Commandments
The Ordinances or Civil and Dietary Laws
The Ceremonial Laws

The Mosaic Law did several things:

  • It taught the holiness of God, and the sinfulness of man.
  • It taught the need of Grace and salvation, that no one could earn righteousness through their own abilities.
  • It led the Jews to realize that all needed a Savior. The blood sacrifices of the Law were only temporary remedies.

Galatians 3:18-26 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

As the Jew followed the ceremonial animal sacrifices year after year, they were constantly reminded that all fall far short of God.

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

The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5) are repeated in the New Testament in various ways. These Ten Commandments are often considered universal commandments. Why? Because every person in their hearts knows that murder is wrong. The Bible says:

Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Murderers shall go to eternal damnation. Those who commit sexual sin will not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). The Apostle Paul quoted many of the Ten Commandments to the Church at Rome, a Gentile body of believers:

Romans 13:8-10 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Paul expected believers in Christ to fulfill the Ten Commandments – for when we love as God calls us to love, we keep these Commandments (Exodus 20:12-17; Deuteronomy 5:16-21; Matthew 19:18-19; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20). The Apostle Paul warned against violating the eighth commandment (Thou shalt not steal – Ephesians 4:28; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Romans 13:9), and against the tenth commandment (Thou shalt not covet or be greedy – Ephesians 5:3-5; Romans 13:9), and the general teaching of the New Testament supports the Ten Commandments as universal truths that transcend Israel. However the Blood Sacrifices, ceremonial feasts, and circumcision are specific to Israel alone.

In fact, our text for today is specific to Israel alone – though it does have a contemporary teaching.

Lex Talionis And The Value Of A Life

The Law of Tooth and Claw or the Lex Talionis is a law that God applied to the nation of Israel. God wanted His people – a people from whom He would bring the Messiah – to understand the value of every life.

Exodus 21:22 If men strive, and hurt a woman with child ….

This text has often been used by the “Pro-Choice” abortionists to downplay the death of unborn children. Yet that is a terrible twisting of the text. In the previous context of this Israeli statute we are told:

Exodus 21:12 He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.

God made man and woman in His image, and in His likeness (Genesis 1:27). All life is valuable. All life! God told Noah when he left the Ark:

Genesis 9:5-6 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. 6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Life belongs to God, Not to us!

God says all souls are mine (Ezekiel 18:4). None of us earned nor deserved the life we were given. God gives us life as a gift, and we are entrusted to guard that life and to be good stewards of that life until our lease is up. No one has the right to take another person’s life – unless that person is guilty of taking another person’s life. God said:

Exodus 21:14-16 But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die. 15 And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death. 16 And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

Life has value. Parents were considered sacred because they were entrusted will raising a young life up to worship the Lord. For a child to attack his parents was to commit a capital offense. Life is so very valuable. All life belongs to God.

So now we come to two men struggling with one another. In their battle they inadvertently “hurt a woman with child”. They did not intend this action. The Scripture said:

Exodus 21:22 If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow

The literal Hebrew says “her child or offspring (יֶלֶד yeled, yeh’-led) be born” and “no injury occur” – that is, the woman has a premature birth and neither her nor the child are injured, then:

Exodus 21:22… he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.

A fine is levied on the offenders by the husband for the unnecessary suffering inflicted. However, the Law continues:

Exodus 21:23 … And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life ….

The Lex Talionis demands that the death of the mother or of the child be punished by death. The Lex Talionis was not a Law in Israel that gave every person the right to avenge themselves. It was a Law that recognized the value of all life. It stated:

Exodus 21:23-25 … 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.

This Law established a limit on what could be done to an offender, and required that punishment in kind be administered among the Children of Israel. This Law was an Israeli Statute, and never applied to the Gentiles.

However it does show us something that we can apply to our contemporary America.

God does not support nor honor the death of children, even the unborn.
The taking of a child’s life was punished by death in Israel.

There are numerous places in the Scripture where the fetus is considered a real human being (Psalm 51:5; Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5; Galatians 1:15). The Lex Talionis was not a blanket statement to support feuding. In fact, the Bible specifically forbids vengeance in both Old and New Testaments:

Deuteronomy 32:35 To Me belongeth vengeance and recompense;..

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

Proverbs 24:17-19 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him. Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked;

Romans 12:17-19 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.

Luke 6:27-29 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.

God will avenge His people. We are not to do so. Beloved, every life has value. Every life is precious. Even that tiny baby yet residing in its mother’s womb. We who belong to Christ have been given life so that we can speak life and love. We are not given life so that we can kill. Let us love. Let us reach out and do as Christ would have us do. Let us be the Light that Christ wants us to be.

May God the Holy Spirit guide you as you feed upon His Word!. Amen!

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Jesus, The Fulfiller Of The Law

Posted on February 9, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash

Matthew 5:17-20 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus Is The Fulfiller Of The Law

As Jesus speaks from the mountain to His Church He now addresses “The Law”. Our Lord is speaking of the Mosaic Law, the Law that God gave to Moses for Israel from Mount Sinai. As Messiah and the One Mediator between God and Man:

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus …

It is Jesus’ responsibility as God’s Representative to “fulfill” (πληρόω plēróō, pronounced play-ro’-o), but NOT “destroy” (καταλύω katalýō, pronounced kat-al-oo’-o) the Law of God. Over the years the Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees have stood in the place of mediator, telling Israel “when God said this what He really meant was that“. The Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees took God’s Law and twisted it, presenting it to the people in their image. As Jesus speaks from the mountain He says:

“I have not come as Messiah to dissolve or destroy God’s Law. I have come to (plēróō) “fill it up to the brim”, to give you not a humanist interpretation of God’s Word, but to tell you what the Godhead is saying.”

It is important that every person understand the Laws of the country they are inhabiting. The Law of any country

establishes standards
maintains order
protects the liberties and rights of citizens
and punishes offenders

Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

The Law was not redefined by any human teacher, whether liberal or conservative. Jesus said not one jot or tittle shall pass from the Law till all be fulfilled. The Law was written in the Hebrew language. The jot is the tenth and smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and it looks much like an apostrophe. The tittle is a tiny extension of a pen stroke, the addition of which changes the letter into another letter. What Jesus is saying is that not one tiny bit of the Law will cease. The Law of God must be fulfilled – and Jesus is the fulfiller. Jesus said:

Luke 16:16-17 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.

God told the Old Covenant believer:

Deuteronomy 6:1-7 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: 2 That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

The Jew was expected to DO the Law, not to redefine it.

But over time religion took God’s Law and twisted it, making it into that which God never intended. Jesus said the Law was until John the Baptist – the redefined Law of the religious leaders. That old redefined Law is no more. Christ now comes to fulfill – to give the most clear and truthful presentation of the Law – a Word from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Why Did God Establish The Law?
Was Anyone Ever Saved By Keeping The Law?

God gave the Law to Israel at Mount Sinai specifically because they would not follow Him by faith and love. God loved Israel and rescued Israel

Israel the nation actually began when a man named Abraham believed God – and God counted this for righteousness:

Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

There was no written Mosaic Law to follow when God saved Abraham (see Genesis 15:6). A person is saved not by keeping the Mosaic Law, but by believing in and surrendering to The God of Heaven. The Apostle says:

Galatians 3:6-8 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 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.

