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Love Is The Law

Posted on May 6, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Deuteronomy 22:1-2, 5, 8 (KJV) Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother. 2 And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again. … 5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God. 6 If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the {mother} sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the {mother} with the young: 7 But thou shalt in any wise let the {mother} go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days. 8 When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence.

The Law of God was given to a holy people, a people that God chose for Himself and saved from Egypt. God chose to adopt these people as His own. Why did God choose Israel among all the nations of the world?

Because of LOVE.

God told Israel: Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (KJV) The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8 But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

It is all about LOVE. When God called Abraham and asked him to follow, God was asking Abraham to love God as God loved Abraham. How did Abraham respond? The Bible says “by FAITH”.

Hebrews 11:8-10 (KJV) By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he {traveled} … 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

God loved Abraham, and Abraham loved God. This is what the Law is all about. LOVE. The Apostle said:

Galatians 5:6 (KJV) For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

“FAITH which worketh by LOVE”. That’s what genuine FAITH is. It is a trust in another because of love.

Faith is a trust in another because of LOVE.
Faith is a trust in Another because of LOVE!

The Law entered because Israel ceased loving God. Yet the Law is all of LOVE. It was not written by a God Who wants to rob us of our joy. No! It was written by the God Who made us all, Who loves us all. It is all about LOVE! Not just sticky sentimental childish puppy love, but robust, powerful, spiritual LOVE.

What did the Apostle say? Galatians 3:19-25 (KJV) 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.

You will not understand this unless you can define the word FAITH. The Law was given BEFORE FAITH CAME. Again, what is FAITH? Faith worketh by LOVE. Faith is trust in Another because of love. The Law was given to teach Israel LOVE.

Then one day God became Man, and showed us love!
The Word of God was made flesh and dwelt among us.
Full of Grace and Truth (John 1:14)

The Word became flesh to teach us that the Law is all of Love. The Word – Jesus Christ our Lord – taught us that we were to love God with all our hearts and love one another. Then the Word showed us love.

He died on a cruel tree because He loved us.
He rose again the third day because He loves us.
He promised to send us His Spirit to guide us in love.

When the Church was first formed on the Day of Pentecost – a Jewish Holiday – the Apostle Peter preached from the Law. As he preached the Holy Spirit began to convict the souls that were listening that they needed the Lord Jesus Christ to be their Savior. The crowd asked Peter:

Men and brethren, what shall we do?

How did Peter respond?

Acts 2:38-39 (KJV) …. Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. [39] For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

What was the REQUIREMENT for salvation?

REPENT. Stop loving the world and love God.
Be BAPTIZED. If you love Christ stand up for Him. Do what He said.

What was the RESULT PROMISED?

YOU SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

God will come to you. God will love you.
God will love any who will come to Him in love.

The Law Is The Written Voice Of God For The Unloving

The Law was a schoolmaster to teach Israel to love. It is a schoolmaster to teach any unloving how to love. See this in our text.

Deuteronomy 22:1 (KJV) Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother.

If a man loves a woman and the woman loves a man, neither has to make a list of what the other will do out of love. Love in the heart will result with love in the hand. Israel, however, had become much like the Church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22). They were lukewarm in their love. Israel had become much like the Church at Ephesus. They had forgotten their First love. (Revelation 2:4).

When you cease to love God, you cease to love others!

The Bible commands in Leviticus 19:18 (KJV) 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.

and our Jesus told us in Matthew 22:39 (KJV) … Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

The Apostle furthermore directed all in Romans 13:8-10 (KJV) 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.

If you love God then you don’t have to be told “if your brother has an ox or sheep go astray and you know where it went, take it to them”. You say to me “this has no application in today’s world”. America has lost its love for God. There was a time when even those who had no relationship to God at least respected God. These days are far gone. Atheism has taken hold over vast amounts of our population. As Atheism grows, lovelessness toward others grows. Society becomes corrupt. Our political process is course and vulgar. Regardless as to party, darkness and foulness is the rule of the day. Abortion – the murder of the innocent – is big business and a supposed “right” for all. Why? Because as love for God has decreased, love for those made in God’s image is decreased.

God legislated love – or the output of love – to Israel. But dear friend love cannot be legislated. The Law can only point out the problem. People need the Lord.

How sad it was that God had to tell His Israel:

Deuteronomy 22:2-4 (KJV) And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again. 3 In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy brother’s, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself. 4 Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.

If you are born of God – saved by faith in Christ – then you do not need to be told to “lift up your brother”. If you love God you will love your neighbor
– your brother.
You will be a HELP and not a HINDRANCE to others.

Love And Respect How God Has Made You

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

I’ve heard several bad sermons where poorly prepared and misinformed “preachers” tried to make this text say that a woman “shouldn’t wear britches” or pants.

That’s nonsense!

None of the ancients – male or female – wore pants at all. The earliest types of clothing were wrap skirts or aprons for both genders. Pants were developed first for the Calvary to protect the soldiers legs when riding their horses into battle. If you don’t understand that go try riding a horse with shorts on. You’ll find out!

The Bible specifies that Godly women should dress so as to not lead your brethren into temptation. The Apostle said:

1 Timothy 2:9-10 (KJV) In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; [10] But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

Our Deuteronomy text has nothing to do with a dress code.
It refers to honoring the role that God made you for.

If you love God you should dress appropriate to your gender, and dress modestly. If you love God then you will not do that which He considers an “abomination” or the act of an unbeliever.

Seek to be what God made you to be. Not how you feel but how you are. If you love God you will celebrate who He made you to be. Feelings come and go. But God is eternal, and His love everlasting.

Love And Respect What God Has Given You

Do you appreciate what God has given you? Everything we have is a gift from God. Your body is a gift from God. Your abilities are gifts from God. The homes you have are gifts from the Lord Who loves you. And, dear ones, this planet earth and all that is in it is a gift that God has placed in our trust. The Law said:

Deuteronomy 22:6-7 (KJV) If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young: 7 But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.

If you love God you will love and respect not only the people around you, but the world that
He allows you to be on.

Psalm 104:31 (KJV) … the Lord shall rejoice in his works.

God tells us that if you find a nest with a mother sitting with her young you can take the eggs or the young, but are not to take the mother with the young. God wants us to love the world He has given us. He does not want His earth abused! God loves His creation so much that He told His Israel:

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

Leviticus 25:3-5 (KJV) Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; [4] But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. [5] That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.

I come from North Carolina, which is tobacco country. When I was growing up my grandfather’s land – and most of the land around Wade NC – was like desert sand. The farmers did not practice crop rotation. They planted the land over and over again until it became nearly good for nothing.

God despises this!

If you love God, you will love the world He has given you. You will not toss trash out of your car windows. You will treat the world with respect, for it is a gift of God to us all. You will not let greed drive you, but love. God did not give us this world to waste it, but to treat it with love.

Psalm 24:1 (KJV) The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. (also 1 Corinthians 10:26, 28).

God entrusted this world to us. As such we are to love the world around us. Not to use it greedily, but to use it wisely. To do so is to ensure that later generations can be as blessed.

Let Your Love Govern All You Do

Deuteronomy 22:8 (KJV) When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence.

How far should love go? It should even
effect the works of your hands.

In the ancient world the roof of the home was usually flat. The better homes would place gardens on the rooftop to not only absorb the heat from the sun, but to also make a comfortable place to rest at the end of the day. The Lord told His people that when they built a new house that:

thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence

The word “battlement” is the Hebrew מַעֲקֶה maʻăqeh, (pronounced mah-ak-eh’) which means a low wall at the edge of a balcony or roof or at the sides of a bridge. The purpose of this wall was to protect visitors or even yourself from falling off the edge to their death.

God loves you, and wants you to love others. He does not want life to be wasted, even accidentally. It is said that the Laws of God – if broken – can bring about death. God’s Law of Gravity is always in effect while we walk this earth. A man might build a house selfishly, saying “I need no battlement or parapet or railing. I know the boundaries of my roof. I will not fall.” But what of others. What of the visiting child, the toddler that doesn’t understand the dangers of the fall? It is evil to say as Cain said when questioned of God:

Am I my brother’s keeper? (Genesis 4:9)

That is the question of the murderer, the selfish and unsaved man. Yes, you are your brother’s keeper. God told His Church “You shall be witnesses unto Me” (Acts 1:8). The proof of our salvation is in how we love others. If you have no love for others then it could be, dear one, that you are yet in darkness. The Scripture says:

1 John 1:7 (KJV) 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.

We are responsible for those who are around us. We are responsible to show love to others if we are indeed loved of God. The Bible tells us that:

1 Corinthians 12:26 (KJV) And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.

The Church is the Church together. We are responsible for one another. America is America together. We are responsible for one another. If you have been loved of God, then love others. Live your life so as to be a blessing to others. Live your life as Christ did.

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Posted in Deuteronomy, Sermons Preached | Tagged Love One Another, Loving God, loving Jesus | Leave a comment

Faith Of Our Fathers #4: The Sinner And Saint Simon

Posted on May 5, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Hédi Benyounes on Unsplash

It is always good to read the Scripture. Not just portions of Scripture, but ALL of the Scripture. God’s Word has power to teach us all great things, if we will but read and listen. Man’s word is subject to failure. God’s Word is sure! The Scripture says:

1 Peter 1:25 … the word of the Lord endureth for ever …

Man’s word is faulty, but God’s Word is eternal. Let me give you an example. A lot of people use social media. Many of you do not, particularly our older members, but many of you do. I was on Facebook the other day when I came across a picture of a man walking away. The picture said:

Walk away from people who put you down.
Walk away from fights that will never be resolved.
Walk away from trying to please people who will
never see your worth.
The more you walk away from things that poison your soul,
The healthier you will be.

When I first read these words I immediately – in my flesh – said “absolutely right!” But then God spoke to me … this isn’t right.

God directed my heart to the Alabaster Box.

You may not have heard of the Alabaster Box nor even know what I’m talking about, but the Word of God speaks of it in three Gospels. We’ll start by a responsive reading in Luke, then branch out from there.

Luke 7:36-39 (KJV) And one of the Pharisees desired him that {Jesus} would eat with him. And {Jesus} went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. [37] And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, [38] And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. [39] Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

Let’s go back to that Facebook statement for a minute. If we should walk away from people who put you down then we’re not being Christ-like. We’re being selfish. Jesus NEVER walked away from people who put Him down. Jesus did tell His disciples to go out and share the Gospel. He told them that:

Matthew 10:14 (KJV) And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

But this is the opposite of walking away. He told us to walk toward everyone to share His Word. If they will not hear, and will not receive you then and only then should you depart and “shake the dust from your feet”. This conveys the idea that you have done all that you could do, and now have no responsibility for it. When Paul and Barnabas were preaching in Pisidian Antioch some of the Jewish leaders stirred up persecution against them and had them expelled from the region. “So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium” (Acts 13:51). But Paul and Barnabas tried before they walked away. Love commands us to try.

Christian, you are to go TO them
before you go AWAY.

Jesus Came To Save Difficult Or Toxic People

I am thankful for this because we ALL have been toxic or difficult at different times in our lives. We were at one time ALL the enemies of God. “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us”(Romans 5:8).

Jesus had enemies when He walked this earth. He has enemies now. I would say that the GREATEST of our Lord’s enemies were a religious group called the Pharisees. Who were the Pharisees? Jesus defined the Pharisees in Matthew chapter 23:

Jesus said Pharisees were HYPOCRITES. They established rules for living, but did not follow the rules they themselves made (Matthew 23:3-4).
Jesus said Pharisees were ARROGANT. They dressed and positioned themselves to be seen of men (Matthew 23:5-7).
Jesus said Pharisees were LOST, and led others away from God and toward lostness (Matthew 23:13).
Jesus said Pharisees robbed widows in the name of religion, and made long prayers for which they would “receive the greater damnation” (Matthew 23:14).
Jesus said Pharisees were spiritually blind (Matthew 23:16-19).
Jesus said Pharisees did tithe, which was right, but rejected Biblical judgment, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23).
Jesus said Pharisees looked outwardly like saints, but inwardly were filled with evil (Matthew 23:25-28).
Jesus called Pharisees “a generation of snakes that will not escape the damnation of hell” (Matthew 23:33-34).

