Hear, O America

Posted on February 11, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

samuel-branch-442129-unsplash.jpg

Photo by Samuel Branch on Unsplash

Deuteronomy 5:1, 6 – 12 KJV And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. … 6 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me. 8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: 9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, 10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. 11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.

I was reading a very interesting article the other day on a secular business site called Entrepreneur.com. What caught my eye was two things. First, this is a thoroughly secular news site. It is intentionally NOT a Christian group. They report on business trends. Secondly, reporter Matthew McCreary had something good to say about a Christian founded business. You don’t find that much anymore in our United States. The article is entitled Chick-fil-A Makes More Per Restaurant Than McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Subway Combined … and It’s Closed On Sundays1. That headline grabbed me. The reporter started out by stating that McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Subway are the top three fast food franchises in yearly U.S. sales. McDonald’s makes over $37 billion dollars yearly, whereas Starbucks and Subway trail at $13 and $10 billion dollars respectively. Chick-fil-A takes in $9 billion per year, and is the eighth restaurant in sales among all the national chains. But here’s what was interesting to the reporter. Though Chick-fil-A only has about a sixth as many restaurants as it’s competitors, each restaurant makes an average of over 4 million dollars. McDonald’s – the top fast food restaurant in the world – only takes in a little over 2 million dollars each year – about half on what Chick-fil-A restaurants earn. What amazed the reporter? He wrote:

“That’s crazy – especially since Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays. Most people would assume that closing one day per week could hurt company profits. However, it’s clear by the per-unit sales numbers that so9mething about Chick-fil-A makes it more attractive that its competitors. Could it be that closing its doors one day a week actually helps Chick-fil-A make more money, not less?”

The reporter went on to speculate as to why Chick-fil-A is making nearly twice as much per restaurant than the top fast food restaurant in the world. Why is this? My opinion is this. I believe God has blessed Chick-fil-A because the Chick-fil-A Corporation has honored God. The Bible tells us:

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

Chick-fil-A honors God by giving its employees a day of rest, a day to choose to worship the Creator or not. God says “I will honor those that honor Me”. His promise stands true forever,
for God’s promises are eternal.

The blessings of God will always be on those who honor the Lord, who are obedient to what He has said. It is wisdom to honor God, to love Him Who is the Giver of all things (Proverbs 8:15-17).

Our God never changes.
We change – we age and grow.

I am not the same person I was when I was born. I am not the same person I was when I was a child. I am not the same person I was when I was in the military. I am not the same person I was when I first came to this beloved Church over six years ago. I change. You change. But God is unchanging. Our God is the One Who gives good and perfect gifts, Who never varies nor ever changes (James 1:17).

The Creator of all things is not evolution, but the sure and certain design of the Master Architect that is God.

Our Creator is the Source of all peace. Where confusion is, He is not. Where peace is, He is (1 Corinthians 14:33). His Promise and His Gospel is forever the same. We are told:

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

His ways are always best. His Gospel always saves. The Blood never loses it’s power!

As Israel – a nation saved by God – got ready to go into the Promised Land they would not be without challenges. God spoke to His people:

Deuteronomy 5:1 (KJV) … Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.

The first three words are “Hear, O Israel” – only two words in the Hebrew. God cries out:

שָׁמַע (shama`) יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisra’el)
Hear, O Israel!

God spoke to that nation, to that people He loved. He wanted the people whom He had freed from slavery to hear the way to blessing. I believe that God is calling out to a mortally wounded America today. God is crying out:

Hear, O America!

God is calling to us to LISTEN to what He has to say. God loves America. Our country – much like Israel – was founded by believers in Christ. Certainly they were flawed as we are. Certainly they erred as we do. Yet America was blessed because many who professed Christ did their best to live for Christ.

Our Lord Jesus looked at a fig tree one day to get a small snack from it. When He saw the fig tree had no fruit our Lord said:

“No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever”

The next day the disciples saw that the same fig tree was dried up and dead to the root. Peter said:

Mark 11:21-22 (KJV) … Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

Israel or America – We Must Have Faith In God

The fig tree died because it did not give the Master its fruit. Our Lord cursed the fig tree. The fig tree is an image if a dead faith.
A dead faith is one that produces NO FRUIT.

The step brother of Christ inspired of God writes:

James 2:20-26 (KJV) But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. … 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

God saved Israel so that Israel could live for God. God saved America – and has prospered us beyond all other nations – so that we can live for God. We are all called to “Have faith in God”. We are called – like Abraham the Father of Faith – to “Have faith in God”.

What does it mean to “Have faith in God”. I submit to you that genuine faith is defined in our text today. Look at it again:

Deuteronomy 5:1 (KJV) … Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.

The first part of faith is to HEAR. The Scripture says:

Romans 10:17 (KJV) … faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

You can sit and hear the SOUND of my voice and never have faith. Faith comes by not just hearing SOUNDS, but INTELLIGENTLY HEARING. If you are dozing right now (and many are the times when we all doze off or daydream) then you may be hearing SOUND but not intelligently. The same thing happens with many of us men when our wives walk into the room and we are watching something on television or reading a book. She will say something and we’ll say:

UH HUH

Later on she’ll come back and say “I thought you were going to take out the trash” and you respond (foolishly, I might add) “When did I say I was going to take out the trash”? She replies “When I walked in here and asked, and you said UH HUH!” Uh oh! We didn’t HEAR intelligently. Many people hear but they do not hear. When Moses said “Shema Yisrael” he wasn’t saying “Listen to poor old Moses”. What he was saying was “Take heed – really listen – because what I’m about to say COMES DIRECT FROM GOD!” This is not my opinion. I saw God. God told me to tell you. You need to hear. Faith cometh by INTELLIGENTLY HEARING what is said is THE WORD OF GOD. Many of you will hear me speak today. You may be entertained, but you’ll leave this place the same way you came in. Why? Because you thought it was MY opinion I was shouting … but it is GOD’s WORD. What has God said? HEAR, O America!

If you HEAR God’s Word only, this is not faith. Look at our text again:

Deuteronomy 5:1 (KJV) … Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.

You need to HEAR what is said as statutes and judgments. I explained last week that:

Statutes are unchanging rules from God for every person
Judgments are unchanging rules from God for specific persons

All people are to keep God’s Ten Commandments. They are not suggestions but commandments. But Israelite males were circumcised on the eighth day after birth. Why? Because God said so. Israelites did not have to be baptized in water. However Christians do not have to be circumcised, but are to be baptized in water after salvation. Why? Because God said so. You hear the Word of God. You believe it is from God. If you have believed:

You LEARN what God said to YOU.
You KEEP or GUARD what God said to YOU.
You DO what God said to YOU.

That’s what Abraham did. God told Abraham:

Genesis 12:1-2 (KJV) … 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:

How did Abraham respond to God’s direction. First, he recognized it was God’s Word. Right after hearing God’s Word Abraham said:

“I’ll get right on that Lord, right after my TV show ends.”

Is that what Abraham did? No. He IMMEDIATELY and INTELLIGENTLY heard what God said. Abraham then MOVED as if God commanded. This is faith. To hear, to intelligently perceive, then to DO as God commands.

Deuteronomy 5:1 (KJV) Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn6 them, and keep7, and do8 them.

God wants the nation to be blessed. Blessing comes by hearing, by memorizing, to guard His Word, then to DO as He says.

Israel, if you will be blessed then HEAR, MEMORIZE, GUARD, and DO what God says. America, if you will be blessed then HEAR, MEMORIZE, GUARD, and DO what God says.

They Were Not Ten Suggestions

God then gives Israel – in fact, any Nation that wants to be blessed of Him – Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were the basis of every law that God issued to the nation Israel. The Ten Commandments are the basis of every law that maintains order in our America.

Deuteronomy 5:7 (KJV) Thou shalt have none other gods before me.

There is but One God, the God of the Scripture. If you are a Christian then you declare with the Scripture that:

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

The world and the worldling have many gods and goddesses, and many times worship themselves. There is no power in the false gods of this world. As the Psalmist said of idols:

Psalms 115:4-8 (KJV) {The unbelievers} idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. 5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: 6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: 7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. 8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

Idols can do nothing for you. You can do nothing for you! Beloved, we all need the Lord. We need the Creator of all. We need to reject the idols, and come to Him that loves us so very much! We who are Christians know that:

1 Timothy 2:5-6 (KJV) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

We are not to create gods and goddesses, but to read and study of Him in His Word, this Beloved Scripture.

Deuteronomy 5:9 (KJV) Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, …

God made you. God gave you life. God provides oxygen, water, and blessing. You may work for a living but God gave you the strength to work. Let us reverence Him and only Him. Let us acknowledge Jesus Christ His Only Begotten Son. Let us praise Him in both tongue and deed. Let us live for our God, for His Smile. Let’s quit living to please a selfish and unbelieving world, and let’s let Him live through us.

Deuteronomy 5:11 (KJV) Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

When we speak of God, let it be to praise Him, to pray to Him, to tell others of Him. Let our lips honor the God Who made us. Let us confess Him. Let us speak the Word of Faith:

Romans 10:8-13 (KJV) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 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. 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.

How fragile and fallible we all are! The Scripture declares “all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Oh how often have I failed my God. Yet still He loves me. Oh, how often you have failed your God. And yet, how He loves you. Though sinners all, fallen and far from perfection, He calls out to us in promise. He calls to us:

Believe Me.
Follow Me.
Hear Me.
Do What I Have Said.

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

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

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.”

America It’s Time To Come Back To God

We are called of God to love God – to hear Him and do what He has said. Our Lord Jesus said in:

John 14:15 (KJV) If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John 14:23-24 (KJV) … If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

When we like Israel love the Lord Who made us – when we intelligently hear what He says and do what He says – then we as people and as a nation will be blessed. In America life has become cheapened because we do not see our fellow man through God’s eyes. The Bible says:

1 John 3:23-24 “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. [24] And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us”

1 Thessalonians 4:9 “But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another”

This is the source of the racism and divisions we have in our country today. This is the reason we have warring and collapse at the government level, in the White House, the Congress, and the Supreme Court. Life is cheapened when God is removed. Oh Beloved, how we need God. Oh Beloved, how we all need Jesus. We have freedom FROM oppression so that we can serve the Living God. We have freedom to choose so that we can choose the Lord Jesus Christ, receiving Him as our Savior and Guide.

Deuteronomy 5:16-21 (KJV) Honor thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 17 Thou shalt not kill. 18 Neither shalt thou commit adultery. 19 Neither shalt thou steal. 20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbor. 21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbor’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbor’s.

Let us find our fulfillment in God our Savior. You cannot work your way to Heaven, but by faith in Him you can be assured of both Heaven later and blessing while on this earth. May the Lord touch your hearts with His Word.

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

The Deceptive Danger Of Sin

Posted on February 4, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

daniel-reeves-1277665-unsplash.jpg

Photo by Daniel Reeves on Unsplash

Deuteronomy 3:1-2 Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 2 And the LORD said unto me, Fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.