It was God’s intention from the beginning of time to save whosoever would believe in Him. No one is saved by keeping any Law. The Apostle Paul in quoting Habakkuk 2:4 said:

Galatians 3:9-14 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The Law was given to an Israel who had hardened their hearts to the leading of God. The Law was given as a mirror to show us that we are sinners. The Law was given to convict us that we needed a Savior. Now the Savior has come. The Savior is speaking from the mountain. He is not erasing the Law, but He is fulfilling it.

Matthew 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The Law spoke to the Jewish nation declaring “You all need the Messiah, the Savior”. Rather than hear the message the scribes and Pharisees used the Law as a means toward salvation. They redefined the Law, but did not see Christ in the Law. The Law, with it’s animal sacrifices and circumcisions, reminded Israel daily that the nation as a whole needed the Messiah, the Christ.

Religion took the true nature of the Law
and remade it into man’s image.
Pharisees missed the point of the Law.

The Law said “You are a sinner”.
The Law said, “God loves you”.
The Law said, “You need a Savior, and God is sending One”.

When Jesus healed a crippled man at the pool of Bethesda, saying:

“Rise, take up thy bed, and walk”
(John 5:8)

Did the Pharisees praise God the Son for this wonderful miracle? No. They told the healed man:

“It is the Sabbath day: It is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed!”
(John 5:10)

When a man with a withered hand needed to be healed, were the Pharisees pleased that Jesus healed him? No, for the Scripture says:

“{The Pharisees} watched {Jesus}, whether he would heal {the crippled man} on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.”
(Mark 3:2)

When a woman with a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years comes to Jesus while He was teaching in the Synagogue, Jesus:

Luke 13:12-14 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.

This poor woman was relieved of her suffering. God was glorified. The Messiah was revealed. And the Pharisee was indignant because Jesus healed on the Sabbath. Jesus told the Pharisees:

John 7:22-24 Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. 23 If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? 24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Religion made the Law of God into a cold, heartless thing. The Law was given by a Loving God to a people that should have loved Him and one another. The heart of the Law of Moses is love to God, and love to others. The Apostle said:

Romans 13:8-10 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Our Jesus Fulfills The Law Of God

Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

  • How does Jesus fulfill the Law? The animal sacrifices provided a teaching and a temporary atonement for sin. When Jesus came:

Hebrews 9:11-15 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

The Old Testament believer under the Law had to sacrifice an animal “without spot or blemish” to cover his or her sins. This was a shadow of the perfect and complete sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He came to this earth to be the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29, 36). Jesus fulfilled the sacrifices of the Law in Himself. We who believe in Him have our sins covered so that we can, with clear consciences, serve the Living God.

  • How does Jesus fulfill the Law? The Jew had a High Priest who made sacrifices for them. But Jesus fulfilled the Law in that He is our High Priest forever:

Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

The High Priests of Israel were sinners – as you and I are. But Jesus Christ is no sinner. He is God incarnate, the Son of God Who ever lives before the Father, representing us as His people.

  • How does Jesus fulfill the Law? The Mosaic Law had food laws that set Israel apart from the other nations, clean and unclean foods. The Bible says that with Christ coming these Laws are no more:

Mark 7:18-23 {Jesus} saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; 19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? 20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Are You Under The Law Of Christ
Or The Law Of God?

Our Lord Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic Law. However, this does not make the Christian lawless. We are under the Law of Christ, a law based on love. We are to love one another as Christ loves us. The Apostle said:

Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

We who are saved are under the law of liberty. We are to obey God, to love God with all that we have, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

James 2:8-13 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. 10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

We who are born again by faith in Christ follow the leading of the Holy Spirit of God and love. The Scripture says:

Romans 8:1-4 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Beloved, you are either the Law of Moses or under the Law of Christ. If you are living your lives under the Law of Moses you will never see God. If you are living your life under the Law of Christ then you too, just as Abraham, will one day be with Christ in eternity.

Salvation is of the Lord.

Salvation is not of my works, but of Him Who loved me and gave Himself for me. Oh Beloved, if you are not loving as Christ demands, then you are not saved. But if He has saved you by His love, then He has planted love for God and love for others in your hearts. This is the proof of salvation. May we all have a real, saving faith in Jesus Christ our Lord!

In His name and for His glory. Amen!

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Being Salt And Light (Red Letters Series #5)

Posted on February 6, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Matthew 5:13-16 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

As God the Son sits on the mountain, His disciples sit at His feet. Jesus tells those who follow Him that they must be salt and light to this present world. As Jesus says this, He establishes Himself both as Lord and God over His people. Salt and light have one thing in common:

Salt and Light exist to be USED.
And as salt and light are use, they are sacrificed for others.

Salt Exists To Serve

The world exists to serve itself, and the lost person continually seeks his or her own blessing. American society is driven by a “me first” attitude. Sadly, many Churches have succumbed to this mentality. Billy Graham once wrote:

“Many churches of all persuasions are hiring research agencies to poll neighborhoods, asking what kind of church they prefer. Then the local churches design themselves to fit the desires of the people. “

We as Christ’s Church are not to live to suit ourselves, but we are to live so as to honor and glorify the God Who saved us. There is nothing more useless than salt that cannot be used. One of the earliest uses of the word “salt” in the Scripture is found in the Book of Genesis. Abraham and his nephew Lot had so much blessing from God that their herdsmen began to fight among themselves (Genesis 13:7). So Abraham, that blessed believer in Christ (John 8:58), decided to be salt.

Abraham was the elder of the two.
He could have sent Lot away, and Lot would have had to go.

So Abraham told Lot:

Genesis 13:9 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.

Lot looked at the land with his eyes, and saw the land toward Sodom and Gomorrah was the most beautiful (Genesis 13:10-11). Now please consider this: Lot was a saved individual. The Scripture names him as “righteous Lot” in the Book of 2 Peter:

2 Peter 2:4-9 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Lot is a “righteous” man according to the Scripture. Yet Lot is not living as salt should live. He chose the direction of Sodom to take his family, choosing based not on the glory of God but his own self interest. Lot sat in the gate of Sodom daily:

Genesis 19:1 … there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom…

Every great city in the ancient world was walled round about, and guarded by towers and watchmen. At night the gate(s) of the city would be closed, and none would be allowed to enter. They were the original “gated communities”! When the sun rose the gates of the city would be open, and merchants along with powerful people would go to the gates to do business. Every traveling salesman would stop at the gates of the city to deal with the “movers and shakers”. Lot was such a person. He sat in the gate. He was in a place to be influential, to be salt to his community.

Yet Lot failed at being salt.
He compromised with the decay.
He became a man pleaser, and ceased to please God.

God sent two angels to retrieve Lot and his family from Sodom and Gomorrah before the cities were destroyed. Abraham loved the Lord, and God forewarned Abraham that Sodom would be destroyed. So Abraham prayed for Lot. He prayed until God promised to take Lot and his family out of Sodom. Though God would take Lot and his family out of Sodom, it would be harder to take SODOM OUT OF LOT AND HIS FAMILY. Our Lord warned us:

Luke 14:33-35 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. 34 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Lot had spent very little time living his life so as to please his Savior. Lot sat in the gate daily, and could have made a difference. Yet he did not. He stayed silent, unsalty, and men cast it out! If you live your lives to please people and not to please God then the darkness grows. Sadly, if you fail to stand for Jesus, in time you will fall for the world.

God calls His people to be “living sacrifices”. We read:

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Lot was supposed to be a “living sacrifice”.
Abraham was a “living sacrifice”.
You are called to be a “living sacrifice”.
Are you?

When God established the sacrificial system for Israel the Lord told His people:

Leviticus 2:11-13 No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire. … 13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.