Now I’m sure that not all the Pharisees were as evil as this. I know that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night and was open to Jesus. Nicodemus would later help bury the body of Jesus. But I can safely say that the majority of the Pharisees were not Jesus’ best friends! The Pharisees were, by and large, a toxic and difficult group of people. Yet we read in our text:

Luke 7:36-39 (KJV) And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.

Jesus did not walk away from this Pharisee,
but walked TOWARD him.

Our Jesus is the Light of the world. Where is light most effective? It is most effective where it is dark. Jesus said:

John 8:12 (KJV) … I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

As soon as Jesus said this guess who said to Him “You’re a liar!”? It was the Pharisees (John 8:13). The Pharisees despised Jesus. They attacked Him at every turn. And yet when Jesus was invited to a Pharisee’s home what does He do? He goes. He doesn’t argue, but He goes.

Listen Beloved, the Pharisees are not the only difficult or toxic people in the world. As a matter of fact, if you will answer truthfully with me you’ll admit:

We all can be difficult people!
We all can be toxic!
If we walk away from everyone who is negative or poisonous we’d have to leave ourselves!

Everyone has been toxic at one time or another. Jesus goes to eat a meal with this Pharisee. We learn in Mark 14:3 tells us that Simon the Pharisee had also at one time been a Leper. Religion has made Simon difficult. Past sickness has made Simon difficult.

Leprosy was a terrible skin disease in the ancient world. Today there is treatment for leprosy, but in ancient Israel the only treatment was …

seclusion. quarantine. loneliness. loss of family.

The very Law that Simon loved is the Law that quarantined him from society. The Mosaic Law decreed …

Leviticus 13:45-46 (KJV) … the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. [46] All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

The leper loses his family. The leper loses all contact with God in the Temple. The leper cannot go to Church. The leper cannot go to market, nor even to a ball game. The leper is cut off from the touch of love. Unless God miraculously heals the leper, that leper spends the rest of his life lonely, disregarded, only to fellowship with others as diseased as he is.

Leprosy was a living hell!
Jesus came to save us from living hell!
Jesus came to save us from all hells!

Why did this Pharisee who had been a leper invite Jesus to his home? Perhaps Simon was one of the unnamed lepers that Jesus healed. Perhaps Simon was the leper that Jesus healed in:

Luke 5:12-13 (KJV) And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. [13] And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.

The Law forbade anyone to touch a leper (Leviticus 5:3)! This poor man had been shunned for who knows how long because of a disease called leprosy. He had walked on the outskirts of the city crying out “unclean, unclean”, relying on the generosity of strangers to live. When this leper heard of Jesus this poor, broken man ran to the Master. Falling down before Him he cried, “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean!” And Jesus does something amazing.

Jesus touches that leper!
What no one else would touch, Jesus touches.
IMMEDIATELY the leper was made clean!

Our Lord loves to take the broken and fix it. He loves to take the broken life, the broken heart, the Alabaster Box. Simon was one time broken, and Jesus came and made him whole. But Simon forgot Who Jesus was.

Jesus Is The Healer Of The Broken

Jesus touched Simon when no man would touch him. Now someone else comes into the house. We read:

Luke 7:36-38 (KJV) {Jesus} went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. [37] And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, [38] And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

A woman comes in to see Jesus. The Bible merely states that she is …

a woman in the city, which was a sinner

Society had taken a branding iron, heated it red and rosy over the flame of self righteousness, and then slapped that mark on this woman. HARMARTOLOS! SINNER! WHORE! She walked in the house, into Simon’s house. Oddly enough Simon did not say a word to stop her. If I were sitting at home and some person I didn’t know walked into my house I’d say “Who ARE you? I’m going to call the police if you don’t get out!” Wouldn’t you? Yet Simon says nothing to this woman.

Could it be because Simon had used this woman before? Simon knew who she was. We read:

Luke 7:39 (KJV) Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

Simon knows exactly who this woman is. How did he know her? We can only guess, but it’s very possible he had used this woman before. He knows her.

This woman also knows herself. She doesn’t have leprosy, but has something far worse than leprosy. She has sold herself to men, violating the holiness of her body. God made her in His image to find her Adam, to bind together in holy matrimony. He did not make her to sell herself as merchandise to be abused. She has fallen. So she stands behind Jesus. Did you read that?

Luke 7:36-38 (KJV) {she} stood at his feet BEHIND HIM weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

The leper ran to Jesus and fell on the ground before Him. “If You will, You can make me whole!” Simon cried out to Jesus for healing … but this woman was not worthy in her own mind. She did not stand BEFORE Jesus, but BEHIND Him. She brought just herself and an Alabaster Box filled with precious ointment. She washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, and dried His feet with the hair of her head. Finishing cleaning His feet – feet that Simon forgot to clean – she breaks open that Alabaster Box.

The smell of that beautiful perfume filled the air.
But God did not smell the perfume of that Box.
He smelled the sacrifice of her heart to His Son.

Simon was healed. I don’t truly know if Jesus healed him or not, but if he was healed God healed him. Our God can taken the broken and heal it. But we must surrender ourselves to Him. the Scripture says:

Psalms 51:15-17 (KJV) O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. [16] For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. [17] The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

As this woman weeps and ministers our our Lord Jesus the Gospel of Matthew tells us that Simon wasn’t the only self righteous person in the house that day. As the woman breaks the Alabaster Box open and pours that beautiful perfume upon Jesus we read:

Matthew 26:8-9 (KJV) … when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? [9] For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.

Oh, how we so quickly forget to worship our Jesus. Peter, weren’t you but a lost fisherman when Jesus called you to follow Him? Matthew, weren’t you a pitiful and despised tax collector? Weren’t you ALL sinners before Jesus called you to His precious side? Not one of you disciples deserve to be saved. Simon, you were sick before God healed you and restored you.

Who are ANY of you to judge another?
Who are ANY of us to judge another?

Oh, how the Scripture condemns us all. Doesn’t it say:

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

This woman spoke not a word to Jesus, but Jesus heard her heart. Jesus heard Simon’s heart.

Jesus Knows Your Heart

Jesus knew who this woman was, and Jesus knows what Simon is thinking. Jesus knows what YOU are thinking right now. I don’t know, and don’t want to know. But Jesus knows. Jesus speaks not to the woman, but to Simon:

Luke 7:40 (KJV) And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.

Notice the hypocrisy of Simon. He calls Jesus “Master”. This is the Greek διδάσκαλος didáskalos, (pronounced did-as’-kal-os) which is a term of great respect. Here is the hypocrite! Inwardly he accuses Jesus of not being a Prophet at all, but outwardly Simon calls Jesus “Master Teacher”, the same term that he would use for someone of great standing. Oh, how terrible is hypocrisy! But regardless as to what he says, Jesus knows Simon’s heart. Jesus said:

Luke 7:41-42 (KJV) There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. [42] And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. TELL ME THEREFORE, WHICH OF THEM WILL LOVE HIM MOST?

Which one would love the creditor more? The one who was forgiven fifty pence, or the one that was forgiven ten times that amount. When Simon heard this he said “I suppose the one that forgave him the most”. Jesus told Simon “You’re exactly right”. Then Jesus …

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

Who loved Jesus the most? Not Simon. Simon never understood his lostness. He never processed that to the Holy God Who created all things that he is abhorrent. The sinner without Christ is an abomination to God. An abomination I say! And it does not matter what your sin is. If you have not come to Christ with all that you have and bow before Him, letting him cleanse you of sin – then you have no hope in eternity but eternal damnation.

This woman did not approach Jesus with fancy words. She probably had no education. She did not approach Jesus with religious works, beads, or rituals. She saw Jesus not as a Prophet, not as a Healer, and not as a “Master” as Simon hypocritically called Him. Jesus is all these things. But God revealed something to this woman that Simon and most of the religious crowd will never get.

Jesus Christ would die for me.

The Holy Spirit revealed this to that precious woman. I know this because we are told in Matthew that Jesus said …

Matthew 26:10, 12 (KJV) … Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. … {12} … she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.

The woman – without a word spoken – worshiped the Savior. Jesus told her:

Luke 7:47-48 (KJV) Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. [48] And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

Are Your Sins Forgiven?

When Jesus forgave this woman’s sins the Bible says:

Luke 7:49 (KJV) And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?

Who is this Jesus? Jesus Christ is the Only Messiah, the Only Person Who can forgive sins. There is only one way to God, and that way is by faith in Jesus Christ. You must believe that he is. You must believe in Him, trust in Him, and give your broken life to Him.

Jesus gave Himself for you.

Romans 5:6-8 (KJV) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. [7] For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. [8] But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus Christ died on a cruel Cross to make payment for your sins and mine. We are all sinners. We are all quite naturally far from God. We have sinned against the God of the Universe, the Creator Who made us and all that you see.

I do not know if Simon the Pharisee was ever saved or not. But I do know this. It is not by your strength that you can be saved from the hell of a wasted life. It is only through Jesus Christ that anyone can be saved. The Bible promises to those who believe:

Romans 10:9-13 (KJV) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [11] For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. [12] For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. [13] For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

May God the Holy Spirit touch you as He touched that dear woman so long, long ago. I do not know if I will see Simon in Heaven, but I will see her. For you see, I am a sinner cleansed and being cleaned by Jesus. Jesus Christ is my Hope of Eternal Salvation. May God touch your hearts with His Word!

Posted in Faith Of Our Fathers, General, Luke, Sermons Preached | Tagged Faith, Faithfulness of God, Saints, salvation, sinners | Leave a comment

Simplicity In Christ

Posted on May 2, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Rachael Smith on Unsplash

2 Corinthians 11:1-4 (KJV) Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. [2] For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. [3] But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. [4] For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another Spirit, which ye have not received, or another Gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

Sometimes I’m disturbed by what I see in our world.
I’m not disturbed by what the lost do.
I’m disturbed by what the saved are doing.

The Apostle Paul was disturbed as well.
Other teachers were coming in and making our faith COMPLEX.
These teachers were inadvertently doing what the devil did in the Garden.

I Am Jealous Over You With A Godly Jealousy

The Apostle had invested of himself in the Church. He poured out his heart to the Church. He said “I am JEALOUS over you”, the Greek ZELOO {pronounced dzay-lo’-o) which means “to burn with zeal”. Paul was not jealous over the Church because he wanted them devoted to HIM. He was jealous over the Church because he wanted them devoted to Christ. He said to the Church:

“I have ESPOUSED you to ONE HUSBAND”

The word “ESPOUSED” is the Greek HARMOZO {pronounced har-mod’-zo}. The word HARMOZO – it almost sounds like “harmony” doesn’t it? – is a term used both in carpentry as well as marriage. It means to “fasten together so as to make a whole” or to “bring two together so they can be married”. In the ancient world men and women didn’t just run around falling into love and out of love like we do in our nutty world today. A young lady or young man was introduced to one another often by a caring relative such as a parent. This word is only found one time in the New Testament. The word speaks of a good fit – two who are perfectly matched to one another. The Corinthian believer needed Christ, and the Church needs Christ.

The two are bound together in love. The Apostle said:

“that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ”

The Apostle uses the phrase “chaste virgin” or HAGNOS, which comes from the Greek HAGIOS meaning “set apart, holy, pure, devoted to”. It was his intention that the Church be unified and focused on pleasing Jesus and Jesus alone. That the Church like an engaged Bride would love Jesus and serve Jesus. Paul saw himself as a close family friend or an elder who introduced the Bride to her Groom. Paul focused not on entertaining the Church, but on FEEDING the Church. The Apostle took seriously the command to:

FEED the Church of God, Which {God} hath purchased
with His own Blood (Acts 20:28)

But where ever God is the Devil is. God made Adam and Eve, and placed them in a perfect Garden. He gave them a very simple rule to follow. God never gives us hard or difficult rules. He realizes that we are like Sheep, and like Sheep we often go astray. So God makes it very easy. God put Adam in the Garden and commanded ADAM:

Genesis 2:16-17 (KJV) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: [17] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

The command was very simple. There was a YES and a NO to the command. God gives a YES, and God gives a NO. The YES was “you can eat anything you want, and as much of it as you want”. The NO was “don’t eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil”. That’s it. A simple YES and a simple NO for a simple people.

The Serpent Beguiled Eve Through His Subtlety

God gave a SIMPLE command.
The devil offered a SUBTLE variation.

What did the devil do? He did what he does best. The Bible says:

Genesis 3:1 (KJV) Now the SERPENT WAS MORE SUBTLE than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. …

Notice that GOD made the serpent. He didn’t make himself. He was made of God. He was SUBTLE. Snakes are subtle. I’ve nearly stepped on snakes before out hiking in the woods. I stepped over a rattler one day – not meaning to, I just thought it was a stick. But I stepped over it. Praise God that he looks after blind boys like me!

How do I know that this SERPENT is the DEVIL? Because my Bible says so. The Scripture tells us:

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, THAT OLD SERPENT, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Rev 20:2 And {an Angel came down from Heaven and}… laid hold on the dragon, THAT OLD SERPENT, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

God never made a talking snake. Thank God for that! God made Lucifer, who chose to fall from Heaven and become THAT OLD SERPENT. What did the devil do? He questions God:

Genesis 3:1 … And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

See how subtle the devil is? “Has God really said that”? I had a dear friend write me the other day and asked a question about Romans 1:18-32 and homosexuality. Her question was what was the final state of those who are addressed in that passage. I’ll highlight part of this passage:

Romans 1:25-27 (KJV) Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. [26] For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: [27] And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.

The people spoken of are IDOLATORS. They do not worship the God of the Bible, nor do they even want to think of Him. Though He has called to them through the Gospel they refused to hear. So “God gave them over”. He walked away. The text goes on to say that they are:

Romans 1:29-32 (KJV) Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, [30] Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, [31] Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: [32] Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

What will be the final outcome of such people? They shall certainly not be in God’s Heaven. The serpent whispers to the world “hath God really said”? Yes, God hath said. But God says this:

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (KJV) Know ye not that the UNRIGHTEOUS SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, [10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. [11] And such were some of you: BUT ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Those involved in unrighteousness shall not inherit the Kingdom of God – nor would they want to be. A lost person in Heaven would be in hell. But the hope of the Scripture – the simple Gospel – is “SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU B-U-T”.

If a person will hear the simple Gospel.
If that person will ignore the subtle serpent.
If that person will listen to God.

That person can be saved.

In our world today the serpent is still just as active as he was in the Garden of Eden with our fore-parents. He blends in and makes complex. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 14:33 (KJV) For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

The subtle serpent says:

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

“What God said is a LIE” the devil declares. “God is just ruining your pleasure”. No, God is not. But the serpent – that old subtle serpent – loves to draw us away from God. He has gotten into more Churches through subtlety. He continues to invade Churches today.

God Has Given Us Three Very Simple Truths

Adam and Eve had a very simple rule to live by. Eat whatever you want BUT the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God has given His Church three very simple truths to live by.

And yes, we love to mess it up!

2 Corinthians 11:4 (KJV) For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another Spirit, which ye have not received, or another Gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

We who are God’s Church have three Simple truths:

Jesus
The Spirit
The Gospel

Who is Jesus? The Bible tells us that Jesus is LORD. He is the very Son of God. He is co-eternal with God the Father and God the Spirit. He is partnered with both Father and Spirit in creation.

Genesis 1:1 (KJV) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Colossians 1:16-18 (KJV) For by {Jesus} were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: [17] And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Jesus is not just “One way among many ways to God”. Jesus is the ONLY Way to God. Jesus Himself said:

John 14:6 (KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jesus is God INCARNATE, or God become flesh. Because the serpent subtly led Adam to disobey God all of humanity fell into sin. So EVERYONE is a sinner. Even that cute little baby is a sinner. We are born into this world in sin. So God became man and dwelt among us. This is Jesus. The Bible says:

Hebrews 1:1-2 (KJV) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, [2] Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Here is the Simple Truth. There is a God Who made everything. He made everything through Jesus. He sent His Son Jesus to this earth. God speaks to us through Jesus and only Jesus.

Who is the Spirit? The Spirit of God is co-eternal with both Father and Son. The Spirit of God was present in the creation of the world. The Bible says:

Genesis 1:1-2 (KJV) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. [2] And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

When you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior God the Holy Spirit acts upon you. He causes the believer in Christ to be spiritually born. Jesus told us when He spoke to Nicodemus:

John 3:3-8 (KJV) Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. [4] Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? [5] Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. [6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7] Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. [8] The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Everyone on this planet is “born of the flesh”, and is born with a sin nature. But when you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior God the Holy Spirit moves upon your life. He changes you, and continues to change you. The Scripture declares:

Ephesians 2:1-10 (KJV) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; [2] Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: [3] Among whom also we all had our {way of life} in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. [4] But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, [5] Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) [6] And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: [7] That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

It is God the Holy Spirit Who makes the Christian. You are not made a Christian by a profession or a creed. You are not made a Christian by a denomination. You are made a Christian by God. God works in us. When you received Christ as Lord and Savior God the Holy Spirit came into your life. And Beloved, you are indwelt by the Spirit just as Christ promised:

John 14:15-18 (KJV) 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; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. [18] I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

1 Corinthians 6:17-20 (KJV) But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. [18] Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. [19] What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? [20] For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

You belong to God, dear Christian. When you received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior He sent the Holy Spirit to you. That Holy Spirit – bless Him – began a work in you that will not stop until the day of your ultimate redemption in Glory! If any person has not the Spirit of Christ HE IS NONE OF HIS (Romans 8:9). Do not be deceived! A Christian is the property of God and a work in progress.

What is The Gospel? Here the serpent has been very subtle. He has been trying to twist this Gospel for a long time. The word “Gospel” means “Good News”. The “bad news” is that all are sinners. The Good News is that Christ came to save us from our sins.

The Gospel is “The Lord Jesus”. This is what the early Apostles taught. They went out “preaching the LORD Jesus” (Acts 11:20). A person is not saved by keeping the Law of Moses, but by believing on the Lord Jesus (Acts 15:11). When someone asks:

“what must I do to be saved?”

the simple message we give is:

Acts 16:31 (KJV) … BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

The Christian life is begun by:

Acts 20:21 (KJV) Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and FAITH TOWARD OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

If a person asks me “can I be saved by just saying I believe on Jesus but without coming to Him as Lord” my answer is simply NO! He is LORD! You are saved by submitting your life to Him and Him alone. How is a person saved?

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

Romans 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

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

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

He is Lord! He is Lord of His people. What His Bible says is right. What God declares is true. When the serpent comes and whispers “Hath God really said?” do not give him a break. Say “what God has decreed, I affirm”. Reject that serpent. Reject his ways. Even if it is unpopular, maintain the simplicity that is in Christ.

In God’s name I beg you!

Posted in 2 Corinthians, Sermons Preached | Tagged Simple Gospel | Leave a comment

Faith Of Our Fathers #3: Apostle Thomas

Posted on April 29, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Ruud Luijten on Unsplash

John 20:24-29 (KJV) But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, 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. 26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, 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. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and My God. 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.

Have you ever felt that thing we call “Doubt”?
Have you ever worried?
Have you ever felt your faith to be small?
Have you ever been a “Doubting Thomas”?

We all have experienced times when we have had doubts. Don’t self righteously say that you never have. You have. I have.

I just used a phrase “Doubting Thomas”. I’m sure you’ve heard that phrase before. I looked it up on “Google” the internet search engine and it said “The nickname of the Apostle Thomas”.

Who gave Thomas the nickname “Doubting Thomas”?
It wasn’t Jesus!

Every Apostle Doubted The Resurrection

It’s good to read ALL of your Bible. Each part of the Bible works together to teach us the whole truth of God and of us. There are four Gospels written by four different witnesses. Those who call the Apostle Thomas “Doubting Thomas” have only read John’s account – you need to look at ALL of the Gospels. This is why I use something called a “Harmony of the Gospels”. You can find a Harmony online. You can find them at Lifeway, or on Amazon. But the Harmony of the Gospels compares the four witness accounts of the earthly ministry of Christ and of His Apostles.

For instance, John tells us:

John 20:18 (KJV) Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

The first person to see the Risen Savior was Mary Magdalene. She and another Mary (we’re not exactly sure who the send Mary was) went to the Tomb of Christ on the first day of the week following His death intent to finish His burial preparations. When they found the Tomb empty one Mary turned away and went back to tell the disciples. Mary Magdalene continued to look for Jesus. As she stood weeping Jesus came to her. We are told by the Witness John that Jesus spoke to Mary Magdalene and told her:

John 20:17-18 (KJV) …. go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

Now if you read John you’ll discover Mary didn’t believe that Jesus was risen from the grave until she saw Him and touched Him. Once He revealed Himself to her she was told to go and tell the disciples. She did exactly as Jesus told her to do. Now the Witness Mark tells us that …

Mark 16:10-11 (KJV) … And {Mary} went and told {the disciples} that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that He was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.

Mary Magdalene told the eleven disciples (because Judas Iscariot was now dead by suicide) and THEY BELIEVED NOT. They doubted. Why did they doubt? Was it because they were told this by a woman? I don’t know. But they doubted. Every single one of them. Now the Witness John tells us:

John 20:19-20 (KJV) Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side.

Jesus came and personally presented Himself to the disciples. If you compare what John tells us to Witness Luke’s account you’ll find something interesting:

Luke 24:36-40 (KJV) And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And He said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I myself: handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.

When Jesus appeared to the Ten Apostles (for we find out that Thomas was not there) He shows Himself in a locked room …. and they don’t believe it’s Jesus! They thought they saw a ghost! Jesus had to convince them by encouraging them to examine Him – to TOUCH Him as Mary did. Only then did they believe that Jesus had risen from the dead.

If you compare the witness of John to that of Luke you’ll see that the unbelief of the Ten is the same as that of Thomas.

Jesus With Thomas	Jesus With The Ten Disciples
John 20:27 (KJV) Then saith {Jesus} to Thomas, 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.	Luke 24:38-40 (KJV) {Jesus} said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.

So why do we call Thomas “Doubting Thomas”? His unbelief was not one bit different than that of his brothers.

Not one bit different.

Jesus never called Thomas “Doubting Thomas”,
though He did one time call Peter “Satan”.

We read this in Matthew 16:21 (KJV) … that {Jesus} must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

At this point Peter begins to argue with Jesus, saying “this thing shall NOT be unto You, Lord”. The Bible says that Jesus …

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

OUCH! Doubt caused the Lord to call Peter “Satan” because Satan can and does work in the doubts of God’s people. We all doubt. But we need to recognize that the Lord does not want us to doubt Him.

The Bible tells us that just before He gave His Apostles the Great Commission:

Mark 16:14 (KJV) Afterward {Jesus} appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

Jesus “upbraided” or chastised every one of His Apostles for unbelief. Doubt did not make Jesus fire the Apostles. He did not decommission them. But He told them you should have believed. We should always believe our Lord. But immediately after chastising them, Jesus says:

Mark 16:15 (KJV) And {Jesus} said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Jesus did not send PERFECT PEOPLE out to serve Him. He calls IMPERFECT people to share a PERFECT Gospel. We have a PERFECT Lord,
a sinless Lord.
Beloved, we all walk with a limp.

Lessons We Learn From Thomas

Let’s go back to our focal text and see what we can learn from the Apostle Thomas. No, I’m not going to call him “Doubting Thomas”. He is just like us. ALL of us.

John 20:24 (KJV) But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

1 The first thing we learn about Thomas is that he has a history. He is Thomas, called Didymus. When the Bible tells you something you need to pay attention. The name “Thomas” is the Greek Θωμᾶς Thōmâs, (pronounced tho-mas’) which the Strong’s Lexicon tells us “of Chaldean origin”. The name itself means “Twin”. To reinforce this the Bible says “also called Didymus” which is the Greek Δίδυμος Dídymos, (pronounced did’-oo-mos). The King James translators did not translate this word, but transposed it into English. The Greek word means “Two fold or Twain”. Some of the commentators suggest that Thomas had a twin brother or sister, and to distinguish him they called Thomas by a nickname. Thomas’ nickname was NOT “Doubting” but “Didymus” or “Twain”. God gave us a picture of Thomas because all of us have a history. We are all “Twain” in one way.