In America today we are no longer troubled by sin. With the advent of television and the increasing popularity of Hollywood, morality has relaxed to the point where the word “Sin” is but a public joke. Sin, however is not a joke. God tells us that sin kills. I’ve often quoted:

Romans 6:23 … the wages of sin is death

Sin may seem a blessing or a trifle for a time, then it brings death.

  • Queen Jezebel mocked God and embraced sin. She thought herself invincible. Thrown from a window and trampled by horses, she was eaten by dogs (2 Kings 9:30-37). Sin is no trifle.
  • King Saul thought sin to be a trifle. Defying God he ended up falling on his sword to avoid capture at Mount Gilboa (1 Chronicles 10). “So Saul died for his sin against the Lord, because he did not keep the Word of the Lord”.
  • Israel thought sin to be a small thing. “The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people … so that many people of Israel died” (Numbers 21:6).

Dear ones, sin is not a trifle. It is a trap! It is death!

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

New York thinks sin to be a small thing. On the 46th Anniversary of Roe vs Wade New York State signed into law what is called The Reproductive Health Act. The law preserves abortions up to the time of birth, and removes abortion from the state’s criminal code. The Governor who signed the bill into law stated:

“Today we are taking a giant step forward in the hard-fought battle to ensure a woman’s right to make her own decisions about her own personal health, including the ability to access an abortion. With the signing of this bill, we are sending a clear message that whatever happens in Washington, women in New York will always have the fundamental right to control their own body.”

Many people say “What’s wrong with this?” The reality is that baby in the mother’s womb is a living being.

Deuteronomy 27:25 Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.

We have brought a curse on our nation by this taking of innocent lives. I recently saw a very interesting cartoon on Facebook that had a man shaking his fist at God. The man said “IF You are a loving and merciful God, WHY didn’t You send someone to cure cancer, or true leaders to govern us? What’s Your problem God?” Then in the next panel God simply says, “I did!!! You ABORTED them”.

Sin Is A Liar And A Thief

Sin robs us of the fear of God. It robs us of good things.

Jeremiah 5:23-25 (KJV) But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone. 24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, … 25 Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.

Sin is a robber, and a liar. It destroys a nation. A nation that embraces sin will be abandoned by God and consumed of itself.

1 Samuel 2:30 (KJV) … the LORD God of Israel saith … them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

God expects us to love Him and to obey Him. Sin is to go against what God has clearly stated.

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John 15:10-14 (KJV) If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

What is Sin? When we sin we stand against that which God has commanded (Deuteronomy 11:26-28; 1 Samuel 15:22-23).

Sin, in short, is to live in opposition to God. It is to make your desires and wants greater than God’s desires and wants. God told His nation Israel:

Deuteronomy 28:1-8 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. 6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. 8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Sin Destroys A People

Sin destroyed Heshbon. As Israel moved ever toward the Jordan to prepare to enter the Promised Land this nation had to pass through two enemy territories. In Chapter 2 they had to pass through Heshbon (modern Hisban) which is about 20 miles of the Jordan where it enters the Dead Sea and 50 miles east of Jerusalem. When Israel moved to come through the land owned by Heshbon we read:

Deuteronomy 2:30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.

When Sihon wouldn’t allow Israel to pass Moses believed this was the Lord hardening his heart. God did the same thing to Pharaoh in Egypt 40 years before:

Exodus 7:3-4 {God said} And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.

God loves all, and calls all to repentance. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). But Pharaoh as well as Sihon hardened their hearts towards God. When you harden your hearts long enough after a while God will stop trying to convince you. He will withdraw His convicting Spirit (Romans 9:14-21). Pharaoh because of the hardening of his heart through sin foolishly led his armies into the Red Sea where all died under the waves. In Deuteronomy 2 Sihon hardened his heart by sin until eventually God withdrew and hardened his heart.

Deuteronomy 2:31-32 (KJV)31 And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land. 32 Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.

A hard hearted Sihon led a hard hearted and godless army against God’s people. What happened? The Bible states:

Deuteronomy 2:33-35 And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people. 34 And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain: 35 Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.

Did you read and process this? God ….

utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain

Who was destroyed? Everyone. Men. Women. Children. There were none to remain. Why? Because sin had so hardened this people that the only solution was annihilation.

Sin Even Destroys The Strong

Let’s return to our text for tonight. Having destroyed the Kingdom of Heshbon Israel now moves toward Bashan. God once more tells Moses and Israel:

Deuteronomy 3:2 And the LORD said unto me, Fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.

God destroyed Heshbon because they had no fear of God. Just as they did in Heshbon, Israel destroyed every single person. Is that shocking to you? It is to me.

Deuteronomy 3:6 And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city.

Yet God has the right to destroy that which He created. Many cities in America today are told that they are invincible and impregnable. Many people think that sin will not harm them. Something interesting is said about Bashan. We read:

Deuteronomy 3:5 All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars; beside unwalled towns a great many.

They thought themselves impregnable. Beloved, nothing can stand against God, nor against a people who follow God. Bashan even had a powerful, charismatic leader. The man was a giant among men. We are told:

Deuteronomy 3:11 For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.

We don’t know exactly how heavy Og was, but his bed was 13.5 feet long and about 5.5 feet wide and made of iron! Yet even as powerful as he was, he was no match for the power of God. The Bible says:

Jeremiah 17:5-8 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

No matter how powerful a leader nor how prosperous a nation, if it ceases to fear God and despise sin it is ripe for destruction.

Psalms 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

Bashan’s sinfulness caught up with it. So will America’s catch up with it. Beloved, let us live for God. Let us love Him with all our hearts. Let us heed His Word, and do as He says. Sin is a liar, a trap, and a destructive and deadly force. Turn from sin!

Sin Can Destroy The Best Believer

One of the greatest and most faithful of God’s servants was Moses. After defeating the Kingdom of Bashan Moses goes to the Lord, praying:

Deuteronomy 3:24-25 … O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might? 25 I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.

Does our God forgive sin? Yes, He does. He loves Moses very much. But sin is no trifle. When Israel encamped at Meribah they found no water there. The people murmured against God and against Moses and Aaron, saying:

Numbers 20:4-6 (KJV) And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? 5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink. 6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.

The Lord gave Moses very clear directions. He told that precious man:

Numbers 20:8 (KJV) Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

Moses was to speak to the rock. This Rock symbolized the Risen Christ (see 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 “That Rock was Christ”).

But as Moses came before that Rock with his brother Aaron the many years of abuse he suffered at the hands of the people began to boil up. Looking at the people Moses’ let his temper get the best of him:

Numbers 20:10-11 … Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

Instead of speaking to the Rock Moses struck the Rock twice! That Rock was Christ. It was symbolic of the Jesus Who would die on Calvary for us. Moses crucified to himself the Son of God afresh (Hebrews 6:6). Yet God is faithful. God allowed the water of blessing to come out of the Rock. But God told Moses and Aaron:

Numbers 20:12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

God forgives sin, but sin has consequences. Adam ate the forbidden fruit and lost Paradise. Israel murmured against God and lost the Promised Land. Moses disobeyed God and must suffer the consequences. God told Moses:

Deuteronomy 3:26-27 … the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter. 27 Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

Beloved, though God forgives sin, and loves His child saved by faith, the consequence of sin is often inescapable. Dr. J. Vernon McGee said in his Through The Bible broadcast:

“Though we repent of our sin, we will have to take the consequences of it in this life whether we like it or not.”

Sin is no trifle. It is a horrible thing that must be repented of. Moses was certainly still loved. You are loved, even when you sin. When you sin – and I too sin – confess that sin as quickly as you realize it. Bring it before the Cross of Calvary. The Scripture says:

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

Do not let sin rule you. Let God rule you. Love Him, and obey Him. May God touch your hearts with His Word.

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

Unblended Faith

Posted on February 4, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

giulia-gasperini-1242282-unsplash.jpg

Photo by Giulia Gasperini on Unsplash

Deuteronomy 4:1-2 (KJV) Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

When God saved Israel, He wanted those He saved to worship only Him. When God saves a Christian He demands that those whom He has saved worship only Him.

You will not get far in your spiritual journey if you blend your faith with God with other gods.

God loves to bless His people.
Oh, how good our God is!
Our God saves us to bless us.

When God saves, He saves with a purpose. He told His people:

Exodus 3:17 (KJV) … I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

God wants to bless His people. He wants to free His people. He wants us walking in victory no matter where we are. To walk with the Almighty God is to triumph.
Yet all around us are other faiths and faith systems.

Though we today may not call them Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, or Jebusites today there are many other faiths in the world, and different practices because of these faiths. Our God tells us that we are not to blend our faith with other faiths. We are to listen to and heed our God exclusively. This is not hatred, but common sense.

Love the One Who saved you!

Several years ago the then current President of the United States said: “…I believe in an Almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God.”1

With all respect to that President, is what he said actually true? Not if you accept the Scripture as true. Our Lord Jesus told us:

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

You cannot come into the presence of God the Father, nor enter His Heaven, unless you come to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. No priest can take you there. I cannot take you there. The gods of Mormonism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Atheism, Naturalism, or Spiritualism cannot bring you into union with the Creator. Jesus Christ was even more specific in …

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

These seem to be harsh words, but they are not. Truth is never harsh. Jesus did not mince words. “Those who came before Me were THIEVES and ROBBERS”. What did they steal? They stole souls. There is but one Door that leads to the Father, and that Door is Christ. Christ was the Savior of Israel, and Christ is the Savior of His Church. Jesus declared to the Pharisees that the Old Testament Scriptures speak of HIM.

John 5:39-40 (KJV) Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Eternal life and blessing is only found by following our Lord Jesus. The early Church proudly preached:

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

The Christian faith cannot be blended with other faiths. They just won’t mix. God warned the Israel He saved:

Deuteronomy 4:2 (KJV) Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

A very similar command is given at the end of the New Testament. We read:

Revelation 22:18-19 (KJV)… If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Deuteronomy 4:1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do [them], that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.

God commanded His people to both HEAR (hearken) and DO what He called “the STATUTES and the JUDGMENTS”.

Dr. Thomas Constable2 states:

“ “Statutes” (v. 1) were the permanent basic rules of conduct whereas “judgments” (ordinances, v. 1) were decisions God revealed in answer to specific needs.”

God gives His people permanent rules of conduct as well as general direction in how we live our daily lives. Israel was given Ten Commandment or standards of conduct that were absolute. But the Lord also gave His people direction on dress, sanitation, and even on the type of food they could eat. The ancient Israelite, for instance, was not allowed to eat foods that God called unclean. The restriction against eating “unclean” foods was a “judgment” that applied only to Israel, not to the Church. We know this because of the vision God gave the Apostle Peter in …

Acts 10:11-16 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: {12} Wherein were all manner of four footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. {13} And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. {14} But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. {15} And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. {16} This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

“Statutes” never change – they are bound laws against evil. Neither Jew nor Christian can bow the knee to a false god in the name of tolerance. God’s Commandment against idolatry stands forever.

“Judgments” were commands specifically directed to God’s particular people at that time of human history.

  • The Law of Circumcision was a “Judgment” that the Israelite kept, but the Church does not have to keep.

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

  • The Christian is not required to keep the “Feasts” or special celebrations that the Jews kept. These were “Judgments”.

  • The Christian does not have to sacrifice an animal in the Temple (if there were one) because today Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

We who are not of Israel but of Christ’s Church are “circumcised with the circumcision made without hands” (Colossians 2:11). When you believed on Jesus many of the “judgments” that ancient Israel were under ceased for you. “You are not under the Law, but under Grace” (Romans 6:14).

You are not under the “judgments pertaining to Israel” but you are still under God’s Statutes.

We still follow God’s statutes if we are God’s Children by faith in Christ. We “hearken to His Statutes (both for Israel and the Church) and His Judgments (for the Church).

Deuteronomy 4:1 Now therefore hearken3, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do [them], that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.

If you want to be blessed then you heed and obey the Lord Who saved you. We belong to Him!

Psalms 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

God hath made us, not we ourselves. When we begin to think “I am a self-made Christian” we walk a pathway that leads to utter destruction. God made me, and He can unmake me. We are the sheep of His pasture. God controls the pasture, the place of feeding and the place of life. We should listen to Him.

Like Israel the Church today is in a land filled with false gods and goddesses. All around us are terribly lost people. Just as in the Book of Deuteronomy, many who are not right with God sacrifice their children on altars of convenience. Neither Israel nor the Church were to be confused by the false and flowing philosophies about them. We are to heed God’s Word but reject man’s word. The Scripture says:

Ephesians 5:6-8 (KJV) 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:

God saves us to bless us, but He cannot bless us if we will not hear and do His Statutes and Judgments.

Deuteronomy 4:1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do [them], that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.

The faith that saves is the faith that DOES. You do not DO to be saved, if you are saved you shall DO!

The Apostle James – a stepbrother of Christ – likened a faith that does not DO to a dead thing. He said:

James 2:14-20 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? {15} If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, {16} And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? {17} Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. {18} Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. {19} Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. {20} But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Faith alone in Christ alone saves the soul. The Scripture clearly teaches this:

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

Keeping the Law or even being super moral will not save you. But once you are saved you are called by God to obey His statutes and judgments. A good illustration is found in the Book of Acts. Philip the Evangelist was led to a man merely called “the Ethiopian Eunuch”. This man was reading the Old Testament Scripture of …

Isaiah 53:7-8 (KJV) He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

Philip asked the Eunuch if he understood the passage. The man replied “No, will you guide me?” At that point the Scripture says:

Acts 8:35 (KJV) Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

This passage was prophetic of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was oppressed and afflicted for us. He was brought as a Lamb to be slaughtered for us. He was imprisoned, and nailed to a tree for us! Oh, as Stephen preached this Word the Eunuch’s heart melted, and he gave his life to the Lord. Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). As they rode together a ways the Bible says:

Acts 8:36-38 (KJV) … they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

Water Baptism is a judgment that Christ gave to His Church (Mark 16:16; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 16:31-33; 2:38-41). The Eunuch believed with all his heart, then quickly sought to obey His Lord. Beloved, there is no blessing if we do not obey our Lord. This is true of both Israel and the Church. Jesus declared:

Luke 6:46-49 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? {47} Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: {48} He is like a man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. {49} But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

To come to God, hear His Word, then DO that Word is to bring immense blessings to your life. Let us CLING to our Savior!

Deuteronomy 4:3-4 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you. {4} But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God [are] alive every one of you this day.

In Numbers 25:1-9 Israel joined itself with the Moabites, and began to worship the false god call BAAL of MOUNT PEOR. God despised this blending of faith with the world, and all those who worshiped BAAL of Mount Peor died in a plague – about 24,000 people.

God reminds His Israel of this terrible day in their history. Dear Ones Whom I terribly love, God will not have His Faith mingled with godlessness. To cling to God is to live.

ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God [are] alive
every one of you this day

Let us all who are saved by Christ Cling to God. Draw close to Him at all times – this is the Way of Life. Those who cling to God are blessed in this life. The first generation of Israel held on to all the wrong things, and as a result lost everything – even their lives. Jesus said:

John 15:5-6 (KJV) I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

To cling to our Savior is the Way of the Christian. The Lord wants to bless you, just as He wanted to bless Israel before you. Israel would not heed Him, would not serve Him, would not live in her faith – and thus lost everything. Let us follow the example of the early Church. If persecuted, cling to Jesus. Though you walk alone, cling to Jesus. Hear His Voice. Walk where He says walk. Do as He has bid you to do. Read His Word. Speak to Him moment by moment. This is the Way of Blessing!

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

1 The Same God? by Cal Thomas, 10/09/2007

2 Soniclight.org Constable’s Commentary on Deuteronomy

3 Qal Imperative of H8085, שׁמע, shâma‛, shaw-mah’, A primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively to tell, etc.): – X attentively, call (gather) together, X carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear (-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim (-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell, understand, whosoever [heareth], witness.

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

I Die Daily

Posted on January 31, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

matt-botsford-680057-unsplash

Photo by Matt Botsford on Unsplash

1 Corinthians 15:31 (KJV) I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

 

God gave us many wonderful truths through the writings of the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Peter, speaking of Paul’s inspired writings, said:

2 Peter 3:15-16 (KJV) {We} account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

The Chief Apostle recognized Paul’s writings as Scripture given him by the Lord. But Peter also said that many of Paul’s writings are “hard to be understood”. Paul lived so close to God that many of his sayings are hard for us to understand. One which I’ve preached before is “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Just three words, but with great meaning. I want to look at another three word saying of Paul today, one that we all desperately need. The Apostle says:

I Die Daily!

In one sense we all die daily

Many people ignore the fact that every day we live is also a day we die. We are born into this world growing but also dying. Death was pronounced on mankind from the time of Adam. God told Adam that he was to tend the Garden of Paradise. God gave Adam all things in that Garden to eat, but warned:

Genesis 2:17 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.

Our forefather Adam did that which God told him not to do. I do not know if Adam even knew what death was, for there was no death nor killing in Eden. But the Scripture tells us that:

1 Corinthians 15:21-22 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

It was not God’s desire that we die. This was Adam’s idea. He violated God’s ordinance, and God did as He said. Adam brings death. Every child that came forth from Adam – and that’s all of us – are born dying. Death is no respector of persons. It does not matter if you are rich or poor, young or old, male or female. It doesn’t matter your race, nor your home town. The Bible tells us that because of Adam’s sin:

Hebrews 9:27 … it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

You may break the law and evade human justice. You may avoid paying taxes. There are a lot of things you can do in this. But one thing you cannot do – you cannot evade death. The Psalmist said:

Psalms 89:47-48 Remember how short my time is:… 48 What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.

It is the fool that ignores the reality of death. “Lord, teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (Psalm 90:12)”. The unbeliever who rejects the concept of death was spoken of by our Lord and Savior. In the Parable of the Rich Fool Jesus said:

Luke 12:16-21 … The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

How foolish to ignore the reality of death. I die daily. We all die daily. We do not know when we will come to the end of this present life. Jesus warned us all the lay up treasure for yourself in God’s Kingdom, for the treasures you have today you will one day have no more. The fool ignores death. The fool, when he thinks on it, dreads death. But the Christian has considered death, and has given his soul to Christ. Jesus has conquered death. He has risen, just as He said. Jesus has promised us who love Him and believe in Him eternal life. He prayed for His Church before He died on Calvary:

John 17:1-2 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

I die daily, but Christ has conquered death. I no longer fear death for He is my Life! He has said:

John 10:28  I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

The Resurrected Savior has every believer in His nail scarred hands. Jesus is the One and Only Person Who has the keys to death and the grave (Revelation 1:18). He has said:

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

Oh Beloved, we do not groan because we die daily. We praise Him BECAUSE we die daily.
What is death to the Christian but a promotion?

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

To be “absent from the body is to be present with the Lord”. The Apostle Paul looked forward to leaving this life. He said that “I desire to depart and so be with Christ, which is so much better” (Philippians 1:23). Oh, that you all could say with the same confidence “I die daily” and not tremble in the saying. It is the sign of perfect love that you desire to be with the Lord more than you desire to be on this present earth. The unbelieverc dies daily and fears to confront nor even consider his death. But the strong believer intentionally and daily faces his mortality – and rejoices. For immortality will not come until the mortal is placed to the side. That which is corruptible must be sown into the ground, so that that which is immortal can be clothed upon us.

Dying Daily Is The Normal Christian Life

Many in the modern Church do not understand this, but “I die daily” is a mark of the normal Christian life. Jesus told His disciples:

Matthew 16:24-26… If any man will come after me, let him 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?

Salvation begins the day that YOU die and Christ is born in you. Jesus was very clear. To “come after Him” – to be in His Salvation – you MUST take up your Cross and follow Him. The Cross was not in Jesus’ day a pretty piece of jewelry. The Cross was a device of death. It was a complete humiliation. It was a public shaming. Jesus did not say “Take up your Cross and, when tired or embarrassed or humiliated or shunned – then put it down!” No, Jesus said “Take up your Cross and follow Me”. This is a willing choice.

The Cross is never forced on anyone by God. Religion forces the Cross on others,
but not God.

On the day that Jesus was crucified He had to carry His own Cross (John 19:17). As Jesus carried that Cross at one point the blood that He lost in being beaten caused Him to fall. When He fell, the Roman authorities forced Simon from Cyrene to bear His Cross:

Matthew 27:32 … as they came out, {the Roman Soldiers} found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. (also Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26)

Simon was FORCED to carry Christ’s Cross. He was forced by man. But Christ commands us to WILLINGLY take up His Cross and follow Him. Though Simon carried Christ’s Cross the rest of the way to Calvary, there is no other evidence in the Scripture that Simon EVER did anything else for God his entire life. There have been oral human traditions that have grown up around this man, but nothing historically accurate.

When Paul said “I die daily” this speaks to His willingness to voluntarily follow the Lord. Beloved, the one that must be COMPELLED to follow Jesus is not Christ’s child. I’ll say it again, and louder:

If you must be COMPELLED to take up the Cross and follow Christ, then you are probably NOT Christ’s child!

To take up the Cross is to willingly humble yourself for Christ’s sake. One day Peter told Jesus:

Luke 18:28 Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.

Inherent in his question is the unspoken “Lord, what will we receive for this?” Jesus immediately replied:

Luke 18:29-30 … Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, 30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

To die daily is to put yourself last and Christ first. To live for Him. To make Christ a priority. This is the normal Christian life. Don’t believe me? Read:

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

Inside of me there is an evil David Who wants his own way. I must kill this David daily. Jesus died for me so that I could live for Him. I must die daily for this to happen. Our attitude must mimic that of Paul, who said:

Philippians 3:7-8 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Oh Beloved there is coming a judgment day for all, even the Christian. How will you stand on that Judgment Day? Will you see all your rewards burn up in the fiery gaze of God’s Judgment. Will you see your works burn up as useless, suffering the loss of reward … though you yourself will be saved (1 Corinthians 3:15). I wish myself to gain a crown or two that I may lay them at my Christ’s feet in glory. This will not happen if I do not die daily.

Dying Daily Is The Putting Away Of The Old Man

There is not a day that goes by that I do not have to kill David Buffaloe. I die daily. If you belong to Jesus we are commanded to:

Galatians 5:24 … crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

The old me must die, and I must become more like Christ. Therefore I willingly give up those portions of my life that are dishonoring to the image of Christ.

Ephesians 4:20-24 … But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Colossians 3:8-11 … But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit Who is in you bind every work of the flesh that belongs to Adam, and release every work of the Spirit that belongs to Christ. Sacrifice the old you for the God empowered you. Do not be arrogant or prideful. God resisteth the proud, but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5; James 4:6).

Forgive trespasses against yourself. Your old nature will rise up when you are offended, and you will be tempted to strike heartily at the offender. The devil will whisper in your ear, “Go ahead. Let him have it! He deserves it!” But if I die daily I will remember the words of my Lord:

Romans 12:19-21 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Adam cannot overcome Adam, but Christ defeats Adam – and Satan – every time! What has my Master said?

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

Do it for Christ’s sake. In time, Christ will triumph. His way is best. Stop trying to live life your way. Die daily. Live life Christ’s way!

Die Daily At Calvary

To die daily is to be apart from the world
but in union with Christ.

Every believer should frequently walk the Calvary Road and pause standing at the foot of the Cross. Die daily with Jesus. Die daily to your sins. When you sin, when you have been selfish, when you have broken the Father’s heart – stop, repent, and die to yourself. Ask the Father to forgive you for Christ’s sake. Do not do as Adam did, trying to fix his error with fig leaves and foolishness. You are children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords if you have received the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. You are not your own. You belong to Him. Or do you?

Some of you do not. Because you never died the first time, you will not die daily. There are many false tares in the Churches everywhere. Spiritless creatures who have never given themselves to the Lord. Salvation begins with dying daily. It begins with repentance, which is a turning away of your old man. David Buffaloe had to die to self before salvation came. Because of Him I know that I am saved. The only hell I will ever experience is on this earth. But for the one without Christ, the only Heaven they will ever experience is ON this earth.

I’d much rather be in Christ. How about you? May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Posted in 1 Corinthians | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Forty Years

Posted on January 28, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

kent-pilcher-1153738-unsplash

Photo by Kent Pilcher on Unsplash

Last Wednesday we were with Moses as he recounted Israel’s failure of faith at the Jordan. The first generation of Israel has passed into eternity over the last 40 years. Their children are now adults. It is to the second generation of Israel that God through Moses writes Deuteronomy, the second giving of the Law. Let’s continue by reading together:

Deuteronomy 2:7 (KJV) For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.

Why did God make His people wander in the wilderness for forty years?
Israel was a people in covenant with God and with one another.
They violated the clearly presented covenant.

The covenant was understood and freely accepted by the people at Mount Sinai. The people were consecrated (Exodus 19:10-15) and then Moses gave the conditions of the Covenant to the people.

Exodus 24:3-8 (KJV) … Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, ALL THE WORDS WHICH THE LORD HATH SAID WILL WE DO.  [4]  And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.  [5]  And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.  [6]  And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.  [7]  And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, ALL THAT THE LORD HATH SAID WILL WE DO, AND BE OBEDIENT.  [8]  And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

The people agreed to the Covenant “with one voice”. No paper ballot was set before them. They heard the covenant and saw the Blood of the covenant, and with one accord agreed. “All that the LORD hath said we WILL DO, and BE OBEDIENT”. These were a people under the Abrahamic Covenant. These were a people under a covenant with God to support one another, and to support the God Who loved them.

“Forty” Reminds The People Of The Covenant

Why did God cause Israel to wander for “Forty years”? Why not destroy the first generation in 40 days? After all:

In Noah’s day God destroyed all but those on the Ark by water
in forty days and forty nights (Genesis 7:12).

If God could destroy the world in just forty 24 hour days then He could have easily destroyed the first generation of Israel in that time.

In Jonah’s day God threatened to destroy Nineveh (the capital
of Assyria) if they did not repent in 40 days (Jonah 3:4).

If God could destroy a superior warrior nation in just 40 days, He could certainly have destroyed a nation of freed slaves in that amount of time.
Why give Israel 40 years?

The obvious answer is what we read as the words of God. When Israel refused to obey the Lord and enter the land of Promise the Lord told Moses to tell them:

Numbers 14:29-34 (KJV)  Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,  [30]  Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.  [31]  But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.  [32]  But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.  [33]  And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.  [34]  After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

Instead of doing as God told them to do, they sent spies into the land. They languished, and procrastinated, and eventually – after 40 days – refused to obey God. To compound this they murmured against God, and against God’s people. They threatened Moses, Joshua, and Caleb, three who wished to follow the Lord and obey the covenant. God told them “each day for a year shall you bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise”.

God will not bless murmuring against Himself, or against one another. God’s people are in covenant with both God and with one another. Murmuring and anarchy are against the blood of the covenant.

Matthew 22:37-40 (KJV) … Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  [38]  This is the first and great commandment.  [39]  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  [40]  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

The Law and the blood of the covenant are summarized in this small statement from our Lord. The children of the covenant are to love the God Who saved them wholeheartedly, with all of our being. Murmuring and complaining has no place in this. We are also to love one another with a passionate love.

1 Timothy 4:10 (KJV)  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, SPECIALLY OF THOSE THAT BELIEVE.

The blood of the covenant was shed for every person, especially for those who believe. Israel represented God our Savior to the world. In this present age, the Church represents God our Savior to the world. We do not murmur nor complain, but magnify our Lord for the world to see. Moses emphatically understood this, as did our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God’s People Represent God To A Lost World

When Israel first violated the blood of the covenant God spoke to Moses. He told Moses:

Numbers 14:11-12 (KJV) … the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? 12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.

God could have raised up another nation of Israel from the rocks of the field, had He wanted to do so (see our Lord’s statement in Luke 19:40). When Abel was murdered by Cain his brother his blood cried out from the ground on which it was spilled (Genesis 4:10). The blood of the covenant cried out to be avenged. The innocent died to secure the covenant, and so God intended to destroy Israel. At least, He said so.

Yet Moses understood the glory of God, and loved God “with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind”. Moses prayed to the Lord:

Numbers 14:13-18 (KJV)  And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)  [14]  And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.  [15]  Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,  [16]  Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.  [17]  And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,  [18]  The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

Moses wanted God’s glory to go forth into all the world. He loved the Lord, and wanted the lost world to see the power of the Almighty revealed through His people.

God gave Israel forty years of real life learning.
Throughout that forty years God weeded out unbelief
while showing love to those under the blood of the covenant.

The Forty Years Was A Teaching Classroom For Israel

Faithlessness and the double mind will never receive the greatest blessing from God. There are many times when we have our doubts. I remember one time when a man came to Jesus and said “My son is throwing himself in the fire. There seems to be a demon trying to destroy him, and there is nothing I can do. Lord, will You heal him?” Jesus told him:

Mark 9:23 (KJV) … If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

God will not bless unbelief. The one who wavers in their faith need not expect the greatest blessing from God (James 1:5-8). The Bible is very clear that “without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). To murmur against God and against one another is to betray the blood of the covenant, the blood by which you are bought.

This dear man – this father – told the Lord with tears in his eyes:

Mark 9:24 (KJV) … Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

He acknowledged the Lordship of God in Christ. He believed as best he could. But rather than murmur, he acknowledged his inability. And Christ blessed him for it. Had Israel went to God when they thought the crossing of the Jordan was too much for them – had they prayed “Lord, we believe … help Thou our unbelief” – then God would have strengthened their hearts. Our God loves us. Our God loved us so much that He shed His Blood on Calvary. The Blood of the Covenant was hard won. It cost God everything to save us. Trust in Him.

Israel had been saved from Egypt, but they had not learned to trust the Lord Who saved them. So the Lord gave them forty years to learn that God is faithful to His covenant. God can do everything that He chooses to do (Job 42:2).

While Israel wandered our loving God did not abandon them. For those forty years …

Deuteronomy 2:7 For the LORD thy God hath blessed
thee in ALL the works of thy hand ..

As they wandered through the wilderness they were daily reminded of two things. They were reminded that they had lost the blessing of the Promised Land because of their unbelief. But they were also reminded that God still loved them. God kept His part of the covenant. We read:

Deuteronomy 8:2-5 (KJV)… remember all the way which THE LORD THY GOD LED THEE THESE FORTY YEARS in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. 3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. 4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. 5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.

Trials come to remind those under the blood of the covenant that God still leads us. He stayed with that wandering generation. He fed them and gave them water to drink. God protected them from the attacks of the enemy. God made their resources last. Their clothes and shoes did not wear out over their forty year journey (Deuteronomy 29:5). God kept the promise – the covenant that He made with Abraham:

“Blessing I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing (Genesis 12:2).”

“In blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy see as the stars of the Heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies (Genesis 22:17)”.

The Lesson Every Day For Forty Years Was…

Deuteronomy 2:7 (KJV) … He knoweth thy walking
through this great wilderness …

God watched every footstep that His people took. He was with them every step of the way. Praise God for His faithfulness.
Praise God for the blood of the covenant shed for us!

Psalms 31:7-8 (KJV) I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities; 8 And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.

He carried that first generation for forty years until they reached time to go home. As they died in the desert, they did not die alone. God loved them. God bore them up.

Isaiah 63:7-9 (KJV) I will mention the loving kindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses. 8 For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. 9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

God loved His people, even in their punishments. He bore them on eagle’s wings. As Israel wandered they passed by lands that was not theirs to have. As you read through chapter two of Deuteronomy you see the Lord mention this several times. God commanded the people:

Deuteronomy 2:4-5 (KJV) …. Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in {Mount} Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore: 5 Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

Esau is a picture of the selfish and godless man,
yet God blessed him.

Esau was Jacob’s brother, the brother who sold his birthright for a bowl of lintel stew. God told Israel wandering “When you get to Mount Seir the descendants of Esau will be afraid of you. You will not take advantage of this. You can buy meat and water to eat and drink, but do not try and take their land. I gave this land to them – not to you.” Israel, you didn’t possess your land. You will not take another’s land. God went on to tell His people:

Deuteronomy 2:9 (KJV) … Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.

The Moabites were cousins to Israel. They were the children descended from one of Lot’s daughters – if you remember, Lot was the nephew of Abraham. God made the Moabites afraid of the Israelites, but they were not to touch their land. “You lost your promise, dear Israel. You may not take another’s!”