The sacrifice was not to be burned with leaven (which is symbolic of sin). The sacrifice was also to be offered with salt. Why was that? Was it because God somehow ate the offering, and needed it salted like we need our food salted? No! It was to teach the children of Israel the message that Jesus is teaching the Church today.

If you belong to God, you are to be a Living Sacrifice.
You are to in a salt covenant with God.
You are God’s salt on this earth.
Wherever God places you or allows you to go, you are to stand for Him.

Lot did not do this. He compromised his faith. Though he was called “righteous Lot” he was not visibly representing the Lord Who saved him. As a result Sodom was going to be destroyed. When these angels went with Lot to his home the men of the city decided to try and sexually assault the angels (Genesis 19:4-5). In Genesis 19:5 the text literally states these Sodomites demanded of Lot, saying:

“Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may “know” them.”

The word “know” is the Hebrew יָדַע yâdaʻ, (pronounced yaw-dah’). Here it is used liked it is used in:

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

The Sodomites wanted to sexually “know” these angels. Rather than declare this to be sinful and inappropriate behavior Lot suggested an alternative:

Genesis 19:6-8 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

Notice Lot’s decline. He first of all addressed these men as “brethren”. He had so compromised his faith – his saltiness – that he had been accepting these poor lost souls as if they were righteous. The Bible says:

Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Salt is a PRESERVATIVE. Society is PRESERVED when God’s people stand up and lovingly address evil. We must share our faith in Christ. We must stand against the tide of darkness and sin, presenting the Lord Jesus as:

John 14:6 … the way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father (nor can be a brother of ours) BUT BY JESUS!

How horrible the treason that compromises the faith. How horrible the father who will allow his daughters – the children of his wife – to be offered as molested things rather than stand with God against evil. Though Lot was “righteous” by faith in God, he had lost his saltiness.

And Lot paid the price.

The Bible tells us that as the angels took Lot and his family from Sodom prior to its destruction:

Genesis 19:26 {Lot’s wife} wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Lot lost his wife because he was not salt. He lost his daughters to sexual sin because he was not salt. Beloved, we must be salt. Jesus said:

Mark 9:50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

Believers in Christ maintain their saltiness by fellowship one with another. We exhort one another to be salt, and stand together against the unsaltiness of the world.

Hebrews 3:12-15 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Light Exists To Shine

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

Jesus doesn’t say that we are to try to be the light of the world. Jesus says you ARE the light of the world. We are to be like Jesus. Jesus said:

John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Jesus was the Light of the world. He did as the Father asked Him to do. He was forever doing “My Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). He is light. If we follow Jesus, we are to be light. We are not to be like the world, nor like the self righteous Pharisee, but LIKE JESUS. The Scripture says:

Philippians 2:12-16 12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 14 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; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.

We who are genuinely saved are NOT to be in the darkness of this world. We are to be Christ’s lights. We are to shine in the darkness. God gave us life and light so that we can share His Gospel and His love with a darkened world. We do not compromise with sin nor the darkness. The Scripture says:

1 John 1:4-9 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. 5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Christian does not normalize sin, but confesses it to God. We place any and all sin in our lives under the Blood of Jesus Christ our Savior. We reject sin as darkness, incompatible to God’s nature. We cannot walk with God and walk with sin. We cannot live in Jesus and live for the devil, too.

Did you notice that – in the story of Abraham, Lot, and Sodom’s destruction that God never came to Lot to discuss the pending judgment. God came to Abraham, a man who was salt and light. Had Abraham not interceded for Lot I suspect Lot would have died with all of Sodom. What a tragedy it is that any Christian could die under the hand of God’s judgment. But Beloved – it can happen.

The wages of sin is death. Sin is defined by the Bible, not by humanity. Sin has no place in the believer’s life. We are to be distinctly Christian, so much so that the darkness can clearly see who we are.

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

Christian, Shine! Shine for Jesus!

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

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Three Pillars Of Christianity

Posted on February 3, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

Faith_Love_Hope

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

The Christian faith is built on three pillars, pillars we call “Faith, Hope, and Love”. These three are like a Trinity. They always go together. But the greatest of the three is Love. Let’s examine these three pillars.

Let’s Start By Defining “Faith”

We could look up the word “faith” in the Webster’s dictionary and find a good, worldly definition. But instead I’d rather define “faith” by the Book of Books, God’s Holy Bible. We are told in Hebrews that faith is a certain trust in the character of God. We read:

Hebrews 10:38-39 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

“The just shall live by faith”. Those who are “justified”, that is, are in a right or upright condition before God live by faith. This particular phrase is found several times in both Old and New Testaments. God spoke to the Prophet Habakkuk, promising that He was going to bring judgment on Israel. But even as God punished unbelieving Israel He wanted His people, the remnant of believers, to not be discouraged but to trust in Him. God told Habakkuk:

Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

What did God tell Israel about faith? He said “his soul (the professor of salvation) which is lifted up (who lifts himself up or has faith in himself) is NOT UPRIGHT in Him (not in a right relationship with God)”. The person whose faith is in themselves and in their own abilities are nor in an upright place with God. Why? Because we ALL are sinners. We ALL are frail. We ALL fail the entrance exam into Heaven. Then the Lord says …

“… But” …

Oh how I love the “buts” of Scripture! How pleasant it is to hear the bad news, then God gives us a “BUT” followed by good news, great news! Did He not say,

“The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23 a)

Oh, what bad news! All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God! (Romans 3:23). We all deserve death. That’s the bad news. Then God throws in a “BUT”:

“BUT the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

God tells Habakkuk “Here’s the bad news – destruction is coming. Israel My nation will be destroyed. But look up, Habakkuk! BUT the just (those who are saved and are upright before Me) shall live BY FAITH. Not faith in oneself, but FAITH IN GOD. You see, everyone has faith.

Every candidate running for office has faith.
The rich man has faith.
The poor man has faith.
The prideful man has faith.
The Pharisee has faith.
Even the atheist has faith.

These people – everyone – has a Merriam-Webster dictionary faith. But the faith that matters is the faith placed in the right Person. What does Our Jesus say?

Mark 11:22 … Have faith in God.

Not in yourselves. Not in your abilities. But in God’s abilities. In God’s faithfulness. What does the Bible say about God?

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

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no {trial} taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

God is faithful. This is a lesson that we all must learn. The Apostle Peter was called by Jesus to be an Apostle. The Apostle Peter followed Jesus faithfully. The Apostle Peter was part of the inner circle (Peter, James and John) that Jesus was grooming to lead His early Church. But Peter had a problem.

Peter thought he was bullet proof!

Jesus told the disciples in

Luke 22:28 “Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. 29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; 30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

No sooner than Jesus finished saying this He looked into Peter’s heart and found worldly faith there. Peter was puffed up. As Jesus made His promise to the Apostles I can hear Peter thinking, just as I have often thought of myself in times past:

“I’ll get a throne from Jesus! Great. Well, of course, I deserve it!”

While Peter is thinking this Jesus interrupts his thoughts, saying:

Luke 22:31-32 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

The devil can see our pridefulness, our misplaced faith, and often uses that pride of self sufficiency to shake up our lives. Even as we are shaken, if we be Christ’s, He prays for us, and watches over us. Jesus prayed for Peter “that thy faith fail not”. His faith would be tested by “a crowing rooster” (verses 33-34) and a little girl. The proud Peter says:

Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death

But not long from now Peter will deny the Lord three times, and fall into a pit of despair. But Jesus prayed for Peter. Jesus prays for us. He prays that our faith will be properly placed, not in ourselves, but in HIS power.

Too often we, like the Apostle Thomas, have our doubts. After Jesus resurrected He appeared to the disciples, but the Apostle Thomas skipped church that day. When the disciples told Thomas about Jesus’ visit he said:

John 20:25 … “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe”.

Jesus heard that. He watches over His people. Eight days later Jesus reappears to ALL of the Apostles, then tells Thomas:

John 20:27 … Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

“John, I heard what you said! So here, do what you said. Touch the wounds. It’s Me!”

Thomas cries our “my Lord and my God”. Thomas’ faith was in HIMSELF, not in Jesus, but now is in Jesus. Thomas was faithless before, but now has faith. Jesus says this:

John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

This is the Biblical definition of faith. It is to believe in the character and promises of God though you have not seen Him. The Book of Hebrews states:

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith believes in what God has said because God said it. Faith is tied closely to hope. Hope is assurance in what has not yet happened because of Who said it.

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

Faith believes in God, not in myself. Faith trusts that God can do what He said He will do. Faith believes in the Work of Christ on the Cross, and believes that this work sufficiently fulfilled the Law of God. What did the Apostle tell the Galatians?

Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

No animal sacrifice, no holy day, no human work that I can do will bring me into a right standing with the Holy and Just God of the universe. None! My salvation is utterly dependent upon that which Jesus did on the Cross of Calvary. I am a child of God because the Father is please with His Son. I am a child of God because I believe in and have surrendered to Jesus’ Lordship. He is my Elder Brother, my Savior, my Master, my All.

Jesus Christ died loving me so that I can live loving Him.

Because of Calvary I am in a right relationship with the Eternal Triune God. I am indwelt by God the Spirit. I am in the Family of God the Father. I am a priest following Jesus Christ my High Priest. This is what faith is.

How Is Hope Different From Faith?

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

We defined “faith” as a surrendered trust in the character and promise of God. So what is “hope”? Hope is the cousin of faith. If you have a present faith in the Biblical God then you are not frightened by the future. The God Who saved and continues saving me today will save me days, months, years from now.

Because of hope I do not worry about tomorrow.

The Psalmist said:

Psalm 16:7-9 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the LORD always before me: because [he is] at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

“Hope” is faith in the future, faith because our God transcends all time. If I am in a right state with God because of Christ then:

Proverbs 14:32 … but the righteous hath hope in his death.

The world has no true hope, just as it has no true faith. But for the Christian we believe God is in control of our tomorrows. When we lose a loved one who loved Jesus then hope lifts our hearts up. The Apostle said:

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

Jesus Christ did not go to Calvary for nothing. He not only conquered Satan and Sin, but Jesus conquered the grave! He lives! And if He lives,
I will live with Him one glad day!

Faith in Christ Jesus is what saves me now. Hope is believing that the Lord Who saved me will not let me down – ever!

Jesus’ friend Lazarus was sick unto death, and His friends Mary and Martha sent word to the Lord. “Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick!” (John 11:3). When Jesus hear this, He stayed where He was for two more days (John 11:6). When Jesus got ready to go He told His disciples:

John 11:14-15 “Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sake that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.

Jesus purposely delayed until Lazarus died. Why did He do this. So that His Disciples would believe in Him. God often delays answers to prayer to strengthen our faith. These men who are following Him would be severely tried once Christ ascended to Heaven. They need to have a rock solid faith in Jesus. So Jesus heads out to Bethany. Martha meets Jesus, heartbroken, for Lazarus her beloved brother is death.

John 11:21-22 “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.

Martha’s faith was tested, but not gone. She HOPED in Christ. Jesus told Martha:

John 11:25-26 “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

Hope is faith working, even when our current senses tell us that the worst has happened. Hope is believing that Jesus promised never to leave nor forsake us. Hope is believing that our Savior can save us, not just today, but tomorrow, the next day, and long into eternity. Hope is to roll the stone away though Lazarus stinketh, knowing that Christ has him still in His hands. The Apostle said:

Romans 8:24-25 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, [then] do we with patience wait for [it].

Faith is that which saves us, but genuine faith is always accompanied by a certain hope. For instance, Jesus has promised us a mansion. I have never seen that mansion, but Jesus said:

John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Jesus promised us all a mansion. Have you ever seen it? Neither have I. But I know it is true. Why? Because I believe in Jesus. He has proved Himself to me time and time again. He has never let me down, though I have failed Him many times. If Jesus has done the MOST for me at Calvary, will He not accomplish all that He promised? This is hope. Hope tills the ground and plants the seed, believing that God is faithful. Our God is the God of hope.

Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Spirit Who indwells the believer puts hope in our hearts. Hope keeps us going, knowing that our God is faithful. A hopeless farmer would never till a field or plant a seed.

1 Corinthians 9:10 … he that ploweth should plow in hope …

It is hope that kept Abram going for a hundred years, trusting that God would eventually give him an Isaac. Abram against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which the Father told him, so shall thy seed be (Romans 14:18).

Our hope is not in us, nor the politician, nor the doctor.

Psalms 39:7 And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

Psalms 38:15 For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.

Psalms 33:18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;

Psalms 146:5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:

My hope is not in my health, my stuff, my bank account. No Beloved, my hope is in Christ Jesus. “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.” (Psalm 31:24). Our God is able!

The Greatest Of These Is Love

I have made a feeble attempt to explain faith and hope to you today, but I cannot leave without looking at the final pillar of Christianity. It is “love”.

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Faith and hope will abide forever, even into eternity. But that which is greatest is “love”. Why? Because “love” is the strength, the power behind faith and hope. I have faith in God because God loves me unconditionally. God said

Jeremiah 31:3 “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.”

God did not have to save any one of us. The angels fell, and God never offered them a redeemer. We fell, and God offered His own dear Son to us for our sins.

1 John 3:1-2 (ESV) See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when {Jesus} appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

God loves me when I’m unlovable. God loves me when I fail. God loves me when I don’t listen. God loves me though I sometimes sin. God loves me anyway. One day I shall be in glory with my Savior and Lord forever. One day I shall be given Heaven to explore, and a new body to explore it in. Why? Because God loves me. Not because I’m worthy, but because God is love.

1 John 4:17-19 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him, because he first loved us.

Do you know Him? Do you know my Jesus? Have you placed your faith in Him? Do you hope for the future because of Him? I pray you do, dear One, for He loves you so. Run into His arms this very day, by God’s Spirit and His Word I pray. Amen.

Posted in 1 Corinthians, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Where Are You Looking For Blessing? Red Letters Series #4

Posted on February 2, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

Red Letters 4

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

Matthew 5:1-3 And seeing the multitudes, {Jesus} went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3 Blessed ….

Our Jesus taught in the Sunday Schools. He preached “the Gospel of the Kingdom”, that Messiah had come, that He is the Messiah. Jesus proved this by healing the sick and casting out demons. As Jesus traveled He preached:

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

The word “repent” is the Greek μετανοέω metanoeō which means “change your mind” or specifically, “change your spiritual direction”. Jesus came as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords calling whosoever would listen to His Kingdom. Jesus Christ is the Messiah. The Messiah came and commanded that all people everywhere repent and come to Him. Jesus Christ is the only Door to Heaven. He is the “door of the sheep”, the Children of God. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 95:1-7 O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. 3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. 5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. 6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. 7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Jesus said in John 10:7-9 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Jesus came preaching in a time
when idolatry ruled the earth.

The Romans were an idolatrous people, and even God’s Israel had turned away from the God Who saved them to follow idolatrous practices. The Pharisees took the Word of God and, adding to or taking away from the Word of God, turned Judaism into a mishmash of idolatry. God had told His people “Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.” (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Revelation 22:18). As Messiah Jesus came correcting all. He said those who came before Me were thieves and robbers. Jesus Christ is the one and only Messiah sent from the Father. Repent! Turn from idolatry. Turn toward Jesus Christ.

The Dangers Of Idolatry

The Bible commands that we each examine ourselves, to see whether we are in THE faith (2 Corinthians 13:5; 2 Peter 1:10-11). The Bible commands us to …

Jude 3-4 … earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Idolatry crept into Israel while Moses was on the Mount, speaking with God. People gathered their riches together and pooled them to make a golden calf to worship, saying, “these be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 32:4). An idol has no power to bless. An idol has no power to heal, nor to hear prayers. This is why Jesus equated those which came before, the idols, as thieves and robbers. An idol steals glory from God, the true God, the Great Shepherd. An idol steals the joy of God’s people, giving false comfort and false hope.

Not too long ago Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research polled the evangelical Church and found out that, across all denominational lines, 46% of self professed evangelicals believed that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam”. Yet what does the Scripture say? What did Jesus say? Jesus said:

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME.

The message that Jesus preached was that:

Jesus is THE Door. (John 10:7)
Jesus is THE Bread of Life. (John 6:35)
Jesus is THE Bread of Heaven. (John 6:41, 51)
Jesus is THE Light of the world. (John 8:12; 9:5)
Jesus is THE Good Shepherd. (John 10:11, 14)
Jesus is THE Resurrection and the Life. (John 11:25)
Jesus is THE True Vine. (John 15:1)
Jesus is THE Creator God. (Revelation 1:17)
Jesus is THE Promised Messiah. (Revelation 22:16)

Throughout His ministry Jesus Christ consistently presented Himself as the one and only Messiah sent from Heaven to bring us to God.

True God On The Mountain

Matthew 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, {Jesus} went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

Jesus went up into a mountain. This is very significant. Moses went up into a mountain to receive the Word of God, the Law, and to take it back down the mountain. No one else was allowed on the mountain. But now Jesus goes up a mountain not to receive the Word of God, but because He IS the Living Word of God.

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

Jesus Christ is the Only Word of God become flesh. All others who have come before and who have come after are but imitations of the Real Thing.

Several years ago they came out with something called “I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter”. I bought it. I tasted it. Guess what? It should be named “I CAN Believe It’s Not Butter”. If you’ve ever tasted real butter, this imitation stuff just isn’t the same.

Jesus walked through a world filled with idols, with pretend gods and goddesses, with “I Can’t Believe It’s Not God” packaged for the masses. When people experienced Jesus they experienced the Real Thing. If you have ever experienced Christ, if you have ever done as the Psalmist said:

Psalms 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Moses brought a Law down from Mount Sinai that foretold of the Coming Messiah. Man took that Law and made it into an idol. Now Jesus comes, not as another Moses, but as God become Man, the True Messiah, the Way of God. He is exclusively the One.

Matthew 5:1 … when {Jesus} was set, his disciples came unto him:

“His DISCIPLES came unto Him”.

Who were these “disciples”? The Dr. Thomas Constable states:

“We usually think of disciples of Jesus as people who have believed in Jesus and who are going on in their walk with Him. The Gospel evangelists used “disciple” to refer to people who were learning from Jesus, before they came to faith in Him, as well as after they did.”

Jesus presented Himself as the only Way unto God, Jesus came for all who would heed Him. “Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).
Jesus is God on the Mountain, The Only Way To God.

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

These “disciples” that our text speaks of were people from all walks of life who were seeking a real engagement with God. They had tried “I Can’t Believe It’s Not God” and it just didn’t taste right. Then the Real Deal came. So these people, these “Disciples” were willing to walk up a mountain to hear this Messiah speak.

If you believe that there are multiple ways to God outside of Christ then you are at odds with Jesus.

I have heard this question asked by sincere, well meaning idolaters. “Won’t God accept a person who is sincerely trying to do good, even if that person rejects Jesus Christ as Messiah – or never even hears of Jesus?”.

Beloved, there is only One God on the mountain. Pastor Nicholas Davis of Core Christianity wrote:

“This question misunderstands a very basic understanding of the world: no one is good, no not one (Romans 3:10, 12). The hardest truth is admitting that all of us fall in this camp. It’s not that God is unjust and he refuses to accept all godly, good people when they die. It’s that God is just, and there are no godly, good people who die. Everyone is ungodly and guilty before God. No person has ever lived a life in which he or she has always done what is good for others—except Jesus. The reason Jesus is the only way to salvation is not because God is unjust, but rather because he is just. The only way that God can justify a guilty sinner is through Jesus the justifier (Romans 3:26). … God won’t punish anyone for not hearing about his Christ. That’s not the reason why God will condemn anyone. The reason he can justly punish someone is because a person is rejecting the God who has “been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). What this means is that no one is simply innocent—everyone is guilty before God by refusing to worship him as Creator.”

There is but One God, the Triune God, and but One Messiah, Jesus Christ. Multitudes went up this mountain to hear Jesus. Though many had not yet believed on Him they gave Him an audience. Jesus Christ is real. All other ways are, at best, but faint copies.

The Way To Blessing Is At Christ’s Feet

Matthew 5:2-3 And {Jesus} opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

When we read the Bible we often overlook very important things. For instance:

Jesus OPENED His MOUTH, and
TAUGHT them?

Reading the text this sounds redundant and foolish. If you’re going to teach someone you’re going to open your mouth. You can’t hum a lesson. I believe the reason the text reads as it does because it is emphasizing Jesus is the Sole Source of these truths. Jesus is not quoting some other religious leader or Rabbi. As Jesus states:

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

Jesus uses the word “blessed” nine times in the beginning of this Sermon. The word “blessed” means “to be fulfilled, joyous, happy. In fact the word is translated as “happy” in John 13:17; Acts 26:2; Romans 14:22; 1 Peter 3:14; 4:14.

Jesus tells these seeking disciples:

“If you are spiritually poor – in need of a touch from God – this is a good place to be.” Why? Because it is the spiritually seeking who are at Jesus’ feet. If a person is satisfied with the idols around them that person will never see God. But if you are hungry to meet the Creator then you are in the right place, seated at the feet of Jesus!

Jesus said: Mark 2:17 … They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (also Luke 5:32)

The person who is satisfied with idols, even religious idols, will not hear Jesus’ voice. No Pharisees are sitting at Jesus’ feet. No Scribes. No Sadducees. Just those who are sinners, who KNOW that they are sinners.

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

Jesus is not telling anybody how to get better. He is not giving any prescriptions as a doctor would do.

Are you sad? In a depressed state? Jesus does not tell the disciple to DO anything, but to BE.
BE at Christ’s feet.

BE open to His Word. BE closed to the demons, and the idols. Hear Him! God the Father said:

THIS is My Beloved Son: HEAR HIM! (Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35)

Hear Him, for Christ is the Only Way to Eternal Life. The disciples came up the mountain to hear Jesus. The Pharisees stayed in the valley, satisfied with their gods. Jesus told them “You will not come to Me, that you might have life” (John 5:40; 10:10). God wrote His Scripture so that:

John 20:21 … ye might believe that Jesus is THE Christ, THE Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through HIS name.

Not through my works, but at Christ’s feet. Not by my opinion, but at Christ’s feet.

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

Do you feel “less than”? Are you always picked last, the least of the crowd. The world says “just get better”. Jesus says, “Come unto Me”:

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 19:14 {Allow} little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

You were last in every thing, ignored and cast aside by the beautiful people. But Jesus came for you. Jesus Christ does not offer a self help program. He says, “Come unto Me. Rest at My feet. Hear My Word. Beliedve on Me, and I will give you the world!”

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

How can a person be right with God? There is but one way. Cease following the gods of the valley, and come and listen to Jesus Christ. The multitudes want a quick fix. The masses want this life made whole. Yet this is not what Jesus offered. Jesus doesn’t offer cosmetic fixes. When He comes into the

life, He changes us from the inside out. Listen Beloved, you can stay in the valley with the multitudes and be just like every body else. Sit at Jesus’ feet. Hear Him. He has the Words of Life.

Matthew 5:7-9 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Jesus says to those with open hearts that He will bless them. Jesus is merciful. Jesus is pure in heart, Jesus came to give us peace with God. He calls you to His side this very day.

Jesus Will Save “Whosoever Will Believe On Him”

If you belong to Jesus, if you sit at His feet, the darkness in the valley will persecute you. Jesus wanted those who followed Him to “count the cost” (Luke 14:28). You may have to leave loved ones if you follow Jesus. You may have to leave friends. As a matter of fact, you may have to leave your Church to follow Jesus.

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

The world believes that “all good people go to Heaven”. Jesus never taught this. He told us to:

Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV) Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

The sinful world does not want to sit at Jesus’ feet. It does not want to obey the Lord. The self righteous do not want to humble themselves to follow Jesus. If you belong to Jesus, if you are His Disciple, you will be persecuted. Jesus said “If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you” (John 15:20). If you are Light following Christ in the Light you will be persecuted. It will come.

Matthew 5:11-12 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

You, Beloved Disciple of Christ, will be persecuted. You will be called a hater, a liar, a redneck, a deciever. The self righteous called Jesus demon possessed. You will receive the same. But Beloved, it is worth it all. It is worth it all. The best place to be is at Jesus’ feet – even if you are the only one there.

As I was in my devotional this morning I was reading from Elmer Towns book Praying The Lord’s Prayer For Spiritual Breakthrough. Elmer wrote of a time he and his wife were on the boardwalk at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

“I felt a tug on my right pocket. I looked down to see a little guy tugging on my yellow windbreaker pocket. He was not looking at me … His eyes were fastened on the … cotton candy in the vendor’s stall. Pointing to the cotton candy, he asked, “Can I have some …?”. … He was someone else’s child, though. “Please…” the words trailed off. “O.K.” I finally answered. Hearing me speak, the boy suddenly pulled his hand away. He did not recognize my voice.”

The child had come to Elmer, wearing a yellow windbreaker, mistaking him for his father who wore the same type of windbreaker. What can we learn from this? Elmer went on to write:

“First, everyone who tugs on the pocket of the Heavenly Father is not His child. Second, God wants to do things for everyone, but can’t, because all are not His children. Third, when you become a child of God, you can receive cotton candy (or blessings) from Him.”

Beloved, you need Jesus. You need to sit at His feet. You need to hear His Word. You need to reject all other messiahs and gods and goddesses, and come to Him Who alone can save. Give yourselves to Jesus. May God open your hearts to His Word!

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A.B.I.D.E.

Posted on January 31, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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Photo by Rohan Makhecha on Unsplash

Galatians 2:16-21 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. 17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. 18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

The Bible teaches us very clearly that by the works of the Law no flesh shall be justified. That is in the very first verse of today’s text:

Galatians 2:16-21 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

The Problem With Much Of American Christianity

Much of American Christianity has so blended with the world that it is impossible to recognize it from the world. What has caused this problem is a confused preacher in the pulpit. Many preachers – in an effort (in many cases, sincere effort) to reach a lost world have eradicated “repentance” from the Gospel message. Quoting “by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified” and famous texts like:

Titus 3:5-7 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

These preachers of confusion reason thus:

Since Christ paid for our sins on the Cross of Calvary, then believing on Him transforms what
God considers sinFUL to sinLESS.

For instance, the professor of Christ is now free to engage in activities which were – under the Old Covenant sinFUL – are now perfectly clean. Professors of this theology point to the vision that Peter had in Acts 10:10-16 – do you remember the vision?

{Peter saw} “a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: wherein were all manner of four footed beasts … and there came a voice to him, ‘Rise, Peter, kill, and eat.’ But Peter said ‘Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean’. And the voice spake unto him the second time, ‘What God hath cleansed, that call thou not common’.”

Proponents of what I call hypergrace say that, with this vision, God eradicated the moral code presented in the Law. Even a cursory reading of the New Testament shows that this concept is flawed. What was a violation of the Law in the Old Covenant (Exodus 20:1-17) is a violation of the Law in the New Covenant. Jesus told the rich young ruler:

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

Jesus never taught any violation of the Old Covenant commandments, but expected His disciples to obey the Father (Leviticus 18:5). “You shall keep My statutes, and live”. As Jesus said “thou shalt do no murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, honor thy father and mother” He was quoting the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and fifth commandments of Exodus 20. As Jesus said “thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” He was quoting Old Covenant Law found in Leviticus 19:18, a quotation that is repeated throughout the New Covenant in Luke 10:27; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8. The Apostle Paul who is often quoted to erroneously state that what was sin is no longer sin often quoted the Ten Commandments:

Romans 13:9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Listen Beloved: those who are saved by Grace are no longer under the ceremonial or sacrificial codes of the Old Covenant such as the Levitical Priesthood and the animal sacrifices. We are no longer under dietary restrictions. These were restrictions to God’s Israel, not the Church. But what was morally reprehensible in the Old Covenant is still morally reprehensible under the New Covenant.

We are freed from “the works of the Law”,
but not it’s moral code.

Let’s Biblically Define The Term “Works Of The Law”

If no person can be saved by “the works of the Law” then we need to define what “the works of the Law” are.

Israel tried to justify herself by the “works of the Law”. So what is “the works of the Law”? It is quite simply the Levitical Priesthood and feasts, and the sacrifice of animals for atonement of sin. When God gave the Law of Sacrifice and Temple to unbelieving Israel the whole purpose of the bloody system was to show us that we needed a Savior.

God saved people long before He ever gave the Levitical Laws to Moses on Mount Sinai.

God saved Noah:

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Was Noah saved by keeping the Levitical Laws? No, for it was not given until Moses ascended Sinai in Exodus 20. Yet Noah found grace in the eyes of God, and Noah obeyed God and built the Ark because he loved God. Had Noah not believed in God we would all be dead now. Noah found Grace – then as a Child of God obeyed the Creator.

God saved Enoch before He ever saved Noah. Enoch is one of the least known people in Scripture. The Bible says:

Genesis 5:24 … Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

Hebrews 11:5-6 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Enoch please God apart from the Law, for the Levitical Law had not been given. How did Enoch please God. By faith he came to God. By faith Enoch believed in God. By faith Enoch sought out God’s presence. Enoch abided in God!

The Levitical Law was not given to save anyone.
It was given as a mirror to show us the need of the Savior.

The Levitical Law was a tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified (or declared righteous) by faith in Him (Galatians 3:24). Furthermore the Apostle wrote:

Romans 3:20-26 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

It is the Blood of Jesus Christ that pays for our sins, not the blood of an animal. To sacrifice an animal without spot or blemish before the altar in the Temple Jerusalem was commanded as a “work of the Law”. Yet this work never saved. In fact, before Moses brought the Law, Abraham was saved by faith in Christ long before the Law was ever given.

Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

James 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Genesis 15:6 {Abraham} believed in the LORD; and {God} counted it to him for righteousness.

After Abraham was justified by faith in Christ (see John 8:56-58 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it, and was glad”) Abraham went on to obey and follow the commands of God, even the painful ones. Case in point, Abraham was circumcised (Genesis 17:10), he and all his household.

Beloved, If You Are A Child Of God,
You Are To Abide In – To Be Like – Christ!

Jesus Christ demanded that those who are His ABIDE in Him. He very clearly stated:

John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Galatians 2:17-19 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. 18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I Through The Law Am Dead To The Law, That I Might Live Unto God.

If you are justified by Christ you were justified by Christ so that you might live unto God. We are not saved to live according to what we think is right – but according to God.

The bloody Levitical sacrifices that were accomplished yearly taught all who would see that these animal sacrifices did nothing to save anyone. The sacrifices (the works of the Law) just reminded us that we are sinners. When Christ came He came as the Lamb of God Who taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29, 36). Jesus Christ died for me on Calvary. He died for you on Calvary.

What does this mean practically to the Christian? The Apostle stated the truth in a very interesting way. He said:

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

I am crucified with Christ

This is a very vivid picture. When Christ was crucified His hands and feet were nailed to the Cross. He could not move from that place until He died. As a Christian “I am crucified with Christ”. My hands and feet are nailed to the Cross with Jesus.

I Die With Jesus.
I Am Pinned To Jesus.
Jesus is nailed with me.
The Old Me dies daily.
And now I live in Jesus.

I cannot leave that Cross until I die. The Cross kills me. It kills the old David. I am like that thief on Christ’s right hand, saying…

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

Jesus dies FOR my sins,
And daily I die TO my sins.

I die with Him on that Cross. Oh Beloved Savior, You gave everything for me. Just remember me, dear Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom! But Jesus gives more. Jesus says, “That is not enough, dear One:

Luke 23:43 … Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Jesus did not die just to take me to Heaven, but to bring Heaven to me. Jesus did not die just to take us to some sweet by and by, but to bring Heaven to earth through our changed Christlike lives. It is a present Paradise to be with Jesus, and a future Paradise promised if you are with Jesus. You were not saved to sin freely. You, dear believer, were saved to abide in Christ, to walk in the Light of God!

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

If you are saved by Grace in Christ, Christ lives in you. You, dear one, cannot sin freely without discomfort and conviction. Jesus is not a Visitor to your abode. Jesus lives IN YOU. You, in turn, live by abiding in Christ.

What Does It Look Like To A.B.I.D.E. ?

To ABIDE in Christ is to:

Always seek to do what Jesus has told us to do:

John 14:15-21 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth … 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

John 15:10-14 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall ABIDE in my love …

The Christian is commanded by Jesus to learn His words and to view them as commandments. Not options, but commandments. Abide in Christ!

Believe In The Faithfulness Of God To Usward

You say “but Brother David, I am not Christ. How can I be like Christ?”. You cannot be like Jesus in your own power, but if God be in you as you grow God has the power to change you. The Scripture says:

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

God works in the believer who follows Christ. Let us follow Christ. Let us …

Immerse Ourselves Daily In His Presence

Where you invest your time is what you will eventually be. We are to daily seek a time of refreshing in Christ, seeking His Word for us in God’s Bible. We are to meditate on Him. Where is YOUR treasure, Christian? Jesus said:

Matthew 6:19-23 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. 22 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!

What comes into your soul through the eye-gate and the ear-gate makes a difference. Turn off the television and open the Book. Turn off the I-Phone and enter the prayer closet. Dedicate your time to that which matters – your soul. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 119:103-105 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

and the Apostle said in 1 Peter 2:1-3 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Dwell In The Light As Light Daily

Are you DOING what Jesus has told you to do? What GOOD did you do today? Jesus said:

John 8:31-37 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

If you are saved by faith in Christ, praise God for it. But Beloved, you were saved for a purpose. Live according to God’s Word. Do good. Be the Light that Christ wants you to be. Be His hands and feet. What did you ACTUALLY and PRACTICALLY do today for Jesus? Did you contribute to the darkness, or to the light? Jesus said:

John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

Examine Yourselves Daily Whether You Be In The Faith

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

2 Peter 1:10-11 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

If you are saved, you will act saved. You will not be like the lost world. No Christian abides in sin. No Christian enjoys the darkness. We are children of the light. A.B.I.D.E. in Him. May God the Holy Spirit bind you to Christ’s Word, for God’s glory, forever. Amen.

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Children Of The Day (Part 2)

Posted on January 27, 2020 by bibleteacherorg

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1 Thessalonians 5:1-5 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

Last week we talked about the purpose of the Christian. We are created by the Spirit of God to be light, to shine and reflect the glory of our Savior into a darkened world. This is our calling. Jesus said of Himself:

John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

and of His Church:

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

Bringing Himself and we who are His together Jesus said:

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

The purpose of the Christian is to walk in Christ’s light, to live in His glory, to shine for Jesus where we are. Without your light the world is in darkness.

The Christian Is Empowered To Shine
By The Spirit And Prayer

I have no power to shine of myself, and neither do you. To be children of the Day and the Light of the world we must “pray without ceasing”. When we pray, we contact God through Jesus Christ our High Priest. When we pray, the Holy Spirit is enabled in our lives. When we pray we become conduits through which God can speak to the lost and dying.

Jesus emphasized continual prayer. In Luke 18 Jesus told a parable that explained why “we ought always – ALWAYS pray – and NOT “FAINT” (Greek ἐκκακέω ekkakéō, {pronounced ek-kak-eh’-o}) or literally “be spiritless or exhausted”. Do you become weary or hopeless at the state of our nation? Do you feel like throwing up your hands as you see the fallen nature of our political system? Do you ever just want to merge into the background like all others, and be part of the crowd? Then you have lost purpose. The darkness has won.

The parable Jesus told in Luke 18 emphasized how the light overcomes the darkness. Jesus’ parable went this way:

Luke 18:2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

This is a picture of a person who is in total darkness. This judge does not fear God, has no respect for God’s glory. He does not see people as created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). There is nothing worse than a judge, a person of great authority over others, who has no concept of God nor of the inherent value of God’s creation. Jesus continues:

Luke 18:3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

Here now is a widow in that city. If the judge is a picture of power unshackled, this widow is a picture of absolute powerlessness. She is nameless. She is faceless. She is not beautiful, just a common person. She has no funds, no way to bribe the judge who is in utter darkness. She has been hurt, and has no family to stand up for her. She has but one request: “Avenge me of mine adversary“. What does the widow do? She does the one thing she can do.

She goes to the dark judge with a simple request.

How did the judge react? Jesus said (verse 4) “And he would not for a while:”. At the end of that statement is a colon (:). Do you see it? That colon (:) represents who knows how many visits by the persistent widow. I can see this judge every day coming to his chambers. He asks the clerk: “Do I have any business today?”. The clerk says, “Yes, lord. You have a full docket today. But first in line is that little old lady you saw yesterday. She’s back again!” The judge says, “Tell her I don’t have time to see her again. After all, I don’t chew my cabbage twice! Send her away.” The clerk says, “I tried to, my lord, but she refuses to go. She keeps screaming she needs to see you. When I threatened her, the Jerusalem news team showed up in droves, and said any abuse of her would be on the front page. After all, my lord, few people like you!” The judge grudgingly sees her, and turns her away once more. The next morning, and the next morning, and the next morning, it is “Deja Vu all over again”. On the right side of that colon (:) you read:

Luke 18:4-5 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

Jesus said “Hear what the unjust judge saith.”

Luke 18:7-8 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Prayer is the key to power for the Christian. As we pray, God opens our eyes. As we pray, we are changed and the world around us is changed. We must be persistent in prayer.

For Prayer To Be Effective We Must Not
Sabotage Our Prayer Life

The word “sabotage” was coined in the 1890’s by anarchist Émile Pouget. The anarchist suggested that French labor unions promote work slowdowns and inefficiency. The poor workers wore sabots or wooden shoes, whereas better paid management wore leather shoes. Since those who wore sabots were clunking along it made sense for them to slow down in protest. What slows down or stops our effectiveness in prayer?

1 To Live In Sin Infects You Prayers. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 66:16-20 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. 17 I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. 18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: 19 But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. 20 Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

When we pray, we approach not just another Person, but the Perfect and Holy Creator of all things. The angels declare of God that He is holy, holy, holy. “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:3). And the four chief angels of Heaven “rest not day nor night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8). We cannot approach God with known sin in our lives. The Prophet declared:

Isaiah 59:1-3 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

We must approach the Throne of Grace with clean hands and purified hearts. We do not do this with our own power, but come to God first in prayer, repenting of any known sin, and pleading the Blood of Jesus Christ. What has our Lord told us?

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:7 … the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

That which saved us, saves us still. Cast off the works of darkness, the old man, and put on the new man (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10). Confess your sins, and trust Him Who saved you to purify you still.

2 I Must Heed And Respect God’s Word. Just last week a couple of visitors took offense at something my brother in Christ Jerry said about abortion. What he said was right and Biblical, but this couple, angry, got up and left the Church. So be it. Light and darkness do not mix. Beloved, you must cherish God’s Word above all else. What God has said is true. Let God be true, and every man and woman a liar (Romans 3:4). The Bible says:

Proverbs 28:9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

You know that thing Jesus said:

Matthew 22:37 … Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

He was serious about that. Do you remember when He said:

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

Jesus wasn’t joking. He wasn’t joking when He said “love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34; 15:12). In fact, everything that God has commanded in this His Word is not optional. So when you read it, or hear it rightly expounded from the pulpit, and your response is “well, that was then and this is now“, then you need not expect your prayers to be heard. God does not answer even one prayer from a disobedient heart. It is God’s Word that shows us the will of God. If you cherish His Word and strive to do it, the Bible says:

1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

3 God Will Not Hear Prayers That Are Not Directed Heavenward. If I were to stand up here and preach to no one but Eddie Estes – looking at him, talking to him, focusing on him while ignoring the rest of you, would you even listen to me? Of course you wouldn’t. If I never directed my words to you, you would ignore me. The same is true of God. Too often we pray not to God, but so that others can hear what we say. And God knows what you are doing. Jesus said:

Matthew 6:5 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.

When you pray in public – especially in public – shut out others. Pray heavenward. Speak to your Heavenly Father. He will hear.

4 When We Pray Doubting, God Will Not Answer. The Bible says:

James 1:6-8 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Know that God loves you as you pray. Know that He has numbered the very hair of your head (Luke 12:7; Matthew 10:30), and your Heavenly Father knows what you need (Matthew 6:8). Trust Him, and love Him. If you harbor unbelief share that with Him. I love the story of the man who came to Jesus with a child possessed of a devil. The man told Jesus:

Mark 9:22 … {many times this devil} hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters to destroy {my son}. .. If Thou {dear Jesus} canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

Jesus said unto him (Mark 9:23) “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

The man looked at Jesus, saying with tears:

“Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

Confess your faithlessness to God and ask Him to increase your faith. Cast yourselves upon Him Who loves you and gave Himself for you (Galatians 1:4; 2:20; Ephesians 5:25; 1 Timothy 2:6; Titus 2:14). Our God is so good. Trust Him, and ask in faith, never wavering!

5 When Pray For Our Selfish Needs Rather Than For The Glory Of God, The Lord Will Not Hear. The stepbrother of Jesus wrote:

James 4:3-4 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

As Children of Light all that we pray for should be for God’s glory. I am reminded of a selfish prayer that God answered in the Old Testament in the life of King Hezekiah. Hezekiah was a good King who feared God. His name means “God has strengthened”. This King re-established the worship of the true God in Israel. Hezekiah got sick one time, The Bible says:

2 Kings 20:1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.

The Bible tells us that we all have an appointed time to die, appointed by God our Savior (Hebrews 9:27). Our lives are gifts from God. When we have reached the end of our usefulness for God on this earth, our God takes us into His glorious Heaven. We are told in Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die”. We should not fear death, dear Christian. When our time comes, run into Christ’s embrace! Do not allow the gods of science and medicine to extend your appointment beyond your effectiveness for God. Look up! Look up!

Anyway, I digress. Hezekiah prayed and sought God for an extended life – and God gave it to him. God told Isaiah the Prophet to tell Hezekiah:

2 Kings 20:5-6 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD. 6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years …

Hezekiah’s prayer was not for the glory of God, but for himself. But God allowed it so we could see what happens when we make life about ourselves. Not long after God gave Hezekiah 15 more years of life the Babylonians send a delegation to his palace. Hezekiah shows off his treasury to the Babylonians, which was like showing red meat to a starving wolf (2 Kings 20:13). God told Hezekiah:

2 Kings 20:17-18 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. 18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

Pastor J.D. Greear writes:

“{Hezekiah} shows us that it is so easy to receive the blessings of God and make them all about us. God blesses us, miraculously, with life, with prosperity, with family, with salvation from sin . . . and all we can then think about is our comfort, our needs, our glory. Tragically, many of God’s people end their lives just like Hezekiah. They forget that God blesses us to be a blessing. They may never say it out loud, but their lives scream, “Who cares about anyone else? As long as my needs are taken care of and I die happy, it’s all fine! So what if kids in my city are growing up without mothers or fathers? So what if people around the world are dying without hearing the gospel? I’m going to heaven, so it’s all good.”

6 When Our Personal Lives Do Not Shine For Jesus, This Hinders Our Prayers. The Apostle wrote:

1 Peter 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with {your wives} according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

The spouse you have is a gift from God, just as your salvation is. We are to be good stewards of what our God has entrusted to us. Put down the remote control and turn off the television. Put your phones on silent mode. Focus on and love the wife or husband you have. Treat your partners as if they are created in God’s image – for they are!

When You Pray, Be Aware Of What You Are Doing

Prayer is communication and fellowship with the Greatest Being ever. We are talking to God our Father when we pray. We are approaching God through the glorious gift of Christ our Savior. We are empowered to pray by the Spirit of God. Let us be aware of Whom we are talking to when we pray. John Piper put it this way:

“Jesus does not kiss a drunk wife. He may carry her off the street and back to bed. He may be utterly patient with her, and set before her hot coffee and fresh starts. But he will not kiss a drunk wife. What do I mean? I mean that when the bride of Christ, the church, is drunk with the world, she may turn to him for a brief kiss of prayer, but her breath reeks so bad of worldliness that he turns his face away.”

Let us glorify God in our lives and He will hear us – and bless us – as we pray. May God touch you with His Word and Spirit this very night! Amen.

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