There was a time when we were LOST.
But now we are FOUND.
That old LOST part is our history.
But every now and then that old LOST part peaks out.

I have told you before that my greatest enemy is ME. I wrestle with ME every day. You know what? You do, too. We all wrestle with ourselves. Every Christian remembers his or her old life BEFORE we met Jesus. We are all works in progress. We have old scars that were inflicted on us when we were without Christ. Every now and then those old scars exhibit themselves.

We are so imperfect.

But don’t let that drag you down, Beloved. Only Jesus is PERFECT. The Bible tells us of Jesus:

1 Peter 2:21-22 (KJV) … Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

Jesus never sinned. Jesus never had doubts. Jesus never let the Father down. He was born of a Virgin, the Eternal Son of God. We were born of Earthly Parents, sinners just like us. Our fore-parents failed, and by their failure brought sin into the world. We sin. We all sin. The Apostle Paul sinned. What did he say while in the Spirit?

Romans 7:23-24 (KJV) But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. [24] O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

I can’t tell you how many times I have felt this way. I love my God and my Jesus so very much. But I fail so very often. I remember a few years ago when I served another Church. I was on the road heading toward Jackson Hospital when I received a call from a certain member of the Church. This member had disrupted services several times. She was manic depressive, disruptive, and drove her husband – and me – crazy. She calls me and begins to tell me her “woe is me” story one more time. I’m on the highway trying to pay attention to traffic when someone whips in front of me, and I slam on my brakes and skid off the road. Without thinking a “word” comes out of my mouth from my past. It is not God’s Name, but it’s a “word” I don’t think Christians should use, and I try not to use it. But I am “Didymus”. I am “twain”. I have a military history, and this “word” which I will not say NOW I said THEN.

And this woman who NUMEROUS times interrupted the sermon, who disrupted the children’s Church, and who kept the Church in turmoil got self righteous on me. She began to berate me, dragging me down. I drowned in shame. What I should have told her is what Jesus told Peter:

Get thee behind me, Satan!

We all – every Christian – is a “twain” or a “Didymus”. We have an old life, an old sin nature, and the Holy Spirit Who indwells us. We have the Blood of Jesus Christ covering our sins. When we struggle and fail – when the old “Didymus” pops up, we need to take it to Jesus. That’s what Paul did when he struggled. He said:

Romans 7:25 (KJV) I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

We recognize our sin and confess it. We remember the Word and the Promise:

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

When I fail – when my “Didymus” causes me to stumble, I confess my sin not to YOU but to JESUS.
Then I trust that His Blood is sufficient!

John 20:24 (KJV) But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

2 Notice next that Thomas “was not with THEM when Jesus came”. Where was he? I don’t know. He might have been watching an old episode of Matlock or The Andy Griffith Show. It might have been an exceptionally pretty Sunday, so he headed out to the golf course or the old fishing hole. Oh, I know. He had relatives visiting so Thomas thought he’d stay home that day and tell them all about Jesus while watching the big game on television.

No, I haven’t lost my mind. But I hope I’ve made my point. I hear so much nonsense today where people say “I don’t have to go to Church to live for Jesus” or “The Church is not a building, but a people”. Here’s another one I hear. “Don’t GO to Church, BE the Church”. Many of these cute sayings have an element of truth in them. The reality, however, is that Christianity was not designed by Jesus to be a single person thing. The “Church” is a BODY OF BELIEVERS who gather together and help one another in love. Let me put it another way. 1 and 2 Corinthians is not written to that guy on 308 Evergreen Street. The letter to the Ephesians is not written to Rufus who lives on 111 Santa Fe Pike.

Every single letter written in the New Testament was written to THE CHURCH. It was written to a BODY OF BELIEVERS who gathered together and practiced loving God and loving another the way Jesus said to do.

Jesus said Matthew 18:20 (KJV) For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Jesus comes to THEM, and reveals Himself in THEM.

Thomas was not with his brothers when Jesus appeared to them. When they told him that Jesus had come he doubted. But notice Jesus did not go to Thomas alone and correct him, but came to Thomas when he was with his fellow Christians.

John 20:26-27 (KJV) And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas…

I am not telling you to come to OUR Church – though I’m proud of our Church. I’m not telling you to go only to a certain “denomination” of Church. But I am telling you that you need to find a group of believers who will covenant together with you to love God with all they have, and love one another the way that Jesus loves us. The Lord Jesus never mandated the size of His local Church. Some are big, many are small. But a Church is NEVER one person.

1 Corinthians 12:14 (KJV) For the body is not one member, but many.

2 When Thomas was with his brethren in Christ our Lord appeared to him and alleviated his doubt. We read:

John 20:27-28 (KJV) Then saith he to Thomas, 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. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and My God.

Thomas made one of the greatest declarations of faith when he saw Jesus. Seeing Jesus he said:

My Lord and My God

Who is Jesus? He is our LORD. Who is Jesus? He is our God. He is magnificent! Thomas saw Jesus for Who He really is. Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is our Savior and our Lord. Jesus told Thomas:

John 20:29 (KJV) … Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Jesus said that what Thomas experienced was “belief”. What does it mean to “believe” in Jesus? It means to confess Him as both Lord and God. He is the King of me, and the King of the Christian Church. He is our High Priest:

Hebrews 4:14-15 (KJV) … we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God … {Who} was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

He is the Victor over sin:

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (KJV) … we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For {The Father} hath made {Jesus} to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

And we are to encourage one another to follow Him and do ALL He says. Here is where victory is. Victory is in Jesus! May God touch your hearts!

Posted in Faith Of Our Fathers, John, Sermons Preached | Tagged doubt, Faith, Thomas | Leave a comment

Cursed Is The One Who Hangs Upon The Tree

Posted on April 28, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 (KJV) And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: 23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

The last time we were in Deuteronomy we saw that God promised a Prophet that would replace Moses. God told His people:

Deuteronomy 18:19 (KJV) And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. (hold that person accountable)

As we studied this text we found out that this promised Prophet is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus told the Pharisees who hindered His ministry:

John 5:45-47 (KJV) … 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?

I love that text! Jesus said to those who would not believe in Him “Moses accuses you”. Well, how could Moses accuse them? Wasn’t Moses “dead”? No. Moses was with God in Heaven.

Moses stands before the Throne of God – just as all do who have loved the Lord. Moses is now with Jesus!

Jesus said “Our God is not the God of the dead, but of the LIVING” (Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38). Moses yet lives because our Savior lives. Jesus said to the Pharisees “Moses accuses you, because Moses WROTE OF ME.” Moses wrote of Jesus Christ in Deuteronomy 18. Jesus is the Prophet that God sent to replace Moses.

John 1:17 The Law was given by Moses.

Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Jesus loved the Law and fulfilled the Law in His life. Jesus preached from the Psalms (11 times), Deuteronomy (10 times), Exodus (7 times), and Isaiah (8 times). Jesus is the Prophet Promised. The One Who came to replace Moses. The writer of Hebrews says:

Hebrews 1:1-2 (KJV) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds…

We have a Word from God, and it comes to us through His Son. Jesus did not come to us to erase God’s Law but to fulfill it. God gave His Law to Israel, His Chosen people. Some of that Law was just for Israel. Some of that Law was for every person. And some of that Law was prophetic.

The Law we look at today is to Israel, but it is also Prophetic. And – spoiler alert – it will tie in to Jesus!

God Is The Giver Of Life

Let’s carefully read it again:

I have never preached this text before but I have heard it preached. I heard one preacher say that this Scripture was a mystery to the ancient Jew because it spoke of crucifixion – and Jews never executed anyone by crucifixion. When I heard that it made sense, and I filed it away. The Jews were directed by God to stone those guilty of capital offenses. God cherishes life. God said:

Leviticus 24:21 (KJV) … he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death.

God told Noah before He gave the Law to Moses:

Genesis 9:6 (KJV) Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Life is precious because God is the Giver of life. There are allowances in Scripture where the state can order the death of the murderer, or the state can command war. In such cases death is justified. But God never wanted anyone to rob another of his life without just cause. This is murder. This is a violation of the 6^th Commandment – Thou shalt not murder. When someone murdered – which was a sin worthy of death – then that person was stoned with stones until they were dead (Leviticus 24:23). There were other reasons that a person was to be put to death all found within God’s Law. Only God is to take life, for life belongs to God.

Among the ancients when a person committed a crime worthy of the death penalty that person was killed, then their corpse was hung on a tree. That’s what the text is speaking of.

Deuteronomy 21:22 (KJV) And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree…

Life Is Sacred. To Murder Is To Violate The Sacred. God Allowed A Sign or Example To The Community By The Tree.

A person guilty of death was killed, and then their body was hung on a tree. This was to act as a warning against anyone else committing the same act. It became a common practice to put a sign above the convict telling all who saw his body what crime he committed. We find this practice of hanging a dead body on a tree report first among the Egyptians. Joseph interpreted a baker’s dream, saying:

Genesis 40:19 (KJV) Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree …

It is obvious the guilty man would not be alive if his “head was lifted from off thee”. The body was on display as a warning to others not to commit the same crime. The leader of Israel Joshua hung the body of the King of Ai on a tree (Joshua 8:29). The Bible tells us that King David killed the man who murdered King Saul, and had his body hung on a tree (2 Samuel 4:12). God allowed this grisly sign because He wanted it to be understood by all how sacred life is. By the very public execution followed by hanging the body on the tree the violator’s sin and shame was made public, unhidden, uncovered, for all to see. There was no refuge for the murderer, the violator of God’s Holy Law. There was no where to hide. That person hanging bore the shame of exposed guilt. That person was cursed for violating God’s Law.

Deuteronomy 21:23 (KJV) His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

The Tree was not used to kill the criminal, but it was used to display the criminal (see also 2 Samuel 21:6 and Numbers 25:4). However, the body was not to be left hanging past the end of that day. Why? The Bible says “that the land be not defiled”. God wanted the criminal worthy of death to be punished, and for God’s righteous punishment to be displayed so others would be warned against it. But God did not want His people to ever forget that every life has value. To allow the body to hang on the tree beyond a day is to become cruel, heartless, vindictive. Furthermore God did not want that body to bring disease or pollution to others. But God wanted us to know.

God Condemns Sin!
Sin Takes Life!
God Cherishes Life.
Sin Separates Us From God!

How Does This Scripture Relate The American?

As I mentioned before the Law that God gives in the Old Testament has portions that relate to Israel only, portions that are Prophetic, and portions that apply to us today. So how does this text apply to us today?

When Jesus first started His earthly ministry He told a Rabbi named Nicodemus:

John 3:14-15 (KJV) … as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

This referred to a time in Israel’s history when God’s people began to murmur against God.

“Israel spoke against God and against Moses”
Numbers 21:5

How did God handle this blasphemy? God sent snakes into the camp, and the snakes bit the people, and many died. Sin brings death. The Bible repeatedly shows us what Romans 6:23 tells us:

The wages of sin is DEATH!

As the people suffered because of sin they repented, and cried out to God. Nicodemus was well aware of this Old Testament story. God told Moses to make a snake out of bronze, and put it on a pole. Lift it up above the heads of the people. “Anyone who is bitten can look at it and live” (Numbers 21:8). Jesus compared Himself to this time in Israel’s history. He compared Himself to that snake on a pole. Jesus said:

The Son of Man must be lifted up,
that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish,
But have eternal life.

No one knew what Jesus meant at this time, but He was introducing salvation to all who would believe on Him. He said the HE would have to be “lifted up”. Jesus used this same phrase again. He said:

John 12:27-28 (KJV) Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

Jesus knew the time was coming for Him to be “lifted up”. He knew what it would cost Him. Yet Jesus said “Father, glorify Thy Name”. He put the Father’s will ahead of His own life. When the Father spoke saying “I have glorified My Name and will glorify it” Jesus said:

John 12:30-33 (KJV) …. This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. 31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.

The revelation of God is progressive. Jesus told Nicodemus He would be “lifted up” and now tells those listening He will be “lifted up”. He did this to describe His death. So what did Jesus mean? By what way did He die? The Apostle Paul ties it together for us:

Galatians 3:13-14 (KJV) 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 Apostle quotes our focal text of Deuteronomy 21:23 which says:

“He that is hanged is accursed of God”

Jesus Christ – the Prophet spoken of in Deuteronomy 18 – would be the Messiah Who would take our sins on Himself. Jesus, precious sinless Jesus, would come from Heaven to this earth. As Moses formed a facsimile snake for Israel to look at, God the Holy Spirit would fashion the life of God into the Son of Man. Jesus would take the place of the bronze serpent. Jesus would take our place on the Cross. He would do this to pay the penalty of sin. He would do this so that we who are not of Israel’s Covenant could be included in the promise that God made to Abraham.

The Tree Shows Us God’s View Of Sin

In our world today we have no concept of sin. Even in many Church – whether Evangelical, Mainline, Pentecostal, or Catastrophic – sin is minimized. We think sin to be just a three letter word. But look to the Tree. Look at the Tree. Why is that dead body hanging on that Tree? Because it committed a sin worthy of death. God sees sin as an abomination, an act of death and dead things. The Law says:

Deuteronomy 25:16 (KJV) For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.

In the New Testament writings sin is condemned in the harshest of terms. The Apostle said:

Romans 1:29-32 (KJV) Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

The Apostle said that those who violate God’s Law of love are “worthy of death”. That fellow in Deuteronomy hanging on that tree is worthy of death. Sin makes us worthy of death. So sin is no trifle. Look to the Tree.

Look to the Tree in the New Testament. Who do we see hanging there? A murderer? No, Barabbas has been released. A thief? A sinner? No, for Pilate said “I find no basis for a charge against this Man” (Luke 23:4). Was Christ guilty of anything? No. Was Christ hated of His Father? Absolutely not. Did not the Father say?:

“This is My Beloved Son In Whom I am WELL PLEASED”
(Matthew 3:17; Luke 3:22)

Look to the Tree. This is the Son that the Father loves. This is the Son that the Father is well pleased with. This is the Son in Whom no sin was found, no flaw evident. Why is He on that Tree? The Apostle tells us.

Romans 8:1-4 (KJV) 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.

Jesus was lifted up to pay for our sins. He died on Calvary for you and for me. Jesus came

“In the LIKENESS of sinful flesh”

He looked like us, but He is far better than us. He is sinless, and we, sinners. Jesus went to that Cross so that those who look on Him with the eye of faith can be saved. He hung there in my place, and in your place. The Scripture says:

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (KJV) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus died on that Tree so that we who look on Him in faith and love can be saved. He paid my penalty. Praise God, He was cursed so that I can be blessed. Dying for me and you, once we believe on Him as Lord and Savior – once we see Him dying because of MY sins – then God covers us with His Blood. When Jesus died on the tree the last words He said was:

“It is finished”
John 19:30

The Bible says in James 1:15 … sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Sin brings forth death. Sin kills. Sin is no trifle. But Jesus died on that Tree for our sin. He said “It is finished”. FINISHED!

Death is finished.
Sin is finished.
The curse of lawlessness is finished.
The devil is finished.

Oh, that you would look to Jesus this very day. Oh, that you would surrender your lives to Him. You cannot hold on to death and sin, and hold on to Jesus. He died on that Tree, was taken down. But HE was NOT FINISHED. His Work of salvation was finished. He was lifted up, so that sin would never trod you down. Believe Him, receive Him, and commit your life to Him. In God’s name I beg you. Amen!

Posted in Deuteronomy, Sermons Preached | Tagged Calvary, crucified, tree | Leave a comment

Foundations Of Our Faith #6: Protecting The Foundation

Posted on April 26, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by John Reign Abarintos on Unsplash

Psalms 11:2-3 (KJV) For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. [3] If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

Ephesians 2:19-20 (KJV) Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; [20] And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

I know we have a “Business Meeting” tonight, and I know that our time is at a premium. But God has put something on my heart that we need to discuss.

We need to talk about the “Foundation” of our Church.

Not just our Church, but every Church. America has gotten darker and darker since I was called to preach twenty three years ago. It was dark when I started preaching. The old time preachers who recognized my calling and laid “empty hands on this empty head” at my ordination board warned me that I was entering ministry at a difficult time. As a so called “Baby Boomer” I grew up at the end of the “Greatest Generation” (those born 1910-1924 also known as the G.I. Generation and the World War II Generation) and the “Silent Generation” (those born 1925-1945). I grew up in a poor family that was called “Traditional”. My mom stayed at home and raised us while daddy went to work to support us.

I grew up with traditional values. In my era Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz slept in twin beds, as did Rob and Laura Petrie on the Dick Van Dyke Show. As I got older my soul was fed by slowly degrading television. Laura Petrie left Rob and became Mary Richards on the Mary Tyler Moore Show. She introduced tight clothing and short nightgowns to America and young boys like me. Along came M*A*S*H and the introduction of recreational use of alcohol. Andy Griffith smoked cigarettes. I saw commercials that said “Come to where the flavor is. Come to Marlboro Country.” and “I’d walk a mile for a Camel”. I started smoking at the age of 10 years old, and drank my first beer at 13. When I went to High School we took “Smoke Breaks” between classes in designated smoking areas. No one care what your age was. This was, after all, North Carolina, tobacco country.

The darkness consumed me until a friend invited me to Church. There I met the Lord Jesus Christ, Who loved me and saved me. It amazed me that 20 years later He would call me into ministry.

Why is America darker today that it has ever been?
Because the Church is not as light!

When we complain about the darkness of our land compared to when we were younger we need to remember that evil has never been light. The Bible says:

The wages of SIN is DEATH (Romans 6:23)

God doesn’t say that the wages of sin WAS death, but IS death. Sin has always been dark. Sin has always killed. The Bible tells us that:

John 3:19-20 (KJV) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. [20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Darkness has always hated light. So how do we cure the darkness? There is only one way. We must TURN ON THE LIGHT. The light must be turned on. And where is the light? It is THE CHURCH OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

King David looked around at the evil and said:

the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart

The wicked bend their bow. The WICKED or evil ones shoot PRIVILY at those who are “upright in heart”. The “upright in heart” refers to the Christ follower, the person who has decided to follow Jesus. What does the word PRIVILY mean? It is the Hebrew (אֹפֶל ʼôphel, pronounced o’fel) which means “in the darkness or in the gloom”. The wicked attack in the gloom. They attack when the night rules. How do we protect against this? We turn on the light. We who follow Christ must walk in Light. Jesus told those who would hear Him:

Matthew 5:13 (KJV) Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to BE TRODDEN UNDER FOOT OF MEN.

Most of the Church in America today is “trodden under foot of men”. Why? Because it has become one with the darkness. We have compromised on the message of the Gospel.

The Foundation Been “Redefined” On Sin

The American Media has redefined “Sin” and what “Sin” is. Rather than stand up for what the Bible says many Churches have compromised, and have become one with the world. They have forgotten what God said:

James 4:4 (KJV) 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.

To be “friendly” with the world is to be the enemy of God. Light cannot blend with darkness. The Church is God’s Lighthouse. We let Christ shine through us.

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

Everything we do as God’s Church is to be a good work as GOD defines GOOD WORKS. It cannot be darkness. Jesus said:

Joh 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.

When our message becomes twisted like the world then we become one with the world. The Bible is very clear on what is sinful. Regardless as to what the world says, what does the Bible says about:

Abortion?: Exodus 4:11; Isaiah 44:22; Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 127:3; Exodus 21:22-25; Psalm 139:13-16; Luke 1:41-44; Exodus 20:13; Job 31:15; Isaiah 45:10-12
Heterosexual sex outside of marriage?: 1 Corinthians 7:2; Hebrews 13:4; Acts 15:19-20; 1 Corinthians 5:1; Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5; 1 Corinthians 7:8-9; Genesis 2:24-25; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Homosexual sex?: Genesis 18:20-21; Genesis 19:4-5; 2 Peter 2:6; Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Jude 6-7; Romans 1:18; 1 Corinthians 6:11
The Ten Commandments?: Matthew 5:18-19; Mark 10:19; Ephesians 6:2; Romans 13:9; James 2:11; 1 John 5:3; Matthew 19:16-19; Matthew 5:21-22; 1 Corinthians 7:19; Romans 7:12; Romans 7:22; Acts 24:13-14; 1 John 3:4; 1 John 2:4; Revelation 22:14; Deuteronomy 5:29; Psalm 1:1-3
Failure to love? Racism? Hatefulness? Grudge carrying?: Mark 12:30-31; John 13:34-35; John 15:12; Matthew 5:43-48
If it looks evil?: 1 Thessalonians 5:22; 1 Corinthians 8:9; 2 Corinthians 6:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-21; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; Ephesians 5:11; Romans 13:14
Self righteousness?: Matthew 23; Luke 18:9-14; John 15:5; Galatians 1:8-9; Galatians 3:21; Isaiah 65:5

In short, the Scripture calls on every Christ follower to …

Ephesians 5:1-11 (KJV) Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; [2] And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. [3] But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; [4] Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. [5] For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. [6] Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. [7] Be not ye therefore partakers with them. [8] For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: [9] (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) [10] Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. [11] And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

The Foundation Of The Christ Walk Is Christ

Ephesians 2:19-20 (KJV) Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; [20] And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

We who have been saved by faith in Christ are no longer strangers and foreigners to God. We belong to God now. God is our Father, and we are His Children. We are indwelt by the Spirit of God, empowered to serve Him Who saved us (Romans 8:9). We serve a Living Savior.

A young Christian college girl had kept herself sexually pure. When she was approached by the boys she told them that she wanted to keep her virginity until she was married. This got around the campus. As a result people started mocking her. The boys she dated did their best to get her to change her mind. One day the subject came up in the classroom, and the teacher asked why her virginity was so important. This precious believer told them:

“Any time I want to be, I can be just like you. But you can never again be just like I am right now.”

That is so true. We as Christ followers are to spread the glorious Gospel of Christ, to be Light in a dark world. We are to be like Jesus. How was Jesus?

Jesus was friendly and kind with every person He met so He could share the Gospel with them, but never befriended their lostness. JESUS NEVER JUSTIFIED SIN. “Go and sin no more” He told the woman taken in adultery (John 8:11). Jesus told the crippled man He healed “Behold, thou art made whole. SIN NO MORE lest a WORST thing come unto thee.” (John 5:14). Jesus was indeed a “friend of sinners” (Matthew 11:19) but to say He was friendly with sin is a lie from the pit of hell.

Jesus walked up to a woman of Samaria in John 4:4-26 and asked “Give me to drink”. As He talked with the woman he spoke the truth in love. He pointed out that she was a sinner, but that He, Christ, was the Savior. He pointed out that she had five husbands, and that the man she lived with now was not her husband. Jesus told her “you don’t even worship God right, for true worshipers shall worship God in Spirit and in Truth”. Jesus didn’t soften the message. He didn’t compromise in order to win her following. In fact, He was very blunt in what He said, very politically incorrect – and she gave her heart to Jesus. This woman started a revival in her city, for she left Christ and did what every Christian should do – she was the Light of God. She said “Come and see this Man. He told me all the things I ever did – He knew my sins. He is the Christ!” (John 4:29)

Will the world hate us? Yes. Jesus said “If you were of the world, the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world, the world hateth you” (John 15:19). The sexual sinner, the fornicator, the homosexual, the child molester, the murder, the thief, the liar, the party goer – the darkness by whatever sin you define it does not want to know of the light. But they need to hear. If you love God and love as Christ has called you to love, they must hear.

The fear of two judgments drive me to share Christ: my future judgment as a servant, and the unbeliever’s future judgment as a sinner.

King David wrote: Psalms 11:5-6^(KJV) …. but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. 6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: [this shall be] the portion of their cup.

The only thing that stands between a person and the eternal Damnation of God is the Blood of Christ. People must receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Without Christ, they are under condemnation. Without Christ, they are headed toward a Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). I have seen and heard parents stand before earthly judges and say, “Not my child. My child cannot be guilty of this”, crying out before that son or daughter is sentenced to prison. How much more horrible would it be to stand before God knowing that the wicked and him that loveth violence, his soul hates. To know that the Judge they will stand before one day will rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest on those who rejected Christ.

If the foundations be destroyed, what shall the righteous do? Be righteous. Be the Light. Work together to reach out in love to a lost and dying world with the glorious Gospel of salvation. Read your Bibles. Pray. Prepare. Share.

God watches over us – and we will overcome!

May God bless your hearts with His Word.

Posted in Foundation Series, Sermons Preached | Tagged Light vs Darkness | Leave a comment

Three Days and Nights Ago

Posted on April 21, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Artem Sapegin on Unsplash

Matthew 26:66-68 … {The Rulers of Israel} answered and said, He is guilty of death. [67] Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, [68] Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?

Matthew 27:22-24 (KJV) Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. [23] And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. [24] When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. [25] Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

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

Romans 10:11-12 (KJV) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. [12] For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

Who crucified Jesus? We did. We all did.

Who crucified Jesus? Some say it was the Jews, that the Jews crucified the Lord Jesus. Yes, that’s true. The Bible says that:

John 1:11 (KJV) {Jesus} came unto His own, and His own received him not.

Jesus was born to Israel according to the promise of Scripture. When God called Abraham out of ancient Babylon the Lord told him:

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

“In thee shall ALL the families of the earth be blessed.” This was not the first time that God promised a Messiah to come save us. God told the serpent in the Garden of Eden that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). God promised Messiah would come to save us all. Throughout the Old Testament again and again God promised a Savior. God the Father spoke in The Psalms:

Psalms 2:7 (KJV) … the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. (compare to Hebrews 1:5)

and said of His Son:

Psalms 45:6-7 (KJV) Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter. [7] Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. (compare to Hebrews 1:8)

God told His Israel:

Isaiah 7:14 (KJV) Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (which means “God with us”. See Matthew 1:23)

God sent His Son to this world through Israel. Jesus came unto His own. He was born of Israel. Born in Bethlehem of a Virgin (Micah 5:1-3) Messiah grew up in Nazareth. He left His home town after being rejected by His own people.

“Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” (Luke 4:22)

The prophets all spoke of this Jesus. He would be the Messiah Who would offer salvation to the world. If a scientist were to discover a cure for cancer or Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s the world would celebrate him and offer him the greatest adulation. Jesus Christ came to this earth to offer a cure for something greater than Cancer, greater than any disease you can think of. Jesus came to this earth to offer a cure for sin and death. He came to offer eternal life and supernatural cleansing to all who would believe. But how was Christ perceived? The prophets foresaw the Savior this way:

Isaiah 53:3 (KJV) He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

“We esteemed Him not”. The Messiah came to bring salvation to us. Yet we all would reject Him. He would be rejected by the Jews, but He would also be rejected by the Gentiles. The Jews cried out for His crucifixion. But the Gentiles condemned Him and drove the nails.

Why Would We Reject The Cure For Sin?

Because sin, unlike Cancer, Alzheimer’s, or Parkinson’s, blinds those it infects. The Bible warns us to “harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 3:8). The Bible tells us that:

Sin seems to be fun while we are sinning. But sin brings with it DEATH. Sin killed Adam and Eve, and sin kills us today. The wages of sin is death we are told in Romans 6:23.

We think sin a joy.
God knows sin is a killjoy.
Sin is a murderer.
Sinners killed Jesus.

Jesus knew He was going to die when He rode into Jerusalem that Passover evening. He told His disciples:

Matthew 12:40 (KJV) For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jesus knew He was going to die for our sins. Just as Jonah was in the belly of a great fish three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17) Jesus’ body would lie in a grave three days and three nights.

Three days and nights ago Jesus died on a Cross. It wasn’t a pretty Cross, but a bloody unfinished tree. Abandoned of all His disciples the Bible tells us that the Chief Priests and Elders of the people of Israel:

Matthew 27:2 (KJV) … bound Him, they led Him away, and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

Pilate did not want to kill Jesus – but he was a politician.

“Should I release Jesus or Barabbas?”
The crowd cried out. Release Barabbas, crucify Jesus.
“What has He done?”
“Crucify Him. His blood be on us and on our children.”

We All Killed Jesus – And YES, He Was Dead

Matthew 27:28-31 (KJV) {The soldiers} stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe. [29] And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! [30] And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head. [31] And after that they had mocked Him, they took the robe off from Him, and put His own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

The soldiers crucified Him. As Jesus hung bleeding between two thieves the crowd mocked Him. The crowd mocks Christ today. They use His name in curses. They misunderstand Him. When He cried out:

Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say,
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
(Matthew 27:46)

The crowd said “He cries out for Elijah. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save Him”. But none come to save Him. None help Him. Then Jesus dies.

Matthew 27:50 (KJV) Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

Three days and nights ago Jesus died. How do we know He died? Because the Centurion in charge of His crucifixion drove a spear in His side piercing both the lungs and His heart. Blood and water came from the wound. In medical terms Hypovolemic Shock caused fluid to gather in the sack around the heart and around the lungs. This gathering of fluid in the membrane around the heart is called Pericardial Effusion, and the fluid gathering around the lungs is called Pleural Effusion. The blood and water pouring out told the Centurion Jesus was dead.

Three days and nights ago Jesus was taken from the Cross. After inspection by the death crew, His body was released to Joseph and Nicodemus. A mixture of myrrh and aloe – about 75 pounds of it – was placed on His body, and He was wrapped in strips of cloth (John 19:39). Jesus was laid in a new tomb, and it was sealed. Guards were placed on the tomb. Three days and nights ago.

Early in the morning on the first day of the week came to the Tomb to finish preparing the Body of Christ (Matthew 28:1). As the two women came to the tomb the Bible says:

Matthew 28:2 (KJV) And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

Three days and nights ago Jesus died on the Cross. When He died the Bible says that:

Matthew 27:51-53 (KJV) And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; [52] And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, [53] And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

The dead rose from the Grave the last time there was an earthquake. Once more the earth quakes. An angel appears to these women, and tells them:

Matthew 28:5-7 (KJV) … Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. [6] He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. [7] And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

You Are Not Saved If He Did Not Resurrect

Do you believe what I just told you?
Do you believe that three days and nights ago He was crucified?
Do you believe that Jesus died, and was buried?
Do you believe that He rose again?

If you do not believe this then you cannot be saved. The “word of faith” is this:

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

What does the Gospel teach?
How is a person saved from their sins?
How is a person promised Heaven?

Faith believes what God has said. Faith trusts God for the impossible. The Apostle said that two things must be true if you are to be saved.

You shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus. And
You shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead.

1 You are called on of God to “confess with your mouth”. To say in the presence of whoever asks “Jesus is Lord”. When Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost part of his message was:

Act 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Jesus is both Lord and Messiah. He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, and He is the Lion of Judah Who will rule over His people. Jesus is Lord. But you are also required to confess:

2 Jesus rose from the grave. He is Lord of His people, but He is also Lord over death and sin. The Bible says:

Act 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

Jesus literally died and literally rose again from the dead. This is a supernatural occurrence. Jesus died on the Cross for our sins, and rose from the Grave to prove His Lordship. Because He lives we will live. The Bible says:

Romans 5:1-2 (KJV) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: [2] By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Because of Jesus death has no hold on the Christian. Why? Because Jesus promised us eternal life. Ands He proved that He has the keys to life by dying on that terrible Cross, and by rising from the grave three days and nights later. This is why the Apostle can say:

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

Jesus Christ has conquered both sin and death, along with satan and his evil forces. He is a living Savior to a living people. God bids you to come into His everlasting family through Christ. Receive Him as Lord and Christ. Believe that He died for your sins, and rose again to lead you both now and into eternity. Oh that God would make this Passover real to you. Oh that you would receive Him as He is:

2 Corinthians 4:10 (KJV) Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

2 Corinthians 4:14 (KJV) Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

Posted in Matthew, Resurrection, Sermons Preached | Tagged Easter, Resurrection Sunday | Leave a comment

Psalm 110:1 Riddle Answered In Jesus

Posted on April 18, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Yannes Kiefer on Unsplash

Psalms 110:1 (KJV) A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

I had a message prepared for tonight, but God turned me in a different direction. This Passion Week we will continue to examine the road to Calvary, and what our Jesus went through. It was during this week that Jesus resolved the riddle of Psalm 110:1. I’ll explain that in a moment.

Jesus Called On Scripture As His Witness

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday the multitude celebrated His coming, while the Scribes and Chief Priests despised it. To them Jesus was a renegade Rabbi. He made things even worse when He went into the Temple and chased away all that detracted from the glory of God. As the children cried out …

Matthew 21:15 ……. “Hosanna to the Son of David”

the rulers of the Temple commanded Jesus to tell them to hush up. Jesus called His first Witness Mister Psalm 8:2 saying:

Matthew 21:16 … Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

When Jesus was attacked, again and again He called on the Witness of God’s Scripture. The Scribes and Rulers prided themselves on their knowledge of the Scriptures. Just as Jesus did with the devil when He was tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) …

With “it is written” and “have you never read?”
Jesus called on the Witness of Scripture

Jesus knew that He was going to be crucified in just a few days. From Palm Sunday the cries of the crowd would quickly go from “Hosanna” to “Crucify Him”. One of the Scriptures that Jesus quoted this week is Psalm 110:1.

The Riddle Of Psalm 110:1

Psalm 110:1 was a riddle to the ancient Jews, but it is the single most quoted or alluded to Old Testament text found in the New Testament.

Jesus never shied away from His attackers. When the rulers of the Temple asked Jesus ..

Matthew 21:23 (KJV) …. By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?

Jesus refused to tell them the Source of His authority. We know His Source. He came of the Father to show us His glory. But Jesus would not argue with the hard hearted. After sharing several truths with these spiritually blinded people Jesus asked:

Matthew 22:42 (KJV) …. What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.

What Jesus was asking is “Who is the Messiah? From where will the Messiah come?” The word “Christ” is not Jesus’ last name. It means “Messiah”. When we call Him “Jesus Christ” we are saying “Jesus the Messiah”. So Jesus asked the Temple Leaders “Where does Messiah come from?” They replied:

The Son of David

Messiah was prophesied to come from the line of David. That is a correct answer. Then Jesus calls on Psalm 110:1 …

Matthew 22:43-44 (KJV) He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, [44] The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

Read Psalms 110:1 again: The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Jesus then called on Psalm 110:1 as His Witness:
“If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?”
(Matthew 22:45)

If the Messiah is the son of David, then why would David call Him “My Lord”? The elders could not answer this riddle. The Jew without Christ today cannot answer this Psalm.

In Jewish society it is normal for the younger to serve the elder. If Messiah is out of David’s line, then it is odd in Jewish culture that David would call Messiah “Lord”. The riddle is solved in Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Son of David, born of David’s lineage.
Jesus is God with us, Emmanuel, the Eternal Son of God.
In His humanity He comes from David’s lineage.
In His deity He is Eternal God the Son.

Jesus Was Well Known As A Son Of David

When our Lord cast out demons and healed the blind and the dumb …

Matthew 12:23 (KJV) … all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the SON OF DAVID?

When the blind men begged Jesus to heal them they cried out “Thou SON OF DAVID, have mercy on us (Matthew 9:27). The woman of Canaan begged Jesus to heal her daughter. “Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou SON OF DAVID” (Matthew 15:22). When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday what did the multitude say?

Matthew 21:9 (KJV) And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to THE SON OF DAVID: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

“If David called Him Lord, how is He then His Son?”

The leaders of the Temple could not answer this because they saw Jesus as a mere man. He is more than mere man. He is God in the flesh, God among His miracles testify to this. The Father testifies to this. The Holy Spirit upon Him testifies to this. The answer to the riddle of Psalm 110:1 is found only in Jesus Christ.

When Jesus was taken in the Garden of Gethsemane and led away to an unlawful trial by night the Bible says:

Matthew 26:59-61 (KJV) Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; [60] But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two FALSE WITNESSES, [61] And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.

The High Priest demanded that Jesus answer this charge. When Jesus said these words He was speaking of His death and resurrection – He spoke of the Temple of His Body. He is indeed the Temple of God. The High Priest asked Jesus to give account of Himself. When Jesus kept silent the Priest cried out:

Matthew 26:63 (KJV) … I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.

Jesus replied:

Matthew 26:64 (KJV) “Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”

The Chief Priests called on two FALSE WITNESSES to betray Christ.
Jesus called on two TRUE WITNESSES in His defense:
Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:17

Psalms 110:1 (KJV)… Sit thou at my right hand …

Daniel 7:13 (KJV)… one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, …

Jesus’ “thou hast said” combined with the true Witness of the Scripture became that which sent Him to the Cross of Calvary. But that is as it should be. Jesus told us:

John 10:17-18 (KJV) … I lay down my life, that I might take it again. [18] No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

When Peter preached his first sermon on the Day of Pentecost and God added 3000 members to the Church, what Scripture did the Apostle use? It was Psalm 110:

Acts 2:34-36 (KJV) For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, [35] Until I make thy foes thy footstool. [36] Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Jesus is both Lord and Christ. He is Messiah. He is God Incarnate. When the Jews heard this they repented, and turned to Jesus as both Lord and Savior.

When Stephen was martyred for his faith in God he looked into Heaven and saw Psalm 110🕐:1 as fulfilled:

Acts 7:55-56 (KJV) But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, [56] And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

When the Apostle Paul spoke to the Church at Colosse he said:

Colossians 3:1 (KJV) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Again a reference to Psalm 110:1. Paul also alluded to Psalm 110:1 in

Romans 8:34 and Ephesians 1:20. Our Jesus sits on the right hand of God the Father. The writer of Hebrews said:

Hebrews 1:13 (KJV) But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?

Which is a direct quote of Psalm 110:1. Jesus died this week, but rose again from the Grave this coming Sunday. He is alive. He sits at the right hand of God the Father making intercession for us. God will make His enemies His footstool. Christ has triumphed, and will triumph.

Why Jesus Is On The Right Hand

Our Jesus sits on the right hand of God the Father. He sits on the right hand to intercede for us. The Scripture says:

Psalms 110:4 (KJV) The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

He intercedes for us. He is our High Priest. He represents us before the Father.

Hebrews 8:1 (KJV) … We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;

Our High Priest Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father. Once more Psalm 110:1 is quoted:

Hebrews 10:12-13 (KJV) But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; [13] From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

Jesus came the first time to represent the Father, and to pay for our sins representing us to the Father. Jesus is at the right hand of the Father even today. But one day the Father will send Him to us again. He will say, “Son, go get My Church.” Oh that I wish today were that day. But until then we serve Him. We celebrate Him. We cherish Him. Cherish Him above all else!

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Posted in Psalms, Sermons Preached | Tagged Palm Sunday, passion of Christ, passion week | Leave a comment

Who Is This Man?

Posted on April 14, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by John Price on Unsplash

Matthew 21:10-11 (KJV) And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? [11] And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

Jerusalem was filled with people. The time of the Passover Feast was once more upon Israel, and every faithful Jew was to go to the Temple to honor God their Savior. As families prepared to sacrifice a lamb without spot or blemish following the commandment of God another crowd descended on the city.

This new crowd of people are merely called “the multitude”
“a very great multitude”.

This crowd is going in front of a Man . This Man is sitting on a white donkey and being followed by a donkey’s foal. As the Man rides into Jerusalem the very great multitude is treating Him like He is a Conquering King. We read:

Matthew 21:8-9 (KJV) … a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and {scattered} them in the way. [9] And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

This is a lot like a ticker tape parade – something we rarely do anymore. People are pulling off their overcoats and laying them on the ground before this Man and His strange party. They are cutting branches off of trees and laying them before Him. The people are shouting:

Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord;

Hosanna in the highest

“Hosanna”! Is from the Hebrew “HOSHI’A NA”, and is a prayer from…

Psalms 118:25-26 (KJV) Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. [26] Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.

“HOSHI’A NA” is a plea for salvation and prosperity. It is a cry out to God that His people be saved, that His people be freed from that which has bound them. As the multitude shouts “HOSHI’A NA” the city of Jerusalem asks a very important question. They ask:

Who is this (Man)?
Who is this Man?
Who is this Jesus?

This is the most important question you will ever answer.
Jerusalem asked the multitude “Who is this Man?”
They are asking the wrong person.
How do I know this?
The “multitude” tells Jerusalem …

This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

The Multitude Does Not Know Jesus

That’s not Who Jesus is. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, but though He was daily in that small community Nazareth did not know Him. Right after His baptism by John our Lord Jesus went back to Nazareth to the Synagogue to teach. As Jesus taught them the Word of God the Nazarenes began to question Him.

Mark 6:2-6 (KJV) … many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? 3 IS NOT THIS THE CARPENTER, THE SON OF MARY, THE BROTHER OF JAMES, AND JOSES, AND OF JUDA, AND SIMON? AND ARE NOT HIS SISTERS HERE WITH US? AND THEY WERE OFFENDED AT HIM.4 But Jesus, said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. 5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief….

Jesus grew up in Nazareth, but those that grew up around Him did not know Him. When He returned to Nazareth to start ministering those who saw Him daily did not know Who He was. Even His closest friends – people He went to school with – did not know Him. The Bible says …

Mark 3:21 (KJV) … when his friends heard of {His ministry}, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.

Jesus is NOT the Prophet of Nazareth.
If you want to know Jesus, you need to ask God to reveal Him.
God the Father knows Jesus.
God the Spirit knows Jesus.
And Jesus is a Great Prophet – but not from Nazareth.

Jesus Is The Promised Prophet Who Replaced Moses

Last week we studied Deuteronomy 18.
I don’t have time to preach this again.
If you missed out, COME TO CHURCH!
Be regular. God is giving His Word to you as you come!

Moses is not going into the Promised Land with God’s Israel. But the Lord has told Moses that He would give His people ANOTHER PROPHET. Moses told the people:

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

God Himself affirmed this, saying:

Deuteronomy 18:18-19 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

Who is this Prophet? He is JESUS!
He is the Replacement for Moses.
“The Law came by MOSES …
Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17)

This Man on a Donkey leading a foal is the Promised Messiah. He is the One Who would stand between God and His people as the Prophet, the Mediator. Moses stood before the people of God and spoke what God told him. Now Jesus comes before the people. Jesus is the Mediator. He is the Prophet. He is the Fulfillment of the Law, the Savior and Lord of those who come to Him. God told Israel “Believe and follow Moses”. God tells His Church “Believe and follow Jesus”!

Those Who are saved believe in Jesus. Jesus told those who listen:

John 6:36-40 (KJV) But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. [37] ALL THAT THE FATHER GIVETH ME SHALL COME TO ME; AND HIM THAT COMETH TO ME I WILL IN NO WISE CAST OUT. [38] For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. [39] And THIS IS THE FATHER’S WILL WHICH HATH SENT ME, THAT OF ALL WHICH HE HATH GIVEN ME I SHOULD LOSE NOTHING, but should raise it up again at the last day. [40] And this is the will of him that sent me, that EVERY ONE WHICH SEETH THE SON, AND BELIEVETH ON HIM, MAY HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE: AND I WILL RAISE HIM UP AT THE LAST DAY.

Jesus will take His people into that Promised Land called Heaven, and will bless His people with His Presence on this earth. But we must follow him. The Pharisees would not follow Him, because they were blinded by sin.

John 6:41-45 (KJV) The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. [42] And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? [43] Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. [44] No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. [45] It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

The Father will tell you of Jesus.
The Spirit will tell you of Jesus.
Oh, that you would hear God’s Voice!

There is ample proof that our Jesus is the Messiah sent from God to replace Moses. Moses led an obstinate people, but Moses never raised the dead.

The Multitudes Saw Jesus’ Raise The Dead

This crowd called “a great Multitude” is following Jesus because they saw Him raise the dead. Just before the Passover Jesus’ friend Lazarus had died. We read:

John 12:1, 9 … Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, WHOM HE RAISED FROM THE DEAD. 9 Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.

Lazarus had been dead for four days when Jesus came to Bethany. Jesus knew that Lazarus was dead. Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus is dead (John 11:14). Everyone saw Lazarus was dead. His sister Martha wept, and told Jesus:

John 11:21 (KJV) …. Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died….

Jesus tells Martha – and us:

John 11:25-26 (KJV) … 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?

Do you believe Jesus is “the Resurrection and the Life”?
Do you believe Jesus has defeated sin and death?
Look yonder at Lazarus’ opened grave.
Lord, he’s been dead 4 days – he stinks!
There is no hope, death has claimed him.
The Jesus says,

Lazarus, Come Forth!

and Lazarus comes forth! There is ample proof. And yet, the people do not believe. Why? They are asking the wrong Source. They are looking to the Pharisees for answers. There are no answers from the Pharisees. Why? Because the Pharisees are not looking to honor God.

Jesus The Messiah Is Rejected Of The Pharisees

As the multitude shouted “HOSHI’A NA” – Lord, Save Us! Jesus goes into the Temple.

What does Jesus find in the Temple? Are people praying? Are people worshiping the Lord? NO! Jesus goes into the Temple and finds GREED, and POLITICIANS, and BLASPHEMY.

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

What does Jesus find in His Church today? If Jesus were to ride into Columbia and walk into any Church – perhaps our Church – what would He find? God let Israel get away with doubting Moses, but has said “Whoever will not hear MY PROPHET shall give account”. What would God find in our Church? What would He find in our hearts? Whatever is not honoring of God His Father the Messiah CASTS OUT!

He CASTS OUT those who make merchandise of His people.
He CASTS OUT the shepherds who will not feed His sheep.
He CASTS OUT traditions that are godless.
He CASTS OUT the wolves in sheep’s clothing.
He CASTS OUT sin, and those who would lightly regard sin.
He CASTS OUT Pharisees, whoever will not follow Him.

and CASTING OUT that which dishonors the Father our Lord Jesus sits down, opens wide His arms, and ministers to those in need.

Matthew 21:14-16 (KJV) And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. [15] And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; THEY WERE SORE DISPLEASED, [16] And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

As the children and the multitudes cried out:

“HOSHI’A NA” – Lord, Save Us!

Jesus gives them the witness of the Scripture. Jesus Christ is the FOUNDATION of the KINGDOM OF GOD. He is the only Way to Heaven. He is the Moses to his people –
and we WILL FOLLOW HIM!

Matthew 21:42 (KJV) Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?

This is a direct quote from Psalm 118, the same Psalm that “HOSHI’A NA” – Lord, Save Us! Is found.

Psalm 118:22-23 (KJV) The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. 23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

The Prophet Who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey leading a foal tells those who WILL NOT believe in Him:

Matthew 21:43-44 (KJV) Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. [44] And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

The Pharisees thought they were privileged because of their birth. The Chief Priests thought they were privileged because of birth. No Beloved, the birth that matters is the New Birth.

You must be BORN AGAIN. (John 3:3, 7)
You must come to Jesus.
You must let Him conquer your sin.
You must believe on Him.
You must hear what God tells us about Him.
He alone is Lord and Savior of His people.

Oh God, Open Our Eyes So We Can See

I do not want to myself try and convince you to give yourself to Christ. The multitudes that praised Jesus on Palm Sunday would – just a few days later – be led of the Pharisees to crucify Christ. We read:

Matthew 27:20-23 (KJV) … the CHIEF PRIESTS AND ELDERS PERSUADED THE MULTITUDE that they should ask {for the release of the murderer} Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. 22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, LET HIM BE CRUCIFIED. 23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, LET HIM BE CRUCIFIED.

The “multitude” celebrated and praised Jesus on Palm Sunday.
The “multitude” cursed Him and cried out for His Crucifixion.
From Matthew 21 to Matthew 27 everything changed.
Why? Because the “multitude” was not listening to God.
But to MAN.

Who are YOU listening to? Jesus asked His disciples one day:

Matthew 16:13 … Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

After hearing several answers as to what the “multitudes” thought of Jesus, our Lord then asked:

Matthew 16:15 (KJV) … But whom say ye that I am?

Who do YOU think Jesus is? How you answer this question determines how you live your life – and where you will live in the AFTER-life.

If you think that Jesus is just a ticket to Heaven then you will walk in the same darkness that the world walks in. There will be no difference between you and the average Joe on the street. You will live your life just like everybody else. Nothing will change.
If you think that faith in Jesus PLUS your good works will save you then you will not walk with confidence as a Christ follower. YES we do good works because we who are saved are Christ’s Children. But NO, I did not save myself. Jesus saved me. “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; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5-7)
If you think that Jesus is just a Healer then you will come to Him only when you have a need. At all other times you will live your life as if He doesn’t matter. He is your safety net. Nothing more, nothing less. He will not benefit you beyond this life. He said in John 10:10 “ I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
If you think that Jesus is both Lord and Savior of all, the King of the Kingdom of God then you will live your life in a different way. If you see Him as God the Father and Spirit presented Him – as both Lord and Savior – then you will live so as to please Him. You will apply what He says not just while in Church, but outside of the Church. Jesus declared in John 10:27-28 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

Here is where satisfying life is – the palm of Christ.
He is our Moses.
He rode into Jerusalem to give Himself to God for our sins.
He died on Calvary, but rose three days and three nights later.
He conquered death (Matthew 12:40).
He conquered sin.
He conquered satan.
And I for one will follow Him now, and until I get to the Promised Land!

Psalm 3:8 (KJV) Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

Psalm 62:1 (KJV) Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem the people saw a prophet,
but God sent a Prophet.
The people saw a teacher, but God sent a King.
The people saw a healer, but the Father sent His Son.
The people saw a revolutionary, but the Father sent a Redeemer.
He is the Lamb of God Who saves us from sin.
He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords that triumphs over sin.

Oh that you would come to Him! “HOSHI’A NA” – Lord, Save Us!

Posted in Matthew, Sermons Preached | Tagged Palm Sunday, praise Jesus, salvation | Leave a comment

Faith Of Our Fathers #2: Tears In A Bottle

Posted on April 11, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Psalms 56:8 (KJV) Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

A riddle I heard many years ago asked the question, “What physical thing do we have that Adam did not have”? I had to think about that for a bit before I came up with the answer. My Aunt Dot worked at the North Carolina Museum of Art, and I’ve seen a lot of beautiful pictures of Adam and Eve … and all of them wrong! Look at this picture called The First Kiss of Adam and Eve by Salvador Viniegra. Do you see the error? Adam didn’t have a belly button. We all have a belly button because we had a mother. Adam had no mother, only a Father. He was made as a prototype man from the “dust of the ground” (Genesis 2:7).

Adam had no belly button, but he did have tear ducts.

God doesn’t make useless things. The appendix has a purpose. Web MD notes that researchers think the appendix is designed to protect good bacteria in the gut. When the gut is affected by a bout of illness that empties the intestines, the appendix repopulates the digestive system keeping you healthy.

Tear ducts have a purpose as well. Every normal person has tear ducts. God made us with tear ducts. We were made to cry. The Bible tells us that we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). If we are made in His image I often wonder if God cries.

I Wonder If God Cries When We Don’t Trust Him?

Our God is so very faithful. The Psalmist said:

Psalms 36:5-6 (KJV) Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. [6] Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.

David wrote in Psalm 56 of God’s faithfulness and his unfaithfulness.

Psalms 56:8 (KJV) Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

God sees us when we wander.
I wonder if that hurts Him?
He watches us when when run about in fear instead of faith.
He watches us when we cry.
He keeps our names in His Book, along with our works.

David said of God that when we cry God puts our tears in a bottle.

This was David’s poetic and beautiful way of saying that our God watches over us. Our tears do not go unnoticed by God. In the ancient world the unbelieving GENTILES would collect a mourner’s tears in a small bottle called a lacrymatory. That bottle would then be buried with the body of the loved one. In Psalm 51 David is crying – weeping before God – because he failed to believe in the Lord. David let fear consume him. He took his eyes off of the Lord.

Faith In God Defeats Fear

When David had faith in God nothing could stop him. Do you remember the time David stood in front of a giant called Goliath with no more than a sling and five smooth stones? Fear was not David’s master. God was his Master. The Bible says:

1 Samuel 17:40 (KJV) {David} took his staff in his hand, and chose him FIVE SMOOTH STONES out of the {nearby} brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

He trusted the Lord. The giant shouted, but David did not hear. He was looking up. He cried out. “I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee.”

David Was Not Moving Forward On Testosterone, But On Faith.

Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he that cometh to God must believe that He IS, and that He is a REWARDER of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). David refused the armor of King Saul. David refused to fear. Here he goes with five smooth stones.

Five is the number of GRACE!
With FIVE barley loaves Jesus fed FIVE thousand! (John 6:9)
What can we do with so few among so many?
We can trust God. We can believe in Him.

The Philistine cries out. “Am I a dog that you come to me with a STICK? Come on Boy, and I’ll feed you to the animals!” (1 Samuel 17:43-44). David doesn’t hesitate. Looking to God in faith he takes the little he has and in faith puts it in the sling. David ran TOWARD the giant and his army. Not away from the problem, but TOWARD it (1 Samuel 17:48). He let it fly. The one smooth stone hit Goliath in the forehead, and he fell to the ground. Taking the giant’s sword from him David cut off his head.

God is faithful.
God is faithful when we trust Him with our little.
God is there, guiding that stone.
God is faithful.

1 Samuel 17:51 (KJV) … David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 (KJV) … the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

The Lord does not care if we have little. If we have but little and give it to Him, He will supply. We must trust Him. When we trust God with our little then He blesses us with His much. God says:

Matthew 25:21 (KJV) …. Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a FEW things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

God does not give us MUCH then ask us to believe Him. He entrusts us with LITTLE then says “trust ME and I’ll make it MUCH”. He can take one of five smooth stones and kill a Goliath. He can take five little loaves and feed five thousand.

David Later Let Fear Be His Master

Why is David crying? The Psalm starts with:

Psalms 56:1 (KJV) … MICHTAM of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath. …

What is a “Michtam”? No one really knows what a “Michtam” is. This is why the translators just brought the word directly into English rather than translating it. The best suggestion I heard for Michtam (מִכְתָּם miktam) is:

Something Precious Enough To Be Engraved And Cherished

When David wrote Psalm 56 he looked back over a time when he let fear rule his life. When David killed Goliath the current King of Israel became jealous of him. Saul started trying to kill David … and David ran. David should not have ran. The Lord had told David that he would be King of Israel, and God is faithful. God keeps His Word. The Scripture says:

Deuteronomy 7:9 (KJV) Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which KEEPETH COVENANT and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

God was not going to abandon David. But David let fear take control. In 1 Samuel 21 – just four chapters after defeating Goliath – David is running and hiding.

When David Defeated Goliath He Ran Toward The Problem.
When David Was Defeated By Fear He Ran Away From The Problem.

David ran away, and found himself at the Tabernacle of God.

1 Samuel 21:1 (KJV) Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

The Priest asked David why he was alone. David was not honest. He was frightened. He was driven by fear, not by faith … so HE LIED. He said:

“I’m on a secret mission for the King and my men are elsewhere”

As David tells the lie he notices the Priest has the holy bread in his hands. In ancient times the Priests kept SHOWBREAD (Hebrew: לחם הפנים lechem haPānīm, literally: “Bread of the Presence of God” – see Exodus 25:30) on a specially dedicated table. The bread was there as an offering to God. These twelve loaves of bread (Leviticus 24:5-7) were dedicated to God and those who served Him.

The Showbread was an Old Testament Picture of Jesus Christ.
He is “The Bread of Life” That Feeds Us (John 6:35).

David is hungry, and so he tells the Priest:

1 Samuel 21:3 (KJV) Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me FIVE loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.

Notice what David asked for. Five loaves. Five smooth stones for Goliath. Five barley loaves for five thousand fed. Five loaves now to feed David. Five is the number of God’s Grace. David is not alone. God is with him. “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). “Lo, I am with you, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). God is present with His people. He sees our tears. He sees as we cry. He would feed David of the Showbread, by His Presence. But fear gripped David. He was still not trusting God. “Do you have a sword I can take with me?” David asks the priest.

1 Samuel 21:9 (KJV) And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

Again David has a reminder of God’s Grace. God gave Goliath into his hands, will not he give Saul over as well? So once more David runs. He takes the sword of Goliath. How big was the sword? I don’t know, but I do know that Goliath was nine feet three inches tall. The commentaries suggest he wore a protective coat that weighed up to 156 pounds, and his spear was perhaps as long as 26 feet! He was a big man, a BIG MAN. So his sword was big. As David runs this sword was no blessing, but a curse. It was too big for David. It was also well known. The Philistines knew Goliath’s sword just like a war buff knows that General Patton carried pearl handled .45 revolvers. There goes little David dragging Goliath’s oversized sword behind him.

David runs to hide out with the Philistines.

1 Samuel 21:10-11 (KJV) And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. [11] And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

As they grab David and prepare to kill him David came to his greatest fear. David died that day. Not physically, but spiritually. He had previously kept his eyes on God, but now was doing all the wrong things. He was “sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath”. Fear was driving him.

1 Samuel 21:13 (KJV) And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.

David’s faith crashes and burns. The unbelieving Philistines see David act as a mad man. The unbeliever sees the mighty man of God as a little baby. I wonder if God cried? I know David cried. He cried because later when he came to his senses and began to trust God again, he cried. He cried because of his failure.

But God Sees Our Tears And Hears Our Cries

I heard Country Music Hall of Fame Grandpa Jones sing:

No tears in heaven, no sorrows given
All will be glory in that land
There’ll be no sadness, all will be gladness
When we shall join that happy band
No tears (in heaven fair)
No tears, no tears up there
Sorrow and pain will all have flown
No tears (in heaven fair)
No tears, no tears up there
No tears in heaven will be known

God sees our tears, and cherishes our tears. There is coming a day when …

Isaiah 25:8 (KJV) {God} will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

God will wipe away our tears. There is coming a day when God will set all things straight. Those who love Him – who cherish Jesus –

Revelation 7:16-17 (KJV) … shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. [17] For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

There are tears in Heaven right now.

If God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes then it’s logical that tears are there. There are tears in Heaven. What are some of the things that will cause tears in Heaven?

We have all cried over the trials of this life. There is none without trials. The Christian way of life is a trial in itself. Jesus told us that if we love Him toMatthew 16:24-26 (KJV) … deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [25] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. [26] For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

The very essence of our faith is a Cross. A Cross signifies suffering. We weep often weep when suffering, but we know that one day God will relieve all suffering. We are to keep on following the Lord even when it seems as if Saul is winning, knowing that God is still on His Throne. GOD IS STILL ON HIS THRONE. Mourn, dear one, but do not give up nor give in to fear. God is faithful.

Psalms 93:1-2 (KJV) The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved. [2] Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.

I believe there will be tears in Heaven when we see what our sins did to our Savior. It has been said that the only man made thing in Heaven is the scars on Jesus’ body.Isaiah 53:5 (KJV) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

When we first see Jesus I believe our tears will flow downward like the rains of April or the mighty Niagara.

How could we not weep when we see the marks on His hands and feet, the tears above His brow where the thorny crown was forced? I believe we will weep, but then Jesus will wipe away the tears from our eyes with His nail scarred hands. I believe He will embrace us, and perhaps cry with us. I wonder if God cries?

I believe there will be tears in Heaven when we recognize the absence of those we failed to witness to, to share the Gospel with them. I believe we will weep over the missing children. I believe we will look around and not see our mate, or our best friend, or the person that sat next to us on the pew every week. The Bible tells us that the Christian shall be judged by Christ. The Scripture says:Romans 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

I believe we will all weep over lost opportunities and lost rewards. That time when God called us to serve but instead we slept. That time God told us to do but instead we took our ease. I believe we will weep over what could have been and should have been had we only been more faithful. But God will create new Heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered nor come into mind (Isaiah 65:17). The Bible says:

Revelation 21:4-5 (KJV) And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. [5] And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

David grew from his failure. In the next Psalm he wrote:

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

Psalms 57:7 (KJV) My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

Let us do as David did. Fix your hearts upon God, for God is faithful. Do not let fear rule you. Let faith rule you. Fear has nothing to do with us, dear Christ follower. Whoever is born of God OVERCOMETH the world. This is the victory that overcomes the world, EVEN OUR FAITH (1 John 5:4). Be driven of faith, not fear. Our God is faithful!