Israel wandered thirty-eight years until all the fighting warriors of Israel had died. Then God sent Israel – an Israel without warriors – into the lands of Ammon. The Lord said:

Deuteronomy 2:19 (KJV) … when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.

The Ammonites were also cousins to the Israelites, descended from the second daughter of Lot. The Lord gave them the land they were in, and so Israel was not to take it. This then is an Israel without warriors, and without the command to go into battle. Then the Lord says:

Deuteronomy 2:24-25 (KJV) Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle. 25 This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.

At the end of the forty years of wandering – with no seasoned warriors able to fight – the Lord commands Israel to attack the Amorites. These were highland mountaineers who inhabited the bordering land of Canaan. These were all descendants of Canaan, and fierce warriors to boot. God wanted His Israel to trust Him, to rely on Him for the victory.

Psalms 62:5-8 (KJV) My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved. 7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. 8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

As C.H. Spurgeon said:

“As long as we can feel the bottom of the river, we have not reached the best waters to swim in. When the barley loaves and the few small fishes are all broken, then the miracle of multiplying begins. My brethren, watch and wait for the Lord, and expect Him as confidently as you look for light at the hour of dawn. Far sooner may the sun forget his rising than the Lord forget His promise to succor His people in the hour of need.”

Israel, Trust in the Lord!
Church, Trust in the Lord!
Do what He has commanded, and let Him do the rest.

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

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

Grow In Grace

Posted on January 27, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

francesco-gallarotti-72602-unsplash.jpg

Photo by Francesco Gallarotti on Unsplash

2 Peter 3:17-18 (KJV) Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. 18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

 

The Bible tells us to “grow in Grace”.

I remember years ago a dear friend and mentor named Hoyt Wilson came to preach revival at the Church I was assigned. One remark he made stuck with me all these years. He was speaking on spiritual growth. He said – and I paraphrase this – “When you go to visit your grandchildren most all of us make the statement, oh my, how you have GROWN”. You marvel over their growth. You never say “My, how you have STAYED THE SAME”. Growth is a blessing. To stay still is not. That which never changes is indeed a corpse. That which does not move forward and progress is dead, without life.

Think of the top spinning. While it is spinning it stands upright. When it does nothing what does it do? It falls over. Think of a bicycle. When I was young I saw others riding on bicycles. How can it be possible that a vehicle with only two tires stay upright? It is only possible if it is moving. The slower you go, the more wobbly you become. A bicycle stopped cannot stay upright, but falls over. It must keep moving.

The way to stand is to go forward.
God expects His Christians to go forward.
He expects His people to be light.
This world is in its death throes.
All will cease in time.

2 Peter 3:11-13 (KJV) Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

All things shall end. It shall all burn up in the judgment of God. That which remains will be those saved by His Grace. Since judgment is certain God commands those who love Him to “grow in grace”.

Not WORK FOR But GROW IN Grace

What is this thing we call GRACE. I have heard GRACE explained this way:

God’s
Riches
At
Christ’s
Expense

I won’t disagree with that. Grace is a free gift from God, a gift that we can never earn nor never deserve. We are all born into this world shadows in the darkness. We are all born sinners. Jesus Christ told Nicodemus – a well respected teacher in Israel:

John 3:3 (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.

In our first birth we are born with a sinful state. The proof of that sinful state is the physical death of our bodies.

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

From a child we have been sinners. We inherited the sin nature from our parents, who inherited it from their parents, and so on and so forth all the way back to Adam. We were born fleshly, self seeking and apart from a relationship with God. We were “by nature the children of wrath, unable to please God” (Romans 8:8; Ephesians 2:1).

We were at first born wrong, so God offered to make us born again. God Himself was born into the world He created. He took upon Himself humanity. Made of the Spirit in a virgin womb, Christ was born. He was and is the Passover Lamb Who came to be the sacrifice for the world. John declared:

John 1:29 (KJV) The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

God willingly came to this earth to take upon Himself your sins and mine. This is why it is called GRACE. It is a free gift, freely offered to every soul that will take it. God offers us a new life in Christ – should you choose to accept it. The Apostle said:

Romans 6:22-23 (KJV) But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Grace is an exchange of life. Before Grace we – like the rest of the world – lived unto ourselves as if there were no God. Oh, we may have nodded the head at God on occasion. We may have said “Grace” over our food, or recognized Him at certain holidays. Perhaps if we had time we might even go to Church and with boredom sing a song or two. We may even have put a dollar in the offering plate – or an empty envelope. But our God was actually ourselves.

But the day we met Jesus Christ we realized we were sinners with only one hope. We wanted the Free Gift that Christ purchased for us in His Blood. We became servants to God, and had our fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. God offers us new life in the Grace of Christ. Covering us with His Blood, the Blood of Calvary,

God will never love me more.
The day I was saved He received me as a son.
Grow in Grace does not mean to be more saved.
Grow in Grace does not mean to be more accepted of God.

Grace is entirely a gift of God. The Scripture says:

Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV) 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.

Saved By Grace We Live For God

The Child of God has no right to boast of their standing with God. God offered that which we could not purchase nor work for. It is a Gift of God. God gives this gift to young and old, to rich and poor, to male and female, to Jew or Gentile.

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

Sin pays a WAGE, but God gives a GIFT. Sin treats us as if we are employees. Sin says “Do this, and the more you do it, the more wage I will give you”. Sin looks good. But sin is a bad employer. Why? Because that which sin pays you ultimately ends up in death. The WAGES of SIN is DEATH. John Piper describes it this way:

“What’s the difference between a wage and a gift? A wage is something you earn. A gift is something you don’t earn, and can’t earn. A wage is a matter of debt and justice. A free gift is a matter of beneficence and grace. You can take somebody to court for not paying you your wages; but you can’t take anyone to court for not giving you a free gift. You deserve your wages. You don’t deserve a free gift. Otherwise it wouldn’t be free.”

Salvation by Grace is not a wage, but a gift. When we REPENT, turning away from our old god called SIN, and give ourselves to God in Christ then we receive His free gift. We become servants – not of sin but of God. Again Piper said:

“Coming home to God – being indentured to God as our master – is the true slavery for which we were created. It’s the one true slavery because God really owns us. He made us, and therefore he owns us. When we do what he tells us to do, he owes us no wages. Owners don’t pay their possessions wages in a true slavery. And there is only one true slavery in the universe: our slavery to God. Only God owns human beings ultimately. So to be enslaved to God is a homecoming to our true master.”

When you receive Christ as Lord and Savior you are exchanging your dead life for eternal life. You become God’s child. You become God’s servant. You are His possession. What does the Scripture say to the believer?

1 Corinthians 3:23 (KJV) And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

Who will live eternally? Those who are possessed of Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:22-23 (KJV) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

We are to treat one another with absolute love because WE ARE CHRIST’S. You do not belong to me – you, if saved, belong to Christ. I do not belong to you. I belong to God.

2 Corinthians 10:7 (KJV) Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s.

The Grace that we have received as a free gift was not free to God. It cost Him so very much. It cost the Father His Son. It cost the Son His Blood. And it cost the Holy Spirit His time.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (KJV) 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.

Body and soul you belong to Christ, dear Christian. He is your Lord as well as your Savior. There are many who preach an unconstitutional grace. They say “You may be saved by the free gift of Grace, but afterward you can still be your own master”. Dear friend, you will not find such a teaching in Scripture. The free gift gives you new life, but the new life is a life in Christ. We do not live to please others. We live to please Christ.

1 Corinthians 7:23-24 (KJV) Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. 24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.

Grace Is A Stewardship That Must Grow

grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Growing in Grace is Not to be more saved.
Growing in Grace is not to be more pardoned.
Growing in Grace is not to be more loved.

God loves you, dear Christian, with all the love that He will ever love you with. Growing in Grace is to become more like Jesus. That is why “grow in Grace” is coupled with “AND in the knowledge of our LORD and SAVIOR Jesus Christ”. You grow in Grace by learning more of Jesus. You grow in Grace by DOING that which Christ has said to do.

You will not grow in Grace by the passage of time.
There are many white haired Christians that are still babes in Christ.
To grow in Grace is to obey Him Who saved you.
To surrender more and more of the YOU to HIM.

The Apostle put it this way:

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

To grow in Grace is to willingly give yourselves to God’s Word and His Will. To reject the evils of this world, and to cling to Him. To deliberately draw near to Him Who saved you. To stop defining life based on what YOU think but living life based on what CHRIST thinks. The Bible tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). It was the David surrendered to God who stood in front of a giant called Goliath and confidently declared:

1 Samuel 17:37 (KJV) David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. ..

1 Samuel 17:45-46 (KJV) Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

By Grace David defeated the giant Goliath. But it is another David who stole another man’s wife, and then plotted to kill her husband. This David was not following the Lord his God, but following a false god of sexual sin. We dear friends are living in the latter days.

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness

We must live in the clutches of our Savior. We must do that which He has commanded we do. We must not compromise, but live for Him.

2 Corinthians 5:15 (KJV) And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

There is no power in living unto ourselves. While David lived in the power of Grace he was able to defeat giants. When David lived in his own power the giant of himself defeated him, and death came. Let us grow in Grace, dear believers.

  • To grow in Grace you must intentionally draw near to God in Christ.

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

To abide in Christ is to grow in Grace. As you hear and DO His Word, He promises that you shall grow and bear fruit.

John 14:15-18, 21 (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. … 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

As we READ and DO God’s Word He manifests Himself to us, making us more like Christ daily. Pride drives Grace away.

James 4:6 (KJV) … God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

The more you learn of Christ, and the more you do of Christ, the more you grow in Grace. It is the Grace empowered Christian that changes the world. We grow in Grace by:

Colossians 3:16-17 (KJV) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

We are called to learn of Him, to worship Him, and to obey Him in all things. We are to love as He Himself loved. We are to dwell in our minds on Him and on our final destination.

Colossians 3:1-10 (KJV) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Be the light that God has called you to be. May God grant you dear ones to grow in the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Posted in 2 Peter, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Why Must Jesus Be The Only Way To God?

Posted on January 21, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

madeleine-ragsdale-682111-unsplash

Photo by madeleine ragsdale on Unsplash

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.

Not too long ago the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life published a major study on religious affiliation, beliefs, and practices in the United States. One of the most significant of their findings was that 70% of all Americans surveyed believe that many religions lead to Heaven and eternal life. Among the self professing Christians interviewed 65% believed that are many ways to Heaven. Of the professing Christians 56% of Evangelicals believed that there are many paths one can take to get to God. Religious pluralism (a belief in many gods) is rampant, even in the Church.

When I thought about this the Lord began to speak to my heart. Are there really many ways to God? What about those who have never heard of Christ? Will they die and enter eternity orphaned from God because they never heard that Jesus Christ is the “door of the sheep” (John 10:7)?

The answer to our question – just as the answer to all questions – is in the Bible, the Word of God. I was not on this earth when Jesus walked among us, but we have a record of what He declared in the Scripture.

How do I answer the critic who asks me “Why do you believe
that faith in Christ is the only way to know God the Father?”

The Nature Of God Demands Christ Alone

Who is God? What is His nature? The Bible tells us several great truths about God. First of all:

1 John 1:5 (KJV) This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

  • God is LIGHT. God is without darkness. There is absolutely no sin in God. God is HOLY, set apart from evil. The angels of Heaven constantly cry out:

Isaiah 6:3 (KJV) … Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

God is the Creator of physical light (Genesis 1:3) and the Source of spiritual light (John 8:12) and truth. There is
NO unrighteousness in God.

Psalms 99:5 (KJV) Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.

1 Peter 1:15-16 (KJV) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; [16] Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Hebrews 12:14 (KJV) Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

God is pure, holy, without sin. This is His basic nature.

  • God is also UNCHANGING and ETERNAL. God does not mature as we do, but is wholly complete. God does not learn as we do, but knows all things. The Bible says:

Psalms 90:2 (KJV) Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

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

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

God does not give His Word then forget what He gave. What God has said stands forever. What God has promised has no expiration. The Bible says:

Titus 1:2 (KJV) In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Numbers 23:19 (KJV) God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

God is unchanging, and unable to forget what He has promised. He cannot go senile. He is everywhere, and sees all that goes on.

  • God is also LOVE. God loves the Creation that He has made. God loves each person ever born. God made man in His image, and in His likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). He made us to be with Him, to serve Him. The Scripture declares:

1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. [8] He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

God loves you, for God made you. This is why the Bible says “God is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”. God loves every person, but His nature is holy.

The Nature Of Man Demands Christ Alone

The Bible teaches us that God made man and woman perfect and without sin, and placed both in a beautiful sin free garden called Eden (the Paradise of God). God put our fore-parents in this place to worship Him and to walk with Him. God gave Adam but one NO. He told 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.

God made a covenant with Adam. The covenant was very simple. You Adam, can eat ANYTHING Adam BUT ONE THING … do NOT eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What was the penalty for disobeying God? God was very clear. The very day you eat of it you shall SURELY DIE. Now if I or you made such a contract with another human, perhaps the contract would become negotiable at a later date. Perhaps I would use a lighter touch that death if you disobeyed. But God made the covenant with Adam. This is the God Who:

Is LIGHT
Is HOLY
Is UNCHANGING
Is ETERNAL
And Is LOVE

This God Who created all things gave a very clear directive, one that He was not going to ever invalidate. Though God is love, He is foremost HOLY. He cannot lie. So what happened when Adam did as God said NOT to do?

Romans 5:12 (KJV) Wherefore, as by ONE MAN sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that ALL HAVE SINNED:

Man was made to walk with God in holiness. But Man sinned against God, and brought sin into creation. The Scripture declares “… by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation..” (Romans 5:18). Adam polluted the human race that would spring from his loins. Adam’s children would all be born with a sin nature, a desire to walk apart from God. The Scripture declares:

Romans 3:23 (KJV) For ALL HAVE SINNED, and come short of the glory of God;

ALL have sinned. ALL are born sinners. Even before a child can be accountable for sin that child is prone to disobey, to lie, to try and be like a god in the family. When God looks at the world what does He see?

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.

The nature of God is to be holy, righteous, just. But the nature of man is to sin, to walk in the darkness rather than the light. You may say “Well, aren’t there moral people in the world?” Absolutely. There are moral, decent people who try to do the good thing. But when tempted, even these moral people can sin. We are predisposed to sin. God is predisposed to holiness. The natural state of God therefore is at odds with the natural state of man.

How do the warring factions come together? How can God offer mankind a hand up without defying His own nature? God needed to raise up a sinless mediator who could stand between us and Him. That Mediator is Christ.

1 Timothy 2:3-6 (KJV) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; [4] Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. [5] For THERE IS ONE GOD, AND ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN, THE MAN CHRIST JESUS; [6] Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

How can one Person mediate between God and man? That Person would have to be WITHOUT SIN. Why? Because God is sinless, Heaven is sinless, and God does not like to look on sin. When God looked down in Noah’s day and saw sin:

Genesis 6:5-7 (KJV) And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. [6] And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. [7] And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; …

When God looks on the sinful and unrepentant His holy nature demands that He punish them.

Ezekiel 18:4 (KJV) Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

God would not heed a Mediator Who was a sinner.

Isaiah 59:2 (KJV) But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

The Mediator would have to be without sin in order to bring us into union with God. The Scripture says of Jesus Christ that He is our Mediator:

Hebrews 4:14-15 (KJV) Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. [15] For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus Christ came to this earth in the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3). He was incarnated – came to this earth – through the virgin Mary. We are told in:

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

Jesus entered this life born of the virgin, but He Himself is Eternal God the Son. In Him there was no deceit (1 Peter 2:22) and no sin. Jesus was not a son of Adam, but He was the Son of Man and Son of God. As God He has no capacity to sin. As Man Christ was not marked with Adam’s sin, for God is His Father. As God Jesus is in union with the Father and the Spirit. He told the Pharisees “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). When He said this the Pharisees tried to stone Him, saying “You, a mere man, claim to be God” (John 10:33). John tells us that Jesus Christ is The Word of God that was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-3). In the Book of Hebrews the Father says of the Son:

Hebrews 1:8 (KJV) But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.

As Perfect Man Jesus represents us.
He knows our suffering and our pain, having suffered while on this earth.
As Perfect God Jesus represents God.

1 John 2:1-2 (KJV) … if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: [2] And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

There is only one Mediator between God and Man, and that is Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5).

The Words Of Christ Demand Christ Alone

When Jesus Christ walked this earth He presented Himself as uniquely the only Way to God the Father. He did not just do this in John 14:6, but in a number of other passages:

Matthew 11:27 (KJV) All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, SAVE THE SON, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Jesus said “No man knows the Father but ME”. Then to make this even more restrictive Jesus said “You can’t know the Father unless I reveal Him to YOU”. Jesus is the only Way to know God. Muhammed may have been the Prophet of Allah, but he was not the Prophet of the Biblical God. Only Jesus knows the Father. Period. Jesus was asked …

“Jesus, How can we work the works of God?”

His reply is in John 6:29, 31-32, 33, 35 (KJV) … This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent. … [31] Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. [32] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. [33] For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. [35] And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Jesus made Himself exclusively the Bread that gives life to the world. When Jesus spoke of Himself He was very specific that He and He alone was the only way to salvation.

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?

The Apostles understood this great truth and so preached faith in Christ alone for salvation. Peter said:

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

The Apostles were called “ignorant and unlearned men” for preaching this truth, and the world today calls us arrogant, backwards, and foolish for believing the same thing. Yet the Scripture stands with us when we are told that faith alone in Christ alone is the only way to be saved from damnation. Christ’s name is singularly the only way to God.

Philippians 2:9-11 (KJV) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; [11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

To affirm the uniqueness of Jesus Christ for salvation is not arrogance or boasting, but reality. I had a lady stop by the Church a few weeks ago asking me for directions to Dickson. I told her “As you leave our parking lot turn right. You will get to Dickson.” She said “So I turn left?” I said, “No, you MUST TURN RIGHT. There is no other way to get to Dickson from here.” That is not intolerant or hateful – it is the truth. Christ Jesus is the only Way to the Father. Jesus said it repeatedly. It is true. To be saved from hell and a wasted life, turn your eyes upon Jesus.

Matthew 12:50 (KJV)  For whosoever shall do the WILL of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

John 6:40 (KJV)  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.

God promises all … Romans 10:9-11 (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.

God calls you into His Kingdom. Confess with your mouth Jesus is LORD! Give to Him your life. Follow Him. God does not call us to be His equal. God does not call us to be gods alongside of Him. God does not call us into a 50/50 partnership. God calls us to surrender, to acknowledge Christ as our Savior, to receive Him as Lord of all we are. We are called to FOLLOW HIM. Will you follow Him? Hear Him! “My sheep HEAR My voice; I know them, and THEY FOLLOW ME. I give unto them eternal life. (John 10:27-28). There is no salvation without the bended knee and the following heart.

Where He leads me, I will follow;
I’ll go with Him, with Him,
All the way!

Posted in General | Tagged | Leave a comment

Christ Comes For His Own

Posted on January 21, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

stephan-herb-756591-unsplash.jpg

Photo by Stephan Herb on Unsplash

2 Peter 3:1-4 (KJV) This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: 2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: 3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

What is interesting about Peter’s second letter to the Church is that he waits until the third and final chapter to explain why he wrote the letter. Now we know the letter was not written exclusively by Peter. We were told in the first chapter of this letter:

2 Peter 1:21 (KJV) For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The Scripture is written by God. As Peter writes he writes guided by our God. This third chapter is specifically addressed to Christians. The Lord saved the best for the last! As this letter ends the focus is to jog our memories – to..

I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance

The word translated “PURE” is the Greek εἰλικρινής eilikrinḗs, (pronounced i-lik-ree-nace’), which means “pure, sincere, unsullied when held up to the light”. In ancient times unscrupulous pottery salesmen would seal minor cracks in their products by the use of wax. You could test the pot by filling it with water and, of course, it would not leak. But in time the wax would melt, and the pot would leak … long after the crooked salesman was gone. How did you make sure this didn’t happen, that you weren’t cheated.

Hold the pot up to the sunlight.

If it was cracked or damaged in any way the sun would shine through the pot. Farmers do the same thing with eggs before they sell them. Hold it up to the light.

The true Christian is the person who can be
held up to the Son’s light – S-O-N.

 If you have been born again you are not perfect – none of us are – but you are a work in progress. You are not deceitful. You are not the devil’s. You are not orphaned. You are adopted by God. You are forgiven. You are loved. You are the Master’s possession, and one day you will be like Jesus. And since you are God’s and God is yours Jesus will come and take you to Himself one day as His possession. This is your final destination -to be with the Lord forever!

God wants to STIR YOU UP, to remind you that He is coming for You! This world is not your home – you’re just passing through. The unbeliever mocks the coming of Christ, saying …

Where is the promise of his coming?

Did Jesus really say that He was coming again?

Did Jesus really say that He was coming again? It’s been over 2000 years since our Lord ascended into Heaven. Perhaps this is just a fantasy. Where is the promise of His coming?

1 Christian, you forever belong to God. Christ purchased you with His Blood. He paid for you on Calvary. You are not your own. You are His, and He is yours! If God tarries you will one day go to Him Who purchased you. The Scripture says:

2 Corinthians 5:6-9 (KJV) Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

While on this earth the Lord is with me, for He has said:

“I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

While on this earth “the Lord is my Helper”.

He is with me, and with you if you are Blood bought. You and I belong to Jesus. To belong to Jesus is the greatest truth you can grasp. If you belong to yourself then life is good and bad, up and down, terrible and happy. But if you belong to Jesus and grasp this fact then you can happily declare with the Apostle:

Philippians 1:21-23 (KJV) For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

Though death separates us from THIS PRESENT life it does not separate us from our Lord and Savior.

Romans 8:35 (KJV) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? …

Romans 8:38-39 (KJV) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Physical death does not separate us from our Savior.

We are bought at a terrible price (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23), the Blood of Christ was shed for you.

So no, death has no hold on you. Our Christ has conquered death.

Oh death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
(1 Corinthians 15:55).

1 Corinthians 15:57 (KJV) But thanks be to God, {Who}
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Christians, as part of His Church you forever belong to God. The rock on which the Church was built was the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16-18). The word CHRIST means MESSIAH. Jesus is the Messiah who will save His Church. Jesus is coming soon to Rapture His Church – to take us from this earth. The Apostle spoke of this in:

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 (KJV) Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 (KJV) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

HERE is the promise of His coming! Jesus has promised to return again for His Church, to save us out of the great Tribulation. The Great Tribulation is called “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7). Our Lord will come and take His Church from the earth prior to this event. Because Christ has taken the wrath of God on Himself for us, we shall not have to go through the Great Tribulation.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 (KJV) For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

He has promised to save them that are His. He saves us fully. We shall have glorified bodies like His body (see 1 John 3:2). Jesus shall come in the air and receive us unto Himself – then the Tribulation will begin. For seven years the world shall go through horrors under the reign of the anti-christ. But he shall reign for but a season.

3 Christians, Israel Belongs To Our Lord. Jesus Will Come To Both Redeem And Save His Israel. Though many Israelites were brought into the Church since Christ ascended unto God, Israel as a nation rejected Christ as Messiah. But once His Church was formed Jesus promised to return to the earth for His Israel. Before Jesus ascended into Heaven the disciples asked Him:

Acts 1:6 (KJV) …. Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

They knew that Jesus had taught He was coming again for Israel. Jesus is the virgin born Son of God (Isaiah 7:14). Jesus is the heir to the Throne of David, with every right to rule both Israel and the world He created (Isaiah 9:6-7). So the disciples asked “Jesus, now that You are resurrected, are you not going to restore again the Kingdom to Israel? Will You not now rule and reign?” Jesus replied:

Acts 1:7-9 (KJV)… It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Jesus told His young Church leaders to go out and share His Gospel of salvation to whosoever will. To tell others that Christ came “to seek and save the lost” (1 Timothy 1:15; Luke 19:10).

We are in a period of Grace right now where the Gospel is to go forth into all the world. Jesus Christ is coming in the clouds for His Church, and coming to this earth to saved His Israel. He is coming to judge this world.

Matthew 16:26-27 (KJV) 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? 27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

The Disciples understood that Jesus was coming to rule and reign over this earth. On the Mount of Olives just prior to His crucifixion the disciples asked Jesus:

Matthew 24:3 (KJV) … what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

How would we know that the end of the age is near? What will we see just prior to His coming? There Will Be False Messiahs And False Prophets.

Matthew 24:5 (KJV) For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Matthew 24:11-12 (KJV) And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

The anti-christ shall stand in the Holy of Holies of the rebuilt Temple:

Matthew 24:15-16 (KJV)15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains.

There are many other signs mentioned by our Lord in Matthew 24. But I want to simply point out that Jesus promised He was returning for His Israel:

Matthew 24:27 (KJV) For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Matthew 24:36 (KJV) But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

We do not know when Jesus will return – no one knows but the Father in Heaven. But He is returning. He can come at any time.

The Passing Of Time Does Not Negate The Word Of God

The mockers do not believe that Jesus will come again because, they say:

for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

Our Lord Jesus used Noah and his ark
to illustrate His second coming.

Matthew 24:37-39 (KJV) But as the days of {Noah} were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that {Noah} entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

People think that God has forgotten that He will return and judge this world. They think because of the passing of time that maybe God has forgotten, or has dementia. When Noah started building the Ark he preached the coming flood. 120 years later God had Noah and his family get on the Ark and the entry was sealed – there was no time left. Peter refers to this when he writes:

2 Peter 3:5-8 (KJV) For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The fact that God tarrys before He sends His Son is not that He has forgotten. No, just as it was with Noah, so it is with us.

Time does not matter to the Promise of God!

For our sakes God created the world in six literal 24 hour days – but God Himself is outside of time. A day with God is as if it were 1000 years, or 1000 years as if a day. God tarries.

God tarries. He waits.

God waited for 120 years before He sent the flood in Noah’s day.

God tarries.

God waited for over 400 years before judging Pharaoh and Egypt.

God tarries. He waits.

Jonah preached “Yet 30 days and Nineveh will be destroyed” if you do not repent.

God tarries.

Righteous Lot is sent to Sodom and Gomorrah, but they refuse to repent. God sends angels to that city, and the crowd attempts to rape them.

God tarries. He waits.

Evil abounds in America – babies are murdered in the name of convenience. The blood of the innocent cries out from the ground, from the land fills, from the sewers. Our government uses our tax money to fund this evil.

But God tarries. He waits.

Drug abuse grows. Let us legalize marijuana. Eat, drink, and be merry.

God tarries.

Comedians mock God. Comedian George Carlin mocked God before his death, saying to a laughing crowd:

“There is no God … in fact, I’m gonna put it this way. If there is a God, may He strike this audience dead! See? Nothing happened. Nothing happened? Everybody’s okay? All right, tell you what, I’ll raise the stakes a little bit. If there is a God, may He strike ME dead. See? Nothing happened …”

God tarries. He waits. Why does He wait? Why does He not strike? Because of Calvary. Because of His great love for us all. The Bible says:

2 Peter 3:9 (KJV) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Perhaps you know you are a sinner. You have heard God’s pronouncement:

Romans 3:23-25 (KJV) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

God tarries. He waits for you. But He will not wait forever. None of us have the promise of tomorrow – but we have the promise of eternity if we run to the waiting arms of Jesus. Oh Beloved, run to Him. Let His nail scarred hands hold you. Trust Him. Give Him yourself. Become His possession. Get on the Ark of God’s love, for judgment is coming. Jesus is coming soon. Are you ready?

May God touch your hearts with His Word!

Posted in 2 Peter, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Nobody’s Perfekt But God

Posted on January 17, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

mistake.jpeg

Numbers 13:1-2 (KJV) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, [2] Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.

Last Wednesday we continued our study through the Book of Deuteronomy. In the newspaper when an error is made they post the “correction” usually in small print somewhere NOT on the first page. I made an error last Wednesday. I know it’s hard to believe, but I did. I know you all think I’m perfect (yes, you can laugh).

We were in Deuteronomy 1:22-23 and read the text …

Deuteronomy 1:22-23 (KJV) And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come. [23] And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:

Here’s where the error is. I said … begin quote …

“Now this was not God’s idea, but the people’s idea. God merely told Israel to enter the land and possess it. A delegation from the people came from Israel and said in effect “Let’s not go directly into the land. Let’s send twelve spies who can tell us …”

This statement is wrong. I commend the one who came to me in private and told me that I erred. I read the text without cross referencing the Scripture in Numbers chapter 13. To say “this was not God’s idea” is wrong … but not totally wrong. As you read tonight God said:

Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them

The heads of each of the twelve tribes were to go into the land to “search” it, to survey it. God said “I have given the land to the children of Israel”. God wanted them to see what they had been given. It was not their idea to go into the land, but God’s. But IT WAS their idea to try and figure out “what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come”. I was wrong, and I wanted to make this right.

Nobody’s Perfect But God

None of us are perfect but God. I know it’s a business meeting night and I promise not to be too long. Your time is valuable. But God’s time is more valuable.

In Numbers 13 God tells Moses to send a leader from each tribe into the Promised Land. God knew that each and every one of these men were imperfect and unable. But God expected these imperfect and unable people to come together with Him and do as He said. These men were to step out in faith and go see the land that God had already given them. We read:

Numbers 13:3-16 (KJV) And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel. [4] And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. [5] Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. [6] Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. [7] Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. [8] Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun. [9] Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. [10] Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. [11] Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. [12] Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. [13] Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. [14] Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. [15] Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. [16] These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.

When we are reading Scripture many times we are tempted to skip over things that we consider unimportant. I find myself often getting cross-eyed when I go through lists of names like those we have just read. Why did God put all the names of these men in His Bible?

God Knows Who Are His

The Bible tells us that:

2 Timothy 2:19 (KJV) … The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

God not only knows we are imperfect, but He knows them that are His. And He tells them that belong to Him to depart from iniquity. Every one of these men chosen were called specifically by God to believe God and do His work. When God said to choose:

of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur

he specified his TRIBE and his FATHER. This person was called to serve the Lord, not his own self interests. This man might have been a tribal headl, but he was first and foremost a servant of the Lord Who saved him.

Believers are called to imitate God, to DO what He says. We are blessed when we do as our Lord commands. But we as Christians are cursed when we depart from obeying our Lord.

Our God Knows Our Potential

Our God knows all things. The Bible says that He knows “the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done” (Isaiah 46:10). Our God knows what is in our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7). Author and Pastor Max Lucado wrote in his book Facing Your Giants:

“{When God looked at David the shepherd} God saw what no one else saw– a God-seeking heart. David took after God’s heart, because he stayed after God’s heart. In the end, that is all God wants or needs. Others measure your waist size or wallet. Not God. He examines hearts. When he finds one set on Him, He calls it and claims it.”

I believe that God had the twelve spies names recorded in Scripture not because He knew they wouldn’t fail, but because He wants us to understand that when we depart from Him we will fail miserably. Ten of the spies went into the Promised Land with their eyes not on the Promise of God, but on what they considered were insurmountable odds. How did God classify their action? We are told:

Numbers 13:32 (KJV) …they brought up an EVIL REPORT of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

These men brought an “evil report”. Evil? Absolutely. God told them to go into the land and possess it. They wouldn’t. The Bible says

“to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17).

Every spy should have said “Yes, there are challenges, but God said GO and we must GO!”. But they didn’t. They looked at the challenges and made them bigger than our God. There were two spies that gave not an evil report, but a good report. We read:

Numbers 13:30 (KJV) … Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

Caleb, the son of Jephunneh was of the ruling tribe of Judah (see verse 6). He did what every leader should do. He heard God, and said “we are WELL ABLE to overcome it”. Why? Beloved, any believer walking with Christ is “well able to overcome it”. God is with the believer in fellowship – and there is nothing our God cannot do.

There was one other spy who encouraged the people to go into the land. He was “Oshea the son of Nun” from the tribe of Ephraim” (see verse 8). Oshea was a special type of person. We read previously:

Numbers 13:16 (KJV) … And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.

Moses renamed Oshea. The name Oshea (הוֹשֵׁעַ Hôwshêaʻ, pronounced ho-shay’-ah) means “Salvation”. Moses renamed Oshea Jehoshua (יְהוֹשׁוּעַ Yᵉhôwshûwaʻ, pronounced yeh-ho-shoo’-ah) which means “Jehovah is our Savior”.

Our God Calls Us To Imitate Christ

When Israel finally went into the Promised Land (the second generation) Joshua led them into the land. Why? First, because God chose Joshua to lead them into the land.

Deuteronomy 3:26, 28 (KJV) … the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter. … [28] But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see (see also Deuteronomy 31:23).

I think that the second reason God called Joshua and not Caleb to lead Israel into the Promised Land is because his heart was focused on God our Savior. Moses changed his name from “Salvation” to “Jehovah is our salvation”. Joshua loved the Lord. His heart was on the Lord. He lived imitating Jesus.

This is what God calls every Christian to be. We are to live like we are Jesus. We are to move from a saved state (“Salvation”) to a Christ like state (“Jehovah is our salvation”).

Romans 8:28-29 (KJV) And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. [29] For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

God has PREDESTINED every Christian to be like Jesus. This is the will of God for your life. Not that you have a big bank account, or be famous or powerful, but that you and I be like Jesus.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (KJV) Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. [18] But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The Holy Spirit of God is working in the life of every Christian (Ephesis 2:8-10) to make us like Christ, to change us into His image.

1 John 3:2-3 (KJV) Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. [3] And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

We as believers work together with the indwelling Spirit to become more like Christ. We do this by imitating Christ is prayer, in Biblical study, and in doing good in a relatively bad world. We are not perfect, dear Ones, but we will be one day. When we see Him we shall be like Him. Our sins will be gone, and we will live with our Savior and Lord forever and ever.

There’s one other thing I see in this text with all these names.

In Genesis 49:10 the Patriarch Jacob prophesied before he died, saying:

Genesis 49:10 (KJV) The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

When God called a King to be over Israel He called David the Shepherd. God promised David the heritage of an eternal throne. The Lord said:

2 Samuel 7:12-13 (KJV) And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. [13] He shall build an house for my name, and I WILL STABLISH THE THRONE OF HIS KINGDOM FOR EVER.

When Jesus Christ entered humanity He was born of the tribe of Judah, of the Household of David. This is what makes our Lord the future and eternal King of Israel. Judah was where the throne was vested. However, Joshua was not of the Tribe of Judah, but of Ephraim. Who was of the Tribe of Judah?

Caleb, the son of Jephunneh

Why didn’t God called Caleb, and not Joshua, to be the leader of Israel? I believe it was because

though Caleb honored and trusted God,
Joshua was more like Jesus.

God wants you to be like Jesus.
God wants you to love like Jesus.
God wants you to forgive like Jesus.

God wants you to give like Jesus.

Oh, that we would all be like Jesus! This is where the victory is!

Posted in Deuteronomy, Numbers, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wells Without Water

Posted on January 13, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

finding-dan-dan-grinwis-396674-unsplash.jpg

Photo by Finding Dan | Dan Grinwis on Unsplash

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

2 Peter 2:17 (KJV) These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

The Apostle Peter – under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit – takes a complete chapter in this small 3 chapter epistle to discuss and condemn false prophets.

Before we can ever discuss “false prophets” we need to define them. In the previous chapter Peter wrote:

2 Peter 1:19-21 (KJV) We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Prophecy is a teaching of absolute truth that comes not from man, but from GOD. The Church (which is Christ’s people saved by Grace) has a more SURE WORD of prophecy. God called and spoke through people to make our Bible. They spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead.

Prophecy is absolute truth clearly expressed
from our Almighty God.

False prophets are therefore people – whether believer or not – who speak saying they represent truth but who in reality are promoting non-truth or opinion as truth. You may say “What does this have to do with me? I don’t listen to false prophets.” Beloved, yes you do.

False prophets are on the radio, television,
and movies.
False prophets are in newsrooms spinning truth.
False prophets speak without God’s blessing.
False prophets teach our children in schools.
False prophets are in our government.
False prophets permeate our churches.
False prophets are in “Christian” publications.
False prophets focus on “I” and not God.
They tickle the ears rather than teach truth.

What the false prophet says effects our worldview, and therefore effects how we live. They look good, and what they say sounds good. Yet their message cannot be tied to Scripture. Peter – a true Prophet of God – tied the false prophets to two vivid illustrations:

2 Peter 2:17 (KJV) These are wells without water,
clouds that are carried with a tempest …

They are “wells without water” and “passing clouds without water”.

In my front yard is a “wishing well” that I made for my wife. When we moved into our home she told me she’d love to have a wishing well. So I made her one. The base of the well is red brick, and there is a small tin roof over it, with a steel bucket hanging from a rope. The “wishing well” looks, in my opinion, very nice. Sherry is satisfied with it. It looks like a well. But when you get up close to it you will see it’s a well without water. I didn’t even dig a hole to make the well. It just sits on the ground. The inside is filled with bricks, spiders, and I think a bird’s nest or two. The wishing well has no practical value whatsoever. If we didn’t have running water in the house and depended on this well, we’d WISH we had a real well. It’s pretty. It looks good. But it’s nothing.

In the days when Peter was moved by the Spirit to write this letter there was no such thing as running water in a home. People need water. You need water, I need water. We need water to drink. We use water to cook our food. We use water to bathe our bodies. The average person’s body is 60% water. The brain and heart are 73% water, the lungs 83% water, muscles and kidneys are 79% water. Even your bones are 31% water.

A person can live without food for 21 days – and some longer.
A person can live without sleep for 11 days, but ..
But a person can live without water for only 3-4 days.

We need water to live. A well with water blessed the community. A cloud with water blessed the farmer. Wells and clouds without water look good, but bring no blessing, only cursing.

Peter said that these false prophets …

2 Peter 2:13-14 (KJV) …. shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; 14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

America has been sold on the idea of sexual contact without the marriage contract. False prophets come into our homes through godless media, telling us and our children that what we feel is more important than what God has said.

Sin enslaves it’s host. We read “EYES FULL OF ADULTERY, and that CANNOT CEASE FROM SIN”. Jesus warned us of the danger of rejecting God’s standard. He told the Pharisees:

John 8:34, 36 (KJV) …. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. … 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

And the Apostle Paul reiterated:

Romans 6:16 (KJV) Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Sin enslaves. The false prophets of modern media invade our households and tell us that “it’s all about how I feel. If I am in love then hook up with my lover. Put the I first, and you will be blessed.” This type of message has radically effected our families and our communities.

Back in 1939 Elmo Roper – considered the forefather of modern surveys and polls – asked whether sexual relations for young people before marriage were all right, unfortunate, or wicked. Only 10% to 11% of women and men said that pre-marital sex was “all right”. That meant that in Billy Graham’s world about 90% of adults believed in what God’s Bible said about sex. Compare this to today. In a Gallup survey (June 2018) 69% of Americans believe that sex between an unmarried man and woman is “morally acceptable”. What happened? The false prophets spoke, and Americans listened.

When Adam was introduced to Eve what did he say?

Genesis 2:23-24 (KJV) … This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Jesus used this very illustration when He was asked about marriage. He said:

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

Regardless as to what your favorite television show promotes, physical contact without the wedding contract does not bless anyone. The effects of sexual sin are:

broken hearts
broken homes
aborted babies
broken children
and has promoted a broken society!

The “Sure Word of Prophecy” – our Bible says:

1 Corinthians 7:2 (KJV) … to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

Hebrews 13:4 (KJV) Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

Marriage as defined by the Scripture is
one man and one woman bound together
in a contract relationship.

Galatians 5:19 (KJV) … Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

Those engaged in sexual sin are warned that their activities rob them of blessing in THIS life as well as in the NEXT life.

Sexual contact outside of the wedding contract is strongly forbidden in Scripture (see Galatians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11). God will judge sin, Beloved! But God will save and heal those who come to Him by Christ.

2 Peter 2:4-6 (KJV) For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

  • God judged angelic sin. When the angels revolted against God, the Lord cast them into a hellish pit (see Jude 6; Revelation 20:3).
  • God judged heterosexual sin when He brought a flood on the entire world. The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and they took of them wives of all which they chose (Genesis 6:2). The righteous mingled with the unrighteous, and the marriage contract was not observed.
  • God judged homosexual sin when He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:5). The mob saw the angelic messengers who came to Lot’s home and cried out “Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know (intimately know) them.”

God judges sin, & sin has a consequence.
Angels were imprisoned because of sin.
A world was flooded because of sin.
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of sin.

2 Peter 2:3 (KJV) And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

Right after Jesus rose from the grave He met with Peter and asked him in John 21:15-17):

“Simon, do you love Me?”

Peter answered “Lord, You know that I love You”. Jesus told Peter “Then FEED My sheep”. The mark of the true Prophet is that he feeds the Child of God. He promotes the Word of God. He tries to build a Christian worldview in your heart. The false prophet wants POWER and MONEY. He does not love you, nor the God he claims to represent. The false prophet …

2 Peter 2:10 (KJV) … walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

They do not want to be a part of God’s Kingdom, nor of any kingdom. They want to be their own Lord, anarchists, doing evil and darkness rather than coming to God’s light. Like their father satan they desire to be in charge. God declares of them:

2 Peter 2:12 (KJV) But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

These false prophets will ultimately self destruct. They have forsaken the way of Christ. They …

2 Peter 2:15-16 (KJV) … have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbade the madness of the prophet.

Balaam was an Old Testament false prophet who sold his services to the highest bidder. He did not love people. He did not love Jesus. He loved money. When Balaam went to prophecy against God’s people one day the Bible says “the Lord was very angry with him” (Numbers 22:21-39). The Lord caused Balaam’s donkey – his jackass – to crush his foot against the wall. Let’s read the text cited by Peter:

Numbers 22:28-33 (KJV) And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. 30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. 31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. 32 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: 33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.

That jackass saved Balaam’s life. God was going to kill Balaam for what he – as a false prophet – was getting ready to do.

The false prophet will be judged. Do not stand with the false prophets.

2 Peter 2:19-21 (KJV) While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

Stand with Jesus.
Stand with the Living Word.
Seek God’s Will in His Scripture.
This is the way to life everlasting!

One day Jesus met a woman at a well. “Give Me to drink” He said. She replied, “I am a Samaritan. Why would You ask me for a drink of water?” Jesus said “If you knew who I was, you’d ask Me for water, and I would have given you LIVING WATER”. Christ is not a well without water. He is a well flowing with divine and supernatural water. To drink of Him and His word is to “never be thirsty again”. Jesus told her “Go, call your husband, and come back with him”. The woman replied:

John 4:17-18 (KJV) The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

This woman was living as many live today. She had heard the word of the false prophet, and was living without satisfaction or blessing. She had been with five men, and now was with a sixth. But once she met Jesus her life changed.

John 4:28-29 (KJV) The woman then left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

She went back to her home and told the MEN that had previously known her that she had met the Messiah. Her life was changed. She was now in contract with the Living and Eternal Savior.

Jesus can change your life, too! You will never find power for living in the false prophets of this world. Power for living is possible only for those who come to the Living Savior and then – in the power that God grants you – to read and study His Holy Word. May God lead your hearts to follow Him wholeheartedly!

Posted in 2 Peter, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment