Tag Archives: God Is Faithful

Five Judges

Posted on May 16, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

As we studied last week, Jephthah was the son of a prostitute, and a man who would not be defeated. Jephthah, though thrown out of his home by jealous brothers, would follow faith in God and become a “mighty man of valor”. Jephthah would be approached by the elders of Gilead – the same ones who cast him out of his family home – and by faith become the eighth legitimate Judge of Israel.

Jephthah would lead the armies of Israel to fight against and defeat the Ammonites. Jephthah would allow faithlessness and doubt to cause him to approach God with a foolish vow. This is what unbelievers do with God. “God, if you’ll give me this, or do that, I’ll do this or that”.

God does not expect us to bargain with Him, but to walk with Him. We are to fear our God, not the world!

Jephthah promised to offer up a “burnt sacrifice” of the first thing that greeted him if God gave him success in defeating the Ammonites. God never responded to the vow – but Jephthah decided he would keep his word. When he returned from battle, his only daughter greeted him. Following a two month sabbatical Jephthah offered up his only daughter to God as a spiritual burnt offering. She died childless, and Jephthah would die, closing out his line. Such are the rewards of stepping outside of God’s will. The Bible says:… Continue reading →

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Come Join The Minority

Posted on May 8, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Back when I was young and dinosaurs roamed the earth, we used to write letters that we’d put in the mail. Texting has destroyed this, but yes, we’d absolutely do this. When I ended a letter, I’d end with my name and something affectionate, like “I love you”.

Many of the books we have in the New Testament are letters the Apostles wrote to the Church. As the Apostle Paul closed his letter to the Romans he sends greetings from others in ministry with him. Paul closes with “The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (Romans 16:24), and then adds a rather length “P.S.” that ends with “To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.” (Romans 16:27). As Paul ends his first letter to Corinth he says, “My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.” (1 Corinthians 16:24). The letter to the Hebrews ends simply with “Grace be with you all. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:25). The Apostle Peter ends with “Grow in Grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18).

Notice how the Apostle John ends his letter to the Church. What thought did John want us to remember, a final point that is so very important? He writes:

Little children, keep yourselves from idols…. Continue reading →

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From Death To Life

Posted on May 4, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

John 5:19-24 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. {20} For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. {21} For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. {22} For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: {23} That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. {24} Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

I have heard atheists make the remark that they cannot believe in something they cannot see. This is a foolish statement. Most people have never actually see the atom, but we know it exists. We have not seen gravity, but I for one am thankful it exists. You do not actually see the wind, nor can you see the air provide lift for an aircraft because of the laws of aerodynamics. We have never seen living dinosaurs though we know they existed, and have trusted paleontologists to tell us what they were like. I can go on and on. Though we have not seen God, and have not seen Heaven nor Hell, we believe in these things. Why? Because of Creation. The world around us is clearly not an accident, but something with architecture and design. This is why the Bible says:… Continue reading →

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The Thief Comes …

Posted on May 1, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

When we left Judges chapter 9 we saw the false judge Abimelech (the concubine son of Gideon or Jerubbaal) ruled (not judged, but ruled) over Israel for three years. God allowed Abimelech to slaughter all but one of the other sons of Gideon (Jotham) to set up his kingdom. After three years, everything fell apart. The men of Shechem who conspired with Abimelech to do evil were utterly destroyed, and Abimelech himself died when a woman dropped a millstone on his head (Judges 9:53; 2 Samuel 11:21). This reminded me of what Jesus said:

Mark 9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

Something interesting happens between chapters 9 and 10. The general pattern of the Book of Judges that we have seen so far is…

Israel rebels against God
God disciplines Israel with an unbelieving nation
Israel repents
God raises up a Judge to restore Israel

Failure To Repent And Pursuit Of Sin
Brings Hardening Of The Conscience

This pattern is disrupted in chapter 10. As we enter this chapter 10, we see two judges in the first FIVE verses of chapter 10:… Continue reading →

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Knowing You Have Eternal Life

Posted on May 1, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

The power that a Christian has in this life is the certain knowledge that you have eternal life. Of all the Apostles, at 88 years old John was the longest lived. The other Apostles were stoned to death, beheaded, fed to wild beasts in the coliseum, set on fire, crucified, pierced through with spears, or stabbed to death. The world and its fallen leaders tried their best to kill John. They boiled him in oil. When that didn’t kill him, they exiled him to the desert Isle of Patmos, expecting him to starve to death. In Patmos Jesus met him, and took John to Heaven to see the glories of the coming ages.

John and the other Apostles had something that every Christian should have. They had a certain knowledge of eternal life. John said:

vs 13 These things have I written unto you that
believe on the name of the Son of God

If you have BELIEVED on the NAME (the Authority of) the SON OF GOD (Jesus) John is addressing you. What does this mean? It means to believe, as John MacArthur notes:… Continue reading →

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Your Sin Will Find You Out, Abimelech

Posted on April 24, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

Judges 9:1-3 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying, 2 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh. 3 And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.

The great Prophet Moses warned us all a long time ago:

Numbers 32:23 … be sure your sin will find you out.

Sin is nothing to wink at. When Cain sinned against God by offering the wrong sacrifice, God told Cain:

Genesis 4:7 (ESV) … sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it

Because Cain would not rule over his sin by repenting, and doing as God said, he ended up murdering his brother Abel. The stepbrother of Jesus said:

James 1:14-15 (ESV) … each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

The Bible describes sin as if it is a living thing. And it is. The Apostle Paul spoke of sin inside his own life, saying “it is no longer I who do it, but IT IS SIN LIVING IN ME THAT DOES IT”. … Continue reading →

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Noble Faith Matters

Posted on April 21, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

Please turn with me in your Bibles to John 4:43. The Bible has quite a bit to say about “Faith”. In fact, the world has quite a bit to say about “Faith”. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “Faith” as:

“Allegiance to duty or to a person. Belief and trust in and loyalty to God. Firm belief in something for which there is no proof. Something believed especially with strong conviction, especially a system of religious beliefs.”

Everyone has faith. The …

– Atheist has faith there is no God, and the
– Humanist believes that people are gods. The
– Evolutionist has faith in Darwinism and so called evolutionary science. The
– Diseased often place their faith in medicines and medical science. The
– Politician believes their party is perfect, whereas the
– Progressive SJW has faith in one’s ability to reimagine oneself. The
– Christian is called to have faith in Christ and His Word, the Bible.

Those who are not Christians put their faith in various pagan gods and goddesses, various processes, types of people or political parties. Everyone has faith. When you drove to Church tonight, you had faith that your fellow motorists do not want to forfeit their lives. When you pass a car on the highway, you are about 24” from death. Yet you continue to drive. Why? It’s FAITH. You have faith that the person hurling toward you at speed is not texting, or that the driver is not suicidal.

Faith in people and things can be misplaced. Faith in Jesus is NEVER wrong. Because the Samaritan woman had faith in Jesus, she went to Sychar and told her friends about Him. Because others expressed faith in Christ, He went to Sychar and stayed two more days. … Continue reading →

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Whosoever Is Whatsoever Is All

Posted on April 19, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

1 John 5:1-5 KJV Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. (2) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. (3) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (4) For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith. (5) Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

We’re always hearing bad news in the news, and many of us long for the time when there was less sexual perversion and more common sense in America. But surprisingly, a recent Barna Survey reported:

“Recent data show that Americans are trending toward spiritual openness. As of October 2022, Barna data show three out of four U.S. adults (74%) say they want to grow spiritually. Additionally, the same proportion (77%) say they believe in a higher power. Nearly half (44%) say they are more open to God today than before the pandemic.”

The door is open to the growth of God’s Kingdom. How will God’s people respond. Sheldon Vanauken, the author of “A Severe Mercy” (a beautiful book) wrote:

“The best argument for Christianity is Christians: their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians—when they are somber and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths.”

Christians have always been attacked. People call us names. “Homophobic. Transphobic. Misogynistic.” Let them call us names. Regardless as to what the world feels, let us stand firm on God’s Word. The world called Jesus “Drunkard. Sinner. Illegitimate Son. Insane.” Jesus stuck with God’s Word. Over and over He declares, … Continue reading →

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Divine Love

Posted on March 26, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

Please turn with me in your Bibles to:

1 John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

We Desperately Need To Understand What “Love” Is

One of the most misunderstood (but most popular) verses in the Bible is what our Lord Jesus Christ said to a Rabbi named Nicodemus. Yes, I’m talking about

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Children are taught this verse in Vacation Bible School and Sunday School It is well known and probably the most memorized of all scripture. But it is misunderstood, because people do not know what the word LOVED means. In our world the word “LOVED” refers to a positive emotional response that leads to happiness and satisfaction. Years ago it became popular to say in the pulpit:

God loves the sinner but hates the sin.

The Bible doesn’t say this. People are always quoting things from the Bible that are NOT in the Bible. For instance,

God helps those who help themselves.

Is not in the Bible. This actually comes from Aesop’s Fairytale “Hercules And The Wagoner”. Aesop was a Greek storyteller, and the actual quote is “The gods help them that help themselves”. Then I’ve heard,

Cleanliness is next to godliness…. Continue reading →

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Jerubbaal, Mighty Man Of Valor

Posted on March 21, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

So far in Judges we have seen the judges, the Avengers of God:

Othniel, the nephew of Caleb (3:7-11) defeat Mesopotamia
Ehud defeat the fat Moabite King Eglon (3:12-30)
Shamgar defeat 600 Philistines (3:31), and
Deborah directing Barak as he defeats King Jabin of Canaan

We now come to the Judge Gideon. God spends more time discussing Gideon and Samson that He does any other judges. We will cover Gideon in at least two installments.

Before Gideon Comes, The Midianites
And A Prophet Comes

Judges 6:1-2 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. 2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.

Gideon’s calling by God is very similar to His calling of the other Judges. The phrase:… Continue reading →

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