Tag Archives: serving God

Othniel And The Spirit of God

Every preacher of the Gospel has wrestled with this. The Prophet prayed:

Jeremiah 12:1-2 (ESV) “Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts”

How is it possible that a pervert named Hugh Hefner entice and deceive young women, and build a Playboy Empire worth $412 million? How can God allow Pablo Escobar – the King of Cocaine – to amass over 33 billion dollars of wealth? How many people did his drugs enslave, how many lives ruined? How is it that actors like Alec Baldwin can kill an innocent person, and get only a slap on the wrist? That ancient preacher Job asked:

Job 21:7 “Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?”

God answers His people. The wicked have not escaped judgment, but a judgment day is coming. We who are mortal want this to come today. Our God tells us:

Psalm 37:1-7 (ESV) “Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes”

There Are Two Reasons The Wicked Are Blessed

The Bible tells us that God allows the wicked to prosper for two reasons. The Apostle said:… Continue reading

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Choosing Your Master

We choose how we will live our lives. We choose to be the master of our story, or to let someone or something else be the master of our lives. The best life is to choose to serve God. Our Lord Jesus said:

Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

It is best to serve God. It is best to pattern your lives after Jesus Christ. It is the highest sort of life to hear the words of God and to obey them and do them. Why? Because God is love. The best life is to love God, and be loved of God. Anything God requires of us is, of necessity, for our good. God does not make us love Him, but calls to us in love to repent and come to Him.

If you believe that “God is love”, then you also believe that God wants US to love. The scripture says “He that will not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8). … Continue reading

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The Joy Of Faith

We see toward the end of verse 25, “Joy of Faith”. When you live for Jesus, you will often find yourself in bad spots. The Apostle Paul had more than his share of bad spots. Saul met Jesus on the Damascus Road, and heeding His call became Paul the Apostle. When Ananias was told to go to Saul and lay hands on him, Ananias was initially hesitant. After all, the Saul had been terrorizing the Church. But Jesus told Ananias:

Acts 9:15-16 (ESV) “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

As Saul caused others to suffer for Satan’s sake, now Paul himself will suffer “for the sake of {Jesus}”. Oh, how Paul would suffer! Paul told the Church at Corinth:

2 Corinthians 1:8-10 (ESV) For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

The brighter and more flamboyant the LIGHT, the greater the DARKNESS will hate it.

Paul said that he was so distressed that “we despaired of life itself”. That is a profound statement. This means that Paul got so discouraged that he and those with him welcomed death. This is a state of advanced depression, where life has lost its savor. Paul was like that poor old Saint Job who cried out:… Continue reading

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Working For God

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 2. 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah. Nehemiah is the Cup Bearer or the Butler of the King Artaxerxes (a Persian King and conqueror of Judah). God has moved on the heart of Ezra and Zerubbabel to lead Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. Some 12 years later some of these exiles return to King Artaxerxes palace and tell Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem are destroyed, and the gates burned with fire.

When the walls of the nation are fallen and the gates burned, the criminal element rule the nation. The walls must be rebuilt if righteousness will return!

Nehemiah seeks first God’s permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. Receiving permission from God, Nehemiah asks King Artaxerxes for help – who willingly gives it! Nehemiah travels to Jerusalem, surveys the damage done, then gathers the refugees in exile to present the facts to them. We read:… Continue reading

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God Is With His People

Last Sunday we started in the Book of Nehemiah. To review, Nehemiah and Ezra were considered one book by Israel and by Judaism. Ezra tells the story of the first return of Israel from exile to Jerusalem. Ezra and Zerubbabel led a team to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, and to introduce Israel to the Law of God once more. After Ezra’s team had been in Jerusalem 12 years or so, some of the exiles returned to the winter palace of the Persian King Artaxerxes, and met the Cupbearer (the Butler) of the King named Nehemiah. These exiles told Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem were down, and its gates burned with fire.

So Nehemiah prayed.

If you want to be used of God, you cannot be in bondage. The reason God gave us who are Gentiles the Old Testament is to show us that God can only use a liberated people. When Israel was in bondage to Egypt, God raised up Moses to go to Pharaoh, demanding:… Continue reading

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3. The MUSTS Of Christianity: The MUST Of Decreasing Self

If you think you have everything, you will never seek the more. Many profess Christ, think they are saved, but when I ask them “Are you saved?” they tell me “I hope so”. Now “hope” is a fine thing. The Bible tells us “and now abideth faith, HOPE, and love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). Biblical hope is not human “hope so”.

Biblical hope is a certain knowledge that, though you have not received the promises, you will receive the promises because God is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9). Continue reading

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One Greater Than The Temple!

When Nehemiah led the refugees of the children of Israel back to rebuild Jerusalem he caught the Israelites buying and selling on the Shabbâth. Nehemiah chastised them, saying (Nehemiah 13:18) “Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Shabbâth..”, From that point on the gates of the city of Jerusalem were locked, and guards posted, so that there would be no buying and selling on the Sabbath. God promised Jerusalem if they kept the Shabbâth holy and unto the Lord that there would be blessing on all (Jeremiah 17:21-27). If they failed to keep the Shabbâth, there would be a curse brought on them. Continue reading

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Happy New Year!

Many people stayed up late last night to “Ring in the New Year”. Bro. Jim Linam told us at Church Sunday that he usually stays up pretty late on New Year’s Eve – sometimes as late as 8 or 8:30 pm! I agree with him. Some people stay up until… Continue reading

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Christ Lifted Up

As Jesus discussed salvation with this “master teacher of Judaism” He began to reveal that Christianity is not just another religion among many. Those who are true Christians are “born again of the Spirit of God” (John 3:3, 5, 8). A Christian becomes a Christian because that person calls on Jesus to be saved. The Genuine Call from the lost person creates what you might call a chain effect which is described in … Continue reading

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The Unworthy Servant

It pays to read the Scripture in context. I have heard preachers speak on the Parable of the Unworthy Servant but never look at the text around that parable. Context makes all the difference.

First of all let’s make note that this parable is only found in the Gospel of Luke. … Continue reading